Ikako

Chapter Three

"Alright, guys, quiet on the set," Maria announced to the room.

The filming for showbreak had officially started. It was a few weeks after the beach party and I used these past days to adjust and get to know my way around the company. I haven't seen the boys until now. They were wearing identical white shirts with red scarves around their neck and red loose pants.

They boys were grouped into two: Stell, Josh, and Justin while Ken with Sejun. Once the cameras started rolling, they did a little introduction. The mechanics of the game was briefly explained and whichever group lost would receive a punishment.

"What's the punishment?" Sejun asked.

I answered behind the camera. "The losers will get to wear sailor moon costumes."

The boys exploded into laughter. "Hoy, Josh ayusin mo ah." Stell pointed to the boy beside him. "Bakit ako?"

"Okay, first question. Who was the first European to reach the Philippines?"

Sejun's hand instantly tapped the table in front of him. "Magellan!"

He and Ken applauded as they got one point.

"Narra is the national tree. But what is our national leaf?"

The boys stared at each other for a moment, as if the answers were on the other's faces. Suddenly Ken's hand flew in on the table. "A-anahaw!" he exclaimed, pointing to me.

I swallowed, pretending not to be taken aback by his gesture. "Correct." He pumped his fists in the air and declared that he and Sejun already had two points.

"Guys, galingan naman natin." Stell whined, fidgeting with his scarf. Some of the staff erupted in laughter. "Akala ko ba matalino ka, Justin?" Josh asked.

Justin playfully slapped the rapper's arm. "Grabe ka, hindi kasi ako magaling under pressure."

Laughter filled the room again and I found myself joining in chorus. "Third question: what is the traditional form of courtship in the country?"

"Harana!" Josh said, slapping his hand too hard on the wooden table. He began shaking his injured hand in pain as their group celebrated for getting their first point.

The game continued and Ken's group won in the end, meaning Josh, Justin, and Stell had to wear sailor moon costumes.

Justin and Josh awkwardly posed for the camera, while Stell raised three fingers in the air posing like the original character would. He continued to act cute in front of the camera as Ken and Sejun were dying in laughter not far from the trio.

*****

It was raining hard outside. Macario wasn't answering my calls. I bit my lower lip, anxiety crawling in.

"Miss Ami, wala pa sundo?" I turned to see Stell walking towards my direction with the other boys trailing behind him.

I ran a hand through my hair out of slight frustration. "Oo, hindi sinasagot mga tawag at text ko."

Suddenly Josh stood next to the taller member and rested his arm on Stell's shoulder. "E di dun ka na muna sa amin." His lips curled into a boyish grin.

The rest of the boys stared at him as if he grew an extra head. I tried to weigh my options. There was still no response from Macario, no taxi lined up outside, plus I was getting hungry. Hearing no objections, I agreed to go with them. And before I knew it, I was riding inside the van on the way to their condominium.

Upon entering, a floor to ceiling window greeted me with the view of the city, bright lights against the darkness of the night. "I texted Tatang Robin. He said it was okay for you to spend the night here," Sejun said. "The bathroom's right down the hall. I'm sorry, you have to take the couch. All rooms are occupied. We'll give you pillows and a blanket."

I offered him a small smile. It was better than getting stuck in the rain. "Thank you," Sejun merely nodded and went on his way. "Here," a deep voice said from behind. It was Ken with a bunch of clothes in his hands. "They're probably you fit."

I felt my cheeks grow warm. I said my thanks and he gave a quiet smile before walking back to his room. I decided to take a seat near the window to watch the view as I ate the food we took out on the way here.

"Ganda no," someone said. I whipped my head to see Josh placing the pillows and blanket on the couch. His eyes were glued to the city outside. "It doesn't get old, no matter how many times I've seen it."

"The view is amazing," I uttered, watching as Josh took a seat next to me. "Did you always get to live with this kind of luxury?"

"Hindi. Mahirap lang ang pamilya ko," He said with a face that seemed to recall the past. "Nangarap lang talaga ako."

Josh opened up about his family, how he never really got to know his father and the other unpleasant things he experienced growing up. He also talked about how the group was struggling in the beginning. Only a few people were going to their concerts and some of them even stopped going to training. Although Josh tried to mask the pain, his eyes gave him away. "I'm proud of what we've reached so far. But I won't stop dreaming. There's a lot for us out there."

"The only way is up."

"That's right."

Suddenly a yawn escaped Josh's lips. "I'll head to bed first. 'Wag ka mahiya mag-sabi kung may kailangan ka ha. Good night."

"Night," I replied. After quickly finishing the rest of my dinner, I headed to the bathroom to get changed. Without knocking, I opened the door and almost dropped the clothes in my hand at the sight that greeted me. Standing inside was an equally shocked topless Ken. I tried to avert my eyes from his muscular chest that was in full view but couldn't help staring at the strange mark near his collarbone. Ken must have sensed it as he pulled on a shirt to cover his body. "It's a birthmark. I find it cool though."

"I'm so sorry," I said not meeting his eyes. Ken smiled as he walked past me. "Don't think about it too much." He playfully winked at me over his shoulder as he strutted down the hallway. My face was probably as red as a tomato at the moment.

Did he just wink at me? And more importantly, he has the same mark as Felipe.