Erina's Curse (FILIPINO)

Chapter 3

"Bitches, wake up!"

Kung normal ako at hindi ko kilala si Leina, magugulat ako kung bakit may sigaw nang sigaw sa loob ng kwarto na para bang may sunog at naiwan sa loob ng bahay lahat ng love letters ng jowa niyang cheater din naman sa huli. Pero dahil hindi ako normal at kilalang-kilala ko naman kung gaano kaingay si Leina, I just let it go.

"Leina, shut up! Para kang bakang nanganganak!" Iratadong sabi ni Raqi sabay talukbong ulit ng pink niyang comforter.

I haven't talk to her about what I saw yesterday yet. Hindi ko kasi alam kung anong sasabihin ko sakanya. I don't even know what to feel about it. Should I feel betrayed dahil hindi man lang niya sinabi saamin ang tungkol sa relasyon nila ni Nathan? I really don't know what to do. But one thing's for sure, hindi ko kayang magalit kay Raqi. Not when I just saw a glimpse of her story. I need to hear her explanations first. Raqi acts tough on the outside but she's just as soft as any of us despite her looks.

"Mga bruha, alam niyo bang according to shutup@fuck.com, ang pag-iingay ay cause ng kawalan ng lovelife?" nagising na din si Sassy sa sigawan ni Raqi at Leina.

"Sassy, alam mo din bang ANG HINDI BABANGON ASIN AT TUBIG ANG BREAKFAST," nagsibangon na din kaming lahat nung si Kesha na yung sumigaw habang nakatayo sa may pintuan.

"Saturday nanaman! Bukas Sunday na tapos Monday na ulit..." I sleepily mumbled while walking like a zombie towards the kitchen.

If it isn't obvious yet, the five of us live in the same house. It's one of the many rules of the company, that the members live together to maximize time at para na din daw mabilis ang communication whenever the group is needed on several occasions.

GreyHouse, as what we call our home, is a modern bungalow with a high ceiling located in a private village owned by the company. Malapit lang sa H&H building kaya very convenient for us. We can actually just walk from here to work but unfortunately, we cannot do that without causing a commotion. Mga producers at managers lang din ang mga kapit-bahay namin at magkakalayo pa kaya sobrang tahimik at peaceful. The village is heavily guarded and residents are the only ones allowed to enter. This made jogging and walking our pets easier.

"Ina, paabot naman ng syrup please..." Leina said.

Inabot ko naman sakanya ang maple syrup na nasa kabilang dulo ng black long table. The 8-seater table is filled with pancakes, French toasts and fruit bowls. Kesha even shaped the pancakes like Pandas which made it harder to eat kasi sobrang cute.

"Why did you make the pancakes like this? You know I like Pandas, how am I supposed to eat them?" nakapout na reklamo pa ni Sassy.

"Gaga 'to, kung ayaw mo edi sa akin nalang", aabutin na sana ni Raqi ang pinggan nang nilayo naman agad ito ni Sassy sabay subo din sa pancakes.

"Alam mo Sassy ang gu---" I began to say.

"Hindi ko pa alam", Sassy immediately cut me off. Ang sarap talaga isako ng babaeng to para ipakain sa sharks.

"Seo Sun-Hee, tingin ka sa taas," I called her real name kaya tumingala naman siya kaagad.

"Kita mo yang moth-like chandelier natin? Magiging Sassy-like yan kasi isasabit kita kapag hindi mo ako pinatapos," kunwaring galit kong sabi. Tumango naman siya ng paulit-ulit kaya nagmukha siyang yung aso na gumagalaw galaw yung ulo.

"You said you like chickens, pero pati buto ng manok hindi mo pinapatawad whenever we eat them. You said you like cows but you eat half of my burger after you're done with yours. So you see, you eat what you like. So ang tanong ko lang naman, dapat na ba kaming kabahan para sa future jowa mo kasi baka kainin mo rin siya?"

"Gaga, ang pasmado ng bibig mo!" The girls laughed while Sassy threw me her table napkins. Tumawa nalang din ako because I'm aware of the double meaning.

"Wow, and demure ni Sun-Hee ha", pang-asar naman ni Kesha.

"Ulul", sagot naman ni Sassy na nagpatawa muli sa aming lahat.

Raqi and I wash the dishes after we ate. Ganun naman ang nakagawian namin, kung sinong hindi magluluto ay siya ang maghuhugas.

Dapat ko na bang kausapin si Raqi about Nathan? I don't think it's the right time kaya natapos kaming maghugas ng wala akong binabanggit.

Naligo na din kami kaagad at nag-ayos dahil may training pa kami.

"Oh, kumusta ligo mo? Baka nag-swimming ka nanaman dyan ah," tumatawang sabi sa akin ni Leina. Bumalik kasi ako ng dressing room looking wet all over. Kinuwento ko naman sakanila kung anong nangyari except the part where Greek god came to my rescue. Kinikilig parin ako kapag naalala ko. When they asked about the coat, sinabi ko nalang na there was a kind staff who lend me his suit.

We were just chilling out in the bedroom when we heard our van outside. It didn't even take 15 minutes for us to arrive in H&H. Sinalubong naman kami ng assistants for our duffel bags at dumiretso na sa conference room for our meeting with the managers.

The meeting ended briefly kasi yung performance lang naman kahapon ang pinag-usapan. Na-brief narin kami para sa event mamaya. We'll have a meet-up with fans later tonight sa DeLi. DeLi is a well-known place for meet-ups because it's an open court na may food stalls. The place is extra spectacular kapag gabi dahil sa mga pailaw na nakasabit sa mga puno sa paligid ng venue.

Dumiretso na kami sa music room to polish our upcoming songs. Two of our new songs have bop beats kaya paniguradong patayan nanaman sa practice. Our dance instructor and choreographer are both competent kaya magaganda talaga ang kinakalabasan ng mga performances namin. The dance breaks are really complicated and unique kaya palagi ring trending. We were about to sing our RnB song for the third time when our vocal coach called for a break.

"Coming Home to You is a breath of fresh air, really. The melody is superb! Nice job as always, Erina."

Kesha said talking about the song I composed. Most of our songs are written by me. I love writing songs, kasi doon ko nailalabas lahat ng nasa puso ko. I have this notebook, filled with unreleased songs. The company didn't want me to release them because the theme does not reflect the Erina that they were selling. Erina for them should be this perfect, gorgeous girl na friendly at approachable. Which is kind of a bummer because I'm extremely sarcastic and bitchy. Though members lang naman ang nakakaalam non kasi sakanila lang ako totoo. They are my family indeed.

"CR lang ako," biglang sabi ni Raqi sabay tayo at tumatakbong lumabas sa music room.

"Ihi lang din muna ako guys," pagpapaalam ko sa members bago ko sundan si Raqi. I think this is the right time to confront her, hindi ako pinapatulog ng nalaman ko. Hindi din kasi ako sanay magtago ng sikreto kila Kesha.

Naabutan ko si Raqi na naghuhugas ng kamay sa sink. "Raqi...." Lumingon naman siya sakin sabay ngiti. "Oh ano? May balak ka nanamang mag-swimming sa banyo?" natatawa niya namang sagot.

Huminga ako ng malalim bago ko siya tinitigan sa mata. "May relasyon ba kayo ni Nathan?" her expression changed from smiling into shock. "W-What? How did you know? Erina, I can explain...." Naiiyak na sabi niya saakin sabay hawak sa kamay ko.

"Raqi, please don't cry. Hindi ako galit, okay? Alam mo namang hindi ko kayang magalit sayo eh," naiiyak ko na ding sabi. "I just want you to explain.....kasi naguguluhan din ako eh, at kinakabahan ako para sayo because we both know that this is not allowed," I exclaimed while enveloping her into my embrace.

"I'm in love with Nathan. Magta-tatlong buwan palang kami pero alam kong totoo 'tong nararamdaman namin sa isa't isa," Raqi said while tears are screaming down her face. She continued to tell me how they met, kung paano sila nagkabungguan sa hallway. Medyo natatawa nalang din ako kasi nakakaloka lang 'to si Raqi sa sobrang cheesy. She also told me about how they were struggling to keep their relationship a secret but they had no choice.

"Erina, I know na andami ko ng utang sayo pero pwede bang humingi ng pabor? Pwede bang 'wag mo munang sabihin 'to sa iba?" kahit naman hindi niya sabihin, hindi ko talaga ipagsasabi. It's her life, it's here business.

"Ofcourse....but you'll tell them soon, right?" hindi talaga ako komportable na may sikreto.

"Oo naman, after this album siguro. Ayokong ma-distract kayo, and I know that we need to focus," nagtagal pa kami sa banyo dahil nagkwento pa si Raqi ng tungkol sakanila ni Nathan. Kilig na kilig siya habang iniisa isa lahat ng surprises at sweet gestures nilang mag-jowa.

"Haynako! Parang tuod naman to, wala man lang karea-reaksyon. Palibhasa you don't know the feeling. Malalaman mo kapag nagmahal ka na Erina," dahil sa sinabi niya, naalala ko nanaman si Greek god. I blushed profusely and she seemed to notice my change of expression.

"Wait....you're blushing! Omg don't tell me may boyfriend ka na rin?" she squealed na agad ko namang sinita kasi baka may makarinig saamin.

"Boba! Wala.......pa," I shyly said kaya nakatikim nanaman ako ng kurot galing sa tumitiling babaeng to.

"Tara na nga sa music room, dun mo ikwento dali!" hinila na niya ako palabas ng banyo. Nakasalubong naman namin sila Kesha. Turns out cancelled ang vocal practice dahil may emergency meeting ang mga vocal coaches.

"Pwede na daw tayo umuwi for now. Dein and his team will just meet us in the house for the event later," Leina said talking about our makeup artist.

"Tambay muna tayo sa common room, may iku-kwento 'tong haliparot na 'to," Raqi said. 

Nanlalaki naman ang mga mata nila while looking at me, curiosity was evident in their eyes. Nagtulakan na kami habang si Kesha ay tumawag sa assistant niya para mag-order ng pizza. Pasikreto lang 'yon dahil bawal kaming kumain ng junk foods.

Pagkarating sa common room, naupo na kami agad sa kulay abong couch. Buti nalang kami lang ang tao dito dahil patay na oras, maya-maya pa ang lunch break ng mga employees.

"Hoy! Ano na? pa-suspense ka pa eh, magkwento ka na," hindi na makapaghintay na sabi ni Raqi.

"Eto na nga eh......so tanda niyo nung mukha akong basang dyosa galing sa banyo?"

"Babarahin sana kita eh, pero since uhaw ako sa kwento mo, papalagpasin ko nalang," Raqi said habang nakasandal sa sofa.

"So hindi talaga kasi galing sa staff yung coat na suot ko... there's this guy, I don't know him pero alam kong actor siya 'cause he's one of the audience in front when we were performing kahapon," pagku-kwento ko.

"Omg, naglandian kayo sa comfort room?!" Leina exclaimed.

"Hindi, gaga! Sayang nga eh...." I suggestively said which made the girls squeal. Pinaghahampas din nila yung braso ko. Ang sadista lang ng mga bruhang to.

I described the guy for them kasi hindi ko nga alam ang pangalan. Raqi's searching different actors in google when the food arrived. Habang kumakain, she was showing me different pictures in hope na makita na namin si Greek god. After almost an hour, natapos na kaming kumain pero hindi parin namin nakikita.

"Wait! Ang boba niyo talaga, try searching for the actors who attended the show tapos isa isahin niyo," Kesha said so we started searching. Pictures of the award shows flooded the screen. While scrolling, a group picture caught my eye. It was a picture of four people, two middle-age man tapos nasa gitna si Greek guy at yung katabi niya noong award show.

"That's him! Ayan yung tatay ng mga egg cell ko!" I excitedly said habang nakaturo sa screen ng IpadPro ni Raqi. Tinitigan naman naming lahat yung picture.

"What the f**k? That's Kim Soo Hyun! You don't know him? He's like one of the highest paid actors dito. Nag-camping ka ba sa kweba ha?" Kesha exclaimed habang jina-judge na ako ng mga mata niya. 

Raqi immediately search for him and we found his Wikipedia page. He's 21 years old, same age sila ni Kesha. He's famous for being a household name because of various hit telenovelas. Bakit ko ba siya hindi kilala? Palibhasa hindi naman kasi ako mahilig manood sa tv at mas lalong hindi ako madalas sa social media. I'm a bookworm at mas gusto kong magbasa kaysa manuod.

"Pano mo maibabalik yung coat niya? I bet he's extremely busy right now kasi tignan mo, may upcoming musical drama pala siya," Sassy said pointing at a news article stating Kim Soo Hyun's latest activities.

"Bahala na, I'll probably just message him sa i********:, para diba may rason akong makausap siya.....magha-hi ako tapos sasagot siya hanggang sa magiging magkausap na kami every night hanggang madaling araw tapos concern na siya sakin at magagalit siya kapag hindi ako kumakain, " I exclaimed habang pinipigilan ang kilig.

"Tapos sasabihin niyang busy siya pero may kausap na palang iba at iiyak ka din sa huli, " pang-aasar naman ni Raqi habang natatawa pa. Ang sama ng ugali nito. 

Nagkwentuhan pa kami about our actor crushes ng dumating na ang lunch. Employees rushed to the common room to find seats at kumain, they have packed lunches. Nagbatian pa kami bago nagdesisyong tumayo na rin at umuwi.

Hinatid kami ng driver sa GreyHouse at tumambay kami sa living room. The theme of our home is minimalist. Black, white, gray and brown are the dominant colors. The walls and the u-shaped sofa are white. May oval-shaped na glass table sa gitna at may naka attached na 50-inch flat screen tv sa dingding. Wood hanging cabinets around the tv was decorated with unique pieces of art. May mga trophies, plants at picture frames ding kasama.

Sassy and Raqi went inside the bedroom to sleep. Kesha was just scrolling in her phone at nanunuod naman sa Netflix si Leina. I resorted to reading another book. It's a book written by my favorite author, Kim Baek Hyeon. I can totally relate to the novels that he's writing because they are about the struggles of hiding behind a mask. Parang ako lang, I'm forced to hide my identity, my character and my imperfections. Pati ang style ko sa song writing, kailangan kong itago because it's different from how fans perceive me.

Nagpalipas lang kami ng oras hanggang sa marinig naming ang pagdating ng mga sasakyan. Its already 2 pm at siguradong sila Dein na yung nasa labas.

We took baths tapos sinimulan na kaming ayusan. We were all just wearing light makeup and I was the first one to finish kaya ako ang unang binihisan nila Stacy, our stylist.

She made me wear a white cardigan na nakatuck-in sa itim na linen wide pants. White Adidas continental for my shoes and silver necklace for accessories. Naka-half ponytail naman ang buhok ko at nagsuot narin ako ng black shades to add some style. The girls were also almost done with their outfits habang niri-retouch ako ni Dein.

Kesha's wearing a checkered tailored jacket na nakapatong sa white crop-top. It was partnered with a checkered heart pocket pants and Gucci sneakers. She's also wering a black leather belt bag.

Sassy is fixing her pink Channel ribbed V-neck habang nagse-selfie. She's also wearing a black skirt, black stockings and black shoes. May dala din siyang pink na Channel body bag.

Raqi, as always, is wearing boyish styled clothes. A green and black over-sized checkered shirt, a white ribbed bra top and baggy jeans. She's also wearing a black ankle boots and gray cap.

Leina decided to top her black ribbed bandeau with a jean jacket partnered with an ankle-length skirt and white sneakers.

After minutes of briefing on what to do and what not to do, bumyahe na rin kami sa venue. Nakarating din naman kami kaagad and when the guards opened the doors of the van, narinig na namin ang sigawan ng fans. We were escorted to the mini stage na naka set-up sa gitna ng DeLi.

"Annyeonghaseyo! We are GreyArea and we're here to perform for you today," I greeted the fans. Nagsigawan naman silang lahat.

"I hope you enjoy this song, and please stay after the performance for us to meet you," Kesha said smiling.

After a couple of introductions, nagsimula na din kaming mag-perform. We prepared a pop song for them kaya nakatayo lang kami doon at hindi kinailangang sumayaw, hence our outfits. Natapos naman kami kaagad at bumaba na din sa stage para sa meet and greet. After almost two hours of kwentuhan and autographs, nagpaalam na din kami sa fans.

Its almost 8 pm already and we're all pretty tired pero kailangan pa naming dumiretso sa H&H dahil may important announcements daw. I tried to sleep in the van at nagising nalang ako nang tinapik nako ni Sassy. We went out of the car at dumiretso sa conference room. Nandun na ang ibang banda at managers, kami na lang pala ang hinihintay nila dahil nanggaling pa nga kami sa event.

"Since we're all here already, I'd like to inform all of you that some actors will be staying with us for three months," panimula ni Sir Haze, one of the big bosses.

Inaantok na talaga ako sa sobrang pagod kaya halos wala na din akong naintindihan sa mga sinasabi niya.

"They'll be starring in a musical drama and needs training. I expect you to treat them as if they're really part of our company para na rin ma-portray nila ng maayos ang mga roles nila..."

Papikit-pikit nako at nakayuko nalang sa may gilid. Babagsak na ang talukap ng mga mata ko ng biglang magpalak-pakan ang mga tao kaya napadilat ako ulit at tumingin sa harapan.

"I know you may have already know them 'cause they're pretty big in the industry but let me still introduce them, Suzy, IU and of course, Kim Soo Hyun."

Shit. Ang gwapo.

Nagising ang buong kaluluwa ko habang napapangiti. Destiny na 'to. Sa akin ka na talaga, Kim Soo Hyun.