RING!

Was that an alarm clock I heard? I didn’t remember buying one. I tossed to my side, hugging the pillow to myself.

RING! RING!

Or did I buy one yesterday? Did I? I couldn’t remember. I hugged the pillow tighter and decided to ignore it.

RING! RING! RING!

Aish! Persistent alarm clock in my dream! I grabbed the pillow and covered my ear with it tightly.

RING! RING! RING! RING!

“AISH!” I shouted, sitting up and throwing the pillow where I thought the alarm clock was.

RING! RING!

It didn’t stop? I got up from my bed and grabbed the pillow on the floor expecting the alarm clock beneath it. But there was nothing underneath.

RING! RING!

I sharply turned towards the source, which was actually on the desk beside my bed. It was my cellphone. I glared at it, willing it to stop. But it didn’t. So I decided to pick it up.

“WHO THE HELL IS CALLING AT THIS UNHOLY HOUR?!” I shouted at the caller. “I WAS HAVING MY SLEEP!”

After my rant, I heard a clearing of the throat. “Miss Dara, it’s me, Danny.”

“What do you want?” I asked coldly, lying back on my bed.

“Did you forget, Miss Dara? You’re supposed to meet your grandfather for lunch today.”

“Lunch? Today? It’s still early in the morning. What’s the rush?” I asked.

“Umm... the thing is… it’s already past 12. And your grandfather had been waiting for half an hour already.”

“What?!” I said, getting up abruptly. I glanced at my watch and it was already 12:10PM. “Sh*t! Wait for me! Don’t move an inch!”

As I hung up, I quickly took a bath and got dressed.

It was silent, too silent that it was awkward. Well, I was used to it anyway. If we were together, we didn’t really talk much. Sometimes, he would ask me about my boutiques, dress shops, and cafés and I answered them too. I don’t ask him with his business though. I couldn’t care less.

After a while of several clanking of spoons, some occasional few-word conversations, and clearing of the throats, I decided to speak up.

“Isn’t it a bit unfair?” I asked, my eyes not leaving my food.

“What is?” the old geezer asked.

“You still looked for me and even agreed to take me in and follow my conditions even though you perfectly knew that Taeyeon could take the business after you.”

“I wanted you to forgive me. That was the only way I could think of,” he said, causing me to stop my hand midway from cutting a meat and stare at him.

He was staring at me too. And for the nth time, I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Besides that though, I saw how he aged yet again and how fatigued he was. Even though Taeyeon agreed to take the business after him, the company’s branch in Japan was still managed by him while Taeyeon manages the one in L.A.

I dropped my gaze as I continued what I was doing.

“I heard from Taeyeon,” I said, changing the topic.

“You did?” he asked, dropping the spoon.

I nodded. “Did you personally choose the bachelor for her too? You know how it will turn out when you tried it once to me, right?”

It was true. Although he promised not to meddle on my business and although he already promised Taeyeon the company, he still tried to choose a man for me to marry. I don’t know, but I assumed that he still tried to make me the heiress of his company.

He cleared his throat. “I didn’t choose the bachelor for him this time. She did and I have yet to meet him. Taeyeon hasn’t gotten my approval yet. Though she said that I will be happy with her choice.”

“You gave her the right to choose while you didn’t give me that right?” I asked, incredulous.

He sat back on his chair. “I’m sorry. I had to do that choice for you before. I was trying to help.”

“Help? Help me for what?” I asked, standing up from my chair.

“You looked depressed since leaving Seoul. I thought you needed someone so i—“

I pounded my fist, cutting him off. “I was fine then! I told you not to meddle on my business!”

I was shaking, tears threatening to fall. This was a revelation. I didn’t think he noticed. He never really asked me and I thought he never cared. In fact, he actually noticed that I was going through something. Did he have the idea why I was like that? Did he actually think that it was because of Jiyong that was why he chose a man for me?

Ha!

I stared back at him. He was shaking on his chair, his hands, his whole body was trembling. His eyes were unfocused and tears started to fall too.

“That man! Help your grandfather young lady!” someone shouted.

“Ya!” I called him. “What happened? Stop trembling!”

But he didn’t. I started walking towards him.

“YA! Did you forget to drink your medicine again?!”

He was still trembling and I started to panic when he clutched his chest. I ran towards my bag and grabbed something inside. I grabbed a glass of water as I let him swallow the medicine I got from my bag and then guided the glass of water to his lips.

“Drink more,” I instructed my voice softer now.

After a while, he stopped trembling and went back to normal. He panted as he looked down.

“I’m so sorry to trouble you,” he said.

I just stared at his bowed head. Why was he apologizing? It was my fault. I should apologize. I might have shocked him or something to cause him to react that much. He was an old man anyway, and very sensitive. I should have been considerate but I wasn’t.

I opened my mouth, expecting an apology to come, but nothing. Instead, I said, “Good thing I always bring with me your medicine. Don’t forget to drink your medicine. Don’t stress yourself so much. Your health is more important than your business.”

He lifted his head to meet my gaze but I looked away.

“I’m leaving first. I still have work. I’ll call Danny on my way out to you to the hospital.”

“Good morning,” I greeted lazily the moment I opened the door.

“Unnie! We have been waiting for you!” Minzy said.

“Yeah! Where were you? Customers were coming here nonstop this morning,” Bom said, her eyes not leaving the computer.

“It’s the month when students have their proms you know. And they’re asking for your designs, they didn’t want mine,” CL said, frustrated as she dropped herself on the couch.

I smiled as I stared at the three girls in front of me.

Minzy – the maknae of the team. She was one of those who sew the dresses I designed.

Bom – my personal accountant and also the accountant of my boutique.

CL – one of the designers. She helped me sometimes every time I ran out of ideas.

These three girls. I never would have thought I would meet some Korean friends here at Japan. They were hardworking too. And they worked for me. I had other staffs too, but they were my closest…err…friends.

“Arasso, arasso,” I said, heading to my office.

“Unnie, here are the specifications they wanted on their dresses. They said that you can add anything you want to add,” Minzy said showing me the list of the customers’ orders and specifications.

It was always like that. As this dress shop was named ‘Miss Dee’s’, they understood that I was a mysterious person and they respected my privacy. That was why they would just write their specifications upon ordering or CL or Minzy would entertain their orders.

As I went over the list, I sighed. “This is boring.”

“What?” CL asked.

I stood up from my desk. “This is stressful,” I said, walking away. “I’m going out for a while. I’ll come back after half an hour.”

“Unnie, are you going to smoke again?” CL’s warning tone stopped me. “You know that’s not go-“

I turned to her, my arms folded over my chest. “I don’t tell you how to live your life, CL,” I said and left.

As I was outside, I sat on a bench and pulled out the cigarettes I had in my pocket. I lighted one stick and started taking a puff.

“Aaahhhh~” I said, opening my mouth, polluting the air with the smoke from my mouth.

My cellphone interrupted me though.

“Hello?”

“Unnie! You slept on me this morning, didn’t you?” Taeyeon asked.

“Sorry, Taeyeon. I was tired,” I said as I took another puff. “So, what made you call again?”

“Oh yeah. I was telling you this morning that I am going back home next week. We’ll meet there, arasso?”

“Home? You mean Seoul?” I asked.

“No, North Pole, unnie. That’s our home. It’s just that I missed our polar bear siblings.”

“YA!”

“Geez. Unnie, of course, it’s Seoul. I want my wedding to be held there. Not here, without you and Grandpa. It’s a family occasion, right? And I don’t want to celebrate it with only mom and dad and his family.”

“But…”

“Unnie… pleeeaaassseee~” she cooed. “Don’t you miss your dongsaeng? Because I surely missed my pretty unnie and I can’t wait to see her,” she said, using her oh-so-famous aegy, that does not actually work on me.

I thought for a while. Seoul? After seven years? What if he’ll—?

“Unnie… please. Oh please, please, please. I’m on my knees right now. Please, please.”

I scoffed. “I don’t believe you.”

There was silence. “I just sent you a photo.”

I put the call on hold and checked the image she sent. She was really on her knees, her lips on a pout, eyes begging through the camera.

I put the phone back to my ear. “Did you see it?” she asked. “Please, unnie?”

“FINE!” I said, exasperatedly. “Now, hang up! I’m still busy.”

I was the one who hang up though, because I couldn’t take her high-pitched voice, hearing her celebrating by herself.

I slumped on the bench. I was only planning to smoke one stick. But with the conversation, I pulled another one and lighted it.

I never imagined that I would go back to Seoul – not this soon.

My hands were shaking. This was so awkward. I never called. I never initiated it, anyway. But tonight was different.

As I read his name over and over again on the screen, I finally decided to press the green button to call him.

After two rings, he picked up.

"Hello?" he greeted, his voice melting the soul out of me.

I didn't answer though. I was just smiling right there. I looked like a fool, I was sure. But I just wanted to hear his voice. It would be enough to calm my nerves, it would be enough for me to forget things - he's the perfect pill.

"Dara? You there?" he asked. "I'm hanging up now."

"Don’t," I said quickly. "I'm here."

He sighed in relief.

But there was silence as I didn’t speak. I just listened as he breathed on the phone. It was enough to calm me down.

He cleared his throat. “Why did you call? Is it the end of the world and you need to confess your feelings to me finally?”

I chuckled. “You wish.”

“So?” he urged.

I bit my lips before I went on, “I’m going home next week, on the Tuesday.”

“You are?” there was excitement on his voice.

“Yes,” I said simply. “You’re going to fetch me right?”

“Next week… Tuesday…” he said, thinking. “I can’t. We have a photo shoot. I wish I could, Dara.”

I sighed, disappointed. “It’s alright.”

“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll go home early after the photo shoot. Meet me at the condo? My passcode is still the same.”

“Arasso,” I said.

There was silence after that as we listened to each other’s breathing. I was about to hang up then when he spoke.

“I miss you, Dara.”

A smile broke my lips. I was waiting for that. Before hanging up, I answered. “I know.”

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