"Babe?", JIyong rubbed his eyes and got up from the sofa when he heard Dara come in.

 

"Ji? You're not asleep yet?", Dara turned the light on.

 

"What's the time?", he checked his watch, he'd been waiting for Dara and had fallen asleep.

 

"Mianhe, it's late, we had some assignments we had to get done", she lied as she sat next to him.

 

"It's ok", he hugged her from behind and placed his forehead on her shoulder.

 

Dara smiled weakly, too tired to do anything. She was so tired from work, the hospital, uni, the scholarship, her home, the list went on.

 

"I missed you today", Ji mumbled.

 

"You did?", Dara asked.

 

He nodded his head and placed a kiss on her shoulder, "You need to stop working so hard, this whole week you've been going to CL's."

 

Dara felt guily about lying to Jiyong, but she had no other option. She held his arms which were wrapped around her tightly. 

 

"Ji?", Dara said quietly.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Do you think your mum could ever accept me?", she asked.

 

"Dara", Jiyong sat up and pulled her closer to him, "This had nothing to do with you, you've done nothing wrong arasso. My mum..."

 

"Would just like a rich daughter in law?", Dara asked smiling.

 

"To her Kwon enterprise is everything, so if me marrying a rich girl will help the company she'll do anything to make it happen", JIyong sighed.

 

"Oh", Dara nodded.

 

 

"Wait!", Jiyong grinned, "daughter in law?!"

 

Dara blinked awkwardly, did she say daughter in law?

 

"Are you proposing to me?", Jiyong teased.

 

Dara turned bright red, "YAA!"

 

"Well why didn't you just say girlfriend then?", JIyong asked, enjoying Dara's discomfort.

 

Dara opened , but nothing came out, darn it!

 

"I mean it's a bit sudden, but if you reeeeeally insist on marrying me-", JIyong teased again.

 

"Really insist?!", Dara scoffed, "Why would I insist?! Ya! Why do you sound so shocked? Are you not thinking of marrying me? Am I just some girl you're thinking of playing with and throwing again? ARE YOU MAD?! Who do you think you are? You dare break it off with me, I'm going to hunt you down! Wow really I knew you were a player I should have known!"

 

JIyong tried to in several times during her long and useless rant but he couldn't stop her.

 

 

"Ani...ani...that's...not what I meant?!", Jiyong stuttered.

 

"Wow, Kwon Jiyong I should have known better", Dara shook her head as she stood up.

 

"Ani...babe wait...babe!", JIyong whined as he followed her around the apartment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

Bom slammed her head on the table full of papers.

 

She was going trying to make a timeline of her parent's accident, but with most of the case being fake information it was hard. So she'd got hold of Choi firm's finances from TOP and was trying to make sense of it.

 

 

 

Slam!

 

Bom looked up when TOP threw the newspaper at the table.

 

"What's this?", TOP asked angrily.

 

"Huh?", Bom pulled the newspaper towards her and looked at the page TOP had open. It was full of red circles she'd drawn on potential new flats for her and Dara.

 

"Don't even think about it Park Bom!", he said through gritted teeth.

 

"Well...", Bom bit her lip as she hid behind the newspaper.

 

"Well what?", TOP asked stoically.

 

Bom peered slightly from behind the paper, "well..I was going to tell you..."

 

"That you're moving out?", TOP asked, not looking happy at all.

 

Bom gulped and nodded while avoiding eye contact.

 

"When?", TOP asked again.

 

"When...me and Dara save enough money for a deposit.."

 

"So...you have no money, no savings and there are people trying to hunt you down and you want to move out?", TOP said bluntly.

 

"Well...", Bom mumbled.

 

"Do you ever listen to me?", TOP shook his head.

 

 

"Wait? Hunting me down?", Bom looked up suddenly.

 

He froze slightly, he wasn't going to tell her that he found out that the two men who had 'robbed' Bom and Dara weren't actually robbers.

 

"Seunghyun?", Bom waited for a reply.

 

He sat down on the chair, "That night when you girls got attacked, a black car sped away when we got there, luckily I got the licence plate and looked into it..."

 

"And?", Bom asked slightly nervous.

 

TOP looked at her seriously, "All you need to know is they weren't robbers."

 

"Seunghyun", she grabbed his arm, "What aren't you telling me? Stop hiding things from me!"

 

"Forget it", he replied seriously, "And forget about moving out as well!"

 

"TOP!", Bom stood up angrily, "What is it?!! Does it have something to do with my parents?!"

 

"Bom", He said sternly.

 

"No! I have the right to know! Why do you always keep trying to protect me!", she shouted angrily.

 

"Because you don't see how dangerous the world you're living in is!", TOP growled.

 

"And how long do you think you can protect me for?!! ", she shouted angrily.

 

"Until you don't need me to protect you!", he stood up as well.

 

"Oh yeah? And when will that be?!", Bom asked annoyed.

 

"You tell me?! You're the one always running around making me worry all the bloody time!", he shouted.

 

"No one's telling you to worry!"

 

TOP shook his head in fustration and started walking away.

 

"You need to let me protect myself! You're not always going to be there when I need you DAMMIT!!", Bom shouted at him as he slammed his bedroom door close.

 

 

Bom sat back down angrily and threw everything off the table angrily.

 

 

"You're hiding something from me Seunghyun. If it's something to do with my parents then I need to find out!", she huffed as she eyed TOP's phone.

 

She grabbed the phone and scrolled down the contacts for his secretary Min hyuk's number.

 

 

"Yoboseyo? Minyuk shi?....Neh, I need a favour..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day after class had finished.

 

 

 

 

"Dara will you slow down!", Bom said as she and CL ran out of class behind Dara.

 

"Mianhe, I've got work!", Dara cried out as she ran.

 

"Work?! Again?!", Bom shouted out.

 

"DARA!", CL grabbed Dara's arm and pulled her back.

 

"CL! I'm late!", Dara protested.

 

"Where?!", CL asked.

 

"I've got extra shifts at the club and then after that I'm working as a driver there!", Dara explained.

 

"Why are you working so much? You're going to pass out!", Bom asked in confusion.

 

"Well...we need to save money for the house don't we?", she lied.

 

"Dara Park!", Bom squinted her eyes, "Don't lie to me!"

 

Dara rubbed her face in fustration, "Seriously guys I have to go!"

 

"But lunch?", CL asked.

 

"Mianhe, not today!", Dara apologised and ran off.

 

"She was saying she didn't have time for breakfast either aigoo!", Bom muttered as she watched Dara run off.

 

 

 

"DARA!"

 

 

The girls turned around to find the dean hurriedly walking towards them.

 

"Oh dear, has she left?", he asked the girls.

 

"Neh", the girls nodded, "Was there something you needed from Dara sir?"

 

"Oh, I just needed to talk to her about the scholarship issue", he said.

 

The girls looked at eachother in confusion, "Scholarship?"

 

The dean looked at them, "Ah...has Dara not said anything?"

 

"About?", CL asked nervously.

 

"I think it's best if you ask her yourself", he said as he turned to walk away.

 

"Sir!", Bom ran up to him, "Is Dara in trouble?"

 

"Bom-"

 

"Please, if she's in trouble you should tell us, we can help her!"

 

 

 

The dean looked at Bom and CL and sighed, "Dara's scholarship has been cancelled."

 

"WHAT?!", the girls shouted.

 

"WHY?!", CL asked.

 

"You should ask Dara...", the dean said hesistantly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Neh! Kamshamida!", Dara bowed at the customers. She sighed once they left and slumped onto the chair, she was starving and tired.

 

"DARA!", the manager called out.

 

"Neh, manager nim!", she stood up quickly.

 

"Ya! Stop lazing about!", he said angrily, "Palli palli, the customers are waiting!"

 

"Neh!", she shouted and ran off, dying for a break.

 

 

 

 

 

*RING RING*

 

 

"Yoboseyo!", Dara answered thinking it was someone needing to be driven home while running down the corridor.

 

"YAA!", Bom's voice screamed out.

 

"AIsh!", Dara screamed back.

 

"ARE YOU CRAZY! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR SCHOLARSHIP?!", Bom shouted.

 

"How did you find out?!", Dara asked.

 

"Does it matter!", CL's voice could be heard from the background.

 

"Dara, stop working and come here, we can sort this out together!", Bom begged.

 

"And what are you two going to do?", Dara sighed, "Look don't worry about me, I'll figure something out."

 

"Dara, you're going to kill yourself working this hard! Get here now!", Bom shouted through the phone.

 

"Ya, mianhe, there are customers waiting, I'll see you guys tomorrow ok", she hung up quickly.

 

 

 

*RING RING*

 

 

"Bom I said I'll talk to you tomorrow!", Dara shouted.

 

"Dara"

 

Dara  froze at the voice, she held onto the wall for support.

 

"Dara? I think it's time you come back home now."

 

Dara couldn't say anything, that voice...the one she's been running away from all these years......her father.

 

"Dara?"

 

She hung up her phone and scrambled to take her batteries out of the phone nervously. She slid down onto the floor holding her chest trying to calm herself down. She closed her eyes tightly, suddenly wishing Jiyong was here to hold her tightly.

 

 

 

 

 

"Where's the damn service here!!", she suddenly heard complaints from the room. She scurried up and walked into the room ready to serve the customers.

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

"Aish!", Bom stomped her feet, "Is that girl insane?!!"

 

"I can't believe she thought she could hide something like this from us?!", CL shouted angrily as she sat down.

 

"Unni, can't we do something to help Dara unnie?", Minzy asked as she took off her apron and sat down with the girls.

 

"I might have some money saved up I could give to her", CL sighed.

 

"Same, it's not much but even a tiny bit will help", Bom added.

 

"I don't think even all three of our savings can pay for Dara unnie's fees", Minzy slumped on the chair.

 

 

 

"Dara's fees?"

 

 

The girls froze at Jiyong's voice. They slowly turned to find Jiyong standing there.

 

"Bom?", he asked again, "What do you mean Dara's fees?"

 

Bom looked away nervously.

 

"Is she having problems?", JIyong asked again, walking towards them, "Doesn't she have a scholarship?"

 

 

 

CL sighed, "It's been taken away from her."

 

"What?!", JIyong asked surprised.

 

"CL!", Bom hissed, she knew Dara would kill them if she found out they told JIyong.

 

"What are you on about?!", JIyong asked again.

 

"We don't know...the dean just told her it was cancelled and that's why she's been working extra shifts at the club this whole week!", CL explained.

 

"She hasn't been with you girls doing assignments?", he asked in confusion.

 

 

"No!", Bom said, "Jiyong...did your omma have anything to do with this?".

 

JIyong curled his hands into fists, "Where is she now?"

 

"The club", CL sighed, "Make her see some sense please, she's going to work herself to death."

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'll be off now manager-nim", dara bowed weakly at the manager. It was 4 am now and she was about to pass out.

 

"Ah wait Dara!", her manager stopped her, "Can you drive one more customer home?"

 

"I don't think I can", Dara said not able to even keep her eyes open.

 

"He said he'll pay double?", her manager tried to persuade her.

"Double?" Dara sighed, knowing how much she needed the money, "ok."

 

"Great he's waiting outside."

 

Dara nodded weakly as she made her way out. She leaned on the doorway for support as she tried to look for the customer. Her head nodded down as she felt her head spinning.

 

"Ah...", she moaned as her head throbbed in pain.

 

She felt her body slowly go numb and her legs gave way, but she was too tired to stop herself from falling. Her eyes closed as she let go off the doorway.

 

She suddenly felt something warm wrap around her body and pull her up before she landed on the floor. She crashed onto something warm, but her head still fell back as someone held onto her limp body.

 

She felt the person shake her slightly as she opened her eyes and managed to see who it was.

 

"jiyong?", she mumbled, before fainting.

 

 

"Dara?!", Jiyong shook her as she fainted in his arms.