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Hansol and Seungkwan sat across from each other at a small table for two inside The Marketplace.
How did it come to this, you ask?
After their last conversation over messages, Hansol tried calling Seungkwan to resolve things, but the latter refused to answer. Instead, he went to Shangri La Plaza. He’s gonna take himself window shopping at Rustan’s to appease himself, he said.
After he sprayed all of his coveted scents, he pocketed all the scent strips he tried. When his nose got overstimulated, he decided it was best if he went grocery shopping since he was already there.
When he turned to the fresh produce area, there he saw a familiar pale skin that his brain would never forget.
“Hansol, he muttered under his breath. It wasn’t even audible, yet Hansol still turned and widened his eyes in surprise.
He didn’t let Hansol say a word before turning his back against him and swiftly walking away.
However, the younger one's feet were faster.
“Kwan, teka lang,” he heard him say.
‘Wag kang lilingon. ‘Wag kang lilingon.
Even after desperate self-convincing, Seungkwan’s resolve melted at Hansol’s grip on his wrist.
“Can we talk?”
Hence, they were there—sat across each other near the salad station of Shangri La’s The Marketplace. Seungkwan didn’t protest further because he didn’t want to eat, and the Food Forum outside the supermarket was too chaotic for their context.
Silence had been their friend since they took their seats.
It was hard to ignore the looks given by passersby and workers, but they both knew they needed to be there.
“May pupuntahan pa ko—“
“I’ll be quick. I’ll try,” Hansol interrupted.
Seungkwan gave him that. He stared at the space between his eyebrows to mimic eye contact. On the other hand, Hansol was fidgeting and looking all over the place except Seungkwan’s eyes.
“I didn’t know,” Hansol started.
Then he corrected himself.
“Rather… I didn’t notice.”
Seungkwan frowned.
“I didn’t notice na I was already noticing you.
Ang hirap mong hindi pansinin, eh. You’re loud and bright. But that also means you’re charming and endearing.”
He had no intention of listening, but that line caught Seungkwan like a fish lured by a bait.
“Looking back at it now, ikaw ang dahilan eh. Kadalasan, pinagtatawanan ako ng mga tao kasi palagi daw ako nakasimangot. Pero ‘di ko na yun naririnig recently. Kasi ‘pag nandiyan ka, hindi ko mapigilang ngumiti.
‘Pag pumasok ka sa isang function, palagi kang nakangiti, binabati mo lahat—you attract attention. Everyone’s. Mine.”
Seungkwan did not know what to feel.
He’s liked Hansol for a while, but hearing all these—they had only ever existed in his head. Never in this lifetime would he have thought that he’d actually get to hear this from Hansol himself.
“Kaya nung sinend mo yung last few messages mo, dun ko lang rin na-realize. Tinanong ko sina Gyu at Cheol about it. Alam mo anong sagot nila?
‘Ay, hindi pa ba kayo?’” Hansol laughed at his own statement.
Seungkwan, on the other hand, slowly collected tears in his eyes.
“Then, I realized.
I like you, Seungkwan,
Like… a lot.”
As if on cue, a tear fell on Seungkwan’s face.
“Huy, bakit ka umiiyak?” Hansol asked frantically, as he panicked while trying to look for something clean to wipe the other man’s face.
“Baliw ka ba? Tanungin mo sarili mo,” the older man replied, using the hems of his sweater to wipe his face dry.
Hansol looked at him intently, an endeared smile growing on his face.
“Gusto kita, Seungkwan. And if you would give me a chance, bibigyan ko ng silbi ‘tong observation skills ko na sa’yo lang gumagana.”
He thought he had dried his face for good, but a final tear betrayed him.
Seungkwan wiped it off before taking a big breath in.
“Ang yabang mo talaga,” he sniffed, glaring at Hansol with tear remnants on his field of vision.
Hansol blinked, “Ha?”
“Mama mo, observation skills. ‘Kala mo naman alam niya lahat.”
Hansol scratched the nape of his neck, unsure if he had said something wrong.
Then, Seungkwan sighed.
“Kung alam mo pala lahat tungkol sakin…” he said quietly.
Hansol straightened.
“Bakit hindi mo napansin na gusto rin kita?”
For the first time since they sat down, Hansol finally looked straight into Seungkwan’s eyes.
And smiled.