"Oh, I'm sorry," I apologized, quickly withdrawing my hand. "It was an accident." I always tend to do this whenever I see Nao or Fei doing something cute and endearing.
"...Why must you apologize?"
"Huh?"
"Dan didn't do anything wrong."
"It's bad manners."
"…" Jay fell silent, frowning slightly as if deep in thought. "Is it wrong towards me?"
I asked in return, "And do you think it's wrong towards you or not?"
Once again, Jay remained silent before answering. "No"
"So that means I can stroke your head?"
The other party nodded in response.
"Ah," I froze for a moment, stunned. Feeling affectionate, I couldn't resist reaching out and stroking his head again. "You're such a lovely child."
I turned to look at Bai Plu, intending to say goodbye, but I saw her looking in my direction as well with a mischievous look on his face. She asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Just thinking that Dan is like an older brother..."
"Haha, sure," I smiled, even though Jay still didn't see me as an older brother. "Well, we'll be going now. I'll drop Jay off tomorrow morning."
"Okay, bye-bye."
"Bye," I said, turning to look at Jay. Jay raised his hand in a respectful gesture of respect, as I had taught him. Then we both returned to my car and headed straight back to the dorm. It was on the way that Jay spoke up.
"Brother?"
"Hmm, why?"
"We're not siblings."
"Yes," I nodded. "We're not related by blood, but people who aren't related by blood can still be siblings. Remember when we first met, when I said I wanted to be your friend or your sibling?"
"Yes"
I began to explain the matter.
"Relationships with other people come in many forms. Like me and Bai Plu, we're friends, more than just acquaintances. We've worked together, we're quite close. But between you and Bai Plu...The employer-employee relationship is different because Bai Plu is the employer, paying you salary, and If We've only met once. We're acquaintances, but if we see each other more often and talk more, we'll gradually become closer, like siblings or something like that."
"There's another form of relationship...called 'lovers' too."
"Lovers?" Jay repeated.
I explained further. We arrived at the dorm just as I finished explaining.
We talked in the hallway. "Actually, it's more complicated than that. It's just two people who love each other, right?"
Jay unlocked his room.
"Eventually, they'll get married, have children, live together until death, right? It's better to say it's the goal for many couples, but some couples choose to just live together without getting married. Some couples live separately but still love each other. Some couples get married but don't have children."
"Do you have to love each other to get married?"
"Not always. Many people don't marry the person they love or have to marry someone they don't love."
"You said love is well-intentioned, right?"
"Emm, I think so. We wouldn't wish harm on someone we love." I replied, beginning to wonder why this kid seemed more interested in this topic than any other I'd explained.
"Wishing them well means wanting them to be happy," Jay repeated my earlier words. There was a long silence. I stood there waiting attentively for almost ten minutes, but Jay didn't say anything more.
"Jay?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have something you want to ask?"
"Happiness is an emotion or a feeling. Everyone's happiness is different. It comes from doing what they love, what they want, accepting what they long for. I have to find out what makes me happy."
"Exactly," I smiled, remembering how Jay repeated my words precisely. "Besides that, being with the people we love also makes us happy. Just like with things we like—if we like something, we want to do it again. With people we love or like, we want to be with them or see them more often."
"Yeah."
"We have two hours before I have to go. Should we continue the lesson?" I decided to change the subject so we could continue the class. After all, Jay seemed to have no more questions.
"Alright."
I placed a low table in the middle of the room and started teaching according to the curriculum. As I explained, Jay said:
"Happiness is often shown with a smile. You said 'often,' which means not always, right?"
"Exactly. Not everyone shows happiness with a smile, and not every smile means happiness."
"Then, what about you?"
"Hmm?"
"When you smile, are you happy?"
"Of course," I answered with a wide smile. "I'm happy when I'm with you."
Jay was silent for a moment. "Am I someone you like or love?"
He asked curiously, "Why do you think that?"
"You spend a lot of time with me. You said that with people we like or love, we want to see them or be with them. So, because you're with me, someone you like or love, you're happy and show it with a smile."
"Haha, yeah. I love you like a younger sibling. I'm happy when I'm with you," I answered sincerely and asked, "Do you want to see me or be with me?"
Jay fell silent again.
"Do you want to see me tomorrow? What if I suddenly disappear?"
"It doesn't matter."
"It doesn't matter if I disappear?"
"Yeah."
"Pfft," I pretended to be upset. "It doesn't matter if you don't want to see me, but I want to see you."
"…"
"Any other questions about relationships or love?"
Jay shook his head.
"Then, let's continue the lesson." I continued teaching him until around 6:30 before I had to go home for dinner at 7. "I'm leaving now. Thanks for the latte, but you don't have to pay me back for the meal. I want you to save your money."
"Alright."
"See you tomorrow morning."
"Alright."
I walked back to my car, happy with the latte Jay bought for me. I felt happy, whether because he genuinely wanted to thank me or just followed what I said. Either way, it was a lovely gesture.
I returned to Nao's house and heard noises from the garden, so I went to check. I saw Fai punching a small sandbag while Tiger trained her, and Nao and Mom cheered her on.
Fai had shown an interest in martial arts, especially boxing, since last year, and she was very serious about it. I was often surprised at how agile and strong she was for her age.
"I'm home, everyone," I greeted. Everyone turned to look, and we chatted briefly before having dinner together. "How was school today?"
"It was fun," Fai replied. "We had a sports lesson today. I was the best in class," she said proudly.
"Wow, amazing."
"But I haven't baked a cake for you, Uncle. I said I would make one after school."
"Do you have time? You go to bed at eight."
"So tomorrow, we'll wake up a little earlier."
"Can you? You'll sleep less than usual."
"It's okay," Fai replied. "I already wake up early for exercise."
"That's true. I should exercise with you."
"Do you want me to wake you up?"
"If I have free time, sure."
"Alright," Fai nodded. Watching Fai train reminded me that I should learn martial arts. It was a lesson from the kidnapping I once experienced. Thinking about martial arts, I couldn't help but think of Jay, who might be an expert.
After dinner, we said our goodbyes. I went back to my room, took a shower, and slept early so I could wake up early the next day.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
I received a message from Fai asking if I was awake. After replying, I quickly showered and went to the kitchen to help her bake a cake. We had breakfast together. I drove to Jay's house and gave him a bag of the cakes we had made. Jay thanked me and got out of the car. Today was his second day at work. Even though the first day went well, I still felt worried.
In the morning, I did my job as usual. At noon, I immediately called Bai Plu.
"Bai Plu, how is Jay?"
[Everything's fine, normal, no problems.] I let out a sigh of relief. [But he still doesn't smile and hasn't changed his tone of voice.]
"Yeah, maybe it will take time."
[And this kid calls me 'khun.']
"Khun?"
[Yeah, I asked him to call me 'Phi Bai Plu,' but he said we weren't that close and that to call me 'Phi,' he had to respect me. He said he doesn't respect me, Dan.]
"Ah," I paused for a moment. I explained this to Jay yesterday, but I forgot to mention this detail. "Sorry, Bai Plu. I'll explain it to him."
[I'll only accept his apology if it comes from him, not from you, Dan.]
"Understood." I ended the call and dialed Jay. "Jay, how are you?"
[I'm fine.]
"What are you doing?"
[Eating.]
"Good. Jay, what you said to Bai Plu wasn't nice," I spoke gently. "I forgot to mention that sometimes we have to call older people 'Phi,' 'Aunt,' 'Uncle,' or whatever is appropriate, regardless of how close we are. It's a sign of respect. Even though calling them 'khun' is also respectful, it sounds formal. Sometimes, we need to be more familiar. In this country, we usually do it that way."
[But I don't respect her.]
"You can't just tell someone you don't respect them. That's not polite."
[But I told you that.]
"I don't mind, but others might. I want you to call me 'Phi' when you truly respect me, but with others, it's different."
[I understand.]
"They're just acquaintances now, but you work together. It's better to be closer. So call him 'Phi Bai Plu' and apologize for being rude."
[Alright.]
"Good." I smiled even though he couldn't see it. "How's the cake?"
[Delicious.]
"Great. See you this afternoon."
[Alright.]
After ending the call, I waited a moment and called Bai Plu again.
"Bai Plu, how did it go?"
[He apologized and called me "Phi." I didn't actually want to force him to call me that; I just felt that "Khun" sounded distant. But when he said he didn't respect me, it made me pause. I know we just met yesterday, but saying that so easily… well, whatever.]
"Don't worry. Jay still has a lot to learn about manners. Please be patient with him."
[I'll try. What's up with this kid? Does he have problems at home?]
"I don't know," I answered honestly. "That's why I want you to be kind to him."
[I understand. I'll try not to be too harsh on him. If anything happens, I'll let you know.]
"That's the right thing to do. Thanks for your help."
[Okay, I'll hang up now.]
"Okay."
I hung up the phone again, had lunch with my coworkers, and after work, I picked up Jay at the coffee shop. On the way back to the apartment, I decided to teach Jay about manners in speaking. I explained that we should consider other people's feelings and that it's not always good to say whatever comes to mind.
"With other people, Jay, you need to think carefully before speaking. You should ask yourself, for example, whether what you're about to say could hurt their feelings or make them feel bad."
"And how would I know that?"
"Well, try imagining how you'd feel if someone said that to you."
Jay fell silent for a moment. "...I wouldn't care."
"Ah, I see. Well, just try to be careful with your words. If you're not sure, you can ask me first."
"Understood."
We arrived at his apartment and continued with our lessons as usual. During a break, I went to get some water and suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, someone asked for your LINE today, right?"
"Yeah."
"What do you think about that?"
"...I don't understand it."
"You don't understand why someone would want your LINE?" I sat back down and placed the glass of water on the table. "LINE is for chatting. That person wants to talk to you."
"Why?"
"Maybe they're interested in you or want to be your friend."
Jay kept frowning.
"But Bai Plu said she seems to be interested in you. First, she's interested, then she starts liking you, and eventually, she might love you."
"Love?"
"Yeah, that's how it starts."
"Does that girl want to marry me and have children with me?"
"Not yet, she's just interested. First, it's about talking, getting to know each other, liking each other, and then love. It depends on the people and the couple. Some get close quickly, others don't."
"Ah, I see."
"What about you, Jay? Are you not interested in her? At your age, many boys already have relationships. Maybe you'll find someone interesting too."
"A partner?"
"Two people who like or love each other and decide to be together."
"I'm not interested in her," Jay answered.
"Maybe it's too soon for you," I smiled. The idea of Jay meeting someone and telling me he was interested in them made me excited. "But don't worry, you'll find someone someday."
"Yeah."
"If you find someone, tell me right away," I said. I wouldn't let anyone mess with Jay.
"Okay."
"Alright," I patted his head affectionately. "Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at giving love advice."
"Hmm."
"I'll talk to Bai Plu about giving you a rotating work schedule. I want you to do other things too. What do you think? Or do you think working and studying are enough?"
"Anything is fine."
I nodded, already expecting that answer. I'd talk to Bai Plu about it tomorrow morning.
"What about music?" I showed him a video of someone playing the guitar. "Are you interested?"
Jay shook his head.
I showed him some more videos of different instruments, but he didn't seem interested. I understood—he wasn't familiar with them. I thought he'd learn quickly if he started practicing, just like with work and studying.
"Alright, we'll try another instrument another day. There's a practice room not far from here."
"Okay."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
I successfully negotiated with Bai Plu, and we agreed that Jay would work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He would have free time on Tuesdays and Thursdays to explore or do something he liked. In the evenings and on weekends, he would study with me. On the days Jay didn't work, Bai Plu would have to find another employee. Today was our first day at the practice room.
There was someone who would be teaching him. As I expected, Jay was a quick learner. It didn't take long for him to pick up basic guitar chords. I took advantage of the moment when the instructor stepped out to ask Jay, "Do you like it? For example, between playing guitar and studying with me, which one would you choose?"
"Studying with you."
"Alright, that means you don't really like it." I spoke softly. I had asked Jay before whether he preferred studying or working, and he had said working. That meant he didn't really like studying either. But I still thought having a foundation was important.
So while Jay searched for what he liked, he could work and study.
"Do you want to try another instrument?" I pointed to the other instruments in the room. Jay didn't respond until the instructor returned. I asked the instructor to show him some other instruments. Today, Jay tried several instruments but didn't like any of them. When we left the room, I crossed out "music" in my notebook. If he wasn't interested in anything there, he probably didn't like music.
I looked at my notebook. Hmm... Is art still an option? I had a feeling Jay wouldn't like it either.
"But you did really well. The instructor even praised you," I said while driving. Seeing a convenience store, I decided to stop. "I'm a bit thirsty. Do you want to come in and buy something with me?"
"You should tell me if I should go or not."
"Do you want me to go?"
I smiled gently. This kid always waited for me to tell him what to do.
"No, you should decide for yourself. Do you want to stay in the car or come with me?"
"...Stay in the car."
"Alright. I'll be right back." At least now he could make simple decisions for himself.
After shopping, I returned to the car and saw Jay staring across the street. Curious, I followed his gaze.
A boxing gym?
"Are you interested in that boxing gym?"
"...I've done it before."
"You mean trained?"
"Yeah."
I frowned, thinking. Martial arts was also on my list, but Tiger had forbidden it because he said Jay was too dangerous—that he could kill his opponent. But I disagreed. If Jay received proper education on not going overboard, fought within rules, and was supervised by a referee, it was just a sport. Besides, boxing had weight categories.
"Maybe this is different from what you trained in before. There are rules here."
"Rules?"
"There are rules and regulations to follow. You can't do whatever you want. We fight according to those rules to win in the ring."
"Ah... I see."
"Have you ever fought in a ring before?"
Jay nodded, which made me curious. "Can you tell me about it?"
"No weapons, just hand-to-hand combat. The only rule was that if the opponent couldn't get up, then you won."
"Was there a referee to stop the fight?"
Jay shook his head. "Just someone to see if the one who fell could get up. If not, they lost."
"Was there betting involved?"
Jay nodded.
It looks like underground boxing…
"Do you want to go in and see?"
"Yeah."
When I heard Jay say he wanted to see it, I immediately agreed. This was the first time he had ever said he wanted to try something. As someone who wanted to be like an older brother to him, I couldn't ignore it. I drove to the boxing gym. As we walked in, Jay looked around, focusing on the people training in the ring.
He looked genuinely interested. Seeing that made my day a little better.
"Hello," a man approached us. "Are you interested in taking a class?"
"Oh, yeah," I answered. "He's interested in learning."
"Do you have any prior experience?"
"Uh… I'm not sure," I replied hesitantly. "He has experience in fighting, but not specifically in boxing. So I guess he's inexperienced. Can you teach him from the basics?"
"Of course, we have beginner courses for those with no prior experience," the trainer said, pointing at a flyer. "Which days work best for you?"
"Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday."
"You want to sign up for all four days?"
I turned to Jay, but he had already walked toward the ring, observing the people training. I quickly went to him.
"Jay, let's fill out the registration form."
"Okay."
"Which days do you want to train?"
"Any day."
"How about just Tuesday and Thursday for now? If you want to train more, we can add more days."
"Okay."
After completing the registration, the trainer asked, "Do you want to start today?"
"Are you up for it?" I asked Jay. He nodded. Jay was given a uniform to change into.
I waited outside, feeling a bit awkward in the boxing gym's atmosphere. Before long, he came out, already changed and wearing boxing gloves. I walked up to him.
"Are you comfortable?"
"Yeah."
"You have a good physique," a voice commented from behind us. I turned to see that it was the trainer.
"How old are you?"
I gestured for Jay to answer.
"Eighteen."
"Really?" The trainer's eyes widened in surprise. "You're still young, but your body is very impressive. What's your name?"
"Jayden."
"Alright, let's go."
The trainer led him to the training area. I asked if I could stay and watch, and he allowed it as long as I didn't interfere. I watched Jayden train for the first time. His posture was indeed impressive, just as the trainer had said. Standing at over 1.85 meters tall with clearly well-trained muscles, he was truly remarkable.
I was shocked when Jay's first kick nearly sent the trainer flying. It was incredibly strong and powerful. Jay was about to throw another kick, but the trainer told him to stop and recover first. Even though I didn't know much about boxing, as an observer, I could tell this was impressive. After a while, the trainer told him to take a break.
"Hey, didn't you say he couldn't box? His kick nearly sent me flying," the trainer complained.
"That's what he told me," I answered with an awkward smile, unsure of what to say.
"How about we try sparring? That way, we can see how much experience he really has."
Jay nodded.
The trainer called one of the boxers out of the ring and asked Jay to step in. "This is Great, one of the best in our gym. Jayden, do your best."
"Okay," Jay replied. "Do your best?"
"Great, be careful. He's only starting today, but it looks like he has some skills," the trainer said. "No kicking, only boxing."
I moved closer for a better look. In an instant, I saw Jay approach his opponent and land a punch so powerful that his opponent collapsed onto the ring floor.
"Hey!" Everyone present shouted in shock. I was just as stunned. It all happened in mere seconds. Someone stepped in to check on the fallen boxer.
"Great is unconscious!"
Unconscious? From just one punch?