Chapter 1

The Breeze's Heartache

    The late-night breeze blew in, causing a chill that was unlike the pleasant cool of the daytime. Homlom sat with his legs stretched out under the Japanese-style table, covered with a warm cloth. His eyes, framed by thick glasses, reluctantly left the book in his hand. He checked his phone to see it was almost midnight, which only added to his worry. He craned his neck to look toward the door, still no sign of the person he'd called a few hours earlier.

    Lady Laor-Ong's House was a large traditional Thai house by the river, quite isolated from people. The late night was silent, but fortunately, there were still a dozen old guards and servants. He and his siblings didn't have to worry too much about the elderly woman. Homlom was waiting for his youngest brother in the middle of the house. The other hadn't made it to their eldest brother's ordination ceremony but insisted on coming back. After waiting for a long time, Grandma and Brother Inpha grew sleepy, so he volunteered to wait for his younger brother himself. At least he was more used to staying up late than the other two, especially Grandma. Letting her sit in the cold and stay up was not a good idea. Initially, Auntie Nom sat with him, but eventually, she couldn't resist dozing off, so he sent her to bed.

    "Brother Lom, dear, Mok is back."

    Just as Homlom was about to call his brother, who hadn't yet arrived home, the sound of footsteps on the stairs was followed by a slender figure in a short overall, showing off his pale legs. Luckily, the long sleeves were enough to protect against the cold. The owner of the sweet honeysuckle scent ran in, hugging and nuzzling him like a little kitten. But Homlom knew well that his brother was a stubborn cat.

    "Wait, wait. Hold on, Mok. How did you get back? Why didn't I hear a car?"

    "Well... hehe," Klinmok laughed awkwardly. At least confessing to Brother Homlom was better than being interrogated by Grandma or Brother Inpha. "I took the train, and luckily there was still a pedicab uncle around. Otherwise, I'd have had to call you to pick me up."

    "Mok! Why are you so stubborn, huh?!" Homlom widened his eyes, wanting to pinch his brother until he bruised. Not only was Klinmok an Omega, which could put him in danger, but he was also a famous young actor. What if someone saw him and surrounded him? And what about the Alphas who might catch his scent? Stubborn! Truly stubborn. "I'm going to get Grandma's cane to spank your calves right now."

    "Oh, my dear Brother Lom, I took scent suppressants properly. They just wore off when I got to the house." Klinmok said, resting his head on his brother's shoulder, sounding annoyed. "It was Sister Jida's fault. She asked me to stay for a meal with that sourpuss, and I got so mad I came back on my own!"

    "Next time, let her talk to me. My brother isn't her commodity to be passed around as she pleases-----------------------------------------------. I'm starting to lose trust," Homlom frowned in displeasure. Jida was Klinmok's personal manager, only a few years younger than Auntie Nom. She was a former actress who had transitioned into being a talent manager due to her age. She had been coming in and out of their house for years, which is why Grandma and the Venerable Brother allowed Klinmok to work with her.

    "Sister Jida's only flaw is this matter, Brother Lom. I don't know why she's so obsessed with that Tatthep! ...Uh, Brother Lom," Klinmok paused when he saw his brother's expression, wishing he could slap himself for his loose tongue. Oh, Mok, you really put your foot in your mouth!

    Homlom froze at the mention of a familiar name. Tatthep was his former boss. Homlom worked as a book translator, having studied many languages. Tatthep owned the publishing house where he worked. Initially, they didn't meet often because Tatthep was busy managing his hotel business, and the publishing house was merely a hobby for him. But last year, Tatthep started managing the publishing house more, giving them frequent opportunities to meet. Besides being well-off, Tatthep was a handsome Alpha, rivaling many actors. He began pursuing Homlom first, picking him up, dropping him off, and taking him out to eat. Homlom, who had never had a lover or even a boyfriend, found himself unable to resist the feelings that stirred within him. Homlom admitted he felt a flutter of excitement; he never thought someone like him would be loved or liked by anyone.

    And it was true. Not long after, Tatthep confessed everything. The young Alpha approached him to use him as a bridge to get to Klinmok. That was why he never crossed any boundaries with Homlom. The cheek kisses and hugs were purely the result of the natural attraction between an Alpha and an Omega.

    Hah, that's what he said.

    "Brother Lom..."

    "The truth is, if you like Mister Thep, you don't have to worry about my feelings, Mok. Because there's nothing between me and him. He approached me because he likes you."

    "Brother Lom..." Klinmok's face twisted in anger. "I hate people like that the most. Who approaches the older brother because they like the younger sibling. Hurting my brother like this, there's no way I could love him. It's good enough that I'm not cursing him and wishing him ill!"

    A soft hand gently stroked the light-colored hair of his hot-headed younger brother to soothe his temper. Though Homlom accepted the truth and didn't intend to interfere with Klinmok and Tatthep's relationship, he was still pleased that Klinmok firmly declared his dislike for Tatthep. Homlom had come this far hoping never to encounter Tatthep again. He submitted his resignation shortly after Tatthep confessed to him. Homlom admitted that he couldn't separate work from personal matters, but it didn't matter. Tatthep had hurt him. Without him, Tatthep could easily find another translator. Homlom wasn't concerned about money and was confident that resigning wouldn't cause him any hardship. Even though Tatthep pleaded for him to stay and forced him to take an indefinite vacation, Homlom didn't care. He considered himself resigned already. If Tatthep wanted to wait, he could wait alone.

    "Are you hungry? I'll make something for you. I was thinking of baking some cookies too."

    "What! Baking cookies? At midnight, Brother Lom?"

    Homlom just raised an eyebrow at his brother and stood up. He wasn't baking cookies for himself. In fact, if Klinmok hadn't mentioned Tatthep, he might have forgotten about him for a moment. Even though thoughts of Tatthep had been swirling in his mind for nearly two months, just the first day at Grandma's house, meeting the little boy with the memorable smudged face, Homlom's heart was restless, thinking only of Little Homnoi. Really just that.

    That night, Klinmok had sea bass porridge as a late-night meal, while Homlom baked a large batch of cookies until nearly three in the morning. Klinmok was still puzzled by his brother's happiness while baking.

    Could it be that his brother had found new love?!

    Homlom fell asleep at four in the morning, waking up again at noon. The plump Omega hurriedly got out of bed, showered, dressed, and prepared to leave the house. Klinmok groggily walked down the stairs, not seeing anyone. The famous actor frowned as he reached the large kitchen, seeing his brother carefully packing food into containers.

    "Where are you going, Brother Lom?"

    Homlom turned to look at his young brother and replied while closing the lid of the container, "I'm going to follow Grandma and Brother In to visit the Venerable Brother at the temple. Look...they didn't even wake me up. Do you want to come, Mok?"

    "No, I want to rest for a day. Anyway, Grandma goes to offer food to the Venerable Brother every day."

    "Is that so? Well, I've prepared the food for you. There's chicken massaman curry, stir-fried cabbage with fish sauce, sun-dried pork, and your favorite fermented fish chili paste."

    "That's sweet."

    "Heh heh, okay, I'm off then."

    Klinmok watched his brother leave, glancing at the servants in the house, each sitting tensely, which made him chuckle. Brother Aidin was stern and not very talkative, rarely mingling with the servants. Brother Inpha was kind and closer to the household staff because he often returned to Grandma's house. As for Brother Lom...he was particularly quiet, and the servants were especially afraid of him because his demeanor was very much like Grandma's. He preferred to do things himself rather than asking the servants who didn't meet his expectations. Still, Homlom wasn't as aloof as Aidin, but he didn't get as close to them as Inpha did.

    As for Klinmok, he was ready to be friendly with anyone as long as there was delicious food involved!

    Homlom drove to the temple, arriving just before one in the afternoon. The temple was several kilometers away from Grandma's house. He carried his belongings into the tranquil temple grounds, which would probably seem eerie at night. The temple was surrounded by forests, making the air cooler than other areas. He scanned the surroundings, hoping to spot the small figure of the scruffy little boy.

    "Kind Mister!"

    "Homnoi!" Homlom beamed as he walked toward the child who ran to him with a broom in hand. The oversized shirt hung loosely, revealing his small shoulders, making Homlom want to find clothes that fit him properly. The little boy grinned widely, showing his white teeth, clearly excited to see him.

    "Kind Mister really came."

    "I told you I would come, didn't I? And by the way, my name is Homlom. Call me Uncle."

    "Kind Uncle."

    Well, that's even longer.

    Homlom laughed heartily and gently pinched the soft cheek with affection. What a cute and endearing little boy. Homlom led Little Homnoi to sit under the Orchid tree, not far from where the boy had been sweeping. As soon as he opened the food container, the boy's round eyes sparkled. He shyly said he'd already eaten, but Homlom was sure it was just breakfast.

    "Oh really? What did you have with your rice?"

    "I don't know what it's called, but it had shrimp! The Venerable Brother gave it to me this morning."

    "The Venerable Brother?" Homlom furrowed his brow, recalling the shrimp sour curry left in the pot at home, a favorite of Brother Aidin. The Venerable Brother mentioned was none other than his own brother. "But it was breakfast, right? You need to have lunch too. You’re already too skinny."

    "Do I have to have lunch too? Grandpa and I only eat twice." Homnoi tilted his head, holding up two fingers. Homlom felt a mix of affection and pity, gently rubbing the boy's head.

    He himself didn't often eat lunch and believed some people didn't either, but not because they had to go without like the little boy in front of him. Homlom told Homnoi he should have lunch too, reassuring him not to worry about his grandfather because he had brought enough food for both lunch and dinner.

    “Grandpa went to cremate the body. I'm waiting for him,” Homnoi said, staring at the food with eager eyes and blushing when his stomach growled. “Oops...”

    “Go ahead and eat. From now on, you need to have lunch too, you know? I'll bring it for you every day.”

    The boy grinned widely, more thrilled by the prospect of seeing Kind Uncle every day than by the delicious food. He liked...really liked Kind Uncle. Homlom held the small hands raised in a respectful gesture, his heart swelling with emotion. Perhaps it was sympathy that made him want to see the boy every day, to ensure he ate well and slept soundly. Such a small child shouldn't have to live like this. Besides, Homlom probably wouldn't return to the capital. He might work on translations at Grandma's house and let acquaintances rent his condo. Truthfully, Homlom enjoyed staying home, finding happiness in reading and listening to music. Yet, he didn't mind driving several kilometers back and forth to see Little Homnoi, a child he'd only met for a short time.

    “Delicious...” His face lit up with a smile as he ate the delicious food. “Did Kind Uncle make this?”

    “Grandma and my brother did. But if you want to taste my cooking, it'll be next time.” When they had to stay with Mrs. Laor-Ong, she taught all four siblings cooking secrets, fearing they might go hungry if they were far from her. All four learned to cook, but the ones who could mimic Grandma's style were Brother Inpha and himself.

    “Yes, yes. I want to taste it. It must be delicious.” Homnoi nodded excitedly.

    Such sweet words. If Homnoi met his grandmother, she would surely be fond of him. Homlom chose to serve the boy fried sun-dried pork with cabbage stir-fried in fish sauce, saving the chicken massaman curry for dinner. He didn't pack the fermented fish chili paste. Grandma made it for Klinmok, so the taste was spicy according to Klinmok's preference. He was afraid that if he packed it for the boy and the elderly, they would get stomachaches. He then handed Homnoi cookies he'd baked the night before.

    “Cookies... Kind Uncle.” Homnoi looked at his Kind Uncle with admiration, raising his hands in thanks before accepting the large jar. It was so big that he had to cradle it, likely lasting several days. His small nose sniffed the aroma through the tightly sealed lid. “So fragrant, it smells amazing.”

    Homnoi muttered with a wide smile, his cheeks puffed out. As expected, children are more interested in snacks than meals. There was another thing Homlom was curious about: why did the boy speak the common language so clearly? He had never heard the boy speak the local dialect even once. Homlom himself didn't understand it, but he knew that the local dialect here was different from elsewhere. He wanted to ask if the little one didn't go to school because children Homnoi's age should be attending school. However, the boy's condition made Homlom keep his mouth shut. Perhaps it wasn't the right time to ask about this. He should wait a bit longer, at least until the boy and Grandpa Kloi felt more comfortable with him.

    "Brother."

    The familiar voice made Homlom quickly raise his hands in a respectful gesture, just like the little one. Homnoi stuffed his cheeks with rice and bowed to the monk without worrying about the dust and dirt on the ground. The Venerable Brother was a new monk who had shared his meal with him and Grandpa just this morning. Aidin looked at his younger brother and greeted him. Behind him was Grandpa Kloi, who had been searching everywhere for his grandson. Homlom then raised his hands in respect to him as well, making the old man hurriedly return the gesture.

    "Greetings, Venerable Brother. Where's Grandma?"

    The Venerable Brother raised an eyebrow. "It's late afternoon. Grandma and Inpha went back since noon."

    Homlom gave a dry smile, realizing he must have missed them. He had been so engrossed in talking with Homnoi that he completely forgot about his brother, who had just been ordained. What a sin, Lom. "I brought some snacks for you, Venerable Brother." Normally, he referred to himself by name, but now he felt it was inappropriate, so he changed his pronoun.

    "It's past the time for the midday meal. Save it for tomorrow. But I do have something I want to discuss with you," he said, glancing at the pair of grandfather and grandson.

    "I'll take my leave now. Come on, little one," Grandpa Kloi called his grandson, raising his hands in gratitude to Homlom for bringing food. Why was someone he had just met so kind to his grandson and him? He was glad he had moved here. Homnoi looked up at Homlom, hugging the jar of cookies tightly, his eyes asking if Kind Uncle would come again tomorrow.

    "I'll come again tomorrow, I promise..."

    "Promise."

    Homnoi quickly hooked his pinky with his Kind Uncle's. He had seen others do this, but he had never done it with anyone himself. This was a promise. It was the first time someone had made a pinky promise with him. The boy smiled brightly with joy.

    The grandfather and grandson walked away, leaving behind a lingering gaze of longing at their benefactor, especially the little one who kept turning back to look at him several times. The more Homlom saw, the more endearing he found it. Homlom had to turn back to his brother, wondering what the Venerable Brother wanted to talk to him about.