Breaking Rules

RULE # 31: DON'T PUSH THE BUTTON

"Ji Yong?"

The guard gave an affirmative. "Mr. Kwon had just arrived also when your friend dropped by. Mr. Ji said he'll give you the note personally."

"Ow... uhmmmm... I think I'll just go up to his room then."

She entered the elevator and tried to even out her breathing. She was always like this – unsure of how to act normally when she met up with Ji. He had the ability to cause her whole body to react oddly. She looked at her feet and rubbed them against one another. "Breathe in... breathe out" she repeated once again in her head.

As the elevator door opened, she almost collided with him.

"What the?!?" she heard Ji react, backing up from the elevator, clutching at his right eye.

"Ow! Ow!" Dara cried out and went towards him "I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

Ji stood up straighter and looked at her with only his left eye. "I didn't see you too and now I'm only seeing you with one eye."

Dara bit at her lip "I'm really really sorry... uhmmm... why don't we go inside your apartment and put ice on that? It might bruise."

He nodded. "I think you're right and if this bruises, I'm going to tell everyone you gave me a blackeye."

"But I didn't mean to" Dara retorted.

"I know..." Ji answered and smiled at her "You're always like that you know... you give me bruises but you don't mean to."

She frowned at him "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing" Ji replied, then took her hand "Now. Come on and guide me. I'm half blind."

Dara knew she should be used to his hand holding hers right now but her heart still skipped a beat. "You give me bruises too but you don't mean to", she thought to herself – she head heard his cryptic message (a habit he seems to be breaking in to lately with her) – as she looked at their linked hands, "Ow! What to do with this guy!"

***

Face Off

Jin-ah bravely faced all of them. "Why are you guys ganging up on me?" she asked.

Seung-ri shook his head. "Noona. We're not ganging up on you. We actually just want to talk."

"What is it did you want to talk about?"

T.O.P. walked towards her and took both of her shoulders "Jin-ah, I want you to understand that you are a really good friend of ours and I don't want that thrown away, ok?"

Jin-ah looked at the handsome oppa and nodded. "I know that and that is why I am asking why you are ganging up on me?"

"We are not ganging up on you" T.O.P. answered "We're just here to ask you something."

"What is that oppa?"

"Are you planning to put Ji-oppa and Dara-unnie apart?" CL asked, unable to stop herself – irritation lacing her voice.

Jin-ah looked at her crossly. "What if I say I am?"

That strong admission upped the tension in the driveway a thousand notches.

"Jin-ah... don't do that" YB told her.

"Why not?" Jin-ah challenged "Why won't you let me fight for someone that I love?"

"Coz you're only going to destroy yourself" Seung-ri responded.

"Don't say that!" Jin-ah admonished "Don't you guys understand? I gave up a lot of things for Ji. I will not walk away without a fight."

"We're only trying to protect you" Daesung countered.

"Well... it doesn't feel that way" the caged girl retorted.

"Jin-ah" T.O.P. made her re-focus on him "you are being blind. There is a difference between fighting for something you can win and fighting for something you know you've lost at the very beginning."

Jin-ah blinked back her tears "Why can't you guys just give me a chance? And what is there for you to be afraid of if you're really sure they're meant for one another?" she took T.O.P.'s hands from her shoulders and put them down "I'll fight for Ji Yong until he tells me to stop. I won't let you or anyone else dissuade me."

"You have some spirit" Bom piped up from YB's back "I admire that... but you can't win in this. We have nothing personal against you but I promise you... me, CL, and Minji will make sure that our Dara will fight you every step of the way."

Jin-ah walked towards her "We'll see then. We'll see if your Dara can really win him."

CLshook her head in annoyance at Jin-ah's persuasiveness. "You don't get it doyou? Dara-unnie has already won this and she hasn't done a thing yet."