Waking up, it felt like I was going to die from a headache, I wanted to vomit. I swallowed the dry saliva that almost turned to powder. I wiped my face to relieve the dizziness before sweeping my gaze around and realizing that this wasn't his familiar love nest.
"Wait... WHERE THE FUCK AM I?"
The clean scent and luxurious room like this were only seen in movies or when I stayed in a hotel in Korea. For a moment, the sound of the sea and the wide view made some people run their faces until the hungover ones woke up completely. Laem sat still, his eyes wide open as if about to roll out because he just remembered that there were many things to regret.
"I'm here."
"I'll be with you."
Damn... Why didn't it feel strange when I heard it? Why didn't I just say, 'Hey, it's okay'? As far as I could remember, I felt like crying and wailing, cursing everyone on this damn planet who still misunderstood him.
And yes, at that time, the boss hugged me so tightly.
Slowly, I looked around to see if there was anyone sitting and hugging their chest in some corner of the room. But in the end, I didn't find anyone, except for a cream-colored gift box with a bow placed on a nearby table, prompting me to wonder what was inside.
Laem still hesitated, secretly listening from time to time. He wondered if the boss was taking a shower. If he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and said, "Last night was amazing," I would bite my tongue, die, and send the final message, "Please leave my mom's som tam shop, okay?"
Calm down... The clothes were still on, but just to be sure, I carefully checked to see if there was anything sticky clinging to my stomach. Okay, the boss didn't forcibly restrained or took advantage of me because of last night's drunkenness. That's one good thing.
The young man walked over to the table where there were gift boxes and various items placed. Among them were a few letters, orange juice, bottled water, a stack of cash, and painkillers. Inside one of the notes was a message that said,
"When you were asleep, even if I tried to wake you up, you didn't stir. Although I threatened many times to go find you at the dorm, the truth is, I don't know where it is. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to bring you back to the condo because it required a private keycard. Right now, you're in a hotel near the office. Don't look for me. I've gone to work. Quickly take a shower and change clothes that's in this box. If you have a headache and can't walk, I prepared a taxi fare for you. It should be enough to get to Udon."
P.S. Don't worry too much. I'm rich.
I let myself sit down and sipped the orange juice to ease my mind. Many times, the tall Ekko annoyed me, but I had to admit that I was okay this morning. The clothes he found for me fit just right.
The young man slowly drifted on the sofa, tilting his head and gazing at the ceiling. He thought back to last night, almost unable to believe that Boss had such an influence on his emotions. Was it because at first, that man didn't have any part in making him feel connected like with his friends? Those guys had such a good rapport that they could understand each other with just a glance. But with Boss, everything felt cramped, suffocating, and but then suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace of those feelings.
Since when did he feel that Ekko like tall man, almost like a grown-up child? Sometimes he seemed intimidating, but sometimes he looked innocent because he didn't know his own sincerity. It was because Boss didn't approach people well, choosing his words poorly when it came to comforting others. That's why he unintentionally slipped into his usual defensive stance several times.
Sometimes, Gungawin felt like he had a younger brother and acted like an older brother. He liked it when the other person tried to fix their own flaws after receiving advice from him. It would be great if this cheeky kid could improve someone's mental health by changing themselves.
*
Once he arrived at the company, his hands instinctively rose above his heads, closing his eyes and silently praying that Jack wouldn't explode and blame him. He arrived late, almost noon, and his phone's battery had died. He expected that if he turned on the device, he would surely receive a call from Phi Jack, probably around 81,197,763,112,899 times.
But as soon as he pushed the glass door, he was taken aback. The hallway that used to have only sofas and dumb tables had transformed into a party room. The sound of music blared along with colorful drinks on the bar. Wait, where were those people who used to give them stern looks because of stress from animating? They were now dancing and having fun like there was no tomorrow. Who started all this? He had to find Phi Jack and ask what had happened in the company.
"Cher?!"
"Hey!" As soon as they spotted his intern friend, he rushed over to him.
"What happened to your face and hands? Did you get bitten by a dog?" JA woman raised her hand and tapped him.
"Let's put that aside for now. What's going on?"
"It's a party."
"Oh, I see." He hesitated and looked for his senior. "Aren't you afraid of the boss scolding us?"
"Why would I be afraid?" He laughed mischievously.
Oh no, don't tell me that the employees rebelled against the boss. Will this become news?!
"It was the boss who organized it."
"Huh?"
"At first, we were all confused like you. When we arrived in the morning, there were people setting up tables and drinks. They even had delicious food like pork, mushrooms, and chicken. It was all so good. And the seniors even came to tell us that there would be a salary raise meeting and a new work plan. I don't know what happened to the boss, but it's good. I hope he'll be in a good mood like this more often."
Wait... Or could it be because...
'Having company parties to make employees feel like it's home, not a hell on earth. Is that what the boss wants? Or maybe it's genuine? Maybe the boss should try working in the same position as an employee for once, to understand how they feel. I'll take charge myself. I'll make them feel like slaves.'
Hey... Does the boss really mean it?
"And... Did the boss come?"
"As far as I can see, it seems like he's still there. But I probably won't go in today. Maybe I'll go check out the hotel job instead." Suddenly, Paew waved a bottle of water and handed it to Nueng, who held it like a lost person without any thoughts. The battery died, couldn't make a call, so...
"Where's Jack?"
"Just saw him sitting outside smoking."
"Why do you ask? You know everything already, don't you, you nosy person?"
"Hey, you idiot. I'll slap you." The person being teased raised their hand, but the provocateur quickly escaped to save themselves.
*
"Hey, Jack, what's going on?"
The voice of a newcomer caught Jack's attention, diverting his gaze from the butterfly perched on a tree branch. He turned to face the person standing at the door, their gaze fixed from head to toe, before exhaling smoke into the air.
"A party, I guess."
"Yeah, I heard there's going to be a meeting about salary increase. Heard any rumors floating around?" The younger person threw themselves down to sit, forcing Jack to shift out of the way.
"It's true."
"Damn... Phenomenon," muttered Laem, before realizing that it probably wasn't as important as the matter at hand. They composed themselves to address the older person. "Hey, can I make a call? My phone's out of battery. Can I borrow your charger?"
"Do you need to use the phone right now?"
"Nah, anytime is fine. But I want you to see for yourself that I'm really out of battery," the kid grinned mischievously, flickering their eyes.
"Charge it after you finish eating. You probably won't need to call anyone today."
"Why are you so annoyed that I came late?" He pouted his lips and shrugged his shoulders, but Jack continued to smoke while staring at the brick wall like a hipster.
"I'm not annoyed," the older person took one last drag of the cigarette, exhaling smoke before turning their gaze to the person beside them. "But I'm disappointed that you're going through something and not telling me."
The half-smiling kiiid blinked their eyes, searching for an escape from the suffocating atmosphere in this moment.
"You mean what happened to my mouth and hand, right? It's such a trivial matter, you know? I accidentally kissed someone's feet, and now the villagers..." They paused, then added, "Boss has already told you everything."
"And I accepted it," the older person stubbed out the cigarette, turning to face the person next to them. "But I'm sad that you're something more than a brother to me, yet you won't tell me.
"Breaking promises like a pro, No.1 in that department. Boss."
"Because he had to find an outfit for you to wear, he called me at five o'clock. If there had been a shop open at that time, your fitting experience might have been smoother," Jack paused, looking at the person as if they were a lost. "He just wanted a student uniform, something affordable, so that you wouldn't think he was buying expensive items for you. He drove his motorcycle to your dorm to get it. Isn't it strange that he wore his own outfit?"
It felt like being slapped in the face with his own leg. Jack frowned before bending down to examine the outfit. It was unfamiliar even to a familiar student.
"I can't remember. It's too plain."
"And who do you think pressed it?"
"Are you implying me, Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Damn it, Cher!" The boy stomped his feet and turned around, arms outstretched. It seemed as if he would fall to the ground and look up at the real sky.
"And are you going to tell me what you went to do?"
"Well, I'll tell you, but don't make an ugly face, okay? My heart is already broken. I might just cry right now. Eh..."
"Just tell me the truth. Wait here. I'll go get some hot water to clean the wound. Don't you dare run off with a grumpy face or kick anyone else's mouth, got it?"
"Okay, can I have boiling water, please? Warm water won't do. I'll be back soon." Laem shouted as he retreated before jerking his body to dodge a playful kick aimed at his tail.
Though it was uncomfortable, it wasn't as bad as he had thought. Because, in the end, someone like Jack could never stay mad for long. He loved him just the way he was.
The sad man returned with a red pill and a towel, thinking it must have been from Jack's older sisters because, look, the cute patterned package, he probably didn't dare carry it himself. He narrated the events of last night without any hesitation, leaving one hand free for Jack to help with the wound while the other hand held a cigarette. It was a good day without work, truly. In a little while, he would roll his face with the villagers and drink tea.
"Don't do this again next time. It's not just me who doesn't feel good about it, but if it were Tee, he would be just as angry."
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want you guys to worry."
"Brothers don't worry about each other. How would we be considered brothers if we don't have our mouths fall apart? If you can handle it so casually, then let's consider it done."
"Well, they call it 'Touch Touch' face-slapping." Cher glanced at the other person who remained silent. Jack was probably secretly embarrassed, thinking about what to say but had to compose himself first because normally they didn't speak nicely to each other.
No matter how smooth-tongued someone could be, Laem felt really good to hear his Phi say something like this.
"But... Did Boss scold you?" Laem whispered, glancing into the office. If Boss suddenly appeared now, it would be disastrous.
"No." Miserably, Jack said, "He just told me to spread the news in the group chat that there's a party today, and also this Friday, besides discussing the latest game. Boss wants to talk about salary increases."
"Oh, so it's because of you."
"What did you do?" Jack had been curious since morning until now, frowning at the puppy-like face of that kid. But he couldn't find an answer. If he were to say that Boss liked him to the point of buying his affection with a salary increase, it would seem too far-fetched for a mere employee.
"If I answer that it's because I'm handsome and got my head slapped, then let's just say you're happy, Jack. At least everyone has seen Boss's changes. If you don't get moody and threaten to deduct salaries, employees will look up to you."
"At first, I was also afraid of getting moody and then being downcast. But when we met and I gave him clothes, he told me,"
"What?"
Laem stared at the senior's face while waiting for an answer, but the other side turned to look inside the office with a sound of laughter, as if someone was joking. At that moment, Laem was able to see the boss walking into the office, smiling awkwardly after greeting the employees, and the person who gathered the courage, wearing a confident sky blue suit and three-quarter shorts, received a warm greeting in return.
"From now on, our company will organize parties twice a month, and I hope everyone can relax and enjoy their time with me."
The voice wasn't very loud, but it was clear enough for those outside the glass to hear. Laem chuckled to himself. Upon seeing the boss trying to approach others and feeling proud as if saying something inappropriate, he felt a sense of familiarity, like a father seeing his son gradually trying to do good things for his friends after being a troublemaker in the classroom. No more that awkward guy with a high ego, Eggo.
Because now, there was only a strong boss who had crossed the wall of his own limitations.
"The boss told me, 'From now on, if something good happens because of me, let it be known that it's all because of Cher.'"
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TBC