My Moon, Chapter 19.2 pg 7
My Moon, Chapter 19.2 pg 7
Panli gave a faint smile and said, “Yeah… felt exactly like that.”
“And then what happened?”
“And then… I found out Klai had a crush on me because you told me.”
“At that moment, I didn’t know how to feel first. I was happy knowing we were both secretly watching each other, but I couldn’t fully be happy. You told me Klai’s dad was getting engaged to his stepmom at home, and it was his birthday that day… And then I learned he’s only met bad people in his life. When I thought about his smile, about the time Klai went to see my photo…”
“…”
“I felt so choked up…”
“…”
“Because I thought… he’s been through so much, but he still manages to smile. And he keeps giving that smile to others too.”
“…”
“How strong must he be…”
“When I was driving to see you… I thought, if I didn’t feel this way about Klai right now, but I knew he had a crush on me… what would I do?”
“…”
“Believe it or not… I didn’t have to think long.”
“…”
“Because even if I didn’t like him… after the day I learned the truth, I’d be a good friend to Klai. I’d stay by his side.”
“I didn’t make a mistake telling you the truth, did I?”
“…”
Phii Dom looked deep into my eyes before saying, “But I want you to ask yourself again, just to be sure… because Klai is a guy, like you, and you’ve never dated a guy before. Maybe you’re just…”
Knowing what he was worried about, I decided to cut in before he finished his sentence. “Phii Dom, don’t forget… I wanted to get to know Klai before I even knew about this.”
“…”
“My heart was racing when I met him, even before you told me the truth.”
“…”
“So, the fact that he secretly liked me first didn’t make me feel swayed.”
“…”
“I don’t usually feel this way about anyone… so I’m certain I really like him. It’s not just a fleeting feeling.”
“And the fact that Klai is a guy like me…”
“…”
Panli fell silent, then said with a firm tone, “As long as he’s the person I like… I don’t care what he is.”
“…”
“I know everything seems to be moving fast… and you still don’t fully trust me.”
“…”
“But I’m begging you…”
“What are you begging for?”
“Let me take care of Klai.” Panli stared deeply into his sharp eyes, then continued, “I want to take care of Klai.”
The listener didn’t respond. Phii Dom reached for his cigarette pack, tapped out a white paper stick, lit it, and took a drag before looking up to meet his eyes again.
“Thanks for being honest with me and Klai.”
“…”
“I used to think you were pretty different from Fah.”
“…”
“But today, I realized… the two Pisut siblings aren’t that different after all.”
“…”
“Both of you are so genuine.”
Panli gave a faint smile before saying, “I’ve told you everything… now it’s your turn.”
“I don’t know where to start, because there’s so much I want to tell you…” Phii Dom paused for a moment, then continued, “So, I’ll start with the beginning of everything. All the stories are interconnected. Once I’m done… I think you won’t have any more questions, because what I tell you will probably answer all your doubts.”
“…”
“One day… Kant, Klai’s close friend, came to wait for me at the faculty. He told me that when Klai went drinking with friends at a bar, he was harassed by some engineering kid in the bathroom. That engineering kid, Merk, had been persistently bothering Klai for a while, but Klai didn’t like him and rejected him.”
“…”
“Kant said someone stepped in to help Klai that day… so he wasn’t hurt by that guy.”
“…”
“When I got the details from Kant—that his name was Merk, a second-year civil engineering student at our uni—I asked my engineering friends where he stayed. After that, I tracked him down and beat the crap out of him.”
“…”
“So he never dared to mess with Klai again.”
Panli pushed his tongue against his cheek, trying to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn’t help it and cursed, “That damn bastard!”
Phii Dom took a drag from his white cigarette before continuing, “This kind of situation… does it ring any bells?”
“…”
“Can you remember if you ever helped someone being harassed in a bathroom?”
Panli lowered his eyes to the beer can, its surface dotted with condensation, and thought back to what Phii Dom asked. He remembered helping someone who was being harassed in a bathroom, and the images and sounds etched deep in his memory slowly flooded back into his mind.
Merk, you have no right to force me.
Those words, and the trembling voice of someone trying to stay steady while hiding from that massive jerk in the bathroom, were what made Panli decide to step in.
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