Both of them knew that it wasn't love at first sight.
She was the typical sophisticated, self-satisfied, intelligent-freak, bigheaded, dull UP Diliman graduate. That’s how Teng first described Kim when he and his colleagues searched for her name after announcing to one of their team meetings that this girl named ‘Kirstie Ida May Gerolaga’ will be soon joining HP. Google says: “Magna cum Laude, consistent University Scholar, awarded as the most outstanding student in her class, so on and so forth”. Teng already knew right at a glance that Kim and he will never get along well.
He on the other hand, as Kim’s first impression of Teng, was the easy go lucky, you-can-never-trust-since-all-he-do-is-to-fool-around, typical bolero, arrogant-bully-senior engineer. Her first impression didn’t fail her. After weeks of being officemates, Kim still thinks the same: He’s so loud and thinks life is one hell of a playground. He’s crabby most of the time, very impatient and conceited.
They are very opposite. But true to the saying, opposite really do attracts – this time it was not in the context of romance and love. It was something unique.
They became good friends. Such a good friends that most of the time, if not always, people are already putting labels on them. And at some point, how people think about them made them consider putting a distance on their friendship. And they did because they know it was the right thing to do at that point.
When both of them know that the right time has come for them to become good friends again, the distance between them remains.
Teng is a photography hobbyist, and one day when Teng was shooting an event and Kim was there as a guest, Teng noticed Kim’s ‘attributes’ thru his lens. Since then on, Kim has become Teng’s favorite yet secret subject – he’s shooting Kim even from afar since they decided to keep their distance.
That distance between them made Teng realize that what he feels for Kim is extraordinary. Teng knew that he’s falling in love with Kim but doesn’t want to express it since he’s so afraid that Kim will keep her distance – so he content himself to just taking and looking at her pictures.
He took one step away from her, and another, and yet another because he doesn’t know if Kim will like him. But he just found himself coming back. And one day, he finally gave in.
It took him 8 attempts and 7 rejections before Kim finally said YES.
Teng tried about a little over a year pursuing her – different methods, different gimmicks. Kim wanted herself to be ready before she enters in a new relationship so she took her time. She’s afraid. She lost her trust and even her self-confidence because of her failed relationship and she’s questioning too much. She bore herself for no one knows how much length of time waiting for that ‘ideal guy’ her checklist describes.
Then one day, she just woke up knowing that the universe wants her to be happy – that she doesn’t have to be afraid, that she doesn’t have to look and be perfect, that her checklist really won’t lead her to true happiness.
Teng made her realize that there’s more to life than just to live. Teng showed her that life is a playground and you have to learn to play too than just be serious for you to embrace fun. He showed her how to loosen up, how to experience life outside her world.
Kim on the other hand taught Teng how to challenge himself to do better. They complement each other’s world. From then on, Kim knows she’s falling in love again...
Then the start of their story..
Teng and Kim allowed the love bugs venom to overcome reason. They fight it, but no matter how many times they tried to avoid it, if its meant to be, its meant to be.
Since the day that they decided to be loved, they have been loved in return. And though there are many hardships that come and go, love still finds a way to overcome it all.