Me and Thee: English translation.

Wake up call #31

After a bit more chatting, a knock sounded at the door. Both siblings turned to look just as a tall figure stepped inside. The man was broad-shouldered, with sharp monolidded eyes framed by familiar rectangular glasses. He carried an enormous get-well basket in one hand.

 

"Mr Touch? How did you get here?" Peach greeted him with a faint smile.

"I came out of concern," Touch teased lightly, stepping closer.

 

"Thank you for coming, Mr Touch. You really didn't have to go through the trouble." Peach, still too weak to sit up, could only offer a polite smile. The company president hurried over, shaking his head firmly.

 

"It's no trouble at all. Honestly, I should've come sooner. You got hurt on the job, that's my responsibility." His expression softened with genuine regret as he set the large basket on the bedside table.

 

"Consider this a small token of appreciation. And don't worry, we will  cover all your medical expenses."

 

"No need. I'm pretty sure someone else already took care of the bill." Peach's tone was casual, though his thoughts drifted to the mysterious mafia boss who'd whisked him into this VIP hospital suite. If that man hadn't already settled everything, Peach figured he'd have to squeeze the money out of Tawan somehow. Still, judging by Mr Thee's earlier behaviour, Peach doubted he'd need to resort to any coercion.

 

"Ok, it's alright. Anyway, let me at least treat you to a meal sometime," Touch offered with a warm smile, then paused as if something had just crossed his mind. 

 

"Speaking of work... the image files, do you still have them?"

 

Peach nodded apologetically. "Yeah, I do... Sorry, but I don't think I'll have time to edit or retouch the images. I might need to ask for an extension."

 

He was always serious about his work, making sure every project was delivered on time, often with images nearly polished and ready to go.

 

"That's fine. Just send me the files, and I'll have the art team finish them up," Touch offered kindly.

"I can't do that," Peach objected, frowning. 

 

"I agreed to handle the art myself when I took the job." He was firm about responsibility— he'd never take advantage of others, nor would he let anyone take advantage of him.

 

"But I think→"

"That's enough!"

 

Plub, who had been quietly listening between them, finally cut in, raising her hand to stop the conversation. Her expression was calm, but her slightly furrowed brow revealed her growing irritation. She turned to her brother and scolded firmly: "Peach, you need to rest. You promised me no work, period."

 

After a pause, she shifted her attention to their guest. Her face remained serious, though a faintly professional smile curved her lips.

 

"Good afternoon. I'm Panatchakorn, Peach's younger sister. I work in the art department at Arseny Company, but I also help with his freelance projects. I'll handle the remaining image edits on his behalf—would that be acceptable?" Touch blinked, momentarily taken aback by her steady, commanding gaze. He quickly composed himself, replacing his surprise with a warm smile that crinkled his eyes.

 

"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Panatchakorn." He extended his hand with an inviting friendliness. 

 

"I'm Touch. It's a pleasure to work together. May I call you Plub? Since we'll be working closely, it seems fitting to be on a first-name basis."

 

Plub glanced briefly at the large hand before reaching out to shake it, her lips curling into a faint smile that didn't quite reach her sharp, piercing eyes.

 

"Likewise," she replied curtly, withdrawing her hand just as quickly. Then, with a polite but firm gesture toward the door, she added, "Let me show you the way out. This way, please."

 

“Getting kicked out already?!

 

Peach could only scream those words internally, not daring to voice them. His sister's sweet yet dangerously sharp smile was far too intimidating. The last time he saw that look was years ago when Plub's best friend got cheated on by her boyfriend. Plub had smiled just like this, right before punching the guy so hard he lost a tooth.

 

She was probably furious now because Touch had brought up work while she was trying so hard to make Peach rest. She'd even convinced him to stay another night in the hospital for peace of mind. Fortunately, the young CEO didn't seem offended. If anything, he looked downright entertained, his expression bordering on delighted. He simply nodded graciously, offering a polite farewell before strolling toward the door at a leisurely pace, as though waiting for Plub to follow and properly escort him out. In the end, she had to tell Peach she'd head home first to work on the images. Only then did Touch finally leave, disappearing with her through the doorway.

 

Watching them go, Peach frowned slightly. A strange premonition prickled at him, like he was about to lose his sister to something or someone. Still, when it came to love, he preferred to let her make her own decisions and support her from the sidelines. Besides, he could barely manage his own life.

 

After some time, just as his uneasy thoughts were spiralling further, Plub called, almost as if sensing her brother's concern. She ranted furiously about how inconsiderate Touch was for discussing work while Peach was stuck in a hospital bed, her annoyance spilling through the phone. He had to soothe her with calming words for quite a while.

 

[I'm heading over to your place to grab the image files. I've already taken leave from work, so I'll handle everything. You just rest, got it?!].

 

Earlier, Plub had often helped him with image editing before delivering the final product to clients, especially when he had taken on too many projects and got swamped. Even though she'd get annoyed at times, her skills were top-notch and trustworthy.

 

"I understand. Thanks," Peach responded without arguing, deciding not to worry his sister any more than necessary. "You don't need to come babysit me tonight. Just finish those images and get some sleep, okay?"

 

I'll pick you up then.

[Got it. You're leaving the hospital tomorrow afternoon, right?

 

"Okay. Want to eat anything? I'll treat you, consider it payment for your help."

 

[No, I'll treat you to celebrate you getting out of the hospital!] she whined before quickly switching to an excited tone when food came up. [Let's eat shabu, Peach. You haven't had it in ages!]

 

"Is it that you want to eat it, or are you just using me as an excuse?" Peach teased with a chuckle. "Alright, fine. I'll treat you, but no alcohol."

 

Plub groaned through the phone, saying that she wasn't going to make things hard for him while he was still recovering. Peach, not really believing her, just laughed it off. He wasn't sick enough to need his sister looking after him like that.

 

After chatting a bit more, making sure Plub had safely returned to her room, he ended the call. Glancing at the clock, he realised it was already quite late, and he was starting to feel tired. The dizziness that had been improving was creeping back, probably because he hadn't slept enough. 

 

Deciding to rest, he first needed to charge his phone. He turned to the side of the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to meditate for a moment, gathering his energy despite feeling lazy. After a while, he slowly pushed himself up with his elbow. The slight dizziness came quickly, but it wasn't as bad as it had been days before. He was just drained from lying all day.

 

Peach stretched his arm as far as it could go, his fingers brushing against the charging cable. However, before he could pull it back, the door to his hospital room swung open. He turned to look, still reaching out for the cable, and the person who stepped through the door froze, their eyes wide with shock. Before Peach could react, they rushed toward him, scooping him up effortlessly and placing him back on the bed in one smooth motion, so much for his effort.

 

Peach lay there, staring blankly, feeling a little defeated. He had managed to push through his laziness to the point of almost reaching the cable, but before he knew it, he was right back where he started.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" The young mafia scolded sharply, his face filled with concern. 

 

"What if you fall and break a bone? Why didn't you call someone? You could've just pressed the nurse button."

 

"Who would I call, Mr Thee? I'm alone here." Peach replied lazily, his voice dragging with exhaustion. 

"Besides, I was just trying to charge my phone. Why would I need to call a nurse for that?"

 

"Call the bodyguards outside the room if you need help," Thee snapped, though Peach could hear something strange in his tone, a hint of something that made him furrow his brow.

 

"Wait a second... You've got bodyguards outside my room?”

 

"Of course. I've got them keeping an eye on you. I just didn't let them in because I didn't want to bother you," Thee replied matter-of-factly, his expression like he was asking, What? Do you think I'll leave you here alone?

 

"I'm just a photographer, why would I need bodyguards? Are you planning to keep me locked up or something?" Peach grumbled, not entirely serious. Surprisingly, he didn't feel scared. In fact, there was a strange comfort in the person standing in front of him.

 

The mafia boss shook his head, his expression unusually serious, a stark contrast to the casual air around him.

 

"I'm not going to do anything you don't like," he said firmly, grabbing Peach's phone and plugging it into the charger by the bed.

 

"Those guys are only here temporarily to make sure nothing happens. What if someone tried to sneak in and attack you while you're sick? Then what?"

 

Peach, who had been about to retort, paused mid-thought. He let out a long sigh instead, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as though he found the whole thing amusing.

 

"Come on, Mr Thee. Be reasonable. Who would even bother trying to hurt me?" Peach replied, exasperation mingling with a hint of sarcasm. "What are they gonna do? Slip me poison? Turn off the ventilator to claim some imaginary inheritance?"

 

"Who knows? A lawsuit against the Veeraarphakorn family could be worth a fortune." Thee said, his tone completely serious. Peach couldn't help but burst out laughing for real this time.

 

Seeing that laugh, the mafia boss's lips curled into a faint smile, his usually sharp eyes softening ever so slightly. He adjusted the blanket around Peach, tucking it neatly at the edges like he was wrapping up something precious.

 

"Get some rest. The faster you recover, the better. I'll stay and watch over you tonight."

 

"Wait... What?"

 

Peach, who had been teetering on the edge of sleep, jerked upright, his eyes wide with shock. Did he hear that right? Was the scary Russian mafia boss seriously planning to stay and play nursemaid in his room tonight? He couldn't even process the idea properly! He'd only just started thinking about opening up to him a little, and now they were skipping right to this?

 

"Why can't I stay and watch over you?" 

 

Thee snapped, his tone sharp again as his gaze hardened. "Or do you already have someone else lined up to stay with you tonight? Don't get any funny ideas. I'm the one paying for this room. If anyone's sleeping here, it's me!"

 

Where was this script even coming from? Some over-the-top soap opera? Peach blinked blankly at Thee, processing the rapid-fire words that left him no chance to argue. Still, since the tone wasn't truly angry—just mildly annoyed and exasperated, he didn't bother taking it to heart. Or maybe he was just getting used to it by now.

 

"I'm not meeting anyone, Mr Thee. I just thought you might be uncomfortable sleeping here. I didn't say you couldn't stay."

 

He glanced at the satisfied look on Thee's face with a faintly amused smile. Part of him was tempted to ask whether sleeping with Mr Thee didn't count as "getting wild," but he wisely kept the comment to himself—no point poking the bear unnecessarily.

 

Thee gave a small nod, looking pleased as his earlier frustration faded away. His rough but warm hand came to rest on Peach's forehead, a makeshift way of checking his temperature, before patting the back of Peach's hand lightly.

 

"Good. Now get some rest. Sleep as much as you can. Tomorrow, I'll come get you discharged, and then I'll treat you to something nice to cheer you up."

Peach froze mid-yawn, suddenly wide awake. His streak of bad luck clearly wasn't over yet. The mafia boss's plans for tomorrow clashed directly with an arrangement he'd already made with Plub.

 

"Uh... Mr Thee, I'm really sorry, but I can't go with you tomorrow," Peach said hesitantly, his voice tinged with guilt. 

 

"Plub's already scheduled to pick me up, and we're supposed to grab some shabu together."

 

Peach instinctively pulled his neck back, bracing himself for the inevitable eruption of "grumpy, possessive Thee"—a personality he'd encountered once too often. But instead, Thee only paused for a moment, his gaze dropping briefly. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm, devoid of the irritation Peach had anticipated.

 

"You're going, just the two of you?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since I last went out with Plub, so she invited me along."

 

Alright then, I'll come too. My treat," Thee said, nodding to himself as if that settled everything. Without waiting for a response, he turned to order Peach to get some sleep, effectively ending the conversation. 

 

Grabbing his iPad, Thee strode across the room to switch off the main lights, leaving only the small lamp in the relatives' area behind the partition. He then settled in, clearly preparing to work while keeping watch over Peach for the entire night.

 

Wait a second. When did he agree to let Thee tag along?!