Animal

46

THIRD PERSON

Woozi, a man who finds himself not sociable and has trouble expressing concern, stayed up all night just to be someone's temporary comfort.

For him, it's easier to share problems with someone you don't know. Because there's no way they can judge you from your past, you know nothing but the problems they share.

He expressed sympathy well to Hope especially in her difficult time today.

Hinayaan niyang umiyak si Hope sa balikat niya, hanggang sa magmadaling araw. For her, who's afraid of darkness, having someone in this hour means a lot to her.

But she can't feel it, she's too drowned with her own pool of darkness. Sa sobrang lalim ng sugat niya'y wala nang makakapag-ahon sa kaniya pabalik sa huwisyo.

Whole midnight, no one talked. It's just his presence and her tears.

On the other side, Choi Seungcheol is just outside the funeral, swaying his knife in the air, trying to divert the sadness he felt to something that will make him forget things.

He wanted to boast about what he did to those violators. He wants her to be satisfied too now that the people who killed her sister are now dead. Thinking that this will ease the pain in her chest, thinking that she might not blame herself again.

Even though he's hurt by the fact that Woozi is giving her comfort that he should have given earlier, he stayed outside and will just wait until Woozi got tired of comforting his love.

By staying with Hope, he pushed himself to learn how to create boundaries and respect barriers. He did it to please a woman, again.

Just like what he did to that lady who he'd been obsessed with last time. He pushed himself to pretend like a gentleman. But now he's certain that he's not pretending anymore, he really loves Hope and he's determined to change only just for her sake.

But Woozi doesn't want to go, because he knows what's going on in her mind today.

Now that she had nothing to hold on to, Woozi wanted to be her semicolon, a reason for her to keep breathing and continue her life.

As time passes, Seungcheol's patience becomes thinner. He knows that he had met Hope first, he had wished for her to have longer life first. He's the first one who saw her worth.

He wanted to be the reason too, but why does fate are in favor of Woozi instead of him, the first one?

At first, he'd been interested in Heaven, but she chose Joshua in the end. And now, it's Hope, but he's certain that she would rather choose Woozi over him.

He's always the first one to love a girl, but he always loses. If he's really an animal, he should have used his instincts, find a woman that can love him reciprocally to what he'd been trying to express since the first days.

Finally, Woozi went out of the funeral, napakunot ang noo niya nang mapansin si Seungcheol. "Bakit hindi ka pumasok sa loob?" tanong nito.

He simply hid the knife he was swaying on his back. "Nagpapahangin lang," he reasoned out.

He rolled his eyes, "Alam mo kung anong pinagdaraanan ni Hope, you should have comforted her for her to feel better," he scolded his friend.

He might not know anything, but he's aware that there's something between them. Kalat ito sa campus nila and as a campus journalist, kahit hindi siya chismoso ay makakarating pa rin sa kaniya ito.

"I've been doing that shit even before you'd meet her," he told Woozi.

"Yet you still can't make her feel wanted," Woozi spat.

That made him stop defending himself. He's sure, he'd been trying his best to make her feel like she's the most precious thing in the world. She's just making it hard for herself.

Hindi nagkulang ng paalala si Seungcheol, walang araw na nakalimot siyang magsabi ng mahal niya ang dalaga. He expressed himself so well, just for her to be contented, na wala na siyang hihilingin pa kung hindi maging maginhawa ang buhay ni Hope.

"You know, she'd been through a lot of things, right? Ito 'yong tamang panahon para ipakita mong may way pa para makaalis sa dilim ng mundo niya," Woozi advised.

"Let her think about herself, with your presence beside her,"

Woozi won't be in favor of knowing Seungcheol's relationship with Hope because he'll just get pissed about it. It's better to let Hope be a stranger to him, it will make him more concerned if he will just know a few about the lady.

It's not his concern if she's feeling down now, but he still cares because after all, she's just a stranger who'd been deprived to be lifted by some people who knows her well, just like this man in front of him right now.

Ilang sandali pa ay umalis na rin si Woozi nang makitang may maga-accompany na kay Hope. He should let people mind their own businesses. After all, he proclaimed himself as a stranger to them.

But for Hope, he's not just a stranger. He's the reason why she acquired her second life.