2025-05-17 11:49:23From afar, Mang Jun was approaching, and Michael already knew why the old man's face looked so bright as he walked home. Michael was waiting outside.
He had planned to leave earlier to go home, but D, the being in the black daffodil, told him not to go yet because the elderly guard was heading home. So here he was, waiting for the old man. "Don't trust anyone again, Michael..." the voice said to him. He looked at the approaching guard. "You don't really believe in someone's kindness, huh?" He was getting used to the presence of the being in the flower. He was accustomed to it suddenly speaking, not just in his mind, but actually hearing its voice as if it was right in front of him. "I am a demon, what do you expect? Have you ever forgotten what happened to you?" Michael shook his head in response. He looked down, as if he could see the scar on his chest. He touched his neck, the scar a reminder that he was killed by people for no reason. "It still haunts you..." Based on D's voice tone, it wasn't a question, but a confirmation. He nodded. There's no need for him to lie about how he feels when it comes to D. It knows what's on his mind, as if he's an open page in a book. "Yes, it does. There's no reason for me to be calm when I remember what happened to me every second. For every stab wound I suffered that night, I'll make sure the ones who killed me will taste the same. Maybe then I'll finally find peace." "There's no peaceful place in hell, Michael." What he said was based on what he read. What did he really know about hell, anyway? He hadn't been there yet. His laughter echoed in the quiet place at the thought. He's now losing his sanity. Before the being beside him could say anything, he walked towards the old man to meet him halfway. He took the plastic bag, and from the smell, he knew it was beef. Maybe the old guard got it wrong. Maybe he thought Michael didn't eat breakfast because he didn't eat canned goods. "I'm going to cook so you can eat. We're leaving—" The old man stopped walking towards the house when Michael grabbed his arm. The old man looked at him in confusion. "I'm not eating." "Ah, are you still full? In that case, I still need to cook the meat so it won't go to waste. I don't have a fridge yet." Michael shook his head. "Mang Jun, you know what happened to me, don't you?" The old man nodded, and with Michael's sharp gaze, he saw the old man's skin crawl. The old man still seemed frightened. "Since I woke up from what happened to me, I'm no longer hungry. I also can't taste anything." He smiled, not wanting the old man to be scared of him, although it seemed unlikely. He saw the old man's hesitant smile before scratching his head. "I-I see. Well, in that case... But you still need to try eating because, somehow, you're alive." The old man held his arm. "We're leaving now; we'll buy your stuff. Have fun, so you can forget your problems, at least for a while. Don't worry about the money; Sir Brent gave me some. Come on, let's go inside." The old man went inside the house first, and Michael followed. He placed the plastic bag on the table. Mang Jun went to his room, which was just behind a curtain made of flour sacks. "By the way, hijo, you can start working tomorrow. Just bring your resume, Sir Brent said." The old man looked at him. "You know, I didn't have a hard time asking Sir Brent. He actually approached me and said they were looking for a new janitor. He thought I was going to send my son. I told him it was my nephew, and that's you." Mang Jun came out of his room, wearing basketball shorts and a white shirt. "So, hijo, won't you have a hard time hiding from them? Anyone would recognize your face." "I'll handle that." "Well, you can use magic for that. Okay, I'll boil the meat first before we leave. Where would you like to go?” "Anywhere is fine, Mang Jun." "Oh dear, I don't know any nice places, hijo. When I have money, after payday, my family and I would just sit on the sidewalk, eating street food and drinking cold drinks." Michael smiled out of the blue. Something warm and like a hand caressed his heart when he heard that from the old man. He could imagine the things they did before the trouble that involved the old man because of him. He had a feeling that someone saw the old man during the time he overheard Freddie's conversation with someone. "Your family seems happy, Mang Jun. Sorry for ruining things because of me." "Oh, it's not your fault what happened to me. I got a lot of money for lying in front of the camera. The pain and beating I endured were payment for the money I received. Let it be. Don't think it's your fault, especially since you're a victim too." The old man looked at him while washing the meat. "How about you, hijo? Your childhood with your family must have been happy, right? You know, people in the company are talking about you. They're very curious about your life. Since you didn't introduce any girls to the company, it seems like all the girls like you." "I was courting someone before something bad happened to me," he admitted. "Really? Oh dear, what a waste." Was it really a waste? Why didn't he feel any regret in his chest? Maybe he accepted that after D brought him back to life, he would die again. Now, he needed to work hard to avenge himself. Well, he had experienced hardship in life before. But something changed now because of Mang Jun, who offered to help him. Because of the old man, he felt what it's like to have a family, something that he didn't experience when he was young. "It's okay. Maybe the girl I was courting didn't really love me since I didn't see her. It’s a good thing that Jam was there and took care of my burial. I'm lucky to have a friend like him." "You're right," the old man agreed. "Sir Jam is kind, but I have to say, you're my favorite among your friends.” "Really?" "Yes, you always greet us, even though we're just simple employees. That's why when you disappeared, we were sad. We couldn't attend your wake and burial because the bosses were there." He smiled at the old man. Before, he wondered if anyone would attend his wake and burial. Now, he knew the answer. Even if no one attended, he was glad to know that someone was secretly mourning his death. When everything was fixed, before he disappeared again, he would make sure to help the ordinary employees of his company because they were the ones who truly cared for him. After helping Mang Jun with cutting the meat, he took a bath. Mang Jun lent him a long-sleeved shirt and pants since he had nothing to wear. As he fixed his hair, something crossed his mind. "How strange..." he said to himself. But he shook his head. "Maybe it's just a coincidence. What do you think, D?" He didn't get an answer from his invisible friend.
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CHAPTER 16
Michael moved quickly but cautiously as he stepped out of the elevator. He encountered a few people, but he didn't find it unusual. Everyone who works here is hardworking. Jam himself taught that to their employees. They were different, his friend was strict, while he was kind to his employees, especially the younger ones. He had a heart, which his friend always criticized him for."You'll fall because of your weakness, Michael. You always let your heart rule."He shook his head to forget that thought. He didn't regret being kind to his simple employees. What he regretted now was trusting people he thought were his friends."Got your six, mortal...""Why?" he whispered to his unseen friend."I need to guard you. You are only mine, Michael... I won't let anybody claim what's mine."He sighed. He looked behind him. There was no one, so he continued without hesitation. He was close to his office, so he quickened his pace. The excitement was flowing through his veins. He had never felt th
CHAPTER 15
Michael heard Brent's consecutive curses before he stood up. The impact of the explosion from outside was so strong that his two companions almost fell from their standing position.He checked on his two companions and looked at them to see if they were okay and didn't have any wounds. When he saw that they didn't have any glass shards embedded in their bodies, he approached Mang Jun and helped him stand up."Are you okay?" he asked, before glancing at Brent, who was dusting himself off."Yes, son. I'm fine. What happened?" He saw confusion on the old man's face.He shook his head as a response, even though he knew what really happened. He glanced at Brent again, who had an emotionless face. He was surprised by his friend's reaction. Shouldn't he have run outside to see what was happening, especially since the noise from the 3rd floor was loud enough to be heard?"I'll go ahead and go outside, Sir Brent. I'll check if anyone was hurt with my group, especially the elderly like me," Man
CHAPTER 14
Brent repeatedly studied Mike’s resume, Mang Jun's nephew's, several times just to make sure of what he was seeing - specifically, that the photo on the ID was still blurry.He placed the resume on the table, rubbed his temples, and let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't even 9 am, and he was already overwhelmed by the things that were happening to him. And it was all because of one person.When someone knocked, Brent looked toward the door, his gaze piercing as if he could see through it. He cleared his throat and called out in a rough voice, "Come in." The door swung open, and to his surprise, Aera Ledesma stood there - a prominent stockholder in the company and a close family friend of Michael's. Brent rose to his feet as a sign of respect."Good morning, Ma'am Ledesma," he greeted, and she just nodded before walking towards his desk.Aera Ledesma was in her late 30s and had it all - wealth, connections, intelligence, and beauty. Brent couldn't help but stare as she walked towards
CHAPTER 13
Brent was taken aback by his sister's question. His eyes darted around, as if trying to hide his thoughts from her.Brent cleared his throat. “I—” He paused, choosing his words carefully to avoid raising his sister's suspicions. As a skilled police officer, she would likely see through any lies. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jia,” he denied, reaching for the empty coffee cup.He was about to turn away when Jia spoke up again. “After that night, you’ve changed a lot, Brent. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “You’re being weird. Sometimes I catch you talking to yourself, and there are times when I see you outside in the early morning, staring up and talking.”Brent's brow furrowed at his sister's words. He had no idea what she was talking about.Talking to himself? He wasn't crazy yet. And what would he be doing outside in the early morning? He had no reason to go out.“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jia.”Jia nodded. “Maybe I’m exaggerating. Don’t mind me.” She yawned an
CHAPTER 12
Michael stared at the mirror. It was only 4 AM, but he was already in front of the mirror. He looked at his reflection as if it was an alien from another planet. Michael extended his hand towards the mirror. He touched his face in the mirror, a face he didn't recognize.He didn't undergo any face surgery, but it seemed like that's what happened. He looked like he had surgery to make himself ugly. At that moment, he couldn't see the face he didn't know where he inherited it from.Michael touched his face. If he had to compare the other side of his face to something, it would be like the skin of a carabao.Yes, half of his face looked like carabao skin. Aside from that, his skin darkened. His hair grew long down to his neck. His eyes, which were once well-shaped, now had one that was distorted, while the other seemed to bulge out. What he was seeing now was like a monster from the depths of hell. His eyebrows, which were once thick, were almost gone, as if they had been burned."You did
CHAPTER 11
Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm notMaybe I'm in love with you, or maybe I'm nut. Michael gazed at the woman standing outside the small house. There was a fence blocking them, so she couldn't see him. But Michael was content just seeing her from afar, ensuring she was okay.He scanned her appearance. She wore a loose T-shirt and basketball shorts, holding a cigarette in one hand while playing with the smoke from her mouth. She stood leaning against the green-painted wall of the house, barefoot, with her legs crossed, looking up at something in the distance.She could be mistaken for a lesbian if you didn't know her personally, but since he knew her, he knew she's a real woman hiding behind those masculine attire.She hadn't changed.Her style was the same as before, but he had to admit she looked even more beautiful now. Her natural curly hair was tied up, with those hard-to-tame strands of curly hair...The woman took another drag of her cigarette, inhaling deeply, as if venting her frus
CHAPTER 10
From afar, Mang Jun was approaching, and Michael already knew why the old man's face looked so bright as he walked home. Michael was waiting outside.He had planned to leave earlier to go home, but D, the being in the black daffodil, told him not to go yet because the elderly guard was heading home.So here he was, waiting for the old man."Don't trust anyone again, Michael..." the voice said to him.He looked at the approaching guard. "You don't really believe in someone's kindness, huh?"He was getting used to the presence of the being in the flower. He was accustomed to it suddenly speaking, not just in his mind, but actually hearing its voice as if it was right in front of him."I am a demon, what do you expect? Have you ever forgotten what happened to you?"Michael shook his head in response. He looked down, as if he could see the scar on his chest. He touched his neck, the scar a reminder that he was killed by people for no reason."It still haunts you..."Based on D's voice ton
CHAPTER 9
"I heard the plan to kill you..." Mang Jun paused as if the guard was thinking about what to tell his former boss. The guard closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened at that time. He tried to recall whose voice he heard. When he looked outside the door, that's when he figured out whose voice he heard. "It was Sir Freddie. I'm sure of it. I'm certain that the voice I heard was Sir Freddie's."The guard almost jumped out of his seat because he was impressed by his own sharp memory. He even got burned by the hot coffee that spilled on his lap when he stomped his feet. But despite that, he didn't mind the pain the hot coffee brought to his skin. What was more important at that moment was to share what he remembered so that he could help the young man who had been betrayed.But the excitement and joy he felt disappeared when he remembered that he only heard Freddie's voice at that time.The guard sighed and shook his head. He was lost in thought, staring at the coffee that he ha
CHAPTER 8
The poor guard cowered even more at Michael's words, his eyes wide with fear. He seemed more terrified by the knowledge that Michael was stabbed and didn't hang himself. It seemed to have registered in the old man's mind that the person in front of him was actually dead.Michael shook his head. He didn't intend to scare the old man, but that's what happened."I won't hurt you, Mang Jun. I'm the one who helped you to—""Whatever demon you are, leave now!!!" the old man shouted, cutting off Michael's words. "Don't bother me anymore! I've done what you asked, so what else do you want from me?!"The guard rubbed his face with his hands, still seemingly unable to believe what was happening. Michael felt sorry for the old man. From what he could see, the old man's life seemed quiet and simple, but it seemed like he knew something about what happened to Michael, which is why he was targeted to be killed.The guard fell to his knees, wailing and prostrating himself on the floor as if he had n
