10 years ago

Kathryn could be seen flipping through a songhits magazine at her best friend Clarissa's house. Even at a young age, she had a passion for music, and memorizing song lyrics had become second nature to her.

She had already browsed through several songhits magazines when one particular issue caught her attention. It had a cover featuring five boys who looked like they were part of a boyband.

"They're incredibly handsome! I love their boy-next-door appearance with their fair complexion, blonde hair, and those mesmerizing blue eyes!" Kathryn gushed with excitement.

"Ah, Westlife is the name of their band. Got it! Well, consider all of you added to my crush list," Kathryn declared playfully, assigning code names to two of the members: Mr. Blue Eyes #1 and Mr. Blue Eyes #2.

Due to her limited internet access, Kathryn couldn't immediately find out the real names of her two crushes, so she playfully stuck with the code names she had given them.

As time passed, she developed a deep fondness for listening to Westlife's songs. Despite not being able to purchase merchandise, she contented herself with being a devoted, albeit silent, fan for the time being.

As the years went by, Kathryn remained in the dark about the actual names of the Westlife members. It wasn't until her college days that curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to embark on a quest to uncover their identities.

Through her research, she finally discovered that Mr. Blue Eyes #1 was none other than Nicky Byrne. And as for Mr. Blue Eyes #2, he turned out to be Kian Egan, the second man to captivate her heart when she first laid eyes on Westlife.

•••

One day, while scrolling through her Facebook feed, she came across a post that piqued her interest: "Who is your bias in Westlife?"

Curiosity got the better of her, and she delved into the comments section. To her surprise, the majority of responses mentioned Shane, Mark, and Brian. Nicky received a fair share of mentions too, but there were only a handful who acknowledged Kian.

Perplexed by the lack of attention towards Kian, she decided to do some investigating. She fired up her browser and began searching for pictures of Kian on Google.

"Isn't Kian handsome? He was the second one who caught my attention when I first saw Westlife. I wonder why fans don't appreciate him as much," Kathryn mused.

Unbeknownst to her, a quick glance at Kian's solo pictures turned into half an hour, then an hour, until she found herself engrossed for five hours. She downloaded numerous pictures until her gallery was almost bursting.

It was during this time that Kathryn realized she had slowly fallen for Kian. His heartwarming smile sent a gentle current flowing into her heart. His eyes, as blue as the sea, spoke volumes, and his lips seemed to whisper, "Touch your lips to mine." Kathryn knew that Kian was her ideal man, and her feelings for him only grew stronger over time.

From then on, Kian occupied her thoughts constantly. She would smile to herself, and others might think she was going crazy. Whenever she watched Westlife videos, her eyes would be fixated on Kian. She couldn't help but squeal and feel giddy every time the camera focused on him.

Eventually, she joined a Facebook group for Westlife fans, known as Lifers. There, she found kindred spirits who understood her intense fandom. That's where she met Analisa, Mae, and Jem, fellow fans who also had their biases in Westlife. They instantly bonded and called themselves Westlife Wives, playfully imagining themselves as the wives of the lads in the multiverse.

Kathryn's deep affection for Kian was one of the reasons she hadn't had a boyfriend yet. She only had eyes for Kian and had no intention of changing that, even if others might grow tired of her obsession.

But one day, news broke that Kian Egan was dating Jodi Albert, and eventually, they became a couple. Kathryn's world felt like it was falling apart, and she spent over a week feeling down in her room.

However, she had an epiphany. She told herself that she shouldn't feel heartbroken because if she truly loved Kian, she should also love the people he loved.

"Love Kian Egan sincerely, and I'll be alright, Jodi. I cannot hate the woman who is special to my love. Please take care of him," Kathryn said, gazing at a picture of Kian and Jodi.

•••

Present Time

The European leg of the world tour has begun. Even Filipinos are eagerly tuning in to every concert through live streaming.

"They sound so different now that the five of them are performing together, don't you think?," Mae commented.

They were at Kathryn's condo, watching Westlife's concert at the London Stadium.

"I agree," Jem nodded. "They seem more alive in their performances."

When the camera focused on Nicky, they couldn't help but let out exhilarating cheers.

"You're so handsome, Nicky!" Jem shouted, playfully shaking Mae's shoulders. Mae didn't mind, as she was just as excited.

"Give me a child, Nicky!" Analisa burst into laughter when she said that.

Kathryn pretended to stand up. "Wait, let me max out the aircon. It suddenly got warm in here." They all laughed together.

"Mark!" Jem's cheeks flushed with red as she pointed to her favorite in the group.

"My husband looks so fresh!" Mae nearly squeezed the throw pillow with Shane's face on it as she hugged it.

Kathryn squealed again when Kian appeared on the camera. "Oh my, he's so handsome!" She ran towards the TV, intending to kiss his cheek.

But as she got closer, the camera shifted its focus to Brian, so instead of Kian, she ended up blowing him a kiss.

Her friends teasingly mocked her. Ever since Brian had his solo concert in the Philippines, she couldn't stop talking about him, especially after he noticed her several times during the show.

Kathryn scolded her friends. "Stop it. It's Kian who holds my heart!" She crossed her arms and sat back down on the sofa.

"Oh, really?" Jem chuckled upon hearing Kathryn's words.

•••

One Year Ago

"Brian, notice me, please!" Kathryn almost strained her vocal cords from screaming. She was in the producer's seat, the front row at the concert venue.

Even if just one member of Westlife acknowledges me during this concert, I'll be happy. It's like being beside Kian when I touch Brian.

She gathered all the courage in her chest and screamed, "Brian, I love you!"

She didn't expect what would happen next.

"I love you too!" Brian quickly responded, his gaze fixed on the girls' section.

"He said 'I love you too' to me? Is this for real?" Kathryn turned to Jem, who was sitting beside her. "Slap me, please!"

In less than three seconds, Jem's hand landed on her cheek.

"Ouch! Why did you slap me?" Kathryn rubbed the area where Jem's hand had touched.

Jem raised an eyebrow. "Crazy girl! You asked me to slap you, didn't you?"

Kathryn just scratched her head.

After the concert, it was time for the meet and greet, and now it was her turn.

"Hi, crazy!" Brian greeted Kathryn.

From that moment on, Kathryn couldn't stop talking about Brian, but deep down, she knew that it was still Kian who truly captured her heart.

Kian, I hope I'll get to meet you soon, just like this!