WHYARU, Chapter 09:
It was raining again.
Tutor gazed at the rain with a wistful look. The dark sky mixed with the chill made the slim figure hunch his shoulders against the cold. Still, Tutor stretched out a hand to catch the raindrops falling from the roof. The rain in front of him reminded him of a soft bed and a thick blanket. If he could curl up in them right now, it’d be pretty nice.
“Here…” A deep voice sounded beside him. Fighter sat down next to Tutor and handed him something. “The rice at 7-Eleven was sold out, so I got some bread instead. You can eat this, right?”
“For me?”
“You’re sitting here alone, who else would I give it to? Day?”
“Jerk.”
“Who’re you calling that?”
“You’re sitting here alone, so I must be talking about Day, right?” Tutor pouted at the taller guy, who couldn’t resist playfully pushing Tutor’s head in annoyance. “Ouch!”
“Overreacting much?”
“Not overreacting, you really pushed me hard!” The smaller one kept complaining.
“Yeah, yeah, hard, whatever. Just take the bread already.”
“Got it,” Tutor reached out to take the bread handed to him.
“Thanks.”
“Mm,” Fighter grunted in acknowledgment, then looked out at the rain ahead. Earlier, he’d invited the guy beside him to grab some food, but with the rain pouring like this, they ended up stuck here eating bread instead.
“Looks like the rain’s gonna keep pouring for a while.”
“Yeah.”
“I just wanna go back and sleep,” Tutor mumbled, taking a bite of the bread.
“Wanna make a run for it through the rain?”
“No way. I’m scared of lightning.” Fighter didn’t quite catch what the smaller guy said, maybe because of the pounding rain or because Tutor had scooted closer to him, throwing him off focus.
“Cold?”
“Mm.”
“Want to borrow my jacket?” Fighter asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I am, but if someone begs nicely, I’d be happy to lend it.”
“…”
“Come on, beg.”
“Nope.”
“Phii Fai, I really want your jacket.”
“Didn’t sound like you meant it.” “Phii Fai, can you give it to me?”
“Shut up.”
“Are you embarrassed?”
“Funny. Why would someone like me be embarrassed?”
“If you’re not embarrassed, then look at me.” The older guy tilted his head, giving a teasing glance at the smaller one, making Tutor unable to resist looking up and meeting Fighter’s eyes again.
He didn’t know what kind of look Fighter was giving him, nor could he recall how many minutes had passed. The next thing he knew, the guy beside him turned his gaze away to the rain, munching on the bread in his hand instead. No more words were exchanged between them. The reddened ears of the slimmer figure caught his eye, and he couldn’t help but smirk unconsciously. The heavy rain pouring down somehow carried a faint warmth, especially around the shoulder where he was leaning.
It was a warmth he couldn’t quite explain.
He didn’t understand why he felt this way either.
12:14 AM
Normally, at this hour, the roads would be nearly empty, but because it had poured heavily less than an hour ago, many cars were still out. Luckily, Fighter knew a shortcut and managed to escape the hellish traffic.
“Yo, Tor. We’re at your dorm.”
“…”
“Wake up already. Why’re you so sleepy?”
“…”
“Tor.” Not only did the driver raise his voice, but he also reached out to shake the smaller guy awake.
“Mmm.” The groggy, reluctant sound from the passenger made him feel a bit guilty for waking him.
But come on. Was he supposed to let him sleep in the car?
“Tutor, wake up.”
Thud!
Something that had been in his hand fell to the floor, startling the previously groggy Tutor awake. Fighter looked at the newly awakened guy with confusion as Tutor fumbled, searching for the phone that had fallen beside the seat. Finally, the taller one reached over to turn on the light.
“Can you grab it?”
“Almost.” He said “almost,” but in truth, he couldn’t find it at all. Tutor seemed too out of it to pick up the phone right next to him.
“Got it yet?”
“Still haven’t found it? I was this close,” Tutor said. The person sitting with him let out a soft sigh. Fighter unbuckled his seatbelt, reached over, and grabbed Tutor’s shoulders to keep him still.
“Stay put. I’ll find it,” Fighter said, immediately twisting his body to grab the phone from the gap by the driver’s seat. At first, he didn’t even realize how close his face was to Tutor’s while fumbling for the phone. It wasn’t until he looked up and locked eyes with the younger guy, who was rolling his eyes in annoyance, that he noticed.
In that moment, something—maybe the cheeky look on his junior’s face or his own irritation—spurred Fighter to lean even closer to the younger guy.
“Phii Fai…” A low, muttering voice hinted at Tutor’s displeasure, but he couldn’t do much about it. The older guy didn’t seem to care and moved even closer.
In the end, Tutor could only turn his face away toward the window, leaving the car owner to keep searching for the phone.
“!?” It was at that exact moment when Fighter’s sharp nose brushed past Tutor’s cheek. Tutor whipped back around, glaring with wide, displeased eyes at Fighter’s actions. But the culprit didn’t seem to care one bit, just flashing a smug grin as he pulled the phone out from the gap by the driver’s seat.
No conversation.
No music.
The rain outside had stopped long ago.
All that was left, growing clearer by the second, was the sound of their warm breaths.
“Tor,” Fighter finally broke the awkward silence. “If you wanna come back and tutor me… I’m willing to pay you more per hour.”
It’s not that Tutor didn’t understand. He always knew that people with money solved problems with money. But with Fighter, he wished the guy would learn to ask for things properly sometimes.
Not everything could be bought with cash.
“So, what’s it gonna be?”
“Nope,” the younger one rejected flatly, snatching his phone back. “I’ve already got a job.”
With that, Tutor smacked the phone against Fighter’s forehead in irritation.
“Hey, Tor…”
“You talk too much. Move already,” Tutor didn’t wait for a response, shoving Fighter’s shoulder out of the way before unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping out of the car.
“What’s his deal?” Fighter muttered, rubbing his forehead in confusion. He watched the younger guy walk away, not quite understanding, but a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as a thought crossed his mind.
“You’re really damn stubborn.”
But that’s fine. If you wanna play it like this, let’s see who ends up being Zero.
Over the past few days, Tutor had been learning the ropes at the new shop quite well. The senior staff taught him various tasks. At first, his main duties were cleaning, stocking shelves, and even handling the cash register for customers. But the primary task that became the routine for a newbie like him was cleaning the shop’s front windows.
“Wanna eat?” And every time he came out to clean the windows, there was always someone who showed up to annoy him.
“Phii Fai,” Tutor said, eyeing the person leaning against the wall not far away, smirking mischievously while offering him a snack. Tutor, busy with his work, couldn’t help but retort, “Are you free today or what?”
Honestly, he’d noticed Phii Fai had been free for a while now—not just today. But he couldn’t figure out why the guy kept coming to bother him every day. Just last week, Phii Fai caused trouble that got Tutor scolded by Sis Fai.
“Sorry, Sis Fai. I’ll make sure to finish arranging the products by today.”
“I’ll cover the compensation myself, Sis.”
“Compensation? No need. Just help finish arranging the products, and most importantly, don’t mess around and knock things over again.”
Tutor wasn’t the one messing around. It was Phii Fai who caused him to stumble into the products in the first place.
“Stop glaring at me.”
“You were teasing me.”
“I wasn’t teasing.”
“You were!”
“Enough, stop arguing. Hurry up and finish so you can move on to other tasks.”
Back then, Tutor still remembered the teasing grin on Phii Fai’s face. Even though she didn’t say it outright, he could tell the assistant manager thought there was something going on between him and Phii Fai. And it wasn’t just Sis Fai—other staff seemed to think the same.
“He’s back to see the kid again, huh? So cute!”
“The kid’s not giving in at all. I feel bad for the senior.”
“But this is good, right? We get to keep witnessing these moments.”
“Squeee! So adorable. I just wanna ship them already.”
“Haven’t you already started shipping them?”
“Shh, don’t say it so loud. The kid might hear.”
Truth be told, Tutor knew from the first comment that some staff, including Sis Fai, were pairing him with Phii Fai. He just pretended not to notice. As for Phii Fai, he acted oblivious, playing dumb from the first day Tutor started working here and still doing so now.
“So, what’s the deal, Phii Fai? Coming to bother me so
often—got too much free time or what?”
“I’m free, you know. Nothing to do.”
“If you’re that free, shouldn’t you take Hwa out somewhere nice, Phii? Do something good for her instead of bothering me while I’m working. Plus, I feel bad for Sis Fai—I’m scared she’ll scold me.”
“Sis Fai doesn’t scold. She’s super nice.” Of course, you’re all buddy-buddy with her.
“As for Hwa, I probably don’t have time to take her anywhere.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she thinks you’re tutoring me in English again.”
“Phii Fai? Why’d you say that? Why do you keep lying?”
“I didn’t lie. I just figured you’d end up tutoring me again anyway.”
“Give me a reason why I would.”
“Because I can’t find another tutor.”
“And you told Hwa that reason too, huh? How did she believe you?” Because Hwahwa should know Tutor well enough to know he wouldn’t come back without an apology from someone who insulted him. And someone like Phii Fai, who kept messing with him, was either doing it to annoy him or because he wanted to mess with Zon—probably the latter, given his personality. “I didn’t tell her much. Just said you were coming back.” “That’s it?”
“Yup. That’s it.”
“Weird,” Tutor muttered, sounding skeptical. But it was true— Fighter had only told Hwahwa that much, and she didn’t pry too hard about Tutor tutoring him again. Maybe it was because they hadn’t been talking or texting as much as before, creating a gap that made their relationship drift apart.
But there was more to it. Just a few days ago, Dew had told him that Hwahwa and Day had been getting especially close lately, going to movies and eating out together often.
“Don’t you think it’s kinda weird that your girl is getting so close with Day?”
“Do I need to feel something about it? Hwa and I aren’t even together.”
“What about someone else? Would you feel something then?”
“Someone else? Who?”
“Who else? Your junior, Nong Tor, the one you’ve been hanging around a lot lately.”
“Pfft, funny. I don’t feel anything for him or anyone else.” That’s how Fighter answered Dew, though he wasn’t entirely sure of his own response. But one thing he was certain of was that he wanted to mess with his junior, to get Tutor to come back and tutor him in English again—not because he begged, but because Tutor chose to do it on his own.
“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Fighter asked the younger guy, who was squinting at him suspiciously.
“Trying to make up with me, huh?”
“Who’s making up?”
“You are. You’re begging me, right?” Tutor leaned his face closer to Fighter’s. “Begging me to tutor you again.”
“I’m not begging, idiot. I already said I want you to come back and tutor.”
“Totally begging.”
“Nope.”
“If you’re begging, try asking nicely. I might consider it.”
“No way.”
“Just say… ‘Nong Tor, I want you to come back and tutor me in English.’”
“Funny.”
“Say, ‘I promise to study hard and not play on my phone during lessons anymore.’”
“…”
“Come on, Nong Tor, please come back and tutor me,” Tutor teased with a pout, while Fighter stayed unmoved, ignoring him and showing no sign of giving in to the request.
The smaller guy shook his head in exasperation. He looked at the stubborn jerk who clearly would never know how to ask for anything in this lifetime. Out of pure annoyance, Tutor grabbed a spray bottle and spritzed Fighter. “Oops, sorry, I’m cleaning the glass. Could the customer please not block the storefront?”
“Tor!!”
“Really sorry, sir. Please step aside. If you’re not buying anything, don’t loiter in front of the shop like this.” Tutor spoke with a teasing eyebrow raise. “Otherwise, people might say you’re not only blocking the way but bullying the staff too.”
“I didn’t do anything to you!”
“Oh, really?” As soon as he said it, Tutor put on a sulky face, looking like someone who’d just been picked on. His expression and demeanor were enough to make passersby glance at them suspiciously.
“You little—” Fighter knew Tutor wasn’t as cute or sweet as his appearance suggested. The guy had a tough side he’d seen before, and a mischievous streak that left someone like him at a loss, like right now.
Before walking away from the shop, Fighter reached out, pushed Tutor’s head, and raised a teasing eyebrow back at him. The guy who got pushed shot him a slight glare but couldn’t do anything since Fighter was already walking off.
He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but it felt like they were waging a little war, both waiting for the other to give in. And, well, it was kind of fun.
“Ugh, so annoying. The head office is pushing sales targets again. Can’t skip it either, or Sis Fai will chew us out,” a uniformed employee, dressed like Tutor, grumbled just as Tutor was passing by.
“Tell me about it. I haven’t sold much myself. I’m worried if we don’t hit the target, we won’t get the year-end bonus either.”
“But honestly, that new kid, Tutor, is pretty good-looking. If we let him handle sales, I bet he could pull it off.”
“Are you crazy? He’s been here less than a month. Would Sis Fai be okay with that? It feels like we’re dumping the responsibility on him.”
“It’ll be fine, trust me. At this point, we all need to pitch in. I’ll talk to him myself. He seems like the sympathetic type. If we tell him it’s about hitting targets or part of his probation period, I bet he’ll help us.”
“Here’s hoping,” the two employees exchanged a few more words before heading back into the shop. Meanwhile, Fighter, who had initially planned to go home, changed course, swapped out his wet clothes, and returned to the shop.
The first thing Fighter saw was Tutor standing there, trying to sell to a group of customers. The kid’s face looked stressed, and it was obvious he wasn’t the type to enjoy pressuring people into buying.
When a sale didn’t go through, his expression showed a hint of frustration, but he still pushed on, trying to sell to another group.
Seeing this, Fighter couldn’t help but feel a strange pang. This whole situation—Tutor having to sell and hit targets—stemmed from the day he’d insulted him.
He didn’t know how to help. Offering direct assistance would likely be rejected by Tutor, that stubborn guy. So, there was only one thing he could do.
“Sorry, kid. I’m not interested right now. Maybe next time,” a customer said.
“No worries, thank you so much anyway!” Tutor flashed a wide smile at the third customer to reject him since the senior staff told him he needed to meet the shop’s sales targets. Honestly, Tutor had never had to sell or hit quotas like this before, but since it was part of the job, he was determined to give it his all.
“Hey, kid,” a voice called from behind.
“Yes?”
“I’m interested in this brand. Could you recommend something for me?”
“This brand, right?”
“Yeah. Can you give me some suggestions?”
“Of course! Please, come this way,” Tutor said. Amid the despair, a glimmer of hope appeared. And this wasn’t a small purchase—it was a big one, so big that Tutor couldn’t help but ask, “You’re taking all of this?”
“Yup, the whole lot. I’m buying these as gifts for some friends. Just ring it up for me, alright?”
“Alright.” Tutor led the two customers to the counter to ring them up. The total came to nearly 20,000 baht. He couldn’t help but feel a bit proud that a newbie like him had managed this.
“The total is 18,451 baht.”
“Okay, hold on a sec,” one of the customers said, pulling out money to count. But their expression turned odd while counting, making Tutor feel a bit uneasy. “Phii, we’re short on cash. Should we just use the card and settle with Fai later?” Fai?
“Yeah, use the card for now. We’ll deal with him later,” the other customer said, handing over a credit card.
“The Fai you’re talking about isn’t Fighter, the fourth-year engineering student, right?”
“Uh…”
“If he’s Phii Fai’s friend and he told you to do this, I’m sorry, but I won’t sell to you.” It wasn’t about pride or anything, but it was exhausting how someone like Fai kept trying to solve problems by throwing money around. The pride Tutor felt from making his first big sale was crushed under Fai’s actions.
“Wait a second, hold on,” the female customer said. “Let me call Fai so we can sort this out properly.” She dialed someone, but even if she got him here, Tutor had no intention of selling to them.
He was angry, plain and simple.
Angry that Fighter had these ridiculous ideas again.
Angry that Fai kept belittling him over and over.
And angry that he didn’t know how to make Fighter understand that money wasn’t always the answer to everything. At the very least, his feelings couldn’t be bought with cash.
The pride he felt, trampled like this, only reinforced that Fighter never learned. He never understood that hurting someone by looking down on them wasn’t just about words.
Actions could make you feel just as bad.
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