CHAPTER THIRTY

Changing Tides

[ Minjeong’s. ]

[ 3 Months, 3 Weeks ]

Nakakainis. 

Naiinis ako sa sarili ko. 

Hindi pa rin namin nabubuksan yung envelope—alam ko na gusto na ni Jimin na makita iyon, pero tuwing sisimulan namin na mag-usap hindi ko maiwasan na kabahan at iput-off yung conversation hanggang sa sobrang tagal na ng lumipas. 

Mahigit isang linggo na nung binigay ni Ate Taeyeon iyon sa birthday ni Jimin, at hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin ako makahanap ng lakas ng loob para matignan yung nasa loob. 

Pero hanggang kelan ko ipuput-off yun? 

Paano kung importante pala iyon? 

Paano kung totoo nga na tungkol sa future namin ni Jimin yung nakasalalay dito?

“Baby,” pagtawag sa akin ni Jimin habang inoorganize ko yung vanity table na puno ng kung ano-anong cosmetics na niregalo ata nila Ate Joohyun sa girlfriend ko, or baka binili niya tapos pina-ship nalang dito. “I know you’re stressed about the envelope.”

Hindi ako makaharap sa kanya sa kaba ko, so tinuloy ko nalang yung paglilinis nung maalikabok na TV para kahit papaano madistract ako sa mga iniisip ko. 

“H-Hindi naman sa ganon,” pagdadahilan ko. “Naghahanap lang ako ng tiyempo…”

“If you’re too stressed about it, maybe we can bury it forever? You know we don’t have to listen to what your sister is saying, baby.”

Binitawan ko na yung basahan na hawak ko at lumingon kay Jimin na nag-aalala ang tingin sa akin, at nalihis naman yung tingin ko dun sa envelope na nakapatong pa rin sa study table dito sa loob ng kwarto, kung saan ko yun nilagay after kong magback-out na basahin ang laman nun kagabi. 

“P-Pero paano kung hindi ka matahimik sa curiousness nung laman nun?” mangiyak-iyak na sabi ko, at hinila naman niya ako papalapit sa kanya at niyakap. “Kung gusto mo naman, pwede mo tignan mag-isa—”

“This concerns both of us, baby, and you know that well,” she says, at medyo kumalma naman ako nang himasin niya yung likod habang nagsasalita siya. “I want to be here with you when we read whatever this is. Would that be okay?” 

Hindi na ako nakasagot, and instead tumango nalang. Tumayo siya panandalian para kunin yung envelope sa mesa, kaya umayos na ako ng higa at tinabihan na niya ako uli. Para akong bata na yumakap sa kanya habang hawak na niya yung bagay na nagpabigat ng loob naming dalawa for a long while. 

“Will you read it for both of us nalang, Jimin?” 

Binuksan na niya yung envelope, at naglalaman iyon ng dalawang papel sa loob. Yung isa parang formal document, tapos yung isa naman parang personal letter na handwriting pa ni Ate Taeyeon. Jimin chose to read the personal letter first, and I cling into her arm while she’s doing that. 

“To my favorites, Minjeong and Jimin,” panimula ni Jimin, at tumaas naman ang kilay namin pareho. 

“Wait, Jimin din ang tawag niya sa’yo?” nagtatakang tanong ko, at tumango nalang siya habang halatang masama ang mood niya dahil doon. 

“She called me that nung birthday ko. No offense, but your Ate is feeling close.” 

Natawa naman ako sa sungit niya. “Cute mo, baby.” 

“Okay, let’s continue.” she says, not before placing a kiss on my cheek and turning her attention to the letter again. 

Even though we started out in the wrong foot, this is something that I hope would appease all the anger you have with me. This is the truth, and even if I hate that this was the thing that happened in the past, I know that we need this for closure.

“Closure? What the hell do we need closure for?” 

Hindi ko maiwasan na kabahan dahil sa sinulat ni Ate—parang nararamdaman ko na kung ano yung tinutukoy niyang closure, pero ayoko munang magsabi ng kahit ano since baka mali nanaman yung hinala ko. 

“Di ko alam…” bulong ko, at pinipigilan ko yung curiousness ko na basahin agad yung dulo ng letter at unahan na si Jimin na basahin lahat pero ayoko naman na hindi siya sabayan with this. 

“Should I continue reading na, baby?” she asks, and I nod at that. 

Alam ko naman na alam mo kahit yung gist ng kidnapping incident ni Minjeong, right, Jimin? I’m sure Minjeong had already told you that. This is the final puzzle; the document na kasama sa envelope na ‘to ay ang babago sa buhay nating lahat, whether we like it or not. 

I’m sorry that it had to come to this, and I’m sure that Mom would hate me for what I’ll do because to expose our father’s wrongdoings would also mean exposing her own secrets. Always know na mahal kita, my baby sister, and I did everything to try and shield you from the hurt pero mukhang hindi rin naman ako dapat na makasagabal sa pagmamahalan niyong dalawa. 

P.S. I genuinely didn’t know that Jaemin was the one who spread the leaked photos, sorry for that. 

Ibinigay niya sa akin yung papel, and I read it multiple times just to be sure. 

So tama nga hinala ko?

Tungkol ito sa kidnapping na nangyari sa amin ni Summer before?

“Baby…” I hear Jimin call out to me, and it isn’t until I couldn’t breathe and Jimin is rubbing my back up and down while hugging me tight that I realize na I’m already crying. “Baby, we can postpone this for tomorrow or some other day if you can’t handle it—”

“I-I can,” I said, trying to calm down my breathing as I hugged her back as tight as I could. “Kaya ko naman… I—Just give me a minute, maybe?” 

“Take as long as you want, cutie.” 

It took at least a few minutes bago natigil yung pag-iyak ko, at nang tumahan na ako ng tuluyan ay pinunasan na ni Jimin ang luha ko, tapos kinuha niya yung isang papel na parang copy ata ng legal letter dun sa sinasabi ni Ate Taeyeon. 

This time, ako na yung nagbasa ng contents since kinuha ko na yung papel mula sa girlfriend ko. 

“Official letter of reopening a case… Murder of Summer Minji Kim… Suspects are—WHAT?!”

I couldn’t really believe my eyes. Jimin looks a little confused that I paused before I said who the suspects were. Hindi ako makapaniwala sa nakasulat kaya tinry kong itago iyon mula kay Jimin, pero masyadong mahaba ang biyas niya kaya naabot niya ako kahit na mabilis na akong lumayo sa kanya. 

“Baby,” medyo panicked na sabi ni Jimin habang tinatry niyang kunin yung papel. “Baby, why are you hiding it from me—”

Nagawa niyang kunin yung papel mula sa akin, and I could see how her playful face changed into a stressed frown as she read who the suspect was. 

Or to say it correctly, were.

“The suspects… The suspects are Kihoon Kim and Jeonghun Bae?” 

My father and Ate Irene’s father are the suspects listed here. Kahit ilang beses ko nang paulit-ulit na basahin yung content nung formal letter para ireopen yung case na sinara na a few years ago. It’s now classified as murder since technically namatay si Summer because of that shot that was probably meant for me first. 

“Tito Jeonghun… Is this the reason why Ate Taeyeon didn’t want us to happen? Because the one who arranged your kidnapping was once family to me?” malungkot na tanong ni Jimin, pero inagaw ko yung papel mula sa kanya at inilagay iyon sa loob ng envelope, tapos niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit. 

“I-It won’t change,” pag-aassure ko sa kanya, though parang dinudurog ang puso ko since ang tagal kong inasam na mahanap kung sino yung gumawa nun, and it’s just so ing close. “We’ll never change. Hindi naman ikaw yung… yung gumawa nun eh.” 

“But he’s still—”

“He’s not your father, ‘di ba?” buntong hininga ko habang itinago ko muna yung envelope sa drawer ng study table ko. 

“Yes, but…”

“He’s not you, or Ate Joohyun, or pati si Kuya Jaehyun. He’s a capable man that can think for himself, and he was the one who decided that, hindi ikaw.” 

Natahimik kaming dalawa habang yakap ko siya, at hindi ko maitatanggi na nasa isip ko yung laman ng papel na ibinigay sa amin ni Ate Taeyeon. 

“Ate says na it’s our move to make,” mahinang bulong sa akin ni Jimin, at nang sipatin ko uli yung document, pangalan ko at ni Jimin ang nakalagay na dapat pumirma imbis na si Ate.

“it’s our move to make, so what do you suggest we should do?”

Siyempre, ako ang dapat na magdecide at mukhang alam naman ni Jimin iyon. 

Ako yung biktima noon, pero kapag tinuloy ko ‘to hindi lang naman ata buhay ni Papa yung masisira. 

“Don’t get me wrong, wala akong pakielam kung maexpose si Papa sa mga kagaguhan niya noon,” pagpapaliwanag ko habang hawak ko ng mahigpit ang kamay niya. “Pero ibang usapan na yung kasama pati tatay ni Ate