Login 9: Fateful Encounter

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Time 2:08 AM

Nico was at the locker rooms of the employees, he just finished work and was currently changing out his uniform and into his street clothes. As he was about to put on his shirt a strong hand patted him on the back with a little too much force that he almost lost his balance "Great job out there tonight!". He turned his head to see a handsome young man, with a huge grin on his face as he slowly walks backward.

A smile appeared on Nico's face when he saw the man "How was the political dinner that you did tonight?"

"Do you even have to ask?" The man said, spreading his arms widely with an air of undeniable confidence.

"You needn't say more, it was wrong of me to ask, can you ever forgive me Oh great master Kenji!" Nico said over dramatically as he lowers his head, twirling his shirt, to do a bowing gesture, as if reenacting someone form the Elizabethan era.

Kenji laughed out loud at Nico's bad acting, and played along "You are pardoned young one", acting like an elder from some horrible movie that shall not be named.

There was a brief pause as their eyes locked with each other full of humor. At first they were trying to contain their laughter, but it was like a wild beast that couldn't be contained as both of them bursts in laughter. They laughed for about a couple of minutes before they could catch their bearings.

"The politicians liked my food" The man said as he wipes a tear form his eye.

"As expected of you Kuya" Nico said as he put on his shirt and grabbed his bag from his locker.

Then a man's loud voice called out "Chef, we need you in the kitchen right now!"

"Coming!" Kenji shouted back, then turned to Nico "Well, duty calls. Be careful on your way home! Oh and don't forget to pass by Tita Angela first, she told me she wanted to give you something especial today!" before he started heading to the kitchen.

"Will do, see you tomorrow!" Nico shouted as Kenji hurries to the Kitchen.

Nico lets out a sigh as a silly grin remained on his face. He was truly blessed to have such amazing workmates that he could bond with after a long day of non-stop playing the piano for the customers. Nico was really grateful to have befriended such an amazing person.

He then slings his bag over his shoulder and passed by the kitchen. Almost every employee in the hotel is already aware of Nico's situation of having lost both parents at such a young age. Although Nico is currently the youngest and the most inexperienced employee at the hotel to date, everyone still treated him with respect; also most of the time, if not all the time, everyone treated him like a baby brother.

When the elderly lady saw Nico walking towards her, a smile spread on her face a she looks at him with joy.

"Tita mano po!" Nico said as he took the elderly woman's hand and pressed it over his forehead.

"Bless you!" The elderly woman said with a tender voice.

"Have you eaten yet?" Angela asked

"Yes Tita, I just ate after my shift was over" Nico responded respectful

"That's good then!" Angela nodded enthusiastically. She then put out a small box and handed it to Nico "Here, I know how much you like pastries so I baked you a small apple pie"

"Whoa! Thank you so much Tita!" Nico beamed gratefully as he looked at the small box of apple pie on his hands with sparkling eyes.

When Angela saw the joy in Nico's face, it made her extremely happy. Nico indeed loves anything pastry, and in Rose Garden, Angela is the head of the pâtisserie department. One might look at Angela and only sees an old woman, but inside are years of experience and training to master the art of making pastry. She is also a world renowned patissier that has garnered a mountain of awards and accolades from all over the world, over the course of her life.

Angela chatted with Nico for a few minutes before sending him off. Nico thanked Angela again before leaving happily.

Nico had a bounce in his walk as he headed home. He put on his earphones as he walked to bus stop, listening to a few of his compositions. Nico felt truly blessed and happy as he looked back at the day that he had. He defeated a Titan today, the generous customers at the restaurant has given him a hefty amount of tips as they praised him for his talents, and now he was gifted with an apple pie created by the best patissier in the world. He was a simple guy and he was contented with the things he has and never ask for too much, so having this kinds of things happened to him, truly made his heart soar, but never once he forgot to thank the Lord for the blessings that he was receiving.

As he was walking through the bustling night life of the capital, he saw a young man, no older than 21 got kicked out from a very well known bar. The young man tried to struggle and fight back but he was no match compared to the bouncers that was guarding the place. He let out a drunken stream of foreign language curses at the bouncers, furiously as the people around laughed and mocked the young man.

"Just because he's a foreigner, he thinks that he's above us?!" A girl said with a snotty attitude

"Look at that arrogant brat!" Another girl echoed her friend in agreement

"Hmmmm... he looks cute though, maybe I'll just have to show him how we adults do it" Another girl told her friends, as she eyed the young man like he was a candy. "Plus this kid seems to be loaded" She thought to her self as a wicked grin appeared on her face. The girl made sure she added an extra sway on her hips as she strutted over to the young man with a very sultry and seductive smirk, that made a lot of guys drool. The girl was wearing a very sexy lingerie bra, a very short jean shorts, and a ridiculously high stilettos.

"Ugh! She's practically wearing nothing" Nico thought as bile started rising from his throat making him really wanna puke his guts out. He really hated this part of the capital; he was ashamed of it, and as much as possible he would really like to avoid it, but unfortunately it is the only way for him to get to the bus stop, so he could go home. Nico never admitted to being a saint and he wasn't gonna pretend to be one but things like this is what he despises the most.

Not wanting to get affected by what was happening, he started walking again and kept his eyes straight. Unfortunately, he hasn't even taken a single step yet when a loud commotion erupted. Nico saw that the girl who walked towards the young man was pushed to the floor as the young man kept shouting profanities at her at another language.

".....창녀!" The young man shouted at the girl which made Nico's eyes widen.

Nico had roughly deciphered the meaning of what the young man said, due to him being forced to watch too much k-dramas by Allyson, but he was extremely shocked at actually hearing it out loud.

When the guys around the bar saw what happened, they all stood up, looking mad as hell, and the next thing Nico knew, the young man was already on the floor being beaten up in all directions.

"Take him" The thug leader ordered

The others obeyed and dragged the poor young man to a dark alley. Over at the dark alley the thugs beat the young man over and over again mercilessly. Nico wanted nothing more than to run and pretend nothing has happened, besides he had nothing to do with the situation, being involve would just be suicide. Nico wanted to leave so bad, but his conciseness wouldn't let him. His body felt so heavy, as his heart beat furiously inside his chest like its gonna break his rib cage. He started sweating buckets as the continues whimper and cries of the young man echos in his ears.

The next thing happened was like a flash. He ran to the alley and hid behind a dumpster, then started recording. Thankfully he had a good angle so the faces of the thugs could be seen. Nico saw the young man's bloodied face and he felt extreme pity towards him, but he couldn't make his move yet until he's gotten enough evidence.

"Hang in there!" Nico tried conveying though his when the young man made brief eye contact with him.

When Nico saw the face of the young man, he was extremely shocked. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but when he saw the young man's face again, it just confirmed that Nico was right.

"This is not possible! Of all the places, why would he be here?!" Nico screamed inside his head.

His mind was pretty chaotic at that moment, but then the young man started losing consciousness, which snapped Nico out of his thoughts. He quickly typed in a few things on his phone before pressing the send button. After he saw that the video had been sent successfully, he took a deep breath then stood up.

When the thug leader saw that the young man was pretty beaten up, he stopped the other thugs then walked over to the young man. The leader crouched down then grabbed the young man's hair, pulling it upwards. The young man let out a painful groan, as the leader looked at the young man's face with an arrogant smirk.

"This is what happens when you mess with adults" The leader said, like he was lecturing a child. Then the leader's eyes swept over the young man's body and saw that the young man was wearing some expensive stuff on him. "This bastard must be rich!"The leader thought as his eyes glinted wickedly.

The next thing did was let the young man's hair go, making the young man's head drop to the ground with a thud. The leader stood up, then grossly gathered saliva inside his mouth before spitting it a the young man's face, as the other thugs laughed at the young man's misery. They continued mocking the young man as the leader stepped back.

"Strip him clean, that kid's has some valuable things on him" The leader said before lighting a cigarette.

When the other thugs heard what the leader said, their eyes widen with excitement. One by one the young man's branded jacket, shirt, watch, shoes, belt, even his socks were taken away. When one of the thugs were looking through the young man's wallet, somebody walked out from behind the dumpster and took their attention with a loud voice.

"Hey!" Nico said with a cold voice.

"Who the hell are you?!" One of the thugs demanded

"You don't deserve to know" Nico said emotionlessly, his voice was as cold as the blizzard in the arctic.

"This kid, you wanna be like this guy huh?!" One of the thugs slowly walked over to Nico arrogantly as he pound his fist over his palm, showing intimidation, but Nico didn't even show any change in his face at all. He just looked at them with piecing emotionless eyes, that it actually sent shivers down to the approching thug's spine. He paused for a moment when he saw that Nico wasn't fazed at all, but then let out a loud laugh, thinking that Nico was just pretending to act tough, so he continued his advance on Nico.

Nico lifted his phone, showing the thugs beating up the young man, making the thug stop his advance on Nico and starred at his phone with deep surprise. The leader was confused as to why his lackey stopped.

"What are you doing?" The boss asked as he walked over to the thug, but when he saw the thug's eyes were focused on something. He turned his head and was greeted by the video. The leader's eyes widen in shock as well. Not only was the video showing evidence that they were beating up someone to death, what's worse was that their faces were showing, making it very easy to identify them.

His gang is pretty infamous and very well know, that just the sight off them inflicts fear on people. They had done some crazy things, and they're names has been on the police's wanted list for a long time. They had escaped the police's grasp every time, but this could all change that.

The leaders face was red with anger, a veins popped all over his forehead, neck, arms and hands. His hands formed two fists, wanting to snap Nico's neck.

"Kill this kid!" The leader ordered as he gritted his teeth.

When Nico saw that the thugs were advancing he said "I'd already run if I were you"

The Leader bellowed in laughter, as if what Nico said was a joke "And what made you think that we should run?" The leader said, as his body emits total savagery, like a wild animal wanting to tear its prey apart.

Nico just stood his place, as the wailing of the police siren became louder and louder. When Nico heard the sirens, a cold smile lifted on his face.

"That should be enough reason isn't?"

"The bastard called the police!" One of the thugs said in panic as they all started to run further into the alley, but as they exited the alley on its other side, the police were already there to greed them. The whole place was in pandemonium as the police wrestled with with the thugs.

When the leader saw his lackey getting caught one by one, his face contorted in a very ugly way. He then took out a gun from the back of his pants then pointed it at Nico.

Nico felt his whole life flash before his eyes, "I'm gonna die!" He thought to himself as he starred at the gun in the leader's hand, "I haven't even got the chance to taste my apple pie yet!"

"(*BEEP*) YOU!" The leader shouted before a gunshot rang thought the alley.

Nico shut his eyes close, and gripped his phone so hard. "IT"S OVER!" his mind screamed. At that moment he thought he was really gonna die, instead he heard something different. He thought that it was strange and that something was not right.

So tentatively, he opened his eyes slowly and was greeted with the leader rolling on the floor as he grips his legs in pain. Police then started filling up the alley way and arrested the thug leader. Nico was so overwhelmed that he actually forgot about the young man until his eyes landed on the young man's unconscious, half naked, bloody body, laying on the floor.

Nico ran to the young man, then dropped to ground and lowered his ear to the young man's chest. When Nico heard a weak heart beat, he let out a sight on relief. His heart beat was weak but he wasn't dead yet, and that's all that matters. When Nico saw the paramedics he shouted for help.

"Over here! Hey, Over here!" Nico waved his hands furiously

The paramedic team rushed towards Nico's direction. When they saw the young man laying on the floor, they immediately put him on a stretcher and rushed him to the hospital, of course Nico was still worried so he went to the hospital as well.

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Time 5:43 AM

Nico waited at the hospital for about an hour or so; he was so tensed that he ate the apple pie that he was saving for later, just to help him calm down. When the doctor finally told him that the young man will live, Nico finally relaxed. The young man has a fractured rib, a broken arm and bruises all over his body. Nico could finally breathe in peace. He told the doctor that he would be back later to check on the young man, then proceeded to pay for the young man's medical fees for the day.

Grand City hospital's fees are no joke, but they live up to those fees that are being paid. It's safe to say that Nico's month of salary was gone in an instant, that's how expensive the hospital fees were. Nico was still in a state of shock that he only realized what he did when he was already laying on his bed and was about to sleep.

"Nico, what have you done!" Nico groaned, as he gripped his hair and banged the back of his head on his pillow. His brain might be regretful but his heart was at total peace. Eventually Nico fell a sleep from exhaustion and woke up later that day at about 12 noon.

He checked his phone and saw a message from the police station asking him to drop by. The police visited the hospital after they arrested the gang. Nico was praised for his bravery and quick thinking, while Nico was just happy that he was still alive. The police thanked Nico, that finally they were able to capture and cross out one of the major gangs in their most wanted list.

Nico got up and prepared to go to the police station.

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Time 1:03 PM

Arriving at the police station, Nico was led to the police chief's office, that handled the case last night.

"Nico, again we would like to thank you for your service!" The police chief said, as he shook hands with Nico

"Y-You're welcome" Nico replied embarrassingly, he was not good at being complemented by strangers so that was all he could say. In normal circumstances, with the people he knew, he would just reply with "It was nothing" but he couldn't say that at that moment could he.

"Please take a sit" The police chief offered.

"Thank you" Nico said politely as he sat on the couch.

After taking their sits, Nico didn't beat around the bush and asked "So chief, what will happened with the gang from last night?"

"You don't have to worry about them any more" The chief assured Nico, "They have been on our most wanted list for multiple cases already, so it's safe to say that they won't be seeing the light of day for a very long time; some might not even see it anymore."

"Thank you chief for you hard work" Nico said gratefully.

"No, it's all thanks to you that we are able to catch them. If it wasn't for that video that you have sent and the stalling that you did; they might still be roaming around the city right now, wrecking havoc" The chief said with a mix of shame and happiness. He was glad that the gang was already caught but he was ashamed that they had to rely on a young man risking his life to stall for time.

Nico didn't know how to respond to the great praise that was being given to him so he continued with the way he only knew how, diversion.

"So chief, what did you call me here for?" Nico asked respectfully

"Oh, about that, we have gathered your friend's things for the alley last night. Regrettably they're all pretty much destroyed, except his wallet" The chief handed Nico the young man's things in a clear bag, which Nico took. It was true, most of the things in the bag were pretty much useless. The shirt and jacket where torn so bad, the watch shattered to pieces and the only thing that survived was the young man's wallet.

"Also the bar handed this over last night and told us that the young man was carrying this when he first got there" The chief handed over a black suitcase and a back pack. The back pack was pretty much empty from its former contents being stolen, Nico thought, but the suitcase was in one piece. The suit case had a code lock so it was not invaded.

"Thank you for this chief" Nico said sincerely.

Nico and the chief chatted for few more minutes, but when Nico saw that time, he respectfully informed the chief that he still needs to go to the hospital. When the chief heard this, he didn't keep Nico any longer and personally saw him out.

Nico hailed a taxi and headed to Grand City Hospital with the young man's things. While in the taxi, Nico knew that he shouldn't be going through other people's things, but he really needed to confirm something for the sake of his sanity. He fished the young man's wallet from the clear bag, and opened it. As soon as he opened the wallet, all his doubts from last night were all finally put to rest. He read the name on the ID and there was really no mistake, the name that was written was "Jae Ahn"

Back Story:

*Back Story 1 - Rose Garden is a luxury, 5 star hotel located in the heart of the nation's capital. It is among the top hotels that the country has to offer that very well know celebrities, influential people, politicians, etc. have stayed in the hotel and experience first hand their pride and joy; Which is to provide their costumers with nothing but excellence. This hotel is also the place where Nico works.

Nico works as a pianist at the hotel's restaurant, aiming to provide the customers the best and most enjoyable ambiance for them as they eat. It was truly a blessing for him to land this job. It is said that being able to work at Rose Garden is considered an honor. Many who worked there has risen up to new heights after they left, and they all thanked Rose Garden for it. So in his junior year in collage when he heard about the hiring and audition for the job, he immediately went without second thoughts. Many professional and more experienced musicians showed up at the auditions, which increased the pressure for the others. It was like a war zone, all of them carrying their greatest weapons, their instruments and sheet music.

The auditions grew more intense as one by one, applicants entered the audition hall with determined expressions, only to come out defeated. Some cried, some just flat out left, and one even begged to do a redo, only to be kicked out. For some, this might be a little brutal, but for Nico it was more than okay with how the management is treating the applicants.

Rose Garden is a prestigious hotel and they will definitely not settle for anything less than perfection, because their reputation is on the line, so they will have to deliver. If people can't accept harsh criticism, then how are they gonna face the world full harsh and cruel reality.

Nico himself has experienced the harsh reality of being rejected and let go; being told that he was not good enough. When Nico failed the audition, of course he felt sad but then, he picked himself up, dusted himself and continued moving. He wasn't gonna give up; he wasn't good enough at the moment, so all he can do was to work even harder. The next year on his senior year in collage, the hotel once again opened its doors to new talent. And that was the year that he finally got the job.

Apparently he left a strong impression on the panel the last time that he auditioned, but they felt like he was still lacking, so they had to let him go. After Nico left, they all hoped that Nico would return, and indeed he has. They were joyed to see him, and was blown away by his audition. They felt the maturity that was lacking in his last audition, and saw something in Nico that was very special. The growth that they have seen in Nico was exponential, and letting him go would be a mistake that they knew they would greatly regret. So, right then and there, because he was so amazing, the management decided that they would sign Nico on the spot and would not be entertaining any more participants. Even the participants that passed for the second round was also eventually let go; that's how confided that management was in Nico.

Every talent that the hotel has chosen every year has been given a one year contract only. That one year contract was actually an assessment to determine if the employee will be extended or not. All the years that they have been taking in talents, not one stayed. All of those so called "talents" grew arrogant and acted with superiority against their co-workers. Obviously, the management knew that the reason for this was the praises that was being thrown at them on a nightly basis. They got too drunk on it that, they started to lose sight on why they came to the hotel in the first place. That was actually the reason why, every year the hotel held auditions, because all of the "talents" that they thought were amazing, ended up as disappointments.

The management had high hopes for Nico, just like the rest the came before him, and hoped that he wouldn't be like the rest. And as the time that Nico worked there, he never disappointed them. Nico brought joy to their costumers, and when praises came, he remained humble. He got along well with the other employees; he bonded with them, ate with them, and many more but on top of all of those was that he respected them. Not only was his co-workers and superiors fond of him, even the hotel owner, who is rarely even seen, grew fond of Nico. Everyone had no complaints about Nico and everybody like him, so when his contract was about to end, he was told that his contract was extended until the time that he personally chooses to leave. By then Nico was so overwhelmed with emotions that he cried right then and there, in front of the hotel manager. The hotel manager couldn't but be affected by Nico that he ended up hugging him.

Nico has been working at the hotel for about a year and 3 months, and he couldn't be more happier. He was getting paid to do what he loves, what's not to like, also the pay was amazing. Working at a world renowned 5 star, luxury hotel; Of course they'll take care of their employees, because they are not just any other employees, they are employees of Rose Garden Hotel.

*Back Story 2 - Kenji was the first workmate that Nico ever got close to. He worked as chef at the restaurant and held a very high position in the kitchen. In the kitchen, he's completely ruthless and unapologetic about always aiming for excellence from those under him, but out side of work he's an enormous goof ball, making one question if Kenji has some kind of DID. Every lady employee in Rose Garden has more or less has a crush on Kenji. He works out, takes care of his body, has a very great fashion sense, loves to travel, is into adventure but on top of all of those he's a critically acclaimed chef known around the world; so, who wouldn't have a crush on him? But too bad for the people who were thinking that they could get further and actually have a relationship with him, because he's already happily married. Kenji is originally from Japan working at a world renown restaurant, when a young lady walked in completely stealing his heart. The young lady was actually in Japan only as a tourist, and would eventually have to leave, but Kenji didn't know what took over him and the next thing he knew he was buying a plane ticket to The Philippines to follow the young lady. He left his successful life in Japan to follow a girl? people thought that he has completely lost it, but they didn't have the slightest of idea how Kenji was feeling inside. He was extremely determined to make that young lade his wife. As he continued wooing the young lady, of course he had to provide for himself as well, so he ended up working at Rose Garden, which turned out to be better than what he could ever hoped for. Eventually all his hard work paid off, and was rewarded with the sweetest yes, when he asked the young lady to marry him. They got married last year and had Nico exlusively play for them as they took their first dance.

Notes:

Tita -*Is a term in Filipino for aunt. This term is what one also usually use to refer to or respect a relative or a significantly older woman.

DID -*Dissociative identity disorder or previously known as multiple personality disorder*

Mano (po) -*Mano or pagmamano is an "honoring-gesture" used in Filipino culture performed as a sign of respect to elders and as a way of requesting a blessing from the elder. Similar to hand-kissing, the person giving the greeting bows towards the hand of the elder and presses his or her forehead on the elder's hand. Usually performed with the right hand, the person showing respect may ask "Mano po" to the elder in order to ask permission to initiate the gesture. Typically someone may mano to his or her older relatives upon entry into their home or upon seeing them.

The word "mano" is Spanish for hand while the word "po" is often used in Filipino culture and language at the end of each sentence as a sign of respect when addressing someone older. Put together, mano po literally translates to [your] hand please as the greeting initiates the gesture of touching the back of the hand of an elder lightly on one's forehead. An identical tradition is followed in neighbouring Indonesia and Malaysia called salim and salam respectively, suggesting that the Mano po tradition dates to precolonial times.