MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 15: Social Media Rumors
[Duenhaw]
“Choose already, I want to play with the cat.” No sooner had I said that, the ‘scoundrel’ went and sat down with the fat cat on the chair. I want to play with the cat! Shit, here you are, ordering me around!
I, Bohn, quietly go to choose from the array of roses on the shelf. Damn…if you’re going to make me choose, what are you doing sitting there? Useless! Forget it, Bohn goes where he doesn’t care anyway, better to focus on the various colored roses on the shelf. Which color should I pick? He said the meaning isn’t important, so let’s ignore the meanings and go by preference.
“What color do you like?” I turn to ask the scoundrel who’s now sitting on a chair with a gas canister on his lap, one hand scratching the cat’s chin, the other playing with his phone…you really didn’t come to choose roses, did you, you little brat?
“…Sky blue.” The person I asked answers while still looking at his phone screen. Hmm, probably chatting with some girls in his contacts. The girl from last night was pretty but a bit too harsh. Phii Duen likes the sweet type like Teacher Flour. But I really want to play with the fat cat, damn! If I take it home, Dad would drive it crazy, play with it until it’s dizzy.
“You have a weird look on your face.” Bohn makes a face at me, sticking out his tongue in disgust. What’s with that look?
“Ha.”
“Have you chosen yet, Duen?” The tall figure walks over and stops beside me, looking up at the flowers on the shelf, still holding the cat with his large hands (Are you embarrassed yet?: Mom)
“Not yet.” I answer while trying to pet the cat, but the little devil dodges and even raises an eyebrow at me. Fuck you!
“Why is it taking so long…ah, don’t think about stealing it.”
“Aren’t you going to choose yourself, you crazy guy?”
“Huh, I’ll play with this ice cream bucket.” He raised his eyebrows at me again, smirking wickedly when he saw my annoyed face. He’s definitely teasing, damn it.
“It’s called Nong Mai, actually.”
“Really? But I think it looks like an ice cream bucket, so I’ll call it the Ice Cream Bucket.” Yeah, High and Mighty, your naming skills are exceptional, huh.
“Huh, ask its owner then.” I turned my head towards the shop owner sitting at the counter. Go on, sis, scold him, tell him my cat’s name is Nong Mai!
“Haha, feel free.” Damn it.
“Huh.” I hate this kind of voice, whatever, I don’t care about you anymore. Better to look at the flowers…I’ll take this one, too much choice is no good, Bohn doesn’t care anyway.
“I’ll take this one.” I held up the flower for the recipient to see as if asking for permission, but I was just showing it, not asking for an opinion.
“Why this one?”
“Don’t you like it? Should we change?”
“No, just asking, why this color?”
“You said you liked blue.”
“There are blue flowers in the store, but this is…”
“And I like green.”
“…”
“Combining them, it should come out to be about this color, right?” It might sound crazy, but do you remember the flower I looked at first? The bluish-green one, it’s strangely beautiful, I like it, Phii Duen.
“So, you’re taking this one?” I raised my eyebrows to ask, and seeing the nod from my conversation partner, I walked over to the shop owner at the counter.
“Do you want it wrapped in clear plastic?”
“Just a sec…Bohn, she’s asking if you want it wrapped in clear plastic.” I turned to shout the question, not too loudly.
“Whatever.”
“Hey, you! I asked you because I need a clear answer.”
“Well, it’s up to you then, that’s my answer.” Are you messing with Phii Duen, huh? You’ll get a little lesson soon.
“Alright, wrap it, please.”
“Here, haha.”
“Here, take your flowers.” I hand over what I just bought to the rascal after paying. He’s still sitting in the same place, phone in hand, and I catch a glimpse of him checking his Face.
“Hold this for a sec.” He puts the cat down on the floor…and drags me to follow him. Hey! Where are you going, I haven’t played with the cat yet! I see the cat looking at me with confusion! So I give it a look as if to say, “Run to me quickly.” And that’s it…the cat walks away. Cats, huh…
“Where are we going? I haven’t even played with the cat yet.” I ask after being dragged into the food area.
“Looking for something to eat.”
“Huh?”
“I’m hungry, and you have to keep me company.” Oh, right, I can’t do anything about it now. Do whatever you want, my esteemed father.
“You’re just like one of the uncles in my neighborhood.”
“The one who’s a soldier? No, believe me, I’m much better than him.” He grins mockingly.
‘Pad Thai Shop, Hai…Hai Ya’
“You dragged me all this way…for Pad Thai?” Dragged me all this way, I thought we’d eat something else, not Pad Thai!! And what’s with the shop’s name, ‘Hai Ya’? It’s such a strange name but the place is packed, is it some marketing strategy?
“Yeah, this place is damn delicious.” The tall guy presses my shoulder to sit me down on a chair before going to sit across from me.
“Sigh.”
“One plate of fresh shrimp Pad Thai, please. Are you going to eat?”
“Huh. No, I’m full.” This morning, Mom made so much food that my stomach was stretched to the max…This place looks nice though, decorated in a modern Thai style, with photos of Thailand from 1943 up to the latest year on the walls. The smell of Pad Thai is so tempting, the only downside is who came up with the name of this shop.
“Up to you, this place is amazing, the noodles are chewy, the shrimp are big, and the taste-”
“One plate of fresh shrimp Pad Thai, please.”
“…”
“What’s that about?” You make me want to eat now, isn’t it enough that you’re getting fat alone, why drag a young guy like me along?
“You said you weren’t going to eat at first.” It’s because of you, you crazy guy. Look at you, acting all aloof, I really want to kick you with my heel.
“I’m about to eat now!” After giving the order, the staff walked away, and Bohn picked up his phone to play. As for me, I had nothing to do…might as well check social media. When was the last time I checked my Facebook? Probably during my sixth semester, after the final exams…almost a year ago. That time, I was studying hard because I wanted to be a doctor, reading books on my own, turning off the internet, and getting tutored by Tang. You could say I didn’t touch social media at all because Tang said it would distract me. Once I passed the exam, it became a habit, ‘No playing with your phone,’ but there probably isn’t much on Face since I only have around four hundred friends, and the pages I liked are mostly just for laughs.
Let’s check out Phu’s profile; he likes to post pictures of himself doing silly things. Not just ordinary photos, but ones that are meant to be funny. I once had to take a photo of him when he was in a suit, climbing a mango tree behind the faculty, pretending to eat fermented fish. Going up wasn’t the problem, but coming down, he got bitten by red ants until his body was red, super funny.
“Damn!”
4,432 notifications
1,021 messages
9,843 followers
!!!!!
What’s this, did Phii Duen steal someone’s canned rambutan and they announced they were looking for me?…
As I said, I don’t check often. Back in high school, I had some followers, but it was only about a hundred. That was already a lot…now nearly ten thousand. What did I do? I spend my days at the faculty, not going out much, and hardly anyone at the university knows this guy named Krisda. Did King’s group do something? My eyes kept scanning through the notifications for anything unusual. Most were comments from a photo tagged on some page. I clicked to look at the speed of a turbo-charged torpedo.
Page, ‘Handsome Guy Alert’
Nong Duenhaw, first-year medical student at XXX University, was spotted at a flower shop playing with a kitten, looking incredibly handsome, making passersby stop to take photos of him (though he didn’t seem to notice much…). Just being handsome and loving animals is enough to win hearts, let alone being a future doctor from a prestigious university. How can this be so perfect? Did you fall from heaven?
#FastSevenStillHasACarButInTheFutureIWantADoctor,
#CheesyDoctorPickUpLINEs, with Krisda, Duennhaw
Huh…
“What’s wrong?” The person sitting opposite me raised an eyebrow, seeing my surprised face at my phone.
“Nothing…” I said quietly before turning back to read the comments. They’re quite funny; each comment seems to compete in cheesy pick-up lines. After laughing at the comments to my satisfaction, I clicked to see the photos the admin posted. It was a four-shot, the first one with me puckering my lips with Nong Mai. The others were continuous shots of me laughing. No wonder, I heard the camera click four times.
But…this shouldn’t make me gain followers, maybe if I read the messages I’ve received, it might answer some questions in my mind.
Gwang noy: You’re so handsome, I like you so much > w <
Thank you, little one. Phii Duen knew that since he was in his mother’s womb, hehe.
Lonlon: Doctor, is it hard to get into medical school?
…The exam isn’t hard, come to my room, I’ll show you.
Chaamm Pr: Doctor, I have a double chin but I want you to be my doctor.
…Winner! Doctor Duen likes this kind of humor.
I’m not too surprised by these people. They just come to compliment or drop some small, flirty comments, but what I don’t understand is this group…
Uncle Whiskers Samui Huy Hoy: Can I flirt with you, bro? Seeing Nong Duen has won my heart.
…No! And what the hell is ‘Samui Huy Hoy’? Did you think about that name before setting it?
Uncle Doi Kham at Wat Nong Kaniyiing: You’re so cute, can I flirt with you?
…Flirt with your dad! Just seeing your name makes me not want to look at your profile picture.
And the last group I also don’t understand:
Pang lowfat: SCREAM, I love you guys so much!
Which couple, little one? The left one is 500 baht, the right one is from a more expensive brand, okay, I’m just kidding.
Rolling Buf: Stay in love for a long time, can I use this for my fanfic?
Ha, in love with who? What’s a fanfic, a fixed-gear bike? Wow, you like me enough to stick me in there? Is that an investment?
I scroll through the notifications for a while, my hand almost cramps by the end of today. Ah, I’ve found the cause of all this…I’ve been tagged in a comment under a picture.
Page, Cute, Boy
Oh, handsome and kind-hearted, sir. He helped a little kid finish selling flowers at night. They had such a cute chat. Why do handsome guys have to love each other? I don’t know who the one being cheated on is, but I remember Duen from last year at university. #ThaiGibbonsWithoutStance,
#EveryoneHasAShopGearAndAWife #WifeIsADoctor,
#AndHe’sHandsomeToo #IAdmitIWantAnEngineerHusband
#IAdmitIWantADoctorHusbandWithBon Ss
Are there too many hashtags, bro?
Let’s skip those details for now. Let’s get to the main point. It’s not hard to guess who got tagged, who else but Bohn? After a long caption, the admin posted five accompanying photos. In the picture, there’s a little girl holding various colored roses; in front of her, two guys are sitting together, looking like they’re talking to her. The place looks very familiar, but what’s more familiar is the poses and faces…the one wearing the gown, that’s me! Of course, the other one in the shop shirt must be the guy playing with his phone right in front of me! Just sitting together is already an issue, but there’s one photo where Bohn is kissing my cheek…Phii Duen might faint.
Pattama nk: Here, the one being piggybacked is Nong Duen, he’s my junior, studying medicine in his first year, a bit clueless but cute, didn’t expect him to have a boyfriend like Duen from last year, so secretive, haha, Krisda, Duennhaw
P’Pat!!! How could you do this to me!
P’Pat is my senior. She has a quirky, artsy personality, not like a typical medical student. To be honest, none of my seniors resemble doctors at all.
P’Pop, the senior from my batch, is as rough as an engineering student, P’Man…
Ahem.
Let’s leave the topic of my seniors aside for now. Let’s address the main issue. If it were just the photos with a caption saying we’re kind, I wouldn’t mind, but the problem is with the caption itself, which implies that Bohn and I are definitely dating. Plus, the comments like…’Stay in love for a long time,’ ‘One’s a doctor, the other an engineer, so sweet,’ ‘Can I stand here for Thai otters…but screw it, I’m a yaoi fan, lol,’ ‘This couple is so cute,’ ‘Why do you have to break otters’ hearts by doing this, just take my ovaries instead, junior, giggles.’
And many more…I kept scrolling through, until I came across two comments with thousands of likes. The commenters are probably engineering students, both of them, because their profile pictures show university shop shirts like mine. Wait, they look familiar…it’s Phii Bom and Phii Boss! They didn’t just comment; they also attached photos. Phii Bom attached a photo of me and Bohn standing at the gear plaza, surrounded by engineering students doing what looks like a mock wedding ceremony. When did you take this, Phii Bom! And what pose were you capturing, a backflip followed by a left jab, to make it look like a pre-wedding shoot! In the photo, I’m looking into the eyes of the rogue, both of us smiling, with me holding a red rose. And my face is red…I refuse!! The picture alone is embarrassing, but what makes me squirm the most is Phii Bom’s caption…
Bom Boomm: This couple has already had their wedding ceremony, Nong
Duen is the engineer’s bride, following Thai tradition #BohnDuen
What the hell are you doing, Phii Bom? Might as well throw a bomb in my face, huh? Disappointed, I scrolled down to read Phii Boss’s comment, hoping for some redemption…but I was wrong. Phii Boss’s photo was from when we were in class. Me and Bohn are looking at each other, with his shirt on my shoulder, and you can see the professor smiling at the front of the class, giving a thumbs-up, with “Good job!” Written on the board behind us. What’s this “Good job” for!!
Boss Thanarit: Professor Pakorn has officiated at the Gear Exchange
Ceremony for both of them, Nong Duen is now the sister-in-law of the Engineering Faculty, properly according to engineering tradition, and the same goes for #Bohn.
Duen
Oh my God!! You guys are messing with me! You bunch of no-brainers!!!
“Bohn…”
“Huh?” Although he responds, his eyes are still glued to his phone. Can you pay attention to me first!! This affects my image!
“Look up at me…have you seen this?” I hold up my phone for the tall guy to see, but because we’re sitting on opposite sides of a pretty large table, he can’t see.
“Where? I can’t see.”
“Here! Look at it yourself, damn!”
“Oh, that? I’ve seen it for a while now.” Ha?! You’ve seen it but did nothing about it?
“And you’re not doing anything about it?”
“There’s nothing to do.” My conversation partner shrugs, tapping and scrolling on something on the phone screen as if it’s his own. That’s my phone, dude…
“Are you crazy? This is a big deal!” This isn’t some small page where only half the people like it! This is a university page with three million likes! Whatever they post, everyone sees it. And this post has almost a hundred thousand likes!
“So what? I don’t see how big it is, yawn.” If you’re going to yawn like that, go to sleep then. And what’s with you taking my phone to play with? What are you scrolling through, are you infecting Phii Duen’s phone with a virus? You’re so evil.
“It’s a big deal! People will think we’re a couple!”
“And?” Bohn, stop being interested in that square thing! Pay attention to me! Oh, now he’s picked up another device to play with. Are you crazy, playing with two devices isn’t enough for you?
“And? And that’s it!”
“Yeah, so?”
“Aren’t you bothered at all?”
“Not really.”
“No way! People will misunderstand!” If I don’t have a girlfriend, how will you take responsibility, you damned frog-eyed, sparrow-footed idiot! I’m quite handsome, man-hand-some, with a bright future and a good personality! If I don’t have a wife, that’s such a waste!
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I don’t have one yet.” I mean, I really don’t have a girlfriend, but I also don’t want others to think I’m gay, damn it! I don’t hate or discriminate against homosexuality because that’s their right to choose whom to love, but I’m not like that!
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” He shrugged and went back to doing something with my phone.
“Are you crazy, listen-”
“Here you go, sir.” Before I could finish my sentence, the server came to serve the fresh shrimp pad thai, the aroma wafting into my nose. Okay, I admit it smells good and looks delicious, but shouldn’t I clear up this issue first?
“Thank you…wow, oh, it’s really delicious.” Bohn said after taking the first bite, the steam coming out of his mouth, doesn’t that burn? Don’t you know that when you eat something hot, your mouth will swell? And when it swells…
No, that’s not the point. We need to talk about this first!
“Bohn, don’t change the subject, let’s talk first!”
“It’s rude to talk while eating.”
“b-”
“Eat it, we’ll talk after.”
“You…”
“Eat…eat properly, or do you want me to force-feed you?”
“Ugh! You jerk.” In the end, I gave in, eating the pad thai while frowning, my mind trying to figure out why he wasn’t bothered. If I go to class this afternoon, how will others look at me? Damn, this picture was posted days ago. And it has so many likes. No wonder I’ve been feeling like people have been staring at me lately; if I had known, I should have checked social media more often!
Feed
“You’ll age quickly like that.” The engineering student rested his chin on his hand, poking my furrowed brows to relax them. I’m frowning because of you!
“Uh.” I looked at him with irritation before shaking my head to free his finger, you jerk, it’s a big deal but you don’t care. You even say there’s no need to do anything about it, soon enough, no girls will even approach you! Even though I wanted to curse him out loud, all I could do was complain in my head while eating the pad thai irritably.
Feed
“Eating messily, damn!” His deep, soft voice comes with a strong touch at the corner of my mouth. He wipes my mouth, but with so much force, the tissue scrapes my skin audibly.
“Ouch, too hard! That hurts!” My face must be red now. You, you Gralen, don’t go too far with me.
“It hurts because I made it hurt.”
“Fuck you.” You, Bohn, are the most annoying and despicable person I’ve ever met.
“Okay, speak up.” The tall figure says after wiping his own mouth. I finished eating a while ago. I didn’t eat quickly, but Bohn, he’s such a tease, trying to savor each bite, making me want to give him a good punch.
“…”
“Come on, you don’t speak when told to.” I’m drinking water here, can’t you see, you frog relative!
“Cough. Why didn’t you do something after seeing it!” Damn, I choked on water…is that funny? Never choked before, huh?
“Do what?”
“Do something to deny that we’re not a couple!”
“Like what?”
“Like posting something like, ‘We’re not dating,’ or ‘We’re just siblings,’ something like that!” I make my voice deeper when saying those lines, as if I’m acting like a high-society young actor who’s rumored to be dating a beautiful model and getting interviewed by a reporter from a small channel.
“Saying that would just make them think you’re making excuses.” You’re right…
“But if you don’t do anything, everyone will misunderstand!”
“Sir, the bill!”
“Bohn!”
“Here.” He doesn’t care about my complaints; he pays and then drags me to follow him immediately. Wait a minute, how many times have you dragged me today? I nearly forgot to take the roses earlier, thank God I remembered.
“Hey. Where are you dragging me to!”
“Come with me.” Yeah, I know I’m going with you! But where?
I act annoyed, trying to resist moving with him. I’m not small, almost as tall as him, but this guy can drag me around without breaking a sweat…are you a man or a buffalo on Red Bull?
“Where are you going?!”
“Do you want your CBR?”
“Oh, right, I forgot I left it parked there.” I mumbled to myself before reluctantly following him to the white car, looking at it with disdain every time; are you that rich? Give me some of your money to use, what did you buy this for if it only seats two?
“I’ll take you there, come on.”
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