Absinthe

Smoke continued to billow out of the engine, so I rushed to unlatch my seatbelt.

"Shouldn't we hurry out of this thing? It looks like it's about to explode!"

"Relax," Jiwoo said with a laugh. "That shit only happens in the movies."

Nevertheless, both of us got out of the pickup truck and went in front of it. The smoke showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Do you know how to fix cars?" I asked Jiwoo.

"Nope," he said. "I learned how to drive, but I never had a car to tinker with. You?"

"I learned how to drive in Korea where all car services are just a phone call away. Most insurance companies promise to get to where your vehicle breaks down within 30 minutes."

Instead of reacting, Jiwoo used the crook of his arm to cover his nose and mouth and braved the smoke to open the hood. As he did so, more smoke came out, and he ran back to me, coughing.

"Genius move," I joked. "Let me try my phone. I'm sure we can call Nico to ask someone from the hotel to rescue us."

I opened the rear door of the pickup and retrieved the device from my bag.

"Shit," I said, loud enough for Jiwoo to hear me. "No signal."

"I figured," he remarked.

Once I was standing beside him again, I saw that most of the smoke had subsided. The engine was burnt.

"Must have overheated," I said. "What do we do now?"

"We can walk?" Jiwoo suggested, but it sounded more like a question than a statement.

"We're halfway to the resort, which means we're also halfway to the root crop farm. And there are no lights. I don't think walking's a good idea."

"Why? You scared of what lurks in the dark?" he asked, snickering. "I can hold your hand."

It then dawned on me: Was this one of Jiwoo's tricks to get me to spend time with him? I eyed him sharply, and he stopped chuckling.

"What's wrong?"

"I swear to God, Jiwoo, if this is one of your moves to get me to do that HHWW thing, I'm going to kill you."

"HHWW?" he asked innocently, but I had a feeling he was faking it.

"Holding Hands While Walking!" I said, annoyed.

"Are you seriously angry?" Jiwoo's grin could not get any wider. "Look, if I were to come up with a scheme to seduce you, it's not going to be like this. I've never thought about subjecting you to the discomforts of the mountains. You're too posh for that."

I frowned at his assumption. "You don't know anything about me."

"I agree," he said. "So why don't we make the most of this situation and get to know each other better?" He took my hand and dragged me closer to the car.

"What's your game plan?" I asked. "Sitting all cramped up inside?"

the pickup. Then, he unlocked the door and placed his bag on it. He proceeded to take out some blankets,

gonna be a dead man,"

to be out here all by yourself." He chuckled again while removing his shoes and hopped onto the back of the pickup. He opened the thermos, and a sliver of steam hissed out of

my shoes to join him. He helped me lie

must mean you chose me instead." He climbed

I said, averting my gaze by turning

"Gladly."

was kidding, but he proceeded to breathe on the exposed part of my neck. It was kind of working, to be honest, but there was no way I was having

this all along, didn't you?" I asked in the most

stopped fooling around and lied down beside me. "I didn't. Why would I want you to experience

out a sigh. "We

could see Orion's Belt glimmering just a few inches from the bright moon, its full beauty

poor,

Are you talking about the one I've met, or do you

in profile as it was when viewed from

to face me too, and my insides melted. He raised his hand and lifted his

mine to seal our deal of

"Yeah?" he asked, curious.

"Her real name's Diwata."

infectious that I started laughing hard, too. I know I shouldn't be making

think it's an indication of how poor our families were—well-off couples don't often use that kind of name." I struggled to get the words out because I couldn't stop giggling. "She hated it so much! She would come to school, hunt down our teachers, and beg them to change her name on the class register so none of our friends would

and I laughed some more before he finally asked, "How'd she come up

diwata means fairy or fae, hence

get

could see the stars and the moon. "Her parents are

get that rich?" Jiwoo

"She married Henry Gonzales."

"Intentionally?"

when we

to put my head on his lap. I knew it

someone who comes from a long line of absurd wealth, like Crazy Rich Asians level. And Unli-Liver is only his father's family's contribution to their riches—his mother and her relatives are even more affluent. They were practically Chinese royalty who fled to the Philippines and started business

that," Jiwoo said. "Faye looks classy and elegant all the time.

bitch who snagged their family's beloved heir. That's why she constantly has to prove to them that

that,

has," I answered, suddenly feeling sad for her. "Faye has

"Really? Not you?"

the same interest in studies as he did. I was the boy who often got lost in books and

"And Faye?"

would say, but she's smart about everything. I loaned her nearly all the money I'd earned during my first few years of work, and she used it to grow a small business empire. Of course,

my hair gently, which sent waves of heat from my head to

meeting my eyes. "Enough about Faye.

mom and dad were teachers," I replied. "Private Catholic school teachers. That's the sole reason why we could afford to study in that

gave me a puzzled

could have afforded it if my parents hadn't been employed there. My dad's the eldest among eight, and my grandparents were farmers. Dad had to support his siblings, too. Mom, on the other hand, was an orphan, the youngest

school, our tuition fees were waived. Mine