He watched her as she gave flyers to students… he watched her as she posted the posters around the campus…

The school fair was near… everyone was busy yet wherever he looked it was all her that he could see… it was driving him mad and weary. Maybe it was still part of his punishment… that he needed to see her each second to remind himself every fault that he did… that in the end of this torment would be nothing but another punishment of spending his life still without her… 

She was working so hard… it was more tiring seeing her running around than the emotional distress he could feel.

He sighed… drifted his gaze away from her to the paper he was holding. It was one of the lyrics of the songs he and his band were planning to play on the fair. It was a tradition for his band to play before the fair ends… he loved to play yet now it was the least thing he wanted to do… for, for the first time… Dara won’t be there to listen to his music… 

Once again he was distracted as he sensed Dara’s presence around, only to lift his head and saw her giving out the flyers of their booth to his band mates… 

His jaw clenched… gulped down the forming lump in his throat and his heart began pounding crazily… 

She wasn’t able to notice him until she was now standing in front of him… too much for his torture… 

He noticed how she stiffened and eyes widen a bit upon seeing him… he could also feel the eyes of his band mates as they stared the two of them. Brushing off the awkward atmosphere… he let out a slight smile to her… took his eyes off her even before he could drown from her brown orbs… 

He extended his hand and reached out to the flyer she was holding. She remained silent as he looked at the piece of paper and turned back to her. 

“We’ll surely visit your booth…”

She could only nod and watched how Jiyong folded the flyer and slipped it in his pocket… she wanted to pound her head and tell herself to just go yet she was still stuck on her spot. Just then she heard him speak.

“Do you need some help with those…?”

She felt her heart leaped from his voice… she followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at the flyers she was holding… 

“No thanks… Jaejoong will be here in a minute to help me…”

She didn’t know why she even mentioned Jaejoong’s name when clearly, it wasn’t necessary… but as she remembered what Bom said about how Jiyong felt about Jaejoong and her… she automatically blurted out Jaejoong’s name… as if she wanted to test what Bom told her… and see if maybe… just maybe he’ll be hurt from it… 

And just what she hoped...

She saw how Jiyong’s smiling face turned blank… eyes slowly drifted away as he looked down and slightly nodded his head… 

Dara gulped down… felt a little guilt and at the same time felt a little happy from the reaction she got from him. 

“Ah… is that so…” she heard him whisper. Her brow rose a bit and a slight smile curved on her lips.

“Yes… well I have to go now… see you at the fair guys…” she said enthusiastically to Jiyong’s band mates. 

And he was back at watching her as she left them without even looking back at him… he let out another sigh… felt so helpless about what he was feeling… 

‘This is just the beginning…’ he thought… and cannot do anything but to accept every pain he was experiencing and to expect more from the future. 

--


“The posters are in the classroom. Help me to post it around…”

Dara angrily said to Jaejoong as soon as she saw him… he just came back to God knew where he went and it was driving Dara crazy earlier looking for Jaejoong everywhere. 

“Where were you…?” She asked impatiently.

“Just somewhere…” he answered her sternly and it surprised her a bit because of the clear annoyance in his face. Dara wasn’t able to ask him what was wrong… her expression slowly changed into a curious one and she swallowed down her words for, for some odd reason… she was a bit scared of the sudden change in him.

He glanced at her when he noticed her silence… she could only look at him and the next thing she heard was a faint scoff from him before he left her as he proceeded to their classroom. 

“What’s wrong with him…?” she curiously asked herself as he watched him walking away. 


-- 


Jaejoong was walking down the hall wearing an upset look on his face. He kept mumbling to himself as he occasionally checked his phone… only to see nothing but ‘message-less’ screen.

He pouted in disappointment and sighed in sadness as soon as he got to their classroom. 

Remembering his purpose… he scanned the room to look for the posters… and after a while, his brow raised as he saw nothing but an empty classroom.

“Is she kidding me…?” he whispered in annoyance… he immediately went out of the classroom… with his brow furrowed together and nose crumpled in irritation he was once again mumbling to himself on how his day was going worse than it was…

He was on his way back to where Dara was when he was suddenly stopped from his step. 

The expression on Jaejoong’s face slowly changed as he saw a familiar man posting the last poster that Dara wanted him to post on the wall near their classroom. 

The annoyance in his face slowly disappeared as curiosity filled his expression… 

Jaejoong didn’t do anything but just stood on his spot and watched until Jiyong finished posting the poster… 

Jiyong smiled at himself as he looked at the poster… and as if he felt that someone was watching him… his gaze slowly turned to where Jaejoong was.

Jiyong was a bit startled… his eyes widen a bit and his gaze immediately shifted back to the poster he just posted.

“Did you post them all…?” Jaejoong asked. 

For a minute, Jiyong just stared at him before his lips curved out a slight smile as he nodded.

“Well… she can’t find you anywhere so I thought of helping a bit…” 

Jaejoong smiled back… he placed his hands inside his pants’ pockets and heaved out a sigh as he approached Jiyong. 

“Sorry… I had some business to attend to earlier… but by the way… thanks… my day isn’t really going out well and posting those posters had to be the least thing I wanted to do.”

Jiyong gave another nod before he slowly looked down… looking a bit hesitant about something. 

“Are you going to report me to her…?”

Jaejoong tilted his head to the side a bit before a sly smile formed on his lips.

“If she knew that I was not the one who posted these things she will surely skin me alive… so I guess… I should just get the credit… since no one asked you to do it right…?” 

Jiyong was a bit taken aback… can’t believe on how Jaejoong was different from the person he was the night he saw him with Dara. But a bit thankful, Jiyong managed to smile at him.

“Thanks…” 

Jaejoong nodded back… after a moment of silence. Jiyong let out a deep sigh and looked back…

“I… have to go now… still have to practice with the band… good luck on your booth…” 

Jaejoong didn’t say a thing and when Jiyong was about to turn back, Jaejoong’s words momentarily stopped him. 

“I guess I was wrong by judging you quickly Jiyong-ssi…” 

Jiyong could only look at him in shame after remembering their first encounter… if only he could turn back time… maybe… it won’t be Jaejoong who was Dara’s refuge that night… and maybe Dara won’t be needing that refuge if he didn’t hurt her in the first place.

“Well good luck on your band as well…” 

Jaejoong’s voice woke him up from his trance… he opened his lips to explain himself until he realized that by doing so will give him nothing in return… that his words won’t change the fact that it was Jaejoong who was with Dara that night… and that probably it would also be Jaejoong whom Dara will find the happiness that she truly deserve… with that, no words came out as he could only nod at Jaejoong’s words and slowly… he turned around and silently walked away. 

Jaejoong kept his eyes to where Jiyong had gone… he heaved out a sigh and was about to turn around when he was startled by Dara’s voice.

“What are you looking at…? I told you to post the post-...”

And he cut her off as he pointed at the poster on the wall near them. 

Dara followed as to where he was pointing and her eyes widen upon seeing the poster. 

“What about the others…?” she told him as she raised a brow. 

Jaejoong rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Already done your majesty…” 

Her brow raised some more as she looked at him in disbelief. Jaejoong looked at her again in annoyance before he began to walk past her. 

“You told me to post it around… it’s already done… tssk…”

Dara immediately followed behind him wearing a very doubtful look in her face.

“I just told you about it five minutes ago and you’re done…?”

“Yep…” He answered her, not stopping from his pace… 

“Wow… I guess I was wrong from thinking that you’re useless…” Dara whispered but enough for Jaejoong to hear and with that, he instantly stopped from walking. 

Dara gasped as she almost hit her forehead against his back from his sudden move.

Jaejoong slowly looked back and Dara’s body immediately stiffened as soon as Jaejoong’s unreadable expression welcomed her. 

“What did you say…? I am useless…? What the-…” his face was totally red from anger and before he could continue on with his words… Dara’s laughter beat him to it.

“I said I thought… you missed a point there…” she said in between laughs. Jaejoong just continued to glare at her until she could calm down. 

“Oh… your face… you looked so ugly earlier… well… enough of that… help us out in setting up the booth…” 

Jaejoong’s eyes widen and the holes of his nose expanded upon hearing what she said. And upon seeing his reaction, Dara laughed again and began to run away from him. 

“Yah..! You..! Come back here…!” He ran after her still wearing a very annoyed look on his face

Jiyong saw it all from the end of the hallway… he turned around and rested his back against the wall heaving out another sigh… he bit his inner cheeks and brows furrowed in so much pain. It had been so long since he heard that laughter from her… and how he truly missed it… 

After a while… a tiny smile formed on his lips… quite happy that now she was slowly going back to her old self… 

“That would be enough Jiyong…” he whispered to himself as he held his head down. 


--


As soon as she arrived at school… she immediately saw Bom and Youngbae having a likely serious talk…

Wearing a very curious look in her face… she approached them and it was Youngbae who first noticed her… He and Bom immediately stopped fro talking and faced her.

“What are you two talking about…?” she asked curiously. 

Bom looked at her hesitantly for a second before speaking. 

“Well… last night… Jiyong’s mom was delivered to the hospital… she had another heart attack…” 

Dara’s eyes immediately widen and her heart sunk upon hearing the news for Jiyong’s mom was like a real mother to her… 

And upon thinking about it… she couldn’t help but to be worried about Jiyong. He loved his mother so much since she was his only family left because his dad had already passed away since he was young. She remembered the first time Jiyong’s mom was taken to the hospital because of the same reason, Jiyong cried in so much worry… and wasn’t able to talk just until his mother woke up from a slight coma. She was all there when Jiyong had cried to her telling he won’t take it if his mom left him as well. 

Dara was brought back from her trance when she felt Youngbae’s hand over her shoulder… she looked at him with a clear worry in her face while he smiled at her to reassure her that everything will be alright.

“Don’t worry… Jiyong said that his mom’s fine now… it was just a mild attack unlike before…” 

“What about him…? Is he okay…?” She asked him without thinking twice. Bom stood behind her and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. 

Youngbae just nodded while Bom explained that Jiyong’s with his mother now to take care of her. Yet it wasn’t enough to make her feel at ease… 

“We can come by later after school…” She could only nod at her friend’s words as her mind was filled as to what was Jiyong’s state right now… 


--


“What’s wrong now…? Did someone die…?”

She quickly glared at Jaejoong who was looking at her curiously. They were setting up their booth but her mind was still far from what she was doing…

“Why do you keep on minding on someone’s business…?” 

Jaejoong raised a brow and pointed at her hand… she looked down and saw that she was painting a wrong part of their booth incorrectly. With that, she immediately let go of her paint brush… suddenly, she heard Jaejoong’s laughter and so she once again glared at him. 

“So… who died…?” 

Dara’s eyes widened… she picked up her paint brush and approached Jaejoong who became a bit alert with her reaction. She taunted him with her paint brush and all Jaejoong could do was to stiffly stand there. 

“Watch your mouth…!” 

Was all she said before she let go of the paint brush again and simply walked away. Jaejoong was left baffled and a bit scared of Dara’s retort… he could only blink as he watched her walk awhe blinked for a couple of times before he realized what just happened.

“Y… yah…! You almost stained my face…!” 

But she didn’t even look back as she continuously walked away. 


--


“I’m really sorry Dara… I won’t be able to come with you… we’re still not done with some things for our booth… but… I’ll just tell Youngbae to accompany you…” 

Bom was panting when she reached Dara who was waiting for her at the gate of their campus. She was looking so apologetic and tired at the same time… Dara shook her head and smiled to her friend. 

“No… it’s okay… I’ll just go there myself…” she told her in comfort.

“Are you sure…? I mean… Jiyong will be-…”

“It’s fine Bom… I’m going there because of his mom and not him… I have to go now… don’t tire yourself too much…” 

She tapped Bom’s shoulder and even before her friend could reply… she already started walking her way… 

“See you tomorrow…!” She waved to her friend… not waiting if she still had to say something. 

Bom shook her head as she watched Dara go… after a while, a slight smiled formed on her lips.

“Good luck Dara…” 
 

--


Jiyong was watching his mom sleep… dark bags were starting to show under his eyes for since last night… he didn’t dare to sleep even a bit and just stayed at his mother’s side. The moment he received a call from their house helper, his world almost collapsed. He immediately dashed to the hospital, crying… and in relief… it wasn’t as bad as the first one. 

He held her hand tight as tears started to fill his eyes again. 


‘I already lost Dara… please don’t leave me as well…’


He kissed his mom’s hand and closed his eyes as he tried to stop himself from crying… and just then, he felt the other hand of his mom touched his cheek. He looked up and saw his mom looking at him with gentleness in her eyes. 

“Sorry to make you worry again…” She said with a sleepy voice. Jiyong shook his head and wiped off the tears in his eyes. 

“Are you okay now mom..?” he asked as he let go of her hand and helped her when she wanted to sit… 

“Yes… I’m fine… I guess I overworked myself these past few days…” 

Jiyong sighed in disappointment and sat back to his seat. 

“That’s why you shouldn’t do things in the house… what’s the use of having a helper when you-…”

He was cut off by a soft knock on the door… he looked at his mom, still with a clear disappointment in his expression while his mother only smiled at him and looked at the door. 

He sighed before standing up from his seat and walked to answer the door. 

His eyes widen once he opened the door and saw who was at the other end. 

“D… Dara… wha…t are you doing here…?” he stuttered. Dara could only gave him back a slight smile before her gaze shifted past him and towards his mother who was looking at them from her bed. 

Jiyong realized that Dara came there not to see him but rather his mom… with that, he cleared his throat and opened the door for her to let her come in. 

“Oh Dara… finally you came… Jiyong here is scolding me… can’t he see that I just woke up…” 

Dara slightly laughed at the old woman’s grumble while Jiyong just stayed silent near them… he folded his arms over his chest and leaned back on the wall watching the two women. 

“He’s only concerned with you… you made us all worried…” Dara explained. Jiyong’s mom pouted at her but eventually extended her arms towards Dara.

“Come here child… I’ve missed you so much, come and give this old lady some hug…”

Dara smiled at her and without thinking twice, she approached the old woman and hugged her. Jiyong smiled at the scene, really pleased that she came. 

“Well… it’s been a long time since you two visited me at the house… I was so lonely so I just busied myself with doing some house works… so, it’s your fault why I am here…” The old lady said as a-matter-of- fact.

Both of their eyes widened from what Jiyong’s mom said… nothing had changed in her… she was still blunt in her words and a bit childish. And as if it wasn’t enough to surprise them… she continued. 
“So I am planning this coming weekend… we should go out of town… I have been planning to go camping…-”

Jiyong’s eyes immediately darted to Dara who was just silent and just continuously listening to his mom. He knew she was feeling uncomfortable about the topic. He unfolded his arms and slowly approached the two women. 

“Mom…” he tried to stop her yet as if his mom was too deaf to hear him as she continuously laid out her plans to Dara. 

“Mom…” he tried once again but failed…

“We can go back to the city after the weekend so you can…-“

“Mom… we already broke up…” This time, his voice was a bit louder than before and it immediately stopped his mom from her words. Dara immediately looked at him in surprise but he didn’t bother to look back at her as he kept his stern gaze on his mom.

“Oh…” Was the only word that came out from Mrs. Kwon. 

“So you don’t have to bother planning about these stuffs…” His tone slowly went down as he said those words… 

Dara kept a surprise look on her face as she continuously looked at Jiyong… she was speechless… can’t believe he would say such thing to his mother who had just a heart attack.

Mrs. Kwon’s expression slowly changed… the smile on her face slowly faltered as she slowly gazed down. 

“That’s terrible… I thought you two-…”

“Well we can still go out sometimes… I’ve missed you so much as well so I’m really looking forward to go out with you omonim…” 

And that put back a little smile on the older woman’s face… Jiyong looked at Dara with furrowed brows yet can’t make himself to stop her… he could only sigh and look away. 


--


“Jiyong… you go and accompany Dara in going home… it’s already late…” 

His mom ordered him when Dara informed her that she’ll be going home… Jiyong flinched a bit while Dara could only awkwardly look at him and looked back to Jiyong’s mom. 

“No… it’s okay…” Dara uneasily told the older woman. But Jiyong’s mom shook her head in disagreement.

“But who’s going to watch you…?” Jiyong asked his mom. 

“I told you I’m already fine… I just need to spend the night here… plus I’m your mother Jiyong not your daughter… you also need some sleep so after bringing Dara to her house… you should go home and get some sleep…”

Jiyong was about to say more but with his mother’s disappointed expression; he could only nod his head and couldn’t let out a word in protest. 


--
 

Silence enveloped the two of them once they got out of his mother’s room… he couldn’t look at her neither did she… he cleared his throat… really uncomfortable about the awkward atmosphere and so he tried hard thinking of something to lighten up the atmosphere even a bit. He was about to ask her how she was when she cut him as she started speaking. 

“Was it really necessary for you to mention that…?” She asked him and her voice sounded so disappointed. Jiyong was startled from her tone… and a bit confused as to what she was talking about. 

“What…? About what…?” He couldn’t help but to look at her. 

Dara closed her eyes for a moment… calming herself not to shout at him for they were still inside the hospital… after a while, she looked at Jiyong who was wearing a confused look on his face. 

“She just had a heart attack Jiyong… of all people, you should know that any surprising statement could trigger another attack… but no… there you were blurting out loud about our break-up…” 

She sighed after letting out her frustration. Jiyong was a bit taken aback… for a moment, he was speechless. And when they reached outside the hospital… he looked up to the night sky and sighed… he just wanted to ask her how she was but all he got was a scold from her. 

“And do what…? Just stand there and let you get more uncomfortable than you already were…? Plus… it’s all true in the first place right…? We already broke-up so there’s no point of letting her plan those things for the three of us…” he couldn’t help but to raise his tone a bit… thinking that he was just concerned about her but all she could see was another flaw from what he did. 

“Did I say you were wrong…? Did I say that you lied about it…? I was just concerned of your mother’s health… you should have just let her say those things… I wouldn’t mind it… you shouldn’t have told her about the break-up right at that moment… you were being so insensitive like you always are…” after her last word, she sped on her walking, leaving Jiyong… 

Jiyong’s eyes widen… her last words him hard inside. But he couldn’t help but to feel a little mad about what she said… and so, he caught up with her… 

“Yeah right… I’m insensitive… I’m too insensitive that I cared more about how you were feeling earlier… that if not for my mom you wouldn’t endure staying in that room with me… I’m insensitive that I tried my hardest to stop my mom from ordering me to accompany you home because I know I would be the last person you wanted to be with right now… right Dara… that’s how insensitive I am…”

Dara stopped from walking and immediately darted her head to him… 

“It already came from you did it…? Yes, you’re right… you are the least person I want to be with right now…” 

Upon hearing it… Jiyong’s heart sunk… felt something heavy was thrown down at him… burying him in the pavement he was standing at. But what was more painful was on how Dara looked at him with those hurt eyes…

“I don’t even want to stand a foot near you Jiyong…” Dara’s voice never wavered for she was purposely hurting him… yet deep inside, she couldn’t help but to feel the pain in every word she uttered to him. She looked away for looking at his eyes was too drowning to take… it was full of shock and pain… 

“If that is how you feel… then you should have let Jaejoong to pick you up…” his words came out like a whisper before walk past her. 

Dara was surprised about Jiyong’s reaction… but more astonished by the mention of Jaejoong’s name… and by then, she remembered Bom’s words…

“Come on… it’s already late…” Jiyong blank tone woke her up from her trance as he glimpsed back at her and waited for her… 

Dara had a glance of Jiyong’s face… only to see the blankness in it. She didn’t mind responding to his statement… knew that she should tell him that he was wrong about what he was thinking about her and Jaejoong… but then… no words came out to her lips… as if knowing that no matter how she explained it… it won’t change anything between them now. 

Silence had once again enveloped the two of them… Jiyong let her walk ahead of him as he stayed behind her… keeping a great distance between them. 

Dara occasionally looked to her sides… stealing some glances on Jiyong from the sides of her eyes. She sighed upon faintly seeing Jiyong because of their great distance… yet kept on thinking that it was for the best… 

They arrived at her apartment… and still, Dara didn’t bother looking back to look for Jiyong… she just quickly went up… but as she reached her floor… she finally glanced over the porch of the building and saw Jiyong standing near and looking up to where her room was. He stood there for a while until he saw her… their eyes locked with each other for a moment and after a while, he slowly looked away and started with his way back home. 

Dara heaved out a deep breath… heart was racing so fast that she had a hard time catching on her breath… she held on to her chest… felt her heart pounding so hard… 

“Being near you won’t help us grow better Jiyong…” she whispered, clutching on her chest. 


‘Yet I still feel that a part of me is missing without your presence…’ 

===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===

bludoki:

Thanks for reading..! And for waiting...! Aigoo..! Sorry... Hope ur not 'very' mad at me 
kekekeke...

Oh well... 2- 3 chaps left and broken will have its end... huhuhu... Thank you for not surrendering..! Hahaha..!!
Have a merry xmas in advance