still

Chapter 2: Reconnecting

"I'm taking it!"

"I'm taking it!"

"I'm taking it!"

It rung through my ears on the way home.

I can't believe I had the confidence to actually say that, much more agreeing to take on the job,a partnership with a big company,

in South Korea.

I wasn't the only one though, Jen and Lia agreed as well, and they were more excited than willing. Kyle decided to stay 'to guard home base,' and Miss Holly had other plans somewhere in Europe.

The sudden decision did somehow unlock several memories.

Happy and painful memories.

I remember my first trip to the beautiful land of Kdramas and Kpop.

My sisters, and three friends of ours traveled together, mainly to attend the final concert of the Bulletproof Boy Scouts, and exploring came in second.

Our trip was perfectly planned out from our flight, hotel reservation, transportation, kdrama locations, shopping sprees, and more, to specific time slots allocated for each place we visited.

Colette planned the entire trip and even created a PowerPoint presentation. She did such a good job that she would joke around giggling "I might as well open up my own travel and tours business."

She was half joking, considering that she is now based in Shanghai managing a chain of restaurants and cafes.

Fiona was very mature for her age then and studied really well. She's now a psychologist in Germany who goes to and fro cities and towns, visiting clients and enjoying a vacation-like life.

Joanne, I could never forget her, is actually Colette's cousin, and we first met on the day of our flight. She has little updates of her life, but from what I have heard and seen on the local news, she has become a well-known lawyer in the Philippines.

My sister, Jane, studied with Fiona from the 12th grade til their last year in college. She and Fiona work together but in different sides of the globe. Jane is a psychiatrist in the Philippines, travelling from one island to the next, busy with both work and relationships. She comes home on special occasions such as relatives birthdays, Christmas, and New Year's.

I looked out the car window, where the night sky sparkled of stars and the full moon shone as the center of attention.

"The sky was exactly like this," I whispered to myself.

"What was that?" Mr. Cecil, my family driver, asked.

"Oh, nothing ." I replied

I fell asleep for the rest of the car ride home.

I arrived home, walked through the front door...

"Jazzy!"

Jane rushed to hug me the moment I stepped foot in the house. We almost fell.

"You're home?" I asked her in a playful manner.

"You didn't want me home?" was her reply.

We laughed and hugged each other.

After dinner and a warm shower, I caught up with Jane, asking her details of what she has been up to, where she has gone, and the like.

"So," I started, while drying my hair, "who have you met this time?" I smirked.

She stuck her tongue out childishly and replied, "No more of that, I am tired and 

want to live the single life."

"I just arrived from Leyte, and you would not believe the number of clients and patients I had there," she continued, "how about you? What's going on in your life?"

"Just today, I agreed to work on a project in Seoul."

"You aren't just going for work, I presume?"

I smiled at her, not knowing exactly what to say.

"Anyways, before you arrived I got off the phone with Colette, seems like she too came from a trip recently. Was it Wuhan or Hunan? I don't remember, but she wants to catch up some time soon. Not in person though, she's still in China, but our old group chat perhaps."

"The Bulletproof Girl Scouts group chat? Sure, why not! I haven't heard from Joanne lately too, maybe she'll reply this time."

We watched a classic movie when I hear my phone's notification ringtone go off.

I checked my phone to see our 'Bulletproof Girl Scouts' group chat alive again after 2 years or so.

It was from Colette.