Behind His Curtain (COMPLETED)

Kabanata 34

"Remember the... last time I stepped inside the Parkes building?" the gush of September breeze blew his hair away. "That time... I saw you with that girl sa canteen n'yo? I was hurt to see you with someone else... so I told Hyun-woo about that. And I know you'll never forgive me for this, since we both know how you're the breadwinner of your family, but... it was us..."

Mas lalong kumunot ang noo ko. It was you two... what?

Ramdam ko ang pagluwag ng hawak ko sa pisngi niya. No... My instinct is telling me something... Of course, I remember that time. That's the same day I figured out Hyun-woo was the one who left him at that farm! That's the same day he's got me something pero nagkalat lang iyon sa floor ng hallways. That's... also my last day as a Parkes' employee...

"You're just joking, right?" I laughed-sobbed at the same time.

"It was us who... pulled you out of your job..." humagulgol na ito. "Hindi ko ma-explain ang g-galit at... pagtataka ko dahil bakit... ang dali sa'yo noon na palitan ako. Na... na hindi pa nga tayo pero nakahanap ka na nang iba... Hyun-woo saw me so crushed... so crestfallen before and after knowing what happened."

"And... he suggested to fire me out of my job?"

He painfully nods his head.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck!

I quickly let go of him and bumped his car window behind him. Para akong tinakasan saglit ng bait at lumayo sa kaniya. Unti-unting gumapang ang galit at kagustuhan ko na manakit; didn't I say before I'd fuck up whoever did that to me?

And now I know who! Kung sana sinabi niya na... kung sana inamin n'ya na ito bago kami magharap dalawa ng uncle niya... e 'di sana...

"W-why do you have to do that?"

But he already gave an answer why. I kicked a stone out of spite. Pinanood ko na lumipad iyon... and waited for it to hit something and create a sound but nothing came.

"Henry... I'm sorry..."

Ang dami mong puwedeng gawin sa akin kapalit ng ginawa ko o pinaramdam ko sa'yo that time, baby... Why do you have to include my work? The only reason me and my family are surviving every day that's coming by? Why?

You could've hired someone to wait for me and proceed to hurt me thru their punches and kicks...

You could've told my family I'm gay... Or bisexual... Or whatsoever that'd completely ruin my reputation.

You could've... defied me more... You could've pointed at my face and said you'll never ever want me back again.

Baby, you could've hired someone to run me over...

Why include the most important thing for me to prove to everyone that I am worthy of everything... and you?

Nakapameywang ako habang nakatanaw sa malayo. I can feel my breathing go irregular and normal... I can still feel every vein I have pulsating in rage...

Siguro... siguro kaya ko pang palampasin na nasaktan siya sa nakita... But after a short moment of reckoning... From what he and that pale korean did... nauwi kami sa ganito...

Mauuwi kami sa paghihiwalay dahil aalis ako.

I faced him again. Nakayuko ito at umiiyak pa rin. Some tears are making their way on the hem of his polo and I have to go back and try to stop it from going there. He looks so sorry when I made himself look up by holding his jaw and I hate that after everything he did, I couldn't bring myself to hate this face.