Chapter 26
"More Than Just Bricks and Blueprints"
(Arushi POV – University Gym, Monday, 6:15 AM)
I stood there, still absorbing what Professor Haneul just said.
Endurance? Execution? Physics?!
Tangina, hindi ba dapat puro sketching, AutoCAD, at scale models lang ‘to?
Professor Haneul watched me with those piercing eyes, as if she was reading every thought running through my head.
I gulped.
Her lips curled into a small smirk. "You'll see."
And just like that, my life turned upside down.
---
Nakatayo ako sa gitna ng gym, wearing my university tracksuit. Around me, there were weights, ropes, and even an obstacle course. This is not what I signed up for.
Professor Haneul held out a stopwatch and crossed her arms. "We'll start with something simple."
Nag-exhale ako nang malalim. Okay, Arushi, you got this.
Then she spoke:
She didn’t even blink. "You heard me. Go."
I gaped at her. "Professor, architect po ako, hindi sundalo!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Then quit."
Putangina, I hate that word.
I groaned and dropped down, starting my push-ups.
1… 2… 3…
By 15, hingal na ako.
By 30, nanginginig na yung braso ko.
By 50, gusto ko nang umiyak.
And then—
Napatingin ako sa kanya with a glare. "Professor, I'm dying—"
She crouched down beside me and smirked. "No, you're just lazy."
Tangina, gusto ko siyang sagutin ng masama pero… ayoko rin magmukhang weakling sa harap niya.
So I clenched my jaw, pushed through the pain, and kept going.
By the time I reached 100, I collapsed sa sahig.
Holy shit. I'm dead.
But then…
Shit.
---
I lay sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat.
Professor Haneul stood over me, completely unfazed. She didn’t even break a sweat.
I groaned. "Hindi ako sigurado, prof."
She chuckled. "Get used to it, Miss Costa. This is only the beginning."
The heck.
What did I just get myself into?
___
I was still lying on the floor, barely breathing, while Professor Haneul stood over me like some kind of military general.
She sighed and crouched beside me, her sharp eyes scanning my exhausted state. "Fine. Five minutes."
Oh my god. Hindi ko inaasahan na bibigay siya.
I closed my eyes, trying to recover. Pero hindi ko maiwasang mag-isip—bakit kailangan ng ganitong training para sa isang architectural event?
She chuckled softly, which was a rare sight. Then she spoke, her tone serious:
"You don’t understand yet, Miss Costa. But soon, you will."
Ano ‘yun, villain monologue?
Before I could ask more, bigla siyang tumayo at naglakad papunta sa bench, grabbing a towel and bottled water. She walked back and handed them to me.
Kinuha ko ‘yung tubig at ininom agad, parang nauuhaw ako sa loob ng tatlong araw.
Okay, may sense nga ‘yung sinasabi niya. Pero pwede namang hindi ganito kahirap!
Napahinga ako nang malalim bago nagsalita. "Pero prof… hindi naman ata kasama sa course syllabus ‘yung military training?"
She smirked. "It’s not. But I don’t train weak students."
Tangina, talagang weakness ang tingin niya sa akin?!
Napakurap ako. Wait. Did she just say ‘I don’t train weak students’?
I squinted at her. "So… ibig sabihin, tinuturing niyo akong student niyo?"
She paused, her expression unreadable. Then, after a few seconds, she simply said:
I groaned. This is hell.
__
I barely survived the last set of exercises, and now Professor Haneul was already preparing for another round. Is she even human?
Napairap ako habang nakaupo pa rin sa sahig, parang basang sisiw na binugbog ng pagkakataon.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you quitting?"
Damn, why does she sound so challenging?
Bigla akong napabangon. "Of course not."
A small smirk formed on her lips. "Good. Now, let’s continue."
She tossed a jump rope towards me. Jump rope? Seriously?
Napabuntong-hininga ako. "Professor, parang hindi niyo naman ginagawa ‘to sa ibang students."
She tilted her head slightly, studying me. "You're different, Miss Costa."
Different? Napakurap ako. Anong ibig niyang sabihin?
Before I could ask, she turned away. "Get started."
Sinimulan ko na rin kahit gusto ko nang mahulog sa sahig sa pagod. With each jump, I kept thinking about what she said. "You're different."
Ano ‘yun? Special treatment? O gusto lang talaga niya akong pahirapan?
By the time I finished, hingal na hingal ako. Professor Haneul was standing nearby, arms still crossed, watching me like a hawk.
I groaned. "Professor naman!"
She smirked. "You’ll thank me later."
Malabo. Right now, I just wanted to disappear.
__
Bwisit, hindi pa tapos?!
I was already drenched in sweat, my muscles screaming for rest, but Professor Haneul stood there like some merciless drill sergeant, arms crossed, watching me struggle.
Continue?! Anong akala niya sa'kin, machine?!
I collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. "Professor, di ba pwedeng architecture na lang pag-usapan natin?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Gusto mong magtagal sa training natin, Miss Costa? Kasi the more you complain, the longer this will take."
Putangina, blackmail ‘yun ah!
I groaned, closing my eyes, trying to calm my breathing. My legs felt like jelly, and my arms were heavy. I was dying.
Then, all of a sudden—a cold water bottle landed on my stomach.
Napadilat ako. Professor Haneul was standing in front of me, one hand on her hip, the other still holding another bottle of water.
For a moment, I just stared at her. Was she… being considerate?
I took the bottle and sat up, opening the cap and chugging down the water like my life depended on it—which, honestly, it did.
She simply nodded before taking a sip of her own water. Her gaze drifted towards me again, this time less intimidating, more… observant.
Napatingin ako sa kanya. "Professor Hwang told me to."
She let out a soft scoff, almost like a chuckle. "You don’t seem like the type na sumusunod lang basta-basta."
Tama nga siya. I wasn’t the type to follow orders just because someone told me to. But for some reason, Professor Hwang’s words got to me.
I shrugged. "Maybe I want to prove something."
She hummed, nodding slightly. "Prove what?"
Napangiti ako ng konti. "Ewan. Siguro na kahit hindi ako ‘yung pinaka-masipag na estudyante, kaya ko pa rin makipagsabayan."
Professor Haneul studied me for a moment before looking away. "Then you better stop complaining and start proving it."
I rolled my eyes. "Noted, Professor."
She glanced at her watch again, then back at me. "Break time's over."
Damn it. Here we go again.
__
Professor Haneul took a step forward, tossing her empty water bottle into the trash bin without even looking. Swabe.
Napairap ako, pero wala na akong choice kundi sumunod. I stood up slowly, my muscles aching with every movement. Tangina, hindi ko alam kung aabot pa ako sa second class ko after this.
I followed her lead as she stretched her arms and legs, her movements precise and controlled. I couldn’t help but observe her—how her toned arms flexed slightly with each motion, how her posture was so effortlessly perfect.
Putangina. Why is she so attractive even while doing something as simple as stretching?
Nag-panic ako at kunwari akong nag-stretching ulit. "I-I was following your movements, Professor," palusot ko.
She let out a small, almost amused hum. "Right."
Tarantado ‘tong prof na ‘to, parang nahuli ako.
After stretching, she walked towards the center of the gym and gestured for me to follow.
Shit, hindi ko alam na may ganitong aspect ang architecture competition.
She smirked slightly, arms crossed. "Because endurance builds discipline. If you lack discipline, kahit gaano ka kagaling, mauubusan ka rin ng lakas at determinasyon."
I sighed. "Okay, okay. Ano pong gagawin?"
She stepped closer, tilting her head slightly. "Tumatakbo ka ba?"
Napakunot-noo ako. "Tumatakbo po ako kapag hinahabol ako, Professor."
This time, she let out a soft chuckle. "Noted. Pero this time, tatakbo ka nang hindi hinahabol."
She led me towards the treadmill at the side of the gym.
Bullshit, hindi na ako nagreklamo.
I got on the treadmill, set the speed as instructed, and started running. For the first three minutes, kaya ko pa. But by the fifth minute, my breathing was getting heavy, and I was already sweating buckets.
Sinubukan ko siyang sundin, and surprisingly, it helped.
She watched me carefully, nodding in approval. "Good. Keep going."
By the eighth minute, pakiramdam ko malalagutan na ako ng hininga but the way she was watching me, hindi ko kayang mag-stop. I pushed through, kahit nanginginig na legs ko.
Finally, the timer hit ten minutes, and I immediately hit the stop button. "Fuck," hingal kong sabi, bending down with my hands on my knees.
Professor Haneul tossed me a towel. "Not bad, Miss Costa. Pero we’re not done yet."
I looked up at her, horrified. "Ano?! May kasunod pa ‘to?!"
She simply smirked. "Of course."
Tangina. Sana pala umabsent na lang ako today.
___
After an hour of non-stop training, pakiramdam ko wala na akong kaluluwa. My legs felt like jelly, my arms were sore, and I was drenched in sweat. Omg, first day pa lang ‘to ng training, baka hindi na ako umabot sa competition.
Professor Haneul tossed me another towel. "You did well today, Miss Costa. Hindi ka namatay, so that’s a good sign."
Napatingin ako sa kanya, sarkastikong tumawa. "Salamat, Professor. Alam mo ‘yon, na-appreciate ko ‘yon sobra."
She raised an eyebrow, obviously amused. "See you tomorrow. Same time, same place."
Bwiset, wala man lang day-off?!
I wanted to complain, pero wala na akong energy. Instead, I just nodded weakly. "Sige po, Professor…"
She gave me a small nod before walking away. The moment she disappeared, biglang sumulpot ang tatlong hinayupak kong kaibigan—Raegan, Min-Jae, at Forest—lahat nakangisi, parang may binabalak.
I glared at her. "Ulol, Forest."
Raegan crossed her arms, smirking. "Mukhang binugbog ka ni Professor, ah. Tapos pinagpawisan ka nang sobra… hmmm."
I threw the towel at them. "Mga gago, pagod lang ako!"
I groaned. "HAYOP!"
They all burst into laughter, halos gumulong na sa sahig.
"Gagi! Architecture competition ‘to, hindi orgy!"
Forest wiped a fake tear. "We’re just concerned, Tite. Baka kasi hindi mo na kaya ‘pag dumating ang tamang babae."
Raegan nodded sagely. "Oo nga, shi. Kung gusto mo, i-train ka namin sa ibang bagay… para lang di ka lamunin ng kahinaan."