"Honey! Where are you? Your grandmother and I need to tell you something!"

 

 

 

Napatigil ako mula sa pagbabasa ng mga aralin sa kwarto ko when my mom, along with my grandmother, unannouncedly barged themselves into my room's door. Sighing, I took my headphones off and my glasses and then I turned my swivel chair around para maharap sila.

 

 

 

"Yes, Ma? What is it?– And why are you two dressed like that?" I should be asking politely and yet instead, I got shocked when I saw their fully framed figures. They were wearing traditional Hanboks kasi.

 

 

 

Well, it's not particularly shocking since we are Koreans pero kasi... we are living in the Philippines now. Kaya it looks so weird to see them wearing something like that. Plus, ang init-init pa ng panahon.

 

 

 

"Honey, makinig kang mabuti sa'min." They ignored my question kaya automatic na napakunot ang noo ko. What is it now?

 

 

 

Another thing about my family though. They seemed a little bit... weird. Not weird, weird. Pero kasi, they still believe in Spirit Gods or sa kung ano man 'yan. Naniniwala kasi sila na ang bawat Yu ay merong naka-atas na mga ispiritong animal sakanila– their spirit animals kumbaga.

 

 

 

And this supposedly spirit animals are gonna start  channeling theirselves, turning whoever their Yu host is into an embodiment of whatever spirit animal they possessed for an entire week, in every month, kapag ito ay tuluyang... na-inlove sa isang tao! Which is capital R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S!

 

 

 

It's ridiculous! It's absurd!

 

 

 

Like sino ba naman ang maniniwala sa ganon diba? Apparently, it happened to my Mom daw. To my Aunties. To my Uncles. To everyone that is an older generation of Yu's before.

 

 

 

The only thing about this spirit animals ay kusa itong nawawala at naipapasa from kin to kin. My mother has a spirit animal of a feline. A cat.

 

 

 

But I don't believe it. There wasn't any evidences that my Mom turned into a freaking cat when she first met my Dad.

 

 

 

Rason nila, hindi daw pwedeng kuhanan ng picture o ng kung anumang klaseng ebidensya ang mga Yu's whenever they are on their spirit animal week dahil magagalit ang spirit Gods.

 

 

 

Sus.

 

 

 

Sa tuwing tinatanong ko naman si Daddy, he would just only smile and says that it's true. But you know what I think? Sinasakyan niya lang ang kabaliwan ng angkan ni Mommy.

 

 

 

My Dad is too whipped for my Mom afterall.

 

 

 

I mean, I had a few crushes naman before sa school pero hindi naman ako naging pusa.

 

 

 

"I'm listening, Mom." Still, I politely replied as I gave them my full attention.

 

 

 

"You know your ate Yunjin diba?" I nodded, confused. Ate Yuyu is my cousin sa mother's side.

 

 

 

"Yes po. Why?"

 

 

 

"Well, you know your cousin is living alone at her own apartment?" Tumango-tango lang ako. Seriously, where is this talk leading to?

 

 

 

"Good, we would like you to accompany her muna for an entire week." My brows even furrowed.
Huh? Why would I need to accompany my super 'strong independent woman' kuno– this is what she would always say– cousin?

 

 

 

"Huh? Bakit naman po?"

 

 

 

"Oh, that's because she just recently turned into a dog."

 

 

 

Para namang may isang anghel na dumaan sa'min sa sobrang katahimikan. Napakurap-kurap pa ako  because of what the did I just heard?

 

 

 

Ate Yunjin became a freaking dog!?

 

 

 

It doesn't help that my mother dropped this news so nonchalantly.

 

 

 

"I'm sorry? A what!? A dog?!" Hindi pa ring makapaniwalang usal ko. How could this happened?! Don't tell me that it's all because of this spirit animal bull?!

 

 

 

"Mom and Grandma, if you're just joking, please spare me– "

 

 

 

"We're not kaya! Look, she's outside your room if you need a proof that your cousin literally turned into a dog."

 

 

 

"We know naman na hindi ka naniniwala sa wonders ng angkan na'tin so we need you to see it for yourself."

 

 

 

Like as if on cue, bumukas ulit ang pintuan ko at may pumasok na isang puting Maltese. My eyes widened. Holy !

 

 

 

Tumataghol-taghol pa ito at mabilis na tumakbo sa'kin.

 

 

 

Pero... paano ko malalaman kung si Ate Yunjin nga talaga 'to at hindi isang prank lamang?

 

 

 

Well, it seems like I got my answer already when the moment that the Maltese's paws touched my hands, ay may narinig ako na isang pamilyar na tinig sa aking isipan.

 

 

 

*"Cous! It's me! Ate Yunjin!"*

 

 

 

I swallowed hard. I also forgot that my Mother said something about Yu's telepathy or something. "Oh my God."

 

 

 

That was the last thing I uttered before my surroundings completely turned black.

 

 

 

It took them hours before they finally get to wake me up. Now, I was just only staring at my room's ceiling, contemplating whether kung papaniwalaan ko ba ang lahat ng 'to, or maybe, this is just a mere dream afterall– a very, very hyperrealistic dream.

 

 

 

Naka-impake na din ang mga gamit ko since tuloy pa din ang pagpunta ko sa apartment ni Ate Yunjin. Hindi niya kasi kayang maiwan ang apartment niya or more like, hindi niya maiwan-iwan ang taong nakapagpa-tibok ng puso niya– her neighbor.

 

 

 

Naikwento niya sa'kin 'to kani-kanina lang when I asked kung paano siya napunta sa ganitong sitwasyon. Apparently, she fell in love at first sight daw.

 

 

 

Hayna'ko. How could someone just fall in love at first sight? Was it even real?

 

 

 

Ako kasi ang tipo ng tao na need pa talaga kumilatis bago maging ka-close. I don't know. Sadyang mahirap lang talaga siguro kunin ang loob ko. Ang dami-dami namang nagpaparamdam sa school and yet, none of them passed.

 

 

 

Eto din siguro ang isa sa mga main na dahilan kung bakit hindi ako naniniwala sa spirit animal, spirit animal chuchu na 'yan.

 

 

 

I just sighed as I got up from my bed and took the bag na pinaglagyan ko ng mga damit and went out of my room. Let's get this over with.

 

 

 

I was the one who drove us to the apartment. Alangan namang si Ate Yunjin eh naging isang cute na aso nga siya ngayon. Baka mag-cause pa kami ng unneccessary traffic kung siya ang nagmaneho.

 

 

 

When we arrived, agad din naman akong bumaba habang bitbit-bitbit si Ate Yunjin sa mga bisig ko. I can't also help but to run my hand on her fur kasi napaka-fluffy lang!

 

 

 

I got inside the elevator and Ate Yunjin instructed me of her floor number and room. I was focused on being excited na makapunta na agad sa loob ng apartment niya to take a rest once again when I didn't notice na may nabangga na pala ako.

 

 

 

Kung hindi pa nagbark si ate ay tuloy-tuloy lang ako sa paglalakad.

 

 

 

*"What are you doing, Couz? Go help her."*

 

 

 

Oh, right. Tanga lang, Jimin? Ba't ba ako tumunganga lang while the other person was busy picking up their things. Nakayuko kasi ito at naka-cap so hindi ko matanto kung babae ba ito o lalaki.

 

 

 

"Shocks! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help." I uttered as I knelt down and put ate Yunjin on the floor who just obediently watched us, sitting.

 

 

 

"Oh no, it's okay. Hindi din naman ako tumitingin sa dinadaan ko." Natigilan ako nang marinig ko ang boses ng stranger na nakabungguan ko.

 

 

 

It was light, soft and a bit husky. Na para bang ansarap pakinggan.

 

 

 

I immediately raised my head to see the owner o