Dara woke up at the crack of dawn and shrugged off her covers before heading to the window to welcome the day.

Two months had passed since she'd been accepted for the mid-year intake of the agricultural college and she was growing with every day.

The professors had spoken about the promise they saw in her and had invited her to stay for the summer to earn some money while gaining experience at a green house that was a popular tourist attraction. And because the salary was big enough that it would ease the worries of her parents of finding tuition money for her siblings the next school year while leave enough for her to indulge in some things, she gratefully accepted.

Yet, she missed home. She missed Bom and Top, Daesung, Seungri and Youngbae, The Boss Lady Hyorin and Siyoung... Jiyong..

Jiyong

There were days when she thought “I haven't thought about him for two whole days, I'm on the road to recovery!” But at the same time, she missed him like a body part.

Her feelings hadn't lessened, only became less noticeable because there was no one to talk to him about, no one to remind her of him. When her new friends asked if she was leaving anyone behind in Seoul, she laughed and replied with a simple "no". It was better for them not to know of Jiyong's importance in her life, because then maybe she too would be convinced.

She could still remember the night they had said good-bye... or the equivalent.

Bom was so proud of her admission to the college that she insisted on throwing a party.
It was held one week before she was due to take a bus up to the province.

Jiyong, who had stubbornly refused to attend (or RSVP) had balked and made an appearance at almost midnight.

Blind drunk.

He wreaked of alcohol and other spirits and looked like he'd just taken a tumble down the stairs.
Not composed, not wise, not charming... not himself.

“Dara, you can't leave me!” he had said loudly.

Youngbae and Daesung were there straight away trying to pull him aside to keep him from making a scene while Bom and Seungri was pulling Top away (who had offered to punch some sense into Jiyong).

Dara made some embarrassed apologies to the older members of the party and followed the others to a back room where Jiyong was just getting into a rant.

“You can't leave,” he repeated, his eyes unfocused but determined, “I won't let you.”

“Jiyong...”

The others quietly stepped out, giving them some space.

“No, it's not right. We've been together so long... you're being selfish!”

She didn't know if she wanted to laugh or be angry with him or feel sorry for him. This was Jiyong at his worst, in a way that Dara had only seen once before in his devastation with Chaerin.

“Why aren't you saying something? Anything!” he asked, almost pleading.

“You said you loved me Dara, but here you are leaving me... abandoning me,” he muttered, “You said you loved me.”

“I do love you,” Dara admitted painfully. She crouched down to where he had his hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath.

“Jiyong... Ji,” his name on her lips was still new to her even though she'd said it a billion times in her head.

In a panic he quickly grasped her and kissed her hard on the mouth. Dara tried to pull away but Jiyong's arms were strong and they kept her prisoner as he deepened the kiss.

It was not their first kiss.<