KNOT THIS GUY (Romance/Fantasy) ✔

KNOT 5 - CYBORG MAN

"I love you", Jiyong mumbled.



"You do?", Dara asked in surprise.



"No I don't, silly. I'm just trying out any words"



"Oh, okay. I love you too....KAZZAAMMMM!!!!", Dara wiggled her fingers and added sound effects hoping that something magical will happen. But as expected, it did not work. They're still tied together.



She pouted and slumped on a nearby bench. They were roaming aimlessly at the park while exchanging random words hoping that somehow, they will hit the enchantment by chance. Jiyong sat beside her and lazily leaned back.



They've already spent their weekend researching in the library, trying to find something about the deities but all they got are fairy tale stories and folklores. They even tried reading each word in the dictionary but to no avail.



"This is not workingggggggg ~ ~ !", Dara whined after a while.



"How can we figure out those magic words? And where are those two deities?", Jiyong exhaled audibly and stared at nothing in particular.



They were sitting on the bench engulfed in a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. A soft breeze blew, showering them with colorful small leaves and flower petals coming from the trees around them. Dara temporarily closed her eyes and savored the moment of peace amidst her chaotic week, her lips curving in a tiny smile. Jiyong threw a glance at her and furrowed his eyebrows before looking away, wondering if his situation will be better or worse if he was tied to another girl instead of Dara.



Suddenly, a music started playing in the background, emanating from the trees behind them. They both glanced curiously over their shoulders but didn't see anyone there.



Seunghyun rolled his eyes while watching Bom as she plays the musical instrument that she smuggled from the Sky Palace in the Upper World.



"Seriously, Bom. A harp?", Seunghyun boredly said.



"I shall ignore you", Bom shot back and continued playing her harp to give a 'romantic' ambience to the destined couple.



"You look like a moron"



Bom sternly looked at him and gritted her teeth. Clearly, this Jursa does not have any plans of stopping his mouth from moving to annoy the living crap out of her.



"Is that your brilliant plan to counter the misfortunes that I'm giving them? Playing the harp to give them spooky music?", Seunghyun added.



"Are you done with your spectacular display of sarcasm?", she snarled at him. He just scoffed in reply.



"It's not like I have any choice, do I? I'm already frustrated as it is", Bom stared at the destined couple who were sitting quietly on the bench. For the past few days that they've been together, all they had were civil conversations about mundane things.



As expected, Jiyong is not particulary interested in knowing Dara and just wants the issue to be resolved immediately. Due to his unfortunate family background, he always builds a wall between him and any other people he encounters, thinking that people just come and go anyway so there is no need to forge a bond between them. Growing up, he was always called the son of the mistress - the illegitimate son. His mother left him to his father's care when he was a kid, his father's legitimate family hated him and his father never really reached out to him. He waited, though. He waited for his mom to come back, but she didn't.



When the news of his mother's death reached them, he decided to move out of his father's house. He realized that he spent all those years waiting for nothing and that there is really no point in staying anymore.



Jiyong raised his right arm and looked at his wrist where the cord is knotted. It's quite funny that something like this happened to him. Because of the red string, someone is forced to stay with him all the time. He then glanced at the person tied at the other end of the string. Dara was just playing with the hem of her dress, as though there is no great problem that is currently on her shoulders. It's ironic because Dara was the one who had a major galactic flip out when they were first tied but now, she seemed so cool and breezy about the entire setup. Jiyong, on the other hand, is the one frying his brain to be able to come up with a solution to this mess.



Fortunately, they have already ironed out some of the major concerns brought about by being tied together. They have agreed to stay at Jiyong's place since they can't stay at Dara's dorm. As much as possible, they avoid using the restroom when they're out since it creates so much chaos. At night, Dara sleeps on the bed while Jiyong insists on sleeping on the floor.



The two of them also deviced a way to communicate using the red cord. Tugging the cord once means they have to leave; tugging it twice means one of them needs to go to the restroom. If they just want to call the attention of the other, they would simply pull the cord forcefully to pull the person at the other end of the string.



Unable to come up with any more ideas to resolve their bizarre situation, Jiyong sighed exasperatedly. He then stood up and tugged the cord once before starting to walk away. Dara automatically stood up and followed him.



"LOOK AT THEM!", Bom exclaimed disbelievingly and abandoned the harp that she was playing a while ago.



"Yes, I'm looking", Seunghyun replied with disinterest.



"They didn't even share a friendly discourse! If I only have my ethereal orb, those two will probably be making love like bunnies by now!"



"Righhhhhttttt", Seunghyun sneered and formed an orb on his hand.



"GAAAAHHH!!! What are you doing?!!", Bom threw herself in front of Seunghyun with outstretched arms, blocking his view of the destined couple.



"New batch of misfortunes fresh from the oven", he answered flatly.



Bom scrunched her nose and hit Seunghyun's arms in rapid succession. "Give...them...a...break!", she yelled in between.



"Ahhh...shut up! Fine, I'll let it go for now"



Crossing her arms, Bom huffed and darted her eyes towards the destined couple. Her eyebrows furrowed when she thought she saw the red cord sparkling as it dangled between the two.



_____________________________________________________________



SANDARA's POV



"Kiss her! Kiss herrrrr!!!", I clenched my fists as I direct my full concentration towards the TV drama series that I was watching, urging the couple to kiss with the power of my brain. Jiyong was sitting quietly at the other corner of the couch, busy doing his work with his laptop.



The couple on the series continued staring at each other with their soulful eyes, then the guy scooted closer to the girl. I was nearly having a heart attack as I squealed giddily, waiting for the kiss to happen.



"Please....KISS HER!", I shrieked. The guy then raised his hand and tucked the girl's hair behind her ear. SQUEALLLLLLL! Oh my gosh, I'm going insane already! He then smiled at her and...the scene froze followed by the ending theme song.



"ARRRGGGGHHH!!!", I screamed with anguish while pulling my hair. Seriously, the writer of this series is freaking crazy! She is so stingy with skinship on the drama couple and she is focusing too much on the political side of the story, which no one cares about!



Doesn't she know that the kiss scene would result to massive hysteria? The shippers of the drama couple actually reached an unbelievable number and followers that it has already achieved a cult status! The scriptwriter should work on that side of the drama more instead of giving us crappy political power play which we only endure to see the couple that we ship, even for just a few minutes.



"If they don't do any sweet scenes next episode, I'm going to hurt someone!", I furiously exclaimed. Jiyong just glanced memomentarily at me and continued typing.



"What do you think will happen at the final episode?", I asked him while stretching my legs on the couch.



"The heroine will die", he then said matter-of-factly.



*GASP!



This evil cyborg! My brightest beacon of hope is completely shattered. I'm already fearing for that kind of ending but I'm still wishing that somehow, the script writer won't choose that kind of finale just to make it dramatic. No, that can't happen. Gah!



"You really think it won't have a happy ending?", I somberly asked.



"I bet they'll go for something 'artistic'", he replied without glancing at me.



WAAAHHH! What he said is the same speculation that the other viewers had in the drama forum site! We are really scared that the series will not take risk and use the same formula that has been used by ancient scriptwriters in hopes of tugging the people's hearts. Damn it, drama crew!



"AAAhhhhhh ~ ~ I want a happy ending", I whined and hugged my knees while rocking myself back and forth.



"You're not going to get it", he said. There is really no way to counter his cyborg mojo. He is the supreme overlord of indifference! *Sigh* Now I'm getting depressed just thinking about the final episode. Plus, I'm really bored since all we did during the weekend is do research in the library, meet his clients or stay in the house. It's seriously driving me insane.



I still don't have any creative ideas about the school paper that I'm working on so I really want to go out and experience relaxing activities and do some people-watching. But I can't since I'm tied to this cyborg who's always busy with his work.



"Jiyong, Jiyong"



"Mmmhhmmm?"



"Do you want me to cook lunch? It's almost lunchtime", I said.



He looked at his watch and stood up. "I need to have lunch with my client. Let's get ready", he said and yanked the cord. I grudgingly followed him to the bedroom after sighing exasperatedly.



It took me a while to get prepared since I'm really not in the mood to go with him on one of his boring meetings.



"Hurry", he said.



"Wait. My strawberry", I replied in a dispirited voice. He grabbed my backpack from the table and stood behind me. He then guided my arms towards the straps and carefully donned it on me. Spinning me around to face him, he made sure that my hair isn't stuck beneath the backpack straps.



"There. Let's go", he quickly stormed out of the room, dragging me with him.



"I want to go to Han River after this", I mumbled. Of course he just ignored me.



Bummer.



==



Just like before, I sat quietly at the table next to Jiyong while he had his meeting. Quiet and alone. I'm beginning to develop this insane ability of having a monologue inside my brain just to entertain myself. I wanted to play with the magical red string to pass time but since he is getting distracted whenever I fumble the cord, I refrained from doing it.



*Le very DEEP sigh



When it was time for us to go home, I was in a very foul mood. Everything that crosses my eyes annoys me and I'm craving for something sweet. My period is coming in a few days and that might be the reason why my emotion is all over the place. It also doesn't help that the car in front of us is driving with the speed of a granddaddy, which makes me want to unmount on the motorcyle and kick the car repeatedly while screaming bloody murder. UGH! I need ice cream or chocolate before I seriously injure someone.



I was busy being miserable that I didn't realize we're heading on a different direction. To my surprise, Jiyong was driving along the road towards the Han River. When I finally saw the waters, I squealed with delight and tightened my hold on him from behind.



"THANK YOU!!!", I yelled, but I bet he didn't hear me because of his helmet. Nevertheless, I was beaming crazily and I even shot my right arm in the air while screaming with joy. Jiyong suddenly slowed down, grabbed my arm and firmly wrapped it again on his torso. He was saying something that I can't quite understand but I think he was scolding me for being careless because he tapped my hand repeatedly, as if saying not to let go.



Jeez, he is so uptight and strict. Cyborg! But still, it's a surprise that he listens to the things I say. I just have to endure his sharp tongue and icy attitude.



I don't care if he's just tolerating me because he has no choice. What I know is, it sure feels nice that someone is finally giving me this kind of treatment - the kind of care that I give to my ex-boyfriends which they did not reciprocate.



As soon as he stopped the motorcycle, I jumped off and was itching to run towards the Han River so I was bouncing merrily on my spot as I wait for him.



"Stay still", he pulled my backpack, making me step backwards. He then took my helmet off, which I didn't notice is still on my head since I was consumed with excitement. He placed something inside my bag and zipped it up before we finally went our way.



We were walking leisurely when I finally found a store nearby that sells ice cream stick. I pulled the cord and pointed towards the store. Jiyong lazily headed in that direction while I was already salivating as I imagine eating the thing that I've been craving earlier.



I abruptly stopped walking when I remembered that I don't have any cash since I haven't withdrawn from my atm.



"Uhm...I forgot to bring money", I sheepishly said.



Jiyong just cocked his eyebrows and proceeded to the store. He made me choose the ice cream stick that I want and when we were already in front of the cashier, he told me to get his wallet from my backpack since he placed it inside when we were at the parking lot. I was handing his wallet to him but he just dismissively waved his hand and made me pull out the bills to pay for our purchases.



"Just keep it in your backpack when we go out. If you want to buy anything, just get the money there", he added. I smiled gleefully at him as I eat the ice cream stick.



"You are such a cute couple", the old lady behind the cashier gushed.



Our heads bolted in her direction and both of us awkwardly left the store without looking at each other. Cute couple? Us? That's ridiculous! I mean, seriously, the world will probably crumble if we end up together. We are such a weird combination and it's just plain odd that someone will mistake us for a couple.



We reached the playground situated near the Han River and I watched the kids play while finishing my ice cream stick. Jiyong was just quietly standing near me, letting me do whatever I want to do. I'm really glad that we had this relaxing break from our usual library and client-meeting routine because if not, I'd probably be throwing bricks at all the happy people I see.



Two kids, a boy and a girl, suddenly approached us and were nudging each other while giving us shy glances.



"You do it"



"No, you do it"



They argued endlessly. I laughed and squatted in front of them, "What is it?"



"Noona, can you and your boyfriend play with us on the seesaw?", I was taken aback by the little boy's question. I glanced at Jiyong and he was just standing there with his arms crossed, clearly uninterested with the kid's request.



"Why don't you just play with each other instead?", I asked and pointed at the little girl.



"I want to ride on the same side as her but the seesaw won't rise whenever I do", he meekly said.



"You have to ride on opposite sides so the seesaw will move", I explained.



"But I want to sit on the same side as my girlfriend", the kid reasoned.



"He's your girlfriend?", I asked, suppressing my smile. The little girl hid behind the boy.



"Yes noona. I'll marry her when we grow up", he answered, which had me squealing giddily! The two is just extra cute to melt my bones!



I went towards Jiyong and shook his arm. "Come onnnnnn. Let's do it!", I asked.



"Do what? Marry you when we grow up?"



"Jiyonggggggg ~ ~"



"You can play with them, I'll just stand behind you", he said.



"But hyung, we want couple seesaw. Please!", the boy pleaded with puppy eyes. And who on their right mind can resist those puppy eyes?



"Jiyongggggg ~ ~", I shook his arm some more until he finally sighed and started walking towards the seesaw. I laid my backpack on the ground and followed him.



The two kids ran ahead of us while squealing with delight, making me chuckle at their cuteness. They immediately sat on the other side while Jiyong and I were positioned at the opposite side, with him sitting behind me. I froze when he leaned forward to grab the seesaw handle with his right hand, giving me a clear view of his tattoed arm. I felt his chest on my back so I automatically scooted forward, but he stopped me by wrapping his left arm around my waist. EEEEPPP!!!



"Stay still and grab the handle. We will be the one doing all the work here since those two chipmunks won't be able to support our weight", he instructed.



I swallowed hard and nodded my head. I don't know why it's a bit awkward being in this position with him when I'm already used to riding behind him on a motorcycle.



We started moving the seesaw and after just a few seconds, I feel like passing out. I didn't realize I was holding my breath and was sitting rigidly the whole time. I almost jumped off my seat when Jiyong suddenly whispered near my ear.



"Are you alright?", he asked and tilted his head to look at me. I glanced at him and immediately averted my eyes, totally weirded out by our nearness.



"Y-Yeah", I stuttered like an idiot. Fortunately, the two kids are having a great time.



A few minutes passed and the boy suddenly stopped and looked at the direction of the lady walking towards us, who was apparently calling his name.



"Noona!", he yelled back. He jumped off the seesaw, held his girlfriend's hand (*snicker snicker) and walked towards his older sister.



"It's time to go home", his sister said.



"Okay!", he then looked at us and waved his tiny arm, "Thank you noona! Thank you hyung!"



I waved back at him. His sister, on the other hand, was eyeing Jiyong with interest.



"Let's go", Jiyong muttered and started walking ahead of me. When we were about to walk past the kid's sister, she suddenly blocked his path and smiled at him.



"Thanks for playing with my brother. Can I get your name?", she asked in a tiny voice.



Jiyong just stared blankly at her. "What for?", he then yanked the cord and started walking away so I hurriedly followed him.



"You should've just given her your name", I told him.



"I don't want to"



"Why not? She just wanted to to thank you"



He stopped and lightly flicked my forehead with his fingers. "Then, she should've asked for your name too and thanked you", he reasoned. I nursed my forehead while trailing behind him when a phone started beeping.



"Wait!", I fumbled through my backpack and pulled out his phone.



"Here", I said and showed it to him.



At first, he wasn't quite sure what I was handing him so I wiggled the phone in front of his face. "It's your phone. I knew you always need this because of your clients so I just put it inside my bag when you forgot it on the bedside table. I didn't give it to you earlier since you might feel uncomfortable riding a motorcycle with this stuffed in your pocket", I explained.



"Thanks", he muttered with an impassive expression on his face. He then read the message that he received and exhaled wearily.



"We have to go. I have another client to meet", he informed me.



"Oka-", Jiyong started walking away before I could finish. I just pouted and followed him. He's still behaving like a sociopath that has been locked up in the basement for ages and does not know how to interact with people.



Hmmmm...but it's bearable. At least for now, it's bearable.



_____________________________________________________________



"What?! You haven't eaten a burger in your entire life?", Dara asked in astonishment while eating her hamburger.



"I don't like hamburgers"



"But surely, you have tasted it before"



"No. I don't like its smell so I didn't eat any", Jiyong leaned back on the tree and rested his arm on his bended knee. It was a fine day so they were people-watching while sitting on the grass, with Dara's school paper draft scattered around them. She's doing some last minute revisions since she has a class in the afternoon and they need to pass the school paper outline to the professor.



"Just take a bite", she insisted.



"No"



"When people share hamburger together, it's one step to getting closer to each other", Dara goofily said and offered her hamburger again but Jiyong just pushed her hands away.



Her lips twitched as she stared at her hamburger pitifully. "Are you okay? Don't mind him, he's just normally like that", she said, not minding if people are giving her weird looks for talking to the burger.



"No, no. He doesn't hate you. He hates me", she continued and patted the bun.



Jiyong rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, then took one bite from her burger. He lazily chewed it, ignoring the beaming Dara seated beside him.



"How was it?! How was it?!", she asked.



"It's fine", he replied flatly.



"Your first burger! Yay!!", she excitedly gushed and patted his shoulder.



"What should we do after my class?", Dara asked but Jiyong did not respond and just stood up.



Her lips curled in a smile while observing him as they started walking towards her university. She's getting accustomed to his quirks and twists, which is the reason why she's not at all bothered by his abrupt silence or his blunt words. His peculiar behaviour and sharp glare are indeed intimidating but being tied with him the entire time, she's already used to it.



Dara heaved a deep sigh and took a sip of her canned drink. During their first few days together, her actions are guarded and she would only do the things that Jiyong likes, which is her old habit of pleasing others to accept her. But Jiyong does not particularly like anything and does not mind her doing anything she wants, so before she realized it, the unspoken boundary between them is thinning.



"Ugh, I can still taste the hamburger in my breath", she heard him complain. He then snatched the soda can from Dara's hand and took a sip before giving it back to her.



Jiyong was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand when he saw one of his bandmates standing a few meters in front of them with a flabbergasted expression, his eyes as wide as saucers while darting interchangeably between him and Dara. Great. Of all the people who would see them, why does it have to be the one with the biggest mouth?



"HYUNG!", Seungri, the bassist of their band who is also responsible for acting like a total lunatic onstage, flailed his arms merrily to catch his attention. He can almost swear he saw Seungri's eyes sparkle with mischief.



"Let's go. Eyes forward, don't look at him", Jiyong urgently instructed and took long strides with the obvious intent of ignoring his bandmate.



"HELLO! I'M SEUNGRI!!", Seungri blocked Dara's path and was smiling like a pedophile at her.



"Uhmm....Hi. I'm Dara"



"Are you hyung's girlfriend? Where did you meet? How long have you been together?", he bombarded her with questions, making Dara step backwards in fright.



"Hey, Panda. Stop scaring her and let us through", Jiyong shoved him aside but he jumped back with outstretched arms, preventing them from escaping.



"Is she your girlfriend?"



"No"



"Then why are you with her?"



"None of your damn business. Out of the way", Jiyong irritably hissed but Seungri's face clearly advertised the fact that he won't budge even until his final breath. This is the first time that Jiyong was seen with a girl and it was indeed such a surprising phenomenon.



"Uhmm...I'm just his friend", Dara explained.



"Friend? You're hyung's friend? But Jiyong hyung can't stand girls", Seungri reasoned in amazement.



"Uh, I guess he's just tolerating me"



Seungri's eyebrows arched up while Jiyong let out a heavy sigh. He won't be surprised if this abnormal Panda is sending telepathic signals at that precise moment to his gossip command center so he can immediately spread the big scoop about him hanging out with a girl. He can already picture out the satellites aligning and the radio waves going crazy because of Seungri's excitement to tell the entire human population of this gossip about him.



"Is this hyung's drink?", Seungri tapped the soda can that Dara was holding.



"Huh? No. This is mine", Dara answered in bewilderment. Seungri's mouth formed a big 'O' as if he discovered the cure to cancer.



"Panda...", Jiyong called out in a tone that promises a great deal of pain if he doesn't stop poking his nose into their situation.



Seungri threw both his hands up in the air in surrender and sneered at him. "It's a good thing I ran into you. We need to gather funds to buy new sound equipments. We have a gig this coming weekend", he informed him.



Jiyong looked at Dara and cocked his head, signaling her to give the nosy Panda some money. She quickly opened her bag and fetched his wallet, grabbing the amount that Seungri needs.



"Did you just...in your bag...hyung's wallet...", Seungri cannot believe the miracle that he was seeing. He then started laughing, making a big show in the middle of the street as he slaps his knees while holding his tummy with his other hand.



"Oh, shut up", Jiyong said in annoyance and stuffed the cash inside Seungri's shirt before storming away with Dara.




_____________________________________________________________



While the professor is writing their lesson on the board, Dara scribbled something on the white piece of paper and then she turned to Jiyong, who was sitting quietly behind her, and held the piece of paper up.



'LET'S GO TO YOUR GIG THIS WEEKEND, PLEASSEEE >.<'



Jiyong just stared stonily at her and looked away. He is, hands-down, the most stoic person in this side of the planet. Dara faced forward in defeat and slumped on her seat. After their encounter with Seungri, Jiyong told her that he is not going to attend all their gigs, which totally alarmed her. He is the vocalist of the band and without him, the other band members will be inconvenienced.



She doesn't want that to happen since she knew that she is the sole reason why he's refusing to attend the gig. How can he perform when there's this girl following him around wherever he goes? If he goes onstage, that means Dara had to be onstage too. But she doesn't mind standing onstage and humiliating herself, just as long as she could help Jiyong out. He has done a lot for her and not being a burden to him is the least that she could do.



Dara straightened up and whipped his head towards Jiyong again. She clasped her hands together, pleading pitifully. No reaction from the resident cyborg. Dara pouted but his stoic face did not falter.



"Meoowwwww ~ ~", she purred like a cat, making Jiyong sigh in exasperation. He then leaned forward, placed his open palm on top of Dara's head, and spun her head to face the board.



But Dara stubbornly bolted her head towards him again. "Meoooowwwww ~ ~"



"SANDARA PARK!", the professor yelled.



==



"Just sleep here on the bed", Dara offered.



"No"



"Let's go to your gig this weekend"



"No"



"Should we-"



"Be quiet and sleep", Jiyong lied to his side, his back facing Dara. She somberly looked at him before finally lying on the bed. A while ago, Jiyong phoned Seungri to inform him that he won't be able to come to their gig this coming weekend. She tried so hard to convince him otherwise but he's firm on his decision. Dara stared at Jiyong's back for a while before slowly closing her eyes to catch some sleep.



"I swear, these two are driving me nuts", Bom complained and plopped herself on the bed next to Dara.



"Do you even know what I've been through to book them that gig so Jiyong can introduce Dara to his bandmates?!", she whined.



"Yes, I was there, laughing at you the whole time. The things you come up with, Bom", Seunghyun snickered while shaking his head.



"I don't know what do anymore!", she hugged her knees and stared at the destined couple.



"Why don't you play the harp again so they will both have nightmares because of your spooky music?"



She scowled at him before turning her attention to the red string.



"Do you think the red string really sparkled again that time? It's just supposed to sparkle on the first time that we utter the enchantment so I'm a bit nervous. Or did I just see the reflection of light on a glass or something?", Bom asked, recalling the event that alarms her.



"I don't know. Everything about these two is just unexplainable", Seunghyun sat on the floor and crossed his arms.



Suddenly, Jiyong started stirring on his sleep. His anguished groan woke Dara up and she immediately scampered on the floor and tried to wake him up.



"Jiyong! Jiyong!", she called out but he just continued whimpering.



"Don't leave... Omma", he whispered, raising his right arm as if trying to prevent someone from leaving. Seeing him in that state, pleading and in pain, is something that's totally foreign to her.



Dara grabbed his hand and patted his shoulder. "Ssshhhhhhh", she cooed and tenderly rubbed his hand.



"The nightmares are starting again", Seunghyun noted.



"Well, this is the month when his mom left him. He's been having nightmares on the same month ever since he was little", Bom said.



"It's going to be a hellish week for Jiyong, then. He doesn't sleep a wink whenever the nightmare comes"



"I think it's going to be different this time", Bom smiled while watching Dara as she gently pats Jiyong's arm.



_____________________________________________________________



Jiyong looked at their intertwined hands with bewilderment and sat up. Dara was still asleep, sitting on the floor while leaning on the side of the bed.



"Hey", he nudged her.



"Hey", he repeated until Dara stirred awake.



"Mmmhhmmm....Good morning", she smiled at him with droopy eyes.



"What's this?", Jiyong raised their intertwined hands in confusion.



"Oh, you know. You've been very naughty last night", she jokingly answered, but Jiyong's face remained impassive. He unceremoniously dropped Dara's hand and was about to stand up but Dara pulled him back.



"Alright, alright. Jeez, so early in the morning and you're already so grumpy", she complained. "You were having a nightmare but you won't wake up so I stayed with you", she explained while yawning.



Jiyong averted his eyes and paused for a while, pondering about something. "Get up, I'm going to be late for my meeting", he suddenly said.



"Okay!", Dara jumped on her feet and almost lost her balance since her legs are numb from sitting on the floor. Fortunately, Jiyong was able to grab her by the waist and helped her stand up.



"Next time, just ignore me if I'm having nightmares and go back to sleep. Stop doing unnecessary things", he coldly said.



Days passed and Jiyong noticed that Dara always look sleep-deprived. Her eyebags are already reaching the floor and she can barely keep a decent conversation. She already looks like a jungle monkey with her drooping eyelids. Whenever they do research on the library, she'll immediately plant her face on the table and sleep.



"What's happening to you?", he asked when he can't contain it anymore. He finally confronted her while they were walking towards their next destination.



"Huh? You want me to cook for you?"



"Is the bed uncomfortable?"



"You should attend your gig this weekend", she rambled on while yawning.



"HEY!", Jiyong shook her shoulder and it was only then that Dara focused her gaze on him.



"I'm sorry, what was that again?"



"What's happening to you? Can't you sleep at night? Is the bed uncomfortable?"



"Jiyong, can't you just sleep on the bed beside me instead of sleeping on the floor?", Dara asked instead of answering his questions.



"What?"



"Just sleep on the bed", she repeated and started walking ahead of him.



That night, Jiyong still insisted on sleeping on the floor, much to Dara's dismay. He closed his eyes and waited for Dara to fall asleep. When her breathing became even, Jiyong feigned to be having nightmares. Just like what he predicted, Dara scampered towards him and began patting his arm, lulling him to sleep.



Jiyong opened his eyes and sat up. "I told you not to do this kind of unnecessary thing", he scolded her.



Dara smiled sleepily at him. "You need your sleep", she reasoned.



"You need it too", Jiyong retorted.



"Your nightmares are painful memories, aren't they? You're always calling your mom, asking her not to leave", Dara said, catching him offguard. Jiyong chose not to answer and lied on the floor again.



"I had them too when my parents died on the same day. I was just a kid then and I was passed in the care of one relative to another. They are willing to support me financially but they don't want to raise me. In the end, they all immigrated and I was placed under children welfare institution. But I'm still grateful that they're financing my expenses until I was old enough to be on my own. I had the nightmares for years and I would sometimes sneak out of the institution to roam at night whenever I can't sleep. I was just a kid then but the dark road seems more comforting to me than my bed. I just walk at night, meet random people, make friends, weave a fairy tale in my mind as I roam around. Until one day, the nightmares stopped"



Silence. Dara wasn't sure if Jiyong is listening or is already sleeping but she just pressed on.



"I'll stop your nightmares", she mumbled and climbed on the bed, almost dragging her tired body since her limbs felt like they weighed a ton.



"It would be a lot easier for me if you just sleep here on the bed beside me, though", she whispered mindlessly and was about to close her eyes when the bed bounced due to another weight beside her.



"Stop mumbling and go to sleep", Jiyong muttered grudgingly and placed his arm over his eyes. Dara's lips curved into a smile as she stared at the cyborg beside her. She gently patted his arm but Jiyong abruptly stopped her.



"I'm not having nightmares yet so there is no need for this", he grumpily said, but Dara continuously patted his arm.



"Tch!", he clicked his tongue with irritation and glared sharply at her. Dara stopped and once Jiyong closed his eyes again...



*pat, pat, pat*



"I'm going back to the floor", he declared.



"Alright, alright! I'll stop!", Dara giggled while throwing her legs and arms over Jiyong to prevent him from getting up.



Meanwhile, Bom and Seunghyun linked their arms and merrily hopped in circle while cheering.



_____________________________________________________________



SANDARA's POV



I just did something brilliant. I was able to convince Jiyong to attend the gig. And let me tell you, it's not an easy task. It involves a lot of ninja skills and ancient sorcery.



Do I even have to explain how stubborn he is? It is unparalleled. It's like there's a magical forcefield protecting his skull from any brainwashing possibilities. I almost gave up and called it a day but in the end, my kung fu proved to be of greater strength than his cyborg mojo.



I was smiling from ear to ear as we headed towards the club where their band will be playing.



"You're going to regret this", he warned me. He's been telling me that since we left his place, like he's casting a curse on me. I would've been freaked out if it's a normal day, but I'm still high with my success on convincing him so I just shrugged my shoulders and pushed him to continue walking.



As soon as we stepped inside the club, people swarmed like bees around him. Uhh..What is going on? I darted my eyes nervously as I stood rigid on my spot, an ominous music playing in mind. It took me only a few seconds to realize that I totally don't belong to the place. Everybody looks so cool and confident, mature and sexy. And then there's me, with my strawberry-printed backpack and cute dress.



I felt the cord being tugged so I directed my attention to Jiyong. He was staring intently at me, as if gauging if I could survive being in this place without combusting into flames. I smiled at him and I noticed that there are a lot of girls surrounding him who are arching their neatly trimmed eyebrows at me. My eyes landed on their boobs and I had to step back in fright. WHOAH! Is that even human? I mean, it's abnormally humongous that I could practically slap them with their own breasts! Mutants. They're mutants.



With my chin up in the air, I started walking towards Jiyong but the girls were practically blocking my path. Oh my gosh, what is up with them?



"There's a lost girl here. This place is not for minors, kiddo", one of them said and they all chuckled.



I was about to open my mouth and swallow her whole but Jiyong suddenly shoved the weirdos aside and grabbed me by my backpack, dragging me with him amidst the bewildered glances of the people who were worshipping him a while ago.



"You are so slow", he muttered.



"Well, you didn't tell me you have a legion of fans here waiting to sniff your soul", I countered.



"You should've ignored them and stick behind me. With your height, people will step on you flat on the ground without even noticing"



"Oh come on. Are they breeding giants in here? I'm not that small! See? See?", I tiptoed and tried to level my gaze with him but he just pushed my forehead away with his forefinger.



I furrowed my eyebrows when I sensed something odd. When I bolted my head to the side, I saw three guys gawking at us with gaping open mouth, as if they've just witnessed a miraculous apparition.



"These are my bandmates. You've already met Panda, our bassist. This is Mohawk, our lead guitarist and this is D-Lite, our drummer", he said. I was about to greet them but they're still staring incredulously at Jiyong and I.



"Now, do you believe me?! I told you Jiyong hyung even drank from her soda can. You know he never ever do that, being the ice man that he is!", Seungri excitedly exclaimed.



Huh?



"Oh my gosh. This is the first time I heard him talking like that to a girl! Hi, I'm Youngbae", the guy with the mohawk said.



Huh?



"I'm Daesung! So...I heard you're Jiyong hyung's friend?", D-Lite asked.



Eh? Why are they making a big fuss about it? I questioningly looked at Jiyong but he was lost in his own demented world once again, totally ignoring everyone else around him.



"Hi, I'm Dara", I timidly smiled at them and waved.



"Awwwww, she is so cuteeeeee!!!!", Seungri was threatening to pinch my cheeks but Jiyong placed his palm on Seungri's face and dragged the three towards somewhere. I quickly followed him and squeezed myself in between slamming bodies on the dance floor.



"Ow..Aw aw ouch!", mannnnn, Jiyong was right. I wouldn't be surprised if I get toppled on the floor and be stomped on by these people. It's a madhouse in here! This place defies physics. Everybody is squeezed together on one spot!



I felt Jiyong tugging the red cord but I just couldn't pass through the barricade of sweaty human bodies in front of me. Just like before, people suddenly parted revealing Jiyong who was furiously glaring at me. I quickly jumped towards him and smiled.



"One more and we're going home", he threatened, pertaining to my clumsy disappearing acts this evening.



"Patience, patience, patience", I jokingly said but he wasn't half-amused. I can understand, though. I was the one who insisted on coming here so I should be able to take care of myself, but I'm doing a very bad job at it.



We reached a room with a lot of audio equipments and where a couple of bands are hanging out. I sat near Jiyong on the couch but Seungri practically threw himself in between us and smiled goofily at me.



"Hi", I smiled back at him. To my surprise, he took a sharp intake of breath, clutched his chest and pretended to faint.



"Her cuteness is killing me! Resurrect me hyung!!", he jokingly said but Jiyong just elbowed him aside. Seungri chuckled as he stood up and went to get his instrument.



"It's nice to see Jiyong hyung finally interacting with someone other than us and his clients", the guy named Youngbae or Mohawk said while grabbing the guitar at the corner.



"Dara, what does hyung calls you?", Daesung or D-Lite asked.



"What do you mean?", I asked in confusion and glanced at Jiyong who was reading a program sheet, ignoring all of us.



The three of them were looking expectantly at me when Seungri asked, "Don't tell me he's calling you by your first name"



I tilted my head and tried to recall if there was ever a time that Jiyong called me by my name. I kept racking my brain but not even one instance come to mind. Whoah! What is up with that? I have another one to add to his 'Weird Cyborg Behaviour List'.



"He...never did", I mumbled with furrowed eyebrows and glanced at Jiyong.



"Awwww, it's okay sweetie patootie. Hyung never call anyone by their first names. He always calls his clients by their surnames and as for us, he gave us those weird nicknames", Seungri pinched my cheeks with both his hands, which Jiyong immediately slapped away.



"You mean Panda, Mohawk and D-Lite are not your stage names?", I asked.



"Nope! He just calls anyone by just about anything that comes to his mind. Those nicknames are the ones he used for us", Daesung replied while twirling his drum sticks.



I pouted and accusingly looked at Jiyong, "Yah! Call me by my first name!". And this cyborg just rolled his eyes at me.



"BIG BANG!! Get ready! You're up next", one of the club staffs yelled.



"We'll see you later, Dara!", Seungri chirped.



"She's coming with us", Jiyong declared, rendering his bandmates speechless.



I stiffened, realizing that Jiyong and I don't have a solid plan on what to do during his performance. He then instructed Daesung to get the maracas, then he handed it to me.



"Just shake this to the beat. I'll ask the crew to turn off the microphone assigned to you", he was staring at me as I nodded nervously. "I told you, you'll regret this", he added.



Jeez. Thank you, Jiyong. I'm about to die of heart attack already.



"Can you just leave that strawberry here?", he pointed to my backpack and I immediately shook my head.



So there. Armed with maracas and my strawberry-printed backpack, I followed his band towards the side of the stage, where the final preparations are made. Youngbae, Daesung and Seungri climbed up to plug their instruments and tune them while Jiyong and I waited.



My palms are getting sweaty so I settled the maracas on top of a sound equipment for a bit and nervously wiped my hands on my dress. Daesung started hitting the drums to a beat and Seungri and Youngbae followed. Live music filled the club and the audience cheered, screaming Big Bang's name.



"Let's go", Jiyong started walking towards the stage and I hurriedly grabbed my mar-....HOLY SH!T! WHERE IS THE MARACAS?!



Jiyong glanced back at me impatiently so I rapidly scampered towards the stage, chanting 'Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!' inside my cluttered mind. Jiyong is not going to be happy. And by that, I mean he's going to kill me.



I positioned myself in front of the microphone and stared at the audience with a terrified face, and they were all looking at me like I'm expected to do something brilliant. Holy hell. Youngbae strummed the guitar to an upbeat music so I started clapping and nodding my head to the beat. Yes, I look like an idiot, thank you very much.



I stole a glance at Jiyong and I swear, he is trying to blast my skull with his death glares. I knew that at this moment, all he wants to do is pick me up and javelin-throw me to the other side of the hemisphere. Fortunately, he can't do that because he's tied to me. Ha ha ha. Just slap me, please.



Some of the audience were already laughing and pointing at me; and some are even imitating how I clap. Gah! I can almost hear their collective thoughts saying 'What in the living crap is she doing?'



Suddenly, the music changed to a slow beat. Even the audience are confused and murmurs filled the club. I looked at Jiyong and when I saw him approaching me, I'm almost certain he is going to clobber me or pulverize my as$ or...GAAH! HE'S COMING!



I immediately cowered in fear and protected my head with my arms, firmly closing my eyes.



"I know your eyes in the morning sun. I feel you touch me in the pouring rain. And the moment that you wander far from me, I wanna feel you in my arms again..."
( http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Nj1ebbNf03M )



I peeked with one eye and saw him singing while staring intently at me. I straightened up and our eyes locked. Is this really...cyborg man?



His voice is just criminal. And he's singing the song with overflowing feeling that makes my heart constrict. I can feel the warmth spreading through me as I listened to him.



Even his facial expression is captivating. And the way he stared at me...GAAAHH!! No way!



Think of other things, Dara! Think of....kimchi! Kimchi kimchi kimchi kimchi kimchi kimchi kimchi kimchi...



"And you may not think I care for you, when you know down inside that I really do..."