Chapter 2

August 23, 2019

Dara finished eating her bowl of rice when she got up from the table.

"Ma, I'm leaving for school!" she called out from the kitchen while her mom was busy in making kimchi.

"Yes. Do well in school dear!" her mother shouted. "Be home on time, okay?"

"I have part time tonight until ten, ma." Dara said.

"Oh. Be careful in the road when you go home at night, arasso?"

"Neh."

Checking her reflection in the mirror, she had successfully hid the sadness on her eyes from her parents. It had been days since she had convinced herself that she was indeed back to the past. As if like magic.

Leaving from the house, Dara began to walk towards the bus station like she always did every morning. When she got in there, she smiled brightly when she saw CL already in there.

"Hey." Dara greeted.

"Hi, Dara. Did you take the vitamins I gave you?" CL asked since she noticed Dara's losing weight for unknown reason.

"I did It felt really energizing." Dara just said.

"Good. You need to be healthy to combat all the stress life in college." CL said.

Dara only smiled, knowing that she was actually the only one who can recall all the memories from the past. And she clearly remember that today was the fateful day she had a fight against the leader of F4 in defense of one student who was being beaten up for one small mistake against them.

When the bus came, they both had got on and sat together while chatting on some random topic about school and stuff. 

"I was thinking in transferring school after this semester." CL opened.

Dara tilted her head to her friend. "Why so?"
"I don't know. Sungkyun is pretty expensive as intended for elites. However, I don't like the fact that the place is an everyday den for violent hazings." CL said.

"You mean, the F4?"

"Yeah. Those pet sons of large corporate leaders are totally something. Like they can buy a person's soul with money. I saw Lizen was forced to quit school because she accidentally spill water to Jiyong after she tripped."

Dara nodded. She saw that and felt pity towards Lizen too. 

"What school will you be transferring?" Dara asked.

"Kaist. That's where Kwanghee right now." CL said.

"But Kwanghee said he'll transfer here because we're both in here." Dara said.

"He will?" CL asked.

"Yeah. Besides, even if I wanted to transfer, I can't. My scholarship was registered in this school and it's non-transferrable." Dara said while eyeing the visible buildings in the far as they passed over the long bridge crossing the Han River. It was just yesterday that she went to registrar office and asked about the possibility of transferring her scholarship grants to Kaist. But it wasn't possible. If she insist so, she will lose the grant and a beggar like her can't do anything about it.

So her plan to be completely away from Jiyong's life by transferring to other school wont be possible. Instead, she'll try hard not be noticed or try to be a little insignificant in school. She wont want any eyes from the F4. She won't want to drawn any attentions from any students in there. That way, she can truly protect him from her. Two more years. She will endure it until she'll graduate. She'd done it. She won't meddle on anything in the school.

Upon reaching the school gate, CL watched Dara put on her black mask like she would do every time they entered the premise.

"I wonder when did you start liking on wearing mask at school?" CL asked Dara as they finished swiping their ID on the scanner at the gate area.

"I feel like it." Dara responded hiding from CL the very reason why she wore it. She wont risk anything whenever Jiyong was around. She wont want to have an episode where he might recognize her even though it served impossible seeing how she was the only one with perfect knowledge of everything.

Taking up the same course in business, Dara and CL went on to their first period for the day. Sitting through the subject, Dara didn't bother on taking down notes since she had already passed all the subjects for the whole semester on her previous set up. Even the exams, the surprise quizes and assignments which served difficult for her before didn't faze her anymore. Since it all came the same in all the subjects. It felt like she possessed the cheat code to pass all the subjects without a sweat. So instead of studying the same subjects again, she took advanced studies for third year and fourth year subjects in the library.

After first period, CL and Dara hanged out at the lobby where a study tables and seats were installed along the hallway for all the students who wanted to study in there instead of going over the library.

CL gone over into reviewing the basic calculus while Dara was having a light reading on business laws. Their attention were directed on the chaos at their very front where a student was mercilessly mopped on the dirty hallway.

It was Jungkook.

The one that Dara defended against the raging leader of F4 previously, the very person who caused her to fight with Jiyong.

CL whimpered when Jiyong picked up Jungkook in the collar and slammed him hard on the their table. 

"You want pieces of me, punk? Huh?" Jiyong dangerously asked, punching Jungkook on his face that his face bled.

CL stood up as well as Dara and distanced themselves from the chaos now. There were many students who only crowded at the distance, wincing as Jiyong wasn't satiated while he kicked Jungkook down the floor.

It was hard to look at it.

Dara possessed the same feeling she felt for Jungkook previously. She wanted to help him because no one wanted to stop Jiyong from his violence. Even if a student might die before them. But seeing Jiyong's face, Dara looked away from the violence and excused herself away from the crowd. With a heavy heart, she murmured an apology to Jungkook. For this time, she wont save him from Jiyong's merciless hands.

Getting her phone now, she sent a message to the school security to report the current situation while she sat in the seat, away from the chaos.  She only heaved in relief when two security came in and broke off the fight.

Now getting her sim card out her phone, she broke it in half since she used it to report the incident before she walked away from there. 

***
"Hey where did you run off yesterday? I can't even call you in your phone." CL said the next morning.

"Oh, I got scared of F4 that I panic and ran off to somewhere." Dara only said as she sat down on the chair while CL placed her tray of food she got from the school cafeteria.

"I suspected you did. You even left your notebook in there." CL said giving Dara her other tuna sandwich.

Giggling at that, Dara accepted the offer and opened it. Without CL, she couldn't even be hanging out in there since the food in there were pretty expensive for a mere commoner like her.

"I'm sorry I left you there." 

"I understand you. Jiyong was pretty scary yesterday. Jungkook will be hospitalized for few weeks." CL said in almost whisper like.

Dara only shook her head while she chewed her food slowly. Then her eyes went to the entrance of the place where the F4 walked inside. The other students in there actually cheered for their arrival and some girls let an impish squeals within themselves as they gushed over the leader of those guys.

Watching in silent as those guys went up to the VIP lounge in the second floor where they hang out during their free time and had their own servers to attend them.

Dara missed the day she was supposed to get entangled with Jiyong. So maybe everything will fall down to places starting today. She felt sorry for CL and Minzy though.

CL and Seungri of F4 was already dating while Minzy and Daesung had mutual understanding to give a shot of their relationship. 

But now, it wasn't happening since her involvement to the F4 created a bridge for these lovers to get connected with each other. Those two big playboys were already straightened up by her friends before, she felt bad for them but she should be selfish now to for the sake of the person she loves the most.

Whenever she looked at CL in school and Minzy in the cafe she worked at, she can't helped but felt apologetic for them. She asked their forgiveness in silence and wished for their happiness in this new life.

Aside from missing her moments with Jiyong, she also missed her interaction with Jaejoong of F4. That silent guy who saved her and supported her in all her struggles and the first guy she fell in love with was now silently sitting along with Jiyong who was also staring in blankness outside the window while Daesung and Seungri were all being rowdy and talking about the girls they banged last night in the club.

"Jiyong these days is pretty edgy. Don't you think?" CL leaned forward and said in low voice. Dara lifted her eyes to her friend and just nodded in agreement. "Maybe it's due to the news about the arrival of his fiancee to this school. Have you heard of Kiko Mizuhara?"

Monkey girl.

Dara thought. So that girl came into the scene much earlier.

"She's the only daughter of Mizuhara Oil corporation." CL said while she looked up to the VIP lounge. "Kwon is always expanding around the globe. Daebak."

Dara only smiled and concentrated of finishing her sandwich. Like the first time, she felt hurt over the news even now but chose to hide it from anyone. She sipped her juice to push down the lump down for she felt like crying now.

"What happen? Why are you teary?" CL asked her while Dara blinked at her and shook her head.

"I slightly got choke on the sandwich fillings." Dara defended while sipping on her juice even more.

"Blasted sandwich. We're not ordering it next time. It's too dry for me too." CL said while patting Dara's back.

"I'm fine." Dara then assured. "Please finish your food now."

"Ah yeah." CL then proceeded into eating again while Dara busied herself on the book she brought from the library. She was in the middle of finishing the chapter when her friend exclaimed loudly this time when someone was thrown on their table.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident, master Jiyong." the student climbed down the table and bowed before the leader of the F4 who dangerously strutted towards their direction.

CL immediately ran away from the table while Dara winced, shaking her injured hand now. She then picked up her book from the floor and walked calmly away from the chaotic area.

"Are you alright?" CL asked her when she joined her side. The students were only a spectator of the fight once again and none dared to stop the raging F4 leader into her unceasing punches against the poor student.

Daesung and Seungri were only smirking at the corner while Jaejoong only sat in one chair, waiting for their leader to be satiated of his game.

Dara bit her lower lip seeing for herself how Jiyong looked so ruthless with his dead eyes while he continued to beat the student into pulp. She wanted to help but was scared of involving herself into them once again. She promised not to. So before she gonna lose the control of herself, she walked away from there, dragging CL with her.

***:
Sparrow101:

Hello Gang! Here's the first chapter! This fic will be opened to everybody in chapter 6 so that everybody can enjoy this fic too. But I'd like you to be the first ones to have peek on this.

So, see you in the next scene!