Suddenly, a realization hit me and my foot automatically hit the brakes.

I smacked my head at my stupidity. How would I know where Dara is?

Hesitantly, I fished my phone out from my pocket. I was about to call Teddy-hyung as I thought about my pride. But I decided to shove the pride out of my system and called him.

“—and hug her and kiss her and hug her and kiss her—“

“YA! Didn’t you stop listing the things I wanted to do to her?” I said.

He laughed. “I was so right. You wanted to hug her, kiss her—“

“Okay, fine, I get it! I need your help. Where is she? Did you see where she went?” I asked, voice filled with urgency.

“Aish, you are one proud man. I thought you wouldn’t go after her so I followed her. Thank me, young master, for my brilliant mind. If I haven’t thought of this befor—“

“Aish, really! Just tell me where she is,” I said, pounding my fist on the wheel. I was getting impatient.

“Relax, dude,” he said, sighing. “Club 99. It’s a half-hour drive from the restaurant so you better hurry up.”

I immediately hung up and drove off into the night. I arrived in less than half an hour and the moment I did, I got off the car with a sense of determination in every step I took.

The moment I entered the club, I wanted to step back as the stench of mixed alcohol and cigarette filled my nose. I wasn’t really much into clubs. And I was wondering why Dara was here. The last time I caught her in the club wasn’t much of a memorable incident. It made me shudder what would I see the moment I would find her in this crowd of people shoving their hips to each other.

I walked through the crowd, my eyes scanning for the sight of Dara. What was she doing here? She said she had an emergency with her employee. Did she go into a club business? Did she own this place? She was probably the owner right? Or the manager? Just not…

My eyes caught a glimpse of a guy who had his hands on a woman’s waists. The woman had her back on me but I couldn’t be wrong. It was Dara. The woman was Dara. And the moment she turned around so that her back was facing the guy, it was confirmed that it was her. She changed her elegant outfit that she wore this dinner. A while ago, she wore a white turtleneck with a printed skirt that fall just above her knees. Right now, she was wearing a black one-sleeve mini dress that covered only less than half of her thighs. At one hand, she had a glass of alcohol.

As she wriggled her body against the guy, the guy took advantage as he wandered his hand on Dara’s belly. It traveled downwards and that was the time I snapped.

I stormed towards them as I shoved the people who were on my way. I didn’t took my eyes off the guy as he tried to kiss Dara on , and what made me infuriated more was how she welcomed his lips with her opened mouth.

The moment I reached them, I roughly pushed the guy off Dara. He spat a curse and was about to throw a blow but I caught his fist midway.

I stared down at him, my eyes filled with fury. “No one touches her!”

“Who are you to say that?!” he fired back.

And that made me stop. Who was i? Who was I to her now?

Nevertheless, I regained my composure and threw a quick punch on his jaw. I turned around to leave, but when I did, Dara wasn’t on her spot. I quickly scanned the area and there she was, dancing with another guy.

This time, I did not push the guy or whatsoever since I was afraid I would lose her again. I roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the exit. I heard her pleas of letting her go but I ignored her.

The moment we arrived outside, I turned to her. There was a cigarette in between her lips. She took a puff and blew it to my face. I scrunched up my nose as I waved the smoke away.

I stared at her disbelievingly. She smokes? Where did she get it anyway? The cigarette looked like it was already used. Don’t tell me she snatched it up from a random dude or someone.

I snatched the cigarette from her and stepped on it. I carried her on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes as she flailed her arms and legs, calling me all kinds of curses and swears. I threw her inside my car, on the front passenger seat.

She stopped struggling so I fastened the seatbelt on her. After I did, I stared at her face. She was so close, maybe an inch close. She already fell asleep, that fast. And even as she slept, she still looked like an angel, the way she looked like even seven years before.

Before I could even do anything to her, I walked to the driver’s side and started the engine. But before I could even drive, I suddenly remembered something. Where shall I bring her?

I couldn’t possible bring her to the hotel where Taeyeon and her family and me were staying. I sighed as I called Teddy-hyung.

“Do you know where she lives?” I asked the moment he picked up.

“She just arrived in Korea today. I didn’t have time to investigate. She must have stayed at a hotel,” he said.

I hung up and stared at her helplessly.

What happened, Dara? Why did you leave me? What happened to you? What were you doing in your life these past seven years? What were you doing inside that club dancing with an unknown man? Why did you say that it was an emergency that you had to leave a while ago? Didn’t you know how desperate I was for the past seven years, trying to look for you? Didn’t you know how much I suffered these past years? Didn’t you know how I lived like I was dying, losing hope?

The question swarmed my mind and they were all disoriented, questions I wanted an immediate answer but she was unconscious to even hear any of it.

I sighed helplessly. After a while, she whispered something. I leaned closer as it was incoherent but I thought I had to hear it. She repeated it over and over. And the more it became clearer, the heartbreaking it was.

He was saying another guy’s name.

Was he the one she was dancing with a while ago?

As if to answer me, she looked for her phone on her clutch, her eyes still closed, her lips still repeating the guy’s name.

“Call him,” she said, shoving the phone on my face, but it fell.

I picked it up from the car floor and something caught my eye. She wasn’t wearing high heels like what girls usually wear when going to clubs. She was wearing a pair of sneakers.

Despite of myself, I chuckled. I remembered when she went home from the dinner with her grandfather, her feet wounded because I made her wear a pair of high heels. She still hated high heels even after seven years.

Suddenly, she called the guy’s name again, making me straighten up, her phone on my hand.

I quickly looked for his name on her contacts and called him. I wonder what was up to him, and what was up to her. Why was she making me call him? And who was he by the way?

“Hello? Is this—“

“Dara?” the guy on the other line said, missing what I just said.

“Um, no. Dara is drunk right now. She told me to call you. Is this—“

“Aish, this girl caused trouble again. Where are you? I’m on my way,” he said.

I cleared my throat. “I’m a friend. I’ll bring her to you.”

He was hesitant but he spoke again, “I’ll text you the address,” he said before hanging up.

I stared at the phone, totally lost. What was that? Will I trust the guy? He seemed to know her. After a while, I received a text – the address to a condo unit.

I stood there with Dara who was still unconscious, in my arms. I stared at him. And as every second passed, my stare became cold and hard. I stared at the guy who just opened the door. He was shirtless, with only a pair of shorts.

“Are you—“

I cut him off as I entered the unit without his permission. I didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t just bring her to the hotel where we were staying. And I couldn’t just leave her at a random hotel. I couldn’t just stay with her all night until she wakes up. Taeyeon might wonder.

I headed towards the sofa where I was supposed to lie her down but the guy stopped me.

“You should bring her to our room,” he said.

I stared at him but eventually complied. Did he say OUR ROOM? What are they? A married couple or what?

I settled Dara on the bed as I fixed the blanket over her. I was about to brush the hair from her face when she stirred on her sleep and tossed to her right, her hands as if searching and then whispered the guy’s name again. I stopped my hand midway and straightened up.

“It’s a habit,” the guy said, making me turn to him.

“Are you her—“

He smirked and opened the door wide. “I can take care of her from here. You can leave now.”

My mind was jumbled. What just happened? Why was she whispering other guy’s name in her sleep? Who was that guy? Did she already marry? Is he her boyfriend?

I slammed the glass on the counter as I asked for some more wine to be poured in it.

“Young master, you must stop drinking,” Teddy-hyung said.

“Was I too late, hyung?” I asked him. “Didn’t I work hard enough to look for her?”

Teddy-hyung just stared. He didn’t know what to say or what to do. But he tried. “I tried looking for her for you, young master. It’s my fault that I failed.”

I turned silent as I remembered what happened years ago.

I woke up, my eyes squinting and adjusting from the pale light. There was a gasp from the people in the room and some chatters.

“He’s awake,” I heard Dami among them.

“Oh thank God,” it was Grandma.

“Call the doctor, Teddy,” it was Appa.

I heard Teddy-hyung’s hurried steps. After that, I didn’t hear anything more. I was waiting for someone else but I didn’t hear her. I looked around, looking for her. The room only contained of Dami, Appa, and Grandma. No one else was there except them.

Maybe she was outside. Yes, that must be it. She was outside. I would wait for Teddy-hyung to come back. Maybe he also told her and then she’ll come in with him.

I heard Teddy-hyung arriving and a few more people. They were the doctor and the nurses. Dara wasn’t there yet. Maybe I had to wait a little more.

I let the doctor and the nurses check me up as I waited for her. They ran a few tests to see if I had amnesia or if my eyes worked or if I could hear well. When they finished, Dara didn’t arrive yet.

“Hyung,” I had called, my voice cracking.

Teddy-hyung hesitantly went towards me.

“Where is Dara?” I had asked.

He looked down, bowing his head. He seemed hesitant. But he had answered anyways, “She left you.”

And that day, I also learned that Teddy was no longer working under Grandma. No clear reasons were provided, just vague answers – he did not do a good job.

Teddy-hyung was far from someone who didn’t do a good job, so I didn’t believe Grandma and I was the one who hired him again. I hired him to look for her. It was beyond Grandma’s knowledge.

The investigation went on for seven years as Teddy-hyung was still roaming around Korea, looking for her while I was at L.A, working, when I called him from abroad three months ago.

He told me how he found out some cafes and dress shops which are probable to be owned by her but I cut his report off when I brought to him shocking news.

“Stop investigating,” I had said. “Give up on her.”

“But why? You can’t just give up,” Teddy-hyung had insisted.

I had sighed. “Grandma died. And she had one wish before she drew her last breath. I will be married soon.”

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