YOURSKY, Chapter 5
In this universe, how many people can make our hearts race?
“…”
If I had to count right now, there’s one person…
“Your cheeks aren’t red anymore…”
And that one person in this universe is Muenfah.
If he could turn back time, Theerak would absolutely refuse to drink that glass of liquor, even if it meant getting punched by Phii Oh. Because that glass of liquor is the reason his heart still flutters to this day.
But no matter how hard his heart beats, Theerak has to force himself to wrap everything up.
“I want to thank you, Phii Fah, for helping me that day.”
“…”
“…And I also want to apologize for almost getting you in trouble. If Phii
Oh had pressed charges, the one who caused you trouble would’ve been me,
Rak.”
“Anything else you want to say?”
“Are you in a hurry, Phii Fah?…”
“…”
“Uh, I’m not trying to bother you, Phii Fah. I asked that because your question made me feel like you have to rush off to do something else.” Theerak waved both hands frantically, trying to explain his true intentions to the other party.
At first, he’d asked without thinking, but upon reflection, he wanted to slap himself. That question didn’t sound cute at all—it was more like he was trying to provoke Muenfah.
Theerak couldn’t read the other’s mind because Muenfah rarely showed emotions on his face. His handsome features were usually calm and lifeless. He smiled occasionally, but those smiles were so faint that if you didn’t pay close attention, you wouldn’t even notice. Theerak thought that if it weren’t for Muenfah’s perfectly sculpted face, many girls would’ve stopped swooning over him and turned to someone more playful and charming— someone who could make their hearts flutter more easily.
Muenfah didn’t respond. He simply glanced at the watch on his wrist before looking up at Theerak again. At that moment, Theerak realized he didn’t have much time left. He was about to invite Muenfah to dinner at his house as per his father’s request, but Muenfah cut in first.
“I have one hour of personal time left before the restaurant opens…”
“I know you have work to do, Phii Fah…”
“That one hour I have left… do you want all of it, Rak?”
“…”
Muenfah probably didn’t realize that his question had mercilessly yanked Theerak’s soul out of his body. Right now, Theerak was just an empty shell. It wouldn’t be surprising if he answered slowly—or not at all.
“So, what do you say… If you don’t want to stay and talk for the hour, I can drop you off at home. How’s that?”
“Uh…” He really wanted to answer Muenfah, but his brain wasn’t cooperating at all.
“…”
“Actually, staying here for an hour is fine with me, since I have to wait for
Phii Babe to pick me up anyway.”
Muenfah nodded in acknowledgment. He pulled out his wallet and placed it on the table alongside his phone, making it clear to Theerak that he was prepared to spend the remaining hour with him.
“When I asked if there was anything else you wanted to say, it’s because I also have something to talk about. I’d like us to finish one at a time so we can clear things up properly, step by step.”
“So that’s how it is…”
“So, does you have anything else to say?”
“Actually, yes… my dad wants to invite you to have dinner at our house.
He said he’d like to thank you in person.”
“It’s just a small thing, no need for thanks. But since he’s inviting me like this, I won’t refuse. Plus, I was already planning to thank him myself for not pressing charges against Phii Oh, worried that I’d get dragged into trouble too…”
“…”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. Because Dad’s off work only until tomorrow. It’d probably be in the afternoon. Is that okay with you, Phii Fah?”
“Sure, I’ll come by tomorrow then.”
“…” Theerak nodded slightly, staring at Muenfah—someone many described as intimidating. In truth, this Muenfah, who belonged to everyone, was so kind and polite that he didn’t dare act stubborn with him anymore.
“Where’d that stubborn kid from earlier go?”
“The stubborn kid can’t handle cool air, you see. Once he gets some AC, the stubbornness disappears.”
Theerak’s reply made the usually expressionless face react. The corners of Muenfah’s mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile. Did Muenfah even realize that his barely noticeable smile could draw one from him too?
I made Phii Fah smile, huh.
“I am done with my part. It’s your turn now, Phii Fah.”
Muenfah nodded before speaking. “As for the thanks, I’ll personally thank your dad myself since I’ll have the chance. But there are two other things I wanted to talk to you about.”
“…”
“First… I don’t know if Dom already told you about this before you came here, but I’m guessing he didn’t, since he said it’d be better for me to clear it up with you myself. My business partner lied to the customers in the shop that day, saying we were a couple. And one of them was a friend from my group who misunderstood too. My friends will probably ask or tease you about it when they see you at university. So, I wanted to apologize because it might make things awkward for you.”
“…”
“But don’t worry too much. Most of the customers who heard about it that day aren’t university kids we know—they’re all working adults. As for Phii Oh’s friends, Real said they didn’t hear it. It’s just Tim, a friend from my group, who believes we’re secretly dating, and maybe a few others since Tim told them. But I’ve already denied it, saying it’s not true. They’ll lose interest soon enough.”
“Yes.”
“I am sorry, okay? I’m also apologizing on behalf of Real. He said those things because he wanted people to think I was protecting my partner, so it wouldn’t look too bad. But no matter how we try to explain it, that day I really was out of line, and I admit it.”
Did Muenfah realize how adorably he spoke? Theerak was now convinced that someone already so good-looking—beyond what he thought possible— could make themselves exponentially more charming with the sweet, carefully chosen words he used for each person he talked to.
Theerak didn’t know how childish or innocent he seemed in Muenfah’s eyes for the older man to use such gentle words, as if speaking to a threeyear-old.
But in reality, Muenfah had beaten up Phii Oh so badly his teeth broke. When Theerak first saw Phii Oh at his house, he was shocked and thought it wasn’t surprising that Phii Oh’s father was furious. Before coming here,
Theerak had secretly thought Muenfah might be some kind of violent thug.
But from what he’d experienced today that line— “That day, I was really out of line, and I admit it”—made him seem like a delinquent who deserved forgiveness.
“I understand everything now, including Phii Real. At first, I heard about this from Phii Tim, and I was a little upset with Phii Real for telling people like that. But now I’m not mad at anyone anymore… I understand you too,
Phii Fah.”
“You heard it from Tim?”
Theerak nodded before saying, “Yes, I found out from Phii Tim, not from Phii Dom. Phii Tim misunderstood that we were together, so he came to ask me to help…”
“Help hold the cake at the birthday party, right?”
“Yes.”
Muenfah sighed, glancing at his phone buzzing with constant message notifications. Someone sending those texts was annoying him right now. Then he turned his attention back to the person in front of him. “The last thing I wants to say to you is… I want you to take good care of yourself.
Don’t trust people too easily.”
“Y-Yes, Phii Fah.”
“And from now on, if anyone asks you to do something for them, think it over carefully first. Don’t agree right away—especially if it’s someone asking you to talk to me on their behalf like this again.”
“Even though I nodded to Phii Tim, I never planned to come ask you, Phii Fah. It’s not something I should do. I know that… And I also know you already turned Phii Tim down. How could I ask you to do something you don’t want to? If I did that, I’d be way too cruel.”
Muenfah sighed again as he watched the smaller figure explain in a rush without pausing for breath. Those almond-shaped eyes, which had once met his gaze confidently, were now lowered to the dark brown table, seemingly out of fear. “Am I scaring you right now?”
“Well… a little, yes. Because just now, your voice got stern, and your eyes started looking strict too.”
The owner of those chubby-cheeks admitted it, and his avoidance of eye contact confirmed he was genuinely starting to feel scared.
“I am sorry, okay? I was upset with Tim for using you… Stop being scared and look at me, please.”
Muenfah gave a faint smile when those eyes finally met his again.
“From now on, I will be more careful, think things through, and not agree to things so easily. And Phii Fah, you’re not allowed to scold me like you did earlier, okay?”
“Yes, I won’t scold.”
“…” Muenfah’s reply made Theerak grin so wide his eyes squinted.
“Whatever you want me to do, if it’s really what you want, I; Phii Fah will do it.”
Muenfah knew he wasn’t great at indulging people—most of the time, he’d choose to say no. But when it came to Theerak, he suddenly became someone who couldn’t refuse and found himself wanting to indulge him instead.
But only with this one person.
“When you get stern, it’s scary, but yours is kind of cute.”
Muenfah raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Someone like me can be cute?”
“Of course! In my eyes, you Phii Fah have a cute side.”
“Panli said his chubby-cheeked friend is a total flatterer… seems like it’s true.”
“Li’s such a gossip.”
The smaller guy spoke softly, wrinkling his nose in mild annoyance. Muenfah wanted to reach out and pinch that little nose off, but he could only keep his hands resting on his thighs as usual, letting his thoughts flow with his true feelings.
What kind of person is this… so small like a puppy, but as cute as the whole world?
Theerak knew that both he and Muenfah had run out of things to talk about. Everything had been cleared up and settled in just a few minutes. And because the creeping silence in the glass room kept nudging him to think of new conversation topics, Theerak decided to pull out a simple, unintentional question that popped into his head to ask the other.
“Phii Fah, Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Yes, that’s it…”
“…”
Muenfah answered with simple words. He seemed like he wanted to say something more but stayed quiet, which caused our conversation to be replaced by silence once again.
It was strange how only silence could wedge itself between our exchanges. Even though it made the conversation feel a bit disjointed, Theerak still felt he could keep going with Muenfah. Yet the awkwardness that should’ve come from two strangers talking one-on-one for the first time, so closely, couldn’t seep in at all.
But whether it was silence or awkwardness Neither was welcomed in this moment.
“Normally, Phii Fah isn’t great at talking.”
But Theerak would welcome the silence caused by someone who wasn’t much of a talker himself,
At first, Theerak welcomed this person who didn’t talk much but could explain things clearly and gently with a smile. Theerak grinned widely, his eyes squinting in that signature chubby-cheeked way his friends always found especially endearing.
Then he said something he thought might make the other feel good.
“I will start the conversation with you myself… since you have already given all his time to me, right?”
“The remaining forty-five minutes are mine, right?”
Theerak nodded. Truthfully, being the one constantly asking questions wasn’t easy. And since they weren’t close, some questions might feel too intrusive. So, Theerak had to think carefully before asking, even if it was difficult and required a lot of thought. But for the sake of those forty-five minutes Theerak believed he could do it.
“What did you have with your rice this morning, Phii Fah?” A basic question like this was the safest bet.
“I just had coffee, Phii Fah.”
“No food?” Maybe it was the puzzled look on his face, because Muenfah gave a faint smile.
“No, just coffee, then I came straight to the restaurant.”
“Huh? Why didn’t you eat? It’s getting late—aren’t you hungry, Phii Fah?” “It depends on the day. Some days, coffee alone keeps me full all day.
Other days, I get hungry.”
“You can’t just eat based on your mood, Phii Fah. What if you get a stomach ulcer?”
“Well, if that happens, would you take me to the doctor?”
“…” Wait… wasn’t he supposed to be the one asking questions? Why was Muenfah suddenly turning it back on him?
And that question from Muenfah… it made his stomach churn as if he were the one with an ulcer.
Theerak lowered his eyes, the embarrassment he’d shaken off earlier creeping back to greet him again. He guessed Muenfah was a quiet type who loved to tease, because the guy just couldn’t stop messing with him. Like right now—his face was burning up because he’d caught a glimpse of someone faintly smiling, staring right at him.
It felt like deliberate teasing to make him even more flustered…
“That question from you might be too hard. Can we switch to a new one?”
Theerak looked up at the other, saying, “I haven’t given you permission to start asking questions yet, Phii Fah.”
“I forgot that for these remaining forty-five minutes, you’re the boss.”
He was definitely teasing on purpose…
Theerak didn’t understand himself at all—really didn’t get it. Why did this guy make him feel all fluttery, his heart race, and so shy? But it was happening, and Theerak had to admit that Muenfah was ridiculously good at making him feel this way.
“Do you want to be the one asking questions now, Phii Fah?” He forced the words out, even though his cheeks were so hot they might explode.
“I don’t really want to be the one asking, but there’s something I’m curious about that’s forcing me to.”
“Out of respect for your curiosity, I’ll let you ask one question, Phii Fah.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
Even a simple “Have you eaten?” could make him shy. Muenfah was really good at this. “I ate this morning.”
“Can I ask another?”
“Fine, fine, one more question.”
“Wanna grab some food together?”
Ohhh! Theerak wanted to wail out loud so Muenfah could hear how much his questions were torturing him. Muenfah was asking basic questions too, but why did they feel so special and different? Theerak didn’t understand himself again—really didn’t get it. It was just an invitation to eat; why was he so flustered? He wasn’t usually this shy. Normally, he was more stubborn and playful, but around Muenfah, he turned into a blushing mess.
“…”
“Take some time to think… I will step out to smoke and wait.”
“…”
Theerak didn’t look up at the other person, only nodding in response. The sound of a creak, like a door opening, made him quietly sigh before lifting his gaze to the empty chair across from him, where the tall figure was no longer sitting. However, the phone and burnt-brown wallet were still in their original spots, along with a pack of cigarettes he hadn’t noticed the owner place there earlier.
He really wanted to pick up his phone and call someone—anyone—to rant about how Muenfah kept teasing him into embarrassment over and over. But a knock on the glass from outside caught his attention, making him turn to look.
The tall figure with the usual calm, expressionless face was standing outside, staring at him. One hand, holding a cigarette, hung loosely by his side, drawing Theerak’s eyes to the Chinese character tattoo he knew the meaning of well. Muenfah raised his free hand, rubbing circles on his stomach, before mouthing something…
And though Theerak couldn’t hear his voice at all he could still read his lips.
Muenfah was saying…
‘I’m hungry.’
Theerak didn’t reply. He was still stunned by the unexpectedly cute gesture from the other. Muenfah’s sulky expression, in his own unique style, was ridiculously adorable T___T. Theerak’s heart melted into a puddle.
When they first met, he must’ve been too nervous to notice, but today Muenfah looked especially good. Sure, he always looked good, but today he managed to look even better. The tall, usually stoic-faced man—who was now slightly sulky—wore a black Hawaiian shirt with white leaf patterns scattered across it, paired with ripped black jeans, black Vans sneakers, and, of course, that pricey branded watch he never went without.
Theerak wanted to give him the nickname “Minimal Pieces, Million-Level
Looks.”
So handsome it’s exhausting… exhausting because he knew a chubby puppy like himself couldn’t even come close to half of Muenfah’s charm.
And because Theerak had his head down, lost in self-pity over his own lack of looks, the tall guy demanded his attention again by knocking on the glass once more. Theerak looked up to see Muenfah exhaling white smoke into the air. As the smoke dissipated, his face became clearer. The one vying for his attention didn’t say a word, but suddenly, he smiled.
A smile Theerak had never seen before and one he was sure very few ever got to witness.
…Not a wide grin, not a bright smile but a smile like the gentle morning sunlight.
And it was the next thing Muenfah tried to communicate through the glass that made it even more special:
‘Are you okay?’
That gentle morning sunlight felt warmer than ever that day.
#However Many Thousand Skies
… I don’t know if it’s because he couldn’t stand seeing Muenfah’s whining face or because he was hungry himself, but Theerak ended up agreeing to eat together, even though he didn’t really want to. Despite his excellent people skills, eating with someone he wasn’t close to wasn’t easy at all. Theerak had to be cautious about everything, maintaining proper manners while dining together, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
But it was probably that smile, wasn’t it, that stirred his stomach and made him say yes?
“What does Rak want to eat?” Muenfah asked while waving to the staff standing outside. Phii Fah, is your restaurant super expensive or what… I only brought three hundred baht.” Theerak said. He wasn’t expecting to be treated; he was ready to pay for himself. But Muenfah’s place looked so fancy that he had to check his wallet to see if he had enough.
“I’ll treat you. you probably won’t eat until I go broke, right?”
“You’re underestimating me too much. I could eat the entire your restaurant!”
“If you can eat that much, why don’t you eat the owner too?”.
Theerak was starting to have doubts about Muenfah. Was Muenfah really bad at talking, or did he just want to see Theerak turn into a chatterbox? The one who should be blushing and shy was supposed to be the quiet Muenfah, but instead, Muenfah kept making him blush nonstop. He couldn’t entirely blame Muenfah, though—he had to blame himself too for having such low immunity. Everything the other guy said made him flustered.
“No, I won’t eat you. you’re not tasty.”
“But the people who’ve tried him say he’s delicious. Between those who’ve tried and those who haven’t, who should we believe?”
Theerak froze, speechless, and chose to look away again. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about constantly avoiding eye contact and turning into a coward like this. But anyone who saw the shift in Muenfah’s gaze would’ve done the same. That look in Muenfah’s eyes was deep, cunning, and almost predatory when he said that line.
And it was that low, throaty chuckle from someone that made Theerak even less willing to meet his gaze. Deep down, though, the coward who’d been teased nonstop since arriving at the restaurant was starting to feel like fighting back. Otherwise, he’d just keep losing to Muenfah every time. “So, you’re not good at talking, huh? I don’t see any sign of that. Plus, your words sound like something a flirt would say.” Theerak said, aware that his voice was so soft it sounded more like a mumble than a proper retort. It was because his heart was pounding—that’s why he didn’t dare speak louder, afraid his voice would tremble along with it.
“I’m really not good at talking. But you are trying to talk more because if I have to keep talking and asking all the time while you don’t respond at all— like you do with others—Phii Fah you know that eventually, you’d just end up being boring.”
Theerak looked up to meet Muenfah’s eyes and suddenly felt guilty for misjudging him.
“But the flirt thing, I admit… though only in the past. I quit that a long time ago.”
“…”
So he hadn’t misjudged him after all… That look in Muenfah’s eyes was totally that of a sly tiger.
-___-
Crack!
The sound of the door opening made both of them turn to look. A smiling waitress walked into the glass-walled room and handed them the menu. Theerak flipped through just one page and immediately knew his budget wouldn’t cut it. He’d have to order something simple—the cheapest thing— and it happened to be his go-to comfort food from his university days.
“Do you have crispy pork basil rice?” Theerak asked.
Before the staff could even respond, the shop owner, who had been looking down at the menu, interjected, “Order whatever you want. The chef can make anything.”
Uh, oh… then I will have crispy pork basil over rice.”
“Okay.”
Theerak handed the menu back to the staff. She took it and flashed him a pretty smile. Theerak smiled back politely, but someone who had just looked up from the menu glared at him so intensely that he quickly shut his mouth. He hadn’t expected Muenfah to be so protective of the staff. Though, it made sense—she was really cute, and her face reminded him of his ex.
“Want a fried egg with that?”
“Uh, sure, I’ll take it.” Theerak stammered in response because Muenfah’s unusually calm tone threw him off. It felt like Muenfah was mad at him, and some kind of vibe radiating from him made Theerak’s throat go dry. The female staff member also seemed flustered, like she’d just done something wrong.
“I’ll have fish porridge…”
“Y-Yes.”
“Two glasses of water… and a small bowl of ketchup on the side for Rak.”
“Okay.”
As soon as the staff member left, silence blanketed the entire glass room. Muenfah, who usually liked staring into his eyes, chose to avoid his gaze this time and focused on his phone instead. Theerak didn’t know if Muenfah was upset about him smiling at the staff or something else, but he didn’t like this atmosphere at all.
…He didn’t know how many minutes were left but he wouldn’t let even a single second pass with this kind of silence between them.
“Phii Fah…”
“Yes.” Muenfah answered, but he still wouldn’t look up, just like before.
“Is something wrong with you, Phii Fah?”
“Nothing…”
“There is… I can tell.” Theerak knew it was odd to act like he could read Muenfah’s mind when they weren’t even that close. A conversation lasting less than an hour couldn’t possibly let him understand Muenfah that well. But something told him Muenfah was feeling uneasy.
“I am hungry.”
“Phii Fah… look at me right now.” He knew he couldn’t order him around, but he still wanted Muenfah to listen. And when those sharp eyes finally lifted from the phone screen and met his again, Theerak felt a little relieved that Muenfah was willing to hear him out. “Did I accidentally do something to upset you?”
“No…”
“Is it because I smiled at that staff member? I wasn’t trying to flirt with the staff at your shop, okay? Don’t misunderstand, Phii Fah.”
“She’s cute, like Mew. It wouldn’t be strange if you wanted to look at her.”
“Huh… Phii Fah you know Mew too?”
“I’ve just seen her face a few times. Mew was a junior of my ex.”
“…” The world sure is small—our exes know each other too.
“So, your type is like this? Small and cute?”
“I don’t really have a type… If I feel something, I feel it. If I don’t, no matter what, I just don’t.” Just like with Mew—she tried everything, but he felt nothing.
You seem hard to love.”
“I don’t know. I’m not someone who craves romantic relationships all that much. It’s more like, if it happens, great; if not, that’s fine too. So I’m not sure how hard I am to love. Mew was my first girlfriend, but we didn’t last long before breaking up.”
“If I asked why you broke up, that’d probably be inappropriate…”
Theerak smiled. Even though Muenfah’s face remained expressionless as usual, oddly enough, Theerak could tell he was curious about him. “You can ask. Even though it’s a pretty sensitive topic. Normally, I don’t talk about it much because it makes me feel guilty and sad again. But it’s been over a year now, and I can handle it.”
“Then you don’t have to talk about it.”
“But I want to. Maybe today that lump of guilt might finally come loose.” Theerak gave a small laugh, though inside he didn’t feel as light as he appeared. “Mew was a friend from a different department. We met on orientation day. Back then, I wasn’t close with Panli, Joy, or Type yet. Firstyears tend to stick together in big groups, and we had a lot of faculty-wide classes, so I got closest to Mew. But I had no idea she secretly liked me until one day she confessed. She said she liked how kind Theerak was, always helping her and being gentle.”
“…”
“But the bad part was that I didn’t feel that way about her. And it got worse because she chose to confess on a friend’s birthday, with more than ten people overhearing what she said. Then she asked me to date her. I was shocked and flustered. I’d been confessed to a lot in high school, but never asked out in such a crowded place like that. And because there were so many people, I didn’t have the heart to reject her. In the end, I agreed to date Mew.”
It wasn’t that you didn’t have the heart… it was that you were respecting
Mew.”
“Maybe that’s true. I was afraid she’d be hurt if I rejected her. But I should’ve been more honest about my feelings toward her. Mew was an amazing girl—she tried so hard to make me smile and always cared for me.
But it was me who couldn’t feel anything more for her beyond friendship.”
“…”
“And in the end, I made someone as good as Mew cry. I decided to break up with her, and it just so happened to be exactly two months since we started dating. I forgot. If I’d remembered even a little… I wouldn’t have said those words, wouldn’t have done that, Phii Fah…”
“…”
“That time was awful for me. I wanted Mew to know I wasn’t any less upset than she was. I still wanted to be her friend like before, but I understood it’d be hard for her. So I chose to study alone and let her stay with that big group of friends. Then, in the second semester, I got close with Panli, and later Joy and Type joined in. That’s when I started feeling a lot better and became the chubby-cheeked friend of the group. That’s me…” Theerak ended his story with the brightest tone he could muster, hoping Muenfah wouldn’t feel bad about it. He just wanted to share his story.
A story he only shared with a select few… and now, one of those people included Muenfah.
Throughout the time Theerak was telling his story, Muenfah could sense the overwhelming guilt the other still carried. Even though Theerak said he could handle it, Muenfah knew he wasn’t managing it well enough—his eyes were watering more than usual. One particular sentence hit Muenfah hard, as it felt like the smaller person was pleading for him to pull him out of the spiral of guilt.
If I could remember even a little… I wouldn’t have said that sentence at all, wouldn’t have done that at all, Phii Fah…”
The distance between Muenfah and Theerak was significant, but not enough to stop his effort. Muenfah stretched his arm as far as it could go to gently pat the messy head.
“You did well, you’re really amazing…” Seeing the other smile, he pulled his hand back.
“…” Theerak had received comfort about this from Phii Babe, Phii Dom, Panli, Joy, and Type, and he thought no one else would offer it again. But today, he received it from Muenfah too.
“It’s okay to feel guilty, because I know you can’t stop it. Just try to feel it a little less.”
“…”
“And one day, Rak you will be able to forgive himself.”
“Thank you, Phii Fah.”
“I should be thanking you more for trusting me and sharing something so personal.”
“I don’t know, I’m still surprised at myself for telling you this, Phii Fah.”
“Maybe because you feel a connection with me…”
It was the first time Theerak saw Muenfah smirk faintly…
“More like I don’t talk much, so I probably won’t go spreading it to anyone.”
Muenfah held back a smile as he saw the smaller one scrunch his nose in displeasure again.
I won’t tell anyone. I will keep it to myself.”
Muenfah gazed at the smaller person, thinking that Theerak was just as he’d imagined. Theerak was gentle, kind-hearted, bad at saying no, and always considerate of others’ feelings. He feared upsetting people, sometimes to the point of causing himself distress. All of this made Theerak seem soft and naive, easily yielding to others. But people aren’t one-dimensional. Muenfah saw determination and honesty in him, and he believed those were the foundations of strength.
If Theerak were truly weak and overly sensitive, he wouldn’t have ended things with that woman. He wouldn’t have dared to fight for his freedom, which had been temporarily borrowed, or chosen to stay true to his own feelings.
No matter how others saw Theerak as weak, to him… this was already proof of incredible strength.
He was amazing, just as he’d told him.
Muenfah wasn’t just saying it to make him feel better—he genuinely thought Theerak was amazing.
He could tell Theerak had grown up well in a warm family, surrounded by overflowing love from everyone, even his friends. It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t think I’ll of anyone and always saw the good in things. But the world can be cruel, with countless people ready to take advantage of or hurt someone like Theerak. Still, Muenfah believed he could face whatever life threw at him on his own, given a little time to learn. No one is born skilled, no strong person has never shed tears, and Theerak was one of those who had to grow through experience. The small person in front of him still had many more stories to face.
But believe me, Theerak will grow and learn everything with a smile. A steady and strong smile.
A smile that even countless skies would have to surrender to.
TBC