[Dara]

        So it was back to bickering Jiyong and Dara. Why am I not surprised?

        “HEY!!” I screamed when I got into Jiyong’s car. “WHY DIDN’T YOU WAIT FOR ME?” He had started to drive down our driveway just because I was five minutes late in coming out, and I had to run like a maniac down my own driveway just to ensure my ride to school. Not to mention, screaming my lungs out for him to stop. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the residents down the street had stopped watering their lawns just to take a peek at the crazy girl next door.

        “Don’t you talk to me like that, Santokki,” Jiyong warned. “You were the one late.”

        “I was late for FIVE MINUTES, Jiyong!” I retorted. “Don’t you have a place called a HEART where you store understanding and compassion?”

        “Late is late, no excuses,” he returned loftily. “Why were you late anyways?”

        “I overslept, okay? I really need sleep. Sue me.”

        “Why do you need more sleep? Beauty sleep? It obviously has no effect on you, I’m sorry to say.”

        Yeah. Remind me why I would want to sit here and talk to this person again. I have enough on my plate to worry about. I’m glad that the financial crisis is over, but I still can’t shake off the feeling that something’s still wrong. My parents are always speaking in hushed tones about business matters, when usually they would be more than willing to share with me (since they want me to learn more about running the family business as much as I can). Grandfather rarely goes to the company now, but he shuts himself in his room all day, “meditating”. No one is telling me anything, so I guess I’ll just have to go find out myself.

        I suppose I could ask Jiyong. He’s so pompous about being the heir of the almighty Kwon empire. But I suddenly feel scared of him. Sure, I know the Jiyong who’s an annoying devil. But I definitely don’t know him, as in the heir of his huge company. Plus, I don’t think he’d tell me about it. He’d probably just poke my cheeks and say he’s surprised that I think so much for a brain my size. Pffft.

[Jiyong]

        I glanced at Dara as I was driving. She became quiet all of a sudden, looking out the window with a faraway look in her eyes. I hate it. Sometimes, I get so full of hate by the things she does subconsciously. It’s not her fault, it’s not HER that I hate. It’s because…in those little moments and movements, I found I can’t read her like I usually do. It’s like a wall that’s purposely blocking me out, no matter how hard I pound on it. In some sense, it’s like she’s guarding me from something.

        I have a feeling…she doesn’t do that with TOP.

        The same strong flame of hate burned wildly once again. Since Dara and I are on speaking terms again, I thought it’d be normal between TOP and I…but it’s not. We rarely talk to each other directly. He was like my own brother, but now he’s starting to feel like the enemy, which is insane. It’s like I’m playing tug-of-war with him to fight for Dara’s attention. That’s not the thing that irritates me the most. What really pisses me off is…it seems like he’s winning.

        I cannot let that happen. He can’t take Dara away from me.

        “Hyung!” Seungri whined as soon as I sat down at our table during lunch. Dara said she needed to discuss some homework with other people at the library, so I had came by myself. “Do something!”

        “Do what?” I took a bite out of my hamburger, my vision stuck on the cafeteria door. If Dara doesn’t come in ten minutes, I will do and make her come, homework or no homework.

        “Stop those crazy fanboys!” Seungri practically cried as he buried his face in his palms.

        “Stop being dramatic, maknae.” Daesung snorted. “I didn’t know you had fanboys though.” He snickered as he high-fived Taeyang.

        “It’s not MY fanboys, hyung, it’s Dara noona’s! They’re absolute beasts! They’re taking my Dara noona away from me!” Seungri looked so exasperated and about to cry. I want to laugh in his face for his melodramatic statement. Wait…did he say…

        “What about Dara’s fanboys?” I muttered darkly. I knew I had to take care of that Minho dude!

        “Hyung, you don’t know?” Seungri exclaimed in surprise. “Don’t you have all of your classes with Dara noona?”

        “Get to the point, Seungri,” I said impatiently. “Who are you talking about? What did they do?”

        “Well, there’s Park Tae Hwan-“

        “WHAT?” Park Tae Hwan?! As in my friend, okay make that EX-friend, Park Tae Hwan? “As in Park Tae Hwan, the captain of the swimming team? I didn’t know that!”

        “I thought you were close with him, hyung! Anyway, I overheard him saying how he had borrowed your phone a couple of days ago-“ which I did “-and he was bragging to the whole swimming team that that’s how he got Dara noona’s number-”

        “He did WHAT?” I thundered, making the whole cafeteria sile