@Fayeretellstales

@Fayeretellstales 25 May 2021

Who's your who in EXO 7:54 AM Tue, December 5 Notifications: **Messages** 1 new message received *NDRRMC (7:54 AM, 17 Dec 5) Red Rainfall in the region. Expect heavy rainfall, flashflood, and landslide.* **Messenger** Chat heads active **STAT 101** ***Ma'am Cortez****: Classes are suspended for today. Final exam will be moved tomorrow. Stay safe everyone.* "Yes!" I exclaimed in delight as I read the message sent by our statistics instructor. Today is Tuesday, and supposed to be our final exam. I tried to pull an all-nighter last night but I ended up sleeping at 4AM. I woke up around 7, with panic already arising within me. The heavy rain outside caught my attention, and ironically lightened me up. The exam was supposed to start at 8, and I patiently waited for a miracle to happen. Luckily, the exam was postponed. My procastinating self was saved from failing the exam, temporarily. I smiled as I stared at the glass window in front of my study table. Maybe I should thank the goddess of rain for hearing my prayer. I chuckled at my silly thought. I glanced at the round wall clock beside the window. 8:15 AM. I realized that I still have plenty of hours to study the whole day. A 20-minute break wouldn't be bad right? I decided to minimize the opened files that I studied last night for the exam. I opened a new tab, and typed youtube.com. Random K-pop videos popped up on my account. I'm fan of K-pop, particularly of EXO. I scrolled down and looked for their funny videos that will cheer me up before calculating numbers again. One random video caught my attention. I got curious and I ended up watching it. The video was about picking random stuff with a role assigned to it, and an EXO member will be revealed in the end. It was basically a game, and I cringed at the thought of it. But then I thought it might be fun to see the results, and I ended up playing it. I got surprised after the results were revealed. My bias was not even on the list. I was cringing and laughing at the same time. An idea suddenly popped up into my head. My 20-minute break was already finished and I needed to continue studying again. But a voice inside my head is telling me that I should try making a story out of it. I glanced again at the results, and my fingers were tempted to type the keyboard for a story. It's been a while since I wrote one, and maybe I could try writing again that is something fun. In the end, I decided to make a fanfiction out of the results that I got from the game. I entitled it "Who's your Who in EXO" with the chosen members as my characters of my imagined story. I checked the time before I proceeded to write. Breaking my 20-minute rule wouldn't hurt, right? ------------------------------ ------------------------------ **Bestfriend**: Jong In (Kai) **Roomate**: Kyungsoo (D.O.) **Has a crush on me**: Chanyeol **Your crush**: Baekhyun **Takes on a roadtrip**: Kyungsoo (D.O.) **1st date**: Minseok (Xiumin) **1st kiss**: Baekhyun **Your boyfriend**: Baekhyun **Who to marry**: Jong In (Kai) ------------------------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I was a kid, our family used to live beside our Korean neighbors. They were the Kim Family and they had a kid named Jong In. I can still remember that one summer break when Jong In suddenly appeared in front of me. I was alone, sitting by our homemade swing in our backyard. He approached me and said something that I couldn't decipher."Annyeong what"? I panicked and ran immediately inside our house, directly to my room. "Who was that?" My heart was beating loud and fast. I was that type of a girl who was timid and shy of almost everyone. I was even the most quite girl in our class. Later that night, my mom called me because we will be having a dinner with our new neighbors. Little did I know, that kid a while ago was their son. He was way older than me. I think we had a 4-year gap. Eventually, our families were already closed to each other, and eventually we became best friends. Of course we did not became friends instantly, he approached me many times before because of my reserved behavior. He was my first friend. Jong In wanted me to call him "oppa". I treated him like an older brother and he treated me like his own little sister. He danced a lot because he loved dancing. He is also into dogs and he treats them very lovingly. Jong In is such a very kind and passionate person. However, when I turned 15 we parted ways. The year was 2002. They had to go back to Korea to pursue his dream of being a dancer. I also had to move to Japan because I will be studying there. I forgot to mention that I am Japanese and most of my relatives live in Japan. My parents wanted me to learn how to live the Japanese life. Good thing they let me live in a dormitory because I was too shy to live with my relatives. Jong In and I were just an ocean apart, however communications during those times were still costly. I did not attempt to write a letter and neither did he. My new busy life just started and so was his. *** When I first arrived at the dormitory (my new home), I was a too shy to approach any person. The landlady welcomed me warmly and gave me a little tour around the dorm. Two guys greeted me and I just timidly smiled back at them. I must admit that those two boys were good-looking. The tall one was the first to greet me. He was cheerful and I must say he got some big ears, but it was kind of attractive actually. The other boy was also cheerful, and he looked really cute. But I bet he already hated me. He asked what was my name but I got too nervous to speak. He asked again in a sarcastic tone and I was getting more nervous. He must have assumed that I don't like talking to them. Thank goodness the landlady shooed them away and told them that I still need some rest. The tall guy immediately said "すみません," (Sorry) and smiled apologetically. He dragged his cute friend away because he already looked like he's in a bad mood. Excuse my timidness, mister. I forgot to mention their name. The tall one was Chanyeol while the other one who looked mad was Baekhyun. As I received my room keys, I head directly to my room. A silent guy was sitting near the window, reading a book.To my surprise, he was rather silent. He was way different with the two other boys before. He was just like me, very silent. It was really awkward because none of us were talking. I unpacked my bags and organized my stuff. When I was trying to arrange the books that I brought from home I suddenly felt an awkward atmosphere. I stopped midway and faced my roomate. He was also looking into my direction but not straight to my eyes. He was focused to the book that I was holding with owlish eyes! I panicked and forced my self to talk. "Y-you can borrow...these. If you w-want? Hehe." He seemed nervous too because his voice was shaking when he replied back. The atmosphere was filled with awkwardness but we tried to lessen it. We talked about the book he was reading and we found out that we share same favorites! To cut this long awkward story short, we became close friends. And my roomate's name was Kyungsoo. *** My high school years were fun and colorful. I gained a lot of friends. Thanks to the outgoing and super-friendly Chanyeol, he helped me lessen my shyness towards other people. I was also friends with Baekhyun, however he always teased me a lot and we fought a lot. But we're friends. He was just too frank with me, I guess. I was already in my senior year in high school, and the month was Febuary. Valentine's Day is fast approaching and somehow I wanted to give someone a chocolate. Okay, I admit. For the past three years, I have been secretly admiring someone, or maybe loving this someone already? Hahaha. I'm fine with him being friends only, but we're graduating this year, maybe there's nothing wrong if I try? So, in the end, I decided to give chocolates to the three significant boys in my life. Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. Okay, now I admit I only wanted to give it to Baekhyun. But I ended up including Kyungsoo and Chanyeol to cover up my feelings for him. I explained to them that I was giving them chocolates out of obligation, I did not want them to assume I have feelings for them. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol thanked me, however Baekhyun was somehow being grumpy. March came, and White Day eventually came too. I was surprised when I received a chocolate and a letter from Chanyeol! I did not open it until I went to the dormitory. Kyungsoo baked me chocolate cupcakes too! I was happy receiving these chocolates because I loved chocolates! I was kind of sad because I was expecting I would receive something from Baekhyun. But I guess he is not into these soft and cheesy stuff. While eating the chocolate cupcakes with Kyungsoo, I remembered Chanyeol's letter and immediately took it out of my bag. Kyungsoo asked what it was and I immediately said it was from Chanyeol. He wondered if it was a love letter, but I just responded that it must have been a prank letter. We laughed at the idea and eventually I opened it. However, Kyungsoo turned out to be right, it was really a love letter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Miyamoto Miyuki, こんいちは! (Hi!) I hope you had a fun and lovely White Day today. I wanted to take you out for dinner or karaoke together with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. But I guess we're too busy for our college entrance exams. Where will you study college soon? Will you go back to your home country in Canada? I guess if that happens to be true, I will turn out to be very sad. You have been very precious to me, I can't just lose you. We've been together for years now, and now is my last chance to tell you what I've been wanting to tell you. Miyuki, please don't get surprised on what I will be telling you in the following sentences. I have already assessed myself many times already. I've been trying to rationalize things up that you're only a friend. A precious friend. However, the first time time I met you, I suddenly felt some kind of a connection already between the two of us. I was worried by that time if you got intimidated with me and Baekhyun, but then I found out later that you were just shy and timid. I felt really glad the next day because you were the first one that said "Hi" to me. I was feeling euphoric by that time because you remembered me! You looked awkward but cute at the same time. We became the best of friends, but I guess I went out of the friendship borderline. Yes, I like you. I'm sorry if I was trying to pull off a dramatic introduction. Haha. So yeah, that was just my point of giving you this letter. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. I like you. Even if I have to repeat myself many times, I won't get tired of it. I like you. Very, very much. I like you very much, my Shirayuki. Please go out with me! But please, don't get pressured! I accept whatever is your respond. You know you only have two choices: Yes or Yes! Hahaha <3 Your one and only prince charming, Park Chanyeol P.S. Meet me at the rooftop tomorrow, 5pm. I'll be waiting you there my princess. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And that was the content of the letter. I was totally surprised. Now, what? I like Chanyeol too, but only as friend! I already admitted to myself that I'm into someone else. I was reading the letter aloud because Kyungsoo insisted. In the end, he cringed and choked out of his chocolate cupcake. I gave him water and asked for help. However, he just told me to not let himself involved with this problem because he had his own problems too. What a friend! He told me to meet Chanyeol the next day because it might have been just a prank letter. Kyungsoo found it unbelievable because he noticed Chanyeol hanging around with different girls. I could be just one of those girls that he has been flirting with! I get Kyungsoo's point. Chanyeol can get flirty sometimes, but in a funny way. He calls me princess and Shirayuki most of the time. My name is Miyuki, and my nickname is Yuki. I'm not really white, but I guess I ended up being called Shirayuki or Snowhite by Chanyeol. By the way Kyungsoo calls me Miyuki, I insisted him to call me by my first name. On the other hand, Baekhyun just calls me Miyamoto. Plain Miyamoto. The next day came. When our class was over, I went directly to the roof top. I already saw Chanyeol's back and I approached towards him. I was breathing in and out, I was really nervous on how should I reject him in a friendly way! He then faced me with his teethy smile and then utters again the words. "I like you, Shirayuki. Please go out with me!" He then bowed at me, with his hands offering at me. Please forgive me Chanyeol. "I'm sorry, Chanyeol. I like you, but only as a friend." "Wait. Doesn't that count that you like me too? We both like each other, so what's the problem?" "The thing is, I'm inlove with someone else." "What? You did not tell me that you were already engaged in a relationship!" "No, I'm not." "So, it's a one-sided love. I can make you forget about him if you give me a chance." "ごめん (Sorry), Chanyeol. But I don't think I can fool myself on who I really love. I don't want to get things complicated. I don't want to use you just to forget about these feelings. We are friends Chanyeol, and I really treasure our friendship." And I finally rejected the one and only mighty Park Chanyeol. I just rejected the Campus Heartthrob. But it's kind of amazing how he still accepted my decision. He told me that he will remain as a friend to me. But then he told me to still pursue me. I have been too shocked about everything. Chanyeol apologized on he was hasty with his decision. He bowed again to me and I panicked. Chanyeol did nothing wrong. I guess, it was just my feelings that went wrong. *** The news about rejecting Chanyeol spread like wildfire at school. Imagine, the handsome and talented Chanyeol, who was being dreamed by a lot of girls, was just rejected by an ordinary girl like me. But I never cared about everyone was talking. Chanyeol was still being Chanyeol, however he continued to pursue me. He said that maybe my heart can be convinced if I get to know more the romantic Chanyeol rather than the typical funny Chanyeol. Classes were over again and I was about to change my shoes at the locker. To my surprise, my shoes were gone! I looked everywhere and there was Baekhyun, standing at the door way. "Looking for these?" Now, how I wished it was my heart that he was holding. My heart was beating too fast! "Give those back to me, Byun Baekhyun. Please, I'm not in the mood to play games." I tried to stay calm as much possible. "Hmmm, let me think about it. Right after you get these back!" And then he swiftly runs away! Now, tell me. Is this really the guy that I admired for 3 years? What part of him again that made myself attracted to him? Because I was not really into the mood to chase Byun Baekhyun, and he was already out of sight, I chose to go home with my socks only. I think I'm really going crazy right now. I can't even get mad at Byun Baekhyun right now! I guess, I will just think of this as a form of punishment because of rejecting Chanyeol. When I was already about to exit the school gates, someone shouted my name. "Miyuki!" It was Park Chanyeol. He immediately approached me. "Where are your shoes?" He was puzzled. "I guess, I lost it. Hehehe." "What? Someone must have took it! Tell me who was it!" And he acted as if he was already about to punch someone. "Chill, Park Chanyeol. Someone must have mistook it as his own shoes." Emphasizing on the his word. I can't just tell him that it was Byun Baekhyun who took my shoes. "Then, it can't be helped. Wear my shoes for now." Then he takes off his shoes. My eyes widened at his offer. "Wait, what? Thanks Chanyeol, but I won't. Besides, those shoes are too big for me!" "I'm not giving you these anyway, I'm just letting you wear it temporarily!" Now, the typical Chanyeol is back. I laughed at him. And he laughed at me too. We laughed together. Now this is better. "I'm letting you wear these as a friend. If you can't accept the fact that I'm your suitor." "Then what about you? Your feet will going to get hurt." "And now you're concerned?" And he suddenly smirks at me. "Excuse me, I'm concerned because you're a friend? Oh, let me rephrase that. Only a friend." We laughed again together. And Chanyeol acted as if he was hurt. Well, technically he was already hurt. He just doesn't show it to me or to anyone. Forgive me again, Chanyeol. We continued to bicker because Chanyeol kept on insisting me to wear his shoes. In the end, he won. We stopped by a department store and I just ended up buying slippers. I cant just bring his shoes at home! *** The next day came. Good thing I own an extra pair of shoes. Oh Baekhyun! Had you only not the person that I love! When I was about to change into the school shoes, a box was placed inside my locker. It was a new pair of shoes! So, Byun Baekhyun gave these as a gift? The thought of wearing it made me excited already! I was smiling all the way to the classroom. News again about me and Chanyeol were sorrounding the campus. I used to be a shy and timid girl, but I guess I was no longer the type that gets easily affected by what people think of me. I don't eventually care anymore. Lunch time came and I decided to go the cafeteria. I looked for my favorite bread and one piece only remained. I was about to pick the bread when suddenly Baekhyun snatched it out of my hands. "Too slow. It's now mine." He stucks out his tounge like a child. I decided to play with him. "Ladies first, sorry." I grabbed the bread from him. He grabbed again the bread away from me. I grabbed it again away from him. I was no longer hungry. I guess I was just happy that the two of us were playing with the bread. Poor bread. Someone suddenly clears his throat that would stop me and Baekhyun. "Are you going to buy that bread or not?" In the end, I let Baekhyun won. I was about to buy something else when suddenly Chanyeol appeared in front of us. "Hey there, Baekhyun!" "Hello." Baekhyun suddenly became serious. "Miyuki, you're still not buying? Oh I see, your favorite bread is already sold out. I can buy you something else." And here we go again with the usual mighty Park Chanyeol. "Then, buy me everything." I joked. "What? Hahahaha." And the both of us laughed. While in the middle of laughing, Baekhyun suddenly gave me the bread that he had bought. "Take this. I'm no longer hungry." And with that he went away. What happened? Both Chanyeol and I got puzzled at Baekhyun's sudden act. He looked angry. And that was just the time that I forgot to thank him about the shoes! The next days came and Baekhyun remained hostile to me. I know he is childish most of the time, but this time he became sulky. And I can't even think what is the main reason. Was it just about the shoes? I guess he could be also just playing with me. *** Graduation came. I still decided not to go back to Canada. I convinced my parents to pursue my college studies here in Japan. Besides, I already passed the entrance exam at 東大 (Tokyo University). Chanyeol eventually found another girl. Oh, let me rephrase that. A girl finally found Chanyeol. I was really happy for him! Kyungsoo remained Kyungsoo. Baekhyun remained sulky. He kept on avoiding me and in the end I decided to stop approaching him. I must have pestered him a lot already. I graduated as a better person. But my love for Baekhyun didn't. My unrequited love for him remained. *** Finally, summer vacation came. Kyungsoo took me on a road trip. He said he wanted to drive me to a certain place where we will celebrate the Summer Festival. Actually Kyungsoo had a date, he only wanted me to come with him because he wanted me to introduce to his friend. I have already declined Kyungsoo before, however he insisted that it will only be a friendly date. He did not want his friend to be a third wheel on that day. We arrived at the Summer Festival. Kyungsoo introduced me to his friend, Minseok. We spend the day together. And I guess that turned out to be my first date. I really enjoyed his company. He's such a cute and funny guy! However, before the fireworks show even started, Minseok started to have a stomach ache. I remained alone because he had to find a toilet. It must have been because of what he ate before he arrived at the summer festival. Out of the blue, while I was waiting for Minseok, I met Chanyeol with his girl, and Baekhyun was being the third wheel. The girl clutched both of her arms with Chanyeol and Baekhyun which made me confused. I suddenly felt a painful tug inside my heart and I just casually greeted them. Baekhyun immediately unclutched her arm because he wanted to buy something. The pain inside my heart continued as I saw Baekhyun walk away. I think I must really had done something wrong to him but I just can't determine what it was. If only I could ask him. But how could I if he didn't want to talk to me in the first place? Chanyeol greeted back with his usual flashy smile however he got dragged away by the girl beside her because the fireworks show would start in a few minutes. I lost sight of them because of the increasing crowd. Suddenly, I also got dragged away by someone. The fireworks show started and I was only focused to Baekhyun holding my left hand while trying to intertwine his fingers to my fingers. We stayed there together under the fireworks show, while his other hand was eating a chocolate ice cream. My gaze transfered to his face, smiling at the fact that he was eating his ice cream carelessly. What a baby. He then faced me. "What? Do you want this ice cream?" His voice was somehow unaudible due to the fireworks show. "Yes?" I suddenly said yes out of nowhere because I wanted him to repeat what he had asked. He then gave me a share of the chocolate ice cream from his lips. I frozed. That was my first freaking kiss!!! "What? I thought you wanted the ice cream?" He was saying that in his childish tone. I can feel my blood rushing into my cheeks! What the heck, Byun Baekhyun! "I-i.." I was trying to formulate a sentence but I was left speechless. "Do you want it or not?" He asked again. My heart was about to explode. I can no longer think of anything and I just ended up nodding. And he kissed me again. This time, I kissed him back. "I'm sorry if I was late giving you a chocolate." We both shared that chocolate flavored kiss under the summer night sky filled with fireworks. *** Baekhyun and I shared a happy love story. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- However, I still ended up marrying my bestfriend, Kim Jong-In. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I read the story that I created. I ended up cringing and laughing at the same because it became a Kpop fanfic with a touch of high school animé in it. Nonetheless, I was satisfied at how it ended. Time to review, now! I sorted my reviewers but before I could start reading it, I suddenly felt cold. I stared into the window and it was still raining cats and dogs outside. Noodles would be perfect for this weather. I suddenly remembered the ramen that I brought from the grocery store yesterday. Perfect! I forgot to cook it last night, maybe I should cook it for lunch. I checked the time again. Still plenty of hours to study. Besides, I have not eaten breakfast yet. Eating a bowl of noodles wouldn't be bad right?

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@Fayeretellstales 24 May 2021

Monday Blues **"I hate Mondays."** Jane was washing the dishes when she heard that familiar line from a movie. She can tell it was Puss in Boots from the movie Shrek 2. After eating lunch, her siblings had a Shrek marathon in their living room. They kept on watching the same old movie almost everyday that she could almost memorize all the lines of the characters. It was a Sunday, in the middle of summer. The kids had a lot of time to spend before classes would start. Of all the lines that she could remember, that particular line got stuck in her head. She never thought a simple line from a movie could mean a lot to her. She realized that people tend to anticipate Monday differently as they grow up. Everyone feels differently when the first day of the week finally arrives. When Jane was in grade school and high school, she remembered how she was motivated all the time when Monday approaches. She was always excited to meet her friends, to see her crush, and of course, to receive her *baon*. She used to love Mondays because it brought happiness and freedom to her. However, as she grew up, Monday sounded indifferent to her. Especially when she entered college, she started to hate Mondays because it became tiring to her. And when she finally landed on her first job, she always felt tired even before the week had started. But now that she is currently unemployed because her last contract wasn't renewed, there was nothing to expect more on Mondays. She only had repetitive Mondays of unemployment, job application and rejection, and vice-versa. She finished washing the dishes and went straight to her room. She rummaged for her journal to write something about today. She entitled her journal "Unemployment Blues" because majority of her entries were rants about her life being an unemployed individual. She crossed one word from her list of applied jobs after she received an email awhile ago. The email, as usual, started with a sentence of "We regret to inform you..." She checked the calendar on her journal. Tomorrow will be Monday again. There was nothing to anticipate. She flipped the pages of her journal and tried to skim some of her previous entries before she decided to write a new one. *** *Day 49 of being unemployed* *A lot of things already happened and there's just too much inside my head. I wanted to write something but I can't focus into writing. I never thought that after my contract ended, life would be this depressing.* *** *Day 53 of being unemployed* *Applied again for another job. Expecting to be not rejected again. *cross fingers** *Note: Got rejected again.* *** *Day 100 of being unemployed* *Do I really have to get sick? I'm not even doing anything aside from being unemployed*. *** *Day 127* *It's already November and still unemployed. Maybe this year is not a lucky year for me.* *Why did I even believed that feng shui expert that I will be lucky this year?* *** *Day 142* *Welcome again to another episode of my marvelous unemployment misadventures. I just got rejected from applying in an agency months ago but they suddenly texted me today that I am qualified for an interview. How on earth am I going to prepare?* *I think I'm just going to accept my failed interview on Monday.* **** *Day 145* *The intended schedule for my interview was at 2:30 PM. But I ended up being interviewed on 10 PM instead!* *I was really ready to give up because of waiting for hours. I thought they would extend the interview the next day. They had to finish it today because they need to consider the other interviewees that came from far municipalities.* *Majority of the questions asked were in English. I don't even have any idea if I did well on the interview because I had to switch to 4 languages depending on their question.* *It's already 11:30 PM, but I feel not sleepy yet. I feel like I had experienced a hangover after the interview.* *Somehow, a particular thought popped inside my head that I think I need to express.* *They said, time is gold. But as time passes by, I feel like I've been also wasting the opportunity to earn money.* *I watched a K-drama series entitled "Waikiki" a week ago, and it gave me a bit of motivation as I heard these lines:* ***Applying for a job is a matter of a trial-and-error method. If error happens on your first try, there are still other trials that you can use until you find the right job for you.*** *That K-drama series was pure comedy, but I still find it relatable in a funny way. In life, we can still find humour despite facing struggles. Though I did not want to experience a series of misfortunes just like how the protagonists experienced in that drama. Especially Lee Jun Ki.* *His iconic lines, "Gwaenchana, gwaenchana" cracks me everytime. It just simply means, "It's okay, it's okay" but the words bring a more positive vibe in a funny way when he says it.* *I can even hear his voice with the funny soundtrack just by imagining it!* *I have been rejected many times. I feel hopeless right now, but a tiny ray of hope is still clinging unto me. Gwaenchana, gwaenchana.* *May it not be an error this time.* *** *Day 151* *** It's been a week since the interview. And Jane received no news. It was no longer new to her to be rejected. She did not have the drive to write something on her lousy journal. The time was 1:15 PM, and she decided to take a siesta instead. When she woke up, she received 5 missed calls from an unknown number. She panicked who could it be and tried to read her inbox. Her heart was pounding hard as she read one new message. *"Congrats, you're hired! You will be assigned to our research center. Kindly report to our HR office tomorrow, Monday. Tysm.* *-Cheryl"* Jane was speechless for a moment. She reread the text before she ended up screaming. Everyone was alarmed at her. They got interrupted from watching the movie. She break the news to her family and they were glad for her. Her other relatives were also there and they also congratulated her. Finally, she can contribute something to her family's expenses rather than just free-riding. At last, she was excited to meet Monday again. However before she could continue to celebrate, she received another text. Her smile suddenly turned into a frown. *"Sorry, wrong send. But we will keep your application for future references. Sorry for the inconvenience.* *-Cheryl"* She screamed again out of shock. Everyone looked at her again and asked if she received another good news. However, she ended up responding instead, "I hate Mondays!" She can suddenly hear *Lee Jun Ki*'s lines from *Waikiki* at the back of her head. **Gwaenchana, gwaenchana**.

@Fayeretellstales 23 May 2021

Til I met coffee **“Sunday morning, rain is falling.”** I slept late last night and woke up after hearing the soft pitter-patter of rain. It was as if the rain was the one who told me to wake up. I stared first into the ceiling and then organized a list of things-to-do-today inside my head. I stared into the window to examine the cold weather. It's already May, but it kept on raining for days. I finally stood up and started my day with coffee. As I was preparing my coffee, my mind drifted away as I got enveloped by its enticing aroma. We have our own preferences with regards coffee. It could be served hot, cold, sweet, or bitter. I prefer all those types depending on my mood. And hot coffee will be perfect with today's weather. I went to sit on a sofa near the window with the cup of hot coffee on my hands. As I sip through my morning coffee, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I've been drinking coffee for ages but I don't have any idea where this drink originated. I suddenly got curious and I ended up choosing a topic for my thought of the day. "Coffee: How it all began." Before diving into the historical part of coffee, I had to define first what is coffee. According to Google, coffee is a drink made from the roasted and ground beanlike seeds of a tropical shrub, served hot or iced. There are other definitions but it just simply means a hot or iced drink made from coffee beans. Nobody knows exactly when coffee was discovered, though there are many legends and theories about its origin. According to a popular legend, it was discovered by a goatherd named "Kaldi". He discovered coffee after he noticed that after eating the berries, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. The word "coffee" was derived from Kaffa Province Ethiopia- the place where Kaldi lived and discovered coffee. A journey began that brought the beans across the globe. And as early as 1740, Spaniards introduced coffee to the Filipinos. I took a bite on the *pandesal* that I paired with my hot coffee. I stared into the window and into the formed puddles as the rain met the ground. Another question entered my mind. What if the Spaniards did not introduced coffee to our country, would I still be able to meet my favorite drink? Or would I end up choosing milk or tea instead as my favorite drink? I answered my own questions, and dramatically as it may seem, I could not imagine how my life would have turned out if I did not meet coffee. My mind went down on a memory lane when I first met coffee. Coffee was introduced to me by my parents when I was a kid. I used to drink milk back then because children were supposed to drink it. One time, I got curious why my parents were drinking a different type of milk. I thought it was a strong scented black milk. They eventually told me it was not milk, but coffee. When I tried to ask if I can drink one, they told me straightaway that it was not a drink suitable for kids. They had this belief that drinking coffee as a kid wouldn't help you grow up. But as a kid, we tend to break some rules because of too much curiousity. I tried to make my own coffee. It was *siesta* time, so I grabbed the chance. I sneaked into our kitchen, and immediately grabbed a stick of coffee. Of course, the first attempt was a total failure. I thought my tongue became numb because of its bitter taste. I quickly threw off the black liquid onto the sink and told myself to forget what had happened. Coffee, specifically black coffee, was frequent in our family (including my grandparents, aunties, and uncles) especially during breakfast and *merienda*. When I watched them drink coffee, they looked like they really liked it despite its bitter taste. Later on, I learned that what makes coffee sweet was because of sugar. I tried to make coffee again and again before it suited to my taste. I learned to adapt my family's daily routine of coffee as a part of breakfast and *merienda*. I was already drinking halfway and I stared back into the window. As I stared back again, my graduation photo on the wall caught my attention. I was smiling after years of hard work, and I snorted as I remembered the crazy amount of coffee that I had consumed just to get out of university. When I entered college, coffee became my companion during late night studies. There, I met different kinds of coffee. I had to change my preference of black coffee to instant ones because it was convenient and ready to drink. Coffee was no longer just a part of a breakfast nor merienda, I consumed it whenever I needed it to go through tough times. During sleepless nights, coffee made me alert and awake. It was also my very own tool in coping up stress. Coffee was life. However, coffee and I weren't that always in good terms. During hellish weeks of exam, I thought coffee alone was enough to go through. I depended too much to it. I already lacked hours of sleep and skipped meals because of the thought that coffee was enough. I even remembered our room at that time was already full of empty bottles of coffee. Unfortunately, consuming too much of something will lead you to a harmful situation. Drinking lots of coffee on an empty stomach causes hyperacidity. Hydrochloric acid (HCL) production is being stimulated. It became a problem to me since HCL should only be produced to digest meals. I used to skip meals a lot, and eventually suffered from hyperacidity. Drinking too much coffee will also promote the release of stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine, and norephrine. These chemicals increase your body's heart rate, blood pressure, and tension levels. Because I was consuming too much coffee, my very own stress reliever became my own source of stress. I no longer feel comfortable everytime that I took exams. I could feel my hands shaking due to tension. I ended up lacking sleep because of too much caffeine. In order to regain my normal self back, I had to force myself to quit drinking coffee. It was hard since it was already part of my routine. I had to find a substitute to my coffee. But I found any alternative to be not effective. Then I realized, I have been consuming coffee for years but I have only experienced these side effects when I entered college. I tried to do a research if I was gaining any health benefits after all those years of caffeine consumption. I just find it too hard to get away with coffee. I was surprised when I found out that coffee was actually healthy. As I read through different studies, I found out that coffee is loaded with high concentrations of beneficial antioxidants, phenol nutrients, chlorogenic acids, and any other healthy compounds that can improve one's health. Just like any other goods, coffee becomes bad when you consume it improperly. One should limit drinking caffeine to 3-4 cups a day. Eventually, I went back again to drinking coffee. I just couldn't find any alternative that will fuel me up throughout the day. But I tried to practice myself to drink coffee only on a regular amount. I learned in the end to control myself. If you need something, you must learn how to regulate it. Consuming coffee properly makes it a friend. Just like a person, it becomes a foe if you abuse it. I stared into the empty mug held by my hands. The rain also had already stopped. Time to start the first task on my to-do-list. Till we meet again, coffee.

+7 more

@Fayeretellstales 22 May 2021

20 is an open door The year was 2020. It was the start of a new decade, and also the beginning of Gabbi’s new chapter in her life. After several failed attempts at finding a job at the age of 20, she finally decided to find her luck outside of their province. She graduated from a prestigious university however, such title was not enough for her to land on a job. She kept asking herself how luck never sided with her, and she could only think of two realistic reasons: a) she has zero work experience; and b) she never got the connections. “Lopez, Gabbi.” June 2019. She remembered how her last summer in college ended. She walked confidently upstage to finally get hold of the paper that she worked on with her blood, sweat, and tears for four years. “Finally,” she thought. Her mind was already filled with thoughts of landing on a job, meeting new people, earning and spending her own money. No more academic papers, but only papers with value to filled in her wallet. However, applying for a job was not as easy as she thought. She thought she had at least an advantage because she graduated from a prestigious university. But she was wrong all along. Even submitting papers did not stop after college. She attempted several times to submit her papers to several government agencies in her province, but only received papers back filled with rejection. Holidays came and herself was still unemployed. On the night before Christmas, her family had a reunion and Gabbi knew she would be fired by questions from her nosy relatives. Dinner came, and she became the main dish of their conversation. “Gabbi, what year are you now?” "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Still single? Because you don't act like a lady!" “You already graduated college. So, do you have work now?” “Still unemployed? You graduated from a well-known university though?” "You're single and unemployed?" Questions were continuously thrown at her. It was her choice to be single, but it was never her choice to be still unemployed. She couldn’t help but fake her frustrations with a smile while responding to everyone’s rude comment. If only she had the nerve to say the F-word in front of her relatives and slap anyone that insists her to be engaged already in a relationship. But, its Christmas. She's infront of her relatives and she did not want to waste her energy by starting a fight with them. With a deep sigh, she noted mentally to lengthen more her patience. “If you can't find work here, then maybe you should look for work at big cities like Cebu or Manila!” That thought had already crossed her mind several times. However, her goal was to never work outside of their province. She did not want the city life, and finds it impractical and uneconomical to survive along its expensive living standards. But now she finds herself desperate. She felt like she had wasted months earning nothing. She imagined all the sunk costs that she might have earned instead. After that controversial family dinner, she had to mentally debate with herself about looking for job opportunities outside her province. In the end, she tried applying for a job located at the country’s capital city- Manila. And before the year 2019 ended, a door opened for her to receive a job offer. January 2020 started, along with Gabby’s employed life. She met new people, showed enthusiasm towards her work, and finally earned her first salary. She felt accomplished to be finally part of the working class. “Good morning, ma’am!” She greeted her senior with enthusiasm. It was a Monday, but she never felt the mood to skip working on Mondays. But instead of being greeted back, she received a question instead. “Have you heard about this virus from China?” Gabbi nodded and her senior continued. “WHO finally confirms a case of COVID-19 in Thailand. It is even the first recorded case outside of China! Imagine if that virus enters the country, we would end up helpless. You might end up being jobless!” Her senior pointed at her. Gabbi was taken aback. She did not fully understand how things would escalate that bad if the newly discovered virus would enter the country. She just got hired, and she knew getting fired out just because of a silly virus would be the last thing to happen. She started with her usual assigned work, and brushed off the idea about getting jobless in the future. However, when the country finally reported its first suspected case, it became everyone's topic in their workplace. Gabbi also started getting worried but she tried to rationalize the thought that it was still a suspected case. Days passed, and the country finally recorded its first case. The country remained calm and had no intentions to close its borders yet. People seemed to be unaffective too, and thought that the virus wouldn't outstand the country's tropical temperature. Gabbi continued to work on with his daily schedule. However, as the days passed by, the number of positive cases increased. March came, and that was the only time when the government decided to implement a lockdown. Months passed, and it was already imminent that the country's economy was also badly affected. And unfortunately, Gabbi's company had to undergo downsizing. The thought about being jobless entered again her mind. And unfortunately, the inevitable happened. She got downsized. She was devastated. Her parents were concerned about her, and told her to go back home instead. With a heavy heart, she prepared all the requirements needed to go home while also being concerned that she could be a potential carrier of the virus. She had to go through a process. She had to undergo a swabbing test, had to quarantine herself for 14 days while praying that she would receive a negative result. Good thing she was negative, and she was finally permitted to go home. She did not brought enough travel food because she prioritized buying a box of mask and a hand sanitizer. Prices inflated, and she had to allocate her remaining budget for her safety. When she was already inside the designated bus, everyone was seated apart while wearing a mask. When she arrived at her designated seat, her mind was filled with too many thoughts. She couldn't concentrate and anxiety was her only company. While travelling, they had to go through several checkpoints. It took them several days than the usual to finally arrived at their destination. Gabbi, together with the other passengers who came back to their province, went home empty handed. When Gabbi finally arrived at her municipality, she needed to quarantine herself again for another 14 days. She was assisted with officials that wore PPEs, and guided them to the quarantine facility. However, when she thought she would only quarantine by herself, she was surprised to see unorganized stuff inside the room. Nobody else was there, but the other side of the room was occupied. Gabbi's face showed confusion, and before she could formulate a question, the staff already answered her. "We don't have enough rooms to accommodate each individual. But don't worry, this room is spacious enough for you to distance with each other. Practice social distancing at six feet apart." The staff continued to explain the other safety protocols that needed to be followed. However, there was a hint of disappointment in her because there were no personal comfort rooms. There were only two comfort rooms outside (one for male and one for female), and it will be shared mostly by them who occupied the 2nd floor of the building. The virus could still get passed on if anyone wouldn't be mindful of the implemented safety protocols. Gabbi was left inside the room when the official already left. She was nervous to share a room with a total stranger, but she did not have any other choice. She wondered where that person went to when they should be in quarantine. She thought the person could be in the comfort room, and told herself to focus with herself instead. She tried to scroll through social media but reading the news and seeing other people enjoying each other's company only made her lonely. She was all alone. And she was only accompanied by her thoughts. She wondered what would happen next after going back to zero. She knew she would basically start from scratch, but how? It was already night time. She looked at the window and but only a few stars were in sight. But suddenly she saw a shooting star, and out of desperation she wished so hard for a new door for her to be opened. However, negative thoughts filled her mind afterwards. She's already in her 20's, but why should she depend for some magic to happen? This is how the real world works. The negative thoughts were choking her, and she couldn't fight against it. She questioned her worth in silence, and wondered what would happen if she could just suddenly went missing or worse, dead. However, she cannot fathom the pain that she will inflict to her family if she would end up hurting herself. She was torn between dying and living. And in the end, she finally let her heavy emotions get washed up by her tears. Her sob echoed through the empty room. She ended up sleeping after crying by herself. She felt a little better when she woke up, however she wondered why she was still alone in the room. They arrived around 6 in the evening, and it was already quarter to 8. Curfew happens at 9, but her quarantine partner was still out of her sight. She roamed around the room because she can no longer go back to sleep, and found out the name of her partner written on a plastic envelope propped on a suitcase. Ken Gonzales. The plastic envelope was also filled with documents, must have suffered the same ill fate as hers. She got curious who was this Ken Gonzales, and why is he still not back to their room. She knew it was none of her business as to where this stranger could be, but she was concerned if this person was interacting with other people when in the first place, he should be quarantined. She shrugged off her thoughts and decided to wash up before going to sleep. However when she opened the door, she was surprised to see someone lying on the floor. "Oh my god!" She dropped her personal shower kit, and it created a clang that was loud enough for the stranger to be awaken. "Ouch!" The stranger groaned as the kit bounced onto his head. Out of instinct, she immediately checked the stranger, and she felt relief after seeing no wound was created from the impact. The person was still wearing a mask, his head was propped on the wall, and looked like he slept for hours outside the room. The person looked up and sensed Gabbi's presence. She quickly distanced herself as the stranger slowly sit up from his lying position. "Are you feeling okay now?" Gabby couldn't decipher what the stranger was talking about when she should be the one asking that. She was speechless, but the stranger continued. "I'm sorry, I was about to enter the room when I suddenly heard someone crying. I peeked at the window and saw you there. I was questioning myself if I should enter the room, so I decided to just wait outside and only enter if you felt better. But I ended up sleeping here instead." The stranger explained as he scratched the back of his head. Gabbi felt instant embarassment as blood rushed onto her cheeks. "Oh my god, I...I'm sorry. I-" Gabbi tried to reasoned out but no words escaped her mouth. "It's okay. It's okay to be not okay sometimes. Shit happens. Just like how this shitty system happened." The stranger snorted after he made that snarky remark. Gabbi remained still as the stranger offered his hand. "I'm Ken, by the way." However, after realizing that shaking hands must be avoided for the mean time, he offered his elbow instead. "I'm sorry, I almost forgot." Gabbi remained quiet but went on to touch elbows with the stranger. The time was 20:20, but Gabbi never thought she would encounter a strange chapter in her life. Several doors closed for her, but as she wished for a new one to be opened, a stranger literally appears in front of her. But this time, the stranger was also looking for a new door to be opened just like her. They were both strangers, but both had a common destination. Unemployment. Pandemic. And a total stranger as your company for the next fourteen days. Gabbi never thought how strange things happen when doors open at your 20's.