Mount Vernon.

Dara knew there was something in this town that called her.

It's not only the nature, its laidback people, or the vast land that tells it's a progressing town but it symbolizes something to her.

New beginnings.

She took a deep breath as she parked her bicycle in front of her apartment complex. She put a lock in it just in case as she stared proudly at the humble place she called home for the past three weeks.

It's located in the quiet part of town with a small park nearby. Cute little shops around but you can still spot old Victorian-style buildings that might need renovation but for Dara, it gives off a classy vibe. However, her apartment is on the second floor of this old building with uninhabited stores on the first floor maybe because the businesses were not doing good or the place just looks like something out of a horror film. It's dark, gloomy, and secluded. Very private.

Maybe that's why Dara likes it. The rent is cheap too and she felt it was the best place to call home within her budget.

She smiled at the thought. Home.

She knew she would live here the first time she set eyes on this place upon seeing the rental advertisement during her acting gig in Kim Jaejoong MV last year.

She wondered if the MV had finally come out, so far she hadn't heard anything about it but she hoped it would give Jaejoong a good fortune so he could come back as a successful idol soon.

She might find him annoying but she wishes nothing but good things coming his way. Even she admitted he's too talented to continue hiding like a monk in a faraway town like Malcom.

Malcom...

Her smile dropped as her heart throbbed fast with a deep sense of longing.

She left everything there in seek of new beginnings. New solace and soul searching.

And Jiyong generously let her...and didn't contact her since she left the city.

Which she finds suspicious and mind-boggling at first. He saw her off, didn't even ask where she was heading, and just kissed her on the cheek with parting words such as,

"Enjoy your freedom, my love."

She narrowed her eyes remembering that. But she shrugged it off back then.

He called her soul-searching 'Freedom', but she called it 'Control' - taking control of what she once lost.

Her life.

Her identity.

Her self.

The sense that despite everything that had happened last year, she could still regain control of where she wanted her life to head.

She sighed as there was another important matter.

She meant what she said to Jiyong when she told him she was doing this for both of them.

She didn't tell him personally that he had become her new purpose, her new guidance so she wouldn't feel lost once again. Just as her mother's words were her guidance before, but for this year and the upcoming years, she decided it would be Jiyong.

If Jiyong knew about this, there's no doubt he would be very happy to hear that from her. But she will keep it to herself for now. Instead, she'd show it through her actions.

She would cling to him, and be by his side, for better or for worse.

But to do that, to be his woman who was going to accept him completely regardless for who he is, she needs to find herself once again, to find what was lost, and collect her thoughts to finally accept the fact that she's a new person now...and not the person she was last year or the years before that — a person who was afraid to let anyone in.

So, to move forward. She needs to regain the little control she could have over herself and emerge stronger worthy to be on Jiyong's side and not wallow in misery at the sight of mere blood.

Because blood...blood...she would see more blood if she became Jiyong's woman.

She bit her lip as she started towards the front door, and keyed in the passcode before heading to the stairs towards her second-floor unit.

She took out her keys and smiled seeing her place once she got inside. She felt a deep sense of satisfaction being here.

How she dreamed of having her place using the savings she earned from her previous jobs.

When she texted Madame Kwon about her desire to quit being Madame's maid, her former employer only put her on read but gave her an unexpectedly high severance pay the next day. The money was enough to cover her rent for a year.

Plus the earnings she got from her gigs. She should be good for the time being starting a life here.

She was still touched by what the madame did and relayed her thanks through another text but the madame still only left her on read.

She wondered if the Madame would be alright. The last time she saw the madame before that fateful night on Christmas Day and her suddenly going AWOL next, there were bruises on the Madame's delicate arms, and no matter how the madame tried to hide it, Dara still noticed it so she gently tended to those wounds without saying anything. She knew it was Mayor Yang's doing. She worries for Madame even more now that she left the Kwon Mansion. That man is dangerous.

Come to think of it, despite how Jiyong hates his mother, Dara has mixed feelings towards the Madame and still hopes that one day she will understand where Jiyong's hatred towards his mother was coming from and whoever will be Madame's new maids, they will treat the Madame right.

'I hope she's fine.' Dara thought as she looked around her new place. It was funny how she was able to get this place with the help of Madame's severance pay but she blatantly refused Jiyong's offer to finance this trip.

She didn't understand why it was still hard for her to accept Jiyong's money. Only she knew it felt wrong to accept his money. She even got a new job recently at a local mail carrier as a letter sorter working at the back of the store to finance her new life in Mount Vernon.

Maybe not accepting Jiyong's money was her way of gaining control back to herself. She wants this place so it's only right that she would use her hard-earned money she saved from working odd jobs and not rely on Jiyong's help.

And that's only for now.

She sighed once again. It didn't make sense since when things gets rough, she always ended up asking Jiyong's help to clean up her mess. And he never complains every time.

Why is she so difficult accepting his money? What's the difference between him scheming with her to get her role back, saving her from a dangerous car chase, and cleaning up her murder to accepting his money?

'You don't want to fully take advantage of him, that's why, silly...though you want him to get his hands dirty for you but you don't want his dirty money from his gangster life. What's the big deal? You are just selfish and full of bullshits.'

She massaged her temple. "Why does Jiyong even love a stubborn woman like me?"

Jiyong didn't contact her since she left him but someday, he would reach out and she would eventually show him this place.

"Hopefully once I'm done painting this place." She sighed out loud.

Like what he said, she'd just enjoy the quiet time she had right now.

Enjoy the freedom.

Her place was small, but it was enough for her. As soon as you enter the wooden-floored apartment that creaks under your footsteps, you'll see a small kitchen on one side, a full bathroom on the other side. If you walk a bit further inside, you'll see a simple new queen-sized floor mattress on the floor with a small lamp placed beside it, as well as an old and small three-drawer dresser filled with her belongings.

Her walls were bare, with no paintings hanging. The windows were old and needed replacement, but they served their purpose in not letting the cold air enter.

It needs improvements, yes, but at least the water heater and the toilet were working, as was the old heater that might need replacing in the next winter season.

The walls were old and worn out, with holes here and there, but a few patches couldn't fix. The place just needed a little tender loving care from her.

She placed the plastic bag on the small brown table she got from a thrift store. It had two mismatched colored chairs, but it still served its purpose.

She unpacked the items she purchased from the home improvement store: new wallpapers, paints, various types of brushes, and cans of putty to fill the holes in the walls.

It didn't cost much, unlike if she had bought these items in Malcom. Perhaps because Mount Vernon has lower taxes and sells more locally-made goods.

To put it simply, Mount Vernon is a hidden gem of the country.

It's a small town but has much more to offer. The nature, the quiet people, the cheap prices of their items made from local shops. Everything Mount Vernon offers, Dara likes it so far.

She rolled up her sleeves as she picked up the paint and brushes in each hand, gazing at the half-painted baby blue wall she had started a few weeks ago.

A smile crept across her face as she resumed her project.

She had promised Jiyong she'd only stay here for a month...but as she decided to paint the wall, she found herself longing to live here longer.

To regain some control of her life.

She smiled at the idea of finally having her place. Something to call her own.

But as much as she wanted to daydream about that possibility, there was still a nagging question left—will Jiyong even let her live alone?

Knock knock

A knock on the door brought Dara back to reality. She gently set down the paint and brushes on the newspaper-covered floor, then made her way towards the door.

As she slowly opened it, she realized she had been holding her breath, though she wasn't even surprised anymore to find who was behind the door.

'It's not even a month yet.' She thought at first.

At the same time it answered her question.

Jiyong won't easily leave her alone.

"Dara."

--//--//tbc

a/n: Foolish Dara to think Jiyong will leave her alone lol THANKS FOR READING. Now, am done with world-building for Book Two and writing melancholic chapters, let's head for the actions next ;) see you in the next chapter! Give me some by love by voting & commenting ^^

love, siv