Until the End | SB19 Sejun [SB19 Series Prequel]

16 - FINAL

March 2020

Sejun's POV

"Ma, I'm home!" I called as I stepped into our living room, setting my bags on the floor, and plopped on the couch. It was a tiring week. After arriving home from a Pepsi event in Davao, it was a full week of schedules, guestings, and training sessions. I was glad to be home. I missed my mom's cooking, especially her sinigang.

"How was your trip?" my mom asked. She eyed my bag filled with my dirty clothes. "Did you book a Grab ride with Stell?"

"Uh-huh."

I was tired. I wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep but I could not will my body to get up and move.

"Are you okay?" my mom asked.

"I'm just a little tired," I told her and leaned my head on the couch.

Mom's hand was at my forehead in a flash. "Are you feeling feverish? Do you have a headache? Sore throat? Cough? Paulo, you were at Davao! There were a lot of people there. Maybe someone had a cough-"

I knew where her concern was stemming from. The TV stations were filled with news about the coronavirus that pillaged Wuhan. I thought the virus was contained but apparently, there were already local transmissions being reported in Metro Manila. The virus had already reached Philippine shores.

I had to interrupt or she would go on and on and on and on. "No, Ma. I'm just tired."

"Are you sure? You know we cannot see the virus, Paulo. We have to be careful. Did you wear your mask?"

"Yes."

"Did you drink your vitamins?"

"Yes."

"Did-"

"Ma, I'm fine. I really am. I'm just sleepy. I just had two hours of sleep," I reasoned. I did not want to elaborate further. I knew she was worried. Ever since SB19 skyrocketed to greater heights, we have been crazy busy. Our schedules were jam-packed- mall shows, TV guestings, and training sessions in between all those. Plus, we had to prepare for our Get in the Zone nationwide concert. The boys and I had been getting lesser time to rest.

Not that I'm complaining. I am extremely grateful that good things were unfolding right before our very eyes. We've got a fandom now. We had thousands of fans who knew us, people who were screaming for us when we pass by. The notifications on my personal social media accounts were off the hook. I tried reading messages because I just wanted to know what my fans think of me but I never did finish reading them. There were too many.

Life was wonderful lately. SB19 was starting to climb the ladder of success. We have reached countless milestones that we have dreamt of for so long. The boys and I often talk among ourselves about how our lives transformed overnight, how one tweet thrust SB19 into the limelight. We could not believe it. I could not believe it. The staff, Sir Robin, Teacher Hong, and our families were so overjoyed at our success. We were so overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

I was happy with the way things turned out and I was thankful for the chance that life gave us.

Even with all the success, I still find myself thinking about her.

It's been six months since she last messaged me and that was to congratulate me on the success of Go Up. She never messaged me after that- not even a Happy Birthday, a Merry Christmas, or a Happy New Year. I should have greeted her on her birthday. I was internally debating whether or not to send a text. Believe me, I was about to, but Ate May called me to discuss some details regarding our upcoming events that I never got to send her a Happy Birthday text.