MONSTERNEXTDOOR, Chapter 13: Having Him As An Important Person Doesn’t Feel As Good As Being An Important Person To Him.

My toothbrush was neatly tucked into my bag, and I scanned Phii Godt’s bathroom. Whether it was the cup with a pink toothbrush, the salt formula toothpaste, or the stickers of Hello Kitty and friends adorably stuck on the tiles above the toilet, it was all too cute to describe.

I now believed he really liked the color pink.

I checked my reflection in the mirror; my pale face had a surprising flush on both cheeks.

Phii Godt’s words kept echoing in my head.

“Finally, I’ve seen you.”

Even though I couldn’t see his face, his voice was tinged with happiness at seeing me, leaving me at a loss for words. We sat in silence for a while, awkwardly, until Phii Godt started telling stories, which made me feel more relaxed. We spent several hours chatting about trivial things on the balcony, just like every day. Even without the wall between us, our conversation remained the same, unchanged, including playing phone games, talking about young-master, until I started to feel sleepy. So, I excused myself to brush my teeth and wash my face.

I thought the first time would be incredibly awkward, but Phii Godt managed to ease the tension quickly, proving to be a person with excellent interpersonal skills.

If it were someone else, I would have put up another wall to keep them at a distance, like with Phii Pi, with whom I used to talk, because I never felt anything more than friendship or brotherhood. When he confessed his feelings, it made me sad enough not to want to continue. But with Phii Godt, it’s different, probably because deep down, I secretly admired many of his actions.

Though I have a bit of insecurity, I realize he’s important, and I don’t want him to disappear.

I slowly opened the bathroom door, and inside the room, all the lights were off except for the bedside lamp. Phii Wan and Phii Biu were already asleep.

The clock on Phii Godt’s wall showed past one in the morning. My eyes lingered on the tall figure of the honey-skinned man still reading a manga on the balcony, using the balcony light to see. That broad back was becoming more familiar bit by bit.

Is this how he sits when he talks to me?

Sitting cross-legged on the balcony floor, leaning against the glass when he gets tired. Without the cushion I have.

Doesn’t it get tiring?

I flopped down on the bed, looking from the balcony back to the simple black desk lamp, then my gaze caught a small shoulder bag with a Luffy keychain hanging from it.

He actually hung it on.

That’s great.

When you buy something for someone and they like it, it feels like this, a strange kind of satisfaction.

The cool air in the room made me burrow under the covers that carried Phii Godt’s scent. After talking for so long, imagining various things about him, when I finally met him, nothing matched my expectations.

Khun Godzilla, despite being noisy, is actually more composed than you’d think.

I didn’t lie there thinking for long when the sound of the glass door closing indicated that Phii Godt had come back into the room. I shifted to the edge of the bed as much as possible, not wanting to encroach on his sleeping space.

Phii Godt is big. Just by lying with his arms and legs spread out, he would take up the whole bed.

He flopped down onto the bed with a soft yawn, and I felt something soft touch my back, probably because the room’s owner had put a body pillow between us under the dim light beside the bed. Phii Godt reached past me to turn off the lamp and lay down.

Even lying apart, I could still feel the warmth from the person next to me.

Or maybe because I’ve been sleeping alone for so long, I never realized how far someone’s body heat could reach, especially since we weren’t even an arm’s length apart.

I lay there tense in the darkness for a while until Phii Godt’s deep voice spoke up.

“Good night, little turtle.”

We say good night to each other every day, but never has it made my heart beat as fast as this time.

“Yes,” I replied softly, getting a gentle humming sound in response. “Don’t worry about anything, I keep my vows. I won’t touch the crow.”

“Phii Godt!” I responded in a high-pitched voice, this guy never misses a chance to tease. The person who loves to tease let out a soft laugh.

“You can sleep now. It’s late.”

“Yes, good night.”

I adjusted myself to a more comfortable position than when I was nearly falling off the bed, letting out a gentle sigh. I lay there looking into the darkness for a while before trying to close my eyes to sleep.

I didn’t know if it was because of the unfamiliarity or because of the person next to me, but I couldn’t sleep until morning.

Heavy.

Something was pressing on my neck making it hard to breathe. I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes, not remembering when I fell asleep, but it was past six now. I felt dizzy from lack of sleep, trying to gather my senses to understand what was happening.

The first thing I saw when I regained full consciousness was the long arm of the person sharing the bed, draped over my neck. I lay on my side, stiff as a rock, too tense to move my neck, just staring straight at the wall in front of me, blinking rapidly and in shock that Phii Godt’s arm was around my neck like this. The way his arm was turned up indicated it wasn’t intentional; he probably thrashed in his sleep until his arm landed on me.

I carefully lifted Phii Godt’s heavy arm off me. I didn’t turn to look at how he looked while sleeping, just slid off the bed, my eyes searching for my wallet and phone. I quickly grabbed my personal items and left the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the seniors who were sleeping. I closed the door softly before letting out a sigh of relief.

Escape mission, accomplished.

At 7 AM, I hurried downstairs to inform the housekeeper about the spider, but she wouldn’t be free until the afternoon, so I planned to spend my day off sleeping in the café below the dorm.

A strawberry smoothie was placed on the light brown wooden table at the same time as my head slumped down in exhaustion.

I’m not used to sharing a bed with others, especially when that other person is Phii Godt, Khun Godzilla, the chaotic neighbor who’s always avoided face-to-face meetings.

Even though it was just a short stay, I felt unnecessarily worried, and my heart was beating rapidly, trembling for a while, especially when I was close to him.

I was afraid that I would be the one to break our bedtime chat agreement.

Because I got too close to him.

I sighed and looked out the window where a few students were walking by on this Saturday. The soft classical music playing in the background was making me even sleepier. I yawned widely, about to close my eyes…

“Diew, you didn’t wake me up!”

I jolted, looking up at the tall man who had placed a coffee cup on the table and sat down opposite me. His Ultraman mask, which hid his face, attracted the attention of others in the café, but since I chose a seat almost at the back, I didn’t have to worry too much about those looks.

The hair of the person in front of me was sticking out in all directions, and he was wearing the same clothes as last night, looking like he had just woken up.

“Sneaking… after me?”

“No, I just followed you.”

“…” Which means he was sneaking after me! “I… couldn’t sleep.”

“Was the bed uncomfortable?”

A whining sound came from his throat. I shook my head slightly.

“It must be… because it’s strange, I guess.”

I looked at the coffee cup on the table before raising my eyes to meet the yellow eyes of the Ultraman mask, staring at each other for a while with question marks popping up in my head.

“How are you going to drink… with the mask on…”

Phii Godt fell silent, his arms that were folded across his chest loosening as if he just remembered. He sat up straight, slightly shifted the mask to create a gap, and then bent down to sip the coffee. The sight made me burst out laughing.

“You laugh well.”

He’s cute, but actually, it’s more funny than cute.

“Is my humor too shallow?” asked the deep voice. I straightened up to talk to him more comfortably.

It’s not that his humor is shallow. It’s just that sometimes, both his words and actions make me feel like…

This is naturally comedic.

“You… like to act funny.”

“Then smile often, I can be funny all the time.”

“And what about me… am I funny?… I’m not… just giving a dry smile… right?”

“Not at all. Not funny at all, you’re cute.”

Khun Godzilla’s words made me pause; my heart skipped a beat, causing me to look away from him. Knowing that I was being watched with an unreadable gaze through the dot eyes of the mask made me even more concerned about making a strange face.

“You really are shy, aren’t you?”

I bowed my head to him, waving my hands through the air.

“Actually, if it’s someone close… I’m not that shy.” Like with my grandfather, my mother, or relatives.

“So you’re not close with me?”

Close… with you, I’m too close to the point where I’m starting to feel scared.

“It’s just…”

“But I’m close to you.”

I nodded in response.

“You… are important,” my voice was soft, almost a mumble, because I didn’t look up at the Ultraman mask. Even if I did look up, I wouldn’t see his eyes, so there was no need to guess what expression he might make.

I told him last night that he was important, and I would emphasize again that he truly is important, someone I don’t want to lose, someone I want to keep like this.

“So… I feel embarrassed… if I do something wrong… and leave.”

Godzilla’s hand reached out, placing it on my head, ruffling my hair gently. This action from the man in front of me made my face flush hot.

I raised my hand to cover my face with concern.

“You’re also important to me; I wouldn’t blame you for anything.”

His large hand withdrew. I just sat there, head bowed, not knowing what to do next, gripping the strawberry smoothie cup tightly. The condensation around the glass made my sweaty hands wet.

Am I important to him?

Really?

Besides my dad and mom, in this life, only Phii Godt has ever said these words to me, to a human, an introvert who barely leaves his room, who sets up his own rules, isn’t good at socializing, feels shy, stutters, and thinks slowly like a turtle.

I feel so happy to hear this.

“Why… am I… important?”

“Diew, you know I have a lot of close friends.”

“Yes.”

“But friends who listen to everything, there aren’t many.”

I knew this to some extent because sometimes when we talked on the balcony, Phii Godt would accidentally slip and talk about friends he wasn’t quite happy with. He’s the type who says what he thinks without holding back, so it’s not surprising that some people might not like his words. For example, when someone’s cooking isn’t tasty, I might say it’s too salty, bland, or tasteless, but Phii Godt would say, “It’s not good” or “Even a dog wouldn’t eat it.”

“So, you’re important to me, and I don’t want you to go anywhere either.”

“I won’t disappear.”

I won’t disappear, as long as you’re still here.

The two of us chatted casually. Mostly it was Phii Godt who didn’t stop talking, whether about the spider in the room or asking if I was okay with us meeting like this. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, probably because I couldn’t see his eyes or facial expressions, so I had no expectations. No expectations that he would smile at my words, laugh, or even look sad or displeased.

Until Phii Godt’s phone rang. I then excused myself to lie down because I was starting to feel a headache from not sleeping enough. Phii Godt said he would go up to see Phii Biu and Phii Wan and come back later, so the busy guy let me rest.

I slept deeply for almost two hours and woke up only when I heard a car horn from outside the coffee shop. I slowly rubbed my eyes while looking up at the two people sitting in front of me.

Phii Beert and Phii Godt.

“Hey, you’re awake now?” Phii Beert’s smile was still distinctive. He put down the book he was reading on the table, and I greeted him with a surprised gesture; why was Phii Beert sitting here?

The other person was slouched against the chair back, his neck limp like a dried fish. I looked at Phii Godt quietly, but it seemed his face was full of question marks, so Phii Beert answered for the silent one.

“He’s asleep, said he couldn’t sleep last night.”

He couldn’t sleep either… I thought I was the only one.

“Did you sleep in his room?”

I nodded in response to Phii Beert’s question. He slid a sushi box towards me, and I noticed that the one in front of Phii Godt was already empty.

“Godt said you came down to sleep since morning, probably haven’t eaten anything yet, eat up, he bought it for you.”

“Oh… thank you.”

I carefully opened the sushi box. Every time the seniors bought food for me, I always felt embarrassed, but when I tried to express it, they would always interrupt until in the end, I learned to just say, “Thank you.”

I took a big bite of the shrimp and egg sushi roll, chewing happily. Even though I was sitting with two big guys, I didn’t feel awkward at all because both Phii Beert and Phii Godt tried to understand me, so they didn’t ask me many questions, or if they did, it was just casual without expecting an answer.

While I was enjoying the sushi, Phii Beert rummaged through his bag for something. He handed me a strange-looking stiff card that looked like a concert ticket.

“In three days, there’s an engineering concert, so I bought a ticket for you.”

I… have never been to a concert before.

“Actually, I never thought about going, but I didn’t dare to refuse Phii Beert.

“It’s okay if you don’t go. We’re not forcing you,” Phii Beert must have seen that I was frowning, which is why he said that. I gave him a dry smile. It’s not that I dislike it or anything; it’s just that concerts are places with lots of people, and when there are many people, I feel uncomfortable.

“Sorry.”

“Godt wanted me to invite you to see it. He said you like this singer.”

The hard ticket in front of me was flipped over, revealing the face of the singer I often listen to. I blinked and looked at the singer’s name for a minute, then looked up at Phii Beert. What I said earlier about feeling uncomfortable with lots of people, I’ll take it back for now.

“Will you go?”

“… Can I stand at the back?”

“Sure, stand right against the back fence. You can leave whenever you want.”

I slowly took the concert ticket in my hand, feeling uneasy. I comforted myself by saying it’s just going to listen to him sing and then come back; that’s all there is to it. I’ve wanted to hear him sing live for a long time but never got a good chance because of myself. Just thinking about the word ‘crowd’ made me not want to go out and face anyone.

“Thank you.”

“Sure.”

“Stop staring at Wan like that; bees might sting your eyes,” said the hand of someone who knows when to wake up, slapping down on the friend’s arm with a loud smack. Phii Beert turned to look at me with a pleading face and then rubbed his arm.

“Is the sushi good?” Phii Godt stretched to relieve his stiffness and then asked me while I was putting sushi into my mouth, chewing.

“Yes.”

“If you like it, eat a lot.”

I sat there, putting sushi into my mouth, chewing amidst the gaze of two men. Normally, I would eat just fine, but when stared at, I felt it hard to swallow. Seeming to realize this, Phii Beert looked out the window, while Phii Godt pulled out his phone to play with.

“Do you use any social media?” asked the creature from the next room, catching Phii Beert’s eyes as they turned to look at me. Phii Godt looked back and forth between me and Phii Beert.

Should I tell him? If I do, will he breathe fire? Because Phii Beert and Phii Wan barged into my room. Plus, they got my Line ID before him.

“What, why are you looking at each other like that?”

“I… have had Phii Beert’s Line for a long time.”

“Ha!” Phii Godt almost brought the table over to me, “How?”

“I’ve been asking for a favor for a while now. In case I need help with something.”

“The country is going down the drain because of people like you, you cheating bastards!” The honey-skinned man yelled at his friend, receiving a faint smile from Phii Beert.

“Wan has one too, given by Nong Diew.”

“Very good.”

Khun Godzilla breathed fire at his friend. He also raised his hand to choke his friend, shaking him; if he could destroy the shop, he would have done it by now. Phii Godt breathed fire for a minute before he could regain his composure and sit down to talk properly.

“Diew.”

“Hmm?”

“Could I have your LINE ID, please?”

Phii Godt’s phone was passed to me, with the bright screen showing the Line ID entry. I took his phone, carefully typed each letter, and then added him as a friend.

“Is there a friend contract on LINE?” Khun Godzilla asked jokingly.

A friend contract on LINE… there isn’t one.

I don’t want to make any more contracts.

“Just don’t send games… that’s enough for me.”

“Then I can send this.”

After saying that, Phii Godt sent something. I furrowed my brows, picked up the phone to check.

Godzilla

[LINE CookieRun], You have received one heart  from Godzilla. Don’t forget to send one back.

I told you not to send games, you crazy brother!

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