Dara woke up feeling annoyed because of the alarm clock.
She groaned and turned it off.

She didn't get much sleep last night.
She kept waiting and hoping that Youngbae would text or call her.

"Ring ring~~"

Dara quickly checked who it was. She gasped and sat up when she saw who the caller was.

"Yoboseyo." She quickly answered.

"Yoboseyo, Dara-ah?" A matured female voice on the other line greeted.

"Ye omonim, annyeonghaseyo."

"Ne, annyeong." Mrs. Dong greeted. "Dara, I just want to ask if you're busy today."

"Not at all, omonim." She replied without thinking.

"That's great!" Mrs. Dong exclaimed. "Can you come over for lunch?"

"Ye, I'll go there later, omonim."

"Good. Oh, by the way Dara, " Mrs. Dong said.”Do you know that Youngbae is sick since yesterday?"

Dara was shocked to hear the news.

"Omo! I didn't know." She answered, sounding surprised.

"That explains why you haven't visited." Mrs. Dong concluded with a chuckle. "Maybe you can come here early so that you can check on him." She suggested.

"Ye omonim, I'll go there right away." Dara agreed.

After the call, Dara ran to the bathroom.
After she was done dressing up she grabbed her purse and laptop.
She rushed downstairs where she saw her brother eating breakfast.

"Hey, why are you in a hurry?" He looked up from his plate.

Cheondung saw Dara sipping her juice and grabbing a toast without sitting down.

"Youngbae's sick." She said catching her breath. "Gotta go!"

"Yah!" Cheondung watched as her sister dashed out of the house with a slice of toast hanging from .

"Moving on, huh?" Cheondung smirked as he shoved a piece of toast into his mouth.

"Best friends? Tch!" He mumbled shaking his head.


**********


"Omo! Dara, you're here." Mrs. Dong welcomed her when she entered the Dong Mansion.

Behind her was Mr. Dong smiling brightly at Dara
.
"Annyeonghaseyo." She greeted both of them with a bow.

Mrs. Dong walked to her and gave her a warm hug. "We're so glad to see you." She said cheerfully.

"How are you Dara?" Mr. Dong greeted her.

"I'm fine, abonim." She answered politely, smiling shyly at them.

"Dara, please join us for breakfast before you go to Youngbae's room." Mrs. Dong said.
Without waiting for Dara to reply she called the maids.

"Bring Ms. Dara's things to Youngbae's room please."  She instructed them.

Dara and Youngbae's parents had breakfast together while they talked about business and the things that are happening recently.

"So Dara, how are your parents doing?" Mr. Dong asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I heard they're on Asian tour."

"Ye, they're touring around Asia looking for a new location to open up a new restaurant." Dara answered.

"That's great." Mr. Dong said. "How are you and your brother handling the business?"

"I'm used to the office workloads now since I started last year." Dara said smiling. "But Cheondung is still adjusting."

The couple laughed.

"Poor dongsaeng." Mrs. Dong said.

"Aniyo, I think he's getting the hang of it and besides," Dara said pointing to herself with her thumb. "Nuna is here to help him out." She said smiling proudly.

The elders laughed to what she said.

"It's a good thing that you have a sibling Dara, you help each other especially in family business. Unlike our Youngbae," Mrs. Dong said with a sigh. "He has no one to help him with our business."

"Your omonim is right, Dara." Mr. Dong said. "We're thinking that he's working too hard that's why he got sick."

Hearing Youngbae's parents talk about him made Dara uncomfortable.
Unlike before, she can talk about Youngbae freely in front of them, but now she can't even think of what to reply.
It was awkward for Dara. Youngbae's parents don't even know that they just broke up.
She doesn't want to break that news to them; she was scared of how they will react.
It's a good thing that the doctor came just in time to stop their conversation.
Dara went with Mrs. Dong and Dr. Song to Youngbae's room.


DARA POV

We were welcomed by the light scent of Youngbae's perfume when we entered his room.
My eyes roamed around checking if anything changed.
It's been awhile since I came here. Almost two months, I think.
As I walked in, I saw Youngbae covered with blanket and sleeping peacefully in his bed.
I wanted to run and hug him. But still, I restrained myself.
Though I'm his best friend, my actions should still be limited.

'Shouldn't it?' I thought.

I watched the doctor sat down on his bed and examined him.
She gently removed Youngbae's blanket exposing half of his body. She lifted his shirt a little to check if there are signs of rash.
Youngbae didn't even move. He was still in deep sleep.
I heard the two maids standing on the side giggling when they saw a little of Youngbae's flesh.
They stopped when I glanced at them.

"It's fever alright." Dr. Song said removing her glasses. "Just give him plenty of fluids and continue with his medication until his fever goes down."

"Mi Kyong-ah, he hasn't eaten since yesterday." Mrs. Dong mentioned sounding worried.

"You have to force him to eat even for just a little." The doctor said, looking at Mrs. Dong. "Or if you want we can inject dextrose (IV) instead."

Mrs. Dong turned to me. "What do you think, Dara?"

"Huh?" I surprisingly replied, pointing at myself. "Me?"

"Yes sweetie, do you think he needs it?" She asked, smiling. "Can you convince him to eat instead?"

I stared at Youngbae who looked so weak even while sleeping. "I-I'll try, omonim." I answered, blinking.

She turned to Dr. Song. "I don't think we need that anymore. His girlfriend is here, I think he'll be able to eat."

Dr. Song turned to me and chuckled. "What a beautiful girlfriend she is, Eun Sun." She looked back at Mrs. Dong. "I'm sure you're happy."

"I sure am." Mrs. Dong said beaming.


After Dr. Song gave instructions on what to give Youngbae, Mrs. Dong assisted her out of the room leaving me and the two maids.
I suddenly heard Youngbae .
I walked to his bedside and leaned closer to hear what he's saying.

"D-dara...” Youngbae moaned slightly moving his head with his eyes still closed. "Da-ra...”

"Youngbae-ah,” I said reaching for hand. "I'm here, can you hear me?"

"Uhm.. Da-ra...”  He opened his eyes a little then closed them again.

I can feel him squeezed my hand. "Da-ra." He whispered.

"Youngbae?" I replied caressing his cheek.

I leaned closer and my face inches away from him. "I'm here."

"Dara, please don't leave me." He whispered with eyes still shut.

"Don't worry I'll stay here, I won't leave." I assured him. I'm not even sure if he hears me or not.

The two maids were kind enough to pull me a chair so I can seat beside Youngbae's bed.
The door opened and Mrs. Dong came in with Mr. Dong.
They both smiled when they saw me beside their son and holding his hand.

"I think our Youngbae will get better now." Mr. Dong said grinning.

"Your omonim said that he was calling your name in his sleep last night." He teasingly added.

I smiled at them feeling myself blushed.

"That's also the reason why I called you, sweetie." Mrs. Dong said. "You're still in his mind even if he's sick."

I glanced at Youngbae. I can't help but feel sad and worried seeing him in that state.

Youngbae's parents are good to me ever since I met them years ago. I could say that they really like me.
They said that it's because of me that their son started living seriously.
For them, our meeting was the greatest thing that ever happened to their son.
Although Youngbae was dating different girls during our college days, I was the first and only girl he introduced to them.
First as his best friend then as his girlfriend.
I could still remember their happy faces when they heard that we became a couple.
It was even in the news for over a month.

"The successor of Dong Plaza Hotel, Dong Youngbae is now officially dating Park Dara, the only daughter of the famous restaurateur and owner of PARKSan restaurant, Park Yong Sun."

The information was all over the newspapers and magazines with captured pictures of us together everywhere we go.

"Ooops," Mr. Dong suddenly said looking at his watch. "Ladies, I think I need to go to the office now."  He leaned to kiss his wife on the cheek.

"Wait for me I'll walk you out." Mrs. Dong said.

She turned to me. "Dara, if you need anything, just call me in my room or call the maids to assist you, okay?" Mrs. Dong said.

I stood up and bowed to them.

"And Dara," Mr. Dong said before turning to leave. "Please feel at home."

I smiled at them. "Ye, kamsahamnida."

END OF DARA POV


**********


At CL-Roo Fashion Boutique. .


"Hwangyong-hamnida !"

"Where's your boss?" Bom asked the lady in the store who greeted her.

"May I ask who you are miss?" The lady asked.

Bom raised her eyebrow at her.
The lady got scared so she bowed her head and gestured her hand to where Chaerin is.
Bom sneered at the lady before marching towards Chaerin's office.

When she entered the office she saw Chaerin sitting with her feet rested on top of her office table.
She was talking to someone on the phone.
She sat in the chair and looked around Chaerin's office crossing her arms and legs.

"I'll call you back oppa, Bom unnie's here." Chaerin put down the phone and smiled at her.

"So what brings you here unnie?"

"Have you heard from Dara yet?" Bom asked.

Chaerin shook her head. "Why? She hasn’t called you?"

Bom frowned. "Let's call her now." She suggested, taking her cellphone out of her purse.




Dara just finished having lunch with Mrs. Dong.
She was sitting in the couch in Youngbae's room reading a book when her cellphone rang.

"Bommie?"

"What happened to you?" Bom asked right away. "You didn't call us the whole day yesterday."

"Sorry Bommie," Dara apologized. "I was busy at the office." She lied.

Yesterday Dara was not in the mood to do anything.
Updating her friends with what happened to her talk with Youngbae was the last thing on her mind.
Dara heard a beep on her cellphone.
She checked and found out her battery was running low.

"I'm here at Chaerin's office." Bom informed her. "Are you at the restaurant?"

"I'm at - - - " Beep... beep...


"Yoboseyo? Dara?" Bom called."Yoboseyo?"

"What happened unnie?" Chaerin asked.

"The line got cut off." Bom said while dialing Dara's number again.

Her call was directed to Dara's voicemail.
"Aishh! What happened to that girl?" She said irritably.

Chaerin's office phone rang.

"Yoboseyo?" Chaerin answered.

"Chaerin-ah!"

"Dara unnie!"

Bom grabbed the phone from Chaerin. "Where are you? What happened?"

"Bommie, I'm at Youngbae's house." She replied. "My phone's dead, I'm using Youngbae's phone in his room."

"What are you doing there, Dara?" Bom asked with eyes widened. "I thought you already broke up with him?"

"Yes I did Bommie," Dara said sighing. "But he's sick right now that's why I'm here." She explained.

"Dara, how can you move on if you keep doing that?" Bom said.

Chaerin watch as Bom's nostrils flared.
"Oh boy," She mumbled shaking her head. "She's on fire again."

Dara glanced at Youngbae who is still sleeping soundly.
"It's okay Bommie." She assured her friend.
"I just came here because of his parents' request." She lied.

Bom knows exactly the reason why she went there.
It's not only because of Youngbae's parents but because she wants to see him.

"Do they know?" Bom asked her curiously.

Dara shifted the phone on her other ear. "Not yet."

"Aish!" Bom growled.

Chaerin saw Bom slapped her forehead with her palm.

"Dara, you're old enough to do whatever you want." Bom reminded her. "But please don't make it hard for you and him."


DARA POV

Listening to Bom makes me feel like I did something wrong.
I know that we're no longer a couple. But is it wrong for me to care for him this much?
I'm his best friend. I could still be by his side at times like this, right?
Maybe I'm forgetting something here.
I just broke up with him!
We still need time to adjust to our situation.

"Bommie, don't worry." I said on the phone. "Once he wakes up, I'll leave right away."

END OF DARA POV


**********


Seunghyun got into his car and put the key in the ignition.
He paused for a moment and dug his cell phone out of his pocket.
He checked his phone if there's any message or missed call from Dara. Unfortunately, there's none.
He tried calling Dara cellphone but he was directed to her voicemail.

'Is she okay?' He wondered.

Seunghyun started the engine and drove off.


**********

At GD-Fam Entertainment Building...

"Repeat! From the start!" Jiyong said in a firm voice.

He has been in the recording studio monitoring the trainee singer for almost five hours now.
He is hungry and irritated.

"Again!" He said, raising his voice when the trainee didn't get the beat right.

The trainee started singing again when the music started.

Jiyong slid both his hands on the side of his head. "Aishh!!"

He stopped the music and motioned the trainee to come out of the recording booth.
The other people inside the recording studio were all tense seeing their boss pissed.

The trainee walked nervously towards Jiyong with his head down.

"We've been recording for hours already." Jiyong's voice was calm.
"I'm hungry and everybody's hungry." He said spreading his arm to the people around the studio.

"Listen. When I tell you to rap, you rap. Arasseo?!" He gritted his teeth. "Stop turning this into a ballad song. Are we clear?!" He said raising his voice.

"Ye, sajangnim."  The trainee said bowing his head.

"Alright, let's take a short break." He turned to his staff. "Thirty minutes everyone." He announced.

Everybody went out to take their breaks except for him. He remained in the studio scanning the lyrics.

"Stressed?" Jiyong heard a familiar voice said. He turned around and beamed when he saw his best friend peeking from the door.

"Seunghyun-ah!" He got up from his seat and gave his best friend a brotherly hug. "What's up?"

Seunghyun showed him a bag of sandwich and a big bottle of soda.

He cheered. "Yay! Food!"


While enjoying their lunch inside the studio, Seunghyun noticed Jiyong's secret glances.

"What?" Seunghyun asked, pouring soda into his plastic cup.

"I heard that you're now staying here in Seoul for good." Jiyong said while chewing. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Seunghyun took a sip of his soda and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, been busy lately."

"Is it because of Dara?"

Seunghyun stared at his friend. "Need to help abeoji with the businesses here."

"So what you're saying is it's got nothing to do with Dara." Jiyong asked, shoving the last piece of his sandwich into his mouth.

Seunghyun gave his friend the "what the hell are you talking about?" look.

Jiyong shrugged his shoulders then took a sip of his soda.
He knows the truth even if his best friend doesn't say it.

"Speaking of Dara," Seunghyun managed to say. "Have you talked to her today?"

Jiyong shook his head as he took another sip of his soda. "Why?"

"Nothing. I just tried calling her earlier but I couldn't reach her. I called her last night but she was not picking up."

Jiyong wrinkled his forehead.
He stood up and dusted his pants.
"Don't bother." He said slipping back to his chair.
He gathered the papers he was reading earlier.
"Spoke with Chaerin awhile ago. She mentioned about she and Bom talking to Dara this morning." He glanced at Seunghyun. "She's at Youngbae's house."

Seunghyun felt his heart jumped.

'What?!' He thought. 'What is she doing there?'

"Youngbae's sick and she's taking care of him today." Jiyong seemed to have read Seunghyun's mind.
"According to Dara, it was Aunt and Uncle Dong's request. So if you want to contact her, better call Youngbae's place." He explained.
"I can give you the number if you like." Jiyong offered. "You won't be able reach her by cellphone today, battery's drained." He added.

Seunghyun immediately shook his head. "No, it's fine." He declined. "I'll just wait for her to call."

One by one, Jiyong's people returned to the studio. Seunghyun decided to leave so that his friend could work.

"Yah!" Jiyong called.

Seunghyun turned around. "Why?"

"I'll come by your office tomorrow." He said.

Seunghyun gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Payment for this." Jiyong raised the soda bottle and grinned at his best friend.

Seunghyun chuckled and walked out the studio.

Jiyong watched as his friend leave.
'Seunghyun-ah,' He thought. 'She just needs time.'



**********



Dara set her laptop aside and checked the time. It's already 5:00 PM.
She got up from the couch and headed to Youngbae's bed.

'He looks better.' She thought while checking his temperature.

"Thank God your fever's down." She whispered.

Dara pulled a chair and sat beside Youngbae's bed.
She frowned when she glanced at the untouched bowl of porridge sitting on top of Youngbae's side table.

"You need to eat Youngbae-ah."

She gently caressed Youngbae's face. Her fingers lightly slide on Youngbae's nose and chin.


DARA POV

As I feel every part of Youngbae's face. My heart aches.
This might be the last time I'll ever do this.
There are so many things that I won't be able to do as his best friend.
No more long kisses at night. The intimacy we had will no longer exist in this kind of relationship.
Thinking about these things, I can't stop myself from tearing.
I remember having a hard time adjusting from best friend to girlfriend.
But I never thought that adjusting from girlfriend to best friend is even harder.
I held his hand as I rest my head in his bed.

END OF DARA POV