flashback

December, 2004

The first meeting

"yah! seungri you got the choreography wrong again! FOCUS!" 

"neh hyung."

The music started again and I tried my best to remember all the dance steps. But for a 15 (Korean age) year old like me, well, it wasnt that easy. 2 minutes passed when YG sajang-nim suddenly entered the room with a very pretty girl. She must be around my age? She's like 16 or 15 years old? keh! Cool. A new trainee and my first ever girl friend. What's not to like about me right? Unlke the other trainees inside the room, I was the cutest! 

I mean, I was far cuter than Gd hyung

Top hyung is just to.... alien? (why is he carrying his bag always? is he a turtle or something?)

Youngbae hyung is just to shy, he doesnt even have the guts to talk to a pretty girl thats totally throwing herself at him! 

and uh, Daesung hyung? uh.. well.. his got a good voice.. 

aish! nevermind! I'll make sure that she'd be mine. I snapped out of my daydreaming when I felt somone close my mouth. And it was no other than YG sajang-nim! Snickering ensued my latest blundder. I swear, I felt my whole body stiffen when I hear her giggle. 

"Seungri-yah. Stop drooling and don't forget to close your mouth. Arraso?"

I nodded my head meekly but kept on staring at her. She waved at me and smiled!

The heavens must have finished writing my love story! She smiled! AT ME!!

God, I can just stay in that moment, freeze and frame it.

"Everyone, this is Park Sandara. She's from the Philippines and just came to Korea to have a short vacation. I want all of you to treat her kindly, you might see her around often from now on"

"Hello everyone. I'm Park Sandara, you can call me Sandy or Dara. I am 20 years old and I believe in that magic still exist!" She said while smiling. But the only thing that my mind cant process was that, she's TWENTY FREAKING YEARS OLD!

twenty?

twenty?

twenty?

"You're twenty? You're kidding noona right?" I said. As I looked around inside the room, everyone was dumbfounded. Just like me, they cant believe that the petite looking girl is already twenty years old.

"Dara youre in Korea right now so youre---"

please tell me she's 19! maybe she wont mind a 5 year gap in age? 

She wont? RIGHT??

19.

19.

19.

19.

19.

"21 years old, your 1 time in your mother's womb is counted here in Korea." YG hyung said.

My world just collapsed. I groaned out loud. Its a good thing that every Y chromosome inside the room was groaning too. Yg hyung must have noticed our dejected mood when he suddenly laughed out loud. Sure, go ahead and laugh, you miserable old bat. Its not everyday that your heart gets broken. Jae Hoon hyung (made up person) our dance trainor and other hyungs that was 20 and above was grinning more like smiling like a hyena when they knew that she was 21 years old. 

aish! but I'm resilient. I wont give up. She will be my girl.

March 2005

Infatuation

"Noona, noona! wait for me!" She stopped and smiled at me.

My heart did its back flips and saumersaults. God, i really love Dara noona. Its been 3 months since she came here in Korea. We've been in acting classess together (I'm not supposed to be in any sort of acting class, at all. But I got my ways of pestering YG sajang-nim.) and ever since then, my life is full of sunshine and rainbows and unicorns and all sorts of description about life being wonderful. 

"Seungri your really cute!" 

"Noona you know I dont like being called cute, I'm handsome!!" I whined.

She burst laughing at what I said. Of all the things a guy like me hates is being called "cute" by the the girl he likes. 

I was enjoying my alone time with her when Gd hyung suddenly entered my perfect world.

"HI Dara!"

"Hello Yong-ie How are you?" 

Hold up a sec? "Yongie? Yong-ie? No one in their right mind would call GD hyung "Yongie" did I hear her right?

"yah, Dara! stop calling me weird names." GD hyung blushed furiously. Wait? am I still in the right dimension? 

1. Noona just called GD hyung yongie. 

2. GD hyung is BLUSHING!

"OMO! my cute dongsaengs are so CUTE!" she smiled and it just blew my heart out of proportion.

Gd hyung grabbed my left arm. I wanted to break away from his grip but he was holding me tight. I was raking my brain wondering if I did something wrong. My mind was still in La-la land its not working!

"Anyways, Dara can I borrow Seungri for a bit?"  

what?

NO!! My fill of Dara noona's warm presence is still not enough!

Noona grabbed my right arm. she grabbed my right arm! I wont wash my right arm anymore!! 

"No you cant borrow my seungri until you call me NOONA!" she said MY just right before my name! I belong to her! yes! I should practice calling her MY DARA. LEE SANDARA! It has a right ring to it? 

"how will I call you Noona when I look older than you? besides didn't you lose in our argument about your age when we count it in dog years?"

"That's not fair Yong-ie! aish! fine you can borrow seungri."

GD hyung and I went to the men's room. I was grumbling incoherent words.

"Yah, seungri, remember when I helped you with your mom and you promised that I can ask you any favor?"

I suddenly didn't feel good. I just know that whatever GD hyung will say, I wont like it.

"yes hyung, i remember."

"Good, I want you to help me with Dara.

My heart suddenly crashed to pieces. How can I help hyung when I want Dara noona for myself?