// A/N: I might be inaccurate in some translations since I only know Filipino and basic stuff in Spanish. I could be using Google Translate so please, excuse me for that. Anyways, enjoy today's chapter. //

When it comes to love, many things can happen. It could be fate or heartbreak, destiny or a choice. Relationships aren't easy, people say. And such complexities can certainly unfold when four boys are fawning over a single girl.

On the island of Ninjago, right in Ninjago City, a crowd had gathered in the park. Four cars, each with bright, flashy colors, were driving around the city, capturing everyone's attention. These four were popular. Handsome enough to grab the attention of many girls, they reveled in the cheers of the crowd as their cars swerved through the roads.

Yet, the noises didn't reach the building where you worked as a call center agent. On that day, you stared at the clock lazily, waiting for your shift to end. You were dealing with a woman who was having problems with her router.

"Yes, ma'am. After that, you will press and hold the reset button on the router for ten seconds," you instructed, a bit distracted as you played with the candy wrappers on the side.

"There is no reset button," the woman replied, frustrated.

You explained that it's the red one on the back of the router, unwrapping another piece of candy.

Suddenly, the woman switched to Spanish, complaining about you wasting her time for fifteen minutes.

You tried to ask the caller to speak in English, but she called you "stupid" and ended the call. Groaning in frustration, you stood up but sat down again, waiting for your next call.

After work, you shared your frustration with your work buddy, Nya Smith. Both of you were sitting on a bench, eating cheese sticks that she bought earlier. Nya had her own frustrations at work, but she never showed them.

"You know, life is just like a router. There's a button you can press, and it will delete all your bad memories. Or better yet, your whole life," you mused.

"Seriously, what's up with you and hugot lines (1)?" Nya sighed.

"Nothing. I just talked with a customer earlier," you laughed. "But really, what if?"

"Still nothing. You know what? You just lack a love life. All you think about is work and earning money." Nya shrugged, pointing her finger at you.

"If only I could find someone to love!" you sighed dreamily.

"And there you go again, always dreaming of being in love," your friend shook her head.

You placed your fist on your palm and replied, "That might be true, but I say we go manhunting right now!"

But before you could stand up, Nya grabbed your arm. "Woah, hold it right there, missy! Are you emotional or something? Because I'm going to pass on that opportunity."

"Aww, why not?" you pouted.

"Well, my brother is overprotective, so don't expect me to have a boyfriend magically appear out of nowhere," she explained.

Nodding your head in agreement, you checked your phone to see a text. "Oh, my mom wants me to go home now," you told your friend.

"That early? Wow, she must've changed ever since your father began working abroad," she commented.

"She is fine, though. Tough as nails since her job helped the local museum attract tourists and locals!" you said, smiling.

Nya smiled as she stood up and said goodbye, walking on her way home. Now that you're alone, there's a thought that comes to your mind. "If there are 3.89 billion men in the world, there is one just for me."

You couldn't help but smile as you imagined a life filled with romance. Your daydream was interrupted when a red balloon began to float by. A father and his child started to follow it but quickly lost track.

"Excuse me, Miss Liza? Would you save the red balloon for me, please?" the child asked, bringing you back to reality.

"Sure, just wait here!" you responded, chasing after the balloon. You kept shouting for the balloon to wait while excusing yourself as you passed by many people.

The park was bustling due to the car show, which was why the crowd had gathered earlier. They were still cheering, anticipating more surprises.

Someone moved aside, allowing you to dart into the center of the road. "Gotcha!" you exclaimed, grabbing the balloon. But your triumph turned to terror as you screamed and cowered down in fear—the cars were about to crash into you. Thankfully, they stopped just in time.

Nya heard your scream and stepped back to the sidewalk as you remained frozen in the center. Then, three car doors opened, and the crowd began to surround the scene. As you looked up, you saw four men checking on you. You sat there, agape. You weren't kidding—these were four incredibly handsome men, beyond easy description!

"Miss, are you okay?" the white-haired one asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. Thank goodness you didn't say anything out loud.

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine!" you stuttered a bit and stood up from the ground.

(2) "¿Lo siento? ¡Casi tuvimos un accidente por tu culpa!" One of them scolded you in Spanish.

"Um, come again?" you nervously asked.

"Are you stupid?" he glared. You made an offended face and were about to say something when the auburn-haired guy stepped in to stop him.

"Forgive me for him. He's just kinda frustrated," he smiled, leaving the scene with his friend.

(3) "Ang cute mo ah!" the brown-haired guy commented. You became confused again, and he whispered something to the guy beside him: "Hay, ang cute cute niya!" (4)

You heard him chuckle, which made your expression turn bored. Then, the white-haired man asked, "Miss, are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?"

Those two questions didn't need to be in the same sentence! You slowly nodded your head, unsure of what to do next.

"Are you really sure you're okay?" he asked again.

You cleared your throat and said, "Well... I dunno how to say this, but—"

But the man cut you off and quickly said, "It's fine! I'm just thankful that no one got hurt."

Suddenly, one of the other men grew impatient and faced you again. "Let's go," he sternly told the others.

Nya suddenly excused herself from the crowd and dashed over to you. "Hey, Liza! Are you okay? Why did you run into the street? You could have been hurt!" she exclaimed. All you could do was stay there, confused and silent.

Then, she faced the four men, and her expression changed. "Hello, Kai. It's nice to see you're not making googly eyes at Liza," she sighed.

You were about to ask a question, but she shushed you. Looking back at the group, she added, "If you want to meet her again, you'll have to go through me. Especially you, Kai." The brown-haired man, now known as Kai, looked away to avoid eye contact. Then, two guards approached you and Nya, asking you to move aside from the road.

Both of you apologized and left the scene with the guards. You and Nya started to walk back to the bench as the crowd dispersed and the four men returned to their cars.

It felt sudden, the way those four men kept staring as you walked away. The event resumed its normal schedule, and you watched in annoyance as the cars drove away.

♡━━━♡━━━♡

You heard the sounds of the child crying as her father tried to console her. Slowly walking towards them, you excused yourself, holding the red balloon in hand.

Suddenly, the girl became elated, thanking you as she hugged you. "You're welcome," you said, smiling.

The father, with a relieved look, also expressed his thanks. He handed his daughter a small packet, and she gave it to you. With a grin, you said, "Thank you!" and kept it in your bag. The girl thanked you again.

"Thank you so much for your help! We'd best be leaving now," the father exclaimed, and you couldn't help but smile.

"You're welcome. It was nice meeting you two!" you replied. The father and daughter walked away, happiness surrounding them once more.

Nya gave you a pat on the back and decided, "Okay, you've gone through a lot today. I'm going to bring you back home in my car. Hopefully, my brother doesn't catch me late." You agreed and followed her to the parking lot.

So many questions surrounded your head. Who are those four men? Why do they talk in different languages? How did Nya know her brother was one of them? One thing is for sure, this could be the start of a budding romance.

♡━━━♡━━━♡

Footnotes:
(1) Hugot lines are Filipino expressions that have a deep/emotional meaning. I call this the opposite of pick-up lines.

(2) Sorry? We almost had an accident because of you!

(3) You're so cute!

(4) Hey, she's so cute!