In the afternoon, Tee disappeared. I didn't want to talk to him, so I asked someone else to contact him, but they weren't successful. I kept that information to report later and continued my work. The afternoon was so busy that I could barely breathe.
Around 2:30 PM, I received a call on my phone.
"Tee?"
I sighed before answering.
"Yes?"
[Boss, I'm at the cafeteria downstairs. Can you meet me?]
"Are you coming back to work?"
[I don't feel like working.]
"I also don't feel like talking to you. I'm very busy, so I'm going to hang up now." I replied and immediately ended the call. But he kept calling. After rejecting the call several times, I finally decided to block his number so he wouldn't disturb me anymore. Honestly, his behavior only made me dislike him even more. He couldn't separate personal matters from work, and he had just displayed bad behavior toward me earlier that day.
Urgent tasks kept coming in, so I thought I might have to work overtime. I took advantage of a short break after using the restroom to send a message to Jay and the family group on LINE, letting them know that I might be home late and that they could have dinner without waiting for me. I put my phone away and continued working.
When we finally finished, the entire team felt relieved. I leaned back in my chair, exhausted, and checked the time. 6:30 PM—an hour and a half past our usual working hours. Everyone packed up their belongings, and we left the office together.
"That was really exhausting, all because Tee didn't show up to work," Nok muttered.
"Everything was running smoothly before he joined the team," someone commented.
"That's because he thought that with more people on the team, we could handle more work," Nok replied. "The workload increased, but the number of people stayed the same."
We chatted in the elevator. The office was almost empty, so there was no need to wait like usual when leaving. As we exited through the main doors, I was surprised to see Jay waiting for me. I immediately walked toward him.
"Jay?"
"Dan."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to pick you up," Jay replied. The other team members glanced at us with curiosity but didn't ask any questions or make any comments. They just said their goodbyes and left. I led Jay toward the parking lot, but he stopped me.
"Dan, the car is in the other direction."
"My car is over here."
"Your car is no longer there."
"Huh?" I looked at him in confusion.
"I came to find you."
"Why isn't my car there? Was it stolen?"
"Tiger sent someone to check on your car," Jay answered calmly. I waited for him to continue as we walked. "Tiger called me and said that you were being harassed."
"Harassed?" I frowned. "You mean by Tee?"
"Yes. Tiger's security reported that he was doing something to your car and waiting nearby. They also knew you were working overtime. Maybe he was waiting for the office to be empty. We don't know what his plan was, but just in case, I came here."
"Ah... So where is he now?"
"At the hospital."
"Why?"
"He had a heatstroke. Maybe he waited too long under the sun." I put my hand on my head. What was he doing? And why was he waiting under the sun?
"Jay, you didn't do anything to him, did you?"
"I wanted to, but he passed out first. So I took him to the hospital."
"Ah," I sighed. I didn't know what to make of this. "Since we're here, let's talk to him. We need to settle this. With you here, I'm not worried."
"Alright."
While we were driving, Nao called, as if he somehow knew. He bombarded me with questions, very worried. I reassured him that I was fine, that I was with Jay, and that we would talk to Tee before grabbing something to eat. Feeling relieved, he ended the call.
When we arrived at the hospital, Jay led me to the patient's room. Tee was lying on the bed, playing with his phone. When he saw me, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Boss?"
I stood in the middle of the room, not approaching him.
"I know you were around my car, waiting for me. What exactly do you want?"
"I just wanted to talk." He looked sad and started crying. "I feel really bad about how I spoke to you. I didn't mean for this to happen. I wanted to apologize. By the way, was it Jayden who brought me to the hospital?"
Jay nodded.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
"What were you doing with my car?"
He looked confused. "I was just looking at it. I thought it was cute, that's all. Boss, can you forgive me? I promise I won't behave badly again. Actually, I..." Then, all of a sudden, he started telling me his personal story, not giving me a chance to interrupt.
I began to understand that Tee was born into a wealthy family. His mother spoiled him too much, which ultimately ruined his behavior. He didn't realize this until he grew older and started trying to change, though he still had bad habits when things didn't go his way. Because of this, not many people liked him, including his father.
When he first met me, he really liked me, but now he realized he needed to move on.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm glad you understand."
"Thank you. Oh, by the way, Jayden, are you the boxer who knocked out his opponent with one punch?"
"Yes," Jay replied. Tee turned even paler.
"...Oh, I see."
I said my goodbyes, and we left. It felt like a weight had been lifted after everything was cleared up.
"That was the coworker you told me about?"
"Yeah."
"But he seems better now."
"That's how it is."
"Why?"
"Are you still going to hug me?"
I chuckled softly, feeling touched. "Of course."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
When we got home, we took a shower and got ready for bed. Nok sent a message saying that our team would have a replacement day off tomorrow because of today's overtime. If the overtime was Tee's fault, then this day off could also be considered a blessing from him. I didn't dwell on it, just felt happy to have a break. I could support Jay in his match.
"Jay, I have good news."
"What is it?"
"I have the day off tomorrow. I'll be there to support you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
Jay nodded enthusiastically. I checked the page with the schedule for tomorrow's matches. Seeing the comments and his supporters, I realized Jay had more fans. But maybe he didn't care much about it, so I just felt happy in silence and didn't say anything to him.
"Dan."
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask for a kiss on the forehead?" Jay brushed his bangs aside. I walked closer and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"Can I kiss your forehead too?"
"Huh?" I was a little surprised but agreed, feeling slightly shy. I closed my eyes and felt a soft touch on my forehead. Then I opened my eyes.
We looked at each other, and Jay slightly furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong? You didn't like it?"
"I liked it," Jay replied. "I liked it a lot, but… I want to do more."
"More?"
He seemed to be searching for a way to explain. "I want to do more than just kiss your forehead."
I paused for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know? Is there something else besides just kissing the forehead?" Jay asked, as if he had just remembered something. "My mom used to kiss my cheek. Can I kiss your cheek?"
"..." I fell silent, not answering right away. I bit my lip and felt my face heat up. Being alone in this room only made me more nervous. "...Okay."
Jay leaned in close and suddenly kissed my cheek, not giving me any time to react.
He pressed his lips there for a moment before pulling away.
"And."
"Hmm?"
"I feel like that wasn't enough."
"That was enough," I replied, embarrassed. "Once a day is enough for now." I didn't know how to handle this situation.
"What do I have to do to get more than once a day? Do I have to be your boyfriend?"
Jay asked, confused.
"North said that if you become someone's boyfriend, you can do more than just hugging. Kissing on the cheek is more than hugging, right?"
"Yeah," I answered briefly before lying down and covering myself with a blanket.
"Time to sleep."
"Alright." Jayden followed suit, lying down and draping his arm over me. Exhausted, I quickly fell asleep.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Operation Phoenix (3)
[Jayden]: I want to be Dan's boyfriend.
[Lone Wolf]: Then just ask him.
[Jayden]: Who are you?
[Lone Wolf]: I'm North.
[Jayden]: Alright.
[Jayden]: Should I ask him?
[Lone Wolf]: Yeah, something like, "Will you be my boyfriend?" You know, that kind of thing.
[Lone Wolf]: But Dan said to take it slow.
[Lone Wolf]: Who's even forcing you, kid?
[Jayden]: Who's "kid"?
[Lone Wolf]: Someone inevitable.
[Lone Wolf]: His name is Damrong (ดํารง)*
*Damrong = a persistent person, one who endures, one who protects.
[Lone Wolf]: Nao, do you know him?
[Guardian Spirit]: Yeah, I've met him before.
[Lone Wolf]: You're amazing for having met him.
[Jayden]: I don't know him.
[Lone Wolf]: I'll introduce him to you later.
[Guardian Spirit]: For what? Hahaha.
[Guardian Spirit]: @Jayden, you don't have to rush. Why do you want to be his boyfriend so soon?
[Guardian Spirit]: Aren't you fine the way things are?
[Jayden]: I'm fine.
[Jayden]: I feel great, but I want to kiss Dan's cheek a few times a day.
[Lone Wolf]: You don't have to be a couple to kiss someone's cheek a few times a day.
[Guardian Spirit]: I don't know how my brother will react to that.
[Guardian Spirit]: If you're not his boyfriend but keep kissing his cheek, he might set boundaries.
[Jayden]: What do you mean?
[Lone Wolf]: Yeah, what do you mean, Nao?
[Guardian Spirit]: (message deleted)
[Guardian Spirit]: What did you say?
[Lone Wolf]: Hahaha.
[Lone Wolf]: The kid is asking because you brought it up.
[Lone Wolf]: Answer him.
[Guardian Spirit]: Um, alright.
[Guardian Spirit]: You're more grown-up now; you're nineteen.
[Guardian Spirit]: It's only natural, right?
[Lone Wolf]: Just answer already!
[Guardian Spirit]: Can I just send a link instead of explaining?
[Lone Wolf]: No, you can't. Hahaha.
[Lone Wolf]: You love sending links.
[Lone Wolf]: Jayden, just look it up on Google.
[Lone Wolf]: But don't bring this up with Dan yet. Just take it easy.
[Lone Wolf]: If you want more kisses, ask nicely.
[Guardian Spirit]: Yeah, ask nicely.
[Guardian Spirit]: Dan won't be able to refuse if someone asks sweetly.
[Jayden]: I understand.