:: chapter five ::

Dara can’t stop herself from giggling as she recalled what happened on the riverbank today before the sun finally set. Her mother was now looking at her wondering, puzzled by her daughter’s odd behaviour. ‘Is there something wonderful that happened today dear?’ she asked as she placed the bowl of rice on the table. Dara covered as she looked shyly at her mother. ‘Well, the charity event was great,’ she smiled at her but even her mother can notice that there was definitely something different on her daughter’s smile today. ‘Oh~kay... Just remember I’m always here ready to listen,’ she said as she started eating. Dara blushed as she bowed down her head and grabbed her chopsticks and started eating.

She can’t help not to think how blessed she was today. She was able to help and make someone happy. She met Yoochun and spent great time with him and Jiyong. Then she knew that Jiyong was living just one street away from her. She bit her lips. Then she learned how a kiss can be the sweetest thing in the world. She felt her heart was somersaulting inside her chest as she can even hear its loud beating. She let out a sigh, which caught her mother’s attention. ‘What’s wrong dear?’ her mom asked worriedly. She shook her head and began eating again telling her she should not worry and that she was feeling great.

...

Everyone were smiling and greeting Dara a good morning as she walked to her classroom. And with smile on her lips she would greet them back even those whom she really doesn't know. Her friends quickly swarmed around her upon seeing her as she placed her bag on the top of her desk and sat down. ‘Good morning,’ Dara greeted with a smile on her lovely face as she earned greetings from her friends.

‘I should start worshipping you! Imagine yesterday you manage to bend the school’s one and only bad boy, Kwon Jiyong!’ Seung Ri exclaimed, animatedly, earning laughs from them. ‘How did you do that? I’m really curious,’ Minzy said chuckling earning laughs and shrug from Dara, the famous girl who bent Kwon Jiyong. ‘Come on guys, she doesn’t need a miracle for it. Jiyong is a nice person,’ CL said confidently earning mocking from Seung Ri and thus the beginning of their endless bickering. ‘You know what CL is right, what happened is not a miracle, Jiyong is good hearted you just need to open not only your eyes to see it,’ Dara said chuckling making her friends silent as they stared at her. They stole glances from each other thinking maybe she is right; they just don’t need their eyes to see Jiyong. Maybe they also need to open their minds more and their hearts, who knows they might even be great friends.

Then all eyes darted on the door as the person they were talking about just arrived in the classroom with more band aids in his face and bandages on his hands. He was lazily walking with his hand on his shoulder holding his bag while the other one was inside his pocket. And as usual he has a lollipop stuck on his mouth as he went to his seat behind Dara. The classroom fell into silence sensing his extra bad mood today. He then dropped his bag on his desk as he sat on his seat. In seconds like before he buried his head on his desk trying to catch sleep. ‘Good morning Jiyong,’ Dara smiled at him as she turned around and face him with her chin resting on her arms which were leaning on the top of her chair. She was like a child watching a lone goldfish swim in a big aquarium.

Jiyong stiffened in his place as memories flashed in his head. His jaw clenched out of tension as he unknowingly scratch his head before taking a peek at her. He scolded himself for feeling thousands of butterflies in his stomach as he stared and drown in her beautiful brown eyes and her angelic smile. He forced a nod as he pressed his lips wanting to say something yet can’t utter a single . ‘,’ he cursed himself as his fist turned into tight ball. He felt like he was out of his body, he can’t control it properly.

‘Have you done the assignment on calculus?’ Dara asked. He stared at her for awhile as if he was translating what she was saying while all she asked was about his assignment in calculus. ‘Yeah,’ he said in a low voice enough for her to hear. ‘You answered it all?’ she asked again as he nodded. Dara quickly turned around from him as she grabbed her bag and quickly got her calculus book. ‘Can you help me?’ she asked. Jiyong sat straight as Dara placed her both knees on her chair like a child who was climbing to reach a jar of cookie. She then placed her book on the top of his desk asking things as she pointed it on her book. Jiyong put his hand on his pocket and grabbed his pen as he started answering her questions.

No one was talking; they were more than 30 inside the classroom yet the noise you can hear was the humming birds, the whistling breeze, their breathing and the voice of Dara, mostly while Jiyong will answer with yes or no and sometimes give a brief explanation. It was as if they were all listening to their conversation like it was some kind of symphony being played. They were staring at them as if they were witnessing a miracle unfold as the two were just drown in their own world.

‘Dara! You are being called by Mr. Yang,’ a guy said as he knock on the door making everyone looked at him like he just committed a grave sin. ‘Okay, I’ll be there,’ she smiled as the guy excused himself wanting to escape the weird stare everyone threw at him. ‘Thanks by the way, I have to go for a while,’ she smiled at Jiyong who just nodded at her.

She then paced out of the room with him staring at her as she slowly disappeared. Then there was a weird silence hanging in the air. Everyone was afraid to move, afraid to fracture the atmosphere or else hell will break lose. He heaved a sigh as he stood up, aggressive. His chair fell on the floor as the loud sound of metal hitting the cold floor echoed in the four corner of the room. He went after her, not running yet not walking.

He was able to chase her as she was about to go down the stair. He stopped contemplating if he should call her. If he calls her, what should he call her? Park? Dara? Sandara? Brat? What he doesn't know and if he wouldn't think quick she would disappear before he was able to tell her what he wanted to tell.

He jogged to her and caught her arm making her turn her head to him. She smiled while he just stared at her not knowing what to say. He was sure that he was about to say something yet it felt like there was nothing in his head and his voice left him. 'I understand don't worry,' she said smiling. 'It's you Jiyong, I got no problem with that,' she continued with that he let go her and nodded at her as he pressed his lips into a thin line. He then nodded as he turned around and walked back to their classroom with her staring at his disappearing figure. She smiled.

She knew he was bothered by what happened yesterday, about the kiss they shared. She knew it was something he was not even planning to do. And probably she also knew that could not hold anything for him. It was a kiss, a physical contact between her lips and his. It was not something significant if there’s no feelings involve. She understood that perfectly yet more than that she understood him perfectly. And not a bit bothered her; she was completely fine with it. She’s neither hurt nor agitated; she felt the same still curious about him, still drawn to him, still wanting to save him.

...

Lunch. She was on the school’s rooftop. She was staring at the huge field, at the students chatting, laughing, playing and walking. She smiled as she stretched her arms upward then turned her back as she went to the wall and sat down leaning to it. She then opened her calculus book since she was not able to finish it, and there are tons of things that she can’t understand. She let out a frustrated groan, when she was home schooling the answers to every problem were already given to her since they were avoiding stressing her out. And now that she’s really in a school she can’t help not to feel how hard it is to adjust, especially she’s not only an ordinary student but a class president.

She scowled as she just closed her book, she already has a headache yet not a single thing entered her head. She just then grabbed her notebook and scanned it. She saw a pink paper designed with flower. She smiled it was her to-do list. There, you can read her top ten things that she wanted to do since she was now living a normal life. Her smile turned into a frown knowing that she wasn’t able to do a single thing in the list yet. Then the list itself is still not complete, it only contain three things that she wanted to do. She then grabbed her ballpen to write something and complete the list. She was contemplating to herself yet she can’t think of anything. Then she remembered the time she was staying in the hospital, she knew there were tons of things she wanted to do but now it seems like her head is a vast empty space.

She let out a sigh as she was about to fold and keep the paper. Then the wind blew hard taking the paper away from her. She stood up and chase the paper not noticing she was near falling when she just practically ignored the metal railings just to catch the paper.

She slowly turned her head to the owner of the arm wrapped around her waist. He was looking at her, mad with his brows meeting in the center.  ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he asked in an angry whisper as she gulped the unknown lump on . She then took a step backwards and stood up in front of him, head low, biting lips, fidgeting with the paper. ‘I was just chasing my wish list,’ she answered in honesty. ‘You could have fallen, you know,’ he said sounding frustrated on how careless she could be at times. He grew up taking care of himself; he grew up alone, learning things on his own. Yet this petite girl who was standing in front of him fidgeting needed to be taken care of every damn time.

‘Jiyong, I’m sorry,’ Dara breathed out, guilty though she knew she did nothing wrong. ‘Forget it,’ he hissed as he turned his back away from her. Dara quickly grabbed his arm knowing he was mad. ‘I’m really sorry. Promise I’ll take care of myself more from now own,’ she said praying he will look at her again, this time forgiving. He rolled his eyes as he turned around, facing her. ‘Do you have any idea that you were just about to trade your life for a piece of a while ago?’ he asked in a low voice. Mad. She nodded. Guilty.

Without saying anything Jiyong grabbed the paper and read it with Dara turning red out of embarrassment. ‘What’s this?’ he asked as she quickly stole the paper away from his hands. ‘A-a To-Do list,’ she answered,stuttering, as she walked to her things and placed the list on the random page on her notebook. Jiyong raised his brow. Dara then started fidgetting. She heaved a sigh and stare at his eyes. ‘Do you remember the time you asked me of what do I know about life? What do I know about hope?’ she asked as he felt his jaw clenched tightly as he nodded at her question. She then sat down and leaned on the wall

‘Well you see, I was born with a hole in my heart. So for the past sixteen years of my life I was breathing hospital air, relying on the machines connected to my body,’ she said staring at the floor as he walked closer to her and sat beside her. She then hugged her knees. ‘I feel dead, I don’t feel alive at all. But I was praying hard I was holding on to prayers, to God, to hope and to my family since they’re the only thing I got,’ she said. ‘I almost died despite all the prayers, despite everything we did... I thought of ending my life, ending my family’s sufferings but when I saw my mom whom I know already dead tired of our situation still smiling and fighting for a battle that never hers to fight... I feel like I needed to fight, I needed to recover... but most of all I know I don't just need to fight, to recover, I want to fight, to recover... to be normal,’ she turned to him with a smile on her lips while he stared at her, not able to say anything. But with her story, he was hell sure that it made her more fascinating.

‘On my sixteenth birthday, I finally got a heart donor. Then we started to prepare for the surgery even though knowing that I only got 30% chance of survival. But I’m here right? I’m alive and I’m living a miracle,’ she said chuckling as he stared at her. ‘So if you’re asking me what I know about life, I don’t know about the practical things, I admit I don’t even know a single household chores but I’m learning... but if you’re asking about life, about being alive, I know how important it is how I should value it ,how it can be easily taken from anyone. After all we’re just borrowing it,’ she said as she stood up and stretched her arms up in the sky. She then looked at the cloud formation. ‘Wow,’ she breathed in admiration as he can’t keep his eyes away from her and now he felt like he can’t keep himself away from her.

Somehow, he doesn’t mind if he was the clumsiest girl alive since it will give him the chance to take care of her. 

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// author's blabbering //

don't kill me I know I told you I will post this yesterday. Don't kill me it's here and you don't need to wait too long for chapter six I'm on the middle of it. hehe. Sorry for the delay. Well anyways here's a short chapter hehe.

thanks for everything.

Mbie's out

p e a c e