“You know why I called you here, right?” P'Mile's tone of voice indicated that he had called his son about something specific. It wasn't that he wanted to meet him and have a nice time with him. No, P'Mile wasn't like that. As soon as Fourth crossed the threshold of his office, he felt the chill prevailing there, resulting not only from the working air conditioning, but also from the attitude of the man sitting behind the large, heavy, dark desk, on the top of which the boy noticed a yellow envelope. He smiled casually, as if he hadn't noticed anything.
“To talk like father to son?” He risked a joke. It didn't work out for him. Mile was in a bad mood again. Fourth thought that the cause must be the person whose personal information was in that envelope. Someone who has been too late on a loan repayment.
“Forgive me, I don't have time. I have a task for you”.
When Fourth sat down in the not-so-comfortable chair (he knew that chairs were so uncomfortable for one reason: P'Mile often talked to people he didn't like here, and to make their visit as unpleasant as possible, he chose the most uncomfortable chairs he could find) Mile threw him the envelope and it landed on his lap. Fourth picked it up, opened it, and took out a photograph, which he looked at carefully.
His world suddenly seemed to start falling apart. His hands shook slightly, but he quickly hid it, not wanting P'Mile to remember how weak and hopeless his son was. He put a forced, fake smile on his face.
“P'Erin?! But she works with...”
“With your boyfriend. Yes. That's why this will be your task”. Father Mile didn't even smile. He was still playing with the glass of alcohol.
“He's not part of your game, how many times do I have to repeat that?! Why are you dragging him into this? It's none of his business! Let it go, Father,” Fourth was irritated.
“It's even better that it isn't, then this task shouldn't be too difficult for you, right, son? You said yourself it's none of his business. And you're right, it's your manager's business, not your boyfriend's. I think you understand what I mean, son?”
Son.
Yeah. He specifically emphasized this to show that Fourth, as his son, had no choice. Fourth wasn't going to let himself be treated like that. Ever since he met Gem and his slightly crazy family and friends, he was slowly starting to gain confidence, he wasn't as afraid anymore, and that gave him courage even in moments like this: for the first time in his life, he knew that he didn't have to be afraid. He knew that for the very first time he has someone outside on whom he can rely and who will always help him. For the first time in his life he had friends, real friends, he could count on. He was not alone anymore, but P'Mile seemed to not notice that.
„That's right, I'm your son, not one of your minions. Send someone else, leave me out of this”.
“Why not? You are the closest to her, it will be easiest for you to convince her to repay the debt”.
“No. This is my final answer: no.”
A short, firm answer and a look full of ice.
Nattawat stood up, hoping he was hiding his emotions well. He smiled gently. The face of a poker player, that's what they learned in the last class. He hasn't had a chance to practice it yet, but perhaps what he has already learned will be enough for him.
“You refuse?”
“Yes, Father Mile, I refuse. I don't want to be involved in this. It's your life not mine. Until now, I allowed you to use me because I saw no other way for myself, but now, forgive me, but I have found my purpose. We will part here, goodbye, father”.
“Great. Then you can never come back here. This is no longer your home now that you have decided to betray us”.
“I have never betrayed you, father, but if you think so, I have no right to question your opinion. Goodbye P'Mile. Have a nice life and pray that nobody will come to seek avenge”.
Fourth walked out of his father's office with the grace he had observed in Gemini, a benevolent smile still plastered on his face. He was smiling long after he left the building and got into his car. He started the engine and set off to the apartment rented by Norawit. He didn't know where else he could go. While driving, he tried his best not to let tears obscure his view in front of him, so as not to accidentally cause an accident, but when he stopped at a red light, something inside him broke. Gemini taught him how to be strong, Fourth was mad at himself for not being able to be as strong as Gem.
He placed both hands on the steering wheel but he didn't see the view in front of him anymore.
“This was never my home, father”. He said, and his cruel memory brought back a memory from his childhood. P'Mile never stopped being cruel and terrifying, never stopped causing suffering and killing. Being a mafioso was too ingrained in him, he had been a part of it for too long. That evening, eight-year-old Fourth brought home a small, gray kitten.
“Look what I found on the street, dad! I'll keep it, okay? His name will be Ming. My Mi!” He called out laughing from the gate. The kitten looked hungry and scared, but its fur was clean and soft to the touch. Little Fourth had already imagined that he would feed this kitten himself, take care of it, and sleep with it, and this vision filled him with happiness and warmed his little baby heart. He was smiling from ear to ear, stroking the soft fur of the kitten he had loved from the first moment he saw it.
But something bad must have happened that day. Apo wasn't home at all, and Mile was prowling the entire villa like a mighty, menacing lion. Fourth was still too young to understand and notice that it was best to stay out of Mile's way on this particular day. It was the day when P'Mile tried to "work honestly" and entered the tender. Fourth had no idea what the tender was about, but it must have been something very important, because his father had been shouting at everyone all morning, picking on everything, he didn't like anything, and even the smallest thing could throw him off balance. Fourth didn't know that P'Mile had lost the tender, and what's worse, it caused an audit to be sent to the office he was managing at the time.
“Not now, I don't have time”. He pushed his son away brutally, without even looking at him. “Get out of my way, I'm busy”.
Little Fourth was too little to understand that when his father was in such a mood, he should immediately get out of his sight. Little Fourth just wanted to show off his new friend to his dad. He was so excited and happy!
“But daddy, look, it's my kitty! I'll take care of him myself, okay?”
P'Mile glanced at the furball, and he seemed to sense that something was up. The kitten snorted and hissed as Mile approached them.
“There will be no nasty, smelly furs in this house!” Mile shouted, and before Fourth could react, he yanked the kitten out of his tiny hands. The cat started scratching and struggling, but it had no chance.
“Dad! Let him go! It hurts him!” Fourth shouted and tried to free the unfortunate animal from his father's iron grip.
“Does it hurt him? And it hurts me that I have such an underdeveloped and disobedient son, you disappointed me so much!” Mile mocked, curling his lips. Without thinking, with a mad gleam in his eye, he snapped the cat's neck. The animal fell to the floor lifeless. Fourth burst into tears. He crouched over the dead body.
“Ming, my little Ming!” He was crying. “Miiiiiii, wake up, kitty, wake up, please!”
His crying, his moping over a useless piece of fur, only fueled his father's anger. He picked up his son, setting him upright. Fourth looked at him tearfully.
“I didn't raise you to be such a crybaby. Stop crying right now. You bring me shame”.
And he hit the boy on the cheek with an open hand. Fourth started crying even harder.
“I said: shut up, I'm fed up with your damn noise. He's just a useless furball, you have no reason to be so messy. Get out of my face, you piece of trush, I hope Gun will be better son than you! You are useless!”
And Mile pushed him out of the room, closing the door behind him.
More than 10 years later, the almost adult Fourth knew that this situation had taught him a lot: mainly, hiding his true feelings. After that day, he never cried in front of anyone again. He never went near any animals again, feeling guilty for the death of that tiny kitten.
“He wanted to live, you fucking asshole!” He shouted, thinking about his father and that kitten, and then he thought about his father's other debtors. “They also just want to live. You're a fucking parasite. And you're right, I'm not your son, I never was, but today for the first time I'm proud of it and you can't take that away from me, I'm not son of Mile Phakphum anymore”.
The light turned green. Someone honked. Fourth woke up from his thoughts, wiped away the remnants of his tears and continued on his way to Gemini's apartment.
And Gem seemed to sense that something had happened, because as soon as Nattawat pulled up to the parking lot, Norawit was already waiting there. When young Tangsakyuen noticed the red nose and eyes red from crying, as well as the wet eyelashes and cheeks, he wordlessly came closer and grabbed him in his arms.
“I hate him. I HATE!” He screamed at the top of his lungs until he felt an unpleasant burning sensation inside him.
“I know. I'm here, I'm here with you,” Gem said calmly, letting Fourth punch him.
Nattawat was causing him pain, but Norawit endured it bravely, not allowing the slightest moan of suffering to escape his lips. He was strong. It wasn't the first time someone had hit him, but the force of the boy's blows was powerful. He gritted his teeth as he waited for Fourth to calm down a bit. The blows being thrown at him slowly lessened until Fourth finally gave up and sank into the friendly, warm arms of the boy across from him.
“Will you tell me what happened?”
“Y-yes, but first... We have to find P'Erin first, before my psychopathic father finds her”.
“P'Erin?”
“Yes. You have her phone number, right? Call her”.
“Sure, but I left my phone in the room. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Let's go to your place then”.
Fourth wasn't going to stand in the parking lot and discuss this. He preferred to stay within the safety of four walls, where no one would overhear them. He looked around fearfully, fearing that his father might have sent after him, but at the entrance gate he saw only two security guards in black suits and light blue shirts guarding the entrance. Since Gemini lived here, the entire block was surrounded by extraordinary security, the reason for which was the unpleasant situation with fans who, in a way known only to them (probably by following Gem while returning from work), got his address and could stand in front of his apartment for hours, waiting until Norawit will come out. Gem felt the negative side of fame painfully, but he was too strong and stubborn to complain, and he never openly said a single bad word about his fans. Fourth shook his head, full of thoughts racing through it. He wanted to lie in bed, take a sleeping pill, eat a whole package of ice cream and fall asleep hidden under a warm blanket, and even more tempting was the vision of falling asleep in Gemini's arms. Before they reached his apartment, Fourth told him exactly what his father wanted from him.
“I don't know why P'Erin needed money so urgently, but I'm worried about her, we both know she's not a bad woman, she's not the type of person who loses a fortune at the casino, something must have happened”.
“I think so too. I'll call her soon. Did you know that P'Erin has been working with me from the very beginning? And sometimes, when things are really bad, I go to her to vent. I feel stupid”. Gemini admitted.
Immediately after entering the room, Gem took the phone from the nightstand next to the bed, which was connected to the charger there. He unlocked it (Fourth noticed that there was a photo of them together on the lock screen and smiled) and found the number of their manager.
“Why do you feel stupid?”
“Because I always come to her with my problems, and I never thought that she might also need help. I didn't even ask her how she was feeling today. If something happens to her, I won't forgive myself”.
Fourth wanted to comfort him, wanted to tell him that everything would be okay. He opened his mouth, but the lie wouldn't pass through his clenched throat. He knew too well the brutality of his father and his men. P'Erin's fear for her health and life increased dramatically when Gem couldn't reach her.
“Fifs, P'Erin isn't answering”.
“Damn, fuck, shit!” Fourth grabbed his hair and started pulling at it as if he was trying to tear it out of his head. Gem grabbed his hands and held him.
“Don't worry, we'll think of something. Let's not panic. Let's think calmly. I know P'Erin's address, we'll go to her, maybe your father hasn't sent anyone there yet”.
Fourth just nodded. He didn't know what to say or do.
Ever since P'Erin started working with Gemini, she was like an older sister to him, always advising him and taking care of him. She made sure they didn't forget about their schedules and meals. Sometimes she also took care of their makeup or hairstyles. There were times when she played the role of their chauffeur, when one evening at a banquet the director of a certain television station kept giving them new portions of alcohol, so much so that Fourth even forgot his name. P'Erin was very important to both of them. If Fourth had to guess her age, he would have given her at most 28, although the documents he had seen with his father showed that P'Erin was 32, but lived alone.
Gemini leaned over the nightstand, opened the bottom door, and only then did Fourth realize that behind it was a small but solid safe. Gem quickly punched in the code and the metal door opened. He took out a pistol and a tiny revolver, which he tucked into his sock. He tucked the gun into the waistband of his pants on his back. He took a lilac jacket from the closet and put it on to hide the gun. He thought about something for a moment, then took off his jacket and started looking for something else in the closet. A minute or two later, he pulled something out of the depths that Fourth hadn't expected to be there at all.
“Here, put this on. I don't want them to kill you” Gemini handed him a real bulletproof vest.
“Where did you get it?” Fourth became interested, obediently following the order. Gemini took a denim katana from the hanger, covered in patterns reminiscent of the graffiti that adorns city walls and trains, and handed it to his companion.
“My job is not as safe as you think” He said in a light tone, but there was not even a trace of a smile on his face. “Actually, I needed it while shooting a few scenes for a movie for Netflix, and then I somehow forgot to give it back to them”.
“You forgot to return it, sure, let's just say I believe you,” Fourth said sourly.
Gemini himself buttoned all the buttons on his denim katana, making sure the bulletproof vest remained invisible. As he began to button the last, highest button, he looked up and met Fourth's gaze. And he felt it again. It was strange, but when they looked into each other's eyes, Gemini always felt like he saw fire in Nattawat's eyes.
“Is it possible...? Even now?” he asked himself in his mind.
And Fourth looked at him as if he was the only one who existed, as if nothing else mattered. Gemini held his breath. His gaze moved from his eyes to Nattawat's mouth, then back to his eyes, then back to his mouth. Fourth, unaware of the effect he had on the boy standing too close to him, moistened his too dry lips with his tongue. Gem wasn't going to hold back. Fourth tempted him himself. He leaned down and kissed him lightly.
“Why do you always have to tempt me like this?” He whispered in a changed voice. “You know exactly what you're doing to me, right? You naughty boy...”
But he didn't wait for an answer. He quickly recovered, remembering the task ahead of them.
“P'Erin. We have to go to her immediately” This time his voice sounded confident and calm. He quickly put on his own bulletproof vest and the jacket he had chosen, grabbed his car keys from the dresser, which he had placed there a few minutes earlier, and, pulling Fourth by the hand, led him out of the room. He made sure the door to his apartment was carefully closed and grabbed his boyfriend's hand again.