West: The Sun From Another Star

 

ss: Hospital where treatment takes place
ss; Relatives' home, vacation home, favourite or attached places
ss; Close relatives, objects, pets
ss; Grave.

☀️: ??

Ss: The place where your mother might be
ss: Not just home
ss: Everywhere, everyone, everything is connected
ss: Just think about it

☀️: Hmm​

ss: In the worst-case scenario
ss: The soul may be lost.

☀️: But probably not
. They've already performed a summoning ritual at the church.

ss:

: This

☀️: What's up
☀️: ? ...
☀️: Damn, what's wrong?
☀️: Did you die right after sending it?

ss: No, I'm not dead yet.

☀️: I'm being sarcastic.

ss: I mean,
ss: I've thought about it again,
ss: I've helped you so much,
ss: So I'm really tired,
ss: And I still have to go to many more places.

 

☀️: So what?
☀️: Want to give up?
☀️: Don't do that, damn it.
☀️: Just say what you want.

ss: Is there anything you'd like to discuss?

☀️: What?

ss: Let's talk about it later.

☀️: Yeah.

 

“North, we were just joking,” I repeated to the person opposite me, meaning that the joke was about me asking him to beat up that guy earlier. North understood that I was just joking, but then he had the strange idea that, after all, I was helping him sell cigarettes to find his mother, and he still hadn't repaid me. But when it came to repaying him, I didn't know what to ask because I didn't think I needed anything.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter whether I help or not."

"We don't get anything out of this, so just treat me to a meal or a coffee."

 

"That's too little. Letting him help with your ex-boyfriend issue is the most reasonable thing to do."

 

“…”

 

"I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but that bastard, what was his name again?"

"I won't tell you."

"What? I don't even know his name."

"Khram."

"Huh?"

"Khram."

"What kind of bastard is named Gam?"

 

“Khram, Khram,” I said, then sighed, “Can you please stop making me mention his name so often?”

"Then let's call him Gam."

"…Alright."

"But honestly, you two must have been a very calm couple when you were dating, right?"

"What's up?"

"Well, that's probably the case."

“…” I stared straight at the person opposite me and sighed wearily. But the problem was, North laughed, and it took him a long time to stop.

"Are you done?"

"What's wrong? Don't you find it funny? I'm laughing right now."

 

"North, you certainly have a good laugh."

"Yeah, so you don't find it funny? You could have just chuckled a little."

"Ha ha ha." I tried to force a laugh at North.

"That's a forced smile, but anyway, thank you so much," North said, still smiling slightly. The reason North was so cheerful was probably that he laughed easily, finding joy in everything, even a few pennies. Sometimes I wish I could try to be as cheerful as North.

 

"So, how many times has he re-registered his Line account?"

"Probably... seven times already."

“And it doesn’t seem to be stopping, does it? If it comes back, wouldn’t that be even worse?” North tried to explain, trying to convince me, and I listened. “Okay, maybe it hasn’t done anything serious yet, maybe it’s just trying to contact you. But so, do you want to get back together with it?”

I shook my head in response.

"Absolutely, right?"

I fell silent and sighed again because I was really unsure about what it would be like to see him again. Just a message from Line had already made me feel that way, even though it was just a Line username with a cloud icon that he used to use, and I didn't even need his picture as a profile picture. That alone made me smoke several cigarettes and drink beer. Because of all this, my work was delayed, but luckily, I still managed to finish on time.

So, if he comes back, it will definitely affect me.

"See, you couldn't answer that either."

"North."

"Yes, what is it?"

 

“It’s incomprehensible, they’re strangely contradictory.” I decided to speak out. I’d told people about it before, but didn’t go into detail because I thought it wasn’t necessary, just that he betrayed me for my best friend. “I hate him, I don’t want to think about him at all, but sometimes I still feel happy remembering the old times.”

 

"Are you still in love with him?"

 

“Honestly… I don’t know,” I replied uncertainly. I kept reminding myself not to love him anymore, to hate him instead. But in reality, I couldn’t answer confidently. Otherwise, Emma wouldn’t have asked me to promise not to go back. Just like I had promised myself. If we are truly confident, why would we need a promise to remind ourselves?

 

"So, do you still want to be in love with him?"

 

"No, to be honest, I don't want to anymore."

 

"Actually, you're in the process of cutting ties," North said casually. I nodded, seemingly agreeing because it was probably true.

"Are you still crying?"

No.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"It didn't hurt, just a little shaky. If you ask me if I want to go back, the answer is no."

"So what did he do that made it so serious? I really want to know."

"Didn't I already tell you?"
"Oh, you've only told me a brief summary."

 

"Well, that's basically it. The main reason we broke up was that I caught him sleeping with my friend. Before that, there were other things like cheating on me, secretly texting, sleeping with other people, borrowing money and saying he needed it urgently but actually giving it to someone else, badmouthing me behind my back, secretly selling my original work documents, and so on."

 

"Sleeping with other people all the time?"

"Yeah, he blamed it on me not being ready; that's why I had to go work with someone else."

"Oh my god, you bastard, how many years have you been together?"

"Two years."

"I think those were definitely two terrible years."

"Well... It's terrible, but if you ask me if I'm happy, yes, but it's just a fake happiness." I said, then reached for my cold cappuccino and took a sip.

 

"You have that special ability; how could you not know that he was deceiving you? At least you should know how he felt. When he was lying, he must have felt a little anxious."

 

"No," I shook my head slightly. "As I've said before, reading other people's emotions requires a lot of concentration. Besides, I've never been able to read his emotions. I told myself that it's not necessary for people in love. I understand him, and I trust him too."

 

"Ah."

 

"But actually, deep down I'm scared too."

 

“…”

 

"I'm afraid to know the truth that he's been deceiving me."

 

"Ah."

 

"That's strange, isn't it?" I shook my head slightly and pursed my lips a little.

 

“It’s not surprising; there are people who are afraid to know that someone is cheating on them, so they don’t investigate, don’t follow up, and don't care at all. But deep down they know everything; they just pretend not to see,” North said. “I guess you invested a lot in this relationship; you wouldn’t be this heartbroken.”

 

"That might be true."

 

"Phi Phung Tai."

 

"What?"

 

"Haven't you thought about opening up to someone else?"

 

"No way." I shook my head slightly. "Why are you asking that? Why are you encouraging me to find a boyfriend?" I asked, frowning, not understanding why everyone wanted me to open up like that.

 

"There are so many people who like you."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah, at least many of my engineer friends like you now; they keep asking me for your contact information."

 

"So, will North give it to you?"

 

"Yes, have they all made friends yet?"

 

"Oh, I've blocked them all."

 

"Huh? Why?"

 

"Because I don't want to talk. My Line is just for clients; it's too complicated." I said in a normal tone, "I've already told everyone that I don't care about that."

 

"We're just worried about you. We know you like living like this, but you still want someone to take care of you a little. Don't tell me you can take care of yourself; someone who goes to the hospital once a month has no right to say that."

 

"I haven't been to the hospital this month. I won't go again because hospitals are so boring."

 

"Yeah, that's fine, it's okay if you don't open up, but you know, not everyone is as bad as your ex."

 

"And not everyone is as good as North's boyfriend."

 

"Why are we bringing this back up again?"

 

"That's true, everyone is lucky to have a good partner, right? But not everyone in the world is that lucky. I don't want to take risks, and besides, I think my life is good enough already."

 

"Damn it," North cursed, then chuckled, "Why wouldn't you want a girlfriend? Oh, because your life is already good, huh? How annoying! Is there any other word to use?" North joked, still laughing.

 

"Um... I'm fine with my life now."

 

"Yeah, that sounds better. Your life is already great. For heaven's sake!" The person sitting opposite me gently ruffled their hair.

 

"Can't you say that?"

 

"That's probably not going to work. It's better to give a roundabout answer."

 

"Okay, alright."

 

“Let’s get back to Gam. Let Thit help him out. He’s in debt anyway, so he’s just a stupid pawn in this game.” North returned to the original topic, “No need to fight, just stop him from bothering you, just yell at him a few times.”

 

"Really?"

 

"We will only fight when necessary."

 

“…” 

I pursed my lips, thinking for a moment. North’s suggestion wasn’t bad, but asking someone for help wasn’t in my nature. “I don’t know him at all. Wouldn’t it be strange to ask him for help?”

 

"You don't know each other? I thought you two already knew each other a little bit."

 

"Really?"

 

"So what is Thit to you? A neighbour?"

 

"He sells cigarettes."

 

"Okay, fine, let's just say that's it," North said. 

 

"That's the bottom line, alright?"

 

"No, it's better not to have it."

 

"Why are you so stubborn?"

 

"North is the stubborn one."

 

"Oh dear," North sighed, looking dejected, "I think he should just take advantage of this opportunity because he owes you something. Think about it, besides this, there's nothing else he can do to repay you. Thit is only useful for a few things, one of which is being a dog sling."

 

"...Hmm."

 

"How is it?"

 

"What?"

 

"You're hesitating, but for some reason, I suddenly feel so happy. Convincing someone like you feels like I've accomplished something in my life."

 

"Oh my." I smiled slightly at North's excitement, "Well... maybe that would be good too." I said what I was thinking. Aside from this, there's nothing else the cigarette seller could do to repay me.

 

Inviting him for meals, drinks, or coffee wasn't really necessary, and besides, he used me a lot.

 

"Yes, that would ease some of the worry."

 

"What's up?"

 

"Honestly, I'm pretty inclined not to want you to get back together with Gam because he's a real jerk. But I don't want to overreact; it might not be good. If you ever change your mind and want to get back together, it's okay, like, we're protecting our friend to prevent him from getting back with his ex, but he ends up going back anyway. I don't want to make a big fuss, so I'll just let Thit yell for me."

 

I joked with North for a while longer, then he excused himself and left. I went up to my room, lay down, and thought about all sorts of things. Part of me wanted to ignore it and get back to work, but part of me worried about what I would do if he really came back after two months.

 

I dozed off and woke up drenched in sweat because I hadn't turned on the air conditioner before bed. I took a shower and decided to go to the coffee shop as usual. While I was packing up, my phone received a new notification.

 

☁️: It's just morning here.
Is it still morning in Thailand?
I'll stop by for a cappuccino later.
Do you still want a cappuccino?
I drank some and missed you so much.
I just need to finish a few more things, then I'll be going back to Thailand.
I really want to see you soon.

 

I frowned at the screen for a moment before blocking the message again, as usual. Why was he still trying to get back together? I packed my things and got ready to go out. While waiting for the elevator, my phone received another notification from Line.

 

☀️: Let's talk for a bit.

ss: Getting ready to go out.

☀️: Where?

ss: In front of the elevator.

☀️: Wait there. I’m coming.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

~Thit~

After the kid next door texted me on Line this afternoon asking me to find information about my mother, I immediately called Direk to ask for details. Once I got the information, I texted him right away. But when he said he was about to go out, and I didn't want to wait, I decided to go with him. He waited for me in front of the elevator, and we both went down to the apartment building's lobby.

"Which restaurant?" I asked.

"Starbucks, same old place."

"Yeah, want to come along? It's about to rain," I asked when I saw the sky outside starting to darken. It nodded slightly and followed me. Before long, we arrived at our usual cafe.

 

"Do you have any information yet?" it asked.

 

I began recounting all the details I had gathered. I asked Direk if my mother had any close relationships with anyone or where she lived, as he had told me to investigate. But my mother had no close relatives or friends, so the possibility of her living with someone else was ruled out. 

 

Our family owned a vacation home, but I had forgotten about it because we stopped going there after my mother fell ill. Direk said the house was practically abandoned, and we would have to give advance notice to visit so they could prepare to clean it up. 

 

As for possessions, Mom cherished her grandparents' belongings as if they were mementoes. But those things are all at Direk's house. Regarding pets, I'm not so sure. Who would be so attached to a pet that they stay with it even after death? Mom used to have a dog, but when she got sick, the doctor said they were worried about allergies because her body was so weak. So we had to send it to a charity. After Mom passed away, Direk looked for it and found out that another family had adopted it.

 

"Regarding the hospital where Mom was treated, there's only one, and it's in LA," I said. 

 

"As for vacation homes, there are two, one in Phuket and one in Hawaii."

"Okay, alright."

 

"Regarding pets, is there anyone who is so attached to them that they stay with them even after they die?" I asked.

"I'm here."

 

I frowned, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

 

"Uh... Let me ask my dad again to see who adopted that dog."

"YES."

 

"Is there anything else you can think of?"

 

"That's all I could think of. That's already a lot."

 

"So I have to take you to all these places?"

 

"Probably."

 

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel embarrassed," I said. Normally, I'm not embarrassed at all, but this time I really felt like I was bothering this kid too much. "So, what do you want me to do to repay you?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"Just say it, so you don't ignore me halfway through."

 

He fell silent, put down the pen he was writing with, and pondered thoughtfully for a moment.

 

"What?"

 

"Go beat up my ex-boyfriend for me."

 

“…Huh?” I stared at him, unable to believe what I’d just heard. Wait, what kind of exchange terms are these? “Wait, what do you mean?”

 

"Oh no, I misspoke," he said. "Not to hit, but more like... to stop them."

 

“…?” I frowned, still not understanding what it meant. I waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent. “What is it? Go on.”

 

"Oh... that person will be back in two months, so could you help me out a bit?"

 

"Help with what? Prevent it?"

 

"Yes, don't let that person bother me."

 

"Oh my God, what's wrong? Is that person really that annoying?"

 

"Yeah, it's really annoying. We'll only consider fighting when things get unbearable."

 

"Oh, I understand." I raised my hand to my forehead, "What's this called again?"

 

"It's a stick for beating dogs."

 

"Yeah, that's right. But if you end up getting back together with him, I'll be the one being made a fool of."

 

"That's why North asked for my help. North doesn't want to make a fool of himself."

 

"Damn it." I blurted out, feeling a little annoyed. It wasn't really a big deal, but just imagining myself exhausting myself trying to stop this kid's ex-boyfriend, only for them to get back together, would be so embarrassing. I'd probably yell, "Why did you ask me to stop you?"

 

“…”

"Give me more specific details."

 

“…”

"Details about your ex-boyfriend. You asked me to stop you, but I don't even know who he is."

 

"His name is Khram, he's probably around 23 years old now."

 

"Nam?"

 

"YES."

"Oh, then why two months?"

 

"They went abroad to study and are about to graduate."

 

"Oh, do you have any photos?"

 

"Do not have."

 

"Okay... alright, there are still two months left. But how can I stop him?"

 

"Threaten, insult, or whatever you like."

 

"Yeah, that's a hassle. Why don't you just come back and get it over with?" I said, but he didn't answer, just continued drawing on his tablet with his pen, ignoring my question. "So when are you going? I'm really busy these days."

 

"I'll go by myself to that house in Phuket."

 

"Huh?"

 

"The house in Phuket is nearby. You can go by yourself, I'll pay."

 

"Okay, fine. But don't steal anything from my house."

 

"No."

 

"If there's nothing else, I'm going home."

 

"Wait a minute," the kid sitting opposite called out, "How am I going to get home?"

 

Damn, I completely forgot. He came with me, I didn't think about what would happen to it if I came back.

 

"So how long do I have to wait?"

 

"Well, you invited me to come along, right?"

 

"Damn it." I sighed wearily, slumping back onto the sofa, and fiddling with my phone to pass the time. I really shouldn't have invited him along. I thought it was going to rain, so I decided to be nice and asked him to come along, but I forgot he was supposed to be working, and work takes a long time; I'd probably have to wait forever.

 

Feeling bored and having nothing to do, I went to the car, got my iPad, and sat down to read a book while waiting. Would it be too harsh to leave him behind and go home alone? I asked for its help and ended up treating it badly; God knows it, and he’ll probably nag me endlessly about it.

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

After learning from the cigarette vendor that his family owned a vacation home in Phuket, where his mother might be staying, I volunteered to go alone because I didn't want to wait any longer. From the airport, I took a taxi to the house address based on the GPS coordinates he sent me.

 

When I arrived, I took pictures of the house and sent them to him for confirmation. After he confirmed it was correct, I used the key he gave me to open the door. The house was just like any other vacation home, quite spacious and clean. I guessed someone had cleaned it beforehand.

 

I did as usual, going around and checking every room, every corner of the house. But, just like before, I found nothing. I texted the cigarette vendor on Line to let him know I hadn't found anything, then left the house, locking the door behind me.

 

Since I still had some time left before heading home, I took the opportunity to stroll around and visit a few places nearby. Shortly after, my phone notified me of a Line message. When I looked at the screen, I unconsciously frowned again.

 

It's him... It's him again...

ss: * Send contact information

☀️: ?

ss: My ex-boyfriend
ss: I'm going to Phuket today, could you do me a favour?

☀️: Uh, yes.

...

 

☀️: Added as a friend.

☁️: Who is that?

☀️: What the hell are you doing, you bastard?