Gun took it gently. Off leaned over his shoulder as they both read the note:
*"Love, sorry we didn't wake you. We figured it'd be more peaceful that way.
We're headed to the Kamala Beach Resort at Phuket for the weekend with our boyfriends. Don't wait up.
There's leftover curry in the fridge, and Milk's number is on the board in case you need anything.
Love you! – P'Joong, P'Pond, P'Fourth."*
Gun stared at the note in his hand. The handwriting was neat, but there was something about it-something that made his stomach clench.
Off stood beside him, reading over his shoulder. His lips moved silently as he reread the words, just to be sure he hadn't misunderstood. As soon as he reached the bottom of the note, his face lost all color.
Love, who had been chatting with Milk across the room, noticed the shift in their expressions immediately.
"Papa? Daddy? What's wrong?" she asked, stepping closer. "Are my brothers in some kind of trouble?"
Off didn't answer right away. He kept staring at the paper like it might change if he glared hard enough. Then, finally, he looked up—and something in his expression made Love pause.
"Do any of your brother's friends have the last name Nimtawat?" Off asked sharply.
Love blinked. "What? Why—"
"They all do," Milk replied quietly, setting her phone down. "They're brothers. All the Nimtawat boys are part of the same group."
Gun turned to Off, panic beginning to rise behind his eyes. "We need to leave tonight."
"I know," Off muttered. He was already pulling out his phone, scrolling through airline apps.
Love frowned and crossed her arms. "Someone please explain what's going on."
"There's no time," Gun said, trying to sound calm, but his voice trembled. "We just need to get there."
"All flights are full for tonight," Off announced, his tone clipped. "Even the standby is packed. The earliest we can get on a plane is tomorrow afternoon."
Gun's lips trembled as he asked, "What do we do now?"
Off clenched his fists. "We'll drive."
"That's ten hours, Pappi."
"Then we'll take turns behind the wheel. We've done worse."
"You're serious?" Love stepped between them, forcing them to look at her. "Can someone please tell me what's happening? Are P'Joong, P'Pond and Fourth okay? What's in that note?"
Off exchanged a quick glance with Gun, and for a moment, he looked like he might finally explain. But then he sighed and walked over to Love, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Sweetheart," he said gently, "you don't need to worry right now. Your brothers are strong. But your papa and I need to go check on something, just in case."
"Dad…that's not an answer. You're scaring me."
Gun came over, placing a hand on Love's back. "We'll call as soon as we know more, okay?"
Milk stood, fidgeting with her sleeves. "Should I go home then?"
"No," Off said immediately. "You stay here. It's late, and I don't want you walking or catching a ride alone. Love, make sure she's comfortable."
Love watched as her dads started gathering jackets, keys, chargers, everything they might need for a long drive.
"You're leaving right now?" she asked, still stunned.
"Yes," Gun said, brushing her hair behind her ear. "We have to."
Love stepped closer again, this time grabbing Off's wrist before he could move. "Then tell me what's going on. Please. I'm not a kid anymore. You can't just rush off like this and expect me not to panic."
Off looked at Gun again, this time as if asking permission. Gun gave the slightest nod.
"Love," Off said gently, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to panic. Everything will be fine soon, okay?"
She stared up at him, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You promise?"
He smiled—tight and forced. "I promise."
But the promise cracked like thin glass the moment Off and Gun backed out of the driveway and disappeared into the night. The roar of the engine faded quickly, leaving a silence that felt heavier than it should. The kind of silence that crept into your chest and stayed there.
Love stood by the window, hugging herself.
Milk came to stand beside her, and wrapped Love in a comforting embrace, hoping to ease her worry.
For a long moment, they didn't say a word. The street outside looked calm, the porch light flickered faintly, and everything felt painfully normal. Except it wasn't.
Something was wrong.
Something was terribly wrong.
"I think I messed up," Love whispered finally, eyes still on the road. "I must've done something—said something—I don't know. Something that put P'Joong, Fourth and P'Pond in danger."
Milk turned to her, frowning. "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know!" Love said, voice rising. "Maybe I joked about where they were. Maybe I posted something. I just—I don't know!"
Milk turned Love around so she could look into her eyes. "Hey. Hey. Breathe, okay? This isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."
Love didn't look convinced. Her lips trembled, and she pulled away to pace the living room floor, arms crossed tightly.
"What should I do, P'Milk?" she asked, more desperately this time. "What if they're in trouble right now and we're just standing here?"
Milk hesitated. Her usual calm expression faltered for just a second—but she caught herself quickly.
"Then we don't just stand here," she said. "We try to contact them."
Love blinked. "You think they'll even answer?"
"We won't know unless we try." Milk reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone. "Start with Fourth. I'll try Phuwin. I still have his number."
Love fumbled for her phone and immediately pulled up Fourth's contact.
Calling…
She paced as it rang once… twice… and then went straight to voicemail.
She quickly dialed P'Pond's number.
Nothing.
No ring. Just a recorded voice message.
"Try again," Milk said, already tapping Gemini's name.
Love redialed. Again, nothing.
Milk held her phone to her ear, biting her lip. The line rang and rang.
Then… silence.
"Voicemail," Milk muttered. "Gemini's not picking up either."
"Try again," Love begged.
Milk didn't hesitate. She hit redial.
"Please pick up," Love whispered to herself, pacing again. "Come on, come on…"
But still—nothing.
Milk let out a frustrated breath and ended the call. "No answer."
Love dropped onto the couch, her hands trembling as she set the phone beside her.
"They all turned their phones off," she said softly. "Why would they do that?"
Milk sat beside her. "Maybe their batteries died. Maybe they're somewhere remote and don't have a signal."
Love shook her head. "Not all of them. Not at the same time. That doesn't happen."
"They might be avoiding being tracked."
"Why would they need to avoid being tracked?"
Milk didn't answer that. She looked away, chewing her bottom lip.
Love rubbed her face with both hands. "This is insane. My dads are driving through the night to some shady place because of a note from them. My brothers are missing. I can't even get one stupid voicemail."
Milk placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "They're not missing. They're just… unreachable. There's a difference."
The minutes passed slowly, dragging across the living room like shadows at dusk. Love sat curled on the couch, legs tucked beneath her, her fingers anxiously picking at the hem of her sweater. Milk sat close beside her, her posture straighter, more composed—but the worry was clear in her eyes.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence was filled only by the ticking of the wall clock and the occasional rustle of the night wind outside the windows.
Love finally broke the quiet.
"I can't stop thinking about it," she whispered. "What if something bad has already happened?"
Milk looked over at her. "We don't know that."
"But we don't know anything either," Love replied, her voice cracking. "I keep wondering… what kind of mess did P'Pond, P'Joong and Pond get themselves into? What could've possibly made my dad's react like that? I've never seen them look so pale."
Milk sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "It's not just about them being in trouble."
Love turned to her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I think it has something to do with the Nimtawat name," Milk said, glancing at her phone again. "Your dad—Off—he asked about that name the second he saw the note. Not what happened. Not where they were. Just… that name. Like it was the only thing that mattered."
Love frowned. "But why? What's so special—or dangerous—about that name?"
"I don't know." Milk paused, thinking. "But my guess? It's not what your brothers did. It's who they're with."