[Dara]

    I woke up to the sound of singing birds, the warmth of sunshine on my face, and the smell of faint wood. Groaning slightly, feeling my head ache, I decided not to get up, and instead turned my body to the other side, trying to block myself from the light. I felt worn out, but was not unable to get out of the bed. It was just that the blankets were really warm and comfortable, and the bed felt soft like feathers piled up together.

    Wait, what? Where am I? What bed? Holy effin-

    At the speed of light, I stumbled out of the covers and hit my toe on the hard wooden cabinet beside the bed. Ow, ow, ow! With the piercing pain hurting me and my brain slightly dizzy, I sat right back down on the soft bed, and tried to get my eyes to adjust to the bright daylight that was shining from the windows of the room. Oh, I was in an unfamiliar room that smelled of pine cones and wood. It was like one of those log cabins in the wilderness that are surrounded by tall trees and wild animals like wildcats. I wouldn’t mind living here. It was something out of a fairytale movie. Giggling slightly at imagining myself being one of the Disney princesses, I walked to the window sill to take a look at the view outside. It was as picturesque as I had imagined it, with trees surrounding the house and a lovely concrete patio with an outdoor fireplace and lounge chairs.

    “You’re awake.”

    Snapping back to reality, and half-blaming myself for admiring the stupid view while completely forgetting about what kind of trouble I landed myself in yesterday, I turned around to see Jiyong leaning on the doorway, looking as miraculously handsome as ever, carrying a tray of what seemed like breakfast. Narrowing my eyes at him, I backed away slowly. He was still wearing his suit from yesterday. It suited him well, no pun intended. No matter how wonderful and peaceful he looked, I could never bring myself to look at him the way I did before. The events of last night flooded back to my brains again, reminding why I had ran away from my own wedding. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Who knew that one moment I was so ecstatic to be marrying someone I love, the next I realized that he did not love me at all? It was like falling from heaven directly to hell in a matter of seconds.

    He had betrayed me. Lied to me. Scheming with his father to take away what was mine, all for money. He was not who I thought he was. Or rather, I had made myself blind to who he was. Sandara Park, you’re such a fool. He was a Casanova who had no regards for other people’s feelings and only cared about himself...His affection was all an act. Our love was an act. Wait, it did not even exist in the first place.

    “Get out,” I hissed, even though knowing it was useless and the current situation is most likely me being at his mercy. I felt mad, but more than anything, I felt hurt like I had been sliced into two by him. Tears are threatening to form, but I refused to appear weak in front of him. He took away what I had believed to be my own happy fairytale, but I will not let him take away my dignity. I can’t let him see how much he had hurt me.

    Jiyong’s smile did not falter a bit, and plopped down on the bed beside me. “Here’s some apple juice, it’ll make you feel better, Darong.” I couldn’t help but stare at him in disbelief. Is he trying to act as if nothing has happened? Didn’t he know the reason why I had run away was because I had found out about his dirty little scheme with his father? How can he just act so indifferent and...normal?! Before I could voice out my thoughts, Jiyong wrapped his right arm around me, making me stiffen. My direct reflex was to dodge, but his iron grip on me made it impossible.

    “Let go of me, you jerk!” I cried, shoving him away from me. His arm did not relent, even when the tray of food crashed onto the ground violently by my sudden movement. I didn’t even wince at the painful sound of glass shattering. “I hate you! You’re a sick, filthy, disgusting gold-digger who-“

    “Darong.” He paid no attention to my words and actions as he gently brushed a strand of my hair back. “Listen to me, you have misunderstood everything. I don’t know what TOP and Bom told you, but it’s not what you think-“

    “Don’t touch me!” I hysterically fought against him. “I don’t know what you did yesterday to stop me from running away but-“

    He sighed. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Darong. But I knew you were not going to come to me willingly-“

    “So you made me unconscious?!” I yelled.

    Jiyong apologetically looked at me. “I’m sorry, I truly am-“

    “Let me go,” I ordered, refusing to hear anymore of his lies. Sorry? He should’ve thought about that before he decided to come into my life, make me fall for him hard, only to have me find out on the day of my wedding that he just wanted to pry my company from my hands.

    “I can’t do that, Darong,” he whispered in despair, his eyes mixed with desperation and madness. “I can’t...ever...let you go. You’re my everything. I can’t-“

    “You are nothing to me,” I threw these cold words at him harshly, ignoring the remorse I feel when I see hurt evident on his face. Taking this chance as an opportunity escape his hold, I ran outside the room. Thank goodness the cabin only consisted of that room and another one that seemed like a kitchen, dining room, and living room in one. I reached the door in no time, but my happiness came to a halt when I could not open the door. WHAT?!

    “It’s useless, Darong.” Jiyong walked out slowly. The smile had vanished from his handsome features, and despite his eyes looking sad, his face looked a bit cold. “I already locked the doors.”

    I blinked, wishing that I had misheard him. “Why did you lock the doors? You...you’re kidnapping me!”

    “I’m not kidnapping you, Darong,” Jiyong tried to explain in a more tender voice than before. “It seemed as if you had misunderstood me. We need to sort things out. You really shouldn’t have ran out like that without talking to me-“

    “Talk about what?” I laughed mockingly. “The fact that you had lied to me? That it was all a big, fat lie? I get it now, from the moment I had transferred to YG, it had been a trap!”

    Jiyong got up, seeming to be muttering to himself. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have let TOP gotten the chance to...”

    “Leave TOP out of this!” I snapped at him. “Don’t you dare make it seem like his fault!”

    “It IS his fault!” Jiyong shouted. “He had been unwilling to let go of you all along, waiting to seize a chance to take you away from me! Some kind of a friend he was! Going behind my back and ruining everything-”

    “You were the one who had betrayed me!” I couldn’t help tears of anger and pain from falling anymore. My voice was an octave higher because of how hysterical I was. “I had trusted you, Kwon Jiyong! I can’t believe I was such a fool!” I’m not sure if I was more mad at him for lying and hurting me, or was I more angry at myself for letting him do that to me. I thought I was smarter than that. I should’ve known that there was really no one I can trust from the moment I was born the heiress of Park Enterprise. With the amount of lectures and lessons I had been receiving as a child how to work my way through the world of business and heirs, I had ended up failing at the hand of Kwon Jiyong. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.

    “I know you’re assuming things inside your head, and there are many questions you want to ask. But one thing that has never, ever changed, not even waivered for a second.” Jiyong looked at me directly, not blinking. “I love you. You can think of me as the bad guy who