Chapter 2: Welcome to the House of Mild Suffering

Yuna's POV

By the time I finally reached my aunt's house, I was convinced that fate had a personal vendetta against me.

My suitcase was barely holding itself together, my legs were covered in dried mud, and I had just survived what I could only describe as a poultry-based assassination attempt.

The house was bigger than I expected—two stories, painted in a fading shade of blue, with a mismatched collection of potted plants crowding the front porch.

It was loud, too. Somewhere inside, a baby was wailing. A TV blasted an afternoon drama at full volume. And a dog barked furiously at something I couldn't see.

Before I could even knock, the front door swung open.

"Oi, you made it," a familiar voice said.

I turned to find the guy who had saved me from my chicken-related demise standing there, arms crossed.

Now that I wasn't in full survival mode, I got a better look at him. He had messy black hair, sun-kissed skin, and the kind of easy confidence that made him look like he belonged anywhere.

"Kai," he said, giving me a nod.

"Kai Dela Cruz. Just thought I'd introduce myself properly before your family descends on you."

As if on cue, a high-pitched shriek cut through the air.

"ATEEEE!!!"

Before I could react, something small and fast slammed into me. I stumbled back as a tiny human latched onto my waist like a koala.

"I missed you soooo much!" My little cousin, Lily, beamed up at me with sparkling eyes. She had two messy pigtails and a streak of what looked like chocolate on her cheek.

"We're gonna be best friends now!"

"Uh—"

"You can sleep in my room! I have lots of toys! Do you like unicorns? I love unicorns! Oh! And I have a secret hideout but you can only come if you pass my test!"

I blinked. "Test?"

Kai chuckled. "You're doomed."

Before I could demand more information, my aunt emerged from inside, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Yuna! You poor thing, look at you." She tsked loudly, giving me a once-over like I had barely survived a war.

"You're too fragile for this town! Such a city girl."

I resisted the urge to sigh. I knew this was coming.

"I'm fine, tita," I said, offering a tired smile.

"You're too thin! Do they not feed you in the city? You need to eat more! Come, come, I made adobo."

"See?" Kai smirked. "Told you."

I shot him a look, but before I could say anything, Lily grabbed my hand and started tugging me inside with surprising strength for someone half my size.

"Come on, Ate! You have to see my room! And my toys! And my sticker collection!"

Kai let out an amused breath, lifting my battered suitcase and stepping inside just far enough to set it by the door.

"Well, you're in good hands. I'll head out now," he said, flashing an easy grin.

"Try not to get chased by any more chickens."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me alone to face the full force of my new home's chaos.

I barely had time to breathe before Lily resumed dragging me through the house, giving me what could only be described as an overenthusiastic grand tour.

"This is the living room! That's Mama's favorite chair—don't sit there when she's watching her shows, or you'll never escape! And this is the kitchen, that's where the secret cookie stash is, but you didn't hear it from me! Oh! And this—"

"Lily, let her breathe," Aunt Rosa called from the dining area, shaking her head as she set plates down on the table.

"She just got here."

Lily pouted but finally released me, giving me a moment to actually take everything in.

The house was… lived-in, in the best way possible. The walls were covered with family photos, old school certificates, and decorative plates with inspirational quotes like "Live, Laugh, Love" and "God is good all the time."

The dining table was cluttered with fruit, newspapers, and what looked like a half-finished crochet project. The air smelled like warm rice and soy sauce—probably the promised adobo.

"It's a little messy, but you'll get used to it," Aunt Rosa said, already ushering me toward the food.

Messy was an understatement, but it had a certain charm. It felt… real.

But the dinner was a battlefield.

I had barely picked up my spoon when the interrogation began.

"So, how's school in the city?" Aunt Rosa asked, passing me a plate of adobo.

"It's good," I said carefully.

"You have a lot of friends there?" Uncle Ramon added, scooping a concerning amount of rice onto his plate.

"Uh, yeah."

"Boyfriend?"

I almost dropped my spoon. "What?"

"Ay, Yuna has no boyfriend!" Lily declared at full volume, like she had just uncovered a government secret.

The entire table erupted.

"Kawawa naman!" (Poor thing!)

"You're how old? And still single?"

"Maybe she's too focused on studying," Aunt Rosa suggested.

Ben, my older cousin, snorted. "Or maybe she's too scary."

I shot him a look. "I will stab you with my fork."

Aunt Rosa sighed, shaking her head. "City girls are so aggressive these days."

I shoved a giant spoonful of rice into my mouth and decided to let them talk. If there was one thing I had learned about family dinners, it was that resistance was futile.

By the time I survived the meal and the endless "you should eat more" comments, I was ready to collapse.

Except, of course, I didn't have my own room yet.

"You're sleeping with me!" Lily announced, dragging me down the hall.

I blinked. "What?"

"Mama said your room isn't ready yet, so we're sharing!"

I wanted to argue, but honestly, I was too tired. Besides, how bad could it be?

(Spoiler: Very bad.)

Lily's room was an explosion of stuffed animals, pink walls, and unicorn stickers. The bed I was supposed to sleep on was buried under dolls, and there was glitter in places there definitely shouldn't be glitter.

"I made space for you!" Lily said proudly, gesturing to a tiny corner of the bed.

Great. So I was basically a guest in the Land of Unicorns.

Still, I needed to finish some schoolwork (and secretly work on my music), so I waited until everyone else went to sleep before pulling out my notebook.

I had just started writing lyrics when disaster struck.

And by disaster, I mean a flying cockroach.

It came out of nowhere, launching itself at my face like it had been personally sent by the universe to assassinate me.

I froze. My brain short-circuited. Time slowed down.

Then—

"AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"

I YEETED my notebook across the room, flailed so hard I nearly rolled off the bed, and grabbed the nearest weapon—Lily's giant stuffed unicorn.

The cockroach, evil and unbothered, did a casual loop-de-loop in the air, probably laughing at me.

"Not today, demon!" I whisper-screamed, wielding the unicorn like a baseball bat.

Unfortunately, I had underestimated my own strength. I swung too hard, lost my grip, and the unicorn went flying—straight into Lily's face.

She bolted upright. "THE UNICORNS ARE ATTACKING?!"

"No—"

Too late. Lily, still half-asleep and running on instinct, grabbed a pillow and hurled it at me.

It hit me square in the face. I stumbled back, tripped over a pile of stuffed animals, and landed directly on a Barbie Dream House.

Plastic walls snapped. A tiny plastic horse cracked under my weight. Somewhere, Barbie was suing me for damages.

Meanwhile, my greatest enemy was thriving.

The cockroach zipped around like it had been training for this moment its entire life. I swear I saw it do a barrel roll.

"LILY, HELP ME!" I whisper-yelled, scrambling to my feet.

She blinked at me in the darkness. "Huh?"

"THERE'S A FLYING COCKROACH!"

She immediately flopped back onto the bed.

"Goodnight."

"LILY, YOU TRAITOR."

I had no choice. This was my fight.

Summoning every ounce of courage, I grabbed a slipper, squared my shoulders, and prepared for battle. What followed was five minutes of pure madness—me dodging, swinging, whisper-screaming, and the cockroach outmaneuvering me at every turn.

Finally, I managed to land one solid hit. The cockroach tumbled onto the floor, defeated.

Gasping for breath, I collapsed onto the bed, emotionally scarred.

Lily cracked one eye open. "Did you win?"

I stared at the ceiling. "I don't know… but I think I lost a part of my soul."

And that was the moment I knew.

I was never sleeping peacefully in this house again.

I needed a change of scenery. After my near-death experience with the cockroach, there was no way I was getting any work done in Lily's room.

So, like a totally normal and not-at-all sleep-deprived person, I grabbed my notebook, tiptoed out, and made my way to the kitchen.

The house was finally quiet. No screaming kids, no dramatic TV show in the background, no sudden flying insects trying to end my existence. Just me, the dim kitchen light, and the soft hum of the fridge.

Perfect.

I plopped down at the table, flipping open my notebook. My pen hovered over the page as I tried to piece together the half-finished lyrics swimming in my brain.

Okay, focus.

I had a deadline. I just needed to finish this one verse, then I could crash. Easy.

The problem was, my brain had been running on pure survival mode for the past hour, and now that the adrenaline was gone, exhaustion hit me like a bus.

My eyes drooped. My head felt too heavy for my neck. My handwriting turned into lazy scribbles.

Just one more line… I thought hazily, resting my head on one arm. Just… one…

The next thing I knew, I was jolted awake by the sound of footsteps.

I snapped upright so fast my notebook went flying off the table.

Aunt Rosa's voice floated in from the hallway.

"Did I leave the rice cooker on?"

Panic. Panic.

I scrambled to grab my notebook, but in my sleep-drunk state, I knocked over my pen. It clattered to the floor, rolling just out of reach.

A shadow appeared at the kitchen doorway.

I did the only thing my half-functioning brain could come up with.

I slammed my notebook shut and grabbed the nearest object—a spoon—holding it like I had been deep in thought about soup this whole time.

Aunt Rosa blinked at me. "Yuna? What are you doing?"

"Thinking." I nodded seriously, tapping the spoon against my chin for extra effect.

"About… uhh… cooking."

She frowned. "At two in the morning?"

"…Yes."

I could see the gears turning in her head as she glanced between me, the spoon, and my very much not food-related notebook.

I braced myself for interrogation.

But then she just sighed. "You city kids are so weird," she muttered, shuffling to check the rice cooker.

I waited. Held my breath.

After a moment, she switched it off, yawned, and started making her way back to her room.

I didn't move until I heard her door click shut.

Then, and only then, did I collapse onto the table, gripping my chest.

That was too close.

Lesson learned,No more late-night songwriting in the kitchen.

…Unless I wanted to die from a heart attack.

To be continued.