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The GMMTV annual outing had come earlier than expected this year, and on Tuesday morning, the company's massive roster of talent and staff had gathered at the pickup location around 9 am. Their destination was a five-star, luxury beach resort in Pattaya for a one-night getaway packed with team activities and much-needed relaxation.
The two-hour drive to Pattaya was way more quiet and peaceful compared to the chaos of the previous year; most of the artists and staff were either sleeping or browsing their phones. From his seat, Nut occasionally glanced at Hong, who was dead asleep in the seat in front, resting his head by the window.
When Hong had arrived at the pickup location that morning, he looked completely depleted of energy and clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, crashing into a deep sleep the second he boarded.
And it wasn't until the buses pulled over at their stop for lunch that anyone dared to disturb him. His seat mate tried to wake him up but Hong wouldn't budge an inch, which prompted William to nominate Nut to wake him, claiming that Nut knew how to handle a sleepy and grumpy Hong, and basically making Nut into a teasing target of the entire bus.
"Ai'Tee, wake up," Nut murmured, gently shaking Hong's shoulder. Hong blinked, struggling to force his eyes open. "We've arrived at the restaurant." He smiled softly.
Hong nodded groggily, letting out a yawn as he stretched his arms. He pulled out his earphones and slid his sunglasses up over his eyes, wincing slightly as he stood; his back was stiff after not moving an inch for the past hour or so.
Nut waited, letting Hong walk ahead of him, being the last ones to get off the bus. To any outsider, the sight that followed must have looked like a scene straight out of a zombie apocalypse with more than two hundred people swarming the restaurant simultaneously.
Nut and Hong caught up to William, Est and Tui, to scout out a table. The seating arrangement ended up being quite funny though when Barcode and Kin joined them as well, accidentally sorting everyone except Tui into pairs.
Each of them ordered individual plates of rice and meat, topped with their choice of meat, along with some stir-fried vegetables to share between them.
"What costumes did you guys bring for the individual cosplay?" Barcode asked since the theme this year required a costume starting with the letter 'M.' "I'm going as Michael Jackson. Meanwhile, Kin here just brought a t-shirt from a movie, not even bothering to put in any effort."
"Hey, they literally informed us about the outing a few days ago. I didn't have time to think of an elaborate costume." Kin said. His excuse was valid, considering the company had sprung the trip on them last minute. But it was understandable since it was almost impossible to coordinate everyone's schedules for a free day.
"Same here. The three of us just brought our old high school uniforms this year," Tui said, gesturing between himself, Nut, and Hong. "Actually, P'Ko told us all the managers are dressing up as their high school selves, so we just stole the idea from him."
"Est and I are going to wear matching Messi football shirts.” William chimed in, taking a bite of his food.
Barcode let out a dramatic sigh. "All of your costumes are lame."
"William and I aren't even staying until they announce the winners," Est noted. "Tomorrow we're flying to Frankfurt, so we actually have to head back to Bangkok tonight."
"Your schedules are so hectic. I seriously don't know how you manage to do it all, especially you, William," Barcode said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"When you're surrounded by the people you love and enjoy working with, it doesn't really feel that tiring." William smile, glancing between Est and his bandmates.
"That was so sentimental all of a sudden." Hong deadpanned, breaking the sweet moment and making the entire table burst into laughter.
"Yeah, he doesn't really tell us this stuff often." Nut added.
The casual conversation just flowed as they enjoyed their meals. Once they were finished, Est pulled out his phone to record a quick video of the group. It turned out absolutely hilarious; Tui couldn't resist teasing Nut, pointing out how the table was perfectly divided into three couples while he posed with the empty chair beside him.
—
Later that day, after the team activities wrapped up and everyone checked into their hotel rooms, it was finally free time. The blistering midday heat had mellowed into an evening breeze, drawing most of the artists and staff down to the resort's private beach area to chill out.
Hong had been a photographer in high demand for the past twenty minutes. Since he had an incredible eye for lighting and angles, everyone from Tui to the staff members kept handing him their phones, begging for a quick photoshoot.
When he finally managed to escape, he spotted Nut, sitting alone on the edge of a stone wall, his feet dangling over the ledge.
He walked over and climbed up on the wall, lightly bumping Nut's shoulder. "You're sitting here like an abandoned kid." He chuckled.
"I'm just admiring the view from up here."
"Your eyes were literally glued to your screen." Hong pointed out, tilting his head.
"Ai'Tee, that was for like, one minute," Nut protested. "I was just looking at the photos I took of..."
"Me?" Hong quirked a brow, teasing jokingly, though his intuition already told him it was the truth.
Caught red-handed, Nut just let out a laugh. He always loved capturing candid, natural moments when Hong wasn't actively posing or looking at the lens. To him, those unscripted moments felt much more real.
Hong glanced at out at the sea. The horizon was painted in silver-gray clouds that parted just enough for the sunlight to spill golden and amber hues. "The sun is about to set."
"It's always so pretty and unique. The colors change every single day," Nut said, his eyes tracking the light reflecting in the water. "Sometimes it's gold or orange, other times it's a soft pink or purple. And although they might look very similar at times, they're never the exact same.
"I've never told you this but when I was younger, I was pretty indifferent to sunsets. I didn't take photos or stared at their beauty in awe," Hong admitted, his gaze settling back on Nut. "But you always looked at them like they were special, and seeing them through your eyes made me believe that too. You loved them, and because of that, I guess I ended up loving them too."
Nut just stared at him, rendered completely speechless. He opened his mouth, a quiet, "I..." escaping his lips but that was all he could manage.
Hong sketched him a fond smile before slightly shifting, feeling the ache in his muscles. "Ai'Nut, sitting here is so uncomfortable," he complained, straightening his spine. "I'm gonna go lie down."
Nut tapped his back before Hong hopped down from the wall and made his way to the row of sunbeds, a few steps away on the sand. He plopped down onto one of the chairs, right next to Pream.
Pream cracked one eye open to see who had joined her, a mischievous smirk forming on her lips. She grabbed her phone and opened her gallery. "P'Hong," She said, before shoving her phone in his face. "Look at the pic I snapped of you and your boyf — I mean, P'Nut." Pream quickly corrected herself, though Hong knew very well the slip-up was very much on purpose.
Hong glanced at the screen. The photo was taken while they were talking and from Pream's angle, you could clearly see Nut looking at Hong with that bright, unmistakable smile he always wore.
Hong had seen countless photos taken by fans during their events, and somehow, that specific smile never faded — it only seemed to grow bigger and warmer with every passing day.
"Isn't it adorable?"
"Yeah, yeah," Hong mumbled. He slid his sunglasses down from the top of his head over his eyes, well aware that his junior labelmate was just fishing for a reaction.
Pream tried to pester him a little more, but thanks to his dark lenses hiding his eyes, Hong just leaned his head back and pretended to fall asleep.
In reality, he was looking right through the dark tint toward the shore. Nut had left his spot on the stone wall and was now sitting on the sand next to P'Boy.
He looked like he was trying to clear his mind and meditate, but Tui was completely ruining his peace, gesturing dramatically in the air as he explained something. Hong couldn't help but find the whole contrast endearingly funny.
"Send me that pic." Hong suddenly said, not even bothering to turn his head toward Pream.
Pream, whose eyes were actually closed, smiled triumphantly to herself. "Sure thing."
—
The after-party kicked off right after the individual cosplay winners were announced and the artists and staff finally swapped their elaborate costumes for casual no, comfy clothes.
The atmosphere was buzzing with energy as people were dancing, drinking and letting loose, while the stage stood ready for any artists brave enough to jump up and give live performances and entertainment.
Somewhere in the middle of the room, Nut, Hong, and Tui were gathered around a table, happily munching on leftover dessert. Their schedules had been so packed that they were simply too exhausted to join the fun on dance floor or get wasted and the risk of being hungover the next morning; they were content just watching the chaos unfold from the sidelines.
That was until P'Jan, their fellow actress, marched over and dragged a protesting Hong toward the stage under the flimsy pretense that "everyone was dying to hear his solo single, 'Let's Go'”.
In reality, she and a few of the girls were just looking for the perfect excuse to show off their dancing skills, having nailed the choreography at their festival the previous weekend.
Hong stepped up onto the stage, the microphone being handed off to him just moments before the backtrack started blasting through the speakers.
Despite the blaring red lights, Hong could see the girls rushing to the center of the floor while many staff members and fellow artists suddenly raised their phones to record.
Meanwhile, Nut and Tui immediately abandoned their desserts and rushed toward the stage too. Tui went up to play the drums for Hong and Nut followed him up briefly to offer a quick burst of encouragement. Then, Nut slipped back down to the front corner of the stage, totally indifferent to whether he was blocking someone's video. He got as close to the stage as possible, throwing his hands in the air and applauding to hype Hong up.
Nut's eyes were practically sparkling, completely glued to Hong. Words couldn't describe how proud Nut was of Hong. It was incredible to witness just how loved Hong and his song were, and the way he absolutely shone on stage during every performance.
The moment Hong spotted Nut cheering for him, a wide smile flashed across his face, instantly gaining more confidence and feeling an energy boost. He gestured for Nut to join him, but Nut shook his head, pointing a finger back at Hong as if silently saying, 'This is your moment'. He had no intention of stealing the spotlight.
Then, Nut walked over to the side of the stage, only for Phuwin to appear beside him, his phone not missing from his grip.
"Why do you look so happy and excited, Nut?" Phuwin asked, his tone clearly teasing.
Nut broke into a laugh. He really should have been used to the teasing by now. It happened so often and it had only increased since the two of them were officially announced as partners for this year's lineup.
But unlike Hong, who somehow always managed to keep his cool, Nut was pretty bad at keeping his composure. He easily got flustered and dissolved into a shy, grinning mess. And this time was no different.
"Hong is so talented and amazing! Look at him go," Nut tried to deflect, glancing at the stage and pointing to Hong. "Isn't he the coolest?"
Phuwin chuckled. "Totally." he said, deciding to be merciful and leave Nut in peace without teasing him any further.
Up on stage, Hong had noticed Nut's disappearance from the front. But as he glanced around, he found him again on the right side of the stage, and without once tearing his eyes off of Hong, still hyping him up.
And Hong realized it had always been like this. Wherever Hong turned, Nut was always there, by his side — supporting him unconditionally, encouraging him to have more trust and confidence in himself and the things he did — which meant the world to Hong.
When the song finally finished, Hong quickly passed the mic to one of the staff and gave Tui a pat on the shoulder, mouthing the words 'thank you' for the drum support before rushing off the stage.
Nut was still standing at the side, his face lighting up with a beaming smile as he prepared to shower Hong with praises, but Hong practically ran down the steps and engulfed Nut in a sudden hug.
"Thank you.” Hong whispered, his arms sliding up around Nut's neck.
"For?" Nut asked, a little unsure what had gotten into Hong.
"Just..." Hong trailed off. 'Everything' he wanted to say, but the word felt too heavy for their current surroundings. "For cheering for me.” he settled on instead, his fingers gently brushing against the soft hairline at the nape of Nut's neck.
"Always," Nut smiled, gently rubbing Hong's back. He didn't pull away, content to just hold him until Hong was ready to let go.
Yet, Nut couldn't shake the feeling that something was different in the way Hong embraced him right now. The hug still held Hong's familiar, comforting warmth that Nut adored, but it also felt more intense.
A few moments later, Hong finally pulled away, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Do you wanna go somewhere quieter?"
Nut nodded, and Hong didn't waste another second, his palm reaching for Nut's as he led him through the crowded room all the way to the exit.
The convention hallway was almost empty, save for a few chatting staff members and security guards. The boys let go of their hands, just as one of the managers saw them and approached.
"Party's over for you?" P'Yuyui asked.
"P'Yui, is there any way you'll let us walk back to the hotel?" Hong asked tentatively, throwing on his best sweet-talking expression. "Just the two of us?"
"No," P'Yuyui answered flatly, scanning them from head to toe before raising an eyebrow. "You don't seem drunk." She said, clearly in disbelief, as if they had just made the most absurd request in the world.
"No, we barely even finished a glass of wine." Nut chimed in.
"And since we're perfectly sober —"
"I'm sorry, but you know the rules, boys," P'Yuyui interrupted, her tone firm but entirely free of malice. "Even though I believe you, I can't make any exceptions."
"But you said we're your favorite kids out of everyone you don't officially manage," Hong pouted, throwing her own words from that morning back at her.
"And do you want me to change my mind?" P'Yuyui crossed her arms. "Besides, Koko would kill me if he found out I let you two wander back to the hotel unsupervised."
As much as Nut and Hong had hoped to get that permission, the rules were set in place for a reason. Even during the outing, the company designated a group of staff members to act as the responsible handlers for the night. They had to keep an eye on everything at the after-party, step in if things got too wild, and chaperone the artists back to the hotel safely. Otherwise, the staff could get in trouble too, and the boys were not going to put them in that position over a selfish whim.
P'Yuyui motioned for them to follow her outside to one of the free golf carts lined up with the rest — a complimentary service the hotel provided so they could get between the convention hall and their hotel much quicker.
"Why do you two want to walk back alone anyway? Aren't you tired?"
"Uh…” Nut struggled to find a good excuse, so he shot Hong a glance for help.
"We thought we could use some fresh air." Hong replied, which wasn't a complete lie. But not exactly the full truth either.
"That's right." Nut agreed.
"Mhm." P'Yuyui eyed them suspiciously, but chose not to press further.
The drive to the hotel took less than five minutes and when the cart pulled up to the entrance, only Nut and Hong stepped off.
"I'll leave you here, but I trust you're not going to leave the hotel grounds." P'Yuyui said, her expression softening into one of understanding. She knew they weren't heading straight to their rooms, but she trusted them to be careful.
"Of course," Hong said, both of them sheepishly grinning as they watched the cart disappear from sight. Then, he turned to Nut. "Let's go to the beach." It was the place he'd had in mind from the very beginning, and now, they were finally free to wander off on their own.
They made their way through the brick-paved courtyard outside the hotel, to the rustic wooden stairs leading down to the shore. Although there were tiny lights built directly into the steps, the stairway was pretty dark.
Distracted, Hong accidentally missed a step and almost slipped, causing him to stumble forward a bit.
"Careful." Nut murmured, catching the back of Hong's shirt to steady him before stepping in front to take the lead. His hand sought out to hold Hong's hand out of pure habit, their fingers interlacing perfectly as he guided him the rest of the way down.
The clock neared midnight as the two strolled along the shore, passing by a few other hotel guests, all unfamiliar faces but they paid no attention; they were wrapped up in their own world.
Nut made a joke and Hong laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his gummy smile lighting up his whole face — and Nut swore that Hong's laughter was easily his favorite sound in the world, especially when he was the one who managed to bring it out.
When they felt they had walked far enough, they lay down on the sand and stared at the sea, listening to the calming sound of the crashing waves while the moon shone brightly in the dark sky, casting a silver glow over the water.
"It would've been nice to stay here at least one more day." Nut let out a sigh.
"Yeah. I saw they have a spa which I would've loved to try and get a massage for my back."
"Ai'Tee, I'm the one usually complaining about back pain like a grandpa. Are you trying to take my place?" Nut teased.
"I'm almost the same age as you now. It's catching up to me too." Hong quipped, and Nut chuckled.
He rested his head on Nut's shoulder as a comfortable silence settle between them.
"The stars are beautiful tonight." Hong murmured after a while.
"Yeah," Nut agreed, only his eyes weren't on the sky; they were fixed entirely on Hong. "They are."
Hong swallowed, aware of Nut's gaze on him. When he glanced up, he found Nut already staring down at him with an intensity that made his breath catch. Hong lifted his head from Nut's shoulder, shifting his weight on the sand to fully face him. Their eyes locked. Hong's gaze instinctively drifted down to Nut's lips before darting back up to his eyes, and Nut mirrored him.
Without even realizing it, Hong began to lean in first, making the gap between them smaller and smaller, until the tips of their noses brushed.
They could feel each other's breath grazing their skin as both their eyes shut at the exact same moment...
But reality came crashing back when the sound of laughter and voices suddenly came from the background and their eyes snapped open.
Hong practically jolted to his feet, biting his lower lip and his cheeks burning crimson red as he came to his senses. Nut, on the other hand, remained down on the sand for a moment, dumbstruck, his own face tinged with pink as he felt the warmth still lingering on his skin.
"Um, we should head back to the hotel." Hong tried to play it cool before things could get awkward, mentally praying it wasn't already too late for that.
Nut just nodded slowly, pushing himself up to follow. Neither of them said a word on the walk back and Hong just picked up the pace, refusing to look back out of embarrassment.
As soon as they made it to their hotel room — which only the two of them were sharing — Hong was about to excuse himself for a shower, looking for a quick escape but Nut tugged at his wrist.
"Wait," Nut said, his grip gentle. "About what happened on the beach —"
Hong's eyes went wide with panic. "What? What happened on the —" He stopped as if trying to erase the memory, and let out a nervous laugh. "Nothing happened, right?"
"It wasn't nothing," Nut confronted him. "We almost kissed."
"But we didn't," Hong countered, his voice tight as he tried to laugh it off again. "We just got carried away for a bit — let's just forget about it."
"But I don't want to forget about it, Hong." Nut said firmly, his eyes and voice softening as he stepped closer to Hong. He had learned to stand his ground and be braver precisely from Hong. "Is that what you really want?"
Hong looked into his eyes — those big, beautiful, brown eyes that were staring at him with plain sincerity. And he knew that if he said yes, Nut would accept it.
Yet Hong couldn't bring himself to lie again.
"No," Hong whispered, his voice barely audible. "I just don't know what will happen if we do this. If we really give in."
A tender smile appeared on Nut's face. He reached out his hand, his thumb gently tracing Hong's cheek and warming his skin as Hong melted under touch, his eyes fluttering shut for a brief second.
"I don't know either," Nut murmured. "But I'd really like to figure it out together."
Hong broke into a smile and nodded. Nut slipped his hands around Hong's waist and pulled him closer, whatever shred of distance that was left between them vanishing as they both leaned in, finally sealing the gap that had tortured them on the beach.
The kiss started out soft and tentative, a gentle testing of the waters as they felt the warmth of each other's lips for the very first time. Hong's hands slid up to the nape of Nut's neck and the kiss quickly grew more intense, turning into a make-out session as their lips parted in sync, their tongues exploring and finding their own rhythm.
When they finally broke apart for air, Nut rested his forehead against Hong's. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do this." he confessed.
Hong grinned, his hands still tangled around Nut's neck. "Well, don't stop now."
Nut didn't need to be told twice. He captured Hong's lips again, his hands tightening at Hong's waist as he guided him toward the bed.
They tumbled onto the sheets together, the rest of the world fading completely into the background as they spent the rest of the night lost in each other.
—
The following morning when Nut's phone alarm rang, he quickly shut it off then glanced at Hong, whose head was nestled on his chest, one arm draped over his waist.
Nut smiled, brushing the strands of hair out of Hong's face. "Ai'Tee, we need to get ready to leave."
Hong mumbled a few disgruntled sounds, burying his face deeper into Nut's chest. Sensing he wouldn't get far, Nut made a move to slip out of bed to let Hong sleep a little longer, but Hong tightened his grip and threw his leg over him, trapping him in place.
"Don't go, you're comfy." Hong pouted as he clung to Nut like a koala.
Nut laughed, but willingly obeyed. He stayed wrapped in Hong's embrace for more minutes until his bladder forced him to finally wriggle out of Hong's stubborn grip. Then, it took a round of coaxing and a few stolen kisses to finally get Hong out of bed too and their belongings packed.
They missed out breakfast at the hotel, but the company had planned to stop at a well known seafood restaurant close by, on the way back to Bangkok, so they weren't left starving.
They were gathered at the table with Tui, who was intently watching a football game match on his phone and Lego, who was staring out of the window, mentally checked out, after he had partied until 3 a.m.
When their food arrived, only Nut and Hong were sharing a steaming platter of fresh shrimp and grilled sea bas since the other two weren't actual fans of seafood and chose to go with chicken and pork dishes.
Without needing to be asked, Nut reached for the shrimp first, and began peeling it with practiced ease. He dipped it in the seafood sauce before turning slightly to feed it directly to Hong.
Their bandmates didn't even bother making a comment — this was how things unfolded every time the two of them and seafood were involved.
Hong grinned happily, chewing the food, while Nut watched him with a bright, contented smile of his own.
And though neither of them had said the words out loud yet, how they felt about one another was crystal clear.
It was written in the way they always looked at each other, the way they touched, and the way they just fit together.
It had always been hidden in plain sight.
A simple, four-letter word.
Love.