THIRTYEIGHT CHAPTER
Wicked Fate by Kenzo
The one who was first
“So… he’s the lawyer who Dara dumped. This is the first time for me to actually see him” Young Bae confirmed with Seungri, who had now gotten over the excitement of his return and had settled down for a bottle of beer with his cousins.
The celebration had risen to a whole other level and the ladies had decided to take another table for themselves to keep up with Chaerin’s stories. The men, though, had remained in their table and had ordered two more cases of beer.
“He is” Seungri validated as they looked at Jay and Dara who were talking, rather comfortably, in the bar. The “man of the hour” was holding Dara’s hand as he regaled her with stories without breaking eye contact.
Ji was feeling claws come out of his arms as his other cousins looked on. In his imagination, those claws have already ripped through Jay and Dara was focused on him again – her liquid eyes back to where they should really be.
“How did you meet up with him?” Seunghyun asked the youngest doctor, cutting through Ji’s imagination and bringing him back to the table.
“We met him when we landed in Sta. Lucia. He suddenly hugged Chaerin and I almost punched him” Seungri answered “But he’s a really cool guy when you get to hang-out with him.”
“Why did he come back here?” It was Ji’s turn to ask.
Seungri took another slug of beer and smiled “He’s actually really planning to go here.”
“Oh” Ji uttered as they all tilted their heads in curiosity. The man was planning to go here? For what?
“He’s just had a promotion and he was in Sta. Lucia for vacation. He’s been asked to move to LA to practice so he was spending as much time on his own and strategizing his game” Seungri explained “He told Chaerin he’s going to propose to Dara and ask her to move with him.”
“No Way!” the Dragon exclaimed, almost upending the table.
All the men held on to their bottles of beer and looked at Ji bewilderedly.
“Ji?” Daesung reached for his arm – looking at him uncertainly.
Trying to gain back his footing when he realized how his reaction was uncalled for, Ji shook his head and immediately apologized – grasping for an excuse that he could use. “Ow… uhmmmm… sorry” he told all of them “I – I was trying to check out one of the tourists and… and she just went out with someone else.”
Young Bae raised an eye brow at this and scanned the area for a glimpse of what Ji was talking about.
“Oh well… calm yourself down” Seunghyun told him “I’m sure there’s going to be another one along.”
“I didn’t see you checking out someone” Seungri wondered, doing the same as Young Bae “Man! It has ‘been’ long since I last saw you hyung, I don’t even know anymore how you go off checking out the ladies.”
“Oh yeah” Ji answered distractedly, trying to refocus on the discussion.
“So… is he going to propose to her immediately?” Daesung now asked, getting back into what they were discussing.
“I’m not sure” Seungri answered “but be prepared for a lot of cheesiness in the following days. He’s going to court her full blast and I heard him tell Chaerin that he’s very sure Dara won’t be able to say no.”
Glass broke and all of their heads turned towards Ji.
“Don’t tell us somebody you’re checking out went with another guy again” Young Bae muttered.
“No” Ji replied honestly “It just slipped from my hand.”
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Choices. Choices. Choices.
“Even now, I can’t believe you just suddenly popped out of nowhere” Dara told Jay, overcoming the very turbulent emotions that washed through her the moment he walked in and now enjoying being able to catch up with him and everything about his life.
“I was counting on that” he told her as he pressed her hand, his eyes turning into half-moons “I wanted to take a picture of your reaction.”
“I must have looked stupid” she told him. Jay had always managed to ease her out of her shell and have her really talk – he was the first one to have done that for her and helped her take off her shell when she was just beginning to get her bearings after her Grandfather’s death.
“Aniyo but you did look like this” he answered and imitated her face with eyes popping out like he was choking to death.
“That looks stupid!” she admonished and pouted her lips at him.
He shook his head “Nah… it was adorable.”
“You and your words.”
Jay laughed out loud “You and YOUR words… using that “Head Nurse” tone at me.”
“It’s a job hazard” she replied.
“I noticed” he told her and put a hand on both her shoulders and scrutinized her closely “I don’t know if I should be glad you look great because you’re happy even while I’m away. I do feel happy, though, that you’re looking better than the last I saw you. It seems you’ve adjusted well. You’re really pretty right now.”
“Oh… stop that Attorney Park!”
In spite of the strain they both were in when she decided to turn him down awhile back, Dara was genuinely happy that he seemed to have forgotten that pain she had brought and was looking as chipper as ever.
It was one of those things she liked about him – he was always so “light” to be with.
“I hope you won’t mind that I’ll be having my vacation here” he told her.
“Of course not” she replied “I’m glad you even thought of it. You always work so hard.”
“I’m glad I thought of it too” he answered meaningfully, smiling at her before turning towards the bartender to get the two of them a refill.
She nodded her agreement and her eyes strayed towards the table where the male doctors were sitting and saw that they were all laughing aloud.
Automatically, she searched for Ji’s face but did not find him sitting there anymore. There was only Seunghyun, Young Bae, Daesung, and Seungri.
“Where could he be?” she asked herself.
“Are you looking for someone?” Jay piped in.
“Uhmmmm… yes” she answered honestly but did not expound anymore “I think they might have gone though.”
He looked at his watch “They might have other things to do. It’s not that late yet.”
She stifled a sigh and plastered another smile on her face “So… tell me what were you doing in Sta. Lucia?”
It was hard to focus on him, though, as her mind was wandering as to where Ji could be. She had not immediately realized it but thinking back now, she thought about how he would have felt when Jay suddenly arrived and she was engulfed in a hug just right in front of him.
Jay had also whisked her away and had taken her all to himself – almost for the past hour now.
Could he have been hurt? Jealous?
Or….. was she just wishing hard for those things?
After all, Ji was quick to hide from everyone what was going on between the two of them. And it didn’t mean that she was the one he was with now is she’s the one he’s going to be with for a long time. He had not even told her once that he loved her.
Sure… she guessed that he might have opened up to her more than all of the women he had been with but that did not give her any form of assurance.
In fact, nothing at all was a guarantee with him.
“You’re not listening to me” Jay cut through her train of thought that she almost jumped out of her seat.
“Ow. Mianhe. Mianhe” she uttered.
“It’s ok” he answered “I got to just stare at your face for a full five seconds without you even realizing it.”
She was surprised at this and blushed in embarrassment as she bowed another apology to him. “My thoughts have been flying all around me.”
He laughed and after teasing her with how she hadn’t changed THAT particular aspect of her personality, they resumed talking again – this time, Dara was totally focusing on him.
She decided she would think of what’s going to happen next when it DOES happen. It wasn’t going to help her at all to be fussing about this now because sadly… she couldn’t just walk out and look for Ji in full public view.
It was a secret.
Everything about him was a secret.
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