West: The Sun From Another Star

I sat with my chin resting on my hand, my gaze wandering ahead, where the unfriendly-looking professor was lecturing the students. Today's class was supposed to be a lecture, but was he lecturing or rapping? He seemed to be in a hurry. Did he think everyone could keep up like Fah or Hill? He should at least think about someone as clueless as me.

 

"I'll skip this part; you can read it yourselves."

"I skipped it again," I muttered, my fingers gliding across the tablet screen to move to the next slide. I glanced at Fah sitting next to me, busily taking notes. As for me? I couldn't even keep up with the listening. Forget it, I'm not listening anymore. I'll wait until Fah finishes writing and then borrow it to read later.

 

"I'm counting on you," I said, then rested my head on the desk and fell asleep. The teacher's "rap" gradually turned into a lullaby, and soon I was fast asleep.

 

When I realised it, someone was shaking me awake.

"It's done, Thit." A familiar voice rang out.

"Uh, uh." I leaned back in my chair, glancing around the classroom where everyone was packing up. "How many slides did we do today?"

"It's all done."

"Wow, you're amazing, teacher."

"The teacher scheduled another make-up lesson tomorrow."

"Another make-up class?" I muttered, sighing wearily. "How much does the teacher earn a month? He's so diligent."

 

"You're badmouthing the teacher again," Fah said as we walked out of the room.

 

It was past 6 PM. Usually, after school, everyone went their separate ways, but sometimes we'd go out to eat together. When we did, the group would consist of me, them, and their boyfriends—a total of seven people. And if you were to ask who was the loneliest one, sitting alone or comfortably seated at the head of the table, it would definitely be me, no doubt about it.

 

Downstairs, I saw their boyfriends already waiting. I remember the first time I saw North wearing a technical coat, I teased him, saying it didn't suit him at all. He immediately retorted, "You wouldn't suit a lab coat either." Thinking back, I realise he was right. Why didn't I think about these things when I applied to the university?

 

I said a few words to North, and of course, he invited me to play games as usual. After quickly eating dinner at the restaurant behind the school, I went back to my room, showered, changed clothes, and logged into the game. Before I could do anything, North texted me to invite me to play.

 

(You made my friend cry, didn't you?)

"Huh?"

(Yeah, what did you do to him? Damn it, that's outrageous.)

"I didn't do anything!"

 

(Damn it, he looks so gentle normally, but he’s actually very tough. If he’s crying, it means he must have done something terrible. What did you do to my friend? Confess!)

"Go ask him."

(I asked, but he wouldn't say. He only said that you did it, but he  looked really angry at you.)

"What did I do to make him angry at me?"

(he said you disappointed him. (He hadn't cried in years, but now he was. He must be hurt.)

"I didn't do anything. He was crying and feeling disappointed on his own, and then blaming me?"

(In short, what did he do?)

"I told you I wouldn't do anything!"

(You refuse to accept it anymore?)

(That tiny little Phi Phung Tai, like a ghost, and you still managed to bully him. How cold-blooded must you be? My friend just focuses on work every day, never bothering anyone. He takes care of his cats, pays off his car instalments; he looks gentle on the outside but is very strong on the inside. You must have done something terrible for him to cry. I knew you had a bad temper, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. I suddenly regret considering you my older brother, you damn dog Thit!)

"North, judging by what you're saying, it sounds like you've always been angry with me and are just looking for an excuse to insult me."

(Just kidding, man.)

"Nonsense."

(But what was he crying about anyway?)

"Select."

(It's time to choose again. And the previous request for a line wasn't clear either.)

"What are you so curious about?"

(Are you trying to flirt with my friend?)

"I'll beat you senseless!"

(Seriously, if you're planning on dating him, I'll be the first one to stand in your way.)

"Forget it, what the hell are you doing playing in the bottom lane? Go up there and help me! He's beating me up like I'm his girlfriend!"

(Calm down, you're pushing the tower.)

"Do you think that's your job? You're a mage, instead of pushing towers, come up here and help me!"

(Oh, I forgot, I thought I was playing as a marksman. It's too late, you need to retreat. Abandon the top turret too!)

 

"Yeah, I've abandoned that damn turret! The tank is a piece of shit!" I yelled, annoyed. "Go get your friends to play, damn it! Look at him, just wandering all over the map! What kind of tank is he, just standing there swaying like he's playing a game, not even charging in, what the hell is he doing?!"

 

(Phi Phung Tai? He doesn't want to play with you; he hates your face.)

"Huh, what did I do wrong?"

(What's going on, anyway? Please tell me. I'm not being nosy, I'm just curious.)

"Oh, what good would it do you to know? Just ignore it."

(In short, you're planning to flirt with my friend, right?)

"I already said no!"

(So ​​why ask for his line? Well, here's a stubborn guy!)

 

I burst out laughing at North's comment. What the heck is "stubborn guy"?

(Just say it outright so I don't have to ask anymore. Why keep beating around the bush?)

 

"Okay, okay, I'm so tired of you!" I sighed. Actually, I didn't want to tell anyone, but North is my closest friend, so I just told him, "You know, right?"

 

(What do you know?)

"That's my mother."

(Ah, well... I know a little bit, it's lost.)

"Yeah, that's right. I just wanted to talk to my mom for a bit."

(Ah... so that's why you asked Phi Phung Tai to speak on your behalf?)

"Roughly speaking."

(Ah, okay, so that's it. Just showing off, going around in circles!)

 

"How did you know I was just putting on a show?"

(I don't know why, but that's just how it feels.) North said, and we continued playing the game.

The good thing is that this guy isn't the type to ask random questions. He knows what to ask and what not to ask.

(Yeah, the dragon will appear in about 10 seconds. I'll go keep watch around there. If no one prepares to go in, I'll go in too.)

Okay.

Almost an hour passed, and we were still playing, completely oblivious to the time. Then I suddenly remembered something and decided to ask North about it.

"North."

(What's the problem?)

"Hey, I want to ask you something."

(What do you want to ask?)

"I guess I can ask, right?"

(Of course, I'm everyone's advisor, so feel free to ask me anything. Should I charge a consultation fee? 10 baht per question.)

"Your husband is so rich, you must be short of money."

(Oh, what's going on? What are you going to ask? I'm so nervous, tell me quickly. Are you in love? No way, someone like you? Giving up dating?)

 

"I've given up. At this hour, girls still want to sleep with me."

 

(Why would a girl want to sleep with him?)

"The first customer without paying."

 

(That's outrageous! He even cheated a prostitute out of money. Is there anyone worse than him?)

 

"I used to hang out with Jo. Now that I have money, Jo doesn't hang out with me anymore. That's terrible, North. Are you stealing my friend or going to sleep with girls instead?"

 

(Calm down, honey. If Jo isn't going, I can go with you.)

 

"Are you planning to go pick up girls with me?"

 

(What do you mean? Are you really going to do it?)

 

"This is the origin of the phrase 'that's crazy'."

(It should have been 'cruel', shouldn't it?) 

 

North said, laughing. Look at him, who in the world jokes like that? Anyone else would be furious. I told you, nobody suits Jo better than North. (Getting off topic, what did you even want to ask?)

 

"How would you feel if someone cried for you?"

 

(Huh? You mean Phi Phung Tai?)

"No, no, this is my friend's business."

 

(Oh, who is your friend?)

"Deang, its name is Deang."

 

(What a stupid name. Yeah, but why should I cry for Deang? Why doesn't Deang cry by himself?)

 

"I don't know either, I'm not Deang."

 

(I guess Deang isn't someone who likes to cry, right? He usually keeps things to himself, never tells anyone, preferring to suffer alone. Hey, just say it! There are so many people who want to hear it, why keep it all bottled up inside? Think you're so cool? In the end, you're the one who suffers, you idiot. Showing a little vulnerability won't kill you, so why pretend to be so tough?)

 

"I feel sorry for Deang, I don't know why. I wonder if he hates me."

 

(That's what Jo replied.)

 

"Yeah, I know, that foul-mouthed Jo. Tell him, 'I'm not talking to you, you idiot.'"

 

(Wait, is this Deang's problem or someone else's?)

 

"Tell him that Deang replied."

 

(Jo, Thit texted back 'I'm not telling you, you idiot,' and Deang texted back too.) North yelled. Wait, no need for censorship? You actually said "idiot" to your husband?

 

(Tell him you won't have a peaceful death, you bastard.) Jo's voice said.

 

"You mean Deang?"

(You mean Deang?) North shouted.

 

(I mean you, Thit.)

"I'm scared now," I said, laughing. This couple is so funny.

 

(So, how does Deang feel about this?)

"Perhaps it's a little strange."

 

(Surely no one has ever cried because of this wound, because it itself has never cried.)

 

"Yes, that's right."

(It's not so bad, is it? At least the pain has been relieved, even if not from Deang's tears.) North said, then paused for a moment, (And you're a mixed-race person, right?)

 

"Yeah, what's wrong? Why the sudden change of topic?"

 

(Yeah, I was just asking. So, your name has always been Arthit?)

 

"No, you idiot, I was born on a Sunday, so when I came to Thailand, my dad named me that."

 

(So ​​what's your real name?)

"Dylan."

 

(That's a cool name, DYLAN?)

"YES."

 

(So, can I call you Dylan?)

"No, you bastard."

 

(Yes, sir, can I have this?)

"Try telling me."

 

(If you ask my friend for help, please keep an eye on him. He’s dealing with spirits, which takes a lot of energy. The last time I saw him, his face was so pale I thought he was a ghost. He also eats very little, so please remind him to eat. If anything happens, no one else will be able to help you.)

 

"Yeah, yeah, all we need is to eat, right?"

(Don't let him drink so much coffee anymore.)

 

"You're being too picky. Just let him drink coffee. Your husband drinks it too."

 

(What? Jo only drinks one glass a day now? He's so old-fashioned.)

 

“Really? My friend finally quit coffee. By the way, when did Jo arrive? Did he hear about me inviting you to go hook up with girls?” I whispered, a little nervous. If Jo heard, we’d all be doomed.

 

(No, no, Jo was taking a shower just now, and I was wearing headphones too. It's safe now.) North whispered.

 

"Yeah, good, don't let him know. Change the subject, I'm so worried. If I actually took you there, we'd both be dead."

 

(He was just asking, "What are you going to do with me?")

 

"Expand your horizons, broaden your experiences." I said, "Hey, North, I don't know if I should say this, but your friend..."

 

(You mean that ghost thing? What's wrong with it?)

 

"He has an imaginary friend too, named Emma, ​​the same name as my mom."

(Oh, really? Emma, ​​Emma, ​​Emma.)

 

"Damn it, how old are you to still be using your mother's name to tease him like that?"

 

(You idiot, that's my mom.) North said, then burst out laughing. (Really? You imagined that? How strange. Did you see her talking?)

 

"Yeah, I've seen it. It speaks so realistically."

(Is it dangerous? Do we need to see a doctor?) North asked, his voice starting to sound a little worried.

 

"I don't know if it's dangerous either," I said. "Because I happened to see him talking to his imaginary friend. At first, I didn't pay much attention, but thinking about it again, it really is abnormal. Even though it's not exactly the same, I'm a future doctor, and I can't ignore it because it could be dangerous for both myself and others. 'Others' here means me, right? I'm in the room next to him. What if one fine day, its imaginary friend tells it to stab me with a knife?"

 

(Should I take him to see a psychologist?)

 

"It depends. You could try asking him first. But he knows it's your imagination, it'll tell me itself. It's like it's aware that it created this person, but it doesn't know what kind of person its friend is. If it's a bad person, then it's doomed."

 

(Didn't you ask him? You're a doctor, after all.)

"Let me tell Fah to go. Come on, Tonfah, I'm entrusting this to you!"

 

(What is that?) North said, then burst out laughing, (But please don't look at my friend like he’s crazy, okay? Maybe he’s just a little weird… No, not just a little, he’s damn weird. But I don't want anyone to think my friend is crazy. At most, they can say he’s sick, and I'll accept that.)

 

"I didn't say that word, and I don't like it either."

 

(Let me try asking him. If he's not in danger of anyone and doesn't want to see a doctor, I won't force him.)

 

"Yeah, let's leave it at that. Everyone has the right to make their own choices."

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

I went to open the door when I heard a knock because North had called fifteen minutes earlier, saying he would be coming. The person who arrived placed a bag of sweets and gifts on the table. Although I hadn't asked why they'd suddenly shown up, I could guess a few things. At least it must be something related to the cigarette salesman.

 

"You."

 

"Huh?"

 

"Sorry to get straight to the point, but it's about Emma."

 

“…”

"Thit told me, but he didn't mean anything bad. He just said he'd come talk to you for a bit, because I was worried too."

 

"North."

 

"What?"

 

"Aren't you afraid?"

 

"What?"

 

"Aren't they… scary?"

 

"What's that about you?"

 

“Well… I have an imaginary friend. I talk to it like a real person; it could order me to harm North right now if I wanted to. Aren’t you afraid?” I asked calmly, tilting my head slightly and staring at the person who had just sat down.

 

"No. Don't scare me," North said, knowing that my tilting my head and staring was just a pretence. I chuckled softly, "If I were scared, I wouldn't have come to see you alone."

 

“…”

 

"Even if Emma ordered you to, you wouldn't do it," North said confidently, contrasting sharply with his relaxed demeanour as he picked up a pastry and ate it without paying much attention.

 

"Emma wouldn't give an order like that, would she?" I said, turning to look at Emma, ​​who was standing there frowning at North.

 

'North is so wicked. How could I possibly think of ordering someone to harm North?'

 

"North is really evil, isn't he?"

 

"What is it?" North asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Emma said North was evil, so why would she think Emma would order someone to harm North?"

 

"I was just giving an example. But hey, are you serious?"

"Yeah, standing right next to North."

 

“Yeah, come on. I’m getting goosebumps. Hey, wait, your room… damn, I forgot. Let’s go outside and talk.” North said in a slightly shaky voice, jumped up, and left the room. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly; scared as I was, I’d forgotten. I put on my shoes and followed him downstairs to the cafe.

 

...

“So North came here for this?” I asked, taking a sip of my hot cappuccino. It was my day off, and the weather was quite pleasant with a light drizzle. “Did you come alone?”

 

"Yes, Jo isn't coming along."

 

"Oh, so what do you want to ask?"

 

"Did you really see it?"

 

"YES."

 

"Just like a real person?"

 

"YES."

 

"That's amazing," North said, taking a sip of green tea. "So why Emma? And she's the same name as Thit's mother, too."

 

"I used to watch Harry Potter, and I liked Emma Watson."

 

"So, Emma has been living with you since she was a child?"

 

"Yeah, my only playmate, Emma, ​​first met me at the playground. I was playing alone and feeling very lonely when suddenly Emma appeared and invited me to play with her. At first, I thought she was a ghost, but my grandmother said she wasn't, so I knew she was a friend I created myself when I was little."

 

"Even after growing up, she still hasn't disappeared?"

 

"No," I shook my head slightly. "Well, that's fine. How should I put it? Emma is someone I can talk to and confide in about everything."

 

"You can talk to me about anything, too."

“…”

 

"I'm not asking you to let me replace Emma or anything, but you understand, right?"

 

"Yeah, I know it's not normal. But North… Don't tell me to go see a doctor. I'm fine living like this; I don't want Emma to disappear. I'm really happy with what I have right now."

 

"Yeah, I understand. I wasn't planning on telling you to go anywhere anyway," North replied casually. "Well, as long as you're okay with it, that's fine. By the way, what kind of person is Emma?"

 

"She is a kind person, always caring about others."

 

“Is that another part of your personality? Because Emma is you, right?” North thought for a moment, “Wait, it seems like you’re complimenting yourself on actually being kind-hearted.”

 

"No, that's not true, because I've never heard Emma say that," I said honestly.

 

"Yeah, I also rarely see you being kind to other people, except for us."

 

"Yeah, but North, are you feeling reassured now?"

 

"What?"

 

"North was worried; he wouldn't have driven all the way here."

 

"I know," North said, tapping my forehead lightly. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't dangerous."

 

"No way. I know exactly what I'm doing and who I am. Don't worry."

 

"That's good then. By the way, can I ask you something about Arthit?"

 

"Don't mention him again." I sighed when I heard his name because he had made me cry the other day. I know he wasn't at fault, but I could read his emotions and cried myself, and I still feel sad now. It's been years since I last cried, and now I'm crying because of someone like this. It's terrible.

 

"I've already cursed him out, don't hate him too much. It may not look like much, but I bet half the country already hates him."

"Did you curse him out for me?"

 

"Yeah." North chuckled and nodded slightly, 

 

"What if we don't find it in the end?"

 

"Well, that's the truth one has to accept. Our only job is to help find it, we don't know for sure."

 

"It's been seven years, hasn't it? But time can't heal everything." The person opposite me sighed softly, "I don't know the details, but if he made you cry, it must have been a really sad story."

 

"How did you know I cried because I read his emotions?"

 

"It's not hard to guess."

 

"He doesn't like being pitied, I think."

 

"Yeah, the others said not to feel sorry for him; he doesn't like it," North said. "So when are you planning to go to California with him?"

 

"I don't know, I'm completely busy. Maybe I'll have to wait until summer vacation," I said, because the last time I spoke to the cigarette salesman, he said he'd take me back to his hometown in California. But I don't have the time, and besides, I've never travelled far before, and I don't know if my savings will be enough.

 

"He should pay for your ticket."

 

"Yes, at least they should pay for the ticket."

 

"It would be terrible if he didn't pay. They tried to help, and it wasn't their responsibility anyway."

 

"YES."

 

"But why does it have to be California? I think hometown should be the last place to think of, right? There are other places to consider, like relatives' homes, the hospital where I was treated, or people or things that might be related."

 

"Yeah, I think so too. I was going to tell the cigarette vendor, but I still feel too bad about it. Maybe I'll tell him when I feel better."

 

"Are you selling cigarettes?"

 

"Yes, why?"

 

"He sells you cigarettes, too, huh?"

 

"YES."

 

"That rogue doctor is really something. Don't get involved with him, or you'll end up rotting yourself." North frowned, looking very serious, which made me burst out laughing.

 

"What are you laughing at? Or have you smoked?"

 

"I smoked it."

 

"Wow, really? I didn't know that."

 

"I just started smoking again, but I won't smoke again, just a little bit."

 

"Yeah, don't smoke too much, it causes cancer."

 

"North."

 

"What is it?"

 

"North, do you think the person who made me smoke is a good person?"

 

"Huh? Is it time for Tap's life advice again? I'll have to charge a fee, but is it about Deang this time?"

 

"Who is Deang?"

 

"That's a fake name, just in case you don't want to mention your real name."

 

"Silly."

 

"It hurts. Not because of the words, but because you said it," North said, then laughed, 

"Yeah, why? Did someone make you smoke again?"

 

"YES."

 

"How can that be good? Just smoking itself is bad."

 

"Yeah, that's not good. North."

 

"Star?"

 

"Go beat him up for me."

 

"Damn it, do you think I'm a thug?"

 

"Go on, beat him up so badly he ends up in the hospital."

 

"There has to be a bonus."

 

"30,000."

 

"I never thought I'd be hired to beat someone up for $30,000," North said, then laughed. 

 

"Alright, if he comes back, I'll bring the engineers to beat him up."

 

"Really?"

 

"You look too serious."

 

"I'm serious."

 

"Damn, I have a headache."