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Perspective - Third Person
Some people often don't realize they've lost something important until it's already gone.
This saying holds true across all eras, and now someone is asking themselves over and over if the decision they made was really the right one.
During lunchtime, the central cafeteria fills up with students and staff coming to recharge, and likewise, Kirakorn, who had just finished his morning classes, was one of them, walking with a large group of friends... before slumping down at the table.
"Go ahead and buy something, you lot, I'll hold the table."
"Flood!"
"Volcano eruption!"
"Lava outbreak!"
"Snowstorm incoming!"
"The dean's car broke down!"
"Wait, what the hell was that last one? Everyone else is calling out natural disasters, and you say the dean's car broke down?"
"Well, I couldn't think fast enough. You guys played so fast that you startled me. There's been flooding, and volcanoes have erupted. What's left for me to play with? I'm lucky I could even come up with something. But what the hell is Ai'Khaen doing? Suddenly acting all nice and sitting there guarding the table."
At this moment, his friends from the same faculty all look down at the pale football player, who looks like a banana stalk (not sure how he manages to play football on the field every day). He's sitting there looking completely dejected, and not even responding to anyone's jokes.
Meanwhile, the one hugging the bag sitting at the table just says,
"I'm not hungry. I just took some deworming medicine."
"Deworming medicine?" The friends are confused. The one with the large worm in his stomach just waves his hand. There's no joking around, no playful banter—just his head down on the table, mumbling,
"I can't eat. I'm not hungry."
"If you're sick, go see a doctor," the friends say with concern, but Ai'Khaen just shakes his head. He picks up his phone from his bag and sees that the screen is still blank. No one has messaged him for a week.
"Forget Ai'Khaen. I'm hungry now." After comforting him, there's no response from him. Each person goes off to find their desired lunch, leaving Ai'Khaen to sigh again as he lightly taps the screen.
"We're not even dating, so why can't I eat or sleep? Ugh." The Pheuak Monkey sighs again, even though usually if he feels uneasy about someone or has an argument with someone, he just calls to clear things up, confronts them, or talks it out. However, when he remembers stepping out of the Porsche and the driver's expression, he can't speak.
Did I hurt him? Why do I feel so bad about this? Khaen sighs again, slumping over the table.
Smack!
“Ahh!” Khaen jolts upright, barely in time, as someone smacks him squarely on the back. Looking up, he sees a friend from another faculty pulling a chair to sit across from him, smiling mischievously.
“Ai Khaen, do you want to know what Ai Ae looks like when he blushes?”
“Hmph, Ai Ae blushing? Ai Ae? Pfft, no way. I’ve only ever seen him make two kinds of faces: a stern one and a fierce one. Ai Pond, that guy doesn’t blush.” Confident in his assertion, Khaen dismisses the idea of his cool-headed friend showing shyness.
Pond counters. "You don’t understand. Ai Ae rarely makes other expressions. When he blushes, it becomes a rare item. Interested?"
The listener pauses for a moment before nodding.
Going to see something unusual seems better than sitting here sulking.
~~~
Meanwhile, someone who has just separated from his romantic partner and come to class is sitting anxiously, unable to focus on the lecturer. The person sitting next to him turns to ask softly, “What’s wrong?”, prompting Pitchaya to shake his head, even though he looks more excited and nervous than usual, causing the observer to furrow his brows.
“Nothing. I’m just waiting for the right time.”
“Waiting for what time?”
“This afternoon, I’m sending something to Ai Ae.” Tinn pauses briefly before speaking in a flat tone.
“You’re sending that love thing, right?”
“Tinn knows about it?” The polite one asks immediately, while the man beside him responds with a tone of irritation.
“I saw it the other day. Loud and chaotic, with people dancing like crazy, blocking the walkway, shouting about sending some kind of love.”
“Why don’t you send something to Khaen?”
Thud.
“Ridiculous!” While Pete thinks his friend might show some amusing reaction, it has the opposite effect when Tinn responds sharply and adds further...
"Don't spend your time thinking that others will act absurdly all day like you. Take that time to do something beneficial for yourself instead."
At this, even Pete immediately stops smiling, not daring to say a word when he sees his friend's expressionless face, along with a tone he hasn't heard in a long time that returns again.
Tinn must be arguing with Khaen... right?
~~~
In the large half-circular lecture hall, the students are hurriedly taking notes as the teacher emphasizes, as no one wants to stay until the end of the class. The reason everyone doesn't take out their phones to take pictures is that they have already been scolded for being rude.
Sometimes, mobile phones and slides in front of the class, which the teacher controls... don't get along.
"Alright, that's it for today, students." As soon as the teacher dismisses them, chaos erupts. Those with bags shove their belongings inside, while those who come to class empty-handed, without pens or books, swiftly float out. Similarly, in one corner of the sloped room, Inthach, who is sweeping everything into his backpack, stands up quickly.
"Are you going to the football field?"
"Yeah, the match is close," a friend from another department turns to ask, and he nods in response.
"Hey, don't go yet. What about the term report? What are we going to do? The girls are rushing us because we need to start already."
Because everyone in the first year has to take classes together, the classroom for the general subject is well divided, with one room containing students from all faculties. Additionally, the group list for the report must include members from different fields of study to get to know each other. Thus, the person who wants to throw all the work away sighs when receiving a large stack of documents to look over.
"The environmental group says they will make a questionnaire, so they brought it for the group to see if it's okay. If it is, they'll need to distribute it to their own faculty." Ae nods in agreement. Actually, whatever they want to do is fine. They just need to throw the work at him.
Therefore, while the short guy is paying attention to his friends in the group, he doesn't notice that around ten students are gradually coming to stand on the raised floor in front of the classroom.
"Those pharmacy students," a faint voice drifts into his ears, but Ae still doesn't pay attention because he wants to hurry up and talk and leave. He doesn't even turn to look at the front of the room, even though the students who are about to go home stand still, wondering who the lucky person will be today.
"We're here to send love!!!"
Hmm.
The loud shout that doesn't need a microphone comes from the front of the room, causing Ae to turn and look. Upon seeing it's an activity he has often encountered lately, he still doesn't care until—
"Ae EG, where are you? Someone sent love for you! Ae EG!!!"
"Hey!!!"
The owner of the name Ae immediately shouts up, but he thinks it's not him, as there's a girl named Ae in the faculty, and she's in the same section. She then stands up and walks to the front of the stage, clearly embarrassed about who sent what, and her gaze looks straight at the striking red rose in the embrace of a girl at the front of the room.
"Um, I'll take a look at this later. If there's anything, I'll email you," Ae says, turning back to talk to his friend, making as if to grab his bag and leave the room if it weren't for...
"Ae EG, who is 167 cm tall and is on the university football team!!!"
That's me!
"I'm here, I'm here!" It's not the one who is 167 cm tall, but a friend talking with him who raises his hand instead, pointing at the short guy, who is frozen and wide-eyed.
"Hey, me?" Ae asks in confusion, but his legs move to the front of the room because the other person is glaring at him, wondering when he will come out. Once he stands in front of the classroom, the football player starts to feel... embarrassed.
At this moment, Ae stands in the midst of a circle of male and female friends from different faculties, along with the gazes of several hundred classmates staring at him as one, making him feel awkward. He can only raise his hand to scratch his ear and asks uncertainly.
"Is it really the right person?"
"It's definitely you, Ae! Here, we have a picture. Alright, alright, ahem..." The one who seems to be leading the group clears his throat slightly before shouting amidst the commotion.
"Ae EG, someone has sent love for you!"
"One, two, three!"
"It must be a love that changes the meaning of life; it sounds so meaningful~"
Once the person signals the count from one to three, everyone standing around starts singing in unison. Although they feel a bit shy about doing something like this, since it's PY Pro, no matter how embarrassed they are, they still do it, as long as they get a request.
Meanwhile, the listener... is frozen, not knowing what to do.
Ai'Pete!
That's the only name echoing in his head as the off-key music continues playing, having been poorly practiced. But the song, which seems to be lovely yet isn't, only makes the listener... feel increasingly flushed.
"Ae EG, someone has sent love for you."
"What are you doing?" Ae can only mumble, covering his face with one hand, feeling hot all over—his face, his back—because of all the eyes watching him. Bloody hell, he sees someone lifting a camera to take pictures too.
"...that I'll give you until you accept.
I'll confess my love until you finally agree.
You are my happiness."
"If you don't accept it, I'll be ready to start over again as many times as it takes.
If, in the end, you still don't change your mind…
That's fine. My heart still won't give in.
If you're waiting for me to stop loving you,
You'll have to wait until the world stops turning first~"
I'm going to die of embarrassment.
That is the thought of the straightforward young man, who listens to the sweet love song without daring to meet anyone's gaze. Sure enough, his dark skin starts to flush as he realizes who... has sent him this beautiful love song.
No wonder Pete kept asking over and over last night if I was going to class.
"Oohhh!" The song ends, but a loud cheer immediately echoes through the room. The man standing there, stiff and unsure of what to do, has never been stared at this much before and doesn't dare make eye contact with anyone.
Then, the one leading the song… pulls out a piece of paper.
"Someone sent this to say to Ae EG: It's not just that the university is wide, so the person beside you becomes meaningful, but because..." The speaker paused for a moment, causing the short guy to look up in curiosity about what the next part of the message would say. The reader, too, is blushing, seemingly embarrassed on their behalf.
"Our world is vast, so the person beside you becomes even more meaningful... Good luck with the upcoming university sports competition! I'm cheering for you!!!"
"Whoooaaa! Who was it? Who sent this to Ae?" A voice rang out loudly from one of Ae's engineering friends, and others joined in with their reactions.
"Hey, Ae's finally off the market! When did this happen? Why didn't we know?"
"Look at that huge bouquet of roses! Even as a girl, no one's ever given me anything like that, and he's a guy!"
"Oh, I'm so jealous!"
Many voices echo from behind, but Ae doesn't dare turn around. He can only maintain a tough expression as he accepts the large bouquet of red roses in one hand, while in the other, he holds a clear white balloon with a red heart-shaped balloon inside.
"Thank you."
"We're here doing our job, and we're even jealous! This is the first time someone's sent such a huge bouquet of roses. And it's just the first day!" says one of the women, causing Ae, holding the oversized bouquet, to force a smile in response. Meanwhile, the cheers, especially from his engineering friends, still don't stop. They're all asking who sent the flowers.
"Hey, Ae! Who was it?"
"Who's secretly in love with you? What girl? We didn't even know!"
"None of your business," Ae brushes them off as he quickly grabs his backpack and tries to make a run for it. He doesn't want to be questioned any further, but as soon as he turns around...
"Come on, smile for us, you lucky guy!"
"You bloody fucking cur, Pond!" Ae finds his close friend holding a video camera right in his face. When he reaches out to snatch it away though, Pond dodges skillfully.
"Don't be shy! Oh man, I can't stop laughing! Your face is red all the way to your ears, Ae! You're blushing so hard, it's like you're turning black!"
"Fucking shit-lizard, Pond! Stop filming!"
"No way, dude! The person who sent this says they want to see Ae EG blush, so I skipped class just to be your cameraman," Pond yells gleefully, dodging left and right to keep his friend from grabbing the camera. The others who come with him rush in to stand beside him.
"Ae, you're so lucky! You've got a partner who really goes all out!"
"What? Ae has a romantic partner?" The friends nearby turn their heads in interest, making Khaen abruptly cover his mouth. He looks left and right, unsure of what to do. He's feeling both embarrassed and amused, so the words slip out. But someone sharp-witted is also here—Pond jumps in and adds...
"It's a fan, man! Probably a fan of that short football player. Haha! My friend's got more charm than I thought!" The one who spread the word about the event, organized the gift delivery, and is now filming everything says this with obvious delight. If it weren't for his friend (and the fun), he wouldn't have gone this far.
But then, just as everyone's attention is on Ae, a phone rings, and he quickly grabs it. However... he doesn't answer.
"What's the matter? Not answering, Ae?"
"Who's calling you, Ae?" His friends from the same faculty still won't let up, even though students from other faculties are already losing interest and leaving the room. Ae can only glare at them, but with his face and ears flushed red, his glare doesn't look intimidating at all.
"Well? What's the matter?"
"Aww, there he goes! Acting tough to hide his embarrassment, folks!" The three S-club guys keep doing their job well, prompting Ae to flip them off, even though his voice, when he finally speaks into the phone, is soft and pleasant.
"It's you, isn't it?"
"Yes, did you get it, Ae? Do you like it? I chose it carefully. Did you blush? Did Pond record it?"
"You did this just to make me blush," Inthach's voice is calm, though he keeps a straight face. His friends are still gathered around, unwilling to leave, while the other side of the line responds eagerly.
"Yes. Did you blush, Ae? I'm even embarrassed giving it to you."
"I didn't blush."
"You’re red all the way down to your neck. Not shy at all, are you? Not shy in the least.”
“Bloody fucking cur! Can you stop meddling while I’m trying to talk?” Ae snaps at his friend, but instead of an apology, he hears laughter from the other end of the line.
It seems the person giving the surprise is in a better mood than the receiver. Then, in a soft, pleasant voice, he hears:
"So, did you smile? Were you happy with my surprise?"
Ae falls silent, glancing briefly at the nosy spectators around him before saying plainly, “Wait at the faculty. I’ll come find you.” He quickly ends the call, grabs the items he received, and strides out of the room without giving the nosy ones a chance to react. Pond doesn’t follow but shouts instead:
“I know you hate talking so much, so I’ll handle spreading the clip myself!”
“Ai Ae, there’s practice this evening! Don’t wear yourself out beforehand!” Khaen teases loudly, but the short guy marches out without speaking to anyone.
The room erupts into gleeful laughter as they witness something extraordinary—Inthach blushing so hard he practically sprints away.
“Ai Ae is kind of cute, isn’t he?”
“Once in a while. Most of the time, you wouldn’t dream of using the word ‘cute’ to describe him, Khaen.”
“True enough.”
This whole event seems to put Khaen in a better mood, teaching him something valuable.
Sometimes, love isn’t just about picking fights or feeling jealous—it’s also about those moments of happiness that make people willingly fall into its depths.
~~~
“Nong Pete, oh my! No matter how many times I look at you, you’re stunning, flawless! Who was so diligent in making you this handsome?”
“Who else? His parents, obviously. Don’t act like you think he was born from a bamboo stalk.”
“Shut your mouth, please, darling!”
While Pitchaya sits under the faculty building, waiting for his partner to arrive, his close senior—just out of class—appears behind him, squealing in a distinctive greeting before plopping down next to him, leaning in with an overly familiar manner. Pete, used to this, simply smiles.
“Phii Money is as beautiful as ever.”
“Oh, you cheeky boy! Who taught you to be so sweet-tongued?”
“I’m just speaking the truth, Phi.”
“Good Lord! Did you all hear that? Nong Pete referred to himself as ‘Pete’ just now! My heart can’t take it—it’s fluttering, trembling all over!” Manophop exclaims, pressing their hands to their cheeks like a bashful girl. The gang accompanying them glares in response.
“Nong Pete, don’t lie and make that buffalo Kathoey happy.”
“You wretch!” Manophop snaps, standing up with hands on their hips, while the Kathoey friend who commented rolls her eyes.
“Go back to your level in the hell of Chanee, darling! Talking to you makes me itch!”
“Fine, are you staying here? I’ll leave, then.”
“Go ahead. I’ll go back with my man,” Manophop says smugly, drawing head shakes from their friends as they disperse. They, however, sit back down, looking at the handsome junior, who smiles at them.
“Does this mean I’m Phii Money’s man now?”
“Referring to himself as Pete again, impressive!” When the junior reverts to referring to himself the same way, a request immediately follows, making "Nong Pete" smile in response.
“And you haven’t left yet, Nong Pete?”
“I’m waiting for my friends.”
“Then I’ll wait with you,” Manophop replies, fluttering their eyelashes and linking arms with the handsome junior, prompting Pete to laugh before suggesting they head to the dorm together.
“Ai Pete!”
“Here comes the destroyer of happiness,” someone’s greeting cuts in, making Manophop mumble under his breath while Pete turns to ask for clarification.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, just wondering if you're still with that short and stout guy—oh no, what’s this, an eternal bouquet?” But upon looking up and seeing the large bouquet of roses cradled in the football player’s arms, Manophop’s eyes widen as they shift toward the heart-shaped balloons.
“Don’t tell me someone short like that got a sponsorship deal too!”
“Oh, does Phii Manophop know him?”
“Goodness, how could I not? I’ve been here three years, and I know tons of Thai studies students. The fresh-faced young girls are particularly notorious. They chat as if they've been proposed to just by meeting someone. But I can’t believe your foul-mouthed friend managed to snag this! And such a grand bouquet too—something I’ve never received. How lucky can someone be! Honestly, tell me, did you use some love potion on him for this?” At the end, Manophop turns to Ae, who simply responds,
“Can you scoot over a bit, Phii? You’re crowding Ai Pete so much he might fall off his chair.”
“Are you calling me fat?”
“Did I say that? Just stop crowding Ai Pete already!” Inthach’s voice becomes firmer, causing the listener to scrunch their nose but release their grip without protest.
“With a mouth like that, how did you manage to find someone who adores you?” At first, Pete found it difficult to watch his partner and his close senior bicker every time they met, but now he finds it amusing. Seeing them squabble repeatedly, he realizes...they seem close.
“Maybe by insulting people like you when you’re not around, Phii.”
“Haha, alright, alright. So, Ae, aren’t you heading to practice?” Pete interjects before the argument escalates.
The football player moves to sit beside Pete, holding the bouquet delicately, his demeanor softening noticeably.
“Soon. I just came to see you first.” Ae shifts his gaze toward Manophop, silently suggesting it’s time for the other to leave, but the senior feigns ignorance.
“Nong Shorty, it’s your first and probably only bouquet. Don’t forget to dry it. Letting it wither would be such a waste.”
“I don’t know how.” Ae’s straightforward response is expected, and Pete suspects it’ll likely stay in Ae’s room for a few days before ending up in the trash.
But Manophop wags their finger dismissively. “Don’t say you can’t if you haven’t tried! It’s not hard. Cut the stems to about a coin’s length, tie the ends together, and hang them upside down in a well-ventilated area. In no time, it’ll dry beautifully. What’s so hard about that?”
Ae stares blankly before blurting, “With that face, I can’t believe you know how to do things like this.”
“Are you insulting me? For your information, I’m quite the homemaker! I can do everything from cooking to assembling furniture—DIY, ever heard of it? Do it yourself!”
Using English on someone not fluent is a lost cause, as Ae only shrugs and asks again, “So I just tie the ends and hang them upside down, right?”
“Exactly!”
Satisfied with the answer, Ae then turns to Pete. “Let’s go, Pete. I’ve got practice.”
“Oh, but I was thinking of leaving with Phii Manophop...”
“Go ahead, Nong Pete. If this short guy gets mad, you’ll only get hurt for no reason,” Manophop interjects before Pete can argue, not missing the chance to jab at Ae, who is wearing his familiar leather wristband.
“I’ve never hurt Ai Pete.”
“It’s just a metaphor! Now go, or I’ll shove you along myself,” Manophop declares sharply, pretending to get up. Ae quickly hands the balloons to his partner and takes Pete’s free hand, leading him away without caring who might notice.
And with one hand holding a bouquet...it’s not subtle. Pete looks down, avoiding eye contact, but quietly lets Ae hold his hand as they walk.
“Phii, who’s that with Nong Pete?” A junior who sees the scene stops to ask Manophop, who watches with envious eyes.
“Someone with great karma!” Manophop huffs and swishes off, leaving the questioner scratching his head.
“And how am I supposed to know who that is?”
Meanwhile, Manophop mutters softly to themself. “What kind of merit must you accumulate to land someone so perfect? Oh, I wish I could have that too!”
Perhaps someone nearby knows the answer, but they simply choose to remain silent, quietly cheering from behind the scenes.
NEXT Chapter 58 - University Sports and Showing Off a Partner
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