I Thought He Was Just My Online Boyfriend, But When the New Professor’s Cellphone Ringed in Front of the Whole Class, That’s When I Realized He Was the Man I Call “Dear” Every Day
On the very first day of class, my new professor caught me secretly recording him.
It’s not because I’m a lazy student.
But because his voice… is exactly the voice of my online boyfriend.
And when I accidentally pressed the call button, his cellphone rang in front of the entire class.
The ringtone?
“Ring ring ring, baby love, someone is calling you! Answer me, I miss you so much!”
The whole room stopped.
Even the electric fan on the ceiling seemed embarrassed to turn on.
Standing before me was Professor Elias Monteverde, the youngest faculty member of San Aurelio University in Quezon City, known on campus as the “Ice Prince of the Engineering Department.”
Tall. Cleanly dressed. Always wearing a white polo, black slacks, a silver watch, and a face that looks like it’s never learned to smile at someone of lower grade.
Seniors say that in his class, being three minutes late is like a crime. Using a cell phone during a lecture is like a personal insult. And asking for consideration is like asking for rain in the desert.
So when he came to my desk earlier, his face cold and his gaze sharp, I felt like my student life was over.
“Miss,” he said, his voice low and serious. “You’re only in first grade, and you’re already holding a cellphone. Is that how you pass?”
My hand is shaking.
I don’t intend to record it to spread or spoil it. I just want to hear again if my hunch is right. Because ever since he spoke in front of me, it’s like something has been stabbing me in the chest.
His tone.
The failure of the word.
The way he pronounces “listen carefully.”
Exactly the same as “Kai,” my online boyfriend who I’ve been talking to every night for six months.
Kai, the man I haven’t seen clearly on the video call because the lighting in his condo is always low.
Kai, who calls me “my baby,” “my love,” and “little sunshine.”
Kai, who in chat is clingy, sweet, and sometimes very arty when I don’t reply right away.
But it’s impossible that he’s Professor Monteverde.
Professor Monteverde seems to be allergic to tenderness.
I was so nervous that I was going to lock the phone. But instead of pressing the power button, I pressed the call icon in Kai’s chat.
Just a second.
After that, Professor Monteverde’s cellphone rang.
And the entire room was filled with my voice, which I had tried to make more acute the other night.
“Ring ring ring, baby love, someone is calling you! Answer me, I miss you so much!”
There was a breath of air behind me.
Someone laughed, but immediately covered their mouths.
The one next to me, Mica, looked as if she had turned to stone.
As for me, I can’t breathe anymore.
Professor Monteverde slowly took the cellphone out of his pocket. Within two seconds, I saw the screen.
And that’s when my world completely collapsed.
The caller photo that appeared on his phone was the anime girl avatar that I had chosen for my account. Pink hair, heart-shaped sunglasses, and a small strawberry on her cheek.
That’s not common.
I was the only crazy person who used it because I told Kai before, “When you see this, think of me immediately.”
Professor Monteverde’s ears turned red.
Yes. Reddened.
The man who looked like he could bring down an entire section without emotion suddenly turned red as he hung up the call.
At the same time, the call on my phone also dropped.
After a few seconds, a message came in.
[Kai: Baby, I’m at work. I’ll call you later, okay?]
I looked up at him.
He looked at me too.
In an instant, we both understood.
Siya si Kai.
My online boyfriend.
My professor.
And me, the student he had just visited in front of forty people.
He coughed, trying to regain his cold expression.
“Name?”
I couldn’t answer right away.
“Your name,” he repeated, his voice lower. “And student number.”
“Sir, I—”
“I’m not asking your reason,” he interrupted. “I’m asking your name.”
I feel something hot blocking my throat.
Didn’t he recognize me?
Or did he recognize me, but chose to embarrass me so he wouldn’t open up?
“Clarissa Dela Cruz,” mahina kong sabi. “2021-08317.”
He wrote it down in the small notebook he carried.
“Miss Dela Cruz,” he said, very coldly. “Attendance credit for today: zero. Consider this a warning. In my class, there is no special treatment.”
Some eyes turned to me.
Some whispered.
Zero attendance?
Just the first day?
His subject is a major. Three units. If I fail it, I’ll be delayed for a year.
I want to explain. I want to say, “You’re the one I’m calling. You’re the reason I panicked.”
But I can’t do it.
Because in front of the whole class, he was no longer Kai.
He is Professor Monteverde.
And I’m just his student.
After class, he quickly left the room. He barely looked back at us.
After he left, messages came into my phone all at once.
[Kai: Baby, I’m done.]
[Kai: Are you itchy?]
[Kai: Sorry, I really couldn’t answer earlier.]
[Kai: My baby, pay attention to me.]
[Kai sent ₱5,200.]
[Kai: My self-punishment. Milk tea, bag, anything. Just don’t ignore me.]
[Kai: Mahal?]
[Kai: I’m crying here. Charot, but only a little.]
I just stared at the screen.
The guy who gave me zero attendance is the same guy who sends money and cries emojis because I don’t reply to him.
Mica, my best friend, grabbed my arm.
“Klar, are you okay? You’re looking pale.”
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“It feels like…” I whispered, “I found out something I shouldn’t have known.”
“Sir’s ringtone?” Her eyes widened. “Girl, that’s terrible. I thought that man had no soul. He has a girlfriend. And the ringtone is flirtatious!”
I bit my lip a lot.
I am the guy.
I am the voice.
I’m the reason why the Ice Prince of the Engineering Department’s ears turned red.
But how can I say that?
After a few minutes of hesitation, Mica pulled me towards the faculty office.
“Sorry,” he said. “Even if he’s a terror, maybe he’ll feel sorry. It’s hard to miss attendance in a major subject.”
Outside Professor Monteverde’s office, I stood for almost half an hour.
Inside, I saw him through the glass door. He was sitting at the desk, holding his phone, frowning as if he was in a big problem.
I looked at my phone.
[Kai: Baby, please.]
[Kai: I’m not used to you not talking to me.]
[Kai: Just tell me what my fault is, I’ll kneel down.]
I clenched my hand.
In the chat, he was ready to kneel.
In real life, he didn’t even listen to me.
I took a deep breath, then knocked.
“Come in.”
I entered.
When he saw me, his face immediately hardened.
“Miss Dela Cruz.”
“Sir,” I said, forcing a smile. “I would like to explain what happened earlier—”
“As for attendance, that’s final.”
I was stunned.
“Sir, you haven’t heard my explanation yet.”
“No need,” he said. “Rule is rule.”
It felt like something inside me exploded.
All the shame, nervousness, and frustration from earlier rose up in my chest at once.
I looked at him.
In his cold eyes.
There was no trace of tenderness on his face.
And I remembered his messages of “baby,” “love,” “I’ll kneel.”
I couldn’t stop it anymore.
“You’re so thick,” I said, my voice shaking.
He blinked.
“Excuse me?”
I stepped closer to his desk.
“In chat, you keep calling me baby. In person, you don’t even listen to me?”
His face changed.
“Clarissa—”
But it’s too late.
Because behind me, a door slowly opened.
And I heard Dean Soriano’s voice.
“Professor Monteverde… what does this mean?”
PARTE2
My world stopped with one question.
“Professor Monteverde… what does this mean?”
I can’t breathe anymore.
Dean Soriano, the dean of the College of Engineering, stood at the door with the department secretary holding a folder. I don’t know how much they heard. But judging by the weight of the silence in the office, it was enough to make my entire semester a nightmare.
Professor Elias Monteverde’s face turned white.
He didn’t move immediately.
That was the first time I saw him not in control of the situation.
In the classroom, he could silence forty students with a single glance. In the hallway, interns would straighten up when he passed by. But now, in front of the dean, the Ice Prince looked like a student caught cheating on an exam.
“Dean,” he said softly. “I have an explanation.”
Dean Soriano looked at me.
“Miss Dela Cruz, did I hear you correctly?”
I want to disappear.
My courage from earlier suddenly ran out.
“Sir, I…” I grabbed the strap of my bag. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
“I’m not asking what your intentions are,” the dean said, not angry but serious. “I’m asking if you have a personal relationship with your professor.”
My chest feels tight.
Personal relationship.
It sounds very heavy.
On the phone, we call it love.
On campus, that’s called a violation.
Before I could answer, Professor Monteverde spoke.
“Yes, Dean.”
I looked at him.
He stood straight now. He no longer hid behind a cold face.
“But I need to clarify,” he added. “We met online months before I accepted the teaching assignment here. I don’t know his full name. He doesn’t know my real identity either. We never met in person. We just found out.”
The dean looked at me.
“Is that true?”
I nodded, barely able to speak.
“Yes. As far as I know, his name is Kai. He said he was a software consultant at BGC. He didn’t say he was a professor.”
There was a slight movement on Elias’s face.
He seemed hurt by the word “unsaid.”
But it’s true.
For six months, I spent many nights telling him about how tired I was from school, about my dream of graduating, about my fear of being late because we didn’t have enough money. He calmed me down several times when I cried because of exams.
And not once did he say that there was a possibility of him becoming my professor.
Dean Soriano took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Professor Monteverde, you know the university policy.”
“Yes, Dean.”
“Then you know you cannot grade this student. You cannot supervise her. You cannot have any academic authority over her while this matter exists.”
“Widow.”
He didn’t fight anymore.
He didn’t defend his pride.
He didn’t say it was my fault.
That’s when my chest first loosened up a little.
But the pain still doesn’t go away.
Because earlier, in the classroom, he was the one who hurt first.
“Miss Dela Cruz,” sabi ng dean, mas malumanay na ngayon, “for now, leave the office. I will speak to Professor Monteverde. You will receive a formal notice regarding section transfer or independent grading arrangement. Your attendance today will be reviewed.”
I turned to Elias.
His eyes, full of what he wanted to say.
But he didn’t say anything.
And maybe that’s right.
I left the office feeling like I was floating.
In the hallway, Mica was waiting. When she saw my face, she immediately came over.
“Girl, why do you look like a ghost? What happened?”
I couldn’t answer right away.
I just grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the faculty room.
When we arrived at the stairs, I sat down there.
And that’s when I started crying.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just be quiet.
That crying that’s more tiring because you don’t want others to hear it.
“He’s Kai,” I whispered.
Micah stiffened.
“Ha?”
“It’s Sir Monteverde. It’s Kai.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.
“Wait. The Kai who sent you GrabFood when you had a fever?”
I nodded.
“The Kai who made you a reviewer in calculus?”
I nodded again.
“The Kai with the ringtone that you recorded?”
I covered my face.
“Please, don’t do it again.”
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly whispered, “Awesome. K-drama but with a student handbook.”
Despite my crying, I almost laughed.
But the weight came back immediately.
“He embarrassed me earlier,” I said. “He didn’t even listen to me.”
“Maybe he was scared too.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“No,” Mica replied. “But maybe there’s a reason why he’s so defensive.”
I don’t want to understand him.
Not that day.
When I got home to the dorm, I didn’t open Kai’s messages.
It rained that night. It was so heavy, it felt like someone was trying to erase the sky.
Around ten o’clock, my phone vibrated.
Not chatting.
Email.
From the university.
Subject: Temporary Academic Arrangement — ENG302
I read it over and over again.
Due to a conflict of interest, my grading will be transferred to another faculty member. Professor Monteverde will no longer be checking my submissions, my quizzes, or my attendance. I can still attend lectures if there is no other schedule, but all assessments will go through Professor Liza Mangubat.
And in the last part:
“Attendance record for the first meeting will be restored pending review.”
Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, another message arrived.
[Kai: Klarissa, I know you don’t want to talk to me.]
[Kai: But I need to apologize. Not as your boyfriend. As the person who hurt you in front of other people.]
[Kai: Learn more.]
[Kai: I was scared. Not of you. Of myself.]
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then, for the first time in a while, I replied.
[Me: Why didn’t you say who you are?]
He answered almost immediately.
[Kai: At first, it was because I wanted someone to know me not because of my last name, my job, or my record.]
[Kai: Then as time went on, I was afraid that you might change your mind when you found out.]
[Me: So it’s better for me to look stupid in front of the class?]
He didn’t answer for a long time.
After about five minutes:
[Kai: Hindi.]
[Kai: There’s no excuse there.]
[Kai: When I heard the ringtone, I panicked. My first thought was what if everyone found out? What if your reputation gets ruined? What if they think you’re using me to get through?]
[Kai: So I did the stupidest thing. I pretended to be just a professor.]
[Kai: But because of that, I myself hurt the person I was supposedly protecting.]
I felt my eyes getting heavy.
Sorry is not enough to erase shame.
But it’s different to be sorry and know how to admit it.
He is not an excuse.
He is not dramatic.
Straight.
It hurts.
True.
[Me: I need time.]
[Kai: I’ll wait.]
After that, he didn’t spam anymore.
There is no “baby.”
There is no “dear.”
No transfers.
There is no crying emoji.
And for some strange reason, that’s when I felt even more serious about him.
The next day, the rumor spread across campus.
Not entirely true, of course.
In one version, Sir Monteverde has a girlfriend who is a loli voice actress.
In another, he is said to be a secret idol at night.
Someone said I was their sugar baby because someone saw a transfer notification on my phone.
That’s where I first got really upset.
Not just because of me.
But because of the speed with which people commit sins based on half-truths.
In the cafeteria, there were two women sitting at the other table who simply looked at me.
“Is that him?”
“It seems like he is. He’s a big guy, isn’t he? He’s already had an issue with Sir Elias on the first day.”
Mica stood up, but I stopped her.
“It’s me.”
I approached their table.
I smiled.
“Hi. Since you’re interested in my life, do you want an accurate version or are you happy with the cheap edition?”
They blushed.
They couldn’t answer.
When I returned to the table, Mica clapped softly.
“Character development, ate ko.”
But even though I managed to fight, I was still very tired.
That same afternoon, Dean Soriano called me.
When I entered the conference room, Professor Mangubat, a guidance counselor, and Elias were there.
He’s not sitting next to me.
He was at the other end of the table.
Everything is formal.
The distance is correct.
The process is correct.
But when our eyes met, I knew we were both struggling.
The dean explained that to protect me, they would issue a short statement in the class group chat: there had been an administrative adjustment to grading and attendance; speculation was prohibited; any harassment would be reported.
Then, they asked me if I wanted to change sections.
I would like to say yes.
For easy.
So that I can’t see him anymore.
But his section is the only one that fits my work schedule at the library. I’m a scholar. I have duty every morning and evening. I can’t just move.
“I can attend,” I said. “As long as he doesn’t grade me.”
Professor Mangubat nodded.
“That is acceptable.”
After the meeting, I was the first to leave.
I thought it was over.
But when I got to the hallway, I heard Elias’ voice behind me.
“Miss Dela Cruz.”
Not “baby.”
Not “Clarissa.”
Miss Dela Cruz.
I stopped, but didn’t look back.
“May I apologize properly?”
I swallowed.
“As a professor or as Kai?”
Quiet.
“As Elijah,” he replied.
That’s where I turned.
There was no coldness on his face.
He was tired. He was pale. He looked like someone who had been on trial for hours with his conscience.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “In the classroom. In the office. In the six months I didn’t tell the whole truth. You trusted me with your worries, your dreams, your fears. I should have trusted you with my name.”
I didn’t answer.
He continued.
“I won’t chase you while you’re a student. I won’t force you to talk to me. I won’t give you any advantage either. I already requested that Professor Mangubat handle everything related to your grades.”
He took a deep breath.
“But I want you to know that what happened to us was not my fault.”
I laughed softly, but without joy.
“That’s easy to say now.”
“I know.”
“Do you know how embarrassed I was earlier? Everyone was looking at me. They thought I was lazy. They thought I was stubborn.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t know.” My voice trembled again. “Because you, professor. Even if there are rumors, you are still respected. I, student. Just one wrong look, it means something else.”
He fell silent.
And in that silence, I saw him hit.
Not because I yelled at him.
But because it’s true.
“Then let me fix what I can fix,” sabi niya.
“What, are you going to send ₱5,200 again?”
He shook his head.
“No money. No gifts. No shortcuts.”
He looked at me straight on.
“I will tell the class tomorrow that I made an unfair disciplinary call. I won’t mention our personal matter. But I will correct what I did publicly, because I humiliated you publicly.”
I didn’t expect that.
I thought he was just going to ask for a private apology.
I thought I was still the one who had to adjust.
But the next day, at the beginning of class, he did it.
He was standing in front, holding the class record.
“Before we begin,” sabi niya, “I need to correct something from yesterday.”
The whole room fell silent.
“Miss Klarissa Dela Cruz’s attendance credit will be restored. I acted too quickly and too harshly without allowing an explanation. That was my mistake.”
Almost everyone turns to me.
But he didn’t look at me.
He didn’t make me a spectacle.
“I expect discipline from this class,” dagdag niya. “But discipline without fairness is just arrogance. Let that be my lesson as much as yours.”
No one spoke.
But I felt a change in the air.
What happened has not been erased.
But something was returned.
Dignity.
After that, our weeks became strange.
In class, he is Professor Monteverde.
Still cold. Still strict. But more cautious. When I ask questions, he answers them like he answers others. No tenderness. No special tone.
In chat, he doesn’t message every day anymore.
Sometimes a simple:
[Elias: I hope you ate dinner.]
I don’t always answer.
But I’m reading.
Gradually, I learned that relationships, no matter how sweet they may seem online, cannot be lived on thrills alone. They require courage, truth, and the right timing.
Midterms are coming.
Professor Mangubat checked my exam. When the results came out, I was the highest in the batch.
Not because of Elijah.
Not because of the connection.
Because I studied until two in the morning, because I’m a scholar who’s afraid of losing a grant, because I want to prove to myself that I’m not just a rumor.
When I left the faculty office to get the paper, I passed Elias in the hallway.
We just looked at each other for a moment.
He smiled very slightly.
Hindi proud boyfriend smile.
Hindi professor approval.
He just seemed like a simple person who was happy because he saw that I could do it.
And there, for the first time, my chest no longer hurt.
After the semester, there was a final consultation day.
He no longer has academic authority over me. I have officially completed my subject under Professor Mangubat. Grade posted. Clean record.
He just left a long message there.
[Elias: Klarissa, tapos na ang semester. I still don’t want to rush you. But if you’re willing, I’d like to meet you properly. Not as professor and student. Not as Kai and baby. As Elias and Klarissa. Coffee lang. Public place. No pressure.]
I stared at the message for a long time.
I loved him for six months as a voice in the night.
One day I hated him as a professor in front of the class.
I watched him for weeks as he tried to right the wrong he had done.
And maybe, that’s the most important thing.
He is not perfect.
But he knows how to deal with it.
He didn’t hide his pride.
He didn’t use his position to silence me.
So I replied.
[Me: Just coffee.]
He answered quickly.
[Elias: Coffee lang.]
[Me: And no cringe ringtone.]
It took a long time before he replied.
[Elias: Too late. That’s still my favorite.]
I couldn’t stop laughing.
We met in a small café in Katipunan, near the window, lots of people, bright surroundings. He didn’t have a professor aura on. It was simple: gray shirt, jeans, and a nervous look on his face.
When he sat in front of me, he didn’t call me baby.
“Clarissa,” he said.
“Elias,” I answered.
We both laughed.
And with that laughter, the weight of the first day gradually lifted.
Not everything turned out to be a fairy tale right away.
We were not in a hurry.
There are boundaries. There is respect. There are long conversations about trust, fear, and truth. There are days when my temper still comes back. There are days when he still overthinks too much.
But we learned that love that wants to last should not be hidden behind lies.
It should be able to stand up to the light.
A year after that semester, I graduated.
On my graduation day, I saw her in the back of the crowd. Not in faculty row. Not on stage. She was just off to the side, holding a small bouquet of lilies and sunflowers.
After the ceremony was over, he came up to me.
“Congratulations, Engineer Dela Cruz.”
I smiled.
“Thank you, Mr. Monteverde.”
His forehead furrowed.
“Mr. only?”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“What do you want?”
His ears turned red, just like the first day.
He said weakly, “Even Elijah first.”
I laughed.
Around us, there was a lot of noise from family, cameras, laughter, and applause.
But in that moment, everything was clear.
Our story didn’t start out right.
But we chose to correct it before continuing.
And maybe that’s why it became true.
Message:
Sometimes, the person we love has a side we don’t yet know. But true love is not measured by the sweetness of a chat, a gift, or the thrill of a secret. It is measured by the courage to admit, the respect for boundaries, and the ability to right a wrong. Because a relationship built on truth, even if it’s slow, is stronger than a relationship built on speed but full of secrets.