["PLAY THE KING" IS ACT TWO OF THE "PLAY" SERIES. PLEASE READ "PLAY THE QUEEN" FIRST.]
It's been four months since Priam Torres, the once unpopular president of the Elysian University Student Council, assumed office. Thanks to his chief-of-staff Cas...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
CASTIEL
WHEN AN opportunity came knocking at your door, open it and welcome it with open arms. So when one of my junior officers presented me with the perfect opportunity to advance my plan, I seized it without any second thoughts.
Today was my scheduled interview with The Herald's feature writer. Noong una'y gusto niyang sa normal na paraan gawin ang interview—pupunta siya sa USC office at babatuhin ako ng mga tanong habang nire-record ang usapan namin. But I had a different idea, something more exciting and visually engaging. Karamihan sa mga estudyante ay walang oras na magbasa ng mga article online kahit gaano pa kagaling ang pagkakasulat at sumulat n'on. No, they needed more than just words.
Case in point: Oplan First Lady. Would anyone be interested in Priam and Fabienne's relationship if someone only wrote about them being spotted at Astra Blend Cafe? Maybe some. But thanks to the addition of photos and videos, our First Couple managed to capture the attention of gossip-hungry students. It's like dropping honey on the ground to lure out the ants. The visuals allowed us to tell a more compelling story.
I applied the same logic to my interview. I asked The Herald if they could livestream it so that everyone could watch me unfiltered and hear our conversation unedited. After all, I am the acting president—I shouldn't be treated the same as ordinary interviewees. Fortunately, The Herald approved my request and sent a small crew to the USC office.
Because this interview was important, I had to look better than usual. Ayaw ko sanang magpalagay ng kung ano-ano sa buhok at mukha ko, ngunit pinilit ako ni Tabitha at ng tatlong junior officer namin. They wanted me to bring my A-game. So they sat me in my swivel chair and began working their magic.
"Look up," Tabitha instructed, gently pressing the powder puff under my eyes. I complied, rolling them upward. "You're the acting president kaya dapat you look presentable. You shouldn't look like someone na parang pinabili ng candy sa store."
"Exactly!" Mignonette, working her hairspray magic on my hair, chimed in. As interim press secretary and a Tourism student, she must have been accustomed to this process. "You're the face of the USC kaya dapat pleasing kang tingnan. Looking good can easily grab someone's attention."
"My answers matter more than my appearance," I retorted, giving them a sidelong glance. This was one reason I disliked being in the spotlight—I had to dress up and look good. If I were on the sidelines or backstage, I could look however I wanted. There would be no need for these unnecessary rituals.
"Pinabibigay ni Felix ang updated list of questions," sabi ni Daphne pagpasok niya sa cubicle ko. "May ilan silang tanong na idinagdag."
"Can you hold it up for me?" I asked, and she complied. I could not look down because my makeup artist would surely scold me. I read every question silently. Oh, they want to ask about my ex-officers, huh? That's somewhat expected. When I finished reading, I raised my gaze to her. "Can you ask them to add a question for me? To make things more interesting."
