18/07/2025
owkie owkie, break from work. i read SOTT kabanata 7 and the tricycle scene hit me right in the chest.🥺
for the first time, i truly saw zaram—not just as zul's older brother, but as a person who had carried silent battles for so long. that quiet moment with aki peeled back the layers of his character, and suddenly, his guarded nature, his sharp edges, and even his past mistakes made painful sense.
zaram wasn't raised with warmth. based on what we know from changing its rays, their parents equated love with luxury—thinking that as long as they were fed, dressed, and sent to the best schools, they didn’t need affection. zaram, being the panganay, was the first to experience that coldness. and unlike zul who might have been too young to fully understand it back then, zaram felt it all first—every absence, every missed hug, every “i’m proud of you” that never came.
so when he says, “baka nga tama ka. wala ka nang panahon magalit kasi nagmamahalan kayong magpamilya,”—you feel the ache in his voice.🥺 that wasn’t bitterness. that was longing. that was regret. that was a man who didn’t know what love looked like until he saw it in someone else’s life.
and aki... oh, aki. what a gentle soul. to say, “hindi ako marunong magtanim ng galit” and “i don’t have room for anger” wasn’t weakness—it was strength born out of grace. instead of choosing revenge or resentment, aki chose love and peace. it’s no wonder zaram was shaken. for someone who grew up thinking love was transactional, seeing someone like aki, who gives love even to those who hurt them, must’ve felt like standing in the sun after years in the dark.
this ZarKi moment wasn’t just about forgiveness—it was about recognition. zaram, for once, felt seen. and aki, without preaching or judging, gave him the one thing he might have never received growing up: compassion.
now i get zaram. truly. he’s not heartless—he’s heart-wounded. but maybe, with aki, healing has a chance to begin. awww, my babies. 🥺🤍
- ash
