Its Saturday morning nang nagising ako ng sunod sunod na katok sa door ko. Napabalikwas agad ako at binuksan ang door nang bumungad sa paningin ko ang gwapong bampira in his sport attire. He's on his way to jog I guess.
"I'll be back after 30 minutes, wait for me in front of my door." Agad niyang sabi as soon as he saw me. Then he went down the stairs. Agad naman akong naghanda. But seriously, as early as 6:30 huh??
6: 59 nang nasa harap na ako ng door nya. And then after a moment dumating siya. He is soaked in sweat but he looks really handsome and sexy. My inner self is swooning as i look at his sexy face with those dripping sweat.
"I am glad you're not hard headed as you look like." He casually said while he opens his room.
"Today, you're going to clean the whole room." Dagdag nya at pumasok agad sya sa kuarto nya. What? So, this is it? Hindi ko naisip na ganito lang naman pala ang ipapagawa niya. Well, this is good for me indeed. I never thought that it will be this easy. Nakatayo parin ako sa sala habang inililibut ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. Sino ba naman ang mag-aakalang makakabalik pa pala ako sa loob ng unit na ito? And then napansin ko ulit ang mga picture frames na wala namang laman. May isa sa maliit na table, at dalawang nakasabit sa wall. Okay sana kung kahit empty paper man lang ang nasa loob nya, but why is it that there's nothing in it at all? I am staring at those frames when he talked...
"I didn't bring you here to stare on my things Okay?" he said as he passed me by and headed to the kitchen. He is wearing all black again. Why is this person loves wearing such color so much. Nagmumukha tuloy syang tunay na bampira. Nagtimpla sya ng kape and afterward lumapit sya sa akin.
"Hindi kaba magtatanung ng kahit ano?" sabi nya. Pero teka, fluent talaga syang magtagalog? Now that I think about it nagtagalog din sya last time. Gusto ko syang tanungin about everything that I've been asking to myself about him pero, I don't think I'm in the position to ask him such. Alam kong what he means is all about the cleaning kaya...
"Ah.. wala akong tanong... cleaning?? I can do it.. madali lang naman siya." Tanging nasabi ko.
"Babo... iniisip mo bang ito lang ang ipapagawa ko sayo? Hey, nakalimutan mo na bang 100,000 ang utang mo? If im going to pay you money for today, it will only be 300 or 400? What is 300 compared to 5000 huh? Hey, this is just the beginning kaya I suggest that you should start... now!" nakangisi nyang sabi. "Kailangang malinis ang lahat got it?" dagdag pa nya as he headed towards a room.
Pagbalik nya ay dala dala na nya ang mga mop, brush and everything. Then he smirked at me as he turned his back and entered into his room. Seriously?
....
It's already 11:30, and I am tired now. Umalis sya kaninang 9 and hindi parin sya bumabalik. Hindi naman masyadong marumi ang house pero sa floor palang and natatapus ko. Umiinom ako nang tubig nang dumating sya. He is in a hurry. He headed towards me and grabbed my hand sabay sabing; "Go for now. Hurry!" as he pulled me toward the door but as soon as he touch the door knob, the door bell rung.
"Oh...Damn it!" he uttered and again he pulled me papasok sa kuwarto niya. He looked around and said; "get inside that closet. Hurry!"
"What?? Why should I hide?? Im not doing anything wrong..." hindi pa ako natatapus when he hold me at pilit akong iginiya papasok sa closet. I'm so annoyed now dahil sa ginagawa nya. My hand is hurting now na kanina pa nya hinihila and now pinipilit nya akong itago na para bang I am some kind of a thief?
"What do you think you're doing?!" sigaw ko sa kanya as I pushed him away. That moment, he stared at me seriously.
"Fine! You little..." he said and namewang siya. Huminga siya ng malalim as the doorbell keeps on ringing. "My tita is here, you want to meet her?" nakangisi niyang sabi.
"What?" tanging nasabi ko'
"Fine, let's do this, just pretend that you're my girlfriend." He said and headed towards the door.
"Wait!!What?? bakit ko naman gagawin ang sinasabi mo. There's no way I would do that just because you told me to!" agad kong sagot sa kanya. Then, he turned back to me.
"So? What are you going to tell her? I am just paying my debt to him, I'm only his neighbor... are you gonna tell her that? Huh? Yah, who on earth will believe such a thing? Even if it's the truth tingin mo ba maniniwala sya?" he said with some kind of devilish smile. Then he turned back again. Right now, im sure kahit anong sabihin ko, there's a possibility that his aunt won't believe me at all. Besides, I am here inside his room.
I don't know what to do but after I calmed down, I just found myself hiding inside this dark closet. I can now hear her voice. Both of them is talking in Korean. I am tired, I felt crazy and now, I am hungry as well.
....
As I open my eyes, bumungad agad sa paningin ko ang bampira. Hindi ko naisip na nasa loob ako ng closet kaya napabalikwas ako and...
"Ouch!! Aww." Nauntog ang ulo ko and as I hold my forehead...
"Yah, Gwenchana? Bakit kaba kasi natutulog jan, dapat lumabas ka na kanina pa nung wala ka nang marinig na boses. Why are you so..." he said as he helps me out of the closet.
"She's gone... so hindi ka pa kumakain? May kimchi sa ref if ayaw mo magluto ka nalang ng noodles." He casually said again and headed back to the sala. Nilingun ko ang closet na pinagtaguan ko and it's a mess now. Those are his clothes. Gusto ko syang ayusin pero masyado na akong gutom kaya lumabas na ako sa kuarto. Paglabas ko ay hindi ko sya makita. Lumabas na naman ba sya? Dumiretso na ako sa kusina and ate the kimchi. Then, I realize that it's already 6 in the evening. Napahaba ang tulog ko dahil siguro sa pagod and I don't know but ang sarap ng tulog ko sa closet na yon. I am looking outside the window and its raining hard again.
"Yah, what makes you change your mind kanina?" basag ng bampira sa katahimikan ng paligid. Now that I think about it, bakit nga ba?
"Are you perhaps afraid?" dagdag pa niya. Napatikhim na lang ako at uminom ng tubig. It's because I don't know what to say. Ewan ko pero naba blanko na naman ang utak ko.
"Hayy.. what should I do with you... I don't know what kind of girl you are." Sabi niya as he comes closer to me. He get something on a plastic bag he is holding and It is a band aid? Tinanggal nya ang cover nya and akala ko ay ibibigay nya sakin but... he... pinawi nya ang buhok ko sa... sa forehead ko and gently put the band aid in it.
That moment, I felt like my heart is now in chaos. My heart began to beat loud and fast that I think I can no longer breathe. My head was blank and my body seemed paralyzed. I never even dreamed that one day, I will ever feel things like this. Things that I thought only exist in fictional stories. It was only for a few seconds but it seems so long.
.....
Natauhan ako ng bigla syang magsalita...
"Yah! Go home for now.." he is now heading towards his room while saying those words. I am still in a bad conditiom I guess. My head is still blank. But I moved and inayos ko ang pinagkainan ko. Afterwards, lumabas na ako sa unit nya.
....
It's already past 10. I can hear the music he is playing next door but I can't sleep at all. I am wide awake even if I tried to close my eyes. My head is getting back to normal now but, I feel like I don't want to think for now. Gusto kong matulog at kalimutan ang mga nangyari. I don't know but I am worried. I don't have any expectation about everything about this but, it's just that I am afraid that I may end up liking him. I thought that my heart is hard enough to ignore the desires I have. But it seems like I was wrong. Right now, I want to run away again. I want to go away where I can no longer see him, but can I do that?