Chapter 65

"But coach, isn't this strategy quite similar to A's suggestion?"

"Oh, I see. You think you're a better coach than mine? Is that what you mean?"

"N-no, coach, I mean-"

"Nah, I know that's what you mean! James, get yo' ass over here; take his damn spot!"

"But, Coach, he isn't even an official team member!" The player complained with a reluctant expression, feeling unwilling at the idea of being replaced by someone who's just a reserve.

"I don't give a damn! His name's James! You know who the hell James is?"

"But coach, he doesn't have Lebron in his first name-"

"I don't f*ckin' care, I'm the coach! Now get the hell out!" The coach screamed loudly, causing the player to grit his teeth, but in the end, the player ran out of the scene.

The way he ran was deliberately slowed... as if waiting for the coach to take back his words, yet nothing happened, and in the end, he left the court in disappointment.

The uncomfortable way he moved, the unchanging expressions of the audience, the close-up shots, the appropriate background music, and the player's inner thoughts all blended together, making the whole scenario awkward.

As the story unfolded, it fell into a familiar pattern: the coach once again dismissed two team members, substituting them with reserved players whose names were after famous basketball icons.

The dramatic ending unfolded as the four substitute players and one original player took the stage in the game's final ten seconds.

The background music intensified, and the slow-motion shots heightened the suspense, capturing the players' determination and the gravity of the moment.

The background music intensified, and the slow-motion shots heightened the suspense, capturing the players' determination and the gravity of the moment.

The integration of the players' inner monologues and other elements added depth and emotion to the cinematic experience.

However, despite the cinematic touches and the heightened atmosphere, they still lost.

"Damn!" Nina had a wide grin on her face as she watched the whole drama unfold before her and then went to watch the next one.

Time went by, and before they knew it, the 24-minute-long video finally ended, and the trio found themselves staring at the screen with unwilling expressions.

"Woah, that's so good... I felt like I'm watching a local movie," Nina sighed after regaining her composure and commented with appreciation.

"I know, right? I feel like it's even better and more fun than most local movies," Lea agreed and then commented. "I swear, if only those old-fashioned production studios had half of their scripts and cinematography... our local movie industry would improve significantly."

"I don't agree," Jasmine said, shaking her head and refuting Lea's statement. "The local movies aren't that bad. The cinematography is actually good, and the plot is okay. It's just that the storyline isn't as trendy."

"I also think so... Our local movies aren't bad; they're just old-fashioned and have a limited budget," Nina added, expressing her thoughts. 

The trio engaged in a lively discussion, each offering their perspective on the local film scene, when suddenly Nina remembered something.

"Hey, I remembered... I feel like I knew one of the actors in the skit!" she exclaimed, feeling that the one who played at the beginning and in the second part was someone she knew.

"Who?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I swear... he really looks like my friend, but I felt like he's much more handsome than before, so I hardly recognized him." Nina then took her phone, went to the gallery, and browsed it for a while as she had too many selfies.

Jasmine and Lea look at each other skeptically first, as if not taking her words seriously, but thinking it wasn't a big deal, they shrug their shoulders and check it out of courtesy.

Meanwhile, after a bit of searching, Nina finally managed to find one and eagerly displayed it with the two of them. "Here, look! Isn't it him?"

As soon as he showed it to them, their eyes widened in astonishment as they gazed at the image displayed on Nina's phone, feeling starstruck by what they saw.

The two hesitated, their eyes fixed on the guy in the photo and the girl standing beside him. After a moment, they glanced up at Nina, who was holding her phone to display the picture.

"No f*cking way!" At this moment, Lea finally couldn't help it and exclaimed with an excited expression. "You knew Edward? How?"

Unlike Jasmine, who was an avid fan of Edward, Lea had only recently come to know him through the characters he portrayed in the skits, making him stand out among others.

Not long ago, she learned from Jasmine that Edward did song covers. Intrigued, she decided to watch some out of curiosity, and to her surprise, she found herself truly enjoying each one of them.

Honestly, she really didn't care about him; they had nothing to do with each other. She was the kind of person who cared more about the people around her than those who were out of her reach.

But now, as she looked at the girl who knew him, a sense of connection sparked in her mind, leaving her excited and intrigued, eager to learn more.

"Wait, you actually knew him?" Jasmine, who was beside her, seemed equally surprised—no, her reaction was even more exaggerated.

She had known Edward since he uploaded his first song cover, 'Your Song'. At that time, she subscribed casually, thinking he was good. However, as he continued to upload more song covers, her perception of him changed.

Observing his growth from the bottom to where he is now and witnessing his transition from just a few hundred subscribers to the current 30k, she was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

It made her feel like she had been there for him from the very start, through the times when he was at his lowest—making her feel that she's with him even if they are apart, deepening her connection with him, and swelling with pride for being his fan.

"so it's really him." Nina let out a soft smile after confirming it was indeed him.

Even though it has been a month since the two of them last saw each other, she is still able to clearly recall their interactions.

Back then, she was genuinely saddened by their separation and truly wanted to stay with him. Unfortunately, it couldn't happen, leaving her feeling depressed for a while, as if something was missing and she found it hard to muster the strength to do anything until her classes started.

At that time, they still kept their connection with each other through daily texts, but as the schoolwork became more demanding, he slowly faded from her mind, and it wasn't until today that she remembered him.

But, as the class began and her school work become more demanding, she gradually lost contact with him and she hadn't even realized it until now.

'Kind of hypocritical,' Nina thought, smiling wryly.

Thinking about the emotional burden from a month ago when they parted, it struck her that he had faded from her thoughts in a mere moment.

"Woahh, how did you two know each other?" Lea asked, waking her from her reminiscing.

"Well, I was in Bulacan at that time, visiting my grandma, and then I met him coincidentally, and then..." Nina began to elaborate on the details but was interrupted when she reached the intimate part.

"No way, you dated him?" Lea's eyes widened as she looked at her with a doubtful expression.

"Of course! Do I look like someone who would lie?"

"No, but I really can't believe it... I mean, he's so famous. It felt unreal that he was going to date a random girl he just met."

"Hump! Do I look like some random person to you? I-" Nina suddenly realized something was wrong and blamed herself for not keeping her mouth shut.

"What's wrong?" Lea asked, looking confused as Nina abruptly stopped talking.

"It's nothing. I don't want to go into it. It's just a messy situation," Nina replied, trying to brush it off.

"Oh, I see," Jasmine who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up. "You're just making it all up, aren't you?"

"What?" 

"You're just making up a story, it's not real."

"Hey, I'm not... I just can't say it."

"Show us proof if it's real!"

"I... I don't have any proof with me."

"Then it's not real," Jasmine chimed, a playful grin dancing on her lips as she gently teased Nina. Jasmine couldn't help but wonder to herself, even with Nina's undeniable charm, her idol must be picky, right?