Dara frowned once more as she checked her phone and saw that there’s no new message for her. She has sent a message to her boyfriend exactly thirty minutes ago, asking him if he had already eaten yet. But now, seeing that almost half an hour already passed yet Jiyong hasn’t replied to her, she started worrying.

 

 

It’s not Jiyong to ignore her messages because he knows how easily sad she becomes when someone don’t reply to her messages immediately.

 

 

“Dara unnie, why are you frowning there all by yourself?” She looked up from her phone and smiled a little seeing Minzy gazing down at her, the maknae wearing the cute expression on her face as she always has.

 

 

“Nothing, Minkki-yah,” she replied as she set her phone aside and stood up from her seat and started playing around with Minzy, thinking that maybe Jiyong is too busy on his work to check on his phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Unnie!” Dara turned to her left and saw Chaerin waving her phone at her direction. Dara could only furrow her eyebrows because she didn’t get what the leader was trying to say.

 

 

“Chaerin looks like a fool running towards here while waving her phone, kekekeke,” Bom snickered at her side as they both waited for Chaerin to reach them.

 

 

“What is it, Chaerin?” Dara asked as soon as the latter got to her side and slumped herself beside her unnie.

 

 

“Unnie, you have to see Youngbae oppa’s Instagram post,” Chaerin said and then she started fiddling with her phone.

 

 

“Ohhhh.. So Youngbae posted another teaser for his comeback, eh? Let me see,” Dara said enthusiastically as she scooted closer to Chaerin and peeked over her shoulders to see the screen of her phone.

 

 

But much to Dara’s surprise, what welcomed her on Chaerin’s phone was not a teaser picture for Youngbae’s comeback but her boyfriend who had his pink hair styled in a Mohawk and his eyes closed.

 

 

“Pwahahaha!” Bom laughed out loud seeing the pitiful state of Kwon Jiyong in Youngbae’s Instagram post. “Jiyong looks like a kid there,” Bom said then laughed again and Dara could only shake her head with her friend’s tendencies of bullying everyone even when they are not in close proximity with her.

 

 

“Oh! It’s a video.. Play it, Chaerin,” Bom demanded.

 

 

Chaerin tapped on the play button and waited for the video to load. And for ten seconds, Dara, Chaerin and Bom watched how Jiyong dozed off while Youngbae had fun filming his tired state.

 

 

After watching the video, Dara had her eyebrows curled in worry. Her boyfriend looked so tired that she can only sigh in helplessness. Even if she wanted to do something about it, she doesn’t have enough authority to demand him to take even just a day’s rest.

 

 

“Aigooo. Dara-yah, you should tell your boyfriend to take some time off. He’s been working his off ever since this year started. Is he that eager to save for both of your future?” Bom teased before she stood up from her seat and walked towards Minzy who was busy talking to someone.

 

 

“Aigoooo,” Dara muttered under her breath, her mind wandering off to her boyfriend.

 

 

“You know, unnie.. You can go now.. We don’t have anything else to do. We were just waiting for the time to past. And I know you’re itching to go to Jiyong oppa,” Dara looked at their leader and smiled seeing the latter smiling back at her.

 

 

She muttered a silent thank you to Chaerin as she sped off to her car and dialed Jiyong’s manager’s number.

 

 

“Hello, oppa?” Dara said as soon as the other line picked up.

 

 

“Dara-ah?”

 

 

“Neh.. I was wondering what time would Jiyong’s schedule will be done for today?”

 

 

“Oh. We’re actually packing up now. I told Jiyong to head off first but the poor boy is too tired to even walk to his own car. I think I will just drag him to the company’s car and take him home myself,” Namgook said with a chuckle.

 

 

“About that, oppa.. Can I be the one to pick Jiyong up? In fact, that place is just on the way so it won’t be a bother,” Dara asked shyly as she played with her car keys on her hands.

 

 

“Are you sure, Dara-ah? I can just drop him off to your apartment. I’m sure you girls had a pretty long day too,” Namgook said.

 

 

“Yes, I’m sure, oppa. I’m on my way now, thank you oppa,” Dara smiled then ended the call.

 

 

She was lying though. The place where Jiyong was is a thirty-minute drive from where she is. Then it will be another thirty-minute drive from there to their apartment. And she was dead tired from their activity but she doesn’t mind. Jiyong had done something like this too, when she was too tired to function. And this is the least she can do for her boyfriend. With that in mind, she started her car and drove to pick up his poor boyfriend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_______________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Dara?,” Jiyong muttered in surprise as he widened his sleepy eyes seeing a familiar Range Rover rounding the corner. He glanced at his wrist watch and tilted his head a little to the side seeing that it’s almost two in the morning.

 

 

At first, he thought it was his girlfriend as the car pulled infront of him but he quickly shrugged the thought away thinking that there’s no way Dara would pick him up at his hour. And to think that the girls had a schedule that day too.

 

 

But then he was shocked seeing his girlfriend emerge from the driver’s seat, with a radiant smile on her face as she padded her way towards him. He can only just stare at her in disbelief, the thought that Dara was here had not yet penetrated his sleepy mind.

 

 

“Let’s go home?” Dara asked as soon as she got to him and wrapped her arms around Jiyong, then she tiptoed and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

 

 

“Dara?” Jiyong asked, his eyes never leaving Dara’s face.

 

 

“Who else were you thinking would pick you up, huh?” Dara jokingly said as she grabbed his hand and half-dragged him towards her car. She waved goodbye to Namgook as she opened the door to the passenger’s side.

 

 

“Hey, I should be the one doing that,” Jiyong complained when Dara assisted him to settle himself in the passenger side before she closed the door and hopped on to the driver’s side.

 

 

“Let me be your gentle..er..woman for today, Jiyong-ah,” Dara said then turned to look at Jiyong only to smile at him, hoping to ease away some of the tiredness he must be feeling at the moment.

 

 

“Aren’t you tired? I heard you girls had a long day ahead of you.. You should be at home resting already, babe,” Jiyong softly said as he reached for her cheek and caressed it softly, distracting her from her driving.

 

 

“I’m fine, Jiyong. I had a rest a while ago when the girls and I are taking a break. No need to worry about me, neh? You should be the one resting. Look at you,” Dara said then glanced briefly at her side then focused her gaze ahead of her again. “Your eyes are about to give up on you..”

 

 

“I’m fine now,” Jiyong said as he pumped his fist into the air, a wide grin plastered on his handsome face. “Now that I’ve been picked up by my personal vitamin, not to mention that I got my daily dose of your kiss,” he added which made the driver blush.

 

 

“Aigoooo. Still the childish Jiyong I love,” Dara said.. “Wh—“

 

 

“And you’re still the same Dara fell in love with. And the same Dara who keeps on making me fall in love with you more and more each day,” Jiyong said solemnly as he took her hands briefly from the steering wheel and kissed the back of her palm.

 

 

Dara can just only smile at him in response. “You know I love you too…. Why don’t you lean back and close your eyes so you could rest while we’re on the road. I’ll just wake you up when we got home.”

 

 

“Ani. I would stay awake and keep you entertained. It’s the least I could do in return of you picking me up. And we can sleep as soon as we return home. So, how was your day?,” Jiyong started talking as he leaned his head back on the head rest.

 

 

And just like that, Jiyong kept his word and did not sleep a wink the rest of their ride. He asked how her day has been and told her stories of how his day has been.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Babe,” Jiyong murmured as soon as they both hit the bed. Dara was lying on her side, her back was on Jiyong’s chest as the latter hugged his girlfriend as if she will be stolen from him any minute.

 

 

“Hmmmm?” Dara hummed sleepily as she wrapped her arms on Jiyong’s arms, which is around her.

 

 

“Thank you for taking care of me today,” he said, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he buried his nose on the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent.

 

 

“You’re welcome, Ji. I’d do it again for you in a heartbeat,” Dara replied, she unwrapped her arms around his then turned around and faced her boyfriend. She smiled at him before brushing the tip of her nose on his nose.

 

 

“I have a proposition to make,” Jiyong said, his eyes lifting up in amusement.

 

 

“What is it?”

 

 

“Since we’re so fond of taking care of each other. Why don’t we take care of each other for the rest of our lives?” Jiyong said seriously, his eyes gazing directly at her brown orbs.

 

 

“What now? You’re proposing?” Dara joked but then deep inside, her heart was fluttering like the wings of a butterfly, a thing that only Jiyong could do to her.

 

 

“It’s not an official proposal but let’s say it’s a prelude to the real one?” he said as he dipped his head down and kissed her on her lips, pouring all the love he feels for her with the meeting of their lips.

 

 

Dara sighed in contentment when they pulled apart from the kiss. She smiled at him once more, never forgetting to thank all the angels and saints above for giving her another shot at love.

 

 

“But seriously, Ji. You need to take some time off. You’ve been working so hard lately you don’t rest enough. I’m worried about you,” Dara pouted.

 

 

“Arrasso babe. I’ll take a leave for…maybe two days? And I’ll just rest here in our apartment,” Jiyong promised as he kissed her again on her lips.

 

 

“Let’s rest now, Jagi…”

 

 

“I love you, Dara. Seriously…,” he bent his head then kissed her forehead. “,madly..” then he placed a soft kiss on the tip of nose. “,deeply…” then lastly, he pecked on her lips once more.

 

 

“And I love you too, Jiyong. My Kwon Jiyong,” Dara said softly then embraced Jiyong with all her might. Her chest against his chest. Her heart and his heart beating as one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE END