I couldn't barely see when I woke up the following morning, blinded by pain in my head and utter confusion. I stumbled into my living room, wearing nothing but lingerie, wanting nothing but coffee in that instant, until I figured everything else out.

That's when I realized I wasn't alone. I screamed and immediately grabbed the curtain on the wall to cover myself.

"Top!" I yelled, obviously caught by surprise.

"Dara," he said, calmly. "Relax. If you haven't noticed, I don't like you."

"But you're a Guy," I said, awkwardly letting go of the curtain. He rolled his eyes, putting his attention back on my television.

"Why are you here so early?" I asked, throwing on a big t-shirt from my laundry pile.

"It's 1:30 in the afternoon," he said.

"What?" I asked incredulously. I never slept past eight, at the latest.

"And I've been here all night."

"What?" I asked again.

"Why?" "I wasn't going to leave you alone like that."

"Like what?" "Um, let me ask you something. Do the words "New Dara" mean anything to you?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, sitting across from him on a chair.

"Okay, last night. We went to dinner and met Tae's new girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh, God," I said, piecing the story together in my mind.

"Yeah, well let's just say the pressure was a little too much for you."

"I remember I drank," I said, "but I don't remember getting drunk."

"Well, I think it was something Tae will remember for quite some time."

"Oh my God, I have to call her and apologize," I said, rushing for the phone, but he pulled it out of my hands.

" No," he said. "Oh no. No way."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because she probably won't be ready to talk to you until sometime next week," he said. "She's livid."

"Oh my God, I am horrible," I said, putting my face in my hands.

"No you're not," he said. "It's my fault, too. And jiyoung's, and Tae's. We all got you into something you weren't ready for."

"I'm such a ," I continued in my self deprecation. "Tae met my girlfriend no problem. Why can't I be okay with...with...what's her name?"

"Boa" he filled in.

"Ugh," I said, some of my memory returning.

"Boa." He smiled, amused for some odd reason.

"There was nothing wrong with Boa," he said.

"Oh, please. Ooh, I'm Boa, with my perfect teeth and my English degree, and my fancy French wine, and my fancy French accent when I say 'Cabernet Sauvignon,'" I imitated, being completely petty and immature. He laughed. "So you do remember last night," he said.

"Only the important stuff," I said. After a while, he leaned back and put his feet up as he said, "You know, in retrospect, you were kind of hilarious."

"What did I do?"

"You called her 'Dara 2.0,' " he said, smiling. I had to laugh at myself.

"I'm such a ."

"Yup," he said.

"Not denying that one." I shook my head.

"Not expecting you to. So did I just walk out, then?"

"Well, you know, 'walk out' is one way to put it...The other could be I escorted you out while Boa was in the bathroom, then picked you up and put you in my car to drive you home."

"Oh my God," I said. "I am mortified." He laughed.

"Now you know how Tae felt."

"Stop it!" I said. "Don't make me feel worse about it."

"Hey, now we'll call it even for that time she made you go to that lawyer party the night before you started your new job. You ed about that one for weeks."

"You're right," I noted. "This couldn't be as bad as that."

"Well..."

"Okay, Top. You've made your point." He smiled. "Lay down," he said. "I'll make you a coffee."

"Thanks," I said, allowing him to take care of me because of the pain in my head.

"How do you take it?" "Cream and Advil," I said. "And Valium."

"Ha-ha," he said, unamused.

"I hope you'll settle for the nonfat you keep in your fridge and whatever painkillers you have in your medicine cabinet."

"I might have some Prozac in there somewhere."

"Should I be concerned?"

"No," I said. "I just haven't cleaned it out since I was dating Tae."

"There aren't enough anti-depressants in the world that could make me date Tae" he said.

"Well, don't worry about that one. There isn't enough ual frustration in the world that could make Tae date you ."

"And I repeat, ha-ha."

Top left once I'd assured him that I was fine. He'd spent the night on my couch, and I couldn't tell him how nice that was. But I imagined he hadn't gotten very much sleep, and I really just wanted him to go and rest. And besides, against his wishes, I'd made up my mind to call Tae I had to. I felt horrible. And she needed to know how sorry I was, whether or not she was going to accept that apology. I called her house three times, and each time got the voicemail. I knew she was there, because on Saturdays she worked from home. On the third call I figured she was just ignoring me, so I left a message.

"Tae" I began, not knowing what I would say. "It's ...but, you probably know that already. I know you're mad at me, and I don't blame you. I don't really know where to start apologizing, except maybe that I was really drunk, but you probably know that too, and I...I just don't know, I guess--"

"Dara" she said, picking up. So she'd been listening. "This is painful. Just stop."

"Tae" I said again. "I am so, so sorry."

"I know," she said.

"You know?"

"I know you're sorry, but I don't really know why last night happened like it did."

"I was drunk," I reiterated.

"You don't drink."

"Sure I do," I protested.

"Dara" she said. "I know you. I realize you drink, once in a while, but three glasses of wine in an hour?"

"It was a different circumstance," I argued.

"Why?" she said. "Why did it have to be? We go out all the time. It was you, me, Jiyoung, Top, like always."

"You know why," I said.

"Because of Boa?"

"Of course because of Boa!" I pressed, starting to get upset all over again.

"Are you jealous?" she asked. There was that word again. I hated that word.

"No!" I immediately insisted. "No, I'm not. Jealous. I'm just, I just...I don't know what I am."

"Then why did you act like that?"

"Because," I spit. "I don't know. It's just too soon," I said.

"But you don't want to be with me anymore," she said. "And you're with someone else. So why does it matter to you if I see someone else?"

"It doesn't," I said. "I just wasn't ready to see you with someone else. I just want to live in this world where everything's perfect, and everyone loves me, and no one's ever mad at me, and nothing good ever ends. And I know that, obviously, I can't, but at the same time, being there with her , that just showed me that it