Chapter Text
Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) often hunt in pairs. Their primary method is the vertical ambush, where they leap from below their targets, as if leaping out of the shadows, to catch prey by surprise. They are patient and willing to watch their prey for hours before striking.
🦇༉‧₊˚.
The morning of April 26th, Seonghwa was taking his daily trip to the small bakery down the street from the dorms. The full moon was still visible in the clear, blue skies. His closest friend would be working at the time, so he wanted to pay him a visit before drowning himself in his studies like he had been doing daily since the previous week. His first final exam would be Monday, just twenty-four hours away. It was a load of stress for him and the other students who majored in marine science; every student in college really. It only meant that core class finals were approaching faster now that the first group began. Even Wooyoung, behind the counter that he approached. The boy majored in culinary arts. Even though he only had to take a practical exam, depending mostly on his experience and muscle memory, the pressure would be a lot for him as well. Even his roommate Hongjoong, who had spent the weekend cooped up in his studio for his music production final, leaving Seonghwa to order takeout when both of them needed a brain-break. The stress of core class finals weighed on every student, no matter the major.
Seonghwa entered the cozy bakery where his closest friend worked, immediately hit by the familiar jingle of the door chime. The intoxicatingly sweet smell of coffee beans and cinnamon quickly hit his nose, the spice of the cinnamon stirring his still sleep boggled nerves. The fragrance combined with the soft sound of purring and the light instrumentals from the speaker sent dopamine straight to his entangled brain, soothing him. It happened every time he entered Fudge Feline, once he heard the chime and the chorus that followed it he promptly forgot about every wisp of stress that infected his mind. Between the cheerful demeanor of his best friend and the constant engine-sounding purring of the kitties crowding his legs, he had no more worries. However, the joyous mood of the familiar man behind the counter was missing. He stared down at the counter fiddling with his fingers, not even noticing when the older man entered; instead of the usual welcoming words and yelling once he realized who had entered the cat cafe.
Wooyoung didn’t detect the new presence until Seonghwa was a few steps from the marble counter. He spoke before his eyes could completely travel to his face, only stopping when it did. “Welcome to Fudge Fel- Seonghwa!” He yelped, leaning over the counter to throw his arms around his neck and press his weight on him. He hugged tighter than usual, squeezing a wheeze out of him. Seonghwa only lightly pushed at his waist, knowing the boy needed the hug.
When he finally pulled away, he began tapping in Seonghwa’s usual order on the touch screen cash register which he almost knocked down with his enthusiastic hug. “Two.” Seonghwa concluded after a moment of observing the boy. Usually, he would take any given moment to tease him about Hongjoong; which he failed to do. Not to mention, the tone of his voice was off. He wasn’t smiling with every word and his words lacked the squeaky lilt it usually had.
“Huh?” Wooyoung hummed in confusion, animatedly searching for someone behind him, or outside the cafe. Seonghwa couldn’t have been hiding someone in his car, he didn’t have one. He tilted his head in confusion, similar to the adorable kitten that had begun climbing up his pants, leaving noticeable fur on the black fabric. Seonghwa made a note to clean it off later.
“Two. For you.” He left no room for argument, knowing Wooyoung would resist talking about whatever was troubling him. He placed the cash on the counter and flicked his wrist, turning away to sit at the circular table by the window. His usual table when he needed to study, or simply rest his mind with the company of the cats.
Wooyoung let out a hesitant hum before glancing around to check how busy it was, just two or three other students. The cafe was already quiet in the morning hours, even more the weekend before the stressful days of finals. He could afford abandoning the register for a couple of minutes.
Seonghwa sat at the table, watching the boy shift to the machines behind him to prepare the sweet treats. Seonghwa pulled the second soft cushion to be beside him, knowing Wooyoung would want to be as close as possible. He absentmindedly pet the sweet kitten lying in his lap, watching as the boy fumbled with the equipment. He prepared the americanos wrong, warming milk instead of water. After he realized his mistake and grabbed water instead, he proceeded to spill it while pouring it. He let out a quiet hiss at the burn on his hand. Afterwards, he dropped the first donut he made on the floor, the sticky residue on the floor. He quickly made the next two, mumbling to himself in irritation as he wiped the mess off the floor. Seonghwa watched him with furrowed eyebrows, wondering exactly what was stressing him, even before his finals. Didn’t he go on a picnic with San yesterday? He would usually have more energy than usual.
Once Wooyoung sat down with a heavy sigh, he immediately bit into the donut. Seonghwa took a sip of his americano before doing the same. About halfway through his donut, he finally broke the silence. “What is it?” It was clear with his body language that the boy was upset about something which was not the approaching tests. He lacked all of his energy. Even throughout high and middle school, Wooyoung would make testing-related jokes to ease the tension in himself and his companions.
Wooyoung paused mid-bite. He placed the donut on the plate, wringing his hands together as he leaned back in the chair. “San didn’t show up.” He looked down at his hand, rubbing the small blister that developed.
“So what’s his dorm number again? I’ll throw him straight to the moon.” Seonghwa stood, voice quiet yet furious, like held back rage before he took the steps to avenge his loved one. He felt the need to joke around, raise the spirits of the boy somehow. He hated seeing Wooyoung upset.
Seeing the smile on his face, he was satisfied even if it was small. He sat down again, grabbing his blistering hand supportively. He rubbed his thumb lightly over the blister, turning it in different angles to assess the damage. He didn’t want it to hinder his abilities during finals. “But really, did you talk to him? Was he at the dorm?”
“No. He was with his sister again. And I did message him, but he didn't answer yet. I wanna call, but I know I shouldn’t.” He rambled, looking to the direction where the dorms resided. “This is his last chance, seriously this time.” Seonghwa could hear the frustration building up in his voice. Wooyoung leaned forward again, hand squeezing his as the other grabbed the donut to occupy himself.
He took a bite of it, chewing for a moment before speaking again with a halfway full mouth. “I’m just so tired of it all, Hwa. When can we buy that apartment? I hate how he has the same routine as you. It hurts seeing his stupid handsome face show up here every morning and in our dorm, knowing that he’ll apologize just to keep making the same mistake. It’s so hard to not go back to him.”
Seonghwa rubbed his hand all throughout the small rant he had. He picked his answer carefully, dodging the apartment mention. “I think you should decide whether or not you want to stay with him after finals. Both of you are probably so pent up, maybe he got stressed. You’ve wanted to get closer to him since junior year, so wait until all that stress is gone before you make any rash decisions.” He said, holding eye contact with him as he spoke, conveying his sincere feelings through his eyes. He squeezed his hand gently, watching Wooyoung’s tension slowly decrease. His gaze softened, raised shoulders dropping. “Schedule another picnic on Saturday. Talk about everything then, find out if he wants to take you seriously.”
Wooyoung took another deep breath, taking a sip of his americano. “Okay, I will. It’s just- the picnic was to relieve our stress. We wanted to meet up, forget about finals for a while. Just for a few hours.” His voice was quieter, he looked out the window, heart feeling heavier than it would feel under the pressure of his culinary finals.
“I know, don’t worry about that for a while, hm? Don’t let it stress you too much.” Seonghwa soothed, running his fingers through the boy's smooth, neck-length hair, petting him like a cat. “Your hair is getting so long, I need to cut mine..” He murmured, trailing off. Seonghwa didn’t want to stay on the upsetting topic any longer. “You have bandages here, right?” He questioned, looking down at the blistering finger again.
Wooyoung hummed and stood, heading behind the register again. After a brief moment of running cold water over the finger, he returned with the bandage and a tissue to dry his hand. He would’ve bandaged it himself but he knew Seonghwa wanted to do it, which he did. He examined the small blister for a moment before placing the bandage on his thumb. He was gentle, the way he always seemed to fuss over him never escaped Wooyoung’s teasing. “Thanks, mom. Maybe you can do my laundry too when we move in together?” He remarked with a cackle.
Seonghwa chuckled, not commenting on the reference to the apartment. Yet, Wooyoung wasn’t satisfied. “But really, when will we.. you know, meet up to discuss that? It’s been a few months since we had the idea and the dorms will close in a few weeks.”
Seonghwa sighed softly, “Ah, you know how my parents are, Wooyoung..”
“Come on! Just talk to them, I’m sure they can’t be that attached to you? You’re an adult!” The boy huffed before taking the last bite of his donut.
“It’s not that easy..” Seonghwa murmured, looking at his watch. 8:37. Perfect timing for him to make his escape and leave this conversation regarding his parents. He didn’t hate them, he simply wasn’t in the right mind to take on the responsibility of moving out of a permanent, unconditional home with his parents and into a home with his friends. In his parents house, he never had to worry about bills or dishes or laundry in the place of missing freedom. With his friends, he didn’t have to deal with overbearing, hovering parents in the place of spontaneous and awkward fights, dividing bills, and keeping his space tidy. He wanted to worry about that after he received the scores of his finals. If he succeeded, his parents would let up on him and feel content with him being away. They were already on edge since it was mandatory to stay in the dorms for his freshman year.
“Please, Seonghwa? Talk to them today! Just say you wanna live with your friends!” Wooyoung pressed, sipping on his americano again.
Seonghwa sighed, “Hey, I have to go to the library now. I’ll think about it.” He stood, petting the kitten in his arms one last time, accepting Wooyoung’s tight embrace— probably the last one for the remainder of the week— and walked out of the cafe. The light jingle of the door chime seemed to be the sign of him back in reality from a dream world. He felt a throbbing sensation above his eyebrow as he internally scheduled his day, halfway finished americano in hand. Work at the library until 5, study his marine notes until 8, review his core class notes for an hour, then sleep. He looked inside the cafe, giving one last wave to Wooyoung as he made his way behind the counter.
During his third hour behind the library desk, he received a call from Wooyoung. It wasn’t unusual, especially since he would be on his lunch break.
“Hey, sorry about earlier.” He said after greeting him, followed by a crack, as if he were a shark biting through the cartilage skull of a smaller species. Ripping it apart bit by bit, prying the victim apart for the slimy contents within. Seonghwa could tell he was eating, likely the chicken legs he often got from the supermarket across the street from the cafe.
“No, it’s fine.” Seonghwa murmured, tearing his mind away from the great white shark illustration in the marine science journal beneath him. He knew everything he was reading like the back of his hand, but reviewing for the nth time wouldn’t hurt.
“Yeah. So how’s it going?” Wooyoung questioned, followed by a series of giggly questions based on marine science. He asked the most simple ones that would be a shame for a marine science major not to know, hence the giggles. Seonghwa false-begrudgingly answered them: Sharks are not fish, they are cartilaginous. Whales, (which whale sharks are not a species of, they are sharks), are mammals. The nautilus is an ancient cephalopod. Seals and Sea lions are two different species.
Wooyoung kept him company for the next few hours, ranting about random things. About how San spoke to him, and his sister who had given a premature birth. He couldn’t call Wooyoung because both him and his mother were consumed by stress and tears, and his phone had no battery. Then Wooyoung went on and on about how San looked adorable with the cats, speaking of how the pregnant one was similar to his sister. Everyone who entered that cafe was especially protective over her. He brightened up his day without realizing, with his silly memories from the past. It was comforting to listen to Wooyoung’s voice.
🦇༉‧₊˚.
Seonghwa was pissed. He was too off schedule. He left campus an hour and thirty minutes late. Instead of the usual simple routine of sipping on his coffee, turning the printer on and off, and scanning library cards, there was an hour-long issue with the computer in the last few minutes of his shift. After he resolved that and escaped the library, staff saw a familiar, consistent face and decided to force him to take thirty minutes bringing equipment for hands-on exams throughout campus. Not to mention, Seonghwa tried to order takeout on the walk back, just to remember his favorite restaurant was closed on Sundays. So Seonghwa was forced to take another detour to the convenience store. Even though that would leave him two hours late on his schedule, he wasn’t the type to neglect his own self care for his classes. Unlike his roommate who would’ve starved and died in the campus studio if Seonghwa never made it a habit to bring him food. However, tonight his roommate was not on his mind. He needed to get to the dorm and do any studying he could while still managing at least six to seven hours of sleep.
Seonghwa arrived at his dorm at 7pm. As he expected, Hongjoong was not home, likely at the studio. Seonghwa made a beeline to his room, opting to shower in the morning and review his notes on the walk through campus. He sat at his desk and turned the light on, diving into the world of marine science. He was numb to every other noise besides the tapping of his pencil against paper and the videos reciting case studies, dissections, and functions of the ocean and keystone species. He was numb to the occasional footsteps of students outside, the faint strumming of an electric guitar next door, and the sound of the front door opening. He had no sense of time. He was unaware it was 10pm until Hongjoong yelled his name from the doorway.
Seonghwa raised his head and suddenly every other sound in the dorm was on blast. The tapping of Hongjoong’s left foot against the ground, the voices of a group of girls outside, his own shaky, startled breathing. “Huh?” He hummed, pausing the playlist of videos he was watching. It took a moment for him to process the sharp hitch in the former’s voice, the furrow in his eyebrows.
“Where were you?” Hongjoong questioned, tossing his bag onto his bed. He stalked into the room, his actions having aggression behind them.
Seonghwa was still in the mindset of studying, blinking in confusion. “.. What? I was at the library..” Seonghwa watched as Hongjoong sat on his bed across from him, shoving his shoes off. The bed creaked annoyingly.
“Why didn’t you bring any food?”
Seonghwa took a moment to think. He was irritated that Hongjoong interrupted his studying, yelling at him like he was his parent. However, now that he was out of his own world of marine science, the hours he spent studying was catching up with him. He just wanted to sleep. He could afford missing the studying of his core classes for the night. He didn’t have the finals for those until Wednesday and beyond.
So, he went with the calm, amicable approach instead of scolding Hongjoong for his attitude. The two of them were pent up, he didn’t want any unnecessary arguments like Wooyoung managed to avoid with San. “Oh, sorry. I had to stay longer at the library, I needed to get home to study.”
Hongjoong placed his book bag on his desk. “Well, you could’ve texted me or something. I only had breakfast.” His voice was sharp and snappy, head tilting as he took his laptop out and tossed it on his bed. He emptied out his bag, dropping the miscellaneous objects on the desk.
Seonghwa brought fingers up to the bridge of his nose between his eyes, pinching softly. “You can’t depend on me like that.. Take better care of yourself, Hongjoong.” He turned back to the desk, looking over the papers he had out, the notes and practice questions he had done over the hours. He felt like he had done sufficient work for the night. He tried to ignore the clattering of Hongjoong’s possessions being placed on his table, the rustling of his clothes as he undressed. His initially quiet and tired voice raised and gained a hint of irritation. “Could you be quiet? I just want to study until..” He leaned forward, squinting his eyes at the small electronic clock on his desk. 10:49.
Hongjoong didn’t give him a chance to finish that thought. “Maybe once we get an apartment and have our own rooms we won’t have this problem.” He paused, letting his bag slide on the floor haphazardly. “Have you even talked to your parents about that? You keep saying we know how they are, but why not talk to them? You’re an adult, aren’t you?” He sat down on his bed, shoving the sheets aside and sliding beneath them with his back against the headboard. Music blared loudly from the device that sat on his lap the moment he opened it. Hongjoong was considerate enough to tap the volume button a few times, even though it barely had an effect.
“I know, I will when I have the chance. Can you just be more quiet? I just need to study until eleven.” Seonghwa pressed, his nerves hit by the mention of his parents again. He turned to face Hongjoong, pointing to his laptop. With the nagging of Hongjoong and the exhaustion creeping up on him, he needed peace and quiet. His brain was fried.
“You’ve been studying all day, Seonghwa. Go to sleep.” Hongjoong’s voice was almost whiny and accusatory, like he was the victim.
“You-“ A long, deep sigh. “I’m going on a walk. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Seonghwa stood, knowing Hongjoong was just stressed and cranky from the lack of sleep, like every other student, like himself. He didn’t want to snap at him and build animosity in their friendship. He just wanted to escape from this moment, get some fresh air and speak when they were both calm and composed.
The two of them made eye contact for a split second as Seonghwa put his shoes on. He stood, leaving his phone on the charger. He planned to recite all of his notes in his mind without the distraction of his phone, to see if there was any information his mind failed to retain. He would review it one last time when he got back before going to sleep.
Seonghwa walked through the corridors of the dormitory, and outside to the campus. He walked through the desire paths carved through the grass and through the entrance gates of campus. He walked down the street and into the lush forest where the garden resided. He took walks like this often when he was overwhelmed. There was a small pond just past the garden, full of koi fish. He was certain that he was the only student who was aware of the pond. He would gatekeep it, his safe space, with all his power. As he approached this pond, he recounted how he would find the salinity of this pond. How he would use the refractometer, and how he would note down the parts per thousand. He recalled how the fish inside likely fed on the detritus at the lowest levels and dragonfly eggs close enough to consume.
As Seonghwa approached this pond to observe the fish, he noticed the eerie silence in his surroundings. The fish were not present, deep in the pond when they would usually be at the top as if they were greeting him. The crickets were silent. All he could hear was his own breathing and his quickening heartbeat. Even the deep breaths he took to calm himself. He was just being paranoid, it was almost midnight and the wildlife was probably asleep, just how he should be. With this thought in mind, he turned around to head back to his dorm.
He walked through the garden and across the street, heading towards the entrance of the college campus. He heard shuffling by one of the walls of the front gates, but ignored it. He assumed it was just someone dragging a trash bag to the dumpster. He failed to notice the quick footsteps pacing towards him until it was too late.
One moment, he was about to shift to the side to stay out of the path of a late night jogger.
The next, he felt a searing pain in his neck and sharp nails gripping his shoulder from behind. The air was squeezed out of his lungs. Frozen by confusion, the only thing he could focus on was the pain. Temporarily immobilized, he felt two sharp needles breaking his skin, piercing into his jugular vein. Then he felt a wet, slimy appendage smoothing over his skin before the lips returned, sucking insistently.
After a few seconds that felt like minutes, Seonghwa gained control over his limbs again. He tried to claw at the hand squeezing his shoulder, just for a shadow to appear in front of him. Another pair of sharp nails grabbed onto his arms, another set of teeth piercing the left side of his jugular vein.
Seonghwa felt like he was drowning. The only breath he managed to take was a ragged inhale of pain. The only movement he was allowed was a single grab of the joints trapping him in place. The only thought that passed through his mind was the repeated thought of confusion and the life being drained out of him. Urgency to escape whatever was sinking its teeth into him.
Seonghwa could feel his mind drifting away. He could barely keep his eyes open. He couldn’t distract himself from the agonizing pain in his neck, the terror coursing through his veins.
Just as he felt his body going weak, sweat building on his forehead, nerves going numb, his body hit the ground. There are no more hands on him or teeth puncturing his neck. He can hear the faint sound of patting on the ground drifting further away from him. There was something warm dripping down his neck and a faint metallic smell. Seonghwa wanted to investigate, but he was just so tired. He couldn’t resist the lull of sleep. He would have to review his notes more in the morning.