KNOT 7 - THE BLACK LIGHT

SANDARA's POV

Library AGAIN. Only poetic crying men frequent this place but here we are, sitting on a desk in the corner of sorrow.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I looked outside the window of the library. I'm seriously contemplating on setting all the books on fire. We have been a constant visitor of this lonely place and we still have not come across any clues on what the magic words are or the identity of those two deities.

I momentarily glanced at Jiyong before checking my phone again, hoping that there will be a message from the secretary of Lee Soo Man. My shoulders automatically slumped seeing that there was none.

"Give it up. Even if you schedule an interview with him, I won't go with you", Jiyong said without taking his eyes off the book that he was reading.

"Even if I have to drag you with me, I will"

"Yeah, right", he scoffed.

*Sigh*. I'm quite certain those snide remarks will get him killed sometime. Other humans are probably hunting him down.

"You haven't told me the reason why you don't want me to conduct this interview with Mr. Lee. Do you personally know him?", I asked. As expected, no reply came from the cyborg man. His silence can drive people completely nuts but thankfully, I'm used to it so I just shrug it off. I know when the time comes that I have to interview Mr. Lee Soo Man, Jiyong will still accompany me. If he doesn't, I swear I will raise hell.

"Whatever. I'll try to secure an appointment with him first", I mumbled and flipped the pages of the book before me.

"Have you found anything yet?", he suddenly asked, diverting the topic.

"I don't even know what we're looking for. If only those two weirdos will show themselves again so we could ask them. Do you remember what they said that night? Maybe they left some clues"

He then turned his head towards me and stared at me with startling intensity, seemingly contemplating about something.

"What?", I asked, but he continued looking at me with deep penetrating gaze.

"Will you stop looking creepily at me", I complained and shielded his line of vision with my hand.

"I just remembered something", he explained and pulled my arm down. "The deities said that we should start by knowing each other and that the answer lies on both of us. Maybe the magic words pertain to something about us"

"Mmmmhhhmm", I mumbled with disinterest and rested my face on the table. 'Something about us' is still broad and it can pertain to just about anything. I don't even know what to think anymore. I already feel numb whenever we have this talk about the red cord binding us and perhaps it's just my way of coping with our bizarre situation. Honestly, it's very frustrating and infuriating but we simply have no choice but to go on living...tied to each other.

Jiyong looked at my weary expression and rested his head on the table as well, facing me. "Why am I tied to you?", he asked in a low voice.

"And why am I tied to you?", I asked back.

"Is there anything else about you that I don't know?"

"I love strawberry", I stated and smiled at him, trying to lighten up the mood.

"I know that, you silly woman", he poked the tip of my nose gently as I giggled at his android expression.

"You're the one who doesn't divulge any information about yourself", I said after a while.

"There's nothing to tell"

"Oh, come on"

"You actually know more about me than anyone else", he noted.

"Really?!", I exclaimed in delight.

"Yep", he flatly replied. Somehow, that fact excites me even though I know that it is merely a consequence of us being binded with each other 24 hours.

"Hmmmm. So, I'm the only one who knows that you snore?", I jokingly asked.

"Hey. I don't snore"

"And I'm the only one who knows that you love watching TV dramas?"

"You're the one who loves watching those crappy things", he defensively said as I continued to tease him while our faces are still rested on the desk cluttered with books. It feels as though we're in our own world in this bland corner, surrounded with dust and the scent of decaying pages. The old paintings hanging on the wall, the slow but steady rotation of the ceiling fan, the tall shelves and long tables now brings a peaceful feeling as we continued with our foolish conversation.

"Am I the only one who knows what's inside your wallet?"

"Yes"

"And I'm the only one who sees the messages in your phone?"

"Yes"

I smiled at him and a comfortable pause passed between us as I think of another question to ask him.

"Am I the only one who knows that you hum while shaving in the morning?"

"You're a weirdo", he said while scrunching his nose.

"Answer me!"

"Well then, yes"

I giggled at his irritated expression before asking my next question, "Am I the only one who knows the food that you like?"

"No"

Ampf! I wasn't even able to hide the disappointment that crossed my face upon hearing that.

"But you're the only one who paid attention", he flatly said. The corner of my lips tugged in a tiny smile because of his reply.

I would never set foot in the library on my own free will because it always seems gloomy to me but somehow, this lonely place is becoming colorful.

_____________________________________________________________

Bom has a deep scowl on her face while pacing back and forth outside of Dara's classroom. Upon seeing Seunghyun approaching, her mouth automatically launched a thousand words per second.

"Why do you have to give them that misfortune?! You know Jiyong doesn't want to see his father again after he moved out of the house! You could've assigned Lee Minho to Dara instead of Lee Soo Man! You are-"

"Blah blah blah blah blah"

"You are so childish!"

"Woof! Woof!", Seunghyun smirked at Bom's annoyed face.

"Just wait once I get my ethereal orb back. Just wait, Jursa Seunghyun", she said in a threatening tone. Bom huffed in irritation and turned her head towards the destined couple seated inside the classroom while comforting herself with thoughts of torturing the despicable Jursa in so many artistic ways. How can anyone stand him?! Once the punishment is lifted, this idiot Jursa will experience a fury that nobody else has witnessed. She will make sure that he'll be begging for mercy once she's done with him. She will be towering over him with her hands on her hips, laughing menacingly while watching the tears stream down from his pitiful face. Just imagining it gives her great pleasure.

"MEOWWWW!!!", Seunghyun merrily screamed directly at her ears, surprising her.

"AH! Annoying!", Bom furiously shrieked and tried to hit Seunghyun's face but the latter rapidly stepped back while chuckling at the fuming Hadana.

The class bell rang and all the students scampered out of the classroom while the two deities ran amok along the corridor. Jiyong walked out of the room followed by Dara who was still trying to find out the connection between Jiyong and Lee Soo Man.

"Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell meeeeeeee!!", she persistently asked, but Jiyong just kept on walking without paying attention to her.

Dara exhaled in frustration and rapidly walked to match Jiyong's long strides. "TELL ME!", she demanded while hopping up and down beside him, shaking his arm.

"Dara!", both of them turned their heads when they heard CL's voice.

"I just read your text message. You still haven't secured an interview with Mr. Lee Soo Man?", CL asked upon reaching them..

"Yeah. Do you know anyone who can help me out to schedule an appointment with him? Anyone from your classmates, perhaps?"

"I'll ask around and get back to you. But I doubt that I would be of any help. Mr. Lee is known for being elusive, isn't he?", CL replied. Dara groaned and shook Jiyong's arms again. "AaahhhhHHhhhhhhhh...Jiyonggggggg. I need to have that interview!", she whined.

CL raised her eyebrows in surprise after witnessing Dara's actions.

"Is she always like this? Whiny and irritating?", Jiyong wearily asked while pointing at Dara, who is still pouting with her eyebrows mashed together.

"Nah. I've never seen her act this way towards anyone. Not even her former boyfriend", she noted.

"Why? How does she act with that punk Joo Won?", Jiyong asked.

"Well, when she's with him, her actions are very calculated"

"Calculated? When she's with me she has no dignity whatsoever"

"HEY!", Dara protested and placed her arms on her hips while eyeing the two. "That is so not true", she defensively said.

"Oh yeah? Did he buy sanitary pads for you? Can he last a minute while listening to your miu-miu-miu?", Jiyong crossed his arms and tilted his head with a stoic expression on his face.

'Oh my gosh, this cyborg!', Dara thought while eyeing him with astonishment. Does he really have no plans to stop bringing shame on her name?

"You've heard of her miu-miu-miu? It gets in your brain, doesn't it?", CL asked while smiling in amusement at Dara.

"Yeah. It mercilessly enters my brain and buzz around like a bee for one solid week. I thought I had to do mini-exorcism to get that miu-miu-miu sound out of my system. But the moment that I successfully take my mind off it, she'll mumble those random words again to torture me", Jiyong said and nonchalantly pulled Dara's backpack to prevent her from being ran over by the swarm of students rushing to their respective classrooms.

"The professor is here!", one of CL's classmates suddenly called out.

"I have to go. Dara, I'll call you", she said.

"Okay", Dara walked gingerly beside CL while Jiyong followed them.

"Just so you know, I don't believe the two of you merely have boss-employee relationship. Get back to the dorm once you're done with any of your critical work with him", CL whispered on Dara's ear before entering her classroom, leaving the bewildered Dara behind.

==

As both of them walked along the university pathway, Dara still kept on pestering Jiyong, asking him about Lee Soo Man. Other students are already staring at her as she bounces left and right while Jiyong just ignores her presence.

"If you know him, maybe you can help me schedule an interview with him!", she insisted as they were nearing the sports field. Jiyong didn't even give her a glance as he walked past her.

"WATCH OUT!", someone screamed from a far distance and when Dara saw a baseball flying over Jiyong's direction, she leaped towards him with outstretched arms. The ball hits Dara's shoulder, making her wince in pain. Jiyong's eyes widened in surprise and he abruptly pulled Dara closer.

"Are you alright?", he asked and roamed his eyes all over her to check if she was hurt.

"I'm really sorry! Are you alright?!", the baseball player asked while running towards them.

"Yes. Don't worry about it", Dara smiled reassuringly at him.

"Are you sure? I'm really really sorry. I should've been more careful. Did the ball hit you?", he said while picking up the ball.

"No. I'm fine", she assured him. When the baseball player went back to the field, Jiyong was all over Dara once again.

"Didn't the ball hit you? I heard a sound and I saw it bounce off your back"

"No, it hit my backpack", she smiled at him to cover up her lie, even though her shoulder is already hurting from the ball's impact.

Jiyong furrowed his eyebrows and stared at her but Dara just kept on smiling. "You shouldn't have done that. Don't do anything unnecessary. You might end up hurting yourself", he said afterwards in a reprimanding tone.

"You were busy ignoring me and didn't see the ball coming so I protected you with my strawberry power!", Dara exclaimed and took a superhero pose. Jiyong knew what was coming and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Flyinnnnggg....Meadows!!!!", Dara shouted as Jiyong sighed.

"I just knew you'll do that again", he lazily said.

"Flyinnnngggg...."

"Stop it"

"Alright, I'll stop", Dara chirped and walked ahead of him but Jiyong suddenly tugged the red cord.

"Wait. Come back here", he wiggled his fingers, coaxing her to come closer. Dara glanced back at him and stepped towards Jiyong with a puzzled look. He grabbed Dara's ID lanyard and pulled it, making her lean forward, their faces only a few inches apart. "Seriously, don't do those unnecessary things again. If you end up injured, you'll be more irritating than you already are and I would have to endure your endless whinings. It will be better if I'm the one who's hurt"

Dara scrunched up her nose and defiantly looked at him. "I'm not hurt, okay? And will you just admit that you're worried instead of insulting me?", she said as she stretched her neck forward, making Jiyong tilt his head back a bit.

"I'm not worried", he hissed and leaned forward again, their faces close to each other as nobody wants to back down on their staring contest.

"Yes you are!"

"HELLOOOO!!!", Seungri's face suddenly popped in between them, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he looked interchangeably at Jiyong and Dara.

"Well, well, well...What do we have here? Lover's quarrel?", he continued in a teasing tone.

"Shut up", Jiyong pushed Seungri's face away and straightened up.

"Hi Seungri! What brings you here?", Dara asked.

"I was just roaming around when I saw you two. By the way, hyung, the guys want to have some drinks this weekend and we'll be expecting both of you, alright?"

"Count me out", Jiyong replied dismissively.

"Awwww, come onnnn!!! You didn't hang out with us after our gig!"

Jiyong yanked the red cord once, signaling Dara that they should leave but Dara just remained on her spot while eyeing the pitiful Seungri. He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at her. "Let's go", he said.

"Why don't we hang out with them this weekend?", Dara suggested, earning a squeal of delight from Seungri who stood behind her and cheered for her to convince Jiyong.

"We're not going. Don't be fooled by the bambi eyes of that Panda", he warned her.

"Jiyongggggggg ~ ~"

"Don't start with me"

"Jiyonggggggggggg!!!!!", Dara pouted and shook his arm.

"No"

"I want to go out and chill for a change", she complained. Jiyong looked at Dara's slumped form and sighed heavily.

"Fine", he finally agreed and crossed his arms over his chest while watching Dara hop merrily in front of him.

Seungri arched his eyebrows in bewilderment, seeing how Dara magically shattered Jiyong's strong resolve in a just a few seconds. She just accomplished something that other humans were not able to do. The two are sending weird signals on his gossip radar but he has yet to figure out the real score between them. Jiyong is not the type to stick with girls no matter how cute they are but why is he tolerating Dara? In fact, he's not the clingy type even with Min Y-

"Whatever it is that you're thinking, stop it. I can already see your antennae protruding from your head", Jiyong lightly punched Seungri's arm and pushed him. "Get out of here. Tell the guys we're coming this weekend", he added.

"Alright, hyung. Bye Dara!", Seungri said while eyeing them teasingly and ran for his life when Jiyong made a move to clobber his as$ if he doesn't get away swiftly.

Dara constantly checks her phone as they continued walking on the pathway. Seeing that there are still no messages from Lee Soo Man's secretary, she let out a disappointed sigh and fixed her gaze on the road.

"I have a problem", she said after a while.

"I don't want to hear it", came Jiyong's cold reply.

"Oh, but you don't have any choice. Hah!"

Jiyong sighed in exasperation and glanced at her, "This is so unfair. Even husbands have a choice not to listen to their nagging wives"

"Are you saying you're like a husband to me?", Dara giggled and clung to him.

"I did NOT say that", he vehemently denied.

"So anyway. Listen, hubby"

"Please...stop it"

"Hubby?", she blinked innocently at him, making him groan in frustration. How the hell did their conversation steer this way? He should've learned by now that Dara has this peculiar way of twisting his words and tossing it back in his direction to further annoy him.

"Whatever", he muttered and quickened his pace while Dara still clings to his arm.

"As I was saying, hubby..."

*giggle, giggle*

"...I still haven't secured an interview with Mr. Lee Soo Man. So if you know him personally, you might be able to help me. PLEASE!", she pleaded.

"I don't know him. And even if he grants you an interview, I don't want to accompany you. So no, you're not going to interview him. Just do the class project instead of the interview"

"You're not being a supportive husband", she pointed out, making Jiyong firmly shut his eyes before facing her.

"Can you please stop saying husband? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"Hubby!", she merrily exclaimed despite his murderous glare.

"I'm warning you..."

"HUBBY!", she yelled and stepped backwards upon seeing the approaching Jiyong.

"Don't you dare come near me. I'll knock you off with my MIU POWER!", she playfully assumed a fighting stance and screamed in fright when Jiyong suddenly grabbed her by the waist and proceeded to walk, with Dara dangling helplessly like a doll in his arm.

"MIU POWER!!!!" Hadana Bom was hopping up and down while squealing with delight as they followed the two. Seunghyun shook his head and sighed. There is a weird connection between this Hadana and Sandara Park - they're both crazy.

_____________________________________________________________

SANDARA's POV

This is getting really tiring...

"I'm serious, Jiyong. I'll go through with the interview even if I have to barge in at Mr. Lee Soo Man's office. I don't want to be the only student who fails to do this school activity", I warned him.

"You can't make me accompany you"

His Royal Highness Kwon Jiyong collapsed on the bed and placed his right arm over his eyes.

I'm about to burst into flames. He just keeps ignoring me whenever I bring up the topic about interviewing Lee Soo Man and I don't even know why he doesn't want me to interview the man.

"Jiyong, please stop joking. You know this interview is really important", I said in a calm and collected voice. I had to control my temper before I release some daggers at him.

"I told you, you will never change my mind. I won't accompany you to interview that person. And since we're tied together, it only means you will not interview him", he dismissively said without even glancing at me.

*breathes in, breathes out*

Heart attack.

"Jiyong...", my voice is hiking up a bit but I can't control it anymore, "..WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? IT'S JUST A FREAKING INTERVIEW!"

He raised his arm and opened one eye, "I'm trying to sleep. Be quiet"

OH MY GOSH! I cannot believe him! I swear, he's the supreme overlord of indifference. He is really set on giving me a thousand years of pain, isn't he? Out of all the people in the world, why am I tied to this subhuman?

"I kinda hate you right now, you know", I said as I sat at the edge of the bed, grabbing my pillow and hugging it to accentuate my miserable state.

"It will be better if we meet those two deities again", I mumbled to myself. We tried calling for them before but they won't show themselves anymore. No matter how hard I begged, the two deities won't come out. We even searched for information in the internet about deities having white and black magical smoke but all we got are characters from online games and some crap about Dragon Ball Z. What the heck.

"Stop mumbling and go to sleep", Jiyong said and poked me on the shoulder, making me flinch in pain. I instantly rubbed my shoulder where the ball hit me a while ago.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing"

Jiyong furrowed his eyebrows and sat up. He then poked me on the shoulder again and I instantly jerked back.

"You were hit by the ball, weren't you?", he asked in a stern voice and scooted closer to me. Before I could protest, he carefully tugged the back collar of my blouse and inspected my shoulder.

"Damn it, you have a bruise!", he muttered and stood up, proceeding to the bathroom while I followed him gingerly. He grabbed something from the medicine cabinet and went back to bed, instructing me to lie down on my stomach as he opened the container and scooped a fair amount of cream on his fingers.

"I told you not to do anything unnecessary. Look what happened"

I just kept silent as he applied the cream on my bruise, my mind wandering elsewhere.

I'm tired...of this whole thing. This red cord is proving to be a big hindrance to both of us. Jiyong is not saying much about the red cord but I think he's doing it for my sake. As weird as it may sound, there's an indescribable boundary between us despite of or because of our situation. It's hard to explain but that's how I perceive things. The red string that is supposed to bond us together is a boundary. Or am I just being cautious?

"Jiyong, what will happen to us?", I whispered and I felt his hand stop.

"Should I tell you things that you want to hear?", he asked and lied beside me.

"Yes", I hoarsely replied as we stared at each other.

"We will be untied before your graduation. You will be able to do the interview by yourself. You will be able to move back to the dorm and you will find a job that you like. You will make a lot of friends and you will enjoy living...away from me"

"Don't you have any plans of seeing me once we're untied?"

"I don't know. I thought you will be scared to be near me because of this magical crap. Who knows if we'll be tied again once we see each other", he fumbled the red cord and both of us were bathe with silence as we stared at it.

"Your turn", he suddenly said.

"My turn?"

"Tell me the things that you think will happen to us", he said, locking his gaze with mine.

"Mmhhmmmmm...We will be untied soon and you will be successful with your work. You will continue being the great vocalist of the Big Bang band and will live a peaceful life...peaceful and quiet life since you won't be hearing my constant 'miu miu'", I said.

"That 'miu miu' again", he sighed and frowned at me.

"You will miss that sound, I assure you"

"I highly doubt that"

"Miu miu miu miu miu!", I exclaimed and smiled at him.

"I hate it"

"Miu?"

"Are you not going to stop?"

I took a deep breath as I roamed my eyes on his face. He's kind of adorable whenever he gets pissed. I'm still wondering why I'm tied to this cyborg out of all the people. He's actually the exact opposite of me. He's really cold and does not care about what other people think. But he's surprisingly very nurturing and would just cover it up with his sharp tongue.

"Let's sleep before you explode my brain with your Miu Power", he said after a while.

"Yes, your majesty", I replied and placed my right leg across his stomach.

"ARGH! Stay on your side of bed!"

"But you're my husband!", I jokingly said to annoy him some more.

"I'm sleeping on the floor", he declared and sat up, about to crawl out of bed.

I immediately grabbed his leg and clung to him. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore!"

He rolled his eyes at me and finally lied down, kicking me on the far side of the bed. "There. Stay there"

Kekekekekeke. What an adorable cyborg.

_____________________________________________________________

Bom and Seunghyun watched the sleeping couple silently. Both of them are aware that Jiyong and Dara are constantly calling for them but they chose not to show themselves despite their guilt.

"What is a Jursa's job? Don't you bring misfortunes to the couple to break them?", Bom suddenly asked.

Seunghyun sighed and faced Bom, "Why do you think the other Jursas you were partnered with rejoiced when the destined couple finally fulfilled their fate?"

"I'm also curious about that. I don't know why", she answered.

"That's because you're seeing what you want to see. And you're believing what you want to believe"

"That didn't answer my question"

"Yes it does", Seunghyun said dismissively.

A light breeze suddenly blew and a twirling white light appeared at the foot of the bed where Ascendant Yang Goon stepped out, looking down at the sleeping couple. The stunned Hadana and Jursa rapidly bowed their heads down after giving each other a bewildered glance. The lunar matchmaker god raised his hand, causing the red string to levitate in the air. He opened his palm and mumbled an enchantment. Afterwards, the string emitted a sparkling black light, making him frown.

Bom's eyes widened in fear as she nudged Seunghyun, who was also gaping at the red string of fate, unable to fathom the confusing situation they're currently witnessing. With a resigned sigh, Yang Goon lowered his arm and the string slowly descended towards the bed, between the destined couple. The old man clasped his hands behind him while pondering about something, his shoulders rigid and his lips forming a thin line.

"Jae Sang, are you here?", he whispered. A black smoke appeared beside him and Jae Sang stepped out.

Seunghyun stole a glance at his ascendant and despite the smile on his face, Old Man Coyote has a worried look on his eyes. Seunghyun shifted his feet nervously and rubbed his palms. He can sense that they have a bigger problem - bigger than the destined couple being literally tied together.

"How can I be of assistance, old friend?", Jae Sang asked.

"Can you search the candles in the underworld and-"

"THE UNDERWORLD?!", Bom exclaimed in astonishment before Seunghyun covered her mouth and hissed at her furiously.

The two ascendants eyed Bom and Seunghyun as the two bowed their heads again.

"Let's go back to the Sky Palace first and discuss this further", Yang Goon told Jae Sang. He then faced the two deities, "You two should prepare yourselves. The destined couple assigned to you may have a far more challenging future which might be beyond your capacity."

When their ascendants left, Bom slumped on the floor as if energy has been drained from her body while Seunghyun remained standing rigidly, swallowing hard as he assessed the situation at hand.

"What exactly is happening?", Bom asked in a breathless voice.

Seunghyun ignored the confused Hadana and stared stonily at the red string of fate.

_____________________________________________________________

SANDARA's POV

"CLING!", I jumped at Jiyong and attached myself to his arm.

"There you go again", Jiyong said boredly and wiggled free from my grasp.

"CLING!", I hopped towards him again but he hastened up his pace and wouldn't allow me to hold him.

"If you don't want me to cling to you, then I'll just call you HUBBY!", I declared, knowing full well how he hated that word. Jiyong exasperatedly sighed and offered me his arm. I merrily clung to him as we roamed around. Earlier, I suggested that we take a walk but Jiyong didn't know that we're heading towards the direction of Mr. Lee Soo Man's office.

Unfortunately, I don't have any contingency plan once we reach the building. I need to come up with something because once Jiyong finds out that we're going to barge in at Mr. Lee's office, he will certainly flip out and chop my head off. NGAH!

All of a sudden, he faced me and blocked my path, entwining his arms around me and pulling me closer to him. I gasped in surprise and planted my hands on his chest while staring at him with wide eyes.

"WHAT? WHAT DID I DO?", I asked in alarm.

"Close it", he whispered while looking sharply at the guys around us.

"Huh?"

"Close your damn blouse! Your bra is showing!", he hissed.

I looked down and upon seeing that my bra is indeed making its presence known to the world, I immediately buttoned my blouse and smiled at him.

"CLING!", I exclaimed and entwined my arms around his neck while giggling but as I looked up at him, my chuckles died down as I realized that both of us are now hugging in the middle of the street. Our gazes locked and I suddenly became aware of the loud pounding of my heart. Warmth spread through my cheeks as I looked directly at his eyes. Unable to handle his intense stare, I abruptly pushed Jiyong and took rapid steps backwards. I wanted to get far away from him but my foot automatically halted when the maximum distance of the cord was reached.

I glued my eyes on the ground and twiddled my fingers stupidly to distract myself from the weirdness that happened between us. Ugh! This is so awkward! I shouldn't have done that.

When he started striding towards me, I had to fight the urge to step backwards again. What the hell is happening to me?

Jiyong stopped in front of me and raised his right arm. I looked at the tattoos in his arm in bewilderment before staring at him questioningly. Sensing that I'm currently the dumbest woman in the planet right now due to the unnerving experience I had earlier what with the weird thumping of my heart and all, he cocked his eyebrows and offered me his arm once again. "Cling", he flatly said.

A smile formed on my lips as I clung to his arm and beamed at him. We started walking in silence but of course, silence lasted for only about a few seconds as the need to annoy him is so fierce that my mouth wasn't able to resist.

"So...you saw my bra. You like it?", I said and almost rolled on the ground as Jiyong nudged me forcefully. I was laughing at his annoyed expression and was almost choking on my saliva as we continued walking towards the building, which is the main office of Mr. Lee Soo Man.

UH-OH. We're almost there. As we are nearing the building, my voice is becoming louder and louder and my mouth is spouting all kinds of nonsense in hopes of blocking Jiyong's mental skills. I hope we will be able to reach at least the reception area before he realizes anything. But as expected of him, he sensed that I'm up to no good and stopped as we were ascending the stairs towards the entrance.

Ultimate failure.

When I witnessed the slow turning of his head, the furrowed eyebrows and the sharp glare, I knew I had to crawl somewhere before he could break my skull and munch my brain.

"What the hell is this?", he asked in a frustrated voice and exhaled audibly. "I told you to just do the class project instead of the interview"

He turned around and descended the stairs but I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him.

"Jiyonggggggg!!!!! Come on, we're already here! Just accompany me, please!"

"No"

"I really want to do this interview instead of the class project so please, PLEASE agree on this one and I promise to do all your evil biddings"

He scowled at me and replied firmly, "No"

"Jiyongggggg!!"

"Do I have to drag you home?"

"JIYONGGGGGG!!!!!!!", I stomped my feet and pouted but he just crossed his arms and remained on his spot while glaring at me.

Judging from his expression, my miu power will not be enough to convince him so I don't have any other option but to unleash my secret aegyo attack. Standing on the stairs while Jiyong is on flat ground, I gripped the straps of my strawberry-printed backpack and started singing the Cuppycake Song while swaying my body left and right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sNChulAdILY

"You're my hunny bunch, sugar plum

Pumpy ummpy umkin

You're my sweetie pie

You're my cuppy cake, gumdrop

Snoogums boogums you're, the apple of my eye

And I love you so and I want you to know

That'll always be right here

And I love to sing sweet songs to you

Because you are so dear"

I took a deep breath and pointed my forefingers at him. "SUPER AEGYO WINK!!!", I exclaimed while winking.

After my psychotic display of lethal cuteness, I smiled widely at him, waiting for him to smile back because let's face it, the Cuppycake Song is the cutest song in the history of mankind and anyone should at least smile upon hearing it. But none. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. He just stared at me like I'm the weirdest mortal he ever came across with. Okay, Jiyong is a cyborg and his heart consists of wires and metals BUT STILL!!! It's the freaking Cuppycake Song, come on!! Plus, I even did my Super Aegyo Wink! It's not your normal aegyo wink, it's SUPER for Pete's sake! It's the superhero of all aegyo winks, ARGH! Why am I not getting any reaction from him, this is embarrassing!

This is unacceptable! Incomprehensible! This is..this is...

"Let's go home", I mumbled in defeat and descended the stairs. I sighed heavily as I walked past him, not comprehending how on earth did he manage to maintain an impassive face instead of applauding merrily while tears of joy streams down his face.

I glanced back and covered my eyes with my hand as the sun shines brightly above. For a moment, I thought I saw Jiyong biting his lips as if suppressing his laughter. I squinted my eyes and blinked a couple of times when I heard his voice. "What are you doing? Let's go", he said in his usual noncommittal tone and I knew that my eyes were just deceiving me. Hmph! How can this guy laugh when he doesn't even know how to smile?

It's official, my SUPER AEGYO WINK has been defeated by the cyborg. *Sigh*

_____________________________________________________________

Youngbae threw a confused glance at Daesung who, in turn, glanced questioningly at Seungri, who just wiggled his eyebrows knowingly at them while pouting his lips in the direction of Dara and Jiyong seated in front of him. The two are bickering endlessly about Dara's interview as soon as they entered the bar and Jiyong's bandmates, not being accustomed to this side of him, didn't know how to react.

"I told you, they're an item", Seungri said after chugging down a bottle of beer and slamming it on the table.

"Shut it", Jiyong shot back. But because Seungri is probably the dumbest man who doesn't know when to stop teasing, he kept on bothering the two until Youngbae shoved a bread in his mouth.

"Dara, what is this interview you're talking about?", Daesung asked, ignoring the ruckus that Youngbae and Seungri are causing.

"I'm supposed to interview Mr. Lee Soo Man but Jiyong said he wouldn't let me", Dara complained. Daesung arched his eyebrows while Jiyong's expression remained impassive.

"He wouldn't let you? Why do you need hyung's permission?", Seungri butted in.

"Ah..uhmmmm"

"Because she said she needs my help in that interview", Jiyong dismissively replied as he grabbed Dara's bottle of beer and placed it away from her.

"Give it back!", she protested and snatched the bottle again.

"No"

"Oh, come on. I have no classes tomorrow"

"We still need to ride the motorcycle and I don't want to drag an unconscious woman's body"

"Ah, I hate you!", Dara shoveled a mountain of food inside her mouth and chewed sloppily. Jiyong nonchalantly passed her the tissue which she took without glancing at him, still pissed that Jiyong won't let him have fun and drink some beer.

"I won't get drunk, I promise!", she bargained once again but the cyborg just stared stonily at her.

"That death glare again!", Dara grabbed a bread and showed it to him. "See this? This bread is my heart. This is what you're doing whenever you sharply stares at me", she exclaimed and tore the bread apart.

"I told you to stop watching those crappy tv dramas. Give me that", he pointed at the bread and opened his palm at her.

"My heart?", she jokingly asked and handed it to him.

"Yeah, your heart. I will eat it well", Jiyong boredly said and took a bite off the bread.

"Oh my gosh! These two are already dripping with cheddar!", Seungri exclaimed while clutching his chest, making Youngbae and Daesung laugh as they clicked their bottles of beer before drinking.

"Can't you just be a couple already? I totally ship you two!", he added. Jiyong frowned at him and flicked Seungri's forehead with his fingers, "We're just friends, you moron. Stop being a girl"

"Ouch! Alright, hyung. Jeez! You're always grumpy", Seungri rubbed his forehead grudgingly. He then pushed the bottle of beer towards Dara and smiled at her.

"Yey! Thanks, Seungri!", she grabbed the bottle and hid it on her side.

"Don't you dare get drunk", Jiyong hissed and wagged his finger at her. Dara playfully tried to bite Jiyong's finger but he rapidly withdrew it and poked her nose.

"Seriously, do you need us here?", Youngbae teased and immediately averted his eyes from Jiyong's sharp glare. Daesung diverted the topic so as not to further annoy Jiyong and soon after, their table is already having an animated conversation although Jiyong is not even paying attention to any of them.

When Dara tugged the cord twice indicating that she needs to go to the restroom, Jiyong automatically stood up and offered his hand to help her out of her seat.

"Where are you two going?", Daesung asked.

"She needs to go to the restroom"

It's as if time froze as his bandmates stared at him in shock.

"Excuse me?", Seungri asked.

"I'll just accompany her", Jiyong clearly doesn't care if the eyes of his band members are about to pop out of their sockets.

"Hyung, we're judging you right now", Seungri jokingly said before laughing loudly.

When Jiyong and Dara walked past the next table, the group of girls started calling out Jiyong's name and professed their love for him, which he just ignored as he continued walking with Dara beside him. The girls are clearly fans of the Big Bang band and are smitten by the lead vocalist.

Dara looked at Jiyong and wagged her finger at him. "Hubby, you're cheating on me, aren't you?", she joked and shrieked in terror when Jiyong suddenly bit her finger.

"WE SAW THAT!!! WHEEEE!!!", Seungri yelled while Youngbae and Daesung clapped merrily. Jiyong glanced back with a deadpan expression on his face. Those three monkeys are surely going to die in his hands later.

_____________________________________________________________

Dara continued humming while watching her footsteps as they walk towards the parking lot after having a drink with Jiyong's bandmates. It's been a long time since she had a drink and she's feeling a bit tipsy because of the alcohol but she's still aware of her actions. She lifted her gaze and watched Jiyong's back for a moment before turning her attention to the red string dangling between them.

She tried so hard to ignore the cord for the entire time she's been living with Jiyong but honestly, she's getting sick and tired of their situation. Being alone and doing things by herself seemed to be a faraway memory. Her future is also getting blurry. What will become of them? When will the cord be untied? Where are those two deities and why aren't they showing themselves? It's their fault that they're in this kind of predicament so why won't they help them? What are the magic words? Are there really magic words to untie the string? So many questions are floating in her mind.

Bom clenched her fist while following the couple. She feels so useless. How can a Hadana be this pathetic while the destined ones assigned to her are going through an obstacle?

With a piercing glare, she faced Seunghyun and suddenly hits his arm. "I HATE YOU!", she exclaimed and braced herself for another round of bickerings with her Jursa counterpart but Seunghyun remained silent.

Arching her eyebrows in confusion, Bom nudged Seunghyun but the latter didn't even react. "Hey, what's your problem?", she asked but no answer was given to her.

"What's your problem?", Jiyong asked Dara as she suddenly stops walking and rakes her hair with her fingers, contemplating about something.

Dara sighed heavily and met his eyes while raising her arm. "This...this is my problem", she said and forcefully tugged the red string.

"Are you drunk?", Jiyong furrowed his eyebrows and walked towards her.

"I wish I am. Actually, I wish all this is just a dream. Are you not even agitated, Jiyong? WE ARE TIED BY THIS RED STRING! When will we be untied? We can't even go to the restroom alone. Damn it, I'm sick of this"

Dara slumped on the side of the street and hugged her knees while Jiyong stood beside her and shoved his hands inside his pockets. A heavy silence passed between them as they both try to collect their thoughts.

"This is the kind of reality we have, and we don't know how long it will last", Jiyong finally said. "There's nothing we can do", he added.

Dara lifted her gaze and was about to say something when a swirling white smoke caught her attention. Bom stepped out of the sparkling white smoke and stood in front of them. "I'm sorry", she solemnly said and bowed her head.

"YOU!", Dara abruptly stood up and faced the Hadana. "Untie us now, I'm begging you", she pleaded.

"I just showed myself to apologize again because of that red string and to assure both of you that everything will be alr-"

"I HATE THIS! I REALLY HATE THIS! UNTIE US NOW! UNTIE US!", Dara screamed in frustration. Unknown to the destined couple, the string was surrounded by a black glittery light and then, the black light exploded and Bom was pushed back to the realm of the deities before she could even react. The Hadana was thrown back quite forcefully and Seunghyun came running towards her.

"W-What was that?", Bom asked in fear.

"I think that's the energy from the Underworld", Seunghyun replied while helping Bom to stand up.

"Why would it be fused with the red string?"

"I don't know, Hadana. All I know is we might have another problem"

"What kind of problem?"

Seunghyun stared at Jiyong and Dara who were still calling out and searching for Bom. "A bigger problem", he said after sighing heavily.

Writer's Note:

UH-OH!!! The underworld??!

I'm sorry for the long wait T_T There's just so much to do plus, I got sick.

Cheers!

Lotsa Love

huntress