When We First Met

Euwone

As they cleared things up, Eustace’s mom looked around the room with a critical eye.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Eustace asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise," his mom replied with a sly smile. She then turned her gaze to Tine. "I thought she was your girlfriend already," she added, pointing at Tine, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Meanwhile, Euwone, still grinning mischievously, kept his gaze locked on his brother and Tine.

"No, ma'am, it's not like that," Tine explained quickly, her face flushing again. "I owe him a favor, and he asked me to help him clean up his room, so I’m just helping."

Euwone couldn't help but to interject. "That's weird, though. You’ve never refurnished your room before. Why now?"

"Someone mentioned it was messy, so I thought I'd change the atmosphere," Eustace responded, trying to sound nonchalant but feeling a bit defensive.

"Your girlfriend?" his mom pressed on, clearly enjoying the moment.

"A friend, Mom," Eustace replied, a touch of exasperation creeping into his voice.

"Tine, did you know this guy has never had a girlfriend?" his mom said, turning her full attention to Tine.

"Really?" Tine asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes. All he does is play his guitar. He never had time to find me a daughter-in-law," his mom sighed dramatically.

"Yeah, and he's a perv too," Tine added, shooting Eustace a teasing glance and rolling her eyes.

Eustace sighed heavily, trying to steer the conversation away from his non-existent love life. "So, why are you here, Mom?" he asked, attempting to change the subject.

"Ah, right. Euwone will spend the night here, okay? He'll attend the Open House at your university tomorrow. Accompany him so he can look for a faculty that he'll like. He’ll just stay tonight and find a place to stay tomorrow, alright?" his mom commanded, leaving no room for argument.

"But, Mom—" Eustace began, but his mom cut him off.

"I'll go now. Your dad is waiting in the car," she said, effectively ending the conversation as she left.

"Bye, Mom!" Euwone exclaimed cheerfully.

"Bye, Mom," Eustace said, trying to sound casual but failing to hide his irritation.

After their mom left, Eustace rounded on his brother. "Why didn't you call?" he demanded, clearly annoyed.

"If I called, I wouldn’t have seen what I saw, right?" Euwone teased, flashing that mischievous grin again at both Eustace and Tine.

Tine quickly intervened to defuse the tension. "What about we go eat breakfast?" she suggested, trying to keep things light.

At the restaurant where they ate breakfast, Euwone stood up.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee," he said, leaving Eustace and Tine alone.

As soon as he left, Eustace turned to Tine. "Tine, you have to take my brother to school tomorrow," he said, more like a command than a request.

"Huh? Why me?" Tine protested.

"My mom would kill me if I let him go alone. I’ll be busy with the concert tomorrow. How about this: you take my brother, and I’ll ask the seniors to play the LANY song you requested," he offered.

"You're tricking me with a LANY song, huh?" Tine said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"So, what's your answer?" Eustace pressed.

"Uh... fine... I'll do it," Tine agreed softly, feeling a mixture of reluctance and excitement.

Suddenly, Eustace's phone pinged with a message. "They're calling me for practice. I have to go now," he said, standing up abruptly. "You pay for the food this time."

"Huh? You pay for yourself!" Tine shot back, feeling her frustration rising.

"Just ask my brother to pay then," Eustace said with a grin as he left.

"He didn't even finish his food," Tine mumbled to herself. "Let me have it then."

Euwone returned with a cup of coffee in his hand, noticing his brother was gone. "Uh? Where’s my brother, sis?"

"Sis, my foot!" Tine retorted.

"Why? You’re my brother’s girlfriend anyway," Euwone teased.

"Huh?! Girlfriend?! No!" Tine denied vehemently. "I was just there because I owe him one, okay?" she added, her tone exasperated.

"My brother is a genuine introvert, but he seems to be in love lately. He's even writing a love song," Euwone mused.

"I saw that too... maybe it's for another girl," Tine responded, trying to sound indifferent. "Oh, by the way, pay for your brother. He ate and did a runner," she added.

"Hmm? But he said it’s your treat?" Euwone said playfully.

"What? No! I don’t have money. Pay for yourself and for your brother," she demanded.

Euwone laughed. "You know what, Euwone? You’re cute—"

"Thanks, sissy~" Euwone interjected with a grin.

"But you’re annoying," she added, rolling her eyes. "You guys are really brothers."

"But are you that hungry though? You're even eating his leftovers?" Euwone asked, changing the topic.

"No to food waste... And stop calling me sissy. I am not your sister!" she snapped.

The next morning, as expected, Tine went to school with Eustace and Euwone. "Bye now. Take care of my brother, Tine," Eustace said as he hurried off.

"Should we go now, sissy?" Euwone asked, smiling mischievously.

"Uh, wait for a bit... I'm meeting my friend," Tine responded, looking around anxiously.

"Huh? It’s not just us?" Euwone asked, a little frustrated.

"It’s just ONE person. If you don’t want more company, then go on your own," she snapped.

Before the tension could escalate, Lawrence approached them. "Oh, Tine!" he exclaimed, waving and walking towards them.

"Oh? Who's this?" he asked, noticing Euwone.

"Ah, I’m Euwone—"

"He’s Eustace’s younger brother," Tine interjected quickly.

"Oh, you have good looks like your brother," Lawrence praised. "Shall we go now?" he asked, and Tine nodded in response.

As they walked through the university, Euwone kept bugging Tine, clearly aware of her interest in Lawrence.

"So you're a medicine student, senior?" Euwone asked Lawrence.

"Well, I was seriously ill before, but a very skilled doctor cured me. That inspired me to become someone like him," Lawrence explained.

"What about you, sissy? Why are you in the Faculty of Law?" Euwone asked Tine with a playful tone.

"Why do you care?" Tine snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, guys... I gotta go to the bathroom. You can go ahead," Lawrence interjected.

As soon as Lawrence left, Tine turned to Euwone, her patience wearing thin. "Could you please get lost for like an hour or two?" she requested, her tone annoyed. But Euwone acted as if he didn’t hear her.

Tine sighed in frustration. "Do I really have to pay you to go away?" she muttered. "Here, I’ll give you ₱500. Just go," she offered.

But Euwone declined it. "Sis, do you really think I'm a kid that can be bought by—"

"Here’s ₱1000. Will you go now?" Tine asked, still annoyed.

"Thanks, sissy~" Euwone said, taking the money and heading off.

Meanwhile, as Euwone strolled through the university on his own, some girls approached him and asked to take selfies. Like his brother, Euwone had good looks. When the girls asked who he was with, he mentioned his brother, Eustace. Soon, a crowd began to gather around him. Luckily, he managed to escape and found himself in a room that is only supposed to be for the band performers.

As he looked around for his brother, a staff member approached him. "This is a restricted area, kid," the staff said sternly.

"I’m looking for my brother," Euwone explained.

"Then wait outside. What if something gets stolen?" the staff replied.

"Stolen? I am not a thief," Euwone defended himself.

Suddenly, someone intervened. "What's the matter?" the newcomer asked.

"This kid is looking for his brother. I was just telling him to wait outside," the staff explained.

"It's alright, he's my brother," the newcomer said.

"Oh, okay. I'll leave you two then," the staff said and walked away.

As soon as the staff left, Euwone turned to the newcomer with a hint of confusion. "When did I become your brother?" Euwone asked, sounding confused and irritated.

The newcomer barely glanced to Euwone and replied, "I just don’t like noise. It’s really annoying," he said as he settled onto a chair. "Since you’re here, could you give me a massage?" he asked, trying to sound firm.

"O-okay..." Euwone said, feeling uneasy, as he began to massage his shoulders.

Trying to ease the tension, the newcomer asked, "You’re here for the Open House, right?"

"Yes..." Euwone answered, his hesitation evident.

"What course are you interested in?"

He inquired, hoping to make Euwone feel more comfortable.

"I’m not sure yet," Euwone admitted, looking uncertain.

"Enroll to any faculty but Architecture," Mil said. "The workload is crazy," he added.

Just then, the staff returned. "Mil, your band should be on standby now," he said.

Mil quickly stood up, but before leaving, he grabbed a pack of food and handed it to Euwone. "Here, take this," Mil said.

Euwone looked at the food, puzzled. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"Just take it. It's lunchtime already. You might be hungry," Mil replied, then walked away.

Euwone felt a warm feeling of gratitude and couldn’t help but smile, touched by the unexpected kindness.

Meanwhile, Eustace was backstage with his band mates, tuning his guitar. He looked distracted. Dan noticed and approached him with concern. "Nervous?" she asked gently.

"No..." Eustace said, trying to appear calm but failing.

"It’s okay to be nervous when someone you care about is watching. I felt the same way once. Just go out there and do your best," Dan encouraged, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat.

As Ace, the MC, took the stage, the crowd’s excitement grew. "Hi everyone! I’m Ace, your MC for today’s event. They’re almost ready backstage. Let’s hear some noise if you’re excited!!!" The crowd erupted in cheers as Eustace’s band prepared to perform.

Tine, seeing that the band was about to perform on stage, called Lawrence and moved closer. "Maybe they’ll play a LANY song," she said with a mischievous gaze.

"Really? I’d love to hear that live," Lawrence said, hopeful.

But just as the band started to play, Lawrence’s phone rang with a family emergency, and he had to leave. Tine stayed to enjoy the concert alone.

After Eustace’s band finished, Mil’s band, The Rhythm, took the stage.

Euwone watched from a corner, admiring Mil and reflecting on their earlier conversation with his brother last night.

"You’ve changed a lot," Euwone had said to Eustace.

"So?" Eustace replied, nonchalantly.

"It scares me. If I really like someone, will I change too?" Euwone had asked, feeling worried.

"It’s not scary. You’ll understand when you find the right person," Eustace had assured him.

Watching Mil perform, Euwone remembered the kind gesture of

Mil giving him lunch. "I understand now, brother," Euwone thought to himself, as he enjoyed the performance with a smile.