Me and Thee: English translation.

Wake-up call #4

The sleek luxury car rolled to a stop in the parking lot of a high-end mall in the city centre. Too drained to argue or protest, Peach trailed after the mafia boss like a docile shadow. It wasn't until he'd gotten his hands on an iced Americano from a fancy café and taken a few much-needed sips of caffeine that his frazzled mind finally began to reboot.

Walking behind Thee, the young photographer blended in almost seamlessly with the entourage, sipping his coffee now and then while letting his gaze wander around the mall. At this point, he was too resigned to care about being stuck in the middle of a security detail. The coffee in his hand and the bustling mall atmosphere seemed like a better focus than the awkwardness of his situation.

By the time his cup was halfway empty, Thee had led him to an upscale Japanese restaurant. Peach stopped to glance up at the sign, a bit bewildered, until Thee's voice pulled him from his thoughts. Without much of a choice, he followed the mafia boss inside, still dazed.

It was exciting, though. Peach loved Japanese food, and eating at such an expensive restaurant he'd never even dreamed of visiting was definitely a thrill. But that excitement came with an uncomfortable, weirdly out-of-place feeling. It could have had something to do with the armed bodyguards and the fact that his dining companion was a mafia boss.

He stood there silently lamenting his fate for a good three seconds before one of the bodyguards gave him a gentle nudge forward. Following their lead, he walked deeper into the restaurant, through to the private dining area. When the bodyguard slid open the door, Peach was startled to see they weren't following in. Instead, they left him alone with the mafia boss.

Seriously, guys? Are you just going to leave me in here with your boss? Alone?

Peach screamed internally but obediently stepped into the private room. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't some gorgeous model, Thee would humour with patience if he decided to throw a tantrum. Nope, there was no point in testing his luck.

The sheer expense of this restaurant was mind-boggling, way Peach would ever afford to eat here on his own. If someone else was footing the bill, though, he wasn't about to turn down the chance.

"Order something," Thee said, arms crossed, while the server placed the menu on the table. Peach opened it and glanced over the options, but his gaze snagged on the prices. His brow furrowed slightly, a twinge of discomfort surfacing. It wasn't that he didn't have money, but blowing thousands on one meal? That was just... not happening.

"Is it on you?" he asked, just to be sure, sneaking a cautious glance at Thee, complete with unintentionally puppy-dog eyes. The mafia boss hesitated for a beat, his expression unreadable, before responding.

"I'm putting you to work. Of course, I'm paying." His gruff tone might have intimidated most people, but the confirmation had the opposite effect on Peach. A bright smile spread across his face, and he dove back into the menu with renewed enthusiasm.

Peach had read glowing reviews of this place before—it was on one of those "must-eat-before-you-die" lists. Back then, he could only stare longingly at the photos on his phone, promising himself that if he ever scored a big job, he'd splurge for a meal here. Now that the opportunity had landed in his lap (free of charge, no less), he couldn't help but take his time choosing.

After some internal debate, he finally settled on a large bowl of unagi don. He overheard Thee ordering something fancy-sounding, a steak of some sort. Once the server poured their tea and quietly left, closing the door behind them, the realisation hit Peach like a ton of bricks. He was alone. In a private room. With Thee.

Holy crap. The allure of good food had completely distracted him from the glaringly obvious danger of being stuck with a mafia boss. How had he even let himself end up here? Internally, Peach screamed. His brow furrowed tightly, and the tension crept back into his body. He sat there, frozen, racking his brain for how he should handle this situation. But the more he tried to think, the more his mind went blank, which only made him more frustrated.

Between the lack of sleep and the mounting pressure of the past few hours, Peach's brain had hit its limit. There was no way it could conjure some quick-witted plan to make sense of any of this right now. 

"Alright, so what's this about you needing me for something?" he asked, cutting straight to the chase after hesitating for a moment. The sooner they talked, the sooner he could eat, and the sooner he could crash in bed. Thee paused for a moment, looking like he was thinking something over. Finally, he spoke.

"You said if I was interested, I should try flirting first. How does that work?"

The young photographer blinked, completely confused, until last night's conversation hit him like a ton of bricks. Oh, right. He had told Thee not to use force if he wanted someone; he should just try flirting. But he hadn't thought the guy would actually take it seriously. A rough-and-tough mafia boss wanting to woo someone? It looked like Aran's cuteness really got to him. But then again, Aran was stupidly cute. That kind of face could totally make a bad-boy mafia type go crazy in love-classic romance novel stuff, right? 

The brooding hero who starts all forceful but softens up for the one they love. As his senior and his friend, it was probably his job to keep the situation under control-make sure things didn't escalate into something violent or, heaven forbid, an actual assault. A bit of harmless teasing and a slap-kiss trope, and everything should work out fine.

"I'm not exactly an expert on wooing people," he said with a small shrug. Now that he knew why Thee had come to him, all his earlier tension and unease started to fade. Plus, it was clearly none of his business directly, which made him feel even more at ease. The conversation began to flow more naturally.

"But you've dated someone before, haven't you?" Thee pressed. He shook his head quickly, an awkward smile tugging at his lips as he scratched the back of his neck. 

"Not really. We were friends first. She asked me out after breaking up with her ex, and we lasted, like, a month before it fizzled out."

The mafia boss frowned, his brow furrowing like he wanted to say something, but the food arrived just then. He waited until everything was set down before continuing, probably so he wouldn't come off as pushy without any real experience himself.

"I think courting is a personal art," he said. "It's about showing genuine intention, getting to know each other better, and figuring out if you're compatible. It's a step toward seeing whether a relationship can grow."

"Why bother? It's just sex. Does it need to be that complicated?"

"It might just be sex to you, but if the other person doesn't want it, you can't go around forcing them, can you?" he said firmly, trying to knock some sense into Thee. The thought of this mafia boss losing patience and actually forcing himself on Aran sent a chill down his spine.

Thee's brows knitted tighter, as if he was about to retort, and the sight of it gave him a headache. Seriously, what kind of upbringing made someone's logic so twisted?

"Put yourself in their shoes for a second," he pressed. "If someone forced you to do something you didn't want to do, wouldn't you be angry?"

Thee snorted loudly, full of disdain. "Who would dare?" Peach rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall. Why was having this conversation so damn exhausting?

"It's a hypothetical, okay?" He sighed, feeling like the conversation was draining all his energy. He decided to switch tactics.

"If it were me, I'd be devastated. I'd be furious. I'd hate them for the rest of my life. No chance of forgiveness ever."

He leaned into the drama, piling it on to make his point, watching as Thee's frown grew deeper and deeper. He waited until he thought he'd scared Thee enough before softening his tone.

"Look, just think it through, Mr Thee. Don't act on impulse. Imagine if someone did that to you—wouldn't it hurt? Even if it's just a one-night stand, if the other person isn't willing, it's not right. Using money, power, or manipulation to make someone give in doesn't lead to anything good."

With that, Peach turned his attention back to the oversized bowl of eel rice in front of him. He grabbed a big bite with his chopsticks, and as soon as the food hit his tongue, his mood lifted. He focused on eating, savouring every bite, not caring what kind of look Thee was giving him from across the table.

They both focused on their food for a while, letting the silence stretch between them, until the conversation unexpectedly picked up again. To Peach's surprise, it was Mr Mafia who broke it.

"I'm interested in that model. Can you help me get in touch with him?" Peach froze mid-bite, his chopsticks still in his mouth, and looked up in confusion. "I mean, I could, but wouldn't it be better if you approached him yourself? It'd probably feel more genuine."

"And how exactly should I approach him?" Thee asked, sounding more and more like a curious kid.

"Hmm, maybe start by giving him a small gift?"

"What kind of gift? Should I get him a car?" Peach nearly choked on his food, feeling grateful he'd already swallowed his bite of eel rice.

"A car?! Are you out of your mind, Mr Thee?"

"No? How about a diamond ring? Or maybe a condo?"

"OMGGGGGGG," Peach groaned, dropping his forehead onto the table dramatically. The more Thee spoke, the more he realised this conversation was spiralling way beyond his comprehension. "Get a grip, Mr Thee! You can't just throw money around like that—it's too much!"

"I don't think it's that expensive," Thee replied, his tone completely serious. Peach stared at him, dumbfounded, before holding up a hand to stop him. This needed to be nipped in the bud before Thee's next idea crossed the line from ridiculous to downright terrifying.

"Let's slow down and start with something simple," Peach suggested, trying to steer things in a safer direction. "Why don't you learn more about Aran first? Like what he likes. That way, you can give him something thoughtful, and it'll make things easier for you. Plus, you'll have an edge over Tawan."

Mr Mafia raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name, looking intrigued. Peach, who had been watching his reaction, quickly explained.

"Tawan's a rising superstar, popular right now," Peach explained. "He's really close to Aran, almost like they're a couple, but Aran told me they're just... talking. Still, Tawan takes great care of him—he's handsome, kind, generous, but insanely jealous."

The more Peach spoke, the tighter Thee's brows furrowed, his face darkening with obvious irritation. It was as if a storm cloud had gathered around him, radiating a foreboding energy. Peach paused, realising a bit too late that he'd been singing praises about Thee's love rival. Probably not the smartest move.

"But, uh, their status is still just 'talking," he quickly added, offering a sheepish smile. 

"Nothing's really official, you know?"

Thee didn't budge, his scowl as deep as ever. Peach let the awkward silence hang for a moment, his mind scrambling for a way to salvage the conversation. Finally, he spoke up again.

"Why don't we start with a bouquet of nice flowers?" he suggested, desperate to shift gears. "Your first conversation didn't exactly go smoothly, so sending flowers as an apology might be a good move."

He hesitated briefly, realising he could offer more useful advice, and continued, "Actually, since Aran's the new brand ambassador for Arseny and just finished shooting their fall collection, you could send a small gift to congratulate him. Something simple, like chocolates-those are classic, and most people like them. Though for Aran, they should be extra sweet. He's got a major sweet tooth."

"What about you? What do you like?"

The abrupt question caught Peach off guard, making him widen his eyes slightly in confusion. It seemed completely unrelated to their discussion, leaving an awkward pause.

"I'm just asking for a reference. I've never really given anyone a gift before."

Peach blinked a few times before answering with a hum, his earlier confusion vanishing in an instant. "You can't really use that as a reference, though. When you're picking a gift, the first thing to think about is the recipient's preferences. That's the basic way to show sincerity."

Thee frowned slightly, looking both annoyed and a little exasperated, but not angry enough to be intimidating. Peach watched him tilt his head in mild frustration, and then, a then-surprisingly faint smile tugged at Thee's lips. Peach's own thoughts betray him. Huh. He almost looks... endearing?

... Wait. Endearing? The mafia boss who probably kept a gun within arm's reach and carried an air of constant menace? What the hell is wrong with me?

He let out a long sigh, shaking off the ridiculous thought, and looked down at the eel in his bowl. Fine. For the sake of this ridiculously good lunch, he'd help out. But it had nothing to do with finding Thee endearing. Not. One. Bit.

"Don't worry about it, Mr Thee. I already promised to help, didn't I? I'll snoop around and see if I can figure out what Aran likes. Once I know, you can buy him something based on that." With that, Peach returned his focus to his bowl of eel, savouring each bite.

Honestly, when he thought about Tawan, the hot-headed rising star that he was, he found himself silently awarding another point to the young heir of the Arseny family. In the end, Peach decided to treat this whole thing like watching a drama unfold, just from a front-row seat. Not bad. It could be fun.