Episode 03

    One year after Kab Kluen moved back to Thailand, the two of them still regularly shared their daily lives with each other. They constantly video-called and chatted, as if the distance hadn't separated them at all. And having conversations every night before bed only made Kab Kluen’s little heart swell even more.

    As time passed, the feelings that had formed long ago became even clearer, to the point where Kab Kluen now understood exactly what kind of feeling it was—and that only made him like He Xing Yi even more than before.

    Vrrr, vrrr—while Kab Kluen was doing homework, his phone suddenly buzzed with a notification. When he picked it up, he saw that He Xing Yi had sent a message. Instantly, his small body rushed to the bed and threw himself down, typing a reply with a big smile on his face. While he was still typing, a video call popped up on the screen. Kab Kluen’s eyes widened in surprise. He quickly sat up, tidied his hair and face to look his best, took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and then accepted the call.

    “H-hello, what’s up?” Kab Kluen greeted him in a stammering voice.

    “What are you doing, Kab Kluen? Look at this—I bought new collars and toys for these guys. They love them. They’re having so much fun playing.”

    So it turned out that He Xing Yi had called just to show off how cute the three dogs were. He didn’t show his own face to Kab Kluen—only the scene of the dogs running and playing around inside his bedroom. Kab Kluen felt a little disappointed not to see He Xing Yi’s face, but still enjoyed watching the dogs play. The two boys laughed together at their antics, unable to resist their cuteness. Kab Kluen picked up his phone to take pictures of them and praised them out loud.

    “They’re so cute. Really cute.”

    “And what about this? Is this cute too?”

    He Xing Yi asked as he turned the camera to show his own face. At the question, Kab Kluen froze for a moment, stunned by how good-looking He Xing Yi had become day by day. He wanted to scream out loud that he was extremely cute—cuter than anything in this world. But being shy and a proper Buddhist, he restrained himself. Kab Kluen was too bashful to say it outright. So he covered more than half of his face with his phone and answered softly.

    “Cute.”

    Upon hearing that, He Xing Yi smiled warmly, his heart feeling full. He also found the sight of the younger boy’s blushing cheeks—visible even through the screen—adorable.

    “Kluen, you’re cute too. You’re getting cuter every day.”

    The two of them would talk like this every day. Because they were still children, their love was bright and innocent. Even though there were no confessions of love, no dramatic moments, it still brought immense happiness to Kab Kluen’s heart—enough to carry him until they could meet again. Kab Kluen truly hoped they would keep talking like this forever. But it seemed that what he hoped for wouldn’t come true. As the second year began—when Xing Yi entered high school—from talking all the time every day, their communication became morning questions and evening replies. Then it became every other day. And sometimes, two days would pass before a response.

    Kab Kluen still sent messages to He Xing Yi just as before—still sharing things he experienced, still asking about his daily life—but his messages received less attention and were always cut short. As for He Xing Yi, he no longer sent stories or updates about his life to Kab Kluen. The countless stories turned into just questions like: ‘What are you doing? How are you? Are you doing well? Have you eaten?’ The same questions and answers repeated again and again made them grow further and further apart—until eventually, He Xing Yi stopped contacting him altogether. No calls, not even a single message anymore.

    One of the reasons He Xing Yi started to grow distant from Kab Kluen was because he was preparing for the entrance exam to the faculty of medicine. So he studied very hard. In addition to school, he also enrolled in extra classes. He didn’t even have weekends off. He Xing Yi barely touched his phone throughout the day. Originally, He Xing Yi’s childhood dream was to work in the same field as his father, He Xing Yan. But his mindset began to change when his grandmother became seriously ill and required immediate surgery. However, the doctor in charge had consumed alcohol before work, causing a mistake during the operation. As a result, He Xing Yi’s grandmother died on the operating table—even though she had a chance to recover. That incident left a deep scar that made He Xing Yi want to become a doctor.

    And another reason was that He Xing Yi encountered new social circles and new friends—people he could actually hang out with, go places with, not just talk to over the phone. When he first transferred schools, He Xing Yi met a boy named Hao Ran, a boy whose personality was exactly like Kab Kluen’s. Because of that, He Xing Yi often found himself watching Hao Ran. When Hao Ran acted clumsy, it always made He Xing Yi smile.

    At first, he was just amused by Hao Ran’s clumsiness—just glancing by coincidence. But over time, since He Xing Yi kept looking at him, he naturally got to see Hao Ran being clumsy more and more.

    The two of them happened to attend the same tutoring center and even sat next to each other. Hao Ran took the opportunity to get to know He Xing Yi first. With a talkative and cheerful nature, Hao Ran always had something to chat with He Xing Yi about. And since he also wanted to study medicine, the two of them gradually became close and eventually best friends. Originally, He Xing Yi had already taken an interest in Hao Ran even before they got to know each other. But as they got closer, spent time together more often, and got to know one another deeply—it ended with He Xing Yi falling hard for Hao Ran.

    That was how he came to forget his childhood love.

    Meanwhile, Kab Kluen continued to remember—and remember very clearly.

    When He Xing Yi stopped contacting him, Kab Kluen was, of course, very hurt. But once, he had the chance to talk on the phone with He Xing Yan, and found out that lately, He Xing Yi had been busy with his studies—dedicating nearly all twenty-four hours of his day to studying. Once he understood that, Kab Kluen wasn’t as heartbroken anymore, because he knew that the reason He Xing Yi disappeared was because of responsibilities.

    And even though every single message he sent never received a reply—not even one—Kab Kluen still continued sending messages to encourage He Xing Yi regularly, not knowing at all that the other party had changed his number and all his contact methods completely.

    As time passed from one year to two, and then four years, Kab Kluen met new people, and many tried to get to know him. But Kab Kluen rejected all of their feelings. He didn’t show any interest in dating anyone. That was because no matter how much time had passed, the only person who remained in Kab Kluen’s heart was He Xing Yi—and no one else.

    “Come to the funeral with me tomorrow.”

    Achira told his son while they were sitting at the dining table eating together. When Kab Kluen heard what his father said, he immediately looked up and shook his head in refusal, because he had already made plans to go to a dog café with his friends after school tomorrow.

    “Why don’t you want to go? Uncle Yan and his family will be there tomorrow, and so will your Brother Yi.”

    “Really? Brother Yi will be there too?”

    As soon as Kab Kluen heard that He Xing Yi would be coming to attend the funeral, his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly ran to sit on the chair next to Achira and asked again to confirm—afraid his father was lying.

    “Why won’t you answer me? Are you lying to me, Dad? You’re not lying, right?”

    “Kab Kluen, you’re already fourteen. Why do you still run around like a little kid? And when I said your brother’s coming, then he’s coming. Why would I lie to you?”

    When Kab Kluen heard that He Xing Yi really was coming, his face broke into a joyful smile. He reached out and held onto his father’s arm, nodding repeatedly as his way of saying he would go to the funeral with his father.

    “Just because it’s your Brother Yi, anything goes, huh? You need to calm down a bit—you’re only fourteen, you know.”

    “But I haven’t seen him in so long! Now that I know I’ll get to see him, I’ll do anything. I really want to know how good he looks now. Will he still remember me?”

    Kab Kluen asked cheerfully. After dinner, he rushed upstairs to shower, apply skin cream, and put on a face mask, taking good care of himself so he’d look his best in He Xing Yi’s eyes tomorrow. Knock, knock, knock—while Kab Kluen was lying down with a face mask on, a knock came from the bedroom door. When he opened it, he found Achira standing there holding a glass of milk. The moment Achira saw his son with his face covered in a mask and his skin coated with cream, he froze in place and stared at him from head to toe in stunned silence before asking in a dazed voice:

    “Kab Kluen… what on earth are you doing?”

    “Masking my face and doing a skin treatment, Dad. I’m going to see Brother Yi tomorrow, so I have to take care of my skin, right?”

    Kab Kluen replied in a calm voice and lightly patted his cheeks, then removed the mask when he saw he’d have to drink the milk his father brought.

    “Why are you so excited? Do you like him that much?”

    “Mm. I really like him a lot,” Kab Kluen said with a wide smile, reaching out to take the glass of milk Achira handed him and drinking it all in one go.

    “Well then, I just hope he likes you back. If you end up marrying him, even if I have to die, I’ll die in peace without having to worry about a rascal like you anymore. At least, when I’m gone, He Xing Yi will be there to take care of you.”

    Hearing what his father said, Kab Kluen frowned deeply, his face showing clear displeasure. He lightly smacked his father’s arm and grumbled with an unhappy expression:

    “Die? Why do you always talk like you’re going to die? I’ve told you I don’t like it when you say stuff like that. I’m only fourteen, Dad. Why are you in such a rush to leave me? If you’re not here, then I’ll have no one left. The only person I have in my life is you. So don’t ever say that again—because if you’re gone, I won’t want to live either.”

    Kab Kluen spoke with a serious tone.

    “One day, I’ll have to leave you. I just want to star—”

    Achira hadn’t even finished his sentence when Kab Kluen cut him off.

    “Stop. Don’t say it again. I’m going back to finish my face mask. Excuse me.”

    After saying that, Kab Kluen gave his father a quick hug and then swiftly shut the door.

    The following night.

    Achira and Kab Kluen arrived at the funeral venue early in the evening because they had to help with the arrangements for the wife of the deceased. While they were busy doing this and that, Kab Kluen kept craning his neck to look toward the entrance, eyes full of anticipation, wondering when He Xing Yan’s family would arrive. Achira, who was busy greeting guests, noticed his son looking absent-minded and out of it, so he walked over to him. When he got there, Achira shook his head in exasperation upon seeing that Kab Kluen had placed the spoons and forks incorrectly.

    “Ah,” Kab Kluen let out a small sound after his hand was lightly tapped by his father.

    “What are you thinking about? Look at this—you’ve placed the spoon and fork all wrong.”

    Kab Kluen’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! You’re right, I’m sorry!”

    Once he apologized, Kab Kluen quickly rearranged the silverware into the correct pairs. While he was busy fixing the mistake, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

    “Achira.”

    Kab Kluen immediately recognized that voice—it was He Xing Yan, his father’s closest friend. The fact that He Xing Yan had shown up here meant that He Xing Yi must also have arrived. Kab Kluen froze as though his entire body had been put on ice. Even though he had been anticipating this moment and longing to see his older friend for so long, when it finally came—after years of separation—Kab Kluen suddenly didn’t know how to act. He felt nervous, his stomach twisting so badly he wanted to run away. But it was too late, because Achira had already reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him to stand by his side.

    “Kab Kluen, greet Uncle Yan and Uncle Ai.”

    Kab Kluen clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, and then let it out in one long sigh. He gathered his courage and lifted his face to look at the people standing in front of him. But the moment he looked up, he paused—frozen—when he saw that only He Xing Yan and Zhang Ai Yue were there together. He looked left, looked right—but did not see He Xing Yi, the one person he most wanted to see.

    Since he didn’t see him, Kab Kluen assumed that He Xing Yi hadn’t come. His face immediately clouded with sadness.

    “Hello, Uncle Yan, Uncle Ai,” he greeted with a voice full of sorrow, though his face still wore a faint smile.

    “We haven’t seen each other in so many years. Now that we do, Uncle almost didn’t recognize you, Kab Kluen.”

    He Xing Yan replied after returning the gesture, smiling widely.

    “What your uncle means is, you look so good now—so grown-up and cute. Seeing you makes me think of Ya. Right now, Kab Kluen, you look exactly like Ya,” Zhang Ai Yue added.

    “Exactly. The older this kid gets, the more he looks like his mother. By the way, where’s He Xing Yi? I thought you were all coming together. Don’t tell me Xing Yi didn’t come with you. My son’s been looking forward to seeing him. Last night, this one even masked his fac—”

    Achira didn’t even finish his sentence before Kab Kluen reached out and gently squeezed his hand, as if to tell him to stop talking about his embarrassing moments already. He Xing Yan and Zhang Ai Yue, knowing exactly what Achira was about to say, exchanged glances and smiled in amusement.

    The feelings Kab Kluen had for He Xing Yi—of course, the three adults could already see it clearly. And none of them disapproved of such feelings. After all, the world today was more open to same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples could now legally register their marriage. Seeing couples of the same gender getting married or walking hand in hand was now very normal in today’s society.

    “He came along, but said he needed to take a call first. Look, there he is, walking over now.”

    When they heard that He Xing Yi was walking over, everyone turned their faces toward the entrance in unison. The boy who had been fifteen at the time was now a full nineteen years old. From his once small frame, he had grown into a tall and slender figure. His jet-black hair contrasted starkly against his pale white skin—so pale it looked as though he bathed ten times a day. His light brown eyes carried a cold and composed gaze, difficult to approach and giving the impression of someone not easy to get to know. However, He Xing Yi’s demeanor, figure, and face—like a gift from the heavens—captured everyone’s attention completely. And of course, Kab Kluen was one of those stunned by He Xing Yi’s godlike handsomeness.

    “First-year med students are supposed to study super hard, so how does Xing Yi still look this good? He’s got time to take care of himself too?”

    “Exactly, he looks really good,” Kab Kluen added.

    Father and son—Achira and Kab Kluen—voiced their admiration for He Xing Yi.

    “Young men need to take care of themselves, that’s normal,” Zhang Ai Yue responded.

    “Hello, Uncle,” came a deep, low voice in greeting, delivered with a blank expression. He Xing Yi showed only the faintest of smiles and politely bowed his body, then walked past Kab Kluen to stand beside his mother.

    When Kab Kluen saw that the older boy had greeted his father, he began to feel excited, his heart pounding erratically with anticipation at being greeted after so many years apart. But the moment He Xing Yi turned his eyes and they landed on Kab Kluen, Kab Kluen’s breath nearly stopped. He thought the older boy would greet him the same way he had greeted his father. But He Xing Yi only glanced at him briefly before looking away without saying a word. That caused the smile on Kab Kluen’s face to freeze in place, and a wave of confusion washed over him. Why didn’t He Xing Yi greet him? Why was he acting like he didn’t even know him?

    “Brother Yi, hello,” Kab Kluen said, despite his confusion, not hesitating to be the one to initiate.

    “Xing Yi, do you remember him? Mama thinks you probably don’t recognize him anymore—he’s grown up to be so cute.”

    Zhang Ai Yue turned to compliment Kab Kluen with a smile as she addressed He Xing Yi. He Xing Yi glanced at Kab Kluen once more, then gave Zhang Ai Yue a faint smile and nodded his head slightly in greeting.

    “Of course, I remember.”

    He Xing Yi replied in a flat, indifferent tone.

    “It’s been so long since you two saw each other. Why don’t you go talk outside for a bit? I bet you two don’t really like being in such a somber setting. Your father, mother, and uncle will help with the ceremony. Xing Yi, take him for a walk outside and take good care of him, okay?”

    After saying that, Zhang Ai Yue and the other adults quickly walked away, leaving He Xing Yi and Kab Kluen standing together in an atmosphere thick with tension. They looked at each other—and both gave a dry, awkward smile.