By the time Llana got home, she could barely keep her eyes open.
All she wanted was to go straight to bed and sleep, but her skin felt sticky with sweat, and she smelled terrible.
There was no way she could sleep like that.
Well, technically, she could. She was tired enough to sleep anywhere at this point.
But she would definitely regret it the moment she woke up.
So despite how tired she was, Llana dragged herself into the bathroom and took a shower.
Half an hour later, she stepped out wearing an oversized shirt and sweatpants while rubbing her short hair with a towel.
Llana yawned as she walked toward her dresser, pulled out the hair dryer, and plugged it in. Warm air blew against her head as she lazily moved it from side to side.
Short hair really was much easier to manage. At least cutting it had one clear advantage.
Once she was done, she returned the hair dryer to the drawer, tossed the wet towel into the laundry basket, and stumbled toward the bed.
"Finally," Llana mumbled.
She slipped under the covers, grabbed an extra pillow, and hugged it tightly as she snuggled into the mattress.
Her body relaxed almost immediately, making her let out a soft sound of relief.
This was all she needed.
Sleep.
A lot of it.
*Grrruuuh*
Her stomach growled.
"Oh, come on. I'll feed you later. Just let me sleep first," she grumbled, burying her face deeper into the pillow.
She had not eaten anything since yesterday morning, so it was no surprise that her stomach was complaining.
*Grrruuuh*
Llana shut her eyes tightly and tried to ignore it, but another loud growl came a few seconds later.
*Grrruuuh*.
She slowly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the wall.
"Haa…"
With a tired sigh, Llana reluctantly pushed the blanket aside, dragged herself out of bed, and made her way toward the kitchen.
She might as well eat now. She would not be able to sleep with an empty stomach anyway, and the last thing she needed was to make herself sick.
As she walked, the delicious aroma of fried garlic reached her nose, making her stomach growl again.
Oh, she had missed that smell.
"Morning, Nanay," Llana greeted.
Maria stood in front of the stove, busy cooking. Her caretaker, whom Llana also considered her grandmother and mother, had returned from vacation almost a week ago.
Maria glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to the pan.
"You're up early. Go back to sleep while I prepare something for you to eat."
"I'm hungry. I can't sleep."
Llana sat on one of the stools beside the kitchen island and rested her cheek against her palm. She took a deep breath as the smell of garlic rice reached her.
"Is that sinigang? It smells good."
Maria paused and looked at her, shaking her head in amusement.
"It's sinangag, not sinigang."
Llana furrowed her brows.
"I never said sinigang. I said sinangag."
"You said sinigang."
"No, I didn't."
"You did."
Llana stared at her for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Nanay, you need to have your hearing checked."
Maria gave her a flat look in return.
"My hearing is perfectly fine. You're the one who doesn't know what she's saying."
"I know what I said."
"Of course you do."
The amusement in Maria's voice made Llana narrow her eyes.
She was certain she had said sinangag.
One hundred percent certain.
"What time did you get home last night? I didn't even notice you come in. Sorry about that."
Maria rinsed her hands, took a clean cup, and began preparing some warm milk for Llana.
"I only got home about an hour ago," Llana answered lazily.
Maria suddenly stopped.
"Nanay, I don't want milk. Give me coffee instead."
"What?! You just got home? From that company?!"
She stared at Llana in horror, completely missing her request for coffee.
"How could they let a child work for twenty-four hours?! Is that even allowed? I'll go there myself later and give them a piece of my mind!"
Maria placed the glass of warm milk into Llana's hands before continuing.
"On top of that, you're still recovering!"
"Those merciless, heartless capitalists!"
Llana watched the Filipina launch into an angry rant. She tried to speak, but Maria continued before she could even open her mouth properly.
Llana looked down at the glass in her hands and reluctantly took a sip.
Once a Filipina mother started scolding, you would never hear the end of it.
"Nanay, please calm down." Llana scratched her temple as she tried to calm the agitated older woman. "I actually came from the mansion, not the company."
Maria paused.
"The mansion?"
"Yes."
"And what were you doing there? Training?" Maria shot back. "How could your father allow that? Is he out of his mind?"
"You can barely get any rest, and he still wants you to go through that training?!"
"Didn't he even think about your well-being?"
"He did, Nanay. That's exactly why he wants me to train in the first place." Llana took another sip of milk. "And I don't mind. I can handle it."
Maria opened her mouth to argue again but stopped when she looked closely at Llana.
"You always say that," she muttered.
"I'll sleep after I eat," Llana said.
"You better."
Maria sighed as her gaze moved over Llana's tired face before settling on her short hair.
Even after almost a week, she still seemed surprised whenever she looked at it.
Maria walked closer and gently cupped Llana's face.
"You've really grown up…"
Llana blinked at the sudden change in her tone.
"Hm… I guess I have."
She smiled softly before wrapping her arms around Maria.
Maria hugged her back without hesitation.
Llana closed her eyes for a moment. She was slowly getting used to this kind of affection.
It was warm.
After a moment, Maria gently pulled away.
"But growing up doesn't mean you can neglect your health," she reminded her. "Now, eat."
She returned to the stove and placed a generous serving of food in front of Llana.
"Eat plenty, then make up for all the sleep you've missed."
"Wow! Tapsilog?!"
Llana's sleepy eyes immediately lit up when she saw what was on the plate. She quickly picked up her spoon and fork.
A familiar feeling of nostalgia washed over her.
Back in her previous life, tapsilog had been one of her favourite lunch meals. Although it was better known as a breakfast dish, she often ate it for lunch because it was one of the cheapest complete meals available at the local karinderia.
The sweet beef tapa, fragrant garlic fried rice, and fried egg were simple, filling, and enough to keep her going through the rest of the day.
She had not realised how much she missed it until now.
Just as she was about to take her first bite, a deep, husky baritone voice sounded from behind her.
"Hey, what's that? It smells really good."
Llana froze, her spoon stopping before it reached her mouth.
She slowly turned around and saw a tall, handsome young man walking toward the kitchen island with an easy smile on his face. Dressed casually in a black T-shirt and jeans, his eyes were fixed on the food in front of her.
"E… Eh?!"
"Taehyung?!"
Why is he here?