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Por heaved a long sigh and flopped down on his bed. He had failed all of his job interviews again today, just like every other day this week.
He took out his wallet to check how much money he had left. He wanted to cry when he saw a single 600 baht note. How was he supposed to survive another week? He needed to find work immediately, or else he would end up sleeping on the street.
After resting for about twenty minutes and reflecting on his recent life decisions, he stood up to prepare a simple dinner. He was about to leave his room when his phone rang. However, the moment he saw the caller’s name, he rolled his eyes.
“The fuck is your problem?” he answered angrily. Instead of an answer, a loud laugh echoed from the other end of the line.
“How’s the job hunting, Nong Pip?” the man asked playfully. Por swore to himself that the next time he saw him, he would punch him right in the face.
“Stop calling me that, and stop making my life miserable, Wanpichit!” he snapped in frustration.
“Then come back to me. Come back to my company,” Tee said. Por could practically feel the smug smile of his former boss through the phone.
“No!” Por said firmly and slammed the end-call button.
He had resigned from his previous job just last week. His boss had been acting like a total bitch, and having had enough, Por walked out. But Tee being Tee, he kept blocking all of Por’s job applications at different companies, causing him to fail every single interview.
If this continued, the former secretary was going to starve.
But he wasn’t giving up. Tomorrow, he will find a job.
Tomorrow would be his day, and he would prove to his former boss that he didn’t need him.
The next morning, Por woke up at 7:00 AM. He cooked some porridge to give himself enough strength for a full day of job hunting. He even packed a lunch and a snack so he wouldn’t have to spend a single cent of his remaining money.
After saying a quick prayer for guidance, he left the apartment and started exploring the city. If corporate companies were going to reject him, he would try applying to restaurants, malls, and cafes. Places that would be much harder for Tee to manipulate.
His former boss kept calling him throughout the morning, but Por put his phone on silent so the man would stop bothering him.
He was done; he had enough, he was never going back to that damn company.
Por spent the entire morning visiting different workplaces. When his legs finally grew tired, he decided to sit on a bench in a nearby park.
He figured he would eat his lunch there since it was quiet, peaceful, and allowed him to rest comfortably.
The small guy happily opened his lunchbox. He picked up half of the sandwich he had made and was just about to take a bite when someone suddenly snatched it from his hand and ate it.
“Shia, Wanpichit! What is your problem?!” Por yelled, trying to restrain his exploding anger since they were in a public place and he didn’t want to cause a scene. “I just want a peaceful lunch. Please stop bothering me and go away!”
“You’re not answering my calls,” Tee said smoothly, acting as if it were the most obvious justification in the world.
“My phone is silent, and I have every right not to answer you.” Por started packing up his things. He knew the man wouldn't leave him alone if he stayed.
“Just come back to my company,” His former boss repeated.
But the younger one rolled his eyes yet again. “No,” he said flatly, walking away and leaving his former boss standing there dumbfounded.
“My staff will help and guide you, Nong, so you don’t have to worry.”
Por felt like hugging the restaurant owner right then and there when she told him he could start working immediately.
He had been so close to giving up when he spotted this small restaurant in a market near his home. They happened to be looking for an extra hand, he applied on the spot, and to his surprise, he was accepted easily.
This type of work was a far cry from his previous corporate job, but it didn’t matter. As long as he could survive, he could do it.
“Nong Por, can you do the dishes first? We are completely out of spoons and forks”
“Okay, Phi,” he answered cheerfully. Fortunately, washing dishes wasn’t new to him. He used to do it all the time, so he could manage the task with ease.
The former secretary was smiling from ear to ear, even humming a small tune to himself. He was just so incredibly happy to have a new job. Now he could finally prove to Tee that he could make it on his own.
But he didn’t expect what he heard next when the restaurant owner called him
“Nong... you can stop doing that now.”
Por’s eyebrows furrowed at the owner’s sudden change of tone. But when he looked through the window and saw one of the employees talking to his former boss outside while Tee handed her a thick stack of money, he got his answer.
Without waiting for the owner to officially fire him, Por walked out of the restaurant. He had truly had enough. He was just trying to survive and fight fairly, but Tee wouldn't let him.
“Fuck you!”
Those were the first words out of Por’s mouth the moment he stormed into Tee’s office.
“Language, Por,” the older man said authoritatively. He was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking as though he had been expecting this exact arrival.
“Don’t use your authority voice on me! I was fighting fairly. I was just trying to survive! What is your damn problem, bribing everyone with money just so they won’t accept me?” Por demanded, stepping closer.
He was at his breaking point, fiercely resisting the urge to punch the man.
“Darling... come home.”
Something in the former secretary’s chest melted at the sudden use of the endearment.
“No, Tee,” Por said, trying desperately to calm his racing nerves. No, he reminded himself, don’t get carried away by his soft voice and those gentle, puppy-dog eyes.
“Please. I really miss you. Our home feels so empty without you. Please, darling,” Tee pleaded.
But Por was only human, and he was deeply in love.
He let out a long, defeated sigh and sat down on the office couch, completely surrendering.
His husband walked over and dropped to his knees right in front of him. Tee gently took Por’s hands in his, lifting them to force eye contact.
“I’m really sorry for what happened last week. I know I should have asked for your opinion first before making a decision. But darling, the doctor said you needed to rest.”
The truth was, they had been happily married for five years.
Por worked as his husband’s executive secretary. Tee had tried to convince him countless times to just stay home and let him provide for everything, but Por always refused because he wanted to support his husband and build their company together.
However, last week, Por had been rushed to the hospital due to severe exhaustion and Tee got terrified.
In a panic, he decided to unilaterally terminate his husband’s employment contract to force him to rest.
Being stubborn and hurt, the younger got furious, officially resigned instead, packed his bags, and moved into a cheap apartment.
It had been a week since that incident, and both of them had been drowning in guilt over their actions.
“I’m sorry for blocking your job applications and for bribing the restaurant owner earlier,” Tee murmured, kissing the back of his pretty husband’s hand. “You were there washing dishes and carrying heavy boxes. It's too much work. I couldn’t bear to see you go through what happened last week. Just come back to me, okay? I promise I'll let you work at the company again.” Tee smiled softly up at him.
What Por did next caught his husband completely off guard.
The smaller man lunged forward. Luckily, Tee’s reflexes were fast enough to catch him, though the momentum sent the taller man sprawling onto his back on the carpet. Por landed right on top of him, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband's waist.
“I’m sorry for leaving you,” The younger man mumbled into his chest. “I just wanted you to ask for my permission first before deciding things like that. We’re married, and we're a team. We should be working through things together.”
Tee smiled, wrapping his arms securely around him and kissing the top of his head. “I know. And I’m so sorry.”
“But... I appreciate you looking out for me and putting my health first,” Por admitted, looking up to meet his husband's gaze. “I know you were just worried, and I’m sorry for scaring you. I promise I'll take better care of myself from now on, darling.”
Por giggled as Tee leaned up to place a gentle kiss right on the tip of his nose.
“I love you, Por Nimitparkpoom, You’re officially rehired.”
“I love you more, darling,” Por beamed. “So, what’s my first task, Boss?”
“Give me lots of kisses.”
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