MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 11: Special (A little bit)
[Bohn]
I came to buy her a gift at the big department store in the city center; this place is quite famous and has almost everything, convenient for someone who doesn’t know what to buy.
“May I help you wi-”
“I’ll take the newest perfume, whatever it is, one bottle. I need it urgently, oh, and please wrap it as a gift.”
“Uh…yes.” She responded. It wasn’t long before I had the ordered item in my hand; the service was pretty good, but the price wasn’t a joke, huh, the perfume bottle is as expensive as medicine. It’s now half past ten. If I leave here and go to Phii Diao’s pub, it should be exactly eleven…but will those guys have forgotten that I made an appointment? Better remind them.
Bon Ss: Don’t forget our appointment, man.
Thangty: Everyone’s here except you.
Bon Ss: What about Boss?
Megha: Phii Dhii said he’s been waiting since half past nine…
Phii BossSamePersonJustUpgradedtoBeingAnnoying: I came to find friends.
Thangty: If you believe that, you’re a buffalo, dressed up so extravagantly.
Phii BossSamePersonJustUpgradedtoBeingAnnoying: Hehe.
When I realized I was the only one who hadn’t arrived yet, I drove faster. It’s not that I wanted to rush to her birthday party. I was rushing to meet friends, her friends are terrifying. They always ask every question they want to know without any shame or regard for anyone’s feelings. They once asked me, “Did you and
Nang fuck already?” even though she was sitting right next to me. Since that day, I haven’t met her friends again.
It didn’t take long for me to arrive at Phii Diao’s pub called “Mia’s
House”…every time I say the name of the pub, it feels awkward, I once asked him why he named it like that, he answered, “Well, this pub was built with my wife’s money.” oh, I see, bro.
“Bohn! Why are you so late? Here’s the cake, take it inside and sing for her, okay?”
“Huh?” I asked, surprised and confused. As soon as I walked into the pub, her friend was already holding a cake and ordering me to do something. What’s this? “Come on.” I walked forward, pushed along by the force, puzzled. When another of her friends saw me, they ordered a male waiter to do something, and suddenly all the lights in the pub went off, even the music stopped.
“Sing a song, Bohn.” Which song? “Jee Hoy” or “Sai Wa Si Bot Thim Gun”?
Okay, I know you want me to sing “Happy Birthday.”
“Sing it, Bohn, she’ll be thrilled.” She whispered while walking over to light the candles, her being thrilled is her business. I’m not involved at all.
I’ll sing it then.
“Happy, birthday, to, you”
“Scream!!!”
“Happy birthday to you” I continued singing, walking closer to the birthday girl wearing very little. One can tell she’s dressed to flirt, but whatever. I only gain from this.
“Happy, birthday, Happy, birthday, Happy, birthday…”
“…to you, happy birthday, Nang.”
“Scream!!!!”
“Aaahhhh.”
“Huh…Bohn.” the beautiful girl in front of me burst into tears while wiping her cheeks. She seems genuinely happy, not pretending. I guess her friends didn’t tell her they made me do this.
“Blow them out.” She nodded, bent down, and blew out all the candles in one go. But why so many candles? My face is burning. If I get melasma because of this, who will take responsibility?
As soon as she blows out the candles, everyone teases and claps so loudly it echoes through the pub, and shortly after, the lights, colors, and music return to the place. She pulls me and my friends to sit at a table; this is the VIP zone, so the sofa and table are quite large. There are nine members at the table, including me, Boss, Merk, Tang, her, Euan, and her three other friends whose names I can’t remember. Can you believe it, with nine people sitting, there’s still space for almost five or six more on the sofa? Where did Phii Diao buy this sofa? It’d be better to buy one for the condo than for strong people like me.
“Bohn you are so cute, you said you forgot her birthday.”
The beautiful girl clings tightly to my arm, pressing everything close. She’s a modern woman. When we first met, she approached me herself, quite strongly. We should get along because I like her. That’s probably how it would be if not for her personality. I don’t like selfish people who can’t speak clearly; it’s annoying.
“…”
“Oh, how could Bohn forget your birthday?” Euan said to her close friend, secretly giving me a look not to say, ‘I actually forgot’, come on, what’s this, I can’t even tell the truth, help…
“Yeah, I was just pretending to forget.” Pretending my ass, I really forgot. “Huh…” Merk and Tang let out a soft laugh. They’re clever; they must have known that what I did earlier was forced, and I think Boss knew too, because I saw him nearby when I walked in the pub:
“Did Bohn buy me a gift?” I nodded and handed her the gift box; earlier, I had given it to Euan to hold, but to be precise, Euan took it.
“Squeal, it’s the new collection perfume that just came out last week!”
“Wow. That’s super expensive, isn’t it, dude? I heard each bottle costs tens of thousands.”
“The bottle smaller than a vial costs tens of thousands?” Boss whispered to me. I nodded in response, and upon hearing the answer, my conversation partner widened his eyes, looking at the perfume in disbelief, not just him, I was also stunned.
“Thank you, Bohn.” She said before planting a loud kiss on my cheek.
“Guys, do you have girlfriends yet?” Euan started the conversation. From the look in her eyes, you could tell she was interested in Tang; Euan is just like her, very proactive. She hit on Tang hard, even asking to sleep with him the first time they met, but my friend lied and said he had a girlfriend to save her from embarrassment. He likes the cute type, you see, the girls he dates are all like that.
“I have one.”
“I have one.”
“Not yet.” We all lied in unison, but you can probably guess who said they didn’t have a girlfriend. Who else would it be if not the one who said he had a golden queue, I don’t know if he hasn’t screwed a girl by now, but he was at the pub since half past nine.
“Oh, what a pity that all three handsome guys are taken.” What three?
“Uh, just two.” The naughty wife pointed at Merk and Tang.
“Well, there’s Bohn too.” They all gave teasing looks at her who was clinging to my arm, and her other friends did the same.
“Euan…you’re crazy.”
“I’m still single.”
The girls quiet down, the birthday girl looks stunned before showing an annoyed face, her friends pat her back as if to console her, the atmosphere becomes awkward, so Euan has to change the topic to save his friend from further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, my best friends try hard to hold back their laughter. I shrug at them and excuse myself to go to the bathroom; I’ve needed to pee since I was at the mall, but I rushed here because I was afraid of making my good friends uncomfortable. Phii Diao’s pub is very luxurious, clean too…but it would be better if there weren’t so many couples standing around making out shamelessly along the way.
“Hey, Bohn.”
“…Hey.”
I look up at my conversational partner, ‘May’, dressed quite…well, in a deep Vneck white shirt showing off his chest, and tight cigarette pants, it looks good, but it doesn’t make me swoon.
“Are you the boyfriend of that girl?” The other person asks while hopping onto the edge of the sink near where I’m standing. I glance at him briefly before turning off the tap, walking over to grab some tissue to dry my hands, good thing I finished my business, otherwise, I wouldn’t be in the mood for anything.
“No.” I respond in a flat tone, and he doesn’t seem too surprised, probably because he knew already since I’ve never given anyone the status of
‘boyfriend/dating’. I might have one girlfriend at a time, but right now, I don’t have one, so I have many companions.
“Just a bed partner?”
“Yeah.”
“And…not interested in adding one more?”
The smaller figure came closer to me, almost touching. He used one hand to grab my shoulder, the other to trace my chest through the fabric.
“Who are you referring to?”
“I think you know who I mean.” May looks up with a teasing smile, moving his face close enough for me to smell his perfume. Ah, right, why wouldn’t I know he’s talking about himself…
“Oh. If it’s you, then no.” After saying that, I remove his small hand, step away, and leave the bathroom, but not long after, I have to look back when someone grabs my hand.
“Hey, seriously now.”
“…”
“Aren’t you interested in men at all? I’ve been flirting with you this much.” It’s true what he says. Every time we meet, he flirts with me, all his actions clearly show his intention without any disguise. Anyone can see what he’s thinking, “What do you say?”
“I don’t know about others, but with you…no.”
“…”
“See ya.” I raised my hand in a gesture of farewell, but after only two steps, I had to look back because the other person shouted so loudly that passersby were startled.
“Why can’t it be me?”
“…”
“Answer me. I’m good, you know. If you can’t do it, just stay silent and let me do it.”
“No, I prefer to be in control.” Instead of being disheartened by what I said, he gave me a mischievous smirk and ran his hand over my large arm as if he was trying to scratch off a winning lottery number.
“Then tell me what kind of person you like.”
“…”
“I can change for you, Bohn…”
“…”
“Just tell m-”
“…”
“Um, maybe.”
“Sorry, May, to be honest, no matter what you do, I can’t like you. Don’t waste your time, excuse me.” Without waiting for the pretty young man to say anything more, I freed his hand and walked away from there. It’s really sad. We could have been friends. I think his personality is quite interesting. He shouldn’t have fallen for me.
Really, I think gender is secondary; the most important things are probably taste and compatibility.
“Shit, your charm is insanely strong, nong.” A deep voice came from Phii Diao, who was leaning against the wall, probably there since the beginning…
“Huh. Of course, Phii, when you’re hot, you’re hot.”
“Come sit and talk with me.” Phii Diao led me to sit at the counter, then ordered two shots of tequila. Soon, we got what we ordered.
“What’s up, bro?”
“That girl earlier.” My conversation partner said while sipping his tequila.
“Which girl, Phii? There are so many.”
“You playboy…the birthday girl.”
“Her?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” I ask, crossing my legs, seeing my senior answer in a low voice while pushing his tongue against his cheek, looking like he’s deep in thought.
“Your girlfriend?”
“What do you think?”
“Huh. Probably not.”
“Is there something, senior? You’ve been beating around the bush for a while without getting to the point.”
“I saw her flirting with a handsome guy.”
“Really?” Well, she claims to love only me, but I know she’s involved with others all over the place. I don’t care or feel anything about it because what we have is just sex, it’s only her who thinks I would be jealous.
“You don’t feel anything at all, do you?”
“More than not feeling anything.”
“Bohn…Seriously, I really want to know what kind of person could make you fall. If you ever get a girlfriend, let me know.”
“If there’s one.”
“I think it has to be someone strange, for sure. Speaking of strange…that guy was strange.”
“Who, senior?”
“The guy your girl was flirting with.” the pub owner answers me while his eyes follow a sexy girl walking by. If you look at one more, I’ll really tell your wife, I swear.
“What’s so strange about him?”
“He dresses well, looks cool…nice clothes, good-looking, but he brought a Yakult drink into the pub, I was watching for so long wondering what it was, ha ha ha.” Ha, is he an idiot or what? I didn’t think there was another species like Duen on this planet.
“Really, senior, ha ha.”
“Yeah, and then he somehow rejected your girl, and she was completely taken aback.”
“He rejected her?” I haven’t rejected her.
“Yeah, your girl got so mad her face turned all shades.”
“Imagining it makes me laugh so hard, I want to see his face.”
“He probably…ah, shit. You’ve got such good luck, Bohn.” Suddenly, Phii Diao’s eyes widen and he swears at me, huh? Good luck, how?
“?”
“There, the one sitting at that table.” The pub owner pointed to a nearby table, at one of the counters. When I looked, I saw there were five people at the table, only one of them a woman, the rest were men.
“Which one, Phii?” I craned my neck to look. Where’s the handsome one…oh man, the whole table is full of good-looking guys, with one cute guy and another with his back turned. We couldn’t see his face, but that back looked very familiar…
“The one with his back to us, wearing that cool black leather jacket, that’s him.”
“I can’t see from here, bro.” I furrowed my brows, trying to squint, but the light was too dim, and the person didn’t even seem like they were going to turn towards us.
“Then let’s go to that table.” After saying that, Phii Diao walked over to open a new table nearby. That’s one of the perks of being the pub owner.
“Look, he’s crying, man.” My senior exclaimed when he saw that the person we were talking about was crying, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. I think he really was crying, and his friends were trying to console him big time. It seems like he’s well-liked by his friends.
The more I looked, the more familiar he seemed, from his back, his arms, his legs, his shoulders, his shape…even his face seemed familiar.
“Duen…”
“Oh, you know him?”
“Yeah, he’s a junior I know.” I answered the person next to me, but my eyes were fixed on the slender figure without blinking. The only girl in the group went over to hug him, and Duen nodded before pushing her away gently to continue drinking. Are you drinking too?
“Anyway, anyway, his luck is really bad, man.” Phii Diao’s voice didn’t register in my head at all; my eyes followed every move of the slender figure. The medical student was wiping his face as if trying to compose himself, downing alcohol nonstop. Does Phii Diao’s place sell by the bottle now? I only saw them sell by the glass or shot before.
I didn’t expect someone like that jerk to come to a place like this.
“Ha ha.”
“What, bro?”
“Nothing.” Phii Diao is such a liar, his voice is way too high to be believable.
“That’s not true, your voice is super high.”
“Well, there’s nothing.”
“Ha, then you’re a buffalo if you believe that.”
“Huh, I just thought…I might get to hear something interesting from you soon, asshole.”
I’m not stupid. I know what my senior is talking about concerning Mai. I look at the main subject of the conversation. Now Duen has stopped crying. He’s slowly wiping away his tears, and the people at the table are all teasing him, causing him to show signs of frustration.
I don’t know. I still maintain that I don’t like him, but I have to admit he feels a bit more special than others…just a little.
It’s rare for me to find someone I click with, so be happy, you young brat.
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