Be Mine

\\ t h r e e \\

Dara heaved a sigh for the nth time as she started playing with the silver ring in her thumb. She was thankful that though she went home dripping wet that her mother almost fainted, she didn’t get sick; though she earned herself some rant and nagging from her mother who was in the verge of having a seizure. She was walking to the gymnasium where they would welcome the kids. She was thinking, would he keep his words, would he be really there to be her partner. She knew him by no means. She could read him like she owned him. Even her found it weird that she can read him easily.  She knew he had his pride, he’s someone who was true to his words. Yet she couldn't help not to doubt even a bit since he seemed to really hate her. She shook her head wanting to stop thinking about him, to stop doubting.

Dara almost jumped when Youngbae just popped out of nowhere and hanged his arm around her which she slowly removed making the latter pout. ‘Already got a partner?’ the guy asked. Dara gave him a timid smile. ‘I’m not sure though,’ she answered honestly making the guy formed his lips into an ‘o’. ‘Who?’ he asked. Dara just smiled at him telling him he should guess. ‘What about you? who’s your partner?’ she asked.

‘Minzy,’ Youngbae said not excited, rather he felt he was really forced to. ‘You two will make good parents,’ she chuckled making him just pull a forced smile, if only she knew. ‘But wait ‘till you see Seung Ri and Chaerin,’ he laughed remembering how the two were punished to be the partners after bickering in one of their classes. ‘I know right I can’t hardly wait,’ Dara giggled. ‘Let’s hurry,’ she added as Youngbae nodded to her.

...

The gymnasium was filled with children, then there were volunteers from each orphanages, you can also see the nuns, then you’d see the buffet tables filled with snacks and the gymnasium which they spent days to decorate. A smile drawn on her lips as she glanced at Youngbae who just melted from the beauty of her smile. They quickly went to their friends who were already entertaining some kids. Then they heard the signal making them fall in line by partners as they will be assigned to children. Dara roamed her eyes in the whole gymnasium searching for even a glimpse of his shadows only to be disappointed. She heaved a sigh and stared at the silver ring on her thumb. She closed her eyes, chanting words in her head trying to make the anxiety building up ready to gobble her fade.

He will come... he will, just believe him.

‘Don’t you have a partner Ms. Park?’ one of her teachers asked as attentions were drifted to her. ‘I guess I’ll have to take the hard role of being a single parent,’ she said chuckling making her teacher chuckle too. Then out of the blue Jiyong arrived as he stood beside Dara scratching his head. ‘I’m her partner, I overslept,’ he said still breathing heavily as not only everyone’s eyes landed on him but Dara’s too. There was a moment of silence even the children stopped from playing and stared at the two. The teachers and the students who had known Jiyong for almost two years couldn't almost decipher what they were witnessing at the moment. There, the all rude Kwon Jiyong was standing next to an innocent pretty girl who was staring at him. He was there not only for attendance, not for any shit that he would give damn to, but he was there to be a one day father, to be part of this event. And that was so near impossibility, no it was really impossible but he was there. ‘What?’ he hissed making everyone snapped back to reality.

 She stared at him in disbelief, he was really in a hurry, his clothes were still disoriented, and his hair was just pulled into a bun without combing it. He shyly fixed himself as he rolled his eyes making their teacher fake a cough. ‘He will be the one assigned to you,’ their teacher said as he lightly pushed a boy aged of seven to them. Then he turned his back from the two with a smile on his lips which he tried hard to hide but just show up.