WYSIWYG

MY SCHOOL day was far from over after our four o'clock dismissal. Before five, I headed to the CyberSpace Room on the ground floor of the ICT building. Students and faculty members who wanted to browse the internet for assignments and research could come here and spend an hour or two.

"Napaaga ka yata ngayon, Wiggy?" greeted the student aide stationed at the desk. Only a few people were allowed to call me by that name, and he was definitely not one of them. I would have scolded him, but I had more important things on my mind.

"Ako nang bahala rito sa Cyberspace," I told him as I put my bag behind the desk. "Puwede ka munang mag-merienda o mag-time out kung gusto mo."

"Talaga?" He quickly stood up, clutching his stomach. "Saktong-sakto, kanina pa kumakalam ang sikmura ko kasi hindi ako nakakain ng lunch kanina. Ikaw muna ang bahala, ah? Mag-time out na rin ako after kong kumain."

Yeah, whatever. Just leave me in peace.

I applied to the student aide program—not because I needed financial help, since my family was well off, but because I was curious about how the university managed its network. Just to be perfectly clear: I didn't have any bad intentions. I only wanted to understand its system's strengths and vulnerabilities... and that was it.

I promised myself I wouldn't use my skills for nefarious purposes. But recent events had me considering crossing a line. The thought brewing in my mind might be controversial and potentially illegal, but my reason felt justified. I still hadn't figured out exactly how, but there was something I could do in the meantime.

For Irene. For Serena. For everyone else who have been treated unfairly by the merit system.

While working as a student aide in the CyberSpace Room, I had done a few questionable things. Nothing too serious, but technically illegal, as I was breaching the privacy of some students and faculty members. Just to be clear again: I hadn't done anything harmful with what I collected.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Here I was, sitting in front of the desktop, suddenly wondering if I should go through with my plan. My heart knew what it wanted me to do, but my mind was cautioning me.

"Think about the consequences! Think about your future!" my mind said. "Gusto mo bang magaya sa tatay mo?"

"Just search your feelings, and you know this is the right thing to do," my heart countered. "Hindi mo 'to ginagawa para sa sarili mo. Ginagawa mo 'to para sa ibang tao!"

Ugh! Just hours ago, I was one hundred percent decided. Now that I was only a few clicks away, I was having doubts.

My right hand trembled as I moved the mouse pointer over a folder I had kept hidden. My heart was pounding loudly and my throat was getting dry.

Once I crossed the line, there was no turning back.

I took a deep breath. For Irene. For Serena. For everyone who have been treated unfairly by the merit system.

With a double-click, I accessed a spreadsheet containing a long list of usernames and passwords. The last time I checked, it held around 2,024 entries, and the number kept growing since many students used the computers here. It was a freaking gold mine! If I were a bad guy or didn't have any morals, I could have easily profited from their personal details by now.

How did I stumble upon this treasure trove of data? During one of my free times when the room was empty, I discreetly installed a keylogger program that silently captured the login entries of everyone who used any of the fifty computers in the CyberSpace Room. The details were then stored in a secure spreadsheet, accessible only with a password.

I called that secret list the "Pandora's File."

Don't get me wrong. I had no intention of accessing anyone's account unless absolutely necessary. There was no benefit for me unless I were some kind of blackmailer. But again, today was different. Something had to be done.

I glanced at the door, checking if the other student aide might return or if a student might walk in. Seeing no one, I pulled my laptop from my bag and powered it on.

"For Irene," I whispered as I searched for Julio Cesareo's name in the list. Toad's last login on the Cyberspace computers was last year. If he had changed his password since then, that might be a problem.

Next, I hovered my mouse over a blue Internet Explorer icon. No one was using this browser anymore, but I kept it. Why? Well, it wasn't really that old browser. It was actually another program disguised with IE's name and icon. If anyone tried to access my laptop and saw "Internet Explorer," they would probably ignore it.

Little did anyone know, it was my tool for freedom.

Double-clicking the icon, the Thor browser appeared, briefly flashing a lightning effect across my screen. Hackers and criminals used this privacy network for anonymous browsing on the dark web. The interface was no different from a traditional browser, but it offered one thing the others couldn't: anonymity.

Our university was always monitoring our online activities. Once connected to the campus internet, we were at their mercy. They could trace our IP addresses, track who posted something inflammatory on UniVerse, or recover deleted posts on our profiles.

But every system had its flaws, and those clever enough could exploit them to their advantage. With the Thor browser, I could remain invisible under their watchful eyes.

Let's see if this still works. I entered that toad's login credentials. Taking a deep breath, I hit the enter key.

< Login successful. >

I exhaled in relief. But this was only the beginning. I opened an extraction software and copied data from Cesareo's account. I needed a backup of all his UniVerse activities. This might come in handy.

Once the extraction was complete, I accessed Cesareo's chat messages. To my surprise—or maybe not—he had been chatting with several female students, shamelessly sending messages with sexual innuendos in them!

(You want extra merit points?
I can give you a project to handle. Or...
I can give you something else to handle. IYKWIM.)

(You're at the top of your class,
but I wonder if you can also be on top of me.)

(I can give you a special project, but what if...
you give me a job instead?)

I covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn't bear to read the next messages anymore. His conversations were so nauseating, I almost threw up on my laptop. The way he approached these poor students was revolting—completely unworthy of a respectable professor. Not that he was respectable to begin with.

But this was good— No, this was even better than expected! With his chat history, I could reveal this man's perversion. Should I post the screenshots using his own account? His colleagues and students would see them, and his reputation would be shattered in minutes. The problem was, he could delete the posts and claim his account was hacked. He might even claim the screenshots were edited.

I wanted to ruin him in front of literally everyone, not just his online connections. But how? How could I make the entire university see how depraved he was?

I raised my gaze to the monitor, then looked outside the glass door. A thought flashed in my mind. I lowered my head, chuckling, which soon grew into laughter.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" I threw my head back, laughing like a maniac. There was a way to shame him in front of everyone! Students, faculty members, and staff alike would stop in their tracks as they watched my plan unfold.

His morals—if he had any—would be questioned by both the college office and the university administration. There was no way he could escape this one. That scandal would inevitably lead to his expulsion from this institution.

But no, kicking him out immediately wouldn't be enough. He needed to do one thing first—the right thing—before leaving the campus grounds.

His day of reckoning was about to come.

MY SHIFT ended at seven in the evening. I passed through the campus square where even at this hour, students lingered on the steel benches. The area was illuminated by lamp posts and a large LED screen in one corner, displaying photos of students who had won in regional and national competitions.

I paused at the center of the square, pulling out my phone and opening the UniVerse app. I found my last chat with Irene yesterday, where I had asked her about our group meeting in the library.

(Hi, Irene! Kumusta si Serena? Kumusta ka?)

(Just wanna let you know that you were right to stand up to Cesareo.)

(Don't worry. One day, he will get what he deserves.)

(Maybe not today, but someday.)

(By the way, I'll send you my progress on our group project later.)

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes before hitting send. It was done. The message had been sent to and received by her. She just hadn't seen it yet. We weren't exactly close, but checking up on her couldn't hurt. It might seem opportunistic to step in this way, but all I wanted was to cheer her up and let her know that she did the right thing.

Now, for tonight's main event.

I pocketed my phone and pulled out another one. My mom had given me an extra phone I barely used, relying instead on my laptop for digital tasks. I glanced over my shoulder, then to my left and right, making sure no one would overhear or see what I was about to do.

I dialed Cesareo's number. He sent it to one of the students he was targeting. While waiting for him to answer, I opened a voice changer app. I couldn't risk him recognizing my voice.

Ringing... ringing... ringing...

"Who's this?" he barked once he picked up. Gotcha!

"Good evening, Julio Cesareo," I greeted, glancing sideways where the phone rested near my ear. "You and I both know you've been exploiting your position as a professor to manipulate students' grades. You've also abused the merit system to—"

"Hold up. Who the f—"

"—REQUEST sexual favors to satisfy your perversions. I have a list of thirty-three female students who have been offered 'arrangements' by you over the past two years. I know their names. I have copies of your explicit messages."

"I don't know what the fuck you—"

"—special projects, giving you a job, being on top of you. Do you want me to go on?"

"How the h—"

"Now, the tables have turned. If you don't want the entire university to know what a vile person you are, follow my instructions."

I could hear fear creeping into his voice. He knew that if he didn't do exactly as I demanded, his teaching career would be over. Forever.

"Fine, you bastard! What do you want me to do?"

A smirk tugged at my lips. Checkmate.

-30-

NEXT CHAPTER: Chaos ensues in Clark University. 

A/N: I apologize if it's taking time to post the chapters. I have to translate some parts and update them to match the new vision that I have for this story, hence the changes. Please bear with me!