Personal Manager

2 - No smoking.

 

They arrived at the location as planned, a bar that will officially open tomorrow, but it will be closed to the public.

 

"Man, come inside!" Lan yelled. Gun gave a death slap as a sign of respect before following them inside. The people who came with Wandee...Only people I know.

Dairinak Kasaiwati, a male vendor, is inviting others to buy his goods.

 

"Hey Gun, over here!" Tin beckoned, waving his hand. "There's a bar with alcohol in it, and it's completely broken down, even though the bar is open and they haven't given us any yet."

 

"How are you?" Kinam asked.

 

"I'm not in a very good mood," the driver said, his voice laced with annoyance.

 

"What's wrong? Our model's having a tough time, huh?" Ming asked anxiously.

 

"The job isn't difficult, but the mother..."

 

"Sama*"

 

It ruins the atmosphere.

 

"Shu doesn't want to produce any more than this." He doesn't want to chew on any of the leaves. He's afraid the taste of the liquor in the evening won't suit his taste. He'll have some later.

 

"Put it all out. Who made you have a fever?" Man retorted.

 

"Personal manager" - if I want money, I'll tell you.

 

"P'Yim?" Tin recognised her because he'd met On, who had brought her boyfriend to a photoshoot.

 

"No, P'Kel, my new personal manager, makes me want to quit the entertainment industry." 

 

(About changing personal managers...)

No one knew because he hadn't seen his friends for almost a month. What I said wasn't an exaggeration at all. Kel made him want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. I've been angry all day because we had a meeting at 2 PM to go see the modelling assignment, which was summarised fifteen minutes late, with the explanation given being traffic jams.

 

um...

 

"Who is that? Is she cute?" Man’s eyes lit up, eager to get to know her.

 

"A man," Gun replied curtly.

 

"Men can be cute too, like my wife," Tin interjected.

 

"You're still as boastful as ever, you bastard," Ping cursed at Tin's constant bragging about his wife, Toey, to his friends. And that caused a stir in the group.

 

The alcohol immediately brought laughter and cheerfulness. That's what Gun likes about socialising with his gang of friends; it makes him smile and laugh.

 

"I knew something was missing. I'll go get some snacks," Man suddenly realised, feeling that the glass of liquor he had just drunk was too much.

 

"Wait a minute, where's your brother? I haven't seen him since I arrived."

 

"The gang is in the inner area. They'll come out soon."

 

"Is there another area inside?" the young model asked, frowning in surprise.

 

"Every pub has a secret room."

 

"What kind of secret is it?" Tin asked.

 

"Alcohol, drugs, women—I have it all," Man answered truthfully.

 

"Damn it, the pub just opened! I want everything!" Ping cursed.

 

"My friend brought them. Those guys who can break the law."

 

Man finished speaking and disappeared behind the pub. There were about four or five tables occupied by people drinking, and several women were glancing at their tables. They knew Gun because he was a top model, and they also knew Tin as Toey's boyfriend, so it wasn't surprising that people were looking and smiling like that. After a while, Man returned with a plate of snacks. He placed them down, then sat back down.

 

"Brother, over here!" Man called out when he saw his older brother walking out.

 

"Hey," the tall man walked towards him.

"Hello, P'Mind," they all greeted, bowing respectfully.

 

"Thanks for coming," Mind said, as he didn't usually see his brother's friends very often.

 

"So, are you going to sit outside or not? 

 

You're the host, you know," Man asked.

 

"Come on, but I have to go pick up a friend first," Mind said, then walked away. Gun must have had a lot to drink today because he's feeling stressed. He has a lot of work, and now he has to deal with someone like Kel, too. Just thinking about it...The culprit's face was irritating him once again.

 

"Take it easy, I know it's been a while," Ping remarked, noticing the young model was having his third drink after only just sitting down.

 

"I don't have work in the morning tomorrow." Normally, he'd go to the gym if he didn't have work, but tomorrow he might sleep in and wake up around noon.

 

"Okay, then go ahead, Dad," Man said teasingly.

 

"Hey, asshole, who did you come with?" After a while, Ping whispered the question to Man, but everyone heard it, and all eyes turned to look.

 

"Ah, that's him..." Man said, but Gun’s mind was already processing it. He had just shaken off the thought of that person, and now he’s standing in front of me.

 

His eyes widened, and his slender lips pressed together nervously upon seeing an acquaintance. He was unaware that the model under his management was here. How could this happen? P’Mind is holding Kel's hand. Gun looks on suspiciously before shifting his gaze from the hand up to the sweet face.

 

"Are you really Mind's boyfriend?" Ping asked.

 

"Who told you?" Mind asked back with a smile.

 

"Oh, did I say something wrong?" Man said with a confused expression.

 

"Right now we're friends. We'll see what happens later," the older one smiled broadly before turning to look at the younger one. Calling them boyfriend and boyfriend probably isn't appropriate right now because this is just a "flirting" phase, and Mind knows very well that the person beside him doesn't want him to use the word "boyfriend" casually.

 

"Uh..." Kel was speechless now, while Gun was still staring at him as before.

 

"Hello, Kel! I missed you so much," Man greeted. Kel smiled faintly; it seemed they were quite close.

 

"Hello, man."

 

"When are you two going to start dating?" Man whispered, curious about the relationship between the two.

 

"You don't need to ask, and Kel doesn't need to answer him." Mind and Kel met at a pub last month. Mind liked him and started pursuing him.

 

"We were about to answer," the pretty-faced person chuckled slightly.

 

"If the answer will hurt us, then don't answer," because Mind knew the answer in his heart.

 

"Wow, you're thinking too much."

 

"Kel, go sit down." A large hand was about to pull the other person to follow.

 

"You can sit here with us, Kel. There's plenty of space," Man said first, causing his older brother to stop in his tracks.

 

"That's right, we can sit together," Ping added.

"Hey, Gun, move over," Tin said to his friend, who was sitting and eating.

 

"I think I'll go sit over there." Honestly, Kel didn't dare face Gun. He’d already tried to cover up the morning incident of waking up late and being late for work, but now...

Even lunchtime is late.

 

"You can sit here, this spot is free," Gun said simply before moving closer to Tin.

 

"Okay, then, Kel, please wait here with my brother. I'll go tell them quickly."

 

"..." And he probably couldn't do anything but nod in agreement. The shorter man sat down next to Man, but on the other side was a young model they knew, but they both pretended to ignore each other. He felt breathless having to pretend that they didn't know each other.

 

"Go all out, man. If you're frustrated, just let it all out," Ping told his friend.

 

"Normally, you're not the type to get angry easily. If you're annoyed, you just walk away. What kind of personal manager must be involved?" Man asked. And that immediately startled Kel because the person being talked about was him. 

 

"Yeah, what do you guys think it has to be to annoy me all day?" Gun’s expression clearly showed his frustration as he glanced at the culprit before turning back to pouring more drinks.

 

"Calm down, man. We're working together." That's what Tin said, someone who's unlikely to ever calm anyone down.

 

"Hmph!"

 

"Gun, make a strong one for P’Kel too," Man said, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

 

"How strong do you want it, or do you want to drink it pure?"

 

"Either way is fine," Kel replied with a normal expression. He could pretend they didn't know each other anyway, because it probably wouldn't matter.

 

"Do you drink often?" Gun continued to ask.

"You're so blunt, man. He's two years older than you," Man said.

 

"It's alright. It's the same no matter how we talk," Kel wasn't serious, because these days Gun barely respected him anyway.

 

"Do you drink often?" he asked his personal manager again.

 

"Often, huh? Kel's a resident DJ at pub xX, you know," Man interrupted, just as Kel was about to deny it.

 

"Really?" Tin asked in surprise, because he didn't think someone with that look would be a DJ in a club. It's no wonder Tin saw Kel as innocent. We just met for the first time.

 

"I'm not a regular DJ, I just help them out occasionally," the shorter person said, while the person next to them frowned deeply. (Kel  Me)

 

Do you do anything other than being his personal manager?

 

"Are you having fun?" Ping asked curiously, seeing several DJs singing, playing, and dancing in the club, looking very happy.

 

"It's fun," he admitted, saying he enjoys being a DJ because he loves upbeat music.

 

"But if you guys want to meet again in the future, you can come here, because my brother is going to hire Kel to work here regularly," Man began to sell his services.

 

"I haven't agreed yet." It's fun, but I couldn't do it every day. Besides, he has to look after the model now.

 

"Oh, Kel, please soften your stance a little. Both about the DJ thing and about dating Mind."

 

"That's a completely different story," Kel shook his head, exasperated by Man's words.

 

"What days do you work as a DJ?" Gun interrupted. "Damn it, Gun, what's wrong with you? You keep making that face, ruining the atmosphere," Man retorted immediately. Gun didn't know what kind of face he was making, but it was totally not satisfying at all.

 

"What's up?" And he didn't even pay attention to Man; he was still pressing the shorter man for an answer.

 

"Well... just some nights, two or three days a week," Kel stammered, unsure whether he was scared or something else.

 

"Hmm..." Gun responded with a low nod, as if he understood. But who could really understand? He was extremely unhappy that the other person worked nights like this and also wanted to be his personal manager.

 

Managing the time will be difficult. I know why I'm sleeping in. If I can't handle it, I should just refuse the chairman and say I don't like that job, that I prefer being a DJ, and then go with that.

 

A glass of dark liquor was slid in front of Kel. This glass was even stronger than the one Gun usually mixed for himself. His sweet eyes gazed at the two glasses placed spaced apart. Not much before the assessment.

 

"This is no different from drinking it straight," I thought to myself, but as I said before, I actually drank it all.

 

"Since we're already here, let's toast, Kel," Man said. Kel nodded in agreement, and according to etiquette, everyone at the table should have raised their glasses to clink. But Gun, being ill-mannered, drank without clinking glasses and continued drinking.

Finish it all in one go.

 

"Hey, you! In a hurry again!" His friend immediately scolded him. The sound of four glasses clinking together preceded their drinks. Of course, Gun was scrutinising the person next to him, curious to see their reaction to the drink he'd mixed.

 

With his own hands, as he raised the glass, his pale neck quivered as he swallowed the alcohol. It was a sight that captivated onlookers, causing their gaze to drift lower.

 

"What are you staring at?" Tin nudged Gun with his elbow, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

"I'm going to go smoke a cigarette," he said, and then abruptly stood up and left the drinking group. Seeing this, the slender figure quickly pulled out his phone from his pants pocket and messaged the other person.

 

Kel: Don't smoke, your lips will turn black.

 

Another role of a personal manager is to take care of the model's physical health, including fitness schedules and skincare treatments. The modelling agency emphasised this point very strongly.

 

GUN: Who are you to stop me? Even the previous manager didn't stop me.

 

"I'm going to the restroom," the slender figure said before getting up. His purpose was to go find the male model. Kel entered the restroom but found no one, so he walked out. He peered left and right but still couldn't see him, even though Gun had just walked this way. So he decided to text him to ask where he was in the bar.

 

*Grab!*

 

"Gulp!" Kel gasped in surprise as he was pulled into a dimly lit corner.

 

"Did you come to stop me?" Gun asked, raising an eyebrow before taking a drag from the cigarette he was holding.

 

"Yes, *cough cough* Kel was about to give his usual long explanation, but Gun blew smoke directly in his face, causing him to choke.

 

"Have you never smoked before?" If I answered that I hadn't, Gun probably wouldn't believe me.

 

"..."

 

"Have you ever?" he asked again, noticing the smaller person had fallen silent. I was right all along.

 

"Then why forbid others from doing it?"

 

"It's part of the job. And why not wear a hat when entering a place like this?" This is basic self-care for celebrities and models.

 

"Don't tell me about these things. Go manage your own sleep and wake times."

 

"Why are you so upset?"

 

"Seriously, if you didn't want to be my personal manager, why didn't you refuse?"

 

"I'm just filling in for the previous person; it's not permanent."

"But I don't like it as much as being a DJ." 

 

Judging from the conversation I overheard while drinking just now, it's not hard to conclude.

 

"Yes," he admitted, "I don't like taking care of other people, especially since Gun is someone I've only just met."

 

"Should I tell the chairman?"

 

"No, no, I'm trying my best." His beautiful eyes stared intently at the person in front of him. Family conditions were strict; if he didn't work hard enough, he wouldn't get what he wanted. His parents always complained about his desires. They told me to find a job. I'm too shy to tell my family that I'm working as a DJ, so they see me as unemployed.

 

"Cough, cough, that's enough!" He couldn't stand it anymore after being blown smoke in his face again, so he snatched the cigarette from the model's hand.

 

"Give it back," Gun said sternly. He was incredibly fierce.

 

"no"

 

"Give it to me!"

 

"Want some chewing gum? I have some." A slender hand fumbled for it. He used to smoke, but only when he was extremely stressed. That's why he carries chewing gum with him as a helpful tool.

 

"Just chew. If you don't suck on it, you won't be less irritable," Gun said firmly.

 

"Please listen to me, just for one thing."

 

"Then my mouth..."

 

"Now, Kel is really confused. What does this have to do with his mouth?"

 

"Your mouth is holding a cigarette. What am I supposed to suck on?"