Lately, It's Winter Season.
Chapter 47 - Twins Who Are More Than Twins
“Really.”
(Uh huh.)
“You don't believe it?” I frowned, “It's true, although it's a bit hard to believe.”
(I believe it.) Nuea said and started to get serious again, (I'm angry because I believe it.)
“Huh? Angry about what?”
(Of course, I'm angry. Why are you going alone?)
“I'm not going alone, I'm going with North.”
(What do you mean? Why didn’t you call Tiger along? I understand that you’re upset with the other side, but you should have calmed down a bit. The other side isn’t a human, it’s… a form of energy that can’t be explained or predicted. What if they do something more dangerous?) Nuea started to grumble, crossing her arms over her chest. At first, I was excited to tell the story of what I had just experienced, but now I immediately deflated.
“I know…”
(There are many stories, like if you tease or touch someone, they can kill you. Nuea didn't believe these stories until Nao told her.)
“…Yes.” I lowered my head even more.
(Sigh, oh my. I'm just worried about you, so I'm nagging. Next time, it's best to report to Tiger.)
“But it's busy working.”
(Which job will Tiger choose with Nao?)
“…”
(Where is Tiger?)
“It has a test,” I replied honestly.
(So how did Nao's internship interview go?)
“Haizz…” I let out a deep sigh, “In general, like I told Nuea before, North and I prepared very well, but when it came to reality, we still panicked.”
(How panicked?)
“A lot. Got all the answers wrong. I don’t know, it was so stressful.”
(What did they ask, and what did Nao answer?) Nuea asked, so I told her the details of yesterday's interview.
(Um, it's probably no problem. Nao was a little confused, but her answer was fine.)
“Do you think I will pass?”
(Yeah.) Nuea laughed.
“What about Nuea?”
(Easy.)
“Of course. As classy as Nuea.” I said, “Oh, Nuea, did Mick or Tul come to ask your opinion?”
(Yes.) Nua replied. (Mostly Tul. Then Mick came to ask him what Tul had asked. Tul was starting to trust Mick more.)
“So… has it reached the point of confession?”
(I don't know. Is Mick going to confess to Tul?)
“Um, tomorrow, there will be a surprise too.” I nodded, unconsciously sighing, “Another surprise… Nuea, you know, I’m sick of this word. It seems that being Tiger’s best friend since kindergarten must be someone who enjoys creating surprises. Sigh…”
(Haha, surprised?)
I told Nuea about Mick's plans for the next day.
(Um… okay, not too much. Tul probably won't refuse.)
“Because of the surprise, right?” I said softly, “What else, dragging all your friends around like that?”
(No way. Tul isn't the type of person who would agree just because he was surrounded. If he didn't want to, he would just leave, leaving everyone standing there dumbfounded.)
“Okay, okay.” I took a deep breath, “Then we have to prepare ourselves for the situation where Tul leaves, right? Then we’ll all be embarrassed. What should we do then?”
(But as I said, Tul probably won't refuse because, according to the recent conversation, Tul already trusts Mick.) Nuea emphasised again. (What, don't you like surprises?)
“…It haunts me every day. There was a time when I was so alert that my hair stood on end.”
(Not bad. Some people like surprises. Tul might like it too. Think of it as doing it for a friend, Nao?)
“Well, it's because of that 'do it for friends' sentence that I agreed.”
(Haha, do your best, Nao!)
**************
The six of us were sitting on a bench in a large shopping mall. North held six blackboards that we would be using today. Mick’s surprise confession plan wasn’t complicated. It was simply that Mick would ask Tul to go to the movies. While choosing the movie, Mick would pretend to go to the bathroom, but in reality, he would call us to hold the boards. Then, Mick would kneel, hand Tul a bouquet, and confess his love.
The six of us will each hold a letter: Tiger will hold a heart, I will hold a “T”, North will hold a “U”, Skate will hold an “L”, Fuse will hold an “A”, and Ikkyu will hold a heart at the end.
To be honest… I’m not sure if this plan will work. But the only reason I’m here is because Mick begged me to. I kept repeating in my head, ‘Come on, Nao, do it for your friends!’ In the past, I probably wouldn’t have thought much about it, just stood there holding a surprise sign in front of a crowded cinema. But after being repeatedly surprised by Tiger, I’ve started to hate the word ‘surprise’. Just hearing that word makes my heart wither.
“You have to smile, Nao,” North said. “The plan is that when Mick kneels, we will cheer softly with a willing smile on our faces. Or are you not willing?”
“I… I volunteered, and I really like this board.”
“The bouquet is beautiful too.” North looked at the huge bouquet Ikkyu was holding, “Tul will definitely be touched.”
“…Really?” I shrugged, muttering softly.
North tried to hold back his laughter and leaned closer to whisper in my ear.
“Are you allergic to surprises? Poor thing.”
I turned slowly to look at him: “You will never understand how I feel. But you look excited?”
“Just a little bit because I've never done it before. I'm fine with anything. If Mick asked me to dress up as a mascot and b-boy for his confession, I'd do it.”
“…You're really good.” I sighed and suddenly saw Tiger handing me ice cream.
“Thanks.” I took it. Tiger also sat down next to me.
“Where's mine?” North reminded.
“Go buy it yourself.”
“Huh.”
“Hey, Tiger,” North turned, “What do you think about today's surprise? Do you think it worked?”
“It worked. Mick came up with a good plan,” Tiger said confidently. “What's wrong with you? You don't look happy.”
“Huh? Oh, nothing, just a little worried. Like… what if Tul doesn't like it and leaves?”
"Then follow."
“…To that extent?”
“Yeah. Why?” Tiger looked at me quizzically.
"What way to go?"
“Then we all just follow. Wherever Tul goes, we'll take the sign and follow.”
“…Ah…”
Come on, Tul, agree. Don't let this drag on any longer, or I'll come running back and pinch your ears for real. Before long, Mick walked up to us, looking excited.
“Let's go, guys!”
North handed out the cards as planned, and Mick held the flowers. When they arrived, they saw Tul standing there choosing a movie.
“Tul,” Mick called softly. Tul turned around, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise when he saw us.
“Hey, you guys came too-“
Before he could finish his sentence, Mick knelt and held out the bouquet. North, who was standing next to me, nudged me, causing me to raise the board quickly. Now, all six of us were standing around, holding the board as planned. Mick knelt, while Tul just frowned and looked on, not reacting much. Meanwhile, dozens of eyes from the people around were also glued to us. Damn, the weekend is crowded with people going to the movies.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” Mick asked expectantly. Tul looked at Mick, then glanced at each person in the group.
“Accept it!” North exclaimed with a smile.
“Go for it, Tul!” Skate cheered.
“Just accept it, my friend loves you very much. He will take good care of you.” Fuse added.
Tul turned to look at Tiger and Ikkyu, both of whom just smiled slightly. But when his eyes met mine… Tul stopped. I glared at him, silently signalling: Agree, you bastard, I want to leave this place as soon as possible! Finally, Tul turned back to look at Mick again, smiled, and accepted the bouquet.
"Agree."
“Yeahhhh!” North shouted excitedly. I breathed a sigh of relief and handed the board back to North. Immediately, everyone standing around the theatre applauded. The group chatted for a bit before quickly leaving to celebrate the fact that the two of them were finally officially a couple.
“Congratulations to you two, I'm so excited.” North grinned, “Right, Nao?”
“Yes.” I nodded, “I'm so nervous.”
I'm anxious to see if you run away. If you run, I'll have to run after you!
“The others are fine, but I don't understand a thing, Nao,” Tul spoke up.
“What?”
“You rolled your eyes at me. It was terrifying. It felt like you were threatening me, like ‘accept or die’. Everyone else was cheering, and you were threatening me?”
“You overthink,” I said as I put meat in my mouth.
“Mick forced mayd?”
Both Mick and I paused when we heard Tul ask that.
“No!” Mick said immediately. I shook my head too.
“Not at all. I volunteered, really. I wanted to help my friend.” I said honestly. I did volunteer, although I was still a little conflicted. But for the sake of my friend, I gritted my teeth and did my duty, “North, your meat is all burned. Why don’t you flip it over?”
“Hey, why don't you turn the page?”
“I'm eating too?”
“If you see it, help a little. Oh my god, what kind of friendship is this!”
“This is proof of your irresponsibility, North,” I replied, blocking his with my chopsticks. “And you tried to steal my meat!”
“You are so stingy!” Then a chopstick war broke out between the two of us: “Don't be so selfish, there's still plenty of meat!”
"Then why do I have to take my share?"
"You grill better!"
“To grill well, you have to understand the soul of the meat!” I philosophised, “When one side is just cooked, flip it over and grill for another three seconds, that’s perfect. Or you can eat one side rare. Medium rare.”
“You are awesome!”
“Of course.” I raised my eyebrows smugly, “And who ordered pumpkin?”
“Me.” Ikkyu spoke up, “What? You have a problem with my pumpkin?”
“It takes up space!” I protested earnestly, “A huge lump like that, when will it ever be cooked?”
“It's delicious.”
“Let's prioritise grilling the meat first, don't put it down yet.”
“What about carrots?” Ikkyu pointed.
“Who put the carrots in there?”
“Me,” Skate replied. “Is that okay? It was on the disc, I was sorry, so I put it in.”
“That's just for decoration, you idiot!” I picked up the carrots.
“Hey, there’s pork!” I quickly pushed Skate’s chopsticks away and glared at him, “Don’t eat it! The pork isn’t cooked yet. Do you want to go deaf?”
“Are you sure that's pork? I thought it was beef.”
“Humph, don't underestimate the restaurant owner's son.”
“But you're a terrible cook?” North frowned.
“But I eat barbecue a lot.” I raised my eyebrows again, “I'm a barbecue expert.”
I continued to raise my eyebrows as if I were number one in the world.
“Oh yeah, the passport and visa thing is done.”
“Really?” I turned around, my face filled with joy.
“Yeah, should we book now?”
“Book now!”
“Where are you going?”
“Boston.” I turned to North, “Are you going?”
“Hey, is this how you invite me?” North smiled slyly, turning to look at Tiger, “I’m going to miss this chance to be a hindrance?”
“No,” Tiger interjected.
“But Nao invited me?”
“Do you think your husband will agree?”
“Yeah, I'm not going. Just kidding.” North shrugged. “Sorry, Nao, too bad. Jo and I have plans. You're going to see your brother, right? Boston?”
“Yeah, anything you want to send?”
“Ah… does that make sense?”
“Where are you going, Johan?”
“Saipan.”
“Huh? Where?” I looked up, eyebrows raised in question.
North replied while chewing: “It is the largest island in the Northern Mariana Islands of the United States.”
“Northern Mariana, that sounds like a cool name. Let me look it up.” I took out my phone and searched, “It’s so cool.”
“You want to go?” Tiger leaned over to look at my screen.
“Let’s do it next time. This time it’s only a week, and I have to go back and prepare for my internship. Have you found a place to stay yet, North?”
“Yeah, but actually, it should be Tiger and Johan who chose it. At first, I had planned to rent a normal dormitory, but they refused and forced you and me to live in an apartment. They even fought over buying it.”
“Buy it now?” I frowned, turning to look at Tiger.
“Yeah.” Tiger nodded and took a sip of water.
"So who bought it?"
“Let's chip in to buy it. No one wants to give in.”
“Why do I suddenly find it so cute? Fighting over buying a house for your friend to live in.” I laughed, “But it makes sense to split the cost since you two live together.”
North and I interned at the same company but in different provinces. It was a two-hour drive from here to the internship, so we had to find a new place to live. So Tiger and Johan fought over who would buy us an apartment.
“Do you call it he or it?”
“Don't call my boyfriend that!” North narrowed his eyes, pointing his chopsticks at Tiger.
“Don't point your chopsticks at me.” Tiger pushed North's hand away.
“What? Looking for trouble?”
“What?”
“Humph, just you wait and see. If I share a room with Nao, I’ll turn into a devil roommate! I’ll leave my socks on the bed, go to the bathroom without flushing, throw my underwear around in a figure eight, and pluck Nao’s armpit hair while he’s sleeping!”
“You bastard, you really bastard! The others were bad, but the last one was the worst! What did you pluck my hair for?” I burst out laughing.
“What? Give me one?”
“Fuck North, you bastard!” I couldn't help but scold, “Honestly, I have a bad feeling you're going to do it!”
North immediately looked frustrated.
“Gosh, I was just kidding. What would I do with it?”
“That reminds me of that movie,” Skate said, laughing. “The one where the girl puts her hair in a cake to charm the guy and then gets it stuck in his teeth. It’s so creepy!”
“Oh, that?” I pointed at Skate as I remembered, “The male lead's final scene still haunts me.”
“What movie?” North asked, tilting his head.
“It's the movie you asked us to see.” I reminded, “You said it was a good movie, one you couldn't miss in your life, so you dragged us all to see it and even paid for the tickets and popcorn.”
“Oh, I remember. Oh my god, I almost threw up!”
“Can you guys not say these things while eating?” Ikkyu frowned and sighed, “It’s too creepy. If anyone says anything else, I’ll slap them in the mouth!”
“So weak.” North pouted, “Ouch! Ikkyu is teasing me!” He pouted, rubbing his head pitifully.
“Serves you right.” Tiger and I said in unison.
“They said it too! Ikkyu, hit them too!”
“You were the one who started it.” Ikkyu pointed his chopsticks at North’s face, “So you two are roommates, right?”
I nodded in response.
“Tiger, you let Nao sleep with someone else? Even Johan?”
“I don’t really want to.” Tiger sighed, “But the internship is too far away, going back and forth every day isn’t good. Actually, Nao can sleep alone, but this bastard North can’t.”
“What a different way of saying it.” North muttered, “I can't sleep alone, you know that.”
“You’ve fought ghosts so many times and you’re still scared?” Skate raised his eyebrows, “I thought that would help you get over your fear.”
“Hmm, no. At that time, I didn't know where to get the courage.”
“Do you really want to live with that North guy?” Tiger turned to me and asked in a serious tone again, “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to stay anywhere. I’ll find you a new room. Sigh, why did you get an internship so far away?”
“I'm fine,” I said. “As long as you don't do anything stupid, North. Please.”
“I didn't do it. I'm a great roommate. Ask my ex.”
“The person our friend had a crush on but turned out to have a girlfriend?” I turned to tease Skate when mentioning Easter, “Skate, North’s roommate is charming. What do you think? Can you flirt with him? Haha, you bastard! A few days later, he went public with his girlfriend. And he’s handsome too. My friend can’t compete with him.”
“How many years has it been?” Skate sighed, “It's too old a story, why bring it up again? I have someone new already.”
“I don't think he even noticed you.” North frowned, leaning down to look at Skate's face. “Really. It sounds like you were just one of his options.”
“Like Fuse?” Tiger asked. Fuse immediately looked up from his plate of food.
“My turn? What? What am I going to do?”
“Just being a ‘talkative person, ’” North replied.
“'People to talk to' also have self-respect. Don't look down on them. What's wrong?”
“Nothing.” North shook his head, “You and Skate are just alike. Always flirting with people and getting tricked and dumped. In the end, you’re just one of their options.”
“…”
“Why don't you two try dating each other?”
North's words made Skate and Fuse look at each other. They both froze for a few seconds. The whole table burst out laughing because they couldn't hold it in.
“What the hell just happened? The moment we looked at each other and fell in love? Did the world stop spinning?”
“…Fuse,” Skate called the person in front of him in a low voice.
“Skate… Don't.”
“Why don't we… try getting married?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fuse froze. We all burst out laughing. Damn, he was being serious! Not just dating, but getting married!
"Come on, go eat meat."
“Fuse.”
“Don't call me again.”
“Why can't it be Skate?”
“Haizz—” Fuse let out a long breath, flinching and pulling his hand back when Skate grabbed it. He turned to glare at the group, “What the hell are you guys playing at? You bastards. And this idiot, Skate, will definitely continue this for a long time.”
“Why can’t it be Skate?” North repeated, laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. “Oh my gosh, my stomach hurts. ‘Why don’t we try getting married?’ Really? If you decide to date, call us to surprise you! I’m even willing to be your best man. And damn it, how many more suits do I have to get made? Tell me the theme of the wedding beforehand.”
“Stop it.” Fuse put down his chopsticks, “I'm full. Anyone want some meat?”
“Over here, over here,” Mick said. We ate and talked for a while before splitting up, leaving just Tiger, North, and me.
“Aren't you going home?” I turned to North.
“I'm going to get my hair done.”
“Hair?”
“Yeah. Look, my hair is growing black roots. I was going to dye it before I went out. I’ve been out for the day anyway, and I have plenty of time. Are you guys going home?” North asked.
“I was going to go shopping and buy some gifts to take to Boston,” I replied. “But hearing you talk about getting your hair done makes me want to do it too. Ger, what’s up?”
“Whatever. You want your hair done?”
“I wonder if I should dye it? I want to dye it brown like North.” I reached up to touch my hair.
“What's the point of dyeing it the same as mine? Choose a bright colour!”
“No. I like the same colour as you.”
“Hmm~ Is there some hidden meaning?” North narrowed his eyes.
“You’re really good at pushing the boat, huh? You’re always pushing the boat between you and me. It’s so confusing.” I shook my head slightly. The three of us went to the hair salon and chose our hair colour together.
“I think brown is ok. Basic but nice.”
“Whatever you want. Tiger, what about you?”
“I don't do it.”
“Why? We're already at the store and just sitting there waiting?”
"YES."
“Let's do it. Shave the sides? That would be cool,” North suggested. “Or dye it light, it would look weird.”
“Yeah.” I nodded in agreement, opening the store's sample to look at it, “Smoky colour, I think it suits you.”
“You think so?” Tiger raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. But if you don't like it, that's okay.”
“If you say it's suitable, I'll try it.”
“OK.”
So the three of us went to the hairdresser's. Hours passed, and I looked in the mirror and saw that my hair had changed from black to light brown. I tilted my head slightly to the left and right and smiled when the staff complimented me. Then I got up from my chair and sat next to North, who was already waiting.
“How is it?” I asked.
“Exactly like me, damn it.” North sighed softly. “That alone would have made people say we were twins. Now we’re even more like twins.”
“Well, you're more like me than my brother. Everyone says so, even my mom.”
“That means you're a good person because you have the same personality as me. By the way, is there a chance that the hair colour is a little different?”
“Probably. Let’s take a picture.” I took out my phone and took a selfie with North to compare hair colours. “Brown but different tones, but I think it suits him. Really handsome.”
“Hmm, the real handsome guy must be that guy.” North whistled. I looked and saw Tiger, “Damn, your husband is really handsome.”
“If Johan hears that, Ger is dead… As a result, he's standing right behind here.” As soon as he finished speaking, North turned around. “You seem panicked.”
“Nooo… It's just… It's okay. North's Johan is the most handsome man in the world.”
“Okay, okay.” I glanced at the hairdresser without taking my eyes off. After a while, Tiger finished and walked over.
“How do I look?”
“Handsome.” North and I said in unison. I immediately turned to look at him.
“Hey! You.” I tapped his hand lightly, feeling disgusted, “Why are you talking at the same time as me?”
“Oh, just complimenting you. Come on, pay and then go shopping.”
"Let me pay."
“Mine too?”
“Um.”
“Wow, great benefactor.” North opened his eyes wide, “Thank you.”
We waited for Tiger to pay for his hair and then went to the clothing store. Tiger kept picking out one item after another, holding it up to me and thinking.
“Which one do you like better?”
“Ah… Um… Both are beautiful.”
“Then take both.” Tiger then calmly put them all in the basket.
“No, no, wait… Ah, it's too late.” I sighed because I couldn't stop it in time, “I shouldn't have said I like both of them.”
“But they’re both beautiful,” North interjected. Ger is just like Jo. He’s always like that when he goes shopping. He picks something he likes, puts it on me, and puts it in the basket.”
“You love Johan so much, don't you?”
“What?”
“You mention him all the time.”
“Really?”
“Really. You probably don't recognise it.” I nodded and picked up a jacket, “North, what do you think?”
“Isn't it a bit wide?”
“I bought it for Ger.”
North flipped the price tag to look: “Three thousand.”
“Huh? Only three thousand? I can afford it.”
“Dollars, you idiot.”
“Fuck…” I sighed, “Buying anything for Ger is always a headache. The problem is that I have limited money, and he only buys expensive things.”
“I see.” North nodded and counted on his fingers, “Three thousand dollars, that's about a hundred thousand. Dare you spend it, Nao? It's for your girlfriend.”
“Ugh… Let me borrow some, North.”
"Okay."
“You have it? How are you so rich?”
“Let me borrow it from Jo, but it has interest.”
“Forget it! I don't want to be a debtor to the evil mafia.”
“The Mafia is your husband, Nao?” North laughed, “That's a nice coat. Ask Tiger if he likes it?”
“What if I say I like it?”
"Then tell him to buy it himself."
“Pfft…” I sighed before Tiger turned back.
“There are some jackets over there that might suit you.” Tiger said, then frowned a bit, “What are you two doing? Do you like this jacket? Do you have a smaller size?” Tiger turned to ask the employee.
“No, it's not like that.” I held the jacket up to Tiger, “It really fits.”
“Hmm?” The other man raised an eyebrow.
“I think it suits you. But you have a lot of coats, don't you?”
“I can buy more. You choose for me.” Tiger smiled brightly, “Thanks.”
“I want to buy it for you.” I whispered, “You’ve bought so much for me that I want to buy it for you too, but…”
Tiger stopped smiling, took out his phone, pressed a few buttons, then put it back in his pocket. A moment later, my phone rang. I opened it and saw that my account had just received three million baht.
“…Uh, Ger, what is this?”
“So you can buy it for me.”
“But it's your money, isn't it? How is it different from buying it yourself?”
“My money, what, I gave it to you, so it's your money.” Tiger smiled brightly, his mood suddenly happy, “What else do you want to buy for me?”
“I… That black shirt looks good on you. Let me buy it for you.” I laughed at Tiger’s adorable actions.
“Haha, you two are so affectionate… What am I doing here? Should I go home?”
“No, you still have to help me carry the stuff.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Behave yourself, I'll buy you shoes.”
North's eyes widened, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Okay!! Give it to me, I'll carry it all!!”