CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

War and Love?

[ Jimin's. ]

[ 4 Months, 2 Weeks, 5 Days. ]

Minjeong wanted me to go to bed early since may pag-uusapan pa daw sila ng pinsan niya, so I did—turns out, I couldn't sleep because I was already used to Minjeong sleeping beside me.

Luckily, Ate Irene already gave me a new phone—I immediately got to texting Aeri and Jaehyun about the very good news.

jimin<3

Guys guess what

aeri giselle

What is it? Are you going back to San Lazaro again?

Kuya Jae:

don't tell me nag-away nanaman kayo ni miss farm girl?

jimin<3

What? No!

aeri giselle

Then what's going on, ji?

jimin<3

Minjeong is my girlfriend na :>

Kuya Jae:

ha?

hindi ba kayo na?

jimin<3

Nooo 

She just told the press na we were gfs na so the gold digger would die down

But I asked her to be my gf na kanina :>

aeri giselle

I can't believe I'm going to see the day that Jimin's going to be down bad like this

She isn't like this to Yeji?

Ugh, that girl again.

jimin<3

Aeri can you do me a favor?

aeri giselle

What is the favor?

jimin<3

Can you tell Yeji to stay away from Minjeong? 

Turns out, she's the reason why Minjeong doubted me

aeri giselle

WHAT

Kuya Jae:

oof

never thought that girl could do that

aeri giselle

A little shocking, but okay

I have a favor to ask din

jimin<3

What is it?

aeri giselle

Can you make Ning some food and tell her it's from me?

jimin<3

Delivery apps exist for a reason, Aeri

And Giselle? I thought you hated that nickname?

aeri giselle

If it's from her, I don't mind ;)

Tsaka Yeji is hard to talk to kaya!

jimin<3

fine

Kuya Jae:

what abt me

ilakad mo kaya ako dun sa lia, sis?

jimin<3

Don't call me sis, it's not bagay

Lia has a gf

I smiled to myself, laughing at my Kuya Jaehyun's antics with his dating life and how me and Aeri are already making usad on our own, and I didn't even notice Minjeong entering our room.

"Baby," she calls, and I turn to see her setting her phone down on the bedside table and climbing onto the spot on the bed next to me. "It's already midnight. Bakit gising ka pa?"

"I was waiting for you," I pouted. "Did the talk turn out well?"

"Makulit si Chaewon," Minjeong sighed. "Hindi ako makapaniwala na ang una kong gagawin on the day we become girlfriends ay ang magbigay ng love life sa pinsan kong tanga."

I laughed at her, but my heart swelled at the word. 

Girlfriends. 

Cute mo, Minjeong.

"I actually heard snippets of their conversation kanina," I said, resorting to holding her hand while I talked. "Is it true? That she…"

"Kissed Minju then ran away from it? Oo. Kaya pala nandito lang siya on a Monday, nagresign pala from work."

"Because of the kiss?"

"No, turns out yung team leader at yung crush niya couple na."

Oh? Kazuha and Yunjin? 

When did that even happen?

"Anyways," I said, really not wanting to talk about this on our first night as a couple. "I still can't believe you're already mine."

Agad naman siyang napangiti dahil doon. 

"Parang babalik tayo ng gyera bukas," she says, and I remember the issue about her planned arranged marriage that her Ate Taeyeon had mentioned on TV. "Parang ayokong dumating yung bukas."

"I love the peace we have now," I said, though I'm a little traumatized since when we get good things like these it always comes back worse the next day. "But I hope it still continues tomorrow."

"Naisip ko lang."

"Hmm?"

"Kailangan pala mabugbog muna ako bago mo ako ikiss." 

I laughed at that. "Baby, ikaw talaga…"

"What?" she pouted. "Totoo naman ah. Hinalikan mo ako nung may sugat pa ako. What if magpabugbog ako uli—"

I shut her up with a kiss—she's already getting handsy na so I pushed her slightly, the both of us heaving hurried breaths as I laughed at her.

"Darling, you don't need to be hurt for a kiss. You just have to ask."

She smiled at me because of that.

"Darling? Paiba-iba naman callsigns mo sa akin, babe."

I chuckled at that, then grabbed a fistful of her shirt's collar and pulled her in for a kiss again.

"God, I missed kissing you," I said, smiling as her lips fit perfectly into mine and before I realized it, she's already on my lap, straddling me. "I missed you so much."

"Halos half-day lang naman tayo nahiwalay sa isa't isa," she says, practically breathless. "You really miss me that much?"

"Your fault," I playfully blamed her again. "Sinanay mo ako na lagi mo akong kasama. I can't even sleep without you here."

She smiled before diving into my neck, playfully kissing it before proceeding to hug me tight—like what we did weeks ago, when she fell asleep in my lap so peacefully and I did the same.

"You know well that we have to talk to your father about this," I whispered as I ran my fingers through her hair, and I rubbed her back underneath her shirt. "As much as I hate it, he's your father."

Minjeong's skin is warm—and yet I feel like I'm getting burned just by a simple touch.

"Ayoko," she says, and I feel her leaning closer if it was even possible, snuggling on me like a big baby and I just let her do that. "He doesn't need to know."

"And your Ate?"

"Ayaw." she whined, and I just nodded at that.

"A-Alam mo naman na yung ginawa ni Papa, right?" she asks, and I had already almost forgotten it if not for her mentioning it right now. 

"Some bits… But not the full story."

"Okay," she says, her breath still shaky as I feel her hand—her bandages—clutching my shoulder for dear life, and it made me frown in worry. "I can tell you—"

"You don't have to," I said, pulling her away from me for just a second so I could look her in the eyes. "If you don't want to, we can just call it a night—"

"Gusto ko," she says, and what she said next stung my heart a little—just a little bit. "Ayoko ng sikreto."

She must have realized it, since she panicked the next second and hugged me tight again.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean it—"

"Ano ka ba, you don't have to say sorry. Alright, if you want to tell me—are you absolutely sure?"

She nodded, and I made her climb down from my lap and sit next to me again even if she's whining—just so we could focus and not have our minds drift into… other thoughts.

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Absolutely, darling."

Tumawa siya dahil doon. "Darling… I like that."

"And I like you."

"Okay, we're already getting away from the topic. Simulan ko na?"

I nodded at that, intertwining her hands with mine as the only thing we could hear for a few minutes was the constant noise of the electric fan, and her shaky breaths.

"I thought he would understand," she starts, and her voice is already so shaky that I just want to hug her until she falls asleep. "Akala ko, pwede akong umuwi doon and everything would be okay parang dati."

I nodded