"I'm glad I'm back," he whispered.

The girl read the last line of the book and hugged it, squealing giddily. "God, I want to have my own Jiro!"

"Me too," her friend seated next to her sighed dreamily, cupping her cheek with her palm while sipping her drink as they sat in a café restaurant near their school. She flipped through the pages of the magazine laid down on the table, admiring the female model at the centerfold named Riko Takizawa. "There are rumors going around on Twitter that the author used real people and some real events while creating the story, but she just changed the names."

"You mean Jiro is based on a real person? Oh my gosh!"

The man seated at the next table with a scar on his forehead smirked as he hovered his cup of coffee over his mouth.

"That's what the rumors say," her friend told her and smiled. "It would be really amazing if it's true. I would love to meet all the characters in person!"

"I'll definitely ask the author later at the book signing event." Her eyes shifted to the LCD monitor hanging by the wall, showing the end credits of a TV show.

Graphic Design: Picaro Rostelli, it said. She then looked at the clock and gasped.

"I think we need to go now. There's going to be a long line and—oh! Good afternoon Professor Tsai!" the girl greeted the small guy that just entered the café.

"Good afternoon. Going home?" he asked.

"No, sir. We're going to the book signing event of our favorite author," her friend replied, pulling her book from her bag and excitedly showing it to their professor.

"I see. Be careful on your way home later, all right?"

"Yes, sir!" the two simultaneously replied and headed to the door while their professor proceeded to the counter after nodding at the man seated at the next table.

"Hey, can you imagine Professor Tsai being a gangster?" her friend nudged her as they walked on the street.

She giggled while shaking her head. "Absolutely not! Professor Tsai is too nice to be a badass."

"That kid right there looks like him," her friend pointed at the boy helping an old lady in crossing the street.

"Oh, he does. His mohawk hairstyle suits him. But I don't think that hairstyle suits our professor," she remarked.

The two entered the mall where the book signing event was going to be held and as expected, the venue was already packed and the line was long since the book was a bestseller. But the two didn't mind as they excitedly chatted with the other readers while waiting.

"I can't believe this is happening right now. I'm actually tearing up with the success of Miss Ramirez," her friend said, wiping the corner of her eyes.

"Me too. It used to be an online novel. I can still remember how we craved for an update every week, but look at it now. I heard there are talks of it being produced into a movie," she said. "I've been an avid reader of Miss Ramirez since she started writing the online novel while working as a feature writer of a magazine at the local publishing house. Even her featured stories were brilliant. She really deserves this."

A woman with long, black hair walked past them followed by a guy with an aristocratic air. They went past behind the ropes, heading straight to where the author was seated and happily chatted with her.

"That's her publishing manager, right?" she asked.

"Yes. And that man, I think, is her husband who helped in creating the book cover graphics. I recognize their faces from the pictures tweeted by Miss Ramirez. She thanked her friends and posted a picture of that couple including that man in dark suit behind her."

"Wait, isn't he the owner of this mall?"

"Yes. Isn't he cute? He's totally my type," her friend gushed.

The time to have their books signed finally came and the two girls could not stop squealing, unable to contain their excitement as they shook hands with their favorite author.

"Miss Ramirez, we're your biggest fans! The book is amazing!"

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the story," Dara smiled at them.

"Is it true that some of the events in the story really happened and that the characters in the story are real people but with different names? Is Jiro a real person? Oh my gosh, who is he?"

"He's not real, ladies," the man in dark suit standing behind Dara smiled brightly at them. "He's just a product of this amazing woman's imagination."

Dara chatted with them for a while and signed their books, making the female students happy. The two were about to leave when they heard the guy mumbling something to the author.

"Congratulations, munchkin. You did it," he said.

Her eyes widened and she nudged her friend with her elbow. "He called her munchkin! Do you think—"

The two girls squealed when the guy winked at them, making Dara chuckle while shaking her head in amusement.

***

Dara entered the house, tired but happy. The book signing event was a success and she couldn't be more thankful with the help of all the important people in her life. She headed toward the kitchen while reading the text messages she received from her friends, making her chuckle.

Namee: I still can't believe I'm the talkative character in your story. Hmph!

Bullet: People are now using 'munchkin' to call their friends. UGH! They shouldn't copy me!

Picaro: All the best, Dara.

Bonsai: I'm not a little shrimp, you bad woman! Anyway, my students are reading your book. I know my character in your book is awesome, but don't you dare reveal that I'm the real person behind it, okay?

Riko: Congratulations on your book! I hope I can meet all of you after my overseas photoshoot!

Stone: I saw Bonsai a while ago. He's bitching about being the goofball in your story. Don't mind that asshole; the story is awesome. Congratulations.

A smile was still plastered on her lips as she set down her phone on the table and pulled out the ingredients from the fridge, putting them on the sink afterwards. As she was preparing dinner, she heard the keycode being entered at the main door, followed by the opening and shutting of the door.

Dara didn't bother to glance back as she heard his unhurried footsteps approaching her. His arm wrapped on her waist from behind and he planted a soft kiss on her cheek, tilting his head to stare at her afterwards.

"Welcome home," she greeted and spun around to face him, tiptoeing to give him a quick peck on the lips. Dara smiled at him afterwards, but Jiro's face remained impassive. "That book," he started. Dara bit her lip and began fumbling the hem of his shirt while trying to stifle her laughter.

"College students were fussing over me when they heard my officemate calling my name. They were asking if I have a dragon tattoo on my shoulder too. I pity those who have the same name as me. I'm sure they also have to deal with this shit."

"But I changed the surname of the male character in the story! I only used your first name! And I only used InterSAT as the setting, but I changed everything – the names and the events that happened were different."

"You wrote some things that really happened between us," he countered.

"Only a few," she grinned.

"I can also recognize who the characters are."

"My friends are my inspiration."

"And you described every detail about me."

"That's not true. I didn't write about the dragon tattoo on your hand."

"You wrote that the dragon tattoo is on the shoulder though," he countered.

"I used you as my male lead because you're my muse. But I didn't write everything about you. I don't want to share my husband," she reasoned and smiled at him, still playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Maybe I should write about what you did at Picaro's graduation party and have Cheng publish it," he smirked at her teasingly.

"Don't you dare!"

Jiro laughed softly and gave her a quick peck on the lips, pinching her cheek gently and smiling at her. Dara eyed him affectionately. Her heart constricted with the sight of him smiling, the glimmer in his eyes showing how happy and contented he was.

He was one tough gangster when they were still students, but strength is not measured by the punch of one's fist. It is not just about physical agility and how much one can tolerate pain.

Jiro slowly evolved into a strong man, in a broader sense of the word. And that was what Dara wanted to convey in her book – a story about a boy who found the courage to look at himself and finally be what he wanted to be, to achieve what he had long dreamed of; a boy who was broken and scared, but who was able to rise from his own broken pieces.

It's a story about a boy who went through a lot - promises, uncertainties, and a broken heart, and was able to find hope, friendship and new beginning. He was able to break free from the despair that held him captive for a long time. And that boy became a man full of happiness and love, a man who stands tall and proud, a man who protects her.

Jiro leaned down and kissed the slightly evident bump on her belly, stroking it afterwards. "Hi baby," he whispered. "Daddy's home."

"There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same."

Chinese Proverb

Writer's Note:

Did you notice the characters in the epilogue? Stone, Bonsai, Mama Old,Battou, Picaro and Namee were all there!

Anyway, thank you so much for supporting this story! Please do tell me if you enjoyed it in the comment section ^_^

Kamsahamnida! *bows 90 degrees

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