[Dara]

     As Jiyong led me away, I couldn’t help but be puzzled over what Bom had said to me. Sure, it’s unexpected and I admit I’m not happy with this arrangement, but her reaction was so strange. What did she mean by “you do have a choice”? I don’t…Arranged marriages are as natural as breathing in the business world. What Jiyong said earlier was right; we can’t do anything to change our fate. She doesn’t sound happy upon hearing our engagement…but I thought she liked TOP, not Jiyong? Then why is she acting like this? Plus, the way she was talking…was as if she knew about the real reason behind our engagement. Ah, well, maybe TOP has guessed it already and told her. I forgot that TOP knew about how the Kwons bought our shares. But still…I just can’t shake off the thought nagging me that there’s more behind Bom’s words.

     “Hey, let’s ditch class.” Jiyong came to a halt. I had been so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice he had led me to his silver convertible. I gawked at him in a way that said ARE YOU NUTS?! But he shrugged and opened the door to the passenger seat for me, waiting for me to get in. “Come on, you’ve been spacing out the whole morning. I highly doubt that you can focus on class when so many people are ogling and whispering about you. Plus, we’re gonna need a break.”

     “A break?” I didn’t get what he was talking about. Didn’t we just have our lunch break?

     “Yeah, a break…away from all this madness. For the following months, be prepared to be bombarded with questions as you attend school, charity events, and stuff.” Right, of course this will happen. Why didn’t I think of this? “We’re going to be followed by the media closely, so why not take this chance to relax for a while? Who knows when our next break will be?” He made sense…and it’s not a bad idea. It’s actually really smart! I smiled at him and got in the car.

     “Where are we going?” I clasped my hands in anticipation. He only laughed in answer as he helped me fasten my seatbelt. My heart started thumping twice as fast as I stare at him. To be more precise, I was staring at his messed up blond hair as he fumbled with the seatbelt. My nose was filled with the manly scent of him, which was really…alluring. I wonder if it’s because of his cologne…or just him. His long slender fingers brushed slightly against my waist as the seatbelt made a clicking sound, but to my ears, it was like lightning, symbolizing the electricity that I felt shocking my veins.

     “You’ll see.” He then flashed me a megawatt smile as he got out to close my door, and walked around to the driver’s seat. I haven’t noticed I was holding onto my breath until I exhaled deeply once he left. He took a few minutes fiddling with his phone, but when I tried to see what he was doing inconspicuously, he was done, and put his phone back into his pocket. After starting the engine, we had zoomed out of YG, and onto the highway in no time. I could hardly believe this was happening, and that I was letting it happen!

     “Why?” Jiyong asked, or rather, shouted as he pressed the button to make the convertible top roll down so the breeze was coming at us from all sides . Huh? Then I realized I had spoken without thinking.

     “What did you mean by that?” He pressed, glancing at me. “Dara?”

     “Oh, it’s nothing.” I shrugged, looking at the scenery flying past us. The skyscrapers, the green hills, the beautiful colors of the maple leaves that are sashaying their way down to the ground. I took it all in, breathing in the scent of…everything. Would it be crazy if I said that I could smell a slight hint of the coming of winter in the air? Never had I felt so free. “I never skipped classes, and I definitely don’t skip them to go ‘take a break’. It’s a first for me. I can’t really believe it’s happening.” It was still early in the afternoon, so there were only a few cars. I felt like I was throwing the whole world behind us! Jiyong laughed heartily, probably at the absurdity of my rambling, and turned up the radio louder so that the music was booming through the stereo deafeningly. Normally, I would’ve protested at how the sound was going to do major damage to my hearing, but today I welcomed it with open arms. Since yesterday, I had been feeling queasy and frustrated, but somehow, at this moment, I feel completely free, as if I were weightless.

       With perfect timing, one of my favorite songs, “You and I”, came on the radio! I even started singing along loudly along, in front of THE Kwon Devil. I didn’t feel awkward or strange, since it just felt like the right thing to do at the moment, and I felt high on unknown happiness.

You, When I fell
you held me back up with an unfaltering gaze

And You, through those sad times
held my hands till the end of the world

        To my surprise, Jiyong started joining in, adding a different flair to the song with his low and captivating voice. We shared a fleeting smile before he focused on the road ahead again.

I might be a shabby person who has never done anything for you
But today, I am singing this song just for you
Tonight, within those two eyes and a smile
I can see the pains from protecting me
You and I together. It's just feels so right…

     After getting off the highway, we had continued our trek with quiet country roads, then suddenly switched to winding mountain roads. Thick trees lined the road, and I could feel the air getting chillier, even though the sunshine still poured generously on me. Jiyong must’ve noticed that, because he had put the top back up, and told-ok, ordered-me to wear his jacket, despite my protests. Along the way, the natural scenery became much more beautiful and signs of civilization were disappearing bit by bit until the only sign was the road and us, I was suspecting that Jiyong was taking me to a national park to walk in the forest or something like that. That didn