MYMOON, Chapter 21:
Panli: I finished class a while ago.
Panli: I’m smoking in front of the faculty building now.
glaijai: Okay, we’re practicing the presentation in the small
meeting room in the library.
glaijai: Room 1020. P. Panli: Ok, ka. glaijai: But Panli, you can finish your cigarette first because we’re
at the cafeteria buying water with friends. glaijai: Right now, only Thot is in the room. P. Panli: Oh, okay. glaijai: sent a sticker
Klaijai sent a sticker of a fluffy white rabbit blinking. The half-burned white cigarette touched Panli’s lips again before being tossed onto the damp ground. It was the name “Thot” on the glass screen that made Panli want to head to the meeting room immediately. Knowing that the despicable Thot, who constantly bullied Klaijai, was sitting alone in the room, Panli hurriedly made his way to the meeting room without hesitation.
I’ve wanted to talk to you privately for a long time, Thot…
Upon arriving at the meeting room, the person inside showed a slightly startled expression after seeing him through the large glass window. Panli had used this meeting room before. He knew well that if the person inside didn’t press the unlock button, no one outside could enter.
Thot remained seated, his face visibly worried. Panli raised his hand to knock on the glass door to get the other’s attention, and it worked. Thot quickly got up from his chair to press the unlock button.
As the door opened, Panli brushed past the other and entered the room. Thot closed the door and returned to his original seat. Panli scanned the room for Klaijai’s bag to sit at his chair. A brown leather bag with the name “glaijai” engraved on the bottom corner indicated that its owner had chosen a seat quite far from Thot.
The tall man sat down on Klaijai’s chair. Panli stayed silent, thinking about something. The atmosphere in the rectangular room was so quiet it felt like no one was there. His thick hand reached for a white pen next to the notebook he had once given Klaijai, twirling it while contemplating what to say to the other person.
Panli turned to look at the person sitting a distance away. Thot, who had been secretly watching him for who knows how long, quickly averted his gaze the moment Panli looked his way. He buried his face in his phone, not daring to look up. Panli decided to speak up.
“Did you tell your friend what I asked you to?”
“…”
“That bastard Merk…”
The person being questioned looked up, meeting his eyes. His wide, darting eyes revealed confusion and uncertainty. “I… I told him.”
“…”
“I consider it done, okay? But if he does something again, it’s not on me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean I did what you asked! But if that jerk Merk messes with Klai again, it’s got nothing to do with me. You can’t lump us together.” Panli stared at him without blinking, casually twirling a pen in his hand. “Why can’t I lump you together? You’re all the same kind of scum.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
That question made the pen in Panli’s hand stop mid-twirl. He pushed his tongue against his cheek in frustration before snapping, “How the hell can you even say that?!”
“…”
“If you hadn’t invited Klai to that place that day… would that bastard
Merk have done what he did to him?”
“…”
“I know you know about this. There’s no way you don’t know what happened to Klai.”
The other’s averted gaze only confirmed Panli’s words. “…”
“I know everything!” Panli, unable to hold back his emotions any longer, shouted at him, losing control. “I know all about what you’ve done to Klai!”
“…”
“You’ve been hurting Klai all along… and you’re still doing it, even now.”
“…”
“Even with group work, you’re still trying to take advantage of him.”
“…”
“If you keep trying to mess with him or take advantage of him, you’re gonna face real consequences, you bastard Thot.”
“…”
“Someone like me can talk nicely if needed, but if it comes to using force, I’m not holding back.”
“…”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” When the other guy didn’t respond, Panli slammed his hand on the wooden table, making a loud bang. Thot flinched slightly before looking up to meet his eyes again. “Understand?!”
“I-I understand… I won’t mess with Klai anymore.”
“Good.”
“B-but like I told you…”
“What do you know? Spill it all.”
“…” Thot swallowed hard, his hesitation clear as he struggled to say something.
“If you don’t talk… I’ll assume the worst and beat the crap out of all of you.”
“…”
“I’m not bluffing. If anything happens to Klai…”
“…”
“The moment your feet step off this campus… I’ll crush you on the spot.”
Thot looked visibly anxious, stammering, “I didn’t mean to… I swear this time I didn’t mean it.”
Even before anything happened to his precious person, just knowing someone was planning to harm Klai again made Panli’s chest ache with rage.
“The day before yesterday, I ran into Merk at the condo… I told him everything you asked me to pass on.”
“…”
“Merk got pissed. He thought you were just throwing threats around, acting like you’re tough.”
“…”
“So he…”
“So he wants to test me.”
Thot nodded slightly, taking a deep breath. “I’m sure he doesn’t have any feelings for Klai anymore, because he’s already talking to some new kid, Thot… but he’s going back to Klai.”
“…To provoke me.”
“Got too much free time, huh, that bastard!”
“…”
“What else is it gonna do?”
“This Wednesday… the reception team, which Klai is in charge of as team leader, has to go help the art team set up a booth for the open house event at the back of the university… at that open field.”
“…”
“That jerk Merk is going to find Klai…” Thot paused briefly before quickly continuing, “But I warned him not to mess with Klai. He said he’s just going to say hi to Klai, that’s all… nothing else.”
“Then what’s this about you not meaning to… when in the end, you still deliberately told your friend where Klai is going and what Klai is doing?”
“…”
“You’re paving the way for your friend to screw over the person I love.”
“…”
Panli lost his cool to the point of raising his fist, ready to smash it into the other’s face. But Thot, who raised his arms to shield his face in fear, made him try to restrain himself. Panli still remembered his father’s teaching clearly: “Pan… no matter how angry we get, if the other side shows no sign of fighting back, don’t hurt them. Because if you do, it’s no different from harming someone weaker than you.”
Panli clenched his jaw and pulled his hand back to his side. He tried to calm himself before saying, “Fine, Thot… this time, I’ll let you off.”
“…”
“But if there’s a next time… if you let this happen again…”
“…”
“You’re done for.”
“…”
“And your friend… they’ll deal with me soon.”
“…”
Panli stared at the visibly worried figure before saying, “I’m asking you straight up… what did Klai ever do to you guys?”
“…”
“Why do you keep trying to hurt him…?”
“…”
“What did Klai do to you all to make you keep putting him through crap?”
“…”
“Seriously… it’s not just you two that I want to punch in the face… there’s that shitty senior too.”
Thot frowned in confusion before saying, “You mean Shin, right?”
“Yeah! That ugly-faced bastard.”
“Phii Shin has nothing to do with this.”
“…”
“If you say you know everything I’ve done… then you’d know it was all me, including the fact that everyone in the department knows Klai was rejected by Phii Shin. Phii Shin wasn’t the one who told the juniors about it.”
“I know…” Panli was analyzing the other’s changing expression and eyes, as well as the words that seemed to defend that senior. Though not entirely sure, he decided to say, “Do you secretly like Shin?”
“…”
“The reason you keep bullying Klai… is it because you like Shin too?”
“You don’t need to meddle in my personal business… but I’m just asking you to leave Phii Shin alone.”
The truth he just learned made Panli even angrier. “You really have a crush on Shin, don’t you?”
“…”
Sometimes the clearest answer is silence and avoiding eye contact. Panli bit his lip so hard it hurt before saying, “People who are secretly in love… shouldn’t treat each other like this.”
“…”
“Because you should know how hard it is for someone secretly in love to muster the courage to confess.”
“…”
“Because if it was easy… you wouldn’t still be secretly in love with Shin like this.”
“…And it fucking hurts knowing that… someone who’s been rejected already feels heartbroken, yet you still make them feel even worse, piling on more bad experiences.”
“…”
“You’re such a bastard, Thot.”
“…”
“And everything you’ve done… has it made Shin look at you even once?”
“You don’t know anything… Back in freshman year, Phii Shin only cared about him, only looked after him.”
Panli clenched his jaw even tighter because he knew exactly why Shin acted that way, and he was starting to feel fed up with Thot’s jealousy. “Shin did that because he’s a selfish person.”
“…”
“The person you secretly love isn’t much better than you… That’s all
I’ll say.”
“…”
“I won’t mess with that bastard Shin… Not because you asked.”
“…”
“But because I think he’s already living a tortured life with his guilt. No matter how much he regrets it, he’ll never forget the awful things he’s done… Let him suffer with that guilt until he dies.”
“…”
“But for you lot, the ones who never feel remorse for what you’ve done… Sometimes you need a smack to the head to wake up.”
“I…” Thot swallowed hard before continuing, “…I swear I won’t mess with Klai again.”
“You’d better keep that in your head… And don’t even think about breaking that promise.”
Thot nodded, averting his gaze as usual. Panli tried to calm his boiling emotions before the good guy arrived at the room. He didn’t want him to know about the conversation with Thot or to worry about these matters. Panli was certain that if Klaijai knew he was having issues with these people, he’d definitely feel uneasy.
So, he had to quickly regain his composure. However, Klaijai’s appearance helped diffuse his murky emotions considerably. The small figure in a navy suit flashed a smile through the large glass window. Panli hurriedly got up to press the button to unlock the door for him.
Klaijai walked into the room with a smile before turning to ask, “Has my little pup been waiting long?”
“Not too long.”
The smaller guy nodded slightly before saying, “Then wait for me just a bit, pup… I’ll hurry and finish rehearsing the presentation quickly.”
“Got it.”
After responding, Panli walked back to sit in his usual chair. The original occupant, Klaijai, had moved to stand in front of the projector screen and showed no signs of reclaiming the seat. He glanced at the person who had just sat down beside him. Pie gave him a friendly smile, and Panli returned one.
“Panli, I’ve wanted to thank you several times, but we haven’t crossed paths.”
“…”
“About those clothes… The ones you told Klai to return to me.”
“Oh…” Panli nodded, recalling how he’d asked Klaijai to return the clothes from the shop to Pie, covering all the costs himself. “No big deal. Just that.”
“That… uh, I mean, that older guy. He won’t come after me to take responsibility for anything else, right?”
Panli burst out laughing before saying, “I have taken care of everything. Phii Pi wouldn’t dare come demanding anything from Pie.”
“Panli… is the real Phii Pi super handsome or what?” A good-looking woman sitting next to Pie leaned over to look at him. Panli remembered that this close friend of Klaijai was named Mai. “I’ve seen Phii Pi modeling for the new collection at the store, and he was in the promotional photos on the store’s Instagram too.”
“I can’t quite say…” Panli said with a chuckle. The truth was, Phii Pi was so handsome he could make cows and buffaloes drop dead, so much so that sometimes business partners would beg him to tone down his charm. But he answered vaguely because Panli wasn’t used to praising someone directly. “…Phii Pi is good-looking, I guess.”
“See? So how can Pie say he’s not handsome?”
“Well, I say he’s not handsome… Where’s the charm? He looks like a playboy.”
“And what does a playboy look like?”
“A playboy looks like that guy, doesn’t he?”
Panli smirked as he watched Pie and Mai argue about Phii Pi. Pie clearly didn’t like Phii Pi at all, to the point of giving him a nickname the first time they met. And the nickname “playboy” did suit Phii Pi quite well.
“What are you all talking about?”
A familiar voice grabbed Panli’s attention from the two. He turned to the source of the voice and saw a petite figure who had somehow appeared beside him, leaning against the edge of the table with arms crossed, flashing a sweet, subtle smile. At that moment, Panli thought this person truly deserved the title “troublemaker,” because Klaijai was making his heart race with that charming expression and demeanor.
Unable to resist, one of his large hands moved to gently stroke Klaijai’s slender leg. He wasn’t thinking anything inappropriate; Panli just wanted to convey, “I’m falling for you so hard,” through this touch. Klaijai glanced down at his hand, pursed his lips, then looked up at him and spoke in a soft whisper, as if only meant for the two of them.
“Puppy… no need to be so sweet.”
Panli let out a soft laugh before pulling his hand back. “I just want to kiss that hand.”
“Puppy!”
Both of Klaijai’s ears and cheeks flushed a faint red as he scolded Panli with a stern tone, which only made Panli want to tease the troublemaker into blushing even more. He shifted his gaze from Klaijai to Thot, who was unlocking the door to let two more friends into the room, before turning his attention back to his favorite person.
But it wasn’t just him paying attention to the other. Klaijai, blushing with red cheeks and ears, was equally focused on him. As their eyes met, a slender hand reached out to lightly pinch the tip of Panli’s nose before the troublemaker, who made his heart flutter, spoke.
“There are a lot of people here now… Puppy, you can’t kiss my hand yet.”
“So does that mean this Puppy can kiss your hand again today?”
Klaijai laughed softly and nodded. “One more time…”
Panli flashed a bright smile before saying, “Thank you.”
Klaijai gave a faint smile while gently ruffling his hair. “If you’re this well-behaved… I will let you kiss my hand twice a day.” Honestly.
Let’s be real.
Klaijai was driving him crazy. The expression, the smile, the tone of voice, and the utterly natural actions of the man were insanely charming. Klaijai probably didn’t realize how captivating everything about him was. The smaller figure withdrew his hand from his hair and walked to stand at the head of the table instead.
“Everyone… this is the sheet I’ve prepared, listing who’s presenting which slide.”
“Okay~”
Normally, tearing his eyes away from Klaijai was already tough, but seeing him at work—speaking with a serious expression and tone, showing leadership—made it even harder to look away.
However, a nudge from the person beside him forced him to reluctantly shift his gaze from Klaijai. Pie smirked, then leaned down to tap on his phone before showing him something.
Panli frowned as he looked at the name of a LINE group: “Mission: (Help Klai) Win Moon’s Heart” displayed on the glass screen. He glanced up at the phone’s owner. Pie, trying to suppress a smile, glanced at Klaijai, who was explaining the task to the others, as if making sure the group leader wouldn’t notice them. Pie turned back to him and said,
“This LINE group… Klai created it.”
The one dubbed “Moon,” “Klai’s puppy,” or whatever else his adorable person called him, flashed a bright smile before asking, “KhunKlai set it up himself?”
Pie nodded and said, “Yeah… Klai created it to ask friends for advice on what to do when he’s with Panli.”
“…”
“Because he is afraid you might get bored when it’s just the two of them.”
“…”
“I’m showing this to you… not to sell out my friend.”
“…”
“But I want you to know… Klai is really serious about this relationship.”
“…”
“Klai is super shy… Sometimes he might”
Panli gave a faint smile and nodded at Pie, who spoke with a serious expression. “I know… I know how hard Klai has been trying.”
“Please take care of him, Panli.”
“Sure,” Panli replied with a smile.
“Pie… focus on work already!”
“Okay, got it!”
He turned to the small figure who was scolding their close friend. The person glared at him before pointing and playfully threatening him. Panli wrinkled his nose in response, making the other burst into laughter.
“You’re too good at starting conversations… watch out, you little pup!”
Panli smiled faintly while looking at the small figure. He didn’t say anything back. He thought if Klai knew what he had talked about with Pie, Klai would definitely turn into a shy bunny.
For now, Klai could still be his mischievous self. Panli watched him discuss work with the group, until a question from someone made him shift his gaze from Klai to the person asking.
“Do I really have to handle slides twenty-two to twenty-six?”
“Yes… because the content in those five slides was prepared by New.” The good-looking girl sitting across from him furrowed her brows slightly before reading something on a piece of paper. She nodded with a slightly displeased expression.
“If no one has any more questions… let’s start rehearsing the presentation.”
After that, Klai walked to stand in front of the projector screen and began presenting his part. Panli crossed his arms, watching Klai deliver an excellent presentation. He spoke fluently without a single stumble, impressing Panli, who was listening attentively.
Leave a Reply