"ARE YOU READY YET? I gotta go somewhere by 2 and it's already noon, so let's hurry!!" She called out from downstairs, waiting for Seunghyun to hurry his up.

"Coming, coming! Calm down lady!" Seunghyun came flying down the stairs, "Besides.. Where do you have to go? You don't even know anyone here." He checked himself in the reflection of his iPhone and put it back into his pocket while he mentally checked if he had everything.

"Bom's taking me to the mall remember?" Dara lied, scrunching her nose.

Seunghyun caught the gesture and raised a brow, "I thought you two were supposed to meet at around 6? Wasn't it supposed to be a dinner thing?" 

He watched Dara answer carefully this time, "Yeah, but Bom wants to take me shopping so we can get to know each other before we meet the other girls." She scrunched her nose again, causing Seunghyun to sigh and open the door, "Let's go."

"Why are you sighing, grandpa?" Dara teased, her smile breaking through .

"Because a certain species of mammals is confusing me." He replied back, making Dara more confused. 

"Whatever.. You're weird.." She raised her hand and swung it all over the place, trying to flag down a taxi.

After a few unsuccessful tries, a taxi stopped for them, and they quickly got inside.

"The....." Dara looked at the list Seunghyun made of all the greatest furniture stores in Seoul, "The Hollow Tree please!" 

Her voice seemed to make the driver look through the backview mirror, "Aren't you that girl from yesterday that I took to Seoul Hospital?" 

Dara's heart dropped, and Seunghyun stiffened, 'Dara went to the hospital yesterday?', he thought after realizing he never asked where she went yesterday.

"No, ahjusshi! I think you got the wrong person!" She mumbled out, making the driver confused, but shook his head, "it's probably the age. Senioritis is coming a bit quickly to me!" He chuckled, also making Dara chuckle.

Seunghyun looked through the mirror and saw Dara scrunch up her nose. He frowned as stress began to build up inside of him. 

Only Seunghyun, his family, and Dara's family knew that whenever this little rabbit scrunched up her nose, she was lying.

'But why would she hide about going to the hospital?' He wondered as the question began taunting and bugging him.

"Here we go! Hope you two have a great marriage!" The driver said as he tipped his hat and winked at Seunghyun.

"Thanks ahjusshi!!" Dara called back smiling as they walked into the furniture store, The Hollow Tree. This store was very prestigious and only those who could afford good furniture can buy things, since everything was so expensive.

"...But we're not married...." Seunghyun said, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

"Yeah.. But you wish you COULD be, HUH!" Dara cheekily smiled as she opened the door for the both of them.

"Whatever Dara.." He replied back, somewhat annoyed.

"Wait..were you annoyed just now? Are you not comfortable with me talking to you like that? Could it be.." Dara made him face her and looked straight into his eyes.

"You're hiding something from me.." She said, frowning. 

The latter shook his head, trying to act completely oblivious to what his bestfriend is saying.

"YOU LIKE BOM, DON'T YOU!" Dara shouted, immediately catching the attention of shoppers and employees.

"Shut up santokki! People are looking!" He muttered quite harshly as he dragged her to go look at the beds.

"Awww! Someone's mad at me for teeeeeeaaaaaaaaaasssssingggg!" She sneered at him.

Seunghyun on the other hand, was blushing his mind off. He kinda admit to himself that he has some sort of alien feelings towards Bom. Feelings that he's never ever felt with Dara. But for some reason, he didn't want to tell his best friend that.. What he's feeling for Bom might not even be true, so why take the risk to even slighty break the relationship between him and Dara because of another girl?

He bowed his head as he remembered that secret phone call he received four years ago.

flashback

"Hello?" Freshman Choi Seunghyun answered after feeling his black razr vibrate in his pocket after school had ended on a typical Thursday.

"Seunghyun. This is Uncle Park." 

"Oh hi! Why'd you call uncle?" Seunghyun replied, looking forward to his conversation with Dara's father, since all of their previous ones were very entertaining and fun. He always called Sandara's father by uncle since he's known him since he was born. And also because her dad wanted him to call him that. 

"I called because..well..you have to promise me not to tell anyone about this phone call..not even Dara, alright?" 

"A-alright uncle!" He felt a bit anxious as he predicted what his next words would be.

There was a cough heard on the other linem "I want you to take care of Dara, no matter what happens. I know you love her as family and I want that to continue until the day you or Dara enters heaven." 

The boy frowned, "Of course! I will always protect her! No matter what happens she will always be my number one!" he smiled to himself, proud of his own words, "But..uncle, why are you telling me this?"

"Time is running out, my young nephew, so I cannot explain further, I'm very sorry.. Take care of Dara for me okay? It's the least I can make possible for my absence.." Mr. Park said, making Seunghyun's eyes widen, "Absence? Are you leaving?! When?? Where??"

Seunghyun could hear his uncle sigh tiredly, "Calm down Choi Seunghyun. I need you to be serious right now. Just follow my instructions and everything will be alright." There was a pause, which made cold sweat begin to form on his neck, "Keep her safe Seunghyun..I'll miss you..especially my little santokki!" 

He felt his hands begin to sweat too, was it a little hot today? Why was Uncle Park acting like this all of a sudden?

"TAAAAAAAAAAABIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" He heard someone's very familiar voice scream his nickname, and felt the body of the owner's voice climb onto his back, which earned some mixed looks throughout the high school kids. 

But he ignored the stares and tried to focus on what Dara's father was saying. Seunghyun heard a chuckle on the other line, probably because he had heard her daughter become excited upon seeing 'Tabi'.

"I love you both and I'll miss you too very very dearly.. Goodbye Choi Seunghyun, you'll grow up to be a fine man." Seunghyun almost dropped his phone when he heard his uncle's last sentence, but kept his stance, remembering the promise he had made with him.

"But!!!" He tried to say, but the call had already ended, and he was faced with eerie sound of the dial tone.

"Who was that Tabi?" Sandara asked, trying to peek at his phone but couldn't because he kept swerving it away from her.

He smiled at her, "That? That was Ben. He was asking me what the homework for Pre-cal was." 

Dara smiled back at him, not really giving interest in the topic, and began kicking her legs against his back, "Giddy-up horsey! Take me home!" She squealed,  ignoring all of the jealous, annoyed, hated looks that were being thrown at her. She didn't care about those haters. Haters gon' hate, ya know?

"Oh my god Dara COOL IT!" Seunghyun shouted playfully as he began walking towards their homes with his best friend on his back. On his face was an expression of weariness and stress as he deeply thought of the phone conversation he had just had.

"You're no fun today!" Dara pouted as she forced herself off his back and stomped away like a six year old.

"Ahh I'm sorry Dara!! I have a lot of homework, so it put a lot of stress on me!" He apologized as he began chasing the 15 year old, who ran with delight after seeing her best friend grin at her.

"I will always take care of you, Sandara Park, my favorite santokki." Seunghyun panted as he ran towards his best friend.

end flashback

"Choi Seunghyun!" He came back to reality when Dara snapped her fingers in front of his face, "What's wrong with you, Tabi! We gotta pick some furniture so it gets to our house by tonight!" 

"Oh, oh yeah.. Yeah! Let's start looking!" Seunghyun suggested as he followed Dara into the living room interior section of the huge warehouse.

-

Two hours passed and the two tired best friends were stuck in traffic.

Dara checked her watch and realized she was late for her appointment.

"Hey Seunghyun! I'm going to go meet Bom right now, so ..I'll just hop out of the car, arrasso?" She told Seunghyun, who grabbed onto her arm.

"You're not going." Seunghyun sternly said, scaring Dara for the first time in a few years.

"W-why..? I'm just going to meet Bom!" She cried out, causing the eyebrows of the taxi driver to rise curiously.

Seunghyun wasn't stupid. He knew she was going to the hospital, and he wanted to know why she was keeping all of this from him. Was it that serious to the point she had to lie to him? But he knew that after the incident in the airplane, that she had to go to the hospital no matter what. He trusted her to tell him when things become serious, so he decided to let her go.

"Nothing. Sorry.. Go out and have fun." Seunghyun smiled as he waved her away.

The taxi had stopped by a curb, which was coincdentally close to Seoul Hospital, and Dara jumped out of the car, and waved goodbye to Seunghyun before walking towards the big street to get to the hospital.

She hurried, not wanting to be any more late than she already was. 

"Almost..there!!!" Dara managed to say in puffs, as she panted towards the hospital doors.

"Here!!!" She shouted in joy, but all of a sudden saw that the doors that she thought were open were glass, and she was heading straight for it.

But she was in too much speed right now. She couldn't stop. Oh how she regret running in the first place..

She widened her eyes as she saw a flash of white before her and clamped her eyes shut, praying that she would be alive after this clash.

A streak of pain struck her leg when it hit something, and she screamed, and by instinct, she reached to hold onto anything in front of her. And so she did.

The 'thing' she had held in front of her was unusually soft and had human-like features.

But she didn't care. The pain in her leg was too much. Tears began flowing out of her eyes. Tears of pain. 

She heard people begin to gather, she also heard Seungri in the background. She was too embarrassed to open her eyes and face the crowds. It was just too embarrassing.

Her heart began beating faster and faster, causing more tears to drop out of her eyes.

The person holding her cursed after feeling her heartbeat rise....again. 

The person holding her knew that she was in excruciating pain at the moment.

The person holding her killed himself mentally for not opening the doors earlier.

The person holding her hugged her, taking in the strawberry scent of her hair.

The person holding her surprised Seungri, for this was a new man with new feelings, unlike the person Seungri had known a few years ago.

The person holding her broke several hearts of the several nurses that kept their eyes on him that day.

The person holding her was Kwon Jiyong.

________

AHK guys I'm sorry, but I might have to postpone her birthday chapter................................

BUT ...I'm in my writing mood right now, so it's likely I'll be posting one or TWO more SHORT updates in and hour or two! 

THANKS FOR THE NEW SUBSCRIBERS, I'M FLATTERED TEEHEE ♡

sorry, but no time to chat. MUST WRITE NEXT CHAPTER O_O

★kwonjiyong