MB Epilogue

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[Ouch, Phîi Plêrng, listening to this is absolutely hilarious.]

“Your Phîi wasn’t laughing at all, Wôoi. Back then, I was seriously thinking that if the future would bring pain, it was better to just break up.”

Práo Plêrng was walking down from the car, carrying many food items in his arms. His other hand held a phone to his ear, talking to his only Nong, who was laughing so loudly he had to cover the mouthpiece. With a slightly sulky tone, he said why didn't anyone understand him, that when a person is scared, they're just scared, Nâ.

[I feel sorry for Phîi Sǐndhu, Ná. Having to meet someone like Phîi Plêrng.]

“You should be jealous instead. Your Phîi is this cute. Just his looks are a total win. And he's also got substance,” Plêrng said confidently, hearing another round of laughter from the other end as he pressed the elevator button to go up one floor above his own. He added boastfully,

“Plus, Phîi also loves Phîi Sǐndhu so much. You can't find people like Phîi anymore. As for that Sǐndhu, look at him, his name is old-fashioned, his face is just so-so, Lâe, his personality is overly serious. See? Having a romantic partner like Phîi, Phîi Sǐndhu should consider himself blessed for life, Ná.” Plêrng didn't care what anyone thought; he was confident in his own worth, Nâ. Besides, Phîi Sǐndhu never said a single word of complaint when he spoke.

Him? "I already know, Khrap, that I'm not handsome and have a personality like this. I'm lucky that a simple person like me has Nông Plêrng as a romantic partner."

See? He admits it to his face, just like that, Lâ.

However, even though Práo Plêrng liked to tease about this, if anyone dared to gossip and say anything about his phûa, well, the man himself would also tear them apart. It's that 'my phûa, only I (kuu) can scold, you (meung) have nothing to do with it' kind of mood.

Another thing, while his mouth said Phîi Sǐndhu wasn't handsome, nowadays he didn't find others handsome either. That habit of his eyes wandering around hadn't completely disappeared, since it was an old habit. But most of the time, after comparing, he'd feel that person couldn't beat Phîi Sǐndhu, this one wasn't good enough; his person was much better. And looking around, this bespectacled man was quite solemn, looked good, and had class. One couldn't say he was old-fashioned.

He called it a man who was proper and accomplished.

Not long ago, when he told this to his two close friends, they almost raised their hands to their heads in exasperation.

Why? Back then he wasn't handsome, but suddenly, over time, he became handsome, Nâ. It's not that my (kuu) eyes have a problem; it's this heart, Lâ, that likes him more every day.

[Yes, yes, 'blessed for life,' whatever. But Phán never thought Uncle-Frós's matter would affect Phîi Plêrng this much.

“It's not just me, Wôoi. It's Phîi Phái too.”

[Psycho, Dì. Phîi Phái, seriously?]

His younger sister immediately retorted.

[Phán just talked to Phîi Phái the other day. Phîi Phái didn't feel anything at all. He just said it was good they divorced, because Uncle-Frós probably found a better person. And Phán doesn't think that matter affected Phîi Phái at all; otherwise, he wouldn't be pursuing Phîi Sky so desperately like this, Hâ.]

He somewhat knew that the person named Sky was the one his older brother was pursuing.

But...

“Not true, Ná.”

[It's true, Hâ. And Phán herself isn't affected either. Even though I love Uncle-Frós very much, it didn't reach the point of seeing him hurt by love and then becoming afraid of love myself, not one bit. This kind of thing depends on the individual person, Hâ.]

“Oh.”

Plêrng made a confused sound, and the other end confirmed again.

“Then what about you clinging to him all over the place earlier? Isn't it because you didn't want love, so you wanted just anyone?” the little-one asked, perplexed, and heard another round of laughter.

[Psycho, Dì, Phîi Plêrng! Not related, Wôoi! I just haven't met the right person yet, that's all. It's like Phîi Phái; if I meet the real one, I'll pursue it seriously already. But playing around like this is because I haven't met that one yet, Hâ. So I'm just killing time, not sitting around crying, thinking about love and then having to break up like Phîi Plêrng... Tsk, tsk, a rhino has a cute side too, huh?]

The listener on this end almost bared his fangs at the mobile phone, covering the mouthpiece sulkily.

“Your Phîi has been cute for a long time already, Hòe.”

[Kǎa, so that means it's settled then, Sì? Later Phán will go tell Uncle-Frós. Guaranteed.]

He figured if he kept talking, he'd definitely be teased mercilessly, so he asked to hang up. Then he put the phone in his pocket, pouting irritably. If he had known, if he had consulted his younger sister from the start, it would have been over. If he had known only he in the whole house was the scared one, he would have made decisions much more easily.

But still...

“Whatever, Hòe. At least it ended well somehow.”

The person speaking walked along the corridor straight to the familiar room. Using the key with an animal-shaped keychain, he unlocked it as quietly as possible, peeked into the completely silent room, then walked in, closed the door behind him, placed all the groceries on the kitchen counter, and then tiptoed to the bedroom.

Usually, Phîi Sǐndhu was an early riser, but it seemed today would be a special case.

Yesterday, Phîi Sǐndhu had just finished his exams, and it was the first time he had seen someone study so intensely. Since their course subjects were worlds apart, Plêrng himself might not have been silver, but it looked much more comfortable than the other party who memorized everything perfectly, went into the exam room to write, applied it to who-knows-what kind of problems—just hearing about it gave him a headache. Let's just say, if Âi'Plêrng had to sit and memorize even one clause, he didn't know if he'd remember it or not.

Oh, but he remembered the Penal Code, Section 276, Khrap.

Phîi Sǐndhu told him about it and he laughed his head off. The other party thought he was going to file a rape complaint.

You see, Phîi, that day, getting pinned, it was like consent.

The thought that Plêrng, having peeked in and seen he was still sound asleep, came back out to the kitchen.

The other party was someone who needed to eat breakfast, but he couldn't cook. The type who could manage washing vegetables, but turning on the stove? No way. If the whole building caught fire, it would be a mess. So Plêrng went out to buy delicious congee and assorted pastries to feed the person who was drained from studying for exams.

What a good romantic partner, right, Lâ?

Even though he had been promiscuous before, now Âi'Plêrng was an outstanding romantic partner, Ná.

Soon, all the food he bought was transferred into bowls. And he didn't know if he was being too loud...

Thud

Whoosh

“Is Phîi Sǐndhu awake yet?”

Now there was no more of that person who didn't dare to hold hands, because Phîi Sǐndhu came up behind him and hugged his waist, then pressed a heavy kiss onto his cheek—he could feel the stubble that hadn't been shaved lately. When he turned to look, he found Phîi Sǐndhu still squinting against the light, not wearing his glasses, so he couldn't resist teasing.

“If you don't wear your glasses, can you see? What if Plêrng was someone else? What would you do?”

“No. Phîi remembers your scent.”

Is Phîi a dog, Khrap?

His heart almost blurted it out, but Phîi Sǐndhu pressed his nose down again with another whoosh, inhaling his scent deeply, even though his eyes were still squinting sleepily.

“And Phîi's eyesight isn't so bad that he can't recognize his own romantic partner.”

Plêrng laughed out loud, turned around into the embrace, and pushed lightly against his chest. “Go on, Phîi. Go take a shower and brush your teeth. Iwill warm up the food for you.”

Thud

“Not going together?”

Hmph! Phîi Sǐndhu was inviting him to get frisky so early in the morning!

But the big-one just dropped his head to rest on his shoulder, asking in a sleepy voice, which made Plêrng feel all tingly. His heart knew, of course, that he didn't mean it like that, but if they went into the bathroom, turned on the water, and then if things flowed naturally, no one could blame him, right?

“Later, Plêrng will wash your whole body for you. Especially here.”

Of course, he grabbed thud at the crotch of his pants, but it didn't seem awake. Seemed like Phîi Sǐndhu was very sleepy.

“Let's save it for tonight, Ná. Right now... Ohhh, I'm so hungry.”

Phîi Sǐndhu yawned right at him again, so Plêrng pushed his back, urging him into the bathroom, then fetched the toothbrush, squeezed the toothpaste, handed it to him, and turned to get a new set of clothes for the other party. He took a bit too long choosing. By the time he came back in, Phîi Sǐndhu had already used a towel to wipe his wet face.

“I have such a good romantic partner.” Phîi Sǐndhu said.

The brilliantly radiant smile shook my (kuu) uterus.

Oh, I (kuu) forgot that I (kuu) don't have one.

“So, does he want his wonderfully good romantic partner to shave his beard for him?” Plêrng said jokingly, because Phîi Sǐndhu had picked up the razor.

“Can you?”

At first, he was just joking, but upon seeing the expectant look in his eyes, his face automatically nodded.

Thud

“Then sit here.”

Phîi Sǐndhu lifted him up to sit on the bathroom counter. Then he placed both hands on either side of Práo Plêrng's body, leaning his face in with a wide smile, saying in an eager voice,

“Believe it or not, I have wanted to do this for a while now.”

“Have me shave your beard, you mean?” Plêrng responded.

“No, Khrap... It's holding Nông Plêrng like this, that's all.” The bridge of his nose moved forward to rub against Plêrng's nose, making the cute person's cheeks bright red. Looking into his eyes, he saw a glint of a predatory beast and suddenly understood immediately why the other party wanted to be in this position.

“Plêrng knows, right? Phîi Sǐndhu is thinking of doing something to Plêrng in this position, right?”

The beast in his eyes was almost jumping out, which was...

“You can do it, Ná.”

Seriously, they had never done it in the bathroom before, Nè.

“I want to, but I'm really very hungry.” Phîi Sǐndhu whispered in a low voice that Âi'Plêrng absolutely loved, telling him that Phîi Sǐndhu didn't have to be warm all the time; increasing the heat level to hot and passionate often was also very much to his liking.

The thoughts of the person who was carefully shaving the other's beard with a light hand, his large round eyes couldn't help but examine Phîi Sǐndhu's face: the forehead, the dark eyebrows, the downturned outer corners of his eyes, the high nose bridge, the thin lips, and the facial structure that became more prominent in his heart every day, until he spoke out.

“You know, Plêrng used to think Phîi Sǐndhu's face wasn't the type Plêrng liked at all.”

Phîi Sǐndhu's face fell a little, so he hurriedly continued.

“But nowadays, every time I look at your face, my heart trembles every time. I suspect it's because my heart says I like Phîi Sǐndhu. I like Phîi Sǐndhu. I definitely like Phîi Sǐndhu.” Plêrng put on a cute voice, saying with a playful manner as he wiped off the shaving cream for the last time. The clean-shaven face was back once more.

“As for me...”

The person who had to stay still during the shave spoke up.

“The first time Phîi saw Nông Plêrng's face, he thought it was the cutest thing ever. But now, no matter where he looks, there's only the word cute, cute, cute everywhere.”

Phîi Sǐndhu took the razor from his hand and held his hand, giving him a wide, warm smile. Then his own cheeks became a bit redder than before.

“No matter where, I want to love it all.”

Âi'Plêrng wasn't a block of wood, you know! Hearing this, his face could flush instantly too!

But Práo Plêrng was Práo Plêrng.

“Phîi Sǐndhu, it seems like Plêrng might be lacking sugar.”

“Do you have a headache, Khrap?”

Phîi Sǐndhu's smile vanished immediately, making as if to carry him out of the bathroom, but Plêrng shook his head and also... hugged his neck.

“No, I don't have a headache. But I need sugar, very urgently.” The teasing-addict pulled the other's face closer until their foreheads were pressed together, staring meaningfully at his lips, then whispered in a husky voice,

“It seems like Phîi Sǐndhu's mouth might be sweet. Can I have a taste, Khrap?”

Phîi Sǐndhu—the one who previously would regularly just freeze—froze for only a moment before bursting into full-blown laughter.

“Go ahead. I'm willing to be eaten.”

Of course, Práo Plêrng didn't hesitate to press a heavy kiss onto the well-shaped lips. At first, he intended to eat him, Ná.

But somehow... before he knew it, Phîi Sǐndhu had transformed.

Even if Phîi Sǐndhu said he was hungry, it didn't matter, Nè. Because if Phîi Sǐndhu ate congee, only his stomach would be full. But if Phîi Sǐndhu ate Âi'Plêrng, he would be full in both body and heart, Ná?

What? Who said he was praising himself? Well, duh... he had the qualities to be confident about, Ná.

Several days later, Plêrng had completely forgotten about the conversation with his younger sister.

Until a very large parcel arrived in his name. Just seeing its shape made the young man laugh out loud. The more he looked at the sender's name, the louder he laughed. Then he called his romantic partner to help carry it up to the room.

Phîi Sǐndhu himself came down to help carry it, looking at it with surprise.

“Keep it at Phîi Sǐndhu's room, Ná.”

Help me unwrap it, Plêrng said amusingly. The other party didn't say anything except take it up to the room.

“Hahahaha! Just as I thought! Uncle-Frós, you're something else, Wâ.”

The little-one looked at the statue of a black panther stalking, finding it extremely hilarious, because yes, he had told his Nong that seeing Phîi Sǐndhu so solemn like this, he was very fierce in bed, just like a predator. And you could bet your bottom dollar she must have told Uncle-Frós about it, along with that story about him being afraid of love or whatever. So Uncle sent him this.

He didn't know if it was meant as a joke or serious, but he'd take it as funny.

“Who sent it, Nông Plêrng?"

“Uncle Plêrng's own joke, Hahaha! He really is a beast, Lâ, Ná. But I like the other one more.” Plêrng stared at the big man who was still examining that decorative statue with a scrutinizing gaze.

His mouth asked him, “Does Nông Plêrng's family like animals of the tiger type?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Well, last time when we went to buy keychains together, Nông Plêrng bought a tiger, didn't you? And now, even Nông Plêrng's uncle...”

Plêrng laughed but also nodded emphatically.

“Uh-huh, I like them. Plêrng's older brother likes the type of cats that tempt one to distraction. Does this count?” Phîi Sǐndhu started, probably having forgotten that his own Mia used to be a tiger before, but was ravaged by the young tiger around here until he requested to transform into a kitten, you see? Thinking that, he walked over and hugged the other's waist, nuzzling and snuggling contentedly. Then.....

“Meow.”

And he even meowed at him.

Phîi Sǐndhu turned to look at his face immediately, clearly looking surprised. But those shiny eyes probably meant he was pleased.

“As for Plêrng being a cat, do you like it? Do you?”

The look in Phîi Sǐndhu's eyes said he loved it, more like. He reached out to play with his hair.

“Whatever Nông Plêrng is, Phîi likes it all. So what should Phîi be?”

Of course, Plêrng had a clear answer, smiling mischievously.

“A log, Khrap?”

The listener frowned intently, making an uncomprehending face, then asked with his confidence plummeting.

“Is Phîi that stiff?”

Well, if he doesn't laugh now, I don't know when he would, seriously. The interpretations people can come up with, Nè.

“Believe me, Phîi Sǐndhu, it's not a bad name. But very hard.”

Plêrng glanced down low, until Phîi Sǐndhu followed his gaze. Seizing the moment, Plêrng stood on his tiptoes and whispered by his ear,

“Right, my beast.”

Of course, Phîi Sǐndhu became even more confused, but Plêrng giggled happily, his eyes clearly shining with happiness. Not just physically, as before, but also including the heart that used to be so fearful.

Since now he had both the man of his dreams who existed in the real world, the log in the cursed forest, and the fierce beast all in his possession, would you believe that all of that was in one single man?

A man with an old-fashioned name, a plain face, serious, and boring.

But he was the one who had thoroughly subdued Nâi Práo Plêrng.

He suspected he might have to go meow and moan for Andrea to hear, just once, to his heart's content.

Now, Plêrng had to admit that he had been completely subdued, both body and heart, truly, by the man named..... this very Phîi Sǐndhu.