Daesung called Dara and had her meet him by the Bukhan River, which was about 20 minutes outside of Seoul. He wanted to finish what he had begun to tell her about Ruslana a few days earlier. Dara parked and got out of her car. She saw Daesung sitting along the grassy, dirt edge of the river, holding the lavendar vase. She pulled up the zipper on her dark green and yellow parka and put on her gloves before walking over. She sat down next to him and looked out over the icy waters. Snow capped mountains loomed ahead of them as the brisk winds rattled the now limbs of the trees overhead. Daesung took a breath before speaking.

" I love winter. It's so calm. It's as if everything is being cleansed, purified...renewed.", he said looking at Dara. " Know what I mean?"

Dara nodded."Yeah, kind of...", her voice trailed as she continued to take everything in.

" Thanks for meeting me here. Sorry for sounding so cryptic over the phone."

" it's ok. You doing alright?", she asked.

" No. Pretty sad today actually."

Dara looked at the vase. "Pretty.", she commented, the smooth porcelain surface.

" So, like I was saying before. Ruslana and I stopped talking at the end of June 2008. What few messages she would leave me on my online diary, were laden with sorrow. She seemed so sad and distant. Like she didnt want to talk. She would say things like, the darkness seems to be closing in or how she wanted to go back home to Russia and change her name, change her everything. She talked about she and her mother living in a small house  with a barricade built around it...crazy things like that. No matter how much I tried to break through, it seemed she'd build up more walls that were even bigger and more unpenetrable that the first. Her mom and I even talked often and she had no idea what was going on.", Daesung stopped for a moment as tears began streaming down his cherubic cheeks, ruddy from the cold.

" The last day we spoke, was June 27th. She called me and I missed her call, but she left me a message. She said she loved me and that was it...she hung up. I tried calling her back, numerous times but she never answered. They found her body on June 28th...the next day. Her tiny frame, was mangled in a pool of blood on a sidewalk in New York. She jumped...from the ninth floor of her apartment.", he cried.

Dara looked on in a mix of horror, shock and compassion. "Oh Dae...", a tear threatend to fall from her own eye.

Daesung continued, his voice intensifying with each new tear. "I keep wpndering, if I had just answered the phone. Why could'nt I have just answered the phone!? I loved her so much Dara, I loved her so much! Oh God...why?! Why?!", he cried out as Dara rubbed his back." I just...I just don't understand what happened. How could she go from this beautiful ray of light to this, shriveled rose, this shell of a person?", he turned to face Dara, his face puffy from crying. "I feel so stupid. Iv'e been holding on to her for four years. In love with a dead girl. In love with someone who will never be able to love me back."

" Dae, It's not stupid. She never stopped loving you. From what youv'e told me, she got eaten up by the world...but she never stopped loving you. I believe she called you the night before, to tell you she loved you , so that you would believe that."

Daesung looked back down at the vase. "I think it's time for me to move on. Iv'e kept this because it feels like a part of her is with me."

" What is that?", asked Dara. Daesung opened it to reveal ashes.

" Her mother took the other half.", he said as he stood up.

" Even after you do this Dae, she will still be with you. In your heart. And it's your heart that you carry with you, until you die."

" Your'e right.", he said as he advanced closer to the edge of the river and tossed the ashes, so that the wind would catch it. The tiny granules spread across and landed onto the calm cobalt grey waters. Daesung wiped the last tear from his eyes and turned ot Dara.

" Thank you.", he said. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, as they watched the last of the ashes trickle down.

...................................

Afterwards Dara got home and hung her coat and beanie on the coat rack near the entrance. She closed the door behind her and turned around to find MInzy seated on the couch, drinking a hot cocoa.

 " Cocoa? With marshmallows? I'm surprised that 's not too childish of a drink for you.", Dara remarked, still upset about the previous days events.

Minzy rolled her eyes. " It's spiked."

" I wouldn't be surprised.", said Dara about to walk into the kitchen.

" Where have you been?", Minzy inquired.

" I went to see Dae, if you need to know."

" You don't have to be so mean to me, you know."

Dara was silent and looked MInzy in the eyes. " Your'e right...I'm just very disappointed is all, we all are. But it's only because we love you.Sorry for acting a jerk."

" Thanks. So how is Dae?"

" I think...I think he's gonna be okay. He shared a few things with me, he's been through a lot. But he'll talk to everyone when he's ready."

Minzy raised an eyebrow. " How come he shared it with you and not the rest of us?"

" I don't know. I'm pushy I guess.",  Dara shrugged as she headed into the kitchen, " Think I'll make myself one of those cocoas for myself."

Minzy sat there, stewing, wondering why of all people, Daesung chose Dara to open up to. Afterall she was the one who knew his secret and all they had been through together with Se7en and KISO. She felt hurt and once again disregarded because she was little MInzy, who doesn't know any better. Well maybe she would pay Daesung a call herself. It was time to re-connect, she thought to herself. She ran upstairs and closed her bedroom door. She grabbed her cell phone which was by her nightstand and dialed his number.

" Hello, Dae it's Minzy? What are you up to later? I was thinking I'd bring you dinner and we could watch a movie or something. I promise...I'll be on my best behavior.", she smiled.

................................

Lyra finally decided on what dress she wanted to walk down the aisle in. She was with GD, CL and Bom looking at the pics CL had taken of her and threw one down on the coffee table.

" This one. It just..it speaks to me.", she said as they all smiled approvingly. She had chosen the last dress she tried on that day http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj614/proverbsgurl/dress7.jpg. (the one on the right).

" Yes! I said that was the one, did'nt I say that?!", GD jumped up , taking full credit for her decison.

" Yes Ji, you did.", said Lyra, humoring him.

" Ok, so we need to talk hair and make-up and jewlery! Are you going to waer a necklace? Earrings? Pearl or diamonds? Whose going to style you?", asked CL, bubbling over with excitement.

" I don't know. Hair up I guess. I want a cool choker that's for sure."

" We have plenty of time though. It's not even Christmas yet. Maybe we should focus on the holidays for now.", said Seungri.

" Time flies though! Before you know it,  it will be June and her wedding day will be upon us.", said GD.

" Seungri's right though. The major stuff is already in motion. We reserved the wedding location already, paperwork is all done except for some things we need to fill out in order to get married in Morocco. We just need to figure out decor, the food and catering and wer'e going shopping for houses...in L.A, so we can be bi - national. I guess that's how you call it.", Lyra chuckled.

" Wow! Where in L.A? Beverly Hills?", asked CL.

" Oh Lord no. We were thinking Malibu or the Studio City Hills.", said Lyra. " Also, I want to be far from Evan and Emma. I'd hate to live anywhere close to them. You know they're living together now.", said Lyra.

" Are you sad?", asked Bom.

" No, it's just...weird. How everything went down, is just weird. Seeing them would be awkward to say the least. But sad no, I feel like I hit the jackpot with Seunghyun, he's like...perfect. Perfect for me, I could'nt have prayed for a more amazing, amazing man, that I get to all my husband soon!", she shreiked as did the other girls.

" I still can't belive Seunghyun's gonna be married. Crazy!", said Seungri.

" I know. But I'm glad it's with you Lyra.", added GD.

" Thanks Ji, me too.", said Lyra