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"why did you take me in?" haechan asked at saka ibinaling ang kanyang tingin sa katabing ang mata ay nasa harapan lamang at ang dalawang kamay ay nasa manibela ng sasakyan.
mark, only spared the boy a glance bago ibinalik ang tingin sa kalsada at sinagot ang tanong nito, "i didn't, ikaw yung pumasok sa sasakyan ko"
"right… then why did you let me in?" tanong muli ng binata, ears anticipating the latter's answer.
malamig ang hanging marahang dumadampi sa pisngi ng binatang nakaupo ngayon sa shotgun seat ng sasakyan ni mark. it was cold but not too cold since it's still 4 in the afternoon at nakadungaw pa sa kalangitan ang haring araw.
it's november 3rd and haechan was supposed to be taking his last breath ngayong araw, just as he planned, but i guess tama nga sila na kapag pinaplano, minsan nagiging bato.
"i don't know? you knocked so i let you in" maikling sagot ni mark dahilan para magsalubong ang kilay ng nakababata.
is he for real?
"i'm a stranger you know? i could kill you… or rob you…" haechan stated at saka ibinaling ang tingin sa harapan, stripping his eyes away from the older.
who tf lets a whole stranger in sa kanilang sasakyan? he's probably not in his right mind, sick.
"nah, you wouldn't do that" mark confidently replied dahilan para mapatawa ng mahina ang kasama.
boy probably doesn't have trust issues, ang bait siguro ng mundo sa kanya for him to trust people so easily. sana all.
"why do you sound so sure?" tanong ni haechan, eyes lazily gazing over the fellow.
the world's cruel, its either you stab or you get stabbed. naivety would only put you in harm. people like this guy would pretty sure end up-
"because you're pretty"
"what?"
"you're pretty, that's why"
haechan only scoffed and rolled his eyes, alam na alam kung saan ito patungo. really had me in the first half, thought he's just a naive guy who is stupid enough to let a stranger in sa sasakyan nya
he went out with boys na ganito ang mga sagutan and they only have three goals: to get him as their boyfriend, to get his number, or to get into his pants. this is nothing new.
"too bad, i have plans tonight and you're definitely not getting nearer than half a feet sakin" he stated before drawing an imaginary wall between them.
and then he'd ask for my number now...
"o...kay… i also have plans tonight actually, congrats satin siguro?" sagot ng binata habang nakatingin parin sa harapan.
what?
"wait- akala mo ba i'm hitting on you?" mark asked bago ibinaling ang tingin sa kasama. haechan on the other hand, only raises his brows in response.
"oh my god no i'm so sorry! did i sound like a creep? i swear hindi yun ganun" the boy rambled as he panics
"you asked, i only answered. i swear! no hidden intentions! peksman!" mark exclaims defensively.
"so you think i'm pretty? genuinely?" haechan asked, to which the older responded with aggressive nods.
"pretty people can do nasty things too. kung hindi ako umabot sa standard ng pretty mo edi baka tinaboy mo na ako"
"wait, i swear hindi yun ganun, i don't discriminate. it's just… how do i even word this… basta– you give off this vibe"
"what vibe?"
"nice vibe? like you look like a nice person naman"
nice… that's funny… never heard someone call me nice in ages.
"plus like what you said kanina, it goes both ways rin kaya. i could kill or rob you– but of course i would never do that so don't worry" sambit ng nakatatanda assuring the younger na wala syang masamang intensyon before bringing his attention back to the road.
i don't really mind… hope its quick para minus the pain
"how can i be sure na di mo gagawin?" mark then drove the car to the side road at saka ito inihinto. he immediately fished his phone out, opened the camera on, turned his back to the younger and extended his hands para makuha rin ang kasama sa screen. posing with a peace sign, agad nyang pinindot ang capture button.
"ano twitter username mo?"
"uhh… haechanlee, walang space" although hesitant, haechan answered at pinanuod ang kasama habang may tinitipa ito sa sariling cellphone.
"done! tweeted our picture, tinag kita ha" as soon as mark finished his sentence, the younger received a notification from the app.
with @haechanlee, if he goes missing
ngayong araw, ako po kasama nya hehe
[attached photo]
"you're sick"
"what if i jump off a cliff? or get run over by a car? baka akalain nilang ikaw may kasalanan" magkasalubong na kilay na sambit ng nakababata.
mark remained silent for about 10 seconds before succumbing to his curiosity and opening his mouth again,
"is that why sa gitna ng kalsada kita naabutan kanina?"
haechan ignored the question at iniwas na lamang ang tingin by turning his head sa bintana ng sasakyan, watching the trees as if it's the most interesting sight to see.
"then you shouldn't do it…"
"i mean, at least for my record? my criminal record is clean, you know?" mark stated gazing intently sa kasama na nakatingin parin sa binata. he then pursed his lips and started turning the wheels running, ang atensyon ay nasa kalsada na muli.
the car's filled with dead silence for about 3 minutes now and mark's currently fighting the strong urge to break the ice and start talking again.
"favorite number mo sa electric fa-"
"lagay ko address ko-"
the two blurted in unison dahilan para sabay rin silang mapatingin sa isa't isa. mark raises both of his brows as if saying na si haechan muna ang mauna magsalita na naintidihan naman ng nakababata kaya't sya na ang nagsalita.
"favorite number sa electric fan? really?" natatawang sambit nito kaya't napakamot na lamang ng baba si mark, medyo nahihiya dahil sa naisip nyang topic for ice breaker.
"naka max, yun favorite ko…" haechan answered
"lalagay ko address ko dito ha so you know asan ako idadrop off" paalam ng binata na sinagot naman ng tango ng kasama, "i'll play a song na rin" he added
"its go, by cody fry"
I wanna go
Do something kind of crazy
I wanna go
Drive all night with you right next to me
I wanna go
Feel the pounding of your heartbeat
"by the way, where are you heading?"
"somewhere"
"walang somewhere sa waze but it's okay, you don't have to tell me naman, i was just wondering"
haechan stated at saka ibinalik ang tingin at atensyon sa bintana watching the view as they passed by trees and greens.
"it's not like i don't want to tell you, it's because… hindi ko talaga alam"
When we get up high
Won't look down and won't look back
Yeah, when I die I wanna know
I lived like that
"so you're saying na you're lost? or like kung saan dalhin ng gulong?"
"i'm not and i have a specific place in mind pero hindi ko lang talaga tanda yung exact address" mark clarified, gently tapping his pointing finger to the music.
"i only have a 15 year old self drawn map, a picture, and my memory with me" the older admitted at saka hinahalughog ang mapa at picture nya sa glove box ng sasakyan. he rummaged through his stuffs and when he finally found it, agad nya itong ipinakita sa katabi ng may ngiti sa labi.
haechan studies the "map" carefully but no matter how he sees it, tanging lines at mga drawing na puno lamang ang nakikita nya, evident na it was drawn by a 5 year old kid dahil may mga stick man figures pa with smiley face.
cute… nakakainis
and over to the picture… it was a photo of a young boy in all black na nakasuot pa ng sunglasses. naka cross ang arms na animo'y nasa poster ng isang action film.
"ikaw to?" the younger asked to which mark responded with a nod.
"aww you looked cool"
"what do you mean by looked? am i not anymore?" the older asked acting offended dahilan para mapatawa ng mahina ang kasama habang marahang umiiling.
"men in black peg ko dyan just so you know" mark added na mas nagpangisi pa kay haechan.
I wanna run in wide spaces
Fly like the wind in high places
Rush like water on my face
With your hand in my hand
I wanna dance into the morning
Kiss you like you've never been kissed before me
I would go anywhere you wanna go
With your hand in my hand
"paano mo mahahanap hinahanap mong lugar kung wala kang exact location?" tanong muli ng nakababata.
"i can find it… kahit pa ilang bahay or even building itayo nila dito, i will always remember" mark answered na hindi naman pinagdudahan ng nakababata dahil ramdam nya sa pagmamaneho nito. the way mark drives, parang alam na alam kung saan sya pupunta, walang pag aalinlangan, walang sign ng pagkalito.
"must be a great place" haechan commented na nagpangiti sa katabi, mark then glanced over to the younger and mouthed, "sobra"
"im guessing na it's not your home since kung bahay mo edi sana alam mo yung exact address" pasimple lamang na tango ang naging sagot ng nakatatanda kaya't nagpatuloy si haechan sa kanyang sinasabi,
"if it's not home then ano yun? ano naman gagawin mo dun?"
"magpapakuha sa aliens"
"what?"
"magpapakuha sa aliens"
despite being taken aback, agad na napaayos ng upo si haechan at inilapit ang sarili sa kasama. as much as he wanted to laugh sa sagot ng katabi, he chose to keep it to himself dahil walang bahid ng pagbibiro ang tono ng boses nito. however, that wouldn't stop him from questioning mark's thinking.
"you're weird" he blurted, sinadya nya talagang lakasan para marinig ng kasama.
"that's not a nice way to say i'm unique" haechan scoffed sa naging sagot ni mark finding the older even weirder.
"seriously? aliens? what are you? a kid?"
"says the one who loves michael jackson"
"what? paano mo nalaman?" nagtatakang tanong ng nakababata, getting goosebumps dahil sa sinabi ng katabi.
"well, your header sa twitter screams MJ so i just made a guess na fan ka and turns out i'm right– nice ka self" mark proudly stated before gently tapping his shoulder showing how proud he is for guessing it right.
"and so? ano naman connect nun with you believing sa mga aliens?"
"i mean… you believe in michael jackson na gawa gawa ng illuminati" and that's when haechan finally lost it, he bursted and started laughing maniacally dahilan para tingnan sya ni mark ng may bahid ng pag aalala.
haechan laughed for about 2 minutes, throwing his head back and clapping aggressively, medyo naluluha pa ito nang matapos na sa pagtawa. wiping the tears away, he looks over to the older,
"you were weird kanina but now you're amusing. you got promoted"
"thank you siguro?" mark answered with an awkward smile.
"you really are a kid!" haechan exclaimed
"naiwan na ang illuminati nung 2012, everyone's over it and yet here you are... im feeling quite nostalgic wow"
"bet you still listen to justin bieber's baby reversed" he added ng may mapanuksong ngiti.
"no i don't, that one was clearly fake"
"wow ang biased ng judgement ha, illuminati kapag kay mj pero defensive kapag kay jb. you're probably a jb fan"
"belieber" mark corrected making haechan scoff out of disbelief.
"okay mr. BELIEBER na naniniwala parin sa illuminati, how will you even get yourself abducted by the aliens eh hindi naman sila totoo"
"they're real"
"well sorry to ruin your childhood but they're not. if they were edi sana nakakita na ng mga evidences" the younger reasoned trying to prove na hindi nga totoo ang pinaniniwalaan ng kasama.
"and they should have made their invasion or their landing sa earth at least once pero wala, therefore, they're not real. end of story"
"bakit naman nila iinvade ang earth? they probably have their own planet they call home, pretty sure unnecessary na yun sa kanila and wala pang evidences kasi tinatago ng government satin yung existence nila to avoid panic" sagot ni mark, ayaw magpatalo, pushing his idea na totoo nga ang existence ng mga beings outside the earth.
"pretty sure alam mo yung area 51" the older added
"oh my god, you're such a youtube person!"
"top 10 ufo sightings, aliens caught on camera… yan laman ng search history mo no? god you're weird"
"amusing– unique" mark once again corrected
"i mean, para lang tayong alikabok sa lawak at laki ng universe– wait maybe even smaller sa alikabok… the universe is like… endless… and you're telling me na there's nothing out there? NO WAY " pagrarason muli ng nakatatanda habang marahang umiiling, emphasizing the 'no way'
"now that i'm thinking about it, it'd be even scarier if tayo lang ang nandito sa universe."
well, points were made…
"but if aliens do exist and if i am one, i would definitely wipe out the whole humanity" haechan proclaims as he imagines himself as a supernatural being shooting laser beams sa earth.
"and if i were an alien, i would never live here sa earth" mark stated dahilan para mapatingin ang nakababata sa kanya.
"guess you'd be a cool alien"
"you'd be as well. wiping the whole humanity... seems fun"
the two grins at the thought before a comfortable silence echoes inside the car.
amusing's definitely the right word to describe him.
"you know what… i think i'll stay for a bit" haechan blurted out of nowhere causing mark to visibly flinch.
"ha?"
"can i come– no… i'm coming with you"
"sasamahan kita to that somewhere of yours. this is a statement so you can't drop me off, you can't say no" the younger boldly stated na hindi naman inangalan ng nakakatanda, instead, mark only grinned.
"to see is to believe, kailangan ko muna makita yang alien kuno mo and then i will believe you"
"if tama ka, you'll stay as an amusing person and if hindi, im calling you a kid until who knows when... deal?" haechan then extended his hands for a handshake. meanwhile, mark, looks at the younger's slightly tanned slender hand for about 10 seconds before accepting it, sealing off their deal.
"i can live with that"
-------
"why are you dressed in all neon?" natatawang tanong ni haechan upon seeing the older get out of the car in neon green tracksuit.
mark gazes around his body looking for wrinkles at saka ito pinagpag at sumagot, "the last time i went here, naka all back ako kaya siguro hindi nila ako inabduct so i thought if i dress in all neon, baka mas madali nila akong mahanap"
it's almost 7 in the evening at nakalubog na ang araw, kakarating lamang ng dalawa sa lugar kung saan sila "maghahanap" at "magpapakuha" sa mga supernatural beings.
"ng mga aliens?" haechan asked na sinagot lamang ni mark ng seryosong tango dahilan para mas matawa ang binata. mark looks determined as hell.
"shala para kang glow in the dark stick AHHAHAHA"
mark, who is not even fazed by the younger's teases then spoke, "i have another pair sa loob, neon rin kaso orange" na nagpahinto sa nakababata sa pagtawa.
what
"i'm not sure about your size pero mukhang pareho lang naman tayo..."
and??!:!
"so para madali ka rin nilang mahanap…"
NO WAY
"magsuot ka rin" mark suggested as he flashes the younger an encouraging smile.
NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!!
--------
"this is really stupid" reklamo ni haechan habang nakasunod lamang sa nakatatanda with a flashlight sa kanang kamay nito.
"the alien hunting?" the older asks as he looks back sa kasama waiting for him to catch up.
"no, the tracksuit"
haechan had the time of his life laughing over mark looking like a glow in the dark stick in neon and swore he would never wear a single neon clothe– especially a tracksuit but a persistent raven-haired guy happened and now, he's dressed in neon orange.
"i think its cool, neon green looks pretty badass"
"yeah yeah you look like an exit sign and bakit kasi orange tong suot ko? mukha tuloy akong kwek kwek"
"kwek kwe– YO DUDE YOU DO!" gulat na sambit ni mark at tinignan nang maiigi ang kasama bago inilagay ang kamay sa bibig emphasizing na he looks shocked sa resemblance.
haechan then faked a laugh before rolling his eyes and walking past the older.
"should have been cyan or yellow"
"you look great kaya" mark reassured at saka sumunod sa nakababata.
"magdadala nalang ako ng yellow next time" he added
next time?
the two walks in silence flashing lights on their way para hindi matisod o madapa sa dinadaanan. there was no one but them at tanging huni lamang ng mga hayop ang kanilang naririnig.
"dapat naglagay ka nalang ng tarpaulin saying im here, abduct me please! ganon" the younger decided to talk again para naman hindi sya masyadong malunod sa katahimikan.
"what if hindi sila marunong magbasa? i mean, pretty sure they don't use the same language as ours"
"and pwede ko rin naman gawin kaso baka di nila makita, madilim na" dagdag ni mark finding the tarpaulin idea genuinely brilliant but sadly, baka hindi mabasa.
"eh bakit kasi ngayong oras ka naghahanap?"
haechan almost tripped ngunit kaagad syang nahawakan ng nakatatanda. mark then mumbled a silent "ingat" before walking again, but this time, katabi na ni haechan making sure na the boy won't trip and break his ankle.
"figured baka ayaw nilang maexposed in daylight kaya ngayon nalang tayo maghahanap."
"i brought flashlights naman diba?" he then waved his flashlight at itinapat ito kay haechan dahilan para mapapikit ang binata. mark, in an instant, moved his flashlight away from the boy's face and whispered a "sorry".
"alam mo, there's a higher chance na makakita tayo ng multo kesa ng alie– what was that?" napatigil kaagad si haechan sa pagsasalita nang may marinig na tunog at saka ibinaling ang tingin sa kanilang paligid.
"multo siguro" the older joked at itinapat ang flashlight sa kanyang baba, showing the fellow a "ghostly" look.
the younger then slightly hits mark's shoulder, "hah! very funny" agad namang hinawakan ni mark ang kanyang balikat rubbing the spot na sinapak ng kasama.
"akala ko ba to see is to believe ka?"
"kaya nga"
"then why do you believe sa mga multo?"
"cause i've seen one"
"what?"
"i've seen one"
mark gazes over haechan looking for a sign na nagbibiro lamang ito and when he found none, agad syang lumapit sa kasama at binunot ang cellphone mula sa kanyang bulsa.
"should we play a song? sa phone ko? you know, para masaya haha haha"
the younger looks at mark and the distance between them, "why are you so close sakin?"
"wala lang, baka natatakot ka so i moved closer pero ano ka ba wag kang matakot. ghosts are friendly haha they mean no harm, you just have to show them na you're not scared. if you're scared you can hold my hand ha" the boy rambled and almost tripped on his words dahil sa bilis ng pagsasalita nito.
haechan chuckles at how pale the older looks right now and decided to tease him a bit.
"just say you're scared and go"
the moment he said "go" ay mas lalong namutla ang nakatatanda kaya naman nag mission abort na lamang ito. poor raven head looks scared as hell.
"no, it's just an expression, i didn't mean na you should literally go"
"hey are you really scared?" haechan asked
"no i'm not… definitely not" pagmamatigas ng binata even though evident na sa mukha nito na natatakot nga sya.
"you can hold my hand if you are scare–"
"let's go"
ang lamig ng kamay...
he's definitely not scared AHAHAHA
the two continued walking with hands holding each other's. hindi na masyadong malamig ang kamay ng nakatatanda matapos ang tatlong minutong paglalakad at hindi na rin ito namumutla knowing na he has someone with him, na hindi sya nag iisa.
"i just realized na i still don't know your name"
"wait– seryoso?? hindi ko pa pala napapakilala sarili ko? i know your name, was it haechan? like yung sa twitter mo…" the golden skinned boy only responded with a nod confirming na mark got his name right.
"that's unfair! you don't know mine pero i know yours. let me introduce myself formally teka" letting go of haechan's hand, mark extended his for a handshake.
"hi! im mark lee, you can call me mark"
"marc with a c or mark with a k?"
"mark with a k. as in mark me in your heart"
the boy then let out a loud scoff, "was that a punchline?" he asked in disbelief.
"yeah" nahihiyang tugon ng binata habang nakangiti
"my mom taught me that line years ago… works well with cats, they always meow"
"cheesy"
"well, i love cheese"
he really is an amusing person
"i guess dito nalang tayo sa open field so the aliens can see us tapos pwede rin nila ipark yung ufo nila up here" seryosong sambit ni mark. the younger then bit his lower lip to prevent himself from laughing sa sinabi ng binata.
"so what do we do now?"
"we wait"
"standing?"
"i brought a mat, pwedeng ilatag dito banda so we can sit habang naghihintay"
agad binuksan ni mark ang kanyang bag at saka kinuha ang banig na dala bago ito inilatag.
"boy scout na boy scout ah" haechan complimented the boy before sitting down na sinundan naman kaagad ng kasama.
"syempre naman, matagal ko na tong pinlano"
"you weren't part of the plan though"
"and YOU weren't part of my plan either" the younger snaps back, hindi nagpapatalo sa honesty ng nakatatanda.
"but just so you know… you're a quite cool so i don't mind na you made changes sa plano ko and i'll let this go this time"
"and siguro pati rin next time?"
next time na naman...
haechan slides down para makahiga sa mat na ginaya naman ni mark kaya't pareho na silang nakahiga ngayon sa ilalim ng bilyong bilyong mga tala.
"woah… look at the stars"
mark turns to haechan and watches the stars from the boy's eyes. he can definitely tell na marami nga mga tala ngayong gabi judging by how haechan's eyes sparkles.
"akala ko ba alien hunting to? why are we stargazing?" the boy with an ursa minor on his face asks bago ibinaling ang tingin sa kasama. mark on the other hand, immediately looks away at ngayon ay nakaharap na sa kalangitan.
"ano… m-malay mo one of those stars yung home ng mga alien…"
"stars are hot… like HOT HOT. no organism would survive dun so NO" sagot ng nakababata na hindi na naman kinontra ni mark dahil alam nyang tama naman ito. sino ba naman kasing mabubuhay dun diba? gusto na lamang nyang sapukin ang noo for coming up with a stupid topic.
"do you ever just think–"
"no i don't think" pagputol ni haechan sa kasama
"eto naman, let me finish first!" mark whines na nginitian lamang ng binata.
"what if there's a parallel universe"
"tapos upside down pala gaya nung sa stranger things, no thank you" the younger once again interrupted kaya't napahina na lamang ng malalim ang binata.
"hindi ganun, like parallel universe tapos may version din tayo sa universe na yun"
"what do you think? ano kaya ginagawa nila? ano kaya ginagawa ko? ano ginagawa mo?"
"well i hope my other self's doing well" haechan answered habang pinapanuod lamang ang mga tala.
sana masaya sya, i hope he's not too hard on himself.
"ikaw ba, mark?" he asked
"ako? uhh… sana ano…"
"sana naniniwala rin sya sa aliens, sana naniniwala sya sa parallel universe, sana naniniwala rin sya sakin, his other self"
"what's with you and belief?" stripping his eyes away from the sky, he looks at mark na ngayon naman ay nakatingin lang sa itaas.
"wala lang, believing is cool. i just find it sad kapag hindi ka pinaniniwalaan... so i really want my other self to believe in things rin ganon"
"malay mo nasasaktan rin ang mga aliens kasi di mo sila pinaniniwalaan. if for example alien ako, i'd be really really upset na you're doubting my existence"
"and that's because hindi pa kita nakikita, you should let me see you para maniwala ako" haechan reasons
"you can see me though"
"i mean, the alien you, hindi ikaw mark"
"pero I AM an alien, legit totoo"
"aliens don't confirm their identity with "legit totoo", mark"
"they don't?"
"they don't"
"oh."
mark then let out a loud gasp dahilan para magulat ang kasama. umupo muna ito mula sa pagkakahiga bago muling nagsalita.
"wait what if ikaw ang alien?!"
the older accused, eyes wide and his right hand covering his mouth. it was a terrible allegation but haechan decided to play and go along with it.
"and i'm here to wipe you all out in one go" he answered and even spread his arms out gesturing the 'wipe you all out' part.
"but would you be so kind and spare me?"
"bakit ko naman gagawin yan? you're a human"
"yeah but i'm not a regular human, im a cool human you know"
"cool human…. fine, you could be the water boy or whatever tapos ihuhulog ka namin sa outer space if you do something funny- especially if you spy on us okay?"
mark then salutes with his whole chest out, "aye aye captain!"
"you're really into it ano? what are you? an actor?" natatawang sambit ng nakababata to which the older responded by shaking his head no.
"i'm in med studies actually, ikaw?"
"i dropped out… no longer in college"
"oh that's cool"
"you think so?"
"yeah, been wanting to that ever since i entered… but life's shit so i have to continue"
"oh so you know how to curse… really thought you're an angel na hinulog mula sa langit"
"i'm not an angel, i'm an alien"
"hey, ako yung alien dito, you're the human water boy remember?"
"oh right! i'm the human water boy!"
----------
"ano ba yan ang tagal naman nilang magpakita, it's almost 9pm" reklamo ng binata kay mark na ngayon ay nakapikit at mukhang matutulog na.
"hey mark wag kang matulog" suway nya while poking the older's cheeks na dahilan naman para mamulat muli ang mga mata nito.
"haechan…"
"what?"
"if i get abducted by the aliens tonight, tell the whole world they suck"
"WHAT?"
"sabihin mo sa kanila na sinabi ko na they all suck and they smell like wet rags and climate change is real so they better clean up after their mess cause aliens will never take them under their care since they're all nasty and selfish and cruel"
"wow andami mong hinanakit sa mundo ah" mapagbirong sambit ng binata na nagpangiti lang sa kanilang dalawa.
"ganun talaga kapag pogi"
"same"
"pogi?"
"no, maraming hinanakit"
"so you don't think you're pogi?"
"no rin, i think i'm pogi but i think you're not" sagot ni haechan dahilan para matawa ang kasama. mark fakes a laugh at saka tumigil, he then looks at haechan proudly showing off his face na tinawag ng binatang "hindi pogi"
"i believe this face do not deserve this disrespect"
"wait– are you holding your chin up infront of an almighty alien? huh mere human?" the younger fights back "reminding" the fellow of his "place" dahilan para mag mission abort ang kasama.
"sensya na lods, hindi na mag repeat hehe"
"uy ang tagal talaga, mark sinasabi ko sayo hindi talaga totoo mga aliens" haechan whines habang ibinabaling ang tingin sa kanyang paligid looking for signs of aliens pero wala parin.
"maybe they're having their alien party sa ufo kaya di sila nakalabas ngayong gabi"
"alien party and we're not invited?! the disrespect!"
"aliens drinking their alien drinks while dancing to their alien music played by their alien dj"
"you know we can attend next time, but for now we need to find their ship and convince them to invite us over sa susunod na party tsaka marami pa namang oras" mark stated reassuring the impatient boy.
"and we can try hunting again next time"
again with the "next time"...
"told you dapat nag tarpaulin ka nalang kasi"
"next time–"
"kanina ka pa next time ng next time ah, you want to see me again that bad?" haechan bursted except he's not shouting, he's only looking at mark directly in the eye while he opens his mouth letting every words come out.
"yeah"
the younger scoffed sa naging sagot ng kasama. sending the fellow an accusing look, he spoke,
"don't tell me you're inlove with me now"
"i'm not, i just find you cool and i don't want you to disappear so you better see your human water boy again, almighty alien"
"wait what are you talking about?" tanong ng binata, confused kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng nakatatanda. he then watches as the older looks back at him with desperation and… empathy.
"don't die"
"what?"
"don't die before we get abducted"
"don't die before me"
"die kapag nakakita na tayo ng alien"
"just– don't die, haechan"
oh… so that's the reason why palagi syang next time nang next time. i guess he was traumatized nung kamuntikan nya na akong masagasaan kanina.
"i mean, i know i don't have the right to tell you kung kelan ka pwede mamatay but you're really cool you know? and it will be the world's greatest loss kung mamawalan sila ng cool human."
"also, you can't call me a kid if you die, i still have to introduce you to my alien friends and get the both of us out mula dito sa earth- well that is if gusto mong sumama and it will be really lonely if i get on their spaceship alone, mabilis akong mahomesick so can you please… live?"
sighs… i guess i have to change plans again
"well… i have something to do bukas so sa next day nalang ulit yung pag huhunting."
"we're using the tarpaulin and…"
"bring me a yellow tracksuit please"