Hindi niya naman in-expect na conservative 'yong napiling gown ni Sage pero 'di naman 'yong kita na pati kaluluwa. The gown had its charm, masasabing may taste ang pumili nito. Hindi lang talaga sila pareho ng taste ni Ken. 

Her face paled while thinking how exposed her back, legs, and nonexistent cleavage are going to be when she wears this crimson silk dress. Walang tag or kahit anong indication ang damit kung sino ang designer. Where the hell did he get this from?

"Wow, 'yan susuotin mo? Pwede ka nang high class escort."

Napatingin si Ken sa pinanggalingan ng boses. It was Heidi Cruz, a jack of all trades and career nomad who was the third member of the Special Resolutions Unit. Her social skills and connections come in handy in their line of work.

"Damn, I was going for affordable hooker," sarkastikong sagot ni Ken na tinawanan ni Heidi. "'Pero 'di nga? Masyado bang revealing?"

"It's revealing pero in a classy way. Sure akong bagay 'yan sa'yo, Girl," sagot ni Heidi, sabay ngiti kay Ken.

"Wait, since you're here, ikaw na lang ang pumalit sa 'kin! Please, huwag 'nyo na akong pasalihin. Ililibre kita ng samgyup!"

"Sorry, Ken, pero binilin ni Lily na 'wag magpapauto sa 'yo," Heidi said, giggling. "At naunahan ka na niyang mag-offer na ilibre ako ng samgyup, siya pa magluluto."

Ken sighed. Wala na talaga siyang kawala. The dressing room door suddenly opened and Matt walked in holding wooden boards. He paused when he saw Heidi who looked back at him but didn't say anything. 

Napansin ni Ken ang extended eye contact ng dalawa at magko-comment na sana siya pero nagsalita na si Heidi. "Nandito na pala ang tagapalakpak at assistant mo sa talent portion. Una na ako, Ken. Good luck!" Heidi smiled before leaving the two.

* * *

"Our first judge is the Junior CEO of Zafiro Malls, Miss Lily Andrea Zafiro!" Sage joined the applause as Lily stood and smiled at the audience.

Ipinakilala ng emcee ang tatlo pang judge, pero hindi na naalala ni Sage kung sino sila dahil pilit niyang inilalayo ang braso niyang pilit namang hinahawakan ng katabi niya sa kanan na si Claire.

"Our next judge is someone close to the hearts of many of you as she is one of the country's most talented actresses, the one and only Claire Angela Monterro!" Syempre, sa introduction ni Claire ang may pinakamalakas na hiyawan galing sa audience. Tumayo ang aktress at kumaway sa audience. Sage can't help but roll his eyes. Naaawa na lang siya sa mga taong naniniwalang anghel si Claire.

"Last but not the least, our guest judge, one of the country's most eligible bachelors, Cedric Alexander Sage Hermoso!" Malakas na tilian ng mga babae ang narinig nang tumayo si Sage at nagpakita ng malalalim niyang dimples.

"And now let's welcome the young ladies vying for the position of Zafiro Inc. Ambassadress," the emcee announced. Nagsimula nang maglabasan ang contestants. They walked down the ramp wearing identical blue dresses and one by one, they introduced themselves. Gusto ni Sage na mag-focus sa panonood at pag-e-evaluate ng contestants pero parang tuko pa rin si Claire sa pagkakakapit nito sa kanya.

"Masyado ka namang titig na titig diyan sa mga contestant, eh nasa tabi mo lang naman ang pinakamaganda," bulong ni Claire sa kanya. The actress looked around to see if the others heard them. She had a reputation to keep.

"Yeah, you're right. Ang ganda talaga ni Lily," sabi ni Sage, sabay tingin sa kaliwa niya kung nasaan ang Junior CEO na busy sa pagsusulat sa rubric. Umirap si Claire pero hindi pa rin nito binitiwan ang braso ni Sage.

Si Ken ang huling contestant na lumabas at siya naman ang nagpakilala. "My name is Ken, twenty-two years old, from the City of Manila!" Siya lang ang hindi buong pangalan na nagpakilala and Sage thought it was weird. 

Claire's phone started ringing and she excused herself to take the call. Sinamantala ni Sage ang pagkakataong wala si Claire para magtanong kay Lily.

"Bakit di niya sinabi 'yong buong pangalan niya?"

"Ah, isa 'yon sa conditions niya. Hindi i-me-mention ang kahit anong parte ng pangalan niya maliban sa 'Ken.' Pero 'wag ka mag-alala, 'di naman wanted na kriminal si Ken," Lily replied.

"So what's her whole name?"

"I can't tell you. You'd have to ask her if you want to know." This made Sage even more curious about the mysterious Ken.

Bumalik na si Claire sa tabi niya at muling kinuha ang braso ni Sage. "So what did I miss, Babe?" Sage forcefully pulled his arm away from Claire and ignored her question.

Matapos ang mga introduction, nakalinyang rumampa ang mga kandidata suot ang kanilang swimwear. Tumindi ang focus ni Sage. Lalo na nang makita niyang maglakad si Ken. 

Hindi niya inakalang makakalakad ito nang maayos habang suot ang four-inch stilettos at mas hindi niya pa inakalang pang model ang katawan sa ilalim ng boyish clothes ni Ken. Flat-chested man ito, kitang-kita naman ang maliit na waist line. Hindi man ito katangkaran, mahaba at makinis naman ang mga binti nito. May two-pack abs pa si Ken. He just couldn't stop staring.

"Baka matunaw 'yong best friend ko. Ang intense mo tumitig."

Nagulat si Sage nang marinig niya ang boses at tawa ni Lily. "Ahh... Uhm... Hindi lang naman siya 'yong tinitignan ko. I just really want to judge this contest fairly." It didn't sound as smooth as he hoped.

"Okay, sabi mo eh," sagot ni Lily na may halong pang-aasar sa tono.

After showing some skin in their swimwear, it was time to witness the contestants' talents. Karamihan ay kumanta o sumayaw, may ilan ding tumugtog ng musical instrument. Pero si Ken ang may pinakakaka-cool na talent para kay Sage.

Ken walked onto the stage with five other guys holding wooden boards. Nag-bow sila at pinalibutan si Ken ng mga lalaking may hawak ng boards. Isa-isang mabilis na sinira ni Ken ang mga board gamit ang iba't ibang kick. It was over in less than ten seconds.

Her exhibition wasn't over. Pumosisyon ng parang naka-level one ng luksong baka ang dalawang lalaki sa right side ng stage. Sa tabi nila, nakatayo ang tatlong lalaking may hawak na mga board, dalawang magkaharap, at isang nakaharap sa direksyon ni Ken. Tumakbo si Ken mula sa left side ng stage, tinalunan ang dalawang lalaking naka-prostrate sa sahig, at sabay na sinira ang dalawang board sa kanan at kaliwa gamit ang dalawang paa. Bago pa man siya bumaba mula sa pagkakatalon, sinundan ito ng mabilis na roundhouse kick na sumira sa ikatlong board sa harap ni Ken.

She had time for one last act. Luminya sa harap ang apat na lalaki at itinaas ang mga board. The last guy was standing on a chair and holding up his wooden board. Sunod-sunod na sinira ni Ken ang unang apat na board gamit ang mabibilis at iba't ibang paraan ng style ng pagsipa. Sage didn't even know what those kicks were called but he was amazed and entertained. For the last wooden board which was higher than her head, she jumped and rotated twice in the air before hitting the board with her foot and breaking it. 

As soon as Ken landed, she looked directly at Sage and smirked. Their eye contact was very brief but Sage was sure that it was some sort of warning. Napalunok siya.

Ken was able to execute all that in under a minute. The crowd burst in applause but it sounded muffled to Sage as memories came flooding back to him. Ken's martial arts skills reminded him of her. Her quick punches, her deadly kicks, her innovative pranks, her uplifting letters. The hole she left that can never be filled...

He absent-mindedly wrote down her perfect score in his rubric and gave it to the assistant who collected it for tallying. "Sage? Okay ka lang?" Lily's voice pulled him back to reality. "What did you think of Ken's performance?"

"It was very cool," Sage said. "Pero wait, 'di ba, sabi mo, magaling siya kumanta? Akala ko, 'yon ang gagawin niya."

Lily sighed. "Oo pero matagal na siyang hindi kumakanta eh. I think she hates singing now because of that incident three years ago."

"Incident?" That made Sage curious. Baka 'yon na ang magamit niya laban kay Ken.

"Anong pinag-uusapan n'yo? Sali naman ako!" Claire grabbed Sage's arm. Napaka-KSP talaga. Hindi na sumagot si Lily kaya lalo pang nainis si Sage sa ex niya.

"Ano bang problema mo?" iritang tanong ni Sage kay Claire habang inaalis ang kamay nito sa braso niya.

"Ikaw ang may problema. Bakit ba ayaw mong makipagbalikan sa 'kin, Babe? I still love you." Claire pouted at him.

"Stop lying. You never loved me. Ginamit mo lang ako para sa publicity. At may girlfriend na ako so tigilan mo 'tong kalokohan mo."

Claire narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the one who's lying, Sage, and I know it."

"No, I really have a girlfriend. Siya lang ang gusto ko so get lost."

"Prove it then."

"Prove what?"

"That you're in a relationship. Who's your girlfriend?"

Mahirap kung mag-iibento pa siya ng tao, madali itong mabubuko ni Claire. He turned to Lily who had been watching his argument with Claire and was surprised to see that she looked amused. He mouthed 'please' pero nginitian lang siya ni Lily at umiling. That was expected. Sino ba namang gustong madamay sa gulo nila ni Claire? 

He was about to give up the lie and just think of other ways to deal with Claire in a more mature manner pero narinig niyang tinatawag ang mga finalist sa stage.

"And the last member of the top five is candidate number twenty, Ken!"

Naglakad si Ken papunta sa gitna ng stage suot ang evening gown na pinili ni Sage. It fit her perfectly and for the nth time that night, hindi niya maalis ang tingin sa dalaga. And then it hit him. Ken was the solution to the Claire problem. The temporary solution, to be more accurate.

"'Yan! 'Yan ang girlfriend ko!" Tinuro ni Sage si Ken. Alam niyang malaki ang chance na sumablay 'tong balak niya pero saka niya na proproblemahin 'yon. 'Di naman magkaka-interact sina Claire at Ken, this should work for now.

Worried that he'd lost all his chances with Lily after this lie, Sage turned to the heiress. To his surprise, Lily was turning red with trying to hold in her laughter. "Nice one, Sage," she said.

"Talaga, girlfriend mo 'yan? What's her whole name? Where did you meet? Kailan pa naging kayo?"

"Our relationship is none of your business." And thank God it was none of her business. Sage didn't really prepare the whole backstory for his lie.

Umirap si Claire pero naglabas ito ng phone at kinuhanan ng litrato si Ken. Nakangisi si Claire habang may tina-type sa phone.

"Did you just take a photo of my girlfriend? Don't you dare post her on your social media!" Sinubukan ni Sage silipin ang phone screen ni Claire pero inilayo ito sa kanya.

"If you won't tell me who she is, someone else will." His ex smiled at him.

His palms began to sweat. Claire had a pretty large following. Kung may pinost man ito, malamang, makakarating iyon kay Ken. And when it does, he would probably know what it feels like to be a wooden board in a Taekwondo exhibition.

* * *

Hindi na siya ginambala ng ex niya pero paranoid na siya sa posibleng post ng aktres na hindi niya pa nakikita dahil wala pa siyang chance na mag-check ng social media. He blocked her anyway and he's not convinced that she is ever worth unblocking. And he wanted to appear cool and composed in front of Lily and Claire. He had been distracted ever since the question and answer portion started but he perked up when he heard Ken being called.

So far, Ken, unexpectedly, was doing well in the competition and he was interested to see how she would answer a pageant question. Sage considered her as a rival of sorts, isang malaking hadlang at pahirap sa panliligaw niya kay Lily. Yet, as she walked to the center of the stage, in the red dress with a slit that exposed her flawless legs, and a plunging neckline that didn't really expose much, he found himself rooting for this girl. He swallowed as he felt the result of his blood flowing through parts that would cause a major inconvenience at the moment. Bakit ngayon pa?!

He distracted himself by focusing on the paper in front of him. Ayaw niya nang tingnan ang contestant. Pinakinggan niya na lang ang tanong.

"What is a human quality that we need more of and why?"

'Di tulad ng ibang contestant na pinaulit pa ang tanong o nahirapang magsalita in English, sinagot agad ni Ken ang tanong na parang hindi niya kinailangang mag-isip. "Compassion. Right now, around the world, too many people suffer from issues like poverty, oppression and war. With compassion, not only can we understand how they feel but we'll also have the desire to help. And I believe that this can lead us to building a better world. Thank you."

Sage was impressed. He couldn't have answered it the way she did with the limited time given. Hindi lang pala sa mga hirit niya magaling sumagot si Ken. He filled out the score sheet and submitted it to the assistants who'd calculate the final scores.

His ex went to the restroom to retouch her makeup so chance niya nang magpa-cute kay Lily nang walang sagabal pero mukhang busy rin ito. Ngumingisi si Lily habang nakatingin sa phone nito. "How cute, you have shippers now. Pero lagot ka kay Ken. Is there any way you can ask Claire to delete this tweet?"

"Ano 'yan?" he asked. Lily showed her a tweet from Claire. It was a photo of Ken looking hot in the red dress that he picked. She wasn't looking at the camera so only half of her face can be seen. Take care of Sage for me, he read the tweet and it made him facepalm. But wait, did Lily just ask him to have the tweet deleted? "Nagseselos ka ba? Lily, you know it's not true."

Lumakas ang tawa ni Lily. "No, it's nothing like that. Hindi kita type. I just know that Ken wouldn't really like this tweet and you've seen what she can do with her legs. But I guess, may insurance ka naman. So good luck!"

* * *

"And this year's Zafiro Inc. Ambassadress is... candidate number twenty, Ken!" the emcee announced.

Sa Miss Universe, iiyak sa tuwa ang panalo tapos yayakapin 'yong first runner up pero si Ken, frozen in place, tulala, at nakanganga. With her performance, hindi na nagulat si Sage na nanalo ito pero si Ken, mukhang nakakita ng multo sa putla nito.

Lily went to the stage and placed a tiara on her best friend's head. Lily gave her a quick hug. Si Sage naman ang na-assign na mag-abot ng bouquet sa nanalo. 

"Congratulations," he said to Ken. "By the way, may Twitter ka ba?" He let out an awkward chuckle.

Naningkit ang mga mata ni Ken sa tanong niya pero wala itong sinabi. That was a good sign, no snarkiness or physical violence. She hasn't seen the tweet yet.

"Kiss!" someone from the crowd yelled.

Kumunot ang noo ni Ken at mabilis na lumingon sa audience na parang hinahanap ang sumigaw para upakan ito.

"Kiss!" sigaw ng ulit ng isa pang nanonood. Pretty soon, there was a sizable amount of people who were chanting for them to kiss. Napalunok si Sage. His eyes landed on Claire who had her arms crossed and a smug look, as if she had successfully called his bluff.

But it wasn't over. Hindi siya gano'n kadaling magpapatalo kay Claire. Ito na ang chance niya para tantanan siya ng babaeng iyon. He knew that Claire cares too much about her fake reputation. Hindi niya na hahabulin si Sage if he was already publicly dating someone. "Kiss me, Ken."

Ken turned back to him, eyes wide. "Anong sabi mo?" Ngumiti si Sage para kumpleto ang acting, only Lily can hear them anyway.

"Please, please, please, Ken. Isang smack lang sa cheek. Kaunting acting lang para sa ex kong nakakairita," Sage said through his smile.

Ken looked at him in disbelief then turned to Lily. "Can you believe this fuckboy? Asa siyang hahalikan ko siya!" She sounded annoyed but she kept her voice down.

Nginitian rin ito ni Lily. "Actually, that would be good publicity for the event and the mall. So kung hindi naman big deal, why not kiss him? We all know it would mean nothing, right?"

Napanganga si Ken sa sagot ni Lily. Even Sage was surprised, he didn't expect the heiress to take his side. "Please, Ken? I drove you here, I got you that dress and I even agreed to be a judge. Didn't I make your job easier today? 'Pag ginawa mo 'to, quits na tayo."

"Fine, fine! I don't want you to hold that over me forever. Ididikit ko 'yong labi ko sa pisngi mo nang one second and that's it," sabi ni Ken.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Tatanawin ko 'tong utang na loob sa 'yo," sagot ni Sage habang tinatapat ang pisngi niya kay Ken.

Ken leaned closer for the kiss. Nagtitilian na ang mga manonood. During the split second that her lips were on his cheek, Sage felt something on his other cheek. May dumapong langaw. His reflexes kicked in. Napalingon siya kaya nasalubong ng mga labi niya ang mga labi ng pageant winner.

Agad na umatras si Ken pero mas lalo pang lumakas ang hiyawan ng audience. "Sor—" Her fist hit him in the face. Hindi na natapos ni Sage ang apology niya, mas mabilis ang reflexes ni Ken.