He continued to watch them with discerning eyes, noticing the exhaustion which probably caused the slight loss of weight, particularly Gerald’s.  He saw them interact with everyone, laughing at the right punch lines, smiling at greetings of congratulations, listening intently without really hearing what was being said.  Ahh…he knew them too well.

          It seemed to him that they weren’t exactly feeling happy despite all the good news that he had announced, not to mention the huge turn-out at the premiere.  Somehow, he knew that something was wrong…something was very wrong.

          (Flashback to the first shooting day of PNK)

          Kim and Gerald arrived together at exactly 1 hour before their call time.  It was a day scheduled for briefings and character internalizations only.  They sat on two adjacent seats at the far end of the studio, animatedly talking with each other as if they didn’t come together just a few minutes ago.  Soon, most of the stars were already there, but the pair was still oblivious to the world, apparently lost in their own.

          Direk called their attention so they could join the others.  They hurriedly walked toward the center where everyone else was huddled on the floor.  They took their places, still beside each other, and greeted everyone in the group.

          The briefing began as soon as their respective copies of the script have been distributed.  He saw them browse through the material (which was a good sign), pointing something to each other once in a while.

          Direk Ruel gave each one of them a very detailed description of the characters they would all portray.  When he came to the characters of Bogs and Mae, he asked Kim and Gerald to stand in the middle with their scripts on hand.  He told them to turn to page 37 and everyone followed suit.  It was the scene where Gerald was clad with only Mae’s towel wrapped around his waist and Mae was irritated at him for using her towel despite her previous instruction for him to use the blue towel.  Bogs asked Mae if he was to remove the towel because it was hers and Mae suddenly became uneasy with the slight flirtation between them.

          The rest of the cast immediately caught on with the plan of the good director and the boys suddenly hooted with catcalls and laughter, breaking the tension within the group.

          Kim and Gerald blushed profusely, both obviously nervous at what the director might ask them to do right there and then.  Their fears weren’t unfounded after all because Direk asked them to act out the scene.  Feeling a bit shy around the group, especially since IC who came from another network was there, and so were the veteran actors and actresses, Ricky Davao, Rio Locsin and Zsazsa Padilla, Kim looked at Gerald helplessly.  He rubbed her arms, just as he always does whenever she gets nervous and gave her a slight nod.  His presence gave her the confidence boost she needed and started reading her lines, acting as best as she could.  Gerald followed suit and soon they were again engrossed in each other that they almost forgot where they were.  The group’s applause was overwhelming for the two young stars.  The blush on their cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.  They gave their audience impish grins and tons of thank yous.

          After the activity, the schedules were given out, reminders said and the artists took their leave one at a time.  Direk called the two lead stars and asked them to stay a bit longer.

          Soon, the three of them were the only ones left, except for a few crew members who were taking care of the equipments.  Mr. Bayani congratulated them for being entrusted with such a big project.  He, however, explained how big their responsibility was.  This was to be the very first movie of Star Cinema for the year 2010 and to say that the company was expecting all of them to pull a miracle are an understatement.   Kim and Gerald understood the weight of accountability that lie on their shoulders, but their firm resolve to do their best and their refusal to buckle down earned them the admiration of the acclaimed director.  Direk Ruel knew how hard these kids work, what their priorities are, but most especially, how deep their unspoken commitment to each other was. 

          In the days that followed, Direk Ruel was a silent witness to the reel and real relationship between his two stars.  They remained professional despite the hectic schedules, and he was happy with how the movie was turning out.  They were ahead of schedule, until that fateful day that Ms. Charo and Mr. M called him for a meeting.

          He was angry at no one in particular.  He just found it very unfair for this young man to be suffering from an illness he doesn’t deserve at a time most inappropriate.  He was at the peak of his career.

          His heart reached out to him, without him even knowing.  He pitied Kim for not being aware.  He was told that it was Gerald’s wish not to tell her yet.  And they all respected that.  Despite his illness, he remained the same professional, always on-time, hungry for learning, humble and down-to-earth artist.  For that, he respected him even more.  And he felt just as depressed as Gerald’s handler, as his PA, as his manager.  Direk felt so helpless that he couldn’t do anything for him when he was doing everything to make their work easier.  Gerald never came to the set without bringing food for everybody, especially siomai for Kim.  Even if he didn’t have a scene, he would just stay on the sidelines, watching, waiting for her.

          Slowly, the unique love story of the two young people he has learned to love unfolded before Direk’s very eyes.  It was a beautiful relationship, unselfish and unconditional.  Notwithstanding their age, these two wonderful persons showed all of them what true love meant.  And Direk vowed to himself that he would do anything just to make sure that somehow, someday, Kim and Gerald would get their chance to enjoy a life together, a life filled with so much love and laughter, a life so mended together that they themselves wouldn’t know where his life ended and hers began.

          Even if they didn’t ask, Direk Ruel promised himself that he will always be there for them.