Love You Teacher

Chapter 7. 

On the living room wall of the condo, a calendar hung, marked with Pobmek's messy handwriting. The names "Sun" and "Solar" were neatly arranged, alternating between days. Today, a red circle surrounded "Sun," and loud children's cartoon music blasted through the room like a band was playing. 

Pobmek lay curled up like a shrimp, drowsy in a peaceful slumber, using a pillow to shield his face from the morning sun. Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open as if a small hurricane had swept in. Sun opened the door and ran to the bed, jumping and dancing joyfully, his face beaming with a bright smile.

"Aren't you going to work, Uncle!? It's almost 7:30!" Sun shouted loudly.

Sun's words were like a nuclear bomb, instantly jolting Pobmek to reality. Pobmek jolted awake, his eyes wide as if he'd seen a ghost. His previously drowsy face instantly turned panicked. He sprang up from bed as if launched by a rocket, flusteredly knocking a pillow onto the floor. He rushed to get dressed and hurried into the living room.

Mek rushed out of the bedroom, tying his tie as he walked, making it all wrinkled and dishevelled like a crumpled piece of fabric. He quickly glanced at the wall clock, his heart pounding like a war drum. But then his panicked pace instantly slowed when he realised the clock showed only 6:00 AM! Sun had just woken him up, while he himself was comfortably watching cartoons on the sofa.

"Oh, it's only six o'clock. Why are you waking me up so early?" Pobmek asked in an exhausted voice. 

"If I don't wake you up now, Uncle will be late for school again," Sun replied with an innocent expression.

Mek let out a huge sigh of relief before looking around the room, which had once been simple and tidy. Now it was surprisingly decorated in bright, cheerful colours. There was a small play area in the corner, cartoon posters plastered on the walls, and the floor was piled high with colourful blankets and throw pillows.

Pobmek turned and stopped in front of the TV, looking at Sun, who was sitting watching cartoons. Sun turned to look at Pobmek with eyes as wide as a kitten that had just opened its eyes to the world.

And this is a troublesome kid whom I have to deal with every other day. I'm trying to find a way to adapt and live with Sun, even though someone like me may never understand what it's like to be a child.

But luckily, Solar had prepared a brilliant solution just a few days before. Loud superhero cartoon music blared in the living room. The TV, previously dark, was now illuminated with an image of the Milky Way. Pobmek sat on the sofa, playing a video on his phone and connecting it to the TV for Sun to watch. Sun watched, bewildered, not understanding what Pobmek was trying to convey. He could only blink and listen silently. The video clip shows Solar dressed in casual clothes, standing seriously in front of the camera and speaking.

"Sun... Have you ever wondered why some days you sleep through the night, losing track of time? And have you ever wondered why everyone keeps calling you Solar! Solar! Solar!"

Sun nodded, a charmingly curious expression on his face, in the form of an adult on the TV screen.

"Because the truth is, we are... police officers from the future!!" Solar yanked off his casual clothes, revealing the futuristic police uniform underneath. His face was beaming with pride. Sun watched with wide eyes, amazed by what he saw.

In this clip, Solar fights Jee and Sodchuen, who are dressed as villains. Both have evil expressions and laugh loudly before being decisively defeated by Officer Solar.

"Our duty is to defeat the evil demons that are threatening us. Our world exists!”

But then, Jee, dressed as a villain, used his magic staff of time to unleash its power on Solar. Solar writhed and convulsed from the effects of the spell. "But unfortunately, we've been struck by a curse, causing us to..."

"The future and the man from the past switch back and forth every other day!" Sun was shocked when he learned this false truth.

"But you don't have to worry, because we're currently finding a way to withdraw."

“This curse exists, but we've received help from... the kind-hearted adults of...

Anabhakta!!"

In the video clip, Mek, Jee and Sodchuen are enjoying a refreshing drink from an elephant named Ossar. Everyone was wearing equally simple-looking World Police uniforms.

"We are currently undertaking an important mission, and you also have an important mission to accomplish. That is, to blend in as students as possible, to coexist with the other students, and most importantly, to obey the kind adults."

The future of all things and this person.

Sun nodded with a determined and focused expression.

"This mission is top secret. Don't tell anyone, Sun... sir."

"Can you do it? If you can, then let's high-five!!!" Solar, on TV, extended his fist towards the camera and held it still. He found himself anxiously watching behind the camera, wondering about Sun's reaction. His heart was pounding so hard he could barely breathe.

Finally, Sun raised his fist and touched the TV, his face filled with determination and focus. Seeing this, Pobmek smiled with relief, feeling grateful to his lovely boyfriend for coming up with this brilliant idea.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee

The scratching sound of a whiteboard marker echoed. On the blackboard at the front of the classroom, written in Pobmek's handwriting, were the words "Show me your feeling." Sun stood nervously in front of the blackboard, looking awkward, while Jee and Sodchuen watched anxiously from the back of the room.

"Ah...Karaoke...Happy," Pobmek said in a gentle voice.

Try to help Sun relax by touching his feet.

Sun still hesitated and refused to comply. Pobmek was so anxious that his palms were sweating, afraid that Sun wouldn't cooperate. But then Sun slowly began to smile, a cute, funny expression that made his friends in the room watching burst into laughter. Pobmek also laughed along.

"Great job! Next one!" Pobmek said happily. Sun walked back to his table, seeing that his friends were now chatting happily with him. Pobmek watched this and smiled, feeling relieved. The heavy feeling that had been weighing on his chest gradually disappeared.

It seems that now the children are more open-minded and believe that Solar is a good road. And just as Solar had predicted...Everything went smoothly now, and we're ready to move on to the next step....

The smell of alcohol and ammonia hung in the air. Sun was shocked to learn he'd been brought to a doctor. His heart pounded like a machine gun on a battlefield. His small hands were ice-cold. He found Mek sitting beside Sun in a room with the door left open, to make Sun feel safe and less afraid.

"Uncle... why are we here...?" Sun asked in a trembling voice. His face was full of confusion.

"I brought you to see the doctor," Pobmek replied in the gentlest tone possible.

As much as possible, try to trick Sun into believing you.

"You know, doctor, he's also a kind-hearted adult from the future. He has..."

"There's a way to break the curse from the demon, don't be afraid."

"Nooooo! I don't want to see the doctor!!! Let me go!!!" A small boy's head poked through the doorway, his voice trembling as if he were being chased. A nurse quickly pulled the boy away, as if dragging a sack of rice. Sun was stunned, his eyes wide. The sight reinforced his fear that being here was not good. He tried to get up and leave, but Mek grabbed him tightly.

"Don't you remember? We have an important mission to complete," Pobmek whispered.

"No, no! I'm not doing the mission anymore! I don't want to see a doctor! I don't want an injection!" Sun struggled with all his might like a fish pulled from water.

"There won't be any injections," a sweet voice said from the doorway. The female therapist walked into the room with a warm and friendly smile. Sun immediately fell silent, as if under a spell. The therapist sat down in the chair opposite Sun before looking at him with gentle eyes.

"Is that you, Sun? Don't be scared. We're just here to chat today."

"Hey, how old are you, Sun?"

"Seven... seven," Sun replied with a trembling voice.

"Your voice is trembling. Are you scared?" the female therapist asked with concern.

"No, sir... I... I need to pee," Sun said in a hesitant voice.

It's ridiculous.

"Oh dear, then go to the restroom first. I'll have the nurse take you," Sun thanked the nurse and quickly ran after her. Meanwhile, Pobmek turned to look at the female therapist, seemingly wanting to continue discussing Sun's matter.

Outside the men's restroom, the nurse waited calmly. Meanwhile, inside, urinating, Sun's face was tense. He was desperately trying to find a way to escape. His gaze shifted as he looked at the open ventilation window. It was as if a light streamed into his dark mind; he suddenly thought of something.

"Is Nong Sun in here? He's been gone for a long time," Pobmek asked.

The nurse walked straight to the front of the restroom.

"Yes, that's right—"

"Ouch!" Sun's pained cry came from the bathroom, startling Pobmek and the nurse. Pobmek, shocked, quickly opened the door to see Sun stuck to the ventilation window, writhing like a worm on a hook. Pobmek was stunned and didn't know what to do.

"Sun! What are you doing up there?!"

"I don't want to go to the doctor! Uncle! Uncle, help me pull this down!!!" Sun cried for help. Pobmek shook his head in exasperation. He felt like an uncle trying to solve his nephew's problems. After returning from the hospital, the atmosphere in the living room immediately became tense, as if an ice wall had stood between them. Sun sat curled up in the corner near the sofa, silently colouring a picture with crayons, his face visibly gloomy.

Mek gazed at the image with a feeling of guilt, as if burdened by a heavy stone on top of the chest. He walked towards Sun, carrying a storage box and a plate of freshly fried pancakes. The sweet aroma of the pancakes filled the room, but Sun paid no attention. He continued to paint intently, his head down.

"How long are you going to sulk...?" Pobmek said in a gentle voice.

Trying to start a conversation, "I told you we need to go to the doctor," Sun stopped colouring and looked up, seeing Mek and his clear eyes. Filled with sadness, he asked, "Uncle... am I sick?"

"I'm not sick..." Pobmek quickly denied it. He felt like he was being pricked by needles.

A sharp pain pierced my heart when I saw Sun's expression.

"It's just a curse, that's all. And the doctor knows how to break it, so Sun won't have to switch."

"It's Teacher Solar and me again."

Upon hearing this, Sun pondered the matter, and his face immediately brightened. 

"Hmm... so if the curse is broken... that means I can come out and play anytime, right?"

Mek froze for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure if his answer was correct, but seeing the hopeful look in Sun's eyes, he decided to nod in confirmation first, just to reassure him as much as possible.

"Okay! Then I'll believe you, Uncle!" Sun finished speaking and smiled broadly, clearly pleased.

That smile was so bright that even Mek felt as if they had seen the light. Once again, the worries that had weighed so heavily gradually faded away.

"I think things have turned out well. Okay, then here's a reward," Pobmek said, opening A large cardboard box being carried.

"Here...a big set of toys. Just for Sun to play with all by himself," he handed Sun a box to look at. A box filled with brand-new toys stacked on top of each other. That looks quite interesting.

"Wow, we can play anything we want?!" Sun asked excitedly.

"Okay, play whatever you want."

"Yayyyyyy!!!" Sun was overjoyed. He laughed loudly and jumped around. Phop watched him and smiled happily.

Suddenly, Pobmek 's phone rang. It was Pranee calling. He excused himself to talk, leaving Sun to play with his toys alone. Sun slowly picked up a few toys to examine them, but found them uninteresting. They were brightly colored plastic toys, lifeless and unexciting. His eyes caught sight of another cardboard box in the corner of the room. It had a label on it. It said "antique," and Sun had a thoughtful expression.

Mek walked into the bedroom to answer a call from his girlfriend's mother.

"Yes, Mom."

"How is Pobmek doing, dear? Did you take Solar to the therapist already?" Pranee's voice, filled with concern, came from the other end of the line.

"Uh... well, it's Solar..." Pobmek tried to explain.

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Earlier that afternoon, after Sun had gone to the restroom, the therapy room fell silent again. The atmosphere had shifted from the earlier chaos to an unsettling stillness. Pobmek sat motionless in his chair, his face tense, his hands clasped tightly in his lap. He was intently listening to the female therapist speak, every word seemingly a key to unlocking Solar's mystery. The female therapist leaned back slightly and began to explain. A gentle voice, yet full of understanding.

"From what I've heard, it sounds quite fantastical, but it seems to fit the description of a condition..."It's age regression."

The term "age regression" echoed in Pobmek's head. He frowned, trying to understand the unfamiliar medical term.

"This might be due to a mental disorder, where a temporary defence mechanism is created to heal the mind from past traumas," Pobmek heard this and became even more curious. He tried to piece things together.

If this condition is caused by a childhood trauma... then what was that trauma?

What exactly is it?

"Do you happen to know if Solar had anything traumatic happen to him when he was a child?"

That question seemed like the most difficult one he had ever asked in his life. He found Mek still. After a moment, he slowly shook his head.

"I've talked to Solar about this before, but he said he doesn't remember he couldn't remember his childhood because it was so long ago."

The therapist nodded understandingly and looked at him sympathetically.

"I've known him for almost ten years. Solar has always been cheerful and bright. The car accident is probably the most heartbreaking thing that happened to him...Or maybe I should try asking Solar's mother for information?"

"That's good, because knowing about past traumas might help us understand things."

You could get even more."

The moment those words were spoken, a glimmer of hope, like a light igniting in Pobmek's heart, was ignited. He felt as if he had finally found a path to walk after being lost in darkness for so long.

A faint smile appeared on the female therapist's face, a smile that inexplicably relieved Pobmek. But then her next words brought him back to reality.

"But you should prepare yourself, Mr Pobmek, for this kind of symptom."

"It takes time to heal."

Those words were like a cool breeze that swept away his excitement. He nodded understandingly. He wasn't discouraged at all; he simply acknowledged that the road ahead might be long, but he was ready to fight for the ones he loved.

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Right now, tonight, Mek is in his bedroom. He's still holding the phone to his ear, the conversation with Pranee continued.

"So... Mom... I wanted to know if anything happened to Solar when he was a child," Pobmek asked with a voice full of worry.

"Um... well-" Pranee's voice came from the other end of the line, but before she could respond, a loud crash, like something heavy falling, came from the living room. Pobmek jumped, startled, and immediately turned to look at the door. Silence fell for a moment. Pobmek stood still, his heart pounding.

"Mom, I have to go now. I'll call you back later," he quickly finished speaking, then he hung up. Pobmek rushed out of the bedroom and into the living room. His heart was pounding faster than usual when he saw the mess the room was in. The toys and pancakes he had prepared were scattered all over the floor as if a small storm had raged.

"Sun... what happened again?!" Pobmek shouted in frustration, shocked and disheartened by the unexpected situation.