It is probably because…
I see him as a little brother.
It is not that crazy if I think about it, he always gets in trouble. So I naturally tend to protect him as his big brother. That is it.
~~~
-Author's POV-
Moon was sleeping on the bed, while Sun was standing next to him, waiting for someone to come over so that he could get out of this situation.
As he waited eagerly for someone to walk through the door, a sudden shout echoed down the hallway.
"Which room is Channarong Bannarasee in? Please, tell me right now nurse!"
The moment that sharp voice hit his ears, Sun knew it was Nong Ten.
No one else had that particular talent for making everything sound way more dramatic than it actually was.
Sun cleared his throat, straightened his clothes, and settled into the armchair, bracing himself for the gloomy entrance Nong Ten was about to make.
As the footsteps got louder, Sun's headache throbbed in sync.
"Is even a single one of them normal?" he wondered to himself.
"WHERE IS MOON?!"
the boy with the high-pitched voice finally burst into the room.
Right on his heels were Bee and First, both looking out of breath.
Bee let out a cough, trying to catch her breath, before grabbing Ten by the back of his neck and pulling him back to give him a piece of his mind.
"You rush to the hospital because you're worried, yet you haven't figured out that you're not supposed to scream? I swear, Ten, I love how your panic mode is the complete opposite of your actual personality!"
First grabbed them both by the shoulders, pulling them aside. He leaned in, his voice a low, urgent whisper.
"Sun is sitting right there watching us, and you two are still enjoying embarrassing us. Get it together," he said while gritting his teeth.
Sun let out a quiet smirk. He pushed himself up from the chair and stretched, trying to shake off the tiredness.
"There is no need to feel shy or embarrased. I was just heading out anyway. He's fine—just some exhaustion brought on by stress. Take good care of him. I'm out."
Just as Sun opened the door to leave, Ten rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
He spoke in that "fake whispering" style—low enough to pretend it was a private conversation, but loud enough to ensure it hit its target correctly.
"As the person who caused all that stress in the first place, you should've left even sooner, but whatever."
Sun paused, putting his hands on his hips and biting his lower lip in stress as he looked down at the floor.
"You should just focus on your studies, Nong Ten, and stop messing with your elders. Just thought I'd let you know, as one of those elders."
Ten was about to jump at Sun, but Bee and First caught him from both sides, holding him back like they were in a cartoon.
"You think you're so high and mighty, but you're actually at rock bottom!"
Sun didn't care about what Ten said. He just laughed and quietly closed the door—making sure not to wake Moon up because of its sound.
Right as he was about to leave, something clicked in his mind: Moon shouldn't know that Sun was the one who helped him.
If he knew, Moon would probably start an argument again, whether he was grateful that Sun helped him or not.
To warn the others about this deal, Sun opened the door just enough for his voice to be heard by them.
"Don't tell Moon that I'm the one who brought him here and looked after him."
Sun said his final words and, without waiting for an answer, he closed the door and went on his own way for real now.
~~~
After some hours, Moon slowly opened his eyes, squinting to keep the light from hurting them. He slowly yawned as he fully opened them.
There was First on his right side, waiting for him to wake up, and to his left there was Ten, reading a book as usual. Bee was over in the armchair, curled up like a little cat, taking a nap on there.
Moon slowly pulled himself up in bed and took a sip of water from the glass on the nightstand.
As he tried to clear his mind, Ten fixed the pillows behind him so he could lean back comfortably. Once Moon finished his sip, First took the glass and put it back down.
The last thing Moon remembered was trying to open a notification on his phone. After that, everything went black—it felt like a few hours of his life had been erased and tossed away like trash.
First had a lot on his mind, too, but he was determined to wait until Moon felt better before asking any questions.
Besides, he still had things to settle with Sun first. Ever since these events started, he found himself seeing Sun way more often than he ever did back in class.
Even though he didn't actually hate Sun, seeing him this much was starting to get under his skin.
Moon suddenly pressed his hands to his temples as a sharp pain shot through his head. With a frown, he slowly turned toward Ten.
"So, what happened? Why am I even here?" He asked them, trying to understand the deal.
Ten sat on the edge of the bed like a worried mother and answered his question.
"You got sick, so you're resting here..."
Moon rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath. He grabbed Ten's hand slowly.
"I get that, Ten. I'm asking how I got here."
"Oh, that! The person who brought you here was Su—"
First sharply slapped his hand over Ten's mouth. He gave him a secret "death stare" and cleared his throat. Then, he explained the "truth" to Moon.
"A taxi brought you here. They said that you realized you were feeling worse, called a cab, and came straight to here."
"Huh? Then what was Ten trying to say?" Moon asked, scratching his head.
Bee, who had just woken up, quickly moved to Ten's side and pinched his arm as a warning. She turned to Moon and spoke with a sweet, cheerful tone.
"Honestly, Ten was just really, really worried about you. You know how he gets when he's stressed—he walks around circles like crazy and starts talking nonsense."
Moon narrowed his eyes, looking at everyone for a moment. The room went quiet, like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Moon to show that he bought the story.
After a quick look around, Moon laughed. He pulled Ten by the arm and made him sit next to him.
"Bro, you're the one who should be lying in this bed. You really need to tone it down with the drama!"
Everyone started giggling at Moon's sweet response. They weren't really laughing at what he said, though—they were just relieved that he fell for the lie. Of course, Moon still had no clue.
~~~
-Moon's POV-
After talking for a bit and sharing how I felt, I told them I was feeling much better and then I got ready to be discharged.
We all walked toward the hospital reception to finish the paperwork, and I was busy organizing my bag.
When we got there, I reached in to grab my ID from my wallet. I opened it and handed the ID to the nurse, but right then, something felt off.
The amount of cash in my wallet was exactly the same. Wait—if I took a taxi, why hadn't my money decreased at all?
I quickly opened my bank app and checked my recent transactions; the balance on my debit card was the same, too.
I didn't say anything at first and waited for the paperwork to finish. But clearly, something wasn't right.
Ten minutes later, we took the purple bus infront of the hospital and reached the campus café. After we all grabbed our drinks, we sat down at our usual table.
Bee, First, and Ten were deep in a conversation about celebrity gossips. I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention.
Everyone turned to look at me, waiting for me to speak. My plan was simple, I leaned toward Ten with a sweet smile.
"Ten, where did you say I was when I called the taxi? I think I dropped my notebook, and I need to go back and look for it," I said, hugging his arm tightly.
Completely clueless, Ten gave a random answer. He probably felt happy and forgot everything he thought about; after me, an introvert friend of his, hugged his arm that tightly.
"You were near the crosswalk at the campus entrance. Do you want to go look together?"
Oh Ten, you're still so naive.
But that was exactly the answer I was looking for. Because, no—I wasn't at the 'campus' entrance; I was near the crosswalk right in front of the 'faculty' building.
They were far away from each other, so accidentally saying this would be stupid. And even if Ten is a bit stupid, he is not that dumb.
I let go of Ten's arm abruptly and slammed my hands on the table. Ten jumped in his seat like a little kid.
"Ah! What now?! Fine, go look by yourself then!"
P'First must have realized I'd caught them in a lie. He put his hand to his forehead and said in a deep voice, "Your grades are fine, but you're seriously an idiot, Ten."
Bee jumped in immediately, trying to get me to sit back down. She hooked her arm through mine to calm me down and handed me my drink.
"Ten meant the faculty building! The faculty entrance! He's still a bit tired, don't mind him, Moon!" she said, basically trying to force the straw into my mouth to shut me up.
I wasn't falling for it. Did they really think I was that stupid? That is harsh to be honest.
"I'm giving you one chance," I said, pushing the straw away. "Either explain the situation in full honesty, or I'll find other ways to make you guys tell the truth."
Bee panicked and doubled down on the lie.
"Wh-what? Why would we lie? You got into a Tuk Tuk in front of the faculty and went to the hospital!"
"I took a Tuk Tuk?"
"Yes, a Tuk Tuk!"
As I smirked at how ridiculous this was, Ten tried to fix it in a panic.
"No, a taxi! You took a taxi!"
I tilted my head and looked at them mockingly. "Wait, I thought it was a taxi, Bee? I think you're the one that is getting confused in here."
As Bee stood there with her mouth open after making a mess of things, Ten slowly reached over and pushed her chin up to close it.
Then again, First stepped in. He pulled Bee aside and sat next to me. He took a deep breath and put a hand on my shoulder, looking like he was about to give me some serious advice.
"You want the truth, right?" he asked.
"Just the truth. Don't give me an answer full of fancy words. Just tell me everything straight."
First looked at the floor for a moment, then lifted his head back to look at me again.
"Okay here we go. So, you were looking at your phone while crossing the street and didn't see the car coming. Luckily, Sun was right behind you.
He pulled you back hard and stopped the car from hitting you. You must have frozen from the shock. I think you guys started one of your usual arguments, but then you felt sick and asked Sun for help.
Sun took you to the hospital in his own car. We ran into him at the hospital, and he told me what happened. That's pretty much it."
This… sounded like nonsense. The lie felt more real, and the truth felt more like a lie. I really didn't want to believe it, but as First kept talking, bits of memory started to drop into my mind, making it impossible for me to not
believe him.
"Then why did you lie to me? Fine, it happened, but why did I have to face a lie instead of the truth?"
Ten didn't seem surprised that I asked this. He jumped ahead of First to answer.
"That jerk told us not to say a word to you. Actually, it wasn't even a suggestion—he basically threatened us with that scary voice of his!" Ten said, getting annoyed just thinking about it.
First squeezed Ten's cheeks to open his mouth and stuffed a piece of cookie into his mouth.
"Don't stir up trouble just because of your own grudge, Ten. Here, enjoy this. Let the sweetness of the cookie melt in your mouth instead of those bitter words."
Even though I was used to First keeping the peace like this, I wasn't used to him low-key protecting Sun. Everything was making me confused even more.
I gave the arm of First—who was still joking around with Ten heavily—a little pinch to get his attention.
"Don't change the subject. Tell me, where is Sun?"
First must have been startled by the pinch because he grabbed his arm and rubbed it hard to let the pain go away.
"That hurt, Moon! What did I even do?!"
While Ten and Bee giggled, First added, "He's probably in class right now. I let the professor know about your situation and got myself a pass for today to stay with you."
"Hmm, okay, but which classroom? I need to talk to him."
Ten looked surprised and turned to me with a frown.
"Hey, why do you need to see him in person? Just send a text and call it a day! Do you want people to start gossiping about you guys again?"
"That's the problem. He sent a message and then deleted it, so I need to ask him about that too," I replied.
Bee looked at Ten, who was huffing and puffing like a little angry bird, and rolled her eyes.
"You'd probably die if you stayed out of other people's business for once, Ten! Moon, P'Mint is in Lecture Hall A right now. She and Sun take most of their classes together, so if you go there, you'll probably see him."
First added, "For once, you actually used your brain, Bee. I'm impressed. Yeah, they're in Lecture Hall A."
As Bee raised her fist and looked like she was about to smack First, I gathered my things and got up.
"I'm heading out. Let's talk later," I said, leaving them behind. I will talk things out all through this time.
~~~
-Sun's POV-
The last class of the day was finally over. Mint and I were walking ahead, chatting, while Wee and Bank followed behind us, busy organizing their lecture notes.
As we headed toward the cafeteria, I saw Moon walking toward me with firm, confident steps.
He was holding my favorite milkshake—the one with extra whipped cream—and approaching me slowly while looking straight into my eyes.
When he finally cut us off and we stood face-to-face, a silence fell over the group.
Everyone was waiting to see what he would say. At first, he didn't say a word; he just quietly held the drink out to me.
"You. We need to talk for a minute. Come with me," he said while pointing out to me.
As much as I wanted to grab that drink, I have to be honest: the only time I ever drank my favorite drink was when I was alone or when I was with him—even though it happened for once—. I was too embarrassed to take it in front of everyone.
But what could I do? That drink literally looks like the opposite version of me.
I don't actually like drink coffee as an adult but these days kids love coffee more than what I drink. That is what makes me even more embarrassed about my choice in drinks.
I took a deep breath, laughed, and replied, "What's this drink for? I only drink iced americano. You keep it. You can have it."
I was hoping he wouldn't push the subject, but instead, I was met with a smirk and a roll of his eyes.
"Fine. Drink this then," he said, holding out an iced americano with his other hand to me.
Since everyone was watching and expecting me to take it just to be polite, I didn't say anything and grabbed the cup.
"Go on, drink it, P'Sun."
It was obvious from the grin on Moon's face that he was getting a huge joy out of this.
With everyone's eyes on me, I looked Moon right in the eye and took a sip of that terrible, bitter drink.
It tasted like trash. I was struggling not to gag, but I kept the "fake smile" plastered on my face.
Everyone seemed relieved once I took a drink, because it meant I was agreeing to go with him.
Moon suddenly brushed past us and started walking. Without turning his head back, he just raised a hand and gave me a "follow me" sign.
I was about to rush after him when I quickly shoved the drink—which tasted like poison to me—into Mint's hands.
"I'll go talk to him and be right back. You like coffee right? Here, you can have this because... I don't feel like having it right now not because I don't like it. See ya!" I said, walking at a fast pace to catch up with Moon.
~~~
We sat down on a bench under a tree near the faculty building. First, he quietly opened his phone and waited for a moment. Then, he turned the screen towards me and started shaking it as if he were interrogating me.
The chat window between the two of us was open on the screen.
"Tell me, what did you delete?" he asked, staring me down.
I cleared my throat and answered, "If I deleted it, it's because I didn't want you to see it. Why would I say something to your face that I didn't want you to read?"
"It must have been something you wanted to say at the time because you sent it already once. What changed between then and now that made you want to hide it?"
I couldn't answer at first. I rested my arm on the back of the bench, and then I finally put my thoughts into words.
"Fine. Basically, it said this..."
——————
Sunnydaze:
You told me to stay out of your business, but this involves me too. I took care of the photo. And the followers. I'm not expecting you to say anything.
Though, a thank you wouldn't have hurt, but I guess you'll just get mad at this too.
——————
The moment I told Moon that, he jumped up from his seat. He started shouting like a bird.
"I can understand you getting the photo deleted, but don't you need my password to get rid of my followers?"
I looked at the ground, scratched my head, and started examining my surroundings—anything to avoid looking at Moon.
He stepped closer, leaned in, and placed his arms on either side of the bench, trapping me between him and the seat. He stayed distant as always, but he was close enough to corner me.
"About that..."
"What did you do, P'Sun?"
"I had your account hacked to handle it."
He looked into my eyes. For a moment, he didn't react. Then, still staring at me, he started to laugh, his eyebrows shooting up in a mix of shock and anger.
"I told you I'd handle it, and you went behind my back and hacked my account? And plus, you expected me to be grateful? You truly beg for attention."
I stood up and snapped back at him. "As if you could have gotten rid of all those followers on your own!"
"I could have! Do you think it's that hard for me to find a programmer?!"
"You probably have no clue how much those programmers charge. Stop talking nonsense. Also, I didn't do this because I wanted your attention; I did it because I didn't want to hear you whining anymore."
He let out an angry laugh, walked a few steps away, and then marched right back to me.
"Do you think I don't have money, P'Sun? My family might not be as well-off as yours, but I'm not poor!"
He irritably opened his phone and added without looking at me,
"Tell me how much we paid. I'm sending it right now. Also, tell me the hospital fees. I won't ask why you got me a private room right now, but I know it was you who took me there."
Idiots. I knew they couldn't keep a secret. Whatever, no need for more confusion.
I'll just tell him everything as it is so this nonsense between us can end.
"Normally the total fee was 12,000 Baht, but Earth gave me a discount because he knows me, so I paid 9,000."
Moon froze. He looked up from his screen and gave me a look that could kill.
"What?" I asked, swallowing hard.
Suddenly, he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close.
"As if you couldn't get any stupider, you went and had Earth hack my account? You really are hopeless! Even though I told you that day we weren't going to work with him, you went behind my back anyway, you jerk?!"
"Let go of my collar first, I'll explain."
"You're an idiot and you know it!"
"Let go of me so I can explain!" I said.
He pushed me away hard, still cursing me with his eyes. I straightened my clothes and sat back down on the bench. I began my with my explanation.
"You didn't even give me a real chance to understand you before you walked away from his place. Earth reached out to me later and said he could solve the problem immediately. I didn't want to drag it out, so I went and we got it done. That's it."
"Did it ever cross your mind that he might have given you a discount because he was messing with my business, not because he knows you?"
I groaned and put my hand to my head.
"You're doing it again. How was I supposed to know he had other motives? I don't even know the history between you two. Why would that be the first thing I thought of when he reached out to me?"
Moon calmed down, turned his phone back on, and sat beside me. He didn't speak for a while. As I waited for his response, a notification popped up on my phone.
—————
(Channarong Bannarasee sent 12,000 Baht to your account.)
___________
He turned off his phone, stood up, and looked at me as I stared at the screen with my mouth slightly open because of the sudden move.
"You paid 9,000 to Earth, and I'm guessing 3,000 is enough for the hospital fees. Thank you for dragging Earth back into the life I finally got in order. I hope we don't see each other again."
Then, he walked away without looking back.
~~~
-Author's POV-
Moon was originally planning to head back to his friends to hang out with them, but the disappointment he felt must have drained him.
He felt exhausted and his head was pounding like crazy again. He made up a lame excuse, telling First he had "homework to do" so he wouldn't worry, and headed back to the dorm.
He tossed his bag into a corner, stripped off his clothes, and took a long shower, knowing it would help him relax.
As the water washed away the dirt, it also cleared some of the bad thoughts from his head. He dried his hair and lay down on his bed.
Staring at the ceiling, he replayed everything on his mind that had happened today.
"If he knew what I've been through, he'd understand why I snapped like that. But then again, why does he even care?
Okay, maybe I was a bit harsh, but he would have done way worse if he were in my shoes.
Idiot... I was actually going to thank him for taking me to the hospital, but he made me forget all about that with his nonsense."
As a million messy thoughts raced through his mind, his phone buzzed with a notification.
—————
Downtoearth:
I see that you're keeping all of those requests from handsome guys in your inbox instead of just declining them.
Don't worry, I deleted them for you. Now, neither you nor they can reach each other ever again.
Don't forget, Nong Moon—it's either me, or it's no one.
—————
End of Chapter 4.
~~~
Hope you guys liked this chapter, see you on the other ones!
Sincerely, teddytimid.