MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 46: Duen’s Harem
[Duenhaw]
“Duen!” The person I called out to exclaimed loudly, jumping in surprise, and today he’s wearing an apron, which is unusual. I haven’t seen him in so long, his face still looks the same with those wrinkles and lines…I’m lying. He’s just as handsome as always.
“Why are you so startled? I’ve gotten more handsome, right, Phii Duen?” I picked up the gas tank and leaned down to tease the fat cat. He was heavy before, but now he’s even heavier. Is Phii Fang planning to make him into a tank or what…Do you know Mai? Which Mai? Mai the Thonburi Tank, with more destructive power than Soviet missiles, just walking by and meowing ‘meow’ could kill you!!!
Leave me alone…
“You damn narcissist, haha.” he chuckled, crossing his arms. He doesn’t look as sad as the last time we met; maybe he’s moved on. Good, don’t tie your heart to someone’s feet…no need to get emotional. I’m just borrowing the phrase.
“So, you’re here to buy flowers too, Phii Yim?”
“No, not to buy.”
“Not to buy…then you’re here to rob?”
“What do you take me for? I’m a merchant, you know.”
“Oh, so you’re Phii Fang’s little brother then.”
“Yeah, the world is so small.” Phii Yim looks good with flowers. When he smiles, the world seems brighter, and with flowers as an additional option like this…he’s like a divine being, it’s blinding.
“Fang, Frong, Yim?” They don’t really match, do they? Wait, is ‘Yim’ not his real name?
“Haven’t I told you my real name yet?”…Did you tell me? You did, but I didn’t hear it back then.
“Uh huh.” I nodded while looking at Bohn, who went to sit on a chair. He’s so bad, he took my new kitten with him. No! New one, come back to daddy! Jump down from that rogue’s lap quickly, I’m waiting to catch you!! New is looking at me, huh…Wait. Are you smirking, you gas tank? Maybe I’ve been with Bohn so much that I’m getting confused.
“So, what’s your name?”
“Frang.” The person with the name didn’t answer himself, but the voice came from the guy playing with the cat over there.
“Frang…why is your name so cool!” I said with envy, his name is so cool, have you ever felt jealous when you see people with cool names, and they’re handsome? Frong, Phii Fang’s other younger brother, is also handsome, still in high school but already this good-looking. If he goes to university, he’ll be stunningly handsome, right? What do his parents feed him, huh?
“Of course!” Phii Frang said confidently while gently stroking his chin, this teaches us that…everyone on earth is self-absorbed, to varying degrees based on how much they dare to show it.
“It’s good to meet you then. I’ll treat you to ice cream tomorrow, are you free?” Actually, I was going to call after getting home, but meeting in person is just as good, saves on call charges, he he.
“Tomorrow huh…I’m free, where?”
“Hmm, I haven’t thought about that yet.”
“Where should we go…where do you want to go?”
“Up to you?”
“Yeah. I’m too lazy to think, just let me know when you decide, let me choose flowers first.” After saying that, I immediately walked over to the rose shelf. What color should I get today? I won’t ask Bohn because he never helps with decisions.
Thud
“Ah.” I let out a small sound when I felt something heavy on my shoulder. Without looking, I knew who it was. Look at him, who else would dare to lean on my shoulder in public?
“…”
“You’re so clingy, have you taken after the gas tank?” I asked jokingly, before noticing the fat cat walking up to my feet, looking up with eyes that say, ‘Pick me up, human!’. No need, damn, I told you to jump to me earlier but you didn’t, New, it’s over between us, I have Rogue now.
“Uh, are we not sleeping together tonight?” He looked up at me with a pleading look, damn Bohn…you’ve become so clingy lately, I’ll just throw you to Ting for her to deal with.
“No way, I’m going back to sleep at home.” I said while scanning the flower shelves with interest. There are so many new colors today. You might wonder why I’m not cursing or complaining about him sticking to me like this. Let me ask you back…has doing that ever worked?
“Don’t you miss me?”
“No.”
“But I miss you.”
“I know, Bohn, let go.” I moved around to get him to stand properly. It’s good that there’s no one else in the shop except for us three. Otherwise, it would be quite a sight for them to see two guys built like buffaloes hugging amidst a sea of flowers, hahaha…
“Hey, don’t fall for Frong, okay?” Oh, so this is jealousy? But it’s strange today; he’s not getting all red-faced with jealousy like before.
“I like…ouch, Bohn!” I groaned, not even finishing my sentence. Why do we have to fight? His hands are so heavy; you’re not holding back at all, are you!
“Wait a minute, you.” He looked at me accusingly.
“Listen first.”
“Go on. If the answer doesn’t please me, I’ll be mad at you.”
“I like…like as a brother, he’s fun, I want a brother like that.”
“And then…he’s fierce.”
Ouch!
“Ouch, Bohn, that hurts!” Bohn bit my shoulder. Even if it’s not hard, it still hurts. I wouldn’t mind you leaning on me, but why bite? I’ll slap you with the back of my hand!
“You are fierce, can I bite again?”
“Stop! Go away, you sadist, aren’t you ashamed in front of Phii Frang?” I invoked the shop owner’s brother. Even if he seems uninterested, I know you’re watching, you shameless Bohn, others might think we’re exhibitionists now.
“Do whatever you want, sir.”
“Alright, remember this, Phii Yim!” I tried to send him a look asking for help, like, ‘Help me out here,’ but no! Ugh, how can you treat a cute creature like Phii Duen this way?
“Why do you call him Yim?”
“It’s my business, don’t be nosy!”
“Answer or die.”
“…It’s a long story, how should I tell it?” Where should I start from, “I wandered into the Faculty of Management. He came to see me off but when he said his name, I didn’t hear it. When we met the second time, I wanted to tease him by calling him ‘Smile’ because I was annoyed, but Daonuea misheard it as ‘Yim’ and since then, she’s been calling him that.” right? Is the story too long?
“Forget it…the mark is still there, huh.” Bohn said, as his long finger poked at the mark on my neck. It’s still there, damn it! When will it go away? Looks like I’ll need to buy some plasters tomorrow.
Phew
“When will it go away?” Will my parents ask about it? In this case, I’ll need to put on some makeup…Kodomo powder! …Oh. Won’t that work? Why not?
“I don’t know. Never paid attention.”
“Pay attention to what…Oh. When you do it to others?”
“Jealous?” Why do you look so pleased with those twinkling eyes?
“Ha.” I’ve never been jealous of him. It’s not that I don’t feel anything for him, but I’m a reasonable person, and Bohn has never flirted with anyone else, so why would I throw a fit?
“Why don’t you get jealous of me?”
“Want me to be jealous?” Why, every time I see you jealous, it’s always trouble, do you want me to do that too? No way, Phii Duen is reasonable enough.
“Yeah, a lot.”
“Why do you want me to be jealous?”
“I don’t know, just want to see what it’s like.”
“That’s not a good enough reason…Hey, you jealous type, someone else is coming tomorrow.” I’ll call Phii Thara later, will he be free? I forgot to think about this. Should I Line him to ask first?
“Who?”
“Phii Thara.”
“What?” I looked at him when I noticed he went quiet, only to see Bohn with his arms crossed, looking down at his feet in deep thought. What’s with you? Does the idea of bringing someone else along for ice cream require this much thinking?
“Four people going, me, you, the doctor, and Frang?”
“Yes.”
“Are you trying to build a harem or something?”
“Mmh harem? Who’s that, a Korean singer? I don’t know him.” Earlier, Bohn was saying something I couldn’t hear clearly, just the first part and something about a harem.
“Come on…let’s sleep together tonight, I bought a whole pack of your favorite strawberries.” You dare to curse me and then lure me to sleep with you, you duck bastard! Do you think one pack of strawberries will make me agree to sleep with you? Strawberries won’t buy me!!…Unless there’s enough. Fortunately for me, one pack isn’t enough.
“Dream on, tonight I’ll sleep with my daughter.”
“Whatever, you’ve been sleeping with your daughter for so long, sleep with your husband for a change, come on, come on, come on.”
“I won’t! I’ll choose this flower, go sit at the usual spot!” I turned my head towards the same chair he used to sit on. Bohn looked a bit annoyed but walked over to sit down properly, not forgetting to take Mai with him. Hey! Gas tank, are you trying to steal my boyfriend?! I’ve been so kind to you, you’re the worst!!
This time I chose daisies. Actually, I like them a lot, but I never bought them because the petals fall off easily. I’m afraid if I take them to the savage by bike, I’ll be left with just stems and leaves…
“I’ll take these flowers.”
“Just one bunch? Do you want me to arrange them for you, sir?”
“No, thanks, I’ll take them like this, and where do you want to go, sir?” The more I look at the person in front of me, the more he reminds me of Phii Thara. Not in looks, but in personality and demeanor. My brother is like this, easy to smile, polite, friendly, and most importantly, a bit mischievous. I really want them to meet, a divine duo?.. Annoying.
“It’s up to yo, Bohn.” The shop owner’s brother answered with a smile. Trust me, Phii Fang probably made a good profit from Phii Yim’s smiles today. Girls love guys who smile easily.
“Hmm? Alright then…Bohn, where do you want to go?” I went to ask him. Bohn must be a cat slave like me, he’s petting and tickling Mai’s belly, and she’s letting him. Are you really trying to steal Phii Duen’s boyfriend, Mai? “Anywhere you are.” Wow, did you hear that, gas canister? Bohn loves me, not you.
Damn, I’m arguing with a cat.
“You flirt, how about…the new ice cream shop near the BTS station?” I heard Tang say it’s amazing…I mean the staff, not the ice cream.
“Oh, something bunny-related, right?” I can’t remember either, I think it might be called Little Buhnny? Maybe that’s right, I remember the logo was a rabbit holding a mortar and pestle.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow at noon, sir.” It’s Saturday, please let me sleep in a bit.
“Yeah, bye.”
“You’re really not going to sleep with me?” My personal driver asked after we had settled into the car. The AC in Bohn’s car is so cold, the atmosphere is perfect for sleeping.
“Uh huh.” Bohn didn’t pester further after hearing my answer; he must know that if I say no, it means no…Better to LINE Phii Thara instead.
Duennhaw: Phii Thara, are you free tomorrow? I’ll treat you to ice cream. Father of Cupcake: Tomorrow? I’m free.
He replies so fast, what is he doing? Normally, if I message him today, he would reply tomorrow or the day after. Once I asked, ‘Are you hungry?’ because my mom had cooked a lot of food, and I wanted to invite him over…he did reply…but it was a month later, by then the food was long gone.
Duennhaw: Meet at Little Buhnny at 12:00, please, Father of Cupcake.
Father of Cupcake: Little Buhnny? Sounds good, there’s a store next door that sells lizard clothes. I’ve been wanting to buy a new outfit for Cupcake.
Duennhaw: Huh! They sell those?
Are they into the lizard market now…Have I missed something, or is my brother just crazy? Cupcake really does have clothes, doesn’t he? Phii Thara didn’t buy them; he made them for his son. You read that right, Dr.
Thara makes clothes for Cupcake to wear! Damn…I don’t know what to say, ‘Duen, come look at this, I made a fluffy, sparkling outfit for my son to wear,’ and that’s when I found out Cupcake was male. Why call it Cupcake, and why make it wear such a fluffy, sparkly outfit when it has scales?
Father of Cupcake: Just kidding, lol.
“I knew it…” I, Bohn, mumbled softly. Even if the world has advanced, the idea of a store selling lizard clothes…ha ha.
Duennhaw: –
Father of Cupcake: See you tomorrow, I’ll give Cupcake a bath first.
“Crazy…” Taking a lizard for a bath! How does that work!? Won’t it drown or something…or maybe he uses wet wipes to clean it…either way, it’s creepy, brrr.
“Talking to whom?” Oh my. If you’re going to ask in such a cold voice, Bohn.
“Phii Thara.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Read it?” I said jokingly, before handing him my phone. Bohn won’t read it; he’s not that jealous. Even if he appears very jealous, but…
“Don’t read it…just screenshot and send it to me.”
“…”
“Quickly.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, surprised. I’ve praised you, you savage. You’re the ultimate jealous flirt, a real piece of work!! Wow, you’re not even sparing my brother?
“Yeah, screenshot every message.”
“Hey, no need to screenshot.” Isn’t it easier for you to just read it? I only talked to my doctor brother for four or five sentences, you’ll accuse me of deleting messages next.
“Why, let me see.”
“Damn! Here you go.”
I handed him the phone reluctantly. I told you to read it from the start, but you didn’t want to. Now that I’m about to put it away, you suddenly want to read it, huh?
Rrrr
‘Damn, Bohn.’
Bohn…we just parted ways thirty minutes ago, you know.
“Hello.” I answered the phone and walked over to lie next to Daonuea. She’s playing with Isabella, my first kiss. As soon as he dropped me off at home, I rushed to lie down with Daonuea. Dao didn’t say anything, but my mom teased that I’m attached to my little sister. Not at all…
(Miss you) I knew you’d say that.
“Yeah.”
(Who are you with?)
“Daonuea…and Isabella, haha.”
(I’ll break its neck.) Bohn said coldly. He must be bitter about my first kiss. I know he doesn’t count it, but I wanted to tease Bohn. I didn’t think he’d take it so seriously.
“Cool it, you brute, try it, and your daughter will cry for sure.”
(Want to talk to Daonuea)
“Daonuea, Dad Bohn wants to talk to you.”
“Father dear.” Daonuea, why do you have to speak in such a soft, sweet voice to him, and why do you have to look so happy…
I reached out to grab a pillow to hug, letting the father and daughter talk. Right now, I’m stressed; the exam season is coming up, but I haven’t prepared at all. I’m thinking about which day I should go to Tang’s house to study since he said he would tutor me…I feel a bit sorry to burden him, though.
Actually, I’m not stupid. I just don’t understand what the teachers teach, ha ha.
Should I get Phii Thara to teach me? Maybe not…I tried having him teach me once, but whatever he was teaching, it confused me even more. He uses language I don’t quite understand, speaks in long sentences, and then asks if I understand. No! I didn’t understand at all, huh…
I’m sleepy.
I tried blinking rapidly to fight off sleepiness, but my eyelids were slowly closing.
“Mom, dad wants to talk to you.” The room’s owner nudged me awake. I wasn’t asleep yet, just almost there. Daonuea’s AC is insanely cold; how many degrees did she set it to? I feel like I’ve become an Eskimo.
“Uh huh…sleep now.”
(Flirting?)
“Damn…I’m sleepy.” I answered softly, without strength, probably because I played too much with that gas tank.
(Really? You won’t let me flirt tomorrow?)
“Hmm…”
(Why? Don’t you like it?)
“…Heh, I do like it.” When Bohn says these cute little things, it’s kind of nice, strange, like seeing a buffalo in a Hello Kitty outfit.
(Heh)
Kiss
“That’s it, I’m going to sleep.” I’m so sleepy, Bohn, please understand me. I really can’t keep going now, my eyelids are telling me, ‘Sleep, damn it, you look pitiful.’
(Not yet, if you like it, why won’t you let me flirt?)
“Ho…I am sleepy, Bohn.”
(Don’t sleep yet, you stubborn one, talk to me first.)
“No way…” I said lazily, the sound came out like a mumble…meow?
(you sounds like Mai, huh.)
“Yeah…”
(Hey, don’t fall asleep yet.)
“You’ve flirted enough. Just one day…stay quiet, can’t you let me flirt for just one day…good night, Phii Bohn.” Click!
Bon Ss: I’m at your front door.
“Wow, that was fast.” I muttered to myself when I saw the message notification on my phone. I was sitting with Daonuea watching cartoons, and he said he would be a bit late…
“Are you leaving already?” Daonuea asked when she saw me stand up. I nodded and leaned down to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. Yesterday, my mom bought her a new outfit, it’s the only one I find cute, guess what it is…a mischievous banana costume. It’s not a printed shirt, but an actual banana mascot outfit. When she walks around, it makes her look so adorable, making my heart melt.
“Did Bohn come to pick you up, son?” Even though my mom only talked to Bohn once, she seems particularly interested in him for some reason…is she going to cheat on Dad and become Bohn’s side chick?
“Yes.” I said hi to my mom before running to the front door. Dad just left for work a while ago because of another urgent matter. Poor him. When the soldiers came to take him away, he made a big fuss, shouting, “Let me go! I want to stay with my wife and child! You bastards, how dare you separate father and son!!! I’m tired, you leeches.” trying to hold onto Mom’s leg but couldn’t resist four soldiers built like bears. I’ll miss Dad…
“Hey.” I greeted the car owner, curious about what he would say next. It felt a bit strange to initiate the conversation, because usually, Bohn starts the talk first, not with greetings, but with something like, “Miss you.” “Love you.” “Like you.” or similar lines.
“Yeah.” he just responded and drove off immediately. Wow, it didn’t feel like the Bohn I know. I smiled amusingly at his behavior. This! Bohn in silent mode, like a dead leech, haha.
“Bohn.” I called out to him. Since getting in the car, I haven’t stopped smiling, probably catching Phii Yim’s smile virus when I touched him. The virus must have infiltrated through my pores, expanded by the hot weather, virus YimYim, NhongMai, no.001, or what Thais call the “Yim smile new mode.” (YYNM001).
“Huh.” Bohn made a sound in his throat. You’re really quiet, huh? I’m starting to remember what he was like before he started flirting with me, quiet, silent, with a mischievous calm face.
“Miss you.”
After I said that, I covered my face with both hands. Instead of the person being flirted with feeling embarrassed, why am I the one feeling embarrassed! It’s not like that at all! By all accounts, Bohn should be blushing and saying, ‘You’re crazy!’, right? What’s with him looking back at me so calmly like that? Maybe Phu didn’t teach me well enough. In this case, I should sit and learn from someone who’s a master of flirting…would my Thai language teacher be good, or should I let Phii Boss teach everything – Thai language (the department of inventing new words), flirting, and being a nuisance.
“Why aren’t you embarrassed?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion. Bohn only glanced at me for a moment before looking back at the road. You…looking at your boyfriend with the corner of your eye? Just watch, you’ll definitely be embarrassed by my antics!!!
Rrrr
‘Phii Yim’
He shouldn’t take calls while driving…but I’m not the one driving, am I? Phii Yim called this morning once. He called to ask if Daonuea was going out, probably wanting to meet my sister, but sadly, today Dao has to go with mom to buy new kitchenware.
Yesterday, she was upset at mom and didn’t want to eat dinner, but got hungry in the middle of the night and came down to cook instant noodles. I don’t know how she cooked them, but the bottom of the pot was burnt through. Her cooking skills are negative…just like Bohn’s…
“Hello, Phii Yim.”
(I’ve arrived at the shop.) Did you teleport? Just a few minutes ago, you said you were at home. I guess your house must be close to the shop.
“I’m almost there too. Wait there, be careful not to get dragged away by some woman.”
(That would be nice, ha ha ha.) He probably wants to be carried away. I was about to continue the conversation but had to shut up when I felt a malevolent aura from the person next to me…if you’re going to radiate this much, Bohn…
“Uh…that’s all for now.”
(Okay, Bohn is jealous, ha ha.)
“How did you know?” I mumbled softly before hanging up. Wait, it seems like I forgot something…
I didn’t tell him that Phii Thara would be eating with us…but it probably doesn’t matter.
[Bohn]
Taking so long to hang up, laughing and giggling with another guy while your boyfriend is sitting right next to you, how can you do that? Just because I’m quiet, you think you can get away with it.
Today I won’t flirt with him…so I decided to tease him a little, to show him how scary I can be when I’m calm.
When he said, “Miss you.” my heart beat so hard, I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling. How cute can you get? Last night, when he told me to stay quiet, saying he’d flirt with me today and good night with ‘good night, Phii Bohn,’ oh, man. I was almost ready to go to his house with a dowry.
I guess you might wonder why I wasn’t jealous of him with Frang when we went to buy flowers. It’s not anything special. I just felt a little guilty, so I let him be, but he surprised me. He didn’t seem to care much about Duen.
“Hey, Bohn.”
“Huh.” I responded softly, pretending not to care. Today, I’m going to be as silent as I can.
“I think it’s wrong for us to meet…”
“Wrong how?” Did he hear something from someone? He never used to say anything so dramatic before. I scanned for a place to park so we could talk properly; talking while driving is dangerous.
“Wrong…wrong timing.” I’ll give you this one, come to my bedroom to receive your prize.
“…huh.”
“Damn…I’m embarrassed.” Duen covered his face with both hands before lightly banging his head against the window, several times. Wow, careful, that’s my boyfriend’s head, and he’s just getting more and more embarrassed…
Are you trying to make me feel embarrassed by saying that?
You don’t need to do anything for me to feel embarrassed by your cuteness, Duenhaw, how cute can you be? Are you from Mars? No way. Even if she’s an alien, I’d still be jealous.
[Duenhaw]
“Hello, Phii Yim.” I greeted, raising my hand. Phii Yim chose a seat far from the crowd, probably to check out the girls in the shop. There are a lot of women here, like millions of chickens. He must have come for the staff, just like Tang said.
“Oh, you’re late…did you sneak off to do something?”
“You rascal.” The whole time in the car, Bohn did nothing but look at me quietly, sometimes smiling when I made a silly pun. I didn’t come up with the puns myself, I got them from the hashtag #SillyPunsToFlirtWithGuys on Twitter.
“You didn’t even tell me what it is, haha.”
“Order whatever you want, go all out, today I will pay for it.” I sat down, trying to change the subject to food. It seemed like Phii Yim understood, but he was willing to look at the ice cream menu instead. Good, because I felt like my face was about to explode.
“You’ll run out of money for sure.” No way, today I broke my savings jar for this.
Click!
Father of Cupcake: Duen, which table are you at?
Oh, he must have arrived. I looked up to the shop’s entrance and indeed, he had arrived. I hate his shirt so much. Even though he looks good in anything…why does he have to wear a shirt with Cupcake on it!! Phii Thara is crazy. If I wore that, people would only think it’s strange, but the world is never fair, because when he wears it, people only compliment, “You love animals so much” or “You look so handsome in it.”
Duennhaw: At the end of the walkway, next to the buffalo.
Next to my table, there’s a buffalo statue…The shop is called Little Buhnny, but everything inside is buffalo-related – statues, dolls, stickers, plates, cups, and more. Only the shop’s logo is a rabbit. They should change the name to “Little Buffalo” if the name and theme are going to be this mismatched.
Father of Cupcake: I see you.
“I forgot to tell you, someone else will be joining us.” I turned to tell Phii
Yim that I was meaning to say it when we met, but I forgot every time. Oh, I’ve put a plaster on my neck. Today, Bohn chose a flesh-colored one that blends with my skin…Phii Duen isn’t happy about it at all.
“Huh? Uh huh. Who?”
“My brother.”
“You have a brother? I thought you only had a sister.”
“We’re cousins, actually, here he comes just in time.” I looked towards my brother, who was walking towards us, even though he was wearing a gecko-patterned shirt, people were still looking at him in awe…what! Doesn’t the Cupcake face on his shirt affect anything?
“You’re late.”
“Cupcake seemed sick, so I took him to the vet.” Huh? Can Cupcake get sick? And how can you tell if it’s sick? I’m not a vet…but aren’t people surprised when you take a gecko to the doctor?
“You’re a doctor, why didn’t you treat him yourself?”
“I’m a human doctor, you idiot.”
“Ha ha ha.”
“Please sit down, Doctor. I’ll introduce you. This is Bohn, you must know him already. And this person…”
“Oh, the relative of the patient from room 203.”
“Doctor?”
“You know each other?”
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