At this moment, everyone in front of the Metthanun Mansion was left in shock, staring at a thirteen-year-old boy pointing at Kon Hin, who stood frozen in place. The boy’s loud voice echoed throughout the house, declaring he would fire him, leaving everyone helpless and unsure of what to do. They could only watch as Tinn made his decision to handle things this way.
“Why are you still standing there? Get out!”
It was enough to snap Kon Hin out of his daze.
“Khun Tinn, please, Khun Tinn, don’t fire me. I—”
“I’m not listening, not listening to anything! Get out now! I don’t want to see your face!” The willful child continued to insist firmly, refusing to heed anyone.
The workers, who wanted to step in and help, could only remain silent, fearing they might be the next targets. They had no idea whether the lady of the house would comply with her only son’s demands, especially now that the heir to a vast fortune was this very child.
“Hin, what happened?”
Suddenly, Pathapee flinched, turning toward the voice to see his mother, who had just learned of the situation, rushing to his side. She looked at the wound on his temple with extreme concern, but now was not the time to worry about injuries—it was the matter of the master. Another child stood there pointing angrily at Kon Hin.
“Khun Tinn fired me, Mother,” Kon Hin whispered, pale-faced.
“W-What did you say?” His mother’s face turned pale like her son’s as she looked at Tinn pleadingly.
"Khun Tinn, Khun Tinn, you cannot do this. Khun Tinn, you cannot fire Hin."
“Why not? I am the owner of this house!”
"We, we have worked here for over ten years now. Myself, my husband, and even Hin have all been working in this house for over ten years. Khun Tinn, please have mercy on us. Do not fire Hin. You can deduct our salaries if you want, but please do not do this."
Pathapee gripped his mother’s arm tightly. He wanted to plead, to take full responsibility himself, but the boy’s eyes revealed he would not listen. Moreover, he was too dazed to come up with the right words. The mother’s plea, however, made Tinn evilly give a cold mean smile.
"Then leave, both of you."
Those words caused Kon Hin’s eyes to widen. He stepped in front of his mother, shaking his head vehemently in shock.
"Khun Tinn! My mother has nothing to do with this. She has absolutely nothing to do with it!"
Kon Hin’s entire family had worked under this roof for over ten years. He did not want to be the reason his parents lost their jobs, and that thought made him take a deep breath.
"Khun Tinn, you want me to leave, right?"
"Yes!"
"If I leave, please do not fire my mother."
"Hin!!!"
The mother cried out loudly, gripping her son’s arm tightly. She knew well that if her son left this place, he would have nowhere else to go. The whole family worked here, slept here, earned their wages here, and ate here. They had no relatives to turn to. The only person who had helped them secure this work was Khun Trai. If Kon Hin were to leave, where would he go?
“Mother, I will be fine,” the young man said, squeezing his mother’s hand a bit tighter. He did not want to risk the whole family being dismissed. At the very least, if he left, he could wait for Khun Tinn to cool down and apologize later. In the worst case, he would try to endure until the end of this term and find a dormitory for the next.
These thoughts did not improve his expression in the slightest.
He worried about Khun Tul. He was uncertain if Khun Tul would help him, as he was nothing more than another worker in the house.
The young man gritted his teeth at the thought, but there was nothing he could do now. The younger Khun-chai was furious, and he had learned to never stand in the way.
“Good, then leave now!” Tinn smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes,” Kon Hin lowered his head and complied.
“Hin, no, my son. Wait for Khun Trai, wait for Khun Trai to return first,” his mother pleaded, tugging at his hand.
But Kon Hin removed his mother’s grip, looking her in the eye and shaking his head, silently begging her to stop resisting. If they continued, Khun Tinn might turn on her or his father as well.
“I will go pack my things.”
“No one is being dismissed from this house!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out, causing Tinn to whip his head around in irritation at the interruption. If anyone thought it would be the kind-hearted eldest son, they were sorely mistaken. The one stepping forward to make this bold declaration was not Trai, nor Tul, but...
“Mother!”
Indeed, the lady of the house strode out quickly the moment someone reported what was happening. Her sharp gaze swept over the mother and son, for whom she already held little fondness. She resented how her husband favored them, particularly the boy, who was treated nearly as a family member and supported like one of their own. Yet, she had no intention of undermining this by dismissing the two of them.
“No one will be dismissed.”
Rasa’s voice was even firmer now, but her son refused to listen.
“I will have them leave—both of them! This house belongs to me! I’ll do whatever I want!” Tinn shouted at his mother, whom he never obeyed, in a tone that only fueled her displeasure. Her fists clenched as she observed her son’s arrogant, defiant attitude.
“I am giving you an order, Tinn!”
“All of this is mine, and I’ll do as I please!” Tinn yelled back in her face.
“This is going too far!”
Rasa’s anger reached an unprecedented peak. While she had felt pride in her only son inheriting nearly all the family’s wealth, she felt no pride in him shouting disrespectfully at his own mother, who had always worked to protect his interests.
“It can go too far if it must! But I won’t listen to you—not ever!”
“Tinn!!!”
The boy, fearless and unruly, was ready to turn his wrath on his own mother. This was a grave misstep, for it solidified her resolve. What she had hesitated about earlier—whether to send Tinn back abroad—became clear. She now knew precisely how to decide her son’s fate.
“I’m sending you back to school abroad.”
The sentence caused the listener to widen their eyes before yelling out loudly:
"I’m not going! I’ll stay here! I’m not going anywhere, do you hear me!?"
"This is an order! I will have you sent back as quickly as possible. Don’t cause me any more disgrace and embarrassment!" The real mother didn’t even think of softening her approach, wanting to show that she was the one in charge.
With the boy though, who had been indulged until he developed a nasty disposition, it was like pouring oil on a fire.
"Go die!!!"
"Tinn! How dare you speak to your mother like that, Tinn!!!" The loud screams of the lady of the house echoed throughout the place.
Despite the loud scolding following behind, the boy didn’t even think to turn around. His legs carried him quickly back up to his room, followed by the loud crashing sounds indicating he was smashing things in a fit of rage.
After Tinn had stormed up to his room in a rage, Rasa remained standing with her trembling fists clenched tightly at her sides. She wanted to march straight to her son and deal with him, but due to other matters she had to attend to, Rasa turned back to look at the two servants waiting for her judgment.
"If you expel that boy, people will think he was harmed. Then if you send him away, others will think he was physically abused, and you didn’t show any mercy, hurting him even more. It’s not just the household staff who will lose respect for you. If someone outside hears about it, you’ll only end up worse off."
Before coming down after the report from the person who ran to find her, the stepchild had said this to her. And yes, if she kicked them both out, she would become a heartless monster in everyone’s eyes. If it got to the point where they were so angry they told the press, she’d only have herself to blame, especially with that kitchen woman who knew everything that went on in this house.
The conclusion that emerged from her thoughts was brief.
"Go back to work now. No one needs to go anywhere."
That said, the one who had no idea she was just a puppet for her stepchild turned and entered the house to call her husband and report what had happened.
Meanwhile, no one knew that a man was standing behind the door, watching everything unfold with an expression of indifference. The man... who was orchestrating everything in this house.
Everyone here was just a puppet for Tul. All Metthanun moved according to his desires, and right now, he wanted to get his real younger brother as far out of his sight as possible.
~~~
"Kon Hin, my dear, my dear come here."
"Mom, Kon Hin is fine now."
"How can he be fine with a head injury like this?"
"It's just a small wound, Mom."
In Pathapee's private room, the mother stood beside the bed, looking at the temple where the gauze was placed with an expression full of both pity and shared pain. She wanted to reach out and rub it but was afraid it would hurt her son. Eventually, her son was the one who reached out to grab her hand, squeezing it gently and trying to give her a smile, even though it was forced, to reassure his mother.
Right now, Kon Hin had a headache so intense he was nearly losing his mind, and his heart was racing as though he had been exercising nonstop, because Tinn's voice was still echoing in his head.
He almost got fired.
That thought scared him more than needing to get stitches again, and it showed through the trembling of his hand, causing his mother to grip it tighter.
"Kon Hin, don't be angry with Tinn. He's still young, he doesn't understand what he's done."
"I know, Mom. I'm not angry. I know very well that everyone here has been kind to our family. I wouldn't dare be angry with my employer. I just... got a bit shocked, I guess. I thought I wouldn't have a place to sleep anymore." Kon Hin couldn't smile, but he knew what his mother was worried about.
Hin had been taught by both his father and mother since he was young that he had a duty to take care of the people in this house. They were the ones who had shown him kindness, and he had always held onto that teaching.
No, he wasn't following their orders. He was doing what he wanted to do, to serve and care for Khun Tul.
"I'm relieved, I thought you were really going to be kicked out. Tinn does have the right to do that, though..."
"Tinn has no right to do that, Auntie Klin."
"Khun Tul!"
At that moment, the door to the room, which had been slightly ajar, was pushed open by someone. The deep, strong voice made the head of the kitchen turn to look in alarm, almost sighing with relief when she saw that it was the kind one. Tul immediately gave a smile, apologizing for coming in unexpectedly.
"It's me, Auntie. I'm sorry on behalf of Tinn."
"It's fine, really," she quickly reassured him to make him feel at ease, but Tul continued, his sharp gaze flicking to the injury on his close associate's temple, who refused to meet his eyes.
"Auntie, don't worry. No one can kick you or Kon Hin out of this house."
"What do you mean by that?" Klin asked, surprised.
Tul smiled and walked closer, placing a hand on Kon Hin's stiffened shoulder.
"Tinn may inherit from Khun Yaa, but Tinn has no rights to this house. The old house, maybe, but this house is in Father's name. Tinn has no say in matters here. Besides, Dad would never kick Auntie's family out... and neither would I."
Tul squeezed the shoulder of the person sitting silently, then smiled at the only elder in the room.
"As for me... I won't let Kon Hin go anywhere either."
Thud!
Kon Hin froze, feeling the chains binding his arms and legs, almost preventing him from moving. Even though this man had shackled him, why did he feel so good about it? The tighter the large hand squeezed his shoulder, the more his heart leapt with joy at these restraints.
At least Khun Tul wanted him.
Meanwhile, the head of the kitchen smiled with relief.
"Thank you, Khun Tul. Thank you for being like Khun Trai. I truly appreciate your kindness to our family. We promise to work as hard as we can and serve Khun Tul's family without ever leaving." The head of the kitchen spoke with heartfelt gratitude, glad that the other person was like a father. If he had been like a stepmother, her family would have been in trouble.
Tul laughed, reaching out to hold the hand of the person who had cared for him since childhood.
"Don't say that, Auntie. You're part of my family. Don't worry," he said, before adding something else.
"If anything happens, I'll take care of Kon Hin. I heard they were asking for a good cook in the kitchen."
Tul winked playfully, and the teary-eyed person immediately nodded in agreement.
Fidgeting noises.
"Then Auntie will go to work first... Kon Hin, if you can't take it, just lie down, okay? I'll wake you up to take your medicine."
"Yes, Mother."
Once the figure of the head cook had left, only the two of them remained in the narrow room. It was then that Tul walked over to close the door.
Click.
He then quickly locked it, and Kon Hin froze, waiting for the emotional storm that he feared would soon overwhelm him. He had no idea whether what was happening was in line with what his Chao-nai wanted. If not, it was he himself who would be in trouble. With the dizziness from the medicine, he knew he couldn't handle what was coming.
"That thing threw a glass at you, right?" Tul walked over to stand beside him and lifted Kon Hin's chin to clearly examine the wound.
"It was just a coincidence that I got hit."
"Are you telling me you’re so feather-headed that you stuck your head out to let him throw a glass at you?!!!" Tul snapped in a whispering tone that made the listener instinctively avert their gaze in fear.
But after a brief moment, Kon Hin lifted his face to meet his eyes again, gritting his teeth to swallow the truth, and accepted the words.
"Yes, I’m feather-headed."
Even if Khun Tinn hated him, Kon Hin didn't hate that child. Therefore, he would not say anything that would cause Khun Tinn distress. This made the older brother clench his fist tightly, dissatisfied with the answer, until Kon Hin closed his eyes.
He braced for the pain that would soon hit his body, but...
What he never expected to happen occurred.
"Khun Tul!" The young man opened his eyes and found that the other had neither punched him nor grabbed his collar, but instead... embraced him.
Tul wrapped his arms around Kon Hin, holding him tightly. His sharp face rested on the broad shoulder, and if he wasn’t imagining things, his Chao-nai’s hands… short… The two hands gripping the back of his student shirt were short enough to be felt.
“What did he do to you now? Where else did he hurt you?”
Suddenly, an unbelievable question rang out, and Kon Hin didn’t even have time to react. He could only widen his eyes, seeing only the back of the person holding him. The person who whispered with a heavy voice.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, not anyone!!!”
The words… shook Kon Hin’s heart, making it waver and crumble to pieces.
The care from the man in front of him was being passed to him, making his chest feel warm, to the point it was almost frightening. His eyes could only lower in an attempt to suppress the joy, but he couldn’t stop it. And that made his two hands slowly tighten around his Chao-nai’s shirt at the back. He whispered back softly.
“I’m fine, Khun Tul.”
“How can you be fine? You’ve got a head injury, you damn rock!” Even though the other spoke with gritted teeth, Kon Hin could clearly sense the concern. And unless he was fooling himself, this wasn’t an act. Khun Tul really did care about him.
Grab.
The more he thought about it, the tighter his hands gripped the half-Thai young man’s shirt, and then he rested his face against the head placed on his lap once again.
“I’m not hurt, really.”
Kon Hin had encountered pain greater than this countless times, both physical and emotional.
Yet, strangely, when the other person showed concern, the wounds that had been throbbing and the headache that almost drove him mad seemed to ease, as if the care from the other was the most effective painkiller.
"Don’t let anyone make you hurt again, you damn rock."
Even though his voice was firm, the large man tightened his embrace around the person just as large, holding him so tightly that the warmth of his skin could be felt, as if it were soothing the fire in his heart, putting out the flames that had been burning everything.
From the moment Tul knew that his own flesh-and-blood brother had hurt the other person, his heart burned with rage. He was so angry that he couldn’t believe how much anger he could feel. Despite having hurt Hin countless times himself, when someone else reached out and harmed him, something that had been lying dormant in his heart suddenly awakened, unexpectedly.
This feeling was a wicked beast that had been hidden in his heart all along.
No one can touch him. No matter who they are, no one can touch Hin, just like they can't touch him!
Tul didn’t know what this feeling was. It might be just possessiveness, like a child protecting a toy, or maybe something more. But he didn’t care. As long as Hin stayed by his side and didn’t go anywhere, not driven out of this house like some damn child wanted, he would feel at ease.
“I’m really fine, Khun Tul,” Kon Hin reassured and comforted. And this made Tul say one sentence.
“I won’t let this go.”
Kon Hin froze immediately at the deep, strong voice whispered in his ear, because this tone was one Khun Tul had never used with anyone, except for the late Khun-than.
A bad omen surged through his heart.
“Khun Tul, I’m fine. Really fine. It’s just a few stitches.”
"..."
The close confidant tried to intervene on Tinn’s behalf, wanting to push away and meet the master's gaze, but Tul only tightened his hold around him, much like a snake constricting its prey, refusing to accept any words, because he firmly insisted...
“No matter how much he hurt you, he has to hurt more.”
No matter how anxious I am, he must be even more anxious!
Tul thought bitterly, especially when that damn child tried to kick his people out of this house. That child had no right to interfere with Kon Hin. Whether he stayed or left, Tul would be the one to decide, and he... would never allow Kon Hin to leave!
The mixed-heritage young man nearly took matters into his own hands, but because he tried to restrain himself to the best of his ability and chose to use his stepmother as leverage, taking action himself would only make things worse. He might both love and hate his only brother, but he wasn’t ready to break with him just yet.
Tul could order Tinn to stop shouting, but he knew that the child would carry that grudge, and, most likely, take it out on Kon Hin. If he wanted to ensure a future under the same roof, sharing the same family name and bloodline, he had to remain calm. Only then could he... deal with it later.
The tall figure slowly pulled away from his confidant to look down at the temple, where even though there was no visible wound, he knew it was there. He reached out to touch it.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, Khun Tul.”
“You’re lying.” Tul spoke in the gentlest tone possible.
Kon Hin never expected to encounter such tenderness. Though he was in pain, the gentle touch that brushed against him kept him still, whispering the name of the other person almost unconsciously, gazing into the beautiful eyes that were gleaming, shimmering with golden specks that he couldn't tear his eyes away from.
The gaze, like that of a god of war ready to spill blood, but deep within, still contained a tenderness that he never expected to receive.
He hastily stammered out: "I'm really not hurt."
"I shouldn't have let that fucking kid go with you."
Kon Hin shook his head again and affirmed, "I'm fine. Phii Tul, it's just..."
"I don't want to hear his name!"
Immediately, the deep, strong voice interrupted, leaving Kon Hin speechless, staring at the man who was angry at his own younger brother to the point of not wanting to hear his name.
However, Kon Hin didn't want it to be like this. Though he was hurt, he didn’t wish for his Chao-nai to lose the only family he had left.
"He's still young, he didn't mean it."
"What kind of kid wrecks someone else's shop and causes a scene like this... You don’t need to say anything more." Tul growled before softening his voice when he saw Kon Hin’s distressed face.
"Do you need to take any medicine?"
"I have medicine after meals, Phii."
Although he wanted to argue again about the same matter, the sharp, gleaming eyes clearly indicated that Phii Tul didn’t want to discuss it further. So, Kon Hin reluctantly answered and glanced at the medicine bag placed on the table next to the bed. This caused his Khun-chai to look down at the clock, which indicated it wasn’t dinner time yet.
"Then you should sleep."
Kon Hin thought his Chao-nai would let him sleep and then leave, but...
Tul instead sat down leaning against the bedpost in a manner that indicated he was settling in to stay. Kon Hin hesitated, unsure whether to sleep.
"Go to sleep." Tul ordered, patting the mattress, causing Kon Hin to lie down on the pillow uncertainly. His unease grew when a large hand was placed gently on his head and stroked it lightly.
"Sleep. When it’s time to set the table for dinner, I’ll wake you."
Kon Hin looked up, asking confusedly,
"Phii Tul, are you staying here?"
"Yeah!"
"But..."
"If you still have the energy to talk, do you want me to knock you out instead?"
Pathapee immediately fell silent. Although he wanted to argue that there was no air conditioning, no amenities, and nothing at all here, he didn’t want to risk provoking the other man. Phii Tul had always been one to take things seriously, and his body wasn’t ready for anything too demanding. He could only close his eyes, feeling the large hand gently stroke his forehead.
"Phii Tul."
"What?"
"Thank you for worrying about me."
"Go to sleep." Tul ordered in an annoyed tone, but the large hand that didn’t stop stroking his head caused Kon Hin to drift closer to sleep.
"In the past, you used to stroke my head like this, whenever I was scared or sad. Only you were the one who stroked my head."
Amidst the haze of his consciousness, Kon Hin heard his Chao-nai speaking to himself, which made him recall the times from his childhood when he had been the one to comfort his Chao-nai to sleep after receiving the harsh punishment from Khun Than. No, even now, he was still the one calming Phii Tul to sleep. But he never thought there would be a day when Phii Tul would be the one comforting him.
The one who touched the wound so gently, and if he wasn’t imagining things… it trembled.
Phii Tul, what are you afraid of? Is there something you’re still afraid of?
Amidst the blurred haze of his mind, he heard a terrifying growl.
“You’re not going anywhere. The one who has to go is him, and I’ll make sure he never comes back into my sight again!”
Phii Tul, please don’t do that. Please don’t do that.
Kon Hin didn’t know what Phii Tul would do next. He just hoped it wouldn’t be a situation where someone would come back to hurt Phii Tul.
Kon Hin thought this one last time before he fell into a deep, tired sleep.
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