WARNING:Â Chapter is still an unedited, and English is not our first language so grammatical errors and some mistranslations might appear.
Notes:\nBolded texts are already written in English in the Raw.
Italicized texts are the thoughts of a character
[Character name] means that it is that the following part is in that characterâs POV(point of view)
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Chapter 14: Hook or by Crook
[Blake]
"Blake, I'm going to court you."
Hearing what he said, I froze.
"Do you know that you're the reason why I decided to study here, in Manila?"
I didn't respond at all. I just straightly looked at him.
"I've known you since we were in High School. I've already familiar with you. We've been schoolmate before I transferred to Baguio and is still in Davao. You are ignorant of my existence because I don't want you to know about this. You, who belong to the first section, is a top student, while I, on the other hand, belong to the last section. I want to talk to you and be your acquaintance. I want to be your friend, not because of your physical appearance or your fame, but because of how you see things perfectly when it's not. You are the kind of person I admire the most. It was hard for me to approach you, who is always surrounded by those, who are already close to you, and due to you being famous. Â You got the attention of all our schoolmates even if you're oblivious to it."
I was shocked again. We were actually schoolmates, and I am unaware of it. I am even unable to recognize or remember him.
"You always think that everything's normal, which is one of the reasons that made me want to befriend you. In those times, due to the fear of being rejected by you, I didn't pursue it. I was ugly and a nerd. Ah, you, on the other hand, is always handsome no matter what you do. Sometimes, I really wish that you're a girl instead since you're the only one I ever admire. Weird, right?" he added.
(TN: I was tempted to use "Beautiful" instead of "Handsome. And I am just here to let Leon take a deep breath. XD)
"Even when we're on our third year, I still felt the same. I am unconscious that I am slowly falling for you, even though you're a boy. I never tried to talk to you due to my nervousness and shyness."
As in, I was speechless.
"Your simple gestures attracted me. The way you walk, your laughter, and how you talk to others, those things made me feel happy, and caused me to be captured by you."
"When we moved to Baguio, I was depressed of the fact that I won't be able to see you anymore. Ah, I even cried after hearing that we won't be returning to Davao." He laughed as he said this and continued. "Facebook is the only thing that connected us. Every day, I go online to get an update on what's happening to you. When you accepted my friend request and messaged me, I was happy. Even if it was just a smiley, I nearly jump in excitement and joy. So, every day I will go online to see if you have posted something or if you're currently online. Even though you only use your Facebook once every month, I still patiently wait for you. When you do, my hands lost control due to excessive shaking. I always try to type a message for you, but I've always unable to send it due to excessive nervousness. I still wasn't able to do it even after more than a year."
I still remained silent, as I listened to him.
So, Leon already like me for such a long time? What's happening to this world? A manly man would actually want someone like me. Did the sun start to rise in the west right now[i]?
Kuya[ii]Kim[iii], PAGASA[iv]! I need weather update[v].
"Then one time, this last summer, I read a post of your Salutatorian, who is also my friend on Facebook. She congratulated you because you got a scholarship here in Manila. My hope raised after not seeing you nearly within 2 years. The last time I saw you were in our third-year recognition day."
"I don't want to study here in Manila because it is far away from my parents. They persuade me to study here. I refused it, but when I read that post and realized that you are also gonna study here, I accepted their offer to study here."
"So, now I was able to meet you. The fear I felt disappeared when I saw you, I didn't waste the opportunity to befriend you, and this time, I also confessed my feeling to you. And I will court you by hook or by crook."
I was really shocked at his later words.
When I still haven't heard his words, I was thinking of stopping him from courting me, but I just accepted it because I feel guilty.
I would be a terrible person if I did that. I just agreed because of guilt. I want to take my words back, but it was already too late when I saw how happy he was. I was ashamed to take them back. When he said that this is the most comfortable moment of his entire life, I felt more embarrassed to do it.
Waaaaaaaaah! I am wicked.
After I agreed, I said my farewell and left the room. He wants to drop me off, but I refused. Our rooms are just a few distances away from each other, so, it is definitely not needed. After reaching my room, I just sat down and looked dazed.
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T/N:
[i] Nag-iba na ba ang ihip ng hangin ngayon = Did the wind blew in a different direction right now (This is an idiom that basically saying the something unexpected actually happened)
[ii] From tagaloglang.com: This Filipino word is derived from the Fookien Chinese ko-a ("eldest brother"). T/N: This is usually used to address someone older male, not limited to a family member but was initially meant for an older brother or cousin or close acquaintance.
[iii] A famous weather forecaster in Philippines
[iv] Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the Republic of the Philippines
[v] Basically he is asking on what's really happening right now.
Translatorsâ Corner:
Vannie: Ah, so, the person those girls on the first day of school, might really be talking about Blake and Sehun. Leon is just like me before, stalking my first love on FB⌠Hahaha *I wonder when will I see that person again*⌠I finally was able to take some time to translate this⌠XD