[Jiyong’s POV]



“Oppa…”


Sohee tapped my shoulder which brought me back to my senses… I looked back at her and I could see the anxiousness in her face… of course she’s worried too since she’s her best friend.

She then held onto my hand and gripped on it tightly… looking at her makes me feel guilty somehow… how could I think about other woman when I already have her…? I know that Dara’s condition is not the only thing that bothers her but I know she's also bothered about me.

I smiled at her making her assured that I’m fine… that we’re fine…and with that I held her hand tight.

“Let’s go…”

I told her softly… I saw her smiled which made me feel better… hand in hand we went inside the beach house…




I want to see her… I want to check if she’s okay… but I can’t… I must not… The others are already there for her… especially Seunghyun… but still… it bothers me so much not to see her okay.




The others are already in the living room after they brought Dara in the room… they said that maybe she fainted because of the heat… Seunghyun’s not in sight and I’m sure that he’s with her, taking care of her… I should feel at ease right now but no matter what I do… I can’t.




In the end decided to just check on her… just a glimpse to see if she’s already okay would be fine for me… I told everyone that I’m going to check on her… well all of them maybe knew why I told that… but they understand… I saw Sohee looked at me once again with a hint of worry in her face.




I leaned towards her and planted a kiss on her forehead… caressing her face with my other hand… she seems that she doesn't want to let me go because of her tight hold with my other hand… but she doesn’t need to worry about me…




“I’ll be right back…”




And with that I pinched her cheek a little… she smiled and finally let go of my hand… I went upstairs and still she’s still looking at me… I smiled to her one last time before heading to the room.




I slowly opened the room for me to be able to peek inside… there I saw Seunghyun seated beside her bed… his back facing me but I was still able to see him holding her hand… she still looks pale and unconscious… then, I saw him kissed the hand he’s holding…




I gulped the lump in my throat… my chest started to tighten again… it’s unbearable… too painful to watch… I turned around and leaned on the wall… I clutched on my chest as I closed my eyes suppressing myself to feel this way.




She’s not my girl anymore… she’s not mine anymore… she already has someone to take care of her but still everything is too painful to accept… I was the one who first let go and it seems that I’m the one who’s hurting first.




I sighed deeply… I still want to check on her… I grabbed my strength back and opened my eyes… I opened the door once again… setting my mind to just ignore everything… Seunghyun noticed my presence and looked back.




“Oh… Ji… she’s still not awake… sorry to bother everyone…”




He said as he looked back again to her… but no matter how much I ignore… I just can’t… I want to turn back and retreat but my body doesn't want to obey what my mind's telling me to do... he then caressed her smooth cheeks with his other hand… I felt a stab in my heart seeing him touching once who’s mine…. I went closer to them and grab a seat beside her.




“It’s okay… It’s her second time fainting now right… I wonder what’s wrong with her…” I said




It’s true… I’m really wondering why all of a sudden she fainted… she was a really strong girl back then… always loves adventures… and now thinking that she fainted just because of the heat makes me wonder… she loves spending time in the beach under the sun.




“I don’t know… I’m sure she already took her medicines… she was okay when we left… then now she turned like this… I’m really getting worried about her…”




Seunghyun told me looking really worried… medicine…? For what…? Since when she’s taking medicines…? She doesn’t even take vitamins before no matter how many times I ask her to…




“For what…?” I asked




“Huh…?” he turned to me




“I mean… you said she takes medicines… for what…?”




But before he could answer me… Dara suddenly stirred from her sleep…




“Mmmm…”




She mumbled… we both looked at her and saw her slowly opening her eyes… Seunghyun immediately stood up still holding her hand… I felt my self relieved but still unable to move… I just found myself watching them.




She finally woke up… Seunghyun sat at the bed and cooed her as if he’s talking to a child… they really both look as real lovers… which added more to my pain... he supported her as she wanted to sit up… she still looks pale but not as pale as earlier.




“Dara-ah… you worried me… are you okay now…? Do you need something…? You already took your medicines right…?




Seunghyun began to ask her… she then turn to my side and somehow I saw her eyes widen… she grabbed Seunghyun’s arm which caused him to stop from talking… I could feel something’s wrong… and that she didn’t want me to know about it… I’m also curious to what medicines Seunghyun’s talking about… I continued to watch them observing her every move.




“Yes… Seunghyun-ah… I’m fine now… it was just so hot earlier…”




She said to him… she’s lying once again…I know it... she looked at me and I could feel her uneasiness… she’s really not a good liar… and she’s really hiding something…




“Oh… Good… then do you need something…?”




Seunghyun asked her again… I saw her smiled before answering.




“Water… just water…”




She said… Seunghyun was about to stand up but suddenly she stopped him… she held on his arm which made Seunghyun and I surprised by her sudden action.




“No… don’t leave me…” She said




“But I have to get you water…”




She then looked at me again… Now I get it… she doesn’t want to be left alone with me… she’s definitely hiding something and maybe she thinks I will ask her once we’re finally alone.




“Please… just stay…"




She said weakly... Seunghyun immediately sat beside her... and reached for her face… I could feel my fist balled from a little anger I'm feeling… how could she so comfortable with him always doing that to her…?




“Why…? Something wrong…? Tell me…?”




I’ve had enough… seeing them like this makes me go insane… Sandara, no matter how you avoid me… I’ll make sure to make you spill that secret out…




“I’ll go get the water… I’ll also tell them that you already woke up… just stay here Seunghyun and take care of her… Dara it's good that you’re awake now… you made us all worried…”




I stood up and was about to go out when she suddenly called me.




“Ji…”




She called me with that name again… I looked back and saw the sadness in her eyes… I thought she wants me to go away… then what’s with the sudden sadness…?




“I’m sorry to make you worry…”




She said… I don’t know but I felt the urge to run towards her… throw myself and hug her tight… tell her that she really freaking made me worried… that I almost die when I saw her lifeless… but no… I have to get a grip on myself and know where I stand…




I just forced myself to smile and nod to her before going out…. I sighed once I got out… finally I escaped another torture.




[Dara’s POV]




Did he already know…? Did Seunghyun told them already…? Why of all place should I faint here…? Why this time…? I felt more scared for being alone with Jiyong… I’m afraid that he already knows and asks me about it.




“Seunghyun-ah… did you… by any chance… told them about something…?”




I asked Seunghyun as soon as Jiyong went out.




“About what…?”




“Uhmmm… about my medicines… about my illness…”




I saw him got surprised by my question




“What do you mean…? You mean, they don’t know about it…?”




I didn’t know that this will end up like this… I should’ve not told him about it in the first place…




“Uh… It’s just that… I don’t want them to be worried about me… plus I’m already cured so they don’t have the need to know about it… please… just don’t tell them… for me…”




I saw him creased his forehead… for a while silence filled the room… then I heard him sighed… and slowly nodded…. I smile crept on my lips… I reached for his hand which made him startled.




“Thanks…” I told him




After a while our friends came but Jiyong never came back… maybe it’s a good thing since I couldn’t help but to feel awkward again whenever he’s around… especially when he’s with Sohee.




I admit that it’s really painful to see them together… the way they hold each others hands… the way they smiled to each other… I feel really envious… it feels like my heart is being squeezed tight… but I should know where I must stand now…




I am his past… and she’s his present… and maybe… no matter how painful it is to think… maybe she would also be his future… all I could do now is to wish them happiness… watch them from afar and to completely move on with my life.




---




Night came… Dara already gained her strength back… they all had their dinner and it’s obvious that she’s really avoiding Jiyong which makes him more suspicious and irritated… Their friends well except for Youngbae and Bom doesn’t know the tension building up between them.




She would always make a way out whenever they got a chance to be alone… He couldn’t steal a chance for him to confront her… because she’s always with Seunghyun and Sohee would always look for him whenever he’s not at her side.




The night grew deeper and they all need to sleep… the girls shared a room different from the guys… it’s already late but no matter what Dara do… she can’t make herself to sleep.




She grabbed her toy and decided to go out and maybe the night’s breeze would make her feel comfortable so that she could finally go to sleep… she slowly went outside… careful not to wake the others… then she remembered something.




She and Jiyong used to sneak out back then during the nights of their outings… they would both go outside at the beach and watch the stars while being wrapped in each others arms… maybe that’s why she couldn’t sleep… maybe she got used to its feeling…




She arrived outside…stood at the veranda hugging her toy… feeling the cold night’s breeze as it touched her bare shoulder… she’s wearing a sleeveless flowing dress that danced with the wind as it blew once again… and once it enveloped her… she then shivered making her hug her toy tighter…




Then suddenly… the coldness she felt got replaced… when out of nowhere someone wrapped its arms around her from behind… she stiffened… startled by the familiar warmth she felt… her heart immediately raced… so fast that she got scared it would escaped from her heart… she slowly turned her head to the side hoping that it’s not the man she’s thinking about but to her surprise… she’s right.




“Ji…?” she called




He stayed behind her… wrapping his arms tighter… squeezing her tiny fragile body... it’s as if he’s afraid that she would escape him again… he didn’t said anything but just stayed like that…




They both didn’t know that a pair of eyes was watching them… totally surprised with what he saw… he felt his heart sank when he saw the girl he loves wrapped in another man's arms... to his friend's arms... he was about to step out and call them…ask them what it is all about but he was stopped when someone suddenly grabbed his arm.




“Seunghyun-sshi…”




He glanced back and it was Sohee