The Hater 3: Hated to Love You (The Hater Trilogy #3) [SPG]

14 [Part 2] | Hello, Stalker

 “We’re not friends or either comrades for you to call me on the first-name basis. You are my dad’s slave, so call me ‘young master’ as a sign of respect.” Every word that Serim utters have touches of sarcasm and teasing, making the stalker annoyed. “You should go home already and start to practice your endurance. You’re just a joke. Let us meet when you’re good enough to face me.”

The stalker grunted as a sign of frustration. Tila ba gumagana ang ginagawang pang-aasar ni Serim sa kaniya. “It’s not the last time that we will see. I’ll be successful in catching informations about you the next time around.”

“Okay…” Serim’s short response to the stalker. That certain someone turned his gaze aback and ran with all his might. Serim breathed as he wiped his sweat on his forehead. “Stalkers nowadays are big clowns. They’re funny instead of being scary. What a joke?”

---

“IT’S DARK outside already and hyung still has not come home,” worried Yunho uttered to himself while looking at the bright stars outside with his hands inside his pocket. “He also never called me. He’s weird nowadays. I’m kind of being worried about him.”

That exact time, the door of the condominium opened and there, Mingi entered the room. “I’m home,” he uttered in his usual, cold tone. Yunho find it even weirder that Mingi has not exert a single force in greeting him. “Let me use the comfort room first, I’ll take a shower. Excuse me for a second.”

Yunho told himself that Mingi was just tired that time so he’s not on the mood to take jokes or even greet Yunho just for a second. “Oh,” Yunho’s only word that he muttered before Mingi left him alone beside the dining table where foods are already served. “Take your time, hyung. Let’s eat once you’re done.”

Yunho looked like he did not care at first but he was worrying. What if something bad happened? I’m worried. “He usually tell his problems to me but he did not tell me beforehand. Should I ask him what’s wrong?”

They were both sitting on the dining table, in front of each other. Tila ba naghihintay sila ang kung sino ang dapat maunang kumuha ng pagkain. “You should get your food first, young master.” What shocked Yunho is not the fact that Mingi talked first but the fact that Mingi called him something. “Young masters always get their food before their bodyguards do. I should do that too.”

Mag-isang gumalaw ang kamay ni Yunho at naglagay ng kanin sa kaniyang plato. The mood was not bright because it was started by Mingi calling him informally. “Hyung,” Yunho uttered, not removing his sight to Mingi whose head is looking down. “I told you not to call me like that, right?”

“I think it’s better this way, young master.” Mingi was avoiding gazes with Yunho who was looking intently. Mingi grabbed the serving spoon and started adding foods on his plate. “Let’s just stay as young master and bodyguard, Young Master Yunho. Let’s remain as that and not as something else that might make other misinterpret us.”

“Mingi-hyung, what are you talking about?” Yunho’s brows met at that exact time. “We are friends even before you became my bodyguard. We were childhood friend. How can we not be like that? Aside from that, you’re older than me, isn’t it too inappropriate for you to call me that?”

“But the age does not erase the fact that you’re still my master’s son. As a sign of respect, allow me to call you that, young master.” Smiley Mingi never showed in that whole conversation. He just nodded, as if someone higher than him is in front of him. “You should start eating, young master. I’ll eat once you are done eating your first spoon.”

“Geurae, if that’s what you want.” Padabog lang na kinuha ni Yunho ang kutsara bago kumuha ng kanin at inilagay sa kaniyang bibig. “Ewan ko sa ‘yo. I already told you to stop calling me informally and here you are, once again, doing that. Makatawag ‘tong ‘young master’, as if nothing already happened between us.”

Mingi did not mind Yunho talking and just started eating his food. “Let’s just forget anything that happened, young master. Can we do that?”

Yunho stopped from munching his food and looked intently at Mingi who was still looking below. “Ano bang problema mo?” Yunho uttered before putting the spoon on the plate with force. He breathed and sighed after. “It’s okay. If you want to forget it, then who am I to not follow my bodyguard? It might be for my safety. Out of topic but let me ask this, why are you late kanina?”

“I was with Maria after I went out of work,” Mingi replied while still not looking at Yunho directly. The disappointment and annoyance clouded Yunho after hearing those words. “I spent time with her, as what my dad told me, young master. We went to the amusement park and let her enjoy her life around my guidance—”

“Stop,” Yunho muttered and raised his hand up, refraining Mingi from talking more. “I worried for nothing. Akala ko kung ano nang nangyari sa ‘yo tapos nando’n ka lang pala sa amusement park, nag-eenjoy kasama ang fiancé mo.”

Mingi just nodded and showed a fake smile. “Yes, young master. You should not worry about me because I never told you to do so.” Yunho remained silent as if not expecting Mingi to utter that. “It’s my job to care for you because I’m the bodyguard. It’s not your job so I am asking you not to worry about me. We are not a thing for you to do that. It came from your mouth that we aren’t something.”

“Kailangan pala ng label para mag-aalala sa isang tao?” The frustration is visible on Yunho’s face. “Okay, I’ll stop worrying about you from now on. Ewan ko ba, ano bang nangyayari sa ‘yo, hyung? Why are you being like this?”

“It’s… nothing.” Mingi scooped his food and ate it afterwards. “I just want formality between us.”

Yunho stood up without eating his leftovers. “Nawalan na ako ng gana. If you want everything that you told me, fine. I’ll act like you’re nothing to me. You are my bodyguard and let’s remain like that as you said.”

He started walking and slammed the door upon entering. Mingi rubbed his palm around his face frustrated before pinning his gaze to the door where Yunho entered. “I… actually like it when you worry to me and I don’t want you to stop doing that for me…” Mingi turned his hand into a fist, stopping himself from standing and entering the room which Yunho entered. “Maybe in this way, the way I look at you will change. I don’t want to let myself have hopes high. I already know that only I think of you this way and you only treat me as your hyung but why can’t I stop?” Mingi stood up and cleaned the table. “I also feel sorry that I am using Maria as an excuse. It’s better for us to remain as a friend, I think, to remain as how you like it.”

Meanwhile, Yunho, who threw his body on the bed, was still filled with frustration and disappointment as to what happened on the dining area. “Why is he acting like a kid who want to play company game?” Yunho grabbed the pillow Mingi used to sleep on and covered his face with that. “But why are you getting annoyed with how he acted today, Yunho?” he talked to himself. Upon realizing what he uttered, he removed the pillow and looked at the air with confused eyes. “Nah, I’m just… curious; I guess. Nothing more.”

The door of the room opened and there, Mingi showed. He saw Yunho holding his pillow so the latter just threw it on the side and never looked at Mingi. “Young master, I have something to tell you right now.”

“That ‘young master’ thing is really annoying me.” Yunho turned his gaze to Mingi and raised his eyebrows. “Mwoga? Ppalli wa…”

Mingi cleared his throat before talking. “Let me sleep on the couch, young master.” Yunho’s eyebrows met and knotted. “Can I?”

“Maldo andwae,” Yunho uttered before grabbing Mingi’s pillow. He gripped it and threw at Mingi who caught it with his hand. “Just sleep here like we are nothing, kasi wala naman talagang tayo, ‘di ba?”

Mingi avoided gazes when Yunho tried to catch his sight. “But…”

“Who am I? I’m your young master, right? Then, follow what I said and sleep here beside me.” Silent Mingi just looked at him intently, not knowing what to do. Yunho, with his authoritative young master side, raised his eyebrow and looked at Mingi with glare. “What are you doing? Let us sleep already.”

Kaagad na tumalikod si Yunho at ipinikit ang mata. Wala nang ibang nagawa pa si Mingi kung hindi ang isara ang pinto at samahan si Yunho matulog. He laid his body on the left side of the bed. Before killing the light of the lamp, Mingi turned his gaze to where Yunho is sleeping. “Good night, young master.” He was actually expecting for Yunho to talk back but the latter never gave a damn. “Thank you for the meal, by the way. I’ll close the light and sleep already. Have a well sleep, young master.”