"Phong, stand still. Put your shirt on properly first!"
Dung's tone turned sharp as he wrestled a long-sleeved shirt onto the Little Hunch.
"In a bit you've gotta head to church with the others—no skipping. If anyone messes with you, come straight back here and tell me, got it?"
He looked the boy square in his one good eye. "And if you don't listen to me, what happens?"
"Dung won't love Phong anymore."
Dung sighed in exasperation. "The important part is, I'll tan your hide if you don't listen. Clear?"
The Little Hunch nodded. Dung stepped back to admire his handiwork.
"Neat, tidy. Now go downstairs and check yourself out in the mirror, see how handsome you look!"
"Don't wanna. Not going." The boy shook his head hard.
"Alright, fine. No mirror then."
"Dung, Phong listened to you so you'll love Phong, right?"
"Yeah."
"Only love me, right?"
"Scheming little imp," Dung thought, then said aloud, "Don't start making deals with me. I've got a bunch of other kids to look after downstairs." Seeing the boy's flash of resentment, he warned, "I'll say it again—if you keep playing dirty with others, no one's gonna love you."
"Phong didn't."
"Alright then. Go on down, I've got work to do."
"You'll come again tomorrow, won't you?"
"No."
"Then the day after?"
"Still no."
"The day after that?"
Dung flicked the boy's forehead. "Nosy. I'm busy these days, stop asking."
The door creaked open. Sister Xuân's voice came through before they even saw her.
"Phong, downstairs. Now!"
The old nun's orders carried the weight of a royal decree—no one dared disobey. The Little Hunch scurried out, shutting the door behind him.
Only then did Dung turn to her. "What's up, Mother?"
"I need to ask you something."
"Is it urgent? I gotta get over to Mr. Út's place before it's too late."
"You're going to Nha Trang with him, right? For work or pleasure?"
"…Vacation."
Dung's bright grin didn't fool the nun's seasoned eyes.
"You look happy. Did he plan this trip to… smooth over the slap from Madame Kim?"
Dung's smile faded. "As if. Nobody's gonna bother doing that for a servant like me. Guess Mr. Út just… wants a change of scenery."
Sister Xuân patted his shoulder in encouragement. "Hang in there, son. Rich folks have their privileges. We just close our eyes and let it pass—it'll all settle down."
"I know. But Mother, don't keep leaning on Madame Kim forever. Try finding some other patrons too."
She nodded. "How long will you be gone?"
"Two, three days maybe. But I won't be back here much for a while—gotta keep a close eye on Mr. Út. Kid like him's easy to lead astray. So… you'll manage here without me?"
"I will. As long as Mr. Út's happy, all the kids here will benefit too. When are you leaving?"
"Right now."
"Then I'll head down first."
Dung gave Sister Xuân a nod, then set about quickly cleaning up the mess in the Little Hunch's room. As he worked, her words kept rolling around in his head—what was the real reason Đông Anh had cooked up this trip? Maybe it was because of that slap, maybe because Dung had begged, or maybe simply because the kid wanted a vacation. Whatever the reason, Dung was buzzing inside, itching for the day he'd get to stroll the beach with Đông Anh.
A glance at his watch: twenty minutes left before pick-up time. Dung lunged for the door, grabbed the knob—stuck!
He twisted harder, but the thing wouldn't budge an inch. Someone had locked it from the outside. And who else would dare pull this stunt except…
"Damn it, you Little Hunch! Open this door!"
Dung pounded on it with both fists, yelling loud enough to hope someone downstairs might hear and come running. But the brat's schemes were always too well-planned. He knew everyone would be at church right now. He knew this was the second floor, so Dung wouldn't risk jumping. And most of all, he knew this door had been reinforced—by Dung himself—so no matter how hard the prisoner inside hammered away, it wouldn't break.
And now… the prisoner was Dung.
"Damn it!"
He slammed a kick into the door hard enough to rattle the frame, then dropped onto the floor with a thud.
"Should've never treated you like a normal kid—now you've got the nerve to lock me in, Little devil!"
Another look at the watch. Ten minutes left to get to Đông Anh's place, and Dung hadn't even figured out how to step outside this room. Was a rare beach trip about to slip through the fingers of Dung Tây—a man who'd roamed every back alley in the city without breaking a sweat?
Dung stuck his head out the window for a quick survey, then tilted his gaze up toward the ceiling. In his ears, the steady tick-tock of the clock kept eating away at the seconds.
.
Tick-tock, tick-tock…
The big clock in Mr. Liễu's living room kept striking its steady, endless rhythm.
Now it sounded like the restless heartbeat of Đông Anh's longing.
9:30. Nearly half an hour he'd been sitting there on the sofa, eyes tracking every twitch of the second hand. Sweat beaded on his forehead, even with the floor fan whirring at full blast. The tailored suit that had looked sharp this morning now felt suffocating.
Mr. Liễu's wife—Đông Anh's mother—kept pacing in and out, glancing at her son's expression. Finally, when she couldn't hold her tongue any longer, she sat down beside him.
"How about I get someone else to drive you, so you won't be late?"
Đông Anh shook his head, his gaze wandering off.
"That Dung fellow," she muttered, "God knows what he's doing, not showing up by now. Letting his boss wait like this—really! I don't even understand why your father lets that nobody go with you!" She looked at him, eyes pleading. "Let someone more reliable go with you, hm? Going so far with the likes of him… I can't help worrying."
"We can't, Ma. I already told him he'd be going with me. Besides, Dung's got the tickets."
"It's just a ticket, you can throw it away. But it's broad daylight already and still no sign of him. Maybe he overslept, like that time he was supposed to drive you to school."
A flicker of memory surfaced, but Đông Anh quickly shook it off. "No, I'm sure something came up suddenly, that's all, Ma."
"If something came up, the least he could do is call and let you know."
She had barely finished the sentence when the house phone rang, making Đông Anh jump. He sprang to his feet and hurried to answer.