Chapter 4

(Jennie’s POV)

Hindi ko alam kung kailan ako tuluyang nahulog.

Siguro noong una siyang tumawag ng “Jennie” na hindi na malamig.

O, noong hinayaan niyang hawakan ko ang kamay niya sa elevator kahit alam naming may CCTV.

O noong hindi na siya umuuwi mag-isa.

JI HYUN APARTMENT – NIGHT

“Ang tahimik dito,” sabi ko habang nililibot ang tingin ko sa condo niya.

Minimalist. Clean. Cold. Parang siya.

“Gusto ko ng tahimik,” sagot niya habang inaalis ang blazer niya.

“Boring.”

She glanced at me. “You’re noisy enough for both of us.”

“Wow. Thank you ha.”

Umupo ako sa couch niya, habang siya naman ay nagluluto ng simpleng dinner.

Hindi ko siya nakitang ganoon before.

Not boss. Not an architect.

Just… Ji Hyun.

JI HYUN POV

I shouldn’t be doing this.

Cooking for her.

Letting her stay here.

But every time she comes, the apartment doesn’t feel empty.

It feels… alive.

“Stop staring,” sabi ko.

“Hindi kaya,” sagot niya. “Ang weird mo magluto.”

“Masarap ‘to.”

“Debatable.”

Narinig kong tumawa siya.

And I hate how much I like that sound.

JENNIE POV

Dinner felt normal.

Too normal.

Parang may buhay na hindi namin dapat ginagalawan.

Pagkatapos, hindi kami agad umalis sa dining table.

“Bakit ka laging late umuwi?” tanong ko.

“Work.”

“Lie.”

She looked at me.

“Truth.”

I leaned forward. “You’re avoiding something.”

Silence.

Then she said quietly:

“I don’t avoid things. I manage them.”

“Same thing.”

JI HYUN POV

She’s too perceptive.

It scares me.

Because if she digs deeper…

She’ll find everything I buried.

So I changed the subject.

“Stay here tonight.”

Hindi siya agad sumagot.

Then she smirked.

“Boss order ba ‘yan?”

“No.”

“…request?”

I nodded.

JENNIE POV

That was the problem with her.

She never begs.

But when she asks…

Parang hindi ko kayang tumanggi.

JI HYUN APARTMENT – LATE NIGHT

Tahimik.

Dim lights.

Nakaupo kami sa couch, magkadikit na hindi sinasadya.

“Jennie,” she said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t play games with me.”

Napalingon ako.

“Excuse me?”

She turned to me fully.

And for once, hindi siya cold.

“You’re starting to matter,” she said.

Natigilan ako.

Yun yung pinaka-delikadong sinabi niya sa’kin.

JENNIE POV

“Good,” sagot ko agad kahit kinakabahan ako.

She frowned. “That’s not-“

I cut her off by kissing her.

Hindi mabilis.

Hindi marahas.

Pero malinaw.

Hindi na kami puwedeng bumalik sa dati.

JI HYUN POV

I should’ve stopped it.

But I didn’t.

Because when she touches me like that…

I forget the rules I built for myself.

MONTAGE – SECRET LIFE

Late-night dinners na nagiging usapan hanggang madaling araw

Coffee mornings na kunwari “accidental”

Jennie’s clothes were left in Ji Hyun’s apartment

Ji Hyun pretends she doesn’t smile at work after seeing Jennie

At sa likod ng lahat-

We were falling harder.

Quietly.

Dangerously.

JENNIE POV – ONE NIGHT

“Bakit ka lagi umiiwas sa questions ko tungkol sa life mo?” tanong ko habang nakahiga kami.

Natigilan siya.

“Jennie…”

“Ji Hyun,” I said softly, “I deserve to know you too.”

Tumahimik siya.

Long silence.

Then she said:

“May mga bagay na hindi mo pa kailangang malaman.”

Napaupo ako.

“Like what? May asawa ka? May ibang-“

“Wala,” mabilis niyang sagot.

Pero hindi pa rin siya tumingin sa akin.

That’s what scared me.

JI HYUN POV

If she knew everything…

She would leave.

And I can’t afford that yet.

Not yet.

FINAL SCENE – BEDROOM SILENCE

Magkatabi kami.

Walang ginagawa.

Just breathing.

Jennie turned to me.

“Ji Hyun…”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t disappear again.”

Natigilan ako.

Hindi ko siya sinagot.

Pero hinawakan ko ang kamay niya sa ilalim ng kumot.

Tight.

Like a promise I can’t say out loud.