MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 26: Sunflower and Knight

   [Bohn]

   “Ah.”

“Sunflowers today?”

“Yeah, I’ve been liking them lately.”

“You haven’t been asking me what flowers I want lately, have you?” I asked before taking the large flower from him. Even if I told him to just bring roses, it seems like Duen enjoys choosing flowers, both roses and daisies. Oh wow…if I didn’t know better, I’d think you wanted to give them to me yourself.

“Every time I ask, you say, ‘Whatever you want,’ so why should I ask?”

“I want you to start a conversation sometimes.” These days it’s not like we’re talking; it’s more like I’m listening to a podcast…with exams coming up, Duen doesn’t have much time to hang out with me.

“It sounds like you’re lonely.”

“I am lonely.”

“If you’re lonely, go talk to someone who’s free. Don’t talk to me.”

“So cruel, huh? Let’s see what your heart is made of.” I pretended to pull at his shirt over his left chest, just looking for an excuse to touch him. Not touching him for a day feels like I’m going to die.

“Hey, hey, you bastard, let go!” Thump!

“Ouch, Duen, why do you have to be so violent…damn!” The slender figure brushed my hand away and stomped on my foot hard, oh my, I’m wearing flipflops while you’re in student shoes with heels. You don’t need to tell me how much it hurts, it hurts like hell.

“You speak like you’re so gentle with me.”

“But I’ve never been this rough, ouch…”

“Sorry…I was just startled.” You look so dejected…oh, cat.

“I’ll forgive you, for the sake of the size of the flowers you brought.”

“Really? So if I bring a bigger flower tomorrow, you won’t get mad no matter what I do?” With such a vile look, I knew he was seriously considering doing it. Hey, what do you have to be mad about? I’ve been so good to you.

“You buffalo…”

“Really? Next time I’ll bring a giant Chaivattana lotus, haha.” Those flowers are as big as dinner plates…

“What are you going to do to me?”

“I want to try smacking your head once.”

“On what charge?”

“For being annoying, having a smart mouth, having a bad attitude, flirting too much, being selfish, getting angry easily, throwing a fit when you’re jealous even though we’re not dating, having no manners, deleting my messages on my Facebook, and what else, oh! You use kids as tools to flirt with me, don’t think I don’t see through you, dad.” With such a long rant like a speech, I knew you were frustrated. I can see that.

“Sorry for being an asshole.”

“Forgiven, I understand that your nature can’t change.”

“Hey, why are you so harsh today?”

“When you’re angry, you’re way harsher to me.” Or maybe he’s actually mad about what I did the other day…He’s really holding onto that.

“Sorry again, you can punch me, but don’t bring the lotus.”

“No way, I need to plan, in case you get really mad, I’ll use the size of the flower to make amends.” The conversation partner smiled, pleased with his clever idea. “Delusional, normally I’m never really mad at you.”

“…”

“Have you ever seen me mad at you…just jealous, that doesn’t count.”

“Enough, I’m leaving, you jerk, I have to go to class.” The future doctor dismissed him, seeming annoyed as he tightened his bag strap…You’re acting strange, and I can tell you’re about to bolt, huh.

“It’s only nine, your class starts at ten.”

“I know!”

“I know, I have your schedule.”

“Shh, I’m so sick of you, I’m really leaving, sick of your face! Sick of your voice! Sick of your annoying eyes! Sick of you, you bastard!” He walked to his car while giving the middle finger in the air, shouting “sick of you” repeatedly, so funny. Actually, I want to keep him here, but it’s pitiful how he’s always stuck with me. Let him have a day to breathe.

I found a comfortable spot behind the faculty, today, alone. My electrical engineering classmates don’t have classes at the same time as me (except for CompSci). As for Boss and his gang, they’re on a national mission…or simply put, they’re retaking an exam. They failed hydraulics. If we talk about pure knowledge, I should have failed with them, but here, luck played a part, and my score passed by the skin of my teeth.

Lucky.

“Hey.”

“…What?” I replied while looking at the trio who approached. Their faces clearly showed they weren’t here to be friendly…it’s been a while since anyone came looking for trouble.

“Are you Bohn?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Nothing…just curious if you’re the same guy who’s messing with my girl.” “Huh, when?”

“A long time ago!” Oh. If it was long ago, there’s a chance.

“Then let me clarify your definition of ‘messing around’…If messing around means I had sex with your girl, then maybe that’s true, but if messing around means dating your girlfriend, then that’s not it, because I’ve been single for four years now. Oh, but I’m about to have a boyfriend soon.” I smiled at the last sentence; no matter how you look at it, Duen can’t escape me. Who could be so cruel as not to love someone as good as me…hey, but Duen is pretty cruel, isn’t he?

“It’s all the same, it’s still cheating!”

“You’re so loud, it’s giving me a headache.”

“You!”

“Alright, what’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“Nang.” Who?

“…How long have you been dating?”

“Two years.”

“Wow…”

“Wow, my ass!”

“Wow, the way she ended things with you was impressive. Before, I was kind of seeing her for about half a year.” When we were together, I never heard about her having a boyfriend; I only found out today that she had one…And where were you when you just found out your girlfriend was cheating on you? Damn, I’ve sinned again. So, when I was with that idiot, would that be considered karma or something? I swear I didn’t mean it. When I was still a player, I asked everyone if they were single, and they all said they were.

“…”

“…!”

“Calm down. Now I have a potential boyfriend. I stopped messing around with Nang a long time ago. When we were just sleeping together, I didn’t feel anything.

I didn’t love her either.”

“You slept with Nang even though you didn’t love her?”

“So what? What do you want me to do? No matter how I answer, you’re going to be upset.”

“Yeah. You were messing around with my wife. Plus, you treated her like a toy, you bastard!!!” Loving his wife, being cheated on, but still defending her, like a soap opera hero…so pitiful.

“Have you broken up with her?”

“Are you cursing me or what…wait. You’re waiting to take her, aren’t you, you jerk, come on!” So, they haven’t broken up yet.

“Hey!”

“You dare mess with our senior’s woman? Don’t you care about your life?” The two lackeys were ready for a fight. The skinny one isn’t much of a problem, but the burly one could be trouble. I have to prepare for the volunteer camp today, I don’t want to waste energy on this.

“Calm down, you jerk, I don’t want trouble, but I’ll give you some good advice…break up with her.”

“Damn, you really are waiting to take her, aren’t you!!”

“Are you deaf? I already told you I didn’t feel anything. At first, my type was someone hot like her, but now I like the silly ones.” Ever since stepping into the world of liking silly kids, I haven’t been able to leave, which is bad, but it’s okay because I didn’t plan on leaving this world anyway.

“What are you talking about, I don’t understand!”

“Sorry, I got carried away talking about my fiancée.”

“You are asking for it!”

“Hold on, I mean well for you, I can see you love your wife too…I don’t know how Nang was with you, but with me, she was very upfront about being single, and I believed her because she seemed to love me a lot, hey!”

Thud!

I dodged the stick which was swung at me, which made everything on the table fall to the ground instead. Damn, he was aiming right for my head…

“You cheater. You have a weapon!”

“Shut up!”

“So, did you understand my good intentions?”

“I don’t need your bullshit. I can decide who’s lying on my own!”

“Don’t be an ass!” I shouted while dodging a punch from the first minion, followed by avoiding a kick from the other thug. What the hell, I was trying to be nice by warning them, but they’re just blind fools.

Grab…

In the midst of the chaos,

Someone’s foot stepped on something…I wouldn’t have cared if that ‘something’ didn’t have a long stem, yellow petals, and was named a sunflower. I couldn’t believe it. Just because someone stepped on what Duen gave me, my anger flared up like fire.

“Get your foot off…”

“What…oh, is this yours?”

“Yeah, now that you know, move your foot. If you do it now, I might still forgive you, promise I’ll only punch you five times and let you go.” I thought I could still control myself, since the other’s foot only stepped on the stem…no, it was moving closer to the flower itself.

“Heh heh.”

“I know what you’re going to do…but let me warn you, if you do it, things won’t end well for you.”

“Do I look scared?”

Click

“…You chose this yourself.”

“I warned you, but you didn’t listen…”

After whispering to the instigator, I threw him towards the other two lying still on the ground. The moment I saw Duen’s flower being crushed under the bastard’s shoe, I lost it, attacking them relentlessly. Of course, they ended up in bad shape…even after doing all this, I was still irritated. If it weren’t for the fear they might die, all three would have been completely out of commission.

“…Duen said he liked them too.” Now the once vibrant sunflower was in a sorry state, its yellow petals crushed by the dirty foot of the thug, the stem bruised, and all its leaves had fallen off.

I’m frustrated, but what concerns me the most is…how will Duen feel about this?

With that thought, I walked to a quiet place and called the medical student I was worried about. While waiting for the call to connect, my heart was pounding because I didn’t know where to start…but I had to tell him. If I let this go, I’d feel bad for the rest of my life.

(What’s up?)

“Duen…”

(Huh?)

“Well…”

(Don’t be dramatic, I don’t have all day, you jerk.)

“The flowers you gave me, they’re ruined…”

(Hey, how?)

“Stepped on by a buffalo”

(…)

“…I’m sorry.” After confessing, instead of feeling relieved, I felt even more guilty, leaving me at a loss for what to do. I scratched my neck and bit my lip, feeling like an idiot.

(Hey…)

“Go on…curse me, I really am at fault here.”

(Did the buffalo escape from the agriculture faculty or what?)

“…”

(That’s bad, I think they shouldn’t bring kids to raise in the dorms. Even if it’s spacious, the sound of car horns can startle them. I’ve always thought they would escape one day…Oh, you jerk. I didn’t think it would escape to come and attack you.)

“…”

(Maybe it thought you looked alike so it considered you a relative, haha.) I’m going crazy…

“Duen!” I smacked my forehead hard, feeling so exhausted by his cluelessness that I wanted to shout it to the world. Damn, flirting with him is hard enough, but making him understand what we’re talking about is even harder. Help me, please, send a translator for Duen!!

(Ha, ha)

“No, it’s not like that…damn, you idiot!”

(Hey…why are you scolding me, =, _, =)

“You bastard!!…The point isn’t about the thug, it’s that that asshole just crushed your sunflower, understand? The sunflower that you went out of your way to buy for me!”

(Oh, and then what?)

“And then what?…I couldn’t protect it, that’s what.”

(It was beyond your control, you’re acting like a thug, the buffaloes each weigh like 500 kilos, their hooves are hard, it’s not strange for a flower to get crushed, right, Bohn?) I’m about to lose my patience, really lose it!!

“Duen, listen to me, love…I couldn’t protect your flower.”

(I know…and what can you do about it? What’s the point of complaining? If you were the Hulk, then you could complain…understand that even though you’re right now, you don’t have the strength to fight a thug, it’s a different level…no, it’s a thug level.)

“…”

I give up.

I slumped down, hugging my knees in defeat. I really don’t know how to say or arrange words so that we both understand each other. I adore this cute, silly side of him, but at the same time, I feel…argh! Understand me, will you!

(But if we take the thug out of the equation, I don’t see why you should be stressed about it. From the moment I handed it to you, the flower was yours. Even if you stepped on it yourself, I wouldn’t be angry.)

“Stepped on it myself, my ass! Just seeing it get stepped on made me furious…where would I get the audacity, Duen?”

(I just said, ha-ha.)

Sigh

(Stop overthinking, you jerk. You’ll age quickly.)

“But I really feel bad about it…”

(Should I buy you a new one?)

“No, replacing it isn’t the solution to make me feel better.” On the contrary, it would just emphasize my mistake even more…should I go back and beat up that thug and his minions? Even if they die, it’s on them, they deserve it, those damn bastards.

(So, what do you want me to do, huh?)

“Tell me you forgive my stupidity, and then tell me to be more careful from now on…”

(That’s enough to make you feel better?)

“Yeah.”

(Okay…stop being sad, you jerk, Phii Duen forgives your foolishness. From now on, take good care of my flowers.)

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel a bit better.”

(Masochist…)

“Maybe, haha.”

(Yeah. That’s it, I’m going to get something to eat.) With that, the call ended. Looking at the time, it wasn’t his class time yet…I’ve been thinking, I don’t want to be away from him anymore. Should I surprise him at his faculty? I’ve never gone to see him there before.

“Phii Bohn.”

A familiar sweet voice stopped my thoughts; it was very familiar…Of course. It was the voice of the best friend of the person I’m courting.

“…Are you guys here to gang up on me, Tingting?”

“It depends on your answer.” The beautiful girl gave a sharp, cold smile…What’s this, can my life never be free from fights? It’s only been over twenty days since the last one, Sevana or Ares?

Do you want to know why I say that?

Because Tingting didn’t come alone, she was accompanied by three young men who weren’t strangers to me. Yes, Ram, Phu, Tang, and Tingting, all four of them were staring at me quite seriously, the atmosphere was quite tense, especially with that half-Thai guy…It’s no wonder Duen calls him the second father.

“Phii Bohn, hello.”

“You don’t need to greet me if you’re here to beat me up.”

“Hey, don’t think too much, haha…I told you it depends on your answer.”

“…” Wow…I’ve never seen someone so playful act this serious before. Maybe I should take back what I said about him not caring about Duen as much as the other three.

“How serious are you about my friend?” After a brief silence, Ram was the one to speak up, direct and to the point.

“What do you think?”

Punch!

Almost immediately after I finished speaking, the heavy fist of the rice-eyed guy hit me squarely at the corner of my mouth. No need to look, damn, that heavy and warm feeling, my lip is definitely split.

“!”

“Hey, hey, Ram, calm down…”

“…”

“I asked what you think, and you punched me like this? …Do I not look serious about it in your eyes?” I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and asked back. I just wanted to know if I looked serious to others, and if the answer is no, I’ll have to get more serious about flirting with Duen…shit, but I was secretly surprised. I didn’t think I’d get punched.

“…”

“Being silent like this, what does it mean? Answer me.”

“…Phu.”

“Huh, oh, I see…Okay, he said, ‘I know you’re serious, I saw when you hit those guys.’“ The owner of the dream-catching tattoo whispered to his friend before the message was broadcasted by the other. I didn’t have a problem with that, but there’s another issue.

“See, you know that, so why did you punch me?”

Can’t you say it yourself! If it’s beyond your speaking quota, won’t your mind refuse to utter that sentence for others to hear?

“He said, ‘Because I let your flower get stepped on.’“

“…Damn.” If it weren’t for the fact that it’s true.

“The thing is, we accidentally overheard everything. Okay, I see you’re serious about it to a level I’m satisfied with…but there’s still something to worry about. If you really plan to flirt with Duen seriously.”

“Say it.”

“With Nang, have you really cleared everything up?”

“All cleared. None left.”

“Phii, words are cheap, anyone can say them…it’s not very credible.” Tang spoke, crossing his arms. In my eyes, these kids look like knights protecting their prince, and they’re fierce knights too. So, what am I then…if we consider the context, am I like a bandit from the woods?

But it doesn’t matter what it is, I’m here to take the prince to make him my wife.

As for readiness, there’s no need to discuss it.

One hundred percent.

“The phone number is the only way they can contact me now, since I’ve unfriended everyone on LINE, Instagram, and Facebook…They still try to message me, but I haven’t talked to anyone since I met Duen. I can even delete the apps if you don’t believe me.” I pulled out the SIM card, broke it in half, and threw it away right there. Everyone seemed quite surprised, “If I get a new SIM, I’ll only give the number to Duen, because now I only use it to talk to him anyway.”

“Wow, Phii, you’ve got the strongest husband energy in the world.”

“Heh…Is that okay now? Anything else?”

“There’s the matter of fighting.”

“This isn’t something I can control, is it? Even if I don’t mess with anyone, they come looking for me. You’ve seen it today.” It hurts, damn it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been hit this hard by anyone…

“If one day someone comes to pick a fight with you when you’re with Duen, what will you do?”

“…”

“If they do something to Duen-”

“They’ll die.”

“…”

I crossed my arms and looked at my conversation partner quietly. I really can’t do anything about people who come looking for me, but I think if I don’t get involved, no one would bother me either…But if there are, and they do something to that idiot, there’s only one outcome for them, which is death.

“Well…okay then.”

“So, does that mean I pass the criteria to be Duen’s potential boyfriend?”

“…”

“Oh, uh…Ram says, ‘You pass, but just barely.’ Seriously, you’re like his right hand, Phu. And he’s like the Italian mafia boss.”

“…”

“I hope if in the end Duen doesn’t like you, you’ll let him go.”

“I don’t want to let go…but if that’s what he wants, I guess I’ll have to back off.”

“You don’t have to back off far, just step aside a bit, it’s fine, I’m still single.”

“Huh…”

“King, that’s enough, huh? I guessed you’d get hit like this, so I brought this…actually, I prepared another one, but it wasn’t used, what a pity.” The medical student handed me an envelope labeled, ‘Name: Pain relief from being punched by Ram,’ and showed another one labeled, ‘Name: Bruise relief from being ganged up on.’ …Hmm, I believe now that they really planned to gang up on me.

“Thanks, I’ll take it.”

“Lastly, I have one request, bro.”

“…What?”

“If you’re serious about it, if you genuinely have good feelings for my friend.” “…”

“Please don’t send two of us to repair him, haha.”

“Heh…”

“Oh, Phii Bohn, don’t smile like that, we did it out of love for our friend, right,

Ram?”

“Mm…”

“I haven’t said anything yet…ten.”

“?”

“Go run ten laps around the field.”

“Phii…”

“Twelve.”

“Oh, come on, Phii, be serious ; -;”

“Fifteen.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going!!”

I’m not mad that they care about their friend. I just wanted to get a little revenge on Ram for the injury at the corner of my mouth…as for Phu, I just find him annoying for no particular reason.

   Alright then.

   With this, I’ve officially become the contender for Duen’s boyfriend, with his knights officially handing over the position.

   I’m so tired of this…

  

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 25: Good Night, Good Morning

   [Duenhaw]

   “Mommy, you won’t really sleep in the same room as daddy, huh?”

“Bohn, shut up before you get it.” I said with an expression of annoyance, standing with my hands on my hips, looking at the room’s owner. After he told Phu about our situation, (which was just listening because Phu couldn’t see the image). I kneed him hard in the stomach and then ran out to watch Conan with the kids, acting like nothing happened. A while later, Bohn followed, probably because he was winded, but by then, the kids were already sleepy. He ended up standing there whining, (annoying). I was standing at the door of the smaller bedroom.

“What happened, dear mother?” He teased, leaning on the doorframe, looking cool, but I found him irritating for some reason.

“Sigh, go back to your room to sleep, or Ben will be scared.” When I was a kid, I didn’t dare to sleep alone; I had to drag my pillow to sleep with my parents every time.

“That kid?” Huh, that brat, I mean, what’s with Ben?

“Why?”

“Nothing…you’re not sleeping with me for real, huh? Not scared of thunder?” Are you crazy? Look at my age.

“Nope.”

“Damn, can you act a bit more delicate like the male lead in other stories?” Bohn rubbed his temples, switching from leaning on the door to standing with his arms crossed, looking deadpan.

“Delicate? Look at me. You can’t even lift me.” I’m tall and have muscles (though not a lot), so how am I supposed to be delicate?

Does Bohn want a husband or something?

“I can, I’ve carried you like a bride before.”

“Don’t lie, I don’t remember that!” No way. Even if he’s taller than me, he shouldn’t be able to lift me…I think.

“Really, when you were drunk.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Want to try again, huh?”

“No!” I immediately stepped back when the tall figure seemed about to actually lift me, but there’s no way I’d allow that, hell no. I tried to close the door in his face, but he anticipated it, sticking his arm and foot out to block.

“Alright, alright. Goodnight, a kiss?” The idiot said, leaning his face closer, even making a kissing face!

“Enough, I’m going to sleep, stop flirting!”

“If you want me to stop, be my boyfriend…but on second thought, even if we were dating, I’d still flirt with you.”

“Good night, ghost around the bed.”

Bang

I took the chance when the person was distracted, slamming the door in his face, eh, I really wanted to do that. If that guy hadn’t been quick to move his face out of the way, heh.

“Uh-oh, mom.” Daonuea sat up on the bed with a sleepy face, all because of Bohn alone, my beloved little sister has started calling me ‘mom’ and ‘dad’! “Don’t call me that, Daonuea.” I went to sit beside my sister, gently brushing the hair from her face. Daonuea just waking up is the cutest.

“Why not, I like it.” …damn.

“You’ll get used to saying it.” I’m really worried about this, you know. If Daonuea gets used to it, she’ll say it outside too. Just imagine, I go to pick her up from school, and she runs to me, shouting at the top of her lungs, ‘Mom!’

   Oh my…it’s over. No girl will ever be interested in me again.

“It’s not a big deal; my friends call their sisters ‘mom’ too.” But Phii Duen is a guy, very manly, and handsome to boot!

“It’s not the same.”

“No way, Dad Bohn said if you call me that, he’ll buy me the latest Conan the

Movie.” Bohn, that bastard, bribing my sister, huh? Phii Duen will kick you with his heel.

“Okay, okay, then let’s sleep.”

Seeing she wouldn’t listen to me anyway, it’s better to sleep, no point wasting energy. I lay down close to my sister, making sure the blanket covered her well. It was still raining, the sound of raindrops against the window was soothing to hear.

I am almost asleep now…nearly there…

Ting!

Fuck! Who’s messaging now!

Ai-Hia Bohn: Have you said good night to dad yet?

   You won’t stop playing, will you! I am trying to sleep. Don’t you know that adequate sleep is extremely important for everyone, for normal body function, especially the brain? Good sleep must be effective, and if I want effective sleep, I!

Must! Sleep! Now!

Duennhaw: Said before closing the door

   Ai-Hia Bohn: Goodnight, there are ghosts around the bed, huh? No, be good, I want to hear your voice, record something for me to listen to, I’ll set it as my ringtone.

   Ai-Hia Bohn, besides being a flirt, you’re also so persistent. Your symptoms are getting worse every day. If I say goodnight, will you stop bothering me and go to sleep, or will you find another excuse to flirt?

I’ll tease him back, showing I can be popular too, heh.

Duennhaw: No, I only flirt with girls.

   There really are people talking to me, but not flirting. They just come to tease with some playful messages. I read and just reply with ‘yes, lol’, that’s it. Nothing more, just for a laugh. They’re cute, haha.

Ting

Ai-Hia Bohn: I’ll kill them all.

   Duennhaw: You’re such a jerk, Bohn.

   Ai-Hia Bohn: I really will kill them. Are you really talking to girls?

   Duennhaw: What if I say yes?

   After that, he didn’t respond. He must have fallen asleep, probably talking to me in his sleep. It’s funny, how can someone type while sleep-talking? I should try to sleep too…I should be able to sleep. Unless…

Bang, bang!

“Duen, open the door!”

I was startled by the loud knocking sound. Damn, Bohn knocking so loudly…do you want the condo security to hear too? Luckily, Daonuea is hard to wake up (she can sleep through a heavy rain).

“What the heck…”

I rubbed my head in annoyance, walked over to stand in front of the door, but didn’t open it because he seemed really pissed off right now. If I open it and he punches me, what then? His fighting reputation is too scary; Phii Duen won’t take any risks.

“What do you want, Bohn?” I said loud enough for my voice to go through the door, it should carry since I’m right by the door. Even though the room is soundproof.

“Open the door.”

Bang

“Bohn! What’s wrong with you?” I started raising my voice, what’s his deal, did he dream that I stole his snacks or something?

“Open it quickly. Otherwise, I’ll get the key and open it myself. You’ll get hurt then, Duen.” He threatened coldly. My gut feeling told me…if I didn’t open it, he would do exactly what he said.

“Damn, what’s with you?”

When I opened the door, I saw him standing there with a scary face, looking terrifying, especially since the lights in the condo weren’t on, making it even scarier…damn. How did you get here? I wouldn’t have been able to do that. Even if I’m not afraid of ghosts, the atmosphere right now is damn scary.

“Are you really flirting with a woman?”

“Huh?” I tilted my head, puzzled. I was still holding the phone in my right hand from when I walked over, making all that noise just to ask this…just this?

“Is it true?”

“Bohn, you’ll wake my sister!” I shouted at him. The tall figure glanced into the room before dragging me to the living room. He even remembered to close the door behind us. Hey, where are you taking me? Turn on the light first!!

“Are you really talking or not?” He asked after pushing me down onto the sofa, sitting down next to me and crossing his arms, acting like he was my boss, oh my…

“…”

“Answer!”

“I wasn’t talking or flirting with anyone, I was just joking!”

“…”

Bohn didn’t respond. I couldn’t see him clearly now, only relying on the light coming in from outside.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

“Why do you always use force, Bohn? If there’s something, let’s talk it out like adults…I don’t like this.” I looked at the person I was talking to through the darkness before pushing myself up. If he’s going to flirt with me, he should know I don’t like people who aren’t reasonable. What’s with this, dragging me out here and yelling at me out of nowhere?

Thump

“Sorry.”

The sound of an apology came with a hug from behind. Normally, he would rest his chin on my shoulder, but this time he buried his face into the back of my neck instead…

“What’s wrong, why do you have to be all grumpy?”

“I’m jealous.”

“Huh?” I turned to look at him with a puzzled face. You’re jealous of me? Even though he’s said it before…but jealous again? How does this jealousy system work, why does it happen so often?

“Yeah, I’m jealous of you.” He repeated, moving his chin back to rest on my shoulder as he usually does, tightening his large arms around me. You’re trying to get too much out of me, you jerk, Bohn.

“Besides your incessant flirting, you’re also incessantly jealous, you’re something else, you bastard…”

“You’re not me. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand.”

“…”

“Why are you jealous of me?” I asked, puzzled, before pushing him away. Even though I wasn’t looking closely, I knew our faces were very close because I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. Go away, you bastard.

“Because I like you.”

“Why do you like me so quickly?” Or did he bet with his friends that if he had sex, he’d win money? It’s worth considering.

“I don’t know, I don’t know shit…I just know it’s you that makes me like this, and it’s so frustrating, it wasn’t like this before!” True to his name, Bohn, but such a whiny bastard.

“So, it’s my fault?”

“Yeah, so you have to take responsibility for me.”

“It’s not related at all!”

“I don’t care! Give me your phone!”

“Why?”

“Give it.”

“…Yes, master, here you go, this Duen humbly obeys.” I sarcastically bowed my head and handed over the phone. My master accepted it with satisfaction, and once he got what he wanted, he slumped back down on the sofa as before, damn. Knowing my fate that he wouldn’t return it soon, I sat there waiting patiently. Oh, my life. What did I do to deserve someone like him? Or in my past life, was I a nobleman, and he was a servant in my house…

Damn, pitiful. If that’s the case, then in my past life, I must have tormented him a lot, so in this life, he’s getting even with me.

“What’s this, you said you weren’t talking to a girl.” While I was reminiscing, Bohn complained and showed me the screen. I looked down at it, puzzled.

“‘Yes, lol,’ you call this talking?” In my neighborhood, this isn’t considered talking. It’s just replying out of politeness.

“Talking…delete it all.” He actually deleted all the messages after saying that, hey!

“Bohn, stop being so annoying.” I furrowed my brows and took back the phone. He’s crazy. Even if I don’t talk much with others or have important messages to keep, this is a clear violation of personal rights.

“Just talk to me, that’s enough.”

“You’re not my boyfriend!”

“Then be my boyfriend!”

“…”

“Stop being stubborn and just like me…”

“…No, I’ve only known you for a few days, it’s like I’m easy.”

“Are you insulting me?”

“Yeah!”

After that, we argue pointlessly. When the clock struck twelve, we agreed it was late, so we went back to our respective rooms…like Tom and Jerry. The argument was intense, yelling, even some punches, but once we got sleepy, we talked normally like nothing had happened.

“Don’t like anyone else, just like me.” Still not giving up, huh?

“Heh. What if I say there’s someone I already like?” I spoke the truth; it’s Teacher Pang! Even if it’s not in a romantic ‘I want her as my wife’ way, but I like her…in a ‘want her as a nanny’ kind of way.

“I don’t care…who is it!” Look, even if you don’t care, sir…

“Didn’t you say you didn’t care?”

“I don’t care, so who is it?”

“She’s a woman. You’ve met her before.” I’m sure this thug must have met her; Teacher Pang is Dao’s class teacher, and Dao is in the same class as Ben.

“Tingting?”

“Ting? Are you crazy?” Whoever gets Ting as a wife would be lucky. I’d treat him well, poor thing…having a wife taller than himself.

“Then who is it?”

“I’ll tell a cow, I’m going to sleep. I’m sleepy.” I stifled a yawn, glancing at the other person to see what face he was making…Only to see him furrowing his brows in frustration, Bohn muttering under his breath, ‘Who is it, don’t let me find out, damn…’, I want to laugh. Who said he wasn’t interested?

I’m sleepy, have you ever been woken up right before falling asleep? It’s so annoying, right? Just being woken up already puts me in a bad mood. But now I have to sit here listening to this brat’s whiny complaints, yawning.

“Duen, tell me first.” my conversation partner tried to hold onto my arm as I was about to close the door. Ouch! I’m sleepy, man.

“Tell what, let go, I’m going to sleep.”

“You know what.” Oh…

“I’ll say it once, listen carefully.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Goodnight.”

“…”

Bang

After closing the door, I went to bed without caring about the whining sound of the dog outside the door, huh, go back to your room, Ben must be lonely to death by now.

I don’t know how long I slept, but I woke up when sunlight hit my eyes, hearing birds chirping outside the window. Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m up, I’m up. I sat up, squinting to adjust my focus…This room doesn’t feel familiar at all. Even the furniture is unfamiliar, where am I?

Oh, I slept at the condo last night, that idiot.

I looked at my phone to check the time, 7:06 AM. Am I up too early, or is everyone else sleeping in? Whatever, but I need to get back to work at home. Should I tell the host first? I’ll do that later. For now, I need to go buy a toothbrush.

With that thought, I went downstairs to buy toothbrushes and toothpaste for myself and Dao at the small supermarket in the condo. Though small, it has everything you need, Bohn’s condo is quite convenient. I went back up, got everything done in no time, and then walked to the room owner’s bedroom.

Knock, knock, knock

“Bohn.”

Huh…why isn’t he answering? Could he still be asleep? Sleeping in so much, what can he possibly eat for breakfast now?

Knock, knock

“Wake up already!”

Splat

“I-”

“Uh.” I was about to curse, thinking it was Bohn, but the person who opened the door turned out to be the little kid, Ben, damn, Bohn sleeps later than a kid!

“…Morning”

“Huh”

“Want to eat? I’ll make it.” As long as he doesn’t mess with my sister, I can still be nice to him…

“Yeah, thanks.” The half-Thai kid stifled a yawn, staggering over to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV. If he’s that sleepy, why not go to bed…

“Where’s your brother?”

I went over to ask. He didn’t move, his sleeping position was funny, with his face buried in the sofa and his legs tucked under him, hands clasped above his head…damn, I need to look at you again. You’re a half-Thai kid who really loves Thai culture.

A lot…

“Nowhere.” Huh, are you messing with me? Your brother, with that grumpy face, bad manners, and his crooked nose, isn’t handsome enough to be my match.

“I am talking about Bohn.”

“That’s dad.”

“…”

“Isn’t it?” He turned to ask innocently…oh, kids, kids, (you got me: Mom)

[Sigh] “Okay then…dad.”

“He’s on the bed. You can go in; he won’t mind…heh.” I must have been hearing things, probably from being around Bohn too much, because just now I thought I heard the ‘hee’ sound that the thug likes to make.

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, he’s not awake yet. Even if you knock till you die, he won’t open the door.” Crazy, it’s already late…

He’s still sleeping, really!

I sighed as I walked closer to the large lump under the blanket. When he’s asleep, he doesn’t look that dangerous…but he still looks rough, probably because of those black earrings. Normally, I don’t know if others sleep with them on, but I’m one who takes them off, scared I might hurt my ears by tossing and turning, ugh.

“You idiot.”

Poke

Even after poking him with my finger, he still doesn’t get up? He must be in deep sleep. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him like this before. Should I take a photo to tease him later? …No, that would be too creepy.

“…”

“Bohn.”

“…”

“Hello, are you asleep or dead?” Damn, he doesn’t wake up even after calling and shaking his arm. Is he dead or what?…Crazy.

Snap

“Heh. You’re not going to eat me.” I smirked mockingly when the person pretending to sleep tried to pull me into a hug. Good thing I’ve leveled up recently and dodged his grasp.

“What, you knew I was faking sleep?” He sat up cross-legged on the bed with a disappointed look on his face. His face didn’t show any signs of just waking up; his eyes weren’t red, he wasn’t groggy. Only I looked like I had just woken up.

That’s all.

“I didn’t know, but from being teased by you so often, I feel like I’ve developed a sense for dodging somehow.” I smiled like Phu, full of pride. Don’t expect to touch me again, please.

“Hey, that’s cool…”

“Right, hehe.”

“That’s all you’ve got…if you’re still as foolish as before, ha.”

Thud

“Damn!”

The tall figure took advantage of my moment of distraction to pull me down to sit on him, not forgetting to block my escape by holding me tightly in his strong arms.

Damn…

“Heh heh.”

“Let go!” I tried to wriggle free from the restraint. At first, I thought our strength was somewhat matched, but when he held me like this, I realized…his strength was way more than mine, and it was scary.

“Morning kiss, first.” Bohn didn’t just say it; he pouted and moved closer…can’t you stop flirting for even a second? And what’s with this pose, why is it so provocative?

“No way!”

“Then I won’t let go.” The other guy looked nonchalant while still holding onto me. Doesn’t he feel weird about hugging and kissing another guy like this?

“Let go, you bastard!”

“Such foul language, mommy.” He pretended to look stern. I hate it so much when you call me ‘mommy’ or ‘daddy,’ Bohn, it makes me want to hit you with a shovel.

“I-”

“Just a kiss.”

“No.”

“Kiss quickly.”

“Ha. No. Don’t be crazy, what guy kisses another guy?” I said, hoping he would come to his senses. Bohn is good-looking, indeed. It’s a shame…a real shame he has such taste.

…Does he really want me as his husband? Sigh.

“Merk does it, he’s always kissing his juniors.”

“Is Phii Merk gay?”

“Heh, bi.”

“Oh.”

“Not surprised? Not disgusted?”

“No, I think sexual orientation isn’t a criterion for judging love.” I see the love of the LGBTQ+ community as normal, it’s not abnormal, and there’s nothing particularly special about it.

It’s just love.

“…”

“Why are you smiling?” I raised my eyebrows when I saw him grinning widely as if satisfied with something. Bohn is getting crazier every day, and he’s a psycho too. Plus, he likes to flirt like an old uncle.

“Give me a kiss.”

“Bohn, you’re going too far with this behavior.” I remembered the first time I met him; I never thought he would be like this. The first day we met, he was calm and teasing, and now look at today.

“Why are you so hard-hearted then?” He said, pouting as if he was hurt. Am I at fault here?

“I told you I like women!”

“But I like you.”

“…”

“Heh, kiss me quick.”

“Bohn, good morning.”

“…”

Thud!

I took advantage of his momentary shock to get up and kick him with all my might, making Bohn roll off to the floor. The sound was loud; he must be hurt.

Karma, will this violate my medical ethics?…Whatever, I’m annoyed.

“Ouch, Duen, what are you doing?”

“Morning kick.”

“You’re not staying, are you?”

“Why would I stay? This isn’t my home. Plus, I have homework.” I said with disgust. Bohn had been trying to keep me here for nearly ten minutes now. What’s the big deal about going home? Dao was standing there waiting without Bohn saying anything…Of course, Bohn had stuffed several Conan manga in her mouth.

Really bad.

“Wow, you can do your homework here.” Asking me to go home to get my work and then come back to the condo to do it. After finishing work, I’d have to ride my bike back home.

For what?

“Bohn, don’t act like a child, or I’ll kick you again.” I lifted my foot, ready to kick him for real. Lately, I feel like I’ve been using violence more often, I don’t know why.

“Why are you so stubborn, Duen?” He looked annoyed, standing with his arms crossed, watching me, while behind him stood little Ben, drinking from a milk carton…mini Bohn.

“I’m leaving.” I grabbed Daonuea’s hand to walk away, but the scoundrel behind grabbed my sister’s shoulder and sat down in front of her. What? Are you going to annoy my sister now!?

“Give daddy a goodbye kiss, Daonuea.” He smiled, puffing out his cheeks towards Dao, eek! Bohn, don’t make those faces at my beloved sister!!

Whatever, my sister would never kiss him, heh…heh.

Kiss-kiss

“Ha ha.”

Oh nooooooo!

“Dao! No, why are you kissing someone’s cheek like that?”

“It’s not ‘someone,’ it’s daddy.” My sister answered innocently, and the troublemaker, instead of feeling guilty, patted my sister’s head as if to say, ‘Good job, kid.’

“Bohn! She’s going to get used to saying it!” I protested, raising my hand to hit his shoulder, but then I caught sight of the kid holding the milk carton with my sister. If I hit him…the kids will remember and do it too. No, no, Phii Duen must be a good role model for the youth.

“It’s fine, isn’t it? Heh.”

“Damn.”

“Honey, see you later.” Ben said, shyly hiding the milk carton behind his back, but I think he’s getting bolder. What’s this! Have you caught your brother’s virus?

“Uh-huh, see you at school.” Daonuea gave him a cute smile…too cute!! Don’t do that, Dao, or that kid will think we’re interested.

“Bye, mom.”

“You…sigh, bye.” I was about to curse, but then I thought, he’s just a kid, probably doesn’t understand.

“Aren’t you going to say goodbye to daddy?” Stop being so clingy, Bohn…my legs are trembling from all this.

“Don’t be excessive.” Just from last night to this morning, how much has he gained from me? If we counted it in money, it could probably buy several houses…

“Excessive where?”

“Leaving now.” I waved goodbye, pulling Dao along with me. I heard Bohn call out from behind, ‘That’s it? Yeah, that’s all, what more do you want?’

…

“Mommy!”

“Back already, dear?”

Mom opened her arms to welcome Daonuea who ran towards her. They say when a woman is with a child, she looks more gentle and charming, and it might be true…But really, my mom looks good doing anything, hehe.

“Yes, I missed you so much.”

I went and hugged my mother from behind, yay, her scent is so nice. My mom has her own distinctive scent. I don’t know what brand of perfume she uses, just that I’ve smelled it since I was a kid. Or maybe it’s not even perfume?

“Why didn’t you invite him to our house?” Huh? Which one is he? Oh, Bohn. Me and Dao inherited our considerate nature from our mom. When we stay over at someone’s house, mom always tells us to call and apologize for the disturbance or invite them over for a meal as a thank you. I usually go along with it, but not this time, mom.

“Ha, please don’t.”

“Why not? You two even stayed at his place.”

“Mom…”

“Invite him over to our house.”

“These days…he’s not free.” Actually, I don’t know if Bohn is free or not, but I don’t really want him at our house. He likes to flirt shamelessly, even with kids around in the evening, he doesn’t care, such a shameless dog…

“How do you know?”

“He told me.” Sorry, mom, he didn’t tell me, believe me. I lied to my parents, what a grave sin, the punishment must be severe, I’m trembling.

“Really? Give me your phone, I’ll talk to him.”

“Please don’t, mom, before we left, he told me he wanted to work quietly and not to call him.” After saying that, I ran straight up to my room. Why stay to get caught? I’m in a mess…After that, I did everything I usually do every day, work, go downstairs at four to watch cartoons with Daonuea, and take a shower late at night.

Just normal…

tug!

Ai-Hia Bohn: Goodnight

   Just normal.

 

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 24: Paused

   [Bohn]

   “This uncle with the thick mustache must be the culprit for sure!”

“Wow, Honey, you are so smart, how did you know?”

“Because Uncle has a mustache like Dad, and Dad likes to cosplay as a thief.”

“Uh…you’re really smart, haha…”

“…”

The conversation taking place was between two kids in the luxurious condo, room 612 in the heart of the city. Right now, we’re all sitting in the living room watching Conan on the L-shaped sofa, with me, Ben, Daonuea, and Duen, in that order.

After finishing the dishes, the idiot immediately ran to his sister. I don’t know if he was worried about his sister being alone with Ben or if he was scared to be around me for too long.

“The rain hasn’t stopped yet…” I turned to look at Duen, who muttered to himself. The rain indeed hadn’t stopped, the sound of raindrops hitting the balcony floor continuously since we got into the condo. The weather forecast said a storm was coming, so it might be true.

“Why should it stop?” I asked while still watching the cartoon on the screen. Daonuea must really like this show; she was almost going to stick her face into the screen. The brat asked a question, and she answered, I pity myself and my brother for having to court someone from this household = =…

“I want to go home.” I turned to look at the speaker. Had he forgotten or was he pretending not to care when I told him to sleep over?

“I told you to stay here.”

“No, I don’t want to, it’s too much trouble.”

“Why would it be trouble?”

“Well, um.”

“I don’t know. You and Daonuea have to stay at the condo…stay here with Dad

Bohn, Daonuea.” When he wouldn’t agree, I turned to the best help I had at the moment, but my help seemed unsure.

I guess I’ll need to offer some incentives, heh.

“Dad Bohn, do you have a lot of Conan for me to watch?” That was it…

“Yes.”

“Daonuea, no.” Duen tried to stop his little sister, but as I said, Daonuea only had eyes for Conan on the TV screen.

“Why not, I’ve already allowed it.”

“Talking to you gives me a headache.” Said the other in the conversation with a sigh, holding his temples, massaging them lightly as if he really had a headache.

He probably did, that’s true.

“Want to sleep together?” I propped my chin on the sofa, turning to give a sly smile to the other person. Duen showed me some love…with his middle finger.

“Dream on.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

“I don’t see why, heh heh.” I got up, walked around the sofa to sit close to the idiot. He flinched and moved away a bit but was pinned down by me.

“Don’t come near me, you bastard!” He seemed really scared of me, huh? Did I come on too strong? But whatever, this is fine.

“Why not, daddy wants to be close to mommy.” I blinked flirtatiously, clinging to his arm, seeing Boss often do this with Merk, (every time he tries, Merk beats him up).

“I told you not to say that!”

“Why not, mommy dear, or do you want me to use ‘husband’ and ‘wife’, hmm?” Seeing him stunned, I took the chance to hug him.

“Don’t hug me! Get away!”

The slender figure tried to push my head away, he’s pretty strong, he could probably handle Boss easily…but not me. I leaned down to rub my head against his soft shoulder, making Duen make playful annoyed noises. We didn’t look like a couple playing around; it was more like Tom and Jerry, a teasing mouse and an annoyed cat fighting, haha.

“Dad, mom, the master bedroom is free.”

“I-” Duen was about to scold his brother…no, my son, but I cut him off. No, no. I’ve brought the photos, so I must follow the agreement.

“Let’s go, the kids should be left alone.” I said teasingly, dragging his arm to follow me, with the destination being the master bedroom. Of course, the medical student resisted all the way…Does he think I care? Ha. No.

“Don’t be crazy, hey! I want to stay with my sister!”

“Okay, you’ll sleep here.”

I let go of Duen’s arm once we reached the master bedroom. Even though I don’t come back to the condo often, my mom keeps housekeepers to maintain it, so it’s clean. Plus, she’s always buying new furniture; she just bought a modern bookshelf for me even though I barely have any books…Sometimes I don’t understand my own mother’s way of thinking.

“No!”

“You’ll sleep here, I command.” I said, then walked over to sit at the desk chair to check my Facebook. I wonder if my heart’s enemy has seen the pictures I posted.

“I’m scared of you, maybe.”

“Then, I request… you to sleep here.” I said while still looking at the screen, typing in my password.

“Silence.” When I felt the silence from the idiot, I turned to look and saw him standing with his arms crossed, looking quite annoyed. What’s with him? I’m trying to look out for him, doesn’t he see how heavy the rain is?

“I’m going home.”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself?”

“You don’t make sense! I’ve told you already!”

“Stay at the condo, please, Duen.”

I leaned back in my chair, looking up to meet the eyes of my conversation partner who was now standing over me.

“…Why does this feel like a scene from a movie where the heroine is about to lose her innocence?” The future doctor raised his eyebrows, stepping back to distance himself from me. Really, I didn’t have any ulterior motives, but hearing that, my urge to tease kicked in again, it’s been working overtime lately.

“Want to try to lose your innocence?” I got up from my chair and walked towards the slender figure, who jumped to the other side of the bed in surprise.

Wow…Are you that scared of me?

“Not in your wildest dreams, you jerk!”

“Okay, you’ll sleep here.”

“Fine!”

I walked back to my chair with a swagger, oh, I truly felt happy. I didn’t force him; Duen agreed on his own. Oh, I forgot about the sleeping arrangement.

“You’re sleeping in the-”

“I’ll sleep on the sofa.” He said as if he knew exactly what I was going to say, was my intention that obvious?

“No way, let’s sleep together.” I swiveled my chair around to look at him, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, looking extremely sleepy, his head propped up against the headboard.

“No way.” He replied, still with his eyes closed.

“But I won’t let you sleep on the sofa.”

“Then where am I supposed to sleep?” He opened his eyes to ask. Was he crazy? Even if the sofa was big enough to sleep on, it wouldn’t be comfortable, especially with the rain and this kind of weather, you could easily get sick.

“You can sleep in the small room.”

“Normally, who owns that room?”

Duen is too considerate for his own good. Sometimes he might seem impolite, but he’s actually super considerate. Look at today during dinner, he kept asking if this was okay, if that was okay, not annoying at all. I liked having to answer him with ‘Yeah, go ahead,’ ‘Use it,’ things like that. I felt like I was getting closer to him…

…Or am I the crazy one?

“The room…is empty. No one lives there.” I almost said it was Ben’s room, but then thought if I did, he definitely wouldn’t agree.

“But I’m concern-”

“If you say another word, I’ll kiss you for real.”

“Why do you always threaten me?” I, Bohn, turned the chair back to face the computer screen. He’s quiet now. I don’t know if he understood or if he’s unhappy.

“Do you want to shower again?” I asked. Even if he had showered once, he just finished cooking, and the smell was on his clothes, not to mention he was sweating. Another shower would make him feel better.

“Oh. Okay.”

“I’ll get you some pajamas.”

I have many sets of pajamas. I didn’t buy them myself; Dad bought them for us. Whenever he goes somewhere, he likes to buy stuff for us. Ben has a collection; even though I told him we had enough, Dad still bought more until the wardrobe was full.

“Are there more?”

“Yeah, there are sizes from when I was your size.” I walked over to the wardrobe, rummaged through the clothes for a while, then handed him a creamcolored set of pajamas. This time, I let him take it to the bathroom to change, because seeing him come out like he did in the evening would give me a heart attack.

Huh. Why did I open the computer again? Oh, I remember…to check the feedback on the photo I just posted.

Boss Thanarit: Coming out strong, but that’s good, now everyone knows.

   : Let’s have drinks tomorrow. If you don’t call, I won’t know there’s a guy hitting on Duen.

   Thang Nakrab: Wow, ‘Private’.

   : Definitely.

   Megha Setthakit: I’m so jealous.

   : Come on, Merk, are you whining because you have a small part?

   Bom Boomm: Did you drag him there?

   : Drag? He came willingly, dude.

   Tee Phattarawin: Wow, living together like husband and wife, very nice, and I have loved each other for a long time, my boy.

   : Even though I’m a bit jealous, thank you for the blessings.

   Thanthep King: Thank me, huh?

   : Thank you, King…

   There were other comments too, but I didn’t care about them. My eyes scanned through looking for comments from the management guy, but there were none. His profile hasn’t updated anything else except for the photos tagged with Duen, and each comment was asking who, what, how…

Oat: Hey hey, calm down, friend, are you playing with fire? Be careful, man.

   He probably knows what’s going on. I must admit that because I used to have many bed partners, and some of them lied to me, claiming they were single when they actually had partners, I often ended up in fights despite not wanting to be involved in such matters. Perhaps I got into too many incidents, so besides my reputation for being good-looking, I also got known for fighting. I didn’t bother to correct the rumors; it was even better that fewer people bothered me.

Bang!

“Bohn! What’s this!”

The sound of the bathroom door opening was accompanied by the idiot, now dressed in pajamas. A small towel covered his head, hiding his black hair, and his white hand held up a phone for me to see, showing the picture I had just posted earlier in the evening.

“It’s just a picture of you.”

“Exactly! And why did you post it on Facebook!” He protested, walking towards me at the speed of light. Damn…just a moment ago, you were still in front of the bathroom, how did you get in front of me in the blink of an eye? Are you The Flash?

“I wanted to post it.” I was still myself, unapologetic. I shrugged nonchalantly and turned back to the computer.

“Oh, you bastard!” Achoo.

Wait…what’s this?

“Who told you to wash your hair at night?” I turned to look at the other one because the water from Duen’s head had splashed onto the back of my neck, only to see him standing with wet hair at the foot of the bed…you’re a doctor, but you never take care of your own health, my room doesn’t have a hairdryer, not even a fan.

“Stay out of it!” What’s this? Why get so angry over just posting a picture?

“Come here.” I sat down at the foot of the bed, calling him over in a stern voice.

“Quickly, I’ll dry your hair.”

“Do I need to be threatened?”

“Bohn, you are a jerk.” Even though he was scolding, he willingly sat down on the floor in front of me. It turned out that I was sitting at the end of the bed with Duen between my legs…cat.

“Heh heh.” I smiled and carefully used the small towel to slowly dry his wet hair.

“What’s with you?”

The grumpy doctor looked up to curse before going back to scrolling on his phone, probably to read the comments under that photo. Even though he doesn’t care much about what others think, he cares about his own image…Confused? He always does things that contradict each other.

“The photo looks nice.”

“It’s not nice at all! Looks like a husband and wife.” He mumbled the last part quietly, but there were only the two of us in the room, so why wouldn’t I hear it?

“We are not, right?” I chuckled as he made a frustrated sound, banging his head against my stomach hard. Ouch! Duen, you’re embarrassed, aren’t you?

“It’s not!”

“You’re so stubborn, we have two kids already.” I teased, drying his hair with a towel. Since his hair is thick, it took longer to dry, which was fine…I like this atmosphere.

“I’m sick of you, you bastard.”

“Heh.”

I kept drying his hair until it was dry…But did I think of moving away once it was dry? No, sir. I stayed in the same position, and Duen did too…Not sure if he forgot himself or intentionally leaned against me.

I like it.

“Got your ear pierced too?” I asked, reaching out to gently touch his earlobe, which was surprisingly soft. I was a bit surprised that a guy like him had his ear pierced. If it was a tough guy like me, that would be different.

“Uh, hey! Bohn, stop playing.” He immediately pulled his neck away when my hand touched him. I loved how he called me by my first name without the title. It sounded so endearing.

“How long ago?” I didn’t stop playing with his earlobe. Even though Duen tried to pull away and made annoyed sounds.

“Uh! Maybe six months ago, Ram bought me earrings, so I got it pierced, stop!” This time he covered his ears and gave me a glare, but wait…

“Really…why are you blushing?”

I asked, just as I was about to lean down to check on him, but Duen covered his face. I was sure I wasn’t mistaken; his face was red, even more than when I flirted with him a hundred times over.

“None of your business!” He tried to cover it up.

“Or maybe…”

Rrrrr

Before I could even interrogate him, his phone rang, and Duen answered it immediately without even checking the name, wow…so lucky for you.

“Hello, Ting…It’s raining…so he brought me here…Crazy. No way…Yeah, I see, he’s such a jerk…Uh-huh…Yeah, good night.” Throughout the conversation, he didn’t turn to look at me, but I figured it was about me, especially with the phrase, ‘Yeah, I see, he’s such a jerk,’ which definitely referred to me.

“Tingting?” I asked after he hung up. I had stopped drying his hair by now, really. I wanted to continue, but Duen’s hair was so dry it couldn’t get any drier. If I kept going, I might pull his scalp off.

“Yeah.” The slender figure answered without looking at me, still staring at his phone screen. What’s so interesting on your phone?

“What did she say?”

“She called to ask why I’m with you.”

“Yeah.” I had expected it would be about this.

Rrrrr

Before Duen could go anywhere, there was another call. This time it must be Ram because I heard him mention Ram. Ram and King are the most protective of this idiot in the group; if Duen was drunk and I wasn’t his senior at the faculty, I would have gotten punched. His face is quite something.

“Hello, Ram…Yeah, it’s raining heavily…so he brought me to the condo…No!

…Uh-huh…Uh-huh…I understand…Good night, love you.”

“Your friends are super protective of you.” I said after Ram hung up.

“They care about-”

Rrrrr

‘Phu’

Here we go again. Another friend called almost immediately. I bent down to tease him until the soon-to-be doctor made a huffing sound and slapped my leg hard, damn, even through thick pants, it’s red as hell.

Just wait, you, Duen.

“It’s raining hard, so Bohn brought me here…Oh. Not true…Damn, be quiet…Bohn, Phu wants to talk to you.” He said, handing me the phone. On the screen appeared the most mischievous photo of a junior.

“Me?” Talking to me? Normally, I’m not that close with Phu. To be precise, I’m not very close with people younger than me.

“Yeah.”

“Hello.” I reached out to take the phone and put it to my ear.

(Phii Bohn, Phii James said there’s a meeting about the volunteer camp on

Monday, he wants you to come to the meeting too.)

“Huh, me? Why should I go? I don’t have any position there.” The camp Phu mentioned is a tree-planting camp in the North, organized by the university. Anyone can go if they volunteer, but when will it be? Whatever, it’s a long way off, probably during the semester break. Let’s just say I’m not going and I don’t have any position in this activity anyway.

(Phii James said you’re a great attraction for the girls. If you go, the girls will flock to join, and then we’ll all be motivated to plant trees, hehe.)

“What does James think I am?” James, being my friend in my year, is involved in organizing this camp. I don’t know much about it, but whenever there’s a meeting for this, his name always comes up first.

(Wow. You’re popular, Phii.)

“Yeah, yeah. If I’m free, I’ll go then.” I’m lying, even if you drag me with a buffalo, I won’t go. I have a bit of volunteer spirit, but during the break, I’d rather be lazy, sleep, and stay at home.

(I know you won’t show up.) Damn, this sibling duo knows me too well.

“Heh, that’s it then.”

(Don’t do anything to Duen, okay?)

I forgot. Even though Phu seems to play it cool and not be too concerned about me and Duen…in reality, it’s not as it seems.

“…Yeah, I won’t do anything.” I answered while looking down at Duen, who was yawning on the floor. Typical of health-conscious kids, sleepy by 10 PM.

(Sure. I told you that-)

“I like him, and I’m currently courting him.”

“Bohn!” Duen immediately looked up to protest. He probably doesn’t want his friends to know, doesn’t he realize all his friends are smart? Only Duen is clueless.

“I’m just telling the truth.” I shrugged, going back to talk with my junior.

(Alright then.)

“Is it that obvious?”

(If you look normal, you wouldn’t know, but if you check on Facebook…even a kindergarten kid could tell, especially with the ‘private’ tag, huh?)

“Heh heh.”

(I’m not trying to stop you, but if you make him sad…well, that’s on you.)

“I won’t be sad.”

(That confident, huh?)

“Absolutely.”

(Whatever. I just want to know…if you’re flirting with my friend, have you sorted things out with the others?)

“It’s all settled…I told you, when I date someone, I date one at a time.” I whispered this last sentence close to the ear of the person sitting below me. He flinched slightly before turning to glare at me. What? Not sleepy anymore, huh?

Heh heh.

“You’re flirting too much.”

“Don’t you like it?” I moved to sit behind Duen, wrapping my arms around his slender waist, but he didn’t seem to like it much and pushed my face away with his hand.

“No!”

“Liar, then why is your face red?” I grabbed one of his arms with one hand, resting my chin on his beautiful shoulder, not afraid of how hard the idiot might hit my shoulder.

“Don’t mess with me!”

“You’re cute, let me kiss you.” I pouted and moved my face closer and closer until Duen had to lean back to escape, what’s wrong, can’t you let me have a little kiss?

“Uh!” He protested, blocking my mouth with his free left hand, ha ha. (Hey, I’m still on the line = =…)

 

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 23: Forbidden

   [Bohn]

   After posting the photo to compete with the famous guy, I go back to watching the fool cook like before. Now he’s finished frying the chicken. Next, he’ll probably make stuffed tofu.

“Duen.” I tried to get his attention by standing close, but…he didn’t pay me any mind, being busy with mixing some white powder with tofu. What is this about? Or does he think Ben and I are so annoying that he’s trying to kill us with this powder?

“Huh?” He answered while still intently mixing the white powder.

“What is that?”

“Tofu, what else?” He answered with an innocent look. When he acts all clueless like this, I find it quite cute. He looks a bit slow, not keeping up with people, but…I already knew it was tofu!

“No, I’m talking about that white stuff.” This time, I pointed directly at it, almost poking it. If you say, “Oh, the cup.” I swear I’ll smack you down.

“Oh, corn starch.”

“Why do you need to mix it?” I’m genuinely curious about this, aren’t you? Like when you see someone cooking and you’re tempted to ask why they’re adding this or that, even though they might not know themselves, but you still want to ask.

“I don’t know, Mom told me to do it, so I did.” He might not know…like that.

“Heh.”

“Bohn, watch out for the splattering oil.” He warned as he was about to put the tofu into the hot pan.

“I like it.”

I said, gently resting my chin on his shoulder. I wasn’t putting much weight on it, just touching.

“Huh? You like getting oil splattered on you?”

“I like when you call me Bohn.”

“…” We made eye contact for a moment, even though the conversation had gone quiet. If it were any girl, just a smile from me would make her blush. Damn, Duen has such a strong heart.

“Can’t you call me that all the time?” After saying this, I carefully pressed my lips to his beautiful shoulder through the fabric, holding it there for a moment before slowly lifting my head to meet his eyes again.

“You flirt too much.” Duenhaw used the back of his hand to hide his face, probably embarrassed, but his face wasn’t that red. I’ve tried all sorts of flirting and teasing, but you blush…just this much?!

“I’m afraid you’ll forget I’m courting you.” I said sincerely, he often acts so clueless, like he doesn’t understand what I’m trying to convey, sometimes I wonder if he’s forgotten he’s being wooed.

“You’re crazy…I only think about you because of this. How could I forget?” He said without much interest, his expression unchanged, and then slowly lowered the tofu into the pan.

Do you know what you’re saying…and do you know what it means?

“Damn, you speak like you want to be pinned down.”

“You speak like a dog with bad breath too.”

“Of course, huh.”

“You thick-skinned…”

“It smells good.” I can smell the aroma of garlic after Duen drops it in…stir-fry? Or something like that, I’ve heard chefs and cooks often say that, whatever, the point is, the smell now is appetizing.

“Pass me the ground pork.” His white finger points to the bowl of ground pork on the table. I walk over to hand it to him as requested; he takes it and immediately adds it to the pan to fry with the garlic.

“Who taught you to cook?”

“Mom taught me, grab the vegetables too, all of them.” The fool keeps stirfrying what’s in the pan until the pork starts changing color. I fetch them easily; there’s a lot of vegetables, but that’s good, I like them, lots of colors make it look tasty.

“Can you cook anything else?” I ask after handing over the bowl of vegetables. As soon as he receives it, he dumps them in, the sound from the pan sizzles, exciting, just like in those cooking shows I like to watch, Duen is so awesome!!

“A few things, but not much.” He answers while adding this and that, (from what I’ve seen, I only know water and oyster sauce). Until the initial green smell of the vegetables turns into an appetizing aroma.

“Pass me the corn starch.”

“This white bag, right?”

“Yeah.”

Upon hearing that, I hand him the whole bag, and he pours the cornstarch into the pan, stirring it to dissolve. That’s it…just that makes it look delicious, this dish doesn’t seem complicated at all when Duen does it, or maybe anyone else could…am I the only one who’s terrible at cooking?

“Want to taste it?” The impromptu chef asks while holding a spoon in mid-air. I nod and lean in to taste, this must be the feeling of being newlyweds.

“Is anything missing?”

“Umm.”

“What?” The medical student looked displeased, examining what he had just finished cooking. He was looking at it, but what’s missing…is me, ha ha.

“It lacks love.”

“…”

“You’re blushing.”

“You little shit!!!” What’s that? I tried to add some color to the kitchen with some flirting, why do you have to flip me off?

“It’s done. Go sit at the table and wait, call your brother too.” Duen said after he had finished preparing everything. Believe me, everything Duen makes is delicious and looks so appetizing. He cooks without rushing, taking his time to season, tasting slowly, sometimes offering me a taste. Life is good.

“Will you eat with us?” I asked. If he’s eating, I’ll grab an extra plate.

“No. I don’t eat dinner.”

“Dieting?”

“Crazy. I’m not that serious about my figure.”

“Then why not eat together?” I raised an eyebrow, still not moving from my spot, which means I was blocking the kitchen doorway.

“I usually don’t eat anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Hey, I’m just not hungry.”

“Eat with me as company.” I said softly, taking his white hand and pressing it against my cheek. Even if he’s not hungry, I want to watch him while he eats, making me feel all embarrassed, woo!

“Why do I always meet people with loneliness syndrome?” He pulled his hand away before standing with his hands on his hips, looking at me. He says why he always meets people with loneliness syndrome…so it’s not just me doing this?

“Besides me, who else?”

“The senior I told you I went to the mall with.”

“What did he do?” I asked eagerly, he must have been teased a lot, damn, this guy is a master of cluelessness. Whatever people do, he doesn’t realize what it means, he might even be flirting back without knowing it.

“He didn’t do anything. He just likes to say, ‘Be my company,’ ‘Can we walk together,’ ‘Can we eat together,’ stuff like that.”

“And you just go along with it?!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Next time, don’t do it.” I lightly slap my own forehead. Why are you so naive? Can’t you see he’s interested in you?

“Why?” My conversation partner tilts his head, asking in confusion. You’re still asking, you damn fool! How have you survived all these years? Phu and the gang are damn good at looking after you to have made it this far.

“Because I told you to.”

“Are you my dad?” Don’t stick your tongue out like that or you’ll get hit with something big.

“…”

“Then-”

“I’m your husband.”

“Damn, Bohn! I told you not to say that!” Duen protests, hitting my shoulder hard. Have his hands gotten heavier each day or what? I feel like at first, it was just a light touch.

“I’m satisfied.” I shrug, not caring anymore, and walk straight to wait at the dining table, hearing Duen curse from behind.

“You…jerk.”

“Ben, come eat.” I go to call my brother on the sofa. You can go sleep in the room if you’re that tired.

“What’s there to eat?” Ben asks, sitting up properly. Kids are like this; food is a big deal.

“Fried chicken, stuffed tofu, steamed eggs.”

“…”

“What?” I ask when I see him go quiet, but he just stares at me with a mischievous grin.

“This is what you call a good wife, huh?”

“That’s right, little brother, hehe.” I smile with confidence, changing my posture to cross-legged, looking at the TV screen in front with ease. Wow, it doesn’t look as appetizing as what Duen made.

“And will Honey eat dinner?”

“I don’t know, I’ll ask Duen for you.” I walk over to Duen at the dining table, seeing him placing the food he just made on the table. It smells amazing.

“Duen.” I nudged his shoulder to get his attention. He’s still wearing the apron I put on him; he must have forgotten.

“Huh?”

“Will Daonuea eat dinner?”

“I don’t know, let me go wake her first.” The slender figure was about to walk to the smaller room, but I stopped him with my hand.

“Wait.”

“Let me take off the apron for you.” I said, turning him around so his back was to me before untying the knot of the apron. After removing it, he went to wake his sister. That was all, nothing more.

“Here.”

“Huh?” I turned in the direction of the voice to see my little brother standing there, tapping on his phone. Your pose looks familiar, Ben, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere…oh, I do this too.

“Something to show me?” He looked up with a grin before walking closer to me. What, don’t tell me you have some embarrassing childhood video, you little scoundrel.

“Huh?” I bent down to be at eye level with him. At first, I looked at him puzzled as he showed me pictures of his toes. I was about to say, “Are you calling me a kid’s heel?” but I paused when he scrolled to the previous picture…

“Do you like it?”

It wasn’t just one picture, there were many. And each picture was clear with good lighting, like it was taken by a pro photographer. You…or maybe even though you’re a kid, your mind is that of an adult…your craziness is metabolic.

Really.

Want to know what I was looking at?

I don’t know how to describe what I saw either, let’s just say there were many pictures, and each one captured every pose of me and Duen in the kitchen while cooking, with the last picture being when I was taking off the apron for the idiot.

“Give it.” I reached out to grab the phone, but I only grabbed air when the scoundrel quickly hid it behind his back, faster than I expected, like he knew I’d try to take it.

You’re so mischievous…

“Bro, you want this?”

He asked innocently, looking down at his phone screen with curiosity…I know he’s faking it, ugh, you crazy kid! I can see he wants something from me.

“What do you want?” I asked, folding my arms in annoyance. Why is he so cunning? I remember when I was his age, I was still standing as a pole for girls to play jump rope, and look at him.

“It’s not that hard, it might even be beneficial for your life.”

“What is it?”

“Keep Honey’s brother away from that guy…”

“That’s cruel, in this case, we need to call the tiger.” He’s crazy, his cunning nature must not be inherited just from me…he must not be just an ordinary guy, like what I’ve seen, as the Thai proverb says, ‘The fruit doesn’t fall far from the

tree.’

“Shirt?” …half-breeds are always like this.  [1] Tiger is Sua and Shirt is

Su…they sound almost the same and written the same just Tiger Sua have a tonal inflection and Shirt Sua uis flat

“Tiger, not a shirt…still being naughty as usual.”

“Whether it’s tiger or a shirt, who cares. So, do you want this photo or not!” His face turned red…probably embarrassed for misunderstanding.

“Alright then.”

“So, deal?”

“Yep.”

“Alright, then…we have a deal.”

After that, I dragged all the photos he took into the trash folder, then sat down to plan with my brother. I didn’t know if luck was on our side or what, because Duen and his sister walked out of the room just as we finished our evil plan. Daonuea looked extremely dazed, her brother was quite attentive, asking her this and that, probably because he was so smitten with Daonuea.

I mean the kid next to her. I was the one who said he was smitten.

“Awwww, she’s like an angel with no wings.” The brat smiled dreamily…where did the cunning kid from earlier, who made a deal with me, go?

“You psycho kid.”

“Excuse me,. If you call me a psycho, then isn’t someone who secretly takes photos of others every ten seconds even more psycho?”

“That’s not psycho, that’s called being lovesick.”

“Ew! He hasn’t even agreed to marry her yet, but you’re already calling her your wife. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Adult matters, kids wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh really?” Damn it… “So, did your sister eat too?” I went to ask when the slender figure set his sister down on the chair.

“Uh-huh.”

“Phii Bohn, good morning.” Said Daonuea, yawning and nodding at me as if to say hello…but saying good morning at six in the evening, almost one in the morning?

“Daonuea, it’s not even morning yet.” Said Duen playfully after hearing his little sister say that.

“Oh, really…?”

Alright then. Now, we’re all here together – father, mother, child…I was joking, but the atmosphere was really like that. We were sitting at the dining table, four of us; Daonuea was eating in a daze, like she hadn’t woken up yet, and Duen was busy wiping her mouth like a mother.

So caring.

“Normally, do you do this?” I asked after chewing my food until my mouth was empty. The one I was talking to turned to me, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

“Do what?”

“Wiping her mouth, doing stuff like that.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do it for me too, I’ve got sauce on my mouth.” I said, intentionally smearing some tofu sauce on my lips with my spoon. Instead of seeing my attempt at being cute, he just grimaced and made a disgusted face. Idiot, I went all out, man!

“Do it yourself, you’re an adult.”

“I want you to do it sometimes too.” As soon as I said that, I grabbed a tissue to wipe my own mouth. Duen definitely wouldn’t do it for me, letting it stay messy would just be pointless, making my mouth sticky for no reason.

“Why? Don’t you have hands…or feet?” Initially, he probably wanted to say ‘feet’ but seeing the kids at the table, he refrained. Ha, now he’s got me.

“I do.”

“Then-”

“But I want you to be caring.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Too much care will spoil you.” He said, folding his arms and furrowing his brows. It looked so picture-worthy. If I had known he’d do this, I would have had a photographer install cameras all over the condo.

“It’s nothing.” I shrugged, reaching out to serve some fried chicken to Ben, who had been staring for a while, probably because his arms were too short to reach it.

Short-armed kid, Ben must have known I was cursing him in my mind because he kicked my leg hard…damn, short arms but long legs…

“Grow up. Do it yourself.”

“You won’t do it for real?”

“Bohn, shut up and eat, before I shove it down your throat.”

“Wow, that’s harsh, mom.”

“Huh? What did you say, Ben?” The person in question turned to ask Ben again, unsure of what he heard. My little brother was also good, responding with an innocent face.

“Mom, right?”

“Me…Phii?” He pointed at himself with his finger, eyes wide, like he was going to say “me” at first.

“Yes.” Ben nodded, looking very innocent, I wish you could see it for real. If I hadn’t conspired with him beforehand, I’d think he was just an innocent kid (magic).

“Mom?”

“Uh-huh.”

“But you’re-”

“And this is dad.” my brother didn’t wait to be interrupted, pointing at me and continuing immediately.

“Ew! We are playing house, then I should play too.” Daonuea looked eager, but only the guy next to her wasn’t happy, looking grumpy. This is what I wanted, my little bro.

“Let’s hear it, who am I?” I pointed at myself for my kids, both of whom had just learned their new roles fresh and new.

“Dad!”

“Hehe, and that one?” I smiled as the kids got into their roles before Ben pointed at the only one at the table with a grumpy face. Who else could it be other than…

“Mom!”

“Hey, wait-”

“Good job, good kids.” I didn’t let the idiot finish speaking and interrupted. He turned to make a scary face at me, but who am I? Phii Bohn. I raised my eyebrows provocatively at him twice before turning back to eat.

“Bohn! The kids will get used to it.” the medical student complained. The kids, however, didn’t care about anything other than the big piece of chicken on their plates.

“Just let him install it.”

“Huh-”

“When eating, you’re not allowed to talk, kids, understand?”

“Yesss/yesss.”

“I-”

“Mom…Dad said no talking.” Said Daonuea, scolding her older brother before pointing a blaming finger at him. Thank God, Duen’s family has such obedient kids, everyone.

“Dao-”

“No talking!” Daonuea kept her pose.

“Uh…okay, okay.” Hey, I talked until my mouth was wet, and you didn’t listen, but your sister says a few words, and you give in? I was right to go through Daonuea…no, my daughter, huh.

“I’m so full, I feel like my stomach will burst.”

“Hey, honey, want to watch some cartoons?” The rascal asked innocently when he saw his chance. I should send you to study management…for some profit, but on second thought, better not. I hate those little management students’ faces.

“Is there Conan?”

“There is!” The half-Thai kid nodded quickly. I must thank the karma he’s accumulated from past lives because this little rascal likes watching Conan and tends to leave the discs here; there are enough to start a shop.

“Let’s go!”

“Dao-”

“Let’s do the dishes.” When I saw Duen was definitely not allowed, I dragged him to the kitchen, not forgetting to grab the plates and bowls. I told you, if you mess with his little sister, the spirit of some ancient glass will possess you instantly.

“But my sister-”

“Ben is still a kid. He won’t do anything.” I lied…he definitely will.

“But-” Duen tried to resist, but eventually, seeing that his resistance was futile, he stopped and led me to the sink.

What’s this, the scene is supposed to be easy, but it’s too easy.

“Bohn…if you’re that free, go play with the kids.” Duen stopped washing dishes and turned to look at me with an annoyed expression. What’s with me trying to keep you company because I was worried you might be lonely?

“Which kid?” I feigned ignorance, standing there watching him continue to wash dishes.

“Do you keep a child spirit or something? There are only two kids in the whole condo, Dao and Ben.”

“Those are my kids.”

“That’s another issue, I don’t understand what you’re playing at.”

“Huh.”

“What do you want me to do with that information!?”

“Satisfied.” I said, raising my eyebrows at my conversation partner. He huffed and turned back to scrubbing the dishes with such force that it made a loud scraping noise.

“Talking to you gives me a headache like a migraine coming on.”

“Is it?” I asked in surprise, thinking I might have annoyed him too much. Could he really be sick?

“No, I just heard my mom say it so I said it too.”

“Sigh.” I sighed, not knowing what else to say. Here I was, worried he might have a migraine and wanting to apologize, but instead…Speaking of which, in this situation…“Hey.”

“Hmm.” He responded irritably since I had bothered him again after less than a minute of silence. What, I just want to talk, it feels like I’m not even flirting with him.

“Help with this?”

“Can you even wash dishes?” Well, what does that question mean? Does he really see me as the rich kid like he used to say?

“I can, I’m human, you know.”

“No, go away.” He waved me off dismissively and turned back to the dishes. Seeing that, I slipped my arm around his slender waist to help with the dishes while resting my chin on his beautiful shoulder.

“But I want to help.”

“Bohn, you’ve been quite flirty lately.”

“You noticed, huh?” I turned my face to ask, still washing dishes. He stopped, looked at me, probably because our faces were so close that our noses almost touched.

“I’m human, not a buffalo.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t see anything.” I teased, moving my face closer, which made him turn his head away.

“I want you to realize it on your own!”

“I don’t want to.” I said dismissively, continuing to wash the dishes.

“I’ll find myself a beautiful girlfriend.”

“You dare.”

“Crazy! You’re just flirting with me. You’re not even my boyfriend, so what right do you have to stop me!”

“Then give me the right.”

“How?”

“Be my boyfriend.”

“No!”

“Why not?” I washed my hands and made him turn around to face me properly. Just now, he rejected me like he didn’t even think about it.

“You’ve only been flirting with me for a short while, plus, I already told you I like girls!”

“I told you to-”

“Enough, Bohn. You don’t like me, do you?”

“…”

“If you’re not sure, don’t do this.”

“…”

Kiss!

   I didn’t wait for him to finish speaking; I quickly leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. He looked stunned. I held it there briefly before pulling away.

“I’m jealous of you.”

“…”

“If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t be jealous.”

“…”

“You don’t have to agree to be my boyfriend now…but you’re not allowed to be someone else’s boyfriend.”

“Damn, Bohn…you’re trying to get too much out of me.” He cursed me while hitting my shoulder hard, his face slightly red…Can he only get this red?

“…”

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 22: Personal

   [Bohn]

   If I knew that the clothes I randomly told him to wear would turn out like this, I would have gone in to choose them myself! He ended up with a white shirt that’s significantly larger than his slender frame, but not so loose as to look bad, paired with knee-length jean shorts. It looks manly, not girlish…but I still find it sexy.

“Are you hungry yet, Ben?” As long as Ben doesn’t mess with Daonuea, Duen won’t emit his evil aura. That’s the conclusion I’ve researched and come to.

“Uh…very.”

“Then wait a bit.”

“Okay…Hey, Bohn, aren’t you going to watch?” The troublemaker asks me after Duen has gone into the kitchen. The kitchen is open plan; you can see what the person inside is doing from here.

“I’d just distract him.” I can’t cook. If I go in there, I’ll only cause chaos; worse, I might end up with a knife in my head…it’s possible. P.S. Please imagine a ghost bragging sound.

“Dad says watching your wife cook is the most precious thing in the world.”

“Really, huh?” Well, if Uncle Sam says so, then this nephew must go see for himself if it’s true.

“I thought you weren’t going.” The troublemaker smirks, his teasing tone and manner make my limbs twitch…my foot, can I kick my own brother? Will Aunt Pen scold me?

“I’m going now.” I shrug before quickly stepping into the kitchen, hearing Ben’s nasal laugh. I’m starting to hate that sound, huh.

Duen has such incredible focus; he didn’t even notice that I was watching him pick and choose for a while. The ingredients he was preparing seemed to be chicken legs that my mom bought a few days ago. I thought they were in the fridge waiting for me to throw them out, but luckily, someone saved them in time.

“What are you doing?”

“Damn! You scared the hell out of me…I’m making fried chicken, you idiot.”

As expected, when I spoke up, the person concentrating on cooking jumped, then Bohn muttered something and went back to mixing the chicken in the clear bowl. So tempting to tease…

“And what else?” Not trying to be annoying, but the menu can’t just be fried chicken since I see carrots, onions, and all sorts of ingredients laid out.

“Whatever you want to eat, I’ll make that.”

“?” Whatever I want to eat, you’ll make…I want to eat you. Are you going to jump into the frying pan?

“It’s not because I saw you wanted to eat…it’s just that we have the ingredients, so I’m making it.”

“What?”

“What was the dish in the cooking show you just watched?” Oh, the show I just watched? Hmm…stuffed tofu, hey!

“You’re really going to make that for me to eat?” I asked excitedly. Damn, having a good wife is like this, huh?

“Yeah.”

“Can you do it?” I watched Duen cutting carrots into cubes. I’ve seen it on TV; the chef I like to watch has this startled look but is incredibly good at cooking…Is he really good, or is it just that the food looks appetizing like mine does? They don’t let you taste it on TV, so maybe I could be a chef on a cooking show too, Chef Bohn, damn, that sounds good.

“It’s not that hard.”

“You’re a perfect wife for me.” I said, holding my chin like I was wise. I won’t starve now.

“Shut up…this morning I had to tell you to stop smiling, now I have to tell you to shut up, ugh.”

“What are you saying? What’s with the smiling, shushing?”

“Heh, nothing.”

“Are you bad-mouthing me, you idiot?”

“Do you dare call me an idiot, you brute!” The medical student turned around with a loud voice, does he know how good he looks no matter what he wears? He’s crazy, always thinking he looks like a tough guy in any outfit, your dad’s the real looker.

“Why?” I raise my eyebrows, pretending to deepen my voice like I usually do. It seems like Duen becomes more compliant each time I do this, but not in this situation…

“Want to eat?” The situation where I’m hungry enough to eat my own guts and he’s the chef…

“Yes…”

I stand there silently watching the slender figure. Not making a sound to disturb, I notice he’s already cooked the rice. His hands continue to chop vegetables when suddenly I remember something.

“Wait for me.”

“Where are you going?”

“…” I smile instead of answering and head to the small bedroom. I feel like Mom bought this a long time ago, but I rarely use it…I’ve never used it at all, actually. Ah, there it is, oh my, it’s in the same condition as when it was bought…once I have what I need, I don’t waste time, quickly unwrapping it from the bag and heading straight back to the kitchen.

“What…what’s this?” He startles when I stand behind him, then I reach around with what I brought, putting the apron over his head and tying it at the back.

Done.

“It’s an apron.”

“I’m not wearing that…it’s girly.” He’s right. If any other guy wore it, they’d lose their masculinity, but have you ever heard that there are always exceptions? Duen is the exception who looks adorable in a Little Pony patterned apron…

“Cooking will stain my shirt, and it’s white too.” I use his consideration as an excuse, which works; he goes quiet, though he still pouts at me alone.

Everything he does is fascinating in my eyes…I should take a picture. I pull out my fancy phone and capture the scene in front of me, making sure to silence it, so as not to disturb him. If I’m not careful, I might end up chopped into pieces instead of the vegetables.

So cute, just like Uncle Sam said, watching your wife cook is…extremely precious.

I reach out with one hand to lightly touch his slim waist, continuing to snap photos with the other. Are you concentrating, Duen? Whatever, the one who benefits is clearly me. This photo has the atmosphere of a married couple. I’ll store it in my ‘Pale Fool’ folder.

“Do you usually just boil instant noodles when there’s nothing to eat?” The voice of the one cooking startles me, making me quickly stuff my phone back into my pocket. What did he ask? Oh…

“Well, I can’t cook.”

“Do you eat this often?”

“Um…quite a bit.” Normally, I don’t eat a lot; only when Dad is not at home…which is most of the time.

“You’re crazy. Don’t you know that eating too much of this is bad for your health? Too much MSG, too much salt, you’ll die young.”

“Are you worried about me?” I asked with a smile, it feels nice…

“I’m not worried about you, I’m worried about Ben.”

“You don’t hate him anymore?” I asked, knowing full well he could never hate kids; this idiot loves kids to death, he always rushes towards any child he sees.

“I don’t hate him…I just don’t like how he teases my little sister.”

“Protective of your sister, huh?”

“Yeah! Don’t you ever feel protective of your siblings?”

“Not really.”

“You…jerk.” When he realized arguing with me wouldn’t get him anywhere, he turned back to cooking. Not long after, he seemed to remember something and looked back at me in shock.

“I forgot to call Mom and tell her I’m at the condo. You!”

“?”

“Can you grab the phone on the nightstand for me? My hands are dirty.” He showed his hands as if to illustrate. I didn’t say anything, just walked over and kindly handed him the phone…where is it? There it is, when he placed the phone on the nightstand, it was like we slept together last night…get a grip, me.

“I’ll go wash my hands-”

“No, I’ll dial for you.” I slid the screen to unlock it, but Duen’s phone had no passcode. He must not have much to hide, unlike mine which is locked from the screen to the apps.

“Then call Mom.” I nodded. As I was about to go into the contacts, I stumbled upon a name, ‘Phii Yim’. Who is Phii Yim? Why is his name so cool…suspicious.

“Ah.” I made the call and held it to his white ear.

“I’ll…Mom, I am at the condo, with a friend…I won’t be staying overnight, it’s raining.” At first, he was about to say, “I’ll hold it myself.” but his mom answered before he could, oh, luck is really on my side today, hah.

“Just sleep here, it’s raining hard.” I chimed in so his mom could hear, hoping she would agree. It is raining heavily, the sound of rain hitting the balcony is quite loud.

“But!…uh…Bohn.” Are you calling me?

“?”

“Not at all…uh…if anything, I will call, sir.” I didn’t ask anything, but after he finishes talking, I place his phone nearby so if someone calls, he can answer it quickly. If I put it in the room, no sound would penetrate through because my room is soundproof.

“Are you good at cooking?” I move to stand across from the chef, then ask while playing with whatever’s around. It’s nothing special. I just…want to see his face clearly.

“I’m alright. Not great.”

“I think you’re good.” Just look at how smoothly he chops. Plus, the food looks like it would taste good. Have you ever heard of judging by looks alone?

“You haven’t even tasted it yet.”

“My instincts tell me.”

“You flatterer.”

After that, I sit and watch him chop and peel away, it’s quite pleasing to the eye. They say men who can cook have a certain charm, what do you call it, the charm of the ladle?

“Bohn, aren’t you going anywhere?”

“No, I like watching people cook.”

“And can you cook?” Who do you think you’re talking to? You are conversing with an engineering student, a rough guy who could kick a Duen to death in front of the agriculture faculty. Of course…

“Huh. No.”

“Why?”

“I can…but whether it’s edible is another story.” I shrug. Ben was my first guinea pig for cooking, the second was Bihn. After that, I never made anyone taste my cooking again. I have occasionally cooked and taken photos…then thrown away what I made because it was inedible. Why keep it?

“You softie, haha.”

“Who would go on to be a house-husband like you, huh?”

“Definitely, I could be a good husband.” He acts self-assured, pushing his hair back that’s falling over his face…he’s handsome, but more annoying than anything.

“I doubt it.”

“Why?”

“Because you…”

“…”

“…Are my wife.”

“Shut up, Bohn, stop saying husband and wife like that.” The person seemed annoyed, his brows furrowed into knots. He really doesn’t like it, huh…but I like it.

“Why! Or do I need to remind you what we are to each other, Somsri!”

“Somsri, your dad, hahahaha.” Duen laughed out loud at my joke, every time my mom watches those slapstick soap operas after the news, she says this. I leaned my chin on the table, watching him laugh until he was shaking. I didn’t forget to snap a photo to keep. There must be hundreds of pictures from just when he was cooking.

“I like it when you laugh, it’s cute.”

I leaned my chin, smiling along with his smile. Have you ever felt like this? Not wanting to smile, but once you see the person you like smiling, you can’t help but smile too.

“How many times have you said ‘cute’ today?” Duen stopped laughing and put his hands on his hips to look at me.

“I don’t know, three…or maybe four.”

“I’m tired of it.” He made a face as if he was sick of it.

“But I’m not tired of it.” I walked around to hug his slender frame from behind, intentionally resting my chin on his round shoulder. Not trying to cuddle. It’s raining now, it’s cold…I’m worried he might get sick, really.

“Uh, don’t hug me! I’ll stab you with the knife!” He actually lifted the knife, this brat, Duen, the foolish murderer!

“So cruel, I surrender, surrender.”

“Go sit and wait on the sofa!” Is this what you call being chased away? If so, sorry, I’m not going, I’m shameless. Once he chased me away, he turned to fry the chicken legs. I want to cling to his life like I’m the host of the show, ‘Following

Duen’s Life.’

“No, I want to watch you.” I looked up into the pan, damn, the oil was bubbling.

“The oil might splatter on you.” The idiot turned to say, his eyebrows slightly furrowed with concern.

“Worried?”

“[Sigh] do whatever you want.”

“Ha ha.”

Sizzle

“Damn!” I jump back as soon as I feel the heat from the oil. Did Duen do that on purpose, or did the oil splash onto me by accident? It must have been an accident because Duen looks surprised too.

“Hey, are you okay?” He puts down the spatula and comes over to check my hand. At first, I wanted to pretend to be hurt so he’d tend to me, but my stomach can’t handle being hungry anymore.

“I’m fine, just keep frying, I’ll stand further away.”

“Haha, you softie. At first, you wouldn’t leave, haha.”

Shh, just wait, I’ll get you back, Duen.

Ring ring

‘Boss’

   Huh? Why call now? If it’s about going for drinks, I’m out; it’s raining heavily, who would want to go out…and right now, in the condo, it’s so comfortable that I don’t want to leave. Or is there an urgent project? Thinking this, I answer the call immediately.

“Hello.”

(Where are you?)

“At the condo.”

(Do you know you’re about to be dragged off and eaten by a dog?)

“What dog, eating what?”

(You’ve been around your ‘Nong’ so much you’ve caught his denseness. Have they arrived yet?)

“No, no, don’t speak ill of my wife.” I say into the phone while picking up a carrot to chew on. No need to say who the ‘Nong’ he’s talking about is.

(Huh. He’s not your wife at all. Right now, that famous management guy is scoring points against you big time.) I freeze, my hand reaching for more vegetables. Is the famous management guy the same one King said dropped off Duen?

“What do you mean?”

(Open your nong’s Facebook.)

“Duen, can I borrow your phone?”

“Huh, what for?” The slender figure tilts his head to ask but complies, handing over his phone willingly.

“Okay, I’ll call back later.”

(…Are you with him?!)

“Yeah.”

(Damn. Not ordinary, even like this you still don’t know who has the highest score.)

“What are you talking about?”

(Check the photo where your nong was tagged.) I did as my close friend suggested, tapping into Duen’s Facebook page. The first photo I saw was of him smiling at the camera with a large cup of ice cream in front. It’s cute. There’s nothing wrong with it, I was about to say that…

If my eyes hadn’t drifted to see the poster’s name first…

Korawit, Kp

   Brought the doctor for ice cream:) with Krisda Duennhaw

   (You saw it, right?)

“I’ll call you back.”

(Heh.) I hung up and scrolled up to check the date and time of the post, which was today at half past one in the afternoon. So, when the idiot said he went to the mall, it was with this guy? Thinking about this, I turned to look at the person frying chicken.

“Duen.”

“Huh?” He answered while still holding the spatula over the frying pan.

“Who did you go to the mall with today?”

“Daonuea.”

“…Anyone else?”

“?”

“Answer…”

“Why do you have to be annoyed about it?” Duenhaw turned to ask, his beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed. I must have let my emotions show…realizing this, I walked up to stand behind his slender frame and gently placed my large hand on his shoulder, trying to calm us both down.

“Sorry…answer me.”

“At first, it was just me and Dao, but then we met a senior we know, so we went together.”

“Really…and what did he do?” No way, Duen is so dense, he wouldn’t even notice if I was teasing him, let alone if someone was flirting with him, there’s no way he’d realize.

“He didn’t do much…just acted like he was flirting with Dao. He told me he wasn’t flirting but asked for her number, LINE, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you know!”

“Why would he do that!”

“He wants to keep in touch with Dao, shh, over my dead body!”

“…You’re such an…” Sometimes, being protective of your sister makes you even denser.

“Why?”

“Nothing…it’s raining today, just sleep here.” I walk back to the table, place Duen’s phone close by, then pick up my own phone with the other hand and start doing something.

“No!”

“Sleep.”

“But I-”

“It’s raining, it’s dangerous to drive back now, I’m worried…”

“…” After that, he doesn’t say anything more, not sure if he understood or if he’s pouting. I’ll appease him later…I go into my album, choosing the photo where Duen has his back to the camera, with my hand loosely around his slender waist, the background showing a table with vegetables, knife, chopping board, and various kitchen utensils. It’s clear the person in front is cooking…the picture I mentioned that gives off the vibe of newlyweds.

Your photos are just childish, huh.

Bon Ss

   Saved ‘Private’ #BohnDuen, with Krisda, Duennhaw

  

   MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 21: I’m worried, you know

   [Bohn]

   “I thought I was going to have to go down and carry you in” I say after Duen got into the car. It looks like he just came back from shopping, with a bunch of stuff. “Hello, Phii Bohn.” Little Dao says, waving at me with a smile. This is why Ben is so into her, always calling her ‘Honey’ this and ‘Honey’ that.

“Hi.”

“Where are we going?” The slender figure asks as soon as I start driving. It’s raining heavily, even for someone with good eyesight like me, it’s hard to see the road ahead. At this rate, the elderly or those with poor eyesight might get into accidents. This isn’t just the rainy season; it feels like a storm is coming.

“We’ll go to my condo first.”

“Why?” Duen asks while still using his floral shirt to dry his sister’s hair, what a loving brother. But…where did you get that floral shirt from? Songkran is still months away.

“The rain’s too heavy. I don’t want to drive far in case there’s an accident.”

“But…okay.”

“Where have you been?”

“To buy fresh groceries.”

“Oh.” I said before driving on. My younger brother must have been starving; he was banging on my door since five in the morning, saying, “I’m hungry! Make me something to eat now! Otherwise, I’ll mess up your happiness in every possible way, Sutin!!” He’s funny. But who the hell is Sutin, you little brat…That’s right, because my name isn’t Sutin. So I pretended to be asleep until not long ago when I suggested going out for chicken rice, but he wouldn’t come because he was caught up with his cartoons. Guess what manly show he’d be watching.

It has to be this one!

My little pony

“And where were you planning to go?” I glanced at the person asking, sensing a hint of politeness in their voice. When I called to tell him to get in the car, he kept deflecting the topic like he didn’t want to come.

“Initially, I was going to buy food to eat with Ben, but with this rain, there won’t be any sellers.” I guess I’ll have to settle for instant noodles.

“Haven’t you eaten yet?”

“No.” I responded, now too hungry to talk much. The next turn was to our condo. Here I am, little brother, Phii Bohn has arrived.

“Which meal…”

“Breakfast.” “Are you crazy? It’s been so long since this morning, why haven’t you eaten?” Is this a concern?

“I slept well, who wakes up early on a day off? It’s not cool.”

“Then you might as well die…” He’s worried, huh.

“Doesn’t Phii Bohn cook for himself, [yawning]?”

“I don’t know how to cook.”

“Let Phii Duen cook then.” Suddenly, the groggy one spoke up even though his eyes were still closed. Ha, Duen, you know how to cook? Crap, the qualities of a good wife, it’s fitting that you’re my future wife.

“Really?”

“Damn, it’s delicious too, even Mom praised it.”

“It’s not that big of a deal.” The medical student said softly, looking sleepy. I saw him shielding his sister from the raindrops. If he doesn’t take medicine, he’ll definitely catch a cold.

At first, I thought I was seeing things when I saw him, but when I saw Daonuea, I knew it was really Duen. Damn, luck is really on my side. I thought I wouldn’t get to see him today. Because I only asked him to bring flowers from Monday to Friday…not that I didn’t want to see him. I just didn’t want to disturb his work time.

“Is Ben at the condo too? [Yawn].” He asks before yawning and tightening his hold on Daonuea…is he cold? They just got caught in the rain, didn’t they?

Thinking that, I turn off the AC, which makes the other party turn and smile at me. Damn, his smile tugs at my heart.

Wait…why isn’t he wearing an undershirt! I look at the thin white shirt that’s wet and clinging to the slender figure, oh my. If I lose my mind and run to tackle you, what would you do?

“Yeah.” I answer and look back at the road, trying not to pay attention to the white skin peeking out from under the shirt. Why is the next turn so far away! “Is Ben there too? That’s great, Daonuea will have a friend.” Daonuea says softly, and when I look back, I see she’s already dozed off. Kids, huh. I was about to talk about clothes with the fool, but I had to keep quiet because…he’s asleep too.

Brother and sister cats?

“Duen, hey, Duen.” I wake Duen when I park under the condo.

“Huh. Are we there?” The slender figure asks sleepily while looking around. I secretly watch every move he makes; now, everything he does catches my eye…

“Yeah, do you want to wake your sister?”

“Yawn. No, I’ll carry her.”

“And what about all this stuff?” I glance at the things he bought, quite a lot. When he ran to the car, I was amazed he could carry all that while holding his sister.

“I can carry them.”

“Let me take them.” I brush his hand away when I see him trying to take the stuff while carrying his sister, not knowing his own limits.

“Huh, I’ll carry them myself.” Duen furrows his brows, whining…if you’re going to be this tempting, Duen.

“I’ll carry them. You take your sister.”

“But…”

“I’m still flirting with you, Duen.”

“You…crazy.” Bohn muttered under his breath. He must be fully awake by now, with a slightly red face, just a little bit red, but whatever, it’s a good change for someone who’s usually so clueless.

Then,

“Ha ha.” Being with Duen has made me discover a way to make him understand what I am saying…that is, to express it both with words and actions. Just speaking, he doesn’t get it, just doing doesn’t work either; you have to do both for this clueless guy to understand what you’re trying to convey.

“Good morning, Suwana.”

The receptionist greeted me with a smile. I nodded in response and led the slender figure to the elevator. Once I saw the other person had entered, I pressed the button for the fourteenth floor, my floor. I wonder what kind of face this scoundrel will make when he sees his honey. Ha, speaking of which, Duen really is like a mother; every ten seconds, he turns to look at Dao’s face to check if she’s awake or sleeping soundly, something like that.

“Why are you smiling?” Oh…was I smiling?

“No reason.”

“But it looks like you-”

“I just thought you’re so cute.”

“…”

Ding!

I smirked, stepping out of the elevator with the items as soon as the doors opened. What kind of face was he making? I turned back with curiosity and saw Duen walking out with a face flushed red. Can you still blush that much after such a tease?

“This room?”

“Yeah.” I reached out to open the door, but before I could even step inside, the scoundrel rushed in and bumped into my leg with force.

“Bohn! I’m so hungry…Oh, hello.” Once he realized who I was with, he raised his hands to wai awkwardly, clearly aware that his future brother-in-law doesn’t particularly like his face.

“Uh-huh.” Duen nodded in acknowledgment and gave a faint smile. Actually, he doesn’t hate Ben; he just doesn’t like anyone messing with his little sister, that’s all…probably.

“You can take her to sleep in the room.” I said, leading the way to the larger bedroom. My condo has two bedrooms; I sleep in the big one, and the smaller one (which isn’t that small) is for the scoundrel.

“Do you have children’s clothes…I doubt it. Then, can I borrow a tank top to change Dao into?”

“It’s in the wardrobe, I’ll go get it for-”

“You can wear my clothes.”

I and Duen raise our eyebrows, looking towards the source of the voice. Of course, the speaker is the half-Thai kid standing red-faced at the door. “I’m…about the same size as Honey.” True enough. Even though he’s a boy, their age makes Ben and Daonuea’s figures not that different. Daonuea might be a bit slimmer, but she can easily wear Ben’s clothes.

“But…”

“Go get them, you little devil…Hey Duen, it’s better than letting your sister wear a singlet where you can see through.” I say to Ben; the troublemaker, then lean down to whisper the latter part into the protective brother’s ear.

The slender figure doesn’t say anything more; he just nods in understanding and stands waiting for clothes from the troublemaker. When Ben comes back with the clothes faster than a rocket, Duen immediately ushers me and his sister out of the room. How protective can you be?

“Well, Honey’s even wearing your clothes.” I tease the troublemaker sitting on the sofa. He’s moved from watching ‘Little Pony’ to reading comics instead, probably shy in front of a girl.

“I won’t wash them either.” He says dreamily, damn. Who raised you to be like this, Ben, answer!

“You little psycho.” I scolded him and sat down next to him. Instead of denying it or making some excuse like a normal kid would.

“…”

“You are…” What should I call him? This kid is such a nuisance.

“Bohn, where can I let my sister sleep?” Not long after, the overprotective brother comes out carrying Daonuea, who has changed into fresh clothes. “Sleep…in the other room.”

“This one?” Duen points to Ben’s room across the way. He probably doesn’t think much of it, plus he’s too considerate to refuse.

“Uh-huh…huh.” I nod, glancing at my little brother who’s bending over his knees, trying to suppress his smile until he’s shaking, then looks up at me with joy.

“You’re the best brother in the world, Bohn.”

“Sure.”

“And what about dinner?” The troublemaker turns to ask me when he remembers something important. I totally forgot about dinner since I saw Duen.

“It’s raining, let’s boil some instant noodles.”

“I’m hungry. I’ll eat anything at this point.” Ben said dismissively, collapsing onto the sofa as if he had no energy left. Well, have I starved you that much?

“Yes, sir.” Achoo!

“Have you put Daonuea to bed?” I asked when I saw Duen coming out of the room.

“Yeah…what are you doing?” He peered at me as I was unwrapping the cup noodles, waiting only for the water to boil.

“Boiling noodles.”

“Why boil them?” He walked over to inspect the instant noodles I had prepared, carefully reading the label on the cup. Have you never eaten instant noodles before, huh?

“Hey, neither my little brother nor I have had breakfast yet.”

“That’s why I’m asking why you’re boiling them.” You think just because you’re going to be my (future) wife, I wouldn’t dare punch you? I’ll punch you with words!

   “What’s with you, Duen?”

“…”

“Do you have a headache?” I approached, placing the back of my hand on his smooth forehead to check his temperature. It’s not hot, or maybe the symptoms haven’t shown yet.

“No.”

“Then why do you look dazed? I’m just asking why you’re boiling them.”

“I’m going to make it for you to eat.”

“…” Are you going to eat it then? If not, I’ll only make it for your brother.” Duen spoke before walking over to the bag of fresh groceries. This is making my heart race way too much.

“I’ll eat it…I’m just happy.”

I smiled, walking up to stand behind him, resting my head on his beautiful shoulder to hide my face. I didn’t want him to see how wide my smile was. “Why are you always so cute?” After saying that, I wrapped my arms around his slender waist, asking for a little snuggle. You’re too adorable.

“You’re crazy…”

“But take a shower first, then we’ll cook.” I say out of concern. He hasn’t even changed his clothes yet. When he leaned on my shoulder, I could feel he was still wet.

“Why?”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“No, I’ll cook first, then shower.” The fool shakes me off, going to check out the fresh produce. You’re so stubborn, for a doctor. You take care of others’ health but not your own.

“Don’t.” I say in a flat tone while walking to grab a bottle of water from the fridge not far from my conversation partner. Even though it’s freezing, I want to drink cold water. I like cold things. Even if my gums are shivering, I won’t be deterred, even on such a cold day…

“Why?” He turns to raise his eyebrows, carrot still in hand. I take another gulp of water before continuing.

“I’m worried about you.”

“…”

“Hey.” It takes a while for Duen to recover from his surprise and run to the bedroom. I see his ears are red too, today is really a good day, huh.

“Bohn, which towel can I use?” The medical student opens the door to ask, his clothes still on. What were you doing in there just now?

“The white towel on the rack. For the bathrobe…the black one will do, I just bought it a few days ago.”

“Got it.” He replies and goes back in, likely to take a shower.

“I saw that.” Out of nowhere, Ben speaks up after I sit back down on the sofa, even though his eyes are still on the comic book in his hands.

“Saw what?”

“Honey’s brother is your boyfriend?” …Is it that easy to tell?

“Not yet, haha.” Honestly, I’m quite surprised that the troublemaker asked that, but whatever, he’s smart like his brother.

“That much, huh?” He props his chin up, giving a mischievous smile. This kid…he’s far from being just a child, I don’t remember raising him to be this cunning.

“Why?”

“You almost dragged him into the room to make love.”

“You little brat.” I scolded him without much seriousness, even laughing a bit.

Even a kid can see it, but Duen himself doesn’t realize it, oh, life.

“Hmph.” This must be karma for all the times I’ve annoyed Duen. You’re definitely a devil sent to torment me, Ben!

“Do you even know what ‘make love’ means? Who taught you?”

“I do know, you’re the one who taught me.”

“I never did.” I’m sure I never taught him about that stuff. Even if I was awake, I was awake discreetly, not openly enough to teach my little brother.

“You always act like that, so I picked it up.” He said, making a sad face like he’d caught an incurable virus…what a troublesome kid.

“Ugh, you really are annoying.”

“Oh, I forgot to call someone to pick up Duen’s car.” I muttered to myself and picked up my phone to call Moss, my dad’s subordinate, to ask him to fetch Duen’s car and bring it to the condo. Moss said he’d call back once he got there.

“Bohn.”

“Huh?” I answered but still had my eyes on the TV screen where the chef was demonstrating how to make stuffed tofu. Damn, it looks so good, the colors are really catching my eye, I want to eat it…

“What clothes can I wear?” Duen asked, his voice getting closer, but I was still focused on the cooking show, especially since I was hungry.

Grumble

“Choose whatever you want, I want to eat.” I said, the last sentence almost a whisper to myself. The person talking was silent for a moment before continuing…his voice closer than before, startling me.

“…”

“Come and choose, I feel like I’m imposing.”

“No need to feel imposed…” I was about to say not to worry and just choose, but I swallowed my words when I saw how Duen looked.

“What?”

I looked at the figure in front of me, his skin so white it was captivating, with wet hair sticking to his slender face, and a black cloth draped over him, making Duen look so good that I couldn’t take my eyes off him. You’re so sexy…

“Huh?”

“Go choose whatever.” I dismissed it, trying to force myself to focus on the stuffed tofu. You look at those stupid carrots, right Bohn, see how tasty they look.

Look at those round mushrooms, they look like rabbit poop…Ahhh!!!

“Huh-”

“Take the third shirt from the left and the fifth pair of pants from the top.” I said randomly!

“Ha…got it.” Duen looks confused by what I said but complies willingly.

Damn!!! Why did you do this to me!!

“Huh.” I completely forgot you were on the sofa too, Ben. He was pretending to watch TV but his ears were twitching. Plus, he was sneaking glances and teasing me, Ben, you little devil!!!

“Bohn…I think your clothes are a bit too big for me.”

“…That’s good enough.”

If you’re going to look this good, Duen!!

  

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 20: Rain

   [Duenhaw]

   “We’re back.”

“What were you talking about with Praewa’s dad?”

“We’re talking about Conan. Praewa’s dad likes watching it too.”

“Oh…really? That’s great, haha.”

“Yes, he watches every episode.” Damn. He watches every episode too? It seems he’s not just watching to accompany his daughter, but more for his own enjoyment.

“Wow, that’s amazing. I’ve only watched a few episodes.” The person across from her said.

“Why? It’s fun, you know.”

“If Daonuea says so, then I guess I’ll have to watch it.”

“That’s good, so we can talk about it.” Don’t talk to him, Dao, this Brother Gym is so annoying, being around him too long, you’ll catch the smiling disease, no, you’ll get infected.

“Really? And how will we talk?”

“Damn!”

“Phii Yim you can come to my school, XXX.” Oh, Dao, why would you tell him that, dear? He’s going to come and take you away, being this naive.

“Sure, haha.” Don’t touch your neck like that, it’s annoying.

“Here you go.” The female server placed the ice cream we ordered on the table, seemingly saving my sister from the smiling lolicon. But Phii Duen noticed they were playing rock-paper-scissors behind the counter; there must be a lot of people wanting this table…of course, because of Smile. Why don’t girls like guys like me, for real?

But her serving us is good. We can escape the topic of contacting Dao.

“I am in first grade, room one.” Oh, Dao, forget it, let’s forget this part!

“Got it…but I am not often free, but I’d like to talk about Conan with you, Daonuea.”

“Uh…you can call!”

“Do you have a phone?” She’s just in first grade, how could she have one? But some of Dao’s friends do have them. I’m puzzled about what they use them for. If it were iPads or gaming consoles, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Huh, no.”

“That’s bad…then how will I contact you?” Bohn, you bastard, you said at first you wouldn’t flirt because she’s too young, huh. Look at what you’re doing now. I gave the business guy a threatening look, and it seemed like he noticed. What do you think he’ll do? …Of course, he turned to smile at me, ugh!

“I know! You can take Duenhaw’s number.”

“…Phii Duen, will you give it to him?” I won’t give it! Use it to flirt with my sister, you dressed-up cockroach, rice waster, Tang’s smelly can, collarbone eater, shrimp carrier, swamp morning glory, skull of canned fish with Mother Tip’s chili paste!!!!

“You said you weren’t going to flirt with my sister.” I say softly, intentionally for only us two to hear.

“I’m not flirting, just making friends.”

“Hmm.”

“Phii Duenhaw, give him your phone, quick.” Okay, Dao orders, what can a brother do?

“And if your phone runs out of credit, how will me and Daonuea talk…”

“Hmm…”

“Give me all your social media, your Facebook, LINE, Instagram, WhatsApp,

Twitter!” I furrow my brows, handing over my phone sarcastically, and he actually takes it!

“Thank you, haha.” The other guy takes my phone with his right hand. His left hand is holding his own phone, tapping and scrolling for a while. The smile that once adorned his handsome face gradually fades, his beautiful eyebrows raised in confusion.

“Is there something wrong?” I ask while continuously eating the dessert in front of me. The person questioned looks at me again, seeming like he wants to ask something but ultimately doesn’t.

“Nothing.” What’s with that, whatever, the strawberries are delicious, Phii Duen likes sour things.

“Duen.”

“Hmm?”

Click

“Hey, Phii Yim, why are you taking a picture!” I protest when I turn towards the sound and find I’ve been secretly photographed. I wasn’t prepared and I’m not looking good!

“Looks cute, haha.”

“Let me see, is it ugly?” I extend my hand, watching the slender fingers type something on my phone screen. Soon, I get my phone back as I requested, but the picture is on Phi Gym’s phone.

“It’s not ugly.”

“Let me see.”

“Check it on Face.”

“Are you posting this on Facebook too?” I asked in shock. “Damn, you can take photos and delete them, but why do you have to expose my face to the world?”

“Tag me too, please. Ha ha ha.”

“Phii Yim!” I immediately opened the app, only to see hundreds of notifications like every other day, but the latest one was from my new friend on Facebook, who was the smiling face right in front of me!

Khorawit Kp

   Had ice cream with the doctor:) with Krisda, Duennhaw

   “Delete it!” I protested, pointing at him accusingly.

“Quite cute, ha ha.”

“Man…” Actually, the picture he posted wasn’t bad. In the photo, I was smiling at the camera, with a bit of chocolate at the corner of my mouth, holding a spoon, with a large dessert bowl in front of me. Damn, I look super handsome.

“Smile.”

“Shut up.” I cursed and turned back to his post. Now people were starting to like it…no, actually, it was more like a flood of likes, because the number of likes was increasing rapidly. Fiji Yim isn’t ordinary…

Phoomrapee Ghongkit: Hiding, huh?

   Lemon frungfrink: Where did you find this doctor?

   Oat: Hey, take it easy, man. Playing with fire, huh? Be careful.

   What are they talking about? I made a confused face at the messages I just read.

Whatever, there’s nothing harmful in the comments.

“Phii Yim is so cheesy with his smiles.” I said, turning back to my ice cream.

“Don’t you like it?” The person in front of me asked with a slightly hurt tone…but still smiling.

“It’s not that I don’t like it.” I shrugged and took a scoop of ice cream. Wow, it’s delicious. Normally, I don’t eat much of this; my mom says too much isn’t good for the body.

“Then let’s part ways here.” I decided to say goodbye in front of the ice cream shop after we finished eating because Daonuea was starting to get sleepy, and I had to take her home to sleep. Kids are like this; once their bellies are full, their eyes start to droop. When I was a kid…no, even now, am I just lazy?

“Oh, you’re leaving already?” Don’t give me that sad look. Don’t you have anything to do?

“Yeah.”

“Okay, see you.” Phii Yim waves goodbye before turning to look at the famous brand clothing store across the way. Seems like he wants to buy clothes from there; he’s been looking since we were eating ice cream.

“Want to buy clothes?” I follow his gaze; the store has a lot of clothes, but they’re not my style. I’m more into powdered milk shirts, that’s the ultimate trend.

“Well…yeah.”

“Then go buy some.”

“Can you come with me?” My eyebrows furrow slightly when I see the management guy making a sad face while clutching his chest and blinking rapidly.

“Phii Yim, are you lonely or something?” I tease. Ever since we were in the supermarket, it’s been ‘Can we walk together?’, ‘Can I come with you?’, ‘Can you keep me company?’ Are you so lonely you can’t walk alone?

“Not really, but I want you to help choose.”

“Sigh. Alright.” I sigh in defeat and walk ahead, not forgetting to lead the sleepy-looking Daonuea along.

“Thank you, haha.”

“Welcome, feel free to ask if you need anything.”

The lonely guy nods in greeting to the employee, then walks over to look at the shirts in front. Shirts, shirts, what the hell, that’s not Phii Duen’s style. Wait…that one looks nice. Let me check the price…

5,000! If I spend that, I might not have money to eat anything else, you profiteer.

Why are there still people buying this at such a price?

“Which one do you want to look at?” I go over to ask the one who came with me. He looks at several items, touches them, but continues browsing, probably not satisfied.

“Choose one for me.”

“Me?” Me! You’ve got it wrong, Phii Yim. Even Daonuea, who’s sleeping on the sofa, would be better at choosing than me…Daonuea has been a fashion leader since she was a kid, must be the strong modeling genes from our mom.

“Yeah.”

“You’ve got it wrong, let Dao choose for you.”

“No, she’s asleep. You choose for me.”

“…I’m telling you, I have no sense in this.”

“Are you lying?” He raises his eyebrows while looking down at the clothes on me, I didn’t choose these myself.

“Today, Mom chose the clothing for me.” If I had chosen it myself, it wouldn’t look this good…I’d look like one of those broke guys, surviving on rice husks day by day. Yeah, I know, but it looks chic to me.

“Really? No worries, come on and choose.” You…don’t care about your own image at all, do you? But then again…he looks good in anything, doesn’t he? Even today, with just ordinary clothes, he still looks like a Korean heartthrob.

“Don’t regret it later.”

“Come on, ha ha.” Get ready to open up to a new world of fashion, Phii Yim…

I walked around looking at clothes, picking up the nice ones to check the price.

If it was expensive, I’d pass. Until I stumbled upon one shirt…it’s so gorgeous!

Wow, and it’s not even expensive! This one’s the one!

“Ah, this one.” I walked back to Phii Yim, who was playing on his phone on the same sofa where Daonuea was sleeping. When he heard me, he looked up, then froze in surprise. See? I told you this shirt was beautiful, Phii Yim’s eyes were wide open.

“Why did you choose this one…?”

“Want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“I like it, and it’s the cheapest in the store.”

“…” There was a moment of silence after my sentence ended, my conversation partner’s mouth agape, staring at me in disbelief. Why? “You’re funny, ha ha ha.”

“Ha, I might not take this one then.” I had already anticipated this; my taste isn’t good, I’ve been criticized by friends and parents until I’m used to it. I grabbed the shirt back, ready to put it away, but it was snatched away first.

“Hey, come on, take it.”

“Would you dare to wear it?” I wear this kind of stuff all the time, so I don’t care much about what others think, but if he wears it…

“If I have the guts to choose it, I dare to wear it too, ha ha.” Oh, he’s daring to wear it too. I once bought something similar for Phu; he put it in his closet and never let it see the sunlight again…it was actually quite nice.

“Alright, buy it for sleeping then.”

“Ah, I was thinking of wearing it for the holiday.” The person speaking held the shirt up against themselves in front of the mirror. Why does it look so good on him? Like he just stepped out of a magazine. This world is so unfair.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then…I’ll buy one to wear with you.” I smiled and picked up an identical shirt but in a different color. This color is nice too.

“I’m telling the truth.” He follows behind with a smile, leaning on the clothes rack nearby. Why does everything you do look good, it’s annoying.

“Yeah, I feel sorry for you, afraid of people staring, haha.”

“So, you’ll walk with me?”

“Yes, haha.”

“So that people will stare even more?”

“Better than being stared at alone.”

“Okay, up to you.” In the end, I actually bought it. It didn’t take long to pay and walk to the parking lot. At first, I was going to pay, but Phii Yim said he would pay as compensation for making me accompany him, okay, you said it yourself.

“We’re here, we’ll part ways here, Phii.” I say when we reach Supachai. I should mention, I carried Daonuea all the way. She’s fast asleep, snoring, what should I do, let her hold on from behind or sit in front…better in front, if she sits at the back, she might fall off.

“Uh-huh, see you at the university.”

“Will we meet?” I study medicine, you know. I don’t go out much usually, (except recently, I’ve been going places other than home and faculty a lot). And he studies management. The distance between our faculties is like from Betong to Mae Sai.

“We will. If you come to find me at my faculty.”

“Ha. Why would I do that?”

“To see me, of course.”

“No way, too lazy.” Don’t mess with the Thai sun, every step out of the medical building, I think twice.

“Then I’ll come find you.”

“For?”

“I want to see you.”

“Huh, up to you.” Welcome to the world of tanned skin.

“Okay, then I’ll go.”

“Bye.” I wave goodbye to Phii Yim and ride off with Daonuea sitting in front.

The sound of the bags flapping in the wind grows louder as I speed up. I hate this sound, it’s so annoying, but at least with the helmet on, it’s not too loud.

Tomorrow, I plan to finish the work I’ve left undone, so I won’t be like a pig with mud on its tail. There’s a lot to do, and with exams coming up, it’s super stressful. Tang always works hard, but I don’t know how he manages to get such good grades.

King is another guy with very good grades. If we’re being honest, all three of us have good grades, but the way we achieve them is different. Tang can do well without studying or reviewing, unlike me who needs to read and memorize to get good marks. As for Phu, just a little review is enough for him to score well. I don’t know how Phu and Ram do it since we’re in different faculties, I heard that-

Pat, pat, sizzle!

Damn! It’s raining. Not just raining, it’s pouring down, with huge drops. Rain, are you picking a fight with me?!

Normally, I would brave the rain without fearing a cold, but today I have Daonuea with me. So, I decided to park the car at a nearby bus stop where there weren’t many people.

“Daonuea.” I nudged the little one awake when the bike was parked properly. She woke up groggily, oh my, still sleeping in this situation, Nong PhiiDuen.

“Huh?”

“Let’s take shelter there quickly.” I used one hand to carry her into the bus stop and held our recently bought items with the other. Why does it have to rain on the day I have so much stuff!

“Got wet…” I mumbled, shaking my shirt. Luckily, Daonuea wasn’t too wet because I shielded her, but I was completely soaked…Sigh, and it’s a white shirt too.

“Duenhaw, can we go home?”

“Yes, we can. The rain will stop soon. Are you cold?” I pushed my little sister closer to where I was standing to avoid the splashing rain. Oh, I bought a new shirt today, didn’t I?

“Uh-huh.”

“Here, cover up with this.” I took the shirt out of the bag and draped it over her small shoulders. Damn, the rain is so heavy I can barely see the road, it’s all white.

My dear Supachai, I was going to give you a bath, but now you won’t need it…

Rrrrr

Huh…who’s calling now? With this rain, I’m not really in the mood to answer the phone.

‘Mom’

“Yes, Mom?”

(Really raining, huh?) Mom probably didn’t think it would actually rain. I didn’t think so either; the weather was fine at first.

“Right now, we are taking shelter at the bus stop near XXX.”

(Damn, that’s far from home, have you just come out from the mall, son?) We should have been done shopping a long time ago if it weren’t for Phii Yim. “Yes, I met someone I know, so we went to buy some clothes.”

(You bought clothes?) I automatically pull the phone away from my ear when Mom screams in surprise, even Daonuea gets startled by Mom’s voice.

“Yes, why?” Thinking about it, I don’t really buy clothes often; usually, I only buy study materials and books.

(What kind of shirt, what brand, which store!)

“Store XX.”

(Brand-name stuff! What kind of shirt did you buy, son?)

“Mom, you will be surprised when you find out, hehe.” I smile like Phu, looking down at the shirt I just bought today. It’s nice, even Dao likes it…right?

(Tell me, I want to know what shirt caught your eye.)

“A shirt…”

(…Come on, Duen, say it again, what shirt did you buy?) My sentence must have been drowned out by the rain noise earlier, so Mom didn’t hear. I cough and repeat slowly.

“A Songkran flower-patterned shirt.” (…)

Silence

“Hello, Mom?” I look at the screen to check if Mom hung up because she went silent as if the call dropped. Oh, she’s still on the line, why has she gone quiet?

(Son…)

Honk honk!

What car is honking so loudly? I can’t see clearly because it’s far, but…is it honking for Dad?

(What was that sound, Duen?)

“Some car, Mom.” I say while squinting to look at that car. Wait, it looks familiar, I think I’ve seen this white car somewhere.

Beep beep

(Look to your right). I furrow my brows in annoyance, looking in the direction the person on the phone mentioned, only to see that white car…wait, the more I look, the more familiar it seems, or is it…

(If you know the driver, get in.)

“Hey, but I brought my bike!”

(Are you going to brave the rain coming home?)

“No, but I…”

(Hang up and go with him.)

“What about Supachai?” Phii Duen won’t leave the bike for the police to tow away. Even though it’s not worth hundreds of thousands, Phii Duen loves Supachai.

(I hate the name of your car to death. Alright, I’ll get someone to pick it up, son.) Crap, you’re filthy rich.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll wait for the rain to stop.”

(Will you go by yourself or should I come there and carry you into that car?)

“Mom, huh!”

(If that’s the case, then get in.)

“I’m wet, the car-”

(Get in.)

“Very bossy, Dad Hitler!” As soon as I cursed, I hung up, I’ll go then!

LINE message? Now?

‘Bohn’

   “Mom, that’s all for now.”

(Okay, be careful not to get sick.)

“Yes.”

Ai-Hia Bohn: Get in the car.

   Huh? Which car are you talking about? Are you drunk, Bohn? I thought to myself as I was about to type a reply, but I was startled to the point of almost dropping my phone when the person who sent the message called.

“ga-”

(Get in the car.) Oh, can’t you let me finish my sentence?

“Which car? Right now I-”

(You’re at the bus stop near XX with Daonuea…right?)

“Yeah…how did you know?”

“What’s wrong, Duenhaw?” Daonuea turns to ask me with curiosity, pulling my shirt tighter around her shoulders. I’m cold too, but as the older brother, I have to sacrifice for the younger…I’m so cool.

“Nothing, I’m just talking to a friend.”

(You don’t remember my car, you fool?)

“Huh?”

“What’s the matter?”

“We’ll go get in that car over there.” I say, pointing at the rascal’s white car. Looking closely, it feels like I can see the driver resting his chin, looking this way, huh, what a tease.

“Huh? Who is it?”

“A crazy person.”

Pfft

 

   MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 19: Drunk on Smiles

   [Duenhaw]

   Bohn must have studied so hard that his brain melted; he said he would flirt with me, and he’s actually doing it…it’s been several days now, and he shows no sign of stopping. Damn, or maybe it’s because Thailand’s weather is too hot, and his already hollow brain couldn’t handle it, so it got destroyed. Yeah, that must be it, or he’s just crazy. I think it’s the latter.

Ring ring

Who’s calling so early in the morning? I think to myself before getting up from my chair to check my phone on the pillow. I was working just now, but I couldn’t concentrate much because all I could think about was that ‘Gralen’.

‘Ai-Hia Bohn’

   Seriously, are you moving in with me or something, sir? Are you hard to kill or do you have some special sense that you know I’m cursing you? Should I answer?

Okay, I’ll answer, whatever.

“Hello.” I speak into the phone while walking back to continue my work. This subject is extremely hard; low credits but a workload higher than Mount Meru.

(You little shit, Duen.)

“Come on, what the hell do you want cursing me for?”

(Is this how you answer your husband’s call?)

“Your dad’s husband! If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” What did I expect, this bastard scared me.

(Try it) Are you threatening me!? Do you dare threaten Phii Duen? I’m not afraid, damn it, Phii Duen isn’t weak!

“What are you going to do?” I asked in an annoying voice while putting down the pen I was holding. Talking to you, I can only write ‘Fuck’. How is my work going to get done like this, huh?

(Try it, you’ll find out)

The silence isn’t because of anything, really. After meeting him, I asked my friends in the faculty if they knew Bohn from engineering, and they all answered unanimously, ‘he’s brutal’. They also said whenever there’s a fight, the opponent always goes back with an ambulance.

(Don’t you want to try, huh?)

“Shh, you idiot, what’s the call about?” I decided to change the subject so he wouldn’t know I was scared. Actually, I’m not weak or anything; my dad made me learn boxing when I was young. Not just a banana tree, huh…I can even kick banana shoots without them falling. This physique comes from swimming…I pity myself for a moment.

(Just nothing, yawn) Is your house an ATM or what? Or do you have a private ATM in your bedroom, huh?

“Why did you call then?” I frowned. I’m not annoyed, just irritated by him. He once said his family was very rich, so a call like this probably doesn’t faze him. (Just nothing, just wanted to say…)

“Huh?”

(Good morning)

I went silent the moment I heard that sentence. I don’t know why my heart was beating strangely hard; I need to go for a yearly check-up. If it’s a complication, it would be bad.

(You’re shy, huh?) From the sound of his voice, he must be making an annoying face, he looks cool and quiet with friends, but why does he become such a pest when he’s with me?

“No way.” I hung up and ran my hand through my hair in frustration. Damn, what are you saying, you bastard. I won’t work on this anymore, I was trying so hard to be productive…

“Daonuea, what are you watching?” When I walked downstairs, I sat down on the soft sofa.

“Conan.” Huh, isn’t it over yet? Conan has been around since I was as small as a tadpole.

“Oh, you’re here.” And Daonuea turned her attention back to the cartoon, muttering throughout the show, ‘This one must be the culprit,’ or something like that…which she says about every new character that appears.

“Kids, breakfast is ready.” Mom walked out of the kitchen, placing breakfast on the table. In the morning, mom doesn’t like making heavy food. It’s usually congee, rice porridge, or sometimes omelets with fried sausages like today.

“Looks delicious, Mommy.”

“Really? Then eat it all, my smart girl.”

“Okay!”

“And do you have any work today, Duenhaw?”

“We do, but it’s not urgent, I can do it anytime. Is there something you need?”

“The fresh food in the fridge is almost gone. Could you go buy some for me?”

My mom smiles kindly; she’s the kindest person, but she’s also a black belt in

Taekwondo. She says even though she’s a model, she needs to learn self-defense.

Mom once sent someone to the hospital too. There was this one time when dad tricked her by saying he was going to work, but he was actually drinking with some old guy at the street corner. My mom, furious, threw dad down to the ground…but the one who ended up in the hospital was the old guy because he had a heart attack from the shock of seeing Mom throw dad down.

She’s ruthless, that’s the ultimate power dad always talked about, the legendary power of a wife…

“Okay.”

“Then let me write down the list for you.”

“Mommy, Daonuea wants to go too.” My sister, the princess of fluffiness…

“Will you go? Hmmm, okay, I’ll give you extra money for snacks.”

“Yay/yay!” Both Daonuea and I shout with joy, hehe, we’ll go for ice cream. I haven’t gone out with my little sister, Dao, in a long time.

“Drive carefully, son, and Daonuea, hold on tight, don’t fall, okay? Oh, the weather forecast says there might be some drizzle today. If it rains, stop and wait it out.” My mom goes on and on. She’s always like this, not really wanting her kids to go out unless it’s necessary. Well…we’re all good-looking kids after all.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay!”

The place we’re going to shop for Mom is a big mall; they have everything there, fully equipped. The supermarket on the ground floor is huge, and the stuff there is cheap and good, especially now with the sales, we should stock up a lot. My sister and I have bottomless stomachs.

After parking the car, I take my sister’s hand and lead her into the mall. I’ve dressed better than before, forced by Mom, you could say she dressed me. Today, Daonuea and I are twinning in white t-shirts and cuffed pants. Looking at us, others might think we’re siblings or even father and daughter, haha.

“Duenhaw, I want to sit in the shopping cart.” She says when we reach the supermarket area, her small figure running to grab onto a big shopping cart with a smile. With that smile, what else can I do but lift her up to sit in the child seat.

“Fresh goods, fresh goods, oh, Duenhaw, fresh goods are right there.”

“Very good.” I gently pinched the soft cheek until the other party giggled, so cute, whose kid is this… Phii Duen’s handsome sister, hehe.

“Go, Sunny!” The kid pointed ahead as if directing me to push the cart. All kids do this when they watch a lot of cartoons. They call people by the names of characters; I used to call Tang “Tang Seng” too…oh, that’s not from a cartoon, sorry.

“Am I Sunny? But who is Sunny…Sunny Suwanmethanon?”

“No, Sunny is the ship of the Straw Hat crew.”

“Oh…right, One Piece.” Phii Duen likes One Piece too, especially Zoro, he’s so cool. I remember when I was in kindergarten, I always closed my left eye…but I had to stop because I fell down the stairs at school. The path of the swordsman is truly tragic.

“Yesss.”

“OK, I’ll be your ship, haha.” I jokingly pushed the cart quickly, making my conversation partner laugh. Soon, we arrived at the fresh produce section, mostly housewives here, not many househusbands. When Daonuea and I pushed the cart through, we immediately became the center of attention.

“Duenhaw, let me choose myself.” I nodded, lifting the small figure out of the cart. Once her little feet touched the ground, she headed straight to the fresh vegetable shelf, not forgetting to take the shopping list mom gave her. Am I just the ship and the servant here? Giggles.

“Ca…ca…carrot!” She can read the signs too, the smartest and fluffiest little princess of mine.

“Which ones are fresh, Daonuea?”

“Mom said to pick the fat ones, with bright orange color, and not to choose the ones with cracks.” Not just saying it, she showed me the fresh carrots that matched her description.

“Dao is so clever.” I bent down to pinch her small cheeks playfully.

“Hehe.”

“Is that Duen?”

Huh…I turned towards the voice mixed with light laughter, only to see someone I didn’t expect to meet here. No, I didn’t expect to see him again at all…the annoying guy with a smile on his face.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Coming to the supermarket, one comes to buy fresh stuff, right?”

“Annoying…” I was about to curse but then remembered I’m with Dao, and it seems like the other person knows I wouldn’t dare to be rude in front of my sister.

“What’s annoying?”

“Nothing.” I reply with a dismissive tone, secretly sticking my tongue out at him while Daonuea turns to look at the mascot bear for the powdered milk brand.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here? Or do you want to be countered again, is that your little sister?”

“Yeah.”

“Hello.” Daonuea turns to wai the annoying guy, oh, Phii Duen’s little sister is the cutest. That’s why I don’t want her near that foreign devil.

“What’s the name of this beautiful girl?” He squats down to ask. He seems to love kids, and people who love kids usually have good personalities…like me!

“Daonuea.” Daonuea answers with a smile, her cheeks slightly red, probably shy from the guy smiling at her. Did I ever mention how charming his smile is?

Hey, no way, he might flirt with Dao!

“Hey, hey, don’t get too close to her.” I walk around to pull Daonuea back towards me protectively. The management guy looks a bit surprised but then gives a knowing, mischievous smile…

“Walk with me. I don’t have anyone to walk with.”

“Aren’t you here to buy things? Why do you need a walking buddy?” I say, before stepping forward to continue buying the items on Mom’s list, but the tall guy blocks my path and makes a sad face.

“Walking alone is lonely, and it’s cold in here…don’t you feel sorry for me?” This is a supermarket, not a detention center.

“Pfft, no, haha.”

“…” What…why do I feel a chill down my spine? He must be up to something, damn it.

“Little miss, will you let me walk with you? I’m so lonely walking by myself…” I knew it! He’s playing the sad face card with my sister. Did I mention we’re siblings who are easily pitied?

“Poor you, so pitiful.”

“Right? I’m so pitiful, aren’t I?” Not good, his acting skills are strong. Looks like Phii Duen, the handsome one, needs to intervene before…

“Dao-”

“Sure, me and Duen will keep you company.”

“Oh, that’s great, this is what it feels like to be surrounded by Dao and Duen, haha.”

“Hey, you-” Just as I was about to start cursing, he sent me a sly smile and looked away, then said something that made me shut up.

“Your sister’s here, are you really going to curse?”

“Damn…” I let out a huff instead of apologizing or saying something like, ‘Oh, I’d better not go,’ or ‘Just kidding,’ but no! He…

“Hahaha.”

Burp sound

“Phii Duen, could you grab that cabbage head for me?” Where? Oh…

“Ah…”

“This one, sir?” The bastard is smiling!! Crazy! Do you know what he did? He cut in front of me to grab the cabbage for Dao! Are you seriously trying to flirt with my sister, you lolicon!

“Yes, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, haha.” Acting all funny and scratching the back of his head, don’t try to charm my little sister.

“But what’s your name, kha?”

“Me? Ask Duen.” I still don’t even know your name. Back then, your car was so loud it drowned out your voice, I didn’t hear even a single letter of your name. “What’s his name, Duenhaw?” Just as I was about to tell the truth, I thought of something fun and turned to give a mischievous smile to the other guy…damn. I shouldn’t have been around Bohn so much, I’ve picked up his habits.

“His name is Yim.”

I said, trying my best to look credible. The other guy was silent for a moment, as if he was about to say something, but Daonuea interrupted him. It was me who was head down.

“Wow, what a cool name, who would be named Gym?” Not Gym! It’s Yim, Daonuea, Yim as in smile!

“It’s not Gy-”

“Thank you.”

“Hey.” The engineering student gave a playful eyebrow raise before walking over to lift Daonuea into the shopping cart. We’ve finished shopping now, really, this guy finished shopping ages ago but stayed for some reason, definitely to flirt with my sister. My Daonuea has already been charmed!

Alright.

“Where to next, beautiful?” The annoying guy smiles and asks the little figure, one hand holding his own basket while the other pushes the cart where Dao is sitting. I can push it myself, you know, it’s my sister!

“We’re going to pay and then have ice cream with Duenhaw.”

“Really? Can I join you?” The speaker leans down to ask with a cheeky look. I’m sick of your face, don’t let him come, Daonuea, oh, do you understand the look your brother is giving you, my dear sister?

“Sure.”

“Oh, how nice, surrounded by you and Duen again. Haha.”

“Ugh, you’re crazy.”

“The total is 783 baht.” I hand over the money to the cashier, and soon she gives me the change along with the shopping bags. As I reach out to take them, the smiling guy grabs them first.

“I’ll carry them.”

“It’s fine.” I try to take the bags back, but he won’t let go, dodging like his father is a gibbon from the jungle in South Kapuahua…there’s no such place, I just made that up.

“I’m trying to be helpful.” He makes a sad face, covering his mouth with his hand, pretending to sniffle as if he’s crying.

“I didn’t ask.”

“I’ll carry them anyway.” Seeing that the sad face act doesn’t work on Phii Duen, he switches to annoying mode, raising his eyebrows and walking over to Dao who’s waiting on the other side.

“Ai Yim fool!” Damn, he’s stuck with the name ‘Yim=Smile’, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, smile, just smile, damn!

On the way to the ice cream shop, the management guy keeps smiling throughout the walk, smiling as he walks, joking and laughing with Dao as if they were the only two people in the world.

Annoying!

“What would you like?” The female employee asks us after we’ve walked over and sat at the table, with Yim, I mean the smiling fool, sitting opposite us alone.

Dao and I sit on the other side, with me on the inside.

“I’ll have…this one. And for Duenhaw, this one.”

“Does your Phii Duen like this one?” Suddenly, the guy sitting across from us asks. Hey, the employee is waiting.

“Huh. I don’t know, but Duenhaw likes sour things.”

“Oh…really?”

“Problem?” I asked seriously, my conversation partner smiled as an answer before turning to order his own ice cream. Hey, are you messing with me? Just wait, Phii Duen will give you a piece of my mind.

“That’s Praewa over there.” While I was about to start a fight with this business student, suddenly my little sister spoke up, pointing to the corner table of the shop where Praewa was sitting with her dad. Praewa must have seen Daonuea because she was waving her hand gently.

“Daonuea, I’ll go see Wa for a bit, okay?”

“Okay.” Once she got my permission, she smiled and ran off. Alright, time to clear things up with Yim..no, Smile now.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

“Are you flirting with Dao?”

“…”

“Your silence means you are! You lolicon!” What the hell? Even with that kid, I could understand because he’s young, but this guy is grown up. If we fought, he’d definitely win, looks like Phii Duen needs to work on those six-packs.

“Hahaha.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, haha.” Your mouth apologizes, but you’re still laughing so hard you’re shaking! I don’t see any remorse on your face, you crazy bastard!

“Stop laughing!”

“Okay, hahaha.”

“Hey, you!”

“Ahem, haha.” The guy in front of me was holding his stomach with both hands, laughing at the table like he’d lost his mind, what’s so funny?

“Stop, stop, haha…I’m not flirting with her.”

“Liar.”

“There’s such a big age gap. No way.” The speaker leaned back comfortably against the sofa, looking at me with a smile. You really smile all day, don’t you? “Really?”

“Don’t let me catch you flirting with my sister, or I’ll knock you down, just watch.”

“Hey, hey.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t remember, or just want to tease?”

“I wanted to tease, so…it’s not that I can’t remember, but when you said your name, the car noise was loud, so I didn’t hear it.” I answer honestly, lying wouldn’t get me money, and it would be a sin too.

“Oh.”

“Tell me your name then, calling you ‘Yim’ might stick.” Actually, it’s starting to stick already…

“It’s okay.”

“?”

“Just call me that.” You smile too much. Not passing, the girls only look at your smile and not my gums, I’m in a bad mood.

“Never mind.”

“Only three people know the name Yim…so when you call, I’ll know who it is.”

“Oh, I see.” If he wants to be called that, that’s his business. I’ve gotten used to calling him Gym too.

“Call me ‘Phii’ too.”

“Huh?” My eyebrows raise in confusion. Call him ‘Phii’…can I? And will ‘Phii’ give me 15,000 baht for snacks, okay, are you too young to understand, sorry…

“I’m in my second year.”

“Phii Yim.” Even if he’s annoying, he still deserves some respect. Phii Duen can call him that. When I address him like that, he smiles again…the interval between your smiles is 0.000000000001 seconds.

“Nong Duen.” He smiles again, Phii Yim, I’m going to get drunk on your smile.

 

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 18: The Day Like Duen

   [Bohn]

   “Duen, do you understand what I’m saying?” I ask when I see him freeze, or does he not understand, I’ve spoken plainly, no beating around the bush, and my body language is fully on display without any care for others watching.

“Bohn…”

“Huh. So, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“What did you say? Say it again, please.” My conversation partner digs into his ear with a finger. Damn! You’re going to be my future spouse, act properly, will you!

“I said I’m going to flirt with you.”

“Are you sick? Or high on something? I told you not to take too much, it’s not good for your health.” The fool puts a hand on my forehead, the other on his own as if to check our temperature difference.

“I’m perfectly normal, and I’m not on any medication.” I gently push his white hand away.

“But you said you’re going to flirt with me.”

“Yes.” I respond with a long, drawn-out ‘yes’. He looks completely baffled by my answer. Don’t you really understand? Just now, I was almost sexually harassing you. The only advantage of flirting with the dense Duen is…I can tease him without getting hit because he doesn’t understand my actions.

“Even though I’m a guy?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you have a penis right?”

“Correct, but mine’s bigger, clearly.”

“You pervert!” He makes a disgusted face.

“So, you understand now, right?”

“Why do you want to flirt with me?”

“Sigh, you idiot, what do people want when they flirt with someone?” Do you really not know, or are you just pretending to be stupid? Are there still people like this in the world?

“Sex.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“You bastard! That’s vulgar.” He finished speaking and immediately gave me the middle finger. We were standing in a very busy spot because it’s the main path, and now it’s the time when school lets out, but even if the whole school was looking…

Neither I nor Duen cared. I didn’t care because I don’t mind others’ gazes. The other person didn’t care because he’s…stupid.

“You said it yourself; I’m just playing along with the pun.” I shrugged.

“Yeah, right, take it easy!”

“Fine.” I pulled his arm to walk with me; seeing his face, I just couldn’t help but tease him. At first, I planned to talk to him without doing anything…but before I knew it, I did a lot.

“Where are we going?”

“To ‘have sex’.”

“Bohn! You bastard!” He said, then hit my shoulder hard. This one really hurt…

“Seriously, Duen, don’t you know what people want when they flirt?”

“I know, but I’m a guy-”

“I’m okay with flirting with a guy named Duenhaw.”

“…”

“Nothing to argue against, right?”

“Listen to me, Bohn.” Duen crossed his arms, his face more serious than I’ve ever seen.

“What?” I raised my eyebrows to ask. I thought he’d say something like, “Why flirt with me, are you high on candy?” or “Are engineering studies so hard that you do stuff like this?” I’m sure he would…

“We’ve just met; it’s too soon for sparks to fly, or if you really have sparks for me, I’d say bye.”

“…”

I stand there, speechless. I didn’t think he would say something like this, people who seem so laid-back can be seriously intimidating about some things.

“I don’t have a problem with guys loving guys, but I’m not one, and besides, I don’t like playboys.” My conversation partner looks at me with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen.

“…”

“And you, unfortunately, are the biggest playboy.”

“-”

“I don’t want to be part of your harem, Bohn. You have plenty of toys, just use them one by one. If you’re not serious and just want to play around, go find someone else. I-”

“It’s true, as you said, I have a lot of ‘toys’.”

“…”

“But those are just bed partners, not lovers. We’ve agreed not to be exclusive.” I grab his arm firmly when I see him trying to walk away.

…

“When I have a faen, I date one at a time.”

“…I don’t like you.”

“Come on. If you liked me, what would be the problem with me flirting with you?” I smile, flicking his smooth forehead not too hard…of course, it’s obvious.

“Hey!”

“Give me a chance, Duen.”

“I’m a guy!” He protests, frowning in irritation. I know he’s a guy. Even if he’s dense, he’s definitely 100% manly…

“I know.”

“So why flirt with me then!”

“You don’t make sense, I’m flirting because I want you to be my boyfriend.”

“Bohn…no matter how you look at it, you’re not gay.”

“I’ve never looked at guys…until recently.” I’ve only dated women before. I never thought I’d be interested in a guy, especially one as peculiar as him.

“So why are you flirting with me?”

“Sigh.” I let out a big sigh, gripping the slender shoulders firmly before speaking words that came straight from my heart.

“Listen to me. Even if my feelings for you aren’t yet as grand as ‘love’ or even at the level of ‘like,’ I can say with full confidence that you are the most special person I’ve ever met. I’m sure these feelings will develop more and more. Definitely, because every time I’m with you…I feel more and more, just like right now.”

“There is.”

“So! Can you go with me…develop these feelings together, Duen?”

“…”

“Right now, you might not feel anything for me, but…”

“…”

“Please, let me create those feelings, can I?”

“…”

“Can I make you like me, Duen?”

“Have you watched too many Korean dramas, Bohn?” I was about to curse because I thought he still didn’t understand, but I had to close my mouth and smile when I saw him lower his head, his previously white ears turning red.

“Huh.”

“I’ll take that as you agreeing, huh.”

“You-”

“Duenhaw!”

“Ah, Daonuea, are you done playing?” When he’s with the kid in front of him, he seems like a completely different person, huh.

“Yeah, all my friends have gone home too.”

“Then shall we go home?” As soon as Duen saw Ben following closely, he seemed eager to take his junior home, as if he didn’t want us to be together for long. No…or is he trying to escape?

“Uh-huh, Ben you are going home too, right?” Daonuea turned to ask my brother and gave him a sweet smile, probably too sweet, because Ben turned as red as a tomato.

“Uh…”

“Shall we take you guys home?” I asked.

“No, I brought my car, plus yours only seats two.” True that, it’s really useless, why did I buy it?

“Let the kid sit on your lap then.”

“Hah, I said I brought my car, I’m going to take Daonuea shopping for some stuff for the house.”

“Just leave it here and come with me.” I give a mischievous smile.

“Don’t be crazy, I’m leaving.”

“But we haven’t finished talking.”

“Go talk with your mango tree at home!” Oh…he really left.

“How’s it going? How far have you gotten with flirting with her?” I ask my brother while driving to get some food in our stomachs, planning to eat and then sleep. Our house is far from here, and since I’m too lazy to drive back, I decided we’ll stay at the condo.

“Huh, I’m shy. I don’t dare to flirt.” He yawns widely, leaning back against the car seat. This is the true nature of the shy boy, Ben, not what you might think. “You softie.”

“Shh, you said you would help.”

“Here’s the help, I made sure we had some alone time together, why didn’t you do anything?” Actually, I just wanted to get the kids away so I could be alone with Duen, what I said earlier was just to make myself look a bit better, hah.

“It’s…I’m not brave enough!”

“Haha.” I park the car when we reach our destination, which is the commercial area where I went with Duen before. There’s plenty of good and cheap food there,

“What do you want to eat?”

“Are you going to buy stuff to cook?” The young man raises his eyebrows in surprise at what he hears. He was my first guinea pig when I tried cooking. I remember after just one bite, he didn’t look at me for over a week.

“Buy it or do you want to eat something made by this brother, huh?”

“Ew, eating grass would taste better.”

“Ben!”

“Heh.” Before getting out of the car, he turns to give me a cheeky smile with a chuckle in his throat…damn. When I do that, it’s not nearly as annoying as when you do it. Who did you learn this from, you little devil!

“Alright, what are we eating?”

“…Let’s just keep walking for now.”

“Yeah, yeah, tell me if you want to eat something.” On the way, no matter where we walked, people were looking. Of course. I’m handsome, and today I’m also carrying a cute little kid, looking like a new father.

Huh, isn’t that the flower shop I went to with Duen?

“Are you buying flowers?” Ben asked when I changed direction from straight ahead to turning right.

“Yeah.”

“Why are you buying them?” The little brother asked as he led me into the shop, his beautiful eyes fixed on the long-stemmed white flowers with interest.

“To put in a vase.”

“Welcome, oh, it’s the little brother from before.” The shop owner came out from the back door, looking like she just brought in new flowers. I saw her carrying a bucket of something…how can she lift that?

“Yes.”

“Need any help from me?”

“No, I’ll look around myself.”

“Sure.”

“Uh, miss…”

“Yes?”

“Where’s the ice cream bucket?” Do you remember the ice cream bucket? That cat from this morning that Duen and I were fighting over, that damn fat cat. At first, I thought it was just its breed, but when I tried to pick it up, I realized it was all fat, no fur, nothing mixed in.

“Oh, Nong Mai, right? Haha.”

“Yes.”

“My brother took it home already.”

“Brother?”

“Yes, he’s about the same age as this little one here.”

“Oh, okay. No worries, I’ll go look at the flowers first.”

“Here.”

“Bohn, I want this flower.” I turn towards the voice, only to see my good little brother holding a single flower, a white lily that he’s been eyeing for a while now.

“You want that?”

“Yeah, I want to give it to Honey at school.” Oh wow. That’s something, when I was a kid, I didn’t have time for this kind of romantic stuff; back then, it was all about eating, sleeping, and playing.

“Huh, how romantic.” I tease him before leaning down to look at the white lily in his small hand. Ben likes white; most of his personal items are in this color or light tones.

“Definitely.”

“Do you know what the flower means?”

“…”

“Huh-”

“There’s no need to know. Just liking it is enough.”

“…”

“So, are you going to buy it for me?” He asks while rummaging in his pocket as if to say, ‘If you don’t buy it for me, I have money to buy it myself, you know,’ oh, the rich boy.

“I’ll buy it for you, but…”

“?”

“Tomorrow is Saturday…”

“Oh, no!!!”

“You fool, who goes to school on Saturday, haha.” I walk around looking at flowers, while thinking about the time I pretended to play with the cat but actually took photos of the fool when he wasn’t looking, snapping shots from when he was playing with the cat on the chair. Yeah…I should post a picture. With that thought, I open my gallery to scroll through the photos, choosing one where the slender figure has his back to the camera, with a backdrop of colorful roses, his white hand reaching for the orange flower at the top, giving the impression he’s choosing with intent.

I post the picture with a caption, not forgetting to tag the other party to remind Duen that I’m still flirting with him, and besides…doing this also gets rid of rivals quite effectively.

Bon Ss

   Roses are fresh for only a few days, but the love we give each other will never fade:).

   #BohnDuen, #CheesyPickUpLINEsForIdiots, with Krisda Duennhaw

   Damn, I typed it myself and got embarrassed, what kind of cheesy lines are these? I really want to bury my face in the ground. Not long after posting the picture, people started liking it. I smiled when my close friends came to tease. Of course, the first one had to be the king of cheesy lines.

Boss Thanarit: I…don’t know what cheesy lines to compete with, you guys Tee

Phattarawin, Bom Boomm, Megha Setthakit, Tang, Nakrab, Thanthep King

Thanthep King: The divine King is boredddd

   Tee Phattarawin: Annoyingly damn annoying

   Bom Boomm: I don’t know what to tease with either…

   Thang Nakrab: Me too

   Megha Setthakit: …

   With this, my cheesy lines win, give me your crown, you crazy wife, I’ll proclaim myself the king of cheesy lines from now on. I scrolled through other comments until finally, the comment from the person I was waiting for came.

Krisda, Duennhaw: You’re cheesy

   Bon Ss: Aren’t you embarrassed?

   Krisda, Duennhaw: No

   Bon Ss: Why lie?

   Krisda, Duennhaw: Whatever

   Is this all you have to say? Oh…we’re talking in the comments under the photo, forgetting myself a bit.

I clicked to read other comments when I saw there were a lot of them, from people I knew and didn’t know. Sometimes, I wondered how they dared to comment when we didn’t even know each other.

Wann ah: Bohn! You bastard! I don’t mind if you don’t want me, but why go for a handsome guy to make your wife? Where am I supposed to go for that, you rogue!!

   What kind of sweet face name is that for you? This one is my friend from the faculty, she’s a beautiful woman…but a bit too tough. I didn’t know at first, until last year’s sports event when some guys were fighting beside the cheering stands. I don’t know how they got into a fight that ended up involving Wann’s boyfriend. That was it, she dropped her beautiful girl image and jumped into the melee, beating up the group of strong men until none were left in good shape. After that, no guys dared to flirt with her anymore.

Ai Aoi: Nong Duen is damn handsome. Where did you drag him from, Bohn?

   Dao, who was my girlfriend from last year at university, but well, being in the Engineering Faculty, the SOTUS system turned that cute girl into the tough ‘Aoey’ of today…

“Bohn, are you done yet? I’m hungry.”

“Oh, right, let’s go.” Ben’s voice reminds me that I’m not at home but at the flower shop. I grab a whole bunch of red roses from the shelf. It looks like a lot, but there are only four flowers. After paying, I head out with the troublemaker to get something to eat and then go back to sleep at the condo.

   My life today feels like Duen’s.

   Ordinary…yet special.

   I’m going to pursue you, Duenhaw, so be prepared.

  

MY ENGINEER CHAPTERS HOME

MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 17: I Have a Jacket, I Have Gear, the Position of My Wife is Still Open

   [Bohn]

   “When he brought the flowers, Bohn had the sweetest smile.”

“When he calls, you get all cheerful, huh?” You bastard, Merk, I hate your laugh. Even if I like to laugh too.

I shrugged, ignoring them, and turned back to my work on the desk. This is a combined class subject called Composition, the only class where our group is complete, but it’s damn hard…really damn hard for just the second year. What will it be like in higher years? I once saw a senior during project submission time; I can say with one word, he wasn’t human, he looked like a walking corpse. I don’t know how else to describe it except with the phrase, ‘utterly wrecked,’ which sums it up best.

“So, is Duen really your boyfriend?” Tee asked with doubt; he probably didn’t want to believe it much, since I’ve never shown interest in guys since we’ve been together.

“No, Bohn has been flirting for a long time, but Duen’s not interested, huh.” Tang answered, sending me a teasing look. It wasn’t teasing; it was more like saying, ‘you’re such a loser.’

“Not that he’s not interested, he’s just clueless.” I argued before looking back at my work. These guys, they come together to work on reports, but when it’s time, they never do.

“See, you’ve admitted to flirting with him.”

“That’s right.” I had to admit it like a man, that I was really flirting, both flirting and sweet-talking. Like with the post earlier, I wanted him to pay attention, even though I knew he wasn’t really jealous, he was just being spiteful.

“Wow, the rogue is after a doctor.” King teased; it’s always like this…whenever the seven of us are together, chaos ensues every time.

“Still…Bohn hasn’t officially courted him yet.”

“Huh, you’ve flirted that much and still haven’t courted him?” You try being in my shoes, Bom, you’ll see how hard it is. Approaching Duen is hard enough, but making him realize I’m flirting is even harder.

Like…

“I’m still not sure about my own feelings.” I rested my chin in my hand, looking at the photo on my phone, the one Bom took. I like the atmosphere in the picture. It looks cute and warm; Duen’s clueless smile comes out naturally.

“Not sure about what?”

“I’ve only just met him recently.” I’ve only known him for less than Duen. Even if I feel something special, my mind argues that it’s too soon.

“And?”

“Don’t you think it’s too fast? From what I see…

Thud!

Before I could finish speaking, King sighed and slapped the table so loudly that I had to stop talking. Not just me, the other friends stopped talking too. He slowly looked up at me with a serious expression, which was different from his usual playful, always-joking self, but now he seemed like a different person.

“Bohn.”

“Huh?” I responded.

“Love is ours to define. You can’t go by what others do and say it has to be like this, don’t tell me you’ve seen others flirt for years and years and think that’s the standard.”

“…”

“…”

“You have to use your own heart and feelings.”

“…”

“I don’t know if you’re serious about him or if you’re just playing around, but I’ll tell you this: even if you flirt with him and ask him out now…it doesn’t mean he’ll say yes right away.”

“But it also doesn’t mean that if you ask Nong Duen to be your boyfriend in ten years, he’ll agree.”

“…”

“Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I’m telling you, the time when you meet isn’t as important as the time when you’re courting…”

There was a long pause before King’s words registered with me. I was stunned that my best friend was saying something so thoughtful, and another reason for my silence was that I was thinking about what he said.

“Cheers, Lord King King.”

“Can I borrow it to use sometimes? I’ll give credit that the line is by the divine

King…”

“…Damn sharp, it cut me deep to the core, you jerk!” Tang said, then feigned admiration for King.

“Huh huh. Of course, who am I? The divine King of engineering, huh? Was I cool just now, Tee? And did you record the sound as I told you?” I went from being impressed to sighing as soon as I heard that.

“Damn…I was just about to compliment you, sigh.” What Tee recorded just now…did you guys plan this?

“I liked the guy from before. Where did he go?” Merk pretended to look for someone, which earned a big outburst from King.

“It’s me!”

“Yeah, yeah, cut it out. Let’s get back to work.” I turned back to focus on my books as before.

“I’m serious, do whatever you need to do before someone snatches it away. I once saw Frong walk with Nong Duen to our faculty, smiling all the way, you could tell what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes.” “…”

“I’m saying this with good intentions; even someone like you is interested.

Haven’t you thought there might be others interested in him too?”

“Nong Duen is damn cool, he attracts both angels and demons.”

“What do you mean, Bom?” I looked at the speaker seriously.

“Nothing.”

“But it looks like he has something special, I’ve got to try this.” Tee made a sly face, slowly stroking his chin, while the rest turned to watch my reaction.

“Go ahead and try.”

“You’re not jealous at all-”

“Go ahead. If you’re not afraid to die…”

“Damn, Bohn is brutal.”

“Are you jealous? Am I dreaming! A husband jealous of his wife, oh, damn,

Merk!” Boss exclaimed, clutching his hand tight, probably really hurt because Merk pinched him hard a moment ago.

“You told me to pinch.”

“Damn! You unlucky husband.”

“Heh.”

“But it’s strange, isn’t it?”

“What’s strange?” I raise my eyebrows, looking at King, who has his chin propped up, looking my way. Our eyes meet, but I can’t guess what he’s thinking.

“I always thought you were hard to fall in love with.”

“I’m puzzled by myself too. I thought it would take years to like someone, but recently I realized I’m not as hard to fall for as I thought…I just hadn’t met the right person yet.”

“…”

“Stunned, huh?”

“Interesting, I want to try having a relationship myself…”

“Go for it, but I already feel sorry for whoever ends up being your partner.”

Curious, hard to read, smart, and quick to catch on to games…not fun at all. They should be dense, dumb, easy to see through, and annoying, then it would be fun to tease.

Ring ring

“Hello, Mom.”

(Bohn, do you have time to talk, son?)

“I’m free, what’s up?” I answer my mom’s call and walk away to talk somewhere else. Usually, Mom doesn’t call when I’m at university unless it’s very urgent.

(Today, I have to go check out some land in Krabi, can you pick up Ben for me?)

“Sure.” That’s good. I haven’t picked up that little troublemaker in a while. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him at all. Mom says he’s gotten even more handsome, truly not falling far from the tree.

(Rumors say he’s not your son: Mom)

“…”

(Then I’ll be going, no one will be home today.)

“Oh, really?” It’s not unusual for others to be out, but Bihn, he’s almost always home, what made him decide not to sleep at home today?

(Your dad’s working out of town, and Bihn went to do a project at a friend’s house.) Ah, doing a project, huh? He might seem playful, but he’s very serious about studies. Never skips, never misses. I can’t even do that…or maybe I’m just lazy.

“This little troublemaker, will he survive?” I mutter, thinking about the living situation for my brother and myself. As I said, Mom can’t cook, it must be hereditary, there’s no one in the house who can cook except for Dad. I can cook, but whether it’s edible is another story.

(If anything comes up, you can call me, son. As for food…just buy something to eat.)

“Wow, mom, your words hurt my feelings.”

(I am gone, haha)

“Yes, bye.”

Time passes faster than a fart. I’ve finished my classes and am driving to pick up the little rascal from school. Mom told me his room and building. ‘P. 1/2’, the school where the rascal studies is quite famous, you could say it’s for rich kids. Actually, Aunt Pen, the rascal’s mom, wanted him in a regular school, but what can you do? Transferring mid-term, this was the only school that would accept him.

I walked along the path mom described until I came to the blue building she mentioned, with a playground beside it. I could hear the joyful sounds of children playing all the way here. You might think the hero of this story would smile gently and say, “Little one, come to your big brother.” like any typical protagonist…

No way.

I’ve said it before, if it’s not family, the other kids in the world are just Good…shit! But if it’s family, I feel connected and loving, like my good little brother. Even though we don’t share the same parents, I love him as much as I do Buen and Bihn. Those two probably feel the same because in our family, there are mostly women. We’re like precious gems in a sea of…women.

The woman standing at the door…must be Ben’s homeroom teacher, probably named Teacher Pang.

“Excuse me. I’m Ben’s guardian.”

“Oh, are you the son that Khun Pin called about?”

“Yes.”

“Ben is downstairs, playing with his friends on the playground. Shall I call him for you?”

“No need, I’ll go get him myself, thank you very much.” I’ll surprise him instead.

I walked downstairs and saw the rascal playing with a group of girls, all looking cute. I didn’t call out yet because I saw him acting shy, looking at one of the cute little girls…puppy love, huh? Let me see your moves with the ladies to see how much you’ve inherited from this big brother.

“What should we play?” The little girl my brother seems to have a crush on, judging by his behavior, asked in her sweet voice. She seems quite confident, my brother likes them feisty, just like his brother.

“How about hide and seek?” a shy-looking girl suggested.

“We’re bored of that.” the twins answered together.

“Then what should we play…what do you want to play?” That little girl turned and asked Ben with a sweet smile, and my brother smiled shyly in return. This is the first time I’ve seen him do something like this.

“Up to you, Honey.”

Wow, who gives their children a nickname as Honey. That’s not ordinary.

He looks so shy, doesn’t he? Normally, around family, he’s a terror. The last time before he came here, Aunt Pen called to complain that he broke a vase he auctioned from a French museum because he used it to dig for worms to feed the birds. My mom laughed until she cried, trying to say that the kid was kind-hearted, helping animals find food. Besides, this troublemaker doesn’t like to stay still.

Cut to the present. Look at him now, he’s such a shy, cute young man.

“Then let’s-”

“Daonuea.”

Gasp

I freeze immediately upon hearing the familiar voice. No way, maybe I’m thinking too much about it and it’s messing with my ears. What would he be doing here? This is an elementary school…if we meet, it must be fate.

“Duenhaw!”

Oh, come on…

When I turn around, I see that the one calling is little Honey’s mom, and she’s quickly running towards Duen. The other person opens his arms to catch the little girl who rushes over before picking her up and spinning her around, creating a lot of laughter from the little girl. I feel like there’s a fluffy atmosphere around those two…in my heart.

“Will Phii Duenhaw take me home?” Daonuea, (I only just heard her name) tilts her head to ask Duen, clearly siblings, they’re like carbon copies of each other.

“Hmm, why? Does my little Daonuea want to stay and play with friends?” The slender figure tilts his head to ask, it’s like Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V, clear as day.

“Yeah!”

“Sure.” Duen says, while leaning down to rub his nose against his sister’s. Since when did everything you do look cute to me? Are you playing with my feelings?

“Ben!”

Zing!

Oh, I think I heard the sound of a sting when the drunk doctor turned to look at the troublemaker. I know why. Given the situation, he must be very, very protective of his sister, and my little brother just happens to like a girl with such a brother.

Looks like I’ll have to play cupid for my brother then. Heh.

“Ben”

“?..Bohn!” At first, the person called looked confused, then his eyes widened as he shouted my name loudly, and he ran over to me.

“What’s up, you rascal?” I crouched down, ruffling his light brown hair.

“I missed you!” He smiled broader than before, hugging me tightly until I could barely breathe. See, now there’s no trace of the shy kid from before.

“Do you like Honey?” I asked quietly enough for just the two of us to hear.

“What…how do you know that?”

“Want me to help you with her?”

“Really!”

“Yeah, but you have to help me too.” I spoke more quietly when I saw the slender figure carrying the little girl in question walking towards us.

“Help with what?”

“Shh…I’ll tell you later.”

“Okey, dokey.” As soon as he finished speaking, Duen stood right in front of us. Now, my brother and I were sitting on the ground, while he and Daonuea were standing above us.

“Bohn?”

“Yeah.” I looked up at him, not forgetting to raise an eyebrow for added annoyance. Now, my little brother was looking at his Honey without hiding anything, and…as I’ve said, Duen is very protective of his sister, so seeing Ben look at her like that, he quickly moved Daonuea to the other side. Why hide? You can’t escape from my brother, because I’m Cupid, and I…am about to shoot my arrow, huh.

“Ben is your brother?”

“Yep.” I answered, lifting Ben to face the slender figure as well. The little doctor was stunned…damn, why do you make it so tempting to tease you?

“Why that face? Soon, our families will be one.”

“You bas-” I used my finger to shush his thin lips before he could swear, deliberately stepping closer until our noses touched.

“Shh, don’t curse, there are kids here.”

“Hey…damn!”

“Heh heh.”

“Is Bohn your brother Ben?” I think…I’m starting to see other kids as cute, but they have to look like Duen.

“Yes.”

“And you know Duenhaw too?”

“…Know him? We know each other well.” I glance at Duenhaw, seeing him stick out his tongue and look away while still holding his sister.

“And Daonuea, are you Duenhaw’s little sister?” My conversation partner nods with a smile. At the same time, I can feel my little brother’s heart beating fast, probably because his left chest is pressed against my right chest. Oh, this softie, haha.

“Bohn! Don’t call me that!” Duen says loudly, startling the kids, and I catch his sister flinching since she’s the closest.

“Don’t yell, you’re scaring her.”

“Oh…sorry, Daonuea.” The slender figure bends down to give a kiss on his sister’s head, his slender hand stroking her cheek to soothe her. I wish I were a kid…

“Aren’t the kids going to play? Let them go play.” I set the troublemaker down on the ground. The medical student hesitates for a moment but then lets Daonuea go from his embrace.

“Daonuea, don’t run too fast, be careful not to fall!” He shouts after the kids who run off to play on the playground equipment.

“You’re very protective of your sister.”

“That’s my business.” He finishes speaking and turns his face away.

“Ben is cute, isn’t he?” I look over at my brother who’s playing…no, he’s just watching Daonuea play. He doesn’t move at all. He even has this dreamy look on his face, oh brother.

“Really!” Duen crosses his arms, sticking out his lower lip in disgust. He really doesn’t like my brother’s face, I guess. Oh…speaking of which, Mom told me that yesterday, a kind big brother introduced his girlfriend to him, but Ben ended up kissing his sister. I think Duen must be that kind big brother.

“He has a good personality.” I try to point out the good qualities of my brother to Duen. My brother really is a good kid, he once gave his snack money to a homeless person until he had no money left for food.

“Where’s the good in that? Your brother stole my sister’s first kiss!” I knew it. “He’ll grow up to be handsome.” Sure, I have plenty of excuses. Ben will definitely grow up to be handsome. Cut off my toenails if he doesn’t grow up to be as handsome as his brother.

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

“His family is rich too.” Ben’s father is a foreigner, the owner of a house design company. Although not very famous, it generates enough income for the family to live well into old age without want.

“My family is rich too.”

“He could be a good husband, huh.”

“You’re just biased towards your own brother.” Duen huffed, his mouth twitching in annoyance. I looked at him scrutinizingly, and King’s words came to mind.

“I’ll tell you, meeting isn’t as important as when you’re courting.”

   “Do whatever you need to do before someone else snatches it away…”

   I think I’m sure about my feelings now…you’re in trouble, Duen.

I smiled, reaching out to gently hold his chin, turning his face to meet my eyes. He looked quite surprised by my action, but I didn’t care about his shocked gaze, leaning in closer.

“I’m not biased towards my brother; every son from my family can be a good husband.”

“You’re full of crap…let go, get offf.” His white hand tried to push me away. If I’m not mistaken…his cheeks are a little red. Don’t be so cute, Duen, or you might end up with a husband without realizing it.

“I have an engineering faculty jacket na khrap.” I whispered close to his ear, pulling on his soft cheek to stretch it. So soft, what cream do you use? This calls for squeezing the other side to make them even, huh.

“Ow! That hurts, stop pulling!”

“I have gear.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re in engineering, how could you not have gear? And how did this suddenly become about you? A moment ago, it was about little Ben!” The slender figure tried to back away to create some distance, but I followed him relentlessly, looking quite comical like a live-action version of Tom and Jerry.

“The position of my wife is still open.” I smiled what I thought was my most handsome smile, secretly hoping it would make his heart beat as wildly as mine.

“Huh, and why are you telling me that?”

Damn you, Duen. You’ve ruined the mood; the good atmosphere from before just vanished.

“I knew it, you’re too clueless to understand.”

“Hey, why are you cursing me! If there’s something, just say it, don’t beat around the bush! And what are you hugging for, aren’t you embarrassed? This is an elementary school-”

“I’m going to flirt with you.”

“…”

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