Mabuhay Philippines!

All I could think about was how weird everything felt. 

It was like we had reverted back to high school. Sehun came to pick us up with Baekhyun and my brother running to take me into his embrace. Minseok called to tell us to hurry up because even if we were flying first class, he wanted to run everything by us. Kai also still had his boyish charm despite us talking about how much he had changed since high school and he and Sehun began to bicker on who should drive. 

"You drive! I pulled an all-nighter," Kai was saying and it was the opposite of high school-- when they were 17, all of them wanted to drive and now everyone just wanted to chill in the front seat.

"I pulled an all-nighter, too!"

"Doing what?"

"I have a wife, you know." Sehun quirked up an eyebrow at the insinuation, a smirk on his lips and as much as I was happy he was still getting it on with Harin even if everyone knew both of them kept on fighting, I didn't need to hear that. 

Kai had stared Sehun down, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol loading the luggage into the back of the car when Kai sighed. 

"Fine. But just because I know how marriages are hard to maintain with your... strenuous exercises." Kai rolled his eyes, grabbing the key from Sehun. At first, I didn't understand why they didn't just take separate cars but then Kai said that his car had gone through a tragic accident so he had cabbed over. 

He also wanted to eat breakfast with us and now, as Kai entered the driver's seat, Sehun slid into the passenger's seat right beside him. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were in the other car while Kyungsoo and I sat at the back. Kai put on some music, Sehun lowering the air conditioning. 

"It's been a while since we went on a trip."

"Don't let Minseok hyung hear you call this a trip." Sehun shook his head. "We've been losing so much money but we can't close it down-- not yet. We just hired the doctors and the nurses and that itself was a long process. Now babies are dying?"

"What could it be?" I asked, frowning. "What did the police report say?"

"Nothing. I checked it," Kai answered and his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes squinting on the road while he made a sharp U-Turn. There were times I forgot Kai was a detective but it was moments like this that reminded me how smart and detailed Kai actually was. The way he talked, his thought process... it was different. 

He, out of all of us, changed the most.

"Apparently, three still-born babies. A span of three months. The first mother didn't say anything but then the second and the third said that after the doctors' appointment, they felt kind of dizzy. Which is normal for pregnant women, I think." Kai frowned. "They spent a night at the hospital by doctors orders and when they left and went home, the next time they came for an appointment, the baby was pronounced stillborn."

"That was all in the police file?" Kyungsoo let out a breath. "Drug tests, anything?"

"Nope." Kai popped the "P". "But I'll recheck again and we'll see how it goes. Sehun, did you tell them to check the water?"

"Water?" Sehun sounded surprised at the suggestion. "Why?"

"I don't know, just a thought. Maybe there is something in the water. Minseok hyung is so convinced it may be supernatural but honestly, with the number of cases I've been assigned to the past three years, most cases have a reason for everything." 

"We didn't but that's what you need to do, no?" 

Kai scoffed at his friend's response, the male finally reaching the airport. The car was parked and when we got down, we saw Chanyeol and Baekhyun standing with Minseok. He was holding all our passports with his trusty little notebook before Minseok motioned us over, looking irritated.

He checked his watch. "Fifteen minutes late! At least be punctual, all of you." 

And the one person who didn't change at all was Minseok. 

We entered the lounge and it wasn't long before we were served our drinks. Surprisingly, Sehun turned it down and I saw Chanyeol hide a smile, all of us shaking our heads.

"I keep telling you guys-"

"I know. A marriage is hard to maintain," we all echoed, Minseok letting out a laugh. It was Kyungsoo who grabbed the drink and downed it, all of us staring at the most religious person in our group.

"A priest who curses and drinks?" Chanyeol asked, Kyungsoo shooting him a glare and adjusting his cross right onto the middle of his chest.

"Try running an orphanage of young little kids and try not to." 

We were then ushered onto the plane, all of us being shown to our seats. I had been silent the whole time and even if I felt like we had reverted back to the same old days, I felt awkward. While a lot of things were still the same, I felt like I had changed. Beside me sat Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Chanyeol in front and Sehun and Kai behind me. Minseok had gone to handle a few calls.

"Sehun, aren't you supposed to sit with Minseok and handle the hospital together?" I asked, Sehun trying to stick his hand between the seats to wave at us, Kyungsoo slapping it away. 

"I invested seventy percent and Minseok hyung is a workaholic. He hates me having anything to do with the management. All I ever do is to make sure the ROI is profitable. At this point, it's not." He tried to stick his hand through again, his playful nature showing when Kyungsoo grabbed it and pulled. "Ow, ow, ow."

"I swear, never would I expect Sehun to put up a hospital. I mean, a bar? Sure. But a hospital?" Kai chuckled and I heard the sound of turning paper. I guessed that he was looking over notes one more time. 

"I did want to put up a bar, okay? But the Lee's, Lee Haechan's family, had beat us to it and bought the one in the center of Seoul." Sehun grumbled. "Besides, Harin would never let me put up a bar. She doesn't want me in the same room as alcohol." 

"It's because she wants you healthy, man," Kai answered and I leaned back, listening to their conversation. Sometimes, it awed me how grown up both of them were. Sometimes, it irked me how they still seemed like high school kids. "You'd want kids soon, right?"

"If it saves the marriage, yeah."

"What is wrong with your marriage?" I asked, Sehun's voice sounded closer. It meant he was leaning towards the back of my seat and Kyungsoo reached for the magazine, flipping past the pages of tan models and grunting. "Harin seems calm and patient-"

"She is. But I have to say she holds the pants in the relationship. Harin is Harin, Noona. She's calm and patient and I'm Sehun. I don't read signs very well."

"Dumb." Kyungsoo nodded like he agreed with what he said. 

"How hard is it to listen to her?" Kai sounded frustrated. "Harin isn't illogical, Sehun. She doesn't ask for things but we all know when she does ask for things, she expects you to do it."

"No . I just forget from time to time. That and I've been working and spending so much time with my secretary... No, Kai! I am not cheating on my wife. I love her very much!"

I didn't have to look back to see what Kai's expression looked like. 

"I didn't say anything."

"I saw it in your face."

"Well then... fire your secretary? I told you when you asked me that I think you should get a dude as a secretary. Women are bound to feel something when their husbands come back from work smelling like alcohol after spending the night in the office with their secretary." 

"I know, but she's good with her job and she has a boyfriend."

"Doesn't make it easier."

"Yeah, whatever."

I closed my eyes, letting the conversation drone on before I sighed, Kyungsoo turning to look at me with his massive eyes. 

"You have nothing to talk about." He poked me. "You hermit."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I have never been to the Philippines before but the moment I stepped down from the plane and took one look around, it was obvious that the people were much more friendlier than those in Korea. 

We didn't have to walk out to the departure area, all of us waiting in the lounge as Minseok went to take a call while people put our luggage by us. Kai had his eyes glued to his screen, his shoulders tense when Baekhyun reached up to massage them for him. Kai looked at him gratefully.

"What's wrong?"

"Handling three cases at the same time. There is this factory land that shut down three years ago. Mass murder and the jury just closed the case. Mass murder and suicide." Kai rubbed his face. "The process for each case takes so long, it's draining."

"That land was also bought by Minseok hyung, too. He beat the other Kim's to it." Sehun tapped his thigh. "Three years for a case to close is long-"

"The only reason why they closed this case this fast was because Minseok hyung's family needs the estate to be clear in order for it to be redeveloped. Half of the murderers don't remember anything. Maybe when it's time, Minseok hyung will ask Kyungsoo to take a look."

"That being said, where is he?" Chanyeol craned his neck to the side just for Minseok to appear, looking down on his screen. "And we need a tour guide, right? How do we communicate with the rest of the people?"

"They speak English," Minseok murmured, still distracted. "But we do have a tour guide and translator. I hired one."

"Is she hot?" Chanyeol asked back, Kai chuckling. Chanyeol wiggled his eyebrows at Kai, pushing back his hair when Minseok nodded.

"Yeah, she's hot, alright."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Mr. Richard?!" We all exclaimed in unison, all of us walking out to the airport to see our old high school/university professor. 

When we all enrolled into university, Mr. Richard had also gotten a spot as an Ethics Seminar professor and funnily enough, we had haunted him throughout his career. Hilariously, he would always walk the opposite way, and somehow, when we met up for dinner or lunch breaks, we would always be just a table away. 

It had been a few years now-- three years, to be exact, since I've seen him. 

He had gotten old, the wrinkles prominent and instead of treating us like he was tired of us years ago, he held a banner in his hands with our faces printed on it. "Welcome to the Philippines!" it read along with a handwritten small message that I couldn't comprehend.

"What is... Ma-bu-hay Philippines?" Baekhyun asked me and I said I didn't know. That it wasn't in English but in Tagalog. "Hi, hello, Annyeong! Mabuhay Philippines!" 

Mr. Richard excitedly motioned us over, Sehun letting out a laugh at the familiar face. Chanyeol too, looked ecstatic that it was Mr. Richard even if he expected someone hot. 

"My students!" He beamed, Minseok thanking him for coming to help. "So happy you are here in my country, The Philippines!"

"Okay, hello. But wow, geez. Where was this energy when we were still in EXO High?" Kai asked and Mr. Richard slapped the back of his head. 

"Back then, all of you refused to listen to me-"

"Yeah, well. That's not changing any time soon," Kai said jokingly before smiling at our old teacher. "But good to see you, Mr. Richard. How old are you now? 35? 50?"

"I will feed you to the tiktik and the aswangs, Kim Kai," Mr. Richard said and Kai shook his head, saying he had no idea what that meant. "Let's go. I was paid big money in order to bring you around. Let us venture around... the Philippines!" 

And that is how we were brought to a van, Mr. Richard telling us to get in. He asked what we wanted to eat, telling us that Korean food was way different. 

"You're going to drive?"

Mr. Richard nodded, starting the car when he then surged forward. 

"Manila traffic is crazy!" He told us and we grabbed on. 

"I thought cars are supposed to go slower if there is traffic!" 

"That is why we have to beat it!" 

Baekhyun squealed, the van barreling down the road, Mr. Richard stepping on the gas. The van was dangerously close to being off the side of the road, our former teacher not looking very scared even if a few honks from the neighboring vehicles sounded to show that we were probably breaking traffic rules. 

The ride was as thrilling as an amusement park ride, all of us finally stopping to eat at a restaurant. 

"Adobo is great." Sehun shoved rice into his mouth. "You think we can ask for their recipe?"

"You can, but they might smack you with a slipper," Mr. Richard joked and we could tell that he had lightened up since he had left Korea. Maybe teaching kids made him the way he was. 

"What are you doing now, Mr. Richard?" Kai asked. He had taken a liking to lichon and the restaurant had pulled a show for us, a big pig roasted put in front