----- Chapter Twenty -----

 

 

"Aigoo, happy birthday...Kris-ssi."

 

 

 

 

Dara finally managed to say those words after a moment of mental debate. She was really nervous. She couldn't even stand looking straight at the young man's eyes for five seconds. She was constantly shifting her gaze from Kris to somewhere else. Her heart was literally out of control. Every second that passed by was agonizing, especially when she heard no reply from the lad.

 

 

 

 

 

Kris was surprised - well, that's an understatement. He did not even expect for a surprise birthday celebration, what more Dara's presence? It took a while before he finally snapped back to reality. And when he did, his eyes became fixated at the gorgeous lady in front of him. She looked like she was uneasy and...flustered? Wait, what? Kris instantly shook his head at the thought.

 

"Thanks, Dara...noona," and once again, the M leader almost forgot to add honorifics to Dara's name. Damn, culture differences.

 

Dara swore she felt more blood rush to her cheeks that she immediately hung her head low to hide her red face. "Aigoo, so embarrassing!" She mentally scolded herself. "Get a hold of yourself, Sandara!"

 

With a huff of breath, she brought her head up and flashed him her best smile. But she felt all her self-esteem flushed down when her action seemed to startle Kris. "Aigoo! Do I look funny? Omo, ppabo, Sandara! Ppabo!" she silently screamed at herself, dropping her head in the process.

 

 

 

 

Kris was really surprised when Dara smiled at him. She just smiled. At him. And it was mesmerizing. It was a hundred times more beautiful than the Han River. And the fact that it was for...him? It was for him! She did smile at him, right? Kris was so lost in his thoughts that it was too late for him to realize that he was so surprised with the smile that he literally jumped out a little and it freaking looked like he just got crept out. And he was horrified at the thought, especially when he saw Dara looking down, pouting. And then he panicked. She must've misunderstood him. She got it all wrong.

 

 

 

"Omo, calm down, Sandara! Just calm down!" She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "It's okay. I must've smiled really bad," and she could really cry right there and then. "It's okay! I should just give this to him," she sniffed cutely as she clutched the paper bag she's been hiding behind her more tightly.

 

Just give it to him. "Aigoo, Kris-ssi," she finally called after mustering enough courage to speak. She lifted her head once again to face Kris. And she did smile, but this time it was a bit more of a conscious smile. After all, she didn't want to creep out the man again.

 

Kris lifted his eyebrows, signalling her to speak. Dara clutched the paper bag strongly, swallowing the lump in before speaking.

 

"I-I have something fo---!"

 

"Noona! There you are!" Tao cried as he spotted her beloved noona. He smiled widely that he wasted no time and rushed to her, with Minseok and Jongdae tagging along.

 

"Noona, I missed you!" Jongdae interjected as he threw himself at the 2NE1 member and hugged her real tight.

 

Dara was surprised at the gesture but she did not mind it at all. She would be lying if she'd say she didn't miss them.

 

"Get away from noona, you ert!" Minseok growled, grabbing Jongdae away from Dara, while Jongdae just rolled his eyes at his hyung. Little did he know someone was already glaring holes at him.

 

"I want to hug noona too!" Tao pouted, and it just grossed out the other two members. There goes their maknae again, trying to win Dara's heart with his awful aegyo. Always acting cute. Can't he do something else?

 

"Aigoo, Tao. You're so cute!" Dara squealed as she pinched the panda's cheek with one hand. And of course, Tao couldn't get any happier. He smiled so widely, while his hyungs watched him in disbelief, and Kris, well, his eyes just freaking twitched at the sight.

 

"Seriously, noona? That thing is so not cute!" Jongdae exclaimed wearing a horrified expression while pointing a finger at the maknae. Minseok couldn't stop nodding in agreement.

 

"Anyways," the oldest of the boys suddenly spoke as he casually grabbed the maknae's ear, yanking him away from Dara, despite the panda's protests and cries. "Noona, they're serving the food now. It's late and I know you're hungry. Let's go, noona!" Minseok said and smiled. Tao scoffed at the sight, while Jongdae groaned in annoyance.

 

Dara squeezed the paper bag she's been hiding for a little while now and hesitated. She had to give Kris her gift. But she did not want anyone to see that. "But--!" she glanced at Kris and tried to think of an excuse, but the boys just cut her off.

 

"Come on noona! You need to eat up. You're so thin!" Jongdae insisted, reaching Dara's arm and tugged her to follow them to the dinner table.

 

Hesitation was very much obvious on Dara's face yet the boys seemed oblivious with that as they tagged her along. Dara did not know what to do, so she just let them drag her away, but that was before she threw one last troubled glance at the birthday boy.

 

 

 

 

Kris's eyes followed them as they walked away. And when they were out of sight, his head dropped and he finally let out a sigh of relief. Damn, that was hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yeah! And there was one time when Sehun fell off the bed face first while sleeptalking!" Baekhyun blurted out excitedly, earning a massive laughter from everyone on the table - well, except for the very much flustered K maknae.

 

"Hyung! You did not have to say that!" Sehun growled, side-eyeing their lovely noona, who was trying her best not to laugh in order to not offend him. And Sehun couldn't help but smile at the 2NE1 visual's thoughtfulness.

 

"I'm sorry Sehun but it was too hilarious that I needed to share it with Dara-noona," Baekhyun wore his mischievous smirk, annoying the hell out of the maknae.

 

"That was not funny, hyung," the maknae retorted, glaring at the older.

 

"Anyways," Joonmyeon interrupted before their bickering would escalate into something else. He shifted his gaze from his plate to Dara, who was secretly laughing at the two arguing members. "Noona, I heard you'll be starring in a webdrama," the leader continued. And as soon as the news reached their ears, the boys gasped in unison.

 

"MWO?!" Their jaws dropped in disbelief. Their whole attention now at the puzzled noona.

 

Dara squirmed a little bit on her seat, slightly uncomfortable with the sudden attention they're giving her. "A-ah, yes. That's true!" She stuttered, smiling innocently at the boys. And the EXO members gave her a disapproving look in return.

 

"What is it about, noona?"

 

"Action?"

 

"Historical drama?"

 

"Medical drama?"

 

Dara shook her head lightly at the guesses. "No it's actua--"

 

"Please don't tell us it's a romance drama!"

 

And with that Kris turned his head to Dara who was all worried and confused.

 

"That couldn't be possible, right noona?" Kyungsoo asked nervously, eyeing the female idol. The boys shot her with hopeful looks.

 

Dara forced a smile, worrying. She wasn't sure why the boys were so against romance drama. She thought it's impossible to not like romantic things. And yet the boys seemed to...despise it?

 

"A-Aigoo, it's actually...some kind of, uh, a romantic drama," Dara's voice faded especially on her last few words. She nervously stared at her plate and started playing with her food before she looked up and faked a laugh to ease the seemingly awkward atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

"MWO?!" The boys yelled in unison - again.

 

 

 

 

 

"Noona! You can't do that kind of drama!" Tao who was almost tearing up, said as he held Dara's arm possessively with both hands.

 

"What is it all about, noona?" Chanyeol's voice cracked, nervous on what kind of drama it would be. Of course, as her ultimate fanboy, he would never want any other guy touching or flirting with her, even if it's all just a pretense.

 

"There'll be no skin ships, or something more than that, right noona?" Jongin asked, clenching his fists tightly.

 

And yes, Dara was bombarded with several questions that she had a hard time trying to answer them all. Kris, on the other hand, just tore his gaze away from her and focused on his food instead. And it did not go unnoticed to Luhan, who just chuckled in amusement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, after the somehow heated argument of Dara-starring-in-a-romantic-webdrama, Luhan managed to slowly change the topic and killed the tension. And there, they're now talking about random things thanks to the Chinese doe-eyed male.

 

"Say, noona. What's your favorite food?" Sehun asked, letting out a small smile, probably his way to charm people. And his hyungs rolled their eyes on him.

 

"I like ramyun," Dara answered enthusiastically. "I really, really like ramyun!"

 

The boys couldn't help but chuckle at their noona's cuteness. She looked so adorable when she's all giddy. And it just made their hearts flutter even more.

 

"Really, noona?" Chanyeol questioned right after he took a sip of his drink. He placed the cup down and flashed her his toothy smile. "You know," he said as he turned his head to Kris's direction. "Ramyun also happens to be Kris-hyung's favorite." He smirked.

 

 

 

Kris literally choked on his own drink upon hearing what Chanyeol had just said. Luhan could've bursted into laughter of he had not managed to control himself. And Dara was, well, as red as tomatoes. "W-Wait, ramyun is my favorite? How come I didn't know that?" Kris thought as he stared at Chanyeol with a mixture of confusion and disagreement.

 

"H-Huh? That's not gege's favo---!" Luhan instantly muffled Tao's mouth before he could even finish what he was about to say.

 

"You talk too much, Tao. Give others the chance to talk, okay?" The older member said in a suspiciously friendly tone. But Tao knew him too well. And he knew it was best for him to just zip his mouth.

 

"It's also my favorite food!" Jongdae suddenly announced, raising his hand. He wore his signature smile and his eyes were all on the gorgeous lady. Actually, he just decided at that very moment that ramyun would be his favorite food.

 

The other boys scoffed at the group's ultimate troll. They knew he was just trying to impress Dara.

 

"I think ramyun is the food of life!" Jongin then interjected, raising his hand midway. He rolled his eyes on Jongdae before looking at Dara with his signature smirk.

 

Dara was still very much flustered as she eyed Chanyeol pleadingly, hoping that the man would get what she was trying to say. Yes, she couldn't deny that knowing they like the same thing made her all so giddy. Which meant she would get so flustered, which may lead to embarrassing herself in front of Kris. So, Chanyeol should stop teasing her.

 

"Moving on," Baekhyun breathed, obviously irritated with the other boys attempting to outdo each other. "Aside from ramyun, noona. What else do you like?" He asked, resting his head on his palm.

 

Yixing hummed. "Yeah, noona. What do you like? You know, favorite food or something?" He shot the woman a hopeful look.

 

Sehun mentally face-palmed himself. "She just told us her favorite food, hyung."

 

Yixing then raised an eyebrow. "She did?"

 

And the boys groaned at the Chinese male. "She just did! Were you even listening?"

 

Yixing only made an 'o' expression when realization hit him.

 

"Aigoo, I like cats!" Dara suddenly squeaked after a moment of mental deliberation. She was so focused on thinking of the things she likes that she wasn't able to pay attention to the commotion that happened a little while ago.

 

"Cats? That's cute, noona," Joonmyeon said in a sweet voice. Well, he's always been a sweet kind of person. A perfect kind of leader indeed.

 

"How about dogs, noona? Just so you know, I have pet dogs at---," Jongin then started blabbering about his pet dogs with confidence earning glares from the other members, but was put into a halt when Dara spoke up.

 

"I'm not really...fond of dogs," she said in a fading voice, head down with tinge of pink on her cheeks. But she immediately shot her head back up and frantically waved her hands 'no' when the atmosphere turned a little bit silent. "I mean, they're cute but they're...uh kind of scary," she continued, ashamed. She cutely bit her lower lip out of embarrassment, which did not go unnoticed by the boys. The sight just made them go insane.

 

A few seconds after, Sehun faked a cough, which helped the others break off from trance. And when they did, they started blabbering random words of comfort for their noona.

 

"Aww, poor Jonginnie. Noona doesn't like dogs," Baekhyun playfully mocked the tanned male, wrapping his arm around the latter, squeezing him jokingly. Kyungsoo just gave the said male a pat on the back, but with a smug look on his face. Jongin on the other hand just scowled at his hyungs.

 

"But I'd say cats are better!" Jongdae said loudly, with the same mischievous smile plastered on his face. He was obviously trying to impress the lovely lady. And of course, the other boys won't let him get all good with Dara. So, they also agreed to what Jongdae had said, making Dara really happy (she honestly believed what they said, she's clueless after all).

 

"Yes, and I actually have pet cats at home!" She said excitedly. How she loves talking about her beloved cats.

 

"Really, noona?"

 

Dara nodded cutely. "I really like cats. Probably my second most favorite thing in the world!" And ramyun being the first.

 

The boys couldnt help but chuckle at her cuteness. They never knew a person this cute and adorable exists.

 

"Ah, I'm glad you're into animals noona," Chanyeol suddenly butted in, attracting Dara's attention. He put his drink down and wrapped his arm around Kris, who happened to sit beside him. "Because this birthday boy over here is into stuffed animals," he said, not even sparing a glance at a surprised - and probably embarrassed - M leader. The K rapper then flashed the equally surprised lady a teasing smirk.

 

"R-Really?" Dara stuttered, with a blush on her face. She glanced at Kris, who was looking at Chanyeol (it was more like glaring) before looking back at the Korean male. Aigoo, please calm down, my heart. Omo, Chanyeol-ssi, why are you doing this?

 

Luhan was very much amused with the situation. He wondered why Chanyeol was suddenly blabbering things about Kris, when everybody knew how the K rapper adores the 2NE1 visual. Like, he should talk more about himself to impress Dara, right? Not talk about someone else. But still, it entertained him nonetheless, especially with the funny shocked expression Kris was giving off.

 

"Yes, noona," the doe-eyed Chinese male chirped before chuckling. "He even named a plushie Ace!" And luckily, the other boys laughed.

 

"Stop it!" Kris hissed, glaring at the elder.

 

"And Kris-hyung even told us that it's his son!" Jongdae added, laughing so loudly. He even slammed the table repeatedly, laughing.

 

Dara couldn't help but laugh as well, though she already knew that. No, it's not weird. She found it cute. Who could've guessed that behind Kris's cold and intimidating appearance is a man who has a soft spot for plushies?

 

The boys continued to laugh at the very ashamed Kris, who was already face-palming in his seat. But unfortunately, one of them was clearly not amused.

 

"Wait, why's Kris-ge's name always gets brought up in the conversation?" Tao suddenly whined, pouting. He eyed Chanyeol strongly, demanding for an explanation. He crossed his arms, his feet constantly tapping the floor.

 

And with that, Chanyeol froze, and Luhan choked on his own drink. Damn, the rapper was clearly caught off guard with that. Just, how should he respond to that?

 

 

 

"Noona, what's your favorite color?" Jongdae suddenly popped a very random question. He was clearly not paying attention to what Tao said. It was his chance to get to know Dara more, and he shouldn't miss it.

 

"Yeah, what's your favorite color, noona?" Thank goodness, the others seemed to be more interested in getting to know Dara more than what Tao just complained, and it made the panda scowl.

 

"Hey---!"

 

Before Tao could say anything, Luhan shoved food into the former's mouth, preventing him to speak. "There, eat up, Tao," Luhan cooed nonchalantly.

 

"I like pink," Dara smiled. She had always adored pink. "And red is fine too." As expected, the young males gave positive comments to that, muttering nice things about the color, as if it's the most beautiful color in the world. And of course, being an innocent idol she is, Dara thought that they really like the color. She chuckled at the boys' cuteness as they continued talking about random things they could think of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Here you go!" Luhan chimed as soon as he got back to his seat with cans of beer in his hands. The members watched the said male as he slammed the cans on the table and sat down. "What?" Luhan asked as he noticed the boys' questioning looks.

 

Kyungsoo who was just a few seats away from the Chinese man stood midway and reached for the latter's arm. He side-eyed Dara for a second before fixating his gaze on Luhan. "What are you doing?" Kyungsoo whispered as softly as possible.

 

"What's wrong with these?" Luhan answered, acting all innocent. Joonmyeon then scooted closer to the male. "Put those away, Luhan-hyung," he said nervously, hoping that Dara won't hear them.

 

Luhan chuckled before releasing a deep breath. "Oh come on. I just want us to have some good time," he said, making sure his voice was audible enough for everyone to hear.

 

"K-Keep it down, will you?" Kyungsoo tried to shush the older, grasping the latter's arm more tightly.

 

But unfortunately, Luhan is the stubborn type of a person. And no one, not even the 'SatanSoo' (majority of the boys made a mental note to never ever anger Kyungsoo, because he could literally be the Satan you'd hate to meet) can tame him.

 

"What's wrong with drinking? I mean, we're already in legal age, and besides, we've done this before right? In the dinner party remember?"

 

"But, Dara-noona---"

 

"Noona, are you fine with beer?" Luhan effortlessly asked, smiling at the said lady.

 

Dara was surprised but nonetheless smiled back. "I-I don't mind at all!" She chirped cheerfully. Of course she did not want to be the joy killer.

 

Baekhyun and Minseok then cheered upon hearing that. They've been through a lot of stress lately and they just want some sort of release.

 

"But noona, are you sure?" Joonmyeon asked, eyes full of concern.

 

Dara gave him an assured smile before nodding. "It's really fine. Don't worry, I don't have work tomorrow."

 

"But I'm not sure with the maknaes---," Chanyeol suddenly interrupted, hoping to change the turn of events. He honestly thought it would be a bit troublesome, considering how the other members drink. They drink until they get drunk. And it would be really troublesome. And yes, he's more worried for Dara.

 

"Excuse me, Chanyeol-hyung. Don't underestimate us," Sehun retorted with an eyebrow raised.

 

"Luhan-hyung's right. We've done this before. And do we need to keep reminding you guys that we're already legal?" Jongin added, a bit annoyed at the elders. Tao just nodded confidently, side-eyeing Dara to see if she's impressed by them.

 

Dara just chuckled at the maknaes. "They're so cute!" she thought.

 

"So I guess it's all set!" Luhan chimed happily as he motioned one of the waitresses to bring out the birthday cake for the celebrant.

 

As soon as the cake was set and all lighted, they all began to sing the birthday song to their beloved M leader, who couldn't help but smile at their thoughtfulness.

 

 

 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS!!!"

 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS-HYUNG!!!"

 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS-GE!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"S-Shut up!" Minseok screamed as he kicked Jongdae weakly, before both broke into a boisterous laughter. Tao was already talking to some random vase, nodding and laughing as if the vase was answering him. Sehun and Jongin were fooling around and then danced from time to time. Kyungsoo rested his head on the table, mumbling incoherent words nonstop. Yixing, Joonmyeon and Baekhyun were the first ones to pass out. Chanyeol, on the other hand, tried to keep himself awake, but failed miserably, slamming his head on the table, completely knocked down.

 

It all became like this after a few hours of chatting and drinking. They all had a great time until they got all drunk from the beers they consumed. Some of them did things they don't usually do, blame it on the alcohol.

 

Luhan was still sober though, watching the others making a fool of themselves, laughing from time to time. He was enjoying himself, but he must also control himself. He intentionally decided not to get drunk. He still had to carry out his plan after all.

 

Dara hiccuped softly, earning the attention of the sober deer. She slowly stood up, stumbled a little bit before steadying herself. Seeing that, Luhan rushed to her aid and helped her balance herself.

 

"Noona, are you okay?" He asked with concern. He silently prayed that she wasn't that drunk yet, that she's still aware of everything.

 

"Yes, I'm okay, Luhan-ssi," Dara smiled, letting go of him when she's already steady. "Just a little tipsy," she chuckled cutely at the male. True enough, Dara wasn't that drunk. She's still able to control herself, and was conscious of her surroundings.

 

Luhan mentally sighed in relief. Good thing, she's still a bit sober. Everything was still going his way.

 

"I need to go to the washroom, I'll be right back," she said as she slowly made her way to the comfort room.

 

When she was out of sight, Luhan immediately rushed to the drunk Kris, who was already lying on the floor, but was still half-conscious.

 

"Kris! Kris!" Luhan knelt beside the man and shook him vigorously by the arm. "Kris! Come on, man, get up!" He called nonstop, this time, patting Kris's cheek a little bit hardly.

 

Kris groaned upon the contact and he stirred a bit, eyebrows wrinkled before groggiliy answering back. "W-What's the matter, Lu...?"

 

Luhan tsk-ed, rolling his eyes in the process. With a strong force, he gripped the younger's arm and yanked him up without hesitation.

 

"H-Hey, what's wrong with you?" Kris protested weakly, groaning as he tried to sit straight up, withdrawing his arm from Luhan's grasp.

 

"Listen here, mister," the shorter boy started, holding both shoulders of the taller male, making the latter face him. "You better confess to her right now."

 

Kris was taken aback by the sudden suggestion. Confess to her? Right now? "Wait, what?"

 

Luhan put his arms down and leaned closer to the other male. "It's now or never."

 

"N-No way, man!" Kris strongly disagreed, shoving the elder away.

 

"If you don't, you'll regret it."

 

"I won't. Cut it out, Luhan."

 

Luhan then smirked. "So, you're not going to confess?"

 

Kris nodded.

 

"And you're not gonna regret this?"

 

Kris nodded again.

 

"You sure?"

 

"Yes, Luhan."

 

Luhan sighed. "Okay then. If you say so," he breathed defeatedly. He squirmed in his seat, shifting to a more comfortable position. "Then I don't have to worry hurting your feelings. Because just so you know, Chanyeol just approached Dara-noona a little while ago and I assume he's already confessing his feelings to her by now."

 

And that was enough to somehow sober up (in the tiniest bit) the M leader. "What?" He asked, trying to confirm if he heard the elder right.

 

"Yup."

 

Silence.

 

"Ugh, well, probably Chanyeol is still gathering his courage to face noona now. I mean, you might still have a chance, if you manage to do it first before the other does."

 

And with that, Kris looked at him in the eye.

 

"She's in the washroom, if you wanna know."

 

Kris hesitated at first, but he thought Luhan might be right. He tried to get up from his seat but failed miserably. He drank quite a lot of beer after all. Luhan hissed before helping him up. Kris stumbled a little bit. His vision was shaky, and a bit hazy. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the feeling, but that did not help.

 

Luhan helped the younger male steady up. Then he pointed the way to the washroom. Kris nodded and told Luhan that he could go by himself. He stumbled his way to the washroom, bumping into several things. Good thing he did not break any vase or ceramic, or else it sure would cost them a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kris almost fell flat on the floor when his vision just shook. Luckily, he was able to lean on the wall by his arm to support himself. Damn, he swore he'll avoid beers from now on. He closed his eyes for a while, before he shot them open again and continued to walk towards the washroom, still holding onto the wall to support himself. Finally, after his struggles, he reached his destination. Not that he entered the washroom, he just stayed outside, leaning against the wall, waiting for Dara to come out. He groaned a bit, as he hung his head low. The effect of the alcohol was definitely on its peak now. He became very sleepy, and his vision was becoming very shaky, and his mind was more hazy. His knees suddenly wobbled, causing him to lose his balance. Good thing he managed to regain his balance before he falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little while later, Kris, who almost dozed off standing, heard a creak from the washroom door. He forced his eyes open and cringed when all he saw was a blur. He shook his head once again, attempting to clear out his vision, yet it failed. But then again, it's a now or never situation - or so Kris thought - he had to do it right there and then. He was determined. And so he shot his head up, squinting his eyes and there he saw a silhouette of a woman, coming his way. He pushed himself off the wall, stumbled a little bit before he managed to stand up on his own. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down even though it's entirely impossible. He mustered up his remaining courage, took another deep breath before slowly approaching the lovely lady.

 

Kris went closer and closer, making her step back until her back hit the wall. Kris stopped when he felt his vision shake again. He almost lost his balance, fortunately he was able to steady himself by leaning against the wall behind the beauty. Thus, it looked like he's trapping her against the wall. Kris then looked up and stared at her in the eyes. His eyes were drooping, any minute from now he'd slip into unconsciousness. So, he wasted no time and immediately blurted out the magic words.

 

"W-What ar---?"

 

"Noona, I like you...very much."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it was just right on time when Dara came out of the washroom. She stopped on her tracks when she saw Kris with the restaurant's waitress - against the wall. Her eyes widened. Her lips slightly parted. Her chest tightened, and tears started to well up her eyes, especially when she heard Kris say those words she was longing to hear from him.

 

 

 

"Noona, I like you...very much."

 

 

 

Too bad, those words weren't meant for her. They were meant for somebody else. And it just crushed Dara's heart into a million pieces.

 

 

----- End of Chapter -----

 

< Author's Note > ....K bye /runs and hides/