Dara stepped inside the dimly lit restaurant Jiyong had informed her he’s in. It had only taken her less than 45 minutes to get there, given the way she was driving like a maniac, pressing on the pedal as the conversation she had with Donghae runs through her mind. God, what is the matter with her? One simple Hi. Just one simple, freakin’ Hi and she couldn’t even do that. And instead, she ended up  antagonizing him like the total moron she is.

She sighed heavily as his words rang through her ears.

“I didn’t want to see you.”

She closed her eyes shut for a minute willing for her concentration to come back. She almost ran through a red light again earlier thinking too much, almost getting herself into another accident. Well, she might’ve welcomed that if it meant she would have a permanent amnesia. She opened her eyes and scanned the room for Jiyong. She spotted him on one of the stools by the bar, his back to her. She walked towards him. He was so deep in thought he didn’t notice her sitting on the adjacent stool. He was staring into his glass, his finger tapping its mouth.

Dara lifted a finger and poked him hard on the shoulder and he straightened his back with a jolt. His eyes went round when he saw her sitting beside him, her face with a grimace.

“Dara!” He exclaimed.

Dara motioned for the bartender and ordered a drink. Jiyong kept staring at her.

“Yes, I got my memories back,” Dara answered Jiyong’s unspoken question after a couple minutes of him staring at her wordlessly.

Jiyong nodded and sat forward, facing the bar. They were silent as the bartender laid down Dara’s martini in front of her and Dara muttered her thanks. She too stared at her glass, not knowing how to begin. Jiyong is like a stranger that she knew almost all of her life. If that even make any sense.

“What happens now?” Jiyong quietly asked.

Dara glanced at Jiyong then turned her attention back at her glass. “Getting things in place,” she vaguely answered. Then she went on. “I’m going to schedule a press conference on Tuesday. I just want to give you a heads up so you won’t get shocked.”

Jiyong looked at her questioningly and she turned her head to look at Jiyong. “I’m going to tell them the truth.”

Jiyong’s mouth went slightly open at her announcement. He knew what she was talking about. “I’m going to tell them I used you for financial gain.” Dara continued.

It took time for Jiyong to process what she said. “Wh.. what?” He sputtered.

Dara turned her attention on her martini and took a sip. 

“That’s not exactly what the truth is,” Jiyong said then a doubt crossed his face, his eyes narrowing. “Unless… you did use me for financial gain….”

Dara rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You know damn well I didn’t. Let me rephrase it. I’m gonna tell them what they think is the truth.”

Jiyong finally understood what she is trying to say. He shook his head. “No.”

“It’s not your decision to make,” Dara snapped. “Unless you can think of how I can be honest without damaging your reputation and career.”

“Then so be it,” Jiyong said, a look of determination on his face.

 “Save me your chivalry,” Dara said with a grimace. “I’m not asking for your permission. I just thought to let you know because there is no question that your name wouldn’t come up. I want to address what’s gone viral in the news.”

“Why?” Jiyong said after a moment of studying her, a crease appearing on his forehead, confusion on his face. “Why do you want to do that? You haven’t paid any attention to what the media was saying about you before.” Jiyong is referring to the news circulating around when he had visited their house.

Dara glanced at Jiyong. He didn’t know. He didn’t know how much the media had affected her. What they  have written and said about her. Or what it turned her out to be.

“You think I haven’t paid any attention but I did,” Dara said remembering what she always felt at the time when the Jiyong-Dara news had been circulating. “You have no idea how checking on the news, our company’s page, everything, has been a constant routine in my life. It made me miserable, angry. Vindictive. Everything I have done, I did it because I want to get even. To you, to the media, your fans….” Her voice because solemn as stared at her glass, recalling how it had felt like. “When I found you with that girl… everything just… blew up. I have all this hate exploding inside me and it swallowed me whole. I have made a total mess of everything in my life. Of everything around me. Of everyone around me. I became so…  miserable, I wanted to force everybody to take some of it from me. And it’s not just because of you.” Then she added with a small smile, “I have always thought the world revolves around me.” She paused then went on in a quiet voice remembering the feeling. “I forgot the reason why I started SP. I forgot my dream.”

“I did loved you Jiyong,” Dara continued. “It wasn’t right for you to cheat on me… but you were right about being free. I tied you down while I put all my attention into building my company… I guess, I took you for granted….one too many times.” She exhaled a puff of breath. She didn’t realize it was hard admitting where she had gone wrong out loud. But weirdly enough, she suddenly felt better. “I hated you so much at that time I tried to destroy your career. “ She turned to Jiyong and lifted the corners of in a smile. “But you still managed to rise on top. You’re resourceful, I’d give you that.”

“Is that the reason why you wanted to do a press conference? Because that is your way of apologizing?” Jiyong suddenly looked upset. “From the way I had cheated on you, I think we’re even. Just let the media think what they want to. Just… “ He was waving his hand in agitation. “You know how crazy it is with this business so just… leave it. It’s not worth it. And I swear if you tell them you used me for financial gain, I’ll tell them the real truth and schedule a conference on my own. I’m gonna tell them that I was stupid enough to cheat on you and that we have been dating ever since I was a trainee. That I didn’t want anyone to know about us because I was  protecting my career. And that when you left me, all I could ever think about was how to get you back. That I stayed at SP because that is the only reason I could stay close to you. That I still wanted to stay at SP because you will be there. So just leave it, Dara. Just… continue what you have been doing before the accident. Just don’t put yourself out there to be blamed for everything because it wasn’t entirely your fault. Just… just…” He paused to get some breath in, looking at her earnestly. “Just come back to me. Please.”

Dara stared into Jiyong’s earnest gaze staring right into hers. Words which she had secretly dreamt to hear three years ago. One that she wanted to hear from Jiyong’s lips when she was out there trying to destroy him. To make him realize he would be nothing without her. Now they are just words being softly spoken and it pains her that she couldn’t say yes. Not when her heart already belongs to someone else. Someone she keeps on hurting again and again in every sense of the word.

 “I married Donghae to hurt you,” Dara confessed. “He got caught in our fight. On my twisted plan to get even. I’ve hurt Donghae far worse.” Ah crap. How come even saying this feels like something is striking her chest? “You know, I had waited for you to tell me that. For so long.” She blinked back tears and she tried to will them down. She looked at Jiyong’s eyes. “But all I can ever think about is Donghae. All that is on my mind is him. All that I can ever think is how I wanted to turn back time to make things right with him. Even before the accident… I wanted to… But I didn’t know how. The accident made me realize how much I wanted… to be where I am. With him.” And now she have to leave him to make things right for him. 

Jiyong looked down from her gaze and shifted his body to face the bar looking hurt and defeated. He tried to smile but it came out iike a pained grimace. “Guess, I already lost huh?”

“Nobody won either,” Dara said thoughtfully. “I’m doing the press conference because of me. Telling them what you believe is right isn’t going to do anybody good. You’re still under SP and you are not allowed to say that. I have my own reasons, Jiyong. And I hope you respect me enough to let me do that.” She took another sip of her martini.

“You know,” Jiyong started after a moment of utter silence between them. “I was happy everytime I get caught in a dating scandal. Even if it was just a rumor, I always look forward to it. Because that is about the only time you would ever paid any attention to me.” He smiled painfully at the memory. “I guess my game caught up with me and I ended up cheating on you for real.” He downed his glass in one gulp. “I guess I have never really apologized about that, did i?”

“Yeah, well, you did. Back at the house anyway when I was swatting you with the pillow,” Dara said with a smile trying to break free from all this tense atmosphere. She only planned to tell Jiyong that she’s going to do a press Con and demand him to shut up but it seems like she got more than what she bargained for. Morevoer, she felt relieved at having this conversation with him. She actually felt free.

Jiyong chuckled a little. “Oh yeah I remember. You also hit my nose with the door.”

Dara burst out laughing when she remembered. “I forgot about that. Did it hurt?”

Jiyong looked at her incredulously. “You hit my nose with a door and you were asking if it hurt?”

Dara nodded still laughing. “Well, I’m not seeing any scar.”

Jiyong snorted and ordered another drink. It was about close to 11 in the evening when they both walked out of the restaurant and Dara was surprised that she could now converse with Jiyong easliy. They were bantering like the way they had bantered when they first became friends at the rooftop of Hits. She couldn’t say for sure if they were friends now because she doesn’t have any idea how a couple can become friends after hurting each other so much but maybe they are close to being one. She felt like some of the poison had been out of her and she had never felt more relieved that Jiyong still chose to be a part of her life. Even if that part isn’t the one he wanted.

She went inside her car as Jiyong went to his and they both drove their separate ways.

Donghae didn’t realize he was glaring at the television in his office as the news ran that Monday morning. He opened the TV when he walked in just to have some noise in his office to block out the thoughts running endlessly in his mind and didn’t realize it was tuned to an entertainment channel. Pictures of Dara and Jiyong meeting last night at a bar is all over the news. He clenched his teeth as his eyes involuntarily watched as pictures of them talking seriously then laughing keeps on flashing on the screen while the two hosts were merrily discussing the latest buzz in the entertainment world.

“There are reports saying that a lot of people have seen them being cozy last night,” the male host said.

“And we’ve got the photos to prove it,” the female chipped in that annoyingly perky voice. “What I don’t understand is what has Dara Park been doing all this time after that car accident because we have not heard much about her until… if you remember, there has been a sighting of Dara Park with Lee Donghae, her husband, only two days ago at the Lotte World, and then Jiyong at their house the night of that same day and now… Wow. Ms. Park is trying to be visible as much as she can to make up for those lost times.”

The male guffawed. “Yeah, but there has been talks of a divorce between Ms. Park and CEO Lee, right? Have you heard about that? Now, we are not sure if that is true but if it is, would Jiyong be the reason for the separation?”

“Jiyong would never do that,” the girl said. “There are some comments on our page that this could very well be a tactic to get Jiyong to stay in SP because his contract is about to expire and there are a lot, and I mean a LOT of companies vying for his signature.”

The male nodded. “We all know they have been together before and from what we have gathered from a very reliable source, Jiyong would do anything for Dara Park.”

The female raised her well-manicured hands. “Now I don’t mean no offense, okay, but I seriously think Jiyong could do so much better.”

The male laughed and the female continued chuckling. “I meant, he should find someone who deserves him and willing to love him the way he is, right?”

“You mean, like you?”

The female laughed. “Well it’s no secret I’m a fan of Jiyong but I know that even those who are not even his fan could support the idea that he deserves someone who will love him as he is, right?” She turned to the audience and the audience, mostly the females, hooted their agreement.

“And… now I’m not saying it as a fact but she might very well be playing with the two men—“

Donghae turned the TV off cutting the female’s vicious remarks. Yes, they were vicious. And the media is feeding on it. He went to his desk and his jaw tightened when he saw the news paper on his desk. And ironically, the picture of Dara and Jiyong laughing at a bar made it into the front news. And it is glaring at him.

He picked up the newspaper, folded it in two before dropping it in his wastebasket beside his desk. He his computer and tapped his finger as it slowly loads up.

He already knew they were meeting so why does the news of them bothers him more than it did last night? He only spent less than an hour in Siwon’s house before he finally decided he wasn’t really in the mood to party and calling it a night. The guys just threw him their cups and he just used his flimsy excuse for being too tired. Eunhyuk finally took pity on him and told the guys to let him go to have his full 8-hour rest to function given his old age. No one knew Dara already got her memories back.

Now they knew. And they would now know the reason why he left last night. Pathetic. He really was pathetic.

He opened his mailbox and sift through what needs his attention first but his mind is wandering as it always does nowadays. He really need to get his act together. He had already told himself that it’s over. He needs to get back to the way his life was. Last night was proof enough that Dara really wanted to be with Jiyong. They even got pictures to prove it. He tried to squelch the image but the captured photo of Dara laughing sliced through his gut. She looked so beautiful.

And free.

He just need some time to get over her, he decided. But Donghae had never realized it was a lot difficult than it had been before Dara’s accident. How can it be easy when he’s always seeing her on tv, on the newspaper, and even the real thing walking around on Hits and even visiting the puppy at his house? How can he get over her when she is constantly in his mind? He ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly.

The door opened and Donghae looked up, glad for the interruption. Then silently regretted it. Eunhyuk walked through the door. He turned his attention back at his computer, opening some files.

“You okay?” Eunhyuk said sitting on the chair in front of Donghae’s desk.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Donghae asked deadpan, his eyes on his computer.

Eunhyuk shrugged, deciding to let it go since Donghae is not in the mood to share some of his misery. He already read the newspaper and watched the TV. Sometimes he really wanted to confront Dara and ask her the reason why she’s doing this to his friend but decided this is something he really shouldn’t interfere. Besides, they’ve got more bigger problems than Hits’ CEO’s complicated lovelife.

“Have you read the report I have sent?” Eunhyuk asked.

“Which one?” Donghae asked.

“The IT team finally track down the IP address hacking on the files of SP,” Eunhyuk explained.

“Dara’s back. She’ll deal with it on her own,” Donghae said not even looking up.

“Well, you might need to check into that as well because the IP address came from our server.”

Donghae looked up at the news, a frown on his forehead. “What?”

“There were at least 4 times at different dates when they hacked the files. They’re still investigating and they are already on alert so when this er tries to do it again, we can catch him.”

“One of our team is hacking into SP?” Donghae still couldn’t believe it. “What would they get from it?”

“Beats me,” Eunhyuk said.

Donghae bit the inside of his cheek. Great. Another one to add to his problems. Would his life get any better than this?

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Dara stared tight lipped as she watched the morning news. She had decided not to go at work today and just stay in bed at Bom’s house when she opened the TV and saw her face flashing on the news. Photos of her and Jiyong last night had emerged and the press is milking it.

“Well it’s no secret I’m a fan of Jiyong but I know that even those who are not even his fan could support the idea that he deserves someone who will love him as he is, right?” The female host said with that annoying voice and Dara rolled her eyes as the audience shrieked their agreement.

“And… now I’m not saying it as a fact but she might very well be playing with the two men or, as the reports said, CEO Park and CEO Lee might be playing with Jiyong to stay with SP. That’s what’s getting the fans’ attention.”

“Maybe you need to put more attention in getting some brain in your head rather than getting that hideous make-up!” She yelled at the TV before shutting it off. She plopped her head on the table and stared at the ceiling. She forgot how fast a click of a camera can get her in trouble. Bom’s right. She wasn’t even a celebrity but she’s getting more scandal than one. She should’ve been more careful after the news of Jiyong visiting her had made it into the headlines. What is with the media? Don’t they have anything else to do than watch Jiyong’s every move? Their love for Jiyong and hate on her is getting out of hand. And they’re not even making a pretense of it on national TV given the way the host is discussing her.

She stood up deciding to go to SP now as being cooped up here is going to make her crazy. Bom is too busy to notice her that morning as she and Seung Hyun are to go to her in-laws for a visit. She slipped out quietly and got into her car. Her phone rang when she was about to park her car. She picked it up and saw it was Jiyong.

“Yeah?” She answered sullenly.

“I’m so sorry, Dara,” Jiyong said. “I’ve just seen the news.”

“Nothing we can do now,” Dara said turning off the ignition of her car. “Don’t say anything, you hear me? I’ll address it all at the press con so you’d better keep your mouth shut.”

Jiyong sighed at her fervent tone. “I guess I can’t change your mind on that, huh?”