Chains of Heart

4 - People must be suspicious

Are you ready to start unfolding the truth?

Chapter 4 - People must be suspicious

[All]

"Quickly get Ken to check the wounds," Yuji said as he lifted the big guy and ran his gaze over the red marks and scratches on his neck.

"Hey! Take a look here!"

All the friends rushed around him.

Yu used the cell phone light to illuminate Ken's neck and followed his wounds with his finger.

Waranyu, Hin and Phayu also followed him from behind.

"Here is where I think P'Ken thought of killing himself," Pleng frowned, muttering to himself, while Prai shook his head in disagreement. He then pointed to the mark on the back of his neck.

"It's not like that. If Ken had wanted to do that, the strangulation wounds would be all around. Look back here. Here are the marks of someone who tried to strangle him." Prai raised Ken's hands to observe them. The marks of the wounds were still visible, although they were fading. "They could have wounded him more badly. Luckily, he used his hands to protect the artery in his neck."

"How do you know all these things, P'Prai!" exclaimed Pleng.

"My father taught me. Phut is even better at it than I am. My father had numerous enemies, so he taught us to notice and distinguish which wounds are from a suicide attempt and which are from murder. Knowing these things can allow us to survive in crucial moments."

The sadness on Pleng's face was immediately visible. He had been living in Prai's house for many years, but his uncle had only taught him how to sniff out the shenanigans in business and collaborate with con artists.

"That's to be expected from your foster father, Prai. He teaches you things that other fathers don't," Yuji said in a dejected voice.

"It's inevitable. You know how my father is. He lends money for gambling and betting. How can he wash his hands of it? As long as his old enemies are not all dead, Father will trust no one. It seems that only Pleng is especially pampered, as if he were a three-year-old," Prai cast a glance at his own boyfriend, who was feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Well, Pleng has high moral values, he is innocent and unblemished. Anyone who comes close to a good thing falls in love with him, P'Prai." Hin praised his friend, while Prai stared at Phayu and Waranyu before getting up.

He asked, "Phayu, Yu, do you two already know about when Ken was attacked in the past?"

They both nodded, while the others were stunned to learn that such a thing had happened to one of their good-as-nails friends.

"This means that whoever attacked Ken and Din two years ago knows he is not dead yet and has sent someone to settle the matter."

Prai sighed again. "Since Ken is back here, he will no longer be safe, nor will Hin and his family. With Ken still being alive, those people will have guessed that Din also survived, so they will have put Hin's family under surveillance. You have to be careful."

Prai's words made it clear to everyone that this must be why Din was not showing up. Din had to know that it was not only Ken who was in trouble, but his own family as well.

Phayu pondered for a moment before he opened his mouth and began to narrate, "The day Hin and I brought Ken the news of Din's funeral a week ago, he was attacked that same night. My informant told me that they tried to strangle him with a wire. When they arrived, they saw three people struggling. Ken had stopped breathing and needed the artificial respirator. After helping Ken, they continued to struggle. My men are very good fighters, yet they said that person was excellent. He was both strong and violent, as if he was ready to kill anyone."