NORTHHOWMUCHISYOURLOVE, Chapter 24 part 1
Chapter 24: The Other Side
About three years ago…
“Umm, ah…” The sound of moaning from the person in front of me ceased. I slowly withdrew, pulling off the condom and tossing it into the trash bin beside the bed, then got up and walked into the bathroom to clean myself up before returning to the bed in just my pants.
I glanced at the beautiful, fair-skinned woman lying on the bed without any clothes, her face flushed and breathing heavily from our earlier activity. “Joe…” She called out softly, then propped herself up and hugged me from behind. “That was amazing, it was really good just now.”
“Was it? Want another round?” I asked, turning to look into her eyes. She looked back for a moment before averting her gaze.
“Don’t look at me like that, I’m embarrassed.” She said with a slight embarrassed look, then let go of the hug and sat next to me on the bed instead. She looked at me with a flirtatious gaze, her hand touching my chest and slowly running down to my stomach.
“God, you have an insane body.”
I didn’t reply, just gave a small smile, then picked up a cigarette from the pack, placed it in my mouth, and lit it with a lighter, inhaling deeply until I felt the coolness in my throat, then exhaled the grey smoke.
“Smoking again.”
“Don’t like it?”
“No, not at all. As long as it’s you, I like everything.” She said with an embarrassed smile, but I felt nothing for her words or her actions. I took out my phone to check the time, seeing it was almost 2 AM, and there were several messages from different people.
I thought about replying to the messages first, but had to put the phone down when she moved closer.
“Who were you talking to?”
“No one.” I said, placing the phone down beside me.
“Hmm, really?” She said in a low voice, making a slight pout, “Johan.” calling my name again, before looking up, her eyes fixed on my face.
“Hmm.”
“You’re so handsome, whose boyfriend are you?” She touched my cheek softly and caressed it, “Am I the only one?” “Indeed, what do you think?” I said half-jokingly, then lifted my hand to gently remove hers from my face.
“That’s right, so can it just be me? Can you break up with the others?” The slender, naked figure leaned into me for another hug, trying to be coy.
It’s not just her; every woman who gets involved with me knows I’m not serious with anyone, yet they still choose to come to me. Some think they can stop me, others come for different reasons, but I don’t care, as long as I can have fun day by day.
“So, what do you want to do?” I asked, before she moved to straddle my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck, her seductive gaze and smile something I’ve seen so often it’s almost tedious. The person on my lap shifted slightly, the light scent of perfume wafting up, “Perfume?”
“Yes, new Gucci scent, do you like it?”
“I do like it, but I prefer your natural scent. Next time, no need to wear any.” I said, my words making her smile broadly with satisfaction.
Not really…
Because the perfume would stick to me, and others would smell it too.
“Do you really like it? Then I’ll go take a shower.” She said, leaning in to whisper in my ear, “We can go for another round.”
I gave a slight, amused twitch of a smile at her words.
But now…I’m getting bored.
“We need to leave soon.”
“Aw, why?”
“I’ll go ahead.” I said, moving my hands to her waist to lift her off my lap, despite the touch of her soft, bare skin. I saw her pristine, unclothed body, but I felt no desire anymore; after just a few encounters with the same person, I get bored.
“Wait, no!” “Kiss me, please. Ever since we’ve been together, all we do is have sex. We’ve never kissed.” She said, making a pleading face again, leaning in close, her lips lightly touching mine, but I didn’t reciprocate.
“I don’t like kissing, sorry.” I said, gently pushing her away, standing up and putting my shirt on, leaving her alone on the bed with a disappointed look. Yes…I don’t kiss my sexual partners.
And I’ve never kissed anyone before.
I can’t even imagine…if I would ever kiss someone out of love.
“Joe, are you really leaving?”
“Yeah, I have to go. See you later.” I said, heading towards the door. This room was in a hotel that I had rented, and I paid for it. It’s more accurate to call it a love hotel, one where they don’t check your age in the tourist area. As long as you have money to pay, it’s fine. She can check-out herself in the morning.
“Wait…just a second.” She quickly put on a robe and followed me, grabbing my arm, “Joe, tell me you love me, before you go, can you? You’ve never said you love me since we’ve been together.”
“Sure.”
“…” She looked like she was waiting for my words.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Joe.” She said, smiling happily. I patted her head lightly before leaving the room. Those ‘I love you’s when I don’t actually love…I’ve said them countless times, as long as they want me to say it.
Even though I know deep down it’s all lies…
“Johan is so lucky, born with everything, handsome, rich, living a luxurious life without needing to do anything.”
“With that much money, who wouldn’t like it? Plus, he’s incredibly good-looking, any woman would want him, it’s only natural. Who doesn’t like rich people?”
“I’m jealous, seriously, he doesn’t even need to study. The money his parents make now could last him lifetimes. If I were him, I wouldn’t study either.”
“Born rich, that’s the good life, huh. Doesn’t have to do anything, born into comfort with money to spare.”
Hah…idiots.
I cursed under my breath in frustration, exhaling cigarette smoke to ease the irritation inside. At this late hour, the annoying words of people often resurface in my mind, even when I try not to think about anything.
And it always manages to piss me off.
What made it even more irritating was that what they said was true.
I was born into a family that could be described as well-off, involved in electronics businesses and many other ventures. From birth to adulthood, everyone treated me like I was special because I was the only son of the owner of one of the nation’s largest companies.
“It’s because of your good looks and money, so how can you tell who’s really serious about you if you had nothing left? Just see who would still like you.”
The words of a childhood friend echoed in my mind as I stepped into my car, started it, and drove back home.
Am I not thinking straight?
If you had nothing, who would like you?
I’m not a womanizer because I think like that, you know, like ‘no one takes me seriously, so I don’t have to take anyone seriously either.’
No, I’m a womanizer purely because that’s my nature.
I’ve never been serious about it when someone says they like me because of my money or looks. It’s not strange for people to like someone for such reasons.
I parked the car at the large house’s driveway, my grandmother’s home, who owns all the land around here. I moved in with her since high school because my parents rarely had time. This kind of neighborhood is quite peaceful, but the downside is that the school I attend is far away, and so are the places to hang out.
I went up to my room, took a shower, and then flopped onto my bed. Tomorrow I’d have to go to school again…oh well.
“Young Master…Young Master, it’s time to wake up.” I was roused by the voice of the butler uncle, waking me up. It was late again, wasn’t it? I quickly got dressed into my not-so-neat school uniform, didn’t tuck in my shirt, and my socks and shoes were out of regulation, but who cares?
“You’re late again.” Grandma said as she walked me to the car.
“But you, you look beautiful again.” I teased a bit before going in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Always flattering, you little charmer.” Grandma said, gently pinching my cheek. “Now hurry up. You never have time for breakfast. Rong, make sure to buy food for Joe as usual.”
“Yes.” Uncle Rong nodded. I looked at him with a slight annoyance.
“Can’t I drive myself for once?”
“No, later in the evening, if you go out, make sure to come back for dinner before going out at night, understand?” Grandma said with the same old phrase. Uncle Rong drives me to and from school because if I drive myself, I’ll sneak out and not come back for dinner at home.
At the very least, I have to come home for dinner, then I can go out wherever I want. Grandma is very indulgent with me; she never opposes me, especially not about money.
I sat in the back seat of the car while Uncle Rong drove past the market in front of the village before stopping.
“Can’t we not eat that?” I asked, irritated, glancing outside. This car has tinted windows, so people outside can’t see in. “No, Young Master, Khunying has instructed.” Uncle Rong replied.
“Don’t let that kid make my milk again.”
“That would be rude. We can’t choose who makes it.”
“Then tell him I don’t want it sweet.” I reiterated a phrase I’ve said countless times.
“Yes.” Uncle Rong agreed before closing the car door and heading to buy soy milk from the market stall. Since I always wake up late and miss breakfast, Grandma usually tells Uncle Rong to stop for soy milk for my morning meal, saying it’s good for health.
Really?
I might die of diabetes at this rate.
I sighed while glancing out, the old man selling it does a good job, but that kid makes it ridiculously sweet. No matter how many times I say I don’t want it sweet, every bag is sweet.
After a while, Uncle Rong returned with soy milk and Chinese donuts in hand. I reached out to take them.
Sweet…
Again.
I frowned at the overly sweet taste filling my mouth. I don’t like sweet things, especially something this sweet, but I have to drink it every morning. What a fate.
“Why did that kid make it again?” I grumbled slightly.
“I can’t tell him not to make it, that’s not right, Young Master. He’s quite nice. He even threw in extra donuts.” Uncle Rong said before starting the car, “I guess he remembers that I come every day. He really pays attention to his customers.”
“It would be even better if he paid attention to my blood sugar levels too.” I said with a sigh. “How should one feel when a friend steps out of a Ferrari, but he’s carrying a bag of soy milk to drink at school every day?” ‘James’ , one of my friends, came over to greet me as I got out of the car in front of the school, because I hadn’t finished it, so I had to bring it to school to continue eating.
“Why not? Can’t I drink it?”
“Are you that fond of the soy milk vendor? Why do you have to drink it every day?”
“No, but I have to drink it, don’t I? Where else can I choose from?” I grumbled.
“It’s not that sweet, right? From what I tasted when I tried it last time, it was delicious.” James said.
“It’s insanely sweet. I have to take insulin after drinking it.” I sighed, then tossed the empty soy milk and doughnut bags into the trash, walking into school with James.
“But the one who sells it, do you remember him? The senior who often comes to my shop.” James asked. He runs a game shop near my neighborhood, but the school I’m at is really far from the neighborhood, though it’s better than the schools closer to home.
“I didn’t.”
“You drink him soy milk every day and still can’t remember?”
“Do I have to remember?” I turned to ask the person beside me.
“You can’t even remember the name of the girl you slept with last night, can you?” James teased. I didn’t argue because I really couldn’t remember. “I’ve got something new. Want to try it out?”
“Really? From where?”
“From England.”
“Have you tried it?”
“It’s top-notch.” James said. “Sounds good, let’s go this afternoon.” I agreed. As I mentioned, I’m not that good of a person; drinking, chasing girls, and other not-so-great things. James and Rong are the same. This ‘new thing’ he’s talking about is a vape from overseas.
“You two.” a voice called out from behind, making us both turn around immediately. It was the discipline teacher we’ve encountered often enough to recognize, “Your shoes are against the dress code, why isn’t your hair in the proper style, why isn’t your shirt tucked in properly, and your socks are too short again.”
“Oh, come on, teacher, it’s just these things.” James said with the mischievous tone we often use when dealing with strict teachers. We’ve been caught so many times it’s practically routine.
“Who told you to wear sneakers to school? Inside the Nike ones, limited edition or not, the teacher will confiscate them all. It’s against school rules. How many times do I have to say this? You three are the worst.”
“But there’s only two of us here.” I said, “Did you see anyone else besides us?” Then I looked around the room, feigning ignorance, which only made the teacher angrier.
“I meant your friend Frank too, you three are the most frequent violators of the school rules.” the teacher said with a displeased look, “Go to the disciplinary room now.”
“Wow, this is easy.” I said, “Better to sit in the cool air-conditioned room than to study, huh, James? We don’t have to go to class.”
“Yeah, that’s right, I agree, Joe, right? We can even go get some coffee from the teacher’s room. Teacher Sukontha’s coffee is the best. Last time, I snuck in to make some.”
“Hey, you all!”
“Oh, but you told us to go to the disciplinary room.” I questioned, “Or do you want us to go back to class?” “Oh, my head hurts, just come during lunch break then, go line up for the flag ceremony now.” the teacher said, exasperated, before leaving. Me and James exchanged a small laugh before heading to the lineup.
At lunch break, me and my two friends headed to the school gate, planning to sneak out.
“The teacher was really annoyed, why didn’t we go when we were supposed to?” James said.
“We’ll go apologize later, teacher.” I said before throwing my backpack over the fence, then climbing over with the other two following. It didn’t take long before we were outside the school.
“Are we going to your shop, James?” Frank asked while starting the car. I and James were sitting inside.
“Yes.”
“Did you get new stuff? That was quick.”
“Just the usual, VIP customers get first dibs.” James said proudly, raising his eyebrows. We then headed back to James’s game shop, where a friend was helping to open it for us. We entered through the front, which was just an ordinary game shop, but further inside was our hangout spot, with a sign that said ‘No Outsiders Allowed.’
We often hung out here when we had nowhere else to go; bars and other entertainment spots aren’t open during the day. If you ask why we don’t stay in school, I’d just say we’re bored of it. And it’s not just us; many of our friends like coming here too.
“Hey, what’s up?” a friend from another class greeted us as we walked in, “Joe, heard you were out with a kid yesterday?”
“I don’t know, not really a kid anymore, I guess.” I said, slumping down on the sofa. “How was it? Give us a review.”
“She’s not that bad.” I said, taking the vape from James, “She’s sweet like animal feed, but smooth.” I added after trying the new vape that James recommended.
“Not that bad, really? That’s the school star of the girls’ school, man.”
“Well, it’s not that bad, even when she was on top, I wasn’t in the mood.” I admitted my thoughts. Everything about my words, actions, and thoughts clearly shows I’m really a bit of a jerk, and people with similar attitudes tend to stick together like all of us here.
Living life for daily fun without caring about tomorrow, doing whatever we want, everything we desire can be bought with money.
Yes…no need to try hard at anything.
Just being born rich already judges you.
My phone rang, and I saw it was my dad calling. I let out a small sigh at the sight of the caller ID before stepping away to answer the call, still holding the vape in my other hand.
(Johan)
“What?”
(Skipping school again? The teacher called to complain.)
“Oh, right, then why ask?” I grumbled back, then took another drag from the vape.
(Why aren’t you attending classes?)
“I’m lazy.”
(When will you stop acting like this? I won’t say anything if you don’t want to study, come work with me then. Don’t just spend your days drinking, smoking, and chasing women. You’re smoking right now, aren’t you?)
“…” (I’ve never minded you spending money, you can spend however much you want, but don’t just waste your days like this, can you?)
“…”
(Stop acting like a loser.)
“How many times have you said that now? Aren’t you tired of it?”
(Of course I’m tired, I’m tired of nagging.)
“Then stop nagging. I’m hanging up now.”
(Hold on, Joe, I still want to talk to you about…)
I hung up, not in the best of moods, the same old words my father keeps pouring into my ears almost every day when we’re in the same house. Now that I’ve moved in with Grandma, he still calls to say the same things. Why does it have to be so annoying?
Is he allergic to dogs or something?
Hah, and so what?
I walked back inside just as James was coming out of the room.
“Did your dad call again?” James raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah.”
“Let’s go play some games to cheer up, shall we? I’m about to go watch the shop, it’ll get busy when school lets out.” the other suggested. I nodded slightly before heading outside.
♣♣♣
I rode my motorbike to the front of the tutoring school and parked. When the bike stopped, the person riding behind me slowly got off, glancing back at me.
“I’ll go up first, remember to pick me up at half past six, okay?”
“Sure.” I smiled in acknowledgment, watching Jaja walk into the tutoring school. Jaja is the only girl I’m currently talking to, or rather, trying to court, but we’re not dating yet. I had about two and a half hours to kill before she was done, and the usual place I go to pass the time is James’s game shop.
“You’re late today, North.” James remarked when I walked into the shop.
“I had some errands.” I said, “I’ve completed my hours, right, James? You said after I play for a certain amount, I get two free hours.” I handed over the game time card. James is a senior to me by one year, we go to different schools, and his school is supposedly very posh with high tuition fees.
“You’re a regular customer now.” James teased a bit before looking at the card, “Ah, okay, free play for two hours, same table as usual?” I nodded. I like sitting at the table in the corner; the place is very spacious, and each table has its own partition, offering a lot of privacy.
I took the activation code and sat down at my usual spot.
The smell of cigarettes…
I frowned slightly at the faint smell of cigarettes drifting from the person at the table opposite mine, definitely. The partition is too high for me to see who it is, and it would be rude to peek.
After playing on the computer for a while, my phone rang. It was a friend from the neighborhood calling. I answered immediately.
(North. Are you at home? I want to come over.)
“I’m not at home, I’m at the game shop, what’s up?”
(Homework for Research class, my group has to submit it tomorrow. Can you help?)
“Come over, I’m at James’s game shop.”
(Can I come? I need to ask you some questions. Will it bother others?)
“Probably not. There aren’t many people right now, hurry up.” I said, before Palm hung up. It was around 4 PM. Normally, I’d be here earlier since my school finishes early. It’s not a very strict school, just a small one.
But lately, I’ve stopped coming to the game shop first thing. I have to drop off my girlfriend at her tutoring session first, and after she’s done, we eat together, then I take her home.
I was already into my game when Palm walked in, sat down at the table next to mine, and pulled out his research report.
“Alright, let’s start then, North.”
“Hold on, Palm, I’m focusing.” I said, eyes still on the computer screen in front of me, “What’s your group’s topic?”
“It’s about people’s perceptions of wealth, like the rich versus the poor.”
“Wow…” I said, sounding impressed, “Your group’s topic seems meaningful. Look at mine, asking what brands of kibble different dog breeds prefer, how am I supposed to know that? It depends on the individual dog’s taste. Not every Beagle likes Pedigree, you know.”
“Who chose that topic, seriously?” Palm asked, laughing.
“Asshole Tae.”
“I knew it. That’s so pointless.”
“It’s useful information for people just starting to own dogs.” I explained, “So they can choose the right brand of kibble for the breed, to make sure the dog likes it. But in the end, if the dog says it wants to eat pork larb, then that’s it.”
“North, you’re something else.” The person next to me called out my name and burst into laughter, holding his stomach, “You’re in a good mood today.”
“Isn’t that normal? And have you asked others already? Why do you have to ask me?”
“Well, the target for the survey had to be from our school and the same grade. We’ve asked a few people, but I thought it’d be better to ask you directly, especially since you’re pretty knowledgeable about money matters, North.”
“I’m really into the money talk.” I said while clicking my mouse to play the game, listening to Palm through one ear, while my brain tried to process two things simultaneously, “What about the others, what did they say?”
“Well…” Palm went silent for a moment as he opened the report, “I asked something like, what do they think about rich people? They all pretty much said they’re jealous, especially of those born with a silver spoon, you know, born rich. They don’t have to do anything and they’re comfortable.”
“Oh, right, go on.” I said, having listened but not really processed it because I was focused on the game.
“People who got rich on their own are more respectable, those who are rich because of their parents aren’t really considered rich.”
“Why’s that?” I inquired.
“I asked around a lot, and that’s what I wrote down. They also said the worst are those who just spend their parents’ money day in and day out, like they were born to make their parents struggle, leeching off them, even though they themselves don’t do anything, just waiting to spend the money.”
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