---YOUR POV---
"Whatever you hear about him, please don't be angry at him.", he said, voice laced with concern.
I looked at his eyes and gave him a small nod. Tumingin siya sa dagat so I followed him.
Cold colors were starting to devour the warmth of the sunset. It's almost night time.
Naramdaman kong humigpit ang hawak niya sa kamay ko at huminga siya nang malalim bago magsalita. Sa hindi ko alam na dahilan, bigla akong kinabahan.
"It was really beyond my expectations that I will be SEVENTEEN'S leader. I mean, who would pick an immature and dependent person to lead 17 people? Napaka-ambitious ko non, reckless and self-centered. So, nung pinili ako bilang leader ng SEVENTEEN even before debut, I felt the pressure that I've never felt before. Ang laging nasa isip ko, 'I cannot afford to make mistakes kasi maraming madadamay.' I have to always watch for my actions, words and gestures kasi one wrong move, I will drag down everyone with me. Most of them, mas mahirap ang naging karanasan kesa sa'kin. Mas malayo nang pinanggalingan at mas maraming naisakripisyo for the title that we have right now.", he stated.
Sa boses at tono pa lang, I know that he's been keeping this for a long time. I feel terrible for him. But... Ngayon, ang tumatakbo lang sa isip ko, shit, Seungcheol, am I worth sacrificing? For fame? For the title of being an idol?
Pero hinayaan ko siyang matapos sa pag-eexplain. I should hear his side. Kahit na masakit, I should hear it directly from him, kasi alam ko, after all this, I will still love him.
"I assume na alam mong dapat 17 members talaga ang meron kami. But, due to some personal reasons, 4 sa'min ang umalis.", panimula niyang muli. "Actually, ako ang dahilan kung bakit sila umalis."
Nanlaki ang mata ko at napatingin ako sa kanya. Nakatingin pa rin siya sa dagat at saglit n natahimik na para bang naghihintay sa reaksyon ko.
"What do you mean?", I asked.
"Kasi, Y/n... Your father threatened them.", he said before looking straight into my eyes.
I blinked a few times, trying to understand what he just said. Fuck, that old man, again. I should have predicted this. Tang ina, lahat na lang ng bagay sa buhay ko sinusubukan niyang kontrolin. I closed my eyes to control myself.
"I think it was around our second year together nang makatanggap ako ng tawag galing sa kanya. He threatened me na kapag hindi kita hiniwalayan, he will do everything para masira ang buhay ko. At first, I didn't really give a fuck about his threats. I loved you so much that time and I was willing to risk everything for you and for my dream. Pero maraming nagbago sa training period namin after that phone call. Food supplies suddenly went down, staffs started to give is a hard time, periods of practice were lengthened... I thought it was normal. So, sumunod kami nang walang reklamo, nagtiis kami nang walang reklamo. Pero, fuck, they continued to do those things for 4 goddamn months na halos lahat kami bumagsak ang katawan.", he stopped there and bit his lips.
Right then, I knew that it was too much for him. He's reliving those moments, those feeling all over again. Hinigpitan ko ang hawak ko sa kanya and looked at him with sympathy. 'It's okay, I'm here with you, now. No one can hurt you again, akin', is what I want to say to him. But I'll wait for the end of his story.
"I tried to talk to the staffs about those things but they simply dismissed my complaints, na dapat daw magpasalamat pa kami kasi they still giving us the opportunity to debut. Syempre wala pa akong alam that time and one wrong move could drag us all down. I kept quiet...", he paused again.
I sensed that he was trying to regain his composure. But I know him too much. I hugged him and silently rubbed his back.
"Go on. I'm listening. You have to let go, Seungcheol.", I whispered to him. I felt warm tears running down his face.
"I-I thought... everything was fine... na it's simply a hard procedure to become an idol... Pero the worst came...", he said hastily and let out a soft sob. "The staff was... They were blocking our allowance. Yung galing sa parents namin... And then, they will push us to our limit... Pagpu-push-up-in kami until our bodies can't take it anymore. I even caught Seungkwan and Jisoo hiding bruises and cuts. Tatanungin ko sila pero lagi nilang isasagot na wala lang daw yun... But I knew they were lying... I knew but I kept quiet."
Naikuyom ko ang kamay ko nang marinig ko yun... It's definitely the work of that old man. I know because I saw him do it sa isang maliit na kompanya na pinipilit niyang bilhin because it was showing a potential threat sa company niya.
'Move slowly... Let them die slowly... And after that, victory is all yours, my dear daughter.', he would repeat to me as if doing a mantra.
"Those things kept on happening... I had an idea that those things could be your father's work. I never suspected him kasi I know you too much, Y/n.", he lifted his gaze to me and I caught a small soft smile. "There's something telling me na maybe... In the rarest moment, he could have been similar to you, gentle, loving, empathetic... I hoped that he will have those qualities in him, hiding somewhere underneath his tough facade."
I let out a tear after he said that.
Fuck... All those times that I have rejected him... All of those times na siya at ang putang inang pangarap niya ang sinisisi ko... All of those times na akala ko ako lang yung nasasaktan... Fuck, I hate myself so much right now.
"He called me after our celebration... Do you remember the last time we had a date before I ended everything? That's when he called me."
---To Be Continued---
BINABASA MO ANG
The Price of Love
Fanfiction"Y/n!" "That's Ms. Y/n for you, Mr. Choi." "Mrs. Choi?" "Fuck you." When you, a very powerful business figure, purchased Pledis Entertainment to fulfill your role as a Carat, but at the same time, rediscovering your love for SEVENTEEN'S leader, Choi...
