Althea stared at the ceiling, the tiny fan above them making a pitiful whirring sound that was more annoying than comforting. Jihoon was… still here. Still lying on the floor, snoring lightly, using her extra bath towel as a blanket like he lived here or something.
And the worst part?
He looked comfortable. Too comfortable.
"Hoy," she whispered sharply, nudging him with her foot. "Hindi ito AirBnB, ha."
Jihoon groaned and turned the other way, his black hair flopping over his eyes. "Five more minutes…"
"Hoy!" she repeated, this time louder.
He opened one eye lazily and blinked at her. "Morning, Altea."
"It's Althea. AL. THEE. YA," she said, enunciating like a kindergarten teacher. "Hindi ako kakanin, okay?"
Jihoon sat up, rubbing the sleep from his face. "Sorry. Al-thea. I remember now. Like... tea?"
She rolled her eyes. "Sure. Whatever helps your Korean brain process it."
The tension from last night had melted into something… else. Awkward? A bit. But oddly comfortable, like they had known each other longer than just one stormy evening.
"You really slept on the floor?" she asked, arms crossed as she stared at the towel balled up under his head.
"You offered. I respect boundaries," he said with a wink.
Ugh. Cute, Althea thought, and immediately hated herself for thinking it.
Jihoon stood and stretched, shirt riding up to reveal a very unfair amount of abs for this early in the morning.
"Okay, get out," she muttered, turning away. "Before my boss finds you and I get fired."
He gave a small salute, gathering his things—well, just his phone and a half-eaten bag of Boy Bawang he somehow found last night.
Before stepping out, he paused. "Hey, thanks… for not kicking me out when the thunder got bad."
Althea shrugged. "You looked like a kicked puppy. And I didn't want your fangirls rioting if you got electrocuted."
"Fangirls?" he laughed. "You think I'm famous?"
She gave him a look. "Please. You think I don't recognize that haircut? The turtleneck? The 'I'm not famous but I'm trying really hard not to be noticed' vibe?"
He froze in the doorway. "…So you know?"
Althea shook her head. "No idea who you are. And honestly? I don't care."
A long beat passed.
And then, Jihoon grinned. "That's refreshing."
He slipped out, and Althea quickly locked the door behind him. She leaned against it for a second, exhaling deeply.
What the hell was that?
Later that day...
"El Nido La Vista Baby Resort" buzzed with the usual chaos: guests complaining about lukewarm showers, kids crying over melted halo-halo, and a drunk foreigner yelling something about sea turtles in the lobby.
Althea was exhausted, running on two hours of sleep and pure kapeng barako.
She thought she imagined it when she spotted Jihoon again—now showered, styled, and wearing designer sunglasses that screamed I'm totally not a celebrity while doing the exact opposite.
He leaned on the front desk, smiling like he had all the time in the world.
"Room key replacement?" he asked. "I… uh, forgot mine. Again."
Althea narrowed her eyes. "Or you're just looking for excuses to bother me."
Jihoon leaned closer. "Can't it be both?"
"Sir," she said with mock professionalism, "if you keep losing your key, I'll have to personally escort you to your room each time."
"Promise?" he said with a grin.
Althea felt her face heat up and immediately looked away. She grabbed a spare key and handed it to him without looking.
"Don't come back," she muttered.
"See you later, Althea," he said, like it was already a done deal.
Jihoon walked away without looking back, flipping the key card between his fingers like he had just won a bet.
Althea groaned under her breath and ducked under the counter, pretending to sort receipts. Mostly just to hide the stupid smile tugging at her lips.
She needed a reset. A hard one. Cold water. A slap. Maybe a novena.
What was she doing? Entertaining a guest—even just with small talk—wasn't part of the job description. Especially not guests who look like rejected K-drama leads on vacation.
No. She was here to work. To survive. To not repeat the Carlos Disaster of 2022. She promised herself after that breakup, no more men who smile like they own the moon.
And yet.
And yet.
She caught herself glancing at the security camera feed where Jihoon disappeared around the corner, the monitor's grainy image still somehow making him look unfairly charming.
"You're staring," said her coworker, Mayen, suddenly appearing beside her with a mug of coffee and gossip-ready eyes.
Althea jumped. "I'm not!"
"You are. And so is he. Girl, that man is giving you the full episode one look."
"What does that even mean?"
"You know. That look the male lead gives right before the OST starts playing. Tapos may slow motion pa." Mayen hummed dramatically, pretending to be a violin. "'Because I see you~' ganern."
Althea smacked her arm. "Stop!"
But she laughed. A little. Okay, fine—a lot.
That night, she tried to push it all out of her mind. But as she walked to her staff dorm, the humidity sticking to her skin like clingy regret, she found herself stopping in front of Room 308.
His room.
She shook her head. "Nope. Absolutely not."
She turned to leave—and then the door creaked open.
"Althea?"
She froze.
There he was. Jihoon. Wearing pajamas that looked too cozy to exist in real life and holding a bag of takeout.
"I ordered extra," he said casually, lifting the bag. "Sinigang and… mango float. You like, right?"
"Are you bribing me with food?" she asked, suspicious.
"Yes."
She snorted.
"I also have ube ice cream," he added, wagging his brows.
Damn it.
That was her weakness.
"I'm not staying," she said, even as she stepped inside.
Jihoon didn't reply. He just handed her a spoon like it was a contract and turned on the TV. The familiar jingle of Maalaala Mo Kaya played softly in the background.
They sat on the couch. Eating. Not talking. Not needing to.
And for the first time in a long while, Althea let herself enjoy it.
No drama. No labels. Just sinigang, silence, and the quiet company of a man who, for all his fame and mystery, looked at her like she wasn't just another island girl passing through his vacation.
When he walked her back to her room that night, she turned before unlocking the door.
"Why are you really here, Jihoon?" she asked softly.
He met her eyes. "Because I needed to remember what it feels like to be a person. Not a product."
Althea's heart tugged. She didn't have a smart reply for that.
So she just nodded.
"Goodnight, Jihoon."
"Goodnight, Althea."
He walked away.
And she didn't stop him.
But as she closed the door behind her, she felt it.
This wasn't just a storm anymore.
Something was coming.
And she wasn't ready.