Dearest Papercrane,
I
tried writing SCR 7, I swear I did, but I’m too tired, and aging a bit *grins*,
to do it, I think, I also lack the inspiration, alam mo naman na wala na ko
masyado balita sa mundong kinababaliwan ko dati, working sucks, payo ko sa’yo
wag ka magtrabaho pag-graduate mo, tambay-tambay lang, hahaha :P
Your
birthday just passed, you’re graduating soon and I was late the last time we
met, so I thought, I really owe you an efef, but then, I also celebrated my birthday
(ilang ulit na simula ng magkakilala tayo), you almost always came late
everytime we met and there was even a time or was it two that you didn’t even
bother to show yourself after agreeing to a meetup, so yeah, my afterthought,
‘I don’t owe you a thing,’ quits lang tayo, hahaha…
Dearest Lloydie,
I’ll
go straight to the point, I envy you! You
are a corporate slave, albeit with a ginormous salary *grins*, and you can
still write on a whim, how can you do that?
Teach me, I wanna write on a whim too :D
In
your case, I concede. You just celebrated your birthday, you were
sorta, kinda promoted at work and I was, admittedly, late the last time we met;
you wrote me a birthday fic, I never came earlier than you do eversince we
decided we wanna see each other’s faces, except for that one time, I think we
met Marie, Papercrane’s cousin that time, so I kinda really have to give you
something in return, ano ba yan, wala akong kawala sa’yo, kaloka ka, be late
next time, okay!
Seryoso na, happy birthday you guys,
siningit-singit ko ang pagsulat nito habang pinapagawa ako ng executive
summary, wish ko lang di nahaluan ng Joongbo ang accomplishment report na
nai-submit namin sa DILG, hahaha! Love u
both!
Dearest Ate Sue,
Wag
mo isiping nakalimutan ko na ang continuation ng Separate Lives, meron promise,
di pa lang natatapos, a little bit more patience manager-nim. Love you!
2008
Kim Hyun Joong was working his butt off in Japan, sometime
during their 6-months stint as pretend husband and wife in MBC’s We Got Married,
when he found out that Hwangbo Hye Jung’s natal day was August 16. That along with other information about her
he enthusiastically researched in the internet.
He sent her a text message, greeting her, extending his heartfelt wish. He admits that it was wrapped in awkwardness
but it was his first and he, of course, expected a bit of leniency.
He made a glorious riposte, as everyone in Ssangchu Land
know, he even swore that she fell in love a little at that time, he
felt it as per his words. A serenade scented
by peaches and regaled by the moon and the stars -
I don’t know you but I want you all the more
for that,
Words fall through me and always fool me and
I can’t react
And who would forget, the promise of a thousand paper
cranes.
2009
Several months had passed after they both bid reality TV
goodbye, he became the star that she wanted him to be, a drama actor, a Hallyu
celebrity. They parted ways as friends,
not that he wanted nothing more, he had made his intentions known, but she was adamant,
they started as a fake couple and they ought to end as such, an opinion he
didn’t share but he complied nonetheless.
She celebrated her 29th birthday with a fan event,
a thank you present to her avid supporters.
He, on the other hand, celebrated it on his own, he was in Hong Kong at
that time. They spent a good two hours
on the phone that night, talking and laughing about nothing in particular.
‘Saengil chukaha-yo!’
‘Kumao.’
‘Saranghae-yo…’
‘Pabo.’
Click.
They were physically
apart but it didn’t felt that way.
2010
Her 30th was celebrated in the midst of friends
and loved ones; he was there, of course.
“I love the watch,
it’s very pretty. Thank you.”
“You deserve all
things beautiful. You are very much welcome.”
Sigh.
“What’s with the
*sigh*? It’s your birthday…”
“It’s half past one,
my birthday is officially over…”
“We’re being technical
eh, humor me then.”
“I’m thirty…”
A minute of silence.
“And?”
“My parents told me
that they wish for a grandchild, and
soon,”
“Your oppa’s getting
married in a few months and by the looks of it, they’ve already started the
process of making that wish come true. “
“Tsk, you and your
runabout thoughts, uhm, hormones…”
“I can help you know…
but does it have to be in nine months-time or we can like practice a bit?”
“Ah, molla!”
A couple of wishes could have come true, her parents’ and
his, if she had only conceded and accepted his help.
2011
His career skyrocketed after We Got Married, offers abound,
projects are aplenty, but 2011 was his busiest.
During that year, the barest of necessities seemed like a luxury, he
scarcely had the chance to eat or sleep on time. It was exhausting, don’t get
him wrong, he love his music, he loves performing, he, even, appreciates all
the attention and the limelight but it gets tiring and lonely.
Spending time with her hidden from the watchful eye of fans
during his normal days was such a chore but it turned much worse that
year. Taking time off work to hang-out,
eat out or just plain see her for a while turned to be an indulgence he so
craved for but he was allowed to do so rarely.
They celebrated her birthday a week late, in the wee hours
of the night, at her apartment’s balcony.
They watched the stars come to life and falter in the morn as they
talked about each other’s life and career, places and people they want to visit
and meet, stuff they long to buy, dreams they still wish to fulfill, and every
other thing that crossed their minds.
“You’re off to Japan,
again, in a day, right?”
“Yup!”
“Be gone then, you
need to visit your parents and drink, at least, a few bottles of soju with your
best buds before you go.”
“That I must do.”
“Right, so quickly
give me my present… and wish me a boyfriend, and go.”
He gave her a set of jewelry he had carefully chosen at Mont
Blanc.
“I wish you’d keep
me.”
She just smiled, a smile that warmed his heart up to his
very toes.
2012
The year of the London Olympics, the much-awaited year of
Ssangchu-fanatics, the year that Park Choong Jae, aka Junjin, came back from
the military, the year that he was reduced to just another male best
friend. He understood that the latter was
the first and original best friend, that he was a mere second, a filler at
worst, but man, it sucked, jealousy was such a bummer.
Her 32nd birthday was spent partying with Junjin,
they were born on the same year and just three days apart, and some other
friends, while he was away overseas, as usual.
His birthday gift – a week-long trip to Guam , with an extra
bonus – himself.
“Thank you, but don’t
you think, this is a bit too much?”
“Why are you here
then?”
“I don’t wanna offend
you,” she teased, “besides, who in
their right mind would decline such an
offer, and in my case, it wasn’t an
ordinary proposition, it’s a birthday gift, my birthday gift.”
“Then what exactly are
we discussing here?”
“Why are you such a
grouch?”
“I am not…”
“Yes, you are!”
And it went on and on until the sun shined its hottest and
they were forced to leave – the beach and their childish banter.
Their last night was spent playing games and drinking beer,
laughing and poking fun at each other, just making the most out of their little
rendezvous.
“Hyun Joong…”
“Hmm…”
“If by the time I’m
thirty-five and I still haven’t found the man that I’m supposed to spend the
rest of my life with, I want either you or Choong Jae to just… give me a
child.”
Zzzzzzzzz…
He stared, slack-jawed.
2013
Ever since she made that drunk and not-so-decent proposal
almost a year ago, he had been on his tippy-toes.
“She’s turning
thirty-three in two weeks, and then there’s two more.”
“I beg your pardon
sir.”
“Huh?” he looked
at the bartender like he just found out he was standing there.
“Oh, don’t mind me, I
just have this strange habit of talking to
myself,” he smirked.
Waiting is such a pain in the ass.
He was, fortunately, in Korea, the day she turned
thirty-three, a small and private affair was prepared by her family, a surprise
birthday gift. Food and booze abound and
because everyone who were there knew each other well, no one seemed to care how
much they had eaten or how much they had to drink, it was merry-making at its
highest, a night without a care.
August 17, Saturday, she was woken by the stream of sunlight
that escaped the window curtains, it was her room, she was certain. But her bed felt different like there was an
extra weight on her side, she also felt differently, like something had
changed. She took a deep breath and felt
a wave of nausea, “Ah, morning afters.”
She opened her eyes and was startled to see two large,
striking eyes smiling up at her, yes his eyes were smiling at her, like he
finally won an acting award. She opened
her mouth to say something but was distracted by his sudden movement, her
nerves must have took the day off for she didn’t felt quite a thing before that
or she was just plain dumb to have not realized that she, Hwangbo Hye Jung, and
he, Kim Hyun Joong was lying side by side in one bed, sharing a comforter that
covered only half of their bodies and they were both splendidly unclothed.
“Kim Hyun Joong,”
she roared.
But he just silenced her with a kiss, a kiss that turned
into kisses that trailed down her whole body and heated up her whole being.
Several hours later, when both were sated from making love
and pleased in discovering each other’s form, he teasingly declared, “Why wait
for thirty-five when we can begin at thirty-three.”
Why do tomorrow what you can do today?
Aja, Kim Hyun Joong!
