Mark Pakin was alive and kicking, walking around his room with the aid of a walker. There was a doctor next to him, probably a physiotherapist. Mark was laughing cheerfully while talking to the doctor. There was someone else in the room, another fellow colleague from GMMTV, a young one. The same one who thought that could compete with Nanon for Ohm's heart. Ananda was nowhere to be seen.
"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here. You need to leave, now." The moment Prom noticed Nanon at the door, he stared at the singer with an alarmed expression on his face. Nanon remained speechless and still, as if he struggled to reprogram his body functions and reboot his mindset.
Mark's gaze followed Prom's voice and then fixed at the door. He smiled at Nanon. And that smile wasn't a vicious one, just the kind of smile the old Mark used to give him.
"You're finally here." He said, and the singer instantly blacked out.
Nanon woke up minutes later in a room that he did not recognize. He didn't get up from the bed in panic though. As he reminded himself of what he saw before his eyes abruptly closed, he ordered his body to stay still. He had to think of the plan, and how to still make it work. No, he wouldn't have an anxiety attack, or get down on his knees to ask for mercy. Nanon knew he had to outsmart not only the Kunaanuwits, but also the deceitful teenager who was now sitting on a chair beside his bed.
Prom was scrolling down his phone, unaware that the singer observed him quietly, and carefully. Now a lot of things made sense. Ananda seemed to know details about his and Ohm's schedules. Trips, events, hangouts, family addresses, everything. It was not difficult to figure out how Ananda had their phone numbers, and even found out they were in the Zero Waste Village before their manager did. Perhaps, Nanon wouldn't be in debt with GMM if those photos at the beach weren't taken. And those photos were only taken because someone close to him and Ohm was feeding Ananda information regarding their whereabouts. He would've never guessed that Prom was a spy working for those detestable cousins.
"Why did you join them? What did they offer you?" Nanon spoke suddenly, in a voice full of contempt. Prom gasped as he put his phone down and looked at him.
"I am not their partner in crime or something like that. P'Mark just happened to have the same aspirations as me at first. Then it got complicated." The boy confessed, in a low voice. He seemed tense, yet, not as uneasy as he looked when he laid eyes on the singer at the door of Mark's room.
"Really? Care to share with me some of your aspirations?" Nanon clenched his jaw.
"He wanted you, and I wanted P'Ohm. We both needed the end of OhmNanon to make our dreams come true." Prom said as he looked away. "I wouldn't have agreed to help him if I knew that he was insane."
"How long has he been awake?" Nanon had to know. Judging by the scene he had witnessed earlier, he was sure the former badminton player had broken out of that comatose state for more than a week.
"Three months." Prom revealed without beating around the bush. Nanon gritted his teeth and placed a concerned hand on his head. The teenager understood his disappointment. "I know what P'Thai must've told you, but even the nurse who kept him updated didn't know that P'Mark was out of coma. Only a few people in here know about his improvement and the ones who know are not supposed to divulge it. The nurse who kept the truth from P'Ohm's brother was probably instructed to do so. Ananda told the hospital staff to keep his cousin's rehabilitation progress a secret. He claimed that he didn't want the press or fans anywhere near him, since all the attention could overwhelm P'Mark and affect his current fragile state."
"He looked awesome to me. I bet he's back sucking his cousin's cock!" Nanon snapped as he sat up on the bed. "Oh, wait, scratch that! Maybe you're doing it for him!"
"You're wrong." Prom eyed him with remorse. "I don't like them! I don't enjoy being around them. You were deceived by P'Mark once, and you know how he can get into people's heads! Moreover, I never thought P'Mark's cousin would go after P'Ohm. But then again, I wasn't aware that P'Ohm had tried to kill P'Mark."
"How can you be the accomplice of a fucking psycho who assaulted me, and-"
"He didn't do anything to you!" An exasperated Prom argued. "No photos, no videos, nothing!"
"What?!" Nanon eyed him in disbelief.
"P'Mark is a lunatic, I totally agree with you. But he couldn't bring himself to touch you like that! He wanted me to film you two in bed, and I was ready to follow his instructions! I was there, in his house when he brought you into his room, Nanon! I helped him undress you when you puked all over yourself! You kept calling Ohm's name nonstop and trying to kiss him. I was anxious to show P'Ohm what kind of cheater he had chosen for a boyfriend, but P'Mark, changed his mind out of the blue. You were there, naked in his bed, legs spread and begging to be fucked, yet he couldn't get it up. All he did was push you away and inject you with more drugs. You were out in an instant! So he pulled a blanket over you and got out of the room, after telling me to look after you the whole night! He locked us in there together, and warned me not to let him in, even if he begged me to. From that moment on, I knew I wasn't dealing with a normal person." Prom took a deep breath and sneered at Nanon. "Have you never realized he has a screw loose?"
"This cannot be!" Nanon had eyes like saucers and his heart kept punching his chest uncontrollably. "I woke up in that room, and he was in the shower-"
"I am not finished!" The boy cut him off briskly and continued. "In the morning, he kicked me out, after telling me that Ohm was stopping by. He made me swear that I wouldn't utter a single word of what happened to anyone. If I did, he would lock me in his basement. I don't even know what he meant by that, but as far as I know, there is no basement in his house. Later, he called me and assured me that even without the video, we both would get what we wanted. He told me some lies could work as well as a few truths." Prom shook his head in despair and cursed the day he made the deal with the former badminton player.
"But Ananda gave Ohm a flash drive with his cousin's freaking 'materials' and-"
"P'Ananda is a mindfucker, worse than his cousin is. The flash drive was empty! And he was sure P'Ohm wouldn't even check its content. You were both fooled into believing that something had really happened that night P'Mark roofied you at that bar. But I can guarantee you that you weren't harmed in any way." Prom eyed Nanon with pity. "Why do you think Ananda needed those pictures at the beach? He had nothing concrete! He actually had nothing to blackmail the two of you! Do you really think the guy would show GMM those photos at the village if he already had a video of you being fucked by a fellow colleague?! Wake up, Nanon! How more gullible can you be?!"
"You're lying! This cannot be! All this time, I almost went crazy..." The singer shook his head in consternation as he got up from the bed and started pacing around the room. "Ohm even slept with that psychopath in order to get that goddamn flash drive! Ananda turned him into a goddamn monster!"
"P'Ohm is no monster! You have no idea what a monster really is. Do you really think he would do all those things if he were in his right mind? Ananda drugged him, okay? Every time they met. I wasn't in Singapore, or in any of the other places where it happened, but that much I know." The boy retorted.
"What?! I can't believe this shit! You claim to love him, but you still let that maniac control his mind! You watched Ohm go to great lengths just to-"
"Do you think I could ever stop Ananda? The man is scary! I had an agreement with P'Mark, and we worked together to separate you two, but he had never told me about that deranged cousin of his! P'Mark was already in a coma when Ananda got into the picture. He forced me to give me all the information he wanted. I constantly texted Ohm to find out what he was doing, where he was, and who he was with because if I didn't, I would certainly get killed! You think P'Mark is a head case, right? But he's not half of the psychopath Ananda is!" Prom explained himself the best he could, but he knew that nothing could justify his alliance with that hellish pair. "Call me a coward, but all this time, I was really fearing for my life."
"Were you? And how do you think I felt when I had to live under the same roof as Mark?! How do you think I felt when I had to sleep in a room next to his, knowing that any moment, he could get in there, get on me, and tear me apart?! How do you think I felt when he kept dropping hints that he had raped me that night? Can you imagine the agony inside me every time I was around Ohm? Do you have any idea of how filthy and repulsive I felt? I loathed myself! I wanted to die!" Nanon shouted at him.
"Keep your voice down, this is a hospital-"
"Fuck you!" The singer hissed, as he pointed a finger at the boy and glared at him. "They destroyed my relationship with Ohm! And you helped them! The three of you ruined our lives!"
"Because you let us! Seriously, you made it so easy for us!" A cynical Prom shot back, as he stood up from his chair and walked up to him with fire in his eyes. "Honestly, Phi...If I ever found out that the man I love had sold his ass to keep a raving mad motherfucker away from me, I would fucking marry the guy in a heartbeat! But no, you're full of morals and sensitivities. You turned his back on your lover because you were unable to face your own guilt. You're a hypocrite who can't handle the fact that you are the one who drove P'Ohm to that point. If you weren't so weak and mentally unstable, I bet you would be able to keep your man out of unhinged people's beds." The teenager shrugged. "You don't deserve P'Ohm. You should've given him to me when-"
The slap echoed in the room. Prom cowered and held his cheek in shock as an enraged Nanon towered over him.
"Don't look so surprised. You had it coming." Nanon hissed as he glared at the boy.
"Hit me as much as you want. But please, don't tell anyone about what you saw." The tearful teenager begged miserably. "Ananda is not in Bangkok, and he put me in charge of P'Mark. No one is supposed to know he's awake. And we all know that if P'Thai or P'Ohm learn that he is better, they will come for his head."
"Let them come." Nanon said in a hostile manner. "I might even help them separate Mark's head from his body."
Prom swallowed. "And you're all gonna get in trouble, all over again."
"Not if we take care of both cousins at once." Nanon grabbed his chin and squeezed it a little. "You helped those pair of fiends rob us of our peace, now, you're gonna help us get it back. You're gonna start by telling me everything Mark has been scheming since he woke up from that goddamned coma."
"He's not scheming anything. He doesn't even know why he should." Prom said and sighed in frustration.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nanon demanded.
"He has no recollections of what happened within the last 4 years. He doesn't even know who you are." Prom revealed quickly, as a skeptical Nanon let go of his chin. The teenager then continued. "Why do you think Ananda wants me to keep an eye on him? P'Mark doesn't even know he was chased off that road. He doesn't know he has enemies and that his sorry life is in danger." The boy added with a helpless look on his face. Nanon was about to confront the teenager's words when a curious Mark entered the room with the help of a walker.
"You're finally awake! Are you good, now? Meung, got me worried back there. Nice to meet you, I've heard you're my beloved Nong, and best friend." An excited Mark smiled gently and extended a hand in front of Nanon. "It looks like somebody out there heard your prayers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day...
"That's unbelievable! Did you even shake hands with him?" Nonnie was dumbfounded after listening to her brother's narration. They were in their mother's house, sitting on the living room couch as the singer told his sister about the events of the previous night. At first, he didn't know how his sister would take the news, but he believed that since she was infatuated by Mark Pakin once, she deserved to know that the man who deceived her, and terrorized her older brother was awake. He knew he had to prepare Nonnie for whatever was coming for them.
"I couldn't. I marched out of there like a fucking coward." Nanon exhaled. "I don't know why he still has this effect on me. I hate myself for running away." He added sincerely.
"It's okay, it's okay, big bro. We're gonna figure out what to do. But we must make sure he's not lying about this amnesia. We both know he can be a deceitful bastard and a stupendous actor." Nonnie consoled her brother, even though the girl herself felt quite anxious after hearing the news.
"I'll tell Ohm." Nanon stated firmly, after considering that possibility a thousand times in his head. "The old me would rather hide this kind of stuff, but not the current me. If there's something that I learned from Naanaam is that sometimes, you can't rely on lies in order to be brave. Ohm still thinks I'm being played by my characters. And it's better this way. He won't worry about the fact that his ex is going to flip after facing his worst enemy. If Ohm realizes that I am not freaking out about Mark's recovery, he won't freak out either. I don't want him to try and do anything stupid for my sake, so I will not give him a reason to be alarmed. I'm sure we'll communicate better this way. If this relationship has a chance of resurrecting somewhere in the future, we've gotta stop hurting each other with secrets, and prioritize raw honesty."
"So you do plan on getting back together with him?" Nonnie looked puzzled.
"No, I don't. I just want to be his friend, like we used to be before everything changed. That's all." Nanon looked away. That sentence sounded too foreign to his ears and he could barely convince himself of the uncertainty behind it. Nonnie sighed and gave him a knowing look.
"Can you really forget everything that happened between him and you know who, and just-"
"If I am not his lover, I can do that. It won't matter to me whom he slept with if I am just a friend. I believe he will also be able to move on once he sees that we can have a healthy friendship instead of a toxic love story." Nanon told her, wondering one more time whether he could be around Ohm and keep his yearning for him in check. Now that Nanon knew that he wasn't assaulted by Mark, a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders, but another one was added, after all, Ohm only slept with Ananda in order to get his hands on Mark's 'precious materials', images that never existed.
"Phi, about Ananda and him...P'Ohm didn't see that as cheating. He was silly enough to think that he was protecting you. I really believe that he didn't know what he was doing until it was too late. In his troubled mind, he thought he was saving you, instead of betraying your love for him. I know it was horrible for you to learn about all the sordid details of their deal, but you obviously understand that he didn't get into that man's bed willingly. You know him better than I do, and deep down, you are aware that he truly adores you, and cares for you madly. You can't ever deny that. You can accuse P'Ohm of a lot of things, but you can't accuse him of-"
Nanon suddenly brought a hand to Nonnie's mouth and gave her a pleading look.
"Don't do that. You're my sister! You shouldn't be advocating for him." The singer removed his hand from her lips and shook his head. "Thai already thinks his brother has been the main victim of this whole ordeal and I can't-"
"You can't get over the fact that what went down between P'Ohm and Ananda could've happened between you and Mark. And then you wonder if your boyfriend would forgive and forget the moment he learned about it. You don't think Phi would take you back, do you?" Nonnie gave him a challenging look.
"What do you think?" Nanon asked in a rather reticent voice.
"I think he wouldn't be able to wrap his head around it at first. But he wouldn't be able to break up with you. I can see him getting angry, frustrated, and even a bit violent. But I don't see him ignoring your reasons and the helpless circumstances you were in. I don't think he would be capable of letting you go. Yes, he would be hurt, but he would stand by you, and help you heal from such a traumatic experience. He would understand that what you did was against your will, and he would even rather see you as a victim of rape, instead of a villain, or a cheater boyfriend."
Nanon was taken aback by Nonnie's words. He didn't want to draw that conclusion by himself, but the thought had already crossed his mind. If Ohm was coerced into accepting the man's terms, was he, somehow, sexually abused? Or what Ananda did was some sort of sextortion? Could Ohm be suffering some sort of PTSD? Could Ohm really be in charge during all the times he and Ananda were in bed? How could he, if, according to Prom, he was on drugs? Nanon had avoided that word for a while. Rape was not something he wanted to associate with his boyfriend's name. Nanon always thought that the man he loved would never submit to anyone. But then again, Ohm had told him that did what he had to do, not what he wanted to, right? Those thoughts already ruined his day.
"I've gotta go. I've got to hit the studio and-"
"What?! You're going to work after learning all that? Can you even work on your album while knowing that psycho is awake? We've gotta call the other guys. Phi, this is huge! P'Chimon, P'Thai and P'Perth must be warned-"
"I will tell them everything. I promise. But I have to get myself together first. I don't want them to go after Prom right now, I have to be careful-"
Before Nanon could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang. Both the siblings became tense for a minute.
"Are you expecting anyone? You did say Mom would only be back in the afternoon, right?" Nanon frowned at her. The girl simply nodded but didn't move an inch to get up from the couch. When her brother stood up she grabbed his arm.
"Be careful. Check who it is before opening the door." Nonnie warned him in a serious tone. Nanon could see his little sister's fear through her eyes. She could be a tough cookie, but he knew that Mark left a deep scar on both of them. Perhaps, she was actually more scared than he was of that former badminton player. Not because she thought he could hurt her, but because she didn't know if her feelings for him were completely gone.
Nanon gave her a reassuring look and went to the door. And as soon as he opened it, an agitated Chittsawangdee stormed into the house.
"I've been checking the news nonstop! Every channel, every single social media! Why the hell haven't I seen any news about Mark Pakin's death?!" The boy crossed his arms and gave the singer an accusing look.
"Thai, how did you know I was going to-"
"I know you, Phi! You don't involve people in your affairs. And you certainly wouldn't help me get rid of that trash! You would do it yourself, and you were going to do it the moment you left my brother's house. Now tell me what happened!" Thai demanded impatiently.
"Wait! Why does my brother even owe you an explanation? You put him up to it on purpose, you practically forced him to become a murderer, and now you're disappointed because things didn't go as you planned? How dare you!?" Nonnie chimed in, and only then Thai realized that they weren't alone in that living room.
"You obviously know what happened, Nonnie. To be honest, I don't even care why your brother failed us this time. I shouldn't be surprised. Anyways, I am sure you have more balls than he does. Why don't you go to that hospital and do it yourself? After all, the idea was all yours." Thai blurted out as he turned to face her. Nanon was shocked.
"I never said anything about involving my Phi! You and I were supposed to avenge our brothers, not add more traumas to their heads!" She retorted furiously. The singer, who was speechless for a few minutes, finally recovered his ability to speak.
"Wait a minute, did you plan to kill Mark?" He was beyond perplexed now. His sister swallowed.
"I just couldn't forgive him." Nonnie confessed and looked away. "But now that he's awake, it will be even more satisfying to see the look in his eyes while I take his life from him. I want him to know that I am the one who ends this."
"Sis, you're better than this. You don't want to have someone's death on your conscience." Nanon exhaled in despair. He should've known that his little sister would be doing something like that. He had always been overprotective of her, and she acted the same way towards him. He put a hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin to look deep into her eyes. "It's not worth it. I don't want you to get your hands dirty."
"But you can? P'Ohm can?" She brushed his hand away and huffed.
"Hold on! Did you say that he's awake?! What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Thai was confused and alarmed at the same time. Nanon had to sit the young Chittsawangdee down and explain to him everything that happened at the hospital the night before, including Prom's involvement with the cousins and Mark's supposed memory loss. Thailand was shocked and even more irritated by the news.
"I can't believe this shit!"
"As you can see, we're in need of a plan B if we want to get rid of those damned cousins." Nonnie told a shocked Thailand.
"Fuck! Who would have imagined that Prom would betray us this way! All the time you were away, my brother relied on him. I even believed him when he said that he was in love with Phi. And for a second, I even thought that it would be easier for my brother if he had fallen in love with someone less complicated than you." Thai commented sincerely, as he rubbed his hands against his face in frustration. Nanon nodded in an understanding manner.
"I can't blame you for thinking like that." The singer kneeled in front of him and took his hand in his in a consoling way. "Ohm and I, became a destructive combination once our minds were poisoned by those bastards. I do hope he finds a partner who can give him a proper relationship, and love him as he deserves to be loved, with his flaws, his qualities, and all the rest. But Prom can't be that guy."
"Of course, he can't! You are that guy, P'Nanon. Your involvement with my brother only became destructive because of those lunatics. They turned you against each other and put dozens of obstacles in your way just to make you think that your relationship is not worth fighting for. But they can't change what you guys feel for each other. Don't you see? You still love him despite everything that happened. You went to his house yesterday, and gave him the bracelet, not as a goodbye gift, but as a piece of hope! You didn't flush it down the toilet like you said you did! You meant to tell him that Ohm and Nanon's story isn't over, right?! You wanted him to notice the real you in that backyard. You wanted him to put that jewel around your wrist one more time, didn't you? You want him back as much as he wants you back! I actually don't know if reconciliation is the best option right now. I might not be happy to see my brother grumpy all the time you guys have an argument, and P'Perth might not enjoy watching you two hurting each other, but what can we, bystanders, do? We can't fix whatever the hell is wrong with you two. We can't mend what the Kunaanuwits shattered. But if there is a fix for it, you and my brother are supposed to find it out together. It only depends on the two of you." Thai finished his speech and crossed his arms, waiting for Nanon to try and deny all that he said. Nonnie just watched their interaction, also wondering if her brother was about to lie to their faces. Surprisingly, he didn't.
"How did you know I gave that bracelet to Ohm-"
"He showed it to me. He asked me what I thought you meant with it. He wasn't sure if Naanfah was just messing with his head."
"And what did you say?" Nanon's eyes grew big. He couldn't help wondering if Thai had helped Ohm to finally figure out that he had expelled the twins from his body.
"I told him I had no idea. I advised him to ask you about it next time he laid eyes on you." Thai gave the singer an impatient look. "You are going to tell him yourself."
"Not now. We have to tell Ohm about Mark and we don't know how he's going to react-"
"If Mark didn't really assault you, if there are no photos and no video of what he made you believe that he did to you, my brother slept with his cousin in Singapore for nothing! He will obviously feel bad for having screwed the guy for no reason at all, but P'Ohm might not murder Mark, Ananda, and Prom as soon as he hears the news. After all, he'll be pleased to know that no one assaulted you. Maybe we all can do this the right way. Maybe we can put these guys behind bars. Imagine if we can bring them to justice! We could go to the police and-"
"No, Thai, listen to me. We've gotta be careful. Those photos at the beach, unlike Mark's 'precious materials', they do exist, and they can be used against us. The journalist hired by Ananda made a deal with the company, but we can't be sure that the guy will keep those away from the public. It could turn into a scandal-"
"GMM can deny the rumors! They can sue the motherfucker and claim that he is just another crazy fan obsessed with OhmNanon. P'Tha can come forward and say that the photos are fake. People can create some weird shit with Photoshop nowadays! Haven't you heard of DeepFake porn? People use celebrities' faces and put them on porn stars! You guys can just deny that the couple in those images are you! Fans will back you up for sure! We can get rid of them the right way. We force Prom to go to the police and tell them what happened that night Mark roofied you-"
"Prom would never do that." Nonnie interrupted. "He would implicate himself-"
"My brother can convince him to tell the truth. You have no idea how that kid is head over heels for my Phi. He would do anything he asked! I'm telling you-"
"That would be too much exposure. This story would not stay only inside a police station. I am sure of that! Four GMM actors involved in this shit!? This would blow out of proportion. I myself don't want to go to the authorities! What am I supposed to tell them? That I was naive enough to let another guy drug me and lure me to his bed? And that one of my colleagues was supposed to film the whole thing? The media would be all over it. This would hit the papers, and we know it!" Nanon stood up and started pacing around the room. "What if Mark claim that Ohm tried to kill him on that road? Have you thought of that?"
"The bastard has no proof! None of them can convince the authorities-"
"Guys!" Nonnie cut Thai off. "Listen, we can't do anything before consulting everyone who is involved in this issue. We've gotta hear the others' opinions too. P'Perth, PChimon, and especially P'Ohm. Everybody has got to be on board with one single plan.