CHAPTER I
"Korean Artist nasa Pilipinas para tumulong..." Kinapa-kapa ko ang sofang kinauupuan namin at ng mahawakan ko ang remote control ng T.V. ay agad ko itong inilipat sa ibang channel.
"HOY MONICA DELOS SANTOS! BAKIT MO INILIPAT SA IBANG CHANNEL? NANUNUOD AKO NG BALITA EH!" Angal ng katabi kong si Michelle. Kaklase at kaibigan ko ngayong college. Nandito lang yan sa bahay para samahan ako dahil umalis ang mga magulang at kapatid ko.
"Eh gusto ko Phineas and Ferb eh."
"Eh! Ilipat mo na!" Pilit nyang inaagaw ang remote control sa akin. Tumayo ako upang hindi nya ito maabot nang sumigaw sya ulit. "Dali na Delos Santos! Sandali lang naman eh. Papanuorin ko lang yung asawa ko."
Binato ko sa kanya ang remote control at naglakad na ako patungo sa kwarto ko. Hawak ko ang doorknob ng nilingon ko sya. Kulang na lang ay maghugis puso ang mga mata nya na tutok na tutok sa T.V. Screen. At konti nalang, sigurado ay tutulo na ang laway nyan dahil sa koreanong ipinapakita sa T.V. Kadiri.
"Michelle! Pagkatapos nyan umuwi ka na. Maya-maya naman uuwi na sila Mommy eh. Itulog mo na rin yan. Baka sakaling mawala yang kabaliwan mo." Napapailing nalang akong pumasok sa kwarto ko dahil mukhang hindi naman nya ako marinig.
Dire-diretso lang ako sa kama at humiga. Tinititigan ko lang ang kisame at dingding ng kwarto ko na dati ay punung-puno ng larawan ng koreanong kanina lang ay ipinakita sa T.V. Hay. Mahigit dalawang taon na rin pala ang nakalilipas nang sagutin ko ang tanong na nakapagpabago sa pananaw ko.
"Yesterday, I asked you. What is your whistle? Or what is that thing that you almost sacrifice everything but you gained nothing in the end?" Buong gabi kong pinag-isipan kung anong isasagot ko. At sa totoo lang, napuyat talaga ako sa kakaisip.
Nagsimula nang magtawag yung English Teacher namin. May nagsabing Friends, Family, DOTA, Relationships. Napapaisip tuloy ako kung tama ba itong sagot ko.
At nung oras ko na para sumagot, dahan-dahan akong naglakad papunta sa harap, bitbit ang notebook ko at lakas ng loob.
Pagdating ko sa harapan, huminga ako ng malalim saka binasa ang naging sagot ko:
"Being a KPOP FAN. I spend hours and hours of spazzing or searching, watching, posting, tweeting, stalking-no not stalking. Just knowing informations about my idol. I really like them. Not just because of their face but because of their personality and talent. I enjoy watching videos of them. Fan taken, interviews or official music videos. I spend time and money for them. I buy merchandise. Posters, postcards, magazines, t-shirts, albums. Sometimes, I don't eat just for a concert ticket. I got some international friends, too! Some of them are Malaysian and Indonesian even Romanian..."
Huminto ako saglit. Napangiti nalang ako sa mga alaala ko. Masyado nga ata akong nabaliw sa kanila.
"...But I realize, my life is not only for them. Not only spazzing. Not only screaming whenever I watched their videos. I realized that I'm just a teenage girl that is just enjoying their popularity. Yes, I have a crush on them but it doesn't mean that I have to spend time and money and sacrifice my studies. My happiness, my 'kilig' is just for this time only. One day, they will be disbanded. They will go to the path they chose. Some of them may have different professions or maybe married. So, what if I sacrifice whatever I have now just for them? I will suffer in the end. I will never quit being a Kpop Fan. I will just limit it. One Idol once said, that we, Kpop Fan, don't have to think too much about them. We have to focus on our studies. And in the time that we already succeeded, that is the time that we will go back to them. I will never regret being a Kpop Fan. Someday, I will thank all of my Idols that they became my inspiration to succeed in life. And even if their group will be disbanded and they continue their life without the label 'member of a Korean group', just their name, in my heart and in my mind, they will always be here reminding me, once a Kpop Fan, will always be a Kpop Fan."
