Chapter Text
The afternoon sun was merciless, beating down on the concrete roads of UP Diliman, but inside River’s Montero, it was a freezing sixteen degrees.
"Putangina, bakit ba ang traffic?" River muttered under his breath, his long fingers impatiently drumming against his lap. He glanced at the silver Rolex on his wrist. It was already 2:00 PM. The canopy of acacia trees along the Academic Oval usually offered a serene, breezy drive, but today, it was an absolute gridlock.
His phone buzzed on the passenger seat. Snatching it up, he read the barrage of messages from his friends.
—numero uno's gc
Jungkook: Nasaan ka na, pre? Kanina pa ako rito sa room. Ang lala ng welga sa labas.
Jaehyun: Good luck entering UP today, River. Saw the news, the activists are mobilizing. Buti pa rito sa Ateneo, chill lang. ☕
Bambam: Sus, mga feeling edgy lang 'yan. Dito rin traffic eh!
Yugyeom: Wala 'yan sa DLSU bro. Tara na Taft mamaya!
Eunwoo: Just walk, River. You have legs.
River rolled his eyes at Eunwoo’s text. His friends, they all grew up in the same exclusive subdivisions, attended the same elite galas, and rubbed elbows with the same politicians their fathers worked with. Siya at si Jungkook lang ang pumasok sa UP. The rest were comfortably scattered in Ateneo and La Salle. Hindi naman sila ang tipikal na mga arroganteng mayayaman; most of them still knew how to mingle with regular people. But River and Eunwoo were different. With River’s father being a high profile Senator, his life had always been highly guarded, perfectly curated, and sheltered.
Beep. Beep.
The sound of blaring horns from the cars behind him pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked ahead, there was no end to the line of vehicles.
"Kuya, i-park mo na lang 'to sa tabi kung saan pwede. I'll just walk," River finally decided, grabbing his heavy backpack.
"Sige po, Sir River. Mag-iingat po kayo, medyo magulo po sa unahan," his driver warned, looking at the rearview mirror with a frown.
River just nodded. The moment he pushed the car door open, the heavy, humid air of the afternoon hit him like a wall. But the heat wasn't the most overwhelming part. It was the noise.
"Makibaka! Huwag matakot! Mga Senador na kurakot, panagutin!"
He walked toward the AS steps, his expensive sneakers practically dragging against the asphalt. A massive sea of students wearing maroon and black blocked the road. They carried massive placards and tarpaulins, their voices echoing across the campus, demanding accountability, demanding justice.
River scoffed internally. Activists. Always complaining, always shouting. If only they knew how hard his father worked in the Senate, baka manahimik sila.
He tried to weave through the edge of the crowd, keeping his head down as he looked for a clear path to his building. But then, a voice boomed through a megaphone, cutting sharply through the chaotic noise and demanding absolute attention.
"Hindi tayo magpapabulag sa mga pangakong napapako! Ang pera ng bayan ay para sa bayan, hindi para sa bulsa ng mga nasa pwesto!"
River stopped dead in his tracks.
He looked up toward the makeshift stage, the back of a rusty pickup truck. And there he was.
The guy in the white shirt was completely drenched in sweat, the thin fabric clinging to his chest. May nakatali na pulang bandana sa braso niya. His hair was messy, damp strands sticking to his forehead, and the veins on his neck were prominent as he shouted into the megaphone. He was screaming with so much passion, so much anger, and so much blinding life.
River swallowed hard.
Fuck.
How could someone look so ethereal amidst all this dirt and chaos? It was as if everything and everyone else blurred into the background, and the only thing in sharp focus was this boy. His sharp jawline, his piercing eyes, and the sheer, magnetic intensity of his presence.
"Ipaglaban ang karapatan ng mga magsasaka! Ibasura ang mga batas na pumapatay sa masa!" the boy yelled, raising a clenched fist in the air.
Hindi namalayan ni River na unti-unti na siyang naglalakad palapit. Instead of slipping away to his class, his feet dragged him deeper into the heart of the protest. Someone bumped into his broad shoulder, another shoved a crumpled flyer into his chest, but he didn't care. His eyes were entirely glued to the guy.
He was completely hypnotized. The sheltered son of a Senator, standing in the middle of an anti-corruption rally, mesmerized by an activist student leading a revolution against everything his family stood for.
_____
Hours later, the adrenaline of the afternoon finally faded as River entered the cool, quiet halls of his family's mansion. He threw his bag onto the velvet couch, but before he could even sit down, his phone started ringing off the hook.
—numero uno's gc
Jungkook: PUTANGINA RIVER?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHA GAGO KA BA?!
Bambam: HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA GUSTO MO BA MA-DISOWN?!
Jaehyun: Send the link down, Jungkook. I need to see this.
His thick brows furrowed in confusion. River tapped the link Jungkook sent. It directed him to a post from the official campus publication page on Facebook. The caption read: MGA ESTUDYANTE NG UP, NAGKAISA LABAN SA KURAKOT NA GOBYERNO.
There were multiple documentation photos of the rally. But the third picture made River's blood run cold.
It was a brilliant shot of that guy with the megaphone, looking like a fierce leader of the masses. But right below him, standing in the front row of the sweaty crowd, looking up at the activist like he was a goddamn religion... was River.
Eunwoo: You're officially trending in our circle, River. An elite joining a mass protest? Against senators? The irony is poetic.
Yugyeom: Nababaliw ka na ba bro? Tatay mo yung pinagsisigawan nila diyan!
Before River could even type a reply to defend himself, heavy footsteps echoed from the grand staircase.
"River, son," a deep, authoritative voice called out. River froze, his thumb instinctively locking his phone.
"Dad. You're home early."
His father descended the stairs, looking immaculate as always in his custom suit. He was the very image of a perfect public servant, calm, collected, respected. Their family was perfect. His father spent his weekends with them, made sure his children had the best of everything, and always spoke with measured kindness. He was a good man.
The Senator walked toward the living area, holding his iPad. He placed it carefully on the glass coffee table. The screen was lit up, showing the exact same Facebook post.
"Care to explain why my son, the flesh and blood of a Senator, is standing in the middle of an anti-government rally?" His father's tone wasn't angry, but it held a dangerous calmness that demanded submission.
River swallowed the lump in his throat. "Traffic po kasi, Dad. Sa loob ng UP. I had to walk. Hindi ko po namalayan na napasama na pala ako sa crowd. It wasn't intentional."
His dad stared at him for a few agonizing seconds before his expression softened into a paternal smile. He reached out and patted River's shoulder gently. "Just be careful next time, anak. You know how these people are. These activists... they don't understand how the real world operates. They make noise, they accuse us of things we didn't do, just because we are in power."
"I know, Dad. I'm sorry," River murmured, dropping his gaze.
"Good. Wash up. We're having dinner together tonight," the older man said, giving him one last warm look before heading to his private study.
River was left alone in the vast, deafeningly quiet living room. He slowly reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the crumpled flyer the rallyist had shoved into his chest earlier.
He unfolded it with trembling fingers. The bold letters screamed: MILYON-MILYONG PONDO PARA SA MAGSASAKA, NINAKAW NG MGA SENADOR! Below it were details, numbers, and lists of committees.
His father's name wasn't explicitly written, but the committees mentioned were the exact ones his father chaired. River crumpled the paper again, his heart suddenly beating erratically against his ribcage.
My dad is perfect, he reminded himself, squeezing his eyes shut. Our family is perfect.How could someone accuse him of being corrupt? It was impossible. It had to be a lie.
Pero habang pinipilit niyang kumbinsihin ang sarili niya... biglang pumasok sa isip niya ang mukha ng lalaki. Ang pawis sa noo nito, ang garalgal na galit sa boses nito, at ang nag-aalab na sinseridad sa mga mata nito habang ipinaglalaban ang mga magsasaka.
River stared down at his expensive shoes. If my father is so perfectly innocent... he thought, his chest tightening. Bakit ganoon kasidhi ang galit sa mga mata niya?