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Chapter 115: Bad News Bears
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Boyfriend App Chapter 116: A Hospital Visit
“Whoa,” Lor mubles as she pushes her big black-rimmed glasses up her nose for the umpteenth time while looking down at the screen of her OPPO A5s, which is as new as Kate’s Galaxy A10 and was gifted to her by her bae JM. “This is the first time I’m seeing Waze lit up like my essay after it’s been marked. You know, bloody.” “For reals?” Kate asks, leaning over to see for herself. As has earlier been established, Kate’s phone doesn’t always have wi-fi outside the four corners of home. It mainly depends on her budget. And having just come back from summer camp, after weeks of no allowance from the parentals, she’s practically a beggar. “For real for real. See? There’s hardly any green. It’s dark red all over. Like a sanitary pad at the beginning of your period.” Next to Francine, their go-to driver, Grace looks back from her seat and says with a grave face and a mellow, vaguely British voice: “Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Your ledger is dripping. It’s GUSHING red.” The i
The Boyfriend App Chapter 117: Reunion
The red veins and arteries and cute round car icons on Waze turn into an actual kilometer-long gridlock around the hospital. Traffic grounds into a complete halt and Francine and Grace confer with each other whether to turn off the engine. Apparently, hundreds of K-pop fans from all over have shown up this weekend to pay tribute to the fallen star. The Makati police were called in to help with crowd control. Like a street protest, the sea of people is spiky with signs and banners that read “RIP”, “WE LOVE U”, and “SHADOW FOREVER”. Some are holding up Monte X-O merch shirts and posters of Shadow’s iconic silhouette with the glorious dreads. Others are blasting portable Bluetooth speakers and singing the group’s hit songs at the top of their lungs. It’s like a street carnival. A celebration of Shadow’s legacy, not a mourning. “Okay, guys,” Francine says, turning off the engine with a certain finality and resignation. She looks back and announces: “This is it. End of the line. If you wa
The Boyfriend App Chapter 118: Generation Unlucky
“Thanks, bro,” Nathan tells Terra in Filipino, “for picking up the phone and listening to a complete stranger’s request.” “Oh, it’s nothing,” Terra says cheerily. “Don’t mention it.” They’re now seated on Monobloc chairs in a loose circle in front of Nathan’s wheelchair. “I don’t remember all your names,” he says, playing the hospitable host who doesn’t want anyone to feel left out. “But Kate has told me so much about the Bali Girls.” “Really?” Lor asks, throwing Kate a sideways look. “Like what?” “How you got eliminated very early on at the tournament,” Nathan says with a mischievous grin. “Conference level, I think.” “Grr,” Lor says and mimes strangling and shaking Kate, who’s sitting next to her wagging her hand in front of her face and saying Aniya. “We didn’t get eliminated,” Babylee says. “No, our opponent wiped the floor with us.” The rest of the Bali Girls giggle. Then, silence again. “Er, you must be so happy you received so many flowers,” Grace states the obvious
The Boyfriend App Chapter 119: K-drama IRL
“What I’m about to tell you,” Nathan says with just a hint of relish, “is my family’s biggest and darkest secret.” Everyone has gone quiet as though it was ghost story-sharing time at a Bali Girls sleepover. Kate doesn’t think Nathan has achieved enough detachment from the story to enjoy telling it. What she’s detecting in Nathan’s voice is just relief; relief at finally being able to tell another living soul what he has been keeping to himself for so long. “Or at least it used to be,” Nathan caveats. “Now it’s just a matter of time before the media gets to the bottom of everything. Having said that, I don’t want you to feel any pressure whatsoever about being privy to this secret but not being able to tell anyone. I’ve been on the receiving end of such a gag order, and I hated every day and every minute of it.” A pause, but no one dares interrupt Nathan. “What I’m trying to say is, when you leave this room, the story is yours and you can do with it whatever you please. You can go
The Boyfriend App Chapter 120: Becoming Nate
“Shadow’s Korean name Ji-hoon meant 'ambition' and 'meritorious deed'. You can say he was born to do great things. But it would be a mistake to downplay his mother’s, Ma’am Meow’s, influence behind the scenes. Mrs. Kim was a force of nature. “As you’ve probably guessed by now, she was a woman with a will of iron and who always got what she wanted. She had vast knowledge in fine arts and she collected and sold expensive paintings. She was also a superb pianist. She used to be the prima ballerina of a ballet company in Seoul and, after that, a ballet teacher. “Above all, Mrs. Kim took pride in herself as a ‘naturalist’ and considered the human body as a mere vessel for the spirit of genius to inhabit. The Biblical phrase ‘your body is the temple of God’ took on a whole different meaning with her. For instance, back in Club Aster, she hired cordon-bleu chefs and always made sure to consume only premium liquor and the culinary masterpieces of her chefs. “When Ji-hoon was born, Mrs. Kim
The Boyfriend App Chapter 121: Tiger Mom
“My father never set foot in the Philippines again after that. I guess he was so ashamed of what he had done to my mother. When Shadow started to gain fame outside Korea, Big Break Entertainment sent some lawyers to me and my mother. They made us sign NDAs to keep our mouths shut about the Filipino named Jason Manabat and his relationship to Shadow. Mrs. Kim thought that such information would be detrimental to Shadow’s fast-rising career. “It might’ve seemed counterintuitive then but his Filipino father was in fact not a dark but a bright side of Shadow’s life. Jason provided the human touch and support system that the tiger mother never could. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Kim’s rigorous discipline drove the idol trainee to depression. Shadow would later confess to me that he had contemplated suicide a couple of times. Even when he turned 21 and became financially independent from her mother, he still wasn’t free. In his mind, his raving fans took his mother’s place. In the spotlight an
The Boyfriend App Chapter 122: Touch
“I should be the one apologizing to you,” Kate says earnestly as she chases Nathan’s tears with the tissue. Her words help Nathan’s outburst peter out into sniffles. “Why?” “The 3310,” Kate whispers, turning a little towards the feature phone on the bedside table. “If I hadn’t given it to you, none of this would’ve ever happened.” “That’s not true,” Nathan protests. “You don’t know that.” With a few finishing wipes, Kate dries both sides of Nathan’s face and then sits opposite him. Her eyes are downcast. “Look at me, Kate.” Reluctantly, guiltily, she does. “You set me free,” Nathan says. “Nothing will ever change that. Why, if it hadn’t been for your help, I’d still be stuck in Camp Unplugged.” “Maybe that’s better…” Kate says under her breath. “Don’t blame yourself like this, Kate,” Nathan says. “You’ve always been the bright-side-looker between us. I’d hate for that part of you to disappear because of me… because of this. I can’t allow that. This accident has already tak
The Boyfriend App Chapter 123: The Jokester
Kate’s mind is racing as she looks into Nathan’s expectant eyes. Several thoughts flit through her brain in the few heartbeats that she sits speechless across from him. The first thing that hits her is excitement. Thrill at the thought of travel. Like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, her heart yearns for adventure. But soon after this initial surge, her brain douses her entire body with a bucket of ice that ends up as cold feet. She starts overthinking and worries about whether her Korean is enough to actually get around Seoul, whether Grace has a spare (preferably orange or purple) luggage that she can borrow, and whether her parents have enough money stashed away so she won’t be eating nothing but kimchi in the land of K-dramas. Seeing Nathan’s extra-large puppy eyes summon back her warrior heart. {Nathan needs you,} her heart says. {It’s no exaggeration to say that he could die when he goes under the knife. In fact, his very survival depends on his strength, both physical and mental.
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For Ecto, New Year’s is more or less the same as Christmas. The same warm, gooey feeling. The same close-knit spirit. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has banned the manufacture and sale of firecrackers, the shooting of which has been a well-loved tradition for centuries and can be traced all the way back to the Spanish colonial era. The exact inventors and originators were the Chinese, who believed that noise would drive away bad luck and bad spirits. According to Mr. and Mrs. Lapuz, the Filipinos seem sadder now, having been robbed of the most thrilling and spectacular means of making noise. But according to health and safety records, hospital personnel can rest easier because the ERs wouldn’t be packed with casualties this time around. Just the New Year’s before last, it was like a war zone on the streets what of households competing for the biggest bang to welcome the new year. Many men got drunk out of their minds and then tried to light a firecracker with the non-PC name
The Boyfriend App Chapter 175: Ecto's Stocking
After Mass, Kate and Nate buy rice cakes at the town square. One is the awesomely purple puto bumbong and another the yellow bibingka. They also buy roasted chestnuts and bring all the treats home to Mr. and Mrs. Lapuz. On one trip to a very crowded shopping mall, Ecto sees a Santa Claus impersonator. Curiously, the Santa is Caucasian and not brown-skinned like most of the Filipinos. Of course Ecto has already figured out by himself that Santa isn’t real. To his surprise, after they get back home, Kate insists on teaching him the hooman custom of hanging a stocking. On the desktop of her computer, Kate shows him a folder that she has named “Ecto’s Stocking”. She then goes through all the trouble of changing her wallpaper to a fireplace and dragging the folder onto the 2D mantelpiece. “What for?” he asks her through her smartphone’s loudspeaker. Her smartphone is open and showing the My Dream Boyfriend app, right into the inside of Ecto’s bedroom. Ecto’s wearing a knit sweater
The Boyfriend App Chapter 174: The Holidays
With a little help from Terra, Kate downloads the My Dream Boyfriend App again with some customizations. Because Ecto isn’t bound by any one platform anymore, he’s capable of some manner of fission, where he splits and replicates himself while also dividing his consciousness among all his manifestations. It’s like Doctor Strange’s clones when they were fighting Thanos, but in Ecto’s case, each and every duplicate is much more than an illusion and is a sentient and perfect version of himself. This allows him to be both in Nate’s microchip implant while back in his virtual bedroom inside the My Dream Boyfriend app on Kate’s smartphone. At any time, he can also perform fusion and re-absorb his manifestations. Terra removed the boyfriend creation window because of course Kate doesn’t need it anymore. Ecto wanted his virtual bedroom exactly as it was. He could easily “slide” into his other cribs anyway, like the old orange, pink and red Provençal one on Dungeon Raydens which he was able
The Boyfriend App Chapter 173: The Truth
It’s already 6 pm when Nate finishes his social host obligations and comes looking for Kate. He doesn’t need to look hard though because earlier, Kate sent him a text saying she’s waiting for him in the Council office. Nate has a spring in his step and is smiling ear to ear. The scratches on his face are still stinging but, before the closing ceremony, Nurse Judy cleaned and applied Band-Aid on them. Nate can’t hide his excitement in seeing his GF again after they’ve taken care of all their responsibilities. {That kiss on the track was supernova-hot. I hope we make out too.} When he finds the office door locked, oddly enough, he knocks and calls out uncertainly: “Kate?” He hears her move inside the room and then the door swings open. The sight of her face wipes his smile off. She’s been crying in the dim. She has the look of someone who has just had herself a good cry. Her eyes look cleansed and exposed, indeed like pure windows into her soul. Her lips are tightly set in a line, as
The Boyfriend App Chapter 172: The Anagram
Kate is alone in the Student Council office tidying up. Nate’s off wrapping things up with his manager and the film crew and saying goodbye to everybody, including his bandmates. The trophy that STEM 12 won is now in the 12-Everest homeroom, because the bulk of tournament champions is there. Kate’s classmates are all posing with it and gushing at how shiny it is. This year’s Intrams was perfect. Kate couldn’t ask for anything more. She has once again been reminded of the importance of having balance in life; of, as cheesy as it sounds, having both a sound mind and a sound body. It felt good to do something physical, to be away from the rigors of school work and the false urgency of the Internet. But the heart of the matter is, she’s blissfully content because she has a boyfriend and she didn’t make a mistake in choosing him. In fact, she made a brilliant choice. An undertow to her joy is a silent prayer that she has finally broken the curse that she felt had hung over her ever since
The Boyfriend App Chapter 171: The Cheater
“OMG!” Mr. Romero says the word in everyone’s mind as they watch the pitiful scene. “Policarpio’s crawling to the baton exchange. Quick! Somebody help him! Help him!” Reggie is the first to break the spell of paralysis. He leaps over the rail and onto the track. He and Jared manage to run towards him before the alert CAT volunteers practice crowd control and stop others from joining. Reggie reaches Nate’s side. “No!” Nate screams vehemently. “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me! I have to do this by myself.” “But hyung,” Jared says, having stopped next to Reggie, “you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to prove anything.” “Yes… I… do,” Nate grunts as he crawls forward foot by precious foot. “Let us help you,” Reggie pleads. “You don’t have to do this alone.” “Don’t come closer!” Nate barks, spittle flying between his gritted teeth. In what feels like eternity, he reaches the changeover zone and Kate’s crouched form. Her eyes are glassy and full of pity for him. He hates that loo
The Boyfriend App Chapter 170: The Race
By Friday morning, STEM 12 has won a total of 7 champion ribbons and several ones as runner-up. This makes them a leading candidate for overall champion. As Kate has anticipated, the non-sports events buoyed them. Apart from Francine and her escort winning Mr. and Mrs. Intrams, Grace and her benchwarmers won the bench cheer. It didn’t hurt either that the Bali Girls minus setter Lor were at the top of their game. And Nate, to everyone’s astonishment, is actually a Filipino Usain Bolt in the making. {Your BF’s Superman,} Nate’s words have been echoing inside Kate’s head since Wednesday, along with the news reporter’s: {Idol, social catalyst and Internet detective. Is there anything that Cyber can’t do?} But STEM 12 didn’t exactly win all their wins. Just like in last year’s Intrams, several games have been forfeited. An opposing team either failed to meet the minimum number of players required to start the game or failed to appear at the venue within the 15-minute grace period. On CIT
The Boyfriend App Chapter 169: Music Madness
The crowd of hysterical girls in front, held back only by a cordon of CAT cadets from junior high, are screaming the names of DMG members: “Cyber! Reggie! Jared! Sonic! Neo!” Seemingly from out of nowhere, they’ve whipped out banners and signs. Instead of the usual glow-in-the-dark Korean lettering for an evening K-pop concert, there’s a slew of English ones interspersed with the name of a particular artist or of the whole band. | IT’S MY BIRTHDAY CYBER, YOU ARE MY PRESENT DUMP KATE TAKE ME I WOULD SELL MY SIBLINGS FOR YOU I LOVE YOU MORE THAN FREE WIFI DON’T STOP INSPIRING ME! CAN I BE YOUR HAIRDRESSER? ALL I WANT FOR X-MAS IS A PIC WITH JARED DMG We have 5 fingers enough for 5 wedding rings SPIT ON ME CYBER | An English-speaking Filipino director is riding a crane and shooting high up in the aisle of the audience seats. His staff is scattered on the edges and near the stage, operating or holding up every manner of equipment. DMG plays their covers of the most popular s
The Boyfriend App Chapter 168: Within the Walls
On Tuesday, they have the same brain-hurting and nose-bleeding calculations in Physics and Chemistry. The only thing different is DMG’s closed-door rehearsal at the chapel-slash-auditorium 500 meters east. Nate has been exempted by Principal Aguilar personally from any school work or quiz. The whole campus is abuzz and on edge at every sighting of truck and van with tinted windows down Campus Drive and onwards to the auditorium. Kate has also prepared paper lots in an empty pencil case for the Secret Santa next month. She lets every Everester pick their recipient, including her own name. Kate has set the budget at “No Fixed Price” because she knows not all students are financially comfortable. When only two pieces of folded paper remain (one for Nate and one for her), she picks her recipient and is both excited and nervous to see that it’s Grace. She keeps the last piece of paper, of course unopened, for Nate. {Huh,} she thinks to herself afterwards. {What gift can I give somebod
