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Perspective - 3rd Person
Today is Saturday, so it is not strange that Inthach returned home to sleep last night, and now greets the nice weather of the new day by going for a run at 4:30 in the morning. Afterward, he returns to help his mother carry things out for the morning alms-giving. Once the blessings are received, he goes to take a shower and gets ready to help with the household chores.
Ae's house was originally a single-room row house, with the downstairs opened as a restaurant. However, when his older brother quit his job, he used his savings along with a loan to buy the neighboring row house to open an electrical equipment shop. He then proceeded to demolish from the second to the fourth floor to connect them together. When Ae is home, he helps out on both sides.
"Aa Ae-o... Aa-ja!!!" And when at home, what Ae likes most is probably 'Nong Yim,' his nearly two-year-old niece, who, upon seeing his face, immediately calls out and squirms to get out of her mother's arms and come to him.
"Do the greeting first, my dear."
"Do-ka" As soon as his sister-in-law through his older brother, P'Nut, reminds her, the chubby-cheeked little girl raises both hands in prayer and loudly calls out in front of the house, causing Ae to laugh. His hands can't resist gently pinching the little girl's cheek.
"Ugh" But the little girl raises her hands to cover her cheeks and pouts at him.
"No, I won't let you." She continues to pout, causing Ae to tease her further.
"I haven't been home for several days. Doesn't Nong Yim miss Uncle Ae?" While saying this, his finger pokes the cheek of the mischievous child, who is still covering her cheeks tightly with her hands, while also burying her face in her mother's shoulder as if saying, "Don't tease me."
"Who said she didn't miss you? This one was just whining, looking for Uncle Ae." P'Nut says humorously, looking at her daughter, who frowns at her uncle because she doesn't like anyone playing with her cheeks.
This makes Ae lean forward, looking at the little girl in his sister-in-law's arms.
"If you don't want Ae to touch, then Ae will go touch someone else's cheeks. Soft like Nong Yim's."
This time, the niece, who is quite attached to Ae, opens her big eyes and looks over. Her little lips press together, even though she is barely two, she knows if someone in the house loves another person more than her. Therefore, her two hands fall.
"Ah, kiss-kiss." She even presents her cheek for a kiss.
Ae, unable to resist, leans in and kisses his niece's cheek, watching the little one who, just a moment ago, wouldn't allow it, now giggling while Ae's faint mustache brushes against her soft cheek.
"Refreshing."
"Ae... pick me up, pick me up."
Taking the opportunity, the little one extends her arms toward Ae to carry her. Anyone who sees this might not believe that someone with such a fierce face as Ae could carry a child.
"By the way, whose soft cheeks are these? Hmm, just a while ago you got into university, and now you're letting some girl grab your cheeks?"
Thud.
While teasing his niece, his sister-in-law suddenly speaks up, making Ae pause for a moment, and he gives her a slight smile.
"No, Phii. It's my friend."
"But letting someone grab your cheek is not normal, Phii would say," the woman says with a glimmer in her eyes, telling herself she'd have to share this with her husband.
This made the young football player frown. He knows well enough that having someone grab his cheek was not a normal thing, but he cares for Pete. The only reason he allows it is because of the situation. He doesn't think anything of it.
"Is it strange, P'Nut?"
"I don't know if it's strange in your time, but in my day, I wouldn't have let any guy touch my cheek so easily. Anyway, Ae, please look after Nong Yim. She's been whining to see you because she fell asleep before you came back last night. I'm still helping mom out in the kitchen." After his sister-in-law says this, Ae agrees and looks at her disappearing into the back of the house while his mind continues to dwell on her words.
"What if that person is a man, Phii? Is it strange?" The one who has never known love asks himself and slumps down onto the edge of the front porch.
"Ae, I miss you so much!" The little one, who still struggles to speak clearly, says as she wraps her two hands around Ae's neck, speaking in her sweet voice that makes the adults feel affectionate.
He looks at the little girl with wide eyes, flushed cheeks, bright lips, and slightly curly hair tied up.
"I miss you too."
"Really?"
Ae, who wasn't sure at first, thinks about it. Because for the past two weeks, his mind has been full of thoughts about someone else. When he looks at the little girl's soft cheeks though, he couldn't help but think of someone else.
Pete's cheeks are so soft.
Poke.
Thinking about it, he pokes the little girl's cheek, making her run away as usual.
He absentmindedly says: "Ae's friend has cheeks like Nong Yim's. Actually, his face is pale, his cheeks soft, and his lips are orange."
"Friend," the little one, who is still learning to speak, repeats after him, while Ae grabs the arm of his niece, who was standing on her tiptoes, lifting her feet as if playing as an airplane. Nong Yim laughs out loud, unlike Ae who is distracted today and isn't as focused on talking to his niece.
"Hm, thinking about it, I want to touch. His hands are so soft, his hair is soft, too. When I stroke it, it feels so nice, I can't describe it."
"Higher, higher!"
The football player speaks to himself, while the listener isn't really paying attention, only telling him to lift her legs higher.
Ae watches his niece laughing, and the image of Ai'Khun-chai suddenly flashes in his mind. The face that everyone says is handsome, but to him, it is cute, and it is bothering him in ways he couldn't describe.
I care about him like I do my niece... or do I?
The question that the person himself cannot answer, because he always tells himself that it is because of Pete's weakness that he wants to help, but why does this desire to help make him think about it?
Miss you? Or is it because I haven't seen you?
Yes, yesterday morning Pete didn't come to eat with him. At noon, he didn't go to visit because a senior called the cheer team to talk. There was only a short message on Line that said Pete had arrived home, which eased Ae's mind a little.
Or is it because I'm worried? Yeah, I guess I'm worried about you, Pete. Lost in thought Ae lowers his arms and legs that were playing with his niece, making her frown and call out to play again.
"Uncle's gonna call his friend for a moment." Ae tells her.
"I want to talk too." The child who likes phone calls out, making Ae laugh, then pulls out the phone to call the other person to clear his mind. With his other hand, he lifts his niece to sit on his lap.
"Uhm... Hello, Ae." Ae receives a stammering voice, making him furrow his brows.
"Am I bothering you? Are you awake yet?"
"Don't speak rudely, tell Dad!" But before Pete can answer, a sweet voice from someone floats into the phone. Ae laughs loudly and looks at the little girl who scolds him.
"Uncle is sorry. What should I do?"
"Here!" The little one immediately stretches out her hand to smack her uncle's mouth, just like she sees her mother do when her dad speaks rudely in front of her. P'Nut also tells Nong Yim that she should not speak like this.
"Uh, who is this?"
"My niece."
"Here!" As soon as he slips up saying a rude form of "I," his niece hits his mouth again, making him rub her head hard. Speaking flowery language with friends is not his style, but for his niece, he quickly adjusts the pronoun he uses for himself.
"Our niece... Is that okay, Nong Yim?" Nong Yim beams brightly as her name suggests. Meanwhile, the person at the other end of the line, still lying in bed, tightens his grip on the phone. Just hearing Ae's voice close to his ear already makes him feel overwhelmed, especially with the conversation they had the night they went to eat noodles. His feelings are in turmoil, but one thing is clear: right now, he really wants to see Nong Yim's Uncle's face.
Ae must be smiling, right?
"Yeah, I... Hm, no, we're calling you, ah... Damn it... I meant to ask how you've been, are you doing okay?" Ae wants to rub his head hard when he sees the little one looking up at him with wide eyes.
Thinking about his sister-in-law's words that everyone should avoid swearing in the house, he feels uncomfortable, almost ready to explode. Also... he feels a little shy.
He's never spoken politely to Pete.
"It's fine, we're good, Ae." The voice on the other end sounds confused, which eases him a bit.
"Yeah, that's good then... Hey, Nong Yim, Uncle's talking." But then, the young football player softly exclaims when his niece reaches for the phone, trying to pull it towards herself while saying in a sweet voice,
"I wanna talk too." What else could the doting uncle do but hand over the phone?
"Hello... My name is Nong Yim, Mom Nut's and Dad Oh's daughter." The sweet voice, which isn't very clear over the line, immediately makes Pete smile.
He can't wait to see the face of this little girl who makes Ae talk about her so many times.
"Hello, I'm Pete, nice to meet you."
"Petettt."
"No, Nong Yim, you have to call your Uncle Ae's friend, Uncle Pete." When the uncle says this, the little one nods enthusiastically.
"Uncle Pete."
"Great job!" Not content with just praising, the one who loves to kiss his niece's cheeks gives her another kiss, causing the little one to push his face away.
As the conversation between the two uncles and niece continues, Pete can't help but smile. He hugs a soft pillow with both hands. But then, the adults both pause when the young girl, who's more talkative than other children her age, innocently says:
"Uncle Pete, Uncle Ae said he misses you."
"Huh!" Ae's eyes widen in surprise as he looks at his niece saying this in a chirpy voice.
"When did I say that?!"
"I miss you, Uncle Pete, Uncle Ae said he misses you."
When did I say that?
Ae is left speechless, even though he shouldn't feel anything about the ramblings of a little girl. Normally, he would laugh if this were a conversation with another friend, but for some reason, when it's about Pete, he quickly snatches the phone back and says to the other end:
"I'm hanging up now."
That's all he says before quickly stuffing the phone into his pocket, glancing at the little girl who lets out a small squeal when her mother walks into the room.
"Mom, Uncle Ae speaks rudely!" The complaint comes from a distance, but the one who spoke rudely just sits there, holding his head in his hands.
Why do I feel weird about the word 'miss' that my niece said to Pete?
Meanwhile, the person on the other end of the line still sits motionless, holding the phone tightly in his hand, even though the call has already ended. The cheerful voice continues to echo in his head... miss.
After sitting down for a while, Pete, who usually wakes up later than usual on his day off, flops down and buries his face in the pillow. His cheeks heat up to the point it's almost scary, and the hand gripping his phone tightens even more.
"Uncle Pete, Uncle Ae said he misses you too."
"Uncle Ae said he misses you."
"Miss."
Ugh.
Pete thinks that if his face were a frying pan, it would be hot enough to fry an egg, because even with his face buried in the pillow, he can feel the heat radiating, making his whole face and body burn. He tries to tell himself that the little girl, just over a year old, was the one who said it, not Ae, but still... he can't stop smiling.
"No, don't think about it, Pete. Don't think about it. Don't take sides," he mutters to himself, but for some reason, his heart doesn't believe it.
If it could speak, it would probably just say... happy, happy, and more happy.
"I... I miss you too, Ae," he finally admits, but even as he says it, he feels embarrassed.
He quickly springs out of bed, his mind set on one thing. So, Khun Pete rushes out of his room in his pajamas, running downstairs to find Aunt Jeab preparing breakfast.
"Aunt Jeab, can you teach me how to make shrimp congee today?"
"Eh? But I've already prepared breakfast, Khun-nu. Can you have it at lunchtime instead? ... Oh my goodness!"
"Yes... yes, okay,"
Pete jumps, startled, as Aunt Jeab turns with a smile, but upon seeing his face, she suddenly gasps and rushes to check if his face is flushed or if something's wrong. Within a few seconds, the family servant rushes over and places a hand on his forehead.
"Khun-nu isn't feeling well? Your face is so red!!!"
This time, the person being referred to as Khun-nu can only blink rapidly, looking at Auntie Jeab who is shouting and causing a commotion, unable to speak. The redness on the face does not come from being sick, but rather from Pete simply... feeling embarrassed by someone.
~~~
"Would you like to go eat together today?"
On Monday morning, Pete, having gathered the courage, calls someone else as he turns his car into the university, because the other person had once said that if they were to go eat together, they should call first so they could wait. The longing felt over the two days without seeing that person has caused Pete, despite having class only in the afternoon, to come to the university early in the morning.
"Yes, where are you now?"
The person on the other end of the line seems to have already forgotten about the niece who said she missed him. As for Pete, he doesn't think too much about it. Just having a little sweet dream feels good enough.
"I'm about to park the car."
"Okay, wait for me there. I've finished showering. I'll ride over to pick you up."
"Okay." After hanging up, Pete turns his car into the parking lot with a wide smile, trying to suppress the happiness he feels, fearing that he might show too much of it.
Screech.
"Nong Pete!!!"
Gasp!
The owner of the name Nong Pete jumps in surprise as soon as he opens the car door, encountering a tall, large man who suddenly appears from nowhere to block his way. He can only smile awkwardly, immediately recalling who the person in front of him is.
"Phii... uh..."
"Money!" The reason Pete is silent is not because he doesn't know, but because he is hesitating about how to address the other person. When the other person introduces themselves with their nickname, Pete smiles politely, causing Khun Manophop to roll their eyes. Well, when a handsome person smiles at you, how could it not feel good?
"Yes, Phii Money, is there something between us?"
"Jeez, Nong Pete, do you want something with me...? How embarrassing!"
Smack.
Pete almost laughs at the senior's over-the-top actions, but the slap to the shoulder that almost dislocates it makes him stop laughing. He can only shift a little further away, watching the person nervously twisting their student shirt.
"So, Phii Money, do you have something you need from me?" Thus, Pete adds a little clarification to his question, causing the other person to scowl, though it looks more like a glare meant to be cute.
Pete smiles faintly, having heard that this third-year senior's personality is quite different from their appearance... Well, just a little bit.
Grab
"Nong Pete!"
"Ah, yes, yes." Pete quickly responds when, suddenly, the other person grabs his shoulder tightly. The way their face leans in so close is so intimidating that he quickly puts on a smile as a shield.
"I... I have something I want to ask..."
Grab
"Hey!!!"
Before the request can even be made, the person who has sweetened their voice lets out their real voice loudly when their shoulder is yanked backward. Before they even realize it, someone else rushes between Manophop and Pete, and the deep, low voice echoes.
"YOU, what are you doing to, Ai'Pete!!!"
Manophop immediately turns to look at the person who is being violent with them and sees a man. Well, he has a pretty good build, but he's a bit short and slightly lacking in stature. The guy is giving a fierce expression, making Manophop feel a little scared. After all, she's a woman; how can she compete with a man with a chest as big as three fists? She lets out a small, nervous sound.
"And what are you doing to me? Suddenly yanking my shoulder? I'm a lady, please be gentle when handling me!"
"Ugh."
Ae, who had rushed in thinking that Ai'Pete was in trouble again, ends up looking at the one who was throwing a fit, pointing a finger, and posing with a hand on the hip—completely forgetting the fierce, intimidating look that was supposed to be threatening Ai'Pete, and he inadvertently blurts out...
"A Ladyboy, huh?"
"Yes! I'm a Ladyboy, and you're a Ladyboy too! What business do you have bothering my younger brother, you short, muscle-bound, black dwarf!!!"
Whew, just calling someone a Ladyboy and suddenly getting this full-on insult...
Ae thinks to himself before letting out a long sigh.
"Sorry, Phii, I thought you were causing trouble for Ai'Pete." Realizing his mistake, he quickly raises his hand in apology, trying to calm the irritated person down, as is his habit when dealing with polite people. However, he turns his face away with a large scoff and then looks into the eyes of the target standing behind the short one.
"Nong Pete, I'll get straight to the point. I want you to join the cheer squad every Thursday, so I'm asking if you're available. I didn't expect that coming here just to ask this would lead to such barbaric, violent behavior!" P'Money can't resist throwing one last jab at the well-proportioned young man before turning back to look at Nong Pete.
"Join the cheer squad?"
"Yes, just go in and sing happy-go-lucky songs like a good-looking person, which your friend probably won't understand!"
Ae scratches his head awkwardly. He realizes he might have misunderstood, and now he can't let it go. However, the calm person just sighs and doesn't continue, while the one who's glaring at him seems to be silently saying that people with bad looks like him... well, that's just how it is.
"I never thought of myself as pretty," Ae thinks.
"Every Thursday, from 6 PM to 8 PM," Pete responds, his interest piqued as he hears that they will be with the Thai department. As the older student continues their pitch, trying to recruit good-looking guys for their squad, Pete listens attentively.
"Don't look down on joining the cheer squad with the Thai department. I guarantee it'll be fun! You'll get to see the engineering department's well-organized performances, the nursing students singing so perfectly, and the most awesome ones are from the music department. Oh my God, I just want to say they're amazing!" Pete is already intrigued by the first department mentioned and looks at the engineering student quietly standing nearby.
He wonders what it would be like to see Ae performing in the stands.
"If I join, what do I need to do?"
"Aww, so it's a yes, right? All you need to bring is your body and your heart for me to nibble on—oops, I mean, come to me!" After that, she goes into a long-winded explanation, but before leaving, she turns and throws a last sarcastic remark at the football player.
Ae wonders to himself, How did I think they could hurt Ai'Pete with that attitude? They're swaying their hips so much!
"Are you sure you're not going to get torn apart?" The IC senior leaves, and Ae can't help but say it out loud. Even he shivers thinking about it. What will it be like for Ai'Pete?
"Phii Manophop is a good person. I've heard friends talk about them. They're... um, a bit intimidating, but almost every junior respects them a lot," Pete says, trying to explain, as he knows it might sound strange.
It's not that he looks down on P'Money, but he can't help but think that if Pond were around, he'd probably say...
Ugh, the name Manophop—if they weren't so confident, they wouldn't dare name themself that.
"Yeah, let's go. I'm hungry," Ae dismisses the matter from his mind and invites another friend to the cafeteria, trying not to overthink what his niece had said. Although, it still lingers in his heart, so much so that he can't help but glance at Ai'Pete's cheeks.
Damn, why do I want to pinch his cheeks so badly?!
However, at that very moment, neither of them realizes that someone was waiting for Pete… They hesitated upon seeing Manophop rush toward him. Then when the short adversary appears, even the handsome young man, looking more worn out than before, refrained from moving forward. Trump recalls though the details of what that "transvestite" had loudly declared earlier.
Thursday, I still have a chance.
~~~
Pete's first time cheering turns out to be more fun than expected. Everything P'Manophop said was true, though he couldn't quite keep up with the others, having joined a few months late. Still, he makes new friends and is amused by the third-year gang teasing each other. Plus, staying late gives him someone to share dinner with.
"Nong Pete," the song sheet is handed to him, and he's told he'll be tutored privately. As soon as the sheet is handed over, Manophop rushes over, gently nudging Pete, which makes him laugh.
"Thank you," Pete smiles broadly, making the recipient of that smile clutch their heart.
"Wow, Nong Pete," Manophop grabs Pete's hand that holds the sheet with one hand and gives him a flirtatious gaze that sends shivers down everyone else's spine.
"Oh no, she's started already."
"P'Manophop isn't good at calling you ‘Nong Pete'… Can I call you something else instead?"
"Jeez, that's a Twitter meme already!" A voice from the other side shouts, but Manophop doesn't care. They smile sweetly at Pete.
"I'm not good at calling you Nong Pete. Can I call you darling instead?"
"Screech! You're such a loser! Get out of here, lady!" At that moment, another ladyboy senior pushes Manophop aside, causing her to nearly fall, before turning to give Pete a sweet look.
"Well, then... Oh my goodness, darling, I want to have you as my husband, Nong Pete."
"Your stuff is so outdated!!!"
"Well, I want to say it, so why not? Don't keep it all to yourself. There aren't many handsome guys to go around, so share them generously!" As the two seniors open the arena for others to cheer, Pete, who's being flirted with from all directions, quickly raises his hands in a gesture of respect—not out of fear, but to avoid being late for his appointment with someone else.
"I'll head back first, Phii."
"See? Because of you, Nong Pete is leaving."
"Wow, you're bold to say it's because of me! Nong Pete's just scared of that lady!"
Of course, Pete quickly bids farewell to the seniors and grabs his song sheet before heading out of the room. He walks quickly down the stairs, glancing at the clock, which shows exactly 8:00 PM. He's unsure if Ae has finished cheering yet, so he decides to wait in the usual spot.
~~~
Thud!
"Hey, Ai'Pete,"
Pete's hairs stand on end as he hears a familiar voice. He turns around at the pull and sees P'Trump, who this time doesn't look as neat and handsome as before. Instead, he looks even more worn out, with deep-set eyes, a stubble of a beard on his chin—evidence of sleepless nights. This makes Pete's fear surge straight to his heart.
Bam!
Crash!!!
His body slams against the wall with full force. Pete grits his teeth, suppressing the pain, and looks up at the person who is now threatening him.
"I want money."
"I… don't have any," Pete says with a hoarse voice, his whole back aching.
He tries to remind himself that there are guards just a little farther away. If he screams, they'll surely hear him. This thought causes the person demanding money to curse in frustration.
"I know you have it!!!"
"I don't have any. You see that I'm just a student. I don't have money to give you," Pete forces himself to speak, though his voice trembles.
He is determined not to give in easily. The listener, taking a deep breath, knows that using force won't get him the money. So, his fierce expression softens.
"Pete... I really need the money. I'm sorry for what I've done in the past. Can you lend me some, please?" Trump speaks with the tone of the senior who used to be kind.
But Pete, who has learned from past pain, remains wary. He only believes one thing— the other person really needs the money, or else he wouldn't force himself to speak so kindly.
But Pete won't give in. He'll never give in again.
"You've already taken hundreds of thousands," Pete says, the money that was taken bit by bit adding up to a significant amount, the threats making him lose even more.
Trump grits his teeth and speaks in a low voice.
"Two hundred thousand... just give me another two hundred thousand, and I won't bother you again."
Pete clenches his mouth tight, watching the person who's putting on a pitiful face, but he's no fool. Even though he doesn't argue with anyone, he's not stupid enough to believe that someone who's already taken so much won't come back for more. Plus, the face of the person who helped him flashes in his mind. If he gives in... Ae will definitely be angry with him.
"I don't have any."
The listener's face flushes with anger, and he grabs Pete's shoulders tightly.
"I don't believe you!"
Pete, forcing himself to suppress the fear, speaks in a calm voice.
"I really don't have any. My mom might have some, but I'm still a student. She doesn't give me that much money."
"I know you have it! You have millions in your account!!!" Trump says again in a low voice, leaning in closer.
His once gentle gaze transforms, as though he's a completely different person. This causes Pete, who keeps telling himself not to trouble Ae, to try to defend himself.
"Th…"
Wham!
But before he can even make a sound for help, the force of a punch slams into his lower stomach, making Pete's eyes widen in pain. The blow is so hard it knocks the breath out of him, and his body crumples to one side, feeling pain he's never experienced before. The second punch follows quickly, hitting the same spot, sending him crashing to the ground. The only sound he can make is the air whistling through his throat.
"You're the one who left me no choice, Pete!"
NEXT Chapter 8 - He Doesn't Understand the Feeling of Attachment
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