Hatin' Hue: A JOKEN AU

HH 19

If Han could see himself, he would mistake him for a zombie inside the court. Even their coach was starting to doubt that he could play their game in a few weeks.

His teammate, Gray, asked, "Teo, hanggang kailan ka ba magmumukmok diyan?"

Han kept playing circles, spacing out. With a mere shake of his head, Gray returned to training, giving their captain ball a pat on the shoulder. Just when Gray had left the poor Han, Silver arrived to check on him. "Hate, kumain ka na? Gamot mo?" Silver already expected that he wouldn't receive any answer, so he already tampered with his bag to see if he had taken his medicines. Sighing in relief when he saw an opened foil package of his medicine.

"Ito, tinola. Magpalakas ka kasi magkikita na uli kayo ni Cal," Silver said, opening the container lid so Han could eat. Just by stating the name of the person he loves, he was able to swiftly get Han's attention. Having known that Caleb had purposefully avoided Han throughout the previous two weeks, Silver had been waiting for this response.

"Paano? Saan? Kailan?" It was Han's first words after Caleb had left him a week after their deal.

Silver was hurting for his friend. For him, none of the things Caleb has done that Han deserves. Agreeing to be in a month-long relationship, but Caleb abruptly broke it up after just one week. It left everyone in confusion. What has Han done that made Caleb change his mind? Although it wasn't the turnabout they had all anticipated, who can say for sure what is truly going through Caleb's head? Well, not even his own brother could understand what had happened.

In response to Han's inquiries, Gold also showed up at the court and said, "I'm inviting you to their engagement dinner this weekend. I could really use a friend there."

"Bakit hindi na pumapasok si Cal? Asan siya?" It was as if Han didn't hear him. He kept asking where Caleb was.

"It's their crucial days. Malapit na ang public engagement, and you know how every other powerful family is against them, and they are still hunting kuya Caleb. Kaya tinago siya away from here," Gold responded.

"Silver, pagod na ako. Ang sakit na. Sobrang sakit na," Han suddenly mumbled, still not responding to Gold's statements.

"Hate! Anong masakit? Ulo mo? Nag-gamot ka na diba?" Silver panicked. He asked Gold, "Dalhin natin sa doctor niya, please."

Han went on, nevertheless, pointing to his chest and said, "Dito masakit... sobra."

"You're not even like this when I ended our contract," Gold was able to quip in humor, trying to calm Han down. "Ang lakas ng tama mo kay kuya."

"Ginawa mo ang lahat sa loob ng isang linggo, Hate. Pinasaya mo si Caleb ng higit pa sa deserve niya. Baka hindi lang talaga kayo para sa isa't isa. Bitaw na, bespal," Silver hesitant to say it at first because he didn't want to add to Han's feelings, but he truly wanted to lay out everything for him to let go of and return to his usual self.

"Katulad mo? Katulad niyong dalawa? Bibitawan na lang 'yong taong mahal niyo, hindi ipaglalaban?" Han's words caught them off guard. He was right, Gold and Silver both gave up on Crimson.

"Punyeta! Oo na! Ano bang plano natin diyan?" Silver asked, putting a smile on Han's face. Gold could only grin at how really brave Han is—something he was unable to accomplish, even knowing that he would be married to Crimson right away if he could only tell his father how he felt about him.

"I do have a plan," Gold chimed in. Silver was a bit doubtful of what he'd suggest since they were in love with the same person. But as Gold continues, "I'll ask dad to have me and Crimson wed instead," Silver understands his point.

"Hindi ba nilalagay mo sa panganib 'yang sarili mo?" Han, for the first time, talked to a Hue again.

Gold smiled, and he said, "No one would know it's me who would be attending the wedding. So, no one would pay close attention to me. Still, Caleb's life will be at stake until the marriage."

"It seems like a sensible strategy," Silver commented.

Gold added, "Don't worry, if it's not really me who he loves, I will let the two of you go." Silver's jaw dropped on what he heard. He wondered if this was the same Gold they had known in the past.

In a worried tone, Han said, "Sure ka bang papayag ang ama mo?"

"We'll have to give it a shot," Gold answered. He went on, "Kaya you'll have to come with me this weekend. We'll lay down our plans to Cal and Crim." He glanced at Silver and smiled, saying, "Silver, sasama ka rin."

Gradually, Han's concentration and vigor return, particularly on the court. As the days go by, Gray could determine his changes. He said, "Teo! Mukhang ready ka na sa finals ah! Para kanino ka ba maglalaro? Ba't parang nakasalalay sa kanya ang laro mo?"

He simply said, "Sa mahal ko. Sa mahal na mahal ko. Manonood kasi 'yon," with a confident smile.

To say that Han is nervous when they arrive at the site of Hue and Nase's public engagement party would be an understatement. Holding his ground while they searched for Crimson and Caleb, Han continued to breathe deeply.

With the press and guests dispersed and occupied, the scene was chaotic and he, Silver, and Gold moved in various directions to search for the two.

Han's vision gradually became fuzzy, but that didn't stop him from searching. He left the mansion and continued looking for Caleb in the garden when he happened to run across a kid.

"Kuya Han?"

"Eton? Eton!" Han greeted the kid with a hug and instantly knelt down to put himself on the same level as him. Eventually, his vision cleared up upon witnessing Eton's anxious expression. "What's wrong?"

Eton caressed Han's head, asking, "Why are you here, Kuya Han? I thought you're no longer together. Lolo told me Kuya Caleb is already engaged with Kuya Crimson."

Eton's ability to comprehend what's going on around him at his age surprises Han. Unfortunately, even at this young age, children in this league already know that falling in love is doomed to fail—all of these affluent individuals never ended up with their true love.

Eton whispered to Han, "Kuya Han, you should go now; Lolo saw you with me. Kuya Caleb's hiding there," and pointed to Caleb's location. Han moved quickly to cover his face, swooped down into the crowd, and entered Caleb's space.

"Eton, who's that?" his grandfather approached him with Mr. Hue. "I thought he looked familiar."

In an attempt to hide Han, Eton said, "I'm not sure, Lo."

However, Eton's grandfather is keen to recall the last time he saw him. The memory of their violent involvement came to him when he turned to face his compadre, Hue. He whispered, "He's Red's son."

Mr. Hue gritted his teeth and uttered an angry, "That can't be! No one's left in the Red family."

Taking Eton away from Hue, Eton's grandfather said, "I spared the kid's life. He wasn't part of the plan you told me. Oh, right, I forgot how you acted like there was no plan at all and just shed everyone's blood."

Crimson, who had just arrived to summon Mr. Hue to open the event, remarked, "Sirs, what's the meaning of this?"

Mr. Hue yelled, "Guards! Look for the outsider; bring him dead or alive!"

To be continued...

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ Author's notes:

Hello, everyone! I'm back to Han and Cal's story.

We'll hold off on posting the next chapter until this story has received 1,000 reads.

Thank you, everyone!

Stream #THEFIRSTTAKE No.449 SB19 / GENTO