Day 52

 

Everywhere Dara turned her eyes always caught different KPOP stars. She recognized some of them from what she searched in her new tab. She saw Rain, the one they called the world star. Twelve guys passed by her and she instantly recognized them to be EXO. Although they were really many, she recognized some of them and her favorite member was Chanyeol. She thought the guy was cute and really talented. Another group of handsome men passed by and she recognized them to be INFINITE.

 

She was just star-struck with all of them. She couldn’t wait for the ceremony to start. They were still on the Red Carpet part and she, along with the other staff, was waiting for BIGBANG to appear.

 

“They usually appear last,” the staff beside her said.

 

“They follow the rule ‘Save the best for last,’ eh?” she said.

 

The staff chuckled. “Of course. Hey, I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself. I’m Gee Eun. I’m the head stylist and am closed with Taeyang and GD.”

 

“Oh, you’re the head stylist. Nice meeting you,” Dara said, bowing immediately and politely.

 

Gee Eun laughed. “It’s alright. Let’s be casual with each other, Dara,” she said nicely.

 

Dara smiled. She’s nicer than the one who keeps on scolding me, she thought.

 

“Oh, let me just ask you a question. Who do you like in BIGBANG? Except your cousin, of course.”

 

“Eh? Umm…” Dara scratched her head. “I… Uh… they’re here!” she exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention and their eyes went back to the screen.

 

Phew, I didn’t want to answer that kind of question, she thought. When her eyes went back to the monitor, she almost choked in her own spit when the camera zoomed in to BIGBANG’s leader aka her boss. She wasn’t around when they did his hair in the hotel because she went with the other staffs to bring the stage clothes to the dressing room in the venue.

 

“MWAHAHAHAHAHA!” she wasn’t able to stifle her laughter causing everyone in the dressing room to look at her in confusion. “WHAT’S UP WITH GD’S HAIRSTYLE?! WHAT’S THAT ON HIS HEAD? A SUSHI?! BWAHAHAHAHAHA.”

 

When her eyes went to the other staffs, they were warning her to keep the insults to herself. When she stared back at the stylist beside her, she had this fury plastered all over his face. Then it dawned on her.

 

She chuckled awkwardly. “Hehehe, I mean, he still looks good in any hairstyle, Gee Eun-ssi.”

 

Dara didn’t even finish her sentence because Gee Eun walked out.

 

“You can’t even keep it down, can you?” the girl staff who kept on b*tching on her said.

 

Dara didn’t waste a second and followed Gee Eun out.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

“It’s alright,” Gee Eun had said and sighed. “I guess this was one of those times GD and I fail in styling. We thought it’ll look good but fans in SNS world are making fun of his hair too. I’ll accept it as a reason to improve. It wasn’t supposed to look like a sushi though. The hairdresser failed in this one, then.”

 

Dara remembered her words and she immediately felt better. In no time, they were already laughing together when the BIGBANG members went to their dressing room and started preparing for their stage.

 

Dara’s eyes kept on moving towards Jiyong who, on the other hand, always caught her gazes. She would then stifle her laughter as she put their used clothes on a hanger.

 

“Hey, Ding Dong!”

 

Dara pulled out her phone and read the message.

 

What are you laughing at?

 

It was from Jiyong. Dara covered to stop her laughter and typed in her reply.

 

Sushi hair. XDDDDDD

 

Jiyong clenched his fists and his eyes squinted towards Dara.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

At the MAMA 2013 private after-party, everyone got wasted. The YG staffs (that included Dara, of course) also joined the party but kept their distance from BIGBANG and the other KPOP stars. They were all dancing on the dance floor, interacting, taking pictures left and right, and probably even flirting.

 

Dara’s eyes went to the yellow-haired Jiyong who was on the other side of the club. He had a drink on his hand while he danced the night away with s. There were several girl group members who took pictures with him too and Dara tried to remember their faces and she swore she would search them up online to see who they were.

 

Dara smiled at how they all were partying. Jiyong looked happy. Well, of course… if she were on his place, she would be happy for receiving four awards with one of them as a daesang award.

 

I guess I have to prepare a feast for him when we get back home, she thought as she gulped down on her drink.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Day 54

 

Dara was tired. She hadn’t had a chance to rest for days ever since she started her “part-time job”.  They just arrived home yesterday evening. However, here she was on the kitchen running to and fro preparing a feast for the big winner. Jiyong told her this morning that he didn’t know what time he would be home because their boss YG called for them. He guessed it was for their comeback preparations or something. So, even though he was still exhausted, he still went to work. Dara then grabbed this opportunity to prepare her surprise for him.

 

This would be so exciting, she thought, a smile plastered on her lips.

 

8:37 PM

 

Dara’s preparations finished an hour ago. She sat on the dining chair staring at the food prepared on the table. She stared at her phone. No text from him.

 

He might still be busy.

 

10:28 PM

 

Dara’s stomach had been grumbling for two hours now but she didn’t want to eat first. She wanted to wait for him and surprise him. She didn’t receive a single text from him yet.

 

I wonder what’s keeping them busy.

 

11:01 PM

 

Dara decided to keep the food in the refrigerator. They will eat them tomorrow morning… or whenever…or not. She didn’t know. She was too disappointed to think what to do with the foods.

 

Jiyong just texted. He told her he was out with YG and the boys and all the other staffs celebrating for his success. YG treated them.

 

Dara didn’t eat though. Her hunger passed and she knew it was bad for her health. But she didn’t have the appetite to eat anymore, not with the false hope he had given her. She just drank a cup of milk and decided to call the day off.

 

Efforts wasted, Dara, she thought to herself before her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Day 55

 

“Dora, can you bring me something to drink? My head is aching so much,” Jiyong called when he woke up at three in the afternoon and got up only to feel dizzy.

 

Dara came back with a cup of tea. “I made peppermint tea. They said it’s good for hangovers,” she said. When Jiyong received it, Dara turned her back and left the room.

 

After Jiyong recovered a little from dizziness, he took a long cold shower. When he was done, Dara was on the sofa watching some shows. After putting a shirt and shorts on, he decided to join her, of course, while still keeping an ample distance.

 

“What are you watching?”

 

“The Return of Superman,” she answered briefly, her eyes not leaving the television.

 

Jiyong nodded. “Is it good? What’s it about?”

 

“Kids and dads.”

 

Jiyong stared at her in confusion. He immediately felt awkward. Why, the ever talkative maid he had just replied in short answers. And he couldn’t get used to this kind of change on her.

 

“So…” he thought of something to open a conversation. “…what did you do last night?”

 

“Nothing,” she answered.

 

“O-KAY,” he said and stood up. “Do you want something? I’m hungry,” he said, making his way to the kitchen.

 

“No. I’m going out,” she said and picked up her sweater and scarf and stepped out of the apartment.

 

Jiyong blinked while he stared at the door that just closed. “Okay,” he answered as if she could still hear her. “Anyway, I’m hungry,” he said as he continued making his way to the kitchen. When he opened the refrigerator, he was surprised to see a lot of food in bowls that were covered in plastics. He pulled them out one by one and saw they were full-course meals, even enough for a feast for two.

 

“She cooked all of these?” he thought. “But, why would sh—“

 

His thoughts were cut off when he realized a possibility.

 

“Could it be because I won awards in MAMA?” he asked himself and stared at the sofa in the living room where Dara was once sitting.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Dara buried her sneakers in the snow and then pushed the ground to bring herself up in the air. After a while, she was swinging back and forth, the cold winter air hitting her face. She felt goose bumps forming under her thick clothes but she felt better. The comfort that the playground brought her never failed her. As usual, she could imagine her father pushing her while she was in the swing. She imagined herself being a six-year old once again.

 

The snow started to fall and she stopped the swing, planting her feet on the ground. She stared up at the sky, letting the snow fall into her face. She smiled as she felt the cold, wet snow and then she laughed. She laughed loud and hard.

 

“Why was I even mad at him?” she asked herself. “It wasn’t like I told him we would celebrate. It wasn’t like I expected him to remember me while they were partying and enjoying themselves. It wasn’t like I was his priority. I mean, who was I?”

 

She then stopped laughing.

 

“I’m a just maid. Nothing more. I shouldn’t have hoped we could celebrate his success together,” she said, a lump forming in .

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

The clock struck past six. Jiyong peeked on the window expecting to see Dara walking towards the building. The snow kept on falling since late afternoon today and she was gone since then. He tried texting her but he heard her ringtone and realized she left it on the coffee table. He was starting to worry. Where would she go? She didn’t say where. Would she meet her friends? Would she meet someone else? Who then?

 

He was already going to get his coat and scarf when he heard the passcode being punched. After a second, the door opened and Dara came in.

 

“Where were you?!” he yelled at her, although he didn’t mean it. He even surprised himself. “It has been snowing and, look how thin your clothes are.”

 

The corner of Dara’s mouth lifted. “You call this ‘thin’? Look at what you’re wearing. Even if you wore that coat and scarf over that thin shirt and shorts, you won’t feel warm,” she said. “By any chance, were you supposed to go after me?” she asked, a mischievous smile plastered on her lips.

 

Jiyong looked down at what he was wearing. He was indeed only wearing his thin clothes. He was also just holding on to his coat and scarf. “I-I wasn’t going to go after you. I w-was going to buy something.”

 

“You’re going to buy something?” she asked and scoffed. “You wouldn’t risk that, would you? And you even sounded concerned, even scolding me like that. You were worried, weren’t you?” she teased.

 

“Aish, I wasn’t. Don’t feel too special,” he said and turned around to hide the smile on his face. At least she was back.

 

“Arasso, I won’t,” she said and added in a whisper. “I’m just a maid anyway.” she then removed her coat and scarf and hang them to dry them off. “I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

 

“Dinner is ready,” Jiyong said.

 

Hearing that, Dara was surprised. She then turned to him with a confused look on her face. “What do you mean? I just came back. I still need to cook and prepare them.”

 

“You already did, right?” he asked. “Last night…”

 

Dara was more confused. What is he talking about? Dara then quickly went towards the dining room and was surprised at what she saw. Everything she cooked and prepared last night were already on the table. She then turned to him, her brows furrowed, not knowing what to think or say to him.

 

“I re-heated them so I’m sure they’re still delicious,” he said as he scratched his nape. “I’m sorry I didn’t come home last night. YG surprised us and I was too preoccupied to text you immediately not to prepare dinner. I know it’s a lame excuse but I still want to apologize.”

 

Dara clicked her tongue and turned away, stopping her tears from falling. “Stop the nonsense. Let’s eat,” she said. Efforts weren’t really wasted then, right, Dara?  She then added in a very low whisper. “You’re really hard to read, Mr. G-Dragon.”