Chapter 8
Treat You Better
I checked my phone pagkagising na pagkagising ko
There’s no text from her
I waited for her message din last night pero wala kaya I messaged her asking if she got home safely but she didn’t reply
Is she mad at me?
…
“Ryujin, have you seen Minjeong?” I asked
“Hindi, bakit?”
“Absent din siya sa class namin kanina” sabi ni Ning
“Hindi din siya umattend ng practice namin eh”
I’m getting worried
…
It has been four days
Hindi ko siya nakikita sa univ, i asked her classmates na din kada subjects at sabi nila hindi daw pumapasok si Min I asked for some notes na din para hindi siya mahirapan humabol
After class palagi ako pumupunta sa unit niya pero parang walang tao
“Yeji can you send me the address of their studio? Baka andun si Min”
“Ang sabi ni Rj hindi daw pumupunta dun si Minjeong eh pero ito yung address nila”
“Thank you” sabi ko, aalis na sana ako
“Rina may exam pa tayo mamayang 2pm, we can’t miss that, hindi nagbibigay ng special exam si sir”
Oo nga pala
I’ll do my best na tapusin agad
…
I’m done answering the problems, 4 hours ang allotted time sa amin but I finished it in 2 hours
Kung dati i-double or triple check ko pa mga answers ko
I don’t care about it now
All I care about is Minjeong, I hope she’s okay
…
I’m infront of their studio, I was about to knock when someone called me
“Karina?” I saw Lia
“Hi”
She entered the passcode
“Pasok ka muna, Minjeong’s not here though”
They are all here except Min
"upo ka muna Karina" nginitian ko naman sila
“Do you guys know where she is?”
“She’s in her unit” sabi ni Yuna
“She’s not there, everyday akong pumupunta dun”
“Andun siya ayaw niya lang magpapasok” sabi naman ni Yujin
“Don’t worry ganun lang talaga siya” sabi ni Rj
“What do you mean?” Tanong ko
“Buong week ng death anniv-“
“Lia” sabi nilang lahat na parang pinapatigil si Lia
Death anniversary?
Nino?
“Basta babalik din siya next week kapag okay na siya”
Mas lalo akong nag alala
What if she needs someone to be there for her?
…
I went to her unit
She’s still not answering
Dalawang oras na akong naghihintay dito
Aalis na sana ako pero nakita ko siya
She’s walking with her head down
“Min”
She looked at me with her eyes blank
“What are you doing here?” She said curtly
Hindi ako sanay na ganito siya
I think she’s drunk din
“Are you okay?” I asked
“Oo” sabi niya at pumasok na sa unit niya
Hindi niya ako ininvite pumasok but she didn't close the door kaya I followed her inside
Nagulat ako sa nadatnan ko
There are empty cans and bottles everywhere
“Have you been drinking?!"
Hindi niya ako pinansin
Umupo lang sa couch at nagbukas ng panibagong bote
“Minjeong, enough” i said at kinuha ko ang bottle
Hindi niya ako pinakinggan at pilit na kumuha ng ibang maiinom
“Minjeong ano ba?!” Kinuha ko na lahat bote at inilagay sa kitchen
Pagbalik ko tulala lang siya
Hindi ko na kinaya ang kalat ng unit niya kaya I started cleaning it
I think hindi siya kumakain nang maayos, kitang kita kasi na she lost some weight
I cooked for her na din
Habang hindi pa tapos yung niluluto ko tinuloy ko na paglilinis ng unit niya
I know kung gaano siya kalinis lalo na sa unit niya mas organized pa nga siya kesa sa akin, and seeing her unit now, it shows how much she’s suffering
Natapos ko na pagluluto ko kaya lumapit na ako sa kaniya
“You need to eat”
“Karina wala akong gana, and please leave me alone”
Ibinaba ko muna yung pagkain
“No, I won’t leave you”
“I want to be alone”
“Min please let me be with you, makikinig ako o kung hindi ka naman handa ishare sa akin yung nangyayare sayo just please let me stay by your side”
She looked at me
Kinuha ko na ulit yung pagkain "kain ka lang kahit kaunti" ako na mismo nagpakain sa kaniya
Hinawakan niya ang kamay ko at umiling, ayaw na niyang kumain siguro, naubos naman niya ang kalahati ng naluto ko, ayos na yun at least nakakain na siya
"water oh" kinuha naman niya ang binigay kong water
Tumayo siya at pumuntang kitchen
Pagkabalik niya may dala na naman siyang alak
Lumapit naman ako agad sa kaniya “Minjeong please tama na yan”
“I need this Karina, para makatulog ako”
Kaya naman pala ganito na mata niya, hindi din pala siya nakakatulog nang maayos
“No you won’t because I’m here” tumayo na ako, I held her hand “let’s go to your room”
Kumuha ako ng damit sa closet niya at binigay sa kaniya
“You need to shower first, you reek of alcohol”
She didn’t say anything at pumunta lang sa banyo
I went out to change my clothes din, dito na siguro ako matutulog
I can’t leave her
…
I’m cleaning her room while waiting for her na matapos
I saw a picture frame sa table niya
It’s a photo of her and a guy na medyo ka-hawig niya
Who’s he?
…
She went out from the bathroom
“Come here i-blow dry ko hair mo"
She went near me at umupo without saying anything
I miss yung pagkamadaldal niya
Marami akong tanong
I want to talk to her to apologize na din pero pinili ko nalang manahimik
Enough na siguro yung andito ako for her
“Done na” sabi ko at itinabi na yung hair dryer
“Do you want to sleep na?” I asked, tumango naman siya
I lay down on her bed habang siya papunta sa couch
“Min, you’re sleeping here beside me”
Nagdadalawang isip pa siya
Naalala ko yung hindi niya din ako tinabihan last time kasi nanliligaw pa daw siya
Sobrang baby
“You are not disrespecting me, Min. I am asking you to sleep here beside me”
Lumapit na siya at humiga na siya sa kama
May space sa pagitan namin
I want to hug her
But I think it’s too much
Friends don’t cuddle to sleep right?
Wait
Friends ba kami?
Hindi
We are more than that
She’s courting me…
Mas lalo namang walang magkayakap matulog na nagliligawan diba?
But I want to hug her!!
Natigilan ako when she held my hand
Siguro this is enough for her?
“Goodnight, Min”
“Goodnight, thank you Rina”
My heart beats faster when she kissed my hand
This’ the first time that someone did that to me, at mas nakakakilig pa to think na si Minjeong yun
Mukhang nakatulog na siya agad, kita naman ku
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