Starring: Dara Park, Kwon Jiyong

A story dedicated to the most hated, delusional shippers ever LOL

/gets pelted with apples, the size of boulders

Special shoutout to Twitter friends—giantdork and DaraGonINSANE—who fill my timeline with letters in caps. It's filled with love, though XD

I’m pretty sure we haven’t met in person, and you don’t know me personally.

But let’s drop the formalities. You may call me Jiyong.

To understand why Dara and I are not together, you have to understand the entertainment business.

I was part of a group who were groomed from very early childhood to become stars. My parents worked hard to insure I had the best training. The best coaches. The best contacts. The most exposure. They spent a lot of money. They gave up a lot so I could have what I needed to become famous.

It has been drilled into my head.

You don't have time for fast cars.

You don't have time for loose women.

You only have time to train, practice and excel.

Dara was given these same set of rules.

The rules were simple.

Keep your eye on the prize.

Do not deviate.

You can't afford distractions.

I was faithful to my aspirations….until I fell for Dara.

If I had to gauge when it happened, I would say it originally started around the year 2005. I was young. We were young. Initially, Dara was fascinated with me. At that time the only thing I had on my mind was to be a successful artist. I wasn't looking for a girlfriend. We were too young anyway.

So many things were happening. So many gifts were being thrown our way. So many doors were opening. Dara and I were in the spotlight. We had choices to make. Choices which promised returns of untold fame and fortune.

Fast forward a few years. By this time I had recognized Dara as a beautiful, talented and personable woman. I had fallen in love with her. And she with me. We became involved.

There was only one problem.

There were rules.

The master plan was to keep Dara forever as the Fresh Vocal. The unsullied. The innocent. The other part of the plan was to keep me as a bad boy heart throb. Your typical good-looking heartbreaker jerk.

Dara and I had worked hard to achieve stardom. Now our chance was upon us. We agreed to do whatever was necessary. We signed contracts to this effect.

Dara's contract called for her to be pure, unattached and without fault. My contract called for me to do what I was told.

Dara and I were told it wouldn't be in our best interest to be seen as a couple. The people in power thought we would appeal to a wider fan base if we were separate and single. They said, "Most of the world is not ready for The Bad Boy to date The Innocent Girl. You will lose fans. The public would more readily identify with you as a young male heart throb and a pretty fresh vocalist if you are single and uninvolved."

The people in charge warned us: You two can either give each other up and become rising stars or stay in your relationship and fade into obscurity. They told us there were plenty of handsome boys and pretty girls just waiting to step into our places.

We couldn't give up all we worked so hard for. This was the pinnacle of our wants and dreams.

So we had to play for the stage. If I wanted to be a star I had to leave Dara behind. If Dara wanted to be a star, she would have to move forward without me.

That's what we did.

We moved ahead with our careers.

But it wasn’t easy as that. We were often in each other's company.

The proverb of the day was 'Look but don't touch.' Stay away from each other.

But, we touched. Of course we touched. We did more than touch. I was her man. We did it all secretly. The fire between us only grew hotter.

The people in charge of our careers—the label’s big boss and executives—watched us. Dara and I were often subjected to lectures by our handlers. Don't do this. Leave Dara alone. Leave Jiyong alone. It's not good for your career. People see you as polar opposites. It was written you two should never be together. The public wouldn't understand.

Still. Dara and I met whenever we could. We pledged our love. In our minds we were bonded.

I would watch her. I would watch her every chance I got.

Dara is so beautiful. She had men tearing down the door to be with her. When I say be with her, I do not mean be with her in any kind of intimacy. She hasn't been intimate with anyone except me.

I'm a man. I've had to do some Bad Boy Socializing. Dara doesn't like it. But she understands. It's what is called for in my contract.

Dara's a woman. She can't do it. She can't be with different men every other month. She has to appear pure or she'll pick up a reputation for being cheap and easy. There are thousands of cheap and easy girls. Dara has to stay above the crowd.

What I do, I don't do to hurt Dara or rub her face in the muck. I do it because it is required of me. I am what they call a symbol. It is expected of me. It is expected I have a beautiful woman on my arm. I do this under duress. But I do it because I have contractually agreed to maintain a certain image.

Dara and I agreed way back in the beginning to do what was best for our careers.

As our love grew stronger. It became harder and harder for me to stay away from her. We had friends cover for us. We would meet away from the watching eyes of the world. We would talk, make love and make plans for a future we knew we could not have. Dara would cry. Sometimes she would cry in the midst of lovemaking.

We want the fame. We also want to be together.

Without a word to either Dara or myself. Our handlers talked among themselves. They had been watching us. They found out we were still meeting. They realized we had fallen more deeply in love. These handlers had been hired to guide our careers. So guide our careers they did. They took measures.

They found a woman who would be cast as my girlfriend.

This woman is a pawn. She is a fake. She is only a means for them to keep me away from Dara. This fake girlfriend smiles at me… for the cameras. This fake girlfriend holds my arm…for the cameras.

When there aren't any cameras around, she is jealous. She wants the real thing. She wants me to stop thinking about Dara. I have told her, "I will put up with you. That is what my contract requires me to do. It's an act. You shouldn't think I mean any of it. My heart will never belong to anyone but Dara."

It may sound cruel. This is the choice I was given. Romance this girl. Leave Dara alone.

So, I smile. I laugh. I put my arms around the fake.

I'm living a fake life.

Our handlers now try to keep Dara and me as far apart as possible.

But my handlers released the story about my new—fake—love. I got a heartbreaking phone call from Dara. She was crying so hard she couldn't talk. She asked, "What is this? Are we over? Have you moved on?"

All I could say was, "This is what we agreed upon. This nonsense is written into my contract. Handlers will always insure their client maintains the correct image at all times. It is written into your contract as well. We cannot be together."

The phone had gone dead in my hands.

Sometime Dara and I have to be in the same area. When our glances happen to meet, Dara turns away.

We are both dying inside.

When I am with friends and family I rant. My family and friends try to console me. They are also truthful with me. They have reminded me, "This is what you agreed to way back when you were first starting out." They have also reminded me, "You signed contracts. You made deals. You made promises."

My family and friends are quite right.

I did sign contracts.

I did make deals.

I did make promises.

For the sake of having a career I did do all those things.

Time moves on. Dara and I have renegotiated our contracts several times. Our next contract comes up for renewal this year. I have asked my handlers for two concessions.

My concessions: I am allowed to be with Dara. I want the fake girlfriend out of my life.

While Dara and Jiyong as a couple may not be accepted by every fan who ships, we do have the backing of thousands of our fans.

We’ll survive.

Dara and I can make it work.

Even if everyone thinks we can’t.

We’ll prove them all wrong.

DaraGon forever.

A/N:

Let me rant here a little. Just a little, don’t worry.

*clears throat*

Among shipping fandoms, I never saw much hate directed to a particular ship ever.  Until my cousin introduced DaraGon. Haters call the shippers delusional, almost crazy, definitely pathetic people. Let me just say one thing. They haven’t seen delusional at all.

For all you know, I might be the real Kwon Jiyong and everything else in my profile is a lie.

[Sentence above is what we call delusional.]

:3