{ 43 }

Sohee, Donghae, and Wooyoung visited Dara at her apartment. Her family already left to go back to Busan, since her siblings need to go to school. Bom promised them that she will take care of Dara, and her best friend temporarily moved in to her apartment.

“OMONA, DARA-YAH!” Sohee gushed as soon as she saw Dara. She ran towards her and engaged her in a tight embrace. “Gosh, Dee, we were so worried for you...”

“Neh, Dara.” Wooyoung answered somberly. “Donghae almost went berserk when we knew from Mr. Jang.”

“Shut your mouth, Wooyoung.” Donghae growled before his expressions softened upon looking at Dara. “Dara, are you okay now?”

Dara smiled at her friends. “I’m better now, so you don’t have to worry, guys! Maybe I’ll go back to teaching in two more weeks.”

“Aigoo, why don’t you just stop for this year?” Sohee suggested. “Dara, we heard from Bom that you even had PTSD. It’s such a miracle that you managed to get through that easily!” She exclaimed.

“Yeah, you’re amazing! You managed to grow out of it only after almost two weeks. My sister knew someone who had PTSD and that person had been in therapy for 23 years!” Wooyoung added.

“It’s the power of love, stupid.” Donghae quipped. He went near to Dara. “Are you really okay now? You still have bruises...” He asked, concerned.

Wooyoung and Sohee could only look at each other. Truthfully, Donghae really went berserk when he knew that Dara was in the hospital. They searched Dara’s desk to look for her best friend’s Park Bom’s contact details. Thankfully though, Dara already got out of the hospital, or else Donghae would have gone wild.

“I’m fine, Hae.” Dara softly answered. “How about you guys? Tell me what happened while I was gone!”

Sohee immediately fired into a story about Go Yoobin and how her rival even threatened them just to know where Dara was. Wooyoung was goofing out again while Donghae was being his usual protective self. Being around them gave Dara a sense of normalcy. She was glad that they didn’t ask her about what really happened because she doesn’t know if she can reveal it. Bom and TOP were the ones who told her the truth about Madame Kwon– or Jo Yuhee, and her brother Jo Pil Guk.

“Dara-yah, don’t strain yourself, arasso?” Donghae reminded. “We’ll be back again, so don’t even think about working until you’re fully healed!”

“Donghae’s right!” Wooyoung supported his friend’s point. “Take care of yourself, Dee. You’re seriously gonna kill us with worry.”

Dara chuckled at her friends’ ridiculous threats. “Arasso, arasso.” She nodded, understanding that they were just concerned and worrying for her well-being. “I’ll see you guys again. Thank you for visiting me.”

“Hmph!” Sohee sneered. “We’ll thank you if you’d be able to take care of your body!”

“I know, Sohee-yah. Thank you.” She softly replied.

Sohee, Wooyoung, and Donghae hugged her one by one before they left.

--

Later that night, TOP came to visit her and Bom. A cooking Choi Seunghyun still never fails to amaze Dara. Actually, back in their university days, both Bom and TOP were stupid when it comes to cooking. They always end up eating ramyeon or a Chinese take-out because both of them can’t cook. However, as the years passed by, TOP took up cooking. “Bommie only likes to eat, but she hates cooking and washing the dishes. So I’ll just do that. Besides, she loves her nails.” TOP told her and Youngbae with a laugh when they first learned that he was trying to cook.

Now, years later, TOP’s almost an expert in cooking anything. Dara really salutes TOP for being a considerate and understanding boyfriend. Well, Bom’s nails were as important as her friends in her life. Weird? That’s Park Bom for you.

The three of them talked over dinner. Youngbae left for New York the other day to get Chaerin back. Truthfully, he didn’t want to leave at such a critical time on his best friends’ lives, but Dara urged him to go. All of them were missing Chaerin already, anyway.

“Tabi-yah, have you talked to Jiyong?” Dara asked as she tried to be nonchalant. It had been three days since she was discharged but she hasn’t heard of anything from him yet.

TOP sighed. “I did, noona.”

Dara’s heart thumped wildly against her chest. “Wha– what did he say? Will he come soon? Did you tell him I want to see him? Was he okay? He’s not skipping meals, is he?” She can’t stop herself from bombarding him questions about Jiyong. She really wants to see him again, but she wants to give him space too.

“Noona, actually...” TOP hesitated. Dara was still unaware of the problems occurring in the Kwon Group of Companies.

“What is it, Tabi?” She coaxed.

“Jiyong’s having a lot of problems right now in the company.” He confided. He then proceeded to tell her how big the impact of Jo Yuhee and Jo Pil Guk made at the company, and how Jiyong was having a hard time trying to bring it back on top.

Dara could only sigh heavily. She didn’t know that Jiyong was facing such problems in the company. Her hatred for Jo Yuhee and Jo Pil Guk only grew. If it weren’t for them and their evil deeds, nothing would have happened to Dara and Jiyong won’t be having a hard time.

“Don’t worry, Dara.” Bom comforted. “Yah, you know how brilliant that Kwon is! I bet he’d be out of this slump in no time at all!” She said, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

Dara only smiled weakly at Bom before looking at TOP. “Did he... did he tell you when he’ll come talk to me?”

TOP averted his gaze, and Dara understood.

--

Jiyong was functioning like a mechanical robot. He was finishing his tasks, barking orders to Taeyeon or Kibum, but he cannot completely grasp the tasks at hand. His mind was always wandering back to Dara, thinking what he would tell her once he musters the courage to talk to her again.

“Oppa?” Yuri’s head popped out from the door of his office.

He smiled. “O, Yul-ah. Come in.”

Yuri smiled sheepishly. “Oppa, I came with someone...”

Jiyong’s brows furrowed when Yuri came in, holding the arms of a very familiar person.

He quickly stood up from his seat. “Why are you with him, Kwon Yuri?” Jiyong asked in a low voice, not wanting to explode.

Jaejoong’s face remained impassive while Yuri gulped. “Oppa... I... I just want to talk to you about Jaejoong oppa.”

“Did that man say anything, Yul?” Jiyong asked. “Yuri, I thought we already talked about this.” He sighed tiredly. “You’re my sister, Kwon Yuri.”

Yuri’s face softened, seeing the tiredness reflected in Jiyong’s face. Her brother’s eyes were being weighed down by black circles, and he even lost weight. All she could see was stress. From what she heard from Bom, Jiyong still hadn’t talked to Dara.

She let go of Jaejoong’s arm and walked over to her brother. “Jiyong oppa...”

“Hmm?”

“Can’t I...” She breathed deeply before continuing. “Can’t I just keep you both?”

Jiyong’s face went back to being dangerous. “What are you trying to say, Kwon Yuri?”

“Oppa, I actually thought about our situation.” She sighed. “Jaejoong oppa’s my real brother, and... his father... is my father too.” She quickly held Jiyong’s hand when she saw that he was about to go wild again. “But you’re my brother, too. You’ve always been with me since I was a kid, and you supported me.”

She looked up at her brother. “Jiyong oppa, you trust me, right?”

“Of course I do, you pabo.” Jiyong answered, his voice low.

A solitary tear escaped from his eye. “Then trust me on this one, too. Oppa, I want to know my real family. I won’t leave you though. You’re still my brother. You will forever be Jiyong oppa to Yul.” Her tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her voice was starting to crack.

Jiyong swallowed before he walked over to where Yuri was and hugged her tightly. “I feel like I’m losing my dongsaeng...” He whispered.

Yuri wrapped her arms on her brother. “You will never lose me, oppa. I’m still the Yul whom you told your first girlfriend about. I’m still the Yul you held when I was a baby. The Yul you saved when I was about to fall from a tree. I’m the Yul who scraped her elbows and went home screaming Jiyong oppa’s name. I’m the Yul who barged in your office without permission. I’m your dongsaeng, Kwon Yuri.” She proudly said through cracking voice.

He gently pulled away and held her shoulders. He wiped her tears using his thumb. He then smiled tenderly. “Yes, you’re still my dongsaeng, Kwon Yuri.” He faced Jaejoong. “No matter what you say, I’ll never allow Yul to change her last name.”

“I’m not even asking for it, Jiyong.” Jaejoong answered coolly. “I just want my sister to know me and her real father.”

“Oppa, we’ll go to Chungnam.” She slowly revealed. “Jaejoong oppa’s fa– our father was there.”

Jiyong sent a sharp glare to Jaejoong. “Don’t try to kidnap my sister and force her to stay there. I’ll sweep every nook and cranny of Chungcheongnam-do if she’s not back within a week.”

“A week?! Wow, she didn’t know who her real dad was her whole life and you’re only giving her a week?!” Jaejoong asked incredulously.

“You’re even lucky I’m giving you a day,” Jiyong answered.

Jaejoong shook his head and sneered. Being the younger guy’s bodyguard for five years, he knew how stubborn Jiyong can be. He’s sure that there will be a battalion of bodyguards following Yuri and watching his every move.

“Will you leave soon?” Jiyong asked.

Yuri nodded. “I’ll be back before you know it, oppa.”

He smiled. “Arasso. Oppa’s going to miss you.”

“Yul will miss you too.” She replied, happy to know that this time, she’s blessed with not just one but two brothers who love and cherish her a lot.

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Uwaaaaaah! I'm getting sad T.T This fic is ending soon... Only one chapter left plus the epilogue huhuhu :(

Please drop me more comments nowwww!~ T.T