For a moment, I stared at his face.... he quickly looked away but still his hand’s waiting for mine… I feel like I want to cry but then I remembered Seunghyun… Maybe Jiyong really wanted to forget everything that happened between us…. I sighed and forced myself to smile... and slowly I reached for his hand….



“I’m Park Sandara… Dara for short…” our eyes locked when we touched each others hand…. for three years… I’ve been wanting to hold his had again… his warmth that keeps me feel secured… I didn’t expect that after those three years, I could hold his hand again not as lovers but strangers…



I don’t know how long we shook hands… as my heart began to pound hard again…. This is torture… no matter I want to suppress myself… in the end I couldn’t control my feelings… does he also feel what I am feeling right now…? While I’m drown with my thoughts… I felt him releasing his hold then turned around to face Seunghyun…



A smile crept on my face not because of happiness but because I feel like a fool… it’s so silly of me to think that he has still feelings left for me… Silly that I’m still keeping my hopes high… it was just a hand shake and nothing more…



“Seunghyun-ah… maybe now I could go back to my work…” I heard him say… then Seunhyun began to chuckle…



“Yah Jiyong… why so cold…” he said... but before Jiyong could answer… Mr. Lee came inside.



“Good morning… sorry for the intrusion… sir everything is now ready for your meeting… you’re the only one needed there…” Mr. Lee said…



“Thanks Mr. Lee… Dara, Jiyong… I’m sorry but I have to go now… Ji could you please take care of Dara for me… I mean please teach her about how things work in here until Mr. Lee comes back…” he said to Jiyong… I looked at him but he didn’t say anything or even nodded…



“Dara… spend time with Ji first… he’s really nice… I’ll be back later…” he said as he smiled.



“Yes… good luck on your meeting Seunghyun-ah…” I said as I smiled back… Mr. Lee and Seunghyun left the room until it’s only Jiyong and I who are left… Since I came back all I feel is awkwardness whenever I’m with him…. And maybe there won’t be a time that I’ll feel comfortable again with him.



“Let’s talk…” he suddenly said… he started to approach the door then opened it… I just stayed stood still watching him then I realized he’s hinting me to go out….

I followed him until we reach the elevator… he pushed the button and I don’t know where he wants us to talk… silence still filled the atmosphere… maybe he wants to ask why the hell I am here at this building and maybe he wants me to quit this job…



We reached some floor until I realized that we’re heading to the rooftop of the building… I suddenly got scared… is he going to throw me off this building…? Is that how much he hated me now…? We reached the rooftop, me still behind him… then he stopped and faced me… I couldn’t understand his expression which scared me more….



“Jiyong… I didn’t know that you’re working in here… If I knew in the first place, I wouldn’t have forced Seunghyun to let me work here… I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to complicate things… I just wanted to move on just like we both wanted… but I never thought this would happen… I’m really sorry…” I blurted out everything as I bowed my head…



“Why were you in the hospital after the last time I saw you…?” he suddenly asked… I got confused… did he even listen to what I said a while ago… I looked up and saw his serious face.



“Wha… How did you know…?” I asked… then I saw him raised his eyebrow



“Seunghyun told me… Why were you in the hospital…?” is it just me or I feel like he’s worrying about me…? But why…?



“It was just all because of stress… nothing to worry about…” I said as I looked away because I feel myself becoming silly again for thinking that he’s worrying about me…



“And you still insist to work here…? This job might stress you more…” I heard him said silently



“I just want to repay Seunghyun for all the kindness he has shown me… plus I don’t have anything to do…” I said as I started playing with my fingers…I could still feel him staring at me then I heard him sigh which made me to look at him..



“You’re still so stubborn...” then he smiled…. I felt like time stopped… it’s my first time to see him smile again… just by his simple smile, I could feel my heart melting…



“Jiyong…” but before I could say more he interrupted me.



“Dara… don’t get me wrong but I think it’s better for us to treat each other as strangers… I want us to start anew… I don’t want to carry anything heavy inside me… I’m sorry if I was too harsh on you the last night we saw each other…”



‘Strangers…’ that’s the only word I understood after he said those things… he has really moved on… lucky for him… but I couldn’t blame him for that… it’s painful for me and maybe this is the punishment for my selfishness…



“It’s okay… I understand…” is the only thing I could say… Jiyong… I’ll do everything just to pay for my sins… just to make you happy…



[Jiyong’s POV]



This isn’t right… I can’t be feeling this way again towards her… I already moved on and everything for me is already at its right place… touching just her hand brought tingles down my spine… I felt my heart twitched a bit… and felt like I don’t want to let go of it… I don’t know but her warmth is different… but then I remembered Seunghyun…



He loves her… he loves Dara… I felt my heart became numb… my friend loves the girl who I used to love with all my life… I need to be happy and I don’t want to stir up things for him… does Dara already know about his feelings…? Did he already confess to her…? But Seunghyun still didn’t say anything… But… what do I care… she’s not mine anymore…



After Seunghyun and his secretary left… It was awkward between us… but then I know we need to talk things out… I told her to come with me until we reached the rooftop… I wanted to explain what happened earlier… but then she began talking and apologizing…




Then I noticed her looking so pale… I remembered her being in the hospital… what happened to her…? Is she sick…? I suddenly felt guilty for treating her bad that night… was it because of that…?



I asked her but she just said it’s because of stress… Since when she started stressing herself…? Is it because of me…? I tried to shrug off what I am thinking for I don’t want to get attach to her again… I told her that working could make her more stressed but then she still insisted to work… she’s still like back then… always so stubborn… but then… it’s not the time for me to reminisce what’s in the past… I wanted to talk to her because I want to clear up things...



I gathered all my strength just to tell her that we should act like strangers now… For everyone’s sake… ‘Strangers…’ yes… everything between us ended to be like this… The best way to heal my wounded heart is to clear everything in the past and start a new one…



I know I’ being selfish but it’s the only way we could both move on… I looked at her and her face became expressionless… And when she said she understood everything… I can’t help but to feel a little disappointed… she accepted it without any hesitations…



‘For everyone’s happiness…’

--



After the conversation, I tried to feel as comfortable as I can be… I taught her some things about the company… she just stayed quiet, listening to me…. I ignored it and continued accompanying her until Mr. Lee and Seunghyun came back from the meeting…


When Seunghyun approached her, I saw her smiled and her silence immediately broke when he started to ask her about what happened when they’re gone… if I treat her nice… every of her answer will be followed by a smile… those smiles that I haven’t seen for three years… now she’s all giving it to my friend… my chest started cringing just by the looks of them… anyone who could see them would thought that they’re a couple…




I just stood there watching them trying to swallow every feeling that is trying to escape and must not be felt again…



‘I can’t love you again… I’m sorry…’