Chapter 40
Arushi POV
Friday. 6:00 AM.
Pero bakit parang may kulang?
Habang sinusubo ko 'yung fried rice at scrambled eggs na niluto ni Mommy Auburn, nakakunot noo lang ako. Hindi dahil hindi masarap—actually, sobrang sarap nga, perfect texture and alat—but because something felt off.
Walang faceless girl kagabi.
For the first time in weeks, hindi siya nagpakita sa panaginip ko. Wala 'yung usual na init ng katawan ko pagkagising, wala 'yung mga kagat sa leeg na pakiramdam ko ramdam pa rin kahit dream lang, wala rin 'yung boses niya na sinasabi sa’kin na "I own you."
Si Mama Primo naman nasa harap ko, naka-cross legs sa couch habang nagche-check ng tablet niya. Kahit casual na t-shirt at sweatpants lang ang suot niya, mukha siyang galing cover ng magazine. 'Yung usual glowing aura niya, andoon pa rin. Amber eyes na para bang may sariling spotlight.
I shook my head. “Wala naman, Mom. Siguro puyat lang.”
Hindi ko alam kung naniniwala sila. Mommy Auburn raised an eyebrow pero hindi na nagsalita. Mama Primo just smirked, like she knew more than she let on.
After an hour, narinig namin 'yung shower upstairs. Citrine.
A few minutes later, bumaba siya, basa pa buhok at naka-white tank top at shorts. She sat across from me, diretso ang titig sa mukha ko na parang sinisilip kung may kasalanan ako.
Tumawa lang siya, tapos sinundan pa ng hirit, “Girl, you need proper sleep. Parang kinain ka ng kabayo at dinura lang ulit.”
Pero si Mama Primo? Of course, hindi nagpahuli. “Mag-condom ka lagi, Troney, kapag makikipag—ano ka, ha. I have condoms sa room, bigyan kita.”
Si Citrine halos malaglag sa upuan sa kakatawa. Ako naman, napailing na lang habang pinipigilan 'yung tawa ko.
Pero totoo, kahit sobrang hilarious ng moment na ‘to, may gumugulo pa rin sa isipan ko.
Bakit hindi dumating 'yung faceless girl kagabi?
Sanay na ako eh. Every night, lagi siyang andun. Parang may ritual na kaming dalawa—maglalapat ang balat, magpapalitan ng hinga, magbubulungan sa dilim. She always takes me like I belong to her.
Pero kagabi? Wala. As in blanko. Panaginip ko lang ay ako lang, mag-isa sa parang walang katapusang dilim.
Was she mad? Was she... gone?
I nodded. “Yes, Mom.”
Tumingin si Mama Primo mula sa tablet niya. “Hindi ka namin huhusgahan, ha. Alam mo naman ‘yun.”
Umalis ako sa mesa at lumabas sa balcony ng penthouse. Ramdam ko agad ‘yung malamig na hangin ng umaga. From here, kita ang skyline ng Seoul. Ang dami ko talagang iniisip.
Margarette.
Professor Haneul.
The faceless girl.
Ang daming humihila sa’kin in different directions. Parang hindi ko na alam kung ano ang totoo, ano ang tama, sino ang gusto ko—at kung sino talaga ang gusto kong piliin.
My phone vibrated. Pagtingin ko, may bagong message.
From Margarette:
> “Good morning, babe. Ingat ka today. If you’re free later, punta ka ulit sa condo. Miss na kita.”
I swallowed hard. Alam ko naman kung anong ibig sabihin ng message na ‘to. Kung anong mangyayari kapag pumunta ako.
Another message came in.
From Professor Haneul:
> “Miss Costa, please don’t forget your review later. I’ll be at my office until 6 PM.”
Formal. Cold. Business as usual. Pero bakit pakiramdam ko may tension sa bawat message niya?
And then, tumigil ako. Hinanap ko ‘yung usual message from her—the faceless girl. I know it’s stupid, pero every time I wake up after dreaming of her, may nararamdaman akong presence. Minsan may naiwan pang scent sa pillow ko—wood, salt, sage.
Pero ngayon? Wala.
Nilapag ko ‘yung phone at pumikit, sinubukang damhin ‘yung paligid.
Still nothing.
---
It's already 9 AM now and we’re here sa university.
One hour pa before class namin kay Professor Haneul, so tambay muna kami dito sa cafeteria.
I’m with Raegan, Min-Jae, and Forest—usual trio ng ka-baliwan.
Si Citrine, ewan ko, nowhere to be found again.
Probably nasa kung anong social circle na naman 'yon. That brat.
Nasa long table kami, kumakain ng cheese bread and drinking iced coffee. Medyo chill lang ang atmosphere, well, hanggang sa mag-umpisa na naman sila.
I raised a brow. “Wow. Respectful Raegan? What a rare species.”
Forest laughed and leaned forward. “Sus! You wanna fuck her lang e, admit it Raegan. Yung ‘appreciate’ mo? With tongue.”
Min-Jae, na busy sa paghalo ng coffee niya, biglang sumingit.
“Last night diba we went to the bar? Damn, I saw Raegan sa CR… fucking some woman. As in nakasandal yung girl sa wall, legs up, tapos eto si gago…” she did an exaggerated hip thrust that made Forest choke on her drink.
Raegan grinned proudly, leaning back like some frat boy king. “What can I say? Charm lang ‘yan.”
Tapos sabay-sabay silang tumingin sa akin.
Forest pointed a fry at me. “Oo nga! Spill mo na, girl. Secret mo parang state classified ah. Baka naman gusto mong sumama sa amin later? Para naman makatikim ka ng bagong putahe.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “No need. I’m good. I’m not desperate, unlike y’all.”
Min-Jae laughed. “Ouch. Burn.”
But honestly, deep inside, I’m not laughing. Kasi kahit anong pang-asar nila, totoo naman. I can’t stop thinking about that girl. The faceless one. Margarette. Even Professor Haneul. Lahat sila naka-loop sa utak ko. I’m not okay. Pero hindi ko kayang sabihin sa kanila.
Tapos bigla nag-iba ang atmosphere.
Nag-shift yung vibe ng cafeteria. From noisy tambayan energy to eerie silence. Parang may dumaan na multo.
Lahat ng tao, napatingin sa entrance.
At nung lumingon din kami… boom.
Si Professor Haneul.
Walking towards the counter like some badass K-drama villain with icy queen vibes. Her hair’s tied up neatly, her face expressionless. But her aura?
God. It was cold. Too cold.
Yung usual presence niya na intimidating, ngayon parang… darker. Mas grabe. As in I felt my chest tighten just seeing her. Parang dumilim yung paligid at siya lang yung may spotlight.
She didn’t even look at us. Dumiretso lang siya sa counter. Ordered coffee and a sandwich. No smiles. No eye contact. As if wala siyang pakialam sa buong mundo. And that made her even scarier.
Forest leaned toward me. Whispering. “Bakit parang… mas malupit ngayon aura ni prof? Parang kakain siya ng kaluluwa.”
And then… she turned. Still not looking at us. She took her tray and walked away. Fast. Parang she doesn’t want to be in the same room with anyone.
We were left in silence for a few seconds.
Min-Jae nodded slowly. “Baka may pinagdaanan. Or…”
Kagabi kasi… I didn’t dream of the faceless girl. First time. For the past weeks, lagi ko siyang napapanaginipan. Laging sensual. Laging intense. Laging… unforgettable.
Pero kagabi? Wala.
And now, eto si Professor Haneul, acting like she’s about to wage war.
Was it a coincidence?
Hindi ko alam.
But my chest felt heavy.
I finished my drink and stood up. “I’m gonna go ahead. Mag-CR lang.”
Paglabas ko ng cafeteria, I leaned on the wall sa hallway. I closed my eyes.
What’s happening to me?
Bakit parang everything’s falling apart slowly? Parang ako yung center ng storm and I can’t even tell anyone.
Margarette. Professor Haneul. The faceless girl.
Parang sila yung triangle sa utak ko. Lahat gusto kong intindihin. Lahat gusto kong malaman kung anong meron.
But no one’s giving me answers.
I sighed deeply. Tumingin ako sa sky, through the big windows of the hallway.