Day 79

 

Jiyong dragged his feet as he entered his room. His watch said that it was almost two in the morning. He hadn’t noticed that time went by so fast because he had spent it with TOP back at the hotel bar. After that confusing message he sent Jiyong, he invited him to drink as well, saying he didn’t leave his spot and that he needed someone like him to talk to a confused man in love.

 

It wasn’t because he was a confused man in love that made him actually accept TOP’s invitation for a drink. It was because… he wanted to hear what TOP had to say. Well, at least that was what he told TOP who didn’t buy it. The smirk on TOP’s face really made him want to go back to his room.

 

However, maybe it was really because he was confused. He felt conflicted. There was something inside him that stirs up every time Dara talks about TOP, how he texts her every day and night, how she wished he would invite her over a drink. He usually just didn’t respond but he listened. And when he saw how excited she was that TOP finally invited her over a drink, he knew there was something – something he didn’t want to admit.

 

“What nonsense did you send me?” Jiyong asked as he sat down across TOP, immediately chugging down the glass of beer.

 

“The reason why you’re here,” TOP said vaguely, making Jiyong look up at him with furrowed brows.

 

“Look, you’re misunderstanding things. She’s just my—“

 

“Personal maid, I know. But she is still a girl who you spend almost every day with. I would totally understand why you would feel something towards her,” TOP said, filling Jiyong’s glass with beer. “Dara is such a lovely girl.”

 

“Don’t ever think about it…” Jiyong muttered under his breath.

 

“Look how angry you sound every time Dara is linked to me. She told me how she talks about me to you but you wouldn’t even lend an ear. I was guessing you didn’t want to.”

 

“I listen. I just… don’t pay much attention.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

Jiyong looked away. “Nothing…”

 

“You don’t want her talking about me, do you?” he asked. “I know she likes me. She has confessed a few times. Perhaps you didn’t know that, did you?”

 

Jiyong’s eyes were as round as saucers as he stared back at his hyung. “Is that true?”

 

TOP nodded.

 

“Then… are you two already dating?”

 

TOP shook his head. “I turned her down.”

 

Jiyong exhaled. He didn’t even know he was holding his breath.

 

“I only see her like a sister. She was so much alike as my sister. And I couldn’t possibly date someone who I treat like a sister.”

 

“She hadn’t told me that.”

 

“She took it easily. She said it was better if we were friends anyway,” TOP said, drinking a glass of his drink. “Back to you. Have you completely realized your fee—“

 

“Let’s not go to there,” Jiyong said, waving him off.

 

“I’m here as your hyung. I can help you.”

 

Jiyong shook his head. “Enough. I can handle this.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

Jiyong stared back at his hyung and exhaled. “I don’t need someone else to tell me what I feel towards someone else. I’ll figure it out myself…” he paused. “I’m confused myself.”

 

A smile crept on TOP’s lips. He poured another drink on Jiyong’s glass as the latter looked up at him as if he was being suspicious of him. “What?” TOP asked.

 

“Are you sure you don’t like her?”

 

 

 

Jiyong dropped himself on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees, as he stared down at Dara’s sleeping form on the other bed.

 

“What are you doing to me, Dara?” he whispered as he heaved a deep sigh.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Day 85

 

SBS Gayo Daejun backstage…

 

Dara was already used to her job as one of the YG staffs. She was commanded back and forth by her seniors and she complied with all of them. She bumped into Jiyong a lot of times and she noticed that these past few days, there was something about him that made him a little bit distant from her.

 

Before, he treated her as if they were friends. Now, he treats her as if they just fought over something petty. And here she was expecting they were getting closer.

 

Dara sighed as she leaned on the wall. She was tired. Jiyong’s stage with Taeyang just finished and the show was almost close to its ending. It was only now that she had a time to breathe for herself. She was too tired to even care she was sitting on the corridor’s floor amongst the idols and staff walking around her, giving her incredulous looks.

 

“Are you alright?” a voice came from above her.

 

She just nodded, expecting it was just another SBS staff who got concerned. She had been asked numerous times tonight.

 

“Yes, yes. I’m fi—“

 

She got cut off when she looked up, even stumbling back to the ground.

 

The guy who was looking down at her with his hand reached out to help her wasn’t just any other SBS staff. It was an idol – a male idol – who she knew well before.

 

“Wooyoung…” she mouthed.

 

Wooyoung blinked rapidly and wondered why she wasn’t accepting his hand. He crouched down to her level, closing the proximity between them. As he was closer to her, he realized she looked familiar.

 

“Can’t… Can’t you remember me?” she asked, finally finding her voice.

 

Wooyoung furrowed his brows. “You look kind of familiar. Have we met?”

 

You look kind of familiar. Have we met? His voice rang in her head. Something inside her broke at his words. She stood up rapidly and was about to leave when his hand circled around her wrist.

 

“Sandara Park?”

 

She turned to him, a scowl on her face. “Now you remember. HA!” she struggled to get her wrist freed but Wooyoung pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly.

 

“Sandara! I’m so glad I found you!”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

Wooyoung pulled away and looked at her straight in her eyes. He held on to her face to inspect every part and then hugged her again.

 

“You don’t know how long I wondered where you were.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait just a freaking minute!” Dara exclaimed, pushing him away. “You were the one who broke up with me and you’re telling me you were looking for me?! Just what does that mean?” she raised her voice, not caring that they were on the corridor.

 

Wooyoung pulled her by her wrist into a more secluded place – a nearby dressing room. They didn’t even know whose.

 

“Sandara, love, I’m sorry. I regretted breaking up with you. I still love you. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I hope you can accept me,” Wooyoung pleaded, holding on both of her shoulders.

 

Dara shook her head. “No. I am but a pathetic liar who pretends someone I am not. You hate people like that, that’s why we broke up right? You can’t have me back. You can’t have someone like me back.”

 

“I don’t care. I want you back,” Wooyoung said and aggressively grabbed her face to forcefully kiss her.

 

“YAH! STOP!” Dara struggled, shaking her head, trying to avoid his lips but somehow, she could still feel his lips on hers. She closed , struggling to get free, pushing him away. She wanted to call for help but she remained her lips pursed as she was afraid he would take advantage of her opened mouth and dart his tongue.

 

Suddenly, she felt Wooyoung pulled off from her. It was too sudden and forced that she was thrown to the floor.

 

“WHAT THE ARE YOU DOING?!” a loud voice came thundering inside the room. She recognized the voice immediately that she looked up and was shocked to see Jiyong towering over her, his back against her so she couldn’t see the expression on his face but by his voice, she was sure he was hella angry.

 

“G-Dragon-ssi!” Wooyoung gasped. His eyes then darted to Dara who was on the floor and then he returned to Jiyong. He then laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry. Is this your dressing room? It seems like me and my girlfriend mistook this as my room.”

 

He headed towards Dara who backed away immediately. But she didn’t even need to as Jiyong stepped to the side, blocking his path to Dara. But Wooyoung didn’t seem to get it as he tried to grab Dara by her wrist and pull her with him.

 

“GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF MY GIRL, BASTARD!” Jiyong roared once again and then placed a punch on Wooyoung’s jaw. He went to Dara and grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her into an embrace on his side. “This is my girl, Wooyoung-ssi. You don’t have the right to lay a single finger on her. You don’t have the right to even touch a single strand of her hair… not with the dirty hand of a dirty person like you…”

 

Wooyoung was surprised as he was on the floor, looking up at the raging dragon. He blinked several times, watching the two step out of the room, their fingers intertwined, leaving him injured on his face.

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

The night had passed and the Gayo Daejun ended. Even if the night was freezing, they were sitting by the swings of an empty playground. The cold wind passed by them and Dara hugged herself as she looked down on the ground, letting themselves drown into the suffocating silence since an hour ago.

 

Like the gentleman he was, Jiyong removed his jacket and wrapped it on her, although she didn’t seem to have noticed it as she just remained on her spot, still hugging herself.

 

Jiyong respected her silence, not pushing her to say a word about what just happened.

 

However, after a while, Dara decided to break the silence. “He changed.”

 

Since she started talking, Jiyong took the initiative to ask. “How did you know Wooyoung-ssi?”

 

She was silent for a while and Jiyong thought it would have been better not to stick his nose on other people’s business. But Dara started speaking; “We were a couple. We broke up on our first anniversary because of me.”

 

“Because of you?”

 

“I was a liar. I pretended to be someone I wasn’t. I was too pathetic and I was too in love that I changed myself to fit his standards. But that backfired and we broke up because he found out that my life I have been telling him was fake,” she explained and then exhaled, slumping her shoulder as if it was a long-time prick pulled out of her heart. This was indeed the first time she shared something about her life to someone.

 

“I’m sorry I asked,” Jiyong said.

 

Dara shook her head and smiled bitterly, her eyes still on the ground. “That doesn’t hurt me anymore. I moved on, knowing it was my fault anyway. However…”

 

“However…?”

 

“He changed,” she repeated. “He was a gentleman, caring, someone who doesn’t cross the line when it comes to me. He respected me because I was a woman. But he changed.”

 

Jiyong wasn’t able to say anything at this. He didn’t know what to say anyway.

 

“He forcibly kissed me…” Dara croaked, her voice trembling. Her fingers traced to her quivering lips. “How can he do that to me?”

 

“He was a jerk,” Jiyong said.

 

“Jerk, bastard, ing bastard.”

 

“I can go back to him and beat the sh*t out of him. Can you wait for me for a little while here?”

 

Dara looked up as Jiyong was already preparing to leave. There was a serious expression on his face that a small smile broke on her lips. She reached for his hand and felt its warmth, rubbing her thumb on the back of her palm. She shook her head at him as a tear escaped her eye. “He’s not worth your time, Jiyong.”

 

“What do you want me to do then? Just sit and watch you depressed over a guy like him?”

 

“There’s a reason why I’m being like this. It’s because we had a past and I finally realized he wasn’t the guy I thought he was. I was merely disappointed,” she explained, another tear escaping her eye.

 

Seeing this, Jiyong crouch in front of her, not letting go of her hand, instead he tightened his grip on it. “He’s not worth your tears,” he said, wiping the tear away with his free hand. “But if you want to, I’ll stay by your side until you feel better.”

 

 

 

 

 

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