{ 03 }

Dara went home to her apartment. It was dark, but she didn’t even bother turning on the lights. She placed her things on the table, washed her face, changed her clothes and went to bed. She totally forgot about eating, especially now that Jiyong is occupying her mind.

Jiyong. Jiyong. How can she even start to explain what they had? Jiyong was... perfect. They were perfect. Everyone envied her. Everyone wondered how Park Sandara, who may be pretty but not exactly as sophisticated and as curvaceous as those who asked Jiyong before, managed not just to score a date but also a boyfriend. Almost everyone was awed by her, in which Jiyong and her only laughed at. None of that would have happened if it wasn’t for Park Bom.

-Flashback-

“Tadaaaaa!” Bom squealed excitedly as she put on finishing touches in Dara’s face.

Dara didn’t seem to care, though. When she opened her eyes, she only yawned, making Bom furious. “Is it done? Can I actually go now?”

Bom smacked her in the head. “Aish, really! Won’t you even check out your face in the mirror?!”

“Yah, it’s already 3:10, Park. I. Am. Late.”

Bom’s eyes widened at what she pointed out. “Omo!” She screamed. She quickly grabbed Dara’s purse and shoved her out. “Catch a cab, Dee!”

Dara only shook her head. The walk to Yuri Mall won’t even make her sweat, so why bother? Besides, she feels good. Making that jerk wait for her.

By the time she arrived at the cafe where Bom said the meeting will take place, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon. I bet that jerk’s furious, Dara concluded. She only grinned evilly as she looked around, looking for her “date.”

Only, there was one teeny-tiny detail which Bom forgot to tell her. Dara looked around in panic. Who the hell in these guys is my blind date?! She quickly reached her purse to ask Bom when she remembered that her phone isn’t there. Since Bom was in too much of a hurry, all she has there are her keys. Yes, not even money!

Sullen, she hung her head low, about to leave the place when she bumped into someone. She was about to apologize but when she looked up, she had the biggest surprise of her life.

“Kwon Jiyong?! You again?!”

Kwon Jiyong looked at her with an irritated look on his face. Dara bit her lip, thinking that she might have offended him. They weren’t close, hell he probably didn’t even know her! He might think she was some creep who follows him around. “Sorry,” she muttered and was about to walk away when Kwon Jiyong grabbed her arm.

She turned to look at him questioningly but his expression gave nothing away. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

Her brows met. “Excuse me, what?”

A side of his lips upturned. “ ‘What happens once will never happen again. But what happens twice will surely happen a third time.’ ” He shrugged. “Paulo Coelho.” He then walkedtowards the exit, but when he noticed that Dara wasn’t anywhere near him, he walked back to her. “Aren’t you coming?”

To her own surprise, Dara nodded. “I am.”

-End of Flashback-

That day, Park Sandara had the happiest date of her life. To her surprise, Jiyong wasn’t really an uptight person. He likes having fun a lot. It’s just that he knows his priorities. He’s all serious at school because he prioritizes his grades. Dara asked him why, which Jiyong only answered with a stiff smile. She didn’t pursue the matter further.

It was almost 9 P.M. when Jiyong dropped her off. Their smiles couldn’t be erased from their lips. He planted a soft, chaste kiss in her cheek before scurrying away while grinning. Dara couldn’t help to touch the part where Jiyong kissed her. It was... indescribable.

-Flashback-

Dara and Jiyong were in front of Dara and Bom’s dorm room. The night was really unforgettable for the both of them. Dara totally forgot about the blind date Bom, TOP and Youngbae set up for her. She felt bad for the three who worked hard to get her a date, but she doesn’t regret going with Jiyong.

“So, uhm, thanks.” She said, flashing him a smile. “For today.”

“Did you have fun?” Jiyong asked.

“YES!” Dara answered a little too enthusiastically. She saw that Jiyong was holding his smile and that was the only time she noticed that her response was too enthusiastic. She immediately reddened and looked at the ground. “I mean... yeah.”

Jiyong held her chin as he bent down a little so that they would be at eye-level. Dara’s heart was beating wildly while the butterflies in her stomach are busy having a party. She gulped down a lot of times before she mustered the courage to look at his eyes. “So I guess it’s safe to say that you won’t turn down another date, right?” He asked and winked.

The color of the Dara’s face turned a shade darker and her eyes widened. Jiyong straightened himself and laughed heartily. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek before turning around and waving. “Goodnight, Park Sandara!”

Dara’s hand automatically went to the part where Jiyong kissed her. It was… romantic. Indescribable. The happiness bubbling up inside her was so great that she didn’t even notice she was smiling like a fool in front of their door. Jiyong was perfect.

She went inside their dorm room, wherein Bom bombarded her with questions. “Soooooo… didn’t I tell you the date would be a blast?!”

Her face fell. “Bommie…”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t able to go to the date.” Dara said, feeling regretful. She really feels bad that three of her friends went to all the trouble setting it up but she didn’t even turn up.

To her surprise, Bom laughed. “Yah Dara, stop lying! I even saw Kwon Jiyong kiss you on the cheeks!” Bom exclaimed.

Dara’s eyes widened for the second time that day. “WHAT?! You mean, Kwon Jiyong is my supposed “date” whom TOP and Youngbae badgered endlessly?!” She exclaimed.

Bom nodded. “Yeah… Didn’t you know? I thought… But you guys were together…”

Dara sat down, her face crestfallen. “You didn’t tell me who my date was, right? I was about to call you but then I realized I forgot my phone and bumped into him again. I thought he was gonna leave, but then he asked me to go with him.” For an unknown reason, she feels very disappointed.

Park Sandara, admit it. You feel disappointed because you thought Jiyong was just randomly there and he dated you because he actually wanted to and not because TOP and Youngbae pestered him.

AISH! She shouldn’t feel bad. Of course, why would she even think that Jiyong dated her out of his own volition? If other girls who looked really hot and who are rich didn’t catch his attention, why would her– Park Sandara– would?

Bom’s heart went out to her friend. She sat next to her on her bed and hugged her. “It’s okay, Dee, at least you en–”

Before Bom even finished her sentence, the door burst open, revealing TOP and Youngbae who were panting hard. “Yah, what are you two doing here?!” Bom asked. “Dara’s not feeling goo–”

The two didn’t mind her, but went straight to Dara. “We’re really sorry, Dara!” Youngbae said.

“Yes, we will make it up to you, swear!” TOP added.

“What are your problems?!” Bom exclaimed. “Stop adding to Dara’s grief, will you?!”

The two guys hung their heads low. Dara smiled. “Yah, why are you guys sorry, you still did your jobs, right? Kwon Jiyong still dated me. I should be the–”

“KWON JIYONG DATED YOU?!” TOP and Youngbae exclaimed in unison. They looked at each other and then at Dara. “Really?!”

Confused, Dara nodded.

To the two girls’ surprise, TOP and Youngbae gave each other a hi-five and started dancing crazily while grinning. It was only when Bom hit the two of them that they stopped. “Could you guys please explain?!”

“Well, Jiyong came in our room and he said he was sorry because he wasn’t able to meet the girl that we set up for him. He said that he ended up going with another girl, and he feels bad but he doesn’t really regret it. That was when we raced into here and then when we saw how Dee looks so sad, we instantly thought that it was because she got ditched by Jiyong.” Youngbae explained.

Dara and Bom looked at each other, surprise evident in both of their faces. “You mean… Jiyong didn’t know that Dara was his blind date?!” Bom asked.

“Uh-huh.” TOP nodded. “He said that his blind date was late and he was about to leave when he met this new girl.”

Suddenly, Bom and Dara exclaimed like teenage fangirls. “Now, would you two mind to explain?!” TOP asked them.

“Well, Dara did date Jiyong. But it turned out that both of them didn’t know that they’re each other’s blind date. We forgot one of the blind date basics, you know.” Bom answered. “Both of them don’t have any idea about their date, and just when Jiyong was about to leave, he bumped into Dara and decided that they should just date instead.”

“Whoa. That’s good, then!” TOP said happily. “It turned out to be better.”

“Yeah, that’s some romantic event they’ve got there.” Youngbae agreed.

Dara couldn’t utter a word. She’s only sure of one thing: her happiness was overflowing.

-End of Flashback-

Dara didn’t even notice that she was crying again. She sat up on her bed and took out a picture from her drawer. It was taken by Chaerin, Bom and Dara’s friend who was taking side classes on photography. She was asked to capture a moment of “pure and sheer happiness.” Chaerin was having a hard time thinking about that subject, and she all asked their friends for a drink when she was so frustrated. The gang all accompanied her and they were fooling around when they saw Chaerin taking pictures of them. She then hugged and thanked Jiyong and Dara who stood out the most in the photos. It turned out that their candid pictures were what she will pass for the theme “pure and sheer happiness.” Dara asked Chaerin for a copy which the latter gladly gave her.

Her eyes poured more tears. Jiyongie… Where are you?