CHAPTER 7

“He’s a jerk. A moron. A total…complete…arrggghh!” Dara was muttering angrily under her breath as she punched her pillow, visualizing Donghae’s face. It has already been two days and he’s gone incommunicado. She hasn’t even exchanged a single word with him since the day they got back from Jeju. She had thought they had at least become friends, but noooo. He’s gone all iceman on her again. Just yesterday, she had sprinted down the stairs to catch a glimpse of his back retreating inside his office door. She had called him but he didn’t even pause. She had stood outside of his office door debating with herself if she should kick the door open and knock him out with her fists. But then she thought that maybe he really was busy. She walked away scowling.

Earlier that day, she woke up so they could have breakfast together only to be utterly disappointed when she was informed by Mrs. Rey that Donghae left at around 3 in the afternoon and didn’t come home last night. She ate all servings of breakfast, glowering. The only thing that cheered her up is when Lee Hi called informing her that she had gotten hold of Bom and said will try to visit tomorrow or the day after tomorrow after she got back from Japan.

Japan! She was shocked that Bom is in another country when she is not even articulate in their own language. Let alone another one. How can she survive in Japan without talking to anybody?

After tussling the pillow in which she imagined to be Donghae, she walked over to her computer and started to think of creating lyrics for a song to occupy her mind. 30 minutes had already passed and she just sat there like an idiot staring at the monitor.

She never should have asked him to take her to Jeju because, the truth is – one she doesn’t want to admit even to herself –,  ever since that trip, she had been missing Donghae. Even when he’s being cold to her, at least she’s with him. Even if they were bickering, at least he’s talking to her. She slept and woke up with his hand still holding hers on the ferry on their way home. So what changed? She didn’t do anything as far as she knew. Did she drool on his expensive clothes? Did she damage his car?

Oh my god, maybe it was her picture she took on his phone! Maybe he’s some kind of neurotic freak who doesn’t want anyone touching their things.

She rolled her eyes as that is so unlikely. She typed in her keyboard:

Donghae,

You are such an . Why are you this way? I swear I’m going to kick you when I see you.

After staring at it for a couple of seconds, she felt a little better. Great, now she’s finding comfort on MS Word. She stood up and plopped on her bed leaving the computer running.

Dara was snapped back from her sleep when she felt the cold. She glanced at the wall clock and saw it was already 11 in the evening. She didn’t even know she dozed off after planning numerous ways to beat the out of Donghae. Some of them are so improbable and most of them are laughable. Her eyes drifted to her open window and realized the cold wind is turning her bedroom into ice. She swathed herself up in her blanket and strode over to her window to close it. A lone figure sitting beside the pool caught her eye and her heart skipped a beat. She could recognize that silhoutted profile anywhere. She dropped her blanket and shrugged a a thick jacket on fromher closet and headed out of her room to where Donghae is.

She didn’t know why she was nervous when she saw his back looking forlorn.  He was sitting indian-style beside the pool and a can of soda, or was that a beer?, beside him, head bowed. He wasn’t wearing a jacket. Only a long sleeve polo shirt with its cuffs folded halfway on his arm. She clutched her jacket tighter as she shivered. From the cold or nervousness, she didn’t know. She took a deep breath and strode over to him. She sat beside him and looked at him at the corner of her eye. He didn’t move nor did he gave any indication that he noticed her presence. As usual. He just sat there, looking so pensive.

“Don’t you feel cold?” Dara asked after she can no longer bear the silence. She rubbed her hands together to show what she meant.

She pursed her lips when she met another silence. Ok, this is disturbing. She could feel a negative vibe emanating from him. This silence is so unlike the silence she had gotten used to. She much preferred the silence Donghae usually gives when she’s being a pest.  She opened to try a witty quip when Donghae spoke.

“You know, when I was 17, I met… the most… funny… talented girl,” he said in a quiet voice. “She was preparing a song for her finals. Her song was awful and I told her that. So she kicked me out of her house.” He smiled. “We became friends after she got tired of kicking me out, I guess. When I turned 18, she was accepted as an intern at Hits Ente