WESTTHESUNFROMANOTHERSTAR, Special Chapter 2: Goblin Slayer
Arthit
The large moon floated in the sky, amidst the forest. The goblins began to emerge from the darkness, the strong wind carrying the scent of wildflowers. I, leaning against a tree, woke up to find that the person in my arms had vanished.
“Dao!” I called out in surprise, scanning around, seeing only the surrounding trees, the campfire we had built was now extinguished.
I quickly got up to follow the trail, my heart racing with fear of potential dangers around us. I saw long drag marks on the ground. I ran after them immediately.
The small footprints made it clear who they belonged to.
Those damn bastards…
I followed the trail deep into the forest. Despite being exhausted, I kept running.
As I entered their territory, I reached for my sword, ready to fight.
I held my breath in shock when I saw the bright red blood smeared all over the ground. I moved closer, focusing my gaze, and my heart sank.
“Dao!!”
The small body lay motionless on a pool of blood, the red liquid still flowing from his throat without stopping. I rushed to press on the large bite wound to stop the bleeding, but it was too late…
Dao wasn’t breathing anymore…
I looked at the person in front of me whose body was starting to cool down. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; my heart, which had been beating so hard, now seemed to have stopped. I tried to convince myself repeatedly that this wasn’t real…it wasn’t real, only for reality to pull me back.
I screamed like a madman, tears streaming uncontrollably because my heart was breaking into pieces. I reached out to hug the person I loved so dearly, my body now covered in blood.
“Aaaah!!”
!!!
“Ah, Arthit! Arthit.” I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I opened my eyes wide, my heart pounding, looking around to find myself in the room, with Dao beside me, looking at me with confusion. I immediately lunged to hug the smaller person. Dao embraced me back, comforting my trembling, panting self, “Was it a nightmare?”
“Yeah…a damn nightmare. I dreamt we were hunters, going on an adventure together, camping in the woods. I woke up to see you had been taken and killed by goblins. My heart nearly stopped, you were lying there in a pool of blood, not breathing, and you were cold. Shit, Dao, I thought you were dead.”
I spoke rapidly while hugging him tighter, calming down when I realized Dao was safe, still warm, and breathing.
“It’s okay, it was just a dream.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know I was dreaming at the time, sigh.” I let out a big sigh of relief, slowly releasing the hug, “I was running in the dream, but damn, I’m tired in real life too. I ran my feet off following your trail, I was so worried, damn those goblins, killing anyone, they had to kill my husband.”
“Why would you dream about goblins?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t done anything related to goblins recently.” I shook my head, thinking back on whether I had done anything with goblins, but I couldn’t remember, “And why would goblins kidnap and kill you? Do goblins kill people?”
“Goblins in games as monsters do kill people.”
“Right.” I nodded, “I’ll go take a shower first, I’m soaked in sweat, damn, I’m so tired.”
“Okay. I’ll go make some food.”
“Is it morning already?”
“Yes, it’s eight o’clock.”
“You can go back to sleep, you don’t have class today, right?” “It’s fine, I’m already awake.” Dao shook his head.
“I made you wake up, huh?”
“Yeah, I woke up because you were mumbling something next to me, it seemed like a nightmare, so I got up to comfort you, then you started screaming, good thing we’re in the penthouse and not in a dorm.”
“Yeah.”
I got up to shower and change clothes, waiting to have breakfast together, and then Dao would continue with his thesis. Recently, Dao has been quite busy with his project because it’s the last thing he needs to do before graduating.
As for me, I just released my latest song, which was a collaboration with another artist. After months of back-to-back work, I finally got some rest. I would like to go out and travel, but I definitely wouldn’t leave Dao alone unnecessarily. The turmoil from the nightmare hadn’t subsided; since they were goblins that don’t exist in real life, I couldn’t seek revenge on them. But they dared to kill my wife in my dream. Who would just let that slide? The image of Dao lying dead in a pool of blood was still vivid in my mind.
And then I realized, the solution for revenge wasn’t hard at all.
People can kill goblins…in games, right?
Instead of looking up game information myself, which I’m too lazy for, it would be easier to call someone who’s an expert in this field.
(What’s up, bro?)
“North, are you free?”
(I’m free, what’s up?)
“Do you know any goblin-killing games? Recommend one.”
(Kill goblins? Why do you want to kill them?)
“They killed my husband.”
(Huh?) North’s voice came through the line. I could immediately picture his confused, stupid face; it was an audible image, (Say that again.)
“They killed my husband in my dream, I’m pissed, I want to get back at them.” North was silent for a moment before bursting into loud laughter, laughing so hard for nearly a minute that he seemed on the verge of dying from it.
“Had enough?”
(Yeah, yeah, damn, my stomach hurts. I thought I was the dumb one, but you’ve surpassed me in every way, bro) North said in a weak voice, probably from laughing so much.
“Do you think I’m dumb?”
(Yeah, damn, who gets mad at goblins for killing their husband in a dream?) “Imagine me running to find my husband only to see him lying in a pool of blood, damn, the image is still vivid to me. They nearly tore his throat out, isn’t that too much, North? What do you think? Do you think my husband deserves something like that? He’s never done anything to anyone.”
(He doesn’t deserve it, I mean, you shouldn’t take it so seriously, but I get you, man. I know you love my friend a lot. Even if the whole world calls you an idiot or a brainless fool. I’ll call you that too, you damn buffalo.)
“Damn it.”
(Kidding, bro. There’s actually a new online game that’s just been released, it has a good system, nice graphics, and there are various types of goblins.
There are many monsters, and goblins are one of them.)
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
(Actually, you could find a goblin-killing game to play on websites.)
“No, I want something grand. Send me the link to that game.”
(Okay, okay, I’ll play with you.)
“Are you that free? What about your thesis?”
(Damn, shut up, don’t ask me that. Let’s say I’ll relax by killing goblins with you. I’ll help you get revenge, okay?)
“That’s good then, I’ll wipe them all out from the server, you damn bastard.”
So, I downloaded an online game to play with North to level up. It was as beautiful as advertised, but first, we had to create our characters.
“What class are you playing, North? Are we going to team up?”
(Let’s team up. It’ll be easier to grind together. I’m going to be an archer. I’m a carry, bro.)
“I’ll go with a Thief, seems to fit my face.” I said. After skimming through the character classes, I found that the short-sword class looked cool, emphasizing speed and agility, though it was just the name; it probably wouldn’t involve stealing in the game, but if I could steal, that would be nice, “Fuck, there’s so much to customize here, it’s annoying.” I complained when I saw how many customization options there were for the character: hair color, skin color, height, shoulder width, neck length, and more.
(Details are important. I’ve finished creating mine, entering the game now.) “You’re quick, huh? I like this Mohawk, damn, it’s so over the top, it’s sticking out from under the helmet.” I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw how long the character’s hair was, sticking out from under the helmet.
(Fuck. I chose the pineapple hairstyle.)
“Alright, I’m done too. What did you name your character? Oh, forgot to name it, what should the character be called?”
(Chief Electrician.)
“What?”
(Come on. I want to be a Chief Electrician, aiming high.)
“Oh.” I exclaimed, remembering that North studies engineering, “What should I name mine? Help me think of something.”
(What? If you’re going to kill goblins, just name it Goblin Slayer.)
“That name is already taken, damn it. Who beat me to killing goblins?”
(You’re thief, hmm, Heart-Stealing Thief.)
“No way.”
(Heart Robber.)
“It’s the same thing.”
(Wife’s Slap Dodger.)
“Hah, someone like me, never dodged.”
(Heal the buffalo until it gets good.)
“I’m not playing as a monk, so who’s the buffalo here, you?”
(My wife sent me to do laundry.)
“We only send laundry.”
(The round-faced merchant.)
“I’m not primarily a trader, and what’s with your ‘round face’?”
(Buys only trash.)
“I’m a Thief.”
(You’re so fussy, I’ve thought of a hundred names and you still haven’t chosen one. I’ve been running around the city waiting for you) North complained, sounding exhausted.
“Let me see the names you’ve come up with for me first, damn it.”
(What name do you usually use in games? You can use an initial like in your previous games.)
“No, I’m bored of that.”
“Arthit, what are you doing?” Dao’s voice sounded. I turned to look at him immediately.
“Playing a game with North, I’m going to get revenge on the goblins that killed you last night, want to play?”
The other person shook his head gently.
“Let’s play, huh. Also, if you have time, go buy some vegetables for me.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I’ve sent you the list on LINE.”
“When do you need them?”
“Tonight.”
“Cool.”
(Here’s your name, Sent to Buy Vegetables by My Wife.)
“No, I want to use ‘Dao’s Husband’ as my character name, can I?” I jokingly asked Dao, who was standing beside me, raising his hand to lightly hit my shoulder.
“Absolutely not.”
“Help me name it, North is no help at all.”
“And why did you choose this hairstyle? Your helmet’s full of holes now.” Dao said after seeing my Mohawk that pierced through the helmet.
“See, I think it’s cool that it pierces through the helmet.”
(I don’t think it’s any better than what I thought, bro) North interjected. “This shows my character well.” I typed in ‘Pierce the Helmet’ and luckily, no one had used it yet, so I could finally enter the game. Meanwhile, Dao went back to his work, “Where are you, North?”
(I’m by the fountain, in front of a woman in an orange dress.)
“It’s all orange.”
(A light orange, with a long skirt, bro.)
“Where? I’m following the orange dress.”
(NPCs don’t walk.)
“So you’re with an NPC but didn’t say so, just said a woman in an orange dress.
Alright, you better add me.”
(Yeah, yeah.)
“And where are the goblins?”
(Take it easy, bro, let’s take some quests first. Once we hit level ten, we can go find goblins in the forest. Goblins are all over level ten, you’ll just die if you go now) North explained. The game’s leveling system was straightforward; we had to fight monsters close to our level to gain experience, and once we had enough experience, we’d level up.
Going after monsters that are higher level than us is unwise because our attacks would barely affect them, and they’d hit us hard. If we die, we lose experience and might drop items from our inventory.
“Hey, how did you get to level five, you bastard?”
(I’ve been fighting monsters around here waiting for you, bro, go take some quests first.)
Quests or missions help increase experience, allowing us to level up faster.
“No, I won’t do anything, I’m going to fight goblins.”
(Then you’re fucked, bro. What are you going to fight them with at level one?)
“We have two people, we can gang up on them.”
(Goblins are monsters that attack on sight. If we go wandering around there, they’ll gang up on us.)
“Don’t be scared, my knife is well-sharpened, see the knife in my hand? It’s shiny, razor-sharp.” I said, pressing the action for my character to zoom in on the knife. North’s character, holding a bow, turned to look at me quietly.
(Is that a fruit knife? It’s tiny, can it even kill a worm, I ask you.)
“That’s how you start in the game, I should go buy a new knife.”
(Buy? With what money? You just started the game, bro, why are you so impatient?)
“I’m pissed at the goblins!”
(I know! Wait, where are you running to?)
“To find the goblins, they’re in the northern forest, come, North, follow me.” (Damn it) North cursed in frustration, running after me. We teleported into the forest. At first, we encountered level one monsters. I walked past them without caring, moving further until we reached level five monsters, which then attacked me.
“Damn, North, why are they attacking me!”
(There are two types of monsters, those that attack first and those that don’t. Like these spiders, they attack first. You’re almost dead, stay strong, keep shooting!)
“Why aren’t my attacks working!”
(You’re level one! Oh, it’s dead, watch out for the other one.)
“Damn it, you’re laughing at me! My knife isn’t sharp enough, North, I can’t even kill a spider!” I complained, knowing full well that my attacks wouldn’t work, but when you’re impatient, what can you do? “Let’s go on.”
(Go on where? We’re about to die here, take the quest, take the quest!)
“No. Where are the goblins!”
I led North to the northern forest, saw a wooden gate labeled ‘Goblin Den’, and ran in without hesitation. We encountered small green goblins standing in front of us. My anger surged, and I started spamming skills at them.
“Last night you killed my husband, was it you? Die, die, die!”
(Damn, you’re good at this, but you’re only dealing one damage per hit, I feel sorry for you.)
“North, why are you just standing there, they’re ganging up on me now, damn, die, die, I’m the one who’s going to die, damn it, back to the city.” I sighed as my level one Thief lay dead on the ground, my hatred and anger towards goblins multiplying, “Not only did you kill my husband in my dream, now you’ve killed me in the game too.”
(Buffalo. I told you to level up first, meet me in the town by the fountain.)
“Yeah, yeah.”
North and I kept playing, leveling up until we could take on goblins. I headed straight to their lair without hesitation, mercilessly killing and burning them, since monsters respawn continuously anyway.
(I’m so freaked out by the sound and sight of goblins now) North grumbled because he had been fighting goblins with me for nearly half an hour, leveling up almost to thirty despite only fighting level ten goblins, (Let’s go fight something else, bro, my XP bar isn’t moving anymore.)
“No! Just a bit more, I really hate this sword-wielding one, he must have been the one who killed my wife last night.”
(How do you know?)
“He’s carrying a sword, my wife got her throat cut last night.”
(Did you see it with your own eyes when Dao got his throat cut?)
“No, by the time I got there, he was already dead.”
(Then how do you know who did it?)
“My Hunter instincts tell me so, in my dream, I was Hunter.”
(Oh…whatever) North replied reluctantly, forced to keep fighting goblins with me out of boredom. After I was satisfied with killing goblins, I planned to log off to buy vegetables for my wife, (So, you’re making me fight these goblins, and as soon as you’re done, you’ll leave me, is that it?)
“Exactly, see you.”
(Yeah, yeah, call me if you play again.)
“Yeah.”
And then I hung up on North. After wiping out the goblin clan in the game, I felt much more at ease. Seeing Dao deeply focused on his work, I decided not to disturb him. I checked Line where Dao had listed the vegetables he wanted me to buy, grabbed the essentials, and headed out.
The supermarket wasn’t too far, and the weather was nice today, not too hot. The condo offered bike rentals for health-conscious people or those looking to save on transport costs. Since I felt like biking, I decided to rent a housekeeper’s bike.
Why a housekeeper’s bike?
Because it’s perfect for going shopping for vegetables.
“How sweet and lovely.” I murmured to myself while straddling the pink bicycle with a woven basket in front.
Damn, this is so out of my usual style, surely people will stare at me while I ride this. They might think I stole the bike.
I rang the bike’s bell a bit to get into the mood of going shopping, seeing my beloved black big bike parked not far away. I thought to myself, sorry, it’s not your turn yet. Ha, a big bike isn’t suitable for buying vegetables; it’s got to be a housewife’s bike!
I rode out of the condo onto the main road. Riding a bike here isn’t very safe since there’s no bike lane, but that’s fine. This is just for buying vegetables. I pedaled leisurely, the breeze was gentle, and big clouds blocked the sun. Before long, I reached the supermarket.
I checked the list of vegetables and bought them one by one. Some I didn’t recognize, but if the sign said it was what I needed, I grabbed it. After buying the vegetables, I was ready to head back to the condo, but…
It started raining…
Damn it.
I could only curse to myself. This was the worst luck, there was no sign of rain earlier. I stood in front of the supermarket holding a bag of fresh vegetables with a sinking heart.
If I ride back now, I’m definitely going to get soaked. No wonder I suddenly felt like riding a bike, ha, the rain tricked me into riding the bike just to pour down on me like this…
I waited for a while, but there was no sign that the rain would stop. I let out a big sigh before deciding to ride back in this condition; the stuff I bought was just vegetables anyway, they would be washed.
Thinking like that, I rode my bike back through the rain.
The rain got heavier. I cursed it for the tenth time, pedaling with all my might, eyes forward, completely drenched. People looking from outside must think I’m crazy.
And now, stuck at a red light…
I had no choice but to stop at the red light, wiping the rain off my face. After a while, a big bike pulled up next to me. I looked over, and our eyes met. Even with the helmet on, there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize this dear friend.
“Johan!” I called out loudly, lightly tapping his arm because his bike was bigger, making me look shorter on my bicycle.
Jo looked at me, silent. He didn’t respond, just pretended not to hear and turned his face away.
“Don’t act like you don’t know me.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
“And where are you going?”
“I said don’t talk to me.”
“Why didn’t you take the car out in this rain?”
“How was I supposed to know it would rain? It started raining after I’d been out for a while, and the weather forecast didn’t say anything.” Jo said with exasperation, glancing at me, “And what about you? Who would be out here cycling in the rain like this?”
“I just went shopping for my wife, and it started raining on the way back. I was too lazy to wait so I just biked out.”
“Why a housekeeper’s bike? Do you think you’re that cute?”
“Aren’t I cute?” I teased, Jo quickly looked away. I couldn’t help but laugh, “I think for shopping, it has to be a housekeeper’s bike, it can’t be anything else, not even a road bike.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And where are you heading?”
“To the office.”
“You’re as wet as a drowned puppy.”
“I have a change of clothes at the office.”
“Wow, prepared guy.”
“Yeah, it’s green now, be careful cycling.”
“Yeah, you too.”
And then the red big bike sped off, unlike me who had to slowly pedal the pink housekeeper’s bike with difficulty. If you ask who’s cooler between me and Jo right now, it’s definitely me, riding that pink housekeeper’s bike is undeniably cool.
After a while, I reached the condo, completely soaked. As I walked up to my room, I noticed the hallway was already wet, guessing that others in the condo must have also come back in the rain.
I knocked on the door, Dao opened it, his face surprised at my state. I quickly grabbed a dry towel.
“Why are you this wet? I thought you took the car.”
“I rode a bike.”
“Huh?”
“There are bikes for rent downstairs, I think a bike is definitely suitable for going shopping.”
“For heaven’s sake, you could have called me to pick you up.”
“Why would you pick me up? I can get back on my own.”
“And what if you catch a cold?”
“I won’t catch a cold.” I said proudly, raising an eyebrow at my own toughness.
Dao sighed heavily.
“So they say that crazy people don’t catch colds, huh?” “That’s right.” I nodded.
“Take off your clothes.”
“Looking for something?” I asked with a mischievous gleam in my eye, only to get a light punch on the chest from Dao.
“They’re wet, take them off, go take a shower.”
“Okay, okay.” I agreed, setting the vegetable bag on a nearby table, stripping off all my wet clothes, and was about to walk into the bathroom, “Are you sure you won’t do it?” I asked with hope, turning back to him. Dao shook his head gently.
“Not now, go shower.”
“Yes, sir.”
It took a while for the rain to stop. I watched Dao work all day, and before I knew it, evening had come. Dao made dinner with the vegetables I had bought myself. While we were eating dinner together, my phone rang; it was one of my friends from a different faculty calling.
(Arthit, want to drink?)
“Tonight?”
(Yeah, around nine.)
“Who’s going, and which bar?” I asked, and he listed off a bunch of friends we often drank with, including some soccer friends, “Okay, I’ll ask my wife first.” (Hey, you never had to ask anyone before, now you’re asking your wife? Are you afraid of your wife, friend?) the voice at the other end teased playfully. “It’s called respect. Who’s afraid of their wife? Right, Dao?” I looked up to ask the person sitting across from me. Dao looked up, confused, then nodded. I reached out to ruffle his hair playfully, “I’ll call you back after I talk with my wife.”
(Yeah, yeah, call me after you’re done talking.)
“Yeah.” I hung up, “Friends invited me to drink.”
“Where, what time, with who?”
“Midway, at 9 PM.” I answered, then listed the friends’ names as I heard them earlier. Dao nodded in acknowledgment.
“Hmm, I’ll pick you up, so you won’t disturb others if you’re drunk on the way back.”
“Really, you’ll let me go?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would you let me go?”
“Why? Don’t you want to go?” Dao looked up while taking a bite of rice. “I want to go. Haven’t drunk with these guys in a while, but are you really okay with it?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? Don’t other partners get jealous and not want their partner to go drinking?”
“…” Dao furrowed his brows in confusion, “I trust you Arthit.”
“Ugh, want to come with me?”
“No, go hang out with your friends. I need to keep working.”
“You can come for a little while, if you say you have work to do, we can use that as an excuse to leave early.”
“It’s fine, go drink with your friends.” He said, standing up and placing the empty plate in the sink, “Do you want me to be jealous like other partners?” “Yeah, I mean, if I ask to go to a bar, you should be a little reluctant, it’s annoying, especially when you know how hot I am.” I grumbled, wondering if I really wanted to go drink with them. I did, since it had been a while, but I also wanted Dao to stop me if he was jealous or worried about others coming onto me. I would have complied and stayed in the room easily.
Dao walked over, making me turn my chair away from the table. I slowly moved the chair as he wanted, and Dao sat down straddling my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck while holding my waist with his slender arms, looking up at my face with a sweet expression.
His thin lips gently kissed mine. I pushed my tongue into the kiss, the slow rhythm making my heart flutter. After a while, Dao pulled away from the kiss and used his lips on my ear and neck. I tilted my head slightly to give him more access, then felt a sharp pain at the base of my neck.
“Showing ownership, huh?” Dao smiled. I smiled back, satisfied that he’d left his mark while I was about to leave, but I pulled him back by the waist first. I kissed him hungrily because I felt the light kiss earlier wasn’t enough.
Because the passionate kiss made us feel aroused, before things escalated further, I decided to stop, knowing I had to go out. I didn’t want to leave things hanging. We broke the kiss, sweet eyes looking at each other, our wet lips touching once more.
“Be back before midnight, don’t let anyone get close, don’t drink too much, I’ll worry.” He said in a sweet, pleading tone, making my heart flutter.
“Uh, understood.”
Dao dropped me off at the bar at the appointed time. I walked into the bar, encountering an atmosphere I hadn’t experienced in a while. Upon seeing my friends, I immediately joined them at the table.
“Heard your wife didn’t let you come?” one of my friends teased.
He let me, but I have to be back before midnight.”
“Okay, okay. That’s good, understanding the situation when you have a partner, get a glass for Arthit.”
And then we started drinking and chatting happily. Some friends left the table to toast with others. I hardly left the table at all.
If it were before, I wouldn’t miss the chance to toast with many people around our table, but now, I only thought about my wife. He must be working now. Before leaving, we only kissed briefly. I want to kiss him again, the sweet taste still lingering in my mouth. If I hadn’t come out, we could have continued, thinking about it made me a bit frustrated, ha.
Seeing that many friends weren’t at the table, I took the opportunity to go outside for a smoke to change the atmosphere. Every time I drink, I crave a cigarette, and saying I want to smoke gives me an excuse to kiss Dao.
Dao doesn’t mind if I smoke occasionally, so it’s fine. I borrowed a cigarette and a lighter from a friend before heading out to the balcony.
There were a few people smoking and talking outside. I didn’t pay attention; the alcohol was starting to make me dizzy. I didn’t want to drink too much because I had promised Dao, but they said if I didn’t get drunk, they wouldn’t let me leave, so I decided to drink quickly, get drunk, and go back to my wife. Now, I was just the right amount of tipsy.
Everything is about my wife, I deserve the best husband award.
Suddenly, someone walked up and stood next to me, a small guy by himself. I wanted to move away but didn’t get the chance; he spoke to me first.
“Hey, standing here alone?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I have a cigarette?”
“It’s my friend’s.” I answered. It’s not that I’m stingy, it’s just not mine. I don’t know if the owner would allow it, but the person next to me paused slightly.
“Okay. I’m Data, what about you?”
“Arthit.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Oh, so I should call you ‘Phii’.”
“Hmm.”
“Do you have a boyfriend yet?”
“I do.” My answer made the other person look a bit disappointed. I continued smoking, thinking he would leave after a while.
“Is your boyfriend here with you?” I shook my head.
“Oh, why isn’t your boyfriend here? You’re so hot, everyone in the bar is looking at you. Isn’t he jealous at all?” …Bastard.
I wanted to reply like that, but I could only say it in my mind.
“He’s working.”
“Oh, so where are you heading next? I came with friends, but my friends are going with others, that’s too bad.”
“I’m not going with my friends.”
“Well, my friends are going with others.”
“Then go with them, it’ll be fun with more people.” I said what I thought, even though I understood what the other was implying, something like wanting to join me.
“That won’t work, I’d be the third wheel. By the way, Arthit, have you graduated?”
I was completely fed up with being interrogated like this. I decided to go back into the bar, but my shirt was grabbed before I could.
“Where are you going…” the other person started with a pleading look, “Or are you not into guys?”
“No.” I shook my head, “As I said, I have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t mind.”
…Excuse me, say that again? Whether you mind or not isn’t the point here, is it?
“Don’t come closer, my partner is jealous.”
“He’s not even here.”
“Listen.” I said seriously, my mind slowed from the alcohol, trying to process what to say, “I, on behalf of myself, will say ‘I’ to make it clearer.” The other person didn’t respond, just looked shocked.
“I love my husband so much, you know? He’s pretty calm, kind of cold, he’s not really jealous of me, I don’t know why, even though I’m this hot, you see, right? Everyone in the bar is looking at me. When my friend called to invite me out, I wanted my wife to say something like, ‘Don’t go, I’m jealous,’ but you know what? Nothing. Not a word came out, what am I supposed to think? I was kind of hurt.”
“…”
“But I can’t stay hurt because my husband is so cute, he says he worries about me, yeah, I understand, I get that he worries, but that’s different from being jealous, don’t you think?”
“…Huh, are you asking me?”
“Yeah.”
“Well…I think…”
“Yeah, I know he’s worried, but my wife said not to let anyone get close, that’s jealousy, right? Look at this mark on my neck, he did this before I left, this is evidence of jealousy. So, he’s jealous too, right? With a husband as handsome as me, who wouldn’t be jealous, right?”
“…”
“Wow, silent now? You were talking so much before, now you’ve gone quiet, what’s up with you?”
“Data….”
“My wife, he’s so cute, the cutest, I want to buy the whole world and put it in his hands, I want to give him everything, the word ‘cute’ was made for him alone. Even if he’s calm, like a robot.”
“Robot?”
“Yeah, my wife is an alien, you know. I don’t know from which planet Dao is from, but damn, he’s so cute.”
“An alien too?”
“Yeah, an alien. The reason the food isn’t tasty these days is because human taste buds and alien taste buds are different, right? Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. There’s no way a person can cook every day and not get better, Hia, but he’s getting better.
Who says my wife isn’t developing? If you say that again, I’ll slap you.”
“You’re talking to yourself.”
“It’s getting tasty, it’s getting better, I want to say I’m looking forward to eating his cooking every day, don’t stress about it, I love him, you know, love him to death. Right now, I’m missing him, I want to go back. I don’t know if when I’m not around, he sneaks back to his home planet, or if his current parents are just human parents who adopted him. If he sneaks back to his own planet, why don’t I know about it? I hold him every night, never let him out of my arms…or maybe it’s when I go to New York, should I put a camera in our room? What do you think?”
“…Fuck, what are you talking about?”
“Come on, so, are you going with friends or not?”
“Don’t mess with me!”
“Oh, come on.”
“Data, how did it go with that hot guy? What’s his name?”
“His name is Arthit, he’s a senior. He’s hot, but it seems like he’s not all there.
It’s a pity, but I think we should stay away.”
…
Daotok
I got a call from Arthit around half past eight, and rushed out to pick him up. I initially thought he’d stay longer. When I got there, I saw Arthit sitting with his arms crossed on a sofa, and his friends at the table greeted me.
“He’s already drunk and ready to go, it’s like he was in a hurry to get drunk so he could go home quickly.” one of the friends said, “No one’s been bothering him, so you can be at ease. Maybe just when he went out for a smoke, but I saw he talked to someone for a bit before walking away, probably chased off by Arthit.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Arthit, your wife is here to pick you up, wake up.”
“My wife?”
“Yeah, the wife you were talking about, look, he’s come to take you home.” “Wifeee!” Arthit yelled out long, rushing to hug my waist while still on the sofa, rubbing his face against my shirt, “Wife, I missed you so much.”
“Oh, you damn wife-lover.”
“Have you ever seen Arthit like this?”
“Damn, how could I have seen this? I can’t even believe this is the same Arthit.
He’s tamed like a dog, whining like one too.”
I gently removed Arthit’s hands, with help from friends. I slowly guided Arthit out of the bar with difficulty.
“I know you can stand. No need to lean on me.”
“Just a little.”
“Sigh.”
I parked the car in an open area a bit away from the bar because the spots near the bar were all full. I helped him to the passenger seat and then went to sit in the driver’s seat.
I drove to a 7-Eleven and stopped. Arthit woke up when the engine turned off. “I’m stopping at 7-Eleven to get something for your hangover, wait here for a moment.”
“Ugh.”
I got out of the car to buy some hangover remedies for him. Soon after, I came out to see Arthit sitting on the ground next to the car, one arm around a brown dog.
“…”
I walked closer.
“Aren’t you lonely sleeping here all alone? Or don’t you have any friends, Hia? I see all the stray dogs around here have their packs, they’re in groups, don’t you belong to any pack? Why are you out here by yourself? Do you think you’re a lone wolf or something? That’s not how it works, man, having companions helps you find food.”
“…”
The dog didn’t respond…
“Are you worried about food? Are you male or female? Let me see, oh, you’re male, you should start thinking about your future, man. I used to be like you.” …What?
I, standing there listening, was just confused.
“I don’t mean as a dog, I mean being alone. Don’t worry, one day a dog suitable for you will come looking for you. Just by lying here in front of the convenience store like this, you have a chance to meet your soulmate.”
“…”
“Just by looking at you, I know you’re lonely, oh. It’s okay, one day it will be your day.”
Is this what a drunk person does to encourage a dog…
I let out a big sigh, about to approach, when I saw someone walking ahead of me. “Excuse me, that’s my dog.”
“…”
A middle-aged man came out of the 7-Eleven, and the dog, who had been sitting quietly for a while, stood up and walked toward its owner as soon as it saw him.
Arthit turned around, looking confused.
“Uh…I’m sorry, he’s drunk, he didn’t mean any harm.” I quickly bowed my head to apologize to the dog’s owner.
“Oh, it’s fine. I saw, he was talking to my dog for a while. Thank you for giving my dog some company.”
“No problem.” Arthit said, smiling broadly. I sighed at the situation, glad I wasn’t too shy. “See you, little one.” He turned to say to the brown dog with a smile before I took him back to the car.
“You really can’t be left alone when you’re drunk, you’re such a mess.” “I saw it lying there so I went to talk to it, I meant well, I was worried it was lonely.”
“Hmm.” I nodded, “Go to sleep, I’ll wake you when we get to the condo.” “Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Which planet are you from, Dao?”
“…”
“I wonder who sent you here, making me love you this much.”
“No one sent me. I came on my own.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I came by myself.”
“Why did you come alone?”
“Because I knew you would be waiting here.”
“How did you know?”
“I’m good.”
“Yeah, true, you’re good, you’re the best!”
“Okay, okay, go to sleep, don’t fuss anymore.”
“Alright, alright.” Arthit calmed down willingly, after a while, he spoke in a soft voice as if talking in his sleep, “Dao.”
“Hmm?”
“Tomorrow, I want to eat hot shrimp congee.”
“Sure, I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”
I promised, and he smiled widely even with his eyes still closed. “Shit, my wife is the cutest.”
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