Will You Catch Me If I Fall? Completed!

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by kyuholic13

Characters

Sandara Park, Kwon Jiyong, Dong Yongbae and others.

Description

Will You catch me if I fall?

-Dara

Do you even need to ask?

I always have.....

-Jiyong

Foreword

Hey there guys!!! Another Daragon oneshot (or maybe twoshot or even three shot....) from me!!!!!! Hope you guys will like this one!!!!! ^^

Some ideas have popped into my mind and so I'm gonna write 'em up!!! All are not Daragon though.....But if you guys want, you can check 'em out as well.....if you like my writing, that is.......

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT if you like it!!! They are LOVED!!!! ^-^

Credits for the poster goes to C-Ninja-H!!! Thanks a bunch, chingu!!

1

Girls squealed as the two most popular guys of YG High walked along the school corridors. One had jet black hair that was styled into a Mohawk. He wore his uniform, a white full-sleeved shirt with a long grey trouser, a grey blazer and a grey tie, in a ‘proper’ way.

Now, you must be wondering why I mentioned ‘proper’. Well……You’ll understand if you see the guy walking next to him. This guy’s appearance was nothing near ‘proper’. He didn’t put on his blazer, his tie was God knows where, his shirt wasn’t tucked inside his trouser and the upper three buttons of his shirt were open. He ruffled his messy blonde hair, which became messier. Despite of it all, he looked attractive and sexy. After all, he was none other than Kwon Jiyong.

He smirked and whispered to his friend, the Mohawk guy, “Well, Yongbae, isn’t it great to be popular?” Yongbae rolled his eyes and shook his head. This friend of his will never learn.

The blonde boy looked up to see his best friend stare at Yongbae from behind the fan girls, blushing slightly. He felt his insides squirm. But he decided to ignore it. For HER, he has to………

* * *

A brunette girl sat near the classroom window and stared up at the sky. She had a smile on her face as the thought of her first crush, Yongbae invaded her mind. She loved the fact that in spite of coming from a rich family, he was unlike those rich brats who knew nothing more than boasting around. He was kind and considerate. And his smile was like that of an angel……

“DARA!!!” her friend Ahn Sohee shrieked bringing her back to earth. “Have you turned deaf or something?”

“Why? What happened?” she asked, standing up.

“They’re here already!!! The boys are here!!” Sohee squealed and pulled Dara’s arm. “Let’s go!”

Having no other choice, she followed her friend out of the classroom and into the corridor.

It was nearing the end of school year, but still the fan girls always created a crowd in the corridors to greet the two guys.

Dara stood behind a pair of giggling girls and kept staring at her dream boy, Dong Yongbae walking along the corridor. ‘He’s so perfect!’ she thought to herself. She could feel her cheeks redden. Just then, their eyes met and he gave her or maybe all the girls in that place a wide smile. Dara turned even more red and squatted down the moment he looked away. She had her eyes squeezed shut and she prayed that her best friend wouldn’t notice this silly act of hers.

But nope, he did notice it…..

She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see her best friend, Jiyong smirking down at her.

“I don’t think you’ll ever gain his attention much, Miss Sandara Park, if you keep hiding like that,” he said as she stood up.

“Don’t you have anything better to do other than annoying me?” Dara asked him, her hands crossed on her chest.

“Like I can ever get tired of it!” Jiyong chuckled, making Dara glare at him. He looked behind her to see Park Bom, the Queenka of YG High. “Isn’t she hot?” he asked Dara. “Do you think she’ll say yes if I ask her out?”

Dara rolled her eyes and walked past him.

Seeing these two best friends, one of Jiyong’s fan girls, Jessica nudged Sohee who stood beside her.

“Are you sure there’s nothing going on between those two? I mean, I just don’t get it!! How come she’s the best friend of the hottest guy on the planet and has not fallen for him!! I would kill to get her position, really!!” Jessica puffed her cheeks.

“But you wouldn’t, would you?” Sohee asked playfully.

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Of course, I won’t!” she exclaimed. “Unfortunately, I’m too nice! Besides, I know that Dara has a crush on Yongbae instead….”

Sohee glared at her. “Hey! You make it sound like Yongbae oppa is not good-looking enough!!”

…………..Okay, let us just leave those two girls with their argument. I’m sure you guys must be wondering how the shy and introvert Sandara Park became best friends with the hot and flirty Kwon Jiyong. Well, it was back when they were kids of around seven…….

Dara and her family had moved to a new neighborhood and it had turned out that the Kwons were their neighbors. The Kwons wanted to welcome their new neighbors and had invited the Parks over for lunch.

Jiyong being very open and friendly asked Dara if she’d like to see his ‘mansion’ which was actually a tree house that his father had built up for him at their backyard. Dara felt curious and followed him. He led her to the bottom of a large tree and pointed at his ‘mansion’.

“See? Isn’t that cool?” he asked her.

Dara had her mouth wide open. She had never seen a ‘mansion’ on a tree before.

“Wow!!!” she squealed.

Jiyong had a smug look on his face. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he said with his arms crossed over his chest.

Dara nodded with her mouth still hung open.

“Wanna see how it is inside?” Jiyong asked.

Dara nodded.

“Then first of all, close your mouth. Mom says that if you keep your mouth open for too long, flies will get inside.”

Dara immediately closed her mouth shut.

“Good. Now follow me.”

Jiyong held Dara’s hand and led her towards the ladder that would lead them to Jiyong’s mansion.

“We’ll climb up this laddie and we’ll be able to reach the top,” he said to her. “Go ahead.”

Dara nodded and took a first step on the ladder. But she instantly got down.

“I-I c-can’t!” she said looking scared.

“What? But why? It’s so easy?” Jiyong whined.

“I’m scared!!! I’ll fall!” Dara exclaimed.

Jiyong rolled his eyes. “Come on!! It’s eeeeasy!!!”

Dara shook her head vigorously.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right here. I’ll catch you if you fall,” Jiyong told her.

“P-promise?” Dara asked him.

“Promise!”

Dara gulped and took hesitant steps towards the ladder.

…………..So yeah! That’s how their story started and now it’s still continuing….

2

“Y-you g-gotta be k-kidding me!!” Dara gaped at her friends who are now planning to get Dara on the other side of the huge wall before them. They are outside Taeyang’s mansion, trying to get a glimpse of him. Yes, you got it right. They’re being the creepy stalkers. But don’t go on thinking that our innocent little Dara is a stalker. She was kinda tricked.......

It was their lunch break. Dara was sitting in the canteen along with her four friends Sohee, IU, Krystal and Sulli. Even though she and Jiyong were best friends, they didn’t spend much time together in the school. It was because of three reasons mainly. First, Jiyong needed to flirt with the other girls. Second, they both had other friends to hang around with. Third, Jiyong usually spent the rest of the day after school in Dara’s house, annoying her like hell.

Seeing Taeyang sitting alone at a table, Dara figured that Jiyong must be flirting with some fan girl of his.

“What a jerk...” Dara muttered to herself.

“Did you say something?” Sohee nudged her.

“Huh? NO!”

Sohee then turned to the other girls and continued with what she was saying earlier. “So, as I was saying, we’ll follow Taeyang oppa after school and take some photos of him at home!”

“WHAT??!!” Dara was too busy with her thoughts regarding her best friend to not hear what her friends were actually saying.

“What do you mean by ‘what’?” Krystal asked her. “Haven’t you been listening?”

“Umm....No?” Dara said guiltily. Maybe she heard it all wrong. Her friends won’t be doing such creepy stuff!!

“Well,” Sulli explained. “As you know, we’ve always wondered how Taeyang oppa looks like when he’s home. So, we’ve planned to follow him home and take a few snaps!”

“W-What??!!! You guys are going to stalk him?!” Dara was totally taken aback.

“Correction! First of all, we’re not STALKING him. We’ll just be following him! That’s all!” Sohee said this as if it were a normal thing to do.

“Those are the same thing’” Dara interjected.

“And lastly,” Sohee continued as if Dara had never spoken. “It’s not just us! You’ll be coming with us as well!”

“I’m not doing it!” Dara exclaimed. She turned to IU and said, “You won’t be doing it either, right?”

The others smirked while IU lowered her face, blushing furiously. ‘Oh My God! Not IU as well! She’s the shiest thing ever! Did she hit her head somewhere?’ Dara thought to herself.

“Well?” The others looked at her impatiently.

“I-I c-can’t! I won’t come with you guys!” The others smirked at her causing her to feel scared. They won’t be giving up so easily.

“Come on, Dara! I know you wanna come along with us as well! Don’t you wish to see your prince charming in his casual wear? Huh? Hm? Hm?” Sulli poked her.

Of course, Dara wanted to!! Her prince charming in a loose white t-shirt and blue jeans- the very thought made her feel excited. In case you guys are wondering how she knew what he wears at home, she got that out from Jiyong.

“Well?” Sohee poked her again.

“F-fine!” Dara gave up to her temptation. “But what about Jiyong? We go home together, remember?”

“Hmm.......well, just tell him that you’re going to my home because I just invited you!” Sulli said excitedly.

“Yeah!” the others agreed.

“Okay then......I’ll do that....” Dara said after a few seconds of thinking.

So, when their school bell finally rang at the end of class, Dara walked up to Jiyong, who was actually talking to Taeyang and poked his shoulder.

“I’ll go then,” Taeyang excused himself and went out of the classroom.

Jiyong turned with his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow.

“What is it?”

“Umm.....J-Jiyong,” Dara stammered slightly. “Sulli has invited me over to her place. So I’ll be going with her now.”

“Owkay....” Jiyong grew a little suspicious. “Why all on a sudden?”

He had his hands crossed on his chest now.

‘Okay, I didn’t expect him to be so curious.......Now what do I do?!’ Dara panicked. Jiyong knew her too well. More than she knew herself.

“Ummm......She hass s-something t-to show to us.” she nervously spoke out. If Jiyong found out what she was up to, then she’ll be doomed for life. He will keep on teasing her till death. She silently prayed that he won’t grow suspicious.

But unfortunately for her, Jiyong had already noticed that she was lying. He kept staring at her with accusing eyes and she diverted her gaze to anywhere other than him.

“Alright then,” Jiyong spoke out breaking the silence. “Go ahead. Did you inform aunty?”

“Y-yeah,” Dara stuttered again. “I had informed her during lunch break.”

Jiyong nodded and started packing his stuff. Dara was about to turn and leave when Jiyong called him.

“Dara.”

“H-huh?”

“Don’t go stalking Taeyang behind my back,” he said.

Dara’s eyes widened and her mouth became dry. He had caught her! What the poor girl didn’t know was that Jiyong was just joking. But well, after Jiyong saw her shocked expression, he did catch her. And now, it was his turn to get shocked. He never expected that Dara would do something as stupid as that. He had expected her to get mad at him and start yelling at him. But not this.

The thought not only brought a sharp pain in his heart but it also made him furious. But he was really good at hiding his feelings and so, he let out a fake laugh.

“I was just kidding!” he said.

Dara heaved a sigh of relief, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jiyong. She pretended to get angry and glared at him, who ruffled her hair with a smirk and walked past her.

When she saw him leaving the classroom, she slumped down on the nearest chair and sighed again.

“That was close.”

On the other hand, Jiyong was walking down the corridor with his fists clenched. Dara had changed. She had stopped sharing her secrets with him. And he hadn’t noticed it. But he had to protect her. What if she and her stupid friends got caught? So he decided to follow them.

‘Saving a stalker by being a stalker. Nice!’ He thought to himself and ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

Now, back to the present.........

“Don’t worry, Dara. It’s not going to be that hard!” Sulli assured her.

And why am I the one to go up there?!” she was starting to get furious. She hated heights.

“Because you’re the lightest of us all! And we’ll be able to lift you up easily!” Krystal said enthusiastically.

Dara had a really bad feeling about this. She shook her head furiously and glared at her friends.

“You forced me to come along with you guys so that you could throw me into the den of a lion?” Dara asked accusingly.

“Dara! Are you comparing our prince Taeyang to a lion?!” Krystal shook her head as if Dara had lost her mind, when Dara could clearly see that they were the once who had lost it.

Just when Dara was about to protest, IU tugged her shirt and pouted with her puppy eyes, her ultimate weapon to convince Dara to do almost anything. Dara always loved IU as her little sister. And so, she gave in.

“What the hell are they doing?!” Jiyong asked furiously to nobody in particular. He hiding behind a tree on the opposite side of the road and peeking at the girls. Thankfully, the street was empty except for him and the girls.

He saw as the girls tried to lift Dara up who was struggling to get on top of the huge wall that surrounded Taeyang’s mansion. Jiyong sighed. ‘Thank goodness, she’s wearing pants.’ Jiyong thought to himself. But immediately, he shook his head upon realizing what he had just said. ‘What am I thinking?’ He facepalmed himself.

When he looked back at the girls, he gulped. They were in an unstable state and Dara was almost falling. Forgetting that he was supposed to hide and even forgetting to check either side of the road for any sign of vehicles (Thank God!! The road was EMPTY!!!), he sprinted towards their direction.

By the time he had reached there, the girls had somehow stabilized their situation and Dara was safely sitting on top of the wall. But upon noticing his arrival, the girls shrieked and ran away.

‘Uh-oh! Dara, you’re dead,’ Dara thought to herself when she saw her best friend throwing death glare at her. She gulped.

“Seriously girl, what were you thinking?” Jiyong asked in a low deadly voice.

‘What am I going to do? Jiyong is going to kill me! And those cowards left me behind to feel his wrath all by myself!’ Dara’s heart was pounding so loudly that she could almost hear it.

“Get down,” Jiyong said in the same low cold tone.

“W-what?” Dara stammered. “I-it’s t-too h-h-high!”

“So?”

Dara gulped. She lowered her head and softly spoke out, “I-I’ll f-fall.”

“That thought didn’t seem to occur to you when you climbed up there,” Jiyong said sarcastically. He was furious. He was mad. The thought of Dara going to such extent just to see a glimpse of Taeyang made his insides burn with anger.

A tear escaped Dara’s eyes as she let out a sob. This made Jiyong freeze. He had made her cry.

“I-I’m s-s-so-sorry,” she whispered. She had never lied to him. It was her first time ever. The guilt that she had been trying to suppress all this time, finally consumed her. And she felt miserable.

Jiyong’s gaze softened as he slowly moved closer to the wall and told her softly to jump. Dara looked back at him with teary eyes and asked, “A-aren’t you m-mad at me?”

“I WAS angry. Not now,” he smiled warmly at her. “Because I just found a new tactic to annoy you!”

Dara’s eye widened and she glared at him. She took off one shoe and threw it at him but missed.

“Okay, lady. Are you coming down or what?” Jiyong chuckled. “I don’t have the entire day, you know?”

Dara pouted and slowly slid down with her eyes closed shut. Jiyong caught her in mid-air and she hugged him tight. He slowly let her down on her feet and said, “Stand still.”

He bent down to get her shoe and put it on her foot. “There you go!” he said as he dusted his hands off.

Dara bowed her head and mumbled a soft thank you, bringing a wide smile on Jiyong’s face. He ruffled her hair slightly and pointed at the six school bags lying around them.

“What about those?” he asked.

Dara stared at the bags and her anger flared up. “I’m never going to talk to them!” she yelled.

“Owkay....but what about the bags?” Jiyong asked her again.

“Leave their ones behind!”

Jiyong raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

“FINE!” she snapped. “You carry four. I’ll carry two.”

“Since when did you get so unfair?”

“Circumstances taught me to be so.”

“Really? Or is it your anger of not being able to see your prince charming?”

“KWON JIYONG!!!!”

3

“Okay, class, as you all know, your final exams are starting from next week,” Mr. Yang, their homeroom teacher, stated the obvious.

The class groaned at the mention of the most dreaded final exams. Several of them cursed the inventor of exams. Some even spoke out weird stuff like reviving that inventor and murdering him/her in the most painful way possible.

Mr. Yang chuckled at the weird ideas of the students and clapped his hands loudly to gain his students’ attention.

“Yeah, I know, you guys don’t like exams. Come to think of it, who does?” he said. “But that’s not the only thing I’m supposed to announce today! There’s another one!” he continued excitedly.

The students, knowing what he was exactly talking about, grinned. The girls started to whisper among themselves and giggled while the boys had huge grins plastered on their faces.

“Yes, guys,” he continued. “It’s the much anticipated prom night!”

The class jeered at the mention of prom, causing Mr. Yang to chuckle yet again. “You guys are supposed to be excited about the exams, you know? Yet here you are, getting all eager to be on the prom night, something of not much value in life.”

“Come on, Mr. Yang,” Krystal stood up. “Who said prom night isn’t of much value? It’s the most important part of any young girl’s life. The prom dress, the first dance, the music and most importantly, the date…..” she trailed off, getting all dreamy.

The class laughed while Dara who was sitting beside her, nudged her to get her back to reality. Krystal blinked, shaking herself out of her reverie and blushed realizing what she had been doing.

All this time, Jiyong had his eyes on Dara. He smiled at the embarrassed expression on Dara’s face when her friend, Krystal stood up and started to say stuff that she would never ever dream of saying out loud.

She was just too simple, just too sweet. And that was what he loved about her. Her simplicity was the very thing that had changed his feelings towards her.

He used to think of her as his best friend; someone he could share his secrets with; someone he could rely on. But with the passage of time, as he spent more time with her, as he started to know things better, know her better, he realized that she had become more than just friend to him. She had become a very important part of his life. With her bright smile, sparkling eyes and shy yet bold personality, she had somehow stolen his heart. He had fallen for her.

But the problem was that she loved his friend, Taeyang. Taeyang was too shy when it came to girls. So Jiyong didn’t have any idea whether his friend had any kind of feelings for Dara or any other girl for that matter. Whenever he tried to get something out of Taeyang, the latter would just get all shy and try to change the subject.

Jiyong wanted to tell Dara how much he loved her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. He wanted to give her all the happiness of the world for she deserved them. But he couldn’t. Because he was afraid that if he confessed, if he let her know how he felt, their friendship might get

ruined. He was afraid that she might leave his side. So he decided to keep his feelings to himself. He was satisfied with just having her by his side. He didn’t need anything more.

Mr. Yang announced that the prom night would be held a week after the final exams end and then, he left. The moment he stepped out of the class, the students engaged themselves in conversation regarding the prom; the ensuing exams became a completely forgotten subject. But not for our Dara. Nu-uh.

She shook her head in disapproval as she saw her friends all discussing about what they would be wearing on the prom night and stood up. It was lunch break and she had to make some notes for her history exams. So she decided to go to the library, her haven.

She walked her way to the library, finding it totally empty except for three or four students who buried themselves in the books they had in front of them. She silently walked past them and the rows of shelves until she reached the last table situated at the very corner of the library. She put her stuff on the table and walked towards the history section of the library and started searching for the book that she needed. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found the book. But it wouldn’t come off when she pulled.

Knowing perfectly well who was behind it, she ordered in a hushed tone, “Yah! Jiyong! Let-it-go!”

She heard a soft chuckle from the other side of the shelf and rolled her eyes. Jiyong released his grip from the book and Dara took it. Without any glance at her annoying friend, she walked off towards her table and sat down. Opening her notebook and taking a pencil in her hand, she started to scan the book she just picked.

She felt the presence of Jiyong behind her but ignored him. He bent down and stared at her book, his chin resting on her right shoulder. Dara knew that she would never be able to concentrate if he hung around her with determination to annoy her to death. So she shut the book loudly and faced him which was a totally wrong move for he had also turned his face to whisper to her ear at that moment and now her face was just an inch away from his.

Jiyong’s eyes widened and he straightened up instantly. A blush crept up his face as he ruffled his own hair, something that he does when he gets all nervous. Dara’s condition was even worse. She had her head bent down and her face was now as red as a tomato. Both of their hearts were fluttering wildly. Jiyong glanced at Dara who had her back turned to him and clutched his heart.

After several minutes of awkward silence, Jiyong decided to lighten up the situation and heaved a sigh. He walked to the other side of the table and sat opposite to Dara.

“Well……..That was…….AWKWARD,” he said, chuckling nervously.

Dara glared at him. Of course, it was awkward!!! Way to much AWKWARD!!! He didn’t have to say that out loud!!!

Dara’s face had returned to its normal color. So was Jiyong’s. They were silent yet again not knowing what to say. Just then, Sohee turned up at their table for which both of them were silently grateful to her.

“Dara!! What are you doing here?!” she exclaimed in a voice too loud for the library. Within seconds, the librarian, Mr. Choi stuck his head out from behind one of the shelves and glowered at Sohee who cringed.

“You do know it’s the library, don’t you?” Dara hissed at Sohee as Jiyong snickered.

“Soorrryyyy…….It’s just that I’m SO EXCITED about prom!!!” Sohee pouted.

Dara rolled her eyes and opened the history book again. But it seemed like everyone had decided to not let her concentrate as Sohee sat on the chair beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. Jiyong was enjoying the scene in front of him. His face split into a wide smile as he saw Dara’s cheeks puffed up in annoyance.

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not excited!” Sohee spoke in a teasing tone. “I’m sure you’re wondering how you’ll ask Taeyang oppa to be your date!!”

The mention of Taeyang’s name caused Dara’s cheeks to turn deep red. The sight caused Jiyong’s smile to fade. He clenched his jaws as he felt a pang in his heart. His hands were balled into fists on his lap. He was so lost in his own misery that he missed what the two girls in front of him were talking about.

A slight jerk on his shoulder by Dara relieved him from his tormented thoughts. He blinked a few times and stared at Dara who was looking at him with concern.

“Are you alright?” Dara asked him worriedly. “You looked as if you were in pain.”

“H-Huh?” Jiyong looked blankly at Dara for a few seconds as his mind processed what actually was happening.

Dara felt more worried and pressed the back of her hand against Jiyong’s forehead to feel his temperature.

“You don’t have a fever,” she spoke more to herself, her forehead creased.

Jiyong smiled, seeing how worried Dara was for him. He stood up and shoved his hands inside his pocket.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. I was just wondering whom I’ll ask to be my date for the prom,” Jiyong said, getting back on his track to annoy Dara.

Dara’s heart sank hearing his words. For some reason she felt disappointed, hurt even, to find that Jiyong had no intention to ask her out. Confused about her own feelings, she kept staring at Jiyong. Noticing this, Jiyong smirked. He stepped closer to her and lifted her chin with his index finger, staring right into her eyes.

“Dara! I know I’m too handsome! But will you please stop gawking at me like that?! It’s embarrassing!!” he said jokingly.

Being pissed by his words, Dara threw her pencil at him which he dodged easily and smirked.

“Aaaawwwwww………..You two act so much like a lovey-dovey couple!!!” Sohee squealed suddenly, causing the two to blush furiously.

Sohee was still in such awe over what she witnessed moments ago; how the two looked like they were deeply in love. She opened her mouth to tell them that they should really start dating. But before she could utter one more word, Mr. Choi stomped towards them, fuming with anger.

“You three! Out of the library! Now!” he yelled.

The three of them immediately picked up Dara’s stuff and fled from the library.

They were now walking along the corridors. Dara was stomping ahead of them actually as the two followed her, feeling a bit guilty. They didn’t really intend to ruin her time of study. Yeah, even Jiyong wasn’t intending to do that. He just wanted to tease her for a while and then leave her alone.

“Dara, it’s definitely not my fault! Your friend here started squealing in the library!!! I mean, seriously!!! Who the hell does that?!” Jiyong said, trying to gain her forgiveness.

“Yah! Don’t you blame it all on me!! If you didn’t act all lovey-dovey in front of me, then all of his wouldn’t have happened!!” Sohee exclaimed.

Dara halted and turned around sharply, causing the other two to jolt in surprise.

“Just shut up, you two!!” Dara snapped.

Seeing her mad, both Jiyong and Sohee gulped and kept their mouth shut. But they still followed Dara around.

They were now walking towards the cafeteria. Dara had her head buried in her history book while the other two just stared at the back of her head. Jiyong then noticed some water spilled on the floor in front of Dara. But before he could warn her, she slipped. But Jiyong was fast enough to catch her.

Dara closed her eyes and waited for the fall. But that didn’t happen as she felt two hands surrounding her waist and supporting her. She peaked open an eye to see Jiyong smirking.

“You know what? Sometimes, I’m forced to think that you fall intentionally so that I would come catch you,” he said with a grin.

She then realized in how much close proximity they were, how Jiyong’s hands firmly held onto her waist, how their bodies were pressed so close together and how their faces were mere inches away. She felt her cheeks warm up as her heart started to pound at a very fast rate.

She couldn’t understand what was happening to her. It wasn’t like they never had been this close to each other. They often hugged and of course, Jiyong had caught her countless times when her clumsy self failed to keep herself standing on two feet. But for some reason, it felt different.

And Jiyong wasn’t helping either. Suddenly, he started being all flirty. What was going on?

4

It was a bright sunny afternoon. Dara walked along the pavement of their street towards the park. She wore a light blue knee-length dress, a pair of blue flat sandals and a straw sun hat. The warm spring breeze brushed across her face, making her feel cheerful.

Upon reaching the park, her eyes searched for a certain someone. A smile formed on her lips when she saw him lying there on the grass under a large tree. She started to walk slowly towards him. Suddenly, the memory of what happened in front of the cafeteria flashed through her mind and she stopped on her tracks. A blush crept up her cheeks and she felt millions of butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

*FLASHBACK*

After staying in Jiyong’s arms for how long she doesn’t know, she had realized the awkward position that they were in and pushed him away. Jiyong’s smirk never left his face and Dara’s heart couldn’t stop beating wildly. She could feel her cheeks getting warmer and in order to hide the redness of her cheeks, she did what she could do best at that moment. She ran away.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

She had been avoiding Jiyong from then on. And for some reason, even Jiyong stopped bothering her. Their school was closed for the week for the exam preparations. So they didn’t have to come across each other as Dara spent her time studying in her house and Jiyong did the same in his.

Dara would have continued with her ‘stay away from Jiyong’ strategy if Mrs. Kwon hadn’t come over to their place looking for him. Dara knew where he could possibly be and volunteered to go look for him. But now, when he was right there in front of her, she started to feel nervous, the urge to run back home and hide under her desk got stronger. But Mrs. Kwon had to go out for some work and needed Jiyong to stay home and babysit Seungri, Jiyong’s mischievous little brother. That brat was wicked to the core…

Dara heaved a sigh and mustered up enough courage to face him. She took hesitant steps towards him while trying to control her pounding heart. When she got nearer to him, she saw that his eyes were open and he was staring up at the sky. His head was resting on his right arm while he was twirling round a leaf in his left hand.

Jiyong heard the crunching sound of the grass and glanced sideways to see who was approaching him. When he saw Dara, he looked up at the sky again, starting to feel a little nervous.

He had been avoiding her all this time so that she wouldn’t start asking why he had been acting all flirty towards her. It’s true that he flirted with other girls and all, but Dara had been an exception. Even he couldn’t figure out why he had acted up that way at school. So he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to answer her if she asked him.

Dara knelt down beside him and poked his cheeks.

“Hey,” she said softly. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask the same question. Aren’t you studying?”

“You aren’t,” Dara pointed out accusingly.

“Come on, Dara. Don’t tell me you forgot I’m a genius? Unlike you, I don’t need to study too much,” Jiyong taunted.

Dara pouted and folded her arms. Jiyong was right. He was really a genius. He never studied much. Yet he’d always be the top student in the class. No one could ever beat him.

Dara was silent for a long time and Jiyong didn’t like it at all. So he turned towards her and beamed. She was beautiful even when she was mad at him.

Jiyong’s eyes then landed on Dara’s hat which made her look cuter. He took it off her head and started playing with it.

“Yah!” Dara yelled at him, but he ignored her.

“Why wear a hat?” he asked.

“What’s wrong if I wear it?” Dara asked him back as she lay down beside him on the grass and looked up at the sky as well.

“You look too cute in it,” Jiyong blurted out and later, got shocked realizing what he had just said.

Dara turned crimson red as the wild beatings of her heart continued. She peeked at Jiyong to see that he wasn’t staring at her and she thanked the heavens for it. But Jiyong was back in his flirty mode again and Dara had to get away from him or do something to get him back to his usual mode. Or else, she’d definitely die of heart attack.

Jiyong, on the other hand, was inwardly kicking himself. What the hell had gone wrong with him?! For some totally weird reason, his tongue wasn’t in sync with his mind. He was saying stuffs which he’d rather keep to himself.

Not trusting his own self, he sat up and turned to Dara.

“You still haven’t told me why you are here,” he spoke.

“Oh, damn!” Dara face palmed. “I forgot! Your mom’s going out. She wants you to be at home to babysit Seungri.”

Jiyong groaned and stood up, brushing his pants.

“Let’s go, then,” he said, extending a hand towards her.

Dara sat up and took his hand, causing her to feel as if an electric current had passed through her, a feeling to which Jiyong had already grown accustomed to. But he couldn’t deny how great it felt to hold her hands. He had this indescribable happy feeling inside him.

However, it was the first time for Dara to feel this way. She had read it in all those romantic novels she loved. The frequent blushes, the butterflies, the rapid heartbeats, the electric current-all these happened in those books when the two leads were in love with each other. But there was no way she could fall for her best friend! Or was there?

As Dara pondered over her new feelings, she failed to notice that Jiyong had already led her to the front of his house, their hands still intertwined. Jiyong noticed that Dara was lost in her thoughts and frowned. He put her straw hat on her head and pinched her nose, dragging her out of her reverie.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked curiously.

“You,” Dara blurted out without thinking.

Jiyong got startled.

“H-huh?!”

Realizing her mistake, Dara quickly amended it by saying, “I-I meant, you go inside. I’ll go home. Unlike you, I need to study to get a good result.”

“O-Oh.” Jiyong felt a little disappointed inside.

Dara was about to leave when both of them noticed that they were still holding each other’s hand. They swiftly let go and looked away, not wanting the other to see their red cheeks.

Jiyong ruffled his hair and breathed hard while Dara brought the hand, that was holding Jiyong’s, to her chest. Jiyong never used to feel this shy when holding Dara’s hand even though he knew he loved her. It was the way Dara had suddenly started to react that made everything go haywire. He wasn’t the calm, cool and composed Jiyong anymore.

“I-I’ll be going n-now,” Dara stammered and treaded towards home.

But as we all know, our Dara tends to be very clumsy when Jiyong is around. So the poor girl tripped. But before she could fall face forward on the ground, Jiyong’s hands gripped her shoulders and he helped her to straighten up.

Despite the awkward situation a while ago, Jiyong couldn’t help himself from chuckling.

“Y-you’re hopeless,” he managed to say in between his chuckles.

“SHUT UP!” Dara fumed.

5

So, who’s your date?” Jiyong asked as he and Dara walked their way to school for their last exam.

“Date?” Dara asked back, confused.

Jiyong rolled his eyes and said, “For the prom, idiot.”

“Yah! I’m not an idiot!” Dara yelled. “And- OMO!!! I totally forgot about the prom!!” she face palmed.

“Told ya! You’re an idiot,” Jiyong chuckled.

“I’m not!” Dara snapped and stomped ahead of him, crossing her arms as she fumed.

Jiyong shook his head with a smile and jogged to catch up with her.

Seeing him getting nearer, Dara increased her speed to get away from him. But we all know how careless Dara is. The girl ran into the middle of the street without checking the traffic signal.

A lot of things happened within just a few seconds-the loud screech of tires, Jiyong crying out Dara’s name, Dara being forcefully pulled and some shouts and curses. The next thing she knew, she was in the protective arms of her best friend.

As the realization of what just happened sunk in, Dara started to tremble with fear. She could have died just then. The thought sent shivers down her spine and she clutched a handful of Jiyong’s shirt. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed as he held her tightly in his embrace.

“Ssh, ssh, it’s okay now. You’re safe. I’m here. Ssh, don’t cry,” Jiyong whispered to her ears while he kept rubbing her back.

Even he got scared when he saw that car approaching her. For a split second he had thought that he might lose her. But thankfully, the driver had managed to halt the car in time.

Jiyong’s heart was still pounding wildly. He kissed the top of Dara’s head and thanked the heavens for not letting anything happen to her.

When Dara finally stopped trembling, Jiyong slowly pulled away. Dara still clutched onto his shirt and didn’t wish to let go as though he’d disappear if she did. Jiyong cupped her face and made her look up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy. So were her nose and cheeks. She still looked frightened and sniffed now and then. Jiyong’s heart squeezed seeing her in this way. He wiped her tears off her face and stared right into her eyes.

“It’s alright now, Dara. Don’t worry. I’m here for you and I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise,” he said soothingly.

Hearing his words, Dara felt a sense of protection, she felt safe. Her hands released his shirt only to be wrapped around his neck as she dug her face in his shoulder.

“Thank you,” she mumbled softly.

Jiyong smiled and folded his arms around her waist.

“You’re welcome.”

“OMO!!” Dara shrieked after a few minutes, causing Jiyong to jolt in surprise.

“WHAT?!” he snapped.

“We’re going to get late for school!!” she said, pulling away from him and picking up her bag that was lying on the ground. Thankfully enough, they had left for school an hour earlier that day.

Jiyong rolled his eyes. “You didn’t have to shriek in my ears, you know,” he said sarcastically.

“I’m so sorry! I-OMO!!” Dara screeched again, making Jiyong flinch.

“What the hell’s wrong with you, girl?” he barked at her.

“It’s your shirt!! It’s all wet!” Dara exclaimed.

“Thanks to you,” Jiyong added with a sarcastic tone.

Dara bent her head down and pouted.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

“Aren’t we getting late for school now?” Jiyong asked her and grabbed her hand in his, intertwining their fingers together. “Let’s go.”

Dara complied and let Jiyong drag her to the school. All the way, she kept silent and had her eyes glued to his back as he was walking a little ahead of her.

She couldn’t help but wonder how she had grown to depend on him so much. After she had moved to the neighborhood, Jiyong became her first friend and soon after that, her best friend. From then on, they had been together. They went to the same elementary school and forced their parents to make them go to the same middle school as well. Even while applying for high school, seeing Dara applying for YG High, Jiyong had applied there too, despite his desire to study at SM High.

Jiyong never missed a chance of teasing her because of her clumsiness. But then again, he had always been the one to take care of her, to catch her if she fell. Whenever she cried, he made sure to be there by her side, to console her. Whenever she smiled, he smiled with her too.

Her heart began to act up weirdly again. The butterflies returned in her stomach as she started to have that same feeling that she had back at the cafeteria.

Why had he been doing all those things for her? Why did he care so much for her? What could he possibly gain by doing all those stuff? Why had he cried with her when her grandmother died even though he had never met her? Why had he tried to save her from a bunch of bullies in middle school, getting all beaten up in the process? Why had he jumped into the pool last year to save her from drowning when he had hydrophobia?

Why? Why was he so nice to her? She was just an average girl while he was the campus heartthrob. She was the nerd while he was the popular guy. Yet, he always boasted about their friendship wherever he went. Could it be that Jiyong was in l-

“We’re here,” Jiyong stated, drawing Dara out of her train of thoughts.

He turned around and held her both shoulders.

“Are you feeling alright, now?” he asked, concerned.

Dara nodded.

Jiyong then fished a chocolate bar out of his pant pocket and handed it over to her.

“Eat this up. You’ll feel better,” he said.

“Hm.”

“Forget what happened on the road. You’re safe now. And that’s what matters. So just forget it all and just concentrate. It’s our last exam and you wouldn’t want to mess it up, right?”

Dara nodded, a lump rising in her throat.

How could she not realize how much he cared for her? He had always been worried about her, concerned for her safety. But had she ever done anything to repay him? No. She had been taking him for granted. How could she be so selfish?

Her eyes started to sting as she tried to hold back the tears that were trying to escape. Seeing her teary eyes, Jiyong panicked.

‘D-Dara? W-What happened?”

Dara bent her head to hide the tears and wiped them off saying, “It’s nothing, silly. My eyes just feel itchy. Must be some dust.”

“O-Oh,” Jiyong felt relieved. “Just go to the washroom and wash your face.”

“Hm,” Dara nodded. “I’ll go look for the girls.”

Dara left Jiyong behind at the school gate and walked off towards the building as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Why was he so nice to her?

On the other hand, Jiyong stood there near the gate, watching Dara’s retreating back. He just hoped she’d be okay……..

***

The exam went well for Dara despite her mind wandering off towards Jiyong who sat two seats behind her. When all the students submitted their answer sheets to Mr. Yang, he walked out of the classroom. Dara stood up and was stretching her arms when she heard Sohee groan beside her.

“It was the worst exam of my life!” Sohee exclaimed.

“It wouldn’t have been if you had concentrated more on your studies than on which cloth you’d be wearing on prom,” Sulli stated matter-of-factly.

Sohee stuck her tongue out at her.

“How was the exam?” Jiyong asked from behind Dara.

Dara turned towards him and smiled widely. “Great! Yours?”

Jiyong was shocked at Dara’s change of behavior but was grateful nonetheless. As long as she was happy, he was fine.

“I-It was cool. What did ya expect?” He smirked, getting into his smug mode.

Dara grinned at him. She had decided to not burden him any further. She had decided to be stronger from then on so that she wouldn’t be so dependent on Jiyong. That was the least she could do for him. And so, she decided to always put up a smile and remain cheerful in front of him. That way, he’d stop worrying so much for her. But seeing Jiyong smirk with no trace of worries on his face genuinely made her happy.

“Your exams are always great,” Krystal accused both Dara and Jiyong. She and IU had now joined them.

“Well now, girls. I’ll take your leave. Where’s Taeyang, by the way? Have you stalkers seen him?” Jiyong asked the girls who glared at him.

He chuckled and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Guess I’ll have to look for that friend of mine all by myself,” he said.

“You don’t have to ’cause he’s heading this way! OMO!” Krystal squealed.

They all followed Krystal’s gaze to see Taeyang approaching them. He looked dead nervous and was smiling awkwardly. Instantly, Jiyong had a bad feeling about it and he turned to Dara who was staring at Taeyang with her forehead creased.

Dara was confused at that moment. She couldn’t understand why she was feeling so normal. Before, whenever she would look at Taeyang her heart would beat wildly. There would be billions of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. But now, she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. On the contrary, those stuffs were now happening to her whenever she was with-

“Jiyong, h-hey,” Dara heard Taeyang greet Jiyong.

“Hi,” Jiyong replied, eyeing Taeyang suspiciously. Taeyang wasn’t the type to walk towards the direction of girls. He was just too shy. And his actions right now made no sense.

“I-I w-was ac-actually here to ssay that-” Taeyang stammered and turned towards IU, turning all red. “W-Will y-you go to th-the p-prom with m-me?”

IU blushed furiously as the other girls squealed except for Dara who was still flustered by her new realization. Jiyong’s eyes instantly darted towards Dara. He was expecting to see her on the verge of tears. But instead she looked nonchalant.

‘Aish!! Am I getting insane or are people acting weird today?’ Jiyong thought to himself, raking his fingers through his blonde silky hair.

***

Dara and Jiyong were on their way back home. Dara was humming a tune to herself, her hands swinging on her both sides. Jiyong studied Dara’s behavior and frowned.

Dara could feel Jiyong’s eyes boring a hole in her back. She grinned, knowing very well that the guy was confused. She turned around to face him, making him stop on his tracks.

“What?” she asked, finding it hard to suppress her grin.

“What ‘what’?” Jiyong asked her back, still stupefied by her actions.

“Is there something you wanna talk about?”

“No. Umm….Actually, yes?”

“And that is?”

“Aren’t you even bothered by the fact that Taeyang asked your friend out instead of you?” Jiyong raised a brow at her.

“Nope.”

“Why is that? I thought you loved him?”

“You’re right. I loved him. But not anymore. Besides, if he asked IU out, it means that he likes her. And I can’t force him to like me even if I want to.” Dara explained.

“Oh,” Jiyong nodded with understanding.

But before Jiyong could say another word, Dara turned her back towards him and started walking again.

‘I’ll show you how much I love you, Jiyong. And I’ll be stronger so that you could lean on me too,’ Dara thought to herself as she felt all giddy inside.

But we do know that our dearest Dara can never be ‘not clumsy’ when Jiyong is around. (Why? Heck! I want it to be that way! That’s why!! LOL) So there was this set of stairs that they had to climb down. But Dara was so lost in her giddiness that she didn’t notice them. Typical. And well, I don’t think I’ve to tell you readers what happened next?

‘So much for being stronger,’ Dara thought to herself as Jiyong held her by the waist so she wouldn’t fall, a smirk evident on his face.

6

Dara was in their living room, flipping through TV channels to find something interesting to watch. It was the day of the prom and she showed no sign of enthusiasm. Her mother, Mrs. Park, wasn’t happy about it. She was leaning on the doorframe with a hand resting on her hip and glaring at her daughter’s back disapprovingly.

Dara heaved a sigh, feeling the presence of her mother behind her. She shifted in the sofa so that she could face her mother.

“What?” she asked wearily.

“Are you seriously not going to the prom tonight?!” Mrs. Park inquired.

“No,” Dara replied blankly.

“But why?” Mrs. Park’s voice rose a bit.

“Mom, I thought we were already through with this topic,” Dara raised a brow at her mother.

“Oh, please, for the love of God! Don’t expect me to just sit down and accept the fact that my daughter isn’t going to the PROM when all her friends are!!” Mrs. Park rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

“I told you! I don’t have a date!” Dara exclaimed frustratingly and stood up. “And I’m NOT planning to go there alone, looking like a fool!”

“Then why don’t you ask Jiyong?! He’s your best friend! And I talked to his mother. He doesn’t have a date either!! Go with him! Enjoy! Have fun!”

“Mom, I’m just fine. And,” Dara paused for a moment. “I c-can’t ask Jiyong….”

“And why is that?” her mother snapped.

“B-because I just c-can’t!”

Dara and her mother have been having this argument for the past week. When Mrs. Park found out that her daughter was dateless for the prom, she literally got a heart attack. She kept nagging her to go ask Jiyong since it turned out that he was dateless as well.

After realizing her feelings for him, Dara had been trying to find out if her assumptions were correct, if Jiyong had feelings for her too. But she couldn’t figure out any way that would help her to get the slightest hint of how he felt.

Yes, Dara wanted to go to the prom. She wanted to go there with Jiyong. She wanted him to ask her to be his date. Not the other way around. And so she had been hoping against hope that Jiyong would just turn up at her doorstep and ask her.

But the problem was that Jiyong wasn’t showing the slightest interest in going to the prom. He was now oh so busy with the new play station his father had bought. Dara had the strong urge to smash the thing into pieces because Jiyong wasn’t even bothering to spare a glance at her.

What bugged her was the fact that Jiyong was NOT going to the prom as well. When she had asked him the reason, he had simply shrugged and said that he didn’t find anyone worthy enough to go to prom with. How could that be possible?! Even Park Bom, the campus hottie had asked him to be her date. But he had declined.

Dara sighed as she shuffled her way to the park, her peaceful sanctuary. After the heated conversation with her mother, she decided to escape from home. She heaved yet another big sigh and looked up at the clear blue sky, imagining shapes and objects made up of the white clouds.

There was a bump on the pavement along which she was walking. Dara had always been careful about it. But she was so deeply immersed in her desperate thoughts that she forgot about it and well, she tripped. Thankfully enough, she regained her balance, saving herself from a painful fall.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You’re so pitiful, noona,” a voice spoke from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.

Dara clutched her heart and whirled around to see Seungri, the devilish brother of Jiyong. Truth be told, Dara had always been a little scared of that brat. She was his favorite target when he wanted to pull a prank.

Once she was given the responsibility of babysitting Seungri because Jiyong was in the hospital for a knee injury and his parents had gone there to fetch him. The kid had convinced her into believing that he was possessed by a ghost and scared her soul out of her the entire day. When Jiyong and his parents returned home, they found her crouching behind their couch, pale with fear.

Dara’s brows furrowed in suspicion as she watched the mischievous brother of Jiyong smirking at her with his hands folded against his chest. He looked older for his age.

“W-Why did you sneak up behind me, huh?” Dara accused him with her fists resting on her hips. She just didn’t like the boy.

“I wasn’t sneaking up behind you, noona. I was just following you,” he rolled his eyes.

“And why would you follow me?”

“There’s something important I wanted to talk to you about,” he said, suddenly very serious.

Dara’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the boy’s expression, trying to find any trace of mockery. Finding none, she asked, “Is that so?”

Seungri nodded and stepped towards her, causing her to back off one step. He smirked at his noona’s reaction and pushed his hands in his pockets.

“I’m here to tell you a secret,” he said in a hushed tone, causing Dara to lean towards him.

“And what makes you think I’ll believe you?” Dara inquired suspiciously. “What if it’s one of your stupid pranks?”

“First of all, my pranks aren’t stupid! They’re cool!” Seungri snapped. “And I’m doing this because it’s a part of my brilliant plot against hyung.”

Dara’s ears perked up at the mention of Jiyong. What kind of secret did Jiyong have that he never shared with her? Her eyes glinted with interest as she curiously asked Seungri, “What is it?”

Seungri grinned. “You love him, don’t you?”

Dara gasped. She was taken aback. She made it sure that no one, absolutely no one, would know about her feelings for Jiyong. But how could this kid find out? And come to think of it, the kid just turned eleven last December! How could he know stuffs about ‘love’?

Seeing Dara’s flabbergasted expression, Seungri chuckled. “What? Surprised? You must be wondering how I know your little secret, right?”

“H-How d-did you-?”

“It’s obvious from how you’ve been gawking at hyung like a fool and spacing out now and then,” Seungri stated matter-of-factly.

“WHAT?! I never gawked at him!” Dara barked.

“How would you know? You were spacing out while doing that,” Seungri taunted her.

Dara rummaged through her brain to find words that she could spit at the brat but found nothing. She heaved a sigh of defeat and looked wearily at the boy. Only she knew how much she hated him.

Seungri’s face split into a wide grin. ‘Oh, the taste of victory,’ he thought to himself proudly.

“But obviously, we’re not here to discuss about your secret, are we?” he said smugly.

Dara pursed her lips. She absolutely didn’t want to keep up with the smugness of this brat. But her curiosity got the better of her.

“Just tell me what it is already!” Dara said, impatiently.

“Hyung loves you too!” Seungri spoke out instantly, making Dara’s heart skip several beats.

She gaped at Seungri for several minutes, wondering if she heard it correctly. Her stomach was doing summersaults. She must have heard it wrong. Or maybe-

“It’s a prank, isn’t it?” Dara asked.

“Nope, it isn’t,” Seungri shook his head.

“How did you find that out?”

“Come on, the way he looks at you, even a kid would be able to figure out that he’s MADLY in love with you,” Seungri said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. And it really was obvious. Their friends, some teachers and even their parents had noticed it except for her. [Even we noticed that, didn’t we? But then again, if she found it out in the beginning, this story wouldn’t exist, would it? So yeah……]

Dara blushed a deep shade of red as her heart started to flutter wildly.

“W-Why sh-should I trust you?” she stammered.

“I swear it on the new PS3,” Seungri vowed, raising his right hand.

“And why are you telling me this?”

“As I’ve already said, it’s a part of my plan,” Seungri stated wearily.

“What plan?” Dara asked.

Seungri grinned. He would, of course, tell her. After all, she’s the main part of the plan.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. But you’ve to promise me that you’ll keep it quiet,” Seungri told her.

“Promise,” Dara nodded.

* * *

Jiyong slammed the controller beside him on the couch after losing five times in a row. He just couldn’t concentrate on the game. He ruffled his hair and leaned back into the couch. He felt like a mess.

Having Taeyang out of the picture, Jiyong felt hope rising within him. A part of his mind was encouraging him to go and confess to Dara, to tell her how much he loved her. But the other side kept reminding him of the fact that things wouldn’t be same if he confessed to her and she rejected him. Their friendship would be lost. Worse, she might start avoiding him.

The memory of what happened two days after the exam ended flashed in his mind……..

Jiyong was deep in thoughts of whether he should go and confess to Dara or not when he heard his mother call him. He went downstairs to find his mother sitting on the couch with Mrs. Park.

“Mrs. Park just told me that even Dara isn’t going to the prom,” his mother spoke. “Did something happen? Why did you two decide to not go?”

“Nothing happened, mom. It’s just that we couldn’t find any date,” he answered.

“Then why don’t you ask her to be your date?” his mother suggested excitedly.

Jiyong got stunned by his mother’s sudden proposal.

“Yes!” Mrs. Park exclaimed. “You two are best friends! Just go their as dates and enjoy along with your friends!”

Jiyong gulped as both the mothers looked at him expectantly.

“W-we’re best friends! I c-can’t ask her out! I-It would look w-weird!” he stuttered.

............Jiyong sighed and stared up at the ceiling. Should he really go and ask her to be his date?

“AAAAAARRGGHHHHHHH!!!!” a loud scream coming from their backyard made him stand up in alert. His heart hammered in his chest as he recognized the voice.

“Dara!” he exclaimed, running his way to the backdoor.

As soon as he reached the backyard, his eyes darted in every direction to see her. But he couldn’t find her anywhere.

“JIYONG!” he heard her scream again. But this time, he knew where it came from. He gazed up at their tree house to see Dara up there, looking scared.

He rushed to the bottom of the tree and looked above.

“How the hell did you get up there? Where’s the ladder?” he shouted, concern written all over his face.

“I-I-it was right h-here!!! I g-got up to fetch this,” she showed him a ball. “a-and when I was about to g-get down, i-it was g-gone!”

“What?!” Jiyong looked confused. “How is that even possible?!”

Meanwhile, Seungri was hiding behind Gaho, their dog’s house and snickered.

“Ask that evil brother of yours!” Dara shrieked.

Jiyong pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not Seungri again,” he muttered to himself.

“J-Jiyong,” Dara called him in a frightened tone.

Jiyong looked up at her, worried.

“I-I’m scared,” Dara said. “W-What if th-this house falls down? I-I’m n-not as l-light as I used t-to be….” she trailed off, shivering slightly.

“Aish! I had told you not to ever trust Seungri!!!” he scolded her.

“I-I c-couldn’t help it! He w-was on the verge of tears,” Dara explained.

Jiyong gritted his teeth. That brother of his was surely a pain in the a**. He needed to teach that brat a lesson.

“You wait here. I’ll go and search for him and the ladder,” he told Dara.

“NO! What if this house can’t bear my weight anymore? W-What if I fall?”

“Then what do you want me to do?” Jiyong now sounded frustrated. Seungri would loose his head today. He’ll make sure of it.

“Will you catch me if I fall?” Dara asked him.

“Do you even need to ask? I always have,” Jiyong rolled his eyes.

But then it struck him. “Wait! Are you going to jump?!” he asked.

“C-Can I?” Dara asked him back.

The tree wasn’t too tall. So the height of the tree house wasn’t much either. Jiyong could easily jump down from it without a scratch. But Dara was a totally different case.

“Fine,” Jiyong told her. “Just jump. I’ll catch you.”

Dara smiled brightly and got ready to jump. Jiyong stood in such a position so that he could easily catch her.

“Jump!” Jiyong ordered her, raising his arms.

Just before jumping, Dara spoke out, “Jiyong! Will you catch me if I fall for you?”

“I told you-WHAT?!” Jiyong was dumbfounded. But before his brain could actually process her words more clearly, she had jumped on him.

He did catch her in mid-air but lost his balance, causing him to topple down on the grass with Dara on top. Dara immediately got up and helped him to stand up as well.

“A-Are you alright? D-Did you g-get hurt? I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you like that!” Dara exclaimed worriedly as she helped him brush off the dirt from his back.

Jiyong kept staring at her with his eyes wide open. He felt butterflies in his stomach as his brain deciphered her words. ‘Did she really say that? Or am I now hallucinating things?’ he thought to himself.

Dara blushed furiously when she noticed Jiyong staring at her. There, she had said it. She wanted it to be him to confess first. But well, as long as they did love each other, it’d be okay. But Jiyong’s silence worried her. What if Seungri was wrong? What if Jiyong thought of her as his sister? Dara felt a pang in her heart. She was scared now; scared to lose him.

“W-well?” she gathered up enough courage to ask him, her eyes glued to the ground.

“Well what?” Jiyong asked her back blankly.

Dara’s heartbeat started racing hearing his tone. Tears threatened to escape her eyes. But she held them back. She didn’t dare look up at him for she was too scared to face him.

“I-I-y-you-I-,” she stammered as she couldn’t form the sentence in her brain.

“Will I catch you if you fall for me?” Jiyong asked her.

Dara’s head snapped up when she heard him say that. He had an unreadable expression on his face, making her feel uneasy. She shouldn’t have said those words to him. She shouldn’t have trusted Seungri. How could she be such a fool? And now, for her foolishness, she’d loose her best friend. Dara bent her head down as she couldn’t control her tears. They fell from her eyes and landed on the grass.

“I didn’t even tell you my answer and you started crying?” Jiyong chuckled.

‘What now? Is he trying to make a fool of me?’ Dara thought to herself. “Well, I’ve already made a fool of myself-’

Dara got surprised as Jiyong put his index finger on her chin and softly lifted her face up. What surprised her even more was that he was smiling genuinely down at her.

“What if I say I’ll catch you?” Jiyong asked softly with that warm smile of his.

Dara’s eyes widened and her heart began to hammer at her chest.

“What? Didn’t you get what I said?” Jiyong asked her again, wiping the tears off her face.

Getting no response from her, he ruffled her hair and said, “I love you too, silly!”

That was it. Dara just couldn’t stop herself anymore. She jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck, causing him to stumble a little. She started to cry again. In fact, she was wailing, making Jiyong worried.

“Yah! What happened?” he asked her.

Dara buried her head in his neck and managed to say, “I-I’m f-fine! I-I’m just so happy!”

Jiyong put his arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing the side of her head. He was happy too. He finally had her in his arms. He now knew that she loved him too. Nothing else in the world could make him this happy, this grateful.

“YESS!!” they heard someone shout and pulled away to look in that direction. Seungri was jumping up and down in joy.

“See, noona? I told you that hyung loves you as well!!” Seungri continued excitedly. “My plan worked!!! And now, I can have the PS3 all to myself since hyung will be busy being all lovey-dovey with you!” He punched the air as a sign of victory and ran inside the house. [Oh yeah, Seungri! I’m so proud of you buddy!!! XDD]

Jiyong was stunned. “What was that all about?” he raised a brow at Dara.

“Well, you see, he told me that you love me and all the stuffs that happened a while ago was planned by us,” Dara explained with her face as red as a tomato.

“Owkay…….” Jiyong nodded with understanding. “But why make all the fuss? You could have just come to me and said what you said a while ago,” he added thoughtfully.

“Omo! You’re right!” Dara scratched her head with a pout.

Jiyong pinched her cheeks and chuckled.

“That’s Seungri for ya. He’ll make you do things without you knowing,” he said. “That kid-”

“KYAAAAA!!!!”

Both Jiyong and Dara jumped in shock as they saw their mothers jogging towards them while squealing. Mrs. Kwon hugged Dara while Mrs. Park hugged Jiyong.

“OMO!!! Our kids are finally in love!!!” Mrs. Park squealed, causing both Dara and Jiyong to turn red.

“Oh, come on!!! They had been in love for a long time!! They just noticed it now!! Kyaa!!! I’m so happy!!!” Mrs. Kwon squealed as well.

“Okay now! Enough squealing! It’s time to get ready for the prom!” Mrs. Park stated as she pulled Dara by her arm.

***

Both Dara and Jiyong swayed with the soft, slow romantic music that was being played. They were on the dance floor along with other couples. Taeyang and IU were dancing a few feet away from them.

Dara’s hands were resting on Jiyong’s shoulders while Jiyong’s arms were wrapped around her waist. Jiyong was holding her firmly lest her clumsy self should fall. The fact that she was wearing high heels added to his worries. But despite of it all, he couldn’t help losing himself in her chocolate brown orbs as they kept staring straight into each other’s eyes.

People kept glancing at them in awe. They still couldn’t believe that the two were together. But they also couldn’t deny the fact that the two looked absolutely perfect together.

“Oh, I s-so hate m-my life!” Jessica sobbed as Sohee tried to console her.

“Come on, Jessica,” Sohee said. “It’s not like we never noticed that they were in love!”

“Y-Yes, we did notice it. B-But,” Jessica sniffed. “I was still hoping th-that-” she broke off, sobbing harder.

Everyone was shocked when they saw both Dara and Jiyong arrive with their hands intertwined. What shocked them even more was how stunning Dara looked in her simple yet beautiful lavender gown and with her hair down. Dara’s mother had bought the gown beforehand just in case her daughter changed her mind.

The music was changed to play yet another romantic slow number. Jiyong leaned down towards Dara’s ear and whispered, “You look gorgeous tonight.”

Dara’s face blushed tomato red and she looked down, hiding her face in his chest. Jiyong chuckled and said, “You’re so in love with me, aren’t you?”

“Like you aren’t!” Dara retorted, the redness of her cheeks gone as she pulled away slightly to face him.

“Oh, come on, I’m not the one being intentionally clumsy so that the other would catch me whenever I fall,” Jiyong taunted her.

Dara puffed out her cheeks in anger and narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t do that intentionally!”

“So you admit that you’re clumsy?” Jiyong raised a brow at her.

“No!” Dara shook her head. “I’m not clumsy! I just trip and fall a lot!”

“In other words, you’re clumsy,” Jiyong said teasingly.

“I’m not dancing with you anymore!” Dara pushed Jiyong away and glared at him. “And we’re done!”

She stomped towards one end of the dance floor with Jiyong tailing behind her.

“What do you want now?!” Dara snapped at him, not looking behind.

“How can you say that we’re done when we just started today?” Jiyong chuckled.

“Because you’re a jerk and you don’t know how to treat your-” Dara paused. Thinking that she was now his ‘girlfriend’ made her feel all giddy and the butterflies returned to her stomach to perform their usual dance.

“Treat my what?” Jiyong asked mischievously.

They hadn’t got the chance of using the terms ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ since they got together just today. And now, seeing Dara hesitate to call herself his ‘girlfriend’, Jiyong grinned.

“Well? Treat my what?” he continued teasing her.

Dara whirled around and pouted. “You’re teasing me again,” she accused him.

“You know how much I love doing that,” Jiyong shrugged.

“I’m not talking to you anymore,” Dara snapped. She was about to turn her back towards him but he held her wrist and made her face him.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll stop,” he said, causing her to smile happily. “For now,” he added with a smirk, making her loose the smile as soon as it had appeared.

She pulled her wrist out of his grip and started stomping towards where she was previously headed to. But the girl was wearing high heels and the floor was slippery. You do know what happened next, don’t you?

“See what I mean when I say you’re clumsy?” Jiyong chuckled as he held Dara by the waist to prevent her from falling.

Dara sighed in defeat.

THE END.