Chapter Text
The universe has a funny but interesting way of connecting people.
Just take the very unlikely (but apparently likely) connection between the nation’s beloved sweethearts, Jeonghan Yoon and Wonwoo Jeon, and the media’s favorite scandalous headliners, Seungcheol Choi and Mingyu Kim of the O2 duo, for example.
These four people, at least in the eyes of the public, are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Calm and chaotic. Sweet and spicy. Naughty and nice.
So really, sino ang mag-aakala na ang quiet and gentle Wonwoo would fall for the basag ulo guitarist Mingyu? Habang hawak naman ni charming and bubbly Jeonghan ang puso ng malanding vocalist and producer na si Seungcheol?
No one, not even the artists themselves, honestly. But hey, sabi nga, kapag tumibok ang puso, wala ka nang magagawa kundi sundin ito, right?
Best believe everyone would pop a vein kapag nalaman nila na ang kryptonite at tanging kinababaliwan ng devilish rock duo ay no other than the sweet pop darlings.
But the million-peso question is how on earth did the four’s seemingly parallel paths cross?
Well, it all started with Wonwoo, specifically Wonwoo’s secret life every Wednesday.
Wonwoo is not a diva. Kahit na isa siyang beloved child star turned even more loved popstar ay he never complains. He has no attitude, no nonsense, no bad blood with anyone in the industry. At all.
Ang tanging non-negotiable niya in his almost two decade career ay ibigay sa kanya ang Wednesday.
All Wednesdays of the week, of the month, and of the year are strictly for Wonwoo.
It doesn’t matter kahit anong engagement ang gusto mong makuha sa kanya, basta kapag Wednesday, awtomatikong re-sched ka. Wednesdays are for Wonwoo.
To be fair, itong very specific request niya ay nagsimula lang naman two years ago because you see, Wonwoo has a secret.
A potentially career-ending one, ayon sa kanyang manager, pero sa tingin ni Wonwoo ay OA lang ito, as all managers are.
Dahil hindi naman ganun kasama maging fan ng O2, right?
I mean, sure, Mingyu and Seungcheol do not have the ~best~ reputation in the industry, but they do have some of the best alt rock tracks out there. Just hit after hit after hit.
Plus, well, hindi naman talaga maikakaila na ang duo ay very easy on the eyes, lalo na ang kanilang charming and sexy gitarista na apple of Wonwoo’s eyes.
Kaya naman nobody can blame Wonwoo kung nagawa niyang gamitin ang kanyang influence to be able to watch O2’s regular sets at an exclusive underground indie pub every Wednesday.
For two years, Wonwoo sits unnoticed in the darkest corner of the pub in his all-black disguise, taking in every electrifying performance of O2. Taking in the force that is Mingyu and his guitar.
He was doing a great job at being a silent fan (pero yapper sa stan account) until that one fateful night.
Ihing-ihi na si Wonwoo. Nagmamadali kasi siyang nagpunta sa pub at binaka ang traffic nung Wednesday na ‘yun dahil hindi niya namalayan ang oras.
He had a very long rehearsal the day before kaya napasobra ang tulog niya, resulting to him rushing out para umabot sa set ng O2. Ang kaso lang ay tinetest talaga siya ng universe at na-traffic pa kaya ihing-ihi na nang makaabot sa venue.
The underground pub only has one restroom pero dahil hindi pa naman peak lasing hours ay alam ni Wonwoo na walang linya ito. Kaya’t nang makarating ay walang isip-isip niyang binuksan ang pinto na buti ay hindi naman naka-lock.
Magpapasalamat na sana siya dahil sa wakas may tumama rin sa gabi niya nang mapatigil siya dahil sa loob ng comfort room ay si Mingyu. Na nakikipaghalikan. Nakikipag-momol, if he’s being painfully accurate.
Sa totoo lang, hindi alam ni Wonwoo kung anong i-rereact. Magugulat ba siya? Mahihiya? Madidisappoint? Maiinggit? Shut up, Wonwoo. Unahin mo ang pantog mo, please.
So he chose the best course of action sa panahon na mahuli mong nakikipaghalikan ang idol mo of two years sa CR.
“Ah, sorry, can you guys take that somewhere else? I need to pee.” Nice, smooth, very pinag-isipan, Wonwoo.
Bahagyang napahiyaw sa gulat ang kasama ni Mingyu, resulting to their lips finally detaching with a loud pop. Dito na rin napalingon si Mingyu sa gawi ni Wonwoo.
With barely controlled annoyance, Mingyu said through gritted teeth, “Bro, kita mong occupied pasok ka ng pasok. ‘Di ka marunong kumatok?”
Now, Wonwoo might be enamored by Mingyu on stage, pero lahat ng adoration niya sa binata ay naglalaho na sa panahon na iyon dahil hindi pa rin siya nakakaihi.
With equal fervor but a much fuller bladder, Wonwoo retorted, “How would I know? ‘Di ka naman marunong mag-lock. Bro.”
“Aba, taran–” Wonwoo didn’t let Mingyu finish whatever he had to say. Ihing-ihi na siya, okay?
“Whatever. Pantog ko na lang ang mag-aadjust sa inyo. Nakakahiya naman,” Wonwoo said and turned to leave. ‘Dun na lang siya iihi sa katabing coffee shop, di bale nang bumili ng kape.
Habang naglalakad pabalik sa pub, ‘dun na medyo nagsink-in kay Wonwoo ang lahat.
He just saw Mingyu making out with someone inside the restroom. Scratch that, he just saw Mingyu, his favorite guitarist of two years, making out with some random person inside the very public restroom.
“Well, I guess the rumors are true. He is a fuckboy. And rude. Grabe, parang mag-drop dead ako kanina sa inis niya sa’kin. Eh siya naman ‘tong di marunong mag-lock?” Wonwoo muttered to himself.
Pagpasok ni Wonwoo sa pub ay akmang dederecho na siya sa kanyang usual spot nang may biglang humarang sa daanan niya.
Wonwoo instinctively lowered his bucket hat and was about to pull his face mask higher when he realized he forgot to put it on after applying lip balm bago pumasok. Shucks, buti wala akong nakasalubong. That could have been bad.
So he chose to talk in a lower voice instead, “Excuse me,” and purposely did not meet the stranger’s eyes. Mahirap na .
“Talagang bumalik ka pa dito, pre.” Agad namang napaangat ng tingin si Wonwoo because there stood in front of him, blocking his way, was Mingyu Kim.
For the second time that night, Wonwoo stood still. Hindi niya nanaman alam ang gagawin dahil una sa lahat, anong ginagawa ni Mingyu sa harap niya? At pangalawa, inaantay ba siya nito? My god, the grudge naman pala ‘tong si kuya .
“Oh, bakit di ka makapagsalita ngayon ha? Mang-iistorbo ka nang ganun tapos ‘di mo papangatawanan?”
At this, Wonwoo snapped. Well, snapped the Wonwoo way a.k.a still talking in monotone kahit record-breaking words per second na ang mga lumalabas sa bibig niya.
“Look, di ko alam what’s your deal. Pero clearly none of this should be my concern dahil ‘di ka marunong mag-lock. Also, can’t you keep it in your pants at least until after your set? ‘Dun ka pa talaga sa public restroom gumagawa ng kababalaghan like, yuck, do you know how much germs and bacteria that space contains?”
Wonwoo droned on and on, while Mingyu stared. Hindi niya inaasahang sasagot sa kanya ang binata, pero mas hindi niya inaasahan na sobrang pamilyar sa kanya ang mukha nito.
He racked his brain kung saan nga ba niya ito nakita. Sure siya na hindi niya ito naging kaklase o nakatrabaho at mas sure siya na hindi niya ito naging fling o kahit one night stand dahil he won’t ever forget a pretty face like that. So, saan?
And then it hit him.
Ito ata ‘yung child star, e. Kamuka niya ‘yung favorite ko sa Goin’ Bulilit dati, tiyaka yung inabangan kong MYX VJ noon. Pero imposible. Ano namang gagawin niya dito?
“Parang kilala kita,” Mingyu said, effectively (finally) shutting Wonwoo up, who was still yapping about germs and bacteria.
“That won’t work on me,” Wonwoo deadpanned, pero nahimigan ni Mingyu ang konting panginginig sa boses nito. Bingo .
“Ikaw si Wonwoo, no? ‘Yung singer?”
Wonwoo tried not to be alarmed when Mingyu successfully ID’d him, pero it was a real challenge. Napansin naman agad ni Mingyu ang nagbabadyang panic ng binata kaya agad niya itong inalo.
“Wag kang mag-alala. Your secret’s safe with me,” he tried to assure the popstar.
“Hindi nga ako si Won–” Wonwoo tried to deny his identity again, but a hand suddenly touched Mingyu’s shoulder.
“Huy, paps! Tara na, kanina pa kita hinahanap,” Seungcheol said, glancing at Wonwoo’s way kaya agad na napasuot ng face mask ang singer.
Wonwoo probably imagined it but it seemed like Mingyu stepped a little to his left, slightly hiding Wonwoo from Seungcheol’s sight.
“Tangina ka, sino na naman ‘yan?”
This made Mingyu turn around to fully face Seungcheol, effectively hiding Wonwoo from the vocalist’s view.
“Ha? ‘De wala lang, paps. ‘Ge na, set-up ka na ‘dun. Sunod na ‘ko,” Mingyu said.
“Gago, sumunod ka agad ha. Baka kung anong kalokohan nanaman gawin mo. Kupal ka pa nam—”
“Para namang tanga ‘to. Oo na, alis na, pinapahiya mo na ko kay pretty boy eh.”
Wonwoo almost choked on his saliva when he heard Mingyu’s words. Pretty boy?! Was he talking about me?! Pero kanina lang inis siya sa’kin ha?
“Mingyu, sinasabi ko sayo talaga,” huling banta ni Seungcheol bago naglakad papunta sa backstage.
Mingyu turned back to Wonwoo, isang ngiti ang naglalaro sa labi. “So, Wonwoo…”
“Not Wonwoo. Ang kulit mo.”
Lalong lumapad ang ngiti ni Mingyu. “‘Di mo ko magagaslight, beh. Crush na kaya kita sa Goin’ Bulilit pa lang.”
Nanlaki naman ang mata ni Wonwoo sa sinabi ni Mingyu. Surely he’s just saying that, right? Isa lang ‘to sa mga pick-up line niya, ‘di ba?
Mingyu took advantage of Wonwoo’s silence to say, “Panoorin mo ‘yung set namin ha.”
At this, Wonwoo rolled his eyes. “Manonood naman talaga ko even without your invite.”
Sungit. Mingyu lowly chuckled. “‘Di mo na i-dedeny na ikaw si Wonwoo? Bakit? Kasi nalaman mong crush kita?”
Wonwoo pursed his lips. Ugh, stupid. Nagpadistract ka kasi sa kanya!
“You’re so annoying! Umalis ka na nga. Wala ka bang soundcheck or something?” Wonwoo retorted weakly.
Napatawa naman nang malakas si Mingyu. Cute. “Ayos lang ‘yan. Sabi ko nga sa’yo, your secret’s safe with me. Tapusin mo ha, para sayo tugtog ko ngayong gabi, pretty boy.”
Pretty boy. Pretty boy. Pretty boy.
That night, Mingyu made true to his word. Ang gitarista na kulang na lang ay maging synonymous ang presensiya sa mga salitang “kasalanan” at “delikado” ay walang ibang tinitigan nang gabing ‘yun kundi ang quiet and gentle half of the nation’s sweethearts, Wonwoo Jeon.
Nagmamadaling umalis si Wonwoo mula sa kanyang kinauupuan as soon as Mingyu hit the last chord on his guitar. He was overwhelmed by the attention, to say the very least. Kasi naman, ikaw ba naman titigan ng idol mo magdamag nang ganun kalagkit, sinong di mabubuang ‘dun?
Wonwoo was about to reach for the door, when he felt someone gently grab his elbow, halting him in place.
“Huy, wait. Aalis ka na agad?”
“Obvious ba?” Wonwoo said with a scoff, trying to pull his elbow free.
“Ay, sungit?”
“Do you need anything from me? I need to go,” ang mga salitang minutawi ng bibig ni Wonwoo, pero Please, Mingyu, make me stay, sa kasamaang palad, ang mga salitang nag-sumigaw sa utak nito.
“Maya ka na umuwi. One bottle? Ay kaso, mukhang hindi ka umiinom eh. Sige, kape na lang.”
“Excuse me, sino naman nagsabi sa’yo na hindi ako umiinom?” Wonwoo said, offended by Mingyu’s assumptions.
“Weh? So payag ka, Red Horse?” Mingyu challenged, smiling so widely aakalain mong nanalo ng Grammy’s ang walanghiya.
“Call.”
Call it fate, destiny, invisible string, or whatever, basta ang importante ay sa pahintulot ng universe, nahanap nina Wonwoo at Mingyu ang comfort sa isa’t isa ‘nung gabi na ‘yun despite their rocky (and crazy) first meet.
That night, Mingyu and Wonwoo shared more than bottles of Red Horse. They shared stories and laughs and each other’s company.
For some reason ay napilit ni Mingyu si Wonwoo na aminin ang pagiging secret fan nito ng O2 at napilit ni Wonwoo si Mingyu na aminin na nagmamadali lagi ito umuwi ‘nung high school para maabutan si Wonwoo mag-host sa MYX daily charts .
“Grabe, I look so totoy pa ‘nung panahon na ‘yun!”
“Eh, ano naman? Pretty boy ka na talaga noon pa. Pinilit ko pa ‘yung unang mga ka-banda ko na gumawa ng audition video kasi asang-asa ko na lalabas sa MYX para sa’yo.”
“Ayan, diyan na talaga ko ‘di maniniwala sa’yo.”
“Gagi totoo nga! Sandali, ipapanood ko sa’yo yung audition video namin.”
Mingyu, determined to prove himself to Wonwoo, scrolled through his old Facebook account, looking for the specific video.
He successfully unearthed the piece of history and Wonwoo couldn’t help but laugh out loud with how young rockstar Mingyu looked when he finally played the video.
Call it fate, destiny, invisible string, or whatever, but it was like they were meant to meet that night.
It was like the stars and the planets aligned for Wonwoo and Mingyu’s paths to cross that night.
At ang isang gabi ng Miyerkules sa bar ay naging mga Miyerkules sa mga lugar na kanilang naging kanlungan, mga sikretong lugar na kanilang naging silungan, mga lugar na naging saksi sa unti-unti nilang nabuong pagmamahalan.