Chains of Heart

1 - Return to the Past

Chapter 1 - Return to the Past 

[Ken's POV]

7 years earlier

The first time I met Din I was in my second year of college. I remember that at that time my best friend, Phayu, wanted to tame his boyfriend by avoiding him for several weeks. By the end of the semester, he had gone to Uttaradit province to reconcile with Hin, a younger student with the same code as me. We were Phayu's friends, so we did everything and went everywhere together, including that time.

When Phayu had succeeded in reconciling with Hin, we, his friends, had decided to take a trip to Phu Soi Dao so that the two of them could spend time together, alone. Phayu's father had ordered the driver, Uncle Suchart, to take us to the foot of the Phu Soi Dao waterfall, the starting point of the trekking trails that climb to the top of the mountain, which was also where we would camp. Phayu's dad had made contacts to book a tent and hire a man to carry the bags and equipment. He had also requested a forest ranger to guide us along the conservation route and take care of our safety on behalf of the university.

After certifying the documents, the guide had taken us up the mountain path, along with another local volunteer who would follow and help us. The guy was tall, I would have said as tall as me, and I was considered the tallest guy in the university.

That boy's name was ... Din. Din was handsome, so much so that even two young girls, Kaoji and Kana, kept shouting and yelling, whether it was for help or something else.

Din did everything without complaining, was strong and skilled at walking in the forest, and knew almost every kind of seed on the mountain. From what I had noticed, he had led groups of people into the area many times before.

We had only reached the first mound, Nern Song Yat, that Kaoji had started shouting that she would go back there, to the point of making a big racket, pushing, pulling and encouraging us. Moreover, it was only Din who was carrying the backpack with water bottles.

After conquering the second high ground and reaching Nern Pako, many of us had started to walk slower because of fatigue. We were athletic, but not used to the wet trails, while Din proceeded effortlessly, despite also carrying another person's provisions.

The guide, who must have seen that we were starting to get tired, made stops, taught us the names of trees, mushrooms growing on the mountain, and even allowed us to stop and take photographs.

"Anf... Anf... Phi, I'm going to die!" Kaoji was breathing heavily and pale. "Is it still a long way to the campsite?" Although Kaoji had turned to talk to us, the person who had answered had been that boy.

"We have just passed the halfway point. If you are tired you can rest. The path to Nern Suea Krong and Nern Marana goes up some more." I couldn't tell if his words were comforting or not, but the two girls were speechless as they looked at the path we had just taken.

"Our campsite is on Nern Marana. It is not easy to book a place in December, many people miss the chance to enjoy nature and eventually try to go there. At night, the stars here are wonderful. Don't you want to make some effort?" His words made the forest ranger smile, and seeing his smile made me feel strange. This boy must have been about my age, but he was thinking like an adult who could be relied on much more than I was.

"Are you tired? Shall I bring your things?" He had extended a hand just as I was staring at him. He was still carrying the equipment and a good part of it was mine. The heaviest thing I had was my camera with lens, which I had wanted to bring to photograph the sky that night.

"I'm fine. I don't carry anything heavy." As captain of the rugby club, I wasn't so tired that I couldn't climb anymore, but I wasn't used to walking on the trails.