Lately, It's Winter Season.
Chapter 34- A Greater Name
At a fancy restaurant with only five of us, Mick, Skate, and I were quite excited about the atmosphere and the unique menu. Tiger had made a reservation because we had just won an eSports tournament organised by the university. As soon as we heard about the tournament, we couldn’t miss it.
At first, the team only planned to eat Thai hot pot to celebrate the first victory, but somehow it turned into a fancy restaurant like this. It could be because Tiger said that the first time winning, we should eat something classy to have more motivation to win the next time. As the captain, I agreed, but no one expected it to be this fancy.
North and Tiger seemed to be getting used to it, but the other three couldn't sit still.
The decision to form an eSports team was not difficult because we already had five people who played together regularly, and all the positions were filled. I just didn’t understand why they agreed to let me be the captain. Since my in-game name was Nohowl, the team was named Nohope.
Just hearing it was enough to make me feel discouraged. Even though the name meant ‘hopeless’, we won the first round by a landslide. The happiest person was North.
“Fuck, that idiot deserves it! You lost, you son of a bitch!” North said after we ordered and were waiting for the waiter. He still couldn’t stop laughing at his opponent. The reason was that there was someone on the opposing team who had the same in-game name as him.
North had always played under the name North the god, but on the other side, there was someone with a name that ended in ‘the god’ and played the same carry position as him.
“If you meet me, you will get slapped in the face. What kind of god are you? You are just a fake god! There is only one real god!”
“Are you still not satisfied?” I couldn’t help but ask. He had been teasing me since the previous day. But it was only natural, our team had the advantage from the start, thanks to North’s overwhelming lane victory.
“I hate that son of a bitch!” He pouted, “I'm thinking of changing my name.”
“Change to what?”
“God killer.”
North's answer made me laugh.
“Since I already defeated that 'god', I should be the one to kill the god! The one who defeats the god is the one who is higher than the god. No one can be greater than that!”
“You won't give up just because of a name?”
“Of course! Go big! Go scare the hell out of your opponents!” North raised his eyebrows,
“But I still can’t get over the fact that you changed your team name from ‘Chicken Smashing Engineers’ to ‘Nohope’. It sounded cool and invincible at first, but in the end it turned into a lame name!”
“Your nickname, ' Chicken Smashing Engineer’, is making people want to pee! Just keep a low profile, and just ‘Nohope’ is fine.” I said, “Even though our name is Nohope, we still won by a landslide! When we get serious, we’re really awesome!”
"Standard!"
“Exactly!”
“Speaking of names…” North suddenly turned to ask everyone, “Are you guys planning on keeping your names as they are? You won’t be able to change them after competing in too many tournaments. What about when you reach the national level?”
“That's right.” I nodded.
Tiger was simply named Tiger, Skate was simply Skate, and Mick was Mickey.
“Aren't you going to change it? There's no way you guys can give it a normal name when North is 'God Killer'!”
“Um…” Tiger frowned and thought, “Actually, I have thought about it. Why should I let North be so awesome all by himself? Yesterday, I also carried the team really well!”
“But I'm fine with this guy,” Skate said. “People know this is Skate, that's enough.”
“I'm too lazy to change.” Mick spoke up, “As long as you play well, everyone will remember your face.”
I nodded in understanding.
“What about you, Ger? What do you want to change that's greater than 'God Killer'?”
“Nohow.”
"…Huh?"
The whole table said "Huh?"
“What is it?”
“It's a name worthy of standing next to 'Nohowl'! That's 'Nohow'!”
I was speechless while my friends burst out laughing. Everyone knew that Tiger liked me, so the whole department and school probably knew too. He showed off to the point that he had nothing to hide. He kept tagging me on Facebook and Instagram. When we were together, he talked sweetly, always saying 'cau oi' and 'Nao oi'. My friends, who knew nothing, were shocked.
“Nohowl and Nohow…?”
“That's right!” Tiger replied confidently,
“This is the most honourable name, baby!”
“Hahaha!” North laughed the loudest of the group, “I was so nervous that I couldn’t think of a name greater than mine. But for Tiger, there’s no one greater than Nohowl. Got it! Okay, my friend, I support using this name!”
Both Skate and Mickey nodded in agreement.
“Doesn't this guy look weak? What the hell is this?” I protested.
“Hey, your name is no good. Or do you want it to be Nohowlover?"
“That’s even worse!” I sighed. “Whatever you want. Just saying it makes me feel so embarrassed.”
“I'm happy you like it.” Tiger smiled brightly.
“When did I say I liked him?” I muttered. At first, I got teased a lot because Tiger called himself ‘me’ and called me ‘you’. I still get teased now, but less than before, and it’s worth it. I told you from the beginning, he doesn’t suit me at all.
The dishes were served one by one. I was confused about eating at such a fancy restaurant. Luckily, Tiger said he would cover the cost of everything. If I had to split the bill, I would have felt really bad about it. Although I was no longer a struggling student like before, having earned money from streaming games, I still wanted to save money.
“Do you like it?” Tiger asked, sitting next to me.
“Like, delicious.”
“You can call more.”
“Okay, I’m full after eating all this,” I replied. He nodded as if he understood.
At first, Tiger wanted to order one dish for me to try because there were many dishes I didn’t know, but I immediately refused. I told him that I had already chosen the dishes I wanted to eat and would only order the familiar dishes. I didn’t dare order dishes that were too strange, in case they didn’t suit my taste, it would be a waste.
After eating, we all went back to our rooms. At first, I thought Tiger would take me back to the dormitory, but he took a different route.
“Where are you going?”
“Go to the movies.”
“Huh… Yeah, let's go.”
I was suddenly asked to go to the movies. That's fine, I have no problem.
The beautiful motorbike was speeding down the road. Tiger once asked me if I preferred riding on the back of a motorbike or in a car, and I replied that either way was fine. But I thought if I said I preferred a car, he would buy one, so I said motorbike. Besides, Tiger seemed to like riding a motorbike. He rarely drove a vehicle, except on rainy days.
We went to the usual shopping mall – the place where we usually go to see a movie. Was this a date? If so, it was fine. Nuea said he had talked to Tiger, so he probably understood that there was no need to make a big deal out of it. Just keep it simple. I let out an involuntary sigh of relief at the thought that he finally understood.
Since the giant banner was removed, he hasn’t done anything too outrageous. Before, I was worried every day, afraid that I would see my face in front of the department or that he would do something new. But lately, nothing has happened. Now I just go to the movies as I normally do. Sigh, I feel so relieved!
“What should we watch?” I asked cheerfully as I stood in front of the screening room. I looked to the side and saw no sign of Tiger. He was talking to the staff, so I walked over.
“What's the matter?”
"Done."
“Done what?”
“Let’s go.” He smiled and took my hand, pulling me inside. I followed him, bewildered.
“Wait, we haven't bought tickets yet?”
“No need.”
"What movie?"
“A special movie.”
"Huh?"
“Surprise for you.” Tiger smiled.
The moment I heard the word 'surprise', I wanted to stop, but I couldn't do anything but continue following it. It's probably nothing… I reassured myself.
Tiger led me to the largest theatre in the area. The sign in front had no movie title. There was no one inside.
"You booked the whole theatre?"
“Yeah! This movie is especially for you!”
“…Yeah,” I replied softly, sitting down next to him.
Business class like every time Tiger took me to the movies. Actually, that alone was enough to impress me. Now there was a ‘special’ movie too… I was a little worried, but also curious to know what it was.
The movie started. I recognised it right away after watching the opening credits. It is my favourite movie. Tiger surprised me by showing my favourite film in his own theatre. That's okay. Very okay! Wow, he finally understands that there is no need to overdo things.
This has been my favourite movie since childhood. My dad loved to show it to me, so every time I watch it, it always reminds me of my dad. Even though it is an action movie, it always gives me a warm feeling.
It is such an old movie that it is hard to find even online. If you can find it, the picture quality is extremely blurry. But somehow, Tiger found a very sharp copy and even showed it to me in the theatre. I was really touched.
“What do you think?”
“I love it. I really love it!” I turned to smile and was greeted with the same smile. I felt my heart beat a little faster, so I quickly turned back to look at the screen.
At that moment, I froze. The familiar male lead I've seen since I was little… was replaced by Tiger's face.
“What… What the hell? Why your face?” I asked, stunned.
“I bought the copyright for this movie. I saw you keep saying the male lead is so cool, so I decided to put my face in.” Tiger replied calmly, “I’m just as handsome. Look at my face instead.”
W-Wait…
Yes, this was a shock. A real shock!
What the hell are you thinking? Who would buy the copyright of an entire movie just to cut and paste their face onto the male lead?! Moreover, the editing is so good that it looks so smooth and realistic. I wonder how much effort and money were put into this.
It's indeed his money, and I have no right to interfere. But at least have some sense, right?!
“Idiot,” I muttered a curse under my breath, but Tiger just grinned as if the curse was a compliment.
“As long as you like it.”
When did I say I like it?! Oh, I said it before… but that was before I saw this!
“This editing team is really good. They did it so smoothly.” Tiger leisurely took a sip of water, looking very satisfied with his product. I turned back to look at the screen…
YOU STILL PUT MY FACE ON THE FEMALE LEAD?!
“What the hell are you doing?!” I yelled.
The figure is still the female lead, but the face is mine… CAN'T MATCH! I covered my face in despair.
“If I'm the male lead, then you have to be the female lead. I won't look at anyone else but you.”
F**K! CRAZY!
I bowed my head, holding it. I couldn't bear to see Tiger's face and my own on the big screen. What the hell is it thinking? How can he come up with these things?!
MY CHILDHOOD MOVIE!!! NO!!!
If my father knew about this, he would be shocked. His favourite movie was copyrighted and edited to make his son the female lead…
Dad! Please come back to me in my dreams and scold this guy for me!
Even though there were only two of us in the theatre, I still felt so embarrassed. And not just in the theatre, I couldn't stand watching it alone in my room.
Looking at Tiger’s happy face, I couldn’t bear to scold him. If I said I didn’t like it, he would be hurt and might even cry. No matter how flawed this project was, it clearly required a significant amount of effort, money, and time to integrate a person’s face into each frame seamlessly. The post-production team must have worked incredibly hard so that they were on the verge of going blind.
What were they thinking when they accepted this project? Calm down, Nao. It might not be that bad. Tiger was taking this very seriously. Are you really going to run away like that? That's too reckless!
I decided to look up at the screen.
…No! I can't stand it!
“Tiger, I need to pee, I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“No need!” I quickly replied. Tiger nodded, and I promptly ran to the bathroom to calm down.
It’s not that I won’t watch it. I will. I will try to watch it all the way to the end because this is Tiger’s passion. It’s just… I need some time to prepare mentally! I washed my face, rested for a while, and when I felt better, I went back to the theatre. By this time, the movie had progressed to a quarter of the way through.
I clenched my fists and squeezed my legs to try to endure. A series of questions appeared in my head: Why do I have to watch a movie where I'm digitally altered to look like the female lead?!
But the most annoying thing is… the post-production team did a great job, and that’s the problem because it’s too smooth! The sad expressions, the anger… everything is too real. But the voice acting is unacceptable! My voice is so sweet. It makes me panic. I really feel sorry for the female lead…
But I still watched it to the end. Surely after going through this, there was nothing in life I couldn’t handle. Maybe… or maybe Tiger was up to something else.
“How?”
“That’s… new. I can’t even think of it.” I sighed, exhausted. I felt so tired without doing anything, “What a surprise.”
“I’m so happy!” Tiger smiled brightly, a carefree smile without any calculation. Seeing that, I couldn’t bear to keep a cold face, so I smiled lightly at him.
“Hungry?”
“No, I just ate before coming in.”
“So, how about dessert?”
“Okay, but you pay.”
"Okay."
(Ha ha ha ha!) North's hearty laughter rang out from the other end of the line, (Ha ha ha! You idiots! Are you guys filming a drama?! Because you kept praising the male lead so much, he decided to become your male lead? And because he's the male lead, you have to be the female lead? Ha ha ha! F*ck, you're really crazy!)
“You're laughing too loud, you bastard!” I rubbed my face helplessly.
Now I'm back in my room, and Tiger is at work. I can't stand being alone, so I call North to vent.
(But hey, I'm not laughing at his effort, don't get me wrong. I'm laughing because he's playing too big! On one hand, it's cute; on the other hand, it's really annoying. I have to admit, it's really creative! Plus, it cost a lot of money. With this level of post-production, it must be a professional team!)
“That’s why I can’t even curse at him. He put in a lot of effort. At first, I thought we had already talked it out at the coffee shop, and he even asked my brother for his opinion! My brother definitely wouldn’t support him going too far. But… What the hell is this?!”
(Ha ha ha ha!)
“Are you laughing so hard you're going to burst?”
(Laughing! Laughing so hard! F*ck, I've never seen anyone willing to spend so much money to buy the movie copyright and then put their face on the male lead! Tiger really went too far! I thought Johan was doing great when he courted me, but I never expected he'd still be far behind your future husband!)
“Fuck you!” I scolded immediately.
(Honestly, Nao…)
“What else?”
(You said you would open your heart but you haven't opened your heart completely.)
I frowned: "What do you mean?"
(I mean, Tiger is courting you in his own way. This is who he is. If you really want to open up, you have to accept these things too, not just tell him to do things the simpler way. He's not that kind of person. Understand?)
“So I was wrong?” I scratched my head, feeling confused.
(Open your heart more.)
“There's more?! Don't tell me there's something more surprising!”
(I heard he's planning to buy a whole country and rename it Nattakorn.)
“…Fuck, one Nattakorn is more than enough.” I sighed.
What the hell is this country, Nattakorn…?
“Thinking back on it still makes me angry! You have to see it with your own eyes to understand! No, no one will ever see the edited version of that movie! Absolutely not!”
(Hey, I really want to see it! Let me go ask Tiger to show it to me!)
“He even grafted your face onto the dog in the movie.”
(Why do you hate me so much?) North whined. I could imagine his face right now, he must be pouting in annoyance, (I've been supporting this ship since it wasn't even formed yet, it's probably just me rowing in the middle of the vast ocean. Don't even mention sailors because there's no ship yet!)
“Is it that bad?”
(That's right! Now I finally have a proper boat. I was just afraid you would jump into the sea because of Tiger's big game.) North said with a laugh, (But… you can handle it, right?)
“I give up! My legs were so tight I was about to get cramps just watching it. But like I said, seeing his effort and the look in his eyes, the smile of anticipation that I would like him… Like a child. Sigh.”
(Right, right!) North nodded repeatedly. (Don't look at the results; look at the effort. Look at how much heart he put into it. Okay, okay?)
“You are really his big fan.”
(What can I do? I've been cheering for this ship for three years. By the time Tiger got the courage to hit on you, I'd already given it my all. Go, Nao. Go be Tiger's wife.)
"I will not be a wife!"
(So be a husband?)
“Can I?” I lowered my voice, feeling that the chances were slim but still holding out a little hope. “We’ll think about it later. I’m just afraid he has other plans, North. I’m starting to feel uneasy.”
(Or should I just give up?)
“Give up? What if tomorrow he lands a helicopter in the middle of the schoolyard?”
(Let it be. Let it go.)
"Why give up?"
(Because you can't do anything. You told me yourself that if you can't do anything, then just accept it.)
“Did I say that?”
(Once.) North asserted firmly, (Or are you going to leave it?)
“…”
(You like it, Nao. Oh my god!)
“Well… starting to like it, starting to have feelings. But not enough to be lovers. But if he keeps playing big like this…”
(Then you will stop liking him?)
“Then I’ll have a headache… that’s all. I don’t know. Because it’s Tiger? Sigh… Okay, I’ll give up. Do whatever you want. But saying I’ll give up doesn’t mean I won’t feel anything. It’s just… I know there’s no point in trying to stop him.”
After talking to North for a while, I hung up and texted Nuea. We had clearly discussed it, so why was Tiger still making a fuss about it?
Dan: Ah…
Dan: Well, back and forth, Nao.
Dan: No one can stop Tiger's big play, Nuea sees it.
Dan: That's why Nuea advised him.
Dan: Tell him if he wants to go big, he should choose something that Nao might like. Like a supercar, a billboard, or a helicopter. If Nao doesn't like it, then don't do it because it won't do anything. Instead, make something that Nao likes like cakes. But if he buys Nao a whole candy factory, Nao will probably get diabetes.
Dan: Tiger didn't want Nao to die of diabetes, so that plan was cancelled.
Dan: So he decided to go big in a way that Nao might like.
Dan: It feels like we're talking about a movie, right? Like booking out the entire theatre to watch a private film.
Dn: Um…
Dn: Something like that.
**I hope they keep this part of the story in the TV series because it is so funny. I’m nearly crying whilst translating it 🤣🤣**