MIDNIGHT DAYDREAM

CHAPTER 7

Kim quietly stands beside Porchay while taking off his bandages as the younger listens to Vegas' explanations about safety and their plan for the lessons.

He silently takes in how Porchay slightly shivers when he is closing their proximity, how Chay holds his breath while trying hard to act like he isn't bothered. He also is trying to pretend not to notice that Chay is checking out the side of his body which is uncovered by the t-shirt. A little smile is blooming on his face.

Vegas wants to move by teaching them Muay Thai, but he objects. "It's better to teach kickboxing first. It's faster to be taught and good to build basic movement and core."

"Ooohh, does young master Kim want to take part in the teaching?"

Kim shakes his head, goes a little sour when he notices Chay gives a relieved sigh, "I don't know about that, don't want to make a promise I can't keep. I'm too busy and I don't know when I should be back," he says. "But I'll see what I can do."

"So let me get this straight," Macau intervenes, "You guys will personally teach us this? You guys both?" There are sparks of joy and excitement in his voice that makes Porchay smile. When Vegas nods, Macau exclaims, "Oh, nice!"

Vegas scrambles his hair for that and makes Macau smile even brighter. Porchay watches them with a warm gaze.

A gentle brush on his hand sends jolts of electricity and makes him jump a little. Kim. The man is now putting his whole attention on him.

Too close. Can't breathe.

He can smell, expensive soap and sweat. He smells like the forest. Kim is forcing him to breathe him in, taking particles of him inside of Chay's lungs.

"What?" he asks in a whispered voice.

"I'll take you to buy the equipment later," that guy only says that before walking away, leaving Chay with his head still partially in the cloud.
***

Kim finds Chay in the employee dining room later on, munching his food while watching, what he guesses, some Youtube videos. He knows Chay likes to eat here instead of in the family dining room. Sometimes he drags the time to eat just to avoid it. When it becomes unavoidable, he will sit quietly beside Macau. Not a word leaving his lips unless he is asked.

He watched a surveillance video where, after dinner with his father, Chay told Macau that he would have digestion trouble because of how nervous he was. "Eating with family shouldn't be like you're meeting a president. No warmth in it," he grumbled. "I can't even taste the food!"

"Well, that's my uncle for you! Maybe it's because he is old. People in the old days are kind of like that, stiff as a board."

"How about your father?"

Macau gives a mocking chuckle. "Same devil different method. If my uncle likes to give annoying lectures with that scary smile, my father likes to give mockery and harsh words."

Chay shook his head. "No wonder you guys are like that. I wouldn't trade my hia for all of this," he points to his surroundings. "Even if it means I have to live a different life for him, that's ok. That is what you do for the people you love."

"Well, it doesn't mean we don't love each other. I love my brother to death. He might come as cold to anyone, but he isn't with me. In this case, my hia is like your hia. He is good to me, and always takes care of me. He is too overprotective for his own good. He shoulders everything on his own, I hate that but I can't do anything, yet. "

That was when his name came up, surprisingly. Kim couldn't believe his ears.

"I wonder how Kim was when he was a child. I heard from Phi Kinn, that they lost their mother when Kim was very young. With a father like that ...," Chay didn't go on. He shook his head.