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“I… I don’t know.”
That was my answer when P’ Por asked me. Because, to be honest, I really didn’t know.
“You know, Ji,” P’ Por said gently, “I know Ryu as well, and he’s really nice. You should give him a chance.”
A chance.
But every time I see Ryu, he’s with someone else. And he’s also known for being a flirt.
Just last week he was all over Save. Then on Monday he was with Otto. Tuesday came and he was with Pete. And now… now he’s with Wave.
He always tells me that he likes me. That he wants to get to know me better.
Yet everything he does makes it seem like he’s more interested in other people.
“He’s nice?” A voice suddenly cut into our conversation. When I looked up, I saw P’ Tee—P’ Por’s boyfriend.
“Oi, Tee,” Por said casually. “I’m just telling him he should give Ryu a chance because he’s nice.” Tee simply nodded, then gestured subtly toward the table beside us. We both looked.
There was Ryu, laughing loudly at something Wave had said. It was annoying.
It's really annoying.
He was my brother, but it still made my blood boil.
“I’m going to finish my assignment first,” I said as I stood up. “Dad asked me to go with him to the golf course.” I didn’t wait for their response. I had already gathered my things and walked away from the table.
The truth was, Dad hadn’t asked me to go with him. And I didn’t want to go anyway. Ryu had access to that golf course. Uncle Tle would probably be there too, asking nosy questions about my relationship with Ryu. And Luke would be there as well.
“Pat!” I stopped walking when I heard that familiar voice. He looked like a timid cat trying to catch up to me. “Pung? What is it?”
He glanced around nervously before stepping closer.
“I… I need some help.” “With what?”
He took a deep breath and showed me his phone.
“Dad made Papa angry again, and now Papa isn’t at home. I don’t know how to cook, and OhAe is with Dad. Dad doesn’t know how to cook either… OhAe might starve.”
Oh. What did Uncle Keng do this time?
“And you thought I would know how?” I asked.
He nodded. Slowly. I sighed.
“Let’s go. I’ll help you. Did you bring your bike?” He shook his head. “My driver is picking me up.”
Right. The governor’s son.
“Come on,” he said, taking my things from my hands as we walked toward the parking lot where his driver was already waiting. The drive to his house was quiet. That was something I appreciated about Pung. He understood that silence didn’t need to be filled with noise. Being quiet together was comfortable for him, and he never pushed for answers.
“We’re here,” he said as he helped me with my things again. We walked inside the house, and the first thing I saw was Uncle Keng—his clothes disheveled, his short hair tied into tiny pigtails. Next to him stood OhAe, grinning widely.
“PhiPhi!” Since he had only just started talking, he couldn’t pronounce Phi Patji, so he simply called me PhiPhi.
“Hello, Nong Oh,” I said, kneeling beside him. “Did you enjoy your day with Uncle Keng?” At the mention of his name, Uncle Keng laughed.
“Mi!” OhAe said, pointing to his stomach.
“Sorry,” Uncle Keng said sheepishly. “I ordered food, but he doesn’t want to eat it.” He gestured toward the table.
I sighed.
“Uncle… OhAe is still a baby. He can’t eat spaghetti and fried chicken.”
Pung quietly looked away. I narrowed my eyes.
“Wait… did you tell Uncle to buy those things for OhAe?” I took a deep breath.
Of course. It ran in their blood.
“Nong Oh, let’s check the kitchen and see what you can eat, okay?”
He nodded as I picked him up. He babbled about his day while I gestured for Pung to clean up the toys on the floor. He obeyed immediately. I wondered where Uncle Namping was. Maybe he was with Papa and Uncle First. I didn’t want to pry. When I checked the fridge, I discovered that Uncle Namping had already prepared food for OhAe. It seemed Uncle Keng simply hadn’t noticed it. Instructions were written on the lid, so I prepared it easily.
While the food heated up, I settled OhAe into his chair. He happily told me about his day with his daddy and how P’ Otto had given him a new toy yesterday.
Pung stepped into the kitchen, looking embarrassed.
“Uncle already prepared food for him,” I said. “Next time, check the fridge first.”
He nodded. Looking at him, I couldn’t help comparing the three siblings. Pung, the eldest, was shy. He spoke to only a few people and was often seen accompanying Uncle Keng at events. Otto was the opposite. He was famous—always surrounded by well-known friends, and he worked as a model. He belonged to the popular crowd.
And OhAe… He was a perfect mix of Uncle Keng and Uncle Namping. Mischievous but quiet. He loved drawing, and despite his young age, he could already read Thai vowels.
“Thank you for helping me,” Pung said softly. “Dad already went to his office. He has a meeting.”
I smiled as OhAe eagerly began eating his food.
“Wait,” I said. “You went all the way back to school just to ask me for help?”
He nodded proudly.
“Why me and not Otto?” He looked down at his hands. “He was with his friends… and I got nervous approaching them.”
That made sense. I had seen Otto earlier, eating with his friends.
“You didn’t text him?” Pung shook his head. “Nong Oh threw my phone against the wall last night. I sent it to the repair shop.”
“You could just buy a new one,” I said. He shook his head again. “It was a gift from Mami Nunew. I don’t want to replace it.”
“Oh.”
“Pat?” I turned toward the kitchen door. Uncle Namping stood there, looking puzzled.
“Papa,” Pung murmured. “Hi, Uncle Ping,” I greeted.
“Why are there so many takeout boxes here?” he asked. “Did you order them, Pung?” Pung nodded, refusing to meet his father’s gaze.
“Pat,” Uncle Ping said, “can you tell me what happened? I don’t think Pung would do this on his own.”
“Well,” I began carefully, “Pung asked me to help because Nong Oh wasn’t eating. It seems he and Uncle Keng ordered chicken and spaghetti for him.”
“Ordered?” Uncle Ping repeated incredulously. “I texted you about OhAe’s food. You didn’t reply, and now you ordered takeout?”
Pung looked like he might cry. I quickly intervened.
“Uncle Ping, his phone is broken. Nong Oh threw it at the wall last night, so he couldn’t reply to your message or contact Otto.” Uncle Ping inhaled deeply.
“KENG HARIT BUAYOI!” Oh no.
The third war was about to begin.
“What happened now?” Otto walked into the kitchen, looking around curiously. “You’re here too, Pat. Hi!”
Otto and I were friends, but Pung was closer to me.
“Phi, what happened?” Otto asked Pung. “Dada and Papa fought,” Pung explained quietly. “OhAe wouldn’t eat, so I asked Pat for help.”
Otto blinked.
“You didn’t call me?”
“His phone is broken,” I explained. “And he was too shy to approach you earlier because you were with your friends.”
Otto’s mouth fell open.
“Oh, Phi! I’m sorry I couldn’t help. Thank you, Pat, for stepping in!”
See? Otto wasn’t a bad person.
I was just… overthinking things when it came to Ryu.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Since everyone’s here now, I should go.” Otto gave me a quick hug before helping OhAe clean up.
“Let me walk you home,” Pung said. I laughed. “I live two blocks away, Pung. I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head stubbornly. “I insist.” Before I could argue, he had already taken my bag. Otto simply waved as we left. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with soft colors. We walked in silence.
“Pat.” His voice surprised me. It was usually soft, almost inaudible—but in the quiet glow of sunset, it sounded clear.
“Yes?” He stopped walking. His eyes met mine, nervous.
“Pat… I like you.”
Night settled around us as the sun disappeared and the moon rose overhead.
That night, I lay awake in bed. My thoughts raced endlessly. I couldn’t grasp what Pung had said.
Morning came, yet sleep had never visited me. The last thing I wanted to do was go to school—but staying home would only make Papa ask questions. And that would be worse. So, I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast.
My useless sibling was already stuffing his mouth with food. “Oh, Pat,” Papa said. “Come sit.” I sat beside Wave, who looked like a chipmunk with full cheeks.
“Wave, slow down!” Papa scolded. Then he turned to me. “I heard you helped Pung yesterday. Namping said thank you and invited us to dinner tonight.” My spoon slipped from my hand and clattered loudly against the table.
“Is there a problem?” Dad asked.
“N–no,” I said quickly. “Nothing.” He nodded, though I knew he didn’t believe me.
“Oh, by the way,” Wave added casually, “if you were at Pung’s house… why did Ryujin send you home?” My head snapped toward him.
“Ryujin sent you home?” Papa asked. “Save’s cousin?”
I stared at him.
“COUSIN?”
“Yes,” Papa said. “He’s Save’s cousin. You didn’t know?”
Oh, fuck. The events from last night suddenly made sense.
“Pat.” Pung’s voice had been barely audible beside me.
“Ryujin is following us.” I had stopped walking immediately.
“What?”
“I have a plan,” he whispered. Then he took a deep breath and spoke loudly.
“Pat… I like you.” My world stopped.
And then Ryu appeared—eyes red, tears threatening to fall.
“P–Pung… you’re my best friend! You know I truly like Pat!” Tears streamed down his face as I panicked.
But Pung stood calmly. “I know,” he said quietly. “And I also know you’ve been unintentionally hurting my best friend.”
He continued speaking—longer than I had ever heard him talk. “If you really like him, show it. Stop giving mixed signals. Stop spending time with different people and pay attention to him. Real attention.”
He gestured toward me.
“You thought it was okay for Patji to watch you hang out with his friends? With my brother? With his brother? You say you love him, but your actions say something else.” Ryu was speechless. “Words mean nothing without actions,” Pung said firmly. “If you truly like Patji, prove it. He’s my best friend first. And I’ll always protect him.”
Then he handed Ryu my bag.
“Here. Do the right thing for once.” With that, he walked away.
Ryu and I stood awkwardly in the middle of the street.
“Let me make it up to you, Ji,” he said quietly.
I nodded. We walked the rest of the way in silence.
“Are you okay?” I heard Papa ask.
Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. Wave immediately ran to open it. A moment later he returned, and the person who had been occupying my thoughts since last night was standing there.
Holding… a bouquet of flowers.
“Good morning, Uncle Kong and Uncle Thomas,” he greeted politely. “Uncle Kong, these flowers are for you. And Uncle Thomas, I heard you’ve been looking at new golf bags, so I bought one for you as well.”
Then he turned to me. “And Patji… this is for you.”
He stepped forward and handed me a bouquet of bright gerbera flowers.
“Uncle,” he continued, standing straighter, “I would like to formally ask for your permission to court Patji. I will prove myself to all of you—especially to you, Patji. I know I made you feel bad before, but I’m serious now. I have explanations for what happened, and if you want, I can say them here so your parents can hear them too.”
He was incredibly serious.
“I’ll call Namping and cancel dinner tonight,” Papa said calmly. “Ryu, you can join us for dinner later. You can also bring Save and Auau since I heard you’re living with them.”
I couldn’t say anything. It felt like my parents and Ryujin were the only ones who understood what was happening right now.
“We’re going to be late, bro,” Wave said with a teasing smile before rushing out the door. Dad gave us a brief look, grabbed his coat, and left first. Papa placed my bouquet on the table before ushering us outside.
“Tho, drive carefully,” Papa said. They exchanged quick goodbyes. Wave was already sitting in the front seat, leaving me and Ryu in the back.
“I told you,” Ryu said quietly beside me, “I’m more serious now.”
I simply nodded, not trusting myself to speak. From the front seat, I could hear Wave trying—and failing—to hide his laughter.
Later that day at school, Ryu stayed glued to my side. In class. In the cafeteria.
Everywhere.
He even tried to follow me to the bathroom until P’ Por stopped him.
It was overwhelming.
But… I liked it.
Yes, it was too much. But my heart was happy just having him beside me. That evening, we sat in the stadium watching Wave’s football practice.
“Pat.” His voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if he were afraid to break the silence. I turned to look at him, and now I could see his face clearly in the warm glow of the sunset.
“When you saw me with Save,” he began, “it was because I was asking him how I should ask you out. You know he’s dating Auau, so I asked both of them for ideas. That’s why it took almost a week.” Earlier today, I had also found out that Save was his cousin.
“And when you saw me with Otto,” he continued, “he was helping me learn how to cook your favorite dish. He was teaching me, and I bothered him so much that he eventually just gave me the recipe.”
That made sense. Otto was a good cook, just like Uncle Ping. Our families had been close for years, so we all knew each other’s favorite foods.
“And when it comes to Pete and Wave… I was the one helping them.”
I gave him a questioning look.
“Pete likes Wave,” he explained. “But Wave… Wave likes someone else. He already told Pete.”
Oh. I didn’t even know my brother liked someone.
“Pete was devastated,” Ryu continued quietly. “I stayed with him to comfort him, because Wave also felt bad for hurting him. In return, Wave helped me learn more about your other favorites.” He paused before adding softly, “I’m sorry if my actions made you worry or question my feelings.”
I could hear the honesty in his voice. It was sincere, steady, and unmistakable.
“I truly like you, Pat,” he said. “And I’m willing to prove it to you. But…”
His voice faltered, like he was holding back tears.
“If you don’t want me anymore because of what I did, I’ll understand. Still… can I ask for another chance to make things right?”
My face felt warm, and my heart was beating faster than usual. By then, the sun had already set. The moon had taken its place in the sky, and the stadium lights flickered on one by one, illuminating Ryu’s face. His eyes shone like stars caught in the light. His lips looked naturally glossy, and his gaze was soft—but there were unshed tears threatening to fall at any moment.
“I…” I hesitated.
“You’re going to have a hard time winning my heart.” The tears finally slipped from his eyes.
“So I hope you don’t get tired of trying.”
For a moment he froze—then a smile slowly blossomed across his face.
“Can I hug you?” he asked quietly.
I nodded. He immediately wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. His soft giggles filled the air, warm and bright. And somehow, in that moment, it became the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
“You really sacrificed me for them while I’ve been loving you all this time?” A whiny voice complained nearby.
“You were the one who suggested the plan, Wave,” the other replied with a laugh.
The two of them watched as Ryujin and Patji sat shyly beside each other. Then they returned to their game, enjoying the moment before parting ways—already counting the time until they met
again.
The next day, Patji was eating with Por and Tee again when Por suddenly said something that made him pause.
“Wait… what phone did Pung use last Wednesday if his brother broke it?”
The question slowly sank in, and Patji froze.
Before they left school that day, Pung had shown him his phone—the one with Uncle Keng’s messages on the screen.
Which meant… His phone wasn’t actually broken.