Sitting in a barber's chair while people messed with my hair and face was not my idea of fun. Not at all. Still, I wasn't going to say anything since everything I went through confirmed the fact that I had a job. Albeit most likely temporary, but still a job. I'd probably make enough to get an apartment - ooo, I wanted one like the guys did in SOTUS - and some groceries for a week before I had to look for another one. Just a guess, to me.
They loved my white blonde hair, but it didn't match the description of what this Sunan guy was supposed to look like, so they were currently dyeing my hair a deep burgundy. I didn't mind it, since the color was on my list of colors to try, anyhoo. Maybe I could do plain black someday?
I squeezed my eyes shut when I saw a makeup brush coming at my face, not wanting the powder to get into my eyes. They brushed, rubbed, and patted at my face for what felt like forever. Finally, after a million years of sitting in a chair doing nothing, I was allowed to get up and walk around to stretch my legs. Then I had to get back in the chair, since they still weren't done.
I wanted to cry. Or scream. Either would've worked. Anything to get my frustration out and let them know how aggravated I was that they wouldn't STOP TOUCHING ME.
"Shoo! Shoo!" came Kai's voice. The hands disappeared from my face and head. "Open your eyes, Sam. Or, should I say, Long Mingyu."
The name had yet to grow on me, and it was all I could do to not roll my eyes in disgust when I opened them. Then stared in the mirror. There was no way that guy staring back was me...right??
"What do you think?" Kai asked, leaning over to peer in the mirror and smile encouragingly at me.
The guy in the mirror followed my movements when I turned my head head this way and that, looking at every angle I could. My hair was a gorgeous, dark burgundy that made the brown flecks in my eyes pop and have a reddish gleam to them. The makeup artists had somehow flattened my nose a bit to make it more Asian, and made my eyes look mono lidded. Really disconcerting at first. But then I noticed the little bits that were still me: the freckles that refused to be hidden, the end of my nose was still higher than an Asian guy's would be, and my lips were a light pink, not tannish pink.
I nodded slowly. "I look different, yet I'm still me."
Kai beamed. "I'm glad you're okay with it. This is what the makeup artists will do everyday we have a shoot, unless you'd rather..." he trailed off, frowning while he thought.
"Rather what?" I prompted, turning to look at him.
"Unless...you're willing to get plastic surgery?" he questioned, not sounding very confident of my answer.
To be honest, I'd already thought of it. I mean, who hasn't? Everybody has something about their face and body they don't like and want to fix it. For me, my face is boring and average. I'd never thought of myself as special. But here this guy was telling me that a little tweak here and there would make me look more like my Taiwanese ancestor.
"Can I think about it?" I asked hesitantly, biting my lower lip in diffidence.
"Of course! Take your time. It's no trouble doing your makeup, Sam," he chuckled, patting my shoulder while straightening up. "I mean, Ming." He winked at me before exiting the room.
Ming...that was my name now. I'd have to get used to it.
I studied myself in the mirror again, wondering if the plastic surgery would be worth it. Would God be against it?
"Are you seriously thinking about plastic surgery?"
Grimacing, I turned to answer Nai. "I don't know...I have to study my Bible and pray about it first. Christians aren't supposed to harm their bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit."
Nai shrugged. "It's just the face, not your whole body. But I didn't peg you as the type that would be vain. You dress in worn jeans and frayed t-shirts. Which, by the way, is also my style." He grinned when I laughed. "I just want you to be sure if you do decide to go through with it. Tweaking your face shouldn't be a decision done lightly. A friend's mae did cosmetic surgery, and it got botched, and she ended up suing the doctor who caused the whole mess."
I stared at him, horrified. "I didn't say I'd already decided! Just considering it! Everyone's done that at least once in their life, right?"
"Nah. I'm perfect just the way I am."
My deadpanned look caused him to crack up in hysterical laughter.
XXX
I'd caught up on sleep, gotten a job - out of nowhere, might I add - and acquired an apartment through the studio's help. Major plus? It looked exactly like the ones in SOTUS S! I was so excited when Kai took me to my new place, I couldn't stop looking at everything and smiling. Then I flopped on the bed, sighing in happiness. Another plus to my apartment? It was close by Chulalongkorn University. And not too far from Aroon's business/home!
Kai had his assistants pick up my belongings from the hotel room and bring them to my new home, helping me put everything away. Then he sent one to my university to find out the start date and to grab my schedule and list of books needed ahead of schedule to give me time to look them over and get used to reading in Thai. I could see the practicality to what he was saying, so I didn't fight it.
The sooner I was able to read Thai, the better. I could speak it fairly well and understand it, but reading? Yeah, that was a whole different ball game.
Nai and Nate came over to my apartment my first week in Thailand to help me learn how to read Thai. Some words were somehow easier than others, which made absolutely no sense to me, but that's how it was. Nate wouldn't stop laughing when I accidentally misread some words, and the meaning became totally different. Those were the times I chased him around the small apartment with my pillow, beaning him over the head a few times.
Nai joined in a couple times, though he seemed to be on his own team and whacked us both for the fun of it.
It was after nine days of being in Thailand I'd realized I'd never gone to show myself to Aroon and let him know I was here - at least, for the school year. I had to decide whether or not to stay longer than that, though a big part of me was leaning towards completing college here and then traveling the other Asian countries while writing a book. Who said I had to write a novel as my first book? Maybe I'd just write about moving to Thailand for college and then traveling. People say to write what you know.
Wasn't like I was going to run out of money any time soon. My mom and dad had left me a considerable sum of money. Yeah, okay, I tended to buy second-hand clothes and bargain hunt instead of pay full price for new clothes and junk. But that was because my mom had taught me how to be frugal with my money.
I laid back on my bed, ignoring Nai and Nate bickering over what to have for lunch that day. My new cellphone was on the bed next to me, Aroon's phone number already added, taunting me. I really wanted to call him. No, I really wanted to see him. Glancing over at my friends, I wondered if they'd want to go with me.
Well, only one way to find out... I pushed myself up into a sitting position. "Hey, I'm gonna go see someone. You both wanna come with?"
"Who do you know besides us?" Nate questioned, swatting at Nai's hand. Nai kept poking Nate on the ear and it was bugging him.
"Have you heard of Aroon Chantaviriyavit?"
Their heads whipped around and they stared at me with gaping mouths.
It was making me extremely uncomfortable. "What?" My tone was defensive.
"Y-you know him??" Nate practically squeaked, eyes huge with awe.
"We met when he was in America last winter," I told them, bewildered. Was Aroon that big a deal here?
Nai and Nate exchanged a look. "Guess those rumors weren't just rumors," Nai said slowly, as if he couldn't believe what we were talking about.
"What rumors?" My eyes narrowed.
"People were talking about why he was spending so much time in America," Nai explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "And...um, there's already been gossip about him possibly being engaged to Rin Arinya, an heiress. But now everyone's been in an uproar, since he's publicly announced that he already has someone waiting for him in America. Nobody can find out who he's talking about of course...well," he grinned. "They couldn't, until now."
"We're not selling out our friend!" Nate scolded him, smacking the back of his head.
Nai frowned at him petulantly, rubbing his head. "That's not what I was getting at, idiot! I meant at least now we solved the mystery."
I flopped back on the bed. "He's that big a deal? He never told me."
"You two are really together?"
"Yes, Nai, we're really together. Dating, kissing, all that."
"All that?"
I raised my head enough to give Nai the dirtiest look I could. "Shut. Up. Pervert."
Nate promptly picked up the pillow he'd been using only a half hour ago to use in our impromptu pillow-fight, and beaned Nai over the head. The indignant and shocked expression on Nai's face made both Nate and me crack up.
XXX
"I'm not wearing skin tight clothing. I'll look like a street walker."
Nate cracked up at Nai's frustrated glower.
"Don't you want your faen to drool at the sight of you?"
I folded my arms and stared him down. "No way. Besides, Aroon doesn't drool!"
"But he does other things?"
My eyes narrowed at Nate. I didn't like his suggestive tone. He held up his hands in surrender, backing away a couple steps.
Nai waved a hand at me to get my attention. "Then what kind of clothes do you want?"
Mouth screwed to the side, my eyes scanned the clothing shop they'd dragged me to without even really asking me if I wanted new clothes or not. "Simple, comfy, and definitely not tight."
"Fine. No skinny jeans or tight t-shirts. What about shoes?"
"My shoes are fine, thanks. Stop trying to make me into your dress-up doll."
Nate guffawed when Nai reared back in surprise. And horror.
"Only girls do that! I'm not a girl!"
"Then stop acting like one," I shot back at him, turning and walking towards a rack of jeans. Honestly... I looked through the jeans, not really paying attention to what I was looking at. All I really wanted at that point was to finally go see Aroon. But noooo, I was forced to clothes shop against my will instead. Ugh. "I hate shopping..." I muttered under my breath, shoving a few pairs of jeans down the rack pole.
"Why don't you wear all black? Make your new hair color stand out?"
I turned to Nate, considering his advice. "...I did that once before, back when we had a meal for the first time. My friend, Pete, made me. I looked like an emo boy."
Nate scrunched his face up in thought as he stared at the jeans. "Then...how about the complete opposite? Light colors?"
"Light blue jeans, possibly white t-shirt, stuff like that?"
"Yeah, and have only your hair dark," he was starting to get excited. "What do you think?"
I smirked. "I think you both have a feminine side when it comes to shopping." Before he could whine at me about me calling him a "girl", I said, "Let's do it."
And then I was shoved only a few moments later into a changing stall with an armload of clothes, and the instruction to try everything on. Knowing it was useless to try to fight both of them, since they were bigger than I was, and they obviously knew more about what looked good than I did, I kept my mouth shut and did as I was told. I tried on shirt after shirt; trousers, shorts and jeans; even multiple pairs of shoes.
The guys decided that I looked best in a creme colored Bangkok t-shirt paired with pale blue jeans and white converse high tops. After discovering I had pierced ears - Nate practically shrieked when he found out they were triple pierced - they dragged me to a jewelry store and bought me some new studs. One pair was dragons, and the other two pairs were of stars, both sets of stars in different shades of shiny jade. I was touched when I later realized that they'd bought me jewelry having to do with the meaning of my new name, Long Mingyu.
As I was changing in the restroom after purchasing the clothing, and putting on my new jewelry - they'd also bought me a dog tag necklace that had my new name engraved on it - Nate disappeared, and Nai wouldn't tell me where. We waited outside the restroom for him so he could find us. Finally, I spotted him walking our way.
"Hey! Where'd you vanish to??" I said with faux anger.
Nate grinned, bringing a shopping bag out from behind his back. "This is for you."
I took the bag while my face heated up. "But you guys already got me the earrings and the necklace!"
"Consider this all a 'Welcome to Thailand!' gift, Sam," Nai told me.
They both watched as I took a baseball cap out of the bag. I stared at it. It was white, like my new shoes, and had an American flag on the front.
"We wanted you to still have a piece of your home country with you while you're here," Nate explained, the anticipation of my response getting to him. He was very fidgety.
I smiled at them and placed the hat on my head, adjusting it to my head size. "I love it." Then I hugged them tightly. "Thank you."
XXX
Nai and Nate waited a few feet down the sidewalk, shooing me on. Aroon's house was built next to his near sky scraper of a business building. I felt dizzy just looking up at it, and a part of me hoped to never have to go in there. I hated elevators. They made me sick and gave me vertigo.
Mentally shaking my head, I reached for the doorbell on the gate and pressed it. A young girl came out, standing on the front porch and looking at me.
"Yes?"
I remembered the etiquette lessons Nai and Nate had drilled me on, and waii-ed her. "Sawadee khrab, ma'am. My name is Sam Lang. Can you tell me if Aroon is home?"
Her eyes lit up and she practically sprinted to the gate. "Are you really Sam Lang??" she demanded, eyes taking in my face.
I nodded. What exactly had Aroon been saying about me??
"My name is Song, Aroon's little sister," the girl beamed at me. She opened the gate, gesturing for me to come in. "Please, my home is your home. Aroon is still at the office, but he'll be back soon."
"Um," I glanced at Nai and Nate. "Is it okay if a couple of friends of mine come in, too?"
Song peered around me, spotting them. "It's fine. Unless they're a couple of serial killers."
I couldn't help the shocked laugh at that.
She grinned. "All three of you can come in. My brother will be so surprised!" She led the way into the house. "Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink? We have tea, coffee, soda, water," she listed off the beverages.
"I'm fine with water," Nate said calmly, though softly. He looked a bit shy with Song.
Nai and I shared an amused look as he requested a soda, any flavor. I seconded that request. Song happily skipped off to the kitchen to grab the drinks and hurry back.
Then the front door open, and we heard a voice say, "Song! I'm back!"
"P'Aroon!!!" Song squealed, depositing our drinks on the coffee table and launching herself at the tall figure we caught a glimpse of through the entry way. "You're home!!"
"And you're not usually so exuberant," Aroon laughed.
"We have guests, and I think you'll be very happy to see one of them," Song said mysteriously.
Aroon chuckled, their footsteps coming closer. "Oh? M is off visiting relatives, Benji is living in America, and-"
"None of them!" Song interrupted him, pulling him into the living room and pointing at me. "P'Sam is here."
Aroon whipped his head around and stared at me. I couldn't tell what he thought of my sudden appearance.
I stood, suddenly nervous. "Um, h-hi, Aroon." My hands went out a bit at the sides, and I managed a small smile. "Surprise?"
Next thing I knew, Aroon had me wrapped in his arms, and he sighed contentedly. "You're here."
I hugged him back, relieved he'd taken it so well. "Yeah, I am."
"How??" He drew back a bit, staring at me with a growing smile. "How...why?"
"I applied and was accepted to Chulalongkorn University," I told him, my smile matching his. "It took me a while to get everything set up, and traveling here was hell on the system, but I landed myself a job without trying, have an awesome apartment, made some friends, and here I am."
"A job?" His eyes flickered over to Nai and Nate then back to me.
"I'll tell you about it later," I promised, pressing myself against him for another hug. "I just want a hug right now. I missed you."
He tenderly stroked my back, pressing his face into my neck. "I missed you, too, tee rak."