"Listen, not just Nao, everyone is targeting us. If there's a reward for capturing us, it would definitely be a hundred million," North said seriously. "We want to be at the front line, fighting and shooting, but if we appear, all weapons will be aimed at us."
"Alright," DaoTok nodded. "If I were on the opposing team, I would definitely shoot North."
"Exactly," North snapped his fingers and winked. "So, the plan is..." He turned toward Jay. "What do you think?"
"I think the leader should plan."
"No, you have to do it."
"Hm," Jay thought for a moment. "I want to know all the information about everyone. Can you give it to me?"
The situation was more serious than I thought.
"Tiger and Phi Thit are dangerous. They're excellent. The other two are just pawns," North said. "DaoTok, you can't handle Phi Thit?"
DaoTok shook his head. "Even though he's stupid, he's a good shooter."
"But isn't that humiliating? Are you willing to accept that?"
"It bothers me, but it's not easy to defeat him."
"Can we cheat?"
"We can, but is it right?"
"In war, everything is fair," North patted DaoTok's shoulder. "If you can cheat, do it. Or do you want to let yourself be mocked?"
DaoTok nodded. I wondered how he would handle Dylan. Before we could continue our conversation, the game started. We hadn't planned anything, so we just moved to our respective positions. I hid behind a tree in the middle, Jayden on the left, North behind a bush behind me, and DaoTok in another bush nearby.
The area seemed larger, but the staff said that since our numbers were small, the play area was limited. Other teams usually played with dozens or even hundreds of people, but we were only eight. I didn't know what the red team's plan was. I had never shot before, so I didn't know what to do.
North slowly moved closer to my tree.
"North, there can't be two people here," I whispered.
"I know, I'll leave soon."
"Are you moving forward?"
"Yes, we'll attack first," North spoke quietly. At first, he said he would be the target of everyone. He saw Jay pointing at something, but we didn't understand. As North moved, the opposing team also started to move.
"North, it looks like they've started."
"I'll take out one first."
"Alright."
North crouched and advanced to the next bush, but he was shot at from three directions. Fortunately, he managed to dodge just in time.
"You guys are excessive! Saving bullets just for me?" North shouted. Three guns were aimed at him. I saw Nao hiding behind a tree. Should I shoot now? Jay moved closer. North tried to shoot Nao, but he got shot first. He sighed in frustration.
"Damn it! I'm already surrounded. Hey, DaoTok, why did you shoot me? We're on the same team!"
"When I saw you, I couldn't help myself."
Before North could move, Jay shot Nao.
"What?" Nao exited in frustration. "How did they catch me?"
"You deserved it."
North and Nao left the field. I saw Easter moving behind a tree. DaoTok moved and shot Easter.
"Wow," Easter muttered and walked off the field. Everything happened quickly; now there were only five people left.
DaoTok moved to the center. Dylan wasn't far from him.
"Arthit!" DaoTok called out. I saw Dylan kneel down, and DaoTok immediately shot him. "I win."
"You cheated! Don't use that tone, I automatically knelt down."
"North said in war, everything is fair."
"Heh!" And just like that, Dylan easily left the field. Ah, so his cheating method was using a firm voice to intimidate the opponent, huh? But his lack of caution got him shot by Tiger, forcing him out of the field too. Now only three people remained. I hadn't done anything or moved at all.
I heard footsteps approaching. What should I do? It was Tiger. If I stayed still, I might get shot, so I decided to shoot him. But Tiger dodged my shot and fired back at me. Now it was my turn to leave the field. Only Jay and Tiger were left. I walked over to join the others.
"Oh, Dan, you didn't shoot anyone."
"Only Tiger is left. Who can shoot him?"
"That was a great fight," North said. We watched through the cameras placed around. The two were shooting at each other as if it were a real situation. "This is like watching a movie. I've never seen Tiger in this mode before."
They tried to get close enough to fight. I was surprised to see that they both seemed really serious. A signal sounded, stopping those still on the field. The announcement warned that both of them had violated the rules, resulting in both of them losing. I sighed in relief, though my face clearly showed reluctance, but I had to accept the result.
"Dan, sorry. I couldn't win," Jay said with his head down. "The rules say you can't get close, but if you don't, you can't do anything. The bullets are limited."
"It's okay," I patted his head. "It's just a game."
"Or should I request a decision outside the round?"
"No, no," I said quickly. "That's enough. You don't have to do anything."
Jay nodded. "Alright."
After finishing that activity, we continued our journey. It was almost four in the afternoon. The weather on the hill was quite cold. The higher we climbed, the more difficult the path became. Besides, we had to stay overnight at an inn at the top. The path was narrow and next to a cliff, quite scary. By the time we arrived, the weather was almost freezing.
"I didn't expect Thailand to be this cold," I said to Nao.
"Right? But during the day, this place is really hot too."
"Yeah," I nodded before carrying my luggage into the house. The inn was a twin house, as North mentioned, with both sides identical and a bridge connecting them.
We got the house on the left side, with bedrooms upstairs. I shared a room with Jay, Mom with Fei, and Tiger with Nao. There was still one empty room because there were four bedrooms. I took Jay to enjoy the calm and lush scenery on the high hill overlooking the village below. As the wind blew, I felt my whole body chill. Fortunately, I brought a winter coat.
"What do you think?"
"It's nice."
"Down there, you wouldn't experience something like this, right?"
"I like you, Dan."
"...Huh?"
"Why?"
"Don't look so surprised. I'm the one who should be surprised. Why did you suddenly say that you like me?" I started feeling a bit nervous.
"My leader told me to express my feelings directly rather than keeping them to myself so that you wouldn't know."
"...North's flirting style, huh?" I muttered. "And what did he say about showing it?"
"Can I do it?" Jay moved closer as if he wanted to hug me, but I stepped back first.
"Wait, there are a lot of people."
"Yes, I have to be careful when expressing my feelings."
"Your leader taught you that too?"
"Yes."
"It seems like they've taught you a lot, huh?"
"If there weren't many people around, could I do it?"
"Hug me?"
"Yes."
Asking so directly… We've hugged before, but the situation now is different.
"You have to ask me first."
"Alright," he replied. "Nuea is really beautiful."
I turned to look at him again.
"That's my sincere feeling," Jay said, his expression and tone as calm as ever. "No matter what face you make, you're still beautiful. When you're embarrassed, you're also very cute."
Unconsciously, I lifted my hand to cover my face. This isn't right. It's fine to say or show feelings directly, but this is too much. "Ah… uh, thank you."
"Do many people tell you that you're beautiful?"
"No, just Nao, Mom, Fei, and you."
"What do other people say about you?"
"Well…" I stammered because my heart was beating fast. I couldn't think of anything at the moment. "Like my coworkers, they say I'm kind, things like that."
"Ohh."
"Uh-huh."
"And do they say you have a good heart?"
"Sometimes."
"Yes, you really do have a good heart."
"Uh-huh." Still covering my face, I couldn't see Jay's expression at that moment. "Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Yes," Jay replied. "Being embarrassed is when your heart beats fast, you don't know what to do, and your face starts to heat up. That's what I'm feeling right now."
"Really?"
"If you don't believe me, take your hands off and look."
I wanted to look, but… "No."
"I thought you might want to see me embarrassed."
"I do want to see, but not right now."
"Do I look good in your eyes?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
"My leader said it's natural to want to look good in the eyes of the one we love. But I never cared about that. I don't even know what they look like. But if you think I look good, it would make me happy."
"…" I was silent for a moment. "Like when you said I was beautiful, I guess."
"Yes. And what do you think about me?"
"Um," Of course, I thought Jay looked great, but saying it directly now? "What do you think?" I decided to ask back.
"I don't know. But my leader said I'm handsome, have good looks, and a good body."
"If North said so, then fine."
"You can't answer directly?"
"I think you look quite good and also very cute," I said softly. I immediately turned away when I heard footsteps approaching. It was Nao, who stopped behind us and raised an eyebrow.
"So this is where you two are flirting," Nao smiled. "Sorry to interrupt, but the grill is ready. Let's eat barbecue and watch the sunset."
"It's okay," I quickly followed Nao. It took over an hour to get here. Now it was almost five o'clock. "Don't tease me."
"Oh, you got caught!" Nao laughed loudly. "Are you so embarrassed that you have to cover your face?"
"Hmm."
"You're really cute, Dan. You're in love and look like a little kid."
"I said don't bother me."
"So, how's North's student doing?"
"He's very straightforward because North told him it's better to express feelings directly rather than keeping them hidden so that I wouldn't know," I said. "He says everything he feels or thinks, taking advantage of every moment."
"Hahaha, that's good. When will you be his partner, or will you let him win your heart first?"
"Well… until I feel it's right, I guess."
"That's up to you, Dan. He's cute like this too, but being in a relationship would definitely be better. I agree that Jayden looks good. He was already like that at nineteen. Wow! And when he becomes a famous boxer, more people will be interested in him."
"You think he'll change his mind when he meets new people?"
"Are you jealous?"
"No, I'm just thinking about it."
"You can wait until you're sure. But I don't think that will happen. Jayden has practically given his life to you," Nao said in a calm voice. "Jayden is different from the others."
"Tiger was like that too."
"Dan," Nao paused for a moment. I looked at him curiously.
"What is it?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Promise you'll say yes."
"Say what it is first."
"No, you have to promise first."
"…Alright."
"Let me drink liquor."
"No," I answered immediately.
"Dan, you just said yes."
"You're cheating," I pouted, "Why are you asking me?"
"Fei said I have to ask everyone in the house for permission. Fei said just one glass. Tiger and Mom agreed. And you too. Great!" Nao clenched his fists happily. "At first, I didn't want to, but when I saw Phi Arttit bring out my favorite drink, I couldn't resist! Just one glass, right?"
"Fei said one glass," I repeated, thinking. "One mixed glass, not pure," I said, but Nao was already gone.
"Oh, I don't know! He said one glass, didn't specify if it's mixed or not. Does anyone have a big glass? North, my friend, I'm coming!"
"This is serious," I crossed my arms and watched as Nao clearly felt happy.
When we finished preparing the grill, we all sat around it and started grilling meat while enjoying the sunset view. The atmosphere was very pleasant. We had just placed the meat on the grill when the sound of a bottle being opened was heard.
Nao took advantage of the ambiguity in Fei's words about "one glass." That glass was North's one-liter glass, and he filled it with pure liquor.
"Papa," Fei pouted. "If you get drunk, don't hug me. You smell."
"Come on, Fei, just for today, okay?"
"Hmmm," Fei pursed her lips and focused on placing the meat on the grill. Nao kept insisting until Fei gave in. I also focused on grilling the meat. The meat we bought wasn't ordinary meat. North specifically bought it to tease Nao. We ate and chatted.
Nao said that if he only drank liquor without eating meat, his stomach would get upset. In the end, Tiger allowed him to eat meat. In the end, Nao ate everything. After almost an hour, Nao started feeling dizzy and got up from his seat to hug me.
"Dan."
"Yeah."
"I love you, Dan."
I smiled.
"Kiss me on the cheek," he said and kissed both of my cheeks, then hugged me tightly. "Dan, why are you so cute?" Then he pinched my cheeks until my mouth puckered.
I sighed lightly. It's always like this when he's drunk. After teasing me, he hugged Fei again. Fei complained that Nao smelled like liquor, but Nao didn't stop. The next victim was Mom. Now Nao was bothering Mom. Mom was already used to this. When he got drunk, he showed more affection to everyone in the house.
"Is it really that good?"
"You should try it!" North handed me a glass, his eyes sparkling. "Take a sip. The bartender made it properly."
I took it and sipped a little, frowning because it tasted bitter. "This is bitter."
"Life is bitter too. Want another sip?"
I shook my head in response.
"Then how about this one? Mixed with fruit," North handed me another glass. Was he trying to get me drunk? "This one is easier to drink."
"..."
"Drink, drink!" North urged me.
I was forced to drink it because North practically pushed me. It was easier to drink than the previous one, but when it came to fruit flavors, I preferred fruit juice.
"I still don't really like it."
"It's a bit rough at first, but later it tastes sweet," North took the glass from my hand and offered it to Jay. "Nong, try it."
Jay shook his head.
"He's not even twenty yet."
"Oh!" North stopped. "It's no problem, we also drank when we were kids."
"No."
"Alright, until you're twenty, then, nong." North gave up and went back to chatting with the others. It looked like they were going to play a game where the loser had to drink straight liquor for three seconds. I ate meat while watching from the side. The losers opened their mouths to have the liquor poured in while the others counted three seconds. In the end, some of them stretched out the count.
"That's not just one glass, Nao."
"One glass," Nao replied. "Look, I haven't changed my glass." Tiger then scolded him but eventually fell silent when Nao started pleading in a whiny tone.
By around nine at night, I was already full and thought about resting, letting those who wanted to drink continue.
"I'm going up to the room."
"I'm coming too," Jay stood up.
"And the kids?" I asked.
"Mom will take care of them," Mom smiled. "Looks like they want to sleep together tonight."
"Ah, don't stay up too late, Fei. We have to go down the mountain early tomorrow. You want to see the university where Papa and Daddy used to study, right?"
"Kha..." Fei saluted. I smiled at her before entering the house with Jay.
Tomorrow, we are going home. We had already booked tickets for the afternoon, so we could stop by the university before heading to the airport since it was on the way. Once in the room, I showered first, then Jay. We played around for a bit, waiting for our food to settle before going to sleep.
"Dan."
"Yeah?"
"I want to do what Nao did."
"You want to drink alcohol?"
"No," Jay shook his head slightly. "I want to kiss your cheek over and over."
"..." I fell silent, not knowing how many times that had happened today. "No..."
"Alright," Jay looked clearly disappointed. "If you ever want me to kiss your cheek, just tell me."
I remained silent, not answering. I wondered who would ever dare to say that to him. I cut off the conversation by saying, "Let's sleep," then lay down and pulled the blanket over myself. Jay turned off the lights and lay down beside me.
"Dan."
It took me a moment to respond.
"What is it?"
"Give me a kiss on the forehead. Please."
I turned to look at him. In the dim light from outside, I saw him lift his hair from his forehead, an expectant look on his face.
"I'll have sweet dreams."
And I couldn't refuse his gentleness. I lowered myself and kissed his forehead once. After doing so, I felt embarrassed and pulled the blanket over myself again.
"Good night."
"Good night."
"I liked it. Tomorrow, I'll like it even more than today."
"Uh-huh."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
I woke up early to watch the sunrise. At first, I thought everyone else would wake up too, but it turned out they were still sleeping soundly due to the alcohol. The only ones awake were Easter, Phoon, and DaoTok. Mom and the kids were also up.
"Where are Papa and Daddy?" I asked Fei.
"They're drunk."
"Your Papa too?"
"Yeah."
"So who's going to drive?"
"I will," Jay offered.
"You can drive? The road is dangerous."
"Yes," he nodded firmly.
I nodded in response. From the cold air that required a blanket, the sunrise changed the sky's colors and brought warmth. But after a short while in the sunlight, the heat made us go back inside. I saw Phoon taking pictures and walked over to him.
"Are you photographing the sky?"
"Yeah. Do you want me to take a picture of you?"
"Really?"
"Of course."
"I'd really appreciate it," I said, calling Jay to join. We needed to take photos while traveling together.
"Ready," Phoon said. He showed me the photo. "Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful. Thank you so much."
"I'll send it after I edit it."
"Uh-huh. You take beautiful photos, you're a great photographer."
Phoon smiled shyly. We talked a bit more before saying our goodbyes. I went back to the room to pack our things into the car. I noticed that Nao and Tiger hadn't come out yet, so I went to call them. I knocked on the door, and Tiger opened it.
"Are we leaving now?"
"Yeah. Where's Nao?"
"In the bathroom."
"Are you okay?"
"Who?"
"You two."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I'm thinking of letting Jay drive since Tiger was drinking."
"I feel better now."
"It's safer if Jay, who didn't drink, drives," I said, according to my thoughts. We discussed how the adults shouldn't have drunk so much last night since they had to drive today, except for Dylan, who drank too much, forcing DaoTok to drink less so he could drive. As for Nao and North? Impossible.
"It's okay, he's a good driver."
"How do you know?"
"I'm just guessing. Meet me at the car. Hurry up, we don't want to be late."
"Alright."
Jay drove the car down the mountain, and I realized that he really was a good driver. We parted ways with everyone and took Fei to visit the university and the Faculty of Engineering, where Nao and Tiger had studied. After that visit, we headed to the airport to go home. Initially, I only planned to bring Jay to meet Dr. TonFah, but this trip turned into a fun journey to Chiang Mai.
"Dan," Jay called, standing next to me. I turned to him.
"What is it?"
"Did I drive well?"
"Yeah, very well."
"If I did well, can you pat my head?" He lowered his head so I could pat him. I smiled gently and raised my hand to softly pat his head.
"You did great."
This kid is so adorable!