Stars As Witnesses

. . .

When evening came, everyone celebrated with a huge camp fire ablaze. A sumptuous feast has been prepared, but this time, the tribeswomen were the ones who cooked.

If Jin and Andrei's assistants were present, these two CEOs will surely raise some sets of eyebrows. Being purebred noblemen, they had the pickiest taste buds, and their subordinates are well aware of this fact. But somehow, they didn't seem to have any problem with the local dishes being served on the table.

"One shot! One shot! One shot!" A group of villagers cheered as Jin downed a glass of their finest Tuba, also known as Coconut Wine.

"Wooooooh!"

These two men were still up for a challenge even after sun down. They had a draw to settle and both of them agreed to a drinking game that should conclude the winner for today's match.

Time passed. Glasses downed.

One of them dropped drunk on the table... and it was Andrei... who was held champion.

As their rivalry ended, sounds of distant drumming erupted in the open. The people pulled him towards the center, and he was forced to dance along with the festivities.

Around the blazing fire were villagers wearing beaded colors of woven garments while marching synchronized folk dances around the hearth. They all chanted songs with their voices reaching the heavens. Reaching above the clouds every time they call for blessings and bountiful harvests, as well as forgiveness.

Jin, who suffered a grave loss, laid knocked out on the table. Many people were coaxing him, offering their homes for him to rest into. They were all eager to make him comfortable but after a few minutes, he was nowhere in sight. Everyone looked around to no avail.

Did he fall under the table? Went to answer nature's call? No one knew; he disappeared without anyone knowing anything.

As the celebration and mass hysteria went on, Zeirenne found some time for herself as she visited the sea. This beautiful mountain has another secret. This time, a good one.

On the other side of its foliages, a sparkling blue sea greets the white sand beach. This is where the townspeople catch fish on small rowing boats. Because of its healthy coral reef, a wide variety of fish are available for them to catch. They always feast with a bounty.

Aside from being a source of food, this beach works as a playground as well. In daytime, children play around the sand, making sandcastles and digging for clams. In the evening though, everything becomes serene and calm.

Zeirenne sat on the sand while the people's chants echoed around this paradise. She gazed into the horizon, drowning herself in thoughts without even stepping into the water. She was having a peaceful evening until a swift hand grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her up on her feet.

"Mother of-"

"Why did you eat his steak first?" A drunk Jin greeted her with a sing-song tone. His voice resonated like a cat purring, as if he had just woken up from a slumber—bedroom voice as most people call it.

"Why did I do what?"

When Jin pouted like a cute child, Zeirenne had to cover her mouth from a gasp. She felt her hands itching from the urge to pinch his reddened checks.

"What's wrong with you--oh wait... Are you drunk?" She inched her face closer to his, before her nostrils flared from the smell of alcohol.

"You're drunk!"

Already lost in her eyes, he didn't say anything. There was only one thing in his mind, and it came with a lump on his throat that augmented from him trying to suppress himself.

Zeirenne squinted her eyes as his grip went heavy on her shoulders.

"Uhm. Hello?" She said, waving her hands in front of him, "Are you about to pass out or someth--"

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you eat that guy's food before mine?!"

The moonlight barely lit Zeirenne's features. And they were folded into a tight grimace as if she's been sucking on some lemon.

"Why did I what?"

"Why was I second? What's wrong with my dish?" He ranted.

His face was red, she was sure, with only the moon barely illuminating his features as well, and the silence overcome by his raspy voice.

"Tsk tsk. This is your first time drinking isn't it? Your audacity amazes me."

She was about to surprise him with a long list of scolding, but seeing him put a different smile on his face made her stop. Eventually he spoke....

"You're wrong, Honey. I tried drinking before... when you left... I remember trying it for the first time. I drowned myself in that terrible crap. It was fuck*d up but so was I."

The lump in his throat grew, but the alcohol in his mind pushed it down.

"W-why? Why is it that when it comes to you... I'm never the first. All the tests I took, all those answers I formulated... all the formulas written... I understood them all. Perfectly,"

His voice started breaking, but so was his heart.

"Then why is it that when it comes to you, I'm not even a finalist. Where do I stand in your long list of priorities? How long do I have to sneak myself in just to pass every other name?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. She had no idea what he was talking about. Or did she?

"Y-you're spewing nonsense now that you're drunk."

"God, Zeirenne, how can you be so dense?!"

"Dense? When di-" Before she knew it, before the stars and moon could even witness... he held her into his arms... the subtle waves drowned in their heartbeats.

"I wish you knew... how I was and how I'm still..."

A sudden buzzing in her pockets, which continued into a lively tone, drowned his following words.

Jin was barely conscious after his interrupted speech, and she had to fix both themselves up, holding him in her shoulder while taking the phone call with the other hand.

"Hello," she said on the phone, "What is it Doroth-"

Jin nudged his head on her shoulders, his nose rubbing her neck, leaning even closer to her with a tighter hold.

"Wait a second," she informed Dorothy before snooping down to make Jin sit on the sand. After taking off this "burden," she sat beside him, then again placing his head on her shoulder. He nudged his head even closer.

"What is it Dorothy?"

"I think you should see this, Miss Lin." Her phone dinged, and she checked what's been sent. It was a link to a famous news site.

This mountain, of course, didn't have any access to the internet—one of the reasons why Zeirenne decided on having a satellite phone. She's someone who always lounges on far-flung areas.

Clicking the link brought her to the site of the article. Her eyes were at their normal roundness before doubling tremendously.

"Love Triangle Between CEOs?!"

There was a picture attached, a poorly blurred image of three of them walking around the company

"First a mischievous sounding clip and now a saucy controversy? All this people are doing their best job in misleading people!" She said, with visible frustration in her voice, especially on her face.

"We already sent a helicopter there." Dorothy said on the other line.

"Okay, thank you Dorothy."

The line was cut and she surveyed the passed out Jin.

"Time to wake you up with a kiss..."

. . .