Without saying a word, Dara walked ahead of Seunghyun towards the exit.
Seunghyun stopped for awhile to talk to the valet.
When he turned to look he saw her heading towards the open road.

In deep thoughts, Dara didn't realize that she was already crossing the road.
She came back to her senses when she heard a loud horn.
Instantly, she turned to where the sound was coming from.
Her eyes widened and her body froze.
A large truck was coming towards her.
She couldn't move from where she was standing.
All she did was close her eyes and wait for the worst to happen.

A loud screeching sound made her shriek in terror.

With eyes tightly shut, she covered her ears.

'Oh God,' She prayed. 'Please help me.'

A sudden gust of wind hit her.
Along with that, she felt something strong s around her waist.
Before she knew it, her whole body was being pulled somewhere in a flash.

She screamed on top of her lungs.

"Shhhh.. It's okay." She heard a familiar voice said. "You're safe now."

The adrenaline rush was still there, but she's conscious enough to know that she was standing.
She can feel someone her arms, trying to calm her.
She removed her hands from her ears while carefully opening her eyes.
Standing in front of her, looking pale and worried was Seunghyun.
Dara only then realized that she was already at the side of the road.

Away from danger.
Seunghyun tilted his head to the side, checking if she was fine.

"Are you okay, Sandy?"

His voice was calm and stable, but Dara could tell that his whole body was shaking.

"I-I-I'm okay." She whimpered, realizing that Seunghyun saved her.  

Subconsciously, she threw herself at him and burst into tears.

Seunghyun wrapped his arms around her and her hair with a lot of care.

"Shhh..Don't cry. It's alright. You're safe now." He whispered, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

**********

Youngbae stared at his food.
It's his favorite dish but for some reason he doesn't seem to have the appetite to eat it.

"Aren't you hungry, oppa?" Yuri asked, while looking at his plate. "You barely touched your food."

He didn't answer.

Instead, he grabbed his fork and knife and started slicing the meat.

Yuri's eyes never left him as she took a sip of her wine.

"How hard is it to pretend that you are enjoying my company?" She was trying hard not to show how affected she is with his attitude.

"Like I've said, this will be the last." She emphasized.

Youngbae put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"I'm sorry if I'm not a very interesting date, Yuri." He replied without looking at her.

Silence.

"You changed oppa." She suddenly said. "You're no longer the Dong Youngbae that I used to know."

Youngbae snorted while playing with the fork that's on top of his plate.

"Did I?"

"Yes." She replied. "You're no longer the oppa who loves to hang out with girls.”

Youngbae smirked.

"I really can't believe that you keep turning down my invitations." She said bitterly.

He gave out a chuckle.

"People change, Yuri."

"Yes, I know."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not pleased about my changes.”?

"Maybe I just didn't expect THIS kind of change."

Youngbae stared at her, puzzled. "And what do you mean by that?"

Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"Will you be pleased if someone you intimately know ignores you?" She asked. "Or better yet, treats you like a ."

Hearing those made Youngbae sit up from his chair.

"Yur--"

"I really envy Dara-sshi." She blurted, not letting him speak.

"The first woman... Aniyo... The ONLY woman that the famous playboy Dong Youngbae fell in love with. "

From the sound of Yuri's tone, Youngbae can tell that she's pissed because of what he did in front of Seunghyun and Dara.

He didn't dare to defend himself or even speak, knowing that he is guilty for acting like a jerk earlier.

"What happened anyway?"  She asked curiously. "I heard in the news months ago that you already broke up."

"I don't wanna talk about it, Yuri."

Yuri rolled her eyes. "I heard it's because of that Angela Lee. Is it true?"

"Like I've said, I don't want to talk about it."

"Ohhh... So it is true!" She concluded. "But no! Wait! Angela is married already. A friend of mine attended her wedding, so it can't be her."

She started running her forefinger and thumb on her chin while thinking.

Youngbae stared at her in disbelief.

"If you're done eating, I think we should go." He said, wanting to escape her interrogation.

"Oh c'mon, oppa. It's not like we just met." Yuri smirked.

"We spent some wonderful times together, remember? You know me and I know you. You can tell me anything."

"See! This is one of the reasons why I broke up with you." Youngbae suddenly burst.

Yuri narrowed her eyes in surprise.

"You keep pushing me to open up when I don't want to. It's so suffocating. I feel like I'm being nagged at."

A smile crept on Yuri's face.

"Somehow there is still something about you that hasn't change, oppa."

He just kept quiet.

"Mianhaeyo oppa." Yuri apologized. "I just wanted to start a conversation since I'm happy meeting you again after a long time."

"Yuri-ah... It's not your fault actually." He spoke.

"It's just... I'm just... I'm all messed up right now... I have a lot of things in my mind that I can't deal with people."

Yuri bit her lips.

'So I'm just PEOPLE, huh?' She thought. 'What the hell! I'm your ex-girlfriend!'

"Is this because of Dara-sshi?" She asked. "You want to get back with her?"

Youngbae looked away and didn't answer.

He just sipped his wine.

"You know, even if you don't speak I can tell she's the reason why you're so irritated." She pressed.

"I don't want be rude, Yuri." He suddenly snapped, unable to control his annoyance.

"But I don't really feel comfortable talking to you about it. I'm entitled to my own privacy. So if you don't mind I wish to go now."

He pushed back his chair and was about to stand up.

"Am I just a trash to you, huh?" Yuri snapped back. "Just your ex- ing b*tch, oppa?"

Youngbae was appalled to hear those words.

Tears started forming in her eyes.

"Our relationship before meant nothing to you, oppa? Even for a tiny bit?"

Her pained expression is slowly turning into a glare.

"To think that I let you go that easily. I'm such an idiot!"

She let out a bitter laugh which left Youngbae dumbstruck.

"I should have made it harder for you and Dara-sshi. Just like what Angela-sshi did."

"Yuri-ah...”

He has no idea what triggered her to say all those things.

He might have been rude to her but this was way too much outburst coming from her.

"Oppa, I was generous enough to give you you're freedom. Even after I knew about the trick you and Dara-sshi pulled on me."

She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"But what do I get after all these years?" She said, staring straight into his eyes.

"The cold shoulder?!  Not even a 'sorry Yuri-ah, I didn't'...  Ani... 'We didn't mean to trick you.'"

Youngbae looked away from her gaze.

Guilt has taken over him. He never imagined that Yuri has been keeping that grudge all this time.
Deep inside he feels sorry for her but he really can't bring himself to care.
For him, Yuri is just an ex-girlfriend that he wants to forget and not be friends with. Just like his other flings.

All he wants to do now is apologize to her and ask for forgiveness so that they can get on with their lives.

"You're too much, oppa." She said when she didn't receive any response from him.

She wiped her tears.

"Even if our relationship meant nothing to you, I still don't deserve to be treated like this."

With that she stood up and walked away, leaving Youngbae wondering what to do.

**********

Seunghyun turned off the engine.
Before he could open his door, Dara already stepped out.
He watched as she headed to the front of his car.
Even with her back facing him he can see her adjusting her jacket as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He followed and went beside her.
They quietly gaze at the overlooking scenery in front of them.

SEUNGHYUN POV

No one spoke a word since we left the restaurant.
I'm extremely concerned about her.
I know very well why she's being like this again.
Quiet, rattled, and disoriented.
The meeting with Youngbae and Yuri drove her again to another emotional state.
She was doing well with her relationship with Youngbae these past few months but the appearance of Yuri could have made her shake again.

From my peripheral vision, I can see Dara's shoulder trembling.
I turned my head to check her.
She covered her face with her hands and started crying.

It pained my heart seeing her in that state.
Every tear she shed because of Youngbae is like knife stabbing me over and over.

I slowly turned her body to face me.
She looked at me with apologetic eyes.
I smiled and shook my head in reply.

I know what she wanted to tell me even if she doesn't say it out loud.
First, she wants to thank me for saving her.
Second, she wants to say sorry for making me worry.
Third, she also wants to say sorry for hurting me.
Things that I already know.

Dara closed the gap between us and buried her face against my chest.

I can't do much but to be beside her, embrace her, hoping that her sadness and pain will lessen with the warmth I'm giving.
My hands went to soothe her the way they always did.
I the back of her head letting her know that everything is going to be fine.
My other hand gently patted her back with my thoughts telling her that I'm just here and she doesn't have to be sad.

End of SEUNGHYUN POV

**********

Outside the restaurant..

Yuri was hailing a cab when she felt someone grabbed her arm.
She turned to look and was surprised to see Youngbae.
She glared at him and pulled away from his grip.

"Yuri-ah," He spoke gently. "Let me drive you back."

She snorted. "Don't bother, I can manage."

She raised her arm to hail a cab while he stood there watching her.
A cab pulled up in front of them, she reached for the door but Youngbae stopped her and signaled the driver to leave.

"What the hell!" Yuri exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing, Dong Youngbae!"

Youngbae sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I brought you here so I should drive you back."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to follow.

Yuri struggled but when she saw him giving her a pleading look, she couldn't help but give up instead.

She rolled her eyes and let him lead her to his car.


**********


They were sitting on the hood of Seunghyun’s car.
The quiet night surrounded them as they gaze at view in front of them.

Seunghyun knows that whenever Dara is upset, she doesn't like going home right away.
He decided to bring her to a place where it is peaceful and quiet.

Dara smiled in amusement at the scenery in front of her.
The bright city lights blinking from a far.
Buildings and houses looked so small from where they are.
It was her first time to be in a place where it's overlooking the city.
She didn't know such place existed.
She glanced at Seunghyun who is also enjoying the sight with a smile.

'You did it again, Seunghyun-ah.' She thought. 'You saved me again. You made me smile... and you made me forget my sadness. How can I ever repay you?'

"I know I'm handsome." Seunghyun suddenly spoke, not looking at her.

Dara grimaced.

"You can stop looking at me now." He chuckled as he turned to meet her eyes.

She slapped his arm. "Crazy!"

He laughed and handed her his handkerchief.

"I know I look funny." She said with embarrassment as she wiped her messy face.

Her face is a mess right now because of her smudged make-up caused by her crying.

"I didn't say anything."

"That makes me wonder." She said looking at him. "You haven't said a word."

Dara saw him furrowing his brows while looking up at the dark sky.

"How many stars can you see tonight?" He asked.

Dara raised an eyebrow.

She looked up but couldn't see a single star. It was pure darkness.

"Uhm... none..." She answered. "Why do you asked?"

Seunghyun shrugged his shoulders.

"I just heard from someone that if you can't see stars in the night sky, it means it's going to rain."

"Really?" She asked, wondering. "I thought it was because of light pollution."

She snorted.

Seunghyun turned and stared at her in amazement.

"What? Am I wrong? Err... So it's not light pollution then?" She quickly concluded, afraid that she said something stupid.

"So is it going to rain tonight?" She said changing the subject.

He chuckled.

"It rained already." He replied.

"Eh? When?" She asked, trying to recall if it rained earlier that day.

"A while ago."

"I don't remember. Are you sure Seunghyun?"

He gave her a smile and nodded his head.

Seunghyun was telling her something that he can only understand.

"Ah jincha, Seunghyun-ah!" She said hitting him again and playfully pushing him.

"Sometimes I really don't understand you! You're like... like an alien or something!" She said, with annoyance in her voice.

Seunghyun burst out laughing while rubbing his arm.

"I still want that ice cream treat, Sandy!" He reminded her.

**********

At Dong Plaza Hotel basement parking lot...

Yuri was about to stepped out of Youngbae's car.

"I was a jerk." He suddenly spoke. "I'm really sorry for hurting you."

Yuri closed the car door and settled herself back in the car.

"I'm listening."

He took a deep breath.

"What happened years ago have nothing to do with Dara. She strongly disagreed with my plan, I just forced her. She felt bad about lying to you and that's the truth. I'm really sorry for everything."

Yuri chuckled that made Youngbae stare at her and wonder.

"To tell you frankly, at first, I didn't even believe that you two were an item back then."

"You didn't?"

"Dara is really bad in acting, even now she still ."

He just stared at her with his mouth slightly opened.

She rolled her eyes.
"Compared to you who is so transparent in showing how affected you are earlier in the restaurant, Dara was obviously struggling to act cool about the whole thing."

"Whole thing?"

"Oh c'mon oppa, don't tell me you didn't notice?"  Yuri sighed.

"Eh?"

"Obviously, you don't like seeing them together and she didn't seem thrilled to see you with another girl, moreover, with your ex-girlfriend!"

Youngbae just remained silent.

It's the truth but what can he say. It just happened unexpectedly.
The hard part about the whole situation is that, he and Dara couldn't react freely about what they're feeling since they are no longer in a relationship.

"And you call yourself her best friend, ex-boyfriend??? Pshhhh!" She again rolled her eyes.

Not waiting for him to reply, Yuri opened the car door.

"I better get going oppa, it's late." She said as she stepped out of his car.

Youngbae walked Yuri to her car.

"Thank you for the dinner, oppa."
 
"You don't have to thank me, I - -"

"No oppa, thank you." She sincerely smiled.

"About the deal, I promise not to bug you anymore."

"Don't say that."

Yuri made a face. "Whatever Youngbae-oppa. Goodnight and take care."

"Drive safely, Yuri-ah."

She went in and Youngbae closed the door for her.

From her car she noticed he was scanning his cellphone.

The disappointment in his face was visible.

Yuri sighed and opened her window.

"If you love her that much then don't give up on her. Win her back, for God's sake!" She said making Youngbae jumped in surprise.

"Wha-what?"

"Follow your heart, oppa." She winked and she drove away.

Youngbae watched her car go and saw her wave out the window for the last time.