Sombat was puzzled by how late it was—Anupap and Atid still hadn't shown up for work. He'd been wondering since last night what could have happened. Both had vanished around nine o'clock, their phones going straight to voicemail.
"P'Bud, Mark isn't coming to work today," Pojanee walked over to inform him.
"Everyone's taking the day off. What's going on? Nu's not here either, and Atid's nowhere to be seen."
"Last night Mark was hitting on some celeb girl and just ditched me. He had promised to give me a ride home, but when he saw that busty beauty, he sped off like a maniac. He probably took her out for the whole night—who knows if he's even awake yet. I feel like reporting this to Khun Trin."
"Go ahead and try. You'll be the one getting your head chopped off for bringing such nonsense to the emperor," Sombat sighed, stacks of work still waiting. "Did either of them call in?"
Pojanee shook her head, then her expression shifted as if remembering something. "Wait... or maybe they disappeared together last night and then..."
"You crazy girl. What are you thinking?" Sombat poked Pojanee's temple with his finger.
"Atid must have something going on with Nu for sure. I saw our sunshine boy looking all red-eyed and silent yesterday. The moment Nu disappeared, Atid vanished after him too."
Sombat began worrying about both his beloved juniors. His only fear was that Atid had confessed his love to Anupap and been rejected, leaving him heartbroken. But Anupap... why would he just disappear like that? It wasn't like him.
Near noon, Pojanee came rushing to report that Anupap had finally arrived at work.
"He looks pale and haggard, like he cried all night, P'Bud," Pojanee whispered conspiratorially.
"How would you know?" Sombat shot her a look and hurried straight to Anupap's office.
The young man was reading documents intently, unaware of the figure standing at his door until Sombat knocked gently. Only then did he look up.
"Anupap, tell me right now where you disappeared to last night. We didn't even say goodnight."
"I saw you were busy with that popular singer," Anupap smiled thinly, his eyes sad, dark circles under them like someone who'd stayed up all night.
"I was wooing Bank Nitinai for an advertising shoot."
"You were wooing him for nearly an hour, leaving Atid and me standing there awkwardly." Anupap turned to pick up a model's portfolio from his desk.
"How did it go?" Sombat smiled, settling into the chair across from the desk, chin in hand, leaning forward—catching the suspicious behavior of his junior.
"Atid..." Anupap's voice trailed off. "Atid must be angry with me."
"Did Atid confess his love to you?" Sombat guessed.
"No." Anupap set down what he was holding, sighing as he leaned back in his chair, eyes distant and unfocused.
"I'm not sure myself why, but Atid seemed hurt, maybe disappointed, probably because of Chavis."
"What... Chavis." Sombat's eyes widened. He'd never seen Chavis in person—the Chavis he knew was only from Anupap's stories and photos.
"On stage, next to the MC, that was Chavis."
Sombat visualized, reviewing his memory—among the three high-level executives, there was one handsome young man, the other two were stocky, in their late forties.
"Damn. No wonder. I thought he looked familiar."
"Chavis…" Anupap hesitated. "Vis approached me. Atid was there too. Vis kept bringing up the past, we argued, suddenly Atid just walked away, and then..."
"He was probably hurt, naturally. That jealous kid goes all sulky whenever he sees anyone talking to you."
"Atid probably figured out who Vis was. I couldn't control myself. When Vis started dredging up old memories, I just..."
"Nu... you need to stay strong, little brother. Don't forget that was a long time ago. I know you're hurt," Sombat sighed. "Let me be straight with you. Life has to move forward. I've watched you dwelling on the past for too long. I want you to be happy. Right now you have Major Atikom, you have Atid, you have Khun Trin. You have plenty of options. You wouldn't want to go back to the past, would you?" Sombat spoke seriously, staring steadily at Anupap.
He could imagine that Atid must have seen that the two still had feelings for each other, making it unbearable for him—forcing him to walk away.
"I know, P'Bud... I know," Anupap looked down at his desk, sighing before meeting the concerned eyes of his older brother figure.
"But I still can't overcome it. I thought I was strong, that I was almost ready to forget. But suddenly he appeared. And I realized that... all my efforts over time... were useless... thinking I was strong. I was completely wrong."
"Nu. don't give up. Don't let the past destroy everything. I know you're strong. Remember during crisis situations when everyone else panicked? You were the only one who kept your composure. Oh... and the emperor too. That guy would probably stand still watching calmly even if a train was about to crash into a plane." Sombat smiled faintly.
"My dear younger brother. You solve problems every time, and do it well too. This is when you need to make a decision. After four or five years of training, it's time to step into the ring. When the bell rings, it means real fighting—win or lose, that's it. Don't let it all go to waste. Don't let the past ruin your future. He's waiting," Sombat encouraged.
"Who, P'Bud... who?" Anupap asked, though in reality he was asking himself.
"Who do you think? Ask yourself," Sombat gave his answer—Anupap had to think for himself.
The caring older brother reached over to squeeze his junior's hand, offering support.
"Whoever you choose... treat the other two nicely, gently—don't bruise the lotus, don't muddy the water. Don't kill the engine and crash—in other words, end things gently with those two… wait, or is it three or even more?"
Anupap laughed softly. Even in sadness, Sombat couldn't help but bring out a smile.
***
Pojanee burst in excitedly to report, "P'Bud, Atid's here! He looks like a panda bear. And Mark called in sick—says he's exhausted, can't get up."
Both couldn't help but laugh at Pojanee, who was increasingly becoming the office comic relief.
Sombat stood up, still sending encouraging looks toward Anupap.
"I'll get back to work."
Anupap smiled gratefully. He was lucky to have good friends like Sombat, Pojanee, Mark... and Atid.
"P'Nu, Khun Trin requests your presence in his office," Pojanee added before returning to work.
Anupap pressed his temples, sighing heavily.
"What else am I going to face today?"
He left his office, preparing to meet the emperor. This time would probably follow the usual pattern—Trin would open with work matters first, give orders, then persuade with subtle force. After that, he'd bring up personal topics, creating awkwardness as if he wanted to say something but never quite did.
Trin's eyes and ears were everywhere. He really knew too much.
Someday... I would ask Trin directly whether he loved me or not.
***
Anupap couldn't help but glance at Atid. The young man kept his head down, working silently at his desk. He wanted to walk over and talk, make Atid smile again—the way Sombat always urged him to, but another part of him thought it wasn't time yet and he should wait a little longer. Right now, Atid was probably still hurt.
It was because Chavis had appeared, throwing everything into chaos.
And what about Atikom? Suddenly he'd stepped into his life. Had he thrown everything into chaos too?
Anupap shook off these thoughts. Right now he had to deal with Trin first.
***