Chapter Text
“Wow, Pa, you’re making me nervous! I’ve never seen you so distressed”, Thankhun shook his hands anxiously. “You sighed twice already! Come on, spill the tea! Is it the Italians? The Russians? Vegas and Macau are causing trouble?! Pa, if we’re going to war just warn me so I can kidnap Pete and Venven before it happens!”
Now it was Kinn's turn to sigh.
“In case you forgot, Pa retired and I’m in charge of the family business now. And I can assure you everything is going smoothly”, he said putting a hand on Porsche’s leg, who was seated on his side in the couch. “And why would you take Pete and Venice in? If there was really a war, they would be considered enemies”.
That granted him a ‘Hey!’ and a punch in the arm from his boyfriend, as well as an outraged screech from Thankhun, what almost made everyone in the room to cover their ears. The older brother was soon on his feet with a finger pointed towards Kinn.
“Shut up! Everybody knows that Pete was brainwashed by that devil incarnated people say is our cousin! And Venven is just a shockingly cute baby considering who his brother is that doesn’t know anything!”
“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that”, Kinn waved his hand dismissively at his brother, although he secretly agreed that Venice was an adorable child. Whenever Pete visited, he and Porsche would spare a time to fawn over his son.
Porsche tsked when Thankhun looked ready to jump Kinn.
“Stop provoking your brother”, he chastised the mafia kingpin. Then, looking at Korn, he added, in much more serious tone. “But what Kinn said is true. As far as we know, everything regarding the business is going fine. That’s why I’m more intrigued – and worried – that you called us, Khun Korn. And you even requested my brother’s presence”, Porsche glanced at Porchay, who was seated in the armchair across from Korn the entire time, just watching the scene unfolding in front of him.
Korn crossed his legs and clasped his hand before answering.
“You’re right, Porsche. It’s not about business indeed”, he said and, after a breath, added. “It’s a family matter. And I would like to discuss it when all the members arrive”. He was obviously referring to Kim, who was yet to come.
“Arrrgh! Arm! Call Kim and tell him to stop moping around and come quickly! Because of him we’re dying of curiosity here!”, Khun ordered one of his most trusted bodyguards, who bowed and answered with a quickly ‘yes, Khun’ and took out his phone. And then, Thankhun looked at Porchay. “Can’t you put him out of his misery already? He’s probably parked across the compound listening to Taylor Swift thinking what to do when he sees you”.
Chay huffed.
“I bet he’s not. He hates Taylor Swift”.
That made Thankhun let out an indignant sound, making everybody flinch again.
“HE WHAT NOW?”
“Still think he deserves forgiveness?”, Chay asked, pouring himself a cup of tea.
“That little shit needs to suffer”. That made Porsche laugh and Kinn rolled his eyes, wondering how is these the same people that made a scandal when the truth about Kim and Chay’s relationship came out months ago. He really though his younger brother wouldn’t survive Porsche’s wrath.
“I’ve never said I hate her, just that I think she’s overrated”, Kim said as he came into their father’s office and seated in the chair right next to Chay. “Hi”, he said shyly, looking to the latter, who simply rolled his eyes and looked away.
“That’s enough. Now that everybody is here, I have something to say to you”, Korn said, straightening up in his seat. Immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed, and everybody – except for Chay, who seemed less interested in the matter and, frankly, didn’t even know why he was there, as he was never called for meetings – were all business again. “Recently, I came to know that I have another child.”
Silence.
No one said a single word for what seemed like hours. Even Arm and Pol, who were trained to not show any emotions while on duty couldn’t hide their shocked expressions for at least two seconds. Big was caught by surprise too, but he was able to control his face. In his mind, though, he was screaming. He looked to the three brothers, trying to anticipate their reactions.
Kinn was looking at his father with absolutely shock in his eyes. His mouth was opening and closing, but no sound got past his lips. He looked like a fish out of water. The scene would make Big laugh if he himself wasn’t as astonished as his boss.
Kim was in a similar state, but instead of looking to his father, his eyes were glued on his lap and, then, on the desk, where his mother’s photograph was. ‘Oh-oh’, Big though when he saw all emotions leave the youngest face. It was never a good sign.
He saw that Chay noticed the same thing, as his eyes were glued to his ex-boyfriend’ face, clearly worried about his reaction. He quickly took his hand and squeezed, like he was trying to offer comfort or to bring him back from whatever his mind was. It seemed to work. At least a little.
Chan, who was by Korn, remained neutral. Of course, the fucker already knew about it. And he didn’t say a word to Big. They’ve been together for months now - since he helped the older recover from his almost death in the coup - and the moron couldn’t share a juicy gossip like that one? Were they together at all? Everybody knows a relationship can’t survive on trust and love only. Gossip is the main foundation.
Big was brought back from his thoughts by Porsche, who had his eyebrows almost in his hairline, and his eternally lack of awareness.
“Wow, fuck!”, he quickly tried to school his expression. “I mean… err… Congratulations, Khun Korn!”
Chay groaned.
“Hia, please. Read the room.”
Porsche looked confused to his younger brother.
“Wha-”
He was cut by Thankun, who exploded in and hysterical laugh.
“Aish, Pa! I didn’t know you had it in you! I always thought you were all business and no fun, but this joke was super good! See? I’m crying!”, he cleaned the corners of his eyes. “Pol! A tissue!”
Korn sighed. Kinn and Kim just looked to their father, studying his reaction, like, somehow, expecting Thankhun to be right and Korn simply had woken up that morning feeling like being funny for the first time in his entire life and just found a super unfunny way to do that. Chay looked at Thankhun with sympathy.
“Why would I kid with that?”, Korn simply asked.
“You can’t be serious, Pa”, Kim said through gritted teeth.
“I-”, Korn was cut by Thankhun.
“NO! Of course he’s not! How can it be possible?”
“Son, you know how it is possi-”
“But you’re old!”, Thankhun bursted out.
Chay could not hold a snort and quickly tried to cover it with by coughing. Big looked at the ceiling asking God for strength to keep a straight face.
That was the limit to Korn’s patience.
“Enough! I am your father and you will show me respect.”
This time Kim was the one who snorted.
“Funny you say that. You had no respect for us. Or for mom”, he said, his expression dark.
Their father crisped his lips.
“It’s not like-”
“I mean, Dad, how could you!? And all that talk about condoms? And never even leaving it behind!? I mean- Ew! You traumatized me with that ridiculous sex talk you insisted was important and now you couldn’t even follow your own advice? And anyways, I thought it was a common sense between rich old men that can’t keep on their pants to have a fucking vasectomy, if not for their family’s sake, for their money’s!”
“Pa”, Kinn seemed to come out of his stupor. He motioned to his older brother, who looked ready to explode, to stop talking. “Khun is rig- I mean, he’s nervous and screaming, but he’s right. You did talk to us about safe sex and protecting the family.”
“I did have a vasectomy. A long time ago”, Korn admitted. “But something went wrong. The doctor said that sometimes it happens. There’s a thing that they call recanalization. The channels that were severed reconnect again spontaneously. It’s rare but can happen”.
Khun looked baffled. Kim was pissed. And Kinn was utterly confused.
“Are you’re sure this child is yours?”, the middle son asked.
“Yes. It’s confirmed. I wouldn’t have called a meeting if I weren’t sure about it. I’m not happy with this situation either”.
“Who’s this woman? What is your relationship with her? And where is she and the child?”, Kim asked venomously. Poor Chay, his hands were being crushed in the youngest’s grip.
“I’ve met her in an event some years ago… We kept in contact for some time. Of course, I ordered a background check on her. It was nothing out of ordinary: an only child with only one parent alive. No connections to any other organization. It was nothing serious, so when she said she would be leaving Bangkok to help her mother with their inn in Pukhet, I thought nothing of it. I gave her money as a goodbye gift and that was it”, Korn said calmly. Thankhun, in the other hand, looked really grossed out and horrified by the idea of his father having an active sexual life, like the thought never crossed his mind before. “Then two weeks ago, this child showed up in front of the compound with a backpack and requesting to talk to me”, the patriarch laughed a little. But stopped seeing that no one was thinking it was funny.
“And that’s it? Anyone can reach out to you that easily? And why was I not informed of this?”, Kinn looked to the bodyguards in the room seeming betrayed.
Korn sighed. He thought he was sighing a lot today.
“Because that day Chan was getting from an errand and happened to pass by the entrance when she appeared. He thought the situation was suspicious and brought the girl in. He also made sure no word about it would spread out”, he paused to sip on his tea.
‘Fuck this tea, keep talking!’, Big thought. ‘What happened after???’
“So, it is a girl? The woman just left her here? She told you that you were her father and you believed?”, Kinn asked exasperated, shooting the questions like a machine-gun.
“The girl didn’t know. Still now she doesn’t seem to… understand who I am-”
“What do you mean?”, Kim interrupted.
“Nothing. Nothing”, Korn dismissed the question with a wave. “The thing is she said her mother sent her and gave me a letter. There, Mai-”, all three sons flinched hearing he say so carelessly the woman’s name, “- her mother”, he corrected himself, “wrote that she left when she found out she was pregnant. She wanted the baby and knew that I would never let she have it.”
Chay is shocked by how casual Korn is about it. It’s like he’s saying ‘yeah, of course, I would make her to abort’. He can’t help but feel a little sympathy for the woman. But given the look in Kim’s face, he would kill him if he voiced his thoughts.
“And why show up now? She needs money? She does not care about her daughter’s life anymore? Or she thinks you would not kill a baby?”, Khun says with sarcasm.
Korn looks give him a pointed look, like saying ‘you think I would kill a baby?’, to what Khun cocks his head to the side daring his father to deny it. What he doesn’t.
“She didn’t say much. Just that she is danger and can’t protect the girl.”
Kim scoffed.
“And she expects that you’ll protect her?”
“She said there’s no other option.”
“For God’s sake, Pa, it smells a scam. Even if it’s not, there’s something wrong. You can’t just take some random kid-”
“Of course my men are looking for her and I am set on investigating what is going on. About the girl, there’s nowhere-”
“Yes, there is! You can literally send her anywhere you want! Aren’t we the fucking Theerapanyakuls!?”, Kim screamed frustrated. He stood up and went to pour himself a glass of scotch.
“It’s 8 in the mor-”
“Pa just told us that he went on and completely disrespected our mom’s memory and history by having a fucking bastard child with some whore and now he wants to keep it and shove it down our throats. I am fucking mad. So I think I can drink a fucking scotch at fucking 8 in the fucking morning.”
Khun was kind of shocked. His little brother was always the collected one. Always cold and assessing. Never to lose his cool. Specially in front of their father. But now… now he was completely enraged.
But Khun could understand. Kim was always the mommy’s boy. He was the most attached one. Their mother was a sore spot for all of them, but specially to Kim.
He would need time.
“Hey, man, calm down. It’s just a kid-”, but of course, leave it to their dumb brother-in-law to try and reason with him right now.
Kim smashed the glass in the sideboard and went straight to Porsche, eyes full of rage.
“Shut the fuck up! You’re not even family!”
Chay quickly got up and blocked his way, before Porsche felt offended, causing Kinn to step in, and the whole situation to become even worst that it already was.
“Kim, that’s enough!”, he said, taking his head in his hands, forcing Kim to look away from Porsche and into his eyes.
Oh. He suddenly felt so sorry for Kim. When they locked eyes, the youngest Theerapanyakul’s rage subsided a little, but then all was left was pain. And sadness.
“Kim-”, he tried to say, but the, in the background, there was the noise of a door opening and then a childish voice sounded.
“Grandpa, who are this people?”