Imbes na mag-attend ng taekwondo classes ko ngayong araw matapos ihatid sila Ivan kanina sa airport ay nandirito ako sa isang public street market.
Kanina ay dapat sa gym ako hinatid ng driver namin. Pero imbes na sa gym mismo ay sa may kanto lang nito ako nagpahatid dahil wala akong gana magtuloy at pumasok ngayon. Dinahilan ko na lang sa kaniya na gusto kong maglakad-lakad. Pero ang akala niya'y pumasok ako, huhu. Pasensya na kay Kuya.
Instead of going to class, I went to take a walk. I checked the maps on my phone to look for a destination and ended up going on a fifteen-minute walk to a market street. When I arrived, I was greeted with vendors with their own stalls lined on both sides of the road selling a variety of goods, and people walking here and there as they come and go. It was bustling, colorful and lively. The warm yet busy atmosphere somehow lightened my mood.
Maraming pasikot-sikot sa buong lugar. Kung saan-saan ako napunta. I ate street foods and other snacks along the way. May nadaanan pa akong isang stall na nagbebenta ng mga accessories where a cool-looking bracelet caught my eye... and reminded me of Leo.
It was just a simple black thread bracelet with a silver bar pendant and clasp. I'm certain he has never worn anything like this or ever will be dahil kumpara sa mga mamahaling alahas na meron ito ay walang-wala ang simple at mumurahing bracelet na ito.
But I still ended up buying it. I wore it on my wrist and observed it for a while.
I remember in my past life, I've always wanted to give gifts to my siblings if I ever had one.
Should I give this to him or nah? He probably wouldn't like something cheap. But it looks really cool though.
I'll just keep it to myself for now.
After that, I continued to walk until I felt like I was starting to get lost.
Wala sa sariling napamura ako nang bago lang nagsink-in sa akin na sobrang laki at lawak pala talaga ng street market na ito. I tried going back to where I came from but I ended up just being more lost instead. Hindi na rin sakop ng mapa yung loob at pasikot-sikot ng palengke.
Am I... actually bad with directions? Did I overestimate myself?
I was about to call for help using my phone when a stranger... no, a THIEF!
"M-magnanakaw!" gulat kong sigaw nang biglang hinablot ang cellphone ko, my eyes focused on the thief wearing a simple outfit of a sando and basketball shorts swiftly running through the crowd. I quickly chased him, making sure he won't leave my sight.
"S-stop him!" I shouted, "Stop the thief!"
A few seconds later, someone was able to grab hold of him. My face lit up as I ran towards them.
"K-Kuya!" I called to the man who was holding the struggling thief in place. Sapilitan niyang kinuha ang cellphone ko sa kamay ng magnanakaw at binalingan ako.
Nang magtama ang mga tingin namin ay natigilan ako.
Gwapo ito, moreno at singkit. Magulo ang kulay itim na buhok. He got that sharp jawline, heavy lower lips and pointed nose. But what he was most famous for was the natural killer look in his brown eyes--the kind that made other people think, 'This man has went through a lot.'
Only one character from the book came to my mind.
"Sa'yo 'to?" tanong nito, raising my phone in his hand.
I nodded my head, stuttering, "Y-yeah."
I wasn't expecting to meet him this early.
He handed me my phone, but my attention wasn't even on it anymore.
Bago ko lang napansin na may mga nakalapit na palang mga security guards. They asked for our information and when I heard him say his name, that's when I confirmed it.
"My name is Keith," he said to the guards, "Keith Augustin Lee."
It's him. One of the male leads in Beloved Jade. He may seem like an ordinary handsome man, but he's actually a successor to an underground criminal organization specializing in black market trading and smuggling here in the Philippines.
And he's the craziest among all the male leads. He's the one who loved Jade so much to the point it became a toxic and unhealthy obsession.
I gulped. I need to be careful around this man.
My attention moved to the phone on my hand.
A criminal stopping another criminal? Ironic and... suspicious.
I glanced at him who's still talking with the guards and police that just arrived.
Knowing his background, I'm 98% sure he knows about me or rather, about Catherine Cordova, being a heiress to a multimillion corporation. It's a part of his job to know about the upper echelon.
And I'm quite sure that's the reason why he helped me right now.
He needs something from me.
That's the reason why he helped me get me back my phone.
"Miss? Miss?"
Nabalik ako sa realidad nang makita ko ang mukha niya ilang metro na lang ang layo muli sa akin.
Kaagad akong napaatras, my eyes blinking, "H-huh?"
"Wala na sila. Inaresto na yung lalaking nagnakaw ng phone mo," aniya bago umayos ng tayo. He tilted his head to the side, looking at me cluelessly, "Tahimik ka ba talaga?"
My forehead creased, "W-what?"
"Well, that's what I said to the police," he shrugged his shoulders before looking around the passersby which some I didn't notice was watching us. I guess I was too preoccupied, "Anyways, kung yun lang, aalis na ako."
I stared at him, confused. That's all? He doesn't need anything from me?
"O-oh," was all I could say, "Okay."
"Bye," he simply waved his hand at me and turned around to leave.
I stared at his back as he walked away.
Again, was I overestimating myself?
YOU ARE READING
Love Operation: Don't Become The Villainess
RomanceNot remembering how she died, Yara transmigrated into the hit light novel 'Beloved Jade' as the main villainess, Catherine who gets banished to another country at the end of the story because of her misdeeds against the original female lead, Jade. G...
