"That will be all, Mr. Suthilak. You will be informed later, thank you", the lady said with a business like smile. Kongpob returned a polite smile of his own and stands up to leave before collecting his documents.
Shutting the door behind him, Kongpob gives a brief nod to the receptionist and walked out of the building crossing his fingers wishing like hell to get selected for this job. The air is humid, temperature moderately high but still a bit better than the scorching heat lashed down on common people. Single handly, kongpob reaches for his collar button and deftly opens it. A sigh of relief slips from those pouty lips as he feels free. He just abhor formal clothes. Uniforms are just not his thing, despite all the compliments he gets.
But what he is not is stubborn. If dressing up in formal attire is what it needed to get a job then he can suck up his dislike happily. Job. He had lost the count of interviews he had given past 1 month since he was fired and dare he say, spectacularly fired from his last job.
He need a job and immediately. All his last savings have extincted and he is broke. If it had only been him, he could have make it another week but he has responsibilities being the eldest and he is not one of those who shy away from his duty.
It has been two years since Suthalik empire crumbled to dust. His father had solely built the whole business and raise it to its peaks by hard work but one mistake and everything turned to ash. His father died of heart attack, his mother seeked her solace in a bottle of liquor which changed thanks but no thanks to religion. He and his sister were stripped of their happy life and parental shade. Speaking of sister, Kongpob fishes out his phone and calls Sia
" Hello Sia!! Listen I -
" sorry but it's zoey, her roommate. Sia have forgot her phone at the dorm"
Kongpob shakes his head, typical Sia,
" Oh hey Zoey!! How are you??", in an attempt to be polite, Kongpob questioned.
" I was okay but after hearing you, m fanfucking fantastic", the girl replied in a suggestive tone.
Kongpob tried to laugh off the sudden awkwardness erupted in him,"haha..very funny..... umm..uh....ookay!!! So, I'll just call another time. Take care",
Before Zoey can endeavour another one liners, Kongpob cuts off the call.
Zoey is his sister's roommate, an innocent, 22 years old, majoring in Fine Arts. An awesome kind hearted girl but when it comes to Kongpob, she is a pain in his ass, the biggest flirt he had the chance to come across.
For some reason, she had developed some puppy crush on him and never fails in expressing the same. It is one reason, Kongpob avoids visiting his sister Sia.
Sia is 3 years younger than his 25 years old and is currently in her final year majoring in fashion designing. Her baby sister is so talented and scored scholarship all the way through her college. But still there is her living expenses like rent, food, etcetera that Kongpob has to pay for. Unfortunately, all rooms were occupied at that time and Sia had to live on the outside skirts of the campus which is a 10 minute drive or 20 minutes walk. In the beginning, it was a little difficult for Sis to be on her own after constantly sheltered for 20 years. There were so many nights when he had to console her teenage sister over phone crying a river whinning about missing him and what not. But eventually, Sia begun to get accustomed to her new life, then she got an awesome roommate her words not mine and those needy calls diminished. Now the table has turned wholly and it is mostly Kongpob calling her baby sis asking her whereabouts, if she need money or how is she holding up her grades.
In the beginning, she even offered to get a part time job but Kongpob refused. He didn't want her baby sister to miss on anything especially her college life because of lack of money. He wants her little sis to have all those funny yet memoroble moments to cherish and stories to share, like him, without getting worried over on how to juggle between job and classes. It is the least he could do.
Along with that, Kongpob has other very important things to take care of, let's say thousands of debt to a more than half a dozen people.
There are people who have invested in his father's last project and lost. Kongpob owed to all of them. The debt is huge and clock is ticking. He was given 3 years to clear his debt but neither time is in his corner nor the luck seems to like him very much. It is already past two years, one year more and then Kongpob would be facing legal charges as penalty and a long time behind bars.
######
2 days later
Kongpob shut the door behind him as he came back from yet another long, exhausting and fruitless day of giving interviews. Kicking off his shoes, he manuevered his way in the darkness as he trudges to the mattress on the floor. Dropping the transparent square shaped plastic folder on the bed, he lied on it face first not bothering to change. He is dog tired from running all day from one end of city to other and still no good news. With each passing day, his hope is crushing down more and more as every thing seems falling to pieces. Kongpob doesn't know how long would it take before he comes apart. He closes his eyes trying to find a bit solace in the darkness and within minutes he was out.
The flute Ost of Untamed floods the pitch black room alerting Kongpob who grogily reaches for his cell phone . Eyes still closed, he presses the call button and places the phone near his ear," He....Hello?"
***
Prae pulls her phone away and rechecks the number she had dialed. Indeed the digits are correct then why the receiver sounds - her musing cuts short hearing her boss's cold, detached voice.
" put it on speaker"
Prae gives a quick nod and holds the phone in her perfectly manicured hands keeping it on speaker and looks at her boss who waves his hand to continue.
****
"...helloo...Hello??? Why are you calling if you don wanna talk..ughhhh", Kongpob goes to disconnect the call but stops when a girly scream pierce his ear drum.
" Nooooo!!!! Actually I am calling from Arporn Suasap Studios, ASS"
" A what??? I don't know what are you.. OH! Arporn!! ASS!!! Oh fuck!", the blub lighted, fog of sleep cleared and Kongpob scrambled in sitting position, wide awake and talked into the phone.
" am sorry ma'am for earlier. I was just a little out of it. What were you saying??", the world's fumbled out of Kongpob and he face palms himself. He can't believe he sweared over the call. ..Where are your manners Kong!!!
"Huh???...am I talking to Mr. Suthalik who had been interviewed last Friday??", the voice is unsure now like they don't know if they are calling right person or not.
" Yes ma'am! I am Kongpob Suthalik and am extremely sorry for my earlier behaviour.", pouring all politeness, Kongpob replied in a calm voice.
" oh thank goodness! I thought we lost you", the girl chirped.
"Huh??", now it is Kongpob who is confused
"....anyways, we just want to congratulate you on being selected for the job. Our HR department has emailed your documents such as appointment letter, NDAs, and our job contract. Please revert on them after signing it up by today so that you can start from tommorrow"
Kongpob is shell shocked, wrapping his head around the news. Then the last line told to him sparked in light and he jumped from the bed pacing the little confines of his room.
" But ma'am, it is already past 10, only 2 hours left. Can't I get it done by tomorrow?", Kongpob requested over the phone.
" No Sir, if you want this job, you need to complete the formalities by today. Thank you", and the call disconnected.
Kongpob glares at his ages old phone for a full minute and then sighs. Neither he can access his email account nor can he read or sign the docs, then how in the fucking hell is he supposed to send the signed copy back???. At times like these, he misses his iPad which he had to sold off.
Thinking a bit, he dials Sia hoping like hell that her sister is wide awake. Exactly 5 rings later, a familiar voice greets him," what happened bro?? Is everything alright??? Do you need me?? Should I -
" whoa whoa whoa!! slow down girl! Nothing happened. Yes everything is fine, Kongpob hurriedly shoots his own reply and hears a sigh of relief.
" then why are you calling this late??? Oh gosh!!! Do you know how scared I was seeing your name flashing on the screen??", Sia groaned and Kongpob can imagine her rubbing her temple, making face over the phone.
" I need your help, like right now.", and Kongpob explained.
" Don't worry phi. Your digital signature is in my email. I'll borrow Zoey's laptop and then your work would be done, I promise. Go back to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a fresh start for you. You don't wanna start a new job with dark circles and bags under your eyes", Sia's soft voice flutters.
" Thank you and sorry for disturbing you this late. If it has not been this urgent-
" phii!!! you are very dramatic, you know.", Sia mocked him without anger and cut off the call.
Kongpob chuckled at her baby sister. Sia gets uncomfortable when it comes to emotions just like....like him..... A bitter taste floods Kongpob as his mind unintentionally goes to the last person on the earth he want to think about. An image of Kongpob pleading the other crepts in his conscious but before that can morph into many many other memories he had buried deep inside him pops out, the young man goes back to the mattress and lied begging the sleep to take over.
#####
Kongpob fidgets nervously, as his eyes roams around the interior of the office he is sitting in. The office is vast double or triple size of his matchstick apartment he calls home. All walls coated in white, filled with certificates after certificates, momentous, awards, business awards clicks and many more. A single wall made of glass giving a breath taking glimpse of the city. Kongpob can not imagine the beautiful scene it would splash in the evenings. A mini fridge, bookcase, resting in a corner along with a black sofa set, a circular tea table looking all sophisticated. Instead of an office, it looked like a rest room.
Kongpob is waiting here for last 30 minutes as he had been asked to but now his nerves are sky rocketing and he can't wait but get over with this meet and greet with the VP and do some actual work. He had applied for an assistant post and don't think that there is any need for him to meet the VP of the com-
Kongpob jolts out of his musings hearing the abrupt sound of opening of door and takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. Fetching a genuine and polite smile, he turns to the new comer and freeze. The words of greeting get stuck in his throat, his smile vanishes instantly and eyes fires in hate.
A well fitting satin red shirt, top three buttons undone, with a dark black suit draped over the hard body, matching slacks, black shoes, hair swept back using gel, a deep blue framed specs sitting on the button nose, the cupid lips stretched in a sneering smile is standing his sworn enemy who was once his best friend. Arthit.
Arthit Rojanapat-the heartthrob of youngsters, a well established renowned actor in film industry, actor Arthit Perawat.
Taking the specs off his captivating eyes, Arthit puts his hand inside his slacks pockets, tongue-in cheek, a mocking grin splashes on his lips as his eyes hungry rakes over the leaner frame of the young man he had not seen for last 3 years and says in a way of greeting," Fancy seeing you here, Mr. Suthilak !"
When young man didn't give any reply, Arthit smirked," what??? no greetings for your phi??? Cat got your tongue???"
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