Dara knew she was dreaming. 

For she had returned into that sad place.

The grave where she saw it again. That name engraven in there.

She looked to her right hand when she held the withered flower before she looked down to the grave stone again. The cold air pricked to her skin pores as if she wasn't dreaming at all.

"How's your dream?"

Dara swirled her body behind her when a voice broke the eerie silence of that cemetery.

That woman again on a strange tribal dress.

"Dream?" she inquired the woman.

Her dress waved with the wind as she slowly strode towards her. Her eyes like that of a reptile paired with the unpleasant line on her lips drawn into a smile.

Dara came face to face with the woman whose eyes glittered in the barely lighted cemetery. There was even presence of fogs in there but it divided into two as if allowing the woman to walk towards her without difficulty.
"You slept here for long that your flowers withered." the woman said pointing at the flowers.

Dara's heart clenched hard for realizing something. "No. This is a dream. This is a dream!"

The woman in reptilian eyes laughed at Dara's horrified face before she leaned down to her ear.

"No. That place you just went? That is the dream." The woman said in the softest voice.

It came so sudden and Dara felt it on . The pain predicated on the onset of emotion that followed. She looked down on the grave stone again where Jiyong's name. She repeatedly shook her head in denial. She was very sure she saw him alive again. Into that new life she called a chance. A chance she can't mess up with. She have done her job. She distanced herself out from his reach but why was she back here?

"I'm dreaming...please I'm dreaming now." Dara repeated again and again before she looked at the woman who held her hand to her.

Tears fell down Dara's cheeks as she bowed to the open hand of the woman with a stone on her hand.

"You've been given a gift and you're wasting it." The woman took Dara's hand and dropped the stone in there. 
Looking at the glowing stone, Dara's brows furrowed and even with a trace of water on her eyes, she looked back to the woman again who then leaned forward to her.

"I'm not giving you a chance to be a coward." there was fire on the woman's eyes looking so hostile of something. "I'm gonna visit you again. Don't disappoint me. Now wake up."

Gasping, Dara woke up bathed with sweats all over her body. She was anxious when she looked around the room and her eyes directed to CL sleeping on her side.

It was still dark outside when Dara stood up from the bed only to stop on her track when she noticed she was something. Opening her palm, she got startled upon seeing the stone in there that she let it dropped off her hand. With wide eyes, she looked at it in horror.

***
"Did you sleep on the wrong side of the bed?" CL asked when she noticed Dara to be constantly shaking her head.

"I-I'm fine." Dara simply said as she wore her mask when they got inside the campus. Somehow, she had no idea if what just happened was really a dream to her. Her thoughts always fled on that woman on her tribal dress and on the things she told her. That woman mentioned about a chance she was given and to not waste it. 

Somehow, Dara had the idea about the things that woman was talking about. She then looked up to her front when the students in the hallway began to abruptly divide in two, letting the F4 members pass through. CL and Dara too had already on the left side along with the other students.

Dara refused to look at the F4 unlike CL who kept on staring at the leader in particular.

"He's losing so much weight doesn't he?" CL said in lowest voice possible.

Dara only let herself took a peek and immediately, Jiyong's wholeness registered to her system. His face got fresh set of cuts and the side of his lips got busted. She looked at the rest of the F4 and saw them had the same cuts as their leader. Then her attention went into Jiyong's bloodied fist in which fresh blood dropping on he ground. She almost stepped forward in worry but also was able to control herself. 

All of them heard the ambulance siren in the distance, making them realized that someone must have messed up early to the F4.

"This school is getting chaotic day by day." CL could only muttered while Dara only ushered the F4 towards the parking area. Four sports car then exited the campus and all of the students in there were able to breathe normally.

In the afternoon, Dara chose to wait for CL's class to end in the school open theater area where most of the students would hang out in waiting for their next period. Because she was sure that F4 was nowhere in the school, she removed her mask off her face and breathed the freshness of air in there. 

"I heard from a friend that Kwon Jiyong is misbehaving so terribly that it dropped the Kwon's stock prices gradually." 

A female student whom Dara known as the only daughter of the Soo empire said. 

"He's not only misbehaving. He's always in the street fighting thugs and all. Like he was more than rebelling against his mom." Cana Lee, heiress of Lee Corp interjected.

"Do you think it's due to his early engagement to Kiko Mizuhara?" Seji Soo guessed.

"That might be one of the reason." Cana leaned over to Seji this time and whispered in low voice that Dara could hear.

Seji gasped loudly. "He can't be. So you mean, the wound on his wrists weren't because he got into fight?"

"No. Jiyong was actually diagnosed of severe panic disorder and anxiety."  Cana confirmed. "You remember his sister, Bom arrived last week?"

"Yeah. The news said about helping with the Kwon's business merge." Seji said.

"It wasn't because of business. Jiyong was sent to hospital after he was found on his own bathroom, almost dead."

"Do you really mean, he's also suicidal?" Seji asked for more.

"Yes. He had many failed attempts but it was kept a secret or Kwon Empire is going down the ground." Cana added. 

Unperturbed from the two heiresses was Dara sitting rigidly on her wooden bench while she stared in front in wide eyes. Disbelief was clearly visible on her face before tears. They can't be talking about the same man she was thinking. Kwon Jiyong. That arrogant and narcissistic person who loved nothing but himself can't be doing those thing as to attempt to take his own life.

Why did he seemed to be another person in this life? Like he was triple threat more than his usual self previously. Such person who had no regard of his own life didn't fear anything. This can't be happening. No. He shouldn't be living that way as if he has no purpose at all. 

***
"Where is master of the house?" Bom asked upon entering the huge Kown mansion.

"Inside his room, Miss Choi." the butler ushered the eldest child of Madame Kwon to the young master's room.

"Did you make sure he was being monitored 24/7?" Bom demanded.

"Yes. We have trained professionals on the watch of the young master all the time and at all place." the butler said while Bom was walking ahead, having the clacking of her high heels muffled in the carpeted hallway.

Bom saw that her mom was already in there,facing Jiyong now. Turning to the butler now, she speak on low voice. "You can leave."

The butler only followed as Bom wished and turned away from there. 

Bom then entered fully in the room with a frowning face. "Mom, give it a rest." 

Madame Kwon turned to her back and saw Bom in there with crossed arms. "Oh finally. Maybe you can talk some sense to your brother. Tell him to pull himself together before the engagement meeting."

"Mom. Can you please stop talking business for at least five seconds?" Bom snapped.

Madame Kwon had her lips in tight line while she looked at Bom in anger. "He is clearly degrading the Kwon's reputation-,"

"You know what? Can you please just get out from this room?" Bom demanded, quite annoyed now that all that the their mother cared about was business.

Madame Kwon stomped away towards the door before she harshly pointed at Jiyong in the bed. "Pull yourself together or I will disown you."

Jiyong lifted his eyes to his fuming mother and wore a smirk this time. "Is that my early birthday gift? That would be awesome."

Madame Kwon gritted her teeth before she left the room leaving Bom shaking her head.

"I can't believe her." Bom muttered before she waled to Jiyong this time. She had the disapproving look on her as she saw the fresh cuts and bruises on her brother's face. "You look awful by the way." 

Jiyong smirked at her and just let her caressed his face carefully. Bom's chest broke so much seeing her brother slowly destroying himself for unknown reason. He was born cheerful and childish. But suddenly, he became someone she can't recognized anymore.

"Is your anxiety acting up, dear?" Bom asked in sad eyes.

Jiyong had his head bowed down while he clasped his hands loosely. "I'm an inch away from being taken into asylum, noona."

"Why is that, dear?" 

Jiyong looked up to her with his constant distant eyes. " I saw my own grave. Written in bold letters in that stone grave. I was scared...then someone cried over me. I can't see her face but I feel so said for her. It might be you, noona. You're holding flowers for me but they all already withered." 

Bom bit her lower lip. Stopping herself from crying while she patiently looked at her brother. "Don't leave me. We promised to be a strong ally against mother, remember?" her voice cracked now making Jiyong blinked at her before there was a sad smile on his lips.

Reaching over Bom's head when her tear finally fell from her eyes.

"God knows I'm trying. I'm gripping tightly and yet...I find myself disintegrating. It pained me so much inside, noona." Jiyong said calmly. "Like I can get mad anytime. I'm full of anger and resentment and loneliness and yearning of something I have no idea with. They drowned me, noona. Like I can't breathe anymore. I want the pain to end."

Bom shook her head while she hugged her little brother. "Try to hold harder, Jiyong. We'll reached the end of the tunnel. I promise you that. You just need to hold on. Let's try harder. You've done good today. You've live today. Let's do it again tomorrow. Okay?"

Jiyong blankly stared at his sister and let her enclosed him into a hug. He felt pity towards her. Somehow, she was the only one who truly accept him and loved him. But he felt so sorry for her. For he can't promise her anything.

His room was filled with Bom's impish cry as he blankly looked at the window, wondering who that woman might be who cried so sadly on his grave.

****

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