It’s 12 AM, at hanggang ngayon, naghahanap pa rin sila. Hindi na nila alam kung saan hahanapin, kung sino ang tatawagan nila para lang mahanap si Woozi, or Jihoon. If only Woozi didn’t turn his phone off, baka pwede pang malaman ni Seungcheol kung nasaan ito.
They have called up all of the friends they knew to help look for the lost kitten, probably forgot some because of panic, but they called everyone they remember.
“Drinks?” Alok ni Jeonghan sa nakayukong si Seungcheol. Palihim itong nagpunas ng luha bago iangat ang ulo para tignan siya,
“Thank you.” he said in a weak voice bago kunin ang bote ng tubig na iniaabot nito.
Umupo naman si Jeonghan sa tabi nito, drinking his own beverage, staring at Jisoo who’s standing a few meters away, speaking at the phone with someone. Seungcheol just kept on staring at the water bottle on his hand.
Katahimikan ang namagitan sa kanilang dalawa. You can hear the different sounds of insects, and the unsettling awkwardness fermenting in the air.
“Siguro nga tama ka,” Panimula ni Seungcheol bigla na nagpalingon kay Jeonghan. Kunot ang noo nito habang nakatingin sa kanya, “What?”
“Siguro nga tama ka.” Pag-ulit nito na mas lalong nagpagulo kay Jeonghan, “Siguro lumayas nga si Woozi kasi wala akong kwentang master.”
“Wha—” Jeonghan gasped and choked on his drink, agad namang dumalo ang kamay ni Seungcheol para tapikin ang likod nito. “What the fuck,” Angil nito pagkatapos maibalik ang kompostura niya. Seungcheol immediately retracted his hand and held it up in surrender.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Choi Seungcheol? I didn’t say that so you could get depressed and give up.” Jeonghan roared, “I said that so you would suck it up and do better, you piece of goldfish shit.”
“Gold—what?”
“Goldfish. Basta. Yun na ‘yun.”
Muling namayani ang katahimikan sa kanila. Wala na kasi silang masabi sa isa’t isa at isa pa, hindi masyadong gusto ni Jeonghan na kausapin si Seungcheol kasi, to be very honest, banas talaga siya dito. Well, the feeling’s mutual anyway.
“Oh, ba’t ang tahimik niyo?” Tanong ni Jisoo pagkalapit niya dito. Kakatapos lang nitong makipag-usap kung kanino—remind Jeonghan to ask him later who the fuck that is.
“Don’t tell me, you’re giving up?” dugtong nito habang nakakunot ang noo, may kaunti ring pambibintang sa boses nito.
“No!” Agad na sagot ni Seungcheol. Jisoo giggled at Jeonghan, who visibly flinched at the sudden high pitched sound that should’ve been physically impossible for Seungcheol to produce, before raising a brow at his dear, dear friend.
“Then?”
“Just . . . I’m trying to think of the reason why Woozi would leave me. May nagawa ba ako? May nasabi ba ako? Bakit? It—It just doesn’t make any sense.” Naguguluhang sabi nito, “Masaya pa kami kahapon noong pumunta kami sa Aquarium. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit bigla siyang aalis pagtapos ‘nun.”
Nanatiling tahimik ang dalawa. Siguro’y pilit na pinags-sink in sa isip nila ang sinabi ni Seungcheol, o siguro’y naghahanap lang ng tyempo para sabihin ang nalalaman nila. Hindi na siguro nakatiis si Jeonghan dahil pagkatapos lang ng ilang sandali ay umubo ito upang basagin ang namumuong katahimikan.
“Actually, may dapat kang malaman . . .” Jeonghan started, a bit hesitant. It isn’t his place to say but he doubt Jihoon will say anything at this point. Knowing that little kid, mas gugustuhin pa nitong lumayo kaysa sa ‘makaabala’ sa mga tao.
It probably has something to do with his past. Those that he never dare share even with Jisoo and Jeonghan.
Seungcheol just stared at him. Nag-aabang, naghihintay ng kasunod. Jeonghan hesitated, should he say it? Should he not? He kept on looking at Jisoo through the fringes of his bangs; trying to communicate with his master, trying to asking for permission.
Tahimik na tumango lamang si Jisoo. And Jeonghan turned to Seungcheol, “The things is—siguro kaya umalis si Jihoon ay dahil malapit na siyang mag-heat.”
“Heat?” Ulit nito.
“Yes, heat.” Si Jisoo naman ang nagsalita, “It’s you know, the fertile stage of hybrids.”
“What.”
“How do I explain it in a way even a beginner would understand . . . um, panahong taglibog sila? Mating season? That. Um, yeah. ”
“. . . .”
Silence. Another silence. Seungcheol tried to absorb everything they said. Heat. That sounds familiar. Pakiramdam niya narinig niya na ito. Was it Sonyeong? Sunyang? Soonyoong? What was it . . . basta dun sa ‘soon-to-be-doctor’ na kaibigan kuno ni Woozi na nakilala nito sa hospital. That hamster bastard. Ah, basta, yun.
And um, tag–um–taglibog . . . si Woozi? Does that mean, yung mga skinship ni Woozi, yung mga moodswings, yung palihim nitong paghalik sa kanya tuwing akala nito tulog na siya at ‘yung pagsiksik nito sa dibdib niya para amuyin siya tuwing umaga ay parang, ano, mating ritual?
Nagpaparamdam, ganun?
Was it him being needy? Trying to get Seungcheol to, um, have sex with him? Was . . . that it?
What. the. actual. fuck.
When everything finally sank in, halos mangamatis ang mukha ni Seungcheol. He looked like he’d explode any second now, and he looked ridiculous, flapping his mouth like that. As if trying to speak but no words would come out.
Jisoo looked fairy amused by the reaction while Jeonghan was uninterested, he just continued to sip at his now warm soda. It’s disgusting but it’s better than watching that goldfish piece of shit be the goldfish piece of shit he is.
Napatigil silang lahat at sabay sabay na napatingin sa phone ni Seungcheol ng bigla itong tumunog at lumiwanag.
It was a text, with Mingyu’s name in it.
“Oh,” React ni Jeonghan, “Nakalimutan nating tawagan si Mingyu. You think he know something?”
“Seems like it.” Sagot naman ni Jisoo habang pinapanood nilang subukan ni Seungcheol na ilagay ang password niya gamit ang nanginginig nitong kamay.
When it finally opened, hindi nila maiwasan kung hindi magkatinginan habang kunot ang noo. “The fuck was that.”
P.S. Goldfish shit’s are disgusting, and so is Seungcheol — according to Jeonghan who, don’t tell him you know, once accidentally ate one.
Not Seungcheol, okay? The other one.
