Chapter Text
“Fuck… “ Kim muttered while watching Chay through the window. Of course sweet, way too trusting, Chay kept his drapes open, thinking that since their house is in a relatively uninhabited neighborhood, closing the drapes isn’t necessary.
Who would spend their evenings while watching someone like Chay after all, right?
Well, someone did.
Kim did.
Because he still wasn’t completely sure how Chay fits in the puzzle he was trying to solve.
Well, no, that was a lie. Kim was sure Chay doesn’t fit in his puzzle at all. There was no way Chay was involved in any even remotely criminal activity. Someone like Chay simply couldn’t be. But Kim pretended he didn’t know that since he found himself unable to stay away from the boy. He started by tailing him to find out anything shady about him but now he was tailing him because he just wanted to make sure Chay was safe. Kim didn’t know what the hell he was even doing. He knew that someone like him should stay as far as possible from someone so sweet and nice as Chay.
“Fuck,” Kim ran his hand over his face as he watched Chay sitting on the kitchen floor, crying next to a sad pile of what used to be a muffin with a slowly dying candle burried in the mess.
Kim had no idea what to do.
Go home?
That would be the smart thing to do, right? What could he do to make Chay feel better anyway, right? He would probably end up making things even worse if he would try to help.
Yeah, let’s just go home, Kim decided.
*
It was ages since Chay decided to actually acknowledge his birthday. He never really celebrated it. Partly because usually there was no money to do so but more importantly because there was no one to celebrate it with. He didn’t have any friends close enough to do this with but even if he had he wouldn’t be able to invite them to his house because there would be nothing he could offer them. No food, no drinks, no entertainment.
Porsche, even though he always kept apologizing profusely, had to work and Athree wasn’t the type of person who would care about something like someone’s birthday. So Chay was always all alone on his birthday. It always had been like that and Chay got used to it but this year it was supposed to be different. Chay was turning 18 and Porsche swore he wouldn’t miss that for the world. Porsche promised he would be there for Chay’s 18th birthday no matter what and Chay made a mistake of actually getting his hopes high… just to be let down, harder than ever before.
He didn’t blame Porsche. Porsche always did nothing but care for Chay. Always working hard to make ends meet. Chay didn’t blame Porsche. He blamed himself for actually letting himself look forward to his birthday this year. He knew they wouldn’t have the money to do much but it didn’t matter because no matter what they would do they would do it together and that would be the best gift Chay could ever wish for… just for once not being alone on his birthday.
Chay got his hopes high to the extent he even bought two muffins in the bakery, since that was cheaper than a cake. He even managed to find a candle in the back of the kitchen drawer to make his birthday muffin look more special.
As the day progressed and Porsche was nowhere to be seen, Chay was coming to terms with the realization that this year will be no different from the previous ones and that he will spend his birthday alone. Again.
Chay waited and waited until it was close to midnight and he had to accept the truth that Porsche isn’t going to show up. In an attempt to make his birthday at least a little bit better he lit up the candle and stuck it in one of the muffins. With blurry vision he picked up his sad little muffin, blew the candle, not even bothering with coming up with any wish. He felt like he was too broke and too pathetic to have the luxury of making a birthday wish. With tears filling up his eyes he headed to the sofa, wanting to eat it there, but on his way there he tripped over the kitchen chair and dropped the muffin.
Chay just gave up and crumbled to the cold, kitchen floor as well, joining the sad pile of used to be his birthday muffin. Chay hugged his knees and buried his face in his knees and began to cry, wondering what the hell did he do wrong to deserve all the misery. Why does his life have to be so terrible?
While crying he didn’t hear someone opening the patio door and entering the house. He didn’t hear someone walking up to him and crouching down next to him.
Chay gasped and raised his head when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s ok, it’s just me, Chay,” Kim quickly raised his hands to show Chay he meant no harm.
“P’Kim?” Chay sobbed, confused but unable to stop crying.
Kim didn’t know what to do. Hell, he had no idea why he even decided to enter the house, why he didn’t just get in his car as he planned to. He had no idea why he did that but now when he was there and saw Chay, crying on the floor, hugging his middle in a parody of a comforting hug, he let his body act on its own. Kim moved closer to Chay, carefully wrapping one arm around the boy, giving Chay time to move away in case he wouldn't want to be hugged.
Chay didn’t move away. Instead of that he wrapped his arms around Kim and buried his face in Kim’s shirt, soaking it with his tears in an instance. Kim couldn't care less about his shirt and wrapped his arms around Chay to pull him closer, letting the boy cry and he wanted to, letting him to let it all out.
“...ere?”
“What?” Kim asked when he was sure Chay said something but Kim didn’t understand what it was. “Take a deep breath, Chay, ok? In… and out… just calm down,” Kim was muttering in a calming voice while running small, soothing, circles on Chay’s back with one hand.
“What… what are you doing here?” Chay asked, still crying a bit but this time legible enough for Kim to understand him.
“I just…” Kim stopped, having no idea what he should say but he for whatever reason didn’t want to keep lying to Chay. “I think you should come with me, Chay.”
“What?” Chay hiccuped.
“Just… what was that?” Kim tilted his head to the side when he was sure he heard the sound of glass being shattered somewhere in the house.
“What was what?” Chay sniffled, too upset to pay attention to his surroundings, and wiped away the tears just for new ones to come.
“Are you home alone?” Kim looked at the boy. He was almost sure that Chay was home alone. He hadn’t seen anyone but Chay in the house.
“What?” Chay asked, now not only confused but also worried but then gasped and he looked up in the direction of the hallway leading further in the house when he heard some sounds coming from there. Someone was there.
“I’ll take it as you don’t have a friend here then,” Kim muttered, not even needing Chay to shake his head, while thinking of what would be the next best move to keep Chay as safe as possible.
“Like I said. I think you should come with me,” Kim gently but with no room for protest, pulled Chay to his feet.
“P’Kim, I… I don’t understand what’s…” Chay sniffled, his voice thick with confusion and anxiety. But then his breath hitched. His eyes widened in fear when he saw a movement in the hallway.
Three men emerged from there.
Kim moved instantly, pushing Chay behind him without so much as a glance back, his entire focus locked onto the intruders.
“Where’s Porsche?” one of them snapped, and took a step forward but Kim shifted, blocking their line of sight to Chay with an unwavering presence.
“Better yet,” another sneered, voice rough with impatience. “Where’s our money?”
Chay’s breath stuttered. “I… I don’t know… Uncle Arthee was supposed to…”
“Enough,” Kim cut through Chay’s nervous rambling like a knife, his voice steady and sharp, carrying the kind of authority that demanded attention. Chay didn’t owe those bastards any explanation.
The men faltered, finally taking in the stranger standing between them and their target.
Kim tilted his head slightly, gaze unreadable, calculating. Then, in a voice low and edged with something dangerous, he said, “You have one chance to walk away. Now!”
“Gladly. As soon as that little shit over there pays up. And you better throw in the penalty for missing last week’s payment too, boy,” one of the loan sharks snickered and glanced at Chay who flinched and let out a quiet whimper.
“What?” Chay swallowed nervously. “But… uncle Arthee was… he paid you, right?”
“Do you think we would come all the way here if he did?” one of the men snapped, making Chay flinch and Kim clench his fists, not allowing himself to turn around to calm Chay down. He couldn’t. Not now. Now he needed to focus on the threat in the room.
“We can’t find Porsche or that scumbag Arthee anywhere so I guess you’re in charge of the payments now, right sweetheart?”
“But… I don’t have… I…” Chay shook his head, feeling his breathing quickening with panic. Great. His already terrible evening was turning into an utter disaster. Instead of a birthday celebration he will get beat up by loan sharks for a debt he didn’t even make.
“Got no cash?” one of the snickered, exchanging smirks with his two companions.
“Don’t,” Kim growled a quiet warning, knowing exactly what they were about to say.
“I guess you are going to have to offer us something else then, no?” one of them mused with a cruel grin, “What do you say, boys? Should we be kind enough to let him work this month's payment off some other way, huh?” he continued and reached out, fingers twitching as if already imagining how this would play out.
That was his mistake.
Kim moved like a viper, silent, precise, merciless.
Chay barely had time to register what happened before there was a sickening crack as the bastard’s wrist twisted at an unnatural angle, followed by the wet, bone-shaking snap of his nose breaking. Before the sound of his scream could fully register, the man was already on the floor, howling in agony. Blood gushed from the shattered nose, splattering across the floor.
“I said don’t,” Kim’s voice was low, lethal. “I’d think twice if I were you,” A gun was now in his hand, aimed squarely at the two remaining men, who had barely taken a step before freezing in place.
A dangerous silence settled over the room.
Kim’s finger rested lightly on the trigger. His eyes, dark and unreadable, flicked between them. “Walk away,” he said, his voice disturbingly calm, far more terrifying than if he had shouted. “And take this piece of shit with you,” He spared a glance at the man still writhing on the floor.
The two men standing hesitated, exchanging wary glances. Two against one. It should be an easy fight.
Should be.
Kim sighed, almost bored, when he could see the two actually weighing cons and pros. “The only reason I haven’t pulled the trigger yet is because I don’t want the boy to see that,” His finger rested lightly on the trigger, unwavering. “But if you’re still here in ten seconds…” He didn’t bother finishing the sentence. Some threats didn’t need to be spoken aloud.
The two surprised Kim by being smarter than they looked. One of them nudged the groaning man on the floor with his foot, wordlessly telling him to get up.
“We’ll be back, little Kittisawat,” one of them muttered, looking at Chay who sniffled quietly and instinctively hid more behind Kim.
The next second, a gunshot rang out.
Chay yelped, squeezing his eyes shut as he clapped his hands over his ears. It was so much louder than in movies or video games. Sharp. Deafening. Real.
“Come near this house or the boy again,” Kim warned them, voice razor-sharp. “And I will not be so generous next time.”
The man who made the mistake of threatening Chay was on the floor groaned, clutching his shoulder, cursing through clenched teeth. Kim was sure he’ll live, if his loan shark friends would get him patched up in time.
The men quickly scrambled out, not daring to make any more threats or sinister promises.
Kim turned to Chay, cursing quietly when he saw Chay’s pale face. Chay’s eyes were wide with fear, his body stiffening as he backed away until his back hit the wall.
“Chay, you don’t have to be scared,” Kim said softly, quickly putting his gun away and raising his empty hands to show the gun was gone. He did his best to keep his voice steady, gentle, hoping to calm the boy. “I promise, you're safe.”
“Why… why do you... why the gun... bad people carry guns... why...” Chay’s breath hitched, his voice trembling as he slid down the wall, his knees drawing up to his chest. Kim could see the panic rising in Chay, and he knew the boy was on the brink of a full-on panic attack. He couldn’t blame him. His whole evening was going from bad to worse to a total shit show for that boy.
“Chay, take a deep breath, okay?” Kim’s voice was steady, trying to reach through the haze of fear. “I’m going to get you some water, wait,” Without waiting for a response, Kim rushed to the kitchen, returning quickly with a glass of water. He sat down a short distance from Chay, giving him space but still staying close.
“Take a sip and breathe, Chay... slowly...” Kim said gently, guiding the glass to Chay’s lips.
“Deep breaths, Chay,” Kim continued softly, his voice calm but firm. Without even realizing it, he reached out, taking Chay’s trembling hand in his. He ran soothing circles with his thumb over Chay's knuckles, trying to ground him, to help him focus.
Kim gave Chay all the time he needed to fully calm down.
Few minutes later Chay’s breathing was slowly but surely getting back to normal. When Chay felt like the worst was over, he looked at Kim, who was still sitting next to him.
“Gun?” Chay said quietly in a small voice.
“Would you be rather if it were the other guys carrying them?”
“But… you’re a singer… why does a singer need to carry a gun… and what are you doing here anyway, P’Kim?” Chay asked, a mix of confusion and exhaustion clear in his voice.
Kim hesitated, then gave a quick, forced smile. “I don’t like taking my bodyguard everywhere with me. So he insisted on me carrying a gun for my own protection,” he offered, hoping it sounded believable. He didn’t want to lie to Chay, but he knew that there was no way he could tell Chay who he really was. Not now. Now after what just happened.
“And you know how to use it,” Chay swallowed just a little bit nervously at the memory of the very loud gunshot.
“He gave me a lesson or two,” Kim muttered.
“What are you doing here, P’Kim?” Chay repeated his previous question.
“I just wanted… I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I was in the neighborhood and remembered that today is… I saw the lights were still on so I thought I’ll stop by and… you know…” Kim wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. Luckily Chay just nodded a bit, looking too tired to see all the reasons why what Kim was saying was a total nonsense.
“Chay? Where are you going?” Kim asked carefully when Chay stood up, a little bit wobbly on his feet. Kim stood up right away as well.
Chay didn’t respond, simply gesturing vaguely toward the mess of the muffin on the kitchen tiles before walking toward the bathroom.
“I can do it, Chay,” Kim offered when Chay returned with a damp cloth, kneeling down to clean up the mess on the floor. “Why a muffin? It’s your birthday, isn’t it? Don’t people usually have cakes?” he asked curiously when Chay ignored his offer for help.
“I never had,” Chay muttered. “Too expensive,” he added almost inaudibly and Kim cursed himself silently for not thinking before asking stupid questions.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you with it?” Kim offered again.
“It’s okay... you can go, P’Kim,” Chay muttered, his voice quiet, weary. “I’m sure I’ve kept you here longer than I should have.”
“Chay, I told you that I’d like it if you’d come with me,” Kim shook his head, still keeping his tone gentle, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible. Still, Chay’s shoulders stiffened a bit and he swallowed nervously upon hearing that.
Chay didn’t respond immediately. He finished cleaning the floor in silence, then went to the kitchen sink to wash the cloth.
Kim sighed and walked up to Chay, stopping next to him. “It’ll be better for you to do as I say and come with me, Chay. Trust me,” he said.
For some reason, fear and panic crept back into Chay, and he quickly set down the cloth before nodding.
“Alright, P’Kim. We can go,” Chay murmured, his gaze still lowered, though Kim could see the unease in his posture.
“Chay,” Kim sighed. “Look at me, please,” he said gently and when Chay’s eyes met his, he pulled out his gun again. Without saying a word he emptied the magazine, letting the bullets scatter on the floor. Once the gun was empty Kim demonstrated it by pulling the trigger.
Chay flinched but this time there was no loud bang, only a quiet ‘click’.
“It’s empty. No bullets. You don’t have to be scared, okay?” Kim said softly, offering a calming smile as he tucked the gun away. Even without a gun Kim was a very dangerous man, but that was something Chay didn’t need to know. Kim didn’t pose any danger to Chay after all. “But I’d still feel better if you’d come with me now. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here alone. I can take you to my place where you’ll be safe. But if you’d rather, I can arrange for a hotel. You can stay there as long as you need. I’ll handle everything, don’t worry.” He spoke slowly, careful not to overwhelm Chay.
“Hotels are expensive,” Chay frowned.
“I just said I will handle everything, Chay,” Kim smiled a bit.
“I don’t want you to spend your money on me,” Chay shook his head.
“Then… will you come with me and stay at my place?” Kim asked, hopefully. That would be ideal since that way Kim would keep Chay safe the best.
After a moment of silence Chay gave Kim a small nod.
“Great,” Kim said, relieved. “Go pack what you need. No need to hurry, we’ve got time. Take all the time you need, okay?” He didn’t want Chay to feel like he had to rush and leave half of his stuff behind just to avoid keeping Kim waiting.
*
Chay entered his room and, despite still having no idea what the hell was going on, filled one duffle bag and a backpack with all he might need. While packing his stuff he listed his 18th birthday as his officially craziest birthday he ever had. Despite how confusing everything that happened was, Chay found himself almost glad for it because it was nice to have someone around on his birthday. For once.
With his backpack secured, his guitar in one hand and the duffle bag slung over his shoulder, Chay made his way downstairs, half-expecting Kim to be gone. It wouldn’t have surprised him. He had actually started looking forward to not being alone, which meant, of course, that Kim would probably change his mind and leave, because that’s just how things went for Chay.
But Kim wasn’t gone. He was still there, standing with his back to the stairs.
“Don’t ask stupid questions and just do it,” Kim sighed, running a hand down his face, clearly talking to someone over the phone. “No, I don’t know what time it is,” he continued and Chay was sure he rolled his eyes while saying that.
Chay stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching, waiting for Kim to finish the phone call, ready to quickly go back upstairs if the phone call seemed to be personal.
“Oh really? Wow… that doesn’t sound like my problem, does it? Get it done, Big, or I’ll tell Yaa you still made no progress whatsoever with Nanami,” A pause. Then, drier but Chay could hear a tiny smirk in Kim’s voice, “You think? Ok, feel free to fail to do as I say and see if I’m bluffing… Yeah… bye,” Kim ended the call and slid his phone into his pocket.
“Oh? Are you done, Chay?” Kim smiled when he turned around and saw Chay standing at the foot of the stairs.
“I… is everything ok?” Chay asked, nervously shifting from one leg to the other.
“What? Oh, the phone call?” Kim waved it off with an easy smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just a friend of mine. Don’t worry about it.”
Chay hesitated but didn’t press further. He was too drained to question anything anymore.
Kim’s gaze flicked to the duffle bag. “Got everything?”
Chay nodded.
“Here, let me…” Kim stepped closer, reaching out, but when Chay shook his head and took a step back Kim paused.
“Alright,” Kim let his hand drop, doing his best to respect Chay’s wishes. “Let’s go, then?”
As Chay followed Kim to the door, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Should he leave a note? Let someone know where he was going?
Then reality settled in.
There was no one who needed him to leave such a note. No one was coming home to check on him. No one would worry about where he was. Porsche was God knows where and by the looks of it he wasn’t about to be back any time soon for sure.
Kim opened the back door of his car, motioning for Chay to put his bags and guitar inside but Chay hesitated, eyeing the pristine leather seats. His bags were old, cheap, and worn. His guitar case was even worse. He almost felt guilty for placing them in a car this expensive.
Kim noticed the pause. “Are you okay, Chay? Did you forget something?”
Chay shook his head. “I just… Your car looks expensive. I don’t want to get it dirty or…” Before he could finish, Kim took the duffle bag from his hands and set it down on the backseat without a second thought, doing the same with the guitar case. He considered taking Chay’s backpack too but figured Chay might want to keep it on him.
Kim shut the door and turned to Chay with a small, amused smile. See? No issue, was it?
“Ready to head out?”
Chay nodded.
*
As Chay watched the city lights blur past the window, a million questions swirled in his mind. Questions he should probably ask. Questions he wanted to ask.
But he kept them to himself.
For once, he wasn’t alone on his birthday. And he didn’t want to risk ruining that by being too annoying, by asking things that might make Kim change his mind and leave him behind.
*
Momentarily distracted by the overwhelming sight, Chay didn’t even notice Kim was standing next to him, holding Chay’s things. Chay quickly reached for his stuff, but Kim handed him only the guitar, keeping the duffle bag firmly in his hand as he headed towards the entrance.