May 31— 8:00 A.M.

"Sissy, what's this? Your call logs are full of this person named 'Jinjin.' Are you sure this isn't a scammer?"

I was busy cooking the vegetables I sauteed at the frying pan. "No, he is not. We've had a video call once, too."

Miko found out that I've been communicating with Jinjin. And no matter how much I explain, he still couldn't believe it.

"I'm calling this guy— whoever his name is."

"Sure, go ahead. Only he can prove it anyways."

Placing the phone close to his ear, Miko was waiting for the other end to pick up. I turned off the stove and scooted near to eavesdrop.

"Hello, Nina! Good morning, how are you?"

Miko cleared his throat.

"Listen, you...are you really Jinjin like she said?"

"Oh, may I know who this is?"

"It's her brother. I'm here to check and confirm your identity."

"Ohh! You must be Miko, her little brother. Nice to meet you, Miko. I'm Jinjin."

Miko turned to me, his face twisted in confusion. "You really sound like him. Can you give me a sample of your rap in 'Gemini'?"

"Sure," Jinjin said. He cleared his throat and rapped, acapella style with no add-ons whatsoever. Just raw vocals.

Miko grasped the phone in his two hands, staring at it in amazement. "Whoa, you are Jinjin," bringing close to his ear again he exclaimed, "CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!"

I pulled back in amusement and guffawed. "Miko, don't tell me you're a Jinjin fan too?"

But my little brother didn't pay attention to me. His attention was fixed on the other end.

"Hmm, I could...give you an autograph, why not? It's going to be sent through your sister's number though, is that okay?"

Miko's eyes grew wide. "Wow! Yes, yes please! Thank you so much!"

Jinjin laughed. "Now, Miko...may I have a minute with your sister?"

Miko nodded like an obedient pup. "Sure, sure!" And handed the phone to me with a grin.

"He wants to talk to you, Sissy."

I gulped. "Me?" But I took the phone anyways, but not before instructing my brother to set up the table.

"Hello, Jinjin! Good morning~"

He chuckled. "Hi~ what are you doing this early?"

"I just finished cooking breakfast for us."

He whistled long and low. "For us? Thank you~"

I laughed. "I mean, you know. For the family."

"Yes, yes. I know that. Nina is a good cook, I'm sure."

I took off the apron and hung it back on the hook near the door. "You bet I am. How are you? Don't you have work today?"

"I'm on my day off, actually. Hey, Nina?"

"Yes?"

"You better eat on time, I'm sure you haven't had breakfast yet. Let's continue this later. I'm so glad I had the chance to chat with your brother."

"Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's a pleasant surprise. Thanks, Jinjin. Bye-bye."

"Bye~"

I ended the call. I met the eyes of my eager brother, who had been watching me the whole time.

"Hey. Did you set the table like I told you?"

Miko started his dance shuffle, shooting me finger guns with a derpy grin. "Eyyy, fast as I could. I can't wait to eavesdrop on what you two were talking about~"

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

"When do you think he'll send me that autograph, though?"

"Just wait, you'll see." I said, then gave him a glare. "Why didn't you tell me you looked up to Jinjin too before? Since when were you a fan, huh?"

Miko shrugged his shoulders. "When it comes to what I like and follow, I prefer to keep it low-key. I'm a classic, chill fan...unlike you."

I scoffed. "You should've told me. You're not that normal!"

••••••

After breakfast, I needed to do my laundry. Uh-huh. Saturday is laundry day for me.

Since I wash clothes by hand, it takes longer than the usual. By the time I finished, it's already lunchtime.

With my stomach growling, I reached for that instant cup noodles and poured hot water in it. While waiting for it to cook, I checked the message Jinjin sent.

Jinjin: Hey, Nina. I decided to leave you a special gift at your account. That's for the 5th Generation AROHA Kit you've always wanted to have.

I can't wait to welcome you into our official fanclub! Thank you for being so supportive of me and ASTRO all those years...hope you'll stay by our side in the years to come.

I went online immediately and checked my account.

My hands couldn't stop shaking. He really did it. "Oh my goodness..!"

I made sure to finish up my lunch before calling him.

As the phone rang, I couldn't contain the joy I felt that I started getting emotional.

Sadly, after several rings, he didn't pick up.