My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 3
My Moon, Chapter 17 pg 3
“One sec,” Klaijai said, handing his phone to Phii Pi. “Phii Pi, Panli wants to talk to you.”
The taller man took the phone with a grin and spoke in a cheerful tone, “What’s up, little bro?”
“…”
“I haven’t told him any stories about you yet.”
“…”
“Yeah, I swear… and why’d you have to bring up that ‘neutered’ joke?”
“…”
“No way, I can’t be neutered. My family still needs an heir!”
“…”
“I didn’t say anything bad, not at all… I only talked about good stuff, like how you sent me his picture and said the naughty rabbit design was inspired by him. That’s it,” Phii Pi said.
“…”
“I swear I didn’t say anything… like how you’re fierce as a dog during our monthly meetings, or how you chewed me out, ignoring our age gap, because I got drunk and didn’t show up to watch the shop. Oh, and… how you beat up our old business partner until he ended up in the hospital for secretly cheating us. I didn’t tell KhunKlai any of that,” Phii Pi said, laughing. “Wait, what? Did I just accidentally spill something bad about you?”
“…”
“Oops, my bad, bro. Sorry, my dear little brother.”
Klai smiled, amused, thinking that everyone around Moon seemed to be waiting for the day they could get back at him. By teasing him like this, Phii Pi laughed heartily before handing the phone back. Klai took it and put it to his ear again.
“Puppy…”
[This… puppy is listening.]
The hesitant, slightly worried tone in Panli’s voice made Klai struggle to hold back a smile before saying, “Puppy… don’t worry, I won’t think you’re a bad person. I can tell what kind of person you are.”
[I told you, if you go first, I’ll just get attacked. Everyone around me is a villain.]
“You’re no saint either. Bet you’ve attacked plenty of people yourself.”
[So, is you coming back yet?]
Klai shook his head, chuckling softly. The sly puppy quickly changed the subject to hide his own villainous side.
Panli was probably afraid he’d find out just how bad he could be.
“I’ll stop by to buy some shorts for the beach tomorrow, then head back.”
[Oh… and then you have to go have dinner with family, right?]
“Mhm.”
Panli knew this because last night, when Klai’s dad called in the middle of their conversation, Panli hung up first to let him talk. After agreeing to have dinner at home and ending the call with his dad, Klai told Moon about it and even opened up about his family.
When Panli learned that Klai’s dad and Ms. Lin had just gotten engaged, he asked with concern, a question that made Klai pause for a moment.
“Is KhunKlai okay now?”
Klai understood the meaning behind that question perfectly. He felt the overwhelming care Moon sent from afar. Smiling, he answered confidently…
“I’ve been okay for a long time… and now I’m even more okay because I have a close friend like Panli by my side.”
[KhunKlai, don’t buy shorts that are too short, okay? The sun is hot, so it’s better to wear long pants.]
“Okay~”
[How many shirts did KhunKlai and your friend buy?]
“I only liked one, but Pie bought a bunch.”
[KhunKlai and your friend can take as many as you want, no need to pay. I’ll take care of it.]
“No way, Panli. Pie and I came here specifically to support your store.”
[It’s fine, KhunKlai, don’t feel shy about it.]
“…”
[Because the store has a quota for partners to give new collection shirts to their partners every month.]
“…”
[Since the store opened, I’ve never used this quota even once. Only the other partners have.]
“…”
[So today, I want to use this quota for my close friend.]
Klai wasn’t sure if the quota allowing partners of Once in a Blue Moon to give new collection shirts to their partners every month was real, or if Panli was just saying it to make him stop feeling hesitant. But whatever the reason, Klai’s face was burning with shyness.
Honestly… being just a close friend for life would be fine. If the privileges of a close friend were this close to those of a partner, it wouldn’t matter what they were called. But none of it would mean anything without the same moon by Klai’s side.
The truth is…
No privilege matters as much as “having Panli in my life.”
“I think this time Pie and I might use up all the quota Panli has saved up.”
[Go for it. I’ve been waiting for someone to use this quota for a long time.]
“I’m here now,” Klai said.
Klai held back a smile as he heard a soft chuckle from the other end of the line.
[You little troublemaker.]
And as always, it wasn’t just the one being teased who felt shy—the one doing the teasing was just as flustered.
“Puppy, you’re done with your exam. Where are you now? Why’s it so quiet?”
[I’m in the car, about to drive home.]
“Oh… drive safely, okay, puppy? LINE me when you get home.”
[Got it!]
“Okay~~”
[Don’t forget what I told you, KhunKlai.]
The smaller guy furrowed his brow slightly, recalling their conversation. “About using up the quota, right, Panli?”
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