Chapter 2

Our lips stretched into a smile as we bowed our heads and waved our hands at the camera.

“Please enjoy our music and look forward to the stage performance!” I said brightly, showing a finger heart.

We all stared at the camera until the director signaled that it was already off. 

A sigh escaped from my lips. When I turned to look at the others, AC was already glaring at my side. She was supposed to do the closing remark because she’s the leader, but it was given to me instead.

It’s not like I wanted to do it. Who wanted to act and try to speak sweetly in front of the camera?

Well, maybe AC.

Our leader rolled her eyes when she met my gaze before she harshly stood, fixed her shoulder-length black hair, and went to our manager with a sour look. The two members followed her while I stayed seated on the couch. My head turned to Jesh when she laid her head on my shoulder.

I couldn't help but admire her. Her long hair was pinkish that suited her pale skin. She has the longest hair in the group. Jesh also carried her outfit even though one of the producers insulted her for looking chubby, especially when her shirt was fitted.

Sa aming lahat ay siya lang ang mapapansin mong may laman ang katawan, pero hindi naman siya mataba. Sa totoo lang ay bagay din naman iyon sa kanya. I can't imagine her to be skinny like me. Jesh was Jesh. It's her body. She was insecure about it before but not anymore.

"Magiging sobrang busy na naman tayo," aniya at umupo nang diretso. "Well, I'm happy that we're having a comeback. Kaso kailangan na naman natin magpanggap at magpuyat. Feeling ko sa acting talaga tayo nagkaroon ng training."

"Package deal. You should know how to act when you're an idol," Ate Nina said as she stood. She glanced at us and winked. "Let’s go. We have a lot of acting to do.” 

Bahagya akong natawa habang si Jesh naman ay napa-iling na lang bago kami sumunod kay Nina.

We gathered around our manager, who was sitting in front of a long table here in the set. She gestured for us to sit down and we did. 

Ate Nerissa finished setting up the laptop as she reloaded the page and our music video popped on the screen. We paused it and waited for our cue. Saglit lang din naman ang naging shoot dahil hindi naman kami gaano nagsalita pa tungkol sa music video. We just pointed out some highlights and our favorite parts.

To be honest, I was overwhelmed by how elegant and girly it was. After all, the concept was about the girls who lived in their fantasies where they were princesses. But I liked the song and the choreography. The only problem was the dance break because I need to be flexible and stretch my body to pull it off.

Nang matapos ang shoot para sa reaction video namin ay bumalik kami sa practice room. We worked on the details even more, especially for the stage performance.

“Do you think you can also shoot for the dance practice video today?” our manager asked, eyeing AC.

Our leader took a deep breath before she nodded. “Yes, we can do that.” Then glanced at us. “Right, guys?”

We all just nodded.

Hindi rin naman talaga tatanggapin ni Ate Nerissa kapag sinabi namin na hindi namin kaya ngayon gawin iyon. 

We’d been practicing and starving for hours already and I felt like my body would soon collapse. Luckily, they gave us a fifteen minutes break before the shoot. I took advantage of it to rest, drink some water, and massage some parts of my body that were already aching.

“Kaya pa?” tanong ni Jesh nang maupo ito sa tabi ko.

Ngumiti ako. “Kakayanin.”

She giggled at that before lying on the floor and shutting her eyes. “Please wake me up once the break is over.”

Umiling na lang ako bago nahiga rin sa tabi niya’t yumakap sa kanya hanggang sa tawagin na ulit kami.

We continued where we left. Mas lalo pang tumagal ang praktis dahil ilang beses nagkamali si AC sa steps. Our choreographer was strict with details and AC was doing a great job messing it up.

“Why don’t you learn from Moira? She got the steps and the details quickly this time.”

AC glared at me at the mention of my name.

I looked away and just minded my own business.

Was it my fault? I worked hard for it. Besides, since I’ve been trying to improve my dancing, I’ve learned a lot of similar choreography that’s why it was easier to pick up the dance steps that were taught to us.

She then groaned. “I’ll ask her to teach me.”

But she didn’t.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Wow, look at them. They’re having fun. They don’t even look nervous,” Ate Nina said.

We bowed our heads when the Scarlet Dolls turned to us. They also did the same and even smiled at us before they talked again with giggles.

It was fun watching them enjoy theirselves outside their waiting room. Akala nga namin kung sino iyong mga tumatawa sa labas habang naghahanda kami para sa performance. Curious, Ate and I went outside and saw the girls from E Entertainment. We almost forgot that they also released a new song, which was totally good!

My eyes widened when two guys approached them, giving them a quick hug. We bowed again when the two glanced at us. Hendreich and Shawn gave us a smile, slightly nodding their heads at us.

“So they really are close,” I muttered.

We were jealous the last time we watched the show of Grand Knights with the Scarlet Dolls. Now, seeing them personally made us feel more envious.

Mabuti na lang at tinawag na kami para sa final rehearsal namin. Ang weird din naman kung panunuorin namin sila, ‘di ba?

I couldn’t help but admire the interaction of the artists from E Entertainment. I just couldn’t get used to the fact that they genuinely supported each other. Just like today. Everyone talked about how Shawn and Hendreich of Grand Knights visited their labelmates to cheer them on, especially the special emcee of the show, Ate Jezi.

Huminga ako nang malalim bago umakyat ng stage. Seeing our seniors as they watched our performance was making me feel nervous. I know that we’ve already performed a lot in front of a crowd, but the nervousness was something different when people who were more experienced were watching personally. It just felt like we were being evaluated.

I let out a sigh when we left the stage. Jesh held me by my arms when I almost stumbled.

“Easy there. You did great, okay? We did great,” she whispered.

I smiled at her and nodded. Huminga ako nang malalim bago umayos sa paglalakad. Ramdam ko pa rin ang lamig ng mga kamay ko at ang pagtibok ng aking puso kahit na tapos na ang performance namin.

We halted when we saw the two members of Grand Knights as they walked towards us. 

Hendreich waved his hands. “Hi! Flairies, right?”

AC nodded her head quickly and extended her arms, which the guy in front of us accepted. “I’m AC the leader. It’s an honor to meet the members of the Grand Knights.”

Shawn chuckled and also shook the hand of our leader. “The pleasure is ours. Congrats on the success of your comeback stage.”

I averted my gaze when it met Hendreich’s eyes. To be honest, they were older than us, but we were still figuring out if we should call them Kuya or not. Besides, we haven’t had an opportunity to have a conversation with them before.

“Hey, guys!”

Napatingin kami kay Ate Jezi na lumapit sa dalawang lalaki na nasa harapan namin. Napasulyap din siya sa amin kaya naman mabilis kaming ngumiti sa kanya.

She then grinned and nudged Hendreich beside her. “I claim them as one of my little sisters, don’t you dare think about something, Hen!”

“All of the girl groups are your little sister, Jez. And please, baka kung ano isipin nila dahil diyan sa sinabi mo,” he replied.

I frowned. The other members also did the same.

Ate then glanced at us. “Oh, sorry. You know that our Hendreich tends to flirt with other artists. Well, if he ever does flirt with one of you, tell me so I can threaten him not to break your heart, okay?” She then smiled at us warmly. “But Hendreich and Shawn are already your Kuya.”

“Kuya or not, it doesn’t matter. Lalo na kay Hendreich. Oh right, call us Kuya, but ask Hendreich if he wanted to be called on one,” Shawn said with a laugh.

Hendreich just chuckled.

They teased the guy even more before they decided to leave together. We even heard that they’ll be having dinner with their new secret CEO.

“Sorry about that. I hope they didn’t make you guys uncomfortable with the teasing, “ Hendreich said before he followed his labelmates. But then he halted and turned to us. Our eyes met, again. “You did great. Rooting for your success as a group and as an individual.”

Pinanood ko siyang umalis nang bigla akong tapikin ni Jesh.

“Tara na,” anyaya niya.

Isang tango lang ang binigay ko bago sumunod sa kanya. Sumulyap muli ako kung saan dumaan sina Ate Jezi at nakitang wala na sila. Umiling ako at nagpatuloy sa paglalakad habang may maliit na ngiti ang sumilay sa aking labi.

It was simple, but he was also a senior. His praise was something I would cherish. Even when he said that he was rooting for our group and even as an individual gave me a warm feeling inside.

“Sa tingin mo may nagustuhan nga kaya si Hendreich sa grupo natin?”

Napalingon ako kay Jesh na kausap na si Ate Nina. Mabilis naman na tumabi si AC sa kanila. 

She raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Then that would be nice, wouldn’t it? It could boost our image. We’ll have some connection in this industry.”

I frowned. “You sound like we can use him for our benefit.”

“If he does flirt with someone from our group, why not? Come on, artists right now use each other for whatever they can gain while they're dating.”

Napatikom na lang ako sa sinabi niya. I hate the fact that whenever we talk about dating someone from the industry, we also talk about how a person could be in use if we ever found ourselves a very known artist as a partner.

Ate Nerissa went inside with drinks in her hands. “You bumped into Hendreich?”

AC nodded. “Yeah along with Kuya Shawn and Ate Jezi.”

“Kuya?” 

“Kuya Shawn told us to call them Kuya,” our leader shrugged. “He also told us to ask Kuya Hendreich if he wanted to be called as one. But since he’s also older, I guess we should also call him that. It’s a normal thing.”

Ate smiled widely. “That’s great!” She handed us our drinks and grabbed her phone that was on the table. “You have a schedule and will be guesting in Play First, Promote Later… It was a good thing that Hendreich Lee already met you in person. Maybe he can guide you during the shoot. After all, he seems kind to all their female guests.”

I rolled my eyes. It sounded like they were making him look like a flirt. Or maybe he was. 

I shook the thought away. It felt like my whole week was about the Grand Knights. It’s not like they’re the only ones that were big under E Entertainment. There’s also SBG. Though, they were silent when it came to dating. There were some rumors but only one member confirmed that he dated a fellow labelmate. Everyone was shocked, but until now their fans were sad about the breakup even if it was already years since the news about it got out.

My eyes blinked when Ate sat beside me and caressed my hair gently. She leaned closer to my ears. “Since you’re the visual of the group, why don’t you try to act cute in the show and get the guy’s attention?”

“Huh?” I moved away.

The others turned their attention to us.

“You’re the visual of the group, Moira. I’ve heard that Hendreich Lee likes pretty girls. You’re pretty, of course, all of you are pretty. Still, you are more pleasing to the eyes. I’m sure you’ll catch his attention just by your looks.”

She winked at me before she stood and told us that we were done with the schedule for today.

I bit my lower lip when I felt the other members’ stares, especially the look on our leader’s face. She probably hates that I was chosen, again. 

Chosen to be used for the benefit of our group.

I'd gladly give her the crown if she wanted it that much.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I took a deep breath with my eyes closed.

My heartbeat has been unstable since we got here in the studio. Today’s the day of our shoot for the variety show where Hendreich of Grand Knights was one of the hosts. The show was known to almost everyoneㅡeven my parents. 

The show put actors, singers, and dancers as guests. The purpose of the show was for promotion but they made it very entertaining, especially when the guests needed to tell stories and then play games before they could even promote whatever they were promoting. Many wanted to guests here, including us. However, after what my manager told me last time, I couldn’t find my excitement anymore.

Ang mahalaga lang ngayon ay maayos namin maipakilala ang bagong kanta namin. Ilang oras din ang shoot kaya naman pagdating namin sa dressing room ay nagpahinga pa rin kami habang inaayusan. Kahit si Jesh ay nakatulog habang nilalagyan ng makeup.

“Get ready guys!” Ate Nerissa shouted. “Wake yourself up before the shoot starts, okay?”

We all nodded at her. She smiled and glanced at me meaningfully before she left again.

I sipped on my coffee before turning to Ate Nina. I leaned on her shoulder and sighed.

She gently caressed my cheeks. “Are you ready?”

“Does that even matter?”

“Moira.”

I pouted. “I tried not to think about the fact that I have to be that cute, sweet, and kind Moira just to get a guy’s attention, Ate Nins. I tried to prepare myself. I just couldn’t accept that I also have to do this kind of thing.”

I get the point that if Hendreich liked our group or even me, he might be a great help with the promotion. He tends to promote a lot of girl groups or girl singer songs. He has a lot of fans who also love what he loves, including the songs he listens to.

Ate didn’t say a word but she gave me a peck on my forehead.

I was about to fall asleep when there was a knock on the door. One of our staff opened it.

Kuya Uri, one of the hosts, along with Hendreich entered the room. Kuya Uri placed the box of pizza he was carrying on the table in front of us.

“Hi, girls!” He greeted us.

Binati rin namin siya at ang kanyang kasama. We used the group’s introduction since we were told to always do that whenever we’re together and bumped into the other artists, especially with the hosts we’re guesting.

My eyes landed on Hendreich. I blinked when his gaze went to me, too. A smile appeared on his face. I awkwardly smiled back. 

I almost let out sigh of relief when he was the one who looked away and gave attention to the others in the room. I even saw AC arch her eyebrows at us.

Lumapit na lang ako kay Jesh habang ang dalawang hosts ay nagbigay din ng box ng pizza sa mga staff namin. They were too generous. Actually, all of the eight hosts were under E Entertainment. They have big actors and actresses, singers, and even hosts in this industry.

Well, my company also has some well-known celebrities. We’re not one of the big entertainment companies for nothing. We have one of the prettiest and most respected actresses. The company was still working on its singers and groups. After the hit of one of the boy groups under Sakura, the pressure was on the Flairies. The CEO and the higher-ups wanted great results from us since many pointed out that our group has great potential for success.

“Be comfortable later. Just be yourself. Just think that we're a family in a chaotic house because you have some clown brothers,” Hendreich joked before they bid their farewell as they will also have to prepare for the show.

We thanked them for the pizza and the advice they gave us. When they left, we ate before the director told us that the shoot will start in a minute.

Everyone took their time to introduce themselves to the hosts.

“So, let’s see who the Flairies choose as their partner,” Kuya Uri announced. “Girls, you have to also convince your choice to pick you, too, understand?”

Lahat kami ay maligalig na tumango. Inumpisahan ni Jesh ang pagpili sa magiging partner niya. She chose Kuya Uri, who was surprised when Jesh acted like a gangster in front of him.

“I won’t forgive you if you reject me as your partner,” she said while glaring.

I bit my lower lip to stop myself from laughing, which was noticed by Hendreich.

“Moira is making fun of you, Jesh!” he said.

I quickly waved my hands. “I’m not!”

He then gave me a teasing look.

I pouted. "You're also making fun of me."

His eyes blinked as he licked his lower lip and chuckled. "I'm not."

I wasn’t offended. In fact, I laughed when he exaggerated my reaction. It’s just so refreshing to witness his playfulness in person.

When it was my turn, I quietly approached him. His eyes widened when I started to pout and blinked my eyes twice. “I… I want Hendreich to be my partner! A pretty guy should be partnered with a pretty girl, which is me.”

I made my voice sound smaller and even popped my cheeks out. I also made a peace sign using my two hands.

Cringe.

Mabilis uminit ang pisngi ko. Ilang segundo ay napaluhod ako at tinago ang aking mukha gamit ang buhok kong nakalugay. Rinig naman ang palakpak at tawa ng iba. Lalo na si Jesh na akala mo ay nanunuod ng comedy.

“Nakabawi si Jesh kay Moira. Pakiramdam ko mabibingi ako sa tawa nitong katabi ko,” ani Kuya Uri na natatawa rin.

Napanguso ako lalo dahil doon. Lagot sa akin si Jesh mamaya!

Then AC clapped. “Cute Moira. Look! Kuya Hendreich’s ears are red.”

My lips parted when I also looked at him. It was true! He even couldn’t look me in the eyes as he tried to hide his ears.

That’s when the teasing started. Luckily, we got out of their attention when he accepted me as his partner and the show moved forward. The entire shoot, they were teasing us but my partner guided me. He even made me relax a bit even in the midst of teasing.

He was the one who cheered loudly when I went to the center for my special dance number. He also made sure I was the one to dance whenever we made a celebration of our win in every game. He sometimes joined me, especially when the song was from their company.

We bowed our heads to everyone when the shoot was done. Nagpasalamat din kami sa mga hosts dahil tinulungan nila kami para maging kumportable. Even though the hosts teased me and Hendreich, I enjoyed it. Even when AC was giving me death glares, I still had fun.

Hindi ko nga inakalang magiging masaya ako kahit papaano sa ganito. All my life in this industry, I never once had fun during every promotional period. Well, I was happy and I appreciated the fans who supported us.

“Mauna na kami, Moi. Bilisan mo na lang diyan,” paalam ni Jesh. “Mabuti na lang ako kasabay mo kung hindi baka may reklamo ka na naman marinig dahil ngayon ka pa lang nagliligpit ng mga gamit.”

I laughed. “Yeah. Sorry. I was so exhausted that I forgot to pack my things.”

“Okay lang iyon. I’ll wait in the car.”

“Hmm. Thank you!”

Mabuti na lang at kami ni Jesh ang walang schedule na ngayon kaya naman sabay kaming babalik ng dorm. Ang iba ay nauna na sa kanilang mga schedules. Jesh waited for me as I took a quick nap earlier. I was grateful for that.

Napatigil ako sa paglalakad nang makita si Hendreich na galing sa parking. I slightly bowed my head and was about to walk again when he suddenly stopped in front of me. I blinked and faced him.

Hendreich smiled. “You’re good at dancing. Keep it up. Who knows, you might be one of the greatest dancers in this industry and I’ll be rooting for you, okay? Also, don’t forget to stretch every time you dance.”

I blinked. I couldn’t even speak but he just nodded and gave me a light pat on my shoulder before he left me there speechless.

That was sudden and so random.

Never have I been praised for my talent by other artists. The only thing I heard from them was that I was pretty. They only complimented my visuals. And even if they do speak about my dance, it felt like they did it out of courtesy. That they needed to say something because I danced. That’s all.

However, Hendreich gave me motivation. Maybe I really did well earlier and it caught his attention. Even when he was goofy, everyone knew he was a good dancer, too. He was not as good as their main dancer, but he was also incredible, especially when he could quickly pick up the steps.

I turned around and stared at his back. He was fixing his curly black hair as he walked. My eyes widened when he looked over his shoulder. Our eyes met and he grinned before he waved his left hand.

ㅡㅡㅡ