See? I update fast. Lol But goodness. Italicizing word by word is too tiring. Tsk

Right! Thank you for upvoting, corea18, shiniheiji, jodirish, and pau_10!! Stay pretty like our ati! :)))

"What the was that, Dara?!"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question, Zico? What the was that? Who is she?"

"She's my girlfriend!"

"Wha. . . what?!"

"We're over!"

"Since when? Today?! Now, that I saw you riding her on your bed?!"

"Since you started being so problematic and desperate!"

"Wow. Me? Problematic? Desperate? What the do you call yourself?! Good? Holy?"

"I call myself 'fed up' of your s!"

"How dare you."

"Yes. That's right. I am so fed up with you, Dara. Even just by looking at you gets me so tired. You are extremely tiring to look at. You are always busy with a lot of things. You are busy with your brother. With your three jobs. With your freaking Paris dream. You demand time and effort from me, yet couldn't do the same for me."

"You are a part of that dream, you moron!"

"Well, I don't want to! Not anymore."

She was sitting quietly outside ELF cafe, unmindful of the buzzing by the customers and of the waves crashing the shore. Her mind drifted to those memories she'd been keeping out yet lingered.

Omma. Don't worry. I will take care of Thunder.

He's too young. I don't want him to suffer.

He won't. I promise.

I'm sorry, Dara.

It's okay. You can rest now.

She stared at a woman in a blue floral dress and big lacy hat, who was so engrossed on her laptop while sipping on the strawberry frappe in front of her. 

One day, Bom, I'll be huge.

Oh yeah? With that height of yours?

Shut it.​​ I'm serious.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm just messing with you.

Once Thunder graduates in college, I'll go to Paris and pursue my dream. I won't die a nobody. Nope. Not my style.

I heard that a lot of times, Dara.

Yeah. And I'll repeat it over and over again till I get it.

I really admire your determination. 

I'll prove every single person who belittled me ever since that I can be successful. Our y classmates in middle school... Our professor in Communications in college... All the employers I had... My dad... Zico... They'll eat the dirt they threw at me. 

Hahahaha! Really now? 

It will happen. Okay?

An image of Lee Seunggi flashed to her mind and she looked away, settling on the sand castles some teenagers were building.

Turn my brother into a man.

She closed her eyes like it would stop her mind from going there. Like she could stop herself from listening to it for the nth time since last night. To him.

It's not only self-respect that you should work on. Have some conscience as well. 

"You know that Haru's is kinda busy today. You, slacking off, doesn't help at all."

Dara opened her eyes at the voice. Heechul stood in front of her table with a caramel apple cake on his right hand. He took a break from the restaurant, leaving it to the two remaining chefs under him. He took the chair beside her and sat. She just looked at him quietly. She was just not in the mood of dealing with the chef's relentless gibe.

"Here." He took a paper from his pocket. "I want you to buy all that in the market. Make it quick. I'll be going back to the kitchen once I finish my cake." He told her.

Dara took the paper and just stared at it.

Heechul creased his brows at her reaction. He didn't like it that she wasn't getting riled. He's a natural bully. He didn't like being ignored by his bullied. "What the 's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're sick. Your filthy yesterday screamed healthy. I'll be the one to deduct from your salary if you go on another day-off."

"Do you know?"

Heechul raised a brow. "What?"

"That he knew." Dara looked at him in the eyes. "Do you know that he knew all along?"

He stared at her. "Yeah." Now, he understood all these dark clouds hovering above her annoying head. "You got schooled, didn't you?" He snickered. "You see, Donghae is a really good person, but he can be a mean sometimes." He nodded to her. "Especially to those who deserve it. Like you." Yes, he was relentless.

Dara wasn't