After an incident where they faced life and death and glimpsed each other's past lives, Jett started avoiding eye contact with Chan and gradually distanced himself. This was in contrast to Chan, who remained unaffected and continued living as usual.
For Jett, everything seemed confusing and chaotic, not knowing how to handle these feelings.
Jett values his freedom, having been raised with little restriction, making him self-centered and hating to be confined. He knew finding someone who could handle his mood swings, more fickle than a storm, was rarer than finding a needle in the ocean. He also had no intention of committing unless he genuinely felt love. Until now, he had never been in a relationship.
After that day, Chan directly asked Jett what he wanted to do about their relationship, to which Jett replied, "I need time to think and be sure."
Until that day arrived, Jett wanted Chan to wait patiently, and Chan complied with Jett's words effortlessly. They each continued living their own lives, with Jett often avoiding being alone with Chan, frequently going out to bars with Khachen, leaving Khem and Chan together in the room, as neither of them liked going to such places.
Over time, Khem began to sense something was amiss. One day in their dorm room, he asked Chan, who was staring blankly at his plate without eating,
"Chan, is there something you want to tell me?" Chan turned to meet Khem's gaze, feeling he couldn't lie, and proceeded to tell Khem everything. From how he and Jett had seen their past lives, to his feelings for Jett.
Having experienced many things himself, Khem wasn't particularly shocked; instead, he gained a deeper understanding.
Regarding the relationship between Chan and Jett, Khem had long observed that they had always felt warmly towards each other. However, more recently, Jett had started to distance himself bit by bit, probably not wanting Khem to feel uncomfortable.
Asked if he felt hurt that they had kept this from him for years, Khem admitted he did feel a bit hurt, but his friends' feelings were more important to him.
Khem nodded in understanding and gently patted Chan's shoulder in sympathy.
"I understand, Chan. I've been through something similar; it's really not easy." Chan looked at Khem silently before lowering his eyes out of guilt.
"I'm sorry for keeping it hidden for so many years." Chan apologized.
Khem smiled and shook his head.
"That's okay, but now, I want to ask you something, and I want you to answer honestly." Chan nodded.
"Yes."
"Between Jett from the past life and this one, who do you like more?"
Chan thought about what Khem had said and soon had an answer. He pushed up his glasses and spoke directly to Khem,
"This life."
"..."
"I'm gay, Khun Khem."
Khem choked on air. The statement was straightforward, easy to interpret; in this life, Chan liked men, whereas in the past life, Jett was a woman but is now a man, so naturally, Chan of this life would like Jett of this life.
Moreover, the personalities of both Chan and Jett in their past and present lives were quite different, making it not too hard to distinguish their feelings.
The only issue was Jett, who still hadn't accepted his own feelings.
"It's been three years now. What will you do? Will you keep waiting like this?"
Chan sighed softly before picking up an alcoholic fruit juice can to drink in an attempt to relieve stress, then set it down and stared at it.
"I don't know how much longer I can keep waiting for him like this."
Khem blinked.
"Why?"
Chan's eyes behind his glasses turned to meet Khem's again before he started to explain something.
It was something Chan had been hiding from both Jett and Khem for a long time.
The unsolvable problem led Khem and Chan to try sitting down to drink at the bar, just like Jett liked to do.
Before deciding to come, Khem had already texted Pharan but didn't tell Jett for certain reasons. He only took a photo of Chan in a black T-shirt, with his undercut hairstyle slicked back, not wearing glasses but contact lenses, turning to look at the stage, holding a glass of liquor in his hand, and uploaded it to his story with the caption:
'My friend is single.'
The most cunning smile Khem had ever made in his life was released gently after clicking confirm.
The rest was just a waiting game.
Soon, Jett sent a message asking where Khem was. Khem saw it but chose not to reply.
Almost at five in the evening, Chan's senior from his faculty walked over to greet them and invited them to join his table, which wasn't far away, where both men and women were sitting together.
Chan was about to decline out of concern for Khem, but Khem nodded in agreement and said he'd join later.
"What are you planning, Khun Khem?" Chan turned to look at him with a knowing squint. Khem responded with a mischievous smile amidst the loud music, leaning in to whisper in Chan's ear,
"Just wait and see my handiwork."
Khem led Chan to sit with their well-known senior in an empty spot.
Many of these seniors were also part of the volunteer club, making it comfortable for them to talk and drink together, even though Khem's glass only contained plain fruit juice.
Khem took a picture of Chan talking to another senior, a woman, who was sitting next to him. Though their conversation mostly revolved around academic topics, the photo suggested something more to an onlooker's imagination.
Khem posted the photo to his story with the caption, 'So cute.'
Soon enough, Khachen, who was expected to be with Jett, replied to the story with,
"Are you teasing your friend?"
Khem chuckled softly and sent back a sticker of a sly cat.
Khem checked the watch that Pharan had given him as a birthday gift and began a countdown.
When he received another message from Khachen, Khem nudged Chan and whispered, "Good luck, Chan. I'm heading back."
"Wait a moment..." Before Chan could grasp the meaning of Khem's words, Khem had already quickly left. Then, someone's silhouette approached and overlapped with Chan's.
Turning around, Chan saw it was Jett. They locked eyes for a few seconds before Chan asked,
"How did you get here, Khun Jett?" Jett didn't answer; he just nodded to greet others they knew well, except for the female senior sitting next to Chan. Then, he grabbed Chan's shirt, pulling him up from the seat and dragging him out.
Once they reached the parking lot, Jett extended his hand and said in a cold voice,
"The car keys."
"Khun Jett..."
"Give them!" Chan sighed softly before handing over the car keys to Jett and walked to sit in the passenger seat, only because Jett wasn't drunk, while he himself was starting to feel dizzy.
When they arrived at Jett's condo, Jett seemed to have calmed down, while Chan's emotions were rising, his thoughts becoming more confused.
"You sleep here, I'll go sleep with Khem." Jett said after pulling Chan into the room. As he turned to leave, Chan grabbed his wrist, pulling him back to face each other.
"Why are you acting like this?" Since they met, Jett had never been asked this question by Chan before, so when he heard it for the first time, he was caught off guard.
"I just came to bring you back, why do you have to ask? Do you have a problem with that!?"
"Why do you have to bring me back? I just went to drink with friends, like how you like to drink with Phii Khachen. Did I do something wrong?"
"And why were you sitting next to that woman!!" After Jett's emotional outburst, the room fell into a long silence before Chan spoke up.
"Khun Jett, are you jealous?"
"I'm not..."
"Khun Jett, do you know, every time you go out with Phii Khachen, I feel the same way."
"..."
"I don't know what your past was like, why you seem so close, but I didn't dare to ask. No matter how upset I was, I had to endure it."
"..."
"Every time you run to him, I want to pull you back and tell you not to go, but you wouldn't listen to me, would you?"
"I..." Jett wanted to argue but couldn't find the words, leaving him stunned as Chan grew increasingly angry and resentful.
"I eat whatever you give me, go wherever you drag me, do whatever you order me to, wait whenever you tell me to, like some kind of pet."
"..."
"But pets have hearts, they have their limits too." Jett furrowed his brows, feeling his heart clench as he sensed something in what Chan had just said.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Khun Jett, you have time to reflect on yourself before we graduate. After that, I won't be able to wait for you anymore."
Jett's eyes widened, his heart racing, prompting him to grab Chan by the collar and ask urgently.
"Why can't you wait? Where are you going? Or are you sick?"
Chan held Jett's wrist, gently pulling it away while looking into his eyes as if searching for something, before revealing the truth to Jett.
"I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not sick."
"..."
"But I have to get married to a woman chosen by my mother."
The opportunity Khem had created for his close friends to reconcile had fallen apart. Upon hearing that Chan had to marry after graduation, Jett was both shocked and confused, deciding to walk out of the room without a word. Chan just stood there, staring at the door that had just closed, for nearly an hour.
Because of the internship period, both went their separate ways to fulfill their respective duties.
Jett remained Jett, even though he was deeply troubled; he pretended everything was fine in front of close friends like Khem, refusing to involve Khem in his personal problems, choosing instead to bear it alone.
As for Chan, who was interning in a more remote area, he went silent from that day on.
Two months passed, and the internship period finally ended.
Today, Jett was staying over at Khem's place. Although everything seemed normal, Khem could sense how much Jett had changed. He looked thinner from not having seen each other for nearly two weeks, had dark circles under his eyes like someone who hadn't rested enough, and often seemed lost in thought.
Moreover, since that day, Jett hasn't hang out with Khachen as much as he used to.
Khem bit his lip slightly before saying,
"Jett, shall we go eat outside...?"
"..."
"Jett!" Jett, who had been staring blankly at his phone, jolted up.
"Huh, what?"
"I asked if you want to go eat outside?"
"Oh, yeah, let's go, I'm just hungry."
Khem shook his head slightly, knowing full well Jett was lying. He had been poking at his food for an hour, how could he be hungry? But Khem didn't want Jett to mope around in the room on this day off and wanted to take him out for some fresh air.
Upon arriving at the train market, Jett's mood seemed to improve with the sight of many people, the soft glow of lights, and the delicious food. Khem hoped to use this relaxed time to have an open conversation with Jett about his relationship with Chan.
However, they hadn't walked far when Jett suddenly stopped, causing Khem to halt as well.
What Jett saw was Chan, holding bags full of food, walking arm in arm with a beautiful woman.
After their argument, for the past two months, Jett had been reflecting on what he truly wanted, and he thought he might want to talk to Chan one more time to be sure. But he still held onto his pride because he expected Chan to be the one to reach out first, like he always did.
But it seemed it was too late now.
Jett felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if it were about to fragment, and he unconsciously raised his hand to touch his chest lightly.
"Jett...Jett!" Jett ran off from that spot without even hearing Khem calling after him. Khem could only look back in shock at Chan, who seemed taken aback and at a loss, and the woman who looked equally confused by the situation. Khem had to gather the things Jett had dropped and run after him.
Jett was waiting in the car for Khem. No matter how heartbroken he was, he didn't dare let Khem go back alone.
Jett just didn't know what to do, and he was afraid of showing an unpleasant expression...
When Khem got to the car, he opened the door and sat down, his large eyes full of concern. But since Jett had never discussed this with Khem before, Khem didn't dare to ask or express what was on his mind.
When they reached the apartment, before Jett left for elsewhere, Khem spoke up in a voice that he tried to keep from trembling,
"Jett, I'm worried about you."
"..."
"If there's anything I can help with, Jett, tell us." Khem said, seeing the pain in Jett's eyes. Even though Jett had never told him anything, Khem was already aware of everything.
He was just waiting for Jett to say it himself.
Jett was about to lose Chan, and it was causing pain to his close friend, Khem, in a similar way.
Due to stubbornness and clinging to pride, everything had come to this point.
Continuing like this, they would surely lose someone important.
After hanging up with someone, Khem sat by his phone for hours, hoping that Jett would call back.
Time passed until nearly midnight when Khem, who had been dozing off, was startled awake by a call. Seeing who it was, he smiled broadly and answered immediately.
"Jett."
"Khem. If I want to do something risky, will you come with me?" Khem laughed warmly upon hearing this, nodding at the phone.
"Yes, come pick me up quickly."
Jett and Khem left Bangkok just after midnight and arrived at Jett's house in Ubon Ratchathani around nine in the morning.
Jett's house was a large two-story concrete home located in one of the districts, with a spacious lawn and considerable surrounding area, including a large swimming pool.
Luckily, it was a holiday, so both Jett's parents were home, and it seemed they were waiting for them.
"Dad, Mom, hello."
"Hello."
Jett and Khem greeted Jett's parents with a wai, who were sitting on the guest sofa. They returned the wai, then Jett's mother beckoned them to come closer.
"Come inside and have some water, children."
Jett and Khem quickly walked in, bowing. Jett stopped three meters away and then proceeded on his knees, and Khem followed suit. This unusually submissive behavior caused their father to burn his tongue on the coffee he was drinking.
The parents knew that if their son acted like this, it wasn't because he had committed a serious offense, but rather he was about to ask for something extraordinary.
"Dad, Mom, I have something to confess." Both parents grabbed their inhalers and nodded in readiness.
"Go ahead." Jett closed his eyes for a moment, then gathered the courage to say,
"I am gay."
Everything fell silent. There was no response, and Jett felt his heart sink, slowly opening his eyes to see the puzzled expressions on his parents' faces.
"And the? You came all the way from Bangkok to tell us this? You've really wasted time from work!"
"Uh, uh, aren't you and mom mad at me?"
"We raised you, not your sexual orientation, which isn't a crime or murder; why would I be mad?" The father nodded in resignation.
"Yeah, if I told you to stop being gay, would you stop? You don't even listen to my simple orders."
Khem laughed, and Jett pouted, feeling embarrassed.
"Dad..."
"I asked what else, there must be more to this story, right?"
Jett nodded before recounting his relationship with Chan to Khem, along with his parents.
After finishing the story, he quickly crawled over to hug his father's leg with a pleading look, alternating glances between his mother.
"Dad, Mom, could you please propose marriage to Chan's family for me?
If it gets any later, he'll end up marrying someone else, please."
"You brat, you are always causing trouble that could put me in jail. You want me to suddenly go and propose to someone at random, what if the
homeowner calls the police?"
"Oh, Dad, with your connections, who would dare arrest you?"
"I'll get straight to the point. No, no, if you're going to ask for his hand or have him ask for yours, both sides need to agree, you can't just decide on your own."
"No way, by the time you have time to talk about it, it'll be too late."
"What do you mean too late? If he's free today, talk today, here, and get it over with."
"Oh, and how are we supposed to talk here!"
"Just turn around and talk, you brat."
Hearing this, Jett's jaw dropped, and as he slowly turned, he saw Chan standing behind him, while Khem had disappeared from the scene.
"Sort it out, your mom and I will wait outside." Said Mrs. Jinda before she took her husband's hand and half-dragged, half-led him out of the room.
"Chan..." Jett called out unintentionally, confused and shocked to see him there, but before he could ask, Chan, who had been standing, walked over, knelt in front of him, and reached out to wipe away the tears streaming down Jett's face.
"Khun Jett, I'm sorry." Chan apologized. Upon hearing the apology, Jett regained his composure, quickly shaking his head, grabbing Chan's wrist tightly as if afraid he might disappear.
"I'm the one who should apologize, I'm sorry for making you wait so long, for being selfish and self-centered. I realize now how badly I've treated you." He finished speaking, then wiped his eyes and nose with his arm, tears flowing like a broken dam.
"Khun Jett..."
"Wait, let me finish." Chan nodded, perhaps shocked because he had never seen Jett cry this hard.
"Yes, I'm listening, Khun Jett, take your time to speak."
"About Phii Khachen, when I first met Master Pharan, I admired him as an idol because he was rich and cool. I respected Master Pharan for his magical skills, but with Khachen, I admired how he lived his life."
"..."
"When my dad first got into politics, it was quite dangerous, so he left me with Master Pharan and the village to look after me, in exchange for funds to develop the village. When my dad was still young, he was also left with Grandpa Sek in a similar way."
"..."
"Even though the master is strict, he took care of me very well, like a real father. But because of his strictness, I didn't go out much. Partly, it's also because of my own hot temper, fearing that going out would lead to trouble with others."
"..."
"But when I got to know Phii Khachen, whenever the master was busy, Phii Khachen would take me out often, from playgrounds, malls, to pubs and bars, showing me things I had never seen. At seventeen, I even tried drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and had my first one-night stand with someone else."
Upon hearing this, Chan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, feeling a mix of irritation and curiosity, prompting him to ask directly,
"With whom?"
Jett, unaware of Chan's thoughts, tried to remember.
"A woman, Phii Khachen, selected her for me. It's been a long time; I don't remember her face anymore. I just know she was young, but I made sure to take precautions and get tested for STDs every year. You don't need to worry."
"I wasn't worried about that...Never mind, go on."
"Yeah, during all those times, Phii Khachen was always watching over me. He taught me many things about life, making me respect him like a mentor. But when the master found out, he got furious and forbade Phii Khachen from contacting me until it was the right time, or in simpler terms, until I was more mature than I was then."
"..."
"So, to sum it up, Phii Khachen and I don't have the kind of relationship you misunderstood."
At the end of his sentence, Jett spoke softly. Chan nodded in understanding.
"Thank you for telling me." Jett bit his lip and wiped away another tear.
"Chan, I, can I have another chance? This time, I'll behave better. I won't be difficult. I won't be self-centered anymore. Please don't marry someone else."
Chan shook his head.
"It's not possible."
"Oh."
"Listen to me first." Jett fell silent, listening intently, while his hand gripped Chan's wrist, unwilling to let go.
"Khun Jett, I don't want you to force yourself or do something against your nature."
"..."
"For me, no matter how willful or harsh you might be, I can accept it all, as long as you stay by my side forever. Is that okay?"
Jett, still sobbing, nodded immediately.
"Have you stopped being mad at me?"
Chan smiled affectionately.
"Coming this far, I have to have forgiven you, right?"
Jett nodded, then furrowed his brow.
"Now tell me, who was that woman I saw that day?"
"Sister Nant is Phii Chet's wife, my sister-in-law."
Jett's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Sister-in-law!?"
Chan nodded.
"Yes, that day, Phii Chet took Phii Nant to the hospital for a check-up, but he had an emergency, so he asked me to pick her up and take her home.
On the way, we passed a market, so I stopped to buy some food for her."
"I've never seen her before."
"Phii Nant is a flight attendant, she's only at home for a few days a year.
She decided to resign after getting pregnant. You'll probably see her more often now." Jett bit his lip, his face red with embarrassment, then nodded in acknowledgment.
But before they could get any sweeter, someone's voice rang out,
"Have you kids finished talking? I have an urgent meeting this afternoon."
The speaker was an elegant woman in her late forties, dressed in a light pink Thai formal attire, who had somehow been standing there unnoticed.
Her name was Lady Aranya, the owner of a medium-sized hotel business in Chonburi, or in other words, Chan's mother...
Jett's eyes widened in shock, he shouted,
"Auntie!"
Lady Aranya clicked her tongue; the potential son-in-law still had a knack for making people want to scold her until she cried, always the same,
"What auntie? You should call me 'Mother'."
"What?"
"Alright, you can invite the elders now. I have some business to attend to; come out of the room, everyone." This time, Jett was so shocked he nearly fainted because, besides Khem, Pharan, Khachen, Chan's younger brother, his eldest brother, and his sister-in-law all walked out. And even...
"You're here too, eh? What on earth is this!?" Phii Jane put her hands on her hips, looking annoyed.
"What? When my brother is about to get engaged, of course, we should come."
"Engaged!?" And before Jett could actually pass out from shock, Chan calmly explained everything.
In summary, after the misunderstanding at the train market, Chan called Khem to explain everything and asked for his help. Khem then decided to call upon the head monk and Phii Khachen for assistance.
Pharan took the last flight of the day to Bangkok and then traveled with Phii Khachen to Chonburi to talk with Lady Aranya about Chan and Jett.
Everything wasn't as difficult as thought because, despite Lady Aranya being strict and concerned about her image, above all, she loved her children. Chan had always been an obedient child, never once rejecting the idea of marriage, so she was unaware that her middle son already had someone he loved and wanted to marry, and that this person was a man.
At first hearing, she found it hard to believe her son had homosexual inclinations, but when Chan confirmed it directly, she couldn't help but be shocked. However, since Chan had never been stubborn or asked for anything before, she was taken aback for a long time.
Apart from Chan's own admission, two other factors helped Lady Aranya accept this scenario: the imposing presence of the master, Pharan, and the ever-present aura of wealth emanating from Khachen, who sat there adding pressure.
Well, upon reflection, it didn't seem like there would be any real harm, and it might even bring more benefits, so she agreed. She booked plane tickets for the whole family to travel early in the morning, just before Jett and Khem arrived about half an hour later.
But because Chan wasn't sure how Jett felt about him, he decided to hide until Jett expressed his true feelings before revealing himself.
As if there was a blazing fire in Jett's eyes, Khem, who had been hiding behind Master Pharan, only managed to offer an apologetic grimace.
Meanwhile, Khachen, seeing that his beloved disciple had found his match, felt relieved because when Jett had been clingy like a child with his father, it had almost deprived him of his single man's freedom.
The engagement ceremony proceeded, albeit in a rush. Jett was still dizzy and confused, his emotions in a whirl.
"Khun Jett, are you okay?" Chan asked with a concerned look, while trying to put the engagement ring, provided by his mother, on Jett's left ring finger.
Jett glared at him.
"Put it on quickly! I'll deal with the rest later!"
After the impromptu engagement ceremony, in front of their significantwitnesses, although Chan and Khem got pinched until their skin bruised fortheir role in cornering Jett, it seemed like our trio's bond had become evenstronger.
Thanks to the sacred presence of Master Pharan and the wealth ofProfessor Khachen, this engagement could take place and concludebeautifully.
Amen...