Days had passed and it was back to normal. Dara and Jiyong were seeing each other almost everyday. Dara doesn’t treat him well, as always. She ignored him all the time and avoided him as much as she can. They bicker most of the time every time their paths crossed. Seung Hyun witnessed it all but he found it cute.

“Can we talk?” Jiyong asked her. He just popped out in her office.

“Don’t you know how to knock? If you don’t mind.” she glared at him.

“I did. You just didn’t hear it.” he lied.

“So what do you want to talk about?” she coldly asked him making him twitched his lips.

Jiyong made himself sit in the couch. He crossed his legs and leaned back.

“About us.”

“What about us?”

“Girl, maybe you’ve forgotten that were still married.” His face became serious and walked towards her table. Dara took a deep breathe. She hadn’t thought of that thing. She thought, he signed the papers that she left.

“There’s no us MR. KWON … I left you the divorce papers.” She emphasized.

“Oh? I burned it.” He smirked when he heard what she just called him.

Jiyong closed their distance. Dara swallowed the lump in . Their faces were few inches away from each other. A playful smirk curved into his face. It was bitter. His eyes went fierce. She calmed herself. She doesn’t want him to find out that she was scared to death already when he entered. Knowing his stares towards her, she felt something’s not right.

“Why are you always ignoring me? You think you can just get away from me that easily?” Jiyong whispered to her ears. She stepped back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Stop it Dara! I’m sick of your alibis.” he said between gritted teeth.

She didn’t answer.

“You want me, right?  Just say it.” he desperately said.

“Shut up! Stop fooling yourself Ji.”

“Damn it, Dara! I know I’m stupid enough for treating you like that before. But for Pete’s sake, I regretted everything. Did you know what I had gone through when you left?”

She opened but no words came out. She was trying to control her emotions. She swallowed and kept quiet.

“Did you know how much I miss you?” he pleaded. His voice became tender.

Her heart thudded a million times faster. She can’t believe her ears. The mighty Kwon Jiyong aka G-Dragon was saying that to her.

“Just leave.”

He chuckled sulkily. “Not too soon.” he added, closing the space between them. She tilted her head back to avoid his gaze. She stepped back only to find out that she was trapped. His hand cupped the back of her head as he kissed her hard. His other arm was behind her waist, supporting. She stayed still. She can feel the intensity of his kisses, harsh – aggressive – crushing. With full force, she pushed him.

She gathered her energy then her right hand landed on his face. “Leave me alone!”

“We’re not over yet.” he declared with threat in his voice. He left the room without looking back. Dara watched his back as he disappeared. She lightly pressed her lips. She felt like it swelled.

**********

Seung Hyun heard voices from Dara’s office. He knew it was Jiyong and her. He just smiled. He was used to it. It was already normal to his sight. While he was imagining things, the door swung open and Jiyong went out of it with a grim face.

“Hey Ji, what’s up? You’re early today.”  Seung Hyun greeted him but he didn’t respond.

“Did you have a fight again? I mean … a serious fight.”

“Hyung, I got slapped.” he relayed.

“What? Why? When?”

“Just before I went out.” He touched his jaw and massaged it. The pain it cause stung that he felt like his muscles contracted.

“Really? An idol got slapped? Seriously Ji …? You must have crossed the line.”

“I think …”

“What did you do?”

“I kissed her.”

“Huuwaat?” Seung Hyun’s eyes went big.

“I said, I kissed her.” he repeated.

“You should’ve not done that.”

“I know but I can’t help it. I’m losing my patience. She’s so stubborn.”

Seung Hyun clicked his tongue. He clasped his fingers behind his head. Another mistake was done. He too was losing his patience over his best friend. ‘Aaargh!’ He hung his head and wrinkled his nose in frustration.

“What should I do, hyung?”

“Be liable with your actions. Deal with the consequences.”

“Huh, that’s hard.” he complained. Seung Hyun eyed him.

“Let’s not talk about this here.”

**********

Another month passed and nothing has changed. Jiyong was totally upset and lost his patience. But he can’t just ignore the fact that he doesn’t want to lose her. Patience is a virtue as what they say but it’s not working on him.

“Hi.” Jiyong greeted her.

“You’re here again? What is it that you want this time?” she asked trying to make her voice annoyed but she wasn’t actually.

“Dara, I’m sorry. I just wanted to apologize for my rudeness. You know, I can’t sleep if something is bothering me.” he said in his most gentle voice.

“So? What has that to do with me?”

“I’m bothered by you.” He walked towards her then stopped when he noticed her took a step backward.

“Oh? Don’t blame me for that bulls Ji. I’m not a kid anymore. You know that I have nothing to do with that.” She looked away. She’s just defending herself maybe Jiyong would do something again.

“Please listen to me. I’m sorry … and I mean that.”

“Okay.” she said nonchalantly.

“You’ve forgiven me just like that?”

She looked at him sternly. “What is it that you really want? You asked for forgiveness and now you aren’t satisfied. What the hell? Stop playing around with me.”

“Let’s start all over again.” he pleaded.

“Excuse me? We haven’t started anything. What we had before was a nightmare. If not for dad, I would not agree with that freaking marriage.”

He kept silent. “Dara … What do you want me to do? Just say it and I’ll do it.”

“Stay out of my life.”

“I can’t do that.”

She piled up the papers in her desk and pretended to be busy. “You’re just wasting my time. Leave me alone Ji. I’m sick and tired of this.”

He took a deep sigh. “I love you.”

Her world suddenly stopped. Her mind went blank, literally blank. Her chest pounded. It thudded nonstop. She never imagined in her whole life that someone will tell those words to her. She blinked. The pen that she was holding a while ago slipped in her hands. She swallowed hard but she choked. “W---w-what did you say?”

“I love you Dara … Is it that hard to believe? Do you know how ironic is it for an idol like me to beg for love? Geez, a lot of girls are dying just to be with me but I degraded them. It’s you that I want.”

“It’s not my fault.” she tried to maintain her composure.

“Are you really that heartless? Dara please … I’m begging you. Would you give me the chance here?” He bent on his knees.

“Get up.”

********

Seung Hyun’s birthday came. It was where everything started. It was during his birthday, the chaos started and stirred their world. Everything was normal back then if only he didn’t forced Dara to come. And about Jiyong? Blame it on the alcohol. For the second time, he’s going to do it again. He’ll care nothing on whatever may happen. He’s going to make the two together. He was desperate and tired of Jiyong’s grievance. Sometimes, he felt like knocking Dara’s head for keeping herself frigid.

He smiled widely when he arrived at the office. He saw Dara waiting in front of the elevator.

“Hey Dar, Good morning.”

“Good morning, oppa!” she greeted him back smiling. She’s in a good mood.

“Are you busy tomorrow night?”

She thought for a while. “No. Why, oppa?”

“It’s my birthday! Have you forgotten about it?”

“Oh?” her smile turned into a smirk. How could she forget that? It was when everything started.

“I’m having a party at the resort tomorrow night. See you there!” Seung Hyun quickly turned his back.

“But oppa ---------I” He’s already out of her sight.

“Aisht!” She has nowhere to go now. She’s nowhere to hide. Jiyong would definitely be there.

**********

Dara was sitting on one of the open cottages that were facing the shore. She was holding the bottle of alcohol in her hand. She remembered her father. She reminisced the times when how she and Young Bae walked side by side along the shore. She smiled at her thoughts.

“All alone here in the shore?” a recognizable voice interrupted her short moment.

“Hi.” she softly said. She’s not in the mood to bicker with him.

“It’s cold here. Don’t you want to go inside?” Jiyong sat on the space beside her.

“No. I’m fine.”

There was a long silence. No one talked. For such a long time, she never felt comfortable whenever Jiyong was with her. But right now, she felt as if she’s safe beside him. She kept silent. Jiyong was quiet too.

“Uh-m … I’m sorry.” he broke the deafening silence between them. Dara took a deep breathe and faced him.

“Do you know what I’m afraid of?” she asked him. Jiyong shook his head. He didn’t get what she meant.

She feigned a smile. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes. “I’m afraid of losing the one’s that I love.”

“I know that.”

“Do you know what that means?” He didn’t answer. “I’m afraid that I’m going to lose them again someday. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do if that time comes. Fate is cruel to me and I can’t avoid that. As much as possible I don’t want it to happen again. I don’t want to lose again another special person in my life.” Tears started to roll down in her face. She looked at Jiyong.

There was silence.

Silence.

And another silence.

“It’s heartbreaking to lose someone especially if that someone has already filled a space in your heart.” he said with his eyes on her.

She smiled bitterly. “Yes, you’re right … and I don’t want to lose ---.” she said then looked up at the dark sky. “ I don’t want to lose that someone who started to fill the empty space inside my heart.”

Someone has filled her heart already. It was clear. He looked at her and feigned a smile. “Alright then, looks like I’ll be out of the scene. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore. “

“Don’t you want to ask if who that someone is?” she asked without turning her head to him.

He blinked processing every word that she just said.  “If you’re going to tell me. then it’s fine. If not, it doesn’t matter.”

Dara took a heavy sigh first then turned and face him. “If I’ll say it’s you … would you believe?”

Jiyong suppressed a laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“It’s you.”

Jiyong just heard what he wanted to hear. Dara doesn’t want to lose him. That means, he got a special place in her heart. He was flattered. With a blink of an eye, he pulled her to him. He hugged her so tight and cuddled her around. He caressed her face and wiped her tears. He planted a kiss on her forehead. It was soft kisses. His lips touched her nose leaving another gentle kiss. Dara closed her eyes in anticipation. She was longing for it. She parted her lips and they shared the most blissful moment they ever had.

“I love you Dara.” he whispered to her when their lips separated.

“Er--- I----I-love-.”

“Aaah! Just say it.”

“I---l--love you?”

“What’s with the accent?”

“Alright, I love you too.”