noir wong restaurant

@santaclaws.bbh.com An hour had passed since he had sat down but instead of feeling outraged, Jiyong finally seemed resigned. His fingers were no longer tapping nervously on the table. And even though he felt a pinch of guilt over being so easily defeated, he had chosen to swallow it and be done with it. His head lowered in a mindless bow to his parents as he bid his goodbye, swiftly collecting his belongings and scattered thoughts, while promising under his breath to think about the matter at hand.
It was not sooner than when he stood up to head for the exit, when Jiyong’s gaze stopped at the table where his acquaintance was previously sat. And the sight made him uncomfortable to say the least. It wasn't the case that he is a ‘macho’ or anything but a grown man weeping in the middle of a crowded restaurant could only make him scoff. Jiyong was about to continue on his way again but his steps halted for a brief moment when he noticed he wasn’t the only one aware of the situation. The couple on the table next to the young lad was spending way too much time looking, whispering. And only God knows how riled up nosy people get him. Jiyong had too much problems on his hands to care about others, he too wanted to weep badly, but maybe that was the precise reason for the wave of empathy that had washed over him all of a sudden.
In the blink of an eye, he was pulling the chair beside San, surprising himself more than anyone else. “Sorry but traffic was-… eww, man, your allergies are acting up again.” He was louder than usual and his hand movements were more than exaggerated as he shoved a napkin in the younger male’s hands. “Are you done here? The others are waiting outside.”

@yongssaem.bbh.com for months, the app had sat there. silently taunting him, a reminder that he would never be able to meet anyone because he was too to disappoint a real girl and too shy to match with a guy. it was his third year now, and the app had remained untouched, yet he had been unable to rid of it.

until, one day, around two soju bottles down, he had finally mustered up the drunken courage to make his profile. that night changed things. san sat till 4 am chatting with one of the loveliest guys he had ever talked to. he was understanding of his situation, his hesitance; they had several things in common, right from the video games they played to the cuisine their palettes preferred. this giddy feeling had been foreign, and san had desperately wanted to chase it. maybe this was his moment, the support he needed to finally push past the last barriers.

so after much debate, he had agreed to a date. nothing too fancy, a simple dinner at a moderately fine restaurant. san had made sure he was nothing less than perfect – lali's words, not his – for the night.

ten minutes before the agreed upon time, san was seated at their reserved table, butterflies haywire and rampant in his heart; hell, it was a whole damn zoo in there. one thing that provided momentary distraction, however, arrived in the form of a familiar face sitting a few tables across him. their connection was fuzzy in his mind, what with the anxiety disabling all his other normal functionalities, but san was sure he knew this man. the confirmation was a polite nod of greeting from the other. grateful for this, san returned the nod, the corner of his lips twitching into a small smile. then, the man was turning back to other inhabitants of the table, and the connection was broken.

once again, san was alone.

ten minutes past, san figured it was the traffic. twenty-five past, he chalked it up to an emergency and worry ate at his heart, hoping the other was okay. forty, hope was soon bleeding out of him.

trying to keep his head firmly out of the pessimism, san finally tapped open the app in consideration of messaging his date, asking if everything was alright or if they had to reschedule. it was then when he realized the profile no longer existed. the emptiness of his inbox glared back in the dim lights of the restaurant.

'this profile no longer exists.'

for a moment, everything around him quieted. eventually, his smartphone automatically locked the screen. the image that stared back at him through the blankness was one that spelt one thing: devastation. not long after, the realization of what this meant crashed down upon san. sudden pain erupted in his chest, accompanied by a tumultuous, gnarly sensation that suffocated him.

numb to the core, san let his head fall back against the seat as the dam finally burst. his tears imitated waterfalls as he quietly sobbed to himself, eyes squeezed shut, as he let the desolation consume him.

@santaclaws.bbh.com December usually means putting an end to certain things. Things as another final’s season; like risking little-toe-scopy by not letting summer go and insisting on wearing flip-flops, or your unconditional affection towards your parents who just don’t know when to effing stop.

Jiyong is deeply pissed about the condescending tone of the female’s voice over the phone and his stride, alike his wrath, keeps physically growing in centimeters with every step. Until the pitchy noise from the restaurant door rings like a boxing match announcement marking the end of round one and the start of round two. His slips his phone back into his pocket and with big angry steps, approaches the table where his old folks are sat. Round two it is. Or not.

There are very patient people, stupidly patient people and then there’s he. He who has all the reasons in the world to flip the table, yet is practicing some breathing techniques they taught him at anger management. He who is peacefully biting his tongue, hoping it won’t randomly snap in half and choke him as he tries his best to not swallow the blood. He who is doing everything in his power to ignore his mother’s quiet nasal voice reciting his misfortunes, while trying hard to regain the focus of his eyes and of the sea of blurred blobs scattered around the place.

Well, it looks like it worked.

As his eyes keep running around the colorful fuzziness that’s surrounding him, Jiyong’s vision acceleratingly gets clearer and clearer. And between the few couples having dinner in peace and the two groups of friends following suit but in a much louder way, he even catches a glimpse of someone familiar. Sam? Sa-? Was it San something? His brows furrow and his eyes squint for less than a moment before his face relaxes. It doesn’t really matter. It is with nothing less and nothing more than a small nod of acknowledgement that he greets his fellow student a few tables across. A loud tap on the table as his mother's not at all light hand makes a contact with it. And everything is blurry again.

@lalipop.bbh.com [ responding here for us! ]

the young lad wasn't so sure on what has gotten in his head to actually initiate hanging out with his friend, lalisa, given his reserved tendencies in terms of social gatherings. perhaps, he loved her company - no matter how stubborn she'd get in most cases. perhaps, this comfort that he's been feeling since the onset of their friendship was something he'll treasure in the long run. after all, jinyoung has yet to find that safe haven in the form of relationships. thankfully, bobohu's slowly leading him towards the path to healing through the countless people who's pushing him to get out of his comfort zone.

he arrived in lalisa's apartment building just five minutes before the promised time. the sun shone brightly, as though to signal the smooth-flowing sequence of events that the day had to offer, and it was accompanied by the cooling hug of the gentle breeze. for some reason, jinyoung was nervous. then again, it was his first time to hang out with a friend, and a girl at this rate, out of his own accord. his heart was slowly threatening to jump out of his chest as he observes his watch tick, hoping time would take it slow for the day. he then pulls his phone out and types in a message to lalisa, and as he sends his thoughts out in the open - the young lad pushes a deep, nervous sigh.

to: lalipop.bbh.com
from: syaoran.bbh.com
re: hurry up

i'm outside your building. if you're not here in five, say goodbye to your ramen.