THEWEDDINGPLAN, Chapter 9:
No place feels as comforting as the one called home.
“Nuea, come eat, son.”
“…”
“Nuea.”
“…”
“Namnuea!!!”
Gasp
“Ouch, my ears are going to burst, Mom! I’m right here.” Namnuea was sitting on the balcony of his bedroom, arms resting on the railing, staring blankly at the neighborhood playground where four or five teenagers were playing basketball. It should’ve been a pleasant sight, but he just let out heavy sighs. He didn’t even notice his mother had entered the room and called out to him—until she practically shouted in his ear, loud enough for the teens at the court to turn and look, making him jump.
Still, he flashed a cheeky grin, only for his mother to smack his shoulder with a loud slap.
“I’m shouting so much my mouth’s about to tear!”
“Let me see, Mom. Where’s it torn? Need medicine? I’ll grab some for you,” he teased.
“Still joking around, huh?”
“No way, not me!” The handsome young man with fair skin grinned, showing off his perfectly aligned teeth, his tone playful. But his large, round eyes were red, betraying the tears he’d shed every night since coming home. His mother sighed heavily, took his hand, and led him back into the bedroom, pushing him to sit on the bed as if to say, I’m done waiting, tell me now.
“What happened in Bangkok?”
“…”
Namnuea wanted to keep up the playful act, like he did the day he returned home, but this time, he couldn’t muster the humor. His voice fell silent, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet his mother’s gaze.
He didn’t dare tell the truth about what he’d done…
Slept with a groom-to-be? That’s no different from being branded a homewrecker.
“Nuea, you know, don’t you, that no matter what happens, you’re still my son?” His mother reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly as she sat beside him. Her eyes, full of concern, locked onto him, but Namnuea could only turn his face away.
“Mom, I did something wrong.”
“What did you do?” His mother didn’t even pause, her voice still soft and gentle. The listener bowed his head lower, like a six-year-old child caught in trouble.
“I did something very wrong, so wrong.” That’s all he can say, fearing the look in his mother’s eyes might change.
His mother raised him to be a good person. If she knew how weak he was, how would she see him?
“What did you do wrong? Can you tell me?”
“I don’t dare say. I don’t want to talk about it.” Namnuea lowers his head. The sunlight outside fades, the sky partly darkens, much like his heart, which feels nearly void of light to find a way out. “Will you keep suffering alone, my child?”
“I don’t want you to suffer too.”
“Then what’s the point of having a mother?”
The listener freezes, tears welling in his eyes, his heart trembling fiercely. He grips his mother’s hand tightly. Her cheerful son has become so depressed—how? Who did this to him? “Nuea, I can’t stand seeing you like this. Who did what to you?”
“No. He didn’t do anything!” Namnuea almost claps a hand over his mouth after blurting it out loudly. His mother stares at him, silent.
“Then what did he do?” She knows now his pain comes from someone else, so he bites his lip harder, afraid he’ll cry.
“He didn’t do anything… I did this to myself.”
If he’d been stronger, if he hadn’t let his heart fall for a man who’s already taken, he wouldn’t hurt this much. That night, if he’d been tougher, things wouldn’t have gone so far, leaving him with guilt so heavy he had to run away. Now, he could probably face Khun Yiwa without hiding in shame.
His mother listens intently, and slowly, his heart begins to spill out. “Nuea shouldn’t have, Mom. Nuea shouldn’t… Nuea shouldn’t have loved him, knowing he’s already taken. Nuea shouldn’t…” He sobs, shoulders shaking. He might stay strong in front of coworkers, but not with this woman. Tears stream down his cheeks.
His mother looks visibly shocked, but he can’t stop.
“I did wrong, Mom. So wrong, unforgivably wrong. I should’ve been stronger, not so weak like this. I am awful. I shouldn’t have made that mistake.” Namnuea repeats the same words, but it’s a confession that makes his mother cry. Her tears fall, matching the hands holding him.
“Nuea did so wrong, didn’t you,”
“So wrong for being so weak,” he says, his tears unstoppable, just like when he confessed to her that he doesn’t love women.
And she does what she did then.
She reaches out, wraps her arms around his shoulders, and pulls his face to her chest, like he’s just a small child.
“Oh, my baby,” she says softly, holding him tightly, rubbing his back and shoulders to comfort him. His strength crumbles completely, and he lets all his weakness pour out to the person he trusts most. He clings to her waist, cursing himself as nothing but awful.
“Nuea, Nuea, listen to me. Everyone makes mistakes. There’s no such thing as someone who only does what’s right. What makes a person good or bad is whether they realize their mistake and whether they try to fix it, Nuea. If my son were a bad person, he wouldn’t be crying like this, wouldn’t feel this guilty, wouldn’t be telling me this. It’s okay, my dear. It’s okay.”
The more he listened, the more Namnuea’s tears fell. His arms tightened around his mother’s waist, and he sniffled loudly like a child.
“I didn’t let myself fall any deeper. I pulled back. It’s the responsibility I took for the mistake I made and fixed.”
“I may not know the details, but don’t torture yourself more than this, Nuea. Don’t see yourself as a bad person, because you’re the best—my son is the very best.”
“Mom, Mom, I’m sorry. I am sorry,” Namnuea could only repeat his apologies. He knew his mother was crying… crying for her son.
She was suffering just as much as he was.
“I won’t make the same mistake again. I won’t repeat it,” he sobbed, promising his mother he’d never put himself in that situation again.
Enough was enough with being the third party.
Love is for two people. As long as there’s a third, it’s no longer love. “That’s good, my dear. Good job, Nuea. You’re the best person for me,” she said. Namnuea pulled back from her warm embrace, looking up at the tearful smile on her face as she gently wiped his tears.
“But now my good boy should go wash his face and come down to eat. Your Dad’s probably been waiting for a while.” Namnuea nodded eagerly, but before he could leave, his mother added in a tender voice, “Don’t hesitate to come back, Nuea. Whenever you’re suffering, remember this is your home, always ready to ease your pain.”
Namnuea acknowledged her softly before hurrying to the bathroom, as he was about to cry again.
Even though a grown man like him wanted to act like a child, to cling to his mother more, he’d left his parents’ arms to live in Bangkok for nearly ten years. He should be able to act like an adult by now.
Despite thinking that, Namnuea knew it was wrong. Even as he walked downstairs with red eyes to eat, and his father didn’t ask questions, Dad kept telling Mom to do this or that for him, treating him like a little kid who needed to be spoiled. It showed how much his parents cared, and it eased his pain.
There was truly no place as comforting and safe as this.
Dad, Mom, Nuea promises to be stronger, to not be weak because of someone else, to not let anyone hurt me, and to not make you worry. Nuea promises.
He would erase the man who hurt him from his heart.
…
“Wow, it’s only been a few years, but this place has changed so much,” he said. “A few years for you, Nuea, is a long time.
My kid hasn’t even met Uncle Nuea yet.”
“Oh, sorry, Phii. Sorry!”
Three days after returning home, doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and reading, an unexpected visitor showed up at Namnuea’s house—Rerai, his cousin.
The young mother of one, having heard that he was back home on vacation, decided to drop by. Perhaps it was his haggard appearance or his mother’s complaints about him holing up at home that prompted her, but Rerai invited him to get some fresh air up on the hill… at their family’s flower farm, to be exact.
The flower farm belonged to the four siblings—Namnuea’s cousins. Rarin, the eldest sister, a charismatic woman tougher than most men, ran the operation. Her key assistant, Rerai’s husband, served as the farm manager. Rantaa, the third daughter, had been sent to study business in England. Meanwhile, the youngest brother, Riu, broke away to study engineering in Bangkok.
Now, Namnuea stood at the teakwood guesthouse at the hill’s edge, gazing out at the vast flower farm stretching as far as the eye could see, staffed by hundreds of workers.
“By the way, where’s my niece?”
“At home,” Rerai replied, referring to their house in downtown Chiang Mai. Namnuea raised an eyebrow, then nodded in understanding.
“Oh, so you didn’t drag me up here to see her. Mom told you to haul her moping son, who’s been cooped up at home, out for some fresh air, didn’t she?” The plan to get him out for air was clearly his mother’s doing. Rerai burst out laughing, nodding in admission, then turned to meet his eyes.
That searching look in her eyes made him instinctively look away.
“Something’s up, isn’t it?” This must be why his mother called Rerai over.
His mother probably thought they’d talk more easily, being close in age. And despite Rerai’s soft, feminine exterior—the perfect picture of a gentle, Nuea-style beauty—her true nature was formidable. How else could she keep her husband so firmly under her thumb?
“Just a little something.”
“Work? Money? Or love?”
“The last one, dear cousin. Satisfied?” he answered the cousin two months his senior, making Rerai wrinkle her nose.
“What if I say I’m not satisfied?”
“Then I’m still not telling you more.”
“Hmph,” Rerai huffed, turning away. But why would she need coaxing? She just leaned against the balcony railing, staring into the distance. Namnuea chuckled lightly.
“Any workers catch your eye? I can call one over tonight,” he teased. The stressed-out Namnuea finally let out a laugh, recalling years ago when he confided in Rerai about his sexual orientation and admitted he loved checking out the workers here. He’d jokingly asked her to use her status as the farm owner’s daughter to summon one for him. Naive Rerai had actually done it, nearly blowing his secret. Thankfully, they’d managed to cover it up.
Thinking back on it now, it’s hilarious, really… Alright, that guy then!
The handsome young man didn’t look like a farm worker at all—not with his hairstyle, his face, or his build. The only thing that fit the part was his worn-out clothes, dirtied from hauling dozens of kilos of fertilizer onto the truck. Pointing and picking him out seemed to make Rerai laugh even harder, practically doubling over with laughter.
“Hahaha… No way, Nuea… That guy… No way, hahaha! Oh God, I’m dying, I’m laughing so hard!” Namnuea raised an eyebrow in confusion, turning to look where she pointed.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the slender guy with a face too pretty for a man, standing next to the chosen one, was… his youngest cousin, the baby of the family.
“Yep, that’s Riu. And the guy next to him? That’s Riu’s boyfriend.”
“What?! Riu’s gone for a guy?!” Namnuea exclaimed, unable to believe his ears. He stared at his youngest cousin, who, sure, was pretty—prettier than most women, even—but fierce as a tiger. With that stunning face, plenty of guys had tried their luck, only to get chewed out and sent running. Riu used to swear up and down he was a “real man” (damn it!) and would never let anyone “top” him. Yet, after three or four years studying in Bangkok, had he swallowed his words?
Rerai nodded, laughing so hard she could barely contain herself.
“Haha, yep, he’s given in! That guy’s from the same uni, name’s Sun. He came to introduce himself two years ago. Got roped into being Phii Rin’s errand boy every semester break when he visits,” the second daughter explained. Namnuea thought of their eldest sister, who was manlier than most men, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“The eldest and the youngest in this family should swap genders,” Namnuea quipped. Their chatter and laughter seemed to catch the attention of the group below, because the youngest looked up. “Phii Nuea! Phii Nuea!” Riu jumped up and down, waving enthusiastically, clearly thrilled. It made Namnuea grin, and he shouted back.
“Hey, Riu! Bringing your man to meet the family, huh?”
“Hey!” Riu yelped, his face turning bright red, shaking his head furiously and waving his hands in denial.
“Oh? Then who’s that?” Namnuea shot back, pointing at the good-looking guy who broke into a wide grin the moment he heard the word “man.” The guy even chimed in loudly, staking his claim. “Not another farm worker, Nuea!”
“I’m Riu’s husband, been for a while now! Nice to meet you,
Phii!!!”
That kid’s got some serious nerve.
Smack
“Sun, you wanna die or what?!” A husband and wife are bickering because the cheeky one slapped his partner so hard the face nearly turned, but the red cheek is visible even from here. Namnuea chuckles softly, watching the two kids chasing each other, while a close relative chimes in.
“I’m a year younger than Riu, his junior, but I’ve got him tamed,” they say. The listener nods a few times, his laughter fading to a faint, melancholic smile.
“Must be nice,” Namnuea murmurs softly. The person beside him turns to look.
“Having issues with someone in Bangkok? Just talk it out properly,” they say. His mother must not have told them what happened for them to ask like that, but it’s fine. He doesn’t dare say more either, so he laughs it off.
“There’s no talking left to do. It’s over… Anyway, mind if I go tease Riu a bit?” The young organizer swiftly changes the subject. The listener laughs slowly, then switches topics too. “Shouldn’t you be staying here tonight? How could you not? Mom practically threw your bag of clothes at you. Stay here a couple of days, yeah?”
“Stay as long as you want. This place is like home for Nuea,” the host says, and suddenly, he’s reluctant to leave. Being far from his problems makes him feel better. He knows the problems aren’t gone, but at least his heart gets a break before facing them again.
After Khun Yiwa’s wedding, he’ll have to seriously consider what Mom said.
Should he quit his job and come back home?
There, he has no one, but here, he’s surrounded by family.
…
“What do you mean Namnuea’s on vacation?”
“Exactly what it sounds like, Khun Lom. Nuea’s taken a leave of absence and didn’t say when he’ll be back.”
The meeting room at The Wiwa Square is thick with tension. A big-spending client storms into the office, demanding to know where his event organizer is, only to learn that Nuea’s on an indefinite vacation.
Sharp eyes flash with obvious frustration.
Since the pre-wedding photoshoot, he’d asked Yiwa to take the two mothers home so he could clear things up with the organizer. But not only did the other party leave early, they turned off their phone, refusing calls. Calling the company got him nowhere—they said he wasn’t there. Two days of near insanity later, Sailom storms the office, only to learn the truth: his organizer has vanished, destination unknown.
“No need to worry, Khun Lom. I’ll take over the wedding invitations and favors myself…”
“I want to see Nuea.”
“I’m truly sorry, but we can’t reach Nuea either.” Though the woman in front of him speaks politely, Sailom isn’t fooled—she knows something. Her eyes brim with disapproval, and she’s clearly blocking him.
“I didn’t think Nuea was the type to abandon work like this.”
“Well, if someone pushed him to it, would that be so surprising?”
This woman knows.
The young man told himself immediately. She must know something about him and Namnuea, though not much, which is why her resistance was subtle. He forced himself to stay calm and spoke firmly.
“I’m begging you. I really need to talk to Nuea.”
“If it’s about the wedding, you can inform me, and we’ll ensure your wedding is perfectly beautiful…”
“It’s not about the wedding. It’s about me and Nuea,” Sailom interrupted sharply before she could finish, causing the woman’s polite demeanor to shift to hostility. Her eyes glared with disapproval and judgment, though she didn’t say it outright.
“We really haven’t been able to contact Nuea either.”
“Liar!”
“Feel free to ask everyone in the office, Khun Lom. No one has spoken to Nuea, and he’s turned off his phone,” Sis Eim said with a smile, while the listener clenched his fists. If she weren’t a woman, he might’ve grabbed her collar to demand answers. But he knew losing his temper wouldn’t help, so he took a deep breath.
“I need to talk to Nuea.”
“I think you should talk to Khun Yiwa instead.”
What does this have to do with Yiwa?!
Sailom wanted to shout, but a moment later, he realized he was in no position to argue. He couldn’t deny the special connection with Namnuea, but he also couldn’t ignore the reality everyone saw: he was about to marry a beautiful bride. If he were to reveal the truth behind the wedding, he wasn’t sure… he didn’t know how much he could trust this woman.
He hadn’t even told Namnuea yet. Why would he spill everything to her?
“Khun Lom, you should go back for now. If we reach Nuea, we’ll let you know.”
She’s definitely not going to do that.
Sailom concluded to himself, letting out a heavy sigh. He knew causing a scene would do no good and would only make him look worse. So, he decided to head to Namnuea’s condominium instead. If he was still hiding in Bangkok, he’d have to return home eventually… though he knew that might not be the case.
“Fine. I’ll go. I’ll contact you again,” he said, then strode out of the office toward his sleek car. Once inside, he slammed his fist against the steering wheel to vent the frustration in his chest.
“Damn it!!!”
While venting his frustration, the phone rang, forcing Sailom to grab it and answer curtly.
“Yes?”
[Lom, have you found Khun Nuea?]
“No. He’s on leave, his phone’s off, and the people here act like they don’t want to talk to me,” Sailom said, irritated. The person on the other end went quiet for a moment.
[They probably know something happened between you and Khun Nuea. But the problem is, you’ve still going to marry me. No matter how you look at it, you’re coming off as a lousy guy who deserves a slap.]
“Yiwa!” This wasn’t the time for teasing, so Sailom’s voice hardened. But the person on the line chuckled lightly before speaking with a weary tone.
[You don’t have to put me first all the time. Be a little selfish for once.]
The listener was left speechless. The person on the line let out a long sigh.
[Wait there for a bit, okay? I’m driving over now. I’ll call
Ms. Imm to let her know we’re coming to meet.]
“You’re really doing this? I just need to find Nuea and explain everything to him alone…”
[And not know when you’ll see him? If he can’t take it and quits, running away from you, where will you even find him? Don’t let time slip away for nothing. And I can’t just be selfish and happy alone. You’ve always helped me, Phii
Lom. Just this once, let me help you.]
The flood of words left Sailom speechless, and he reluctantly agreed. He sat in his car, drained, closing his eyes and thinking of the one person he wanted to see most right now.
He must truly seem like a terrible person in Namnuea’s eyes— and everyone else’s.
Did Sailom not want to pursue a relationship the normal way? Of course he did. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t risk the truth he’d hidden for years coming out at such a critical moment. At first, he didn’t tell Namnuea because he didn’t fully trust him. But after what happened between them, and seeing how much pain the other was in, he could no longer be selfish and keep it to himself.
If the wedding had to fall apart, so be it—because he had truly fallen for Namnuea.
From the very first glance, Namnuea made him feel something incredible. His eyes, his smile, the natural way he ate that brought a smile to Sailom’s face. Even the frustrated, crumpled expression Namnuea wore, sneaking glances at him, was so amusing that Sailom found himself thinking about it for days.
I don’t know when I fell in love, but by the time I realized it, I was consumed with thoughts of him, wanting to see him, talk to him, touch him, resorting to all sorts of tricks just to be near him.
If Namnuea really ran away, what would I do?
That thought tormented him the most. Besides knowing Nuea was born on a day of flooding, he knew nothing else—not where he lived, who his friends were. It made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t believe.
That day, the day they were together, if only he’d held on. If he hadn’t just been angry when the other insisted it was a mistake, he wouldn’t have let time slip by so meaninglessly.
“That night, I was truly happy to have you,” he whispered.
The morning that felt so bright turned dark when he saw the other’s reaction. But Namnuea wasn’t at fault. The one who was wrong was him, for not speaking up.
Who could be happy knowing they’d just slept with someone else’s man?
His thoughts drifted far until Yiwa pulled up, got out, and tapped on the window.
Sailom stepped out, telling himself this time… he wouldn’t let Namnuea slip away.
He’d followed his mother’s wishes his whole life. All he wanted was the freedom to love someone else, just this once.
This time, visiting Namnuea’s coworkers clearly startled them, especially when Yiwa pleaded for his address. Sister Eim looked visibly conflicted, and his bride-to-be had to clarify, “The thing between Phii Lom and Khun Nuea isn’t wrong.”
“But Khun Lom and you are getting married.”
Yiwa took a deep breath, glanced at him, then said firmly,
“What if this marriage isn’t based on love?”
“What did you mean…”
“I’m saying, what if this wedding was staged from the start?” The listener looked visibly shocked, so Sailom spoke with conviction. “The thing between me and Yiwa is fake, but what’s between me and Nuea is real. Please, I’m begging you, tell me where Nuea is right now. I want to talk to him, to explain everything so he understands. Please, Sister Eim.” Though she seemed hesitant, glancing between Sailom and Yiwa, she finally sighed.
“Wait a moment,” she said, leaving the room.
Shortly after, the woman returned with a file containing Namnuea’s home address in the Northeast, along with a contact number, and said with a serious expression, “If you make my little brother cry again, don’t expect me to help you ever again!”
That realization hits Sailom hard—he’s made the person he loves cry. It’s time to set things right.
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