CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A Proper Conversation

[ Jimin’s. ]

[ 4 Months, 2 Weeks, 6 Days. ]

Three hours and thirty minutes. 

I had to pay almost 1k just to rush the driver assigned to me, and I’m sure we broke a lot of speeding limits but I didn’t care—I’m just going to pay the fine, anyways. 

I was already near San Juan's border when the new phone I had rang—my shaky fingers hurriedly unlocked it, hoping that it isn't Ate Irene that finally noticed I was gone—

my pretty girl:

Ingat ka. 

I couldn't help but smile as I picked up the phone, but the smile instantly disappeared as I saw a commotion outside Ate Seulgi's house.

It was… Minjeong's father, I instantly recognize, his eyes blazing with anger as he tried to push his way into the house. Ate Seulgi is trying hard to stop her, but I also see Ryujin and Jaemin trying to stop him from entering.

“Isa, Seulgi. Papasukin mo ako o sasabihin ko kay Rhea lahat ng kabulastugan mo—”

“Tito, with all due respect, ang gusto ko lang naman yung safety ni Minjeong higit sa lahat—”

“She's safe with me—”

“You locked her in her room, and she felt unsafe enough to injure herself trying to get out,” biglang sabi ni Ate, at hindi ko na napigilan ang galit na pumuno sa akin upon hearing those words. “I don't think you're going to prioritize her safety, Tito—Karina!”

Hinila ko palayo yung tatay ni Minjeong, the pull is a little too strong that he falls on his down the ground and groans in pain a little, but he stands up immediately.

“Wala ka talagang modo—”

“You locked Minjeong in her room?” I asked, gritting my teeth as I ball my fists, with Ate Seulgi and Ryujin pulling me away from him. “She wanted refuge and that is the first thing you do?”

“Gusto ko lang naman siyang matuto na sumunod sa akin—”

“That's bull,” I said, and even if I wanted to rush towards him they were holding me back. “All you wanted was for her to be the replacement of a child you failed to save years ago. Guess what, she's never going to be that!”

“Karina—”

“She's not Summer or even Winter Kim,” I said, tears falling at the thought of this man repeatedly abusing the love of my life emotionally or even physically through the years. “She's Minjeong, the child you should have loved with all your life but you didn't.”

“Hindi mo maiintindihan—”

“Alam ko,” I said, and all I want is to hug Minjeong the tightest I could give, hoping blindly that it would ease all of her worries away. “But I try to understand anyway. For her.”

“Gusto ko lang siyang umuwi—”

“She won't,” I said, blinking through hot tears and turning away to finally see her. “I won't let her come home to you, after everything you've done.”

I didn't wait for him to say anything again. Instead I let Ate Seulgi drive him away and entered the house to see her behind the door of the room we shared, and she closed the door the moment she saw me.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, I moved towards the shut door and pressed my forehead on it, as if it could do the trick.

It didn't; I had to knock a little over three times to hear just a hum from her.

“Minjeong,” A hum. “Minjeong, would you let me enter your room?”

“K-Kwarto mo rin naman 'to,” she says, and I barely hear the muffled words through the closed off entrance. 

“I know,” I said, a faint smile settling on my lips. “But would you let me in?”

I hear another hum, and a second later I hear the click of the door lock being turned off. I slowly turn the knob open, pushing the door to see Minjeong sitting with her back facing me on the bed we shared here.

“Hi,” I said nervously. 

I see her nod, and I take it as a sign for me to move forward, and instead of sitting next to her, I sit at her back, my back facing her as well.

“I'm sorry,” is what I say first, my fingers fiddling with the bedsheet as I wonder where this would lead. “I didn't think that it would be a big deal, but I was wrong. I should have told you about Yeji before—”

“Sabi niya sa akin, naghahanap ka lang daw ng pampaalis ng distractions,” she says, and there is a pang of hurt that hits my heart as her voice shakes with every word. 

“Ganun lang ba ako sa'yo, Jimin?”

Jimin, I said, her voice repeating in my head until it disappears. At least, she's calling me Jimin again.

“No,” I said, biting my lip as I refuse to cry when I haven't explained myself properly yet. “Hindi ka pampaalis ng distraction. You're never going to be like that to me—”

“Sabi mo sa text mo, you like me right now,” she says, and I turn back to see her wiping her tears.

“Right now? You like me right now? Paano bukas? Sa makalawa?”

I turn to touch her shoulder and make her face me, and all that I could see is hurt and pain on her eyes that stare at mine so intently.

“…paano kung hindi mo na ako gusto bigla pagkagising mo sa kinabukasan? Jimin, anong gagawin ko pag ganun?”

“I like you right now,” I said, hesitantly moving my hand to wipe the tears falling on her cheeks. “I will like you tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that.”

“Wala ka naman kasiguraduhan sa mangyayari—”

“It's a risk I'm willing to take, mahal,” I said, cupping her cheek and frowning at the bandage that was stuck on it. “Love is… Love is all about taking risks, and I will take every risk I get if it means getting to love you over and over again.”

She frowned at that—even if her questions are endless, I'm willing to answer each and every one of them.

“Paano kung mapagod ka—”

“E 'di mapagod,” I said, caressing the bandage gently. “Pag napagod, magpahinga. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's the end—”

“Paano kung oo?”

“I'm not going to be tired of you, love,” I said, pulling her gently and I felt her succumbing to my embrace. “But tell me if you do. Don't hide it if you do, para at least alam ko.”

"I-I'm sorry,” she says, shivering under my arms. “H-Hindi ko maalis yung sinabi ni Yeji sa akin—”

“I'm going to be honest, I loved her before,” I said, my hand tracing the bandages on her hand this time while she's leaning close towards me. 

“Keyword, loved. Hindi nagwork out kasi ipapakasal siya sa iba, but by the time she got out of that arrangement I had already lost the feeling kasi I accepted na never kami naging meant to be.”

“Totoo yung three years?”

“...yeah. I was the one who planned on having a business before—not specifically a hair salon—and she wanted a part of it, kaso pinagbawalan kami ng Lolo ko tsaka ng pamilya niya na magkasama.”

She's finally breathing calmly now. I can still see her crying, but at least she's letting me hug her again—I can't even explain how badly it hurt when she avoided me earlier.

“Sorry,” she repeats again.

“Minjeong, hindi mo naman kailangan magsorry—”

“But I do,” she says, and I let her speak. “Pinairal ko yung galit ko. I hurt you. A-Anong kaibahan ko kay Jeno kung ganun?”

“Don't,” I said, my anger seething again at the mention of that guy. “Don't ever think you're like him. Your feelings are valid, baby. It was wrong of me to not tell you about an old relationship I had, especially since it made you overthink and be angry with me.”

“Okay,” is all she says, and we are plunged in silence as I hold her gently in my arms.

“...would you like to tell me what happened?” I ask after a few minutes, pointing at both her bandaged hands as well as her face.

“Bukas,” she says, and I nod at that as she pulls away from my embrace. “May tatanungin ka pa sa akin ngayon.”

At the mention of a question, my cheeks turned red.

“Hala, kinilig ka ba—”

“I am,” I said with a smile, lying down on the bed I missed sleeping on for a week. “I am kilig. But…”

“But what?”

“We just had our first big fight,” I said, and she lay down next to me, her head using my arm as a pillow. "I don't know if we're already okay. Are we?"

"Yes?" she asks, and just by that I know that we're still not.

"The point is, maybe we shouldn't have our first day as girlfriends on the day that we had a fight?"

"Oh," she says, turning towards me and she props her arm around my waist. "Right."

"I might only be able to stay here until tomorrow," I said, and she immediately frowns at that. "Ate Irene doesn't really know I'm here."

"Weh?" she asks, and I nod at that. 

"Alam mo ba, mangungutang na sana ako kay Ate Seulgi ng pamasahe papuntang San Lazaro, kaso sabi niya papunta ka na daw."

I chuckled at that.

"Aww, you were going there to see me?"

"Hindi, pupuntahan ko talaga si mareng Aeri dun."

I pouted at that, but then chuckled as I held her hand, careful not to hurt her wounds.

"Akala ko matutulog ako na hindi kita katabi ngayon," she says, and I smile as she clings onto me. "Buti nalang… sorry talaga, Jimin."

"It's okay," I said, knowing na mas nasaktan siya kesa sa akin with this. "Just… Please, try not to call me Karina again."

Narinig ko siyang bumuntong hininga doon.

"Ang sakit lang kasi," she says, and I lean my head to hers as I rub her shoulder up and down. "Ganun din tawag niya sa'yo. Siyempre, akala ko special ako sa'yo tapos to know na may ibang tumawag sa'yo nun…"

"I'm going to confront Yeji when I get back," I said, and she frowns at that.

"Mag-isa?" malungkot niyang tanong.

"I'm going to force Aeri there, baby. I know you're not going to be comfortable with me talking to her alone."

"Gusto ko ako kasama, pero okay." she says with a satisfied grin. "Hindi mo ba ako pipilitin na sumama sa'yo kapag pinabalik ka sa San Lazaro?"

I shook my head at that. 

"This is your home," I said, smiling cheekily at what I was about to say next. "And my home is wherever you are."

"You're the most irresponsible CEO I have ever met," Ate Irene scolds me as she arrived at San Juan at 7 am—we were woken up by a loud kicking of the door, and I was annoyed t