CHAPTER TWENTY NINE 

A Happy Birthday?

[ Jimin’s. ]

[ 3 months, 4 days  ]

“Baby.” 

…five minutes?

“Baby, wake up.” 

I opened one eye to see Minjeong’s beautiful smile right in front of me, but I pushed her face away muna as I try to turn away just to sleep more, but she kept a firm hand on my shoulder to keep me from turning away from her, no matter how I tried. 

“...five minutes…” 

“Baby, kanina ka pa nagfafive minutes. Wake up, it’s your day today, ‘di ba?” 

I opened one eye again, staring at her before deciding to pull her para bumagsak siya sa akin and then hug her tight. 

“If it’s my day today, let me sleep for ten minutes more, my sweet.” 

“Ikaw, you only use that endearment kapag may gusto ka! Tinetake advantage mo ang karupukan ko doon, baby.” 

I chuckle at that, and when she tries to get up from my embrace I just tighten my hold on her. 

“You like it anyway,” I said, placing a kiss on her neck—well, everywhere I can reach until I hear her squeal and giggle since I learned that she’s quite ticklish when I kiss her nape. “Just five minutes…” 

“Lalamig yung breakfast in bed mo, cutie.” 

At the mention of that, I immediately smelled the delicious smell of bacon and sinangag, then the slightly fishy and salty scent of tuyo and then the eggs hit my nose next, making me let go of her and sit up as fast as I can kahit na medyo inaantok pa rin ako. 

“Grabe, basta talaga pagkain gising ka agad.” natatawa niyang sabi after she laid out the foldable table above my lap and put the tray full of food on it, and may juice din na isinalin niya from a pitcher into a cup, placing it carefully beside the food. 

“It’s so bango… Can I eat na, my sweet?” 

“Of course,” she smiles fondly at me. “Wait, let me take a picture pala.” 

She grabbed the DSLR (that was still here pala) and took a quick pic of me before I ate the food that she gave me. I tried to ignore her while she’s snapping endless pics of me, and I almost choked at one point with how she’s pushing the camera almost close to my face. 

“Baby, what is this for?” tanong ko as I drank some juice, and she immediately took the table away from my lap and then hurriedly shoved a towel at me, as well as some clothes that I recognize to be swimwear, though a little bit more simple. 

“Wala lang,” nagmamadali niyang sabi, pulling me to get up and then pushing me to the bathroom para maligo or magbihis, hindi ko na rin alam. “Bilisan mo magready, baby!” 

I could only laugh as she practically locked me inside the bathroom, refusing to let me out until I got ready as she asked me to do. So I do just that—naligo ako ng mabilis, although medyo napasigaw naman ako ng slight because of the cold water. 

“Baby!” narinig kong sigaw ni Minjeong sa labas. “Baby, are you alright?!” 

“I’m fine!” I said, chuckling as I moved closer to the door so she could hear me. “Malamig lang yung tubig, baby.” 

“Okay! Ligo well, baby!” 

I showered as fast as I could, immediately wearing the rashguard and shorts and tying my hair up in a bun para hindi masyadong messy yung hair ko. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to wear contacts since I kind of have an idea of how the “surprise” party is going to be, so I just grabbed the prescription glasses I had in store for backup and wore them. 

Lumabas na ako sa kwarto and Minjeong was already waiting for me, the camera in hand. I can see the subtle jaw drop she did when she looked at me, and I realized na bihis na rin pala siya—she’s wearing a one piece swimsuit with shorts over them, at napangiti naman ako with how cute and hot she looks right now. 

“You’re so pretty, baby…” she whispers, and I grab the camera, taking a picture of the both of us as I kiss her as passionately as I could. 

“And you’re so, so hot…” 

“W-Wait, nadidistract nanaman ako!” nagpapanic niyang sabi as she pushed me away from her, grabbing the camera before I could pull something like that off ulit. “I’m supposed to bring you over to them right now…” 

“Oh?” nakangiti kong sabi. “Is my party starting na?” 

“Can you just try to look surprised, at least?” she whines, and I nod at that as she slings the camera strap around her neck and grabbed two towels na dadalhin namin papunta doon. “Ate Seulgi’s going to be mad at me if she learns that you already know about it.” 

“In all honesty, you guys aren’t really making it discreet.” 

“Yeah… tara na?” 

Tumango nalang ako doon, and she intertwined both our hands as we walked towards the farm, and narinig ko na yung medyo malakas na music coming from the speakers as we went closer to the pool that they had mentioned before, although hindi ko pa nakikita iyon myself—

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARINA!!!!” 

I widened my eyes in surprise as a lot—literally, a lot—of people cheered as I stepped foot into the place. May banner silang nakadikit dun sa may entrance nung pool, Happy birthday our Karina!!! ang nakalagay with two pictures of me on each side. 

I couldn’t even hold back my tears as I saw Ate Irene, Kuya Jaehyun, Aeri, even Kazuha, Yunjin and Minju here along with the other friends and other kids na nakatira din dito sa San Juan. They even popped a small confetti cannon, and I immediately rushed to hug my siblings tight as the party finally started. 

As usual, si Ryujin and Yeonjun ang in charge sa music, while I saw my Minjeong immediately go to the food and help the people get some of it. 

Gosh, pati pala si Tito Younghoon nandito—he’s currently talking to Sir Tobias on one side of the pool, so I decided to go approach them and sit at the edge, dipping my leg as they noticed me. 

“Happy birthday, anak,” pagbati ni Tito Younghoon sa akin as I nod, and he holds my hand tight just as he did when I was younger up until now. “I’m so proud of how big you’ve grown, baby.” 

“Miss ko na po kayo,” nakangiti kong sabi as I scoop some water from the pool and doused him with it, at ginantihan niya naman ako ng pagbasa. “Sorry po kung biglaan yung pag-alis ko dati—”

“Huwag ka mag-alala,” he reassures me. “As much as I wanted you to stay since yun ang dying wish ni Jooyoung sa akin, na maalagaan kita ng maayos, I could see naman na hindi ka talaga mapipirmi sa bahay ko.”

I frowned at that. “Y-Yun po ang dying wish ni Mama sa inyo?”

“Ay, hindi ko pa pala nasasabi sa’yo, ano? Excluding Irene, since nandyan naman si Jeonghun, Jooyoung asked me to take care of you and Jaehyun sa abot ng makakaya ko. Sino ba naman ako para tumanggi, eh matagal ko na rin naman na kaibigan iyon?”

I smiled at that. 

So this was your way of caring for me, Ma?

“Pero enough na sa drama! Tobias, hindi mo naman sinabi na may tinatago palang gem ang lugar na ito! Napakaganda ng pagkakagawa mo nung pool, what if icommission kita para gawin yung sa akin—”

“Sir—Tito Tobias, you were the one who renovated the pool?” 

He seems nervous—after all, this is the first time din na I’ve talked to him without asking about his brother, and this is the first time I acknowledged that he is family and not just someone in the same town. 

“Oo,” biglang lumawak ang ngiti niya. “Naisip ko kasi na baka gusto niyo ng swimming-an para hindi na kayo dumayo ng malayo kapag gusto niyo lumangoy.”

“Thank you po,” I said, smiling as brightly as I could. “I appreciate it, Tito.”

I left them muna (Tito Younghoon seems to be comforting Tito Tobias who’s oddly in tears so suddenly) to go with the ones we invited from San Lorenzo.

“Happy birthday, Karina!” Yunjin says with a smile as she gave me a gift na nasa loob ng paperbag—when I sifted through it momentarily, I could see a checkered cloth inside it. 

“A flannel long sleeve?” I said, grinning as I couldn’t resist the urge to take it out and admire it openly. “You know that Minjeong’s just going to be the one to wear this, right?”

“Ain’t that the nicest gift I could give you, mare? Nga pala, nag-isa nalang kami ng regalo ni Zuha, if that’s okay? Medyo hectic