The lights were up, the camera was rolling, and my panic level was at full capacity.
There I stood, center stage in a fake park setup—with a bench, some plastic trees, and a bubble machine that was apparently for "cinematic effect." Who knew emotional breakdowns came with bubbles?
"Ready?" the director called out. "Scene twenty-three. Confession moment. Yeli, look into Kairo's eyes and deliver your line."
My soul exited my body for the second time today.
I took a deep breath. Kairo stood before me, calm and composed as always, like he hadn't just memorized a monologue in five minutes.
While me, I felt like a bee trapped under a plastic cup.
"Action!"
Yeli-mode: ON.
"Kairo… for a long time, I've always been… annoying you?"
CUT.
"…Yeli, that's not the line."
"Wait, emotion check please, hehe!"
Oh Lord, what am I doing?
Take two.
"Kairo… I've been wanting to... unfriend you?"
System glitch detected. Help. This is literally embarrassing.
Take three.
"Kairo…" I paused. Looked into his eyes. THEY WERE TOO DEEP. Like a math problem I couldn't solve.
"…I think I li—"
"CUT!!" the director suddenly shouted.
H-huh? Why?
Everyone jumped. "What happened?!"
"River, why are you in the frame?!"
I turned around. There he was—sitting behind the bench, munching on chips like he was watching Netflix.
"You two still at it? This tension's taking forever," he said, bored.
"This is a take, not a teleserye commentary," Kairo muttered, palm already on his face.
I sighed deeply. "WHY ARE YOU EVEN IN MY LIFE?!"
Grrrrrr. I'm done. I'm so done!
"We're rolling again," the director groaned, probably regretting his career choices. "Let's fix this mess. River, stick to your scenes."
I glanced at River, who was still chewing nonchalantly. Then he looked me straight in the eyes and winked.
Dude, stop. I tried to glare at him. But the wink was… distracting.
"Am I the villain here?" he asked, flipping a pencil like he was auditioning. "Just trying to keep things realistic."
I was seconds away from combusting, I swear.
"Alright, take five! Yeli, Kairo—action!"
It was finally the time again. My character was supposed to confess. You can do it, Yeli!
I turned to Kairo. He was as composed as ever—glasses, deadpan face, zero stress.
How I wish I was like him. Teach me your ways, please.
I inhaled sharply. "Uh… Kairo, I—"
Suddenly, River jumped into the scene like it was a Marvel movie.
"Yeli! You're doing it wrong! You're supposed to look at him like you wanna punch him but also love him. Angry love!"
What even was that direction?! Is this romance or action?!
I turned back to Kairo. "I—I think I—"
"No, no," River interrupted again. "You're not selling it. You should kiss him."
EXCUSE ME?!
I froze. "I'm not doing that!" I whispered.
WHAT THE HELL IS HE SUGGESTING?!
River just smirked. "For the drama, Yeli. Drama." He emphasizes, teasing me.
Kairo was giving me a look now. A 'have you lost it?' look.
"Take a break," the director finally said, rubbing his temples like he had a migraine the size of Mt. Apo.
I turned to River, who was still acting like this was a reality show.
"River," I said, as calmly as I could. "This is a romance, not a comedy show."
He raised a brow. "Same thing, right?"
OH MY GOD. WHAT DID I SIGN UP FOR?! Is he even serious?
Kairo exhaled, clearly done. "Let's just finish this, okay?" Then he looked at me—serious. "Yeli, you don't need to kiss me. Just… act like you care. Like you actually… like me."
Wait.
What?
Was he serious?
I stared at him, speechless, heart doing somersaults. "Well, I—uh, I guess… I've always…"
But OF COURSE River had to chime in again.
"Hate him. Or still like him?" he said way too loudly from the sidelines.
And with that, every ounce of poise I had left flew out the window.
I turned back to Kairo, feeling the most awkward mix of tension ever—not romantic tension, more like please-send-help-I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing tension.
Still, I pushed forward. Looked him dead in the eye. Hand over heart. Channeling every ounce of fake acting confidence.
From the corner of my eye, River gave me a thumbs-up.
"Nice one, Yeli. Cute. You really suck at this, huh?"
And that's the moment I seriously considered hiding under the set bench forever.
HUHUHU!
~•~•~