"CHAE-YA?" As the coin dropped on the ground, Seo Hyo forgot to compose himself. Napatakip siya sa kaniyang bibig nang makita ang katawan ng kaibigan na nabalot ng dugo.

Dumagundong sa paligid ang sigawan ng mga tao at hindi napansin ang sinabi ng lalaki. Nagsimula nang magkagulo ang lahat, nagsitakbuhan at nagtutulakan palabas ng exit sa dalawang rason; takot sa patay na katawan o takot na madawit sa kaguluhan.

The chaos didn't continue, however, when the man who pointed his finger on him ran towards the stage, looking at him with hatred and anger. This time, he screamed, "You are behind this, aren't you?"

Umalingawngaw ang malakas niyang boses dahilan para mapalingon ang mga tao sa kaniyang direksyon.

"A-are you insane?" Seo Hyo muttered. Salubong ang kaniyang mga kilay na nakatingin sa lalaki at ang kaniyang kaibigan, si Daejung. Ni hindi niya man lang ito napansin na isa pala ito sa nanonood. Kung sabagay, iba na ang kasuotan nito kumpara kaninang umaga, pati ang kulay ng buhok nito ay nag-iba at naging pula.

"Don't deny it!" Namuo ang mga luha sa mga mata nito at muli siyang dinuro. "You killed my friend!"

"What is this guy saying?" one of the people from the crowd whispered, followed by another one, then another one, until it became a pool of whispers about thinking of several guesses from their situation.

Meanwhile, he just stood there unable to move, and was still processing of what was laid in front of him. He couldn't look straight at the eyes of the dead woman lying on the ground. What happened in the morning flashed his mind like a palindrome, repeating and bopping his mind with a nightmare. He couldn't think of anything else to do, even though there was a thought slipping his mind that Daejung was trying to frame him. What else could be the reason why he was here and crashing his performance if not to cover up his murder?

One thing he just couldn't think of, out of all the time, why it had to be this moment? Was he trying to get the audience's sympathy?

"Hey! Sino ka para sabihin na si Kaspar ang pumatay?" sigaw ng isang babae mula sa mga manonood. "Papaano niya pinatay iyan kung nandito siya at nagpe-perform?"

"Oo nga! Wala ka ring ebidensiya para sabihin iyan!" sang-ayon ng isa. "Kagaya mo, lahat tayo ay nagulat sa nangyari."

"Tumawag kayo ng police. Bilis!" suhestiyon pa ng isa.

Dumating naman ang kaniyang ina. Hinawakan nito ang kaniyang braso. "Son, what is happening?" Napunta ang tingin nito sa patay na katawan at ni Daejung. Kamuntikan na itong matumba sa gulat kung 'di niya pa sinuportahan ang baywang nito.

"Hindi niyo naiintindihan!" sigaw ni Daejung dahilan para matahimik ang mga tayo. Hinarap ng lalaki ang mga manonood. "I saw him before the performance. My friend and I is supposed to watch his show to support him, after all, he is our friend too. We were ready to watch the performance when Chae-a left to the comfort room. Hinayaan ko lang siyang umalis, pero nagtaka na lang ako dahil hindi na siya nakabalik pa. Sinundan ko siya kanina pero nagulat ako sa nakita ko . . ." Daejung then, with a tearful eye looked at him with contempt. "This man killed her. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Napuno ng pagsinghap ang lugar dahil sa sinabi ni Daejung. Ang iba ay nakumbinse sa sinabi at nataranta. Ang iba naman ay nananatiling nagtatanong ang mga isipan, hindi mawari kung dapat nga ba nilang paniwalaan ang sinasabi ng lalaki.

This asshole, Seo Hyo thought. Tama nga na gusto nitong makuha ang simpatya ng mga manonood, pero bakit? If he just wanted to frame him, would it be best for him to call the attention of those in power? For instance, the police.

"Do you think the people are foolish enough to believe you?" He finally found his voice again.

Napalingon naman si Daejung sa kaniya. "You are the fool one." Muli nitong nilingon ang masa. "Listen, everyone. This man has been fooling you since the beginning. He is not someone you can trust!"

"Sino ka ba para sabihin ang bagay na iyan?"

"Kilala mo ba siya? Papaano mo nasabing kaya niyang pumatay?"

"Because he can!" sigaw ni Daejung. Namilog ang mga mata ni Seo Hyo nang bigla siya nitong sinugod. Dahil hindi niya inasahan ang biglaan nitong paglapit, nabunot nito ang kaniyang maskara at naibalandara sa masa ang tinatago niyang mukha. "A son of Seokga, of course, can kill someone!"

Natahimik ang lahat.

Napaatras si Seo Hyo nang mapunta ang atensyon ng lahat sa kaniya. Ang gulat nilang ekspresyon ay dumoble dahil sa realisasyong ang kaharap nila ay anak ng diyos na kanilang kinasusuklaman. Ang pagtanggal ng kaniyang maskara ay naging dahilan upang makaramdam siya ng nakapapasong tingin, animo'y binabalatan siya nang buhay.

"Did he say the magician is the son of Seokga?"

"Buhay pa pala ang anak ni Seokga? I though he died long time ago."

Samu't saring mga opinyon ang naglipana dahilan para mapahawak siya sa kaniyang mukha. Nilingon niya ang kaniyang ina na alalang nakatingin sa kaniya. Sinenyasahan niya itong umalis bago pa mapunta ang atensyon nila dito dahil paniguradong isang kaguluhan ang malilikha nito.

Ngunit huli na. Isang matandang lalaki ang biglang sumigaw. "Mukhang tama nga ang sinasabi ng binatang iyan! Ngayong nabanggit si Seokga, ngayon lang din ako naliwanagan bakit pamilyar ka sa akin!" Tinuro nito ang kaniyang ina. "Ikaw ang babaeng iyon! Ikaw ang nagbunga sa anak ni Seokga!"

"Oh, no," bulong niya. Hinawakan niya kaagad ang braso ng kaniyang ina. Wala na siyang ibang maisip pa kundi ang tumakbo dahil paniguradong higit na malala pa ang makukuha nila kumpara noong bata pa siya.

Handa na silang tumakbo para lisanin ang lugar ngunit napatigil sa nakasisilaw na ilaw na bigla na lamang lumabas sa kaniyang harapan. The light surrounded the ring until it formed into a sculpture of a chariot. Seo Hyo immediately recognized it was Oryonggeo, the chariot of the sun god Haemosu. However, there were two figures riding on it.

Napansin niya ring biglang natigil ang ingay at ang paggalaw ng mga tao na animo'y tumigil ang oras. Pati na rin ang kaniyang ina.

"Hello? Hello?" He tried speaking and sighed in relief when he was able to move.

But his relief didn't last long when the light disappeared and the figures became real and moving. Two of the gods of the pantheon arrived. Anong ginagawa nila rito?

"What on earth is this?" Haemosu, the sun god, cowered in weakness as he saw the body of his daughter. Kaagad itong bumaba sa chariot at nanginig na inabot ang maputlang mukha ng babae. "My Chae-a . . ."

Napatakip din sa bibig si Dalnim, ang ina ni Daejung dahil sa nasaksihan.

"I'm sorry, uncle. I couldn't protect Chae-a from him. We should have listened when you told us not to befriend him," said Daejung in a manner that is pitiful, enough to play as the victim.

This shameless monster, Seo Hyo thought. He couldn't believe that Daejung was capable of doing this kind of scheme. Not to mention, he even called the gods. He was totally framed.

"There has been a mistake." He opened his mouth and looked straight at the eyes of the god who had been glaring at him.

Haemosu's fiery tuxedo burned as a sign of his anger. "You have the guts to open your mouth and look me in the eye when you killed my daughter?"

"Because I'm not guilty." He shrugged. He cleared his throat as a means of composing himself. He wouldn't let himself be defeated here. This might also be his chance to reveal the truth. "I am not the one who killed Chae-a. I was framed!"

"Framed?"

"Yes. I am framed by that goody two shoes!" Tinuro niya si Daejung. "That guy killed Chae-a. He murdered her!"

"My son can never do that!" Dalnim intervened. Her greyish gown slid across the floor as she walked towards him. Tinago nito ang anak sa likuran. "I raised my son as a decent man. Out of all the three of you, you are the only one capable of framing others. After all, you are just like your father."

"This is not about my history--"

"Shut it!" Haemosu's eyes burned. He summoned a fireball on his hand and threw on his direction. Napapikit siya sa pag-aakalang tatamaan siya nito subalit biglang nawala ang fireball at naging isang supot. Ang supot na dinala niya kanina. Sa loob niyon ay may lubid at kutsilyo nababalutan ng dugo. "How do you explain this if it isn't you?"

"Ang lubid na 'yan ay para sana sa performance ko kaninang umaga. While the knife, it's not mine. That is what Daejung used to kill Chae-a," kunot-noong saad niya, nagsisimula nang umigiting ang inis sa kaniyang dibdib. "If we can give this to the police and do a--"

"Shut up! We do not need any police to justify this murder!" Haemosu cut his words again, making his mouth hang open.

A sharp, imaginary needle poked his nerves as the god was reaching the limit of his patience. Why couldn't he listen?

"You killed my daughter. Those things are enough proof for your crime. And I will never let you get away with this!" Tinaas nito ang isang kamay. "I didn't do anything to you because Chae-a likes you, but now that she is gone, nobody can stop me anymore. I should have ended you the moment you talked to my daughter!"

"Goodness! Can you shut that mouth of yours and listen to me first?" Hindi na niya napigilan ang sarili at sinigawan ito pabalik. Natigilan sila dahil sa kaniyang pag-asta. Sinimot niya ang pagkakataong ito para magsalita. "You claim yourselves to be gods but you can't even listen when I speak? How can you listen to people's affair when you do not even know how to hear me out?"

"W-what?" Haemosu flinched.

"And correction! Your daughter approached me first. We became friends because she insisted!" Napairap siya. "Aigo! I couldn't believe the gods are capable of giving fake news. I mean, I understand that you are oozing with anger right now because your daughter died, but come on, would you really give in easily to your feelings without doing a thorough investigation? Is this how the sun god resolves people's problems too while riding a chariot? Well, then that is a terrible way to judge situations!"

"You cannot talk to me like that, you disrespectful child!"

"I'm just saying the truth. Why are you offended?"

"You, a mere demigod, who have not seen how we work does not have the right to say those things."

"And you, a mere god, who have not seen me killed your daughter does not have the right to say those either." He crossed her arms. For the second time, the sun god was taken aback. He could feel the rage doubled, but he refused to stop talking. "Gosh, what were you doing anyway that you can't even check your children? I thought you gods have something like--uh--an amazing eyes to look at the affair of people? Have you not seen what happened?"

Sasagot na sana ito pero muli siyang nagsalita.

"No, wait. Why are you even acting like a good father? I don't remember Chae-a telling me you are good to her. What you only do is chain her in this country as if you know what's best for her when you never listen to what truly can make her happy! I assume you don't even know her favorite color." Muli niya itong inirapan. Pinunta niya ang tingin kay Dalnim. "And you, what did you say? You raised your son to be a decent man? If he is decent enough, he wouldn't be crying behind you and framing me for the crime he did. Oh, and my father is someone I barely know. He, also, loves to keep himself hidden even to the gods, so I wonder why how you can say we are just the same. Close kayo?"

"You impudent child. You will face hell!" Haemosu roared. The god raised his arm and summoned a gun made out of fire from his hand.

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm literally twenty-four so how am I--"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence when Haemosu pulled the trigger. The last thing he felt was a bullet piercing through his head before he lost consciousness.