South; Beside the Sky. 

Chapter 37. Yuri (Water Lily) Part 1.

"I can do it."

"Do I know I'm nervous?"

"YES."

"Do you believe in Phi Fah?"

I nodded in response.

"If that's the case, trust me, Phoon. It's possible."

"If possible, I would ask you to take the test for me."

"No need. You'll do better than me."

"How is this possible?"

"Be confident. We studied hard together. When you took the exam before, you did really well," he said, gently stroking my head, as he usually did. We were now in front of the campus where I was supposed to take the exam. I was wearing my school uniform, and that morning, before leaving the classroom, Phi Fah commented that I was cute because he had never seen me in a high school uniform before.

The exam was held at the end of February, just as everyone was taking the second midterm exam, including Phi Fah. After dropping me off, Phi Fah had to go back to studying with his friends. Since the second semester had started and I had dropped out of school, all I had to do was study for the exams, so I didn't do much else. That day was the day I would evaluate all my efforts. That day would decide my fate. The students, especially the girls, were looking this way. Perhaps because, besides the flashy car, there was a driver talking to me.

"You didn't forget anything, did you? The ticket?"

"Yes, I brought it."

Then I'll wait for you to come into class.

"Will you come with me?"

"Yes." And Phi Fah actually accompanied me to the exam building. It wasn't unusual, because many people were accompanying or waiting for exam takers. However, Phi Fah couldn't stay because he also had to take the exam and study, which I understood. Honestly, even if Phi Fah had wanted to stay, I wouldn't have let him. It was too hot and it would have been boring.

"Show me your exam card." I opened my bag and handed it to him. "All the exams are taking place in this building today. You won't get lost, will you? The numbers indicate the floors and classrooms."

"I won't get lost. If I did get lost, I could ask the people around here."

"Okay." Phi Fah handed me back the exam paper. It didn't take long for me to realise, I felt like we—no, Phi Fah—were the centre of attention. Even I, standing next to him, noticed. Phi Fah stood there until it was announced that everyone could go up to the building and wait outside the room.

"Well, I'll go right away. At four o'clock sharp, I'll wait here."

"YES."

He left, and I entered the building before taking off my shoes, keeping them on like the other students. I felt a little awkward, being older than the other kids and having to take an exam. It had been a long time since I'd been inside a school building. The school where I was taking the exam wasn't too far from the university. I chose the exam centre in this province rather than returning to my old school, because it would have been too complicated.

I placed my bag in front of the classroom, grabbed my pencil, eraser, and ID, and prepared for the exam. Shortly afterwards, they announced we could enter. The first exam went well. I didn't know everything, but I was confident enough with my answers and had time to double-check everything.

I've taken this type of exam three times. The first time was at the end of high school. The second time was when I tried to switch majors for medical school in my freshman year, and this is the third time. This is the only time I've managed to finish the exam on time. The previous two times, I had to rush to answer the last questions. Perhaps because I had practised so much for previous exams, and because of time management.

The first day of exams is over. When I left the building, I saw Phi Fah waiting for me as promised.

"What's the result?"

"Good, very good. I didn't expect to do so well and on time," I said excitedly as I told him about today's exam. Then we went to lunch.

"Phi Fah, do you have to go back to school?" I asked.

"Yes. Phoon, do you want to rest or come with me?"

"Okay, I'll come with you," I replied, since North and Ter would be there. I'd rather accompany them while they studied than stay in my room with nothing to do.

"How did the first day of the exam go?"

"I did well."

"I'm sure you'll pass. From everything I taught you, did anything stand out on the test?" North asked.

"NO."

"Are there none?"

"I don't know, I haven't taken the test yet. It'll be another day."

"Ai sat down," North said, frustrated. "But you'll make it anyway."

"How are you, Ter? How did the exam go?" I asked as I sat next to him in the same cafeteria. The medical students sat at the same table, and we sat at the lowest one.

"It's difficult."

"Why?"

"I used O-NET. It was in the last lap."

"Oh, you didn't make it to O-NET?"

"It was terrible. The teachers thought I was the dumbest kid in school.

But somehow I managed to get into engineering. "Maybe I was just too good-looking," North said, making Ter sigh as he looked down at his notes. "Why are you sighing, Ter? Do my good looks bother you? Don't worry, it frustrates me sometimes, too."

"North, what's wrong with you today? You keep praising yourself. Has anyone praised you lately?" Ter asked, frowning.

"I don't know," North said, taking my green tea. Before I could stop him, he'd already drunk half of it. I looked at my cup of green tea in surprise. How could it have gone so quickly?

"Meow, what about your mother?" Ter asked, because it had been almost two months since I had last heard from her.

"Yes, you haven't given any news. It's been a long time."

"I said I would contact him after the exam."

"Oh," North and Ter said, nodding. They knew I was busy with exams. If I contacted my mother now, regardless of the outcome, it would have a significant impact on me. If she agreed to meet, I would be very nervous. And if she didn't, I would be very sad. So I decided with Phi Fah that I would wait until after the exams were over to contact her.

"Okay. Only a few days left until the end of the exams, right?"

"Yes, just a few more days."

"How did you contact him?"

"Maybe. I'll send someone to look for him."

"What? How?"

"I can't go directly, so I'll send someone first. My mother doesn't have a personal phone, just her home number. She has no other forms of contact, like Facebook, LINE, email, or anything else. She has none of that."

"Right. So how do you send someone?"

"I heard that during the day, outside of weekends, your husband works and Daiki goes to school. Maybe I can make the most of that time."

"Take advantage? But wouldn't it be scary to suddenly appear?"

I'll enter in a friendly manner.

"Are you going straight to his house? What will the neighbours say?"

"I'll dress like a salesman."

"Yes, that could work," North said, nodding. "Who would you send?"

"I don't know, but it looks like Phi Fah will take care of it."

"Oh, okay. You should send her a letter explaining that you want to meet her," Ter suggested. I nodded in agreement.

Yes, I will write a letter.

"You should end with 'Love, Ren.'"

Will it be okay?”

"Yes, trust me."

"Very."

A Yuri Nakamura,

Hi, first let me introduce myself. My name is Thiraphat Chaovanakawi, but my real name is Phoon. I'm 20 years old. It's hard for me to say, but based on the information and evidence I have, you are my biological mother. I don't know if you'll agree, but I want to sincerely tell you that I'm happy to finally know who my biological mother is.

I discovered a few years ago that I'm not the biological daughter of the mother who raised me. My parents divorced after my older sister's death. I've always wanted to know who my biological mother is, but I don't know how to find her. All I know is that every year I receive birthday presents with "For Ren" written on the box. I hope those presents are from you.

If it's true, I'm happy to know you still think of me. I'm happy. I never get angry because we're not together, whatever the reason. I'm never angry, really. I always hope you're somewhere in this world, happy. I'm sorry I asked about you without your permission. I know you have a new family, and I hope they're happy with you.

I'm sorry you didn't give me a name, but if Ren is my real name, I'm not sure I'm the Ren you expected. I'm not a perfect person; I can be a disappointment at times, but I have a lot to share with you. Can you tell me what kind of Ren you imagined and if I am that Ren?

I just want to tell you that I'm fine. I've found someone who loves me, I have friends and people around me who truly care about me. I have dreams and goals in life that I want to achieve. If you're wondering if I'm okay, I'm okay, don't worry. If you don't want to meet me, that's okay. I just wanted to let you know.

I hope your day is filled with smiles. May Daiki be a good boy and grow up strong.

Respectfully sent,

Thiraphat Chaovanakawi, Phoon (Ren)

At first, I wondered if writing in Thai would be a good idea, since I hadn't been to Thailand in a long time. But Phi Fah said he'd translate it into Japanese.

"Have you finished writing?"

"Ah. Yes, a little tear-stained."

"No problem."

Phi Fah, do you think Mom will read the letter?

"Of course. The people who send you gifts every year do so because they miss you. Don't worry," Phi Fah said, gently stroking my head comfortingly. "I don't know if she'll be okay, but I sent Mom a gift too. It was a small, handmade good luck doll. I don't know if it will actually bring good luck, but it was filled with my prayers."

I wanted to send something to Daiki, too, but I wasn't sure if it would be okay. I didn't know if Mom would agree, so I decided not to send anything after sending the letter and the gift. Almost a week went by without a reply. But I know the letter and the gift reached my mom.

"Do you think he will answer?"

"Yes, Phoon. Give your mother some time."

"He probably doesn't want to see me."

"Don't think negatively," Phi Fah said, hugging me. For a week without a response, I felt hopeless. Phi Fah could only comfort me, but deep down I had prepared for the worst. Until, three days later...

"The letter has arrived."

I was shocked and ran towards Phi Fah. When I saw something in his hand, my heart started pounding.

"Your mother just sent this to me," Phi Fah said, handing it to me. I opened it immediately. It was a letter with a small gift. I immediately focused on the letter, opening it quickly. It was written in pencil on a piece of paper, and her handwriting revealed she wasn't very good at Thai.

It was a short message; my mother wasn't very good at writing Thai, and some words were misspelt, but I could still understand it. Perhaps because she didn't have a cell phone or didn't know how to use the internet, she couldn't find the right words. But she tried anyway.

"Ren, your mother is thinking of you and can't wait to meet you..."

The tears began to flow slowly. I wiped them away before handing them to Phi Fah, who smiled sweetly as he read them.

"Good, right?"

"Yes," I replied with a big smile, feeling happy and joyful, albeit with a few tears. Then I looked at the gift that accompanied the letter. It was a box of candy with a note written in Japanese. "What does it say?"

"Hmm, I think she said she made it and that you like to eat it."

I looked at the sweets in the box. They looked like Manju, and there were so many of them. I tried it right away, and it was delicious. I gave one to Phi Fah to try, and he liked it too, even though he doesn't really like sweets, so he only ate one. I don't really like sweets either, but I was so happy my mom had made it that I ate half myself. I saved the rest to share later.

“Phi Fah… I’m going to visit my mother,” I said enthusiastically.

"When I get my schedule sorted out, we'll go together."

"Yes. Do you know where Mom lives, Phi Fah?"

"And Osaka."

"Should we tell him before we go? Did he say anything else in the letter?"

"She said you can come anytime. Her husband already knows, but it's best to let them know when we're arriving so they can get ready. We need to call her at home."

"Oh," I said, surprised. Not only did I know that my mother's new husband already knew she had a child, but he had also agreed to let us go to his house. It was truly adorable.

"How many days will we be gone?"

"We can't stay long. I still have class. At most, we'll spend a day with your mother and maybe a day or two exploring the city."

"Oh, thank you. Besides helping me with my mother, you'll also take me to meet her."

"Yes." Phi Fah accepted my thanks with a smile before patting me lightly on the head.

"Phi Fah is very kind."

"Is it true?"

"Yes, but I'm sure many people have told you that."

"No, I'm so-so with others," Phi Fah said. "But with you, I'd do anything." His words made me smile shyly. Because Phi Fah doesn't lie. Phi Fah would do anything for me, just as I'd do anything for him. I don't know if what Dao said is true, that this is true love. If so, that's fantastic. But if it's not, it doesn't matter. Having each other right now is the best, too good to wonder whether it's true love. Because we are Phi Fah and we are me, and we are together. There's nothing better.

“It’s been three days, and my friend is still smiling,” North said.

“Forget it,” Ter replied.

"Yes, let me try it," I replied. We were now at the airport, ready to leave for Japan. After telling everyone everything, they were all excited and said they wanted to come with us because they had free time and wanted to meet my mother and go sightseeing together. "Did you eat the manju?"

"He ate them the whole day you brought them. He took mine too. I was so angry."

"You're just slow. Speed ​​belongs to the devil."

"It belongs to a greedy person."

"North!"

"What? You didn't just take something from me, you stole from Phoon, too. He's small, but you took his food," North said. Ter, annoyed, immediately shot North a glare. I wasn't too surprised. Ter had always been a big eater.

"It's delicious and I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. Did you starve in your past life? Why are you always hungry?" I laughed at North's comment.

"Yes, it looks like you've been hungry since your last life."

“Meow, you’re making fun of me too,” Ter said with a pouting expression.

“I was just kidding. Calm down,” I replied, as if comforting a child.

"Give me the Kit-Kat."

“Can you stop thinking about food for a moment?” North asked with a frustrated expression.

"Now I understand why Phoon is so skinny. Because you always take away his food, right, Ter? Admit it."

"That's not true! Phoon left some leftovers and I didn't want to throw them away, so I ate them."

"You saw him eating, that's why he thought you were hungry and left you some leftovers."

"That's not true! I was just looking at him, not the food."

"I also found out why Phoon is always sick."

"I said it wasn't me, it wasn't my fault."

"Stop it, guys," I said, trying to stop their bickering. They weren't really arguing; they were just joking, but it was still a little annoying.

“Did you ask Dao if he wants to come?” Ter asked.

"Yes, but he said he was busy."

"He's always busy. You should pretend to be angry," North suggested.

"Why get upset? He's working." I initially asked Foam and Dao to come with us, but they both declined. Foam said his family wouldn't allow it, and Dao said he was busy working.

"What keeps him so busy? He works to buy new equipment and then uses it to work more," North began to complain. Lately, he'd been complaining that Dao worked too hard and didn't take breaks. At first, Dao seemed happier thanks to meditation, but then he seemed exhausted again. "What a drag. I'll take a look at his computer."

“You’re worried,” Ter said.

"Of course, otherwise, why should I complain? But he wouldn't listen to me, that damned Dao."

"Last time he ended up in the hospital. Next time I go, I'll pee in his IV bag."

"How mean," I said, laughing. North was worried, which was why he was angry, but he was still nice. If I had another two or three months, I could sign up for a Japanese class, but I don't have that much time, so I can't study. I don't know how I'll ever talk to my mother. When she lived in Thailand for about two years, she might have known some Thai, but that was a long time ago.

"Does your mother speak Thai?" North asked.

"I don't know. Maybe a little, back then. Otherwise, how could he have talked to my father?"

"Maybe your father, who speaks Japanese."

"I don't know. I'm not sure," I replied. I didn't know if my father spoke Japanese.

Where will you meet your mother?

"Your house."

"Really? Her new husband isn't angry?"

"I think my mother said her new husband already knows, and Daiki knows too."

"Then everything's fine," Ter said. "You'll meet Daiki, too."

"Yes," I replied, smiling. I had arranged with my mother that we would arrive in Japan in the afternoon. She had told me she would prepare snacks for everyone. Of course, I didn't speak to my mother directly; someone else arranged the meeting. We'll go see her soon.

"You're still smiling, Phoon. Doesn't your cheek hurt?"

“I’m just happy. What’s the problem?” I stopped smiling and looked at North.

"Don't make that face. It gives me goosebumps, your eyes are like they're in a trance, and you're still smiling," he said. Besides us, there were also Phi Fah, Phi Hill, Phi Jo, and Phi Arthit. Phi Arthit said he would come with us alone, but that he would split up to go on his own and then come back to us.

"I've never been to Japan," North said. I was surprised and looked at him.

"Really? I thought you were gone."

"No, Phi Jo always takes me to Europe. It's a big leap. Japan is in spring right now; it must be beautiful," North said, looking at her phone, which had information about Japan. "I can't wait to go there for the first time, I'm already preparing."

"Come?"

"I learned the language."

“Really?” I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Candies"

"Come"

"I watch anime with Thai subtitles, twenty-four episodes in a row."

"OH."

"Let's go," said Phi Fah, standing up. I immediately stood up; I'd been talking so much I lost track of time. The seven of us boarded the plane together, and since they were arriving, we were naturally in first class. I sat down next to Phi Fah. To my left were North and Phi Jo, then Phi Arthit. Next to Phi Fah were Ter and Phi Hill. It seemed like there was no one else around, just us.

"Where are you going, Arthit?" asked Phi Jo.

"I don't know. Where are you going?"

"Where are we going, Fah?"

"I'm in Osaka."

"Oh, Osaka. What's there to see there?"

"You don't have any plans yet?" asked Phi Jo. Phi Arthit shook his head slightly.

"I want to go skiing."

"I don't think there's enough snow for that."

"Exactly, it's problematic. So what are you doing in Osaka?"

Arthit, do you know why we're here? Phi Fah asked. Arthit shook his head.

"I thought you were going to bring your companions on this trip, right?"

"Yes, something like that."

"I have to catch a connecting flight somewhere else. There's not much to see in Japan."

"No," Phi Fah interrupted before Phi Arthit could finish his sentence. "This time I won't let you get away."

"OH."

"Jo, don't let Arthit get away from you," Phi Fah said. Phi Jo pouted.

"Are you giving me orders?"

"Do I have the right to do this?"

"As his assistant, yes."

"Okay, Fah. Arthit, behave yourself," Phi Jo said. I don't know why, but I started laughing. Phi Arthit often seems to run away, so everyone should keep an eye on him.

"Okay, I won't run away. I'll be by your side like a second wife," Phi Arthit said. "Up North."

"What's wrong, Phi?"

"This trip is my honeymoon with Jo. Come on, don't bother me."

"Let me come with you. I can help you carry your things. I won't bother you."

"Okay, but only because you begged me so hard."

"Ugh." I heard Phi Jo sigh softly. It seemed to me that being with North and Phi Arthit would be very tiring.