Any illegal business he was involved in all of it. Yet layers of nominees shielded him, untouchable. He had even aligned himself with insurgents. Because he was the one who had taken away the person Tham loved most.
A mother who used to smile easily shy, fond of painting and tending to her plants.
A father who was warm and gentle, devoted to his family.
But the day unrest erupted in the South…
Tham had never known happiness again.
That man' s evil would be judged the moment they came face to face. Without question.
Tham lowered himself to sit beneath a large tree, watching a small bird flutter down to perch on his leg as if it had been raised by him. The harshness in his eyes softened. Leaning back against the trunk, he murmured in a quiet whisper.
"Dad Mom please wait for me.
I' ll bring him to justice."
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly almost a smile, yet it never quite formed. The tall, brooding figure murmured to himself, as though speaking to spirits in the silence.
"Sir, we' re heading back to base.
Will you be returning with us?"
"You go ahead.
I' ll stay in the forest for another month."
"To track down information on Weerachet, sir?"
"…Yeah."
The black-clad ranger replied and raised his hand in salute. After the drugs had been burned and the bodies dealt with, the unit withdrew from the depths of the forest. At the same time, the rain began to fall again, washing away the tainted blood that had soaked into the earth.
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
Then a steady rush Southern rain poured down in unison. The forest grew so quiet that he could hear his own breathing.
Becoming a black-clad ranger had begun the day Tham lost the people he loved to the unrest near the border where his home once stood.
Being an ordinary soldier had not been enough to act in such chaos if anything, it made him a target.
The slowness of waiting for orders from superiors had cost him everything, leaving him alone in the world.
He had nothing left to lose not even his own life. And so he vowed to stand as the nation' s front line, one who would not wait for orders when wrongdoers trespassed into the Kingdom.
The tall figure dressed entirely in black pulled on a rain hat and a long poncho before stepping into the lush, humid jungle. The darkness made the path nearly impossible to see but for Tham, the way forward was clear even without sight.
He retrieved the large bag he had set aside before the confrontation and slung it over his strong shoulder. Knives, firearms even tranquilizers for animals were packed inside.
The capable team leader disappeared into the forest as if he were part of the land itself.
One who loved the forest and the soil of his country became like a national treasure blending into it as one.
Two days later.
The sky remained overcast from the storm that had just passed. Fallen leaves were scattered across the dirt yard in front of a guesthouse by the stream.
"Why Malaysia, man? At least investing in Japan or Korea would' ve been better…"
A tall, fair-skinned young man from the capital neat and impeccably groomed stood with his hands on his hips, striking a handsome pose as he muttered complaints the entire way.
A well-built frame hid beneath a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt and vivid knee-length shorts, as if he were vacationing in Hawaii. His travel companion, with clear skin and delicate features, dressed more simply a branded T-shirt and jeans, every piece unmistakably high-end.
The two had been dragged along together since childhood, inseparable until now at twenty-five. The friend could only shake his head at the other' s lack of direction, drifting through life day by day without purpose.
"It' s not exactly developed, you know?
I don' t like being anywhere uncomfortable,"
the tycoon' s son complained with visible boredom. His friend always insisted on going somewhere less advanced despite being the heir to one of the most progressive business empires around.
Chet was the son of a billionaire businessman slimmer than Time and just as passionate about business as his father. But Time wasn' t.
Time was the heir to the largest food export conglomerate in the country. He spent his days indulging himself; his family had money, had everything. Comfort was guaranteed. He could do whatever he wanted eat whatever he pleased, travel anywhere in the world.
Even so, three years after graduating, the pretentious young man still had no desire to do anything. He didn' t even know what he wanted.
So his best friend decided to drag him into business together.
"I like exploring developing countries, man.
We' re investors. Why go somewhere the competition is sky-high with no room left for you, idiot Time?"
Chet smirked like a victor. His sharp, refined face was smooth and composed as he lightly swirled a glass of iced lemon water in his hand.
"Oh, please. Just because your grades were barely better than mine, now you' re acting all superior."
Time grumbled, grabbing a cushion and hugging it tightly. His expression soured, lips jutting out like a child who' d just had his candy snatched away.
"Barely? I was first in class. You were dead last. That kind of 'barely' ?"
Chet shot him a sideways glance with a cool smile, eyes narrowing in exasperation as he lifted the glass for another sip.
"Yeah! Just a tiny bit! Since you dragged me here, go do your research. I' m sleeping. I' m not going anywhere. It' s hot!"
Time declared as he flopped down onto the bamboo daybed on the front veranda of their guesthouse. Lush forest stretched below, yet he turned a fan directly toward his face at full blast.
"You' re unbelievable. When are you ever going to figure out what you actually want to do?
If your family weren' t rich, you' d have nothing going for you."
Chet shook his head again at his friend' s dramatic temperament, pulling on a light jacket as he prepared to head out.
"There is one thing I' m good at."
Time broke into a wide grin, lifting his face from the fan with pride, eyes sparkling.
"What?" Chet narrowed his eyes, folding his arms as he leaned back against the bamboo railing.
"Such a handsome face. And a ridiculously great body." Time said, stroking his own chin and waggling his eyebrows as he puffed out his chest to show off his muscles.
"Pfft." Chet curled his lip, half amused, waving a hand at him as if shooing away a bragging insect.
"Eww~ So vulgar." Time feigned shock, placing a hand over his chest before bursting into loud laughter.
"We' re setting up a hotel near the border so we can just walk back to Thailand if we need to~"
Chet said while checking the map on his phone. The place was lush and the atmosphere excellent, even if rain fell for months at a time much like southern Thailand. It had real potential as a tourist destination.
Chet always thought long-term. Thailand was just as beautiful, but unpredictable laws and an unstable government could cause endless complications like before. That was why he chose another location.
"If it' s going to be that much trouble, I' m not doing it…" Time lifted his head, scrunching his nose as he pulled a pillow over his face.
"You lost the soccer bet, so you' re doing it.
Or are you going to break your word? Crawl on all fours around the field and bark? And then we' re done being friends."
Chet shot him a look, standing with his hands on his hips, a sly smile tugging at his lips. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he pressured his friend who acted like a child despite being built like a prized bull.
"…You' re always so serious…"
Time lowered the pillow, muttering in reluctant surrender.
Chet arched a brow in triumph. The two best friends had grown up together studied together, traveled together and after graduation, started a company together.
Chet was the brains. Time cared about little besides maintaining his handsome face and well-built physique. So his best friend dragged him into business ventures in developing areas across neighboring countries.
Not long after Chet left, the tall, fair-skinned man stretched his long limbs and glanced around. There was nothing to do, and the place wasn' t crowded at all so quiet it was boring.
"A resort this close to the forest is way too quiet. I' d better go find Chet."
Left alone in the luxurious nature-surrounded resort in Malaysia, the excessive peace and silence quickly bored someone who didn' t particularly enjoy quiet. He couldn' t sit still any longer.
"Hey, handsome. Where are you headed?
Want a ride?"
A rough voice with a thick, broken English accent called out not long after Time stepped out of the resort. A strange smile spread across the coarse, cunning face of a large man whose eyes gleamed as he looked at the tall, striking figure so obviously different from the locals.
"Have you seen a tall, handsome guy?
T-shirt, jeans… looks rich?"
Time asked.
The man stepped closer and pointed vaguely toward the forest.
"Oh… he went that way. Almost at the border."
His thick finger indicated a dirt path leading into the dense woods.
"Could you take me there, please?"
Time asked, even though the man didn' t look particularly trustworthy. He just wanted to find his friend quickly.
"Sure!"
The dark-skinned man burst into laughter, mouth wide open to reveal uneven, missing teeth. His eyes shone strangely.
"That idiot Chet… is he planning to just stroll across the border for fun or what…"
Time muttered as he climbed into an old pickup truck. The engine roared like it might fall apart at any second.
"Would the government really allow construction this close to the border…"
He glanced sideways at the driver, then out both windows. The trees grew denser and wilder the deeper they went.
"Aren' t we there yet, bro? We' ve been driving for a while. It' s all forest out here who would even vacation in a place like this? Chet, you idiot… what were you thinking this time? For once you might be less smart than me. I' ve got to convince you to cancel this project. It' s way too hard to get here. I' m not doing this…"
Time complained the entire way, slender fingers lightly tapping against the car door.
"Almost there," the driver replied curtly, continuing deeper into the forest with no sign of stopping.
"Guess we' ve crossed into Thailand already…" The mustached driver murmured under his breath when the distant border marker came into view. Suddenly, the truck began to slow down.
"Thud…"
"Are we there yet?" Time asked, though he didn' t see any other vehicles around. The large man narrowed his eyes at the branded bag Time was carrying.
"That bag… you' ve got money in there, right?"
"Of course. I' ve got enough to pay…"
The driver laughed, but the handsome young man had already turned back toward him.
Wham!!
A hard, long object slammed against his head with a sickening crack. Time' s solid frame staggered before collapsing heavily to the ground, consciousness snuffed out in an instant.
Thud…
The mustached man grinned without mercy.
He bent down, grabbed the unconscious dandy by the legs, and dragged him across the thick undergrowth past the Malaysian side of the border. Rough hands rifled through his belongings, taking his wallet, passport, phone, and expensive wristwatch. Then he left the broad-shouldered body lying there alone.
Vroooom—
The old truck' s engine noise faded farther and farther away.
"Mm…"
White fingers twitched, scraping weakly against the grass. His luxury clothes were smeared with dirt and torn in places.
White sneakers had turned muddy brown. Fresh red blood seeped from his temple, trailing along his hairline. Sharp eyes fluttered open and shut in confusion amid the cold damp air that crept beneath his skin. His eyelids trembled faintly, as if his body sensed something wrong crawling over pale flesh.
"Mmm… c-cold…"
A groggy murmur slipped from the well-shaped lips of the tall young man. His heavy eyelids slowly lifted as he lay on his back among the damp bushes. Dim sunlight filtered through the treetops, falling across a face streaked with drying mud.
Crack… crack…
Something crawled and wriggled near his ear, making his thick brows knit together instantly. "What the hell is that itch…?"
His reddened lips muttered irritably as he shook his head from side to side.
"Chet… did you drag me through a patch of stinging vines or something? It itches like hell…"