"Didn't know you've some date with my sister." Jiyong briefly turned to Dara who tried to fasten her seatbelt when she got on the car beside him.
"Bom called me out for some coffee." Dara while still struggling into fastening her seatbelt. She got startled when Jiyong leaned over to help her out of it.
"Can't you even fasten faster?" He asked when he started the car's engine.
"Sorry. I don't have this at home." Dara snickered. 
"You're so clumsy. I don't know why I like you so much." Jiyong grumbled when he maneuvered towards the exit of the airport. They just dropped Bom in there for her flight to France.
"Yeah. You should have like someone of your caliber." said in caustic manner while she crossed her arms together across her chest.
Jiyong only hid the smirk on his lips seeing her in such adorable mulling. When he had found an area of the road, he stopped under the tree then while Dara looked to his direction when he did so.
Before she could process anything in the surrounding, she found herself pinned on her seat as Jiyong leaned over her seat and claimed her lips with urgency. It took Dara few second before she could respond to his subtle appeal to kiss him back. When she did so, Jiyong cradled her chin gently with his hand when he let the tip of his tongue slid her opened mouth. Dara's small tittle muffled when he seemed to be giving her playful kisses. Her hands now caged both of his cheeks as if wanting to control the kiss while he let her led this time.
Dara distanced her lips from him briefly as she looked at his eyes before she titled to her right side and gave him two pecks before she kissed him full in the mouth. For Dara, this was something she didn't let herself do in the previous life. Now, she wont held back. If she felt like it, she will kiss him. Anywhere and whenever. 
"I could still taste the drink you had with my sister." Jiyong whispered in between their parted lips.
"It's pretty good actually." Dara giggled when he kissed her one more before they broke off. 
"Yeah?" he said while giving her tiny kisses on her nose. 
"And Bom said she approved of me." Dara grinned.
"For what?"
"To be her sister-in-law." Dara declared. "But I gotta have to reconsider into agreeing-ah yah! It tickles!" she tried swatting Jiyong's tickling hands on her waist but failed when she ended up laughing while Jiyong joined her when her face reddened. He stopped in doing so to let her breath. "Still reconsidering?"
Dara was still in the feat of giggling when she looked at him as he positioned himself back to the driver's seat. "A little."
Jiyong just reached to pinch her cheek while he bit his lower lip in pure adoration over the woman beside him. "You're so cute like a tokki." he said.
"Oh so are we in the pet name basis now?" Dara asked.
"If it means you, not reconsidering our relationship, then hell yeah." He said as he started the car again and drove away from the place.
Dara looked at the line of tress along the road as she recalled of her conversation with Bom.It was strange how things or events added up in this kind of life she was living. For in the previous life, there wasn't any incident of any Kwon siblings being kidnapped or even such horror of their father's death. She felt uneasy what life was still in store ahead of her.
Jiyong noticed her distant look and the smile from her lips wasn't there anymore. "So what did you discuss with my sis?" he asked to ebb the unnamed gnawing feelings that crept his chest.
When Dara turned to his way with that smile again, he had no idea if she was faking it or what but he can't voice it out since he was afraid what her answer might be. After all, he only forced her to accept his feelings with a threat that he might lose all his if she wont accept him that very moment. 
"Why? Curious?" 
Jiyong only stared at her briefly before he stopped again. This time, he didn't even bother on doing such in the side of the road.
"Why did we stop again?" she asked him in curiosity.
"Stop forcing that smile like I'm wounded, Dara." he said in silent tone. 
Dara's smile disappeared as she was bereft of speech when he seemed to see through her. 
"What did she tell you?" he asked.
"Nothing worth discussing." She evaded, looking down the dashboard away from his observing eyes. She still can't process how Jiyong had alternate experiences in this life. She even questioned herself if she wasn't somehow living in alternate universe where she met another Jiyong. That somehow, the Jiyong she knew and loved was already dead. That this kind of chance of life wasn't actually meant for her but for another Dara in this life. Even her parents said about some changes on her behavior. Even Minzy told her about her alternate character never seen before. CL had also pointed out something different on her. 
"What? Didn't she tell you about the I did? How I have deranged and unsound mind that I always resorted to suicide?" he snarled while he held the steering wheel firmly.
"Jiyong..." Dara called out in subtle surprise.
"I'm well aware that you're only staying because you pity me. I know that."
Jiyong said. "But don't look at me with forced cheerfulness like any minute I might morph into one crazy person."
Dara didn't answer that while her thought wired into her own realization. This might not be her chance to live in. This might not be the Jiyong she fought so hard in the previous life. She might be living in a lie right now. Her thoughts muddled over such thoughts.
"Take me home." she said.
Having no desire to argue, Jiyong drove away again, not knowing how did they turned from having such a happy moment to this one. He should have pretended not to see the forced cheerfulness. But he didn't want any fakery on his life. Not in the relationship he wished to work out.
It was half an hour before Dara was dropped off her house while Jiyong drove away from there. She then ran to her room and curled into her bed. She was suddenly confused over everything. What if her suspicion might be true? For that she felt like crying as if she was back to being depress again. So she let herself cry until sleep overcame her.
Instead of the usual creepy dream, Dara was brought into some wide garden with a single bench in there. In a distance she saw someone familiar sitting in there. She suddenly felt nervous upon recognizing who was it but her feet began to run to his direction. She then slammed her body into hugging the person as he twirled her.
"How are you, little weed?" he asked with his arrogant smile as he placed his hand above her head.
"Stop calling me weed." Dara complained to him as they both sat in the bench.
"I missed you so much." He said.
"Missed me? But we just saw each other a moment ago, Jiyong." Dara pointed out. "Before we ended up in cold war."
"Oh so you fought with him?" he asked.
"Him? Why are you referring yourself in third person, Jiyong?" Dara asked with a frown.
"Don't fight with him. He's a little bit pitiful." He said.
"Are you saying...he's not you?"
"Your tears already soaked dry on my grave and the flowers you gave had lost its fragrance. Now, tell me, how can I be him when I'm already gone? "
"W-what..."
"Now... wake up." he said.
Dara woke up in literal sobs in the bed when she bolted up into a seat. "NO! You lied to me! This is not a chance! NO!" Dara shouted in loud voice, calling out those women who tricked her into having her second chance. But this wasn't the life she once had. So she cried so bitterly again as if she just lose him again and again into this war she can't win.
*************************************************************
In the school, Dara stopped on her tracks, seeing Jiyong in the cafeteria. She made a step back when he met her eyes and ignored CL and Kwanghee who waved at her from inside. She turned away from that place with blank expression and took the opposite direction away from him. Because she felt as if his mere presence would made her hate herself. He wasn't the person she loved once. That person was dead. 
Taeyang looked down to Jiyong's clenched fists as he ushered his girlfriend with a frown.
"Bro, something happened?" Taeyang asked but Jiyong turned away from them, kicking the door of the cafeteria hard, making everyone inside jumped in surprise. They saw Jiyong leaving his friends after doing so in the poor door.
"A fight." Daesung deducted.
Seungri looked to where CL sat with Kwanghee. Judging on the look of her face, she may have no idea what those two was up to. "And it looks rather serious."
Taeyang blew his breath before he turned to Daesung. "I'll go with him while you two find out what happen to those two."
Seungri and Daesung nodded before they got in the cafeteria, ignoring the dent that Jiyong created in there. 
CL saw Seungri and Daesung coming to their table before her eyes saw Taeyang taking the direction that Jiyong took. Seungri leaned over to her. "Please come with me in the lounge." she saw the small smile of the playboy's face. It was rather serious and polite that she can't get used to it since she got accustomed to his rollicking. 
"What happened?" she asked in low voice.
Seungri looked around and saw the eyes of the students on them. "I'll explain when we got up there." he held his hand to her which she accepted and let him guided her back up to F4 lounge. Even Kwanghee was allowed to join them when Daesung asked him to.
When they sat together in the couch across the glass table, Seungri leaned over to them with hands clasped together. The frown on his forehead didn't befit his face at all for CL liked it more if he only smiles playfully.
"Does anyone of you know what happen?" Seungri asked.
Kwanghee looked at the two guys in front of them then to CL. "Maybe a lover's fight?" he deducted.
Daesung and Seungri looked each other before Daesung spoke. "I know this may seem going on their business but when Jiyong is involve, we can't help but be involve for reason we can't disclose."
CL knew what kind of reason these two were hiding but chose to pretend not to know since Dara asked her to keep it a secret.
"Did Dara share something to you, Ms. Lee? Something that we can help to patch up?" Seungri turned to her not seeing how she felt a little surprise for too much formality. Otherwise she shook her head.
"But I heard from Minzy that Dara skipped her part time job for consecutive nights already. She never did that before. Even if it was raining, she was always so consistent on her job." CL said.
"So she didn't go to her job last night?" Kwanghee turned to CL who nodded to him. "That's odd."
"What is it?" Daesung asked.
"I saw her last night in a convenience store." Kwanghee said. "She looks okay to me." 
"Aish. What do you know?" Daesung complained.
Kwanghee only pouted to them.
"I'll ask her about it." CL assured them making Seungri finally rid of the frown on his forehead and smiled at her.
"You're the best, babe." Seungri said with somberness.
CL looked down. "Don't...call me that."
************************************************************
Taeyang found Jiyong to their private space, puffing a cigarette while combing his hair with his hand. He walked to the mini bar and poured himself with small shot of brandy although it was only morning. He leaned over the counter and regarded Jiyong silently, waiting for his friend to open up. His eyes went to Jiyong's hand which fell his side, holding a cigarette between his finger. Finish with filling up himself with slight alcohol, he placed the glass to the counter and the plate of lollipop drawn his eyes. It belonged to Jiyong. After the incident in the cafe, he shied away from cigarettes and been using a lollipop to curb his urges to light one. It seemed that Jiyong barely hold himself together especially when Dara was involved judging on how he had used cigarette too ease his nerves.
"Am I wrong to wish it?" 
Taeyang looked at Jiyong's direction. "What is it?"
"I want this to work out." Jiyong looked up in closed eyes while having his back against Taeyang's direction.
"What happened?"
"We were alright after we dropped noona in the airport. I kissed her. We were alright..." Jiyong paused briefly as he looked down. "...then I ed up."
"You said something to her?"
Jiyong chuckled sarcastically. "I asked her not to look at me with those smile."
Taeyang patiently waited for his other words, stopping himself from saying a retort to what Jiyong said.
Jiyong then turned to his friend with a bitter smile then. "She's smiling to me with joyless eyes, Taey...I don't want her pity." Jiyong then let a laughter escape his throat but Taeyang couldn't react to that, seeing the gleam on his eyes which eventually fell down his cheeks.
"Jiyong..." Taeyang said in low voice but Jiyong's laughter only resonated the silence of the room but he had already fisted the cigarette on his hand that made Taeyang stepped near. "Let it go."
Jiyong looked down to his fist and gradually open it, the white cigarette unlit with his slightly burned flesh in there. He remembered her again. No, remembering wasn't the right word for it. For that woman had completely all over his system. That every ticking of the clock, she was the only thing on his mind. It seemed that he was even breathing because of her. In contemplation, he looked at his hand.
"She must have hurt her hand when she did this." Jiyong said while Taeyang already got alcohol to the aid kit and poured it to his wound. 
"Don't be reckless, Jiyong. "Taeyang reminded.
"I can't let her go..."
Taeyang looked up from tending Jiyong's hand now upon hearing that. There was a determined realization on his eyes. He then closed his fist and stormed away from the room.
"Jiyong!" Taeyang called out but their leader sprinted away to the direction he knew very well. He just hope for everything to work out.
*************************************************************
CL noticed Dara's change in behavior when she confronted her one time during their vacant.
"What is happening to you, Dara?" CL asked, noticing how her eyes had dark circles around it. "Did you fight with Jiyong? Why are you avoiding him?"
Dara only looked at CL like she wasn't the friend she used to know. Maybe this friend was also different person too.
"You told me I was different that day, CL." She said. "Tell me, how am I different person?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" CL asked. 
"You told me I was different before." Dara asked in almost teary eyes.
"I did. That was the time I found you crying in the corridor while staring at the F4 passing by. I thought someone bullied you. You even lose interest in your studies and losing weight. I don't know what happened to you but you're returning to that kind of person again, Dara." 
Dara's tears raced down her cheeks now while CL hugged her this time. "You're my friend, right? I'm your friend right?"
"You are. You will always be." CL hugged her. "Stop stressing out on things. This life is yours. Ours to share. Something we should better be spending in quality positivity than overthinking. You understand me?"
Dara nodded to her. This life is hers. This chance is hers. That might be one sick dream she just had.
CL looked to her right side when she saw Jiyong coming their way. She didn't even complained when he grabbed Dara's hand and dragged her away from there.
Shaking her head, CL couldn't understand why Dara suddenly saying strange things like her life wasn't hers to live. It was creepy and yet she can't let her be. She just wished those two could patch up the relationship that barely began.