WESTTHESUNFROMANOTHERSTAR, Chapter 43: The Sun
Arthit
I opened my eyes with difficulty, feeling my eyelids heavy and annoying, especially after being woken up by cold water, which made me even more irritated. Once I regained consciousness, I realized I was tied to a chair with my arms bound tightly to the armrests.
It was a bit surprising that my legs weren’t tied. Did they run out of rope or what?
I looked around, seeing only darkness. As my eyes adjusted, I found myself in some abandoned warehouse. The person in front of me was the one who had just lost to me in the car race, holding an empty bucket. Why pour water on me? I’m all cold now, you bastard, wake me up properly, or with a kick to the heel at least.
I scanned the room to assess the situation. No need for much thought to realize this was a kidnapping, no doubt about it. Because this bastard lost the race and feared losing a billion dollars, he kidnapped me to threaten.
How did they kidnap me? Hmm…oh, I was taking a piss and got hit on the neck. Damn it, no mercy even to someone taking a leak. Good thing I was zipping up my pants. Otherwise, it would have been more embarrassing, not even sparing someone in that state. You guys are too brutal, taking advantage of my moment of distraction, you bastard, how can someone just finished peeing be on guard! Doesn’t anyone teach you not to ambush Jo when he’s taking a leak? That’s when someone’s at their weakest, damn it, I’ve escaped so many situations, only to get caught like this, so frustrating.
Well, at least they didn’t slit my throat while I was peeing. That would have been messy, and little Arthit would have been introduced to the world, thank God for sparing me some dignity, giving me the chance to shake and zip up first.
“Awake now?”
“Not yet, I am still dreaming.”
And with that, my mouth, which always gets me into trouble, got me a punch to the corner of my lips.
I didn’t feel excited or alarmed at all. I wasn’t scared either. I’ve been in this situation once before in high school because Direk had so many enemies, his business is always making others go bankrupt, and as a result, I got the brunt of it. Maybe they thought his only son was his weakness, which was true. Direk might act all laid-back, but if I was injured or in danger, he would lose his composure instantly. Being important to him is inevitable.
More than that, I was just annoyed. What’s this? I finally won a race, about to ask Dao to be my boyfriend. Don’t they know how long I’ve been waiting for this day, you damn unlucky bastards.
“Sigh.” I exhaled in frustration. Why did I get kidnapped? Was I too careless or what, but when you’re taking a shit, how can you be cautious? Just trying not to get shit on yourself takes enough concentration, doesn’t it? Sigh, it’s really pitiful, I can’t even go to the bathroom in peace.
“Why sigh? You can still act cool, huh? You don’t even know what’s coming.” “What do you want? Is there anything more you want than money?” I turned to ask; he clenched his teeth, not saying anything. I can’t even remember this fucker’s name, damn it, “Or you want me?”
“…”
“I didn’t think you’d have that kind of taste, but I’m about to have a wife.” “What the fuck are you talking about!” He shouted loudly. I saw about ten guards; there might be more outside.
“Does your dad know about this?”
“!!”
“Oh, as I thought, because you’re afraid of getting scolded by your dad for losing the race, you came up with this plan in a hurry. Even with all these people, you probably won’t get away with it.” I probed, because if he had planned this beforehand, he wouldn’t have escaped Direk’s notice. It must be a plan hastily thought up on the spot. And not a smart one at that.
“Shut up!!”
“Wow, you! Are you trying to fight with someone tied up? You’re good at beating up bound people, huh!” I shouted back in anger, he paused for a moment. I looked at him with disdain, “You’ve never done this before, have you?” “Shut up, I’m calling your dad now.” He said.
Calling Direk…Seriously?
After a while, he actually talked to Direk, but he looked scared, his face visibly pale. Direk, when angry, is really terrifying, especially when it comes to me, it’s the scariest. There’s no way they’ll get away now; Direk will definitely have them all killed.
Suddenly, he handed me the phone to my ear.
“What’s up, Direk?”
(How are you?)
“I got my next chopped while peeing, it’s good I zipped up.”
(Uh-huh, I’m on my way.)
“Seriously, you don’t have to.”
(Not possible)
“And what about Dao?”
(Worry about yourself first, he’s safe over there.)
“Don’t let him come here, no matter what.”
(Hmm)
“See you.”
(Yeah)
That was all we said before he took the phone to talk to someone else. After a while, he hung up and turned to punch me again. Though it didn’t hurt much, I was starting to get angry.
When I thought that Dao might be worried, I decided I should escape as soon as possible. I shouldn’t just sit here daydreaming.
Damn it. What if he starts crying, what will I do?
Aargh! You’re a sinful man, Arthit, you can’t make Dao cry! No good, better hurry up and get out.
I looked around and saw them discussing something. I overheard that many disagreed with this plan, but they had to follow orders because it was the boss’s command. Having a stupid boss is just bad luck.
Suddenly, the sound of cars was getting closer, judging by the noise, there must be a lot coming. Direk is always this overly worried.
“How many of you are there!” one of the guards shouted, holding a knife to my throat.
“Thud!!” I used that moment to headbutt him, kicked him down, got up, turned around, and used the chair, still tied to me, to hit another person rushing at me. I smashed the wooden chair against a pillar so hard it broke, freeing myself from the bindings, grabbed a chair leg, and hit another person with it, then snatched a gun and shot him without hesitation.
Just sitting there, letting myself be a hostage, who would agree to that? What if they went berserk and shot me dead in one go, then what? I won’t be a burden on Direk, fighting back and escaping is the best choice!
I ducked behind the nearest pile of wood debris while they started shooting back.
Gunfire echoed throughout the warehouse, I gripped the gun tighter.
“Shoot him! Shoot him!”
The leader started shouting orders to keep shooting.
Damn it, let them have it like this!
Checking the bullets in the chamber, there weren’t enough to spray or even to shoot as a warning; I had to aim well.
“They’re outside now, what should we do? Go get him! Otherwise, what will we use to negotiate?”
“He’s got a gun, we can’t go in! We should be able to handle those outside; I told you this plan had too many flaws.”
“Shut up, just follow orders!”
I decided to shoot back from a blind spot. The bullet hit one of the guards in the shoulder, causing him to drop his gun. Without waiting for an opening, I aimed and shot again with precision. The sound of gunfire echoed back and forth as we exchanged shots fiercely. I moved from cover to cover, getting closer to them. “Damn it.” I cursed when I ran out of bullets, panting from exhaustion, my heart pounding as if all the blood in my body was pumping furiously.
I heard gunfire from outside; it must be because they refused to come out to negotiate, so Direk had started to act.
“Hey, everyone outside must be dead by now.”
“Shut up! Shoot him! Shoot, you idiots! You can’t even deal with one guy, and I hired you for what!!”
“We are out of bullets!!” another voice shouted, as I had intentionally closed the distance because, in a prolonged shootout, I would run out of bullets first. So, it was better to fight at close quarters.
I pushed over the large table I was using as cover towards them, giving me enough time to deal with one person and steal his gun, then shot him immediately. Just one shot from this gun and it was useless, damn it! I managed to get it, but it only had one bullet.
I charged at the closest person, dodged a punch, using him as a shield for another bullet aimed at me, then pushed the body towards the shooter, knocking him down and grabbing his gun again.
The fight and shootout ended with me holding the last gun, pointing it at the forehead of the troublemaker. I stood there, panting from exhaustion, so tired I felt like I might collapse, the person on the ground begging for his life. I glanced at the more than ten guards I had just dealt with, bodies scattered, blood splattered all over the floor, the smell of blood and gunpowder thick in the air.
Why, when I was just racing, do I have to risk life and death like this?
“Please…please spare my life…please, sob, huh.”
I dropped the gun, kicked him hard in the stomach until he curled up and coughed blood, grabbed his hair, and dragged him across the floor to the front door.
I opened the door and threw out the guy I had just beaten to near death. “It’s me.” I said when nearly twenty guns were pointed my way. Seeing it was me, everyone lowered their weapons immediately.
“Young master! How are you?”
“Finished inside, how about outside?”
“We’ve got about twenty under control. We’ve dealt with them all.” “Hmm.” I nodded in understanding, seeing their people lying motionless all around the front of the warehouse, those still moving were shot again without mercy. I was sure that was Direk’s order to kill them all.
“Arthit!” Direk’s voice rang out before he rushed over, “You bastard, I was so worried about you, you idiot, you fool, you buffalo, why didn’t you look after yourself, you heel, you dog, you son of a bitch, are you trying to give your father a heart attack and die?”
“Calm down, Direk. I’m okay now.” I said, Direk exhaled with relief, his face visibly relaxing, “And what about Dao?”
“He’s safe, but you should worry about yourself first. You were the one in the most danger, but he seemed very worried about you.”
“Did he cry?”
“I don’t know, I rushed out first.” Direk said, “I was shocked to hear gunshots inside, I wanted to rush in but couldn’t, there were too many outside.”
“Why be shocked, Direk, have some faith in me. Wow, you had a lot of people prepared, huh, thought it was a rushed plan.”
“Yes, trust is one thing, I know you’re capable, you can survive, but as a father, my heart…” Direk said with a big sigh, “It was a rushed plan, very sloppy. They just had a lot of people. I contacted his father, and he really didn’t know about it, it was his own decision because he lost the race and was afraid.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. If there was a plan beforehand, it wouldn’t have escaped Direk’s notice.”
“There’s a lot of blood, were you shot? Is the bullet still in there?” “It just grazed me.” I said, touching my right upper arm, “The rest is their blood.”
“Let’s go to the hospital to get that wound treated.”
“And what are we doing next?” I said, stomping hard on the back of the one we just dragged out, making him scream until his voice was hoarse.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Kill them all, they’re a pain in the butt, it was supposed to be a good day, damn it.” I cursed in frustration.
“Yeah, I know, they dared to disrespect me like this, how can I let them go?” When we arrived at the hospital, it caused a big commotion because of all the blood, they thought I was seriously injured, and I was rushed to the emergency bed for treatment.
“That’s not just a graze, this is what you call a through-and-through.”
“Oh.” I nodded slightly to indicate I understood, while the doctor was stitching up a wound on my arm, “How’s my tattoo, doc?”
“You’ll probably need to find a skilled tattoo artist to fix it.”
“Sigh, I’m so annoyed.”
I grumbled a bit, but the doctor didn’t say anything, just kept stitching until it was neatly done, then a nurse came in to tend to other wounds. It seemed Direk had contacted Jo; he should be here soon.
I tried to imagine how Dao would react when he found out I had been kidnapped.
Of course, I didn’t want him to cry, just hoping he’d be worried.
My body was covered with bandages due to cuts, the rest were bruises. The doctor recommended staying in the hospital, Direk agreed, but I didn’t. I’ve never liked staying in hospitals no matter where I got injured from. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like it, especially now that I’m studying to be a doctor. I’m even more sick of hospitals and the smell of medicine.
I was inevitably moved to sit in a large private patient room, sitting on the bed for just a short time before the door burst open, revealing the person I was thinking about, with a flushed face and teary eyes, sobbing slightly. I widened my eyes in shock; Dao ran towards me and hugged me tightly.
“Sorry…does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt, just hug me.”
“Hic.”
Damn it, he’s really crying.
I raised my left arm, which hadn’t been shot, to hug him back, gently stroking the head of the smaller person in my arms, trying to comfort him. Hearing the sobbing and crying louder made me feel even worse. Fuck…my heart’s going to give out.
“Don’t cry. No, I’m fine.”
“Hic…hic, wounds, you’re covered in wounds.” Dao broke from the hug to stand by the bed, tears streaming again, biting his lip as he looked at me over. Seeing the tears, I was even more flustered, not knowing what to do.
“Hey, don’t cry, I’m worried now.”
“…Didn’t you say you’d come find me?”
“Sorry, I got distracted, but I’m back now. I didn’t risk life and death just to see you cry.”
“Hic…uh, don’t…don’t leave me, okay?”
…Oh, I didn’t die from getting shot or stabbed, but I might die right now.
“I won’t leave, I promise.” I said softly, reaching out to hold the small hand that was rubbing its eyes and wiping away tears, “No more crying, come on, look, you’re brave.”
“Not brave. Don’t say that.” He said quietly, still hiccupping a bit but the tears had stopped, which made me feel relieved. Even though the traces of tears still pained my heart.
Seeing you cry is really dangerous for my heart, seriously.
No more, I promise, no matter what it takes, in this life, I don’t want to see you cry again.
“And where does it hurt?”
“Just a bullet through the arm, some knife cuts, and the rest is just bruises.”
“Hmm.”
“Don’t make that sad face.”
“If it were me getting hurt, wouldn’t you be sad?”
“Okay, I admit it. Even though I don’t want to see you cry, I’m secretly glad. I didn’t think you’d worry this much, hey, why hit me?” I protested a little when he hit my arm.
“You still have the nerve to say you’re glad, you’re cruel.”
“Sorry.”
“You didn’t even make a sound when they were stitching you up. But one hit from him, and you start complaining.” Direk teased as he entered, followed by Jo and North.
“Your Phipungto came to see you quickly. You didn’t even wait for us.” North said, looking shocked at my condition, “Damn, you’re all banged up. Heard you got shot too?” “Yeah.”
“Damn, tell me the details, my friend here has cried his eyes out, twice now, you’ve made my friend cry twice.” North said, coming over to stand by the bed next to Dao, while Jo and Direk sat on the big sofa.
“How twice?”
“The first time was when he read your feelings.”
“Was that my fault too?”
“Yeah…normally, you’re like a dead-faced robot, when you cry, I don’t know what to do, why can you cry so pitifully like that?” North muttered, “Tell the story.”
“Well, nothing much, I finished racing, then felt my bladder full so I stopped to take a leak, after zipping up someone did a neck chop on me, ‘ugh’, I passed out, woke up in a warehouse, there was a fight for the gun, I dealt with them and got out by myself, one more step and I’d be John Wick.”
“I hate your habit of passing out.” Jo said, making a face of disgust, “I was thinking how someone like you could get caught, damn, it’s pitiful.” “Yeah, true.” I agreed.
“Why did you get the urge to pee in the first place, you shouldn’t get something like, it’s the cause of all this.”
“Everyone has to pee or get the bladder might burst, holding it in isn’t good for health.” I argued with North.
“How many of them were there, bro?”
“Didn’t count, but there were a lot. How many, Direk, have you counted?” I turned to ask Direk who was sitting there.
“Fifteen.”
“Wow, fifteen armed guards, damn cool. How did you manage that, bro? I wanted to tease you when you got kidnapped, but because of how cool you were after dealing with all those guards, I’ll forgive you. That was hardcore, shooting like that, have you trained before? How are you that good?”
“I’ve trained, probably been a sniper in the army in my past life. I’m really good with guns, that’s all I’ll say. Earlier, I was shooting with my eyes closed.” “You’re exaggerating, bro, but…I knew you were good at fighting, but I didn’t think you’d be this good.”
“Your husband is good at shooting too.”
“Really? Why didn’t you ever tell me, Phii Jo!”
“Hmm? Never did?”
“North wants to shoot accurately too, take me to a shooting range sometime.”
“Sure. If I have time, I’ll take you.”
“Yay!” North seemed very excited and happy, “Next time you go pee, be careful, bro.”
“Even peeing isn’t safe for me, damn, God must hate me for something.” I complained, annoyed.
“And what are you going to do with these injuries?” Dao asked with a worried look. Damn, I hate seeing that look.
“I’ll rest, can’t go to the ward rounds, right, Jo? Tell Fah to handle the leave for me.”
“Irritating, can I shoot you again?”
“Hey, calm down, I’m always getting attacked.”
After talking for a while, Jo and North excused themselves, leaving just three of us in the room.
“Then let’s go back.” I said.
“Go back to what, you’re staying here.”
“No, I’m not staying in the hospital, Direk knows.”
“Stay, don’t be stubborn, what if your wound gets infected?”
“It won’t.”
“Please stay.” Dao said. I turned to look at him immediately.
“Okay.” I replied.
“Wow, you’re more obedient to your wife than I; the one I’ve raised you my whole life.”
“I’ll stay with him, Uncle should go rest.”
“Hmm, he probably wants you to stay more than me anyway. I have more things to deal with, be good, Arthit.” Direk said before leaving, leaving just me and Dao in the room.
“Before, I was the one staying with you. Now we’re switching.” I started talking, but the person sitting next to me just kept his head down, not saying anything, gripping his hands tightly. I looked at him, confused.
“Something wrong?”
He shook his head gently.
“Come on, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you talking? Are you angry?”
He shook his head again, and there was a long silence before the person who had been looking down spoke.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“…I couldn’t do anything.”
“…”
“I’ve never been like this before, maybe because I’ve never been in this kind of situation, but I was scared…really scared. And I was angry at myself for only being able to wait for you to come back, when you were the one in trouble, yet I couldn’t do anything at all.”
“…”
I looked at the smaller person with a feeling as if a knife was stabbing my heart, with those words. I could only stay silent, unable to speak, my heart aching, I reached out to pull him into a gentle hug.
“I’m not someone who cries easily, but I cried. I’ve never felt this weak before, it’s because of you. Suddenly, you came out of nowhere, said you liked me, followed me, took care of me, gave me importance, and now you’ve made me worry to death like this.”
“…Sorry.”
“No…don’t apologize.”
“Then what should I do?”
The person beside me looked up, biting his lip tightly, his sweet face flushed red to his ears. I immediately understood the meaning behind those words, a smile creeping at the corner of my mouth, the other person seemed embarrassed, his voice stuttering.
“Take responsibility.”
“How should I take responsibility?” I teased, making Dao say it out loud. Seeing his reaction, I couldn’t help but tease him. How could I not understand what he meant by taking responsibility? Because it’s the most important thing today, isn’t it?
“Be!”
“Be what? I haven’t even asked anything yet.” I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling affection for the person trying to endure my teasing, as if he needed to gather the courage to speak up.
“I will be! Be, be everything, ask me!” Wow…damn!! He’s so fucking cute!!
“Ask, ask, ask me!” The smaller person started to whine, grabbing at my shirt and gently tapping my chest.
“Ask what?”
“Don’t tease.”
“Really be everything?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Be my little nong?”
“Uh-huh. No way. Not anymore.”
Ahhhhh!! I’m going to die, I’m going to die!!
“Come on, you said you’d be everything.”
“I can be.”
“The sky-headed kid next door.”
“I am!”
“The robot with low battery.”
“I am!”
“Someone who will stay by my side, won’t go anywhere, no matter what happens.”
“I am!”
“And be the one who loves me the most.”
“Be!”
“Then…be my boyfriend.”
“Be! I will be, let me be.”
“Yeah, be for a lifetime.”
“Uh-huh, for a lifetime.”
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