You And I : Part 2

Beautiful Stranger - Danger

Pan's POV

Looking back, I never expected to have this kind of life. After four years, I think I've finally achieved my dream. The sweetest part is that instead of losing what I had, I've gained more than I ever imagined.

The path looked scary at first, but along the way, I met many good people who taught me the meaning of life. Good friends, good companions—it's more than I could have asked for. Now, I have a future for Shu and for myself. As for the past, I've managed to close that chapter and am ready to open a new one. It's overwhelming—sad but happy. Unspeakable. Unthinkable.

Watching them from my spot, I wonder: What if I had managed to enroll four years ago? Would I have the blessings I have now? Or would I have failed?

Taking some sweet time doesn’t sound too bad, right? Sometimes, we need to pause, take a few steps back, reflect, and improve ourselves so that when we need to make a decision, we are wise enough to decide. A path in life is just a fragment of a lifetime. Taking baby steps won’t hurt us.

Just believe in yourself.

***

From afar, I stare at the two girls who are busy chatting while attending to visitors, even in these last hectic moments. A smile forms on my face as I watch them promote the booth with such enthusiasm.

Just now, they stood next to me during our presentation. Instead of presenting as individual businesses, we agreed to be partners.

***

"One last question for the three of you," one of the judges said. Yara, Em, and I stood up straight, facing the five judges in front of us.

"What do you think about disputes between shareholders in a company? And how would you handle a clash of opinions?" the judge asked.

Yara smiled. The question was expected, especially since we presented our business as a partnership. She looked at Em and me before turning to the judges.

"Competition or disputes in a partnership are inevitable. Everyone has different perspectives. For me, communication is key. Any decision should be made after a thorough discussion among shareholders," Yara replied confidently.

"Can you guarantee there will be no disputes in the future?" another judge asked.

Yara looked at me. I smiled at her sweetly.

"Do you want to answer that, Pan?" Yara asked. I softly took the microphone from her.

"There is no guarantee in the future. Changes happen every day, making certainty impossible. However, we are committed to resolving any issues in the most democratic way," I said.

As I carefully put down the microphone, I noticed Em glancing at me. Instead of letting go of the microphone, I passed it to her.

"Go on," I smiled, trying to reassure Em. She took the microphone and turned to the judges.

"I would like to address the previous question," Em began hesitantly.

"Yes, please," one of the judges encouraged.

Em took a deep breath, mustering her courage. She glanced at Yara and me, who stood there attentively.

"To be honest, I knew them as classmates but never had the courage to talk to them. I'm in the future valedictorian group, standing among talented students. Compared to them, I seemed more superior," Em’s words shocked Yara and me. Yara almost reacted, but I stopped her, deciding to listen first.

"Today, they taught me a valuable lesson. Being the best doesn’t mean you’re truly the best. Without support from others, you’re nothing but a fallen leaf. They trusted me as if they had known me for a long time. Even though we never spoke before, they were the first to help when things got tough," Em said, wiping away her tears.

"If you ask me if I can trust them, the answer is yes. The future is unpredictable, but today, their actions proved that trust is essential. Yesterday, we were just classmates. Today, we are partners who trust each other completely. In business, it's crucial not only to trust yourself but to trust your partners too. We might not stay together forever, but we’ll grow and learn from each other for the sake of our business," Em concluded, smiling confidently.

The judges had mixed reactions to her answer. Some looked confused, others neutral. Regardless, Em felt relieved to have spoken from her heart.

"That’s all for now. Thank you," the head judge said. We left the auditorium and stood together in silence.

Softly, Em grabbed our hands and cried. I patted her shoulder, worried.

"Thank you... Thank you," she said.

Yara pulled us into a deep hug. Em cried on my shoulder while Yara and I exchanged satisfied smiles.

***

"Pan!" Yara’s voice brought me back to reality. She patted my shoulder.

"Yes?" I asked.

"They're ready with the results. Come!" Yara pulled my hand towards the auditorium entrance, with Em close behind.

"Attention all contestants, we have the results for the entrepreneur booth project. The faculty has decided to give a grant to the winner as initial capital to start the business. After much deliberation, we chose the top three projects instead of just one due to the quality of the presentations. Here are the lucky winners..."

The head judge opened the first envelope.

"Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we had fun," I thought, smiling at Yara and Em. I grabbed Yara's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"It's been great working with you, friend," I said.

"Same here, Pan," Yara replied, turning to Em. She tugged at Em's blouse, making her look at us.

"It's been great meeting you too!" Yara said.

Em smiled and nodded. We exchanged smiles when Kitty suddenly yelled.

"Excuse me, ladies, but your booth has been called!" Kitty said.

"Huh?" we exclaimed in shock.

"Yes! Now go, or I'll take the 10k grant and leave the country!" Kitty joked, patting my shoulder. We walked to the podium in disbelief. Even after shaking hands with the dean, we couldn’t believe it.

"You can reach out to your senior named Roast. He’s an alumnus and the previous grant winner. He and his partners will help you set up the business when you're ready," the dean said. We nodded, and I took the business card from him.

***

And... with that, the day ended beautifully. I’m glad we achieved our dream, even though the start wasn’t perfect.

At least we have something to show for our efforts. Now, we’re ready for the next step.

What a fine ending to the day...

***

"Everything’s clear now!" Yara yelped in happiness. Em nodded, her eyes lingering around the booth area.

"I'm going to miss this," Em whined. Yara laughed and put her arm around Em's shoulder.

"Shall we go for a small celebration?" Yara asked Em, who nodded excitedly.

"Wait... You guys want to celebrate without us? How dare you leave us out!" Han joined us with Kitty, Lauring, and Seth.

"Fine, fine... Let's celebrate together!" I said. The group was ready to leave when I suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Han asked.

"I got a phone call. Go ahead first," I said. The group bid me goodbye and slowly disappeared from sight.

"Hello?" I answered the call politely.

"Hello, my dear little sister..."

My heart dropped.