Work Text:
Seungcheol’s mind is filled with one thing—or one boy only. Minsan nga’y lumilipad na lamang ang isip niya kahit nasa kalagitnaan na siya ng klase (hindi naman sana siya masyado big deal kung siya ang estudyante, but that’s his exact problem: he is the professor and he is spacing out a lot).
Three weeks ago kasi, dumating na ang inaabangang bagong propesor sa Chemistry Department. Big deal siya sa buong college kasi siya lang ang prof sa Chem dept na nasa 20s niya pa. Seungcheol is from the Physics dept, and most of his colleagues there are in the same age range as him unlike sa Chem na puro thunders na lamang ang laman ng faculty. They finally hired a young one kaya kahit ibang department ay curious at excited sa pagdating ng baguhan na ito (they can finally talk to someone in that department without being annoyed sa mga boomers na may superiority complex).
Said new professor is Asst. Prof. Jeonghan Yoon, na mas mukhang model o artista more than a prof, is Seungcheol’s dream boy personified. Like, Seungcheol used to think na ang mga tulad ni Jeonghan ay sa mga libro o manga lamang makikita. He did not really expect someone like him to be his next-door (quite literally) colleague. He was smitten from the very first day, and he’s down bad.
Like really bad.
Case number one? Seungcheol’s (or Sir Choi to his students) laboratory classes are held across Sir Yoon’s. The lab doors are made of glass so he can easily see him sa kabilang ibayo. Para siyang high school student na sumisilay-silay sa crush niya kahit nasa kalagitnaan siya ng klase (one of his mischievous students, Seokmin, noticed this behaviour of his and started teasing him; “Sir, hinay-hinay sa titig baka matunaw.”) Minsan nga’y sumasakit na ang leeg niya sa pag-stretch nito just to see Sir Yoon’s handsome and perfect (his words) face.
Isang beses pa nga ay si Sir Yoon mismo ang nakahuli sa kanyang nakatitig from the glass doors. Sir Yoon, being the ever so cheerful and charming man that he is, waved and smiled at lutang Seungcheol and our boy almost died of kilig and embarrassment. Pulang-pula na agad ang tenga niya dahil lang sa maliit na interaction na iyon (he was grateful na wala siyang klase during that time because his kids will tease him mercilessly). He really wants to be closer to him pero pinangungunahan siya ng hiya at katorpehan. Dagdag mo pa na once a week lang talaga nagtatapat ang mga klase nila since usually nasa afternoon-night shift si Seungcheol samantalang nasa morning-afternoon shift naman si Jeonghan. They never had a chance to engage in a small talk bukod sa introduction at pa-welcome kay Jeonghan noong first day niya. Hanggang batian na lang talaga sila ng “good afternoon” sa hallway (Seungcheol would never admit it, pero sinasadya niya ring dumaan sa usual pathway ni Sir Yoon kahit na nasa kabilang ibayo siya ng building para lamang magkasabay sila sa paglalakad to their next classes “coincidentally”).
Which leads us to case number two: Sir Choi’s secret way to show his admiration to Sir Yoon.
It all started when Physics dept head Mr. Kang asked Seungcheol to bring some documents to a chemistry prof. If he’s being honest, hindi naman talaga siya inutusan. Nag-volunteer lang talaga siya nang marinig niyang utusan ni Mr. Kang ang isa sa mga student assistants ng office.
“Ako na ho magdadala doon, sir. Dadaan din naman po ako,” he lied. Sa kabilang side ng building ang daan towards his condo, gusto lang niya talagang sumilay.
Wala namang nagawa si Mr. Kang kundi pumayag na lang since sobrang enthusiastic na kinuha ni Seungcheol ang mga papeles mula sa kanya.
Nang pumasok siya sa Chem dept, napansin niya na isang ilaw na lamang ang bukas. Iyong desk na lamang ng prof na kailangan niyang pagbigyan ng papeles ang may ilaw, meaning, the rest of the faculty are already done for the day (said prof was not there though when we went because nagkasalisi sila when they went to the restroom).
Time check: 9:05 PM. Morning classes nga pala si Sir Yoon so hindi siya inaabot ng ganitong oras sa campus.
Nang mailapag na niya sa desk ng prof ang mga papeles, napansin niya sa katabing desk nito ang desk ni Sir Yoon na may maliit na strawberry lamp at strawberry pen holder.
“Oh, ang cute naman. Mahilig pala siya sa strawbe—teka,” just when he’s about to leave, bigla niyang naalala na may estudyante nga palang nagbigay ng strawberries sa kanya kanina. Mukhang fresh na fresh pa, so without any hesitations ay kinuha niya ito mula sa kanyang bag at nilagay sa mesa ni Sir Yoon.
Bago siya umalis ay nakipagdebate muna siya sa sarili niya kung mag-iiwan ba siya ng note o hindi. Before he could even decide, Mr. Cha, the prof he was looking for, came back from the rest room.
“Sir Choi? Do you need anything?”
Like a deer caught in headlights, Seungcheol shook his head guiltily. “Iniwan ko lang po sa table niyo yong documents na pinapa-oversee ni Mr. Kang. I’m about to leave na rin.”
Still suspicious of Seungcheol’s guilty-looking face, Mr. Cha nodded and thanked him instead of asking more questions. “Ah, salamat. Ingat ka pag-uwi mo, Sir. Good evening.”
“Ikaw rin, ser,” Seungcheol bade goodbye with a small bow, still kinda embarrassed sa fact na baka nahuli siya ni Mr. Cha na may ginagawang kababalaghan (not really, nag-iwan lang naman siya ng strawberries; hoping they won’t rot the next morning).
The next morning, with the miracle of botanist gods on Seungcheol’s side, mukha namang natanggap at nakain ni Jeonghan ang strawberries nang matino. Nalaman niya ang chismis na ito from Sir Seungkwan Boo, Jeonghan’s college friend from Bio dept na ka-close ng lahat ng profs from all departments. Apparently, Jeonghan ate all the mystery strawberries by himself and did not even offer a single bite to Seungkwan causing the latter to rant about it jokingly to his other professor friends (this is also the way Seungcheol found out na pilyo rin pala ang anghel niya and he’s like, ten times more attracted).
(Whipped behaviour, ika nga.)
Seungcheol was pleased with this information. Talino mo talaga Seungcheol. Naisip mo pa ‘yon kagabi. Plus pogi points ka na agad niyan, he internally complimented himself.
Since then, every week na siyang nag-iiwan ng strawberries sa desk ni Jeonghan. He has lectures until 9PM kaya naman may time siyang mag-iwan doon without getting caught. Every time he leaves the fruits there, dinadasalan niya muna na huwag masira agad (though he only buys high quality ones for a longer shelf life). Pasimple rin siyang nakikibalita mula kay Seungkwan kung nakakain o nagugustuhan niya ba ito (of course Jeonghan loves them, he’s an avid strawberry lover according to Seungkwan).
Umabot ng isang buwan an pakulo na ito. Seungcheol was already contented with making Jeonghan happy secretly not until he heard his co-teachers talking about Sir Yoon’s search for an exorcist priest.
Exorcist?! What in the hell?!
At dahil may chismosovirus din si Seungcheol, he asked Sir Mingyu Kim the tea. “Sir Goy, ano yung pinag-uusapan nila tungkol kay Sir Yoon?”
Sir Kim (or sometimes ‘Sir Goy’ to his close colleagues), the Lhar Santiago of Physics dept (nakatutok sa latest chika, 24 oras), gladly shared the tea. “May nagmumulto daw kasi sa Chem dept, specifically sa desk ni Sir Yoon.”
Ano.
Multo? Sa desk ni Sir Yoon? Iyong desk na dinadalaw ko tuwing Tuesday nights at iniiwanan ko ng strawberries? Iyong desk na iyon?!
Seungcheol internally panicked. He may be buff and strong as hell, and can even crush your skull with his bare hands, but if you tell him that there’s a ghost behind him, he will freak the fuck out. Sometimes even to the point of crying. He’s absolutely terrified of ghosts and the only thing that kept his scary thoughts away every night sa campus ay ang mukha ni Sir Yoon na napaka-angelic. Nawawala sa isip niya ang mga ghost stories na sikat na sikat sa campus everytime he pictured Jeonghan’s ethereal face in his brain. Pero ngayon na connected na kay Jeonghan ang paranormal shit na yan, feeling niya ay hihimatayin na siya sa takot.
“S-sure ba talaga sila na may nagpaparamdam nga sa table ni Sir Yoon?” Seungcheol asked Mingyu with his hands clasped together. Medyo nanginginig din ang boses niya sa takot.
“Hindi ko rin sure kung ano ang full story. Basta at least once a week daw nagpaparamdam tapos nag-iiwan ng something-something. Shutaena kasi ni Sir Seungkwan, napakagulo magkuwento kaya hindi ko masyado naintindihan.”
Hindi alam ni Seungcheol ang gagawin sa impormasyon na ito. So all this time, may chance pala na baka na-encounter din niya yung mumu without him knowing? Chills. Ang tindi ng goosebumps niya. Hindi na ako uli papasok doon sa gabi, kinikilabutan niyang paalala sa kanyang sarili.
But of course, our boy is a part-time payaso.
He vowed to stop going there at night to leave strawberries, pero mas nanaig ang kalandian niya over his fear of ghosts. In his defense, baka nga naman ang strawberries niya ang nagpapawala ng takot ni Sir Yoon. He seemed to enjoy the fruits well, kaya kahit maiihi na si Seungcheol sa kaba, titiisin niya ang takot kahit si Sadako pa ang makaharap niya sa gabing ito.
Para sa ikasisiya ni Jeonghan.
Prepared na prepared naman si Seungcheol sa kahit anong demonic entities na makakaharap niya. He has a bottle of Holy Water and a blessed rosary in his pocket (he isn’t religious and even considers himself agnostic but he’s too scared to think about that right now) just in case Sadako or the infamous beheaded lady would show up.
Nang makapasok na siya sa faculty room ng Chem dept, he grabbed the strawberries from his bag and the Holy Water from his pocket. He slowly walked towards Sir Yoon’s desk while looking left and right. Nang mailagay niya sa mesa ang mga prutas nang matiwasay, he sighed in relief. Mukhang wala sa mood magparamdam ang mga m-word ngayon.
He was about to pocket the Holy Water when he heard the door behind him creaked. He did not close the door when he entered and just left it ajar but now he can hear it opening wider. Sure naman siya na nakauwi na si Mr. Cha na madalas na huling umuuwi sa department na ito since nakasalubong niya ito na naglalakad papunta sa parking lot.
Tangina?! Hangin lang ba yon?! Pero sarado lahat ng bintana. Lord, kung magpapadala kayo ng kaluluwa rito, pwede bang mala-Casper naman?! Seungcheol prayed in his head. Konti na lang ay pati Anima Christi makanta na niya. Hindi siya makalingon sa takot. Hindi siya ready sa kung ano mang masamang espiritu ang makakaharap niya once na lumingon siya pero gusto na niyang umalis.
So, he followed what his instincts told him. Turn around at sabuyan mo na lang ng Holy Water kung sino o ano mang nilalang ang makakaharap mo.
Seungcheol turned around with his eyes closed and started yelling at the said ghost. “LAYUAN MO AKO MASAMANG KALULUWA! LAYUAN MO ANG TABLE NI SIR YOON! MATAHIMIK KA NA SA IMPYER—”
“AAACK! AACK! SIR CHO—” Saboy. More water. Lunurin sa Holy Water ang masamang espiritu na yan.
“KEEP MY NAME OUT OF YOUR MO—”
“SIR CHOI!” Nagulantang si Seungcheol sa sigaw ng multo.
Correction, sa inakala niyang multo.
Seungcheol took deep breaths before finally opening his eyes. Nang ma-realize niya kung sino ang nasa harap niya, parang lalo siyang kinilabutan.
Parang mas okay na pala na si Sadako o si pugot-ulo girl ang makita ko. Lord, pa-void, natatarantang dasal ni Seungcheol.
“Masyado akong pogi para katakutan, Sir Choi. I’m mischievous but I am not the devil,” Sir Jeonghan Yoon teased our poor boy with a grin on his face.
Seungcheol wants to disappear on the spot. First of all, sinabuyan lang naman niya ng holy water ang crush niya. Pangalawa, said crush witness how scared he was at pangatlo, huling-huli din sa akto ang paglalagay niya ng strawberries sa desk nito.
Sana lamunin na lang ako ng lupa. Sana isinama na lang ako ni Sadako sa TV niya. Sana sinakal na lang ako ni Chucky o ni Annabelle.
Sinesermonan pa ni Seungcheol ang sarili niya nang biglang magsalitang muli si Sir Yoon. “So ikaw pala. Ikaw pala iyong strawberry ghost ko.”
At this point, mas mapula pa sa hinog na strawberries ang mukha ni Seungcheol. Natameme siya nang malala. He was prepared to face the ghosts, but he was not prepared to face this beautiful angel he adores a lot. Mas kakayanin pa siguro niyang mag-confront ng demonyo kesa mag-confront ng feelings.
Sir Yoon noticed that Seungcheol was just speechless and blushing so he decided to lighten up the tension. “I’m glad that I can finally put a face to this mysterious berry sender. Akala ko talaga pinagtritripan ako ng mga kaluluwa dito sa building as a newbie o kaya naman they have mistaken me as a deity kaya inaalayan nila ako ng prutas.”
“Well, you do look like one,” Seungcheol whispered to himself except Jeonghan clearly heard him.
Jeonghan giggled. “You aren’t as tongue-tied as I expected you to be. Nice.”
“You’re not supposed to hear that but I am already embarrassed so I guess wala na dapat akong ikahiya pa,” kamot-batok na paliwanag ni Seungcheol.
“Natakot ba kita?”
Seungcheol nodded timidly.
Jeonghan gave him a warm smile. “I am sorry. I was just trying to figure out kung sino ba talaga ang nag-iiwan ng strawberries sa desk ko every Tuesday night so I decided to investigate.”
“Aren’t you scared? Hindi ba your desk is haunted din?”
Natawa naman si Jeonghan nang marealize niya kung bakit may dalang Holy Water si Seungcheol in the first place. “Kaya ka ba may dalang mga anti-demonyo? Dahil sa mga kumalat na chismis na may nagmumulto rito?”
“Oo?”
“Ikaw! Ikaw yong tinutukoy ko. I was just joking when I told Seungkwan na may nagmumulto ata sa table ko. I was talking about the strawberry sender. Na-misinterpret lang ata ng iba kaya akala nila actual multo ang tinutukoy ko.”
Oh.
“So wala talagang nagmumulto rito?”
Jeonghan smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no. Ngayon lang naman ako inabot ng gabi rito. Kung meron mang nakakaalam between the two of us, hindi ba dapat ikaw ‘yon? Since ikaw ang pumupunta rito sa gabi to give me your sweet little fruits?”
Once again, Seungcheol was speechless. Alam niya na ito ang perfect opportunity to confess, but for some reason ayaw gumana ng bibig niya. Pa-refund po ng bibig, hindi gumagana. Wala atang battery.
After a minute of deafening silence, Jeonghan placed his hands on Seungcheol’s waist. Seungcheol’s heart was about to stop. Jeonghan’s face is so close to his. Hihimatayin na ata siya sa kilig. “Uhm, S-sir Yoon? What?”
In a very gentle voice, Jeonghan whispered. “Sir Choi, if you like me, you should’ve said something immediately imbis na pinahirapan mo pa ang sarili mo. We could’ve dated since last month, you know.”
A wink. And then a whisper (“Thank you for the strawberries. I enjoyed them a lot.”).
And then a sweet, cheek kiss na medyo amoy agua bendita pa.