• DARA POV•

 

"I'm going out!" I call as I saunter to the front door.

 

Aunt appears in the kitchen's entrance, a frown on her face. "You're not going out again. We already worried enough."

 

I pout. "C'mon, Aunt ! I already made plans. Besides, I'll be totally safe."

 

Aunt heaves a sigh. "Fine. Keep your phone on you." She pauses. "Don't do anything stupid."

 

I roll my eyes. "I'm not three years old anymore." I hear a car beep outside. I grin. "See ya late, Aunt ." I wave goodbye and exit the house. Chaerin's limo is parked up front, the front window rolled down to reveal Jeff.

 

"Nice to see you again, Miss Park." He greets me. "Where too?"

 

I walk over and whisper my destination into his ear. He nods with a smile and begins to get out of the limo.

 

"It's ok," I tell him. "I'm not royalty." I give him a smile as he setttles back into his seat. I pry open the back door myself and slide inside. chaerin's there, her head propped against the cold, tinted window. sHe doesn't look over at me or say anything. sHe simply stares out into nothing.

 

"What's wrong?" I ask her, breaking the silence.

 

"I'm fine." sHe mutters, still not bothering to look at me.

 

I frown. "You can trust me."

 

"I said I'm fine. Stay out of my business." sHe snaps.

 

I purse my lips and shrink down in my seat. Something's obviously wrong with her. I was curious but I decided to let it go for now. Maybe she needed a little space.

 

I glanced around the large, silent limo. Any movement I made caused the seat to squeak beneath me. I noticed a mini fridge in the corner. A guitar stood beside it, leaning on it's edge. I carefully slide over and grasp the guitar's neck between my fingers. It's cold as if it hasn't been touched in a while. bom unnie plays guitar so I know a little bit from what she's told me. I position the guitar ontop of me, resembling bom unnie. I form a G chord with my fingers and strum softly, the sound echoing throughout the limo. I smile to myself and strum again. I keep strumming, the sound somehow peaceful. I move my fingers around, not knowing anymore chords. It still sounded decent. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound I was creating. It vibrated through me, soaking into my skin.

 

Suddenly the limo came to a rough stop and I lost hold of the guitar. It tumbled forward and onto the limo's floor.

 

Someone chuckles.

 

I look over at chaerin. sHe's staring at me, a smirk on her lips.

 

"You sounded pretty good...until now, at least." sHe chuckles again.

 

I throw her a playful scowl. "Shut up." sHe slides over to me and picks the guitar off the floor. "Besides, you weren't even hitting the right chords."

 

sHe positions the guitar and forms an unfamiliar chord with his fingers. "You've got to become the music." sHe strums the chord. It was probably the most beautiful sound I ever heard. sHe keeps on strumming and I feel myself falling into the music.

 

"... One two three neon nareul tteonatjiman Eodingaeseo neoui sumsoriga deullyeowa ..." sHe's singing come back home (acoustic ver). her voice startles me but I close my eyes and let it soak in. It's even more beautiful than the sound of her strumming. It's unique. It's soft and even gentle.

 

" Come back home Can you come back home eh~ Chagaun sesang kkeute nal beoriji malgo nae gyeoteuro

 

Come back home Can you come back home eh~ Modeun apeumeun dwiro hae yeojeonhi neol gidaryeo ireoke Now you gotta do what you gotta do"

 

sHe stops singing but keeps strumming. I open my eyes and look at her. sHe's staring back, her brown eyes boring into mine.

 

All the sudden, she clears and stops strumming, letting the guitar fall back onto the ground.

 

"Are we there yet?" sHe asks me.

 

I sigh and lean back on the seat. "I don't know." chaerin shifts, the seat squeaking underneath her. "Can you sing?"

 

I smirk. "No."

 

"I don't believe you." sHe snickers. "Can I get a preview?"

 

"Over my dead body." I stick my tongue out at her. "My singing kills birds."

 

chaerin stiffles a laugh. "So you're denying me the right to hear you sing?"

 

"That's exactly what I'm doing." sHe flicks her hair out of her eyes. "Do you sing at all?"

 

"Does the shower count?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then yes. I do sing."

 

sHe stares at me, amused. I can't help but look back at her and soon we find ourselves falling over with laughter. her laugh is contagious. It's like its own kind of my music. I can listen to her laugh all day and not get bored. Besides, this is the first time I've ever witnessed her laugh.

 

"Miss Park, Miss Lee." Jeff rolls down the privacy window. "We have arrived."

 

"Thanks, Jeff." I flash him a megawatt smile and pry open the door. "Ladies first." I joke, motioning for chaerin to go ahead out.

 

"Then why are you still inside?" sHe chuckles and gently pushes me out. I stumble forward and she catches my waist, keeping my balance.

 

"Watch it, lady." sHe says with a smile. I roll my eyes. "C'mon. I wanna show you something." I grab her hand and pull her with me. We walk through a small, pebble pathway and find ourselves face-to-face with the beautiful, blue sea. The waves gracefully crash onto the shore, the sound breathtaking. Seagulls fly by, some floating on the salty waters.

 

"Where are we?" chaerin asks me. "A beach." I tell her

 

"Oh yes. I has no idea." sHe says sarcastically. I frown and gently shove her. "Shut up! I don't know what beach this is. My mom used to bring me here. She said it was her secret hideout. No one's ever here. It's pretty private and isolated from the rest of the world."

 

chaerin doesn't say anything. sHe walks closer to the shore and flops down on the soft sand. I go and take a seat beside her. I kick off my adidas shoes and socks and just let my toes sink into the sand. I haven't been here in ages. The last time I was here...my mother was with me. I feel a tear slip down my face. This place brought back so many memories.

 

I can feel chaerin looking at me. I glance over at her, wiping my escaped tears with the back of my hand.

 

"You ok?" sHe asks me. "I'm fine." I say sourly, mimicking her earlier response to the similar question sHe realizes that. "Sorry about eariler." sHe mutters. "I was...out of it."

 

I give her an apologetic look. "It's ok."

 

sHe smiles. "Thanks."

 

I take a pile of sand and let it slip through my fingers. "I'll tell you my story," I tell her. "If you tell me yours."

 

sHe purses her lips and looks away. "I don't have a story."

 

"You're lying." I frown. "You do have a story. I want to know why you changed so drastically. Why did you go from seoul sweetheart to seoul's player in a matter of months?"

 

sHe runs her pointer finger through the sand creating an endless design of squiggles. "I don't know."

 

"But you do!" I blurt and then sigh. I look up. The sun's beginning to set over the horizon. The sky's a canvass of orange, red, yellow, pink, and even purple.

 

"My mother's dead." I murmer. Tears begin to escape again, rolling down my face.

 

"I'm sorry." chaerin whispers.

 

I clench my fists. "It was a Friday morning. She was driving me to school. We got into some big arguement. I don't even remember what it was about anymore." My voice cracks. "A couple hours later, I was called out of my classroom. The principal wanted to talk to me. I thought I was in trouble. Then she said...she said my mom had gotten into a car accident." I let out a sob and bury my face in my hands. I can feel chaerin's bodyheat beside me. sHe's quiet, motionless. After a while, I lift my face out of my hands.

 

"There were no other cars on the road she was on. She kinda...swerved. The car flipped and caught on fire. She was already dead when the paramedics arrived."

 

"I'm sorry." chaerin whispers again. "I really am." I rest my head on her shoulder, the tears rushing down my face. "It was all a little over a year ago. Yet it seems like just yesterday."

 

"Good thing you weren't with her." chaerin murmers.

 

"Don't say that." sHe mutters.

 

I wipe away the rest of the tears, pushing the memory and emotion aside. It's been ages since I talked about this. My mother and I were so close...

 

"It's your turn." I tell her. "What's your story?" sHe simply stands up and brushes the sand off her pants. "How cold do you think that water is?"

 

I frown. "I don't know. Don't change the sub-" I'm cut short. chaerin pulls her shirt over her head, exposing her y body. sHe throws it aside and looks out into the ocean. I can't help but notice how defined her muscles are. I can imagine myself running my fingers over the small curves of her abdomines and... I shake my head. What am I thinking? chaerin interrupts my thoughts by breaking into a run and falling into the shallow waters.

 

"It's not cold at all!" sHe calls. "C'mon on in!" I chew on my lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

 

"Why not?" sHe steps out of the water and shakes her hair, salt water spraying everywhere. "Don't be a chicken."

 

"I'm not a chick-" Suddenly she jogs over and throws me over her shoulder.

 

I scream and pound on her back. "Let me down! Let me down you jerk!" I squeal.

 

sHe laughs and heads into the water. "Nope!"

 

"Chaerin!" I plead. "Please don't! I beg of you-" sHe drops me into the water. Salt water makes it's way into my throat and surface, choking and sputtering water.

 

chaerin seems to be enjoying the show. sHe's laughing, water coming out if her nostrils.

 

"Did you see your face?" sHe laughs. "If was hilarious!"

 

"This isn't funny!" I choke and start to drag myself out of the water. My t-shirt sticks to my skin and I'm worried she's able to see my sport's bra. I cross my arms over my chest.

 

"Admit it, dara." sHe chuckles. "I'm funny." I shoot him a glare. "Funny looking."

 

sHe playfully splashes me with water and follows me out. "That was fun." sHe says.

 

"You lied." I shiver, my teeth chattering. "T-the water w-was c-c-cold." sHe walks over to where his t-shirt laid in the sand and grabbed it, throwing it to me. "Keep it."

 

"Oh yes!" I joke. "This would totally sell on E- Bay!"

 

sHe smirks. "Knock yourself out."

 

"I'm kidding." I stick out my tongue. "And thanks." I slip her t-shirt over my head and we head back to where the limo was parked.

 

Jeff was leaning against it, chatting into his cellphone. He hangs up when he sees us, his eyebrow raised.

 

"Don't dirty the limo." He winks and prys the back door open for us.

 

"Thank you, Jeff." I thank him, sliding into the backseat with chaerin. Water drips from both of us and onto the seats, wetting the leather. chaerin doesn't seem worry.

 

"I forgot to ask you something." I say, remembering. "Why did you leave the talk Show?" sHe flicks her hair causing water to splatter on me. I barely notice since I'm already soaked.

 

"They thought my granddad had a heartattack." sHe sighs. "But he had only fainted. They say it was nothing but I'm still worried."

 

I give her a sympathetic smile. "Things are gonna be ok."

 

"I hope so."

 

The rest of the ride was silent. sHe barely spoke. We seemed to be lost in our own thoughts. I'd just proven that chaerin was different after all. sHe was capable of change. sHe's a good girl. I failed to find out why she had changed so drastically. But maybe I would wait, let her trust me more. Let her open herself to me like I had done with her. I told her my most personal memory. My most personal experience. My loss. I saw actual sympathy in her eyes. It was somehow soothing.

 

"Miss Park, you are home!" Jeff calls from the front seat. chaerin instantly prys open the door and motions me out.

 

"Bye, dara." sHe smiles. I step out of the limo. "See ya, chae."

 

As I begin to walk up my driveway, her voice stops me. "Wait, dara!"

 

I turn around. "Yeah?"

 

"You're a great friend." sHe grins. I smile. "You too." With that, she shuts the limo door and Jeff drives off. I saunter blissfully up to my porch. This was exactly what I was going for. For her to see me as a friend. Maybe a best friend. Someone she can lean onto. Someone she could trust. My misson to save Ms.Lee Chaerin has only just begun. I no longer regretted helping her at that club. Maybe I was meant to meet her. Maybe I was supposed to be her gardian angel or something. I shrug and walk into the house, all thoughts disappearing when I smell Aunt famous homemade pizza.