Kinnporsche, Volume 4, page 16
Nop rolled his eyes, fed up. “He’s not going to get bored of you.”
“Not true! What type of guy?!” I sat up and started reading the AB blood-type personality description.
Nop sighed.
“Answer me,” I insisted.
“A guy like Tankhun, I guess? That would annoy him, I think. What the hell kind of nonsense are you up to, anyway? I’m leaving now. Bye.”
Oh, right! Why didn’t I think of that? It was literally straight from the book—ABs hated illogical and self-centered people! That was Tankhun to a T. “Logic” wasn’t a word in his vocabulary. When things didn’t go his way, he’d throw a tantrum. If he wanted something, he had to have it. He was obnoxiously loud and constantly moody.
Huh. Why hadn’t I thought of that in the first place? Keep following Vegas’s orders? That shit isn’t working at all! So what did I need to do? I needed to tap into my brain to come up with another plan to make him bored of me.
Whenever we went out, Mr. Tankhun loved to harass us with annoying phone calls. Hah! Great! Let’s do it.
“NOP!” I shouted for Nop, who had just left. I threw a tissue box at the glass door because the chain wouldn’t let me reach it myself.
The door slid open. Nop walked in, looking annoyed. “What?”
“Call that fucker Vegas.”
Nop frowned, looking like he was wondering if he misheard me.
“Hurry,” I urged him.
“Why do you want to call him?”
“Come on, please, please, please. Call him for me,” I begged, giving him a pleading look.
“Okay, okay. You’re acting weird, though. Don’t give me that look—it makes me cringe.” Nop fished his phone out of his pocket. “Good thing he told me that if you wanted to call him, I had to let him know right away,” he muttered. “It’s like he could see the future.”
My eyes sparkled with excitement. I hadn’t expected a chance to carry out the next stage of my plan so soon!
Nop tapped Vegas’s name on his Contacts list and hit the call button. He handed me the phone, and I eagerly accepted it. Heh.
“Yes, Nop?” came Vegas’s voice.
As soon as Vegas picked up, my heart pumped faster with excitement. Here we go!
“Where are you?!” I made myself sound snappy, copying the exact words I’d heard so many times from Tankhun.
“Hmm…? Pete? How are things? Is Nop there with you?” Vegas lowered his voice, speaking to me in a cheerful tone. Gotcha!
“I said, where are you?!” Heh, this is fun!
“Um…on a toll road, stuck in a traffic jam. What’s the matter?”
Ah, shit. What should I say next? “When will you be back?!” I screeched, trying to keep my voice harsh.
“Tomorrow. I already told you that.”
“No! You gotta come back now!” I exclaimed, then bit my lip, holding back my laughter.
Nop widened his eyes at me. “You want him back?” he mouthed.
“Trust me,” I mouthed back.
“Are you all right?” Vegas sounded surprised.
“It doesn’t matter! Come back now!” I yelled.
“What’s wrong with you, Pete? I’m on a business trip with Father; I can’t just rush back.”
“Dunno. I don’t have a reason. You just have to come back. Bye!” With that, I disconnected the call and broke into a shit-eating grin.
Nop took his phone back and eyed me in disbelief. “Why did you say that?! What if he really comes back?! I don’t wanna see him.”
“He won’t. Heh.” That was satisfying. Life was so fun when I got to irritate Vegas! Wait… What if he beats me up when he gets back? Fuck! I completely forgot about that.
I decided to space out the calls. Mr. Tankhun would keep spamming you with calls over and over until you couldn’t concentrate for shit…but, well, that was Mr. Tankhun. Everyone let him get away with it. Vegas wouldn’t—I could guarantee it.
So, I had to rearrange the plan in my head. I could still do the prank calls, but I had to keep some distance. Enough to keep him annoyed, but not enough to make him mad.
I went back to my food and let my thoughts run wild. I’d been thinking about it all day—pacing the room, doing random stuff as usual. It seemed like the more time I had to myself, the more my mind went, “What do I do? I’m so fucking bored. I wanna get out of here!”
I stayed in bed, rolling around onto my back, then my stomach, then my side, letting time pass until it was eight in the evening. I planned that around ten p.m., I’d ask Nop to call Vegas. I estimated that he’d be sleeping by that time, and it would piss him off to get woken up by my call.
I thought through every possible outcome. If he got so angry that he wanted to beat me up, he wouldn’t be able to come back and do it: He’d already be at the casino by then. Hee hee.
It was possible Vegas would make me pay later when he came home, but it was such a long drive that by the time he got here, his anger would’ve cooled down. I had it down to a science!
The door slid open with a creak. I looked up to see who it was—Nop, on the phone with someone. He spoke a few words before shoving the phone into my hand.
“It’s Mr. Vegas,” he said and went to sit down on the sofa.
I gulped in fear. Was this just to scold me for the call earlier this morning?
I pressed the phone against my ear and spoke timidly: “Hey.” I hadn’t had the chance to make the second prank call, and he fucking beat me to it. Man! There goes my plan.
“Are you in bed yet?” Vegas asked in a normal tone of voice, with not a trace of a foul mood. That was a relief.
“No.”
“Have you had dinner yet?”
I pulled the phone away and looked at it, confused. Vegas, can you stop giving me more anxiety than I already have?! Huh?
“Yup,” I grumbled.
“No need to be harsh. Are you mad at me or something? I can’t leave now, all right? My dad’ll kill me. I’ll be back by tomorrow, okay? Do you need a snack or something?”
I rubbed my face and sighed heavily. What next?
“Where are you?” I asked.
“At the hotel, about to sleep. Gotta be up early tomorrow.”
“Come back…right…now!” I said hesitantly. I felt kind of nervous and awkward.
“Why? Miss me so bad that you can’t sleep?” Vegas laughed.
Fuck no.
“Come on… I’ll be back tomorrow,” Vegas said.
“Mm. What time?” I asked.
“Evening, I guess. Don’t know the exact time.”
I took a deep breath. “What time?!” I barked back.
“Fine, fine! Before six. I’ll have dinner with you. Okay?”
“Hmph. Buy me some rad na,17 then, I wanna eat some.” I tried to keep my voice harsh, but I ended up getting distracted by the prospect of tomorrow’s meal. What else can I get?
“Got it, Pete. All right, I’m turning in early so I can finish things quickly tomorrow and get back faster.”
“Okay. Get me some dessert too,” I demanded. “Anything sweet.”
“Okay… Tell me good night,” Vegas instructed.
I made a face. No fucking way was I saying that. “Just get back fast. That’s all.”
I cut the call as soon as I heard Vegas’s laughter ring out on the other end of the line. Damn it! I was trying to drive him crazy! Piss him off! Why wasn’t he mad at all? Ugh! What should I do, insult his dad instead? That’d get my ass kicked for sure.
Nop came over to get his phone back. He shook his head at me as I freaked out.
I tossed and turned on the bed. Sleeping in the same bed as Vegas was a challenge, but why was it harder without him here? What was wrong with me? Maybe it was because of all the bullshit daydreaming I did today.
By the time I finally started to doze off, it was almost dawn.
***
I woke up just before noon. The food that Nop had brought in at fuck-knows-when was already cold. I looked at the clock in anticipation. Yikes! What am I doing?! Was I really that eager for the rad na tonight? Damn my gluttony!
“Nop!” I yelled, throwing the tissue box at the glass door again. It was time to harass Vegas with another prank call. Maybe he was in a bad mood today, and I could rile him up.
Nop walked into the room at just the right moment; he happened to be on the phone already.
“It’s Mr. Vegas… Man, are you guys psychic or something?” He lowered his voice and gave me the phone. Vegas had happened to call me at the same time? Shit!
“Yeah?” I said into the phone.
“Pete, I might be back late,” Vegas said.
“Why?!” I exclaimed, making a face despite myself. That made Nop laugh—from his expression, it looked like there was something going on that I didn’t know about.
“If you’re hungry, just eat without me. I’ll bring you some rad na later tonight.”
“Why?!” I repeated myself, frustrated. My heart felt achy all of a sudden.
“I have to go to a funeral.”
“Who died?” I asked, my voice somewhat grating. Did I really have to be this grumpy over a lack of rad na?
“I don’t know. Father’s secretary just brought me some black clothes. I heard the Major Clan is closing down their offices for a couple weeks.”
When I heard his words, the blood drained from my face and tingles went down my spine. “What?! What does it have to do with the Major Clan?”
“Well, they’re holding the funeral,” Vegas replied.
“Who died?!” I asked in a panic. Various scenarios whirled through my head. Were Mr. Khun, Mr. Kinn, and Mr. Kim all right?
“I don’t know. I’m not at the temple yet. I’ll tell you as soon as I know…”
“Vegas, who are you talking to?” I heard Mr. Kant’s voice cut in.
“It’s not Khun, Kinn, or Kim, I’m sure of that—otherwise it would be on the news by now,” he said hastily. “See you.” With that, he hung up.
As the phone went silent, I couldn’t shake off what Vegas had told me. If the Major Clan had closed their offices, it meant whoever had died was important! But to be honest, it would hit me hard no matter who had died in the Major Clan.
Shit! I wanted to run back to the main house right now! Damn it! This is horrible!
Side Story:
Vegas × Pete 9
PETE
I PACED IN CIRCLES around the room. I’d asked Nop what was going on with the Major Clan, but he said he didn’t know anything. He told me he wasn’t Vegas’s personal bodyguard, who followed him around, just a guard stationed at the house, so he didn’t have any insider gossip. In fact, his main job right now was looking after me.
I panicked, my thoughts running wild. P’Chan? Couldn’t be; he was still young and fit. There was no way he’d die so soon. Auntie Prik, Mr. Tankhun’s favorite cook, who made the best Southern food this side of Bangkok? No, she was still healthy, so it couldn’t be her…or could it? Argh, I can’t think of anyone! But it certainly couldn’t be Mr. Korn or any of his sons; that would spell disaster for both the Major and Minor Clans.
Oh! Could it be P’Jess? Shit! That’s possible! That guy was pushing sixty and still got shoved around by the young master, so he’d probably died of resentment. Or shock, I guess… Ah, what a shame.
Regardless of whose funeral it was, I was sad about it. If it was someone I knew, what was I supposed to do? I wanted to go pay my respects at least once, but I was chained up in this fucking place! Argh! And Vegas wasn’t back yet—didn’t he know I was waiting for news?!
As I waited anxiously for Vegas to get home, I knelt on the bed, clasped my hands, and began to recite the Mettā mantra. I went all out, chanting every other mantra that I could remember, from the Sarapanya to the Chinnabanchon, and thought of every venerated monk I knew of. It was a good thing Grandma took me to the temple a lot as a kid. Although I couldn’t attend the funeral—I didn’t even know whose it was—I could still dedicate some merit to them. I hoped it’d reach them because everyone at the Major Clan was important to me.
Ah… Life is short; forgive me for any past offenses. I continued to pray and meditate, taking refuge in the Triple Gem. Let merit send them to a better place. Be at peace. Don’t concern yourself with worldly things; be on your way… If there’s an opportunity, I’ll make merit for you. Sathu.
I opened my eyes from my meditation, saluting the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, but as I bowed down, the smell of food tickled my nose. Maybe it was rad na or fish maw soup… Ah, I’m getting hungry. Vegas must be back with my food.
“Ve— What’s this?” I turned toward the door, about to call his name, but I stopped short in surprise.
Vegas looked at me, equally surprised. “What are you doing?”
My hands were still clasped together, and my back was bent; I was just getting up from my prostration. I didn’t answer Vegas’s question, but I got up from the bed and walked over to take a look at him.
Sticky liquid dripped from Vegas’s clothes. I snorted and tried to hold back my laughter, quickly covering my mouth. “I asked for rad na,” I said, “but why did you pour it over yourself? Ha ha!”18 I really couldn’t help it. What had Vegas done this time?
“Fuck, it was Tankhun!” Vegas scowled. “What the hell was he trying to pull? He poured fish maw soup all over me! Look.”
I stopped short and came back to my senses. Hearing the young master’s name, I was reminded of the funeral. “Who was it?” I asked urgently. “Who died?”
Vegas made a thoughtful face and looked me over from head to toe. He stilled for a moment—then it was his turn to purse his lips and stave off a laugh. “Hah!”
“What are you laughing at?” I furrowed my brow, scolding Vegas in my head. I’m being serious here!
“Fuck! Such a fancy fucking funeral, I thought Chan died. Turns out… Ugh, whose corpse have they got in that coffin?” he muttered, scratching his head.
“P’Chan? It’s P’Chan? Speak clearly!” When I caught P’Chan’s name, my heart dropped to my stomach. P’Chan taught me everything: how to shoot a gun, how to handle a knife, how the business was run—I learned it all from him. Such a shame…
“It’s not Chan,” Vegas sighed. He took off his shirt, jacket, and slacks, leaving only his boxers.
“Then who was it?!”
Vegas threw a towel over his shoulder and stared at me steadily. “It’s my lover!”
Vegas wasn’t making any sense. I frowned even further. His lover? I felt a strange prickle, almost like my heart had skipped a beat. Damn it, what did he mean by that?
Before I could figure out what Vegas meant, he spun around and slammed the bathroom door in my face.
Bang, bang! I pounded on the bathroom door, wanting Vegas to come out and explain himself. “What are you saying, huh?! Who’s dead?! Who’s dead, Vegas?!”
I heard Vegas turn on the shower. Why couldn’t this fucker just tell me who died?! I kept banging on the door, completely forgetting he could yank it open at any moment and shut me up with his fist.
The door creaking open made me jump. Vegas was completely soaked and entirely nude, but he clearly didn’t care that I was standing there. He left the door open like that, then walked back into the shower to continue washing up. I panicked, hurriedly looking away. Shameless bastard! Who the hell showers with other people watching?
“Just say what you want to say.” Vegas scrubbed himself with soap, unfazed. Even worse, he acted like this was perfectly normal. This freak!
“Y-you finish showering first,” I said, lowering my voice and turning to the side. I blindly reached for the doorknob to close the bathroom door.
“Wait,” Vegas said.
I stopped short, swallowing thickly. I chanced a glance at him, and he crooked his finger at me. “Come here.”
“No!” I snapped back without thinking, ready to close the door again.
“Wait!” he barked, raising his voice.
I froze. “What?”
“Come in here!”
“Why? I’ll get wet.”
Vegas raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Don’t you want to know who died?”
“Then say it. Why do I have to go in there?” I looked left and right, anywhere but at him. I felt self-conscious, even though I’d been through the Territorial Defense program and showered with the other cadets. But that had never felt like this. It was definitely because of Vegas. He wasn’t exactly normal—his head was probably full of evil thoughts. I didn’t trust him at all.
“If you don’t, I won’t tell you,” he said.
I grunted and let out a long sigh. I wanted to know, but I didn’t want to go in. It was too risky.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to know,” Vegas said, turning back to grab his shampoo and lather up his hair.
“Fine, I’ll come in.” I crossed my arms and stepped into the bathroom.
“Closer.” Vegas deepened his voice and turned to fully face me, his hands resting loosely on his hips.
“Fine.” I inched forward the tiniest bit.
“Closer!” Vegas shouted.
“Argh! I can hear you just fine from here! I’m not deaf,” I snapped, getting more annoyed by the second.
“Come into the shower with me. If you don’t want to get wet, then take off your pants.”
I could sense the danger, so I pulled a sardonic smile and turned back around. “I’d be an idiot if I did that,” I muttered to myself.
“Pete! One…”
I stopped in my tracks and rolled my eyes.
“Two… I promise you, if I count to three, you’ll regret it,” Vegas threatened, but when I turned to look, he was smiling gleefully. Damn it!
In the end, I had to do as he said. I stomped over to him, trying not to look down. Instead, I stared into the distance.
“Motherfucker!” I hissed.
“You’re whining like a girl,” said Vegas.
I clicked my tongue in frustration. Stray droplets from the shower hit me, making my skin wet.
“Who died? Just tell me, and quickly… Shit!”
Vegas grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward him. I squeezed my eyes shut against the spray of warm water.
