One Word is Enough | iKON | ON-HOLD SORRY!

Chapter 22: WoW

'Yong puso ko, hindi ko na maintindihan madalas. Bigla-bigla nalang nagiging abnormal sa mga bagay-bagay. Hindi naman ako tanga. Hindi lang talaga ako sanay.

"Let's talk about you and Hanbin."

I literally panicked inside. Halos mahilo na ako sa sobrang kaba. Pinagpawisan ako and my stomach went knots.

Napaka-unusual.

It's not so me.

"Ano naman po'ng tungkol sa amin?" I asked, eyes were steady, hands secretly shaking.

"Mukhang maganda ang pagsasamahan niyo na dalawa?" Nag-dikwatro si Uncle, both hands on top of his knee.

"A-Ah. . . Opo, close naman po kaming lahat." Uncle nodded as if he was hearing a good news. Totoo namang close kaming lahat, di ba?

"Pero ang sinasabi ko ay kayo ni Hanbin," he handed me a suspicious brown envelope.

"Ano 'to?"

"Tignan mo kaya?" He deadpanned.

I frowned. Binara pa ako, eh.

Binuksan ko ang envelope at tumambad sa akin ang maraming pictures namin na naguusap ni Hanbin.

I scanned them. Touching them as if they were the most precious thing I've ever seen. Our laughs and smiles were. . . indescribable -- no.

Ipinasok ko muli ang mga pictures sa envelope, erasing all the foolish thoughts that's flooded my mind. Indescribable? The fork was that mean?

"Ano po ang mga ito?" He was about to speak pero nagsalita muli ako, "alam ko'ng mga pictures ang mga ito. What I mean is, bakit kami may mga pictures na gan'to?"

Sa nakita ko, they were all from different places and different events na napuntahan namin. Naalala ko na naman ang itsura ko do'n.

Kailan ako ngumiti ng gano'n?

"Those pictures were taken by some paparazzi." My heart sank from what I've heard. They were stalking us? But. . . Why? "After lumabas no'ng article niyo sa photoshoot, naging interesado na sila sa inyo. Good thing mabilis ang Kuya Haneul mo at na-block niya agad ang mga sites na maga-upload nito. Once is enough. Pabitinin naman natin sila."

A weirded smile crept on Uncle's face, making my stomach churn even more.

"Pabitinin?" I was confused. Ano'ng ibig niyang sabihin no'n?

"You know, business," he sighed.

Ah was all I could compose inside my spinning head. Pabitinin for publicity stunt, huh?

"Ginagamit niyo ba ako for publicity stunt?" Can't deny the annoyance in my voice.

Uncle cleared his throat. "Don't get me wrong, Jang. It's not what you think."

Tiniklop ko ang aking kamay, burrying my fingernails deeper within the surface.

"Then what?"

Huminga si Uncle ng malalim bago sumandal sa kaniyang upuan. "Magusap tayo bilang ako, na uncle mo, at ikaw, na pamangkin ko." I didn't speak a word. "Hindi namin alam kung ano ang pagkukulang namin sa'yo. Pinaramdam namin na mahalaga ka sa amin -- lalo na ang Kuya Haneul mo. Pero bakit minsan gumagawa ka parin ng mga bagay na nagpaparamdam sa amin na nagpabaya kami?"

Napatingin ako kay Uncle, chewing every word he said, letting it all sink in my system.

"I. . ." a pause "sinunod ko naman ang sinabi niyo. Wala ako'ng gusto kay Hanbin. Kung tungkol man 'yan sa mga pictures, wala ako'ng intensiyon na gano'n ang mangyari. I was just happy because of the thought of being happy, not because of him -- or them."