YOURSKY, Chapter 4
“What time did he call to pick up the puppy you adopted?”
“Around 7 p.m. After I’m done talking to Fah, we’ll head out. I’ll bring
Rak along in the car.”
“Okay.”
The small person sitting in the back seat was listening to the conversation between the stoic couple. Today was Sunday, his day off. But Theerak had been woken up early to go to the police station with his dad. After returning, he’d hoped to take a nap, only to find Phii Oh and his father waiting at the house. It took quite a while to apologize and sort things out. Truthfully, it couldn’t really be called sorting things out—more like his dad drawing a line in the sand for the other side.
“If you mess with my son again, I won’t let it slide this time… no matter what.”
The car moved at a steady pace without slowing down, as the roads this Sunday evening were surprisingly empty. On any other day, Theerak might have piped up to ask his two older siblings why the traffic was so clear.
But right now, he was being dragged to the slaughter. A chubby puppy with no way to escape had to face the tall shop owner—Your, Sky. His heart felt more withered and anxious than usual. Even now, Theerak couldn’t come up with a greeting for the other person. Starting a conversation with strangers or anyone had never been hard for him. Theerak could speak fluently and get along with people quickly—so much so that sometimes he surprised himself with how good his people skills were.
But with Muenfah, it might be an exception…
The round head, now heavier than usual from overthinking, leaned against the glass. Almond-shaped eyes stared out the window. At that moment, the large, reddish-orange sun was about to dip below Fah’s horizon. Theerak genuinely wished he could disappear along with that sun.
“Hello…”
Theerak shifted his gaze from the sun to peek through the tiny gap by the door, trying to see who his sister was talking to. If he had to guess, he’d say it was a delivery person, since Phii Babe loved online shopping.
“Oh, you’re done already?”
“… “
…It probably wasn’t a delivery person, then…
“So, when are you heading back to the countryside?”
“…”
As he kept listening to his sister’s conversation with this mystery person, Theerak started worrying that all his plans would need tweaking—especially the timing—because that’s how it always went.
Call it perpetual bad luck… he never got to live life according to a proper plan like everyone else.
“Then can you wait for me a little while? It won’t take long—I’ll hurry to pick up the little one.”
Your real little sibling is sitting right here, wide-eyed and innocent in the back of the car! Who’s this other “little one” from outside the family you’re abandoning me to pick up?!
When Theerak saw his sister lower her phone, he didn’t hesitate. He quickly bobbed his head forward, sticking his face through the gap between the front seats. Phii Babe and Dom turned to look at each other without saying a word first, as if they’d both thought and decided the same thing simultaneously.
Theerak broke into a wide grin—the widest of his life, his mouth stretching ear to ear—because he’d finally found a way to avoid facing Muenfah. “Are they telling us to hurry and pick up a puppy, Phii Babe? Then let’s go now, or we’ll be late!”
…Though he didn’t turn to look at the driver, Theerak caught the sound of Dom chuckling in his throat. He wondered what could possibly amuse someone as deadpan and emotionless as Dom.
“I’m definitely hurrying to pick up the pup. As for you, go handle your own business… I can’t stick around with you anymore. Behave yourself, Rak,” Phii Babe said.
“What do you mean, Phii Babe?”
“She means Babe is dropping you off at Fah’s shop first and will come back for you later…” Dom, who knew his girlfriend’s dislike for long explanations, elaborated on her behalf.
“No, no way… Rak doesn’t know anyone there!”
“Fah, duh… After all that head-sniffing and carrying you into the house, how could you not know him?”
“Phii Babe!!”
“No need to be shy—Dom already knows everything. And he also knows that Real, Fah’s business partner, lied to people saying you and Fah were secretly dating. I only found out this morning that my own little brother was secretly with the hotshot Muenfah.”
“Dating what, Phii Babe? Stop making stuff up!!”
“Let’s just say we shouldn’t break our promise to Fah. Either way, you’re going to have to face him… alone.”
“No way!!”
“Theerak!!! You’re not a kid anymore! Is breaking promises such a great thing? Especially breaking a promise with someone who’s busy all the time— that’s even worse!”
“…” Theerak lowered his head, his neck drooping because this time his older sister was genuinely scolding him. Both the expression and tone of Phii Babe made it clear she was starting to get annoyed with his stubbornness.
“I’ll hurry back to pick you up as fast as I can, won’t make you wait long…
Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…”
The one being questioned didn’t respond, stepping back from the gap in the middle with a sad, dejected look before leaning against the seat as before. This made his sister, sitting in the front, glance at him through the rearview mirror. Phii Babe’s loud sigh prompted Theerak to lift his eyes toward the front seat.
“Do you understand, Rak?”
“Yes… I understand.”
Babe sighed again before breaking into a smile. No matter how stubborn Theerak was, he never defied anyone to the point of ignoring them completely. If his resistance didn’t lead to anything good, he’d stop immediately. That’s why she didn’t worry too much when he acted stubborn—she knew he was the kind of rebellious kid who still listened to reason, not someone who acted recklessly without considering what was appropriate.
Theerak, forced to give in, could only mutter encouragements to himself that everything would turn out fine. But the more he thought about it, the heavier his round head felt. He rested it against the window again, and then his grandfather’s words popped into his mind:
‘When you face something tough to avoid, you have to prepare to deal with it. Never run from your problems.’
His grandfather’s advice made him quickly fish his black phone out of his pants pocket. Without hesitation, Theerak opened the LINE app and sent a private message to Panli. Asking in the group chat would be pointless— others would just bombard him with off-topic questions nonstop.
This time, he needed to gather info to prepare properly, and the person who likely knew Muenfah’s personality best was undoubtedly Panli.
Theerak: Li, can I ask you something…Panli: Give me 5 minutes. Stuck at a red light.
Theerak: You’re driving?Panli: Yeah. Uncle made me deliver stuff to Aunt in Bangna.
Theerak: Oh, okay, then I’ll ask now. P. Panli: Go ahead!
Theerak: Your brother… Is he really strict?Panli: He’s strict, yeah. Probably even in bed too, 10/10.
Theerak: Ughhh… You dog-faced jerk!!! Is this the time to be crude!!! P. Panli: LOLOLOL. You worried?
Theerak: Yeah. I’m on my way to see Phii Fah, that’s why I messaged you privately—to prepare myself properly.Panli: He’s strict, for sure. Even I, his little brother, get scolded. His ex, who used to be his super close friend and knew him inside out, still got scolded by Phii Fah.
Theerak: Then a chubby puppy like me will probably get scolded so bad I’ll roll out of the shop before I know it, T___T.Panli: LOL, so cute, don’t worry too much, dude. You didn’t do anything wrong, so what would Phii Fah scold you for?
Theerak: I don’t know, man. I just feel like there’s gotta be something he’ll chew me out over, but I don’t know what yet.Panli: Don’t overthink it, don’t stress too much. If anything happens, call and rant to me.
Theerak: Is Phii Fah scared of you or something?Panli: Nah, Phii Fah’s never been scared of anyone, LOLOL.
Theerak: What the heck!!! Then why’d you get my hopes up? I thought I’d have someone to back me up, T___T.Panli: I’m confident those chubby-cheeks of yours will save your life.
Theerak: T___TPanli: Come on, he might not even scold you. Or he might not say anything to you at all. If that happens, don’t come crying to me later about how my bro ignored you. I’ve already had a bunch of people whining to me about how being ignored by Phii Fah made them feel like air.
Theerak: Let him ignore me for real. I’d even skip meals for three days.Panli: Say something you can actually pull off, dude. Skipping meals? No way that’s happening.
Theerak: Heh heh, how about running laps around the faculty building?Panli: Yeah, that’s more doable.
Theerak: Whoa, do you really see me as some fat kid obsessed with food?Panli: Yup, look at those cheeks, man. You’ve eaten so much they’re drooping to the floor.
Theerak bantered with Panli for a bit until he felt the car slowing down. He quickly said goodbye to his close friend in the chat and stuffed his phone back into his pants pocket as usual. Curious, Theerak craned his neck to look ahead. He couldn’t believe they’d reached Muenfah’s place this fast. He’d just gotten fresh info about the guy and hadn’t even figured out how to deal with Muenfah’s sternness yet.
Guess this chubby pup’s really getting slaughtered this time…
And there it was—the shop, Your Sky—right in front of him, confirming they’d arrived. Theerak swallowed hard with a loud gulp when he spotted the black Benz sports car parked out front. Maybe it was that sound that made his older sister turn to look at him from the back seat with a worried expression.
“Say thank you and apologize to him sincerely, Nong Rak. Don’t accidentally make a goofy face at him, okay?”
“Geez, Phii Babe, I’m so scared I might wet myself. How could I possibly make a face like that at Phii Fah?”
“…” Dom held back a smile while listening to the siblings’ exchange. It seemed they were each worried about different things. The older sister feared her brother would be too playful and miss the mark on timing, while the younger one was more scared of failing to build a good rapport with Muenfah. Their thoughts were so opposite it was almost headache-inducing. Dom shook his head lightly before saying, “Don’t be scared, Nong Rak. I already warned him not to mess with us. That Fah wouldn’t dare.”
“…Uh, does Phii Fah usually like to tease people, Phii Dom?”
“Honestly, not really. He doesn’t even joke around with people much. I just said it as a precaution, in case he suddenly feels like messing with us.”
“…Before I thank Phii Fah, let me thank you first, Phii Dom. Thanks, handsome Phii Dom!”
“You’re welcome.”
“You
Theerak burst out laughing because it was rare to see his older sister tease her boyfriend with such an annoyed expression and tone. But his laughter didn’t last long—he quickly shut his mouth when he caught a glimpse of a tall, incredibly good-looking guy stepping out of a sporty Benz and entering the shop.
“Hey, Fah just got to the restaurant right on time. I thought he was already inside.”
“Then hurry up and go see Fah, Rak…”
“Y-Yes, okay!”
The one being rushed quickly opened the car door and got out. It was as if Theerak’s senses had fallen away the moment his feet hit the ground—he stood there waving goodbye to his two siblings without a single word to stop them, even though deep down he wanted to beg Phii Babe to walk him into the shop. Now, all he could do was watch the BMW drive off into the distance until it disappeared from sight.
Theerak stopped in front of the shop with a trembling heart. One slender hand automatically rose to rub the back of his neck. Though he hadn’t seen the other person’s face yet, just knowing he was stepping into Muenfah’s territory triggered a wave of shyness he’d never felt before… and had never experienced with anyone else.
“The restaurant isn’t open yet…”
And perhaps because Theerak was too busy staring off into the distance, combined with his scattered state of mind, he didn’t notice someone approaching him. Theerak flinched and stepped back in surprise, then slightly bowed his head as an apology. Even after doing so, he still thought he should say sorry out loud.
“Sorry, sir, I…”
“Or are you here to apply for a job?”
“…”
It was at that moment that the tall, imposing shop owner came down from the second floor. Muenfah didn’t glance his way even once. He briskly walked toward the liquor bar not too far off, and Theerak peeked at the other’s stern face while he gave orders to the staff.
What P. Panli had said probably wasn’t an exaggeration—Muenfah looked ready to snap at anyone he wasn’t pleased with…
But suddenly, those sharp eyes turned toward him. In all his life, Theerak had never avoided anyone’s gaze. He was always ready to meet eyes head-on, believing that making eye contact wasn’t something so hard he couldn’t force himself to do. Yet this time, Theerak chose to look away without even trying to hold his ground. He searched for a safe place to rest his eyes, eventually settling on the tips of his own feet. Staring at his white sneakers, faintly grayed with dust, might help his heartbeat return to normal and, hopefully, cool down the rising heat in his body too.
Theerak only just realized that Muenfah’s gaze turned him into a coward…
and it was stirring up a storm in his stomach too.
“Been here long?”
That deep, low voice—one he’d only heard a few times but somehow felt so familiar, as if he heard it ten times a day—caused him to look up. And, of course, the person in front of him was Muenfah, the one who made him lose all sense of himself.
“Phii Fah.”
“Yes.”
…He didn’t know when it started, but the word “Yes” was suddenly enough to make his heart race so fast it felt like it might burst out of his chest.
Theerak had heard that word since he could remember—countless people had responded to him with “Yes.” too many to count on his fingers. But if he had to find someone whose “Yes” affected his heartbeat like this It’d probably only be Muenfah—this one guy, and no one else…didn’t even deny it, huh…
Admitting you’re handsome, eh…”
“Uh, I just got here…”
“Oh, you’re Fah’s guest?…I thought he was here to apply for a job. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine, go back to work. I’ll take care of him myself.”
“Yes, yes, if you need anything, just call me, Fah.”
Theerak stood stiffly, watching Muenfah nod in response to the employee. The moment the tall figure turned his attention back to him, the coward’s almond-shaped eyes quickly dropped to the floor.
“What’s wrong?”
“…” I don’t know what’s wrong… with you, Phii Fah.
“Head down, avoiding eye contact… doing this again. Want me to kiss your head or something?”
Theerak snapped his head up instantly. That sentence left him stunned for a moment before a wave of heat spread through his body, jolting him back to his senses. He furrowed his brows slightly and snapped in a stern tone, “Phii
Fah!”
“Yes?” Phii Fah raised an eyebrow as if questioning him.
“Hmph!!!!”
Theerak, embarrassed to the point of exploding, could only huff in frustration. Instead of Muenfah feeling awkward about what happened and avoiding bringing it up again, he casually mentioned it like it was nothing. Theerak was a smart kid—averaging over a 3.0 GPA his whole life—and he could tell Muenfah was deliberately teasing him to make him flustered.
“Once you figure it out, you get mad…”
“Phii Fah! That’s not it at all!”
“Then what is it? Why are you avoiding my eyes?”
“…” How could I say it!!! How could I admit that looking into your eyes makes my heart race, T___T
“No answer, so no head-sniffing. But even if you did answer, I still wouldn’t—don’t want to kiss a stinky head.”
“…” My head isn’t stinky, T___T. And besides, I washed my hair already! “If you don’t want to kiss it, then don’t! I just came to thank you, that’s all— no, wait, to apologize too. That’s it, really, and then I’m leaving!”
Just now, Theerak had emphasized the words “leaving” as clearly as possible. But thinking back on it, he could only let tears stream down his face—in his mind, as usual—because he’d accidentally blurted out something he shouldn’t have.
Namely… “If you don’t want to kiss it, then don’t!” It somehow made him feel even more embarrassed, T___T.
Ugh, you chubby dog…
“Such a sulker.”
T___T Mom, I hate Phii Fah. Hates anyone named Muenfah. Didn’t Panli say he was strict? Didn’t Phii Dom say he wasn’t a teaser? Then what’s this? What am I, Theerak, facing right now? He’s not strict, which is great for me, but teasing and poking fun until I want to crawl into a hole? That’s too much!
“Let’s get to the point…”
“It’s hot out here… let’s talk inside.”
“No, no, I will finish talking right here, Phii Fah. Just listen to me carefully, okay?” Theerak raised a hand to stop him as he saw the tall figure about to lead the way somewhere. His other slender hand wiped the sweat beading on his face before he continued, “Rak wanted to come…”
“You’re so hot your cheeks are all red… let’s go inside.”
“Ugh… Phii Fah, listen to me first! Then I can hurry back home to sleep with the AC on.”
“There’s AC in the restaurant too. Why don’t you come inside to talk…
Does being stubborn make the heat go away?”
Muenfah stood watching the smaller person, who was pouting with dissatisfaction. If this were a contest of expressing emotions through facial expressions, he figured Theerak would win hands down. While the other shifted through a range of looks—shock, surprise, shyness, all the way to irritation—Muenfah maintained just one: calm and indifferent.
When Dom said his girlfriend’s little brother was only a little stubborn,
Muenfah thought his friend must’ve gotten it wrong. From what he could see, Theerak’s stubbornness far exceeded his small size—so stubborn that he wanted to grab a pen and write “Super Stubborn” in big letters across the other’s forehead for everyone to know just how defiant he was. Stubborn and sulky. He’d never met anyone like this before, and now Muenfah had to think hard about how to handle this kid.
But amid that stubbornness, Muenfah couldn’t deny that this junior was incredibly endearing. Theerak had fair, slightly pinkish skin like a baby’s, looking delicate and in need of care. If you grabbed him too hard, that fair skin would surely turn red with handprints. Though his complexion was evenly pale all over, there was one part of his body that always carried a faint reddish tint.
And that was… his chubby, chubby-cheeks.
They were red all the time…
“Fine, I’ll go in… But if Rak weren’t worried about not having enough taxi money, Rak wouldn’t step inside.”
Muenfah nodded in understanding before leading the way. As they entered the shop, he could hear the smaller person trailing behind, muttering complaints nonstop. When he glanced back, he saw the stubborn kid walking with his head down, his small mouth working overtime, twitching and mumbling constantly.
Seeing that, Muenfah felt a twinge of annoyance and abruptly stopped walking, hoping the little complainer would bump into his solid back as a small punishment. And just as he’d predicted, the round head of the everwhiny smaller guy crashed right into his back with a loud thud.
“Ow… Phii Fah!!! That hurt!”
Muenfah smirked faintly before turning around to face the voice behind him. Theerak was rubbing his forehead lightly, shooting him an angry glare as if he were too mad to forgive.
“Did your brakes fail or something?”
“It’s your fault, Phii Fah… Why’d you stop so suddenly?”
“Does it hurt a lot… Let me see.” Muenfah said as he reached out toward him, but the sulky little guy stepped back, refusing to let him get close.
“No way, you’re not looking!”
The smaller one spoke with an irritated tone, his narrow eyes glaring at him accusingly. Muenfah knew he hadn’t played too rough—just a little teasing. If it were anyone else getting mad at him over something this small, he’d chew them out and not care at all.
But with this junior… Fah didn’t really want him to be upset with him.
Muenfah started to wonder what made Theerak so endearing. Sure, his wide smile and chubby, chubby-cheeks were a big part of why so many people adored him and wanted to claim him. But that alone couldn’t account for this level of charm, could it?
However, there was no need to overthink and strain his brain. Muenfah quickly realized what made Theerak so endearing. The smaller figure placed a hand on his own forehead, slightly bowing his head, before using the other hand to rub his eyes because his jet-black hair, brushed slightly away from his brows, had fallen and poked his eyes when the wind blew past.
What made Theerak endearing… it wasn’t just his bright smile, chubbycheeks, or hair long enough to poke his eyes.
It was probably because… it was Theerak himself who made everyone feel fond of him.
“Sorry… Does it still hurt?”
“No, just walk ahead… If you stop suddenly again this time, I’m gonna punch your back hard, Phii Fah.”
Muenfah only now realized how hard it was to hold back a smile. “You’ve been all feisty since we got here. What’s up with that?”
“It’s because of you, Phii Fah… Why are you like this? I; Nong Rak never imagined you’d be this kind of person.”
“I keep hearing ‘Phii Fah this, Phii Fah that’ all the time… What kind of person am I?”
“The teasing kind, that’s what! I spent all night worrying because everyone said you were quiet and strict. I even asked Panli about it, and he guaranteed you were strict for real… But meeting you in person, you’re not like that at all. You’re a tease! Way more than that…”
“Do you want me to be strict instead?”
“Being strict would be better than teasing… When you tease me, I get annoyed. Like right now, I’m starting to get fed up with you, Phii Fah…”
Muenfah chuckled before asking something he was curious about. “You’re really fed up?…When you say you’re fed up, how fed up are we talking?” “I’m starting to get really fed up, so what! You don’t get it at all, Phii Fah.”
“Oh, good to know.”
The restaurant manager, who was about to hand over the key to the glasshouse room to his boss—having been instructed the night before to prepare it for an important guest—froze in shock. He couldn’t believe this important guest was standing there bickering with his boss, even calling him clueless. He could think of two things Muenfah might do next:
One, punch the kid until his lip split.
Two, have staff drag the loudmouth out of the restaurant.
But it seemed, for this guest, there might be a third option: being an exception to the boss. No matter how much the other party argued or showed irritation, Muenfah just stood there quietly, hands in his pockets, gazing at the kid with a gentleness in his eyes that the manager had never seen before.
The manager, a close confidant of Muenfah, shook his head lightly in disbelief, silently scolding himself for turning into a nosy bystander. He pulled himself together and walked toward his boss, who was now at the glasshouse entrance with the important guest.
“Fah, sir… Here’s the key to the glasshouse.”
“Thanks.”
Theerak looked up at the glasshouse as Muenfah unlocked it. It was a large glass room opposite the VIP zone, but he didn’t think it was just any glass room. The curved, tiled glass roof made it resemble a small single-story house more than anything. It seemed like a space reserved for highly private events, perhaps only for very important people, because if it were open to regular customers daily, the glasshouse wouldn’t be locked up so tightly like this.
He followed Muenfah inside. Since the room was surrounded by clear glass, the interior decor was visible from the outside. But once he stepped in and experienced it for real, the feeling was different from what he’d initially thought.
Theerak felt warmth, calm, and relaxation from the faint fragrance of fresh flowers arranged in a vase on a long dining table that could seat ten people. The evening sunlight streaming through the glass ceiling made the atmosphere even cozier. At first, Theerak had wondered where the light would come from at night when there was no natural sunlight to brighten the room. But when he looked up, the white chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling answered his curiosity.
Theerak scanned the entire room with his eyes before plopping down onto a wooden chair. Muenfah, who had stepped outside while he was busy admiring the glass room, had just returned. The tall man sat across from him with a calm expression, pulled out his phone, and started tapping away without paying him any attention. Then he casually crossed his legs, looking completely at ease.
“…” At this point, Theerak didn’t know how to adjust his emotions anymore. One moment Muenfah was playful, the next he was cold and aloof. It was all so confusing. But this indifference was probably for the best—it’d let him quickly say his thanks and apologies and get it over with.
“So… what do you want to say?”
Theerak stared at the man in front of him who initiated the conversation first. But the one asking didn’t even bother looking up, just kept his head down, focused on his phone. Theerak quietly sighed, thinking… this aloofness was good—it’d make it easier to speak smoothly without his heart overworking itself again.
“…”
“Go ahead and say it…”
“…” Theerak took a deep breath, trying to come up with the most sincere words he could muster.
“This Phii is waiting to hear it…”
But the heartfelt, eloquent sentence he’d prepared was effortlessly shattered by Muenfah with just one phrase: “Phii Fah.” In an instant, Theerak’s mind went blank, leaving no trace of the polished words he’d rehearsed.
What did Phii Fah just call himself?
“Uh…”
“…”
“Well…”
He must’ve misheard…
Muenfah set his phone down on the table as soon as he finished discussing work with his friends in the group chat, then said, “Just now, I was talking about work. Sorry for not listening properly.”
He referred to himself as “Phii Fah”?
Theerak choked on his words, unable to speak. And when their eyes met up close like this, his composure scattered beyond control. Right now, he couldn’t hear Muenfah’s voice at all—just the sound…
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
It echoed so loudly it shook his whole body. Theerak didn’t want to admit that he’d let his heart race for this guy multiple times already, ever since that day.
The truth was, it might not have been accidental… because he was fully aware of every beat of his heart.
But it’s not like Theerak didn’t try to stop himself—he had. He told his heart not to beat so hard, not to make a big deal out of it. But it just wouldn’t listen.
Theerak couldn’t let his heart race for Muenfah, someone who belonged to everyone else… No way, T___T.
TBC
Leave a Reply