I. Home Bound

SOL

"He's cute—no, he's hot! Gosh, I can give my soul to him if he'll just let me!"

"Are you stupid? He doesn't fall in love. Maybe he's gay? In his 3 years of career, he's the only one in the group who has always been in the headline. Phoenix is the best leader of the band and falling in love is not his style."

"How did you know that?"

"Because I know him very much. I know every detail of his life... even the moles in his body, I know exactly where they are."

All I have to do is to raise my brow as I listen to my students who seemed not to notice that I'm already standing behind them.

"Really? So, where can we locate his moles?" I asked.

"He has a mole on the left part of his chest—Oh my God! Sorry, Miss Sol!" she almost fell on her seat in surprise.

Well, I can't blame them. I smiled inwardly but made sure to keep my blank face. I can see myself to them when I was still studying. Years ago, I was exactly like them.

I put my laptop on the table and started preparing the last lesson I'll teach them for this semester. The president of the class did her part, who happened to be the girl who's talking about the "mole thing" a while back.

"I want you to know that I will not be your Literature Instructor next semester," I announced, making them murmur their violent reactions. "Don't act as if you don't like it because we all know that you're shouting in joy right now. Don't be hypocrites, yes?"

They laughed which made me smile. One thing I will miss about this class is the fact that being with them for the whole first semester creates strong bonds with each other.

I promised myself that when I become a teacher, I'll be the kind of instructor wherein my students respect me not because I am their teacher but because they learn something from me which they will bring with them until they are already successful in life.

"Are you going to be our instructor in other subjects next semester, Miss Sol?"

"I don't know. I want to focus now on my book. But maybe someday, we'll meet again, you as my students and I as your instructor."

I watch my class while they are presenting their reports. I still can't imagine that after everything that happened, I got a job here and now I'm bidding myself goodbye.

What's more to ask?

I've got my dreams to come true: I got the chance to live in Korea, study here, and got a job. I even got a lot of other opportunities after my downfall when I was in the Philippines.

The books I write are all best-selling and I finally bought my dream house.

All of these happen in ten years.

"Miss Sol, you have a visitor."

I snapped back to reality when my student tapped my table. Did I space out that long? I excused myself and navigated my way to the person who's standing next to the door.

He opened his arms so wide which made my students tease us. Instead of hugging him, I punched his stomach, making him shout in pain.

"Is that your way of showing how much you missed me?" he asked.

I make face in front of my class before closing the door. I pulled him to the corner and kick him. He caught my leg which causes me to lose my balance. His retarded laugh echoed in the hallway as he let go of me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"Am I not allowed to visit the most famous author of this generation?"

"Stop it, Chan. I still don't like you no matter what you say."

"Yes, yes. You know how to turn me down." he scratched his head, "By the way, when are you going back to the Philippines?"

"I'll fly tomorrow because I'm so sick of your face."

"Really? I have a piece of bad news to you then," he smirked.

"Don't tell me you're going to the Philippines, too?"

"Uh-huh..." he smiled, "I have a photoshoot with PVNShoppe."

Min Chanseol is the only guy I trust since I went here. He's been my classmate back in College.

When I first step foot in Korea, I thought everything will going to be okay. I know how to speak their language and their cultural background but it has never been easy. Everything from my past keeps me from stepping forward. Studying in a foreign land is hard. I cried many times but I'm proud of myself, I survived.

After a long time, I'm going back to the place where everything started. If it was not for Alvie, my best friend, I don't have any plan on returning. She'll finally get married and she'll probably kill me if I will not show up.

Chan gave me a ride to my house. Mom was preparing the dinner when we arrived, making my glutton friend stay until dinner. Mom loves him. Sometimes I ask myself if I'm her child. Even Zeck, my older brother likes him, too. I often get out of place whenever they talk.

Well, Zeck has two daughters who look like me. They call me mom, too. If we don't have a flight early in the morning tomorrow, Chan will surely stay up late. Everyone calls him Seol when we were in college but decided to change it into Chan because we always mistakenly respond in chorus whenever someone calls us.

"Are you sure you're going back to the Philippines?"

I am working on my novel when Mom enters my room. She's holding a tray with a teapot and cups on it. I stare at her old face.

 If there's someone who's hurting the most until now, it was her. After what happened to our family, she stayed up strong but I know deep inside, the cut in her heart still hurts.

Ten years ago, I thought I have a perfect family. My parents were businessmen and we own a lot of businesses and properties. My brother works here and has his own business, too.

We were happy, not until one day, my father made a mistake which turned our life upside down. He spent the money they saved for our future to her mistress and casino.

         

I never heard anything about it from Zeck but he decided to keep us with him. Until now, I never heard of our father and I don't have any plan of knowing.

"My best friends are getting married. Alvie will surely kill me if I'll not show up this time." I answered without glancing at her.

"I mean... he's surely been there, too. Are the two of you already talk?"

That hits me hard. We're standing on the same ground, breathing the same air, but we never meet each other.

He's all I can see everywhere and he's the talk of the town. He reached his goals and so do I. I teach life lessons and he touches the heart and soul of everyone who listens to his music.

"It's already in the past, Mom. If we meet, then be it. We have our own lives now. He lives his life, I live mine. Let's not bring the past up. He chose to leave and do things alone what we promised to do together. That's life. It's never fair. All you have to do is to pick yourself up, learn from it, and start over again."

Chan picked me up early in the morning. It will be his first time in the Philippines. He can understand a little Filipino and often gossip with my mom. He's like Jedd, he's so jolly that you won't get bored whenever he's around.

I suddenly missed those dorks. Alvie is a teacher in a private school in Manila, Chalk has a dance school for kids, Jedd is managing his restaurant, and Kollin is busy with his parent's businesses. I don't know how am I going to face them. After we broke up, I cut all the connections I have with them. It's only two years ago when I and Alvie get in touch because my mom gave her my phone number.

I have never opened my email since then, even my social media accounts. I focused on forgetting all the bad things that happened to me.

"Are you okay?"

I smiled at Chan's question. Am I okay? I don't know how to answer that question so I just nod.

We checked in to the hotel where the wedding venue is. Maybe because her cousin will come so he must not be seen in public. It was their hotel anyway that's why I have no right to go against my best friend's will.

"Let's part our ways here. I'll be busy with the photoshoot but let's go back to Korea afterward, okay?"

"Fine. Enjoy your stay here, Chan. I'll meet Alvie tonight. Just call me if something came up."

I phoned Alvie that I'm already in the hotel and after almost an hour, a knock on my door shook my sleepy mind. She throws herself at me, making me lost my balance.

"Darn you, little wench! Why did you show up just now?" she cried.

"I'm a busy strong independent woman. I'm busy at the University. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

"Just because you now live in Korea means you're allowed to forget me? You're just like my cousin."

Her last words shut me up.

"I told you, I'm busy at the University. My seniors make me do a lot of stuff—and you know that I need to busy myself for me to forget everything."

She tapped my shoulder and squeezed my arm.

"You know that you don't have to keep it all to yourself. Your friends are here. We're here. The problem with you is that just because you and Phoenix broke up, you also broke up with us."

I wanted to cry but I can't. It seems like all my tears finally run dry. She gave me the gown I'm going to wear at her wedding and reminded me about the rehearsal tomorrow. We had talked a little more before she decided to take a rest and for me to take a nap from the flight.