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Glitch

He's leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Sinuyod niya ako ng tingin na para bang gusto niya akong ipapatay, ora mismo.

'Parang gusto ko nang umuwi. No, Liana! Hindi ka pwedeng ma-intimidate sa kanya!'

I adjusted my blazer while my heart hammered in my chest. I set my manuscript on the table.

"Good morning," panimula ko, siniguro kong hindi manginginig ang boses ko kahit pa naghuhurimintado na ang buong sistema ko. "I'm Liana Cruz, and I would like to present my proposal. OneBeat is an innovative platform designed to connect people based on compatibility, shared values, and meaningful interactions rather than just superficial metrics."

Ipinakita ko sa kanila lahat ng data: charts, algorithms, potential user flow, security protocols.

Pinaghandaan ko ang lahat para masigurong masasagot ko lahat ng posibleng itanong nila, at masigurong walang pag-aalinlangan nilang tatanggapin ang proposal ko. Akala ko sumasang-ayon na sa akin ang lahat. Some of the board members nodded. Ang iilan ay may isinulat sa papel na nasa harap nila. But then... he spoke.

"Interesting," saad niya. Kahit pa gaano kalambot ang boses niya, naroroon pa rin ang talim. "Your matching algorithm relies heavily on subjective inputs. How do you quantify something as inherently emotional as human attraction?"

Natigilan ako. Most of the board waited silently for me to answer.

Halos mangiyak ako dahil wala sa vocabulary ko ang mga terms na ginamit niya.

'How I wish AI could help me at this critical moment.'

Totoong sagarang preparasyon ang ginawa ko para rito. Ever since college, nai-imagine ko na ang mga tanong na pwedeng ibato sa akin sa araw na ito. I'd prepared for technical questions, scalability concerns, even market research. Pero ngayong nandito na ako... bakit wala akong maisagot?

'Bahala na. Fake it 'til you make it, eka nga nila.'

"Um," I began carefully, "I combine personality traits, habits, and preferences to guess how well two people might get along. While emotions themselves can't be quantified directly, we can use these clues to see if people are likely to mat—"

Nagtaas siya ng kamay habang nagsasalita ako.

'Yiz galing, kahit sa pagsasalita wala pa akong balak patapusin.'

Mauuna niya pa yata akong tapusin.

"Indicators are not guarantees. People are unpredictable. What makes you think your data-driven model can overcome the variability of human behavior?"

Napalunok ako, pinipilit pakalmahin ang utak kong hindi na matigil kaka-overthink.

'Shet, 'di ba pwedeng mag-Tagalog?'

"I... use ongoing feedback. The more people use it, the smarter and more accurate it gets. It learns and adapts over time."

He leaned forward, para niya akong pinapako sa pader sa kung paano siya makatitig.

"Adaptive, yes. But what about edge cases? Exceptions? Emotional irrationality? I need specifics, not assumptions. How will this system handle outliers without collapsing under inconsistent input?"

'Parang awa niyo na, ilang beses na akong nagisa sa thesis, hanggang dito ba naman?'

The questions kept coming, each one sharper, more exacting than the last.

Napaka-perfectionist niya. I'm sure he's the type of person who refuses to accept any answer that isn't backed by numbers.

Naramdaman ko ang pagbilis ng pulso ko, maging ang pagtagaktak ng pawis kahit malamig naman sa loob na siyang patunay kung gaano ako kakaba. But I forced myself to meet his gaze.

"I have simulated thousands of scenarios with test data," saad ko, habang nilipat ang slides to show the projected outcomes. "Even if we include the odd exceptions, the system maintains over 76% predictive accuracy in compatibility matches."

Even after presenting evidence, tila hindi pa rin siya kumbinsido. The scrutiny in his eyes didn't soften.

"And yet," he murmured, "how do you account for the human element? Spontaneity, intuition, unpredictability... factors that no dataset can ever truly capture?"

'Pet peeve na kita, 'kala mo ha.'

I took a breath, letting the weight of the room settle over me. Wala akong dapat sayangin. Tumatakbo ang oras, at sa bawat segundo ng paghinto ko, hahanapan niya ng butas ang proposal ko. Hindi dapat ako magpalamon sa kaba. I won't let them reject me without a fight.

Hindi ako nandito para patunayan kung tama o mali ang pananaw niya. I was here to prove that my idea could hold up, even against his logic.

Inayos ko ang postura ko. I clicked to the next slide. "That's exactly why this app isn't just codes and formulas. It looks at personality traits, habits, and preferences, and compares them across millions of interactions. It tracks patterns in how people respond to each other—their emotional triggers and behavioral alignment. Over time, the system can predict compatibility with a high degree of accuracy."

"So, to answer your question, sir... yes, it can indicate if someone is likely your soulmate. The more data it gathers, the better it understands what truly connects two people."

*****

"Ayun 'yung nangyari. Kung alam niyo lang kung gaano ka-tense sa loob. Kulang na lang himatayin ako." They all looked like they'd heard a horror story.

Nakipagkita ako sa mga kaibigan ko kinabukasan after the presentation. I needed to let out the baggage I'd been carrying simula pa kahapon.

"He didn't even flinch, like he'd already dissected my entire presentation and found a hundred flaws. Nakakakilabot siya."

Jessie nodded. "He really is not the usual CEO type."

"Agree, hindi talaga. He's worse," I replied.

I flopped into the chair before continuing, "He didn't even smile. As in, nakatitig lang siya na parang binabalatan ako ng buhay."

Carlie shrugged. "I mean, he's smart though. And trust me when I say, smart people are hot."

"Oo na nga, given na pogi siya at matalino, pero kung iisipin ko pa lang na we're gonna be in a relationship, napre-pressure na ako. Like, everything about him screams perfection. Sa attitude lang yata pumalya."

Napahinto ako nang mangunot ang mga noo nila. Dynah snapped her fingers. "Sa dami ng pwede mong isipin, bakit naman makarelasyon pa ang potential boss mo, atecco?"

Jessie laughed. "Girl, kakanood mo 'yan ng K-drama."

"Arrgh! Basta. I won't date someone like him. Siya 'yung klase ng lalaki na hindi ka patatapusing magsalita tuwing may away kayo."

They chuckled at my response.

'Akala ba nila nagbibiro ako?'

I'm actually not in the mood for jokes. I'm anxious at the fact na hindi pa rin ako nirereach out ng ValenTech. Although expected ko naman na posibleng hindi nila piliin ang idea ko, lalo na at obvious namang ayaw nung CEO.

Ding!

I was expecting a text message from my mom. She's probably asking my whereabouts since gabi na rin.

But instead, I got a text message from an unknown number.

And to my shock—

Unknown Number:

Good evening, Ms. Cruz.

This is Adrian Valle from ValenTech.

We need to discuss your project further.

Are you available for a meeting tomorrow?

My friends leaned over, peering at the screen.

Parang biglang nanahimik ang mundo ko. I stared at the message, rereading it twice.

Biglang nagsalita si Carlie, "Why did he text you personally?"

Kahit ako nagtaka. Bakit hindi company email ang natanggap ko?

Dynah gasped. "Wait, what if plano ka niyang gisahin privately?"

"Uh... that doesn't sound right," I said with pure disgust.

Binatukan niya ako. "Napakadumi naman ng utak mo!"

I swallowed, feeling my heart skip a beat when another notification popped up beneath his message.

Agad nagsalita si Carlie nang makita ang screen ng cellphone ko. "Uh... Liana? Bakit nagg-glitch cellphone mo?"

And for a split second, the ValenTech logo pulsed like a heartbeat.

Shit.

TO BE CONTINUED...