Trapped

18

The next Day, everyone did their tasks and when everything was done, they either rested or went to do something else.

Hero was out. He told Youngsoon that he'd be out most of his stay because he had to draft designs and draw. They'd only mostly see him for breakfast and dinner.

Emily and Leo were also out with Youngsoon and Wonshik. They wanted to see the views around the area so they went together.

At 6 PM, Hero was back at the inn. He had a contented smile on his face, making Dara assume that the day went well for him.

"Sinigang!" She didn't bother with the fact that he has just returned and that maybe he was tired. She was too excited for sinigang.

She did go back to the Philippines not long ago, but she was dying to taste sinigang again.

"Maya na Sandy!" He said laughingly before excusing himself. He went back to his room to have a shower and got changed. When he was done, he rummaged through the things that he has yet to take out from his suitcase.

"Found it!" He then retrieved a small black pouch. Joross has given it to him while he was packing for the trip. At first he didn't want to take it with him because it would only add to the weight of his suitcase but Joross was good at convincing people.

He then walked to the common area where Dara was impatiently waiting for him.

"Ba't ang tagal mo!" She pouted which made Hero laugh and everyone else around them stare at her.

"May kinuha lang." He then showed her the packet and laughed. "Sabi ni Joross dapat dalhin ko daw in case mamiss ko ang pagkain sa atin."

"Tara! Tara!" She quickly stood up before dragging Hero to the kitchen.

"What's with those two?" Kiwoong muttered to himself before going back to his phone.

"Oh? What are you doing here Dara-yah?" The mayor's wife asked. She was with Jiyong inside the kitchen and they were starting to cook for dinner while they waited for Youngsoon and the others to arrive.

"Eonnie, he's cooking!"

"Oh? You know how to cook?" The mayor's wife was surprised. Is handsome men cooking a trend nowadays?

"I don't usually do. But Sandy's been begging me to cook sinigang." Hero shyly said as he walked towards a pot.

Jiyong tightened his grip on the knife he was holding. Damn. Out of all the dishes that he attempted to cook, sinigang was the only dish he couldn't seem to perfect. It just didn't taste right.

"What can I do?" Dara asked innocently, eager to help out.

Hero chuckled as he lightly flicked two fingers against Dara's head.

"You can't even fry eggs properly. Tawagin nalang kita mamaya."

Dara agreed and went out of the Kitchen.

The mayor's wife had a pot of soup boiling but she really had to go so she asked Jiyong to look after the soup before scurrying out of the kitchen.

Both men started to do their work silently. Jiyong thought it'd be that way until they finished when suddenly Hero spoke up.

"It's an honor to meet Dara's friend." Hero suddenly said which made Jiyong turn around. He placed emphasis on the word friend, as if he knew something.

"The honor is mine." He had nothing else to say. If he asked him what he meant by that, he was sure the show wouldn't think twice and air it. This would only lead to complications for Dara.

Hero smiled. He seemed harmless, but his eyes looked at Jiyong with mockery and disdain. Did he think no one would know?

Joross is Dara's best friend. He can keep his mouth shut to other people, but not to him.

Hero began to cut his ingredients.

Before leaving in the morning, he had checked the ingredients available. They were missing some things so he decided to pass by the market on the way back.

Jiyong observed him stealthily. He was determined to know how sinigang should be cooked.

"You want to learn?" Hero shot him a look when he caught him staring for the fifth time.

"Yeah. Sure. Why not?" He wasn't going to let the opportunity slip!

Hero told him what ingredients he placed in the pot, how they should be cut and so on. Then he got a small packet from the side and showed it to him.

"This is a sinigang mix." Hero explained.

"A sinigang mix?"

"Yeah. Filipinos are, most of the time, lazy to do more work in the kitchen so we just tear a sinigang mix packet open and mix it in."

Sinigang mix. Jiyong drilled the words inside his head. He memorized how the packet looked like and what brand it was.

When he attempted to cook sinigang, he was sure he did every step correctly. He even had the way of cutting the ingredients right! The only thing he didn't add was the sinigang mix that Hero spoke of.

On the dinner table, everyone was curious how 'sinigang' tasted like so they each got a small portion for themselves.

At first, they didn't appreciate the sourness of the soup but they didn't realize that they were slowly scooping more into their bowls.

"What the hell? This is addictive!" Kiwoong exclaimed as he scooped yet another portion of soup into his bowl.

Dara and Hero both laughed and continued to enjoy their food.

Days passed by quickly and in no time, it was time for Hero and the married couple to leave.

Emily and Leo had an early flight so they were out of the inn when Dara woke up. Youngsoon and Wonshik were the ones to bring them to the airport.

"Ingat ka!" Dara told Hero.

"Ikaw ang mag-ingat!"

"Dahil?"

"Ingatan mo iyang puso mo!"

"Dahil?"

"Oh stop it Sandy. Alam mong alam ko."

"Ang?"

Dara could only act as if she didn't know what the man was talking about. She didn't like talking about it.

"Sandy. Alam kong ayaw mong pag-usapan kaya bibilinan kita ng words of advice. Kung mahal mo, mahal mo. Kung masakit na pero mahal mo pa din, bigyan mong chance kung sa tingin mo magbabago pa. Pero kapag masakit na talaga at sa tingin mo di na magbabago, kahit mahal na mahal na mahal mo pa rin, bitiwan mo na. Huwag mong hintayin na ipatira kita sa Luneta dahil nagpaka-martyr ka. Hindi ka naman kinukulang sa admirers. Umaapaw pa nga eh."

"Hmm." She smiled and nodded her head. "Ingat ka ah? Saka pakisapak na din si Joross para sa akin. Kahit ano-anong iniisip eh."

"Will do!"

~

Short update ❤️