In Love With An Idiot

Chapter 16: Quit

It was payday, and I was in a wonderful mood about the fourteen thousand and a bit baht left after my social security contribution had been deducted. What a lovely day. Even if P’Eung refused to wake up.

 

“You’re the one who said you’d still be able to get up early if you slept here cuddling me. If you don’t get up, no more cuddles.”

 

“I’m awake.”

 

“Open your eyes too, please.”

 

“I’m aching.”

 

Honestly. This man had an excuse for everything.

 

“Or are you still ill? Do you want to go back and sleep in your own room?”

 

“I’m better, Pei. It’s only half past six.”

 

“I need to make our packed lunches.”

 

“Let me sleep a little longer, please. I’m so sleepy. I’d like to exercise my right to stay in bed until quarter past seven. Don’t bother with the lunches. We can eat out together.”

 

“But I have lunch with Pong.”

 

“Bring him along. I’m sleepy, Pei. Permission to sleep until seven fifteen. Please approve my request.”

 

Before I could approve anything, he pulled the duvet over his head, bringing the conversation to a close. One hand emerged to pat the mattress, inviting me to lie down with him.

 

“I’m not going back to sleep. I need to wash my hair. Look at this mess.”

 

“Wake up and wash it at seven fifteen.”

 

“We’ll be late for work.”

 

“We’ll have time if we shower together. Trust me. I’ll help wash your hair. Mm… Actually, I’m not sleepy any more. I’d rather help you shower.”

 

I couldn’t keep up with him. He sprang out of bed, put an arm around my waist and dragged me into the bathroom. Wait. No. I wasn’t showering with him!

 

I should never have woken P’Eung. Waaah. By the time we emerged, it was twenty past seven, and my lower back felt completely wrecked. P’Eung stood there cheerfully whistling as he blow-dried my wet hair. Meanwhile, after being thoroughly devoured in the bathroom, I was too exhausted to do anything.

 

I didn’t even want to go to work.

 

“See? Only half past seven. Plenty of time.”

 

“You’re selfish, P’Eung. I don’t want to talk to you.”

 

“Selfish? All I want is you.”

 

“You’re not allowed to court me any more. We’re done!”

 

“So we’re officially together, then?”

 

“No! I’m angry. I’m really angry. No talking to me for three days. No coming to my room. No anything. You’re in the wrong.”

 

His smile froze when he realised I meant it. Of course it felt good when he held me. And yes, sometimes we did get a little lovey-dovey in the shower. But it was a working day, and my back really hurt.

 

When had P’Eung ever held anything back? He just kept going at it relentlessly!

 

“Pei, let’s make up. I’m sorry.”

 

“No. I’m angry. You’ve become far too used to getting your own way. I’m not giving in this time. For three days, you’re not allowed to break the agreement. Otherwise, I’ll… I’ll run away and sleep somewhere else.”

 

“Can’t it be one day?”

 

“No. And I’ll run away and become a monk! Then, if you want to see me, you’ll have to come and offer alms.”

 

P’Eung burst out laughing. When he saw my sulky face, he quickly disguised it with a cough.

 

“Can I call you?”

 

“Once a day.”

 

“All right. I’ve learnt my lesson. I won’t be selfish again.”

 

Excellent!

 

Now he knew who was in charge. We parted in the executives’ car park. P’Eung had spent the whole journey glancing at me like a dejected lion, so I softened enough to let him kiss me once before I got out. We wouldn’t see each other for three whole days, after all. I would probably miss him too.

 

Now that I had three free days, I didn’t actually have anything planned. I was just annoyed. Thank goodness my job didn’t involve much walking. Otherwise, I would have been in a truly sorry state. The morning passed peacefully enough until lunchtime.

 

I hadn’t brought a packed lunch because P’Eung had said he would take me out. But since we were in the middle of a quarrel, I supposed that arrangement was cancelled.

 

“LINE MAN delivery.”

 

“Yes. Who’s it for?”

 

Sometimes employees ordered from GrabFood, LINE MAN or any of the countless other delivery services, and everything had to come through me. Some customers came down and waited. Others needed a phone call to fetch them. Besides greeting visitors, I dealt with couriers from all over. I’d even become friendly with some of them.

 

“Khun Baopei. It’s already been paid for.”

 

“Huh? I haven’t ordered anything.”

 

“There’s definitely an order, sir.”

 

The rider set the bags on the counter and left. Bonchon?

 

A big box, too. And two portions of rice, kimchi and pickled radish. I peeked inside. Spicy chicken and original flavour. Who had ordered this?

 

It wasn’t me.

 

“Did Pong order it?”

 

My phone vibrated in my trouser pocket. I took it out.

 

[Eat it all. See you in two and a half days. — P’Eung]

 

“Who even uses SMS these days? LINE exists, you know…”

 

Then again, P’Eung and I hardly ever chatted on LINE. We barely even called each other. Before all this, I never called him at all because I was afraid of annoying him. Should I reply?

 

I probably should. Otherwise, he might think I had no manners. P’Eung liked people with manners.

 

[Thank you.]

 

“Whoa. What made you decide to treat me to Bonchon?”

 

“I’m rich. It’s payday.”

 

“There goes a thousand out of your fifteen thousand.”

 

Pong was rubbing my salary in again. I was an ordinary new graduate, all right? Not some genius like him whose starting salary was over forty thousand!

 

And don’t call it fifteen thousand. After social security, I only had fourteen-thousand-something left!

 

“Yeah, yeah. Eat it and stop rubbing it in. You need to treat me sometimes.”

 

“I’m poor. Drowning in debt. Mortgage, iPhone instalments… It’s depressing.”

 

“Didn’t you say your dad bought you the iPhone as a graduation present?”

 

“Stopped eating cabbage and started on fish, have you? Or is the chicken making you smarter, Pei?”

 

I didn’t want to argue. He was always making digs at me. Everyone looked down on my cabbage. P’Earn was probably the only person who happily let me eat as much as I wanted. Even P’Eung’s eyebrow had twitched yesterday when I piled cabbage into the hotpot.

 

“So what’s happening with you and Khun Eung? Was Khun Ta really pulling something? I’m on the edge of my seat here. If he was, management could change, you know. You and I would be the first two fired. Good thing we’ve passed probation. At least we’d get compensation.”

 

Pong leaned forward, glanced left and right and lowered his voice. It really was a shocking subject. I was shocked myself, so I leaned closer too.

 

“P’Eung said there was something wrong with the contract, but he’d deal with it. I reckon there’s a chance Khun Ta was cheating us.”

 

“Shit. Seriously? Then why were you the first one pushed out? Did you know some secret he was worried about?”

 

“My contract says I owe three million. I thought maybe Khun Ta wanted the money for himself. But I don’t know. I’m guessing. I haven’t got any money anyway… Wait! I do!”

 

“How?”

 

“My cheque. The one P’Earn gave me to pay off the debt.”

 

I had completely forgotten about it. I’d already paid it into the bank, too. But it was in a different account, one I hadn’t linked to an app on my phone because I was afraid of spending it all. The sight of money made my eyes light up, so I’d put it somewhere I hardly used.

 

“Are you going to pay Khun Eung back, then? Still, it’s weird. If the tycoon gave you money to pay Khun Eung, what does that have to do with Khun Ta?”

 

“I don’t know. I’m guessing. Heh. If I were clever, I’d already be Tycoon Pei, like you keep saying.”

 

Pong gave me an exasperated look and went back to his chicken.

 

“There must be something in that contract. Did you spot anything when you read it?”

 

“I didn’t read it. P’Eung did.”

 

“Why didn’t you read it too? Then you’d understand.”

 

“It’s an employment contract and an acknowledgement of my debt. I must have read it when I signed it. I didn’t see anything strange.”

 

Pong looked unconvinced. I couldn’t remember much of the wording. But Khun Ta had told me I had to work here, and once the three years were up, the debt would be cleared. He had explained everything clearly at the time. I must have read it.

 

“Pong, are you free this evening? Let’s go to the cinema.”

 

“You’re free? Not rushing home for some romance with Khun Eung?”

 

“What romance? We’re not even together.”

 

This time, Pong stuck out his lower lip, rolled his eyes and drawled a long, sarcastic, “Suuure.”

 

But we really weren’t together yet!

 

“What film?”

 

“*Dreamy Days, Sweet Young Love*. Milan’s in it. I want to see it. Please? Come with me. It’s about a school romance, secretly liking someone in the next classroom.”

 

“The title alone makes me despair. Then you tell me Milan’s in it, and I despair even more. That’s Khun Eung’s old fling! How can you be his fan? I’d find it more believable if you said you were an anti-fan waiting for a chance to throw eggs at him. Aren’t you jealous?”

 

“I’m past the jealous stage. I didn’t have any right to be jealous, did I? By the time I realised I did, they’d already split up. Heh. Besides, I already liked Milan. What am I supposed to do? I feel sorry for him. P’Eung only dated him as a replacement for me. Don’t hate him. He’s lovely.”

 

“I give up. Your heart’s as wide as the Pacific.”

 

“It’s not about being generous. It’s called being reasonable. Come and watch it with me. Then I can tell Milan I’ve seen his film. All we talk about these days is food. He probably thinks I’m a greedy pig.”

 

“You’re still chatting to Milan on LINE?”

 

“Yeah. He likes Green Dragon, just like I do. I was thinking of asking him to go with me, but I’m shy. Look, he sent me a picture of his food on set, so I sent him our chicken. Milan likes food. He recommended an ice cream place in Chit Lom too, but I think it’s expensive. Two hundred baht a scoop!”

 

Pong took my phone and scrolled through my chat with Milan. I didn’t mind. There weren’t any secrets. Most of it was about food. Milan never seemed interested in talking about P’Eung at all.

 

“I reckon Khun Eung’s going to be the one getting jealous of Milan next. Fucking hell. It’s like you’re Milan’s new fling.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re overthinking it. P’Eung won’t care. Milan’s a celebrity. Why would he be interested in some low-paid nobody like me? He has fans all over the country. I’m perfectly happy being one of them. So, come and see it with me, okay? *Dreamy Days, Sweet Young Love*. Trust me, it’ll make a hundred million.”

 

Pong sighed.

 

“You’re giving me a headache. Fine. I’ll go.”

 

“Excellent, my beloved friend. Just you wait. You’ll definitely fall for Milan. Dr Pei guarantees it!”

 

--- Sharp eyes studied the bold lettering on the third page of the contract. Then Achitphon sighed. *Marry me.* There really was something wrong with the contract. The problem was the addition of the debt and the three-year condition. Yet it was difficult to say that Khun Ta had deliberately intended to make him and Pei misunderstand one another, because the marriage proposal was still there.

 

Khun Ta had, however, interfered by adding the debt and the three-year obligation. And those additions benefited Achitphon. They meant Pei would have no way to leave. So why had Pei signed the page agreeing to work and acknowledging the debt?

 

Achitphon sighed and massaged his temples. He had never taken out his own copy and reread it. Once Khun Ta told him Pei had refused to marry him, he had no desire to look at it and hurt himself all over again. As for Pei, who believed he had been abandoned, that made it fairly clear he had not read the contract at all. Khun Ta had used Achitphon’s feelings, Pei’s carelessness and his shock to weave this whole situation together.

 

But why? Why had he wanted them to misunderstand each other? If the purpose was to separate them, Achitphon had already accepted that possibility when drawing up the original agreement. He had not intended to bind Pei to him. Why, then, had the contract gained conditions preventing Pei from leaving?

 

Why did it almost look like… matchmaking?

 

If Pei had read the third page, neither the debt nor the three-year obligation would have mattered. Khun Ta knew a fair amount about him and Baopei, but he did not know every detail. Why had he dared do this?

 

Why had he dared interfere?

 

There were so many unanswered questions that his head hurt. He reached out and pressed the button to call in his trusted secretary. It would be best to ask him directly.

 

“Yes, Khun Eung?”

 

“I’d like an explanation for Pei’s three-million-baht debt agreement and the three-year condition. How it came about, the reasons behind it—everything, including why you concealed it from me. You understand, don’t you? If your reasons aren’t good enough, this amounts to betraying me and disobeying my instructions. We won’t be able to continue working together.”

 

“I understand. That’s why I arranged it this way. If you look carefully, you’ll see that if Khun Pei agrees to marry you, both the debt and the three-year employment obligation become void.”

 

Achitphon nodded, surprised by the composure of his secretary, who was nearing retirement. In truth, he had never believed Khun Ta intended him any harm. But the whole thing was too suspicious to ignore.

 

“It was to give both you and Khun Baopei an opportunity to reconsider your feelings before beginning married life. A marriage needs mutual understanding, but at the time, neither of you understood the other. I was worried. That’s why I drew up this contract and took a chance. If you’d married then, there would have been nothing I could do. But if you separated and had the opportunity to see each other more clearly, I thought you would both be happier.”

 

“And how could you be sure Pei and I would find our way back to each other? How could you be sure he loved me then…? Unless Pei and I were being set up…”

 

“P’Earn?”

 

His trusted secretary nodded. Achitphon let out a sigh. The hand massaging his temple moved to scrub the back of his neck hard. Pei often ate with P’Earn. He must have confided in him.

 

And Achitphon had confided in him too.

 

“Khun Earn was worried. At first, he didn’t even want the marriage proposal included. But I thought he shouldn’t play God quite so much, so this was the compromise. And I didn’t agree to help because he is Tycoon Araya. I did it because I wanted you to be happy, as someone who has watched you grow up.”

 

“Thank you. Can I trust that, apart from the matter with Pei, you haven’t done anything else behind my back?”

 

“My loyalty is to you, Khun Eung. This one matter alone kept me awake for three nights. Gave me more grey hairs too. My wife’s been calling me an old man. But seeing things improve between you and Khun Pei makes me happy.”

 

“The plan seems to have worked. Pei and I have started talking, and things are gradually getting better. But as far as P’Earn is concerned, I reserve the right to be annoyed. I hope you won’t join forces with him again. I’ll have to pay him back for this. If he already knew how Pei felt, he should have told me and let me decide for myself. Not do all this behind my back.”

 

“What are you going to do, Khun Eung?”

 

“I’m resigning. Please bring me a resignation form. I have the authority to approve it myself anyway. Clearly, being a doctor isn’t keeping him busy enough if he has time to meddle in other people’s lives. Let him manage his own business for a change. He’s the tycoon, after all. I’m only a salaried deputy managing director. Whoever owns the business can look after it. If he’s so clever, he can do it himself.”