Chapter Text
Pae had always lived an honest life because his mom used to tell him, monsters would take away naughty kids who like to lie and he believed it. He was so terrified and couldn’t sleep without the lights on for days even though he didn’t lie.
“What do you have to say?”
However, now he really wished a monster would come and take him away because facing the tall guy in front of him at the moment was 100x times scarier than the idea of being kidnapped by an unknown entity.
“Say….say about what?” Pae asked, his cheeks feeling a bit stiff as his strained smile quivered. He slightly backed away. It was a natural survival instinct which he was rather proud of. A tiger like him needed to know how to weave through the wilderness.
Pae had seen this person often, because Duang always dragged him and Jamie along whenever he wanted to see Qin. It’s quite hard not to notice the other two figures who were always with Qin. From his memory, Tong wasn’t usually this menacing. Maybe it was the blaring red neon light glaring behind the man that caused him to appear much more intense than he normally would. He didn’t have the time to fully analyse whether that was the reason as he had to take another step back.
“Are you playing the fool after trying to fool me?”
“I seriously don’t know what you are talking about. Who’s trying to fool anybody? I’m just out here for some fresh air.” It was Tong who appeared out of nowhere and started throwing accusations even if it was most likely true.
That had a scoff coming out of Tong’s lips like he didn’t believe Pae. “Fresh air? You’ve been out here since you arrived. Who needs fresh air that long?”
Pae wanted to get out of here but it’s really difficult to find a way out. If he told Tong to cut through the chest, the other might truly confront him about Cherry but if he prolonged by explaining why he needed fresh air that long, it would just give Tong’s the chance to keep him here until the closing time. Neither was desired. Hence, Pae decided to shut his lips but his silence only further encouraged Tong to take a step forward, trapping Pae against the wall.
“Not saying anything means you’re guilty.” No, you idiot! Not saying anything also meant not admitting to anything.
“I’m giving you a chance to be honest here. If you insist on lying, that’s fine too…” Really, you would be that kind to let Pae off? “...but if I open my instagram and happen to call an account of someone named Cherry then someone’s phone here goes off. I don’t know what I should do.”
Damn, you! This was a blatant threat. Did Pae really have no choice but to be honest?
No, Pae wasn’t a pushover. His mama probably failed to raise him as someone honest but she surely didn’t fail to raise him a brave man (an idiot, more like).
When cornered by a beast, what does one need to do?
Step 1: Confuse the beast.
“You’re not making any sense. Did you get dumped by whoever that Cherry person is and now is taking it out on me?” He moved forward, closing the gap between the both of them. He was just a breath away and he was honest to god, horrified. Whatever; fake it till you make it. “If you call and nothing happens, you will be the sorry one.” He needed to appear more as the predator than a prey. That would throw Tong off…right?
“Oh.” Tong simply said, raising one eyebrow before glancing at his phone. He was unbothered by Pae’s closeness and intimidation. Pae’s eyes widened when Tong opened his Instagram and hovered over Cherry’s direct message.
If step 1 didn’t work…
Step 2: Create a safe distance.
Placing his hand over Tong’s chest, he pushed the other away. That took quite a bit of strength from Pae. What the hell was with this guy? Was he made out of bricks? “Don’t ‘Oh’ me. You’re breaching my personal space and accusing me of things I have no idea about.”
Sorry, Ma. There goes your hope of having an upright honest son.
“If you would excuse me now. The air out here doesn’t feel fresh anymore because of someone.”
Step 3: Make an escape.
Pae didn’t wait for Tong to respond and slipped inside the bar quietly. Tong was about to say something but Pae wasn’t eager to court his own death. He only took one last glance at Tong who by then had disbelief all over his face while leaning against the wall.
Damn, what bad luck! He just went out there to answer the phone. Who would have known he would stumble upon Tong as soon as his call ended?
“Aww…” He didn’t realise how long he had been on call until he was inside and saw the cleared table. The seniors had thrown in the towels and headed home. Only Jamie and a passed out Duang were still there. He hoped P’X wasn’t upset that Pae was missing the entirety of the bar owner’s birthday party.
Jamie frowned, “Where have you been?” At the back, playing cat and mouse game with a beast. He could say that but he didn’t want to joke since the mentioned beast could still be lingering around although it looked like Qin and his other friend had already left.
“Everyone’s gone already?” He genuinely didn’t think he was out that long. Jamie sneered, “Of course. You’ve been gone for so long.”
“It’s just a quick call” He denied.
“Sheesh” Jamie had a teasing look on his face. The time outside would have been shorter if Tong didn’t bother him. Pae threw his arm up to dismiss Jamie and looked down at Duang; that unique idiot.
“Look at the state he’s in…what should we do with him?” Duang rarely drank this much. He’s probably drinking his fill because Qin was denying him hard this time. Qin was also something else, he didn’t look like it but he gets jealous easily. Pae could only shake his head. He should have warned Duang that Qin was glaring at Yim so hard he could bore a hole in the back of her head. Pae took half the blame because he was having fun seeing Qin and Duang acting like fools in love.
“Duang.” Jamie nudged Duang but to no avail, the other was like a dead fish. He’s not even flinching when Jamie called him louder the second time. The only thing that came out of his lips was Qin’s name. When will Duang stop being madly in love? At the end of the world maybe. Even then, Pae doubted Duang would stop; something about Duang and his apparently undying love for Qin. He heard it all from Duang so many times that he felt like he was brainwashed.
While Duang was repeating Qin’s name and Pae was judging Duang, Jamie’s eyes brightened up like an idea just crossed his mind thanks to Duang’s drunk rambling. “ I’ve got an idea.”
“What is it?” He just wanted to get out of the bar immediately but couldn’t just leave Duang here. His loyalty still remained even if he had turned into a little liar. Jamie beckoned Pae to come closer. “Take Duang to Qin’s place.”
That was a brilliant idea! Pae pointed at Jamie before shaking his hand. What a perfect plan! Taking Duang home or to stay with either of them would be boring and it would only make his friend miserable to wake up alone in the morning with a hangover. If he stayed with Qin, even a hangover would feel like nothing. Most importantly, it would finally sweep off the sulky whiny face Duang had the whole day if the two of them made up.
“You’re such a genius.”
After they dropped Duang off at Qin’s (more like forcing Duang into Qin’s hands), Jamie and Pae parted. Jamie, true to his words, was continuing his night to be a ‘warrior’ and Pae who said he was staying with his partner…was in fact not doing that. He lied so much these past few months and all thanks to Duang, his beloved friend.
Dangling his condo key, Pae clicked his tongue, “Would you find better friends than us anywhere else?” Willing to sacrifice anything and even…
A shiver ran down his spine when he remembered the red neon light, being pressed against the wall by Tong and his voice “What do you have to say?” Pae pretended to spit three times to throw off the bad luck before ramming into his condo. “I was nearly sacrificed for real.”
He felt drained. How did this even happen? He went out to have fun but ended up stepping into dog shit. Pae took off his bag and ran into his room. It’s better to get ready for bed and sleep it off. Once he wakes up the next day, everything may turn out to be just a nightmare.
Taking a bath would be the norm of his routine but a quick shower was plenty when he wanted to quickly call it a day. Even so, upon lying in his bed, he found that he couldn’t sleep. That wasn’t normal. He’s the type to instantly fall asleep once his head hits the pillow. “Since when do I have insomnia?” He pushed his body to sit up, leaning against the headboard.
He couldn’t stop thinking about the fake account he made. If Tong forced the truth out of him, would that jeopardize Duang’s progress with Qin? It’s not like he could ask Qin either. Asking Tong to not tell Qin would be risky or maybe he should sell Jamie out on this one? “Duang and I didn’t plan this. Jamie was the mastermind. Don’t blame Duang.”
Would that even work? In the first place, how did Tong even find out about him being Cherry? He was so discrete about it. It’s too early to say that Tong was sure he was cherry. At most, it was a suspicion but if it was just suspicion, would Tong have confronted him like that? How confusing.
Pae dropped his head with a heavy sigh before messing his hair. “I should be asleep by now! Why am I staying up, stressing about this?” He’s used to be the chill one, he never had to stress so much on someone’s behalf. If Duang and Qin were officially together, it wouldn’t hurt to reveal the truth but they’re not exactly stable right now, are they?
He glanced at his phone on his nightstand, reaching out hesitantly. “Should I delete the account?” He contemplated, finger hovering over the deactivate button. In the end, he turned off his phone and started biting his nails. “If I do that, it will look like I’m guilty.”
Keeping the account was wrong, deleting the account was also wrong and blocking Tong would be even more wrong. What was he supposed to do here?
Ding!
His phone lit up, the notification bar from his instagram popped in his lockscreen from the user @ton9baskett.
“Nong Cherry, sleeping yet?”
Pae buried his face in his palms, already sensing the kind of trouble that deserved its own ominous background music like in the drama his mom liked to watch. “God, why can’t you spare me just this one night. I will open the message tomorrow. I just can’t right now.”
If he replies to Tong at this moment, there’s no knowing if Pae would accidentally reveal himself. He didn’t want to die young. He still had a lot to live for.
Ding!
“Did you just return home?”
If he ignored it, it would go away on its own.
Ding!
“Arrived safely?”
Pae just needed to close his eyes and chant prayers so that he wouldn’t have a nightmare.
Ding!
“If you don’t answer in 30 seconds, I will call you.”
Crazy! Did he not know how to do things in moderation?
There goes his good night sleep. All spent on replying to the beast hopefully satisfactory answer.
“P’Tong… Cherry was about to fall asleep.”
“Did you drive home safely?”
“Cherry was home the entire time today. I don’t have any classes.”
“That’s weird. I definitely thought you went out with your friends tonight.”
What’s so weird? Look at this guy, playing rope pulling with Pae.
From what Pae saw, there’s no need to stay in denial anymore that Tong was sure Cherry was him but Pae never played by rules set by others.
If he wasn’t called out with evidence, he would stay headstrong. Suitable to his name and family motto “One must be sure of themselves to succeed.” and Pae was sure that Tong would not be able to prove anything without Pae’s permission.
Game on!
—
Game on my ass!
Ever since he was DMed by Tong, he had done nothing but hide from the man. Whenever Duang tried to drag him to meet Qin, he suddenly became unavailable due to inconvenient events. One day he left his assignment at home; the next day he had an errand to run for the seniors; another day he ate something wrong and had to go to the health centre. He was running out of excuses and surely by now, Duang and Jamie would have caught on to what he was doing.
Thud!
A black decorated portfolio case entered his line of view on the table he rested his head against. A bit further up, his gaze met Duang’s and Jamie’s narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong with you?” You tell me, what’s wrong with me, Duang.
Pae had never moved so much in his entire life but lately he had been doing a lot of cardio exercise around the campus. He now regretted ignoring Jamie’s invitation and plea to the gym and gained a new admiration for Qin who was always busy walking around. His legs just weren’t made for long walks and runs.
“That depends. Are you asking about my mental or physical state?” He said with an emotionless voice, gaze unfocused and his right cheek remained on the table. Duang and Jamie shared a look.
“We’re asking you as a whole. You have been acting weird.” Jamie pointed out.
Duang hummed, “We’re worried. You’re not usually this listless.”
“Duang’s right. Usually you’re up and kicking. Did you eat something really wrong? You’re acting worse than this dog, Duang when Qin says no to him.” Jamie received a slap at the back of his head from Duang.
“You wouldn’t understand, ja… Mr.Warrior and excuse you, I’m not a dog. I’m a puppy, Qin’s puppy.” Jamie scoffed and Pae straightened his back, shaking his head at the self proclaimed puppy before faking a gag.
“Ay, Duang….a puppy is just an infant dog. Have some shame. You’re this big, how can you be a puppy?” Pae complained but a laugh still escaped his lips. Not a dog but a puppy. What a joke, really.
“So? Anything you want to say to us?” Somehow that question gained a groan from Pae. Why did everyone want to ask that to him now? He. Didn’t. Have. Anything. To. Say. To. Anybody!
He’s not spilling.
“Tong found out I’m Nong Cherry.” But what was the point of keeping this from his friends? Pae had never been good with keeping secrets from them.
“Oh…just that.” Huh, the reaction he received was lukewarm compared to what he expected.
.
.
.
“Huh?!” Pae almost fell out of the bench because the two of them had suddenly crowded him in the face. He grimaced, pulling back and muttering “Shit, the two of you, did you brush your teeth or not?”
“You rascal, is that important right now? How did he find out?” Duang sat back down, letting Pae breathe freely. While doing so, he even checked his own breath if it was as bad as Pae pointed out.
“He didn’t punch you?” Jamie added helpfully.
“No….not yet.” Why do you think he was running around? He wasn’t letting Tong have even the chance to think about doing that to him.
“I knew making that account was a stupid idea. You didn’t listen to me.”
Pae looked up, unamusingly. “You shithead, Jettana. I made the account but you encouraged me. You’re letting me take all the blame, really?” Where does your loyalty lie?
Jamie cackled, he was just messing with Pae.
“I don’t know how he found out. Remember that day at the bar when I went out to take a phone call?”
“The one you were gone for ages?” Pae nodded at Jamie. “He just came out of nowhere and cornered me.” Merely thinking about it gave him the shiver.
“Cornered you, how?” Duang asked, scratching an itch on his shoulder.
“I was ending my phone call and he appeared behind me, leaning against the door frame.” Who did he think he was? A hero from a K-drama maybe. There was no need for such a dramatic entrance. “Then he told me he would give me a chance to be honest.”
“That isn’t so bad. If it was me, I would have yelled at you.”
“That’s because you’re a jerk, Jamie! Tong is a gentleman.” Duang retorted.
“Aw, If someone played a prank like that on me, I would be mad. So, did you tell him the truth?”
Pae rolled his eyes, “He wishes!”
“Then…what did you do?” Duan was frowning at this point. Probably because he was realising that Pae did something stupid while he was sulking and drunk inside the bar. Jamie had the same look on his face. The two of them had really missed an entire fiasco happening outside the bar.
They silently remind themselves to check on each other if any of them goes missing during a hangout. Good thing it was only Tong. If Pae had been gone because of some fight, wouldn’t that be dangerous?
Maybe they even needed to implement the ‘buddy system’ now.
“I got angry at him. Who was he to accuse me without evidence even if he was right?” The moment he told them what he did, the stressed look on Jamie’s face turned into one of disappointment. “Seriously, Pae. He gave you a way out to be honest. Since when did you have a big ego?”
“It’s not about ego. You think I didn’t want to come clear?” Pae also didn’t like being dishonest.
“Then?”
“You need to remember, he’s Qin’s friend. If I spill the truth then he tells Qin. What are you going to do if Qin gets mad that I was fooling his friend to get Duang and Qin together? Even if Duang didn’t do it, he still knew what I was doing.” In short, Duang would look like an enabler.
It seemed to finally down Duang the consequence of lying like this when his face paled. He should be scared. Him and Qin weren’t official yet. Duang tried so hard to be perfect in front of Qin, Pae didn’t want to be the cause that all his effort went down the drain.
“Heeey, you’re right, Pae! What if Qin hates us after this!!! I can’t live with that. I can live with being rejected but I don’t want him to hate me.” and what followed after that was a series of Duang mumbling “I don’t want that.” on repeat.
Jamie scratched his eyebrow. “Hold up the both of you. I think the two of you are overthinking it. I don’t think this issue is that big to worry about.”
Duang suddenly grabbed Jamie by his collar, “How can you say it’s not a big issue!? Qin might hate me, you know?! and Pae might get punched, you said that yourself!”
Jamie bit his lips in frustration before slapping Duang’s hand lightly a couple of times to free himself. “You have been chasing him for months, I don’t think this small matter would make him hate you. It’s not like Nong Cherry asked Tong about Qin’s secret.” True, Nong Cherry was always in action when they needed Qin to be alone without his friends and it was only a couple of times. “At most, he will think that you’re an idiot and as for Tong. Obviously, I was joking. He wouldn’t dare punch Pae. He doesn’t look like the type to hit someone. You said it yourself that he’s a gentleman, Duang”
Jamie sighed, dusting the front of his collar from where he had swatted Duang’s hands away. “Plus, it’s not like you have been chatting with him everyday as Cherry.” Duang had fully calmed down albeit having a frown on his face, he nodded.
However, Pae was not meeting their eyes.
“You got to be kidding me. Pae, tell me you didn’t.”
He did.
“Pae, you always say Duang is uniquely stupid. You’re the same! Why the hell would you chat with him everyday?!”
Pae dropped his head, his fingers threading along the loose thread of Duang’s portfolio case. “I was just bored. I just play games with him. It’s not like we talk about anything deep.”
“Just play games?” Duang narrowed his eyes.
Pae turned his head away, Duang had to pull his case away because it nearly looked like Pae was close to pulling off the entire thread, “We greet each other morning and night sometimes?”
“And?” Can Jamie just stop interrogating him?
“We talk about our days…”
“Pae…” He didn’t need to call Pae like that, he’s aware that was his name. Silly Duang.
“He updates me on what he eats. I do the same…”
“Pae, you idiot! That’s obviously a talking stage! What even is going on in your head?!” What did Jamie even know about talking stages? He just slept around, he never had any kind of relationship.
“I don’t know! I wasn’t thinking!”
“Obviously!”
After a moment of silence, Duang broke it first. “So, what are we going to do about this?”
“Do what? I’m just going to continue avoiding him. You should focus on making it official with Qin.”
“Seriously, Pae?”
“I’m serious, with no evidence, he can’t tattle on me. It’s a bulletproof solution.”
Jamie coughed, “If that is your plan, I think you need to put it into work right now because from what I can see, he’s definitely making his way here.”
Pae’s face paled and before he could register it, Duang was already up from his seat running towards someone behind Pae. “Ter!!! What are you doing here?! Do you miss Duang?!”
Qin hummed, looking cold as usual.
Pae wanted the ground to swallow him whole. If Qin was here that also meant that…
“Hi, lover boy.” Tong was also here. “And lover boy’s friends.”
Pae awkwardly shifted in his seat and turned around. He didn’t spare a glance at Tong. He was looking at Duang with hopelessness. The second he saw Qin, he jumped out from his seat and completely disregarded the problem.
It’s pretty clear to everyone that Duang’s priority was…
1. Qin
2. Qin
3. Maybe the crisis
Was there any opening for him to escape? Should he pretend to have a stomach ache again? No, that excuse was already used. Using it again would make him have a constant connection to diarrhea. Should he just faint? No, that would leave his fate to Jamie and Duang. He didn’t trust these idiots not to make him look like a fool.
Maybe he didn’t need one for this one. He can just not interact with Tong. He’s surrounded by his friends, what can Tong even do?
“Is your stomach not upset anymore?” Tong asked, looking straight at Pae.
Pae didn’t reply for a long time until a “Huh?” left him.
Jamie who was sitting across Pae watched the interaction carefully, his mouth slightly gaped as he thought of a way to intercept. An awkward fake laugh came from him, “He’s fine now! But he’s a bit muddleheaded. The medicine the doctor gave him is making him sleepy.” Can he just go home already?!
“That’s good,” Tong offered a small smile to Pae that stuttered for a second when they made eye contact.
What the hell was that?
Without being invited he had already taken the seat that was initially occupied by Duang. Duang took the empty seat next to Pae and was followed by Qin while Kim sat at the head of the table.
“Khun Qin, why have you come to visit our humble faculty?” Jamie annoyingly sang, standing up from his seat to approach Qin and clung to him. Despite the stress he was experiencing, Pae couldn’t help but smile at his friends because he knew Jamie was doing this to especially annoy Duang and he was doing it effectively. Duang was already fuming in his spot, swatting Jamie away from his Qin. What a possessive dog.
“No Idea, Tong suddenly wants to eat lunch here.” Kim explained, pointing at Tong who was shamelessly staring at Pae.
Upon being called, Tong lifted his chin whilst looking around, “I’m just curious. Someone I’m talking to said that they like eating at different faculties. I want to try.”
Kim gave him a weird look, “That cherry girl?” Pae tried his best not to flinch and Duang, who had been fussing about Qin, paused. Friend, can you not be so obvious? Pae was fighting for his life here. “You’re still talking to her?”
Tong shrugged, “Yeah, but she hasn’t replied to me today. Who knows if she will appear if I eat here.”
“Is that a good idea? You have never even met face to face with her. How would she know you come to this faculty? She might be at a different one today.”
“You’re right. Maybe I should call her first.”
At this, Jamie had to interfere with a loud cough. “Pae!”
“Huh, yes?! What?” Pae almost got up from his seat if it hadn’t been because his leg fell asleep.
“I just remembered that Prof Kit asked to see you at lunch.”
“Huh?”
“It completely slipped my mind, right Duang?”
“Huh? Yeah, Pae you better go now. It’s not good to let Prof wait for you.” Duang was in a hurry, collecting Pae’s bag for him, pulling Pae to stand up before shoving it to him. Duang’s eyes twitched, signalling Pae to make the run for it.
In the midst of it all, Tong was silently observing them. The corner of his lips quirk in amusement. “Too bad, we could all have lunch together. You better go quickly, lover boy’s friend.”
Pae awkwardly hummed, turning around to make his escape.
He will thank Duang and Jamie later. Maybe even kiss the both of them on the forehead for helping him. This was the second time he almost died and was sacrificed by Tong.
Ding!
“You haven’t said anything to me today. Nong Cherry, don’t forget to have lunch, ok? I don’t want you to have an upset stomach.”
Fuck my life.