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The soft sound of the piano filled the entire room. It echoed through the walls as she stood outside waiting for the cue. She looked down at her hands and saw that she was holding a bouquet of pink and white roses. She looked down at her feet but instead of seeing her shoes, she saw a long trail of white linen cloth that hid her feet. She looked up and her vision became blurry, and it wasn’t because she has bad eyesight, but there was a veil covering her face that flowed down to her waist.
“Seulgi.”
She heard someone call her. The doors began to open and the light that welcomed her was too bright to even see what goes beyond the door.
“Seulgi.”
There it is again. A voice calling her.
Soon, the light started to fade and she saw a shadow that stood at the end of the aisle. A tall figure that looked oddly familiar. She took a step forward and started making her way down the aisle. It was still bright and she couldn't see anything or anyone else apart from the shadow of the man before her. But as she went nearer, the shadow of the man began fading. Her brows furrowed, confusing her of what was happening. But the ache in her heart gave her an idea of what it was.
“Seulgi.”
That voice. Did it come from that person? Is he calling out her name? Why is he fading and yet his voice started to get louder and louder.
“Seulgi.”
The figure of the man slowly faded and now she finds herself running towards the fading shadow.
No.
“Seulgi.”
No!
“Seulgi.”
NO!
“SEULGI!!!”
Seulgi’s eyes opened up and jolted when she heard the loud voice echoed in her entire room. The curtains that covered her window were pulled apart allowing the bright light of the sun to fill all corners of her small bedroom.
“Ayan, buti naman gising ka na. Kala ko tatawag na ko ng 911 eh.”
A tall girl wearing an oversized shirt and joggers was standing beside her window with her arms crossed over her chest.
Seulgi sighed and sat up properly, “Wala ka bang pasok, Joy?” She asked as she reached over her side drawer to grab her hair tie and tied up her long, brown hair into a messy bun.
“Good morning din sayo, Madam.” Joy rolled her eyes and walked over to Seulgi’s arm chair. “And no may pasok ako. Pero nagrequest ako na work from home muna ako.”
Looking at her wall clock which read 10:35 am, she woke up late again. It was probably because she slept at around 4am this morning because, yet again, sleep won’t come to her. It frustrates her so much but she had tried everything, from tiring herself out by keeping her body busy and exhausted by cleaning the house or (clumsily) working out, to drinking hot milk or tea because google said that it would work (which might have worked for others, but obviously not with her) and she even consulted a doctor to prescribe to her sleeping pills which did help her for a time being but then she discontinued because she didn’t want to depend on medication to help answer her sleeping problems because, she did know why she was having them.
Sleeping had never been a problem to her before. In fact, she’s the type of person who’d just sit and lean on an armchair and then a few minutes later she’s completely knocked out. But after that day , she started to become sleep deprived.
Sighing heavily, Seulgi stood up and walked out of her room to get herself some breakfast while Joy trailed behind her.
“Kumain ka na ba?” She asked her as she walked to the cupboard to get a bowl and spoon and made her way to sit at the dining table.
“Yes. Sinabayan ko kumain sina Rina.” Joy replied and sat down across from her. She watched Seulgi as she opened the pot of instant noodles she cooked and grabbed the paper bag beside it and got a few pieces of bread buns. Joy just continued watching her with a weird expression on her face which made Seulgi feel a little annoyed.
“Wag mo nga ko panuoring kumain. May trabaho ka di ba?” Joy sighed and leaned back on her chair.
“Tapos ko na yung morning task ko.”
“Ah. Buti pumayag pala boss mo magwork from home ka ngayon. Baka bungangaan ka nanaman nung kaopisina mong g na g sayo.”
Joy rolled her eyes after Seulgi mentioned him . “Pake niya? Di ko naman siya boss. Oks lang yun. Almost 48 hours ako nagduty nung isang araw matapos ko lang yung testing nung bagong pinush ng mga dev namin kasi for urgent release daw eh. Nakakaloka talaga.”
“Sus, sisiw lang sayo yun eh. Umabot ka ngang 76 hours na gising para lang sa isang test case. Yung totoo Joy, QA ka ba or Dev?” Joy gave her friend the stink eye and rolled her eyes again at her comment.
Seulgi and Joy had been best friends since high school. Originally, Joy didn’t like Seulgi at first. Because of Seulgi’s naturally resting bitch face, she thought that Seulgi was a snob. But after being partnered up for a school project in Home Economics (which they failed, unfortunately) they became close and not long after became the best of friends.
Joy and Seulgi were there through each other’s ups and downs, so that’s why it’s always easy for them to notice if something’s wrong with the other person. Like right now. Joy leaned in and stared at Seulgi’s face.
“Di ka nanaman nakatulog ng maaga no?” Seulgi stared at Joy and remained silent for a few seconds before looking down at her bowl.
“Same dream?” Seulgi slowly nodded.
Joy sighed. Seulgi hadn’t had those dreams in a long time. And now she’s having them again.
“Baka kasi bukas na.”
“Bukas…?”
Seulgi smiled, and Joy knows that Seulgi has the prettiest smile she has ever seen. But that smile, that smile broke her heart. A smile full of pain and sadness.
“One year na bukas, Joy.”
It’s been one year since he looked at me with those eyes filled with tears saying sorry before he ran off and left me at the altar.
“And so what as marketers, it's our role, it's our responsibility to...”
Mina wanted to focus on what the professor was saying, she's not one to just doze off just because a lesson was boring. And today's lesson wasn't boring, but because the substitute teacher's voice was too slow and it feels like the lecture was being dragged too long. She was fighting for her eyes to open when she felt her pocket pocket vibrate. She reached down to take out her phone and saw a message notification from her cousin.
Ate Ddeul: Mins, maaga ba uwi mo? Lumabas kami ni Joy. May dala ka bang susi? Kung wala kang dala, sabi ni Joy may dala daw spare key si Rina. Sabay na lang kayo umuwi.
Lalabas si Ate Ddeul? Buti naman. She looked at the date on her phone and smiled sadly. She sent a quick reply before putting down her phone and tried to focus again on the lecture. After a few minutes, her eyes started to get heavy again.
Ano ba? Important yung lesson today. Wag ka matulog Mina. She tried pinching herself arms to keep herself awake. If only she had eyedrops or peppermint oil, that would be a big help. Her arms are getting redder and redder from all her pinching but the temptation to sleep was much stronger. Her last resort was to excuse herself so she can stand up and walk a bit to wake herself up. Mina sighed in resignation and started to raise her hand when a small, white elongated object was placed on her table. She looked at the person beside her, Arin, smiled at her before returning her focus to the professor.
Min looked at the object on her table and smiled. She turned to Arin and whispered thanks before proceeding to apply peppermint oil on either side of her forehead.
"Alright, everyone. Mrs. Kim will return on Friday. Please make sure that you hand in your paper by then. Class dismissed."
Mina started to fix her stuff when Arin walked up to her. "Better put a soothing oil sa arm mo, Mina. Sorry di ko kagad nabigay sayo yung peppermint oil."
"Ah, nako ba't ka nagsosorry?" Mina stood up and sling her bag on her shoulder before returning the oil to her. "Thank you dito ha. Di ko alam ba't ako antok na antok kanina eh. You saved me from standing up and walking out of class para lang magising diwa ko, or else baka namiss ko yung kalahati ng lecture."
Both girls started to walk out of the room, Arin and Mina weren't exactly friends. Mina can probably label their relationship as close acquaintances but that's it. It's not that she doesn't like Arin, in fact, the girl was nothing but kind and sweet to anyone. It's not hard for her to like her personality, but maybe they just won't click as friends. The only common denominator why they talk and are comfortable with each other is because of the person waiting outside, smiling at them both.
"Hey." Said the guy wearing a blue hoodie with black jeans and sneakers. He walked up to give Arin a tight hug and kiss on her forehead.
"Hey babe." He said before turning to Mina and ruffling her hair.
"Hey Mins. Sama ka maglunch?"
"Ah, di na, Mark. Pupunta pa ko ng library. May hahanapin pa kong resources para sa thesis ko. Tsaka ayoko na maging pambansang third-wheel no! Enjoy lunch! Thanks ulit, Arin!" She turned around quickly and started to walk away before Mark could say something to convince her to stay and eat with them.
No thanks.
Just before she turned to the corner, she looked back and as if the universe wanted to inflict pain into her, much more painful than her pinching her arm earlier, she witnessed how Mark wrapped his arm around Arin, giving her a quick peck on her lips before disappearing from her view.
She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Aha. She pressed the dial and after a few rings, someone from the other line answered.
"Jin, may class ka?"
"Oy Mins, lilibre mo ko mamaya ha. Di pa ko naglalunch eh. Buti pa tong isang to, nakapag-lunch na." Ryujin whispered as she slouched on her chair as she watches Mina scanning through the reference book she has.
"Mins, ayaw mo bang maglunch muna? It's not right to skip mea-OMG! Bakit mapula yung arm mo?" A chorus of shh erupted and Rina bowed in apology for speaking loudly. Mina just sighed and pulled her sleeves to hide her arm.
"Inaantok kasi ako kanina sa lecture eh di ko dala yung peppermint oil ko, kaya kinurot-kurot ko sarili ko para magising." She said as she returned her focus back to her book. "Quick lang to. Maaga kasi ako uuwi mamaya eh, di na ko dadaan ng library kaya ngayon na ko pumunta dito. By the way, Rina, nasayo daw yung spare key ng apartment? If di pa kayo uuwi ng maaga, pwede akin na muna?"
Rina fished out the keys from her bag and gave to Mina. "Bakit naman maaga ka uuwi? Sabay sabay na lang tayo. Tambay na muna tayo sa coffee shop nila Jin." Rina was all smiley about suggesting that whereas Ryujin internally groaned at the thought of it.
"Alam mo Rina, kung tatambay ka lang sa coffee shop para i-stalk si Jeno, wag na lang please. Nakakapagod panuoring kang ii-snob nung lalaking yun. Tsaka nakaka-distract sa trabaho ko. Binabantayan pa kita, sabay na kayo ni Mins umuwi ng apartment."
Rina pouted and rolled her eyes. "Di ko inii-stalk si Jeno 'no! I'm just, ano, admiring him from a far. Di naman masama yun. Tsaka wala naman ako pakialam kung i-ignore niya ko eh. Happy na ako na makita siya."
"Sana all tulad mo, Rina." Mina muttered. Ryujin looked at her friend and saw how gloomy her aura has been ever since they met up with her earlier.
She sighed heavily before speaking because she knew that she might regret this later on, "Sige, punta na lang kayo sa coffee shop. Di rin naman matao ngayon kasi petsa de peligro. Para di naman ghost town yung shop. Matutuwa pa si Kuya Seh." Rina's eyes brightened and grinned.
"Huh? Wag na. Okay lang, Jin. Gagawa pa ko ng thesis ko eh."
"Tahimik naman sa shop, di naman distracting, well apart from Rina, pero madali na lang i-ignore tong babaeng to."
"Hey!"
"Sige na, Mins. Mas masaya pag may kasama." Ryujin smiled at her and although Mina was a bit hesitant, her body knew what was good for her and nodded in agreement to her friend.
"Nice!"
"Yey! Ay wait guys, I have kwento to tell din pala. Alam niyo ba..." While Rina kept on talking about her story, Mina felt a soft buzz in her pocket and checked out what it was. Another message notification and this time, she wished she hadn't seen it so she can easily ignore it. How can life be so unfair to her?
Maks: Mins, I remembered sabi ko tutulungan kita sa thesis mo. Arin has dinner with her parents tonight so free ako to help :) Sa Vivi's Cafe? Sunduin kita sa last class mo. See you! :D
So unfair.
At the sound of the bell, a tall, handsome man wearing a plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up, washed out jeans and an apron tied around his waist welcomed Ryujin, Mina and Rina at the cafe.
“Uy Jin! Ano naconvince mo na ba tong mga dabarkads mo magpart-time dito?”
“Dabarkads?” Rina whispered to Mina that she just elbowed her friend in response.
“Hindi, tatambay sila dito.Gagawa ng thesis si Mina eh. Pero don’t worry, Kuya Seh, bibili yang mga yan. Walang for free dito hangga’t wala pang ROI.” Ryujin winked at Sehun.
“Yan, kaya kita hinire eh. Sige, andito na si Jaemin tsaka si Yixing. Wala naman na masyadong iseset-up kaya magbihis ka na.”
“Okay, and uh, Kuya Seh, masyado ng luma yung term na dabarkads.” Ryujin patted Sehun’s arm before leaving him and her friends to change her clothes.
“Sabi ko nga.” He looked at the two girls who were standing there awkwardly.
“Uh, sige. Upo na kayo. Punta na lang kayo sa counter pag-oorder na kayo.”
Ryujin watched as her boss, Sehun, walked away from her friends and started to continue organizing the counter. She rarely opens up to people because it wasn’t easy for her to do that, and Sehun was one of those apart from her sister, her housemates and her two friends. From all the people she had worked part-time for, Sehun was the only one who treated her well and with respect. He felt more like family than a boss ever did, even if she had been working for only six months now, and not just only towards her, but to the people working for him as well, full-timers or part-timers.
“Andito ka na!”
The sharp, croaky familiar voice made her flinch. Ang aga aga. She turned around and was welcomed with a toothy grin by one of the part-timers in the cafe. Jaemin was the same age as her; he was older than her by a year but he was more playful, free-spirited and childlike to the point that it annoys her. Because, although he’s like that to everyone around him, he is extra playful towards her because… She shook those thoughts away.
Ryujin gave him a tight-lipped smile before walking past him to gather some of the supplies she’ll be needing at the counter.
“Wala man lang, ‘hello Jaemin! Nice to see you! Kamusta araw mo?’” Jaemin followed her towards the storage room and offered to help her carry some of the stacks of coffee cups and tissues she was holding.
“Para saan pa?” She wasn’t one to shy away her annoyance towards him. In fact, Ryujin would try to make him feel how much she dislikes how he’d always smother her with his presence and was always in her personal space.
But the thing is…
“Sige na nga, okay lang kahit di mo tanungin. Ikaw na lang tatanungin ko kasi syempre gusto kita, so, gusto ko malaman kamusta araw mo.” Jaemin leaned in closer and gave him a smile. She bit her inner lip to stop herself from saying all the nasty remarks in her head towards him.
The thing is, Jaemin likes her. Jaemin goes to the same university and takes up the same course and has been in the same class as her since first year. He’s an all-around nice guy, always helping out people around him, his sympathy and empathy towards others is on another level. He’s a real gentleman. Everyone in their year knows and likes him, as a matter of fact, even those in and outside their department. He’s pretty popular to everyone, especially to the ladies. She was the complete opposite of him and his circle of friends. Ryujin was closed off and aloof with people she doesn’t know or not close with. She minds her own business and doesn’t even bother to create relationships outside her circle. Her sole focus was to study hard, work hard, graduate and get hired into a high-paying stable job. She always made sure that she didn't stick out and would always exclude herself from the rest of the class.
That’s why she couldn’t understand why, at some point during their first year, Jaemin sat beside her and said the most surprising and disturbing words she ever heard.
“Hi, I’m Jaemin. I like you, can we be friends?”
“So?” They were already at the front desk and it was five minutes ‘til they opened the cafe, and so Ryujin turned towards him, both hands on her waist. Her intimidating posture didn’t even faze him and he was just smiling at her.
“Maganda na sana araw ko kung tutulungan mo ko sa pag-aayos ng mga coffee cups sa lagayan nila. Pwede bang yun na lang gawin mo? Mag-oopen na tayo.” He grinned brightly and winked at her.
“Naman! Anything para maging parte ko ng maganda mong araw.” Ryujin rolled her eyes and shoved the rest of the coffee cups she was holding to him and started to get busy with setting up the counter.
“Ugh. Hirap ng signal ng globe dito. Rina, pa-connect naman sa hotspot mo please. Magshare ako sa bill mo for this month.” Mina and Rina were sitting at the far end of the cafe, far from the counter and the front part of the cafe.
“Uy no need na. Parang others naman to.” After connecting to a much more stable internet, Mina continued to work on her thesis.
“I told you naman kasi pwede naman tayo pumwesto sa may malapit sa counter eh.” Rina said as she took a sip of her iced vanilla latte.
“Masyadong maingay eh. Okay na dito.”
Actually, the place wasn’t noisy. The cafe just opened a few months ago so the number of people who frequent here weren’t compared to popular cafe stores that they know. She was just trying to avoid someone.
Rina noticed that Mina’s phone lit up again. For the past thirty minutes, her friend’s phone kept on lighting up every five minutes. She took a peek on what it was and saw five missed calls and twelve unread message notifications from Mark. Rina looked up and saw Mina obviously ignoring them. She just shrugged and let her friend be because she knew that Mina doesn’t like being pressed on things she purposely ignores, and so she just got her phone and started to scroll through her feed.
“Rina, if nabobored ka na, bili ka na lang ng cake. On me, sa pag-accompany mo sakin dito.” Mina smiled and gave her friend a few cash to pay for the treats.
“Sige, I’m actually a little hungry. I’ll buy you banana bread din. Sabi nila maganda ang sugar para more energy!” Rina winked and got up to go to the counter.
Jaemin was the one manning the cashier now while Ryujin was out of sight. “Hi Rina! Nasa stock room si Jin.” The kind guy greeted her.
“Oh! Okay lang, bibili ako ng snack namin ni Mins.” Jaemin nodded and proceeded to take her order.
“Jaemin.”
“Hm?”
“Pupunta ba si Jeno dito?” Jaemin smiled at her question. The way Rina whispered that question as if her crush towards his best friend was not obvious amused him.
“Ngayon, hindi eh. May meeting kasi sila sa student council, pero bukas papuntahin ko dito.” He winked at the girl who winked at him in return.
“Sige, tas sendan kita ng isang picture ni Ryujin nung nag-spa night kami. Super cute niya dun!” Jaemin’s eyes lit up and wore an approving smile on his face.
“Da best ka talaga, Rina.”
“Ikaw pa! Wala bang discount diyan?” Jaemin shook his head and proceeded to prepare her order.
“Well, it was worth a shot.” As she was waiting for their food, her attention was caught by the door chimes ringing as someone entered the cafe.
“Hi! Good evening! Welcome to Vivi’s Cafe!”
Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar face. The familiar face saw her and walked his way to where she was standing.
Oh well.
“Hi Rina. Nakita mo ba si Mins?” Mark had his phone on his ear as he asked her, probably calling Mina again. She was about to cover and lie that she hasn’t seen her friend, but said friend was the one who exposed herself when she suddenly appeared and called out her name.
“Rina, pasa—uh…”
Oh shit. Mark smiled upon seeing his friend and immediately went to her. “Hey, I was calling you. Bakit di mo sinasagot mga calls and messages ko?”
“Oh, uh, sorry. Nabusy na ko sa thesis ko.” Mina said as she gave him an embarrassed smile. “Ah, eh, you should’ve waited for me. I actually brought a few resources from the library, baka these could help you. Come on, saan ka ba nakaupo?” Mina pointed to the back corner of the cafe and Mark took her wrist and both of them disappeared before Rina could even get their food.
“Si Mark ba yun?” Ryujin suddenly appeared from behind her, giving her a slight shock.
“Ah, oo. Jin—”
“Here you go!” Rina was cut by Jaemin who gave her their orders. Rina just gave him a small thanks and gave Ryujin a knowing look to which the latter got the idea of what it was.
“Wag niyo na ko hintayin. Baka sabihin nila Ate Seul abuso tayo sa pagiging maluwag nila. Uwi na kayo pag tapos na si Mins sa ginagawa niya.”
Rina just nodded and waved goodbye to the two and headed towards their table.
Sometimes, it’s easier if a person can tell its heart who and who not to beat for. Sadly, it isn’t like that.
The noise and the lights inside the club they were in was giving Seulgi a tremendous headache. Hot, sweaty bodies colliding with one another, jumping, dancing and uh, some grinding as well was a bit too much for her. Yeri, Joy’s workmate, invited them to go out and have some fun in the middle of the week. Yes, that’s right. They went clubbing during a Wednesday night. At first, Seulgi and Joy didn’t want to go because both of them are home buddies. For Seulgi, she doesn’t like loud noises, the bass from the stereo felt like an earthquake, shaking everything and everyone inside the club. For Joy, it’s the obnoxious, self-absorbed, jerks who kept cat-calling her or trying to flirt with her as if she would give her time of the day with them. The idea of them going anywhere near a club was almost impossible.
Almost.
Because for some unknown reason, here they are sitting at one of the booths, with a pear martini on their hand, they watched as Yeri danced the night away with some of Joy’s officemates.
Seulgi swirled the drink in her hand, contemplating whether to drink it or not. She has been holding it for a good hour now and she still hadn’t sipped any, while Joy was on her second drink.
“I feel the regret already.” Joy muttered as she took a sip off her drink. “Sorry, Seul, I should’ve known na yung sinasabi ni Yerim na ‘chill’ club eh, her definition of ‘chill’.” She saw her friend’s face grimaced when a man walked past them and gave them a wink.
“Kina-cool mo yun, Kuya?” Joy rolled her eyes and chugged down her drink.
“Okay lang, Joy. Different setting naman is good, although, ganyan ba talaga kailangan kalakas yung tugtog? Yinayanig niya buong pagkatao ko eh.” Seulgi had placed her martini down and covered her ears when it seemed like the DJ turned up the music even louder. Both of them groaned as the people started to cheer and danced wilder even more.
“Gusto mo bang umalis na? Naaalibadbaran na rin ako sa mga lalaki dito eh. Sarap ibaon sa lupa ng buhay eh.” She gave one of the guy who was looking at her a stink eye.
“Sige, I think we’ve had a fair share of knowing what clubbing looks like. Papaalam ka pa ba kay Yeri?” Seulgi collected her things and stood up when Joy responded to her with a shake of her head.
“Wag na! Baka mahatak pa tayo niyan. Minessage ko na siya. Tara, let’s bail on this place.”
The chimes of the door rang as Seulgi and Joy entered the familiar coffee shop. The ambiance was much better than that club they were in earlier. A guy who would always welcome them, recognized their faces and gave them both a warm smile.
“Hi Ate Seulgi and Ate Joy! Welcome back ulit!”
Jaemin was the kind barista that would always serve them with a smile. Seulgi liked that kid. He reminded her of her older brother, the warmth and bright aura he has was the same as Junmyeon.
“Hey kid. Si Ryujin?” Joy asked as they scanned the place. The cafe which had opened a few months ago was quiet. It had a handful of customers seated in different areas of the shop. Now this was their kind of place. Although, the business hours of this cafe was a bit different from its competitors (they open 6PM and then closes at 2am)
“Nag-iinventory po sa likod kasama si Kuya Seh. Tawagin ko po ba?”
Seulgi shook her head and ordered their drinks. While they waited for their orders, they found a spot near the window sill. The overall look of the cafe shop was minimalistic and bare. The walls weren’t painted with anything, but the cement finish was done pretty well so it did not look awkward or rough; the ceilings were also bare so that the customers can see the big pipes and air condition vents above like it was intentionally done so. But the vibe for a chill cafe was really incorporated in how this place was set up, also for a fact that it was strategically situated at the end of the street that was just two blocks away from their apartment that used to be a small motor bicycle parking lot. But that was also the cafe’s advantage, since it was practically hidden and was at the end of the street where no one often would go, the customers would really have to intentionally go and visit the cafe.
Seulgi sat facing the counter as she watched the people inside do their own thing.
“Bakit ka umorder ng kape? Gusto mo ba talaga maging zombie?” Joy grunted when their order came and saw a hot cup of mocha latte being served to her.
“Wala rin naman magagawa yung tsaa sakin eh.” Seulgi shrugged and blew on her coffee before taking a sip.
“Alam mo Seul, di porke’t wala kang trabaho ngayon eh papatayin mo na sarili mo sa pagdeprive mo sa pagtulog.”
Seulgi looked down at her cup and held it tightly with both of her hands. The warmth of the coffee, the sweet aroma of her favorite drink brought her back to that day.
Seulgi’s hand was stained with different kinds of bright colors of paint after spending probably six hours in her studio. She was fully committed to finishing her last piece for the special client who commissioned her to work on three paintings for their new house.
She started to rub her shoulders as she looked at the finished masterpiece in front of her, the pain and strain of her muscles from the long hours of painting was nothing compared to the joy of seeing her clients’ eyes sparkle with joy upon seeing her work. That was the reason why even though painting may not be the most stable job for some, it was rewarding for her. Money, yes it pays a lot but if there are no commissions, no money will come to her. She was just really grateful for her clients who would always message her to work on a masterpiece that she was able to save up enough money from what she had earned through the pieces she did for them. And the money they paid was not a joke either. She was just glad that she was able to do the thing she loves the most and was fortunate enough that it gives her food on her table.
After marveling at the work she had done, she had started to organize and clean up her things when a pair of strong arms snaked across her waist from her back.
“Wow. That’s beautiful.” A soft, tender kiss was placed on her bare shoulder making her smile.
“Really?”
“Oo naman. Anything that you make is always beautiful, my love.” Seulgi had stopped arranging her stuff and turned to look at the man who gave her such a heart-melting gaze.
“Thank you, Ji.” She gave him a small peck on his lips and embraced him tightly. “Kanina ka pa ba sa labas?”
“Bakit? Ano gagawin mo if nalaman mong kanina pa ko nasalabas?” He pouted, making Seulgi want to pinch those plump lips.
“Hmm, wala. I-huhug lang kita.” And hug him she did. She started yawning, feeling the exhaustion of the work that she did.
“Oh, you’re sleepy na? Should we go back to our apartment?” He offered her but she shook her head saying no.
“Isang mocha latte mo lang, gising na ko.” She beamed at him as if pleading for him to make her that drink which of course, he happily did for her.
Seulgi was never a fan of coffee or any drink apart from water and juice, but if there’s only one drink left in the world for her to drink, it would most definitely be her fiance’s mocha latte. They sat comfortably at Seulgi’s vintage upholstered arm chair with her sitting down on his lap as he cradled her.
“Hmm. I love your mocha latte’s Ji.” She said as she took a generous sip of the drink.
“You can have that every day, every morning, every night after we get married.” He said as he placed a kiss on her temple.
“Nakakaexcite naman yun.” Seulgi giggled.
“Ako din, naeexcite na ko. Tapos, after getting married, we’ll plan on how to grow our little family, di ba? I want two kids, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, basta two kids.”
“Hmm okay, pero after a year pa naman di ba?” Seulgi looked up at Jinyoung and his expression faltered a little bit but was quick to change it into a cheerful one.
“Yes, love.” Seulgi snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his chest.
“One month to go.”
“Yes, my love. One month to go ‘til you become Mrs. Park.”
And that one month came, but she never did become Mrs. Park. And after a year, she was just Seulgi, the bride that got left by her groom on their wedding day.
She took a whiff of the mocha latte and suddenly she became nauseous, the memory came back to her and hit her like a ton of bricks. Ever since he left her at the altar, her life went downhill. She stopped painting. She stopped talking to other people. She stopped living. Her brother, Junmyeon extended her stay in the Philippines so that she wouldn’t be alone but staying in Manila was much too painful for her at that time and so she went back to Quezon to stay with her parents. Three months of nonstop crying, her parents would just hold her until she stopped crying and lulled herself to sleep. She wouldn’t eat, she wasn’t leaving her room until one day, an unexpected message woke her up.
The message gave clarity to her, it was painful, so painful she felt like she was dying at the same time. But that reason gave her a reason to fix herself up. While she was drowning herself in tears, not living, he was living the best of his life with a girl she apparently got pregnant with.
The girl whom she helped him pursued back in college. His first love.
He left her on the day of their wedding day because of the girl and now they’re expecting to have a child together. He was now living his dream, while she was cooped up in her room slowly deteriorating.
And she hated herself so much for it. She hated how miserable she was and how happy he was. And so, after looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that enough was enough. She wasted three months mourning over something, over someone that easily discarded her like a piece of kleenex tissue.
And just like that, it felt like she got poured over a bucket of ice cold water waking her up, bringing her back to her senses. It isn’t fair that she’s the only one who’s all broken about what happened. She deserves to have happiness too. She deserves to be loved too and that’s why she decided that no more crying yourself to sleep and hiding herself away from the world. She’ll start over again, for herself.
And so the bravery to take that step forward was enough encouragement for her to push herself to start over again. It was no easy journey of course, even until now. The effect of what happened to her had become manageable but didn’t completely disappear, like her sleeping problems. But she was glad to have Joy, the other girls, her brother and her parents with her through this journey.
But she hasn’t really made much progress since the past few months. The dreams came back again and it’s been hard for her to get some sleep. Maybe because she’s been idle again. Maybe she needs a distraction, something to keep her busy.
She looked up at Joy who was drinking her frappe when a piece of paper stuck to the window grabbed her attention.
“Joy, pwede mo bang kunin yung papel sa likod mo?” Joy looked behind and grabbed the piece of paper.
WANTED: FULL TIME STAFF
She looked up and saw Ryujin coming out from the back office with a tall familiar man. Seulgi gripped on the paper and took a deep breath before standing up and making her way towards the guy.
“Excuse me?”
The guy turned to face her, “Yes?”
Seulgi raised the paper that she was holding, “Mag-aapply sana ako.”