WESTTHESUNFROMANOTHERSTAR, Chapter 8: Adviser
Arthit
I sit with my chin resting on my knees, glancing forward at the unfriendlylooking professor teaching the lecture. Is he teaching or rapping? He seems to be in a rush. Does he think everyone can keep up like Fah or Hill? Have some mercy on the dumb ones like me, please.
“I’ll skip this part, you can read it on your own.”
“Damn, skipping again.” I muttered before swiping to the next slide on my tablet. I glanced at Fah sitting next to me; he’s taking big notes. Me? I can barely keep up listening.
Screw it. I’m not listening anymore, this bastard. I’ll wait for Fah to tutor me later, then I’ll borrow his notes.
“Pass them on to me.” I said before slumping my head onto the desk. The professor’s rapping turned into a lullaby, and soon I was fast asleep. The next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake.
“Class is over, Arthit.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I leaned back in my chair, watching everyone packing up. “How many slides did we cover today?”
“Finished them all.”
“Wow, the professor’s on fire today.”
“Don’t forget we have a makeup class tomorrow.”
“Another makeup class?” I sighed exhaustedly, “How much does the professor earn, I wonder, working this hard?”
“You go tell him that.” Fah said as we walked out of the room. It is past six now. Usually, we’d split up and go home, but some days we’d eat together. If we do go, it’s me, them, and their wives, making seven of us. If you ask who’s the odd one out, always sitting alone or at the head of the table, that’s me, damn it.
Walking down, I saw that their wives were already waiting. From the first time I saw North in an engineering jacket, I told him it wasn’t suitable at all, and he retorted that I wasn’t suitable for a medical gown either. Yeah, I agreed, he was right. Why didn’t I think about this when I applied?
I greeted North briefly, and he invited me to play games as usual. I grabbed a quick bite near the back of the building before heading back to my room, showered, changed, and soon North invited me to play.
(Have you heard you made my friend cry?)
“Huh?”
(Yeah, what did you do to him, damn it?)
“I didn’t do anything.”
(Damn, he looked pretty shaken. If he’s that strong, whatever you did must have been really harsh for him to cry. What did you do to my friend? Tell me, you bastard.)
“Go ask him yourself.”
(He won’t say anything, he says you did nothing, but he seems to hate you a lot.)
“Damn, what’s he hating me for?”
(He says you made him fail, he hasn’t cried in years, he’s annoyed.)
“Shit, I didn’t do anything, can he cry and fail on his own?”
(So, what did you do?)
“I told you, I didn’t do anything.”
(Still not admitting it, you asshole.)
“…”
(the asshole you bullied is just tiny, how heartless can you be? My friend just does his job all day, never bothers anyone, he has to take care of Cat and pay off his bike, he might look weak on the outside but he’s very strong inside, man. How could you hurt him so much he cried? I know you’re a scoundrel, but I didn’t think you’d go this far. I shouldn’t even consider you my brother, you bastard Arthit.)
“Damn, North, it’s like you’ve been waiting for a chance to scold me for a long time.”
(Just teasing you, bro.)
“Shit.”
(So, why did he cry?)
“Asshole.”
(Oh, calling me an asshole again. We haven’t cleared up the last time I asked for your Line.)
“Why are you so damn curious?”
(Are you trying to hit on my friend?)
“Fuck yeah.”
(Yeah. If you’re really going to hit on my friend, I’m going to stop you.) “And what are you doing down there, come up to the top lane, come help me, you bastard, they’re ganging up on me now.”
(Just hold on. I’m pushing the tower.)
“Isn’t this your job, you’re the mage, you should be helping me!”
(Oh, I forgot, thought I was playing carry. Too late, Phii, retreat, just let them go.)
“Yeah, I’m letting them go, you useless tank.” I said heatedly, “Get your friend to play, damn it. Look at him, strolling around the map like it’s nothing, this shitty tank, just standing there, not even trying to engage.”
(Is he really that scared of you? He won’t play with you anymore; he’s sick of your face.)
“What did I do wrong?”
(So, what’s the deal, Phii? I want to know too. I’m not being nosy, just curious.)
“Knowing won’t help you any.”
(So, you’re trying to hit on my friend?)
“I told you no.”
(Then why did you take his LINE? Sure~, you’re just a hard-headed guy.) I burst out laughing at what North said, what the hell is this ‘hard-headed guy’ stuff? (Just tell me so I can stop asking, come on, what’s all this fuss about?)
“Ah, damn.” I sighed slightly. Even though I didn’t want to tell others much,
North was probably my closest junior. “You know, right?”
(What?)
“My mom.”
(Oh…yeah, I know she passed away.)
“Yeah, that. I just wanted to talk to her.”
(Oh, so you wanted Phipungto to talk to her.)
“Something like that.”
(Okay, okay. Just don’t be so slow and dramatic.)
“How do you know I’m being slow and dramatic?”
(I just feel it, somehow) North said before we continued playing the game. The good thing about North is he’s not as annoying as some; he knows what to ask and what not to. (Yeah, yeah, in ten seconds the dragon will spawn. I’ll go scout around there. If no one’s there, we’ll go in.)
“Okay.”
Almost an hour had passed. We kept playing without noticing the time until I remembered something and decided to ask North.
“North.”
(What’s up, Phii?)
“You, ask me something.”
(Go ahead.)
“Can I ask?”
(Yeah. I’m everyone’s advisor, bring all your shit to me. Should I charge for advice? Ten baht per question.)
“Your husband’s rich. Look at how you act.”
(Alright, so what’s up? Are you going to consult me? I am excited as hell, give me some context first, do you have a love problem? Nah, not you.)
“How do you feel when someone cries for you?”
(Huh? asshole?)
“No, no, this is about my friend.”
(Oh. Who’s your friend?)
“Red, his name is Ai-Dang.”
(That’s such a stupid fake name, okay, why does someone have to cry for Ai-
Dang? Why doesn’t Dang cry himself?)
“I don’t know. It’s not Ai-Dang.”
(I guess Dang isn’t the type to cry, he likes to keep things to himself, never tells anyone anything, likes to act like he’s suffering alone, tell me if there’s anything wrong, there are plenty of people waiting to listen, you asshole, keeping it in like you think you’re so cool. In the end, the one hurting is you, you idiot, it won’t kill you to show some vulnerability, what are you hiding for?)
“I somehow felt hurt for Ai-Dang, are you pissed about something, seriously asking.”
(Phii Jo told me to say this.)
“Oh, I knew it, that damn-mouthed Johan, tell him I won’t tell you, you bastard.”
(Oh. So, is this about Dang or someone else?)
“Tell him Ai-Dang sent the message.”
(Phii Jo, Arthit says, “I won’t tell you, you bastard.” Red asked me to tell you) North shouted, but wait, aren’t you going to censor that a bit? You’re really going to say ‘you bastard’ to your husband?
(Tell him he won’t die well, you bastard) Jo’s voice came back.
“Does that mean Red?”
(Are you talking about Red?) North shouted back in question.
(That means you, Arthit.)
“I’m scared now.” I said, laughing. This husband and wife are quite amusing.
(And how does Red feel about this, Phii, regarding this matter?)
“Kind of strange, I guess.”
(No one has ever cried because of this wound, not even him.)
“Yeah, that’s right.”
(Well, isn’t it good? At least the pain got released. Even if it wasn’t through your tears, Red) North said, before going silent for a moment, (But, are you half-
Thai?)
“Yeah, why? And why change the subject like that?”
(Just like that. Was your name always Arthit?)
“No, you bastard, I was born on Arthit day, so my dad gave me this name when we moved to Thailand.”
(And what’s your real name?)
“Dilan.”
(Cool name, D-Y-L-A-N?)
“Right.”
(Can I call you Dylan?)
“No, bastard.”
(Okay, bro. Can I ask for something?)
“Go ahead.”
(If you want my friend to help, you should take care of him a bit, like how he has to touch spirits, it uses a lot of energy, the last time I saw him his face was so pale I thought he was a ghost himself, and he doesn’t eat much either, make sure he eats, if anything happens to him, no one will help you.)
“Yeah, yeah, just make sure he eats, that’s enough, right?”
(Don’t let him drink too much coffee either, bro.)
“You’re so fussy, just let him eat, coffee is fine, your husband still drinks it.”
(What? Phii Jo only drinks one cup a day now, you’re out of the loop, bro.) “Really? Shit, finally, my friend has kicked the caffeine habit. Hey, North, I’m not sure if I should say this, but your friend…”
(asshole, what about him?)
“He has an imaginary friend too, named Emma, same name as my mom.”
(Oh really, Emma, Emma?)
“Damn, how old are you to still make fun of my mom’s name, Nitch?” (Damn, that’s my mom) North said, almost laughing out loud, (Really, an imaginary friend? That’s some crazy shit. Have you seen him talking to her?)
“Yeah, I’ve seen it, he talks to her like she’s real.”
(Is it dangerous, Phii? Should he see a doctor?) North asked, his voice starting to show a bit of concern.
“I don’t know if it’s dangerous.” I said, because I happened to see him talking to his imaginary friend. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention, but thinking about it, it’s really not normal. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, I’m almost a doctor, I can’t just ignore this because it might be harmful to both him and others, by others, I mean me, living next door. What if one day this imaginary friend tells him to grab a knife and stab me?
(Should I take him to see a psychiatrist?)
“Up to you, you can try asking him first, but he knows it’s an imaginary friend, he told me himself. He seems aware that he created this person, but what he doesn’t know is what kind of person his friend is. If it turns out to be a dangerous person, we’re in big trouble.”
(Why don’t you ask him? Aren’t you supposed to be a doctor?)
“I’ll send Fah over, go on, Fah, I choose you!”
(Damn, that’s lame) North said, almost bursting out laughing, (But don’t look at my friend like he’s crazy, he might just be a bit unusual. No, not just a bit, he’s very unusual, but I don’t want anyone to think my friend is crazy, say he’s sick at most, I can live with that.)
“I haven’t even said a word yet, I don’t like that word either.”
(I’ll go ask. If it’s not harmful to others and he doesn’t want to see a doctor,
I won’t force him.)
“Yeah. That’s how it is, people have different preferences.”
…
Daotok
I walked over to open the door when there was a knock, since North had called fifteen minutes ago saying he was coming over. The person who just arrived placed a bag of snacks on the table. Even though I hadn’t asked why he suddenly came, I could guess a few reasons. At least, it must have something to do with the cigarette seller.
“You.”
“Huh?”
“Sorry for getting straight to the point, but it’s about Emma.”
“…”
“He told me, but he didn’t mean any harm. We just talked, and he thought I should talk to you. I’m worried about you.”
“North.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Why?”
“Aren’t you …scared?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…I have an imaginary friend. I talk to them like they’re real, they might even command me to harm me right now. Aren’t you scared?” I asked with a calm voice, tilting my head slightly, looking at the person who had just sat down on the chair.
“No. Don’t try to scare me.” North said, knowing that my tilting head and staring was meant to scare him. I couldn’t help but laugh a bit, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come alone.”
“…”
“Even if Emma orders you, you wouldn’t do it.” North said with a firm tone that contrasted with his casual demeanor, nonchalantly picking up a snack to eat. “Emma wouldn’t command that, would she?” I said, turning to look at Emma, who was standing there, frowning at North.
‘North is very mean, why would he think you command me to harm North?’
“North is mean, isn’t he?”
“What’s up?” North raised his eyebrows to ask.
“Emma says you are cruel, why would you think Emma would tell me to hurt anyone?”
“I was just making an analogy, and are you talking to her now?”
“Yeah, she’s standing right beside North.”
“Okay, fine, I’m getting goosebumps for some reason. Hey, wait a minute, your room…shit, I forgot. Let’s talk outside.” North said with a shaky voice and quickly got up to leave the room. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit; he was scared but forgot. I put on my shoes and followed him out to the coffee shop downstairs from the condo.
“And you came to see me because of this?” I asked while sipping on my hot cappuccino. Today was a nice day off with light rain, “Alone?”
“Yeah, Phii Jo’s got a makeup assignment.”
“Oh, and what did you want to ask?”
“Have you really seen her?”
“Yes.”
“Does she look like a real person?”
“Yes.”
“That’s some crazy shit.” North said, taking a sip of his green tea, “And why
Emma? Same name as Arthit’s mom.”
“When I watched Harry Potter, I liked Emma Watson.”
“I see, and has Emma been with you since you were a kid?”
“Yeah, she’s like my imaginary playmate. Emma first came to me at the playground. I was playing alone and feeling lonely, then suddenly, Emma appeared and invited me to play. At first, I thought she was a ghost, but my grandma said
she wasn’t, so I realized she was a friend I created when I was a kid.” I decided to tell North everything because I thought he would want to know and be concerned.
“Doesn’t she go away as you grow up?”
“No.” I shook my head gently, “Which is good, actually. How should I say it,
Emma is someone I can talk to and consult about everything.”
“You can talk to me about anything too…”
“…”
“I’m not saying you should take me instead of Emma or anything, but you know, right?”
“Yeah. We know it’s not normal, but North…don’t tell me to see a doctor, I’m okay with being like this. I don’t want Emma to disappear; I’m truly content with how I am now.”
“Okay, okay, I get it. I wasn’t going to suggest that anyway.” North replied dismissively, “Alright, as long as you’re okay, that’s good. But what kind of person is Emma?”
“She’s kind-hearted, always empathetic towards others.”
“Is she on the other side of you? Because Emma is you, right?” North pondered for a moment, “Wait, it’s like you’re saying you have a part of you that’s kind.” “No, because I never listen to Emma.” I said truthfully.
“True, it’s rare to see you being kind to others. Not counting us, though.”
“Yeah, and are you feeling better?”
“What?”
“North you were worried. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have driven all the way here.”
“You know me well.” North said, lightly tapping my forehead, “Just wanted to make sure it’s not dangerous.”
“It’s not. I know what I’m doing or what’s happening to me. Don’t worry.” “That’s good then. Now, can I ask about Phii Arthit?”
“Don’t mention him.” I sighed at the mention of that name, because he made me cry the other day. I know he didn’t do anything wrong; I just happened to read his feelings and cried myself, but it was annoying somehow, embarrassing. I hadn’t cried in years, and now to cry because of someone like that, it felt really bad. “Just curse him out then, don’t hate him so much. Half the country hates him already.”
“Did you curse him out for me?”
“Yeah.” North laughed slightly and nodded, “But if in the end you don’t find her, what would that be like?”
“It’s a reality he has to accept. My job is just to help look. I don’t know either.” “It’s been seven years, but time doesn’t heal everything, does it?” The person in front of me sighed slightly, “I don’t know the details, but if it made you cry, it must have been really sad.”
“How do you know I cried because I read his feelings?”
“Not hard to guess.”
“He doesn’t like people pitying him. That’s what I think.”
“Yeah, the others also said not to pity him, he doesn’t like it.” North said, “And are you going to California with him? When?”
“I don’t know. I’m so busy, I might have to wait until the semester break.” I said, because the last time I talked with the cigarette seller, he said he would take me to his hometown in California, but the problem is there’s no free time, plus I’ve never gone with him. I’m not sure if my savings will be enough.
“He should at least pay for your ticket.”
“Exactly, at the very least, he should cover the ticket.”
“If he doesn’t, that’s just heartless, considering he’s the one asking for help, it’s not even my duty.”
“Yeah.”
“But why California? I think the hometown should be the last place to check, there are other places it could be, like relatives’ houses, the hospital where he got treated, or other places he has connections with.”
“Right. I was thinking about telling the cigarette seller that, but I still feel bad about it. I’ll tell him when I feel better about it.”
“The cigarette seller?”
“Yeah, why?”
“He sells cigarettes to me ?”
“Yes.”
“He’s getting too cocky, this quack doctor, don’t get involved with him, he’ll corrupt you.” North furrowed his brows, looking serious. I couldn’t help but laugh,
“What are you laughing at, or are you already smoking?”
“I am smoking.”
“Oh really? Never knew that.”
“I just started smoking again, but I’ll stop soon. Just a little bit.”
“Yeah, don’t smoke too much, it’s cancerous.”
“North.”
“What?”
“Do you think the person who got me smoking again is good or bad?”
“Huh? Are we back to the life advice session with me? I’ll really charge for this consultation this time. Is this about Ai-Dang again?”
“Red?”
“It’s a pseudonym, in case you don’t want to say the name.”
“Idiot.”
“It doesn’t hurt, the word, but because you said it, it hurts.” North said, laughing out loud, “So, what, is he the one who made you start smoking again?”
“Yeah.”
“How can that be good? Cigarettes are bad enough.”
“Yeah, true. Not good, North.”
“What?”
“Beat him up for me.”
“Damn, do you think I’m some kind of thug or what?”
“Come on, make sure he ends up in the hospital.”
“There’s got to be a bounty for that.”
“Thirty thousand.”
“We’ve reached the point where I’m being hired by a friend to beat up an ex for thirty thousand.” North said, laughing, “Alright, if he comes back, I’ll get the engineering guys to gang up on him.”
“Really?”
“You look so serious about this.”
“I am serious.”
“Damn, now I’ve got a headache.”
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