TW: Mention of death

—

Have I ever mentioned that living life as as an idol has its downs? I'm talking about being in public figure. The challenging part is, you either have to disguise yourself in public or avoid being seen. If you choose not to, you'll most likely be swarmed by people who recognize you and ask for pictures.





Don't get me wrong, I love my job and I'm grateful for our fans' support, they're the reason why we are here.





For example, our situation right now.





Nasa loob kasi kami ng shop ngayon and when we glanced outside the shop, you can notice a few people taking pictures of us. Some are probably waiting to get an autograph. Kasama naman namin mga manager and bodyguards namin to keep us protected.





I'm not trying to make it sound bad. I know this is normal in an idol's life, and I don't mind being photographed especially  in a public place. Wala din naman kaming magagawa. However, I hope that once we leave this shop, we'll have a bit more privacy. And sana they will understand that we have a life too. Yun lang.





Going back.





The three of us decided to shop in a mall not far from the hotel we're staying in. We're looking for swimsuits to buy for our night swimming tomorrow. Manager Baek informed us that they reserved a private pool for us. Sa loob parin naman ng hotel.





Is this heaven?






Naisip ko tuloy baka may hidden agenda 'tong si SM kaya kami na princess treatmenr ngayon. Sana wag naman.






Anywayssssss, tapos na kami magshopping ng swimsuits and we're already paying for it here sa cashier.





Ito na nga papalabas na kami ng shop and....





We weren't swarmed. Instead, they stood a couple of distance away from us. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of relief wash over me. We saw them waving at us with wide grins on their faces, and I felt my heart melt. They respected our space.





I saw ning and giselle wave and I mirrored them. It's really nice seeing our fans in person.





.....





Nasa second shop kami ngayon and it says Kultura Filipino, It's a shop that offers handicrafts, native clothing, travel essentials, and more.





Pwede na, pang souvenir na din para sa mga kaibigan ko and family sa Korea.





Madami din nabili namin dito including keychains. I bought a few of it. Sa kanila ni ning at giselle naman, shoulder bags and pouches na may markang "Kultura". Bumili na din sila ng T-shirts na "It's More Fun In The Philippines" ang design. It is indeed fun here.





It didn't take us long to shop. We paid for our stuffs and decided to go na.





As much as we want to spend more money, pinigilan na kami ng mga manager namin. One thing about them is that they keep us from spending too much money. They're the ones who teach us how to manage our finances responsibly.





Hindi dahil may pera ka ay iwawaldas mo na sa kung saan at sa paraan na gusto mo. It's better to be responsible with your wealth.





Hindi na kami nagdine in sa mall kasi we can't stay any longer. Our exposure kanina is already enough time for other people to know our whereabouts. Napapansin din naming may mga sumusunod pa rin sa amin.





On a bright side, we managed to order Jollibee before kami umalis. Mabilis lang naman yung pagprepare nila ng food. Isa din kasi ito sa mga gusto namin i-try dito sa Pinas. A lot of our filipino fans have recommended us to try the food.





Excited na akong i-try!





HEP HEPPPP! Hindi ko pa 'to nasabi pero we're gonna ride a tricycle pabalik sa hotel namin hehe. Yes, you heard that right. TRICYCLE.





.....




[FLASHBACK]




"Pleaasseeeee manager leeee, manager baeek" we pleaded like our life depended on their decisions.





They want us to ride the van kasi papunta sa mall, eh malapit lang naman pero may medyo distansya din. Need mo pa rin sumakay ng transportation.





Pero ayun nga gusto naming sumakay sa tricycle, we wanted to try it so bad. Ako talaga yung may pakana dito eh, nakita ko kasi ito when I was looking at the view sa may balcony ng room namin. Nalaman ko ding tricycle pala tawag dun kaya eto kami ngayon.





Ito na nga, yung mga manager namin napakamot nalang sa ulo nila sa pilit na kagustohan namin.





"Hays okay, I'll get some bodyguards na din to ensure your safety." Yeeeyyyyy, gulat naman sila sa mga sigaw namin.





"But girls." Muli kaming lumingon sa nagsalita





"Yung bilin namin sa inyo. Wag makulit."





We only nodded in unison as answer.




.....



[END OF FLASHBACK]





It was already 3 pm when we arrived at the hotel.





Nasa kwarto ulit kami ngayon. Eyes fixed on our own phones. Nakikita namin mga mukha namin sa feed ng X (twitter) namin. Oo, may private accounts kami, dito lang din namin nalalaman yung ibang news about us.





There are multiple tweets about us seen shopping in the mall. We see everything while hiding in bushes, mga captions ng tweets, qrts, and even comments. Nababasa namin lahat hahahaha.





"I'm bored." Panimulang sabi ni ning. Which giselle replied.





"Di ka ba pagod sis, sa tagal ng shopping natin kanina?"





"Eh iba naman yun kanina. Gusto ko na magswimmingggggg. Ba't ba kasi bukas paaaaa." Oh dear, now she's whining.





"Bahala ka jan para kang bolate, di mapakali."





"Oh winter ba't ang tahimik mo diyan? You're supposed to be the one acting like a bolate here and not ning." Tanong naman ni giselle sakin





Di muna ako sumagot kasi tila ba tinatamad ako magsalita when she  continued to speak.





"By the way, hindi mo ba ichecheck ulit yung kabilang room? Malay mo nakarating na sila?"





Ah right.





About that kasi......






Kaninang tanghali before kami umalis ay kumatok ulit ako sa room nila but I still didn't get any response. I made sure pa naman na maaga ako magising para mabantayan ko yung room nila kung may lalabas ba. Ayoko pa kasing kumatok kasi maaga pa, ayaw ko din naman makadisturbo ng tulog.






They must have gone somewhere. It's either hindi sila bumalik kagabi or mas maaga pa sa ginising ko kanina sila umalis.





Pero ayun nga wala parin.





"Oh yeah. Right. That reminds me. I'll try right now. Bababa din kasi ako to get some drinks sa cafeteria. You girls want something?" Sagot ko sa tanong ni giselle.





"Orange juice"





"Mine. Ice cream."





I just hummed in response. I grabbed my purse. Hindi ko na muna dinala yung Mickey Mouse bag baka wala parin sila.





And I was not wrong for that.





Kumatok na ako sa room pero as usual wala paring sagot. Asan ba kasi 'tong tao dito. Ako yung naiistress.





Pero pinili ko 'to. Ginusto kong ako nalang ang magbigay kaya panindigan ko 'to.





Sigh.




.....





I'm here in the cafeteria. Paying for the drinks that I got for my friends.




Mabilis lang din naman yung pagbili ko at umalis na agad at tumungo sa elevator.





Clicking on the button to which floor I'm in. I glanced at my reflection in the elevator's side mirror, dressed in an oversized sweater extending over my hands and paired with trousers. As I tidied my hair to look good, a ding was heard indicating my arrival at the desired floor.





As soon as the door opened, I caught a familiar tall figure standing next to our room. She appeared to have just gotten out from her own room and was in the process of locking the door.





She's wearing a sports bra under her white-colored windbreaker that is partially ped, revealing a glimpse of her defined a-abs....





Uhm...





Her abs...





WBISNQOAANAOAXBXWIDNWISMAKM??????!?!?





I stood there for god knows how long. And the embarassing part is, I am once again staring at her.





God. Help me.





I heard footsteps coming my way that pulled me back to my senses. Jusko! Mamaya ka na mag gay panic Winter!





I was about to speak when she intiated a talk.





"Hello neighbor. You're staring again." Painting me a soft smile on her face.






HUH?! ANO BA!






"H-hindi noh!" pagdepensa ko at rinig ko naman ang mahinang tawa nito.