In Love With An Idiot
Chapter 10: Detective
“A cheque for three and a half million baht. Pei… Pei would like to use this to repay his debt to P’Eung. Argh! Why is this so bloody difficult to say?”
I'd already received the cheque from P’Ein. As for the job at Chor Fah, I was still waiting to be called for an interview. P’Ein had said he'd help arrange an interview with the company, but he wasn't going to pull any strings for me. If I wanted the job, I'd have to earn it through my own efforts. My life had become such a complicated mess.
Milan had been messaging me on LINE quite frequently. Of course, it was lovely getting to chat with an actor I admired, but… I couldn't help feeling awkward about it. He'd only just broken up with P’Eung, and now he was suddenly trying to become close to me. The thing was, I wasn't particularly keen on becoming that close to him so quickly.
Besides, his fan club had rules about not getting too friendly with celebrities and respecting their privacy. I'd always followed the principles of being a good fan, so I wasn't quite sure how to adjust to this situation. Meanwhile, that idiot Pong kept trying to arrange a meeting between me and his friend because he was worried I'd become close to Milan. When I really thought about it, the whole thing made me incredibly uncomfortable. Everything had become ridiculously tangled.
Just think about it for a moment. P’Eung and I had broken up. Milan and Pong's friend had also broken up. Then P’Eung started seeing Milan, only for them to break up too. And now Pong wanted me to start seeing his friend.
What the hell was going on? Everything was going round in circles!
Pong seemed determined to get revenge on Milan for his friend. But I was different. I didn't want revenge on P’Eung, and I certainly didn't want to hurt Milan. I didn't want to tie any more knots into this already tangled mess of relationships. I'd finally managed to get myself out of it, so what would be the point of getting involved again?
Besides, who knew whether Pong's friend wanted revenge on Milan as well?
Wouldn't it be better if I stayed out of it altogether?
It wasn't my problem!
And I already had enough problems of my own. Namely, P’Eung. Because P’Eung had just dragged a suitcase full of his clothes into my flat. And right now, he was standing on my balcony, talking on the phone.
WHAT HAPPENED?!
Three days had passed since I'd fled P’Eung's room, met P’Ein and discovered that Milan and P’Eung had broken up. And then, on Thursday… This morning, P’Eung had turned up at my door bright and early, dragging a suitcase behind him. He'd arrived just as I was about to leave for work. Before I could even ask him anything, his phone rang, and he walked straight out onto the balcony to answer it. That was ten minutes ago.
Meanwhile, I was about to be late for work!
“P’Eung, Pei—”
“Shh.”
He was speaking so seriously that whatever he was discussing must have been incredibly important. His eyebrows were practically knitted together, and all I could hear were conversations about money. Hundreds of millions of baht!
Compare that with the financial damage caused by my turning up late for work, which would amount to only a few hundred baht. I'd just have a little money deducted from my salary. But if I interrupted P’Eung during some important business negotiation, he could potentially lose hundreds of millions!
P’Eung really was incredibly busy. He'd always been heavily involved in the business because, although P’Ein was the chairman, he didn't actually concern himself much with Araya's day-to-day affairs. Apart from attending meetings and signing certain documents, P’Ein wasn't particularly involved. He preferred working at the hospital. He loved being a doctor and was also the deputy director, although he stubbornly refused to become the director himself.
P’Eung said his older brother was lazy and kept trying to dump the position of Araya's chairman onto him. But P’Eung refused.
“If I agree, P’Ein will become an even more insufferable cocky bastard. He'll spend all day strutting around like a rooster, looking for people to torment. It's better that he stays chairman. At least then he'll have something to keep him busy.”
The relationship between the Araya brothers was rather peculiar. They loved each other, but they absolutely had to torment each other at every opportunity. Their lives were one long psychological war. As for me, I was determined to survive by staying as far away as possible from the Eung-and-Ein sibling battlefield.
I'm already this stupid. How the hell could I ever keep up with those two?
I'd waved the white flag before the battle had even begun!
Wait… Could P’Ein have helped me because he wanted to annoy P’Eung?
But would he really spend three and a half million baht just to play a prank on his younger brother?
And how would helping me even annoy P’Eung?
Nah… Surely not. I was probably overthinking things again. In the end, P’Eung stayed on the phone for an entire hour!
I'd already called Human Resources to tell them I'd be late. My salary was only fifteen thousand baht a month, and now they were going to deduct money from it!
As if I wasn't struggling enough to survive already!
“Have you had breakfast, Pei?”
“I usually buy grilled pork skewers near the office.”
“Hmm… Then let's stop at the supermarket and get something to eat. We're already late anyway.”
“But they're going to deduct money from Pei's salary…”
P’Eung paused. Then he reached out and squeezed my cheek.
“I can afford to look after you. Come on, let's go.”
His hand slid from my cheek to mine, and he took hold of it, gently pulling me along.
“But… P’Eung, your suitcase…”
“Hello, Khun Ta. Are the documents for the meeting ready?”
He was on the phone again!
So I had no choice but to put the suitcase issue aside for now. With one hand holding P’Eung's and the other carrying my lunchbox, I followed him out. P’Eung really must have been busy. He talked about work all the way from the condominium, through the car journey, and was still on the phone when we arrived at the company. But just as I was about to get out of the car, he caught my arm, leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“The land at Khao Lak is already within Araya's bidding range. We're the number one company in the country…”
P’Eung gave me a little smile that made my entire face burn. Why was he kissing my cheek now?!
He was in the middle of a business call, for goodness' sake!
And he still somehow found time to pay attention to me and kiss my cheek!
Hmph!
What a wicked man!
I practically floated out of the car and made my way to my desk. My head was spinning. Why had my life become so chaotic?
P’Eung, Milan, that idiot Pong… And now the cheque for three and a half million baht!
Then, to make matters worse, I realised I'd left my lunchbox in P’Eung's car!
I didn't notice until lunchtime was approaching. So I secretly took advantage of my privileges as a receptionist and dialled P’Eung's direct office number. Technically, I was allowed to do that. But normally, whenever someone wanted to contact P’Eung, I'd transfer their call to Khun Ta's desk first.
“Hello?”
“P’Eung… It's Pei.”
“Hmm? What's wrong, Pei?”
“Um… Pei left his lunchbox in P’Eung's car…”
“Oh.”
I could hear the rustling of documents being turned over at the other end of the line.
“Come upstairs and get the car keys.”
“Okay. Pei will come up now.”
He must be busy working. I'd better hurry upstairs, grab the keys and get out of his way. Luckily, the coast was clear when I arrived because Khun Ta wasn't sitting outside P’Eung's office. So I knocked twice and went inside. Only to discover four or five members of the marketing team sitting around P’Eung's desk. Including Khun Ta…
And that idiot Pong!
Every single pair of eyes turned towards me. I had absolutely no idea what expression I was supposed to make. Wait a minute… I vaguely remembered P’Eung talking about a meeting on the phone earlier. Don't tell me the meeting was taking place in his office!
Waaaaah!
I'M SCREWED!
“Pei, come in. Here are the car keys.”
“Yes…”
Pong was glaring daggers at me. But P’Eung cleared his throat, prompting the head of marketing to resume talking about work. I quietly slipped out of the room. Why the hell did he tell me to come upstairs when there were so many people in there?!
Later, when I went to return the car keys, Pong was staring at me as though he wanted to bite my head off. Everyone had just come out of P’Eung's office, so I quickly dropped the keys into Khun Ta's hand and escaped down the fire stairs. Waaaaah!
I couldn't face anyone!
They were definitely going to gossip about me. I was just a receptionist sitting outside the lifts. Lifts that P’Eung never even used!
He never walked past my desk either!
And yet somehow, we knew each other!
This was a disaster.
“Don't ask. Don't mention it. Don't even think about it. Just eat your lunch!”
“Pei, is the boss trying to court you?”
“COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!”
What the hell was he saying?!
“Court me?! What are you talking about? No!”
“That's what I thought! Last time, when we were eating sukiyaki at your place, Boss Eung was glaring at us like he wanted to murder someone. And now you two are acting all lovey-dovey again!”
“Fucking hell! I was only a little slow introducing you to my friend from the gold shop, and you've already gone and landed yourself a property tycoon!”
“Or did he break up with Milan because he wanted to court you?”
“I told you it's not like that! Keep your bloody voice down! It's more complicated than you think!”
“So when you told me you'd found the money to pay off your debt, you meant our boss paid it for you, didn't you?”
“Pong! I told you to stop talking about it! I don't know how I'm supposed to behave. Just forget the whole thing!”
“That's going to be a bit difficult…”
Pong looked past my shoulder.
“Especially when our boss is heading straight towards you.”
I turned to follow his gaze. And there he was. P’Eung really was walking towards me with his hands in his pockets. He stopped directly in front of me. This was the staff canteen!
Normally, neither P’Ein nor P’Eung ever came here. Their presence made the employees so nervous that they preferred to eat outside instead. But now P’Eung had appeared right in front of me!
Waaaaah!
That was it. My reputation was finished. Everyone was definitely going to gossip!
“Pei, I've got an urgent meeting, but I've left some documents in my room. Could you fetch them for me?”
“Yes… Which ones, P’Eung? And… why didn't you just call me?”
“I did, but you didn't answer. Khun Ta can't get into my room either. You're the only one who can.”
“Please get the title deed for the land in Sattahip from the safe. The one for the house we go to often. You remember the house number, don't you?”
Then P’Eung turned to Pong.
“And Khun Pongkhun, could I trouble you to drive Pei there? He's not a very confident driver. Here are my car keys. Once you've collected the documents, please bring them to the company in Lat Phrao.”
“Er… Yes, Boss.”
“I'm counting on both of you. Whether Araya's new project succeeds or fails depends on you two.”
I had no idea what P’Eung wanted with the land title deed for our holiday house. But he and Khun Ta hurried away with the head of business development.
“Come on, you bastard. Let's go earn ourselves a bonus!”
Pong had apparently decided to put his curiosity aside for the time being.
“I'll save my nosy questions about you and the boss for later.”
Then he looked down at the car keys.
“FUCK! LAMBORGHINI KEYS!”
“You lucky little bastard! Come on, Pei! I want to try driving something powerful!”
The opportunity to drive a sports car put Pong in a wonderful mood. Unfortunately, the sports car never got the chance to demonstrate its speed. The traffic was so horrendous that all Pong could do was keep pressing the brake pedal.
“Where the hell do I park?”
“Just up ahead. This building has valet parking.”
Pong let out a low whistle and declared that the place was ridiculously luxurious. Oh, he had no idea. It was about to get even more luxurious because the service here was absolutely exceptional, from beginning to end. The moment we pulled up, a valet attendant approached and opened the car door for us.
“Good afternoon, Khun Panchiwa.”
“Hello. I'll only be about ten minutes. Pong, give him the keys.”
Even the valet knew my name. Then, when we entered the building, we ran into Khun Jane, who greeted me again. Yes, the very same Khun Jane I'd once wished would transfer to my building!
Pong didn't ask a single question. But the way he kept staring at me was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Um… Pong…”
“I haven't asked anything. You don't need to explain.”
“Right… Well, it's this floor.”
The lift doors opened.
“Oh, Pei!”
Disaster upon disaster!
Standing right in front of us was P’Ein, dressed in casual clothes and wearing one of his smiles. The meaning of P’Ein's smile depended entirely on his mood. At the moment, he seemed to be in a good mood because even his eyes were smiling.
“Hello, P’Ein.”
“Good afternoon, Chao Sua,” Pong greeted him respectfully.
P’Ein turned to look at Pong, and his cheerful smile immediately dropped a level, becoming a perfectly polite one instead.
“Pong and I came to collect some documents for P’Eung. P’Eung doesn't trust me to drive here by myself, hehe, so Pong came along. Um, this is Pongkhun. He works in the marketing department.”
“Ah, no wonder you look familiar.”
Then P’Ein turned back to me.
“Good thing you're here, Pei. I was hoping to steal some food from that brat Eung's fridge, but I can't get into his room. Come on.”
P’Ein hooked an arm around my shoulders and led me towards P’Eung's front door. I barely touched the fingerprint scanner before the door unlocked. The Araya brothers were rather protective of their personal space. Then again, they were both in their thirties now, so I supposed it made sense that they'd want their own privacy.
“What did Eung send you to collect?”
“The title deed from the safe.”
“Right. Well, you go and deal with that.”
P’Ein turned towards Pong.
“Khun Pongkhun, why don't you help me steal some food instead? Are you a close friend of Pei's?”
Then he continued conversationally.
“Pei absolutely loves cabbage, you know. So much that everyone in our household has ended up eating it with him.”
“The whole household?” Pong repeated.
Oh no.
“Um… P’Ein… Pong doesn't actually know about our family situation. I haven't told him yet.”
“Oh? Have I accidentally put you in an awkward position, Pei?”
P’Ein looked at Pong.
“So I suppose that means you and Pei aren't particularly close after all?”
His smile remained perfectly pleasant.
“Be careful, Khun Pongkhun. The guardian spirits around here are rather fierce. Don't lead Pei astray…”
His voice turned ominous.
“Otherwise, you might end up getting killed.”
There it was again!
That frightening atmosphere P’Ein sometimes created when speaking to P’Eung. Except this time, he'd directed it towards Pong!
Pong looked incredibly uncomfortable as his gaze darted between me and P’Ein, who was still wearing that… That positively terrifying smile!
“P’Ein, don't tease Pong…”
“I'm just welcoming him into the family circle. You've never introduced any of your friends to me before, Pei. I'm a little excited, that's all.”
P’Ein smiled innocently.
“Go on, fetch the deed. I won't kill your friend.”
I hurried upstairs to the bedroom, collected the documents P’Eung had asked for and rushed back down. Pong was in the kitchen talking about something with P’Ein. When I walked in, P’Ein turned towards me with a smile. He was holding a carton of fruit juice and some instant noodles.
“All done?”
“Yes.”
“Come on, then. Let's get going. Don't tell Eung I came here to steal his food. He's always so stingy with me.”
He turned towards Pong.
“See you again, Khun Pongkhun.”
Once we'd parted ways with P’Ein, I glanced at Pong. He'd been sulking ever since we left the flat. Apparently, the curiosity was written all over my face because he immediately glared at me.
“Don't ask. Don't mention it. Don't even think about it.”
“Hey! Why are you copying what I said?”
“Just get in the car.”
“Look, P’Ein just likes teasing people. Don't take what he says seriously.”
“Yeah, because I'm obviously not your close friend, am I?”
“It's not like that! It's just… everything's really complicated.”
I hesitated.
“And I'm embarrassed. There's nothing about my situation to be proud of. I'm scared you'll stop being friends with me if you find out.”
“You overthink everything, just like Chao Sua said.”
“P’Ein said that?”
“Yeah.”
Pong sighed.
“He's worried about you, you know. He was practically spreading his wings to protect you.”
“Think about it. Why did he come into Khun Eung's flat with us? Because he didn't trust me.”
“Why did he invite me into the kitchen and leave you to go upstairs alone?”
“If it had just been you and me, you probably wouldn't have thought twice about letting me follow you upstairs to get something out of the safe, right?”
“He doesn't trust me. But he trusts you.”
When Pong explained it like that, it made sense. I trusted Pong, but what if he turned out to be a bad person?
What if he discovered the combination to P’Eung's safe or stole something while we were there?
I'd practically have invited a thief into the house myself!
“Chao Sua didn't really say anything else to me,” Pong continued. “Except that I'm the first friend you've ever introduced to him.”
“I'm just… not very sociable.”
Back at university, I had a group of friends. But as soon as classes finished, I'd go straight home because I wanted to be there waiting for P’Eung. To be perfectly honest, I was so attached to P’Eung that I hardly ever went anywhere with my friends. Then, towards the end of my third year, Khun Ta had come along and shattered my dreams. By that point, it was too late to become especially close to anyone.
Besides, I had to concentrate on studying because I was terrified I wouldn't graduate within four years.
“Right. Well, I feel better now,” Pong said.
“At least I know you didn't keep things from me because we're not close. Your situation really is as complicated as you said.”
“It's just… Fine! Fine! I'll tell you everything.”
And so, throughout the journey from the condominium to the company in Lat Phrao, I told Pong my story. From the day I first moved into the Araya household to the day I agreed to live with P’Eung, right up until the day I was kicked out. Of course, I glossed over the more intimate parts. I wasn't shameless enough to give him a detailed account of what happened in the bedroom!
“Fucking hell!” Pong exclaimed.
“I thought I was listening to a television drama!”
“So, let me get this straight. The reason you became obsessed with Milan was that you wanted to find out who Khun Eung's new lover was.”
“But while you were being nosy, you somehow fell for Milan's charms and became his fan.”
“Then Milan broke up with the boss and started hanging around you instead.”
“And to make everything even more complicated, I kept trying to introduce you to my friend…”
“Who just happens to be Milan's ex-boyfriend!”
“Ugh…”
Pong glanced at me.
“Don't you regret it, though? You loved him that much. Don't you want to try getting him back?”
“Pong, even someone as wonderful as Milan got dumped by P’Eung. How the hell am I supposed to compete?”
“I'm just the gardener's son. My dad stole things. I'm stupid at studying, I earn fifteen thousand baht a month, and my future looks bloody hopeless.”
“Would you stop worshipping Milan already?”
Pong sounded thoroughly exasperated.
“You need to meet the real him before you keep putting him on a pedestal. That public image of his is fake as hell!”
“He acts all lovely towards his fans, of course.”
“But I'll tell you something. If it were me, I'd choose you over Milan.”
“Really…?”
“Pei, a man like Khun Eung, our boss, could have anyone he wanted.”
“If he wanted a beautiful, wealthy wife who was amazing in bed, he wouldn't need to settle for Milan.”
“He's a nobody actor. It's not like he's particularly famous, and his looks aren't anything special. These days, anyone can buy a pretty face from a plastic surgeon, just like Milan did.”
“Our boss is ridiculously handsome, filthy rich and practically perfect.”
“Now listen to me, Pei. Why Milan?”
“Try taking your own side for once!”
“The boss chose Milan because Milan looks like you!”
Pong began counting off the similarities.
“That innocent little face. The way you tilt your head. The way your eyes practically disappear when you smile.”
“And you're both a bit ditzy.”
“The difference is, you're genuinely ditzy. Milan only pretends to be!”
“Oh, and Milan's had his nose done. Yours is still flat.”
YOU HORRIBLE BASTARD!
What a wonderful way to destroy my confidence!
So what if my nose bridge was flat?!
I wanted a nice nose bridge too, you know!
But I was scared of surgery!
And I didn't have any money!
Otherwise, I might have ended up looking like Tor from Hormones by now!
“Maybe that's just P’Eung's type. Anyway, can we stop talking about this? I'm trying to get over him.”
“I don't think he's going to let you go that easily.”
Pong snorted.
“Chao Sua was practically guarding you from me. I bet he was worried I'd steal you away from his younger brother.”
“But P’Ein was the one who helped me pay off my debt to P’Eung. He's even helping me find a new job.”
“If what you're saying is true, why would he help me move further away from P’Eung?”
“Pei, you absolute idiot.”
Pong gave me an incredulous look.
“Didn't you say your dad stole Chao Sua's diamonds?”
“Then why do you owe money to Khun Eung?”
“Shouldn't you owe Chao Sua instead?”
“And now Chao Sua is helping you pay off the debt?”
“Doesn't that sound ridiculous?”
“Imagine someone owed you money. Would you lend that person more money so they could use it to pay you back?”
The moment Pong said it, something clicked in my head. That's right!
Why the hell had P’Eung become my creditor in the first place?
It should have been P’Ein!
“What am I supposed to do, Pong? Now I'm confused too!”
“Well, here's what I think.”
Pong suddenly sounded very serious.
“What if you've misunderstood the whole situation and Khun Eung never intended to dump you?”
“Otherwise, why would he keep saying you're the one who abandoned him?”
“And then Chao Sua found out what was happening and decided to interfere to help his younger brother.”
“Why else would he get involved if he didn't have something to gain from it?”
“Think about Chor Fah, Pei. It's right nearby!”
“He doesn't want you going too far away.”
“Maybe he's pretending to help you separate from Khun Eung when he's actually steering you right back towards him.”
“He's acting kind, but he might have a plan.”
“But if I misunderstood everything, why didn't P’Eung tell me?”
“Why did he start seeing Milan?”
“And why did he disappear back then?”
“Why don't you bloody ask him?”
Pong sounded ready to strangle me.
“When he gave you that contract to sign, did you just pack your bags and run away?”
“You lived together for four years! Surely you should understand him better than anyone.”
“It's just… I was too scared to ask.”
I lowered my voice.
“Pong, P’Eung and I agreed right from the beginning that I'd be his kept boy until I graduated.”
“How could I start throwing tantrums and demanding more than that?”
“This isn't some television drama where the male lead eventually falls in love with me!”
“And maybe P’Ein genuinely sees me as a child of the household and wants to help me settle everything properly.”
“After all, if he gives me the money to repay P’Eung, he can always collect it back from P’Eung later.”
“For fuck's sake, I don't know!”
Pong threw his hands up in frustration.
“You've got a mouth, haven't you? Use it! What are you doing, keeping an entire cabbage farm stuffed in there?”
“And try looking at things from his perspective for once.”
“What if he's thinking exactly the same thing as you?”
“What if he thinks you've abandoned him, and he's too afraid to ask you anything?”
“You bloody idiots!”
“He bought you a twelve-million-baht condominium, bought you a car, took care of your insurance and took you abroad three times a year!”
“What are you, some kind of honorary kept boy?”
“He must have wondered why, after everything he's done for you, you still haven't chosen him!”
“Even someone like him could lose confidence, you know.”
“And then there's this car!”
“He actually gave me a Lamborghini to drive you around in!”
“A LAMBORGHINI, PEI! NOT A BLOODY BICYCLE!”
“He could have just sent you in a taxi!”
Pong pointed emphatically at the steering wheel.
“This is him showing off!”
“He's making it clear to me that you already belong to someone.”
“If I actually wanted to court you, how the hell could I compete with him?”
“Exactly the same way you think you can't compete with Milan!”
“But P’Eung's a grown man. Why would he do something like that?”
“FUCKING HELL, PEIIII!”
Pong looked ready to explode.
“STOP BEING SO THICK!”
“That's precisely because he's a grown man!”
“What do you expect him to do? Run around after you like some lovesick teenager?”
“Grown men don't have time for that puppy-love nonsense, calling each other in the middle of the night and sending LINE messages all day long!”
“They have jobs! Responsibilities!”
“Didn't you tell me yourself how busy he is?”
“Of course he's going to make his intentions clear in a roundabout way!”
“He wants me to back off on my own.”
“It's just that I don't actually fancy you, so instead of feeling threatened, I find the whole thing bloody irritating!”
Everything Pong said made sense. Every single bloody thing. But… Did that mean I'd imagined the whole situation?
If I'd misunderstood everything, then how did Milan fit into it?
Even if P’Eung thought I'd abandoned him, he'd found someone new incredibly quickly. So quickly that I'd cried myself to sleep for days.
“Pong, are you secretly on P’Eung's side?”
“How can you keep defending him? You're supposed to be on my side!”
Pong sighed.
“I'm saying all this because I'm your friend.”
“I'm trying to help you see that maybe you've misunderstood something and destroyed your love life for absolutely no reason.”
“Maybe there was never anything that needed to fall apart.”
“Maybe you never needed to be heartbroken in the first place.”
“But Milan… I really was hurt about Milan and P’Eung.”
“Well, you were considering paying a man to come and sleep in your arms, weren't you?”
Pong raised an eyebrow.
“So why can't Khun Eung have had the same thought?”
“The difference is, he's rich enough to buy Milan before you got around to buying yourself a man!”
“Imagine you were rich too. Would you have spent all those nights lying in bed crying?”
“Hehe… I suppose you're right.”
I scratched my head awkwardly.
“But I never actually did anything. P’Eung did…”
Pong pressed the brake as we stopped at a red light. Then he sighed and turned towards me.
“Before you start jumping to conclusions, find out the truth.”
“So what if he found someone new?”
“You two had already broken up by then.”
“He thought you'd abandoned him, and you thought he'd abandoned you.”
“That's not cheating, is it?”
“I think there's something very suspicious going on here.”
Pong narrowed his eyes.
“Especially Khun Ta, Khun Eung's secretary. I don't trust him.”
“And Chao Sua Ein is another one.”
“Then there's Milan!”
“Why the hell did Milan give up so easily?”
“He went to all that trouble to dump my friend, didn't he?”
“Someone who's determined to catch a rich man should put up more of a fight than that!”
“Why did he just walk away?”
Pong leaned forward, growing increasingly animated.
“What if Milan deliberately got close to you?”
“What if he knows about your relationship with Khun Eung?”
“What if he's pretending to be friendly because he wants information?”
“Fucking hell! You can't trust anyone!”
“There must be someone who doesn't want you and Khun Eung to end up together.”
“Trust me! I've read loads of Detective Conan!”
“There's definitely something fishy going on!”
He looked deadly serious. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever seen Pong this stressed. I'd spent days worrying myself sick after breaking up with P’Eung, but somehow, Pong looked even more worked up than I had. I'd finally started feeling a little less anxious about the whole situation. And now, after listening to him, I was bloody stressed again!
“Why are you so invested in this, Pong?”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“Are you secretly Team P’Eung?”
“Has he bought you off already?”
“I'm a wonderful friend, you little shit! I just want to help my friend see the light!”
“And money can't buy me!”
He paused.
“Unless there's enough of it.”
“Then… what am I supposed to do?”
I looked at him helplessly.
“I agree with everything you've said. It all makes sense.”
“But I don't even know where to start looking for the truth.”
“Who am I supposed to suspect first?”
“That's easy!”
Pong looked delighted at the opportunity to explain his detective theory.
“You need to remove yourself from the game.”
“Huh?”
“If everyone else has already made their plans and you're the variable in the middle of everything, then all you have to do is change your role.”
“Someone's bound to get thrown off balance.”
“Trust me!”
“Um… Could you explain that in a simpler way?”
I stared at him blankly.
“Because right now, the only person who's completely lost is me.”
Pong clicked his tongue in exasperation and continued driving. Then he launched into another lengthy lecture about how naive I was, how I saw the world through rose-tinted glasses and how I was practically begging to be eaten by a tiger. Or something along those lines. Honestly, I couldn't keep up.
“Right, Pei. Here's what you're going to do.”
Pong began explaining again.
“First, pretend you don't know anything about anything.”
“Just carry on living your life exactly as you normally would.”
“Don't pay attention to anyone.”
“Sit around playing the lottery and eating your bloody cabbage.”
“That's it.”
“Stay completely still, and eventually you'll see for yourself who's trying to get close to you and who's trying to hurt you.”
“If Milan is only befriending you because he wants to get back together with Khun Eung, sooner or later he'll slip up and start asking about him.”
“Or you can casually mention Khun Eung yourself.”
“If Milan wants information, he'll definitely keep the conversation going.”
“As for Khun Eung, try pretending you've got some romantic problems and ask him for advice.”
“If he really cares about you, he'll get jealous. Guaranteed!”
“And Chao Sua…”
Pong paused thoughtfully.
“I reckon you shouldn't follow his plans too closely.”
“Whatever he suggests, don't agree to everything straight away. Keep your options open.”
“A man doesn't become the owner of Araya by being useless!”
“I don't believe for a second that he's as lazy as you claim.”
“For all we know, Chao Sua might be the biggest troublemaker in this entire mess!”
“Trust me, Pei.”
“Stay perfectly still, and you'll bring everyone else's movements under control!”
I couldn't keep up with a bloody word he was saying. There was so much information!
It was like watching one of those detective dramas P’Eung loved. Except I never understood those either. The scenes always jumped backwards and forwards so quickly that I ended up completely confused. I'd constantly have to turn towards P’Eung and ask why this person had done that, or why something else had happened. And now Pong was doing exactly the same thing to my brain!
“Right, so that's the plan!”
Pong nodded with satisfaction.
“Don't worry about anything, Pei. I'll help you!”
“Mm… Thanks, Pong.”
Oh God. What was I supposed to do?
I didn't dare tell Pong that the only part of his entire explanation I'd actually understood was that I should sit still, carry on playing the lottery… And keep eating cabbage.