Song Joong Ki couldn’t quite put into words this uneasiness he’s been feeling since he left Korea. His last talk with Dara didn’t go as well as he planned in fact they didn’t even talk face to face. And he wasn’t sure whether it was the sound of her voice or just his imagination but he could tell that there was something wrong but he didn’t want to force her to talk to him. He had done some things that he’s not particularly proud of but he could eventually make things right for both of them. He’s looking forward to seeing her when he returns hopefully they can work together in preparing for their wedding. He’s not fond of all the frilly wedding details but he’s willing to endure it for her.

He’s getting married to the only girl who stayed by his side despite all his inadequacies and short comings. He has cheated on her too many times and regardless of the many times her friends told her that he was no good she still stayed with him. Maybe it was the right time to get his act together. He’s hoping to do just that when he gets back. The engagement announcement was a bit of a surprise and he’s planning to give her another ring a better one from the one he gave her on their engagement ceremony. He couldn’t wait to see her expectant smile when he puts that ring on her finger. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seung Hyun has finally come back to his own home. It has been two weeks since he attended Eun Min’s play date and had spoken to Dara he realized that he may actually have a chance to express his true feeling for her and maybe if he’s any lucky she may actually feel the same way. Of course he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. But he’s hopeful that things would be better between them.

He was curious though because Dara didn’t seem fazed with what he revealed to her in fact it seemed like she already knew and just needed affirmation. One thing is for certain he would definitely ask her out once she’s free from her engagement of course he is willing to wait just in case she’s not ready to start dating again.

They had accidentally met in the super market a few times which eventually ended up with them cooking meals together and sharing their sumptuous creations, Dara even wrote down their recipes for future reference. In most occasions they even have Dara’s younger brother Chanyeol and his best friend Baekhyun as guests. For some reason the two have mastered the art of impeccable timing and would surprisingly drop by for a free meal. He was tempted to ask the two if they were spying on him and Dara but opted not to, it didn’t make sense to go to those lengths anyway.

But tonight was different because he was in his house working on some documents for work. Dara told him that Joong Ki will be back from his business trip and she has finally decided to talk about the engagement. Even the idea of her engagement with her lying and cheating boyfriend annoyed him. Truth be told he would whole heartedly like to replace the bastard in a heartbeat if she ever asked him to. Of course the choice is hers and well even if she breaks off the engagement it doesn’t automatically mean that they’ll be together. That would be assuming too much on his part. But he still feels hopeful and he wants Dara to be happy and he wants to do everything to keep that beautiful smile on her face at that moment however the only thing he could do was wait. He was startled by his phone suddenly ringing. He saw his father’s name flashing on the screen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dara was pacing back and forth inside her own home. Joong Ki was about to arrive any moment and she’s not really sure how she would go about telling him what she wanted to say. They have been together for 8 years and that was no joke. For quite some time she could not imagine life without Joong Ki in it but betrayed trust can definitely change one’s perspective in life.

Dara was startled when she heard her door open. There was no turning back anymore. She will have to face him and tell him what she truly feels. She finally saw him walk in.  He immediately went to her end envelop her in his embrace.

 “I missed you,” he whispered to her. “I want to take you out for dinner. Let’s go to your favorite Japanese restaurant.”

She just nodded. She looked at his smiling face. This was the man she loved more than herself for so many years. She kept asking herself why he cheated on her when she devoted herself to only loving him. When Joong Ki let go of her she went to her room to change. She wore a simple lavender dress which she received as a gift from her aunt. It was a quiet drive on the way to the restaurant. When they arrived she immediately got out of the car even before Joong Ki could open the door for her which he usually did.

They ate dinner quietly. Dara kept avoiding Joongki’s gaze.  She didn’t want to give out what her true feelings are at least not yet. She had spoken to her friends about this and thought of scenarios but no matter how many times she planned on what to do or how to say it when you’re in that moment it all goes down the drain.

They were quietly drinking tea when Joonki placed a small leather black box on top of the table.

 “I know I haven’t given you a proper ring even if I already proposed to you,” Joong Ki said with a smile.

“Mianhe, I can’t accept this,” Dara said. “I don’t think I want to go through with the engagement let alone get married to you anymore,” she continued.

This caught Joong Ki by surprise. He had never seen Dara look so indifferent and so cold towards him.

 “I don’t think I have to explain to you in full detail why either. I mean unless you take me as a stupid person then go ask me to explain why I don’t even want to look at you right now,” Dara said fighting back tears before she stood up.

 “Don’t Dara please I need you. I can’t live without you,” he cried out while holding on to her hand trying to stop her from leaving. Thank goodness they were in a private room otherwise it would have been a scene.

 “Let’s stop this if any of those things you’re telling me now are true then why did you find it necessary to cheat on me? And it wasn’t even a single instance. You’ve been cheating on me for years. I don’t even know when it began. How could you say loving words to me and touch someone else behind my back. I must look like a real dummy to you. I believed in every word you said to me and trusted you whole heartedly but you lied to me over and over. Forgive me if I can’t trust you anymore,” she said before she roughly pulled her hand off his grip.

“Let’s end this quietly. I will speak to my dad and tell him about it. Don’t worry I’ll make sure that this does not affect your position in the company. After all if there was one thing you were loyal to it’s our family business,” she declared spitefully before leaving him behind.

Joong Ki could not move from where he was sitting. She had finally woken up from her dream and realized that what she was tangled in was a nightmare. He felt like he was suddenly put in his proper place. He was no longer the genius student or one of the youngest directors in the company. He realized that he was dwindled down to nothing but a lying and cheating boyfriend.

He had never seen Dara look at him with so much disgust and coldness not like the usual warm and caring eyes that looked at him and constantly reassured him that she was on his side. It didn’t matter how she found out about his infidelity all he wanted was for her to take him back but how can he ask for forgiveness. If it was him in her position he would not forgive himself either. He only got what he deserved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks had passed since that day she remembered crashing in Bom’s place for a couple of days just to cry her heart out but surprisingly her melancholy ended fast. Dara has not seen or heard from Joong Ki since the breakup. For some reason she felt strangely calm after what happened. It wasn’t like their previous fights where she would cry and eat ice cream all by herself. For some reason ending their relationship made her feel relieved which was strange because for many years he was all that mattered to her. Even her friends found it a bit odd that she was acting normal despite the break up. She was however still unable to tell her father about the cancellation of her engagement. Joong Ki may have been acting normally as well because her father hasn’t called her about it yet.

She was out for lunch with her siblings and for the first time in many years she felt worry free and happy just enjoying a meal with her family. It was quite comforting to be around them.

 “Teddy-oppa, Byul-unni, Jay-oppa, Sanghyunni, Yeolie I’m breaking off my engagement,” Dara said while drinking her cup of team.  Only her two older siblings were in shocked by her announcement.

“But you’ve been dating for the longest time. What happened,” her older sister asked.

 “I broke up with him a couple of weeks ago and I realized I should have done that a long time ago. I don’t want to discuss the reason why any further but I’d like to request for you all to let me tell our dad about it,” Dara requested.

There was a moment of silence. Not even the cheerful maknae wanted to comment about the situation.

 “We’ll support your decision. If you really intend to break off the engagement then we’ll support you,” Teddy said. “And yes I do not think we are in anyway in the position to tell our dad about it in your behalf. He’s actually expecting that your marriage with Joong Ki will strengthen the management in our company but I think