"Phun and Fi. In my office please."
Phun looked at Fi before they both rose and walked into their superior's office.
Noh had already been gone two months. He had entered the US just a couple of weeks ago and had performed last night in New York. The fan videos and messages from Noh were all that were keeping him going. When fans had realized that he wouldn't be with the band this time, they had actually banded together and made sure to post stuff on his account for him to see. The fans were trying to be Secret as best as they could for Secret. It was so kind and sweet and left him absolutely touched.
"Here." P'Nile handed them a file. "You two are the only new recruits we have with a stellar command of English and French as well as the highest comprehension evaluations. We have an event in Canada and we need the both of you there for the next 2 weeks. All your documents have been cleared. Right after that you will be going to the US, to DC for another 9 days. We had some issues with your paperwork Fi but we managed to get it cleared on our end which is where the problem was. Next time, fuck someone ordinary so their parents wouldn't try to block you from seeing them even overseas."
"Lesson learned sir." Fi said simply. Phun kept his face impassive. Despite his direct way of speaking, the guy was an awesome boss and both Phun and Fi liked him very much. He was a bit like Noh. You knew where you stood with him.
"Good. dismissed. Oh. Call Naran in here." Fi passed the message to Naran before the two of them sat and continued their translations. Their boss had been clear from the beginning. Unless he told you to look at a file immediately, you scanned it at lunch, or when home.
During Phun's designated lunch time, he checked the file then checked up on Noh and sent out a couple of tweets as Secret. Most thought that since the band was gone and he stayed home, that he would be inactive. Everyone was surprised when he maintained contact with the fans and Noh made sure to pass on information to him that he could easily comment on as well. He was watching the latest video of Dye's victory dance over beating Ohm at some game in their hotel when someone said, "You like Elevation too?"
"Fuck!" Phun hissed as the phone dropped from his hand and he scrambled to catch it, effectively closing the account.
"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She waiied in apology and Phun turned to give her the evil eye. He knew who she was. She had that label, the office girl everyone adores, and he had noticed she had been eyeing him lately.
"Then don't sneak up on people. You almost gave me a heart attack." His tone was harsh and it startled her. She had expected him to take it well because everyone else did.
""Hey! She didn't mean it!" Toey was offended on Sita's behalf but Phun wasn't having it.
"So, just because she said she was sorry, I can't scold her? Really?"
"What's going on?" Fi was suddenly there. The others watching sighed in relief. Phun was pretty easy going on most things but Fi was even more approachable than he was. Phun tended to remind everyone of the boss. He tended to give it to you straight which wasn't always appreciated.
"It was my fault. I took Ai'Phun by surprise and he was trying to tell me next time don't approach him like that. I really am sorry."
"Phun's heart carries many burdens. Don't startle it." Fi says with a smile before sitting next to Phun and cutting off her attempt to be close to the undisputed best looking man in their department.
"Really?" Toey says with a sneer and is totally ignored. Despite what you might think, Toey and Sita are more competitors than friends. However Toey feels that Phun is homophobic and doesn't get that his bitchy attitude is what makes Phun avoid him the most.
"Yes. Really." Fi says back before turning to Phun. "Have you looked at the file?"
"Yes. We leave on Friday. The event starts on Monday. It's Monday to Saturday for 2 weeks. We leave on the second Saturday and go to the next location for Monday. We leave there on Wednesday of the next week."
"Any special rule or regulations we need to follow?"
"We only have free days on Sunday, no heavy drinking, no guests after 10. We do get some spending money to use on Monday for Tuesday before we come back home."
"Cool." Fi said with a casual smile but his heart was now beating a mile a minute. He hadn't let himself think too hard when he first heard about the trip but now a little excitement couldn't help but bubble up inside him.
"I can ask him to pass on a message for you," Phun said later that evening. "Noh is in that area right now and he said they have made arrangements to meet up."
"I_ I don't know what to say. What should I do?" Fi was suddenly so very uncertain about what to do and Phun could only shake his head.
"How about I tell Noh my schedule and let him know yours is exactly the same. Let Noh decide what to do from there."
"I don't_"
"Fi. Noh will not be burdened. It's been more than long enough for the two of you to meet. Let's all try and meet up ok." Fi swallowed and nodded. Phun sent out several messages. A couple of hours later, Noh sent him a voice note screaming with excitement. Phun grinned. Lunatic.
The next day Phun received a call from an unknown number. He answered it casually.
"Hey babe. Everything is in place. See you in DC." Then Noh was gone. Phun dropped his phone and couldn't help but smile contentedly. Fi looked at him and shook his head. Sita looked on and narrowed her eyes.
Noh went alone to meet Oil in New York. He was invited to his offices and even allowed to take pictures before they went off to a restaurant to eat. There, Noh had let Oil scroll through his phone and steal as many pictures as he liked of Fi. He even told the guy everything he knew about how Fi was doing before finally dropping the bomb on him that Fi would be in the US soon for work and that there would be a chance for the 2 of them to meet.
"Your fucking with me," Oil had said with a hard stare. Noh had looked at him with bright eyes and smirked. It was all he did but Oil got the point. Right there in their private room in the restaurant, he had hooped and hollered like an idiot for about 5 minutes before composing himself and asking for details. right there he made flight reservations and booked his hotel room and made sure that he would be there for every day that Fi was without even looking at his own schedule.
"Your secretary is going to cry." Noh said was a shake of his head.
"Don't give a shit," Oil stated and ignored his phone when it started ringing. He answered it eventually and just told his secretary this trip was urgent and everything else would just have to wait. His words were kind enough but his voice said he didn't give a fuck about anything else and she could go suck a dick. Noh just quietly ate his food and didn't say a word after that.
"So where will you be at this time?" Oil suddenly asked.
"Me? What's my schedule again?" He pulled it up handed it to Oil before going back to his food.
"Oh so you have quite a bit of time on this side."
"Yes. We're doing something called fan building. Performing in specific venues and building on our fan base. That way older fans have a chance to see us again and bring newer fans."
"Good. Send me a copy of this and I'll make arrangements for you to see Phun. I'm sure that you wouldn't have time to meet otherwise. I'm also not taking no for an answer." Noh swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded. He had been about to say no.
"One night is better than nothing." Oil said quietly before going back to his meal. After that, they talked about anything but their lovers and Noh returned to the hotel, ignoring any press and only smiling and waving when someone tried to get his attention.
One fan actually took a picture of Noh walking back into the hotel under heavy guard and sent to Secret's account, asking him where Noh had gone.
Another fan thought she was very disrespectful and chastised her. Phun responded to many others before finally squashing that little fight by responding with, "I am not worried about where Noh went so you shouldn't be either."
Everyone behaved after that.
Neither Phun nor Fi showed up to work on Friday and were in Ontario after several connecting flights on Saturday morning. Since Thailand was 12 hours ahead of Canada and they had 2 layovers of more than 6 hours, the timing was just right for them to eat then crash. Phun woke very early the next morning at 5, totally disoriented, to find Fi already awake and staring at the night sky.
"What are you doing?"
"Just watching. This is so different from home."
"It is. I have never been to Canada but I have been to the US." Phun washed his face and brushed his teeth before joining Fi.
"It still reminds me a bit of Bangkok." Fi finally said after a long stretch of silence.
"It's the beat of city life. Someone is always on the go." Phun agreed.
At around 7, there was a knock on the door. Phun answered.
"Oh, great. We came by yesterday but you were both dead asleep. I will be your supervisor for the next two weeks. My name is Nex."
Phun and Fi wai and greeted Nex and his companions. "This is P'Linda and P'Match. Breakfast starts now and finishes at 10. We will head down now and then go over where you will be and what you will be doing tomorrow. Make sure you have your key cards when leaving the room."
They all headed down and chatted. Linda thought was very quiet. Once they all ate thought, she seemed to pick up and even made some jokes. They carefully went over their duties and where they were supposed to be and at what times.
"These events can be very unkind because you are assigned to a dignitary and they sometimes forget that people like us have to eat and rest. We often hand these out. They taste like crap but they are packed with vital nutrients. Since this is a very private event and there different stages, you will be changing charges as you do. Most of your dignitaries will by Thai but I think you have an English Ambassador Fi. We were told you could handle him thought. Just watch out for this one. If you see anything at all, you can't say a word."
"I have some experience. I'm not about to say anything."
"Good."
The event went by without a hitch. The first 2 days were a bit difficult but the nutrient bars helped a lot. Since they were able to keep an eye on each other, they got through it easily and were ready for the second week. Fi even got lucky as one of his assignments couldn't made it due to an emergency and he was reassigned to a very genial old man who pretty much sat all day.
The second week saw them attending many seminars. They were translating through head pieces and reading from a script. The script was in English and Phun would wait for the person to start speaking so he could take his cue and translate from there. It was just as hard as translating spoken word and he had to be very careful or if he missed context clues and other information, he would be creating a huge problem not to mention get himself fired.
The last day, the Friday was actually a huge party that didn't start until about 3. It was supposed to be for everyone but most of the translators were actually moving to their next assignment that day. Phun and Fi flew out from Canada the morning and landed in Dc midday. They ate and slept and went out with P'Nex the night. There were many government workers just like that at the restaurant.
P'Match was also there but P'Linda was not. She did not have to come to DC. Phun looked around and spotted someone watching him. He smiled at the person and nodded his head. Fi, who caught the motion, looked around. They locked eyes and Fi stopped breathing until he choked, his body demanding air to breath. Phun patted him on the back and Oil finally looked away, a smile on his face. Fi was cuter than even and he was totally sunk.
The dinner ended and Nex returned them back to the hotel. He informed them that they had earned a free day the Saturday and could do their own thing. He would meet them the Sunday morning at 8 for breakfast and give them the usual instructions.
Phun was fine with that. He would sleep in. He was sure Fi would be doing very little sleeping though. As P'Nex let them they turned to find Oil waiting.
"Hey," Phun said simply and gave him a pat on the back before leaving Fi with Oil for their own reunion. He went back to his room and closed the door, yawning hugely. His phone rang.
"Hey babe."
"Hey. So close and yet so far." Noh said and laughed.
"You would tease me. I just left Fi and Oil in the lobby. I don't expect to see him until tomorrow night. I hope he can walk."
"Jeez Phun. You just left him?"
"Did you want me to have a threesome with them? No way. Not interested." Noh burst out laughing and Phun could hear Ohm saying something in the background.
"So how have the performances been?"
"Really great. We hit Florida this week. We're not staying as long as we did in here thought. Then we head over to California before leaving the US all together and heading over to Europe."
"It's a shame you couldn't do other states."
"Yeah well, we're not Latin or Korean. Thai sound even weirder to some fans. They have said as much to my face. Still I was expecting hundreds of fans and we hit the thousands on every performance. I was impressed." While Noh spoke, Phun had been checking Secret's account. Something he saw there, struck him.
"You might get more really soon. This fan just sent Secret a link. She posted you as a recommendation for this front man and he not only listened to the clip, but he actually went to see you guys perform. He's raving about it on twitter." Phun tried to follow the comments and posts while listening to Noh.
"Really? What's he saying? What's the verdict?"
"Yes. He said he would be in Florida too and he's asking fans to go with him and see you guys. Noh. He's not just anybody. He's a Grammy winner. He's popular." Phun knew the band. He listed to quite a few of their songs. He was sure they had awards so he looked them up.
There was silence and then Noh exhales heavily. "If he liked us before I knew all that about him then he will like us again in Florida."
"He's calling this the second listen challenge. Noh. I'm worried. He carries a large fan base with him."
"Phun. Thank you for being worried for me. If it was meant to be then it will happen. Don't worry. Besides. Not all his fans will follow him to us. That's a given. I'm not stressed. You should relax too. You have a lot of work to do."
"I love you Noh."
"I love you too Phun. So what else are you seeing in the comments?"
"Mostly good press. Some people are really stoked that you have the subs on the screens overhead."
"That was Dye's idea. It would give new fans a chance to appreciate the lyrics. What else?"
"Um, a lot about your great voices and some comments about the Thai language in general. Then the usual trolls. One person complained that K-pop was already so huge and she's not ready for Thai-pop. Another person told her she wasn't sure it was Thai-pop, more like Thai-alt since you have more of an alternative sound. Oh wow. I missed an entire debate about whether you guys are Pop, Alt, Alt Rock, or some combination there of. Then someone claimed Torrid has an R&B sound and they were off again."
"Ok great. I think I'll use this as our version of 'What Fans Are Saying'. Thank Phun. I miss you."
"I miss you too my Noh. It really is hard knowing we're in the same place and I can't get to see you."
"If I get a chance to, I'll come see you. Ok? And don't argue about it. Just send me your room number. It's the only info you didn't have for me to give Oil."
Phun told Noh who repeated it twice. Phun was sure another one of the band members was taking note of it for him but Noh wouldn't forget. It was where Phun was so it was important. His mind worked like that easily.
"Thanks. Take care ok. Watch out for dangerous chicks. I miss you."
"I miss you to Noh. You watch out for crazy fans." Noh chuckled and put down. Phun smiled and went to bed.