Nang makapasok ako sa condo, nasa sala si Cece at nanonood ng tv. Nilingon niya ako at nilabas ang party popper at hinila ang string para kumalat ang confetti. "Congratulations, futrure Engr. Katherine Ysabel Puertollano, my one and only bestfriend." pagbati niya sa akin at tumakbo sa akin para mayakap ko.
Nagulat ako pagputok ng party popper at nailagay ko ang kamay ko sa aking dibdib. Niyakap ko siya, "Thank you, Cece." Natutuwa kong pasasalamat sa kanya. "Let's celebrate on Friday night. Will go to my new favorite bar for us to enjoy. Si David na bahala para makapasok tayo, his family owns the place. So, no worries, let's pretend we're in college already. Well, technically, we only have a few months left so pasok na yun sa banga." Natatawa niyang aya.
David is her current boyfriend and he is a 4th year college student in University of Makati. And though, I iked the idea of us partying, I can't.
Also, my family and Ryu's family will go to The Cove on Saturday morning to have an overnight. "You know I can't, we will be leaving early to go to The Cove, right?" paalala ko sa kanya. "Oh shit, I forgot. Well, edi next Friday." Excited niyang sabi at kumindat pa.
Bumalik siya sa sofa at umupo at pumasok din ako para mailagay ang bag ko. Saktong paghubad ko ng aking sapatos ay nilingon ulit ako ni Cece. "How was your date with the great Ryu?" she teased.
Napanganga ako sa sinabi niya, "H-how did you know I was with him?" umupo na rin ako sa sofa at tinabihan siya. Nanunuksong ngiti ang pinakawala niya sa labi niya. "I saw you outside the campus when Ryu picked you up. So how did it go? Saan kayo pumunta? Did he kiss you?" tanong niyang nakangiting abot tenga.
"Oh my God, Cece. We went to The Nest. It was fine, and he kissed me on the cheek at kinabahan ako kaya bigla akong pumaso agad dito." I answered. Nagpakawala ng malakas na tawa si Cece. "Bakit sa cheeks lang? Hina naman ni Ryu."
Hinampas ko ang braso niya dahil sa sinabi niya. "Di nga? Bakit sa cheeks lang, girl? Bawi ka next time." suhestiyon niya. Inirapan ko siya at tumayo at nagtungo sa ref sa kitchen para uminom ng tubig. "Kumain ka na" pag-iibang topic ko ng usapan. "Done already. I'll get ready to sleep na, I Was just waiting for you to come home." Pinatay niya na rin ang tv at tumayo para pumasok na sa kwarto niya.
"Goodnight, Ky. Tulog ka na rin but I doubt since magdamag mong iisipin bakit sa pisngi ka lang hinalikan ni Ryu at di sa labi." Natatawa niyang tusko sabay bukas ng pintuan ng kwarto niya.
Muntik kong maibuga ang tubig na iniinom ko dahil sa sinabi niya. Gusto ko siyang buhusan ng malamig na tubig para mahimasmasan siya. I rolled my eyes at her before she went in and said goodnight.
Pumasok na rin ako ng kwarto ko at dumiretso magshower para makapaglinis na ng katawan at makapagpahinga. Nang matapos na ako sa shower ay nagbihis na ako at nahiga sa kama. Nagbukas ako ng cellphone at nagscroll sa facebook.
Nanonood lang ako ng mga videos nang makatanggap ako ng isang text mula kay Ryu. Biglang kumabog ang dibdib ko at kinabahan. Binuksan ko ang mensahe niya.
Ryu: I'm home. Got stuck in traffic. You asleep?
Kung hindi na sana niya ako hinatid sa labas ng unit namin di pa siya na-stuck sa traffic.
Ako: I'm still awake. Sorry, you got stuck. Take a rest.
Ryu: Don't worry about it. You take a rest too. Goodnight."
Di na ako nagreply sa text niya. I locked my cellphone para matulog na at may pasok pa ako bukas.
Nakatingin lahat ng tao sa office when they saw me and Ryu holding hands habang hinihila ako ni Ryu papunta sa office niya. I just smiled at the people especially when they greeted us Good morning. We both said good morning back to them.
Binalewala na rin nila at nagsibalikan na sila sa pagtratrabaho nang makapasok na kami sa office si Ryu. Sianna smiled at tumayo para mag-good morning din sa amin.
"Goodmorning, Sir Ryu, Engr. Ky."
"Goodmorning, Sianna." ako. "Good morning, Sianna. Please send me my schedule for today. Thanks." bati at utos nya kay Sianna. "Noted, Sir." ani Sinna. Binuksan ni Ryu ang kanyang office at door at pumasok na kami sa loob.
Nilapag niya ang paper bags sa countertop ng mini bar ng office niya. His office is wide. On the right side, naroon ang maliit na meeting room kung saan kami palaging nagmemeeting every TTH. Sa gitna ay naroon naman ang mesa niya at laptop with his 2 extra monitors connected to provide him a bigger screen para mas madali. Beside his
table are shelves kung saan nakalagay ang mga books and files related to NCFMC.
Also, on the left side is his mini bar and a personal refrigerator located below the countertop of his mini bar, two high chairs, a coffe maker, a microwave, and that's it. Sa center ay yung parang receiving are kung saan naroon ang sofa at center table. I sat there while he removed his coat and placed in on top of his swivel chair. He folded his plain white long sleeved until his elbow and opened his computer. He looked at at me and smiled.
Nag-iwas ako ng tingin at kinuha ang company phone ko to check my mails. Today was Tuesday, so may schedule kami ng meeting ni Ryu and the same popped up sa phone.
"Ryu, can I take my laptop and files in my office for our meeting today?" at tumayo ako ara lumabas na sana.
"Sit down, let me take care of it." Seryuso niyang sagot habang nagda-dial sa telepono. Hindi na ako nakasagot kaya bumalik ako sa pagkakaupo ko. "Sianna, please call Nisha and tell her to bring Engr. Ky's laptop and files here for our meeting." utos niya sa secretary niya. Nilayo niya ang handset ng telepono at hinarap ako para magtanong.
"Where'd you put the files?"
"Uhm, it's on top of my table, beside my laptop." Sagot ko. Sinabi niya iyon kay Sianna at nagpasalamat sabay baba ng telepono. I Looked at him and said thanks. Ngumiti lang siya at nang mabuksan ang computer ay lumapit na siya sa mini bar at nilapag ang pagkain.
I just sat here when a couple of minutes after, kumatok si Nisha sa pinto dala dala ang gamit kong pinakuha ni Ryu a kanya. "Goodmorning, Sir Ryu, Maam Ky." Tumango si Ryu sa kanya at nag-good morning din. "Tama po ba lahat ng mga kinuha ko, Maam or baka may kulang pa po." Binati ko rin siya ng goodmornint at chineck isa isa ang dala
niya. "Great, all is here, Nisha. Thank you."
"Sige po, Maam, welcome po. Balik na po ako sa office, tsaka nga po pala Maam, dumaan si Calvin kanina at hinanap ka, he told me to tell you na he texted you daw po para ayain kang mag-lunch mamaya." I know hindi siya sa company phone ko nagtext kasi when I open it wala namang message galing kay Calvin, malamang sa personal phone ko siya nagmessage. "Alright, Nisha. Thanks for informing." Sagot ko at tuluyan na siyang lumabas sa office ni ryu.
Nilingon ko si Ryu at nakitang parang nandilim ang mukha niya. Di ko na lang pinansin at nilapag ko sa center table ang files at laptop. "Ready na ang breakfast, kain muna tayo before tayo magstart ng meeting." ani Ryu. "Okay." Sagot ko at tumayo sa sofa para lumapit sa mini bar at naupo sa high chair.
Nakalapag sa countertop ang breakfast meal galing sa The Log which are pancakes with maple syrup, egss benedict, quiche, and scrambled eggs. He turned to his coffeemaker at nilingon niya ako. "Want one?" he asked.
I know I had coffee this morning, but I want another one now. "One, Latte please." At nagprepare na siya. Nilapag niya ang coffee sa harap ko at meron din siya. Umupo siya sa harap ko at binigyan ng pagkain. "Eat." utos niya.
I started eating the pancakes when heard my phone beeped. Kinuha ko iyon sa bulsa ng coat ko and binasa kung kanino galing. It was from Calvin and there were two messages.
Calvin: Goodmorning, Ky. Care to have lunch with me today?
The message was sent at 8:55, while we were at The Log. Ito rin siguro ang sinasabi ni Nisha kanina. Then another message says;
Calvin: Nisha just told me you're gonna have a meeting with Mr. Ryu now. Just tell me if you wanna have lunch with me so I can cal the restaurant for a reservation :)
Ako: Hi Cal, I just read your text. Yeah, sure, no problem. See you later.
Nang matapos akong mgreply, binalik ko sa bulsa ko ang cellphone at bumalik sa pagkain. "Calvin Savador? Yung kasama mong Project Engineer sa Trade Tower?" seyusong tanong ni Ryu.
Trade Tower is one of NCFMC's projects. Isa ako at si Calvin sa mga Project engineers ng tower na iyon. Isa ang Trade Tower sa mga hinahawakan kong projects apart from the other sites.
"Yes, si Calvin. Yung nasa tapat kong office. He is a good and hardworking engineer, too." Sagot ko kay Ryu.
Nagtaas ang isang kilay niya and smirked. "You're going to have lunch with him?" tanong ni Ryu bago ininom ang kape niya. "Yes, I am." Tipid kong sagot.
Nanahimik lang siya at nagpatuloy sa pagkain ng breakfast. Binalewala ko rin ang reaksyon niya at nagpatuloy sa pagkain. Nang matapos na kaming kumain, ililigpit ko na sana ang mga pinagkainan namin nang pinigilin ako ni Ryu.
"Let me do it, baby. Just please get ready for the meeting and setup everything sa meeting room so we could start." Lambing na sabi ni Ryu sa akin. Nanghina ang tuhod ko at tumango at nagmadaling kinuha nag fliles at laptop ko para pumasok sa meeting room.
I was out of breath when I came inside at nilapag ko ang laptop at files sa table sa loob ng meeting room. There he goes, again, calling me baby out of nowhere. I shookmy head and just connected my laptop to the HDMI cable para maiconnect ko din sa prjector.
I opened the powerpoint na pag-uusapan namin sa meeting and readied the files. Saktong pagpasok niya sa meeting room ay tapos na rin akong mag set up.
Nagsimula ang meeting namin sa mga projects at clients na may mga malalaking demand in terms of maintenance services. Magaling si Ryu sa field ng trabaho niya. He has action plans and he knows how to manage his people. Nakakuha kami ng mga malalaking kontrata dahil din sa kanya.
Valenica Real Estate partnered with NCFMC for the last 6 years. Maraming properties ang VRE, subsidiary company nila ang Falcon Services. Malaki ang naitutulog ng VRE sa NCFMC. Everytime na may bagong ipapatayong building ay NCFMC ang construction and services ng building.
"Also, I was just informed that Claus Properties refused to pay the invoice we sent them, which was pending for two months now. According to Rene, Planned Preventive
Maintenace per the monthly schedule has too many pendings and are not completed as agreed." I said.
"Tell Rene to instruct the team to stop doing any services for Claus Properties unless they pay. The planned maintenance s not the whole scope of the contract. Also, tell Rene to setup a meeting with the client to solve this." si Ryu.
I was always amazed on how Ryu handles these issues. Tama lang na siya ang magmana ng company na ito. Sobrang hardworking niya and he handles everything with honor.
The meeting ended and nagligpit na ako. It was around 11:30AM when it ended. Tumayo si Ryu at dumiretso sa labas, sumunod naman ako. He picked up the telephone and heard him talk to Sianna related to his next meeting.
"Sianna, please move the meeting for Java Holdings from 1PM to 4PM, I'll be out at 1PM to meet with the client from Mabel FM Company. Thank you." at binaba niya na ang telepono.
I looked at him as he sat down on his chair. Nagpaalam na rin ako sa kanya para makabalik na rin ako sa office ko para ipagpatuloy ang trabaho ko. "Ryu, I will go to my offce now. I will just send you the minutes of meeting to your mail."
"Sure." Tipid niyang sagot habang nakasalubong ang kilay nang nakatingin sa computer niya. Nagbabasa na siguro siya ng mga mails niya kaya ganoon na lang siya kaseryuso.
Lumabas na ako sa office at nagpaalam na rin kay Sianna. Dumiretso ako sa opisina ko at binuksan ulit ang laptop pat ang 2 extra monitors ko. Almost lahat kami dito nakaextra monitors because it is easier to work that way.
I replied to the email from Rene regarding Claus Properties adding Ryu in the loop. I read the mails and replied to each and everyone. Di ko na namalayan ang oras nang biglang may kumatok sa pinto ko, it was Calvin. 12:30 na pala and we were supposed to have lunch together at 12.
He smiled when he opened the door. "Oh my God, I'm sorry Cal. Di ko na namalayan ang oras." Paghihinging patawad ko. He chuckled, "It's alright. You ready? Let's go."
"Uhm, can you please give me 5 minutes to get ready? Come in. Have a seat first, ligpitin ko lang muna ito then we'll go. Sorry talaga." sabi ko habang nililigpit ang mga papel
na nakakalat sa table ko. Calvin smiled and told me to take my time as he had moved the reservation to 1pm instead. Ngitnitian ko siya at nagpatuloy sa pagliligpit.
A couple of minutes after, tumayo na ako sa office chair ko at inaya si Calvin. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." aya ko sa kanya na nakangiti. I carried my bag and tumayo na rin sa sofa si Calvin. He opened the door for me.
Nag-inform ako kay Nisha na maglunch lang ako if ever may naghanap sa akon. NIsha nodded and smiled to both of us. Lumabas na kami ng office at dumiretso sa elevator. Saktong nandon din si Ryu at naghihintay ng elevator.
Tumingin siya sa akin at agad na baling ang tingin kay Calvin ng makita itong nakasunod sa likod ko. He smirked, pursing his lips looking irritably at my companion. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ryu." puno ng paggalang na bati ni Calvin sa kanya. I just smiled at him. "Good afternoon, Engr." tipid niyang bati kay Calvin.
Bigla naman bumukas ang pinto ng elevator. Pinauna akong pumasok ni Ryu at Calvin, nang makapasok ako ay sumunod silang dalawa. Tumabi sa akin si Calvin after pressing the button of the elevator. Habang nasa gilid naman ni Calvin si Ryu.
Hinarap ako ni Calvin at nakipagkuwentuhan. "I reserved a table for us at The Middle Eastern Grill. They have the best kebab there. You have to try it." Napatingin sa akin si Ryu at napailing. He knows I never liked Middle Eastern food. Guess Calvin likes it since he was assigned in one of our Dubai projects last year for 6 months. Siguro ay nakaadapt na siya sa mga pagkain doon.
"Oh, that's great then." Tipid kong sabi na nakangiting plastic. Nakit ako ang pagngiti ni Ryu sa gilid ng mata ko. Nilingon niya kami at nagsalita kay Calvin. "Engr. Salvador, I am sorry to interrupt but, Engr. Puertollano, unfortunately doesn't like Middle Eastern food. I just thought you should know." sabay na nagbukas ang pinto ng elevator at siya ay lumabas.
Napanganga ako sa sinabi ni Ryu kay Calvin. Gulat din ang reaksyon ni Calvin at sabay kaming lumabas ng elevator. "Shit, I'm sorry, Ky. Di ko alam. I should have asked before I confirmed the reservation. I'll just cancel it now and let's just go to a different restaurant instead." Paghihinging patawad niya sabay dukot sa cellphone niya sa bulsa ng pantalon niya.
Pinigilan ko siya at ngumiti sa kanya. "Ano ka ba? Don't mind what Ryu said. It's fine. Let's not cancel the reservation and just go there. It's not a problem with me. I can eat Middle Eastern food." Pagsisiguro ko sa kanya. He looked at me with weary eyes, "I'm really, sorry. I can cancel it now and just go to other restaurants that you liked."
I smiled at him and took his cellphone in his hands, "No worries. Let's just go there, if maghahanap pa tayo ng restaurant na iba, I'm sure puno na mga yun since usual tme ng lunch ito dito. We need to be back at the office at the earliest. The Middle Eastern Grill is good. Come on."
Napangiti rin si Calvin sa sinabi ko. The Middle Eastern Grill is a 7minute walk from NCFMC. Nang makarating kami roon ay nagtanong ang waiter if meron kaming reservation. SInabi naman ni Calvin sa waiter ang pangalan niya at oras ng reservation. Ngumiti ang waiter at igniya kami sa table namin.
Nang makaupo na kami ni Calvin ay naglahad ng menu and waiter. Calvin looked at me looking worried sa kung ano iorder ko. Good thing they serve sizzling meals, so I ordered Sizzling Porkchop with Rice. Ngumiti naman si Calvin ng matapos akong magorder at nagorder na din siya ng Beef Kebab meal.
Nilista ng waiter ang orders namin at umalis na para iprepare ang food. Binalik ko kay Calvin ang cellphone niya nang nakangiti. "See? It's not bad after all."
Ngumiti si Calvin sa akin, "Next time, you get to choose where to it." he chuckled. I laughed at him and answered, "Okay, deal." We were sitting and just talking, mostly about work, after 15 minutes or more, dumating na ang inorder naming food.
We were both eating when he started asking kung bakit ayaw ko ng Middle Eastern food. I drank my juice and stared at him.