Nanon took a deep breath and swallowed his own words before they escaped his lips. He was going to choose the first option, but he didn't know what his friend would think of him once he did. Therefore, he unwillingly ignored the murder alternative.
"What do you have in mind? We're gonna tie him up and keep him captive here in your house? For how long? Don't you think anyone will notice he is missing? What about your neighbors, huh? What if one of them saw him come inside and never leave?" Nanon raised all those questions, while hoping that Chimon had a solution for each one of them. However, his friend simply shook his head and started to untie Mark's shoelaces.
"We can also take him to a hospital, if that's what you want. But once he wakes up, we won't be able to defend ourselves. Let me remind you of who we're dealing with first, a very skilled psychopath, who assaulted you and is blackmailing you. If we let him go now, nothing will stop him from going to the police and pressing charges against me." Chimon explained calmly. Nanon started biting his nails while he observed his friend successfully remove both laces from Mark's shoes, tie them together and wrap them around his ankles.
"I don't wanna touch him. I just don't." Nanon said, clearly upset. Chimon lifted his eyes from his task just to look at the singer. The latter was shaking and his expression was quite unsettled.
"You're finally yourself, good. Feeling everything at once just makes you human, Non. You're not a cold machine, you know. Acting is not a way of life, just a part of your life, and you must disconnect from whatever character you're creating in your mind to accept your own reality, no matter how shitty it is. At the end of the day, no one else is wearing your body, but you." A sympathetic Chimon told him, while removing his own belt to bind Mark's hands together. Nanon sighed, averted his eyes from him and quickly changed the subject.
"Who were you calling upstairs?"
"Suicide helpline." Chimon replied without ceremony.
"What?! Why?" Nanon eyed him in disbelief.
"I needed to know what to do in case you were...You know, I just needed some guidance, and I thought someone from a crisis hotline could help me out. Actually, I have a couple of these numbers in my contact list. I have it since you got depressed during the pandemics." Chimon confessed as he stood up and walked to Nanon, who seemed quite overwhelmed by his friend's revelation.
"I appreciate your concern, but those days are gone." Nanon whispered as his eyes watered a bit. "You can delete all these numbers from your contact list, my friend. I'm never going back to that dark place again. I have too much to lose if I do."
"That's right." Chimon connected their foreheads and locked eyes with him. "Don't you ever scare me again, and I'll delete them. I don't wanna hear you talking like that, ever-"
"I'm sorry. I won't." Nanon cut him off and nodded his head. Chimon gave him a kind smile and kissed his forehead.
"I'm gonna go upstairs and find something to gag him. If he wakes up, just knock him out again." Chimon instructed him and left the two alone in order to find the right tools to completely restrain the former badminton player.
Nanon exhaled and gathered enough courage to go to the kitchen, grab some paper towel and wipe some of the blood that soaked Mark's hair. He crouched beside the unconscious man and carefully examined the damage on his scalp. The wound wasn't as deep as it looked, but Nanon wondered if the psycho would need some stitches to stop the bleeding. He couldn't help thinking that Mark could've got a concussion, or something worse. If his head injury was severe, it could lead to coma, and if Mark remained in that prolonged state of unconsciousness for at least a year, Nanon imagined that he could at least have a year of peace. His reverie was broken abruptly when a whisper reached his ear.
"Your hands are so gentle, Non." Mark muttered, and the singer gasped, quickly taking some distance from him. "I still remember how tenderly they held me that night after we left the club. How softly they touched my body, while your sweet, dazzling lips called your lover's name."
"How long have you been awake?" Nanon was obviously startled. That man had the sadistic habit of shattering his hopes without a warning.
"That's not important. What do you intend to do with me? Interrogate me? Torture me? Perhaps pull out a couple of fingernails, use some electrical stimulation, cut off a few appendages, break bones, and torch my skin?" Mark asked with staggering serenity. Anyone in his position would be screaming for help and asking to be released, but he did none of that.
"I don't know. I'm not the one in charge here. This is not even my house." A nervous Nanon replied, wondering why the man wasn't even a bit intimidated by his tied limbs.
"Oh, yes, you're never the one in charge, are you?" Mark snickered. "That's why you end up drugged in random beds and get beat up by the ones who claim to love you. When will you ever take charge of your own situation, Non?" He mocked the singer, but at the same time gave him a look similar to one of affection. "You clearly need a knight in shining armour. I can be that for you, if you let me."
Nanon eyed him with utter contempt and was about to let out a few curses when Chimon stepped into the living room with a first aid kit, a tie, and some tissues.
"Look who's awake! Let me just get you cleaned up, and we can start the shooting session in a bit." Chimon marched in Mark's direction and crouched beside him. "How come you're not writhing in pain? Ohm almost disfigured you, I almost split your head in two, and I come down here just to find you with a gracious smile on your treacherous lips. What the hell are you made of, you crazy fuck?"
Mark simply scoffed and Nanon grunted.
"What shooting session?" The singer frowned at his friend, who rolled his eyes at him
"Don't be naive. We've discussed this before. It's payback time. This creep is gonna have a taste of his own medicine." Chimon reminded the singer, who suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable.
"I applaud your efforts to help Nanon. You're a great friend to him, always tending to his needs, not hesitating to go to jail for him...That's what I call a solid loyalty, but you see, no matter what you do for his sake, I still don't like you." Mark snorted, but gritted his teeth when Chimon started to clean his scalp without much care. Nanon just observed their interaction without interfering in the dialogue.
"The feeling is mutual. I never liked you either. Now shut the fuck up." Chimon retorted, and grabbed the tie to gag him.
"You don't need to gag me or anything. How will Nanon get his answers if I'm unable to talk?" Mark cocked his head to the side as his eyes travelled from Chimon to Nanon.
"We are not asking you anything. You're a lying jerk, incapable of speaking a single word of truth. No, I'm not letting you play your psychological games under my roof. I'm a practical person. We're going to strip you of your clothes and take some photos. You like taking pictures don't you? What about being in them? Can you look pretty for us, even though your face is a mess?" Chimon asked him derisively and started to unbutton his shirt. A fidgety Nanon ran a sweaty hand through his hair, stood up and started pacing around the room. He never liked Chimon's plan. In his viewpoint, it just seemed like they were striving to stoop to Mark's level in order to pay him back in the same coin. Even though Chimon was the one getting his hands dirty, the singer couldn't stand watching the scene before him.
"I'll be glad to strike a pose for artistic purposes, but not for vulgar intentions such as vengeance. This doesn't look like something Nanon would approve of." Mark commented cynically, as his eyes searched the singer's across the room. But he still did not struggle, nor tried to shy away from Chimon's hands.
"Chimon, maybe we should think of another solution-"
"He's trying to get into your head. Just gag him if you can't bear listening to this vermin." Chimon cut his friend off, and after successfully exposing Mark's chest, he moved to remove the man's pants.
"That's enough!" Nanon protested, and grabbed Chimon by the arm. "We're not like him!"
A weary Chimon made a face at his friend and inhaled. He was ready to remind Nanon why they were doing that in the first place, but the doorbell rang again, and everyone in the living room froze, except for Mark.
"Any other model is joining us for this photo shooting session? I do hope they look better than I do. I'm not that photogenic, especially after someone's ex did a number on my face." The man snickered, totally enjoying the apprehension on their faces. "Is this the part I should scream for help? You two geniuses are not very good at being villains." he chuckled, making the other two start moving again.
"Shut the fuck up, you asshole." Chimon hissed and finally gagged him with the tie he had brought with the first aid kit. Mark just laughed at his actions.
"Go get the door. I'll keep an eye on him. Whoever it is, just send them away." Nanon told his friend, who gave him an impatient look.
"Okay. But don't let him make a single sound." Chimon warned him and went to the door. He was ready to get rid of whoever dared to interrupt their mission. However, he didn't have the heart to be rude with his visitor as soon as he realized who it was.
"Hi." The young man said in a friendly tone.
"Oh, it's you Perth. Were we supposed to meet today? I didn't-"
"No, we weren't. Sorry to stop by without calling first, Phi. The thing is, I'm just here because P'Ohm asked me to. I was just at the ER with him and I took him home after the doctor patched up his toe, but you see, he wasn't really worried about his injury. He kept asking me to check up on Nanon." A disconcerted Perth eyed the owner of the house with curiosity and raised an eyebrow at him. "He's here, isn't he? P'Ohm said he would be here. Can I come in?"
"He's actually taking a nap right now. Why would Ohm ask you to check up on him?" Chimon crossed his arms and blocked the door, while wondering how much Perth knew about the current situation.
"That's the weird part about this whole thing. I picked P'Ohm at Nanon's condo, and I didn't even get to see Nanon. I mean, they're besties, right? Shouldn't Nanon be worried about P'Ohm's toe? Why didn't he himself drive him to the hospital? And why would P'Ohm insist that he got injured at the gym when he obviously got hurt at Nanon's condo? I'm starting to wonder why he would lie about it. Did they get into a fight or something? Nanon is not missing a toenail too, is he?" Perth asked with a deep frown on his forehead. Chimon could tell his Nong wasn't stupid, and he had to come up with acceptable answers for his questions.
"As far as I know, it's all Ohm's fault for not being able to properly hold a sledgehammer. Nanon was renovating his garage, but his backache was killing him, so Ohm decided to lend him a hand, and then the accident happened. I can assure you that no fight took place in that condo. Ohm certainly sent you here because he's still worried about Nanon's back pain and he feels bad for not being able to help his buddy as he was supposed to. He probably told you that some dumbbell fell on his foot because he was too embarrassed to tell you that his injury was caused by his own stupidity." Chimon said at once. He sounded quite convincing, but although his composed body language matched his discourse, Perth's eyes suddenly became suspicious.
"Is that blood on the sleeve of your shirt?" Perth asked as he pointed to the blood stained spot on the sweatshirt Chimon was wearing.
"No! Why would there be any...?" Chimon paused to glance at where the boy was pointing and gulped. There was indeed a part of his sweatshirt tinged with Mark's blood and he could only guess that it got there when he examined the wound on the former player's head earlier. "Come on, kid. It's just paint." Chimon said too fast, cursing himself for not noticing that detail before he opened the door.
"Are you helping with the garage renovation too?" Perth cocked his head to the side and studied his features.
"No, I'm not. Actually, I'm kinda busy right now. I'd love to talk to you a bit more, but I'm in the middle of something here. So -"
"Can I at least have a look at him? I won't wake him up." Perth insisted.
"Nong, that's not necessary. I'm telling you Nanon is fine and-"
"They are my friends too, you know. Even though I'm younger than all of you it doesn't mean you have to keep me in the dark about any possible crisis." Perth declared, and took a step forward, but Chimon still didn't let him cross the entryway.
"We're not hiding anything from you. What are you thinking? That Ohm and Nanon had a row and they suddenly got a bit carried away while holding a sledgehammer?" Chimon tried to sound funny, but his tone didn't convey the humor his words were supposed to carry.
"Let me in, Phi." Perth gave him a serious look, and Chimon sighed in frustration. He didn't know how to dodge his request anymore. Luckily for him, he had another very good actor in the house.
"Hey, Perth! Good to see you, man." An enthusiastic Nanon suddenly appeared at the entryway, cutting the tension between them by pulling their visitor by the arm and giving him a hug. Perth's features finally brightened as he laid his eyes on him. Chimon furrowed his brows, wondering why the singer had left Mark by himself in the living room. But he wasn't going to complain about it, after all, now that Perth had finally seen that Nanon was alive, he could leave without asking further probing questions. "Why didn't you let him in, Mon? Where's your hospitality, buddy?" Nanon complained, giving Chimon a playful smile, and letting go of Perth. The owner of the house simply smiled back, not even a bit taken aback by the singer's wondrous acting anymore. He couldn't help but notice that Nanon had changed into one of his hoodies that could cover his neck and wrists. He silently praised his friend's cleverness and hoped that the singer wouldn't really invite Perth into the house.
"Oh, that's fine, Nanon. I just wanted to have a look at you. P'Ohm begged me to. By the way, his toenail is gonna be okay in a while. He might have to attend a few events wearing sandals, but I believe his fans will find him even more attractive in them." Perth informed him with a grin, and although Nanon's smile dimmed a little, he nodded, wishing he was the one taking care of Ohm at that moment.
"I'm sorry you had to come all this way to just check up on me. Honestly, you should stay with him. He's kinda clumsy and he might screw up his toe even more if he doesn't stay still. I'm glad he has you to look after him. Thanks for being around whenever he needs you." Nanon patted the younger's shoulder, snorted, and flexed his neck. He thought it was stupid of Ohm to send Perth there, they shouldn't be involving other people in their problems. Chimon was supposed to be the only one drowning into that mess with them and he already felt bad for it.
"Okay, I guess Non and I need to go back inside and you should quickly inform Ohm Pawat that he's under my care, so there's no reason for him to worry about his best buddy." Chimon said hurriedly and moved to close the door, but a loud scream echoed inside the house before he could do so.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllp!"