"Why are you putting all the blame on him, huh? Do you think I don't want him? He didn't force me to go to that village. He didn't force me to do those things on the beach! I was there with him willingly, and I loved every single minute of it!! Those photos are mere proof of our love! What I feel for him is not a result of Method Acting, or some random virus I got! I am not confused, or going through an identity crisis. I shed Pran's skin a long time ago. What do you know? You know nothing about us! A prejudicial, conservative, and ignorant mind like yours is unable to understand what's right before your mediocre eyes. You don't know the first thing about the two of us-"
A slap on the face interrupted Nanon's speech. The singer felt the shock before the pain installed itself on his cheek. P'Tha, the man who claimed to treat him like a son had just slapped him? Within a second, Ohm jumped on the short, middle-aged CEO, who was easily tackled on the floor. P'Tha looked scared as the older actor manhandled him roughly. He struggled against Ohms hold, yet, he was unable to free himself. He was only able to escape Ohm's fist because Nanon held his lover's arm.
"He's not worth it! Don't do it." The singer shook his head and tried to pull his fiancé away from their boss. "Please, get up, let's get out of here. Come with me." At first, a panting Ohm refused to climb off of the man on the floor. Every fiber of his body screamed at him to tear the CEO apart. One of his hands was still balled into a fist while the other squeezed the collar of P'Tha's shirt tightly. He shot daggers at the helpless man, who was clearly unable to dodge his boiling fury, and incapable of avoiding the shouting so close to his face.
"Who do you think you are!? Have you lost your goddamn mind? You can curse at me, call me names and even fire me if you want to. But I will not allow you to lay a hand on my fiancé! You hear me, you disgusting, homophobic piece of shit!?" Ohm yelled at the man, and he was only separated from him when P'Leo, and other members of the staff ran into the restroom after hearing the commotion from outside.
Ohm was still beside himself even when P'Tha was out of his reach. "This is not right! You're not his owner! You do not touch him again, or I will kill you, you hear me?! How dare you! He's not your son, or your slave, old man! He doesn't owe you anything! And if you think I'll let you treat him like that, hurt him like you just did, because I'm afraid you will let people know about us, think again!"
P'Tha played the victim in front of the staff. He started telling everyone that Ohm had just attacked him out of the blue. "This young man is having an episode. Call security! He assaulted his own boss for no reason at all!" He shook his head in fake outrage. "Don't think that just because I am very concerned about your mental stability, I will not press charges, young man!" the CEO pointed his finger at Ohm.
All the crew eyed Ohm as if he had lost his mind. The make-up artists and three cameramen were doing their best to keep Ohm from unleashing his ire on the CEO again. P' Leo was still trying to figure out what had happened there. Security was already on their way, but the couple's manager knew better. Kwang was appalled at the scene she was witnessing, but she still grabbed the key of the van's company, handed it to the singer and told him to get Ohm out of there.
"I'll handle things from here. You both need to go now." She whispered to the singer, who immediately freed Ohm from the members of the staff, grabbed his arm and ran away from the set.
When they got into the van, all Nanon did was drive. He didn't know where they were going, or why they were fleeing like a pair of criminals, but he drove away, without looking back. Ohm was still bellowing like a madman, calling the CEO all kinds of names and wishing he could go back there to beat the shit out of him while Nanon just kept telling him to calm down. The singer assured his fiancé that everything would be alright, but he was having a hard time convincing Ohm of that. After driving for about 20 minutes, the older actor beside him, finally said something coherent.
"Stop the car!" Ohm exclaimed.
"Why? Where are you going?" Nanon kept speeding up.
"You're a terrible driver. You're gonna kill us both like this." Ohm said in a more controlled voice, and a fidgety Nanon swallowed before pulling over.
"Let me see." Ohm whispered, as he brought a shaking hand to the singer's chin and examined his cheek. He couldn't identify any bruises there.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. He used his open palm. He was smart. He controlled the power of the slap. He swung only from his elbow, instead of with his whole arm. The contact was evenly distributed on the rounded part of my cheek. Apparently, he's careful when slapping an actor. Who knows, maybe he's used to it." Nanon commented, still seeing sparks of anger clouding his fiancé's orbs.
"Motherfucker." Ohm cursed under his breath. And Nanon placed a consoling hand on his. "I didn't even get to lay a punch on him! If those idiots hadn't stopped me! I swear I would-"
"Ohm, let's leave." Nanon whispered tiredly, as he removed Ohm's hand from his face and held it to his chest. "Please, listen to me-"
"Leave? Where to? We're not going anywhere! We're going to turn this car around. I'll drive this time. I'm the one who's gonna press charges against him! We're gonna sue him good! What was he thinking? He fucking slapped his own employee! He's gonna pay for this shit, mark my words!" Ohm stated as he grabbed Nanon's arm to remove him from the driver's seat.
"Let's run away together, go where no one can find us. I'm tired. I'm so tired." Nanon pleaded unreasonably, and the older let go of his arm with a grunt. "Everyone heard what you screamed in that restroom. People know. We've gotta disappear."
"They don't know everything. And even if they do...Whatever! Fuck them!" Ohm punched the glove box in front of him a few times and shook his head in disagreement. "No, we're not gonna give him the satisfaction. I'm not letting him play the victim."
"He's not the only problem we have. Those photos taken on the beach were taken by someone who hates us more than anything in this world. He just contacted me yesterday. And he says he's got a list of challenges for me to complete because, just because." Nanon said at once, unable to control his mouth. He couldn't keep that secret to himself any longer.
Ohm was agape. As soon as he recovered from the news, he ran a hand through his hair, closed his eyes, and exhaled before opening them again. He could barely believe his own ears. He grabbed Nanon by the shoulders and shook him a little. "What!? What are you saying? Say that again."
"The journalist P'Tha paid to keep those photos from going public, he might be following us for a while. He's not only after money. He's not normal." Nanon didn't dare to say Ananda's name, or mention the man's connection with Mark, but Ohm quickly connected the dots.
"Gosh, not this again!" Ohm shook his head in dismal. "Why didn't you say anything before? This is no journalist, dear. This person is Mark's back up plan. Photos and blackmailing?! Can't you see it? That's Pakin's MO." He sounded more heedful now. "The son of a bitch even dared to contact you!? You were supposed to tell me about something like that-"
"He contacted me last night! I am telling you now!" Nanon hurried to explain himself. "He told me to put a plastic head over my head and suffocate inside it. I managed to fool him then, but I am not sure about the next challenge. I have no idea of what he'll ask from me-"
"Wait, what?! Are you insane?! A plastic bag? Nanon, tell me you didn't do this!"
"I had no choice. He was high! You have no idea how deranged and nasty he sounded. I had to turn on my camera, because he threatened to contact my mother...I-I could not let him harm my mom..." Nanon paused as tears streamed down his face. But he didn't even let his weeping get in the way of his confession, he had to let it all out. "But I didn't put myself in danger, I pretended to be suffocating, and I really wasn't going to kill myself, like I said, I was acting! But I saw all these missed calls on my phone earlier and I am really scared of returning them-"
"Nanon, listen to me!" Ohm demanded. "What other challenges has he asked you to do?"
"Just this one." The singer sobbed, and covered his face with both his hands.
"Are you sure? Don't lie to me." Ohm removed his hands from his face, just to look him in the eye.
"I'm not lying. Please believe me." Nanon insisted.
"Call him back, now! Put him on speakerphone. Let me talk to him." Ohm's tone hardened.
"No." Nanon shook his head pitifully. "I don't want you to get involved with him, you have no idea-"
"I think I know who this is." Ohm told him seriously. Nanon wiped his tears and eyed him in confusion.
"What do you mean? How can you possibly-"
"Ananda Kunaanuwit. He's Mark's cousin. He contacted me before. Now call him." Ohm said firmly. The singer's heart almost stopped.
"When? How? Do you know him?"
"A little bit. Unfortunately." Ohm looked away and shook his head in frustration. The singer was perplexed.
"What the fuck, Ohm! Were you planning to tell me this, or-"
"We'll discuss this later. Call him, now, Non."
"What is this about? Are you paying him too?" A vexed Nanon asked.
"Paying him? No! Why would I? Wait, do you know Ananda?" Ohm looked beyond surprised now.
Nanon was about to say something when his phone rang again. The singer froze on the spot when he took the mobile from his pocket and saw that he didn't recognize the number on its screen.
"Take the call, come on!" Ohm yanked the device from his hand. He accepted the call and surprisingly, Nonnie picked up.
"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you! I've called you from our neighbor's phone, from the hospital phone, from a friend's phone and you-"
"Pitchaporn?" Nanon immediately became apprehensive. Ohm was similarly alarmed. "Where are you? Are you okay? Why the hell are you in a hospital?"
"It's mom. She fell at home. You've gotta come. Dad is here already, but I need you, brother." She spoke in a strained voice. Nanon's heart shatter in a thousand pieces. Her brother knew she had been crying. Ohm immediately changed seats with his distressed fiancé and started driving.
"Send us the directions of the hospital. We're coming. Why didn't you call your brother from your phone?" Ohm asked suddenly.
"P'Ohm? Is that you?"
"Yeah, Nonnie. It's me. Answer the question, please."
"I guess I lost it. I couldn't find it anywhere. Maybe I dropped it on the way here, I don't know. Why does it matter now?"
"Nanon would have returned the call sooner if he knew who was calling. We were filming, and we didn't have our phone with us. Why didn't you call P'Kwang?"
"I have her number on my phone, but since I couldn't find my own phone, I didn't know what to do."
"How did she fall? How bad was it?" Nanon asked, fearing the worst.
"I didn't see it. I just heard a loud noise from my room, and when I went to check on her, she was unconscious, in the garage.
"Don't worry. She's a strong woman. She's gonna be alright. Hang in there. Don't leave your father's side and stay alert. We'll get there soon." Ohm assured her.
"Why should I be on alert?"
"It's just a precaution. Don't panic, okay? Have you received any weird calls lately?" Ohm asked her.
"Weird calls? No. Why? Are we in danger or something? Wait! Do you think that perhaps, mom's fall wasn't an accident? Phi, what's going on?"
"We'll talk more when Nanon and I get there." Ohm said and hung up on her.
"It's him. He did that." The singer whispered in consternation. "The guy is tailspinning because of a goddamned anniversary. He went after my mom just to spite me. Just to make me as miserable as he is now."
"We don't know that." Ohm glanced at him worriedly. "What anniversary are you talking about? We are his targets, right? Pakin is in coma because of us. Why would he go after your mom? Nanon, do you know where we can find him? Have you even met him in person before?" Ohm asked impatiently. The singer took a deep breaths, as he tried to keep himself from having an anxiety attack right there.
"I saw him at the hospital once, when I visited Mark. Afterwards, I crossed paths with him at a bar in Seoul. Then he showed up in Taipei. I don't know. He could be anywhere-"
"Oh my fucking God! So, you were lying! You knew all the time that it was no journalist who had taken those photos, but-"
"No, I didn't. Ananda just told me yesterday. I might not know where he is, but I know what he wants from me. And I know what I have to do." Nanon spoke with a tone full of resignation. He had an insight as Ananda's most haunting words echoed in his mind. He was in Taipei when he heard the man's end goal. Ananda was quite honest with him from the beginning. He never hid from the singer what he really wanted. It was revenge, as simple as that. 'Isn't it beautiful? The destruction of such a strong bond? He took my cousin from me. Now I'll take him you. And by doing that I'll be punishing both of you.' Nanon knew Ananda just wanted them to suffer as much as he did. And if destroying their bond was enough to keep them from destroying themselves, and those around them, Nanon could live with that. The singer was suddenly pushed to do something he knew he would regret doing it.
"Nanon, you're not any making sense. First, you said that the first time he contacted you was last night, now you're saying you've met him in all those places! Why the fuck I'm only hearing about this now?! And how can you possibly know what a member of that psychopathic family want? We weren't even sure of what Mark had in that fucked up head of his. Has Ananda shared his wish list with you or something? How close have you two become? How long has this been going on!? Has he grown attached to you like his cousin did? Come on, be honest with me now. Lying to me at this point won't get us anywhere, you know." Ohm's voice had an edge to it. He kept driving, but glaring at the singer now and then.
"Well, what about you? Don't you know where to find him? How long have you been in contact with Ananda? Have you ever met him in person? I'm not the only one withholding here. I guess we're both keeping secrets from each other, right? Don't you dare judge me because-"
"Are you paying him money? How much? Since when?" Ohm cut him off, raising his voice this time. The singer scoffed.
"How could we even get engaged like this? This whole relationship is a joke. We are not ready, we can't make it work. We'll never trust each other completely. Not after Mark entered our lives. Don't you regret writing that proposal on the sand? Don't you wanna know if I regret saying yes?" Nanon's heartwrenching questions made the other swallow.
"Stop. You're being cruel. I know what you're doing. Don't change the subject." Ohm narrowed his eyes at him. "Just stop."
"What now? We both know that that 'yes' was a huge mistake." Nanon's sour tone made Ohm grit his teeth.
"No, it wasn't. Don't start. Please. You don't mean that." The older almost begged. He promised himself that he would never make Nanon regret saying yes to him on that beach, and if he told his lover what happened between him and Ananda, Nanon would immediately cancel that engagement.
"Tell me about Ananda, or get out of the car." Nanon threatened. His voice was firm and composed.
"What?!" Ohm eyed him in disbelief.
"You heard me. If you're not going to be honest with me, I'll get to my mom by myself. I don't need you to tag along. My dad and sister are all the support I need." Nanon retorted caustically.
"Non, I know it's difficult to digest the fact that your mom is in the hospital, and all the shit that happened on the set. We both have a problem of communication here, and we need to talk about it-"
"If you think that you are more important to me than the well-being of my family and my career, you need to get out of this car. Right fucking now." The singer growled. He didn't want to think of what challenges Mark's cousin could've given Ohm.
"Nanon, listen to me-"
"No! You listen to me!" Nanon said briskly. "We are going to break up for real. We're apologizing to P'Tha and we'll only meet for work. I am going on vacation in January, like our CEO advised, and you're not-"
"Nanon, you're having a panic attack or something!? You need me right now. You're obviously in shock. If this guy is putting the people you love in the hospital, we've gotta fight him together. We're stronger as a team. We have allies too. There's Chimon, and Perth, and even my brother! They can help us find a way out of this." Ohm tried to reason with him.
"No! I'll give Ananda what he wants. This is the only way. An eye for an eye. We took Mark from him, we forcibly broke them up. Now you and I only have to break up too. We'll get even, and this nightmare will cease. He will leave my family alone, and no one will get hurt. I just have to let you go." Nanon said in a forlorn way and suddenly raised his voice. "If you don't get out, I will." Nanon moved to open the car door while the vehicle was still in movement and a freaked out Ohm immediately slowed down the car.
"Okay! Okay! I'll get out. Please, let me just pull over. Don't hurt yourself, okay?" A desperate Ohm did what the singer asked. He stopped the car and stepped out of it. Nanon didn't even look at him when he turned the key in the ignition and drove away from him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
30 minutes later...
"The fainting was caused by a sudden fall in her blood pressure. Since she hit her head and had a mild concussion, we'll keep her in observation for tonight, as a precaution. But she's conscious now, and the exams do no indicate any swelling in the brain. She's going to be okay." The doctor told Nonnie, Nanon and Khunakorn as they stood by Ning's bed. The 3 members of the Kirdpan family were quite relieved to hear that she was going to be okay and soon leave the hospital. However, no one was even more relieved than Nanon when his mother herself told them that she had climbed on a chair to change a light bulb in the garage, suddenly felt dizzy and blacked out. Only now he was sure Ananda had nothing to do with that accident, and his heart was able to calm down a little.
"I should faint more often, since this is the only way I get to see you these days." Ning made a face at her son, and extended a hand to him. Nanon hurriedly came to her side, took her hand in his and kissed it.
"I've been busy, but I'll manage to stop by the house more often. I'm really sorry this happened, mom." He said rather guiltily. And he wasn't only feeling guilty towards his mother. Ohm was constantly in his mind. He needed to see him and fix things between them. They really needed to talk. Now that he had calmed down, and made sure that no one was after his family, he realized that he had gotten ahead of himself. Breaking up was a too premature solution for their problem. He couldn't be sure that Ananda would leave them alone if they were separated. Perhaps, the man would only be satisfied when one of them was dead.
"Do stop by, I won't complain if you do. But don't be sorry, sweetie. I'm stronger than I look, and I can take care of myself." She assured him.
"Obviously you can't." Nonnie interjected, sitting on the other side of her bed. "You could've asked me to help you with those light bulbs. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."
"Kids, you should go home. I'll stay with your mom tonight. I'll call you if there's any change in her condition." Khunakorn told their children.
"Yes, you guys go. It's late. Make sure to eat something before going to bed. I don't want my children to starve because they're worried about me." Ning said softly. "By the way Non, I know you're a working machine, but I would really appreciate it if you could find some time in your tight schedule to have dinner with us at least twice a week. You look thinner." Ning told him tenderly, and her son nodded obediently.
"I'm definitely not getting thinner, but I will, mom. I will have many dinners with you, okay? Just rest for now." He kissed her forehead and placed his head on her stomach. "Thank God you're okay."
"Nonnie, do you mind staying with your mom a little more? I need to have a word with your brother. Non, can I talk to you outside for a second?" Khunakorn asked, and both Nonnie and Nanon nodded. The singer followed his father outside as his sister stayed by their mother's side.
"What is it?" Nanon eyed his father curiously, as he noticed a hidden concern behind his composed look. "Is it mom? Did the doctor said something when I wasn't here-"
"No, son, Your mother will be fine. It's you that I'm worried about." Khunakorn sighed and pulled him to a less crowded part of the corridor of the hospital. "P'Tha called."
Nanon exhaled. "Dad-"
"Son, just listen to me, alright? I know I haven't been around much, and I know I failed you in several ways. As your father and senior, I should've warned you about the dangers we actors face in this Industry when we get on the bad side of a company like GMMTV. I am aware of the whole situation, and I do understand your anger. I know that a slap on the cheek is not something acceptable, but the things you have told our CEO aren't either. Both parties made mistakes and-"
"And what? Did he try to convince you that I am confused about my sexual orientation too? He shouldn't even go to you and out me without my permission. This is not okay! I do not respect that man anymore. And that's a shame, because he did look after me in that company. There was a time I really I looked up to him! But now, I want to keep my distance from him. I cannot work for someone like that anymore dad, you have no idea of what-"
"I don't think you're confused. I know you love Ohm. And P'Tha knows that too. That's why he's afraid of losing you. Romantic relationships within this field of work don't last. And careers can be at risk."
"Ohm and I are not you and mom." Nanon retorted and buried his hands in his pockets in a rather insecure manner. He looked away when he asked his dad a rather disconcerting question. "Aren't you disgusted by me? Because I'm dating him?"
"You can date whoever you want. Love has no gender. Since the day I met that kid, I knew then that I didn't have to worry about you if something happened to me. I could perceive that Ohm takes care of you much better than I do. Disgust? I'll never feel like that towards my son, or my son-in-law. Non, you only bring joy and light into my life. You never disappointed me, not even once." Khunakorn patted his shoulder warmly, and Non would've pulled his dad into a hug if the man's next words weren't uttered with so much ambiguity. "You're not gonna disappoint me now."
"I'm quitting GMMTV. Does that disappoint you?" Nanon cocked his head to the side and stared directly into his father's eyes. The man sighed and removed his hand from his shoulder.
"The boss knows you well. He predicted that you would want to quit after what happened. Pride always gets in the way of reason, son. Don't let it ruin the bright future you have ahead of you. P'Tha wants to talk to you, and it won't hurt if you just listen to him, right? He regrets raising his hand against you. It all happened in the heat of the moment. He wants to make amends."
"Does he? Bullshit. Come on, dad! Which side are you on?" Nanon shook his head in disbelief.
"Son, you do know your boyfriend's contract is almost over. Our CEO is willing to renew Ohm's contract if you decide to stay in the company." Khunakorn said at once. "If you refuse, there will be consequences."
"Great! I can even guess what he means about 'consequences'! Have you seen the photos too?" Nanon grimaced, as he stared at the unsettling expression etched on his father's face.