Lately, It's Winter Season.

Chapter 49 - Action

Normally, the guys who follow me to protect me keep their distance so as not to interfere with my daily life. This time, returning to Thailand, was no different; I took a taxi alone to Nao's dorm. I wasn't sure if he was there, but I went there anyway.

 

I remembered the name of the dormitory clearly, so I told the driver and then sat and admired the view outside. I couldn't say for sure if Chiang Mai had changed much because it had been a long time since I'd been back, and the last time I only came for a few days. I booked a hotel near the university so I could be close to Nao and avoid the hassle of travelling, making it easy to walk to meet him.

 

The weather was undeniably hot, with blazing sunshine. The heat was palpable the moment I stepped out of the car. I paid the taxi fare, then turned around and looked up at Nao's dorm. It looked quite decent. I'd been planning this surprise for Nao for over a year, keeping it a secret, so I'd never mentioned it. I'd even worked extra jobs to save money just for this. The plan was to surprise Nao first, then both of them would go home and surprise their mother.

 

I stood in front of the dormitory, feeling awkward and unsure what to do. Apparently, an access card was needed to enter the main gate, and of course, I didn't have one. Before I could think of anything, someone touched my shoulder. I turned around to look.

 

"Why don't you come in?"

 

I immediately realised this person was Nao's friend, and he probably mistook me for Nao. I guessed he also lived in this dorm because he was holding keys in one hand and a bag of snacks in the other.

 

"Hey, why are you carrying a suitcase? Did you come back from somewhere?"

 

"Oh... sorry, I forgot my key card. Could you open it for me?"

 

"Oh, sure."

 

"Hmm." I smiled. The other person paused slightly.

 

"What the hell are you laughing at? It's giving me goosebumps."

 

"Haha." I laughed at his comment and followed him into the dormitory. I went into the elevator alone.

 

"See you later."

 

"Yeah, see you later." He turned in another direction. I took the elevator up to Nao's floor, and if I remember correctly, Nao's room was on the top floor.

 

When I arrived, I nervously knocked on the door. I imagined that in just a few seconds, Nao or Tiger would open the door with a look of utter surprise. I smiled expectantly.

But there was no reply…

I knocked again.

Still, no one opened it.

 

I knocked one last time and waited for a long time, but still no one answered. I sighed in disappointment. So, no one was in the room? I decided to take my luggage to the hotel to drop it off first, then go to the department to find Nao. I remembered that the internship period was approaching, so Nao might be at the department to complete the paperwork. Although the chances of meeting him there were low, maybe I could run into one of his friends to ask about him. If I can't meet him in person, I'll secretly call him later to ask.

 

I took the school bus and got off at the stop near the engineering department. There weren't many people there, probably because it wasn't class time. As I walked into the department, I thought, 'So this is where Nao comes to study every day?'

 

I wandered around aimlessly, not knowing the way or where to go. Finally, I arrived at the cafe under the department building, ordered a coffee, and sat down to rest. While I was there, I took out my phone and realised I still had aeroplane mode on.

Hmm, I guess it's time to call Nao.

 

"Hey! Nao!"

 

I was startled by the sudden scare. Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind, shook me violently, and shouted. I immediately turned around and saw a stranger. Probably another one of Nao's friends.

 

"Why are you sitting here alone?"

 

"Oh... I'm just sitting around."

 

"Where is Tiger?"

 

"Uh... I'm working." I decided to lie. Explaining that I wasn't Nao but his twin brother might be too long-winded, or they wouldn't believe me. I also didn't know how close this guy was to Nao, and I wasn't sure if Nao had ever told him about having a twin brother.

 

"So what are you doing here?"

 

"Ah... about the internship. There's a problem, so the professor called me in. You have a problem too?"

 

"Oh, yes."

 

"Hmm." He frowned.

 

"Is something wrong?"

 

"No... I must be overthinking it. You look a little strange."

 

"Really?" I smiled.

 

“…”

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Uh... nothing."

 

He waved, his face flushed slightly, then quickly turned away. "Sorry, I'm going now. Oh, North is here too; he's in the faculty lounge."

 

After saying that, he left immediately. I watched him go, not quite understanding, but then I suddenly remembered that I should go find North. I missed North, of course. Not only had I spoken to him before, but North was also a topic Nao often brought up when we talked. Nao must be very close to North. Maybe even the closest person in his group of friends… Well, of course, not counting Tiger.

 

I went to the coffee counter and asked the staff where the faculty lounge was. The person looked at me with a confused expression, like, 'Why are you asking? Don't you already know?' He probably remembered Nao's face. Even so, he still pointed me to the lounge.

 

I went up to the second floor via the stairs and saw quite a few people standing in front of the faculty lounge. Some were sitting and signing papers. I recognised North in the group, so I slipped in and sat down next to him without him noticing.

 

"Is there a problem with the internship?"

 

"Yeah, it's really frustrating. The list's all messed up somehow," North replied without looking up. "You're having problems too?"

 

"Well, I'm not sure."

 

"Then go ask the teacher," North said. "Wait, if there was a problem, he would have called you. If there hasn't been a call, then it's probably fine."

 

"Ah, I see."

 

"So what are you doing here?"

 

"Go find North."

 

"Huh?"

 

"We're here to find North," I repeated.

 

This time, North finally looked up at me, his brow furrowed in surprise. He was silent for a few seconds. I smiled kindly.

 

"Ha... ha... Nao? Wait, have I been talking to you all this time?"

 

"So who do you think you're talking to?"

 

"I don't know..." North still looked confused.

 

"But you're still speaking perfectly normally."

 

"I thought you were a friend," North replied. "But hey, did you dye your hair again? You just dyed it?"

 

"Dyeing?" I raised my eyebrows. "Did Nao dye his hair?"

 

"Uh, wait a minute... Nao?"

 

"YES?"

 

“Haha…” I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw that North didn’t suspect at all that I wasn’t Nao.

 

"Oh, by the way, are you almost finished signing the paperwork?"

 

"Yeah, almost done. But what do you want? I thought you were in Boston."

 

“…”

 

"Done," North put down his pen. "Let me go submit the paperwork to the professor." North stood up, leaving me sitting there stunned.

 

Boston? What does he mean? Nao going to Boston? The only reason Nao came to Boston without telling me was to surprise me. Meanwhile, I returned to Thailand to surprise Nao…Before this, I thought Nao would definitely be shocked. And he was shocked, but now I'm completely stunned myself. North is back.

 

"Come on, where are you going now?" I stood up. North tilted his head, looked at me, and frowned, saying:

 

"Uh... am I overthinking things? You look strange."

 

"What?"

 

“Like… normally you’re more rude than this, but today you look… um, how should I put it?” North crossed his arms, circling around me to observe me. He tilted his head, staring at me from head to toe, “Wait a minute, we’re the same height now, aren’t we?”

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Wait a minute, did I grow taller?! Ball! Hey, Ball!" North stood next to me and waved to a friend who was filling out paperwork, "Look, I'm as tall as Nao now, right?"

 

"No, you're still shorter than him."

 

"Look up and take a good look, you idiot!"

The man named Ball looked up.

 

"Oh yeah, we're the same height now. Did you grow taller? Or did Nao get shorter?"

 

“How can you get shorter? Do your bones shrink? Haha! I’ve gotten taller!” North jumped up excitedly, “But overnight? How is that possible?”

 

"Yeah, how could that be?"

 

"Wait…" North suddenly pointed directly at me.

 

"Hmm?"

 

“…Duen Nuea?”

 

"Haha, you just realised? We've been talking for over ten minutes already." I couldn't help but laugh.

 

Wait! Why are you here?

 

"Ah... I came back to surprise Nao."

 

"But Nao just flew to Boston..."

 

“…”

 

“Hahaha!” North burst out laughing so loudly that many people turned to look. He quickly pulled me away from the area and continued laughing down the stairs, completely oblivious to everyone around him. “Oh, my stomach hurts, that’s so funny! You two are twins, but you just glided past each other in mid-air!”

 

"So Nao really went to Boston?" I confirmed.

 

"Yeah! We even went shopping for him yesterday. I even bought him a shirt to take to Boston. And you flew back here? Nao must be in shock now. Oh, have you told him? He'll be worried sick if he can't find you."

 

"Oh, right!" I quickly took out my phone and turned off aeroplane mode. I was about to call Nao when he called first. I answered the call.

 

"Nao!"

 

(Nueaaaaa!!!)

 

"Oh, Nao... Ah, you're in Chiang Mai."

(I know! I'm coming back now. Oh my god!)

 

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't anticipate this situation."

(No need to apologise! You didn't do anything wrong. I was just so annoyed. Ugh! I was worried sick! I waited forever at the school gate and didn't see you anywhere, and I didn't find you at the hamburger shop either.)

 

"I also went to look for you at the dorm and the department, but couldn't find you. We think so similarly, don't we?"

(Where are you now?)

 

"I'm in my department. I thought I might see you here, but I ran into North instead. And North mistook me for you, and you two talked for minutes!" I said, trying to suppress a laugh.

(Are you with North? Turn on the speakerphone now!)

 

"Uh... Um." I turned on the speakerphone and held the phone towards North.

"Nao?" North frowned, "Hey Nao, my dear friend, did you have fun in Boston?"

 

(North! Take good care of Nuea! I'm on my way home now.)

"Back? How long have you been in Boston?"

 

(This is terrible! I probably haven't even set foot halfway in Boston yet!) Nao yelled, (I'm on the plane now, and remember to take care of Nuea for me. Nuea, stay with North for another day. Flying back takes a whole day, for heaven's sake!)

 

"You can stay and play for a while longer. Flying back and forth takes too much time."

(No! I'm about to take off. Where are you?)

 

"I booked a hotel near your dorm."

(OK! North, please look after Nuea for me all day today and tomorrow until I get back.)

 

"Don't worry, my friend!" North replied confidently.

(See you soon, Nuea.)

 

"Okay, see you later," I replied before the other person hung up. "Nao said I should stay with North. Is that convenient for North?"

 

"Sure, I'm pretty free too." North shrugged casually, then muttered softly in a sulky tone, "I thought I'd actually grown taller, hmph."

 

"You're sulking too? How cute." I smiled, amused by my younger brother's friend.

 

"Uh... Wait... Did you just say I was cute?" North suddenly stopped.

 

"Yes, it's cute. Why?"

 

"Ah... Um... Thank you. But please don't compliment me like that, okay? And please don't look at me with that look and smile anymore."

 

"How?"

 

"It's... exactly like Nao's face, but something Nao would never do. I know you're Nuea, but... it gives me goosebumps."

 

"Haha." I couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Nao's friend said exactly the same thing."

 

"Hey, even when he smiles, he looks cute!"

 

"Hey, weren't you the one who complimented me?"

 

"That's really cute! You even covered your mouth and giggled softly. If it were Nao, he'd probably be laughing so hard his laughter would echo all the way to the other end of the alley. And your demeanour is completely different, your way of speaking is so much gentler… Damn it."

 

North stroked his chin, observing me more closely: "The story Nao told about how many people like his brother is probably true."

 

"No, Nao just exaggerates," I laughed. "But where are we going now?"

 

"Want to go to the arcade? Do you play games?"

 

I shook my head.

 

"Oh... Have you eaten yet?"

 

I shook my head again.

 

"Okay, let's go eat!"

 

"Where is North planning to take me to eat?"

 

"What would you like to eat?"

 

"The place where you and Nao usually eat."

 

"Then let's just go to the cafeteria of this department."

 

"Okay, let's go."

 

I followed North towards the department's cafeteria. Along the way, he kept greeting everyone he met. Nao had once said that North was a sociable person with many friends, and it seemed that wasn't an exaggeration at all.

 

"Hey, hey! Look at this! Isn't Nao cute today?" North deliberately asked another friend. The person turned to look at me. Involuntarily, I smiled slightly as a reflex because I'm naturally polite and often smile at others.

 

“…”

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"Oh... that's normal, isn't it?"

 

"Isn't that cute? Now, smile again, the kind of smile that will make Win drop dead."

 

"What?" I turned to North, completely confused.

 

"Smile!"

 

I did as he said and flashed a big smile. The guy named Win's face immediately turned bright red.

 

"Enough! Damn it, what are you eating today? I... I can't take it anymore! My heart is racing! I have to remind myself that my friend is married!!!"

 

"Yeah, don't touch that! Just a smile and you're already smitten? What an idiot." North laughed loudly.

 

"Since when did Nao become so cute? I can't understand it."

 

"Okay, okay, hurry up. Do you want Ger to punch you?"

 

"And you told me to look at him and smile? Damn it, North!" This time, Win turned and pointed at me, "Don't smile at me like that again! This time, even if it were Ger, I wouldn't be able to handle it!"

 

“…” I immediately stopped smiling and said nothing.

 

"Not swearing at all? Normally, you'd swear, right? Tell me the truth, was that really Nao?"

 

"Not."

 

"Huh? What?"

 

"I'm Nuea, Nao's twin brother."

 

"Are you kidding, North?" Win seemed disbelieving. "Nao has a twin brother?"

 

"Look closely," North moved closer, "he’s the same height as me. Nao is usually a little taller than me."

 

"Yeah! That's right!" Win crossed his arms. "I remember now, I think I heard Nao has a twin brother studying abroad. Damn, his name is Nuea, right?"

 

"Where's the 'sir? You should speak politely to your older brother," North teased, then squeezed in between Win and me, "Okay, okay, don't let Nao scold me."

 

"You were the one who started it, weren't you?"

 

"I'm Win, Nao's friend. Nice to meet you!"

 

"Get out of here, you idiot!" North pushed him away and pulled me along. "Sorry, Nuea. I shouldn't have joked like that. I didn't realise you were so attractive."

 

"No."

 

"Just look at Win's reaction. And that's just Win. If you don't believe me, let me introduce you to the others."

 

"What about North?" I asked in return, "North is lovely too."

 

"Oh..." North paused, turning to look at me, "I told you not to compliment me with that face!"

 

"Which side?"

 

"That face looks exactly like Nao's!"

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

Oh my God! I screamed inwardly as I had to sit on a plane again. I'd only been in Boston for less than half a day, and Nuea was already flying back to Chiang Mai to surprise me! We literally just flew past each other in mid-air!

 

I also wanted to stay in Boston longer, but without Nuea here, this trip wouldn't make any sense. My purpose was to come and see Nuea after all this time apart. Damn it! I even bought a whole bunch of new clothes and shoes to show Nuea. North even went to the trouble of buying me a shirt. If either of us had talked things out first, this wouldn't have happened. What a terrible surprise! I definitely don't fit in with it! No! It doesn't fit at all!

 

I sat on the plane feeling dejected and landed in Chiang Mai in the afternoon. I called Nuea, and he said he was at an internet cafe with North, who was teaching him how to play games. Tiger and I immediately went there.

 

As soon as I walked into our usual internet cafe, I saw Nuea intently staring at the computer screen. I smiled slightly when I saw him, but that smile immediately vanished when I saw a group of friends surrounding Nuea.

 

"Nuea has to go this way first. It's okay, dying once means one more life for a teammate."

 

"That's right! Nuea's play just now was amazing! He’s  only played a few games, and he’s already this good, even better than Nao – the school's tournament champion!"

 

"Well, I don't understand how Nao became the champion. Nuea is clearly much better."

 

"Oh, really?" I crossed my arms, lowering my voice in annoyance. The whole group immediately turned to look at me.

 

“You don’t know how I won the school tournament? Well, I knocked you all down one by one! You bastards!” I yelled, angrily pushing them aside and pulling Nuea out of the crowd. “Where’s North? I told you to look after Nuea!”

 

I glanced around and saw North sitting and laughing happily with another friend. Unable to resist, I walked straight over and patted him lightly on the head.

 

"Ah! Who is it?" North exclaimed, turning to look at me. "Nao? Why are you hitting me?"

 

"I told you to look after Nuea! Why are you letting a whole bunch of people crowd around him like this?!" I glared at them, "You guys, just because my brother isn't saying anything, you think you can get away with it?"

 

"What? Nuea is cute, Nuea isn't like you at all."

 

“Fuck you guys! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Don’t you dare touch my brother again!” I flipped off each of them and dragged Nuea out of the internet cafe, with Tiger and that bastard North trailing behind.

 

"Why are you following me, North? You're completely useless. Get lost!"

 

“What?! I was trying to protect Nuea! I only looked away for a moment, and someone swarmed in! And that little moment happened to coincidentally arrive right when you came! It’s not fair to me at all!” North pouted, crossing his arms in dissatisfaction, “Make up for it!”

 

"Go to hell! You damn idiot!"

 

"Oh, but Nuea saying I should 'make up' is cute, isn't it?"

 

"Those legs are so cute!"

 

"Not gentle at all." North stepped back, standing next to Nuea. "It's better to be with Nuea. You're too heartless. That's your compensation!"

 

"If you complain again, I'll smack your mouth! You big-mouthed idiot!" I threatened, raising my hand.

 

"Now, now, Nao, calm down." Nuea stepped in to mediate, "Actually, North looks cute in his tantrums. Don't get upset anymore."

 

"It's because he refused to look after Nuea and let the others swarm all over him!"

 

"It's okay. They're all Nao's friends, so Nuea wants to get to know them too."

 

"They're just flirts!" I started to sulk when I saw Nuea defending North.

 

"Didn't Nao and Mom want Nuea to find a boyfriend?" Nuea asked, "When will that ever happen?"

 

"It's fine, but not the kind of blatant flirting like that!" I drawled.

 

“Alright, fine! Okay!” I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll let you off the hook, North.”

 

"Hehe." North giggled, raising an eyebrow teasingly at me from behind Nuea, "Make up for it!"

 

"Damned!"

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

“Wow, is this the outfit Nao bought for the trip to Boston?” Nuea asked excitedly. The four of us went back to my and Tiger’s room. North was following us around for who knows what. I told Nao about how I’d bought a bunch of new clothes to wear on our trip to Boston, but we never got to go. Now all I could do was show off my new clothes.

 

"That looks great! Try it on Nuea and see!"

 

"Yeah, okay." I went to the bathroom to change and came out. "How was it?"

 

"That's beautiful!" Nuea exclaimed, smiling. I spun around so he could see me clearly, and Nuea clapped his hands, "Wow! The model is gorgeous! This outfit suits my hair colour so well. Nuea loves it!"

 

"At first I thought Nuea was sweet, but the more I listen, the more it seems like it's just empty compliments," North suddenly interjected. I looked at him, speechless. "Just now you complimented me on being cute, and now you're complimenting me on being handsome."

 

"The compliment about me being handsome is genuine. But the compliment about you being cute is not."

 

"Make up for it!"

 

"You keep attacking me with that 'make up' word all the time, don't you?" I said, sounding exasperated. "You'd be much more lovable if you 'made up' with Jo."

 

"You 'make up' with Ger."

 

"No way."

 

"How cold-hearted," North pouted at me. "Come on, try on the shirt I bought you."

 

"Okay," I replied, then went into the room to change into the cream-colored shirt North had bought. When I finished changing, I came out, "How does it look?"

 

"He's handsome, absolutely amazing," North said, raising his middle finger.

 

"You've got the wrong finger, friend."

 

North looked at his hand again: "Oh, really? Sorry, sorry! Here, this finger." He changed it to a thumbs-up.

The group chatted for a while before North had to leave, leaving only three of us. I had a great time talking to Nuea, even though we video call almost every day. Time flew by so quickly that I didn't notice it until I looked at the clock and realised it was almost ten o'clock at night.

 

"Nuea, would you like to stay the night here?"

 

"I'm too embarrassed. Besides, Nuea's hotel is nearby." Nuea shook his head.

 

"Hmm, Nuea looks sleepy. Shall we go home now? We can give you a ride."

 

"Okay." Tiger and I took Nuea back to the nearby hotel. Before parting ways, I didn't forget to give Nuea a long hug because I missed him.

 

"Okay, see you tomorrow. I'll take Nuea sightseeing in Chiang Mai," I said. "I originally planned for Nuea to take me to Boston, but now it's me taking him to Chiang Mai."

 

"Okay." Nuea smiled brightly, "See you tomorrow. Bye bye."

 

"Bye bye." I waved goodbye.

 

"Bye, Tiger."

 

"Yeah, bye." Tiger smiled and waved back. Then, the two of us returned to the dormitory. Tiger was silent for quite a while, the whole way, then suddenly spoke.

 

"This."

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Try doing it as North did."

 

"Do what?"

 

"What's that 'compensation' thing?" As soon as I heard that, I immediately turned to look at him.

 

"Huh?"

 

"It must be really cute, that's why I want to see it."

 

"EH…"

 

"Please Please" Tiger switched to a whining tone. Of course, I completely gave in. North's 'compensation' trick wasn't anything big, just saying that word in a slightly spoiled voice. Although I didn't really want to do it, since Tiger was begging like this, what else could I do?

 

"B... bu..." I mumbled.

 

Tiger immediately rushed over and hugged me so tightly I couldn't react, then kept planting kisses on my cheek, first on the left, then on the right.

 

"So cute!!!"