Chapter 14
A week after our stay in Jeju, Christmas had quickly passed by at sa ilang araw na lang din ay new year's na. Sobrang bilis ng mga araw na lumipas—parang dumaan si Flash at nag-jump towards the future ang aming mga ganap ngayon lalo no'ng mangyari ang Christmas eve at mismong Christmas day—it's not the first time that I was away with them pero ngayon lang ako nakaramdaman ng lungkot na gusto ko silang makasama at makapag-celebrate together, but I'm here in Jeju. I just need to keep my job so I can give them money at the end of the day.
It was also a good thing for me to hear that our clothing shop back home is doing great dahil marami pa ring bumibili ng mga binibenta namin online and people are still asking for more stocks. Mabuti na lang ay magaling magbenta 'tong kapatid ko kaya naman dalang-dala niya ang business na iniwan ko sa kanya. I'm confident she'll do great back home while I'm thriving here.
"You know that I've been hustling here, Jelay. Even though you guys aren't here with me, ipaparamdam ko sa inyo kung gaano ako ka-stress," tugon ni Chini sa akin.
Bahagya naman akong natawa sa sinabi niya. "Grabe ka, Chini! Alam ko namang kayang-kaya mo 'yan, e. Why don't you spend some breaks na lang din muna, 'di ba? Since it's Christmas season... you should be with your family na rin."
"You know I can't..." Chini answered and I felt a little tone of sadness in it. "I need to stay here because it's my job and I can't just leave my work even though I really want to go home. Pero alam mo kung anong mas better, 'yong bumalik na kayong dalawa rito ngayon para may kasama akong mag-celebrate this coming new year, right?"
Napabuntonghininga naman ako. "As much as I want to... na kay Jin-Hyeong pa rin ang desisyon, e. But don't you worry, as I've learned, babalik din kami after the new year and we'll be there with you. Itutuloy natin kung anong mga dapat gawin natin."
"Yeah, right... I believe so. Bakit kasi ayaw niyo bang bumalik? Did Jin-Hyeong tell you something?
He did pero hindi ako sigurado kung sasabihin ko rin sa kanya 'yon.
"Wala naman, Chini. He didn't say a thing... but he's fine and doing well so you don't have to be so worried about him. He'll be back in Seoul ng buong-buo so don't you worry about it, alright?"
Napangisi naman ito sa kabilang. "Hindi ko alam kung paniniwalaan kita o matatawa ako. But anyway, ichichika ko lang din sa 'yo na na-invite si Jin-Hyeong sa new year's countdown celebration. And guess what, they ask him to perform for the said event pero dahil wala kayong dalawa rito at gumawa na lang ako ng dahilan para hindi masabing ang arte-arte ko para i-reject ang offer, I just told them a lie na gusto ni Jin-Hyeong na magcelebrate privately dahil nga kauuwi lang din galing military and he's still adjusting. Girl, hindi ko alam kung naniwala sila ro'n, but I'm trying to believe that that they did. Nakahuhulas ng ganda." Singhal pa nito.
"Jin-Hyeong would love—" Napahinto ako sa pagsasalita nang biglang sumulpot sa tabi ko si BJH. Tiningnan ako nito at saka lumipat ang tingin sa tanawin ng dagat. Bigla naman akong naconscious sa sasabihin ko kay Chini kung nakikinig na 'to sa tabi ko. "He would love to be there and experience that kind of celebration once again... Uhm... Chini, I gotta go now. May gagawin lang ako."
"Ay, echos ka lang, e. Tumatakas ka lang," aniya. "Anyway, sige. Tawagan na lang ulit kita mamaya."
Nang binaba niya ang tawag ay agad na lumipat ang atensyon ko kay BJH.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked.
Napakunot noo naman ako sa tanong niya. "Huh?"
He smirked, turning his head on me and look straight in my eyes. Gusto kong umiwas ng tingin sa kanya pero baka isipin niyang ginagawan ko ng malisya 'yon kaya nakipaglaban din ako ng titigan sa kanya.
"You said you're going to do something... and what that is?" pag-usi pa nito.
Umiling naman ako. "Wala naman... I feel like Chini won't stop talking unless I say so."
"So, you were talking to Chini?" he guessed and I nodded. "I hope you didn't a word to her where we are right now."
Kahit alam kong may ideya na si Chini kung nasaan kami ngayon kahit hindi niya binabanggit 'yon, I know she knew that we're in Jeju. Umiling naman ako bilang pagtanggi ro'n.
"Wala naman akong sinabi kay Chini, 'wag kang mag-alala."
Tumango-tango naman ito. "Sure... I trust you on that."
"Oo nga pala, nabanggit ni Chini na may nag-invite sa 'yo to be part of the new year's celebration—'yong para bang countdown then you'll be performing there. That would be nice 'no? Seeing you again sa stage then you're performing... nakamimiss 'yon."
"Yeah... I think that would be nice, but I'm here so we've got to move on with that and live what we're doing right now." He sounds so calm and chill. Like he's already satisfied living here on the island and not minding what he had left back in the busy city. "Do you already want to go back to the city?" he questioned, furrowing his brows.
Umiling ako. "I didn't say a thing about going back... I just said that it would be nice to see you perform once again."
"Well, it's the same thing." Ngisi pa nito. "But let's go. I have something to show you. We can be back here before dinner."
"Ah, okay... saan naman tayo pupunta?"
"A place I've known for so long." Ngiti pa nito na para bang iniisip pa lamang niya 'yong lugar na pupuntahan namin ay nangingislap na ang mga mata niya. Whatever on his mind right now, it could be a good memory.
"Sure ka bang aalis tayo? It's snowing... ang lamig."
He chuckled. "You should get used to it. It'll be colder next month I believe."
Nakahinga naman ako ng maluwag. "Babalik na rin naman tayo ng Seoul next month, 'di ba?"
He smirked, shrugging off. "I don't know, Raijine... I'm liking it here. Maybe I should stay here for a year." Nanlaki naman ang mata ko sa sinabi niya. He saw what my face does so he laughed. "Look at your face, Raijine. You said you didn't say you'd wanna go back to Seoul... but I'll think about it. It's nice here, you know?"
Dahan-dahan akong tumango. "Yes, it's nice in here."
"Yeah... do you want to go with me or not?" he asked.
"I would love to see what you're saying so I want to come."
"Cool, go grab some sweater. You'll get cold."
Pumasok ako sa loob ng bahay at pumanik sa kwarto namin so I can get a sweater to help me get away from freezing. Kinuhaan ko na rin si BJH ng jacket so he wouldn't be cold as well. Mahirap na 'yong magkasakit. Pagbaba ko ng hagdan ay naabutan ko namang kausap niya ang mother niya. Mukhang nagpaalam lamang ito sa aalis kaming dalawa. I handed over his jacket and he wore it. Nag-abala pa ang mother ni BJH na kumuha ng scarves at siya ang nagpalibot sa leeg namin ni BJH. She said she knitted it herself and it's comfortable and pretty the way it wrapped around us.
When we're set to go, we left the house and he used his father's car so we won't be able to commute and spend long drives on transit. Habang nasa biyahe ay ramdam ko pa rin 'yong lamig ng paligid kaya naman kahit gaano kakapal ang suot kong sweater ay walang panama. Sa sobrang init ba naman ng klima sa Pinas, hinding-hindi talaga ako masasanay sa ganitong klase ng klima. But BJH seems fine. Ang putla nga ng balat niya pero wala namang siyang sakit. Sanay na lang talaga siya.
It took us less than an hour to reach the place he was talking about. He parked the car and then we hopped out of the car and he just grabbed my hand as we go ahead near the premises.
"This is the Camellia Hill Botanical Garden," aniya. "This is where my parents brought me to when I was young... let's go and see it?"
Tumango ako sa kanya at sumunod na lamang ako sa paghatak niya sa akin. There was snow on the ground and on the pathway though there are not many bloomed flowers during this season, the scenery is still quite beautiful because there are still flowers that shine and became more appealing during the winter.
Pagkapasok namin ay tiningnan namin ang board kung nasaan ang map at saan makikita ang mga area na may access for public. May brochure din kaming kinuha na nakalagay ang mapa para hindi kami maligaw though I believe BJH don't need it dahil mukhang alam naman niya ang lugar na ito, but I took one dahil baguhan lamang ako sa lugar na 'to. There are numbers of the area that we should follow so we'll be able to see and be at all the areas ng garden na 'to.
Even though it's cold, I could still appreciate this kind of wonder. There might be some flowers that aren't bloomed enough, but there are a lot of camellia flowers that brought this place to a whole new setting. They were beautiful and one of a kind. Kaya siguro tinawag na Queen of Winter Flowers ang bulaklak na 'to dahil tuwing winter sila nangingintab sa kagandahan.
"So... I believe your mother loves these flowers, 'no?"
He giggled and nodded. "Yeah... actually my parents met in this place when they were in their twenties and then my mom got lost and been away with her parents when she took pictures of the flowers. She looked for them, but it was hard for her to search for them because she's not familiar to the place then he met my father who's already working in this place before as a keeper so he helped her and both of them search for her parents together. When they actually did, my mom can't stop thinking about him so a week after that, she came back to look for him... and I guess that's how it all started and this place became much memorable for them and for me."
"That's lovely to hear... I get it why we're here now... but how does this place become memorable for you when you were young?" I asked.
"It does." He giggled. He even tried looking away from me kasi pakiramdam ko'y nagba-blush siya. "Well, it's really not that interesting, but I've got the same fate from my mom and I got lost as well. I was crying when they've found me alone. They were scared that I got lost that's why they said they wouldn't come back here until the right age... but I still wanna come back even though the risk of getting lost could be possible again, I've risked it. I was only seven at that time... and I still remembered that time."
"It's like you and your mother have the same fate already..."
"Do you think I'll be marrying a half-Filipina as well?" tanong nito sa akin. Nilingon niya ako. Ang seryoso pa ng pagkatitingin niya sa akin kaya ako agad ang umiwas ng tingin. Narinig ko naman ang pag-ngisi niya.
Napakibit balikat ako. "Hindi ko sure diyan... malay mo. Wala namang kasiguraduhan dito sa mundo."
"Yeah... right... but that's just the story of how this place became memorable for me. But there's a lot of place around Jeju you would love to see as well."
"At excited na ako ro'n... maybe for now... let's just stay here and appreciate the beauty."
He nodded. "Yup. I wouldn't drive us here to only have five-minute walking."
I chuckled when he said that. Tama nga naman siya. Hindi pa nga rin namin nararating ang ibang area at nasa bungad-bungad pa lamang kami pero sobrang appreciated ko na ng mga area. BJH offered he'll take pictures of me and he doesn't mind if I'm going to post it on my social media, but because I respect his privacy and I don't want any paparazzi coming on our way just because of my negligence. He's having the time of his life hereafter the military, I guess he really deserved to be here since it's peaceful and quite intimate because he shared this time and moment with his family.
He's very family-oriented and that's what I find of him that I was so grateful dahil ako rin ay isang family-oriented and knowing that he cares for his family makes me feel so good about it.
We continued our visit to this place. The ponds were freezing and some trees are filled with snow. But all in all, every area is so beautiful na mamabutihin ko ngang bumalik ulit dito—though I didn't get lost like they did dahil todo ang pagkahahawak ng kamay sa akin ni BJH. But I would love to be here maybe on the next season so I could appreciate it under a new climate.
But what happened today made me opened up my eyes to some things I haven't got to see. BJH wants to live a normal life and I can see that he wanted to do it... maybe the military did something to him or made him realize some things, but people change and I can see that BJH thought of something and why'd he decided to be here without a plan.
Maybe I'll be able to know it or maybe not... but it's always not too late to appreciate the beauty and wonder. There may be white and cold everywhere, but I could feel the warmth every single time.
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Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know your thoughts! I would appreciate it so much!
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