Forget Me Not

Chapter Two

Korn had been in Chiang Mai for 11 months, 3 weeks and 3 days. He'd be celebrating his first anniversary in his new home at the end of the week which also happened to be the beginning of his new lease.

He hadn't planned on moving so far away from everything and everyone. He'd needed to get away from his job at ABT and he'd wanted to give Knock the space he needed to get over them. It was the least he could do after everything that had happened.

Finally allowing that when Korn said, "I can't even look at your face. Stay away from me," he really meant it.

Korn had started applying for jobs at every company he could think of. It didn't matter that ABT was where he always wanted to work. He had to get out. For his sake as much as everyone else's. Unfortunately, most of the companies had already filled their junior positions and with no reference for his probation period, he'd had nothing to show for the months working under P'Pete.

Forced to cast a wider net, Korn received an invitation to interview at CYZ Fabricators...in Chiang Mai. It was as far as he could get from Bangkok. It didn't hurt that they thought he had the qualifications for a position that was not entirely entry-level. He was expected to learn on the job and learn fast. Lucky for him, it was something school had prepared him for.

The job had proved to be worth it. When they offered him a three-year contract, he took it without hesitation. They had even agreed to give him a small allowance to help with the relocation. Setting him up with a local real estate firm that helped him find his apartment in record time. He was moved in and situated in under two weeks. He was at work the first Monday after that.

Letting go of everything had been the only way. Knock didn't want anything to do with him. His friends were disgusted with him. His parents finally knew of everything that had happened, and there was no way to make things right with them if they didn't want to see him. Removing himself from the situation had seemed like the best course of action. It let them move on with their lives. Perhaps with time, they would be able to forgive him. Korn wasn't sure it mattered one way or another.

He'd heard from Cho in his first month away. He'd expected him to give him hell for everything that had happened but he'd been rather nice. Even understanding. But the news he'd given Korn had been bittersweet.

"P'Pete tried to make a pass at me. Made it clear that he was going to make it hard for me if I didn't satisfy his requirements," He'd announced out of the blue.

"He can't do that," Korn had protested even though he knew P'Pete could and had done that and would probably continue doing it as long as he thought he could get away with it.

"That's what I tried to tell him but he was adamant. So, we set him up and made sure the HR manager was listening in when he tried it again. He even tried it on Knock just to cover his bases. So, we made a formal complaint and it is with great pleasure that I announce our workplace is now dickhead free."

Just like that. Instead of falling into the trap, they had trapped a predator. "I'm glad things worked out."

It had been a relief to know P'Pete was no longer in a position to sexually harass the employees at ABT. It didn't mean anything to him now. He should have known he was being manipulated. Even then he should never have slept with him. There had been no gun to his head. The decisions, while deeply clouded by the promise of temporary comfort, had been his. The consequences, in the long run, his to bear—alone.

He hadn't asked Cho about Knock. It didn't matter how much he wanted to check up on him and find out how he was doing. He'd lost the right the minute he'd cheated. There was no going back. He was only sad that he hadn't been there to help put P'Pete in his place. To give the other man a taste of the hell he'd put Korn through.