March 6, 2020
“I got the perfect nickname…” Jin started to say as the door to Bella’s room opened. It was 1045am. He was surprised to see a shirtless Namjoon opening the door. “Joonie? You’re already here?”
Namjoon closed the door behind Jin. “Yes, Jin-hyung. JK and I rested here.”
Jin nodded slowly. “I see.”
“I was on the other bed, Jin-hyung.” Namjoon pointed to the sleeping couple on the twin bed. A silence fell between them.
Namjoon cleared his throat. “Jin-hyung, I know you love Bella as much as you care for each one of us. But I think we need to be more lenient with these two. Bella’s not Korean. We cannot force our culture on her.” Namjoon begun.
“I was raised in a conservative Korean home, Joonie. You know that. Finding out that they all shared the same bed, three grown men and a woman..”
“I do, hyung. But these two, what they need are guidance and acceptance. No more, no less.” Namjoon pointed out.
“Yeah, I see it, Joonie.”
“JK was fifteen, hyung. His teenage years were largely spent in a bubble. Bella is his doorway and stepping stone to a different way of life. I know you can see that she is good for him.”
Jin sighed. “I’m not against them being together, Joonie. My only point is that I value our culture of conservatism. I know Bella doesn’t have any parental figure in her life and I feel like its my responsibility to take care of her in that sense.”
“You’re not that much older than her, hyung. Six years, seven years tops. There’s no need to take on that kind of burden. All five of us are here to share that load with you. We all consider Bella family.”
“JK’s lucky he’s a second son. There’s no burden on him to continue on the tradition of keeping the Korean bloodline intact.”
Namjoon laughed. “You know you’re talking to a first-born son, right, Jin-hyung? Plus, JK’s parents are not that conservative and strict. They will love Bella, I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, I know and don’t forget I’m also speaking as a second son. Thankfully my hyung is already in a good relationship with a Korean girlfriend.”
“Just promise me you’ll go easy on them, Jin-hyung, okay? I’m sure Kook is slowly introducing our culture to her. Even Taehyung is teaching her words and phrases. She is adapting but just remember that she’s Filipino. She also has her own set of values and culture that she works with. We can’t force our own on her.”
A soft knock came on the door. Jin nodded and went to answer it.
Yoongi and Hobi walked in. “Kamsamnida, Jin-hyung.” They both said.
Bella started to stir. She opened her eyes to see a shirtless Namjoon, Jin in a bright yellow Hawaiian looking shirt, Yoongi in a plain white shirt with the letters FG printed in the middle and Hobi in a white cotton shirt under an oversized denim shirt assembled in her room. All four of them had denim shorts on. “What time is it? Did we oversleep?” She blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
“No, no, Bella. We’re just early.” Yoongi assured her.
She nodded, her head still feeling foggy. She gently roused Jake awake.
He opened one eye first. Then the left one. He kissed Bella’s cheek. “Morning, baby.”
“That has got to be a record.” Hobi observed. “JK never wakes up that fast!”
Jake threw a throw pillow at him.
“Ah, good to see the JK we know and love still buried in there somewhere.” Hobi teased, catching the pillow.
Bella giggled as she sat up in bed. “I’ll bet everyone’s hungry. Did you want to go to the mall? Or just have Jake and I buy food and eat it here in the room?”
“Let’s go see the mall.” Jin answered.
Bella nodded. “Give me a minute, Jin-oppa. I have to do my girly things. Be right back.” She went to the bathroom and freshened up. She parted her hair down the middle and placed each part into a mini bun. She took one face blotting paper and gently patted it across her face. Applying a light tint to her lips, she checked her reflection in the mirror as she stepped out.
“Okay, let’s go guys!” Bella called, wearing her sling bag.
“You look like Chun Li.” Yoongi told her.
“That was the point, Yoongi-oppa.” Bella winked.
Now wearing their hats and face masks, the four idols followed Jake and Bella out of the room, down the staircase and to the lobby. They walked towards the pedestrian lane and crossed the street into the mall.
“Are you guys okay with pizza and pasta?” Bella turned to look back at the four gentlemen behind her and Jake.
“I’ll eat anything, baby sis!” Namjoon replied. “Except maybe seafood.”
“Sounds good.” Yoongi seconded.
“Alright, then! Follow me, please!” Bella led them to the right side of the mall and into a Greenwich restaurant.
“How did you know this was here, baby?” Jake asked, while they were both in line. Yoongi had stayed with them while Namjoon, Jin and Hobi had gone to reserve their seats at a quiet corner of the restaurant. “Is this not your first time in the city?”
Bella tickled Jake’s waist. “See, that was how I felt when you were taking me around Taipei Main Station. I did wonder why you knew to go left or right and where the store with good pork pepper buns were. Anyway, It’s my second time. I came here in late 2018 to have my passport renewed.” Bella supplied. “There’s a DFA office on the second floor.”
“DFA?” Yoongi inquired.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs, oppa. I flew in to get the passport renewal, stayed the night and left early in the morning.” Bella explained.
“Is there no DFA office in Cebu?” Jake was curious.
“There is, baby. But you have to understand, Cebu is the second largest city in the country. The appointments were blocked out for months and months. I had to make sure my passport would be renewed early ahead of my Batam trip.”
“That couple’s trip that turned into a solo one.” Jake remembered.
"I’m not even going to ask.” Yoongi deadpanned.
“Maybe at the hotel, oppa. We can talk about it later if you want. Anyway, this was the only DFA office that had appointments open so I went for it. I promised myself I would come back to see the sights at least. No time like the present.” Bella explained.
“At least you get to see it with us, Princess!” Jake said.
“True.” She replied.
When it was time to place their order, the trio ordered both the Group Pizza meal and the Group Pasta Meal. Yoongi handed the cashier the payment and they were given a number for their food. They each took two glasses of Iced Tea back to their table, where the rest of the group was waiting.
“I didn’t get the chance to tell you, Bella. I found the perfect nickname for you.” Jin told her as she sat down. Bella was seated in between Yoongi and Jake. Namjoon, Jin and Hobi were across them.
Hobi turned to look at Jin. “I’m excited to hear this, hyung.”
Jin rubbed his hands together. “You ready?”
They all leaned in.
“ChiChi.”
Blank expressions were on everyone's faces. Yoongi blinked twice in rapid succession.
“ChiChi.” Jin repeated. “You know, like Chihuahua? Chichi?”
Yoongi groaned loudly and Namjoon looked down, biting his lip.
Hobi looked at Bella. “Well, if we’re going to keep naming our little sister after dogs, I’m choosing ‘Corgi’ as her pet name.”
Namjoon threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m sticking to baby sis. You’re never going to change my mind.”
“I’m going with P, then.” Yoongi declared.
“P, hyung?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
“P for poodle. I love poodles. Min Holly is a poodle, remember?”
Bella rested her head on Jake’s left shoulder. “Okay, let me summarize. ChiChi, P, Baby Sis, Corgi and puppy.” She said, counting them off her fingers. “We’re just missing one more.”
“We can call him later when we get back to the hotel.” Jake said.
“I see you’re okay with it, Bella?” Jin wanted to make sure.
“Of course, oppa. It would be way easier to hide my identity that way.” Bella assured him.
Jake turned to look at Bella. “Speaking of which. Baby, have you considered maybe wearing a face mask too when you’re with me or us? I know you said it’s not that common for non-medical professionals here to be wearing them but it does offer an extra layer of anonymity.”
“We do use my real name when making reservations and bookings, baby. If people really dig deep, they will be able to find out my name anyway.”
“Those should be covered by a data privacy act though, Chichi.” Jin explained.
“Companies have to legally protect the identities of their clients. Management knows that.” Namjoon added.
“If it comes down to it, the company can sue them for disclosing your name.” Hobi offered.
“I’m not an artist under your company, oppa. They don’t have any claim on me or motive to protect me.” Bella reasoned.
“But I am, baby. They have a legal obligation to ensure that none of us get into scandals and that all of our family members and significant others are hidden from the general public. It’s written into our contracts.” Jake informed her.
“Is it?” Bella was surprised.
“I threw that in there.” Namjoon gave a dimpled smile.
“I was under the impression that your company did not allow you to date.”
“During our trainee days, P. There had to be no distractions on our path to being an idol.” Yoongi said. “But we’re all maturing and growing up. Some of us want to have families when this very public life is over. One of us in particular over the rest.”
“Forgive me. But if that’s true, then where was your company when the Geoje scandal broke out?”
Namjoon took a deep breath. “That was one small hiccup. It was an independent pap. It definitely took the company for a spin.”
“Plus, I wasn’t making any efforts to hide anything at the time. She was just a friend and I thought nothing of the interactions with her and our other friends. I know better now.” Jake confessed.
“In any case, it would be a smart choice to continue on as we have been doing. Joining JK for his visits with you, hiding our faces, not mentioning our names in public.” Jin pointed out. “Maybe wearing a mask while with us is a good idea, Chichi. Just consider it, at least.”
“Alright, oppa.”
The waiter then arrived and laid out their orders on the table. They all digged in and ate heartily.
