WESTTHESUNFROMANOTHERSTAR, Chapter 32: Willing
Daotok
The familiar ringtone woke me up in the middle of the night. I found myself being hugged from behind by someone, his arm under my head as a substitute for a pillow, the other arm firmly around my waist. The warm breath on my neck, the body heat close to mine, and the faint pleasant scent were all lulling me back to sleep at any moment.
I tried to lift the arm around my waist but was unsuccessful.
My attempt to move his arm only made him hold me tighter and let out a displeased sound from his throat. At first, I thought he was awake, but then I figured he wasn’t because if he were, he wouldn’t stay so still, plus his breathing was steady. I was sure he was asleep.
Reaching for my phone that wasn’t far away, the screen lit up with an incoming call. When I picked it up, I saw it was North calling. It was now half past three in the morning. I groggily answered the call.
“He’s asleep, goodnight.”
I said that before hanging up, overcome by sleepiness, but North called again.
(Don’t hang up!)
“Hmm, what’s up? Calling so late.”
(You, Daotok, why are you sleeping? Normally, you don’t sleep.)
“I’m human too, and why call my name?”
(Late at night, wide awake. Who talks about ghosts at this hour? I won’t call you ‘Phipungto’) North grumbled quietly, as if he was trying not to make too much noise himself, (I swear, earlier when I was showering, I heard kids laughing, it was so damn creepy, I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Why are they haunting me when it’s you and Phii Arthit who ate the sweets? Shit.)
That panicked tone made me chuckle a little, waking me up a bit from my drowsiness.
“What about your boyfriend?”
(Why are you asking about my boyfriend?)
“Go stay with him, you won’t be scared then.”
(No way, Phii Jo is working, I’m losing my mind, should I go bother him?
No thanks.)
“But you are scared, let him comfort you.”
(Who’s scared? Me and fear are on opposite sides) the voice on the line said firmly.
“Then I’ll hang up, good night.”
(Damn, no, don’t, don’t hang up. No, please, I’m scared, really scared, I’m about to cry, you bastard, I hate this, I didn’t eat the sweets, why are they haunting me?)
“Are you really about to cry?”
(Yes, my eyes are welling up.)
“A man’s tears come so easily, huh?” I teased because I knew North wasn’t serious, but the fear part was real, “I think there’s nothing, you probably imagined it. What are you doing now?”
(Covered under the blanket with the pillow, if Phii Jo sees this, he’ll be confused, what am I doing covering myself with a pillow? I’m scared, okay!)
“Uncover the blanket and listen carefully, is there really laughter?”
(No way! Are you crazy?)
“North. I told you there’s nothing in your room because your boyfriend’s luck is strong, ghosts are too scared to approach. Even if you look between his legs now, you’ll see there’s nothing, believe me.”
(Really?)
“Hmm. I promise. I ate those snacks and nothing happened, your friend probably just pranked North.”
(Really? Are you saying I’m just hallucinating?)
“Maybe you’re so scared that your mind is playing tricks on you. Have you been watching a lot of horror movies lately?”
(A lot, I guess, sigh, my nerves are shot, I’ve lifted the blanket now.)
“Hmm.”
Then I heard some rustling for a while before silence fell on the other end.
(Nothing at all, you were right.)
“See, I told you, stop being scared and go to sleep now.”
(What if it comes after I hang up?)
“If it really comes, tell it to come find me instead.”
(Would that be good?)
“It’s better than you bothering me until I can’t sleep. If it’s a ghost, I might sleep better.”
(I’m more annoying than a ghost then) North said, laughing loudly (Okay then. If you assure me there’s nothing, I feel a bit more at ease. Hey, are you free tomorrow?)
“Should be free, why?”
(Do you want to do some merit-making together?)
“you are inviting me to do merit?”
(Yeah, I feel like my luck’s been terrible lately, doing some merit might help.)
“What about Ter and Cat?”
(They have a date with their partners, yeah, bring Phii Arthit along, come with Phii Jo because those two probably won’t join in for merit-making.)
“Oh, alright.”
(Which temple has good lottery numbers? Yeah, there’s one not far, let’s go ask for thirty million.)
“Hmm, okay, then I’ll go to sleep, see you tomorrow.”
(Okay, good night.)
Before North hung up, I placed my phone back in its place and returned to silence once more. Now, my eyes adjusted to the darkness around me, the person beside me still holding me as before, and I thought it would be like this until morning. Even though I lay still, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to turn to face him. His sharp, handsome face looked even more captivating at this close distance, making me feel a bit nervous, but the nervousness was more because it was him. Normally, when he talks, smiles, or laughs, he seems lively and natural, but when he sleeps, he’s strangely enchanting. I don’t quite understand why one person can make me think so much about him.
If I asked him to say he loves me, he would probably smile broadly and say it without hesitation. He might even be glad to say it and ask why I wanted him to say it. Like, have you fallen in love already?
Just thinking about these scenarios made me chuckle a little.
“Crazy person.”
I whispered softly, reaching out to poke his nose and cheek. He really is like a crazy person, isn’t he? Quite mad but cute, as I’ve said before. And if I were to compliment him, I’d have to be careful because he’s always ready to take his clothes off at any moment.
“Good night.”
I wished him good night, the one who was already asleep, before slowly closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep again.
I woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window, checking the time to find it was already nine o’clock. Not too early or too late, there was a message from Phii Arthit telling me to eat the soy milk and Chinese doughnuts he left on the table and not to forget to take my medicine; he would be back around the afternoon. I replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
I got out of bed and went to take a shower, then walked over to pour the soy milk from the table into a glass and ate the Chinese doughnuts with it. I checked my phone and emails for any new work, finding there was new work coming in.
Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate to agree and start working immediately, but with Phii Arthit’s painting work, I had to reply that I would be available next week. If the client agrees, I’ll take the job; if not, that’s fine too.
Hmm, come to think of it, Phii Arthit’s father, Uncle Direk, once said he wanted acrylic paintings on canvas. Maybe I should contact him back?
While I was thinking, Mr. Jeon walked in, rubbing against my leg in an attempt to be cuddled, but I couldn’t lift him up right then as I was eating. Looking at his food bowl, I saw there was just a little left; he hadn’t forgotten to feed Mr. Jeon today either.
He also changed the bandage on my ankle, I can’t deny that he really takes good care of me. These small, consistent acts are what would break down even the thickest walls one day. My walls had already been broken down by him since the day I decided to open up to him, so I’m even happier now that he’s by my side.
Saying that he would like me more tomorrow was not an exaggeration at all.
Because today, I already like you more than yesterday.
After eating the Chinese doughnut with soy milk, I cleared the cups and threw away the trash, then returned to my spot at the desk to continue painting. Until around one in the afternoon, I heard the door open. The room’s owner looked at me before walking over to place a lunch box on the table. He leaned one hand on the table’s edge, the other on the back of my chair, watching the painting I was working on.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
I turned to say, and he leaned down to kiss my forehead without asking for permission. I was momentarily stunned, but he did it as if it were the most normal thing.
“Yeah, I just went to see Khram. Can I talk about him?” He said while heading towards the wardrobe, taking off his lab coat.
“You can, why did you go?”
“To warn him not to mess with my man again.”
“Oh, hmm.”
“Aren’t you going to ask for details, like, what he said?” “I don’t want to know.” I answered honestly.
“It’s good that you don’t care.” He said, “Otherwise, I’d be annoyed.” He took off the shirt he wore under the lab coat and changed into a new one. When he started to take off his pants, I turned my attention back to my work.
“…”
“Hey, you can look, I’m wearing boxers.”
“Why say that I can look? Normally, you should say not to look.”
“Hey, you can look, I want you to look, I like you looking.”
“I feel like you’re a bit of a pervert.” I said, making him laugh out loud before he sat down in the chair next to me.
“Take a break and come eat first.”
“Hmm.”
I put down the brush, tidied up the tools a bit to make space for the food box. I started eating the food with the person next to me watching.
“Hmm, North invited me to do some merit-making.”
“Hmm?” He raised his eyebrows, “Invited you?”
“Yeah, and to invite you too, Phii.”
“Oh, back to calling me ‘Phii’ now?”
“Hmm, just for now.”
“What do you mean by ‘just for now’?” He asked. I didn’t reply because I was chewing, so he changed the question, “Is Jo going?” I nodded.
“The lottery is about to be drawn, North is definitely going to ask for lottery numbers again.”
“How do you know?”
“Jo complains about it often.” He said, annoyed, “And do you want to go?”
“It might be good to go. It’s been a while since I did merit-making.”
“Okay, but I probably won’t go in to pay respects.” He said. I nodded to show I understood. After finishing the food in the box, he took the empty container to throw it away, “What time are we going?”
“Not sure, North might call.”
“I’ll ask him.” He picked up his phone, made the call, talked to North for a while, then hung up and turned to me, “We’ll go now, have you showered?”
“Hmm, I’ll change clothes, can I go back to my room?”
“Sure.”
…
Arthit
I carried the cat, the black cat I call ‘John’, to play in the next room. No matter how good its real name is, I will call it John. I waited for the shorty to change in the bathroom to get ready for merit-making, or more accurately, to take North to ask for lottery numbers. And with today’s hot sun, Jo, who doesn’t get along with hot weather, has to endure it to escort his ‘wife’ to ask for numbers even though he’s loaded.
Luckily, I prefer hot weather over cold, like that time I went to Boston with Jo and it was freezing, I planned to go to Brazil next, the cold was so intense it made my balls shrink, we went without any plan, no idea where we were going or how much money we had, ended up getting my hand bitten by piranhas needing several stitches, but that was a good experience, and you guys should stop teasing me about it, bastards.
Because I got bitten by piranhas, I had Fah write my work for me, and if you ask why I could play the drums with an injured hand, I was faking it. I was too lazy to write, don’t tell Fah, but he probably already knows. Even so, he still agreed to do the work because he couldn’t bear to see me pretending to be in pain.
It’s good to take the short one out into the sun sometimes; his skin is as pale as if paint had spilled on him. I’m joking, not that bad, but he’s really white, like he’s been bleached, so white it’s blinding.
“Why are you acting like this?” I asked the kitten trying to climb up on me, lifting it with both hands and looking into one yellow eye, “You like me a lot, huh? Go tell your master to like me too. Oh, but he already said he likes me, so go tell your master to give in to me already.”
“Meow.”
“I don’t need your love.” I said after it waved its paw in the air, “I’m jealous, your master loves you more than me. In this case, I need to eliminate the competition.”
With a mix of affection and mischief, I put its little head in my mouth, just as I was about to bite down, I heard the bathroom door open. The person who came out looked shocked to see me trying to eat Cat’s head and rushed over to take it back immediately.
“What are you doing?”
“Biting its head.”
“Are you crazy? Why would you bite Mr. Jeon’s head?”
“I’m jealous, why? Can’t I just bite its head?” I asked, “Greedy.”
“Greedy for what? And who bites a cat’s head?” He said, gently stroking the kitten’s head, holding it close to comfort it. Why comfort it, it didn’t even look scared, “It’s dirty.”
“Are you worried about me?” I raised my eyebrows to ask, he didn’t answer, just brushed off some cat hair from around my shirt collar.
“Full of cat’s fur.”
“…”
I sat still, letting him brush off the cat’s fur, feeling a sudden warmth inside, and I couldn’t help but smile broadly at the action. The short one kept looking for more fur on my shirt and picking it off.
“Thank you.” I said, feeling an indescribable happiness, wanting to pull him into a hug right then but seeing he was focused, I refrained, “I like it.”
“Hmm?”
“You’re good to me.”
“Same.”
“What’s the same?”
“You’re good to me.”
“Because I love you.” I said. He took his hand away, then looked up into my eyes and nodded slightly, as if acknowledging it. He didn’t reply, “Do you like me more than yesterday?”
“Hmm.” He nodded again. I couldn’t help but smile widely, my heart swelling a bit more, “Don’t take it off.”
“Take off what? What kind of person do you think I am?”
“Someone who’s always ready to take off his shirt.”
“…Damn.” I sighed slightly. Even if I said that, but…”Yeah, true, I’m always ready to take it off when I’m with you, I can take it off now if you want.”
“Sigh.” This time, it was him who sighed, standing up with Joon in his arms. Ah, I’ve never gotten a hug back from him, damn Cat, I’ll pinch its balls, heh, someone like me jealous of a cat? No way, one day I’ll be number one and kick you out of your position, Cat John.
While I put Joon back in my room since everything was already prepared for him, my phone in my pocket vibrates with incoming messages. J.Han: Arrived.
J.Han: Hurry up and come down.
J.Han: I’m downstairs.
☀︎: Not yet.
☀︎: Wait another half hour, okay? J.Han: Doing what?
☀︎: Idiot.
J.Han: Alright, then I’ll wait.
☀︎: See, getting impatient.
☀︎: Is there air conditioning downstairs?
J.Han: And what’s the problem? Can’t you hurry up and come down?
☀︎: Joking
☀︎: You’re so harsh with me.
☀︎: I’ll go down soon.
“Okay, let’s go.” I said, putting my phone back in my pants pocket, only then noticing he was wearing a large light blue t-shirt with jeans, and I thought it suited him well. Yeah. I’m just smitten with him, damn, my eyes have turned into a pink filter now.
“You’re staring too much.”
“Why, you look cute.”
“…”
“Embarrassed?”
“No.”
“Not even a little? I’ve never complimented anyone on being cute.” I said as we were in the elevator. I kept staring at the short one standing beside me. When you want to look, you look, no need to sneak glances.
“Fine, I’ll blush a little.”
“Great.”
We walked down to the ground floor to find the other couple already waiting.
When we arrived, they stood up and immediately headed towards the parking lot.
“Whose car are we taking?” I asked.
“Do you want to drive?” Jo asked back. I shook my head in response; for some reason, I was too lazy to drive today. Better let Jo, who has traded his racing skills for driving his wife around, take the wheel.
We stopped in front of a familiar, sleek black car. I opened the back door and got in, with the short one sitting next to me.
“We’re going to the temple to ask for lottery numbers, right?” I confirmed, Jo nodded, looking slightly bored, while North chuckled.
“I said I could go by myself.”
“It’s fine, I can drop you off, wait outside with Arthit.”
“Aren’t we all going in?”
“Do you want to go in?” Jo, from the driver’s seat, started the car and turned to ask.
“The view is beautiful, the breeze is cool, at the back of the temple.” “Then let’s go wait there.” Said the driver, shifting gears, and the black car moved away from the parking lot on the ground floor.
“Got it, can I sleep?”
“Yeah, do whatever.”
“Then I need to pee, can I pee?”
“Go for it, then get me a new car.”
“It can be washed.”
“Damn it, the person who peed on your tire hasn’t even driven yet.” After Jo’s words, I didn’t reply, just leaned back to lie on the backseat, resting my head on the soft lap of the person next to me, without asking for permission. The other seemed a little surprised before returning to normal.
I looked up at him from the lower angle, reached out to hold his hand, and pressed a gentle kiss on it.
“Ah, I see.” North, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look and tease. I raised an eyebrow at him. The person whose hand I just kissed tried to pull it back, but I didn’t let go. He let out a big sigh, “Oh, it’s sweet, it’s gentle.” “Idiot.” I said.
“What are you doing, get out of my car.”
“Oh, North has a bodyguard today.” I teased cheerfully, feeling even better because of the sweet scent from the person whose lap I was resting on, smelling so good I wanted to bury my face in his stomach…
And of course, I did it. His stomach was so damn soft. If it weren’t for being in Jo’s car, I would have pulled off this annoying shirt already.
He jumped in shock but didn’t make a sound, tried to push me away but to no avail, so he gave up and stayed as still as possible, probably not wanting North to look back and tease again.
Feeling encouraged, I buried my face deeper, inhaling the pleasant scent until I was satisfied, then pulled back, looking up to see the shorty looking out the window. Though I couldn’t see much of his face, his small ears were entirely red.
I couldn’t resist pinching his cheek mischievously.
“There you go.”
“Huh?”
“Do you play the lottery like North?”
“No.”
“Then what are you going to ask for?”
“To get rid of all the bad things from my life.”
“Don’t, what if I disappear?” I said seriously. If this temple is really sacred and his wish comes true, and suddenly I disappear, it would be a disaster, “Ask for something else. Why are you laughing?” I asked, turning to the couple who burst into loud laughter.
“Oh, Phii, what would Phipungto ask for, to have only good things come into his life? He’d still get a new boyfriend anyway.” North said, still laughing. “Exactly, why? Isn’t having me enough? You want another husband?” I furrowed my brows, displeased. He looked down at me, sighed, and then asked.
“So what should I ask for?” “Ask to be with me for a long time.”
“Damn.” Jo muttered under his breath.
“Put up with it, my partner is this sweet.”
“I think you’re the only one who thinks that.”
“No way, right, babe?” I turned to ask the person leaning on my lap, who just shook his head slightly, looking tired, “Why do you make that face like you’re so annoyed by me? This means I’m not cute anymore, I’m hurt, I’d even be a dog or a cat for you, I’d bark and wag my tail, and you still wouldn’t love me.” “Stop being sarcastic, it’s annoying, I’m annoyed, how does he put up with you?”
“I’m just joking with you.”
“But I’m really annoyed.”
“Damn.” I muttered softly, “You’re still young, Jo. Look at my shorty first, he’s already resigned to being annoyed by me.” I said.
“If my friend is happy, I’m okay with it.”
“Can’t it be more than just friends?”
“Sigh.” North let out a big sigh, “Think carefully if you really want someone like this as a boyfriend, Phipungto, are you interested in my friend? My friend might not be as handsome or rich as him, but he’s definitely a better person.” “Hey, North, you traitor.” I kicked his seat, and North immediately turned to complain.
“Why kick, what the hell, you scared me, Phipungto, hit him instead, he’s hurting me.”
“Don’t do that to North.” the shorty said quietly, lightly tapping my forehead, so light it felt like he just placed his hand there.
“Ouch, that hurt like hell, I’m in pain just watching.” North said sarcastically, “When someone opens up their heart, but I demand justice, I’ve been your friend for three years, how can that bastard who just came have more rights than me?”
“Oh, then let’s deduct points.”
“Damn. No way.” Now it was my turn to protest.
“Oh, deducting behavior points?” North asked, “Then deduct a lot, minus twenty.”
“Minus twenty, what the hell, North, I only have three, you bastard.” I said, annoyed, “Don’t deduct, or I’ll wrestle you.”
“You’re so damn cheeky, you still threaten him with only three points.” Jo chimed in.
“Actually, it’s just one.”
“Damn pitiful.”
“Damn, why one?”
“Because it was deducted.”
“Deducted from where? It wasn’t, it’s three, three.” I started to insist, “Okay, three.”
“If you want three, then fine.”
“What do you mean?” I quickly asked, but he remained silent, “Damn, don’t go silent on me, what does it mean? Did I get more? When and why didn’t you tell me? How much do I have now?”
“We’re here, Arthit, stop complaining.”
“How can I not complain? It’s a big deal.”
The shorty opened the car door and moved his legs out, so I had to get up unwillingly, ending up walking alongside Jo while the shorty and the bastard North walked ahead.
“So damn annoyed.” I couldn’t help but complain.
“What about your points?”
“Yeah, I’m still stuck in the senior zone.”
“Oh, and what’s the full score?”
“I don’t know.”
“A million percent.”
“Damn, I guess I’ll be courting him for life then.”
“Can you handle that?”
“I can handle it well, no problem.” I shrugged casually, looking ahead at the two of them chatting about something I didn’t know. Today there were quite a lot of people because it was a holiday and the weather was rather hot, which was fine for me, but not so much for the person next to me.
“It’s damn hot.” Here we go, he’s starting to complain, “Where’s the cool breeze you mentioned?”
“We have to go inside first, then there will be a viewpoint.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“I’ve been once, more like I was dragged here, my mom brought me to make merit, and I just dropped her off. I didn’t go inside. I’m not really into temples, why do you come?”
“To take a walk, nothing else to do.”
“What kind of asshole comes to a temple just to walk around?” Jo grumbled, looking somewhat annoyed. We walked up the hill to find the large Buddha statue at the very front, “We will wait down here.” Jo said. North nodded slightly before the two of them went up to pay respects. We waited at the bottom. “Do you date your mom often, yeah, no need to ask, it’s frequent.” I said, referring to Jo’s beautiful mother.
“Don’t call it dating, call it being a servant instead, carrying things, driving, and paying for stuff too. Tomorrow, she wants to go see the new clothing collection again, it’s good I have North with me, otherwise, my life would be in shambles.”
“Ha, having a wife is nice.”
“But you don’t have one.”
“Damn.” I grumbled in disappointment, “Can I swear in a temple?”
“Probably not anymore.”
“Yeah, that’s right. He said he’s opened up to me, but he still won’t agree to be my boyfriend. I ask every day, Hill said it takes time, and I understand. I’m not getting anything, but I’m impatient.”
“Wait a minute.” Jo interjected, “Hill said that?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Does Hill know?”
“Of course. Otherwise, how could he give me advice? He even said he’s proud of me. Now, Hill, my best friend, has become my buddy for life.”
“Wait a sec, you bastard, proud of you?” Jo looked surprised, “And why did he scold me when I was flirting with North? Wait, there must be something wrong here. No way, you bastard, are you lying to me?”
“I’m not lying, you bastard, I’m telling the truth.”
“Shit, why? Hill, you bastard, why praise Arthit but scold me? Does he think you’re better than me, why?”
“Well, I am better than you.” I said proudly while Jo furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand, “He said I’m not like you because I’ve never fooled around with anyone or played around like you.”
“But you went to the bathhouse.”
“I didn’t go, it was just a joke, do you understand?”
“And what about dealing at the bar?”
“It was just temporary, I used to be a tiger, now I’m a dog.”
“What? You’re not any better than me, Hill is biased against me because he’s afraid I’ll make him my wife.” and Jo came to his own conclusion.
“He’s paranoid as hell, poor bastard.”
“Really, he said he’s paranoid?” Jo chuckled a little, “I was just messing around.”
“You mess around all the time, sometimes I can’t tell if you’re serious or joking.
Seeing your face makes his hair stand on end, I think.”
“Oh. He’s just mean to me, damn it.” Jo sighed softly, “But his face when he gets teased is really funny, Hill is so serious.”
“Just say what you really think.”
“Damn it.”
“But saying you want him to be your wife is true, right?” I said.
“…”
“Yeah, I understand why you like to tease Hill, your face when you get goosebumps is really funny.” I said, laughing, “Are you done praying?” I turned to ask the person who had just walked down, went to get his shoes for him, and sat down.
“…”
“Come on, put on your shoes, are you going barefoot into the temple?”
“I’ll wear them, but why do you have to help me?”
“Don’t ask so many questions, hurry up.”
“…”
He didn’t respond, just made a slightly troubled face, slipped his feet into the sneakers, and I retied the laces because they were loose.
“With this knot, they’ll come undone soon.”
“Oh, hmm.”
I then tied the other shoe, and after I was done, I stood up, looking over at the couple waiting.
“I’m so proud of you, Phii.” North said, pretending to be on the verge of tears.
“Why? Doesn’t Jo ever tie them for you?”
“He does, but I prefer wearing Phii Jo’s flip-flops, so he doesn’t have to tie them often.” North said, “If you don’t want to bother him, you can wear flip-flops too.” “Oh, I see.”
“It’s just tying shoes, what’s the big deal?” Jo muttered.
“I won’t let you bow your head lower than me!”
“Sigh, stubborn.” Jo said before giving North a gentle push on the head. I stopped paying attention to the couple and turned to the person standing next to me.
“Is it too tight?”
“It’s just right, but next time, you don’t have to do it.”
“Why? Are you going to wear flip-flops like North?”
“I don’t really like flip-flops, they hurt my feet.”
“You need to buy good ones, then they’ll be comfortable to walk in, but you can wear sneakers, I’ll always tie them for you, don’t act like North, understand?”
“…Thank you.”
“Yeah, and what’s the conclusion about the score?”
“Just now, I added…hmm, let’s say three more points.”
“And how much is the total now?”
“I won’t tell.”
“Come on, that’s cheating.” I grumbled, but since it seemed like the shorty wouldn’t reveal it, I had to let it go for now. We then walked into the temple area. While North and Dao went to pray and do their things, Jo and I went to wait at the viewpoint.
“It looks more pitiful than romantic, standing here watching the view with you.” Jo said, gazing out at the city view below. Though the sun was quite strong, the breeze helped cool us down.
“We’re not here to watch the view, we’re here to wait for our wives.”
“Say it confidently, be a boyfriend first.”
“Your mouth works well, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t reply, just shrugged slightly.
“Yeah, I’ve got a car race next month too.”
“Serious racing?” He asked, because if it were just any race, there would be no need to tell him, “With who?”
“The son of the company that Direk bets with.”
“How much?”
“Thousands.”
“That’s something.”
“Hmm.”
“Why? Feeling pressured?”
“No. Just want a sparring partner. I haven’t raced in a while.”
“Want me as a sparring partner? Want to lose again?”
“Johan, you haven’t raced in longer than I have, you must be all rusted up.” I teased because since he started flirting with North, no, even before that, he hardly touched racing anymore.
“I can knock off the rust, I’ve got some time now, I can be your sparring partner.” He said, “Which track are you racing at?”
“Their field.”
“Ha, watch your car too.”
“I know, if you’re free, come watch too.”
“Sure. If I’m free, North also said he wanted to see.”
“One sec, who’s calling?” I said after feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out to see it was a friend calling; they were inviting me to play football tonight, “Tim’s inviting us to play football tonight, are you going?”
“Not free, got work.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you going?”
“I think I’ll go. Haven’t played football in a while.” I said before seeing the two of them walk out, scanning around before their gaze settled on us and then they approached, “How was it?” I asked.
“It was good, North took a long time asking for blessings.”
“Come on, let’s go buy lottery tickets.” “There’s that too?” I asked.
“There’s a lottery stall right out front, bro, your eyesight isn’t good.” North said before pulling Jo along to rush out, “Hurry up, buy while the merit is still warm.” “Huh? Does merit have a temperature?”
“Yeah, you don’t follow Buddhism, how would you know?”
“Yeah, your business.” I said before following them with the person beside me.
“What did you ask for in your blessing?”
“Not telling.”
“Why not?”
“If I tell, it won’t come true.”
“You should have asked to be with me for a long time.”
“If I don’t ask, will you not stay?”
“Crazy. I’ll stay even if you don’t ask, I said I’d stay with you for life.”
“Hmm. That’s why I didn’t ask for anything from you.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Nothing.”
“Why?”
“If I were to ask, it would have to be for something I don’t have yet.”
“Yeah, right. I’ve given you everything, only you haven’t accepted it yet.” “I might not be able to accept everything just yet.”
“…”
“But everything you’ve given, I’ve never unwillingly accepted.”
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