SOTUS - Translated from Chinese ver.

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/44770000.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: พี่วากตัวรายกับนายปี หนึ ่ง | SOTUS: The Series (TV)
Relationship: Oon Arthit Rojnapat/Kong Kongpob Suthiluck
Characters: Oon Arthit Rojnapat, Kong Kongpob Suthiluck
Additional Tags: original novel, Translation
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-02-04 Updated: 2023-12-26 Words: 145,533 Chapters:
37/39
 SOTUS - Translated from Chinese ver.
by Jocelyn0122

Summary

Translated from the Chinese ver. of the original SOTUS Thai novel

A translation of SOTUS / 一年生 by Bittersweet / 璟玟

 Don’t Even Think About Challenging The Authority Of The
Seniors

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

"Is this the best you can chant? Louder!"

A fierce roar slashed through the venue, like a warder yelling towards the prisoners. The only
difference is that these 'prisoners' are not locked up in the prison but are all instead, sitting
listlessly at the meeting place of first-years' first freshmen training.

Right at this moment, the entire third-year seniors in the Faculty of Engineering are gathered
together standing in front of the first-years, with a majestic-look and watching them
covetously like a tiger eyeing fresh meat. It's like there are some huge enmity and malice of a
lifetime between the juniors and the seniors.

Especially him, the person in charge of this training, the Head Hazer - Arthit from the
Industrial Engineering Department in the Faculty of Engineering. He has a handsome face
with sharp features, yet his eyes are glaring furiously.

The fierce roar earlier belongs to him, directing to the first-years, saying that their applause
was too weak. But in truth, even if this group of first-years applauded as lively as it is at a
live concert, he'd still be picking holes saying that he couldn't hear them.

What’s wrong? Unable to accept it? This is the hazers’ task that has been passed down from
their earlier seniors, which is to pass on the engineering spirits without reservation.
Everything that the first-years are going through right at this moment, they had been through
as well. Moreover, this is only the beginning, there’s so much more excitement to expect.

"Let me ask you again, how many students are there in your first-year class?" The Head
Hazer, keeping a straight face, askes with a calm yet stern voice to the seated first-years.

Sure enough, as Arthit expected, only dead silence was left at the venue. No one dares to
utter a single word.

This is, actually forgivable. After all, this is only the second day the new term has started,
who in the right mind would actually calculate how many students are there in their year for
the entire university. Not to mention it being the Faculty of Engineering, which is the
university's largest faculty. Its yearly admission being over thousands of students, suddenly
asking for an exact figure, it's better and much easier to get them to do calculus.

However, this response is exactly what Arthit had hoped for. He wanted to put on more
pressure on these first-years.
Whoever said that we must use a barbaric approach to discipline the first-years in the Faculty
of Engineering? They are all highly qualified new generation university students. It's not our
style to be swearing and cursing just to be a deterrent to them. Doing so will only catch the
teachers' attention which is the last thing we want. Gently giving them the pressure until they
can't lift their head up without using any cursing words is our principle.

"No one can answer me, which means all of you are not concerned about your peers at all.
That is why none of you are able to answer my question!"

Arthit begins walking around while observing the first-years, exactly like an almighty hawk
standing tall, showing off its powerful supreme authority and showing contempt to
everything in front of his eyes. However, it seems that Arthit's method works effectively as at
this moment, most of these first-years are still silent with a few among them started sobbing
due to the scare.

To be honest, of course, Arthit is not some heartless psycho. All of these are because of his
duty as the person in charge, this is his responsibility. His heart did shake slightly when he
saw a girl started sobbing, especially pretty girls. How he wishes he could run over to give
the girl a big bear hug but if he does, the image of an overbearing superintendent that he had
worked so hard to build would immediately fall apart before him. Therefore, no matter how
unbearable it is, he has to bite the bullet.

Naturally, there would be someone else who's trying to be a hero, especially after seeing a
pretty girl sobbing and crying. One young man quickly takes out a handkerchief and hands it
over to the girl sitting beside him. Upon receiving the handkerchief, the girl cast a grateful
look from her sparkly watery eyes.

Oh-ho... Such a sweet moment. This brat treated as if I don't exist, as if I'm dead. Brazenly
hitting on a girl in front of my face, and particularly stunning ones. Once we're done with this
training, they are definitely going to flirt away with each other. No can do. I must put him on
the spot, embarrass him in front of everyone.

Since you're such a show-off, I'll be very gracious to provide you the chance to be one all you
want in front of everyone in this hall.

"That nong over there, get up!"

He yells at the nong who handed the handkerchief. This movement startles the girl next to
him and she immediately looks worriedly at the guy who was called upon, though it looks
like he himself feels nothing at all. When the guy stands up, Arthit suddenly wanted to cry.
He feels that his height of 178cm is already enough to overwhelm a lot of people, but this
show off brat is unexpectedly almost 10cm taller than himself. Not only is he tall, but he also
owns heavy features like thick eyebrows and big eyes with an aura of a celebrity which
seckills all the boys within the spot.

Tsk tsk... It may have been better not standing up. Arthit gnashes his teeth with more hatred
once he stands up. More resentment against the brat rises up in Arthit's heart.
Good... I will definitely feel sorry for my status as the number one handsome man in the
universe if I don't embarrass you.

"Name and student ID! I want them loud and clear!"

"My name is Kongpob, student ID 0062."

"You answer me, how many students are there in your first-year class?"

"I don't know."

"And why don't you know that!?"

"Cause I never counted them."

Hearing Kongpob's replies tighten Arthit's eyebrows till they form a frown followed by his
body lightly trembles with rage. In a while, Arthit is going to blow a fist over.

Aren't you a slick talker? Seems to me this brat right here is trying to pick a fight.

If this were to happen outside of school, Arthit would have already found someone to settle
his hash. Specifically, now, his dignity being trampled silently before a crowd of first-years.
None is able to tolerate this insult and sooner or later, he will retaliate.

Arthit ferociously roars towards Kongpob while trying hard to control the anger within,
"Even if you never counted, you should have known! You have to have answers to all my
questions, do you understand!?"

"Yes, I understand."

Arthit nodded approvingly. He then brings out a necklace with a brown gear badge as its
pendant from his uniform pocket. He goes ahead to lift the badge to Kongpob's face and
askes, "You see this gear badge here?"

"Yes." Kongpob answers.

"This badge had been passed down by our previous seniors and it's an honorary symbol
representing all engineering students here. Hence, it does not belong to one person but the
utmost pride of our entire Faculty of Engineering. If any of you, are unable to convince me
that you have what it takes to earn this badge, feel free to get out. I will not admit, nor will I
consider you as a part of our Engineering Faculty."

His last sentence wasn't directed towards Kongpob alone but instead, he turns his head to face
the whole group of first-years. Truth to be told, this is exactly how it sounded like, a threat.
Because whether or not the first-years obtain the gear badge is totally up to these third-year
seniors. They have the final say.

If these first-years perform well, be obedient, show respect to the teachers and the elders,
actively take part in all the freshmen activities then it is as easy as it is to obtain this gear
badge that symbolizes the spirit of the Faculty of Engineering.
On the contrary, if they performed badly, the whole year will need to redo this whole training
much more brutal than the first. If they fail again on the second chance, they won't be given
any more chances to earn the badge and they will walk through the road of shame for the next
four years in the university and also will be in the hall of shame in the history of the Faculty
of Engineering.

This is no joke. Arthit will act as he said. There have been precedents before and the first-
years have heard a little about it. And so, the intimidation warning springs up quite some
effectiveness. You can see some of the first-years have their face turning deathly pale as if
they are going to faint any time now.

This scene made Arthit, who has the trump card in his hand sniggers silently inside. He turns
his head back to the brat who dares to challenge the dignity of his as the Head Hazer.

"Now Mr. Kongpob. Tell me what are you going to do, IF I refuse to approve your year to
receive this gear badge?"

He assumes the stance of a winner once he ends his sentence. And he too assumed that the
younger would reply again with an 'I don't know' as his answer. Supposed that would be the
case, he decides a plan to put on a show to discipline him to serve as a warning to the others.

Hmph... Know where you stand, boy. You are ten years too early to be throwing down a
gauntlet to my face.

Arthit turned with his back facing Kongpob plans to walk back to where his position's at,
preparing punishment command without waiting for his answer. Arthit has not even taken his
first step when the voice from the back nearly made him fall.

"I'll just snatch it from you."

Arthit turns abruptly back looking at Kongpob. He was obviously taken aback by what he
had just heard.

Is it my hallucination? I think I heard someone said snatch. Never mind, let me ask again.

"What did you say?"

Arthit askes Kongpob, who still remains calm, standing while facing him. He looks into his
cunning yet firm pair of eyes, waiting for him to explain what he meant by what he said
earlier.

"If P'Arthit is not going to give us the gear, then I will find ways to snatch it over."

Without fear or hesitation, his sonorous and strong reply brings everyone to an exclamation.
Especially Arthit. With his eyes nearly popping out, he was stunned by the reply.

Kongpob went as far as to challenge him to this state. This is literally slapping his face with
shoes. Arthit is fuming with rage, which he could no longer control his emotions. He had
forgotten about the rule where they have to treat the first-years with civilized manners, went
straight to him and grabbed his collar, swearing angrily. "You really fucking think you would
have ways to take it from me!? You wretch!"

"I can."

"And just how will you do that!?"

"I just need to take you home and make you, my wife."

...Stunned and...

...Silence.

Still holding up with his pair of unwavering eyes, Kongpob's hand reached over and grabbed
the hand that is pulling his collar. He looks at his senior who is standing in front of him, and
says with a cunning tone, "Don't they all say, what belongs to your lover is also yours. And if
I make you my wife, I could claim your gear badge as mine too."

"You...!"

Arthit lets go of his hand almost immediately. In his heart, he is cursing a bunch of
profanities but all that comes out from his mouth is only that one word. Because by now, the
whole hall is covered with the other first-years' cheering. Even the other hazers on duty are
laughing up their sleeves because having a first-year challenging their authority to this extent
is far more interesting to them than anger.

After all, it’s very rare to have a first-year who is so brave to challenge a Head Hazer to
appear.

"Quiet! All of you!"

The Head Hazer's orders are absolute, and within seconds, the hall returns to its previous
silence and their focal point back to the tall standing first-year. Arthit is still glaring fiercely
at the bastard who dares to harass him verbally while struggling to keep his final rationality.

Not sure if he's speaking the truth though it doesn't seem like this brat is gay. But don't think
that Arthit will back down just because of his slick-talking attitude. Well, with all that said, if
this brat does plan to 'take' him, bring it on then! He is a real man and will not surrender to
anyone. But today, he will get even with Kongpob first.

"Very well. We'll wait and see if you really can do it or just lip service. But right at this
moment, the gear badge is in my possession, so I as the Head in charge have the right to
command you."

The person that has the authority sneers, getting all pumped to issue the 'death penalty' to
Kongpob.

"Kongpob, student ID 0062. Squat jump 200 times. Go!"

"Yes."
The person receiving the order is not in the least wearing any resentful expression on his face.
On the contrary, his loud and clear reply sounds like he happily accepts this punishment.
With his other peers looking at him with eyes full of sympathy, he starts his punishment in
the middle of the hall, among the other sitting first-years.

As for Arthit, he stands quietly while watching him being punished. While he already gained
pleasure from his sweet revenge, he doesn't intend to stop it here.

Hmph... Little first-year brat. Take me as your wife huh? Dream on! You've got some guts to
be challenging the Head Hazer and also looking down on the battle for "gear badge". Just
you wait, I will show you, in the end, who will be the one to take the other (as a wife)!

So, will it be the overbearing evil senior or the cunning Mr. first-year?
You Must Have an Answer for All Questions from The Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

"Who told you to raise your head up? Keep them down!"

Don't get the wrong idea. This is not a scene of some military training. This came from the
Head Hazer, Arthit which he specifically planned with good intentions of wanting those first-
years to get enough of natural Vitamin D straight from a natural source – the scorching
burning sun.

Exactly.

At noon. In the middle of the football field. It's obvious that everyone's face is burning red
now. They are here for a reason and one reason only: punishment.

Even though Arthit is soaked with sweat, he's still standing firmly, hiding his
uncomfortableness, maintaining his fierceness. He can't let the first-years see the burning sun
affects him. He needs to show them that he's more than that.

"What time did I call for the training?"

The first-years are murmuring like a swarm of bees that leads to the Head Hazer's sudden
change of attitude. He raises his voice and shouts loud enough to have it echoes across the
field.

"I want a loud and clear answer. What time exactly did I call for all of you to gather?"

"12 noon!"

Why do you all like to make things difficult? Should have answered me properly when I asked
nicely. I'm tired of shouting too!

The thing is, holding the training here in the middle of the football field, at noon is not as
easy as it seems. The hazing crew has to shout super loud to deliver their speech because the
field is very wide. Too many shouting would likely put their vocal cord in the bad state as
well.

The first-years have no idea that the whole hazing crew has to drink honey with lemon every
day at home. They also have no idea that the lemons selling at the marketplace are all wiped
out by the hazing crew.

Yet, they have to bear it for the show. The hazing crew has to be tough. They must show
the first-years that they're unbeatable and they have outstanding willpower and uses neither
microphones nor megaphones to amplify their voice. And Arthit, being the Head, has to be
the toughest among all. He has a lot more responsibilities to speak.

Arthit clears his throat slightly before he continues.

"Can you tell me what time it is now?"

The first-years make the same buzzing sound again and it has all the third-year hazers lose
patience. It also annoys Arthit more than it already has to the state of urging to shout. Again.

"Shut it! Don't need to answer. It's 12:18 pm and 57 seconds now. You make us all wait for
being late! Is this our duty? To wait for you? Do you understand the meaning of
responsibility? Or have you return everything you learned back to your high school
teachers?"

Arthit runs his eyes over the first-years who are sitting on the ground with their heads low.
After listening to what Arthit said, it makes them silent. Very silent. But bear in mind that this
was barely a prelude. There's more in store and marching in to attack the first-years.

"It's alright. Considering this is the first time, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself."

These words sounded like a hymn to the first-years and they feel like they could finally relax
a little having the amnesties from the death penalty. But before they could release their
relaxed breath, Arthit's next order tightens their chest.

"However, I will pick one of you by random to answer my question. If your fellow friend is
unable to answer my question, then all of you will be punished."

Sudden blackout happens in the first-years' eyes. It feels like someone slapped you in the face
then consoles you only to kick your butts even harder.

Even when everyone there brought it out earlier, the Head Hazer did not buy it. Now they
have to rely on one person for the fate of the entire class. It's pretty much like getting a ticket
straight to hell.

Sucks to be the chosen one to not only have to carry the hope of all first-years because if they
are unable to answer, they would have to bear the punishment together with the scolding from
their fellow peers.

Lucky for them, the pick is not random. Arthit had already mapped his plan and set the rules.
He already has his eyes set on this particular first-year to be the bait, which this bait will soon
become the target of his peers.

"Student ID 0062. Stand up and step forward."

The owner of the ID obeys and steps out of the silent crowd. The rest of the first-years are all
still bowing down, they couldn't do anything to give their supporting glance to the unlucky
guy.
The Head Hazer is looking straight at the brat and it's obvious that he is wearing a grave
expression.

There's a saying that goes "it's never too late to avenge." It has only been a day and Arthit
certainly has not forgotten the humiliation that he got from this brat yesterday and he's going
to make this brat pay it back.

Arthit had wanted to call up his friends and beat the crap out of him, but this practice is too
uncivilized. He changed his plan and decided on something much more brutal. No physical
contact needed, just going to humiliate this brat in front of the eyes of a couple hundred of his
own peers. Only in this way, Arthit is able to wash off the hatred stuck in his heart.

He silently cheers for his perfect revenge plan. He looks at Kongpob, this first-year with the
student ID 0062, who is waiting to answer a whole list of questions prepared especially for
him. Ain't gonna let him off the hook easily.

"I've asked you yesterday about how many students are there in your class, remember?"

"Yes. The total first year for the year 2556, 56th generation in the Faculty of Engineering is
1,178 students. 216 students out of them are in the Industrial Engineering Department."

Kongpob's quick and correct answer got the Head Hazer stunned. Arthit never thought this
brat would know the exact number of the total amount of students enrolled in the Faculty of
Engineering. Heck, even he couldn't remember. However, the number of first-years in the
Industrial Engineering Department for the year 2556 is indeed 216, which shows that this
brat did do his homework.

Unbelievable... This opponent is not as simple nor as naïve. Arthit really did underestimate
him a little too much. But don't think that he will give up that easily. The war has only just
begun.

"Excellent! But that is not my question, I just wanted to refresh your memory. Now, look
around you and count loudly how many first-years come to the training today."

The person who receives the command turns around and starts counting loudly, head by head.
While the Head Hazer is waiting quietly, not batting an eyelid. It is an easy count as at one
glance, it’s very obvious that quite a number of them are missing.

The purpose of wanting Kongpob to count is to create a heavy atmosphere for the first-years.
Especially when it reaches the last person, it will be a shocking number to the first-years.

"There are 162 of us here for the training today."

"And how many are not here?" Arthit continues asking.

"54" Kongpob answers quickly.

Deserves to be in the Faculty of Engineering, very good at mental arithmetic. He nods briefly
and continues to the 'main dish' of the day.
"Good. Well, you must be able to answer my next question too."

Arthit looks into Kongpob's eyes, only to find him looking straight at him without fear. He
shows a sly smile, and his following speech makes everyone in the field gasp in shock.

"I want to know the whereabouts of the rest of 54 first-years that did not join the training
today."

"......"

Total silence. Even if you are the reincarnation of Einstein, it is still impossible to know the
whereabouts of that 54 first-years that did not join the training.

Practically speaking, there is no written obligatory for the first-years in the Industrial
Engineering Department to join the training. But an unofficial threat is indirectly forcing
them to attend it. The hazers would likely punish the attendees for letting their peers being
unattended.

For that reason, all of Arthit's questions were designed for the penalty purpose. The only
difference is who should he choose to play with to make the game more interesting. As for
Kongpob, the Head Hazer wants to avenge him because of the humiliation that he received
from the reckless brat yesterday.

Hmph! How does it feel messing with the wrong person? This is the price of underestimating
the Head Hazer. Be prepared to be scolded by your fellow peers!

Arthit shows a victorious smile. He turns towards those head-bowing first-years, with a loud
voice he shouts.

"Raise your head and take a look at your friend who has no answer for me. This means all of
you here will be punished!"

"They are not absent." A voice interrupts him. Arthit turns and finds the source of that voice.
He asks with a frowned expression.

"Excuse me?"

"Those 54 are not absent," Kongpob repeats.

Kongpob's answer is obviously inconsistent with the fact on hand and once again made
everyone startled. They couldn't believe what they just heard and coming out from a first-
year like themselves.

This brat really has a death wish, hasn't he? I was going to end this beautifully. Trying to get
smart with me like that, he really needs to be taught a lesson.

"Open your eyes and see. You counted them yourself earlier and now you actually dare to tell
me that none of them is absent?" shouts Arthit, turning to his back facing towards where
the first-years are sitting, burning from head to toe on the field.
The other party is not done with his explaining, and he continues. But the next explanation
surprises everyone for the second time.

"They are really not absent for they are in my heart. Although they are not physically here,
they have sent their heart over."

Say what? What nonsense is he spouting now? What does it mean by 'they are not physically
here but they have sent their heart over'?

This is so cheesy! He must have watched too many dramas to be getting this idea thinking
he's the main male lead. If he thinks he could easily get out of this by trying to help his peers
out, he must be insane. He just made everything worse.

"Well, it's really nice of your friends for letting you have their hearts. Then for the hearts they
have sent, it should be enough to keep you all to do 54 laps."

"No. They have sent their hearts to me only."

"And why did they send to you only?"

"They want to help me fill the gap. To replace my heart that has already given to you."

...

Silence covered the field.

A strange pink glow with a little *purple light imbued into the originally murderous
atmosphere. Third-year Head Hazer being confessed with some super cheesy lines by a first-
year in front of the other first-years.

*Purple represents gay in Thailand.

Those lines are enough to make one feeling nauseous, but Arthit is definitely not one of them.
Like a bomb he explodes, roaring the culprit's name.

"KONGPOB!!"

"Yes," Kongpob replies calmly.

"Run 54 laps around the field. NOW!" Arthit commands.

"Yes." Kongpob obeys.

He accepts his punishment light-heartedly. Without demur, he starts running around the
football field. On top of him is the scorching sun at the very noon and in front of him are the
sympathetic eyes of the other first-years. They can't help but silently pay respect to this also
newly enrolled first-year who bravely stood up to protect them.

"Stop staring at him! All of you will be punished as well. Squat up 54 times, count aloud and
in unison. If you mess up, you have to repeat again until it's in unison. GO!"
Arthit loudly leaves his order and turns back to stand on his position. Completely ignoring
the intense glare of the first-years, a total opposite of the gratitude gaze that they cast on
Kongpob.

Kongpob faintly emits a slight radiance, now being the hero and the center of everyone's
gratitude gaze. While Arthit's avenged plan had backfired on him.

He did not manage to carry out his plans, but also became the target of the first-years' hatred.

Not only did I not get my revenge, but I also got played by that cocky brat! Damn! I will get
my revenge, just you wait, Kongpob!

The first-round battle of the gear badge; the Head Hazer lost one point to first-year Kongpob.
The current score point is 0:1.
 You Have to Strictly Follow Every Order from The Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Tell me your student ID number and name!”

“It’s Praepailin, ID 0744.”

She was startled and now trembling with fear. She tries to control her voice not to be shaky
when answering the question. How much would guys want to pamper her after seeing her
looking cute and pitiful with her big pair of eyes sparkling with tears.

A soft-hearted person like Arthit who usually couldn’t bear the scene would go soft on her by
now. He softens his tone a little but still maintaining the majestic expression. That was all he
could do considering his position.

“And how do you want me to help you?”

“Um… I was hoping P’ could help me to sign my initiation booklet.”

She offered Arthit her already opened initiation booklet and one glace at it, you can see
there’s already a lot of seniors’ signatures along with their ID number. It’s one of the many
tasks that were ordered by the third-year hazers – collecting 1,000 signatures from your
faculty seniors.

Being a third-year student in the Industrial Engineering Department, of course, Arthit is also
one of the seniors that the first-years could approach for his signature. To them, having the
Head Hazer’s signature is of one that gives glory.

Especially today, he’s wearing his hazing uniform making his appearance in the cafeteria.
One-foot sets in and he’s already the center of the first-years' attention. But in truth, no one
would risk their lives to get the Head Hazer’s signature. Even more so when he hangs out
with the other hazers which they call them His Pack.

Yet today is different. A beauty coming into the tiger’s den, requesting for his signature. Fair-
skin, slim figure, long silky hair is totally the kind of girl he likes. As a senior, Arthit would
die to be kind to her. He accepts the booklet and pen from her not forgetting the condition in
exchange.

“Before I sign it for you, I would like a little favor from you.”

If you think it’s easy to get the seniors’ signature, they will prove you wrong. All seniors are
in the higher position, they would put on airs or pull some pranks on the first-years. It’s a way
to educate them that there’s no free lunch in this world.
Hence, getting the Head Hazer’s signature, you may need to do a little more than that to
exchange. Arthit’s conditions are more of the extreme type. It can be as small as a harmless
joke or it could go big, enough for you to crack your brain for it.

“Wh-what is it that P’ needs?” She replies in a very shaking voice which is an expected
reaction. Her face getting paler by the second and it was visible that Praepailin is already
scared to the bone.

Oh, dear gorgeous! P’Arthit is not as fierce as he seems. He’s a handsome person with a very
kind heart that likes to help pretty ladies and the young. A lovely lady like Praepailin is
definitely in his list. Therefore, the condition he intends to use as an exchange is…

“You shout out loud ‘I’m in love with the handsome P’Arthit’ three times and that’s it.”

As soon as he’s done with his word, his pack starts howling and teasing him for his shameless
condition. Praepailin, on the other hand, has changed from fear to a color-drained face.

Why are you staring at me like that? This is already the lightest condition and is exclusively
reserved for beauties only. If you don’t act quick, I might change my mind and switch it to a
kiss on my cheek!

“Hurry up. We seniors, need to continue our lunch. We get irritated easier when we’re
starving.”

Arthit urges with a threat in his tone, and this is always the best and most effective way to
provoke someone. True that, this immediately waken the stunned first-year.

Arthit notices Praepailin starts to fidget and hesitating. She is not to be blamed for this
manner as they are in the cafeteria during lunch hour and there are students all around the
university, not just from their faculty. Shouting while standing in the middle of the cafeteria
would draw attention without a doubt.

But Praepailin is more afraid of P’Arthit. When she tries to steal a glance, her eyes met his
eyes that is full of threat, she instantly understands that she is in no position to bargain. She
has no choice but to use her sweet voice at the loudest to shout out the ‘confession’.

“I’m in love with the handsome P’Arthit! I’m in love with the handsome P’Arthit!! I’m in
love with the handsome P’Arthit!!!”

The whole table of Arthit’s pack tease and woo loudly like they’re the background music for
some drama showing on live in front of their eyes.

On the inside, Arthit is cheering for himself to have this cute little beauty from first-year
confessing to him even though it’s by force; on the outside, he pretends to be calm with a
cool expression.

“Thank you for the love you have for me,” He replies gentlemanly. “Let me have your
number so we could keep in touch, and I could return your love.”
Seriously where did he learned to be this smooth? All his actions just because he wanted to
have her number.

Well, we have to admit that when you have such beauty chasing after you, you wouldn’t want
to miss any chances at all. So does Arthit. Grabbing all the opportunities that come to his
way. After all, she already confessed loudly and bravely in front of so many people, of
course, he should give her a chance, right?

Praepailin is already stuck in his trap and has to follow Arthit’s request. Thus, Arthit
successfully got her number while Praepailin got the Head Hazer’s glorifying signature. Plus,
he winks at her, and it makes her blush into a crimson red. She hurriedly runs away with
another female friend who accompanies her, leaving the Ps’ gang still wooing about the
incident.

“Good heavens, Ai’Arthit.” Says one of his gang. “You got her number!”

“I am me for a reason.”

Arthit accepts the compliment from his friend proudly. He has had all the advantages since
birth, this is what we called – a natural gift.

“What about that first-year over there?” his friend asks, directing his finger to Arthit’s back.
He turns his head almost immediately to see which beauty is next in line. He saw but frowns
as he sees.

A group of first-years is walking over and the one standing in front is Kongpob, the same lad
who had crossed over his line TWICE; more than once disgrace him in front of his friends
and other first-years! He is the major reason why Arthit got teased for the past couple of days
from the other hazers.

Stupid brat!

“Kongpob, 0062!”

The person who got called stops and turns to the source of the voice that yelled his name.
Upon spotting the bunch of hazers, his natural reflex has him wai-ing to his Ps’. Especially
towards the person that is glaring at him.

Out of concern, Arthit asks Kongpob. “Have you got my signature yet?”

“I have not, P”

“Let me see your booklet.”

“Yes, P.” Kongpob obediently replies while opening his bag to retrieve the booklet for Arthit.

Good lord! He sure did got a lot of signatures.

Arthit continues skimming page after page. There were about 500 to 600 of them. But...
Wait, some of these are really strange. There’re names , there's ID numbers and some other
numbers at the back that are too long to be the regular ID number.

Except they are not ID numbers; they are phone numbers! Not just one but few of them with
notes as well.

I’m single. Call me anytime you feel lonely. 24hours for you. *kiss*

Yea yea, I fully understand that you are good looking, have a promising future and that’s why
girls, even seniors are flocking over handing you their phone number willingly. Unlike me,
have to crack my brain with tricky strategies and coax the other party. It was given in the end
but unwillingly.

Damn it! Again, he thinks he’s the male lead in some Korean drama huh?

Arthit’s anger nearly made him tear the booklet into pieces, but he has to stay calm for they
are in the cafeteria, in public. Taking care of his image is his priority. He takes a deep breath,
thinking about his next move and he needs it to be the evilest one ever.

“You’ve got lots of signatures. Good. Then I suppose you could do something for me too?”
Arthit says.

“I definitely can, P’,” Kongpob answers.

“You see that empty table in front of the grilled pork stall?” Says Arthit as he points towards
a vacant table about five tables away from theirs. It is in the exact center of the cafeteria.

“Yes, I saw.” Kongpob nods.

“Go up to the table and shout three times…”

Arthit pauses for a bit and smiles impudently.

“I like my ass to be taken care by men.”

After Arthit drops the bomb, he carefully observes this brat’s expression. It is the same
expression as the beauty earlier when she was forced to confess to Arthit. The only difference
is Kongpob’s face was much paler than the previous. After all, that one sentence is going to
ruin his dignity as a man.

However, Arthit is not finished yet.

“And when you’re done with that, you continue with asking ten men whether they would like
to take care of your ass. Then I’ll return your booklet to you.”

Arthit waves Kongpob’s booklet in the air as if he’s holding hostage. Seeing the other party
staring without a word, Arthit could felt his anger but Kongpob would not object him. It is an
order from the Head Hazer, he knew Kongpob knew about the seniority matter. No objection
is allowed yet he did not make any move either.
“What’s with the long face? Go on. Or you don’t have the guts…” Arthit provokes while
looking arrogantly at Kongpob.

That hit Kongpob pretty well. He walks straight towards the designated location and climbs
up the table.

“I like my ass to be taken care by men! I like my ass to be taken care by men!! I like my ass
to be taken care by men!!!”

Kongpob shouts and every pair of eyes instantly look to his direction in disbelief that
someone would actually dare to do this before a big crowd. They are simply patronized by
the sudden behavior.

The charming looking person steps down from the table, walks towards some boys who are
lining up in front of a counter and askes. “Would you like to take care of my ass?”

It stunned them. While the boys who are being asked dropped their jaws, only one person is
trying hard to hold his laughter back.

Haha! How does that feel you damn brat? I’ll have you admit publicly that you like men. This
will let all the girls know even though this young brat is handsome, it would be a waste cause
he’s gay plus the receiving one too.

Arthit remembers that Kongpob wanted to make him his wife. Now the younger knows the
feeling, being his turn to be humiliated in a huge crowd.

You deserved it, you brat!

Arthit’s gaze follows around Kongpob when he is asking ten guys. After the tenth, Kongpob
walks back to him, and he’s still had people staring at him.

“Done.” Says Kongpob.

“Yea, not bad. Loud enough for me to hear you. Here,” says Arthit as he returns his booklet.

After returning the booklet, Arthit and his pack stand up getting ready for the next lecture.
They are on their way to put the plates away when someone stops them.

“Hold on P’Arthit. You have not signed my booklet yet.”

He offers Arthit his booklet in which Arthit did not take over. He raises his eyebrow and what
he says next in a relaxing tone makes one miserable.

“When did I offered to sign for you?”

The order that Kongpob did earlier was already out of line but what Arthit said is beyond
measure.

In a snap, Kongpob realized he’s been played. It’s true that in no line did Arthit said he is
going to sign for him. It’s a trap set up by Arthit and he unknowingly steps into it.
“Oh, but there is one thing that I can help you.”

Arthit says out of goodwill which sparks curiosity in Kongpob for him to raise his head to
look at him. But Kongpob is shocked by Arthit’s next move when he reaches out for his tie
and pulls him closer. In a low voice that only both of them could hear, Arthit whispers into
Kongpob’s ears that it echoes in Kongpob’s heart for quite some time.

“I can help you find a husband!”

Releasing his grip, the Head Hazer laughs boldly in his position as a winner, walking away
leaving behind the defeated.

The second-round battle of the gear badge, the Head Hazer bounced back, having their score
tied on 1-1.
 Don’t Forget The Warnings from The Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Where is your name tag?”

For others, this might come out as a simple question; but if this question was asked to a first-
year during freshmen training, it’s a death call. The longer Arthit glares at the first-year that
was called up earlier, the more pressure is being put onto him. He knows he has to be frank
after facing the Head Hazer’s glaring pair of eyes as if he has the insight of seeing through
everything.

“I——I left it at home.”

Arthit takes a very deep breath after listening to the answer that made him furious. He’s not
feeling helpless but losing the patient of having the warnings being repeated over and over
again.

Arthit raises his voice at the first-year. “You take no importance in our warnings. Do you
think I gave the name tag to you as an accessory? And it’s not essential for you to wear it? Do
you not understand the importance of it? The name tag is to let everyone know who you are.
With your behavior of not wearing it, only explains that you don’t want us to know you.”

“That——That’s not it…” The reprimanded first-year is in so much shock that he quickly
shakes his head denying the Head Hazer’s words. His defense did not help one bit. Arthit
closes his eyes like he was thinking and opens them when he comes to a conclusion.

“If it’s not for that, then it must be because all your peers already know you well enough that
you decide to leave it behind. Well then, let’s prove it to me. Everyone please raises your
head and look at your friend.” Arthit instructs the rest of the first-years. “I would like to
know his name.”

After Arthit directs his question towards the first-years on the ground, no one dares to speak
out. Perhaps the silence isn’t because no one knows him but those who know are too afraid to
speak, considering their fear towards the Head Hazer sternness. Nobody is willing to risk
themselves in order to save him.

All in all, the person at fault will eventually be punished and if any dares to stand up against
the hazers, they are only volunteering themselves to be their next target. If the game is being
played with these rules, of course, none of them will have the courage to go against them.

“Not even one person who knows him? No one is willing to be his friend?”
When you are being humiliated in the public with an insult, even being a guy, you can’t help
but shed a few tears. The guilty one lays his head low, dares not to speak another word. He
prepares himself to face the harsh and brutal punishment from the Head Hazer. Before Arthit
could continue, a voice cuts in.

“His name is M!”

The sudden interruption messes up the Arthit’s initial plan. With grudge, he turns around to
see who the person is.

“Who answered that!”

“I did.” Says the person who raises his hand as he stands up.

After Arthit gets a good look at the nosy person, his eyes widen. It’s none other than the
brave famous savior, the first-years' hero; the thorn in the hazers’ side.

0062, Kongpob! His nemesis!

Though they both have been over the bars for a few times, Arthit does not plan to keep his
hands to himself. On the contrary, he feels that meeting an opponent such as Kongpob is very
challenging. And since the prey has brings himself to the door, he might as well have some
fun with the prey.

“So, you say you know him?”

“Yes!” With a strong voice, Kongpob answers firmly.

Arthit feels discomfort at heart listening to his reply. Full of confidence and so arrogant huh!
Let’s see if you really know him or just another lip service as always.

“Give me your ID card.”

M nervously fetches out his wallet from his pocket and hurriedly takes out his ID card. He
hands it over to the Head Hazer. Arthit lets out a sneer, getting himself ready for the
questions he’s about to shoot Kongpob.

“What is his *real name?”

*Thai name structure is very similar to that of Europe and America, First Name then Last
Name (Surname). Therefore, most families will pick another nickname for their children.
Generally, their nickname is used more than their real name.

“Kathawuth.”

“His surname?”

“Hathaiprasert.”

“His birthdate.”
“December 12, 1995.”

Holy! Did he eat the whole civil registration!?

Arthit’s mood becomes drastically unpleasant. He wants to scream to vent out his anger. He
had asked so many questions thinking he could counter-attack Kongpob but heck, he could
answer all of them. How did he…wait, it’s possible that they have known each other before.
That explains why this brat could answer all of my questions.

Hmph! I won’t let this be the end of it. Don’t call me Arthit if I don’t take him down today!

“Alright, you may sit.” Arthit instructs M. “It seems that this friend here really knows you.
But what I want to know now is, whether he knows other first-years as good as you.”

Although M wanted to let out a breath of relieve after narrowly escaping death, he couldn’t
do so as his best friend is going to be the one to replace his position of getting pinned.
Especially when the hazers treat Kongpob as an eyesore when he challenged their authority
previously. This made M worried even more that Kongpob would get punishment heavier and
harsher than the usual.

When the Head Hazer yells, M knows his worries are going to come true.

“Everyone, turn your name tag over!”

The first-years are confused and have no clue of what the Head Hazer would do next but one
thing for sure is that his orders are to be obeyed absolutely and carried out immediately. Soon
after they turned their name tag, another order shocks the first-years.

“ID 0023, stand!”

The ID owner instantly stands up and it’s a cute, petite lady. The way she fidgets, holding
onto the tip of her shirt, it’s easy to tell that she’s terrified. In fact, she shouldn’t be afraid
since the Head Hazer’s aim is the rude little brat.

Arthit walks towards the lady, in which the distance is not too far away from Kongpob. He
looks towards his prey and starts with the ‘quiz’.

“Why don’t you tell me what is the name of this girl?”

Kongpob was stunned for a brief moment and as if he’s been hit on the head, he immediately
understands how P’Arthit is going to get back at him but then he has no right to refuse as he
is already in the game. The only thing left to do is to play along with the rules.

After a long breath, Kongpob answered, “It’s Maprang.”

For a millisecond, Arthit is so sure that Kongpob will not be able to answer. It’s not as
resolute as the previous but it’s still very clear, enough for him to be heard. He straightaway
checks to confirm.

“Turn your name tag over and show me,” Arthit commanded her.
She shows Arthit her nametag and there it was, written clearly ‘Maprang’.

Consider yourself lucky but don’t think I’ll let this go.

“ID 0038!”

This time, a slightly plump guy stood up from the left row. Arthit takes big steps to the other
row as he repeats the same question.

“What is his name?”

“It’s Oak.”

Arthit didn’t wait for the answer. He personally checks the name and once again, Kongpob is
correct. His accuracy increases Arthit’s bad mood.

He’s really answering them correctly. More than 200 new recruits in the Industrial
Engineering Department this year. There’s no way he would really know ALL of them unless
it’s true that he eats the name list as his meal else there would be at least one that he doesn’t
know.

“ID 0151!”

A girl stood up. She is wearing glasses with her hair ties up in a ponytail. Everyone including
Arthit is waiting for the answer, but the silence conquers the hall.

Aha! I finally got you!

“Why are you keeping quiet? Tell me her name!” Arthit repeats his question and yet another
silent.

Arthit shows his sharp-looking face. By Kongpob’s awkward face, he knows that he doesn’t
know the girl’s name.

In the end, you don’t really know everything. Still dare to put up that arrogant attitude in my
face. Now it’s my turn. But this time I won’t punish you with the typical running, squat jump
of the sort. These are too easy for this brat who doesn’t know the immensity of the universe. I
have more brutal tricks in store.

“Please hand me your name tag,” Arthit asks the girl. Bet the girl is feeling depressed that
Kongpob doesn’t remember her name. But she still has to obey what she had been told.

Arthit faces towards the group of first-years, holding her name tag and continues. “I’ve told
you since the beginning that I gave you name tags, in hope that all of you can get to know
each other. But the incident that happened earlier told me that you don’t want to get to know
each other. You don’t even remember their name…”

He pauses his sentence there. He then holds up the name tag to show the first-years and uses
another firmer voice continues, “Since you don’t acknowledge its worth, then it’s useless for
it to be here.”
A ripping sound can be heard over the silent hall. The bright orange cardboard that serves as
the name tag is ripped into pieces in front of the first-years' eyes. Everyone in the hall is
shocked by the Head Hazer’s sudden action and dare not to move another inch.

Especially Kongpob, with his eyes widen; with his feeling of guilt; with his eyes looking at
the pieces of the ripped name tag that belongs to the girl whom her name he’s unable to
answer falls onto the ground.

“Mark this in your brain. This happens due to your lack of attention to your peers.”

Arthit mercilessly throws all the pieces onto the ground and walks back to his position,
wrapping up his speech by saying, “My duty for today is over. Tomorrow, I hope I am able to
see each of you wearing your name tag properly. However, if you are confident enough that
everyone already knows you, you are welcomed to leave them out! Did I make myself
clear?”

“Yes!” The room howls in unison.

Arthit nods as a reply and proceeds to turn around leading his hazing crew to leave the hall,
passing the baton to the second-year in charge of entertainment to harmonize their frightened
souls.

Arthit admits that he did get over the line but as a Head Hazer, his responsibility to discipline
them is a must. All in all, it’s more than 200 first-years that we’re talking about. To be able to
be in control, sacrifices are needed. It’s like *killing the chicken to warn the monkey.
The first-years need something to fear about.

*It’s a Chinese proverb which means punish an individual as an example to others.

Therefore, even if he’s being labeled as cold-blooded, merciless, heartless, he still needs to
keep it up with this image. For the first-years to understand the consequences of challenging
the hazers.

His method did work as Kongpob is still standing still, with all the guilt overwhelming him to
be clueless of what to do next as he’s the one who caused the girl’s name tag being ripped.

Well, now you understand. This is the consequence of challenging our authority. We are
forced to sacrifice innocence to maximize the guilt and pain of the opponent.

Arthit is loving the reaction of Kongpob being this lifeless. He stands at a corner in the hall
and continues cheering silently for his victory. Which not long after, he sees Kongpob
approaching the girl whose name tag got ripped. She’s weeping silently and Kongpob is
helping to pick up the scattered pieces.

“I am very sorry. Can I ask for your name?” Kongpob asks the girl who is sweeping away her
tears.

She hesitates for a second then answers with a slightly sobbing voice, “It’s…May.”
Kongpob nods and his next move is something Arthit totally did not see coming and one
quite unbelievable too. He takes off his own name tag, grabs a pen and writes something at
the back of it then hand it over to the girl with a smile.

“For you.”

‘May’ and ‘ID 0151’ is written clearly at the back of the name tag. The girl is shocked by his
action but still accepts it with much gratitude. Arthit is shocked too but of a different kind. He
can feel the anger in him starts burning wildly again like he’s gonna explode any minute.

What in the world! How dare he!

He hurries back to the scene, holds up Kongpob by his shirt collar and when their eyes meet,
Arthit yells.

“Kongpob, what are you doing!?”

Arthit’s tone and eyes are of the killing type like any time he’s going to gobble up his prey.
Kongpob understands his anger from the look of it yet still keeps calm and responds in the
politest way possible.

“I’m returning her a name tag.”

“And why… Who told you to do that!”

“No one. It’s my fault that I didn’t remember her name, so I’ll take the blame.”

Kongpob’s explanation startles him. Arthit could see the sharp stares from his eyes and from
the look of it, it’s more of being firm in his decision than to provoke the hazers.

Arthit tones his temper down, he switches to a stern tone and explains, “You understand that
once you gave her your name tag, you’d be left without one.”

“Yes, I understand.” Kongpob answers.

Since he understands how the rule works yet remains unchanged of his decision, it means
he’s aware of the consequences he’s going to face. If so, the Head Hazer will do as he wished.

“If you don’t have a name tag, it means you’re breaking the rule. From now on you are not
allowed to join the training with your peers, you have to sit separately and whenever there’s
punishment, you have to accept double of it. Is it clear for you?”

“Yes!”

Arthit turns to walk away. This time not towards to corner of the hall but straight towards to
door, leaving entirely.

He’s confused either why would he get so worked up. Though the orders and punishments are
conformed to the hazing regulation, he feels that he is unable to continue staying in the hall.
Deep down, he feels defeated. Lost to Kongpob who is seriously in wanting to help his peers.

At this moment, he realizes that other than hating Kongpob’s self-righteousness arrogance
that nearly made him pull his punches several times…

He hates Kongpob’s unwavering eyes too.

 To Acknowledge The Duty of The Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Haven’t you all learned about unity before!?”

Yes…

Of course, they have. They are already in university; how could they not know? But in the
eyes of the Head Hazer, these first-year university students’ performance for the past few
days is worse than those grade one children.

“Your training is not once with full attendance, always slow when told getting into the line!
Even after much punishment, there are zero improvements! Do you all really do not
understand the meaning of unity or you just can’t be bothered?”

All these scolding speeches are directed towards the first-years. Today everyone is dressed in
the t-shirt of their department distributed by the seniors along with sweatpants. It’s the
uniform for all freshmen training. They are all prepared as if they had predicted their fate of
what they will go through today. As expected, the Head Hazer already has punishment plans
in his mind.

“Fine. It’s alright if you have returned the knowledge back to your teacher, I will take this
opportunity to teach you again. However, I must first warn you that if you think you’re weak
or it’s beyond your physical limit for my teaching approach, feel free to leave.”

Freshmen training, like any other training, will first separate the weak or the ill to avoid them
being injured or faint during the training. Because the freshmen training by the hazing crew is
no different than the military training.

Therefore, many first-years have planned to stand aside, seizing the opportunity to avoid the
punishment; if it isn’t for what the Head Hazer says next…

“But! If you leave, keep in mind that those who stayed will shoulder your part of the
training.”

With the Head Hazer putting it this way, who would have the guts to leave! If one is to
escape, the others will be forced to meet with more pressure, shouldering the escaped one’s
training. Hence, no one dares to outright leave.

Arthit runs his eyes across the still-organized lines, giving a little compliment after knowing
that no one is leaving.
“Good. I admire your spirit; I am starting to see some unity in you. But with just spirit alone
is not enough! Turn around, you’ll see my friend on the other side of the field. I want all of
you to run over there and get in line within three minutes. Failing so, you would get
punishment equivalent to the amount of time you exceed. Understand?”

“Yes!”

The voice of their reply is simple yet powerful but in comparison, the expression on their
pale face is not. The scope of the field is not too wide but not very narrow either, it’s just
around the size of a football field. Some of the hazing crew can be seen standing at the far
end of the field, almost the distance of two football goals. Given the timing, there’s no way
they’ll be able to make it.

Deep down, everyone screams in protest yet even if they do, it won’t help one bit. They
might get it even worse knowing the kind of person the Head Hazer is.

“Hey, start moving if you have understood! Why are you still standing here? I have already
started counting. Go!”

After hearing the Head Hazer’s order, all the first-years, like a honeycomb being hammered,
swarm out quickly, desperately trying to reach to the other side and get into line within three
minutes as ordered. But with the distance, it’s definitely impossible.

In the end, they couldn’t escape the punishment. They have to do squat up hundreds of times
and sent running again. They keep repeating this cycle until the lines are organized while
Arthit will be responsible for checking the formation.

Following a few rounds, their energy is drained. Some of the girls begin turning pale,
sweating a lot and out of breath. But when they find the Head Hazer staring at them viciously,
they have to keep their discomfort to themselves and carry on with the punishment. Except
for one at the last row, still bending her head, panting in desperation.

Hold on, why does it look weird? This abnormal rapid breathing… Could it be…?

Before Arthit could see more of it, her legs gave out and collapsed. Fortunately, he notices it
and rushes to the scene to hold her in time or else she would have had her head fall to the
ground. Yet unfortunately, this happened at the other end of the field of which the nursing
team couldn’t see. He has to shout across the field to reach them.

“Nursing team! Any nurse staffs! Please come over!” Arthit’s voice draws the attention of the
other first-years. Everyone turns back nervously wanting to catch a glimpse of what has
happened but is halted by the other hazing crew.

“Don’t look! Who allowed you to turn around! Face to the front!”

The command is given to effectively avoid the tension between the first-years. Thus,
everyone obeys the order and face forward. However, they still couldn’t help but wonder
what is happening behind them.
As for Kongpob, he was arranged to stand alone somewhere near the last row for his
punishment for not having a name tag, so he had witnessed the whole course. When three of
the nursing staffs are about to check on the injured when they arrive on the scene, Arthit has
swiftly explained the girl’s condition.

“She’s hyperventilating. Don’t lay her down for now. Get a bag and have her breathe into it.
If she’s still not getting any better, take her to the infirmary immediately.”

It is a concise explanation in order to effectively improve the speed of rescue in a crucial

moment. Kongpob sees the nursing staff nodding as a reply, then instantly carries the injured
away from the field. There left the Head Hazer who keeps checking on the situation until all
is confirmed clear. He then walks back to face the first-years, emphasizing once again to
them.

“I warned you, didn’t I? If it’s beyond your limit, please step out! I can’t be held accountable
for your life. If it happens again, I will leave you there while your fellow peers will carry on
along with your part.”

The intimidating lines are similar to the content of the first warning however the difference
now is that all of them have been running for close to an hour, some of them are completely
worn-out, unable to hold on any longer. For the sake of their health, more than 20 of them
raises their hand asking to be excused. Most of them being girls.

After getting permitted by the Head Hazer, the rest of them continue to run until the sun sets,
the bright sky turns dark, only then, they finally get to hear the final order they are dying for.

“Alright, I’m gonna call it a day. I believe you have learned the importance of unity and I
hope you don’t forget it again because if you do, I will teach you again from the beginning.
You may dismiss!”

“Thank you P’Arthit.”

Once the first-years give their thanks, they leave the field feeling sluggish all over. They all
look like robots whose batteries have been emptied out completely. Kongpob is especially
wretched as he had to do double punishment due to him violating the rule. He has to double
up what the others do and runs at a high speed to catch up with everyone getting in line once
he’s done.

His current state is no different from that of a drowned rat. Having his shirt completely
soaked in sweat, stomach growling loudly yelling hunger. Whatever he had at noon have
burned out with all the exercises. His only wish right now is to go home take a shower and
get some food.

Before Kongpob leaves the field, he sees his best friend walks limply hence he decides to
switch his direction and goes up to his friend.

“What’s wrong with your leg, M?”

“Oh, I probably strained a muscle.”

His best friend whom he had known since high school must hurt a lot as he is telling him
with a face in much agony. It’s not unexpected as they were doing running and squat up all at
once, it’s easy to get sports injuries like this if your posture went wrong.

“It’s better if you let the nursing team have a look. Otherwise, it would be bad if your injury
gets worse when you’re back home.”

M nods as in the acceptance of Kongpob’s suggestion. He supports M by putting M’s arm

over his shoulder and they both walk out of the field. In fact, Kongpob himself too feels a
dull pain in his legs hence he has planned to get some ointment at the same time from the
nursing team.

Next to the field, seats a table surrounded by the nursing team and the entertainment crew
that are mostly grouped up by the second-year. There are some third-years as well, stepping
in to help oversee the whole situation. M turns towards a female senior who has a lovely
smile, seeking for medical help.

“P’, my feet hurts.”

“Oh, your feet hurt? Take a seat, I’ll have a look.”

The senior whose name tag read ‘Fang’ comes over to check on M’s feet. After aiding with
taking off his shoes, she pinches on his ankle followed by a few gentle twists to confirm his
condition.

“Hmm… Fortunately, it’s not sprained, apply a pain relief balm for two days should do. But
I’m out of the balm now and had gotten my friend to go buy it. Can you wait for a while?”
P’Fang says after the inspection.

The answer isn’t expected by M. He turns over and looks at Kongpob standing not far away
from him as a gesture to let him decide to wait or to leave. After all, he doesn’t know how
long it will take and both of them are famished. From the looks of it, his injury doesn’t seem
that serious to wait for the cure.

“It’s fine, I’ll get the balm for my friend later. Thank you, P’.”

Kongpob chips in and answers for M. P’Fang looks up and is surprised to see the person who
came together with M is Kongpob.

“Oh, isn’t this Kongpob! Perfect timing, my friend wants to speak to you about the Campus
Moon contest. We would like to nominate you to be the male representative from our
department. Are you in a hurry? Can you wait for a moment?”

Kongpob blinks his eyes in confusion, thinking how can him asking for a medicine turned
into him taking part in the Campus Moon contest? Actually, he has no complaints in
participating in the activities from the faculty, the only complain right now is his growling
stomach, going louder and louder with each second passing. Though embarrassed, Kongpob
still answers honestly.
“Well, we were planning to go grab a bite.”

“Oh, there’s no need to. You can have the meal box with us. Just give me a minute, I’ll give a
call to my friend to come over.”

P’Fang speaks and decides in a swift. On one hand, she’s holding her mobile calling her
friend; the other gesturing the two boys to help themselves with the stack of meal boxes set
on the table. But the boys are left puzzled. She comes back after the call only to find the boys
still standing at the same position, looking blur.

“Why are you not taking the food yet?” P’Fang asks, confused.

“Is it really okay for us to have your food here?”

Kongpob feels unsure and asks again politely since he knows that these meal boxes were
prepared for the seniors so that they would have the strength for night duties. Though usually
the first-years are gone by night to rest, the seniors have to stay back to clean up and plan for
the next day. However, the one who answers didn’t mind one bit.

“Haha. It’s really fine. We ordered plenty! Some of these are for the hazing crew. They eat a
lot, usually taking two servings so we always order more.”

A sudden mentioned of someone during the conversation has M subconsciously shivers a

little, losing half of his appetite just because…

“If the meal boxes are meant for the hazing crew, we dare not to take.”

M’s facial expression is showing too much of fear that made P’Fang couldn’t hold her laugh
any longer.

“What is there to be afraid of? The hazing crew is not that scary. They are carrying out their
duties and everything is done according to the regulations. All these training you face right
now are what they have been through before. That’s why they are able to give out orders.
They are not doing it for fun. They have to undergo one whole month of training to be
qualified as they have to learn to control their emotions and how to deal with emergencies to
ensure your safety.”

Kongpob takes in word by word, spoken by P’Fang silently. Those are the things he didn’t
know and never heard before and maybe; the truth is as per P’Fang’s statement.

He recalls how P’Arthit was earlier, giving a concise explanation and clear order without the
slightest hesitation. He was able to take care of the situation in a calm and quick manner.

Kongpob did not expect to see this side of him because all the hazing crew shows only the
side of them that is violent, heartless, barbaric and unreasonable. Even if the first-years follow
through every order correctly, he’d still find faults in them then punish everyone without
consideration. Everyone fears him to the point of hatred and gossiping about him behind his
back.
In fact, this is not new to the seniors. It is expected of the first-years to have this reaction
towards the hazing crew. Even so, P’Fang as one who has had the experience softly gives
them her advice.

“Actually, I hope you won’t hate or hold grudge against the hazing crew. All these things that
they are doing right now are all due to their responsibility as a hazer. Most importantly, is that
you should know the very person who cares about you is the group of hazers.”

The words of advice hit Kongpob hard at his chest. He introspects and starts questioning his
actions and behaviors from before.

Will it really be true that the hazing crew would be worried? Especially the Head Hazer,
Arthit who seems more like he hates him since day one.

He admits that he was rude to the Head Hazer, saying all those humiliating words to him in
public, in front of the first-years. All these due to his sincerity of wanting to help his peers,
forgetting to think about the consequences resulted in the Head Hazer being angrier in the
end. His punishments were so severe that it made him wanted to give up a few times but none
of them in the hazing crew showed concern.

So how can he believe that the hazing crew are really worried about them because all he ever
sees is them venting their emotions on them.

The complex, confusing emotions still have not reached its conclusion when P’Fang’s voice
cuts in and at the same time stuffing the meal box into their hands.

“Here, go ahead. Just sit down and have it here. Right, and oranges! Let me get you some to
share, we bought so many, I doubt we could finish.”

Kongpob and M accept the meal box that was stuffed into their hand together with two
oranges for each of them.

It is not the moment to refuse now, so they obediently sat down and start spooning the food to
their mouths. Although one is definitely not enough to fill their starving stomach, still, at
least it could help to ease a bit.

They are going to peel the oranges after finishing their meal and right before they start
peeling, a voice is heard from their back.

“Fang, has the girl who was sent to the nursing room went back? I stopped by but I didn’t see
her. Oh, and the pain relief balm that you asked me to get, there are two kinds. I didn’t know
which you wanted so I bought both…”

The voice stops suddenly when it realizes that there are two unexpected guests besides them
and one being the one person that the voice owner didn’t want to meet.

“What are you doing here!?”

Arthit questions them, adjusting his tone to the Head Hazer mode. He becomes a completely
different person compared to just a few seconds ago. The two people that got questioned
jumps from their seats and stand up straight immediately. Luckily P’Fang’s explanation
resolves the misunderstanding.

“I got Kongpob to stay and discuss about the Campus Moon contest. We intend to nominate
him to be the representative of our department.”

Even after explaining the ins and outs, Arthit’s expression did not change. Instead, he looks
scornfully at the nominated candidate and adds a despicable comment.

“Why him? If you send him, our faculty will lose for sure. Having such ordinary looks and
flawed manners, simply a disgrace of our faculty.”

Hearing such mocking comments disregarding his dignity made Kongpob heats up but unable
to retort. He has not forgotten that the other party is not only his senior but also a hazer that
holds the power to punish him any time.

Arthit looks satisfied with the silence Kongpob gave. He didn't want to continue this
conversation with these extras hence he turns to Fang and hands the bag of balms to her.

"The balms you send me to get."

"Thanks a lot! The boys are waiting to use them.”

Fang thanked him as she takes the bag. Arthit, on the other hand, is stunned by the last part of
Fang’s sentence. The medicine that he rushes out to buy is for the person he had just
humiliated.

“Kongpob, do you want to apply as well? Your legs are sore too right?”

“Yes, please. Thanks, P’Fang.”

Kongpob accepts the kindness without thinking. After seeing that strange expression
appearing on the Head Hazer’s face, he steals a silent laugh and wondering if that person is
cursing quietly in his heart. Before anyone could continue with anything, a sweet and high-
pitched voice breaks the ice.

“Where is he, Fang! The first-year representing your faculty. Bring him forth so I can check
him out myself!”

The friend of P’Fang blusters as he storms into the room and his voice leads to silence as the
two juniors didn’t expect her friend to be a senior, a man with the heart of a woman. His
masculine figure couldn’t match with the voice they heard earlier. Without waiting for Fang
to introduce who the representative is, it’s as if he has this radar in him to detect his target,
shouting in an excited higher pitch voice.

“Aye aye aye! Such good stuff! Why didn’t you tell me sooner! Where have you been
darling? Being this handsome I think we can just skip the voting. P’Minnie chooses you to be
the faculty’s representative. Don't waste time voting, it’s almost certain that you will win it!”
Kongpob gives out an awkward smile as the other person checks out every inch of his body.
When he turns around, he inadvertently notices P’Arthit’s annoyed face as he grabs a meal
box and has it on the other side. He seemed like he wanted to eat in peace without disruption,
leaving them alone to discuss further.

Actually, there’s not much detail about the competition but since P’Minnie is very talkative,
they end up keep branching off subject and talk about other stuff. It is when some lights are
turned off, only did he realized that it’s already late and he has to let them go home for their
rest.

“That’s all, I guess. P will contact you another day to arrange a time for the photoshoot. Must
pick up my call alright, N’handsome.”

“Strictly for work only ok. Not for something else.” P’Fang teases her friend. To which
P’Minnie replies with a wink, “Of course! The calls will definitely be about work. For me,
how can I be satisfied by just hearing voices, I would need to see the person itself to be
satisfied.”

Their ambiguous conversation made everyone at the table burst out laughing but went silent
within a second when a harsh comment comes slashing in.

“What are you all laughing at, please be considerate as there are other people working here!”

Such serious one wouldn’t come from anyone else besides the Head Hazer who has been
quiet the whole time disappearing to somewhere. Now that he has returned, his face still has
that same annoyed look from before.

“Fang, Knot is looking for you. And you first-years, go home if you have settled your
business.”

Arthit’s scolding made the group of people that was still joyful seconds ago disband
immediately. Kongpob and M stand up in a flash, hoping to leave before they get punished
for no reason, but it seems that it’s too late.

“Hold on.” The order behind them sends a chill down their spine yet they halt their steps
accordingly. When they turn around, they see the person that gave out the order walks at a
fast pace and stops in front of them.

“Your hand.”

This was said to Kongpob and even though he didn’t understand why but deep in heart he
assumes it is another kind of punishment. Maybe the Head Hazer just found a stick thick
enough and wanted to cosplay as a teacher and hits his palm with it.

Kongpob unwillingly holds out his hand and prepares his heart to face unreasonable
punishment. However, this time, he won’t be able to feel any pain. Because the thing that his
senior put on his hand is…

Four oranges.
“Take them. Don’t leave my friend’s kindness behind.”

Arthit leaves to pick up another meal box and soon disappears out of their sight after that;
leaving the two first-years looking lost at each other. While Kongpob tries to put everything
together to make some sense out of all the confusion, the person beside him lets out a big
sigh of relief.

“Phew… I was so scared. I thought we're screwed.”

“Hmm…”

Kongpob absent-mindedly responds to M, eyes fixated on the four oranges on his hand that
he got it from that person. They had forgotten about it and in fact, P’Arthit could just pretend
to not mind but he especially brings it over to them. Not knowing why, he suddenly recalls
those words P’Fang said.

‘The very person who cares about you is the group of hazers.’

The person who is worried about us?

Just think about it, P’Arthit’s serious face with his signature fierce glare and an unforgiving
mouth compared to the face that handed the oranges to them just now, Kongpob couldn’t help
but let out a soft chuckle. Those are two totally different people!

Even so, Kongpob could feel a strange warmth rising in his heart and a smile that he couldn’t
hide any longer shows on his face.

It’s probably as they said… The one who cares about you and the one who is mean to you is
often the same person. If this is the case, he probably won’t be able to win against the other
person because as long as he still has this feeling in him, he’s unable to bring himself to hate
him.

…The feeling of seeing this mean person as adorable even when he’s being mean.
 Understanding the Hazers’ Reasons for Their Action

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob's POV.

To the first-years, the ‘Entertainment Crew’ is like heaven in hell, the oasis in the desert.

The duty of the seniors in the entertainment crew is more on teaching them singing, holding
group activities, take care of almost everything for the first-years. Moreover, the seniors in
charge of entertainment are always full of vim and vigor, wearing a bright smile all day long.
It is no wonder that the relationship between the first-years and the seniors in the
entertainment crew are closer and would consult them whenever they face any issue.

Such a huge contrast with another crew of seniors.

If the entertainment crew are the angels on earth, then the hazing seniors would be best
described as the demons from the 18th layer of hell. *There is a saying in Buddhism that hell
has 18 layers in which the worst is from the lowest depth.

The contrast is most obvious when the hazing crew uninvitedly interrupt the practice of the
faculty cheer that is being carried out midway by the entertainment crew, breaking the
wonderful atmosphere. Like demons barging into heaven, calling it theirs.

“Enough! I couldn’t bear to listen to your cheer!” A fierce yelling instantly stops the first-
years' cheer. Here comes Head Hazer Arthit walking in showing his authority again. The first-
years drop their practice immediately and switch to a standing position with their heads down
avoiding all eye contact.

“Is this the best cheer you can do? It’s not loud, it’s not in harmony! I’m wondering who
taught you to cheer this way?”

“It’s us.” One of the second-year senior raises his hand and step out bravely being a dare-to-
die corps. Second-year seniors are in charge of teaching the first-years the cheer-leading song,
the university song and also their faculty cheer. Ultimately if the first-years can’t do well, the
blame would surely be on them.

“Well, can you please demonstrate to me, how did you teach them?” The Head Hazer’s
hazing target promptly switches to the entertainment crew and with the deadly serious and
fierce tone, it sounds more of an order than of a request.

In spite of them being assigned to be in charge of different activities, in terms of duty position
and age, the entertainment second-year crew is still juniors of the hazing third-years.
Naturally, they are not left with any other choice except to obey.
The first-years took a few steps back to make space for the second-years. The second-years
getting ready by putting their arms around their peer’s shoulder forming a circle. Though
there’s only around ten of them, their voice is sonorous. Compared to the first-years' voice
earlier, theirs are much intense and full of adrenaline. Some of the first-years even starting to
worship the second-years.

The Head Hazer, on the contrary, is looking at the scene with cold eyes while his arms
crossed around his chest.

“That’s it? This is your cheer? It’s no brainer why the first-years can’t do it when the ones
who taught them is not any better either.”

This comment is totally different from what the first-years felt from the second-years’ cheer.
Compared to how the first-years chanted earlier, theirs are so much better and powerful. Even
with the debate in their hearts, no one dares to raised and protest because they remember
clearly about the rule of this ‘game’: 1) The hazing crew is always right; 2) If you don’t
understand, refer to number one. And for this reason, all of them have to accept whatever fate
that is coming at them.

“Keep chanting, don’t stop until the first-years fully understand how to do it right! Go!”

Such an ambiguous command. He did not mention when to stop so it’s no different from
asking the second-years to chant until their voice goes hoarse. Even so, the second-years are
of no complains. Once again, they form a circle with arms around their friend’s shoulder and
chant much louder and powerful than the first.

The first-years can only cast sympathetic eyes towards their second-year seniors. Though the
cheer is not long, however when it’s being in a repeated cycle, your throat will soon start to
feel uncomfortable. Moreover, along with the action of stepping and lifting your head up and
down, it’s normal that anyone will feel dizzy after doing it two to three times. Not to mention
in this case, their seniors have to repeat indefinitely. They obviously are not obligated to take
in the punishment in the first-years' place.

One by one, the first-years are attacked by the feeling of guilt that came gushing into their
hearts. However, there’s still no sign of stopping the deafening cheer. Some first-years silently
shed tears in hope to beg the Head Hazer for some mercy.

Sorry to say but Arthit is not one with a soft heart, because what he is doing right now is
actually not punishing the entertainment crew, but his real target is actually the first-years.
The entertainment crew is just a scapegoat of it. Due to them having a closer relationship
with the first-years hence it will have the biggest effect in terms of mental pressure to the first-
years.

This acts as an indirect method of punishment that does not require direct violence, but the
effect is unbelievable. Arthit continues listening, standing by the side, pretending to be
emotionless as if to him, the sound of cheer is only birds chirping around and still no sign of
having them to stop. This made the first-years' guilt sink deeper in.

Who else can bear to continue listening to it!?

“Permission please, P’Arthit.”

A voice came from among the group of first-years and attracted everyone’s attention,
including Arthit’s. But this time it did not startle him as he already saw he who raises his
hand. You again, Kongpob 0062.

“Go on,” Arthit replies with a dignified voice, looking towards the direction of this first-year
while the sound of the cheer continues behind.

“Please let me chant on behalf of the second-years!”

His request is as expected and most of the time, Arthit doubts if this brat had watched too
many movies to have this hero complex. But when a movie has its hero, surely it will have its
villain too and now, this is the scene for the villain to lead.

“You’re not allowed! We don’t need a hero here! Sit down!” Arthit reprimands bluntly but
Kongpob isn’t ready to give up.

“But I…”

“If you don’t sit down, then get out. Choose one.”

Both options are not good. And Kongpob’s current situation is pitiful as well, with him
receiving a yellow card due to his violation of the rule, he is forced to sit alone, away from
his peers. Right now, if he gets the red card, he will be directly chased out and forbidden to
join his peers in the activities. It’s no different from being driven out of his own department.

In the end, Kongpob is forced to suck it up and sit back down quietly. Arthit, on the other
hand, is savouring every of his defeated moments.

See, at a time like this even he doesn’t dare to take risks. Likes to be hero huh, but this is all
you can take.

Arthit turns back facing the group of entertainment crew whose voice is getting hoarser. He
hopes after this, no one dares to come up and interrupts them. But within less than a minute
after Kongpob, another voice interrupts again.

“Permission please! Please let me take their place!”

Arthit hurriedly looks back. His eyes widen in disbelief when he sees that it’s the same
person from just seconds ago.

Have you not learned your lesson!?

“You are not allowed!” The Head Hazer responds instantly, not letting the other having any
chance to explain. He thought this time he has said it clear enough but he’s wrong because
Kongpob immediately retort again.

“Please let me take their place!”

Damn it! Does he not understand human language?

“You’re not allowed!”

“Please let me take their place!”

“You’re not allowed!”

“Please let me take their place!”

“KONGPOB!!”

At this state, Arthit has run out of patience, like a volcano that is going to erupt any minute,
he glares angrily at the person who keeps repeating the same sentence over and over like he’s
doing it on purpose to mess with his rationality. And he doesn’t have any sense of fear,
determinedly proposing the same request.

The atmosphere in the hall turns tense, even the entertainment crew turns towards the
direction of the two men, forgetting that they are supposed to carry on chanting. Then, the
Head Hazer makes a final fatal judgment.

“Get out! You’re forbidden to join any freshmen training nor activities in the future.”

Upon hearing this made everyone hold their breath in shock because this is the most severe
punishment they heard so far. And though Kongpob has mentally prepared himself for the
worst but when he heard it personally, he still couldn’t help to feel dejected, but he does not
regret his actions as he has long understood the belief he holds onto.

The erring person walks to the exit of the hall and every step Kongpob takes feels heavier
than the last because each step forward means he’s closer to leaving all the freshmen training
and activities for good. He’s a few steps away from the exit when another voice raises behind
him.

“Permission please.”

The voice made Kongpob halts his steps and at the same time grabs Arthit’s attention. He
turns to look at the person who raises his hand.

“What’s the matter?”

It’s M, Kongpob’s best friend who raises his hand. He stands up with little confidence, but his
request is simple and clear. “I would like to request for my friend to stay and the rest of us
and I will continue to chant on behalf of the Ps’ in the entertainment crew.”

A courageous request but it didn’t help one bit to ease the rage firing within Arthit. Instead,
it’s more like adding fuel to the fire.

Right… Arthit forgot about the hero’s friend, who would naturally take the same side as the
hero’s. But sorry to say that he has no intention of taking back his command.
“You’re not allowed.”

He has lost count how many times he had repeated that sentence today and while he is
thinking the price that this bold brat needs to be pay for his action, the voices of another first-
years cuts in.

“Please let me take their place!”

“Please let me take their place!”

“Please let me take their place!”

“Please let me take their place!”

One after another, soon, dozens of voices are pleading for his permission with their hands up
in the air. This made Arthit unable to refrain himself from yelling——

“ENOUGH!”

Once they heard the Head Hazer’s fierce roar, everything returns to the silence from before,
but the atmosphere is completely different from the beginning. Arthit takes a quick look at
the first-years and saw those eyes that once held back their tears have changed into one with
determination, resulted in him making his decision to give in.

“Fine! I’ll allow you to chant on behalf of the entertainment crew BUT your friend is still not
allowed to stay!”

Sure, Arthit is willing to give in but don’t think he is going to make a concession in
everything. He’s not going to let it go easy just because Kongpob’s friends pleaded for him
especially when that brat has the gut to oppose him.

Some of the first-years are seen wanted to lift their hand to object the current outcome but
Arthit pretends not to notice and urges Kongpob who has stopped his pace.

“Why are you still standing here? Get out!”

Kongpob looks at Arthit with an expression filled with displeased emotions. It’s useless to
beg for sympathy as the other party has long regarded Kongpob as an eyesore and this
punishment serves as the greatest opportunity to kick him out.

“Yes,” Kongpob responds in return as he leaves the hall. This time, there are no more voices
pleading for his stay.

But he didn’t go too far. He stays outside of the hall, pulling his ears close to the door to
listen to the voices inside. Not long after, Kongpob begins hearing the voices of his peers
chanting the cheer and the voice of the Head Hazer howling following with an even louder
chant from his peers. The chanting and the howling continue, alternating for a good ten
minutes.
Then, it’s silent. Kongpob tries to press his ear closer so he could hear what’s happening in
the hall. That’s when the door opens and out comes the group of hazing seniors walking out
from the hall. The last of them is the Head Hazer and when he saw Kongpob still lingers
around, his stern voice questions him.

“Why are you still here!?”

“I am waiting for my friends.”

Kongpob answers truthfully. Even though he has been forbidden to join the activities by his
engineering department, he’s still a friend of his friends.

The group of seniors communicate with their eyes as if they are asking for each other’s
opinion and when Arthit lightly nods his head, everyone wraps around Kongpob the brat,
blocking his every possible way out. From afar, it looks quite like they are preparing to gang
up on a junior.

“Do you know the reason why I kicked you out?” The Head Hazer is the one who speaks
first, asked with a strict tone.

Even when Kongpob is being surrounded by his seniors, he still remains calm and without
fear, he gives out his answer honestly to the Head Hazer.

“Because I upset you.”

“About what I’m upset at?”

“About my request to chant on behalf of the seniors in entertainment crew.”

“No, it’s not that. The reason I kicked you out is that I told you that we don’t need a hero
here.”

… Don’t need a hero?

The reason from the Head Hazer is totally different from what Kongpob had in mind and
there are currently a lot of questions popping out in his head causing him to frown. All of a
sudden, he’s at loss of what else to say hence he tries to defend with whatever that comes to
his mind now.

“What do you mean by not needing a hero? Or is it P’Arthit don’t like the fact that I always
stepped up to speak? I never wanted to be the center of attention, I honestly just want to help
my peers.”

“So, do you think it’s okay for your peers to always wait for you to come to their rescue?”

Kongpob is stunned by Arthit’s rhetorical question and immediately seems to understand

what the Head Hazer is trying to convey to him.

“If your peers are always waiting for someone to save them, to lead them, then when they
face difficult situations in the future, where will they get the determination and courage to
solve the problem? If all they want is just to be a minion, not even trying to stand up and
work it out by themselves then they are not suitable to be part of our faculty.”

This is the first time the senior hazer has a rational conversation with him rather than the
usual conversing through orders or punishments.

Kongpob is finally able to understand that behind all the actions that the hazers did hide its
own reasons. They did not clearly mention the purposes behind but to bring it out with
barbaric and harsh emotions because the seniors want their juniors to experience and
understand it on their own, including Kongpob himself.

“Today, considered your friend saved you, I allow you to come back to join the next activity
but take this as my last warning, don’t let me see you trying to be a hero again. You
understand?”

“Yes, I understand!”

Once they see Kongpob understands the situations, one after another, the seniors that had
surrounded him earlier withdraw themselves and leave the scene, leaving only Arthit. And
when he is ready to leave as well, he is stopped by Kongpob with another question.

“P’Arthit, please wait a minute. I still have one thing that I don’t understand.”

“What?”

Arthit snorted impatiently. I have already wasted my saliva to explain the reasons to you,
what else is there that you do not understand.

“When I asked for your autograph back then, I wasn’t trying to be a hero but why did
P’Arthit punish me?”

Oh, the incident that happened in the cafeteria. The one when he got Kongpob to ask if
anyone wants to be his husband. Now that he mentions it, Arthit still thinks it’s humorous.
Although most of the punishments are planned in advance, some of it is just simply of his
own will or emotions.

“What do you think it is?”

He answers with another question so Kongpob will think about it on his own. Arthit knows
that he must be resentful towards him so Kongpob must have thought of taking this chance to
clear things up. Being a person like Kongpob, he must have guessed that this punishment was
given purely out of his own emotion.

But the assumption that comes out from this junior’s mouth, is one that he would have never
ever expected.

“I think…P’Arthit likes me.”

“What did you just say!?”

Kongpob gives a light smile like he is saying the most common thing while Arthit let out a
cry.

“People often say that when you like someone, you would find ways to tease them to get their
attention. P’Arthit, you often find faults to punish me, so it must only mean P’Arthit have a
crush on me, right?”

This stupid brat! What kind of logic is that!? Did you hit your head!? Where the heck did you
get the idea of me punishing you because I like you!?

“I certainly not!”

This yell is shouted at the same time the door of the hall is opened and it instantly catches the
attention of the first-years that are leaving the hall. Arthit shouts a second time to show his
authority.

“What are you looking at? Who gave you permission to look around? Leave once you’ve
been dismissed. And you, go home as well.”

The last sentence is directed to Kongpob which he simply responded, “Yes!”

Arthit turns and walks away in stomping feet, leaving Kongpob behind watching his back as
he leaves.

“What were you talking about with P’Arthit earlier? His voice just now was so terrifying!”
Kongpob heard M questioning him in doubt.

Although in the eyes of his best friend reflects the horrible-ness of the hazing crew, Kongpob
still wears a smile looking at Arthit’s direction. To him, the reason for what he did earlier is
very simple, just as he says to his best friend…

The reason is——

“Nothing much, I just wanted to tease him a little…”

 Whenever and Wherever, A Hazer Will Always Be a Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Aunty, I’ll have a chicken basil rice with a fried egg.”

It’s a menu that didn’t need second thought before ordering. As of now, Arthit simply doesn’t
want to use any more strength. The freshmen training has just ended and today is yet another
outdoor training. In addition to using their vocal cord to the fullest to discipline the first-
years, they also have to run the entire lap circling the field behind them. Since the commands
are given out by him, he can’t put the blame on anyone else.

To be honest, being a hazer is no fun at all. The yelling hurts his throat, and he has to put on a
serious face and force himself to be stern all the time, so much that his face and body muscles
are becoming rigid.

Yet all of these must go according to the script. Though sometimes it may seem like the
hazers have overstepped the boundaries using their authority, but they themselves are the
person who is ultimately responsible for those actions.

‘If the juniors are tired, the senior would be exhausted.’ ——This is a fact that being a hazer
has to accept.

That is why as soon as the training is over, Arthit fled with the fastest speed to replenish his
energy. He would rush back to his dorm, change out his uniform into a normal T-shirt and
shorts then head down to the neighbourhood for food.

It’s almost 7PM and it’s the prime time for most students to hunt for dinner . A crowd is
forming up in the restaurant, just the queue for the beverage stall is already exploding. As per
his normal routine, he would usually first head to the beverage stall to order his drink then
onto the stir-fried stall next for his meal. Fortunately, the last vacant table was first seen by
him, and he could read the newspaper left on the table to pass his time.

Great! I’ll take this fine opportunity to catch up with the current events. Lately, I have been
feeling that I am out of touch with the world outside. Early morning, I prepare myself for my
classes; in the evening after class, there’re freshmen training or activities; then onto the night
for the after-meeting. My everyday life has been circulating between these matters, that
believe it or not, even if a meteorite hits America, I wouldn’t know.

Arthit proceeds to flip open the newspaper and feeding his brain with the latest news of the
outside world. For the time being, he didn’t care about anyone that’s walking back and forth
in the restaurant as he has his eyes completely focused on the content in the newspaper.
“Is it alright if I take this seat?” A question is heard while Arthit is still all concentrated.

“Sure, go ahead.”

He moves his mouth to reply with no intention of lifting his head up to see the other party. He
is indulging himself in the breakup news of a pair of artists. Before he sat down earlier, he
already noticed that there are a lot of people in the restaurant. Since he is alone, it doesn’t
hurt to share a table.

After the other party got the permission, he proceeds to sit down on the opposite vacant seat,
not forgetting to thank Arthit.

“Thank you, P’Arthit.”

“Sure, no worries.”

Arthit answers not minding the issue at all. As a senior, it is only right to treat his juniors
kindly… Huh? Wait a minute, how did this person know his name?

His curiosity prompts him to remove his focus from the newspaper he is reading at and lifts
his head to see who that is. When he finally realizes the identity of the person, his eyes
suddenly widen.

Although this person is not wearing the usual uniform or sportswear for freshmen training,
just a simple T-shirt and shorts as Arthit is, but their standpoint and identity remain
unchanged. No matter what, a hazer will be a hazer and the other party a first-year. And not
any ordinary first-year at that, it has to be the brat that keeps looking for trouble with the
hazers.

0062, Kongpob!

“Why are you here?”

Arthit stands up suddenly while questioning the person with a fierce tone. He immediately
puts on his stern face like he is suddenly possessed by the hazer soul. He is blaming himself
silently in his heart that he let loose himself for a little and made a mistake as such.

The person being asked continues to wear a calm face and answers the question with
a question, “Ow, P’Arthit told me to go ahead earlier. Plus, the seats in the restaurant are all
occupied.”

Hearing the latter, Arthit glances around the restaurant and the situation is just as Kongpob
said, all tables are occupied. But in any case, it’s demeaning to have a junior sitting at the
same table with the Head Hazer. He plans to chase him away but before he could do
anything, the aunty from the stir-fried restaurant walks up to them.

“Sorry Nong. We have too many customers today, can you share the table?”

Aunty may have overheard his conversation with the junior or she might have noticed his
long face, so she decides to come over to soothe the situation. Arthit has no choice but to shut
his mouth when aunty is asking politely like that.

He is a regular in this restaurant, moreover, with aunty always being caring towards him by
giving him huge portion of rice, it’s only unreasonable for him to be rude in front of her at
this moment.

Though in every possible way that he’s unwilling to, Arthit along with his long face and a
shut mouth, chooses to remain in his current seat. While aunty turns her direction facing at
the person sitting on his opposite, asking if he had ordered his meal.

“Nong, have you order your food?”

“Not yet. I’ll have a minced pork omelette with rice please.”

“Sure, please wait a moment. I’ll deliver to you once it’s done.”

Aunty left their table to prepare the food and after she walks away, the quiet man with a long
face couldn’t help but dig at him.

“Minced pork omelette with rice. Your food choice is so child-like.”

The statement is simply trying to pick a fight but to Kongpob, he realizes that the other party
is just angry and chooses to vent all out on him. But after all, he is only a first-year that has
no right to talk back. Whatever the hazer asks, an answer is needed.

“Yes, I don’t like spicy food.”

“What? You’re a grown-up. How can you not eat spicy food? What a sissy.”

A very sarcastic tone matched with a scornful look on Arthit’s face, showing live in front of
Kongpob’s eyes. The one receiving the criticism shows an awkward face, not knowing how
to respond.

Well, Kongpob has to endure all of these. Kongpob is the one who came over and asked to
share a table.

Getting attacked while eating, let’s see if you can continue your meal under this
circumstance.

Right now, at this table, Arthit is condescending. Judging by the meal they ordered, it’s
clearly obvious that a masculine person as him would win and with dignity at that. Unlike
this soft sissy junior, who can’t even be addressed as his opponent.

And here I thought how great you are but ended up you’re just a loser.

“Nong, your pink milk.”

Shit! I totally forgot about this!

The voice of the beverage stall owner startles Arthit and he sees the owner still holding the
cup of the said milky beverage in sweet pink color. When the owner hands him his order, his
face gradually turns pale. Panicked, he hurriedly denies.

“Hey P. I think you deliver to the wrong customer. I didn’t order this.”

“How can that be? This is your order, P didn’t mix up. How can P forget when this is what
you order from my stall every day.”

Arthit freezes. The last statement completely seals off any exit for him to create excuses to
escape. He could only awkwardly look at the junior opposite him and awkwardly reaching
out his hand to get his drink from the beverage stall owner.

“Here’s your iced coffee, Nong.”

“Thank you.”

Kongpob put his iced coffee on the table, place right next to Arthit’s pink milk. Arthit sees
the spark in his eyes that looks like a mock to him. Then Kongpob with a short, simple
sentence stabs deep to his heart.

“I just found out today that our Head Hazer, likes pink milk.”

“You!!”

Is the only word that Arthit is able to bring out from his mouth. As of now, he’s unable to
think of anything else to counterattack because he feels embarrassed. His face is being
thrown onto the ground and broke into pieces that, for a while, he’s unable to pick them up.

I’m screwed… The reputation that I worked so hard to build is all screwed. And to actually
messed it up over such a small matter. Although there’s no rule stating that a hazer liking
pink milk is a violation, but still... I like it just because pink milk is so deliciously sweet that it
makes me feel energetic. After going through a tough tiring day, I like ordering this to
replenish my energy. What’s the problem with that?

Arthit has this beverage stall that he frequently visits in the cafeteria. But recently he is being
restricted due to his hazer identity, so he chooses to endure throughout the whole freshmen
training. He fears that if he is seen by the first-year with pink milk, it’s going to demean his
cruel, brutal image.

Today counts as the unluckiest day of his entire life. The thing that he’s been afraid of
happening happened. Furthermore, he is seen by the one person that he dislikes the most.

DAMN!

The entangled resentment in Arthit’s heart is getting more suffocating, stuck in his chest. He
wanted so much to pour the pink milk to his head. Before he could move to action, another
voice is heard to break this atmosphere.

“Here’s your minced pork omelette with rice and your chicken basil rice.”
The aunty from stir-fried stall brings two fresh out of the wok dishes to their table. Arthit
reaches out to receive his plate of chicken basil rice when an idea suddenly flashes through
his brain. He quickly stops his junior sitting at the opposite from eating.

“Hold on, don’t start first.”

The spoonful of rice that Kongpob scooped, halts when he is preparing to put into his mouth.
He sees the senior opposite him clears his throat before speaking in a serious tone.

“As a senior, I want to give you another lesson. You do know every dish we eat is hard to
come by, don’t you?”

“I do.”

Kongpob nod s in response. Although he still couldn’t figure out, a siren keeps ringing in his
head warning him that Arthit must be taking another move. Sure enough, the answer is in
what Arthit says next.

“I would like you to show your appreciation to rice to me. Do you know the prayer before
eating?”

“Yes, I know.”

Arthit contains his laughter and at a slow pace, he puts his command out in front of Kongpob.

“Then please say it out loud and show me your gratitude to each grain of rice.”

Kongpob befuddles at his senior’s command as this is literally another prank, another
comeback of Arthit’s. Not to mention he is now in a crowded restaurant, anyone that
suddenly starts to read a prayer will surely attract the attention of everyone. Moreover, his
senior’s command requires him to read it out loud.

The person that gives out the order has zero mercy and instead presses him to hurry.

“Quickly! What are you waiting for? Or this is all the gratitude that you have?”

Arthit’s provocative eyes reflect his doubt whether this junior will do as per his command. In
less than a second, Kongpob makes his decision. With a deep breath, he then maximizes his
voice volume and continues.

“Every grain of rice, every dish of food, is valuable and not to be wasted. Starving people are
everywhere and many of them are young innocent children.”

*Obviously I do not know how the prayer goes, so this is mostly from the series and some
literal translation.

Everyone in the restaurant look towards the source of the voice. Some are baffled but most
are thinking who the hell is this insane person that chooses to read a prayer at this place, at
this hour to remind everyone to be compassionate towards the children that are starving.
After listening to Kongpob, they feel like they were indirectly scolded by him. There are a
few of them that are whispering to each other and are not very happy with the disturbance
Kongpob brings with his sudden action. No one understands that he is actually really sincere
in his prayer, in his appreciation to the rice.

Arthit is the only one laughing up his sleeves, secretly celebrating his success in retaliating
against the scene earlier that had him lost his face. But his wicked ideas did not stop just
there, at a snap, he pulls over the plate of rice that the junior is preparing to consume.

“Hold it, this plate is yours.”

His omelette rice is replaced by his senior’s chicken basil rice and Kongpob is full of
question marks on his head.

“Why would you switch your food with me?”

“For your gratitude towards the rice, I hope you could make the most out of it. You see, this
plate is not only filled with chicken and basil but also a fried egg so it can feed you full.
Why? Are you saying that you are rejecting my kindness?”

His senior’s goodwill appears once in a blue moon, and it is with a weird kind of feeling
stirring up in Kongpob. But he still has no right to refuse hence he accepts the meal that was
originally his senior’s. Not saying another word, he feeds himself with the plate of chicken
basil rice.

To Kongpob, it didn’t matter if he didn’t get his omelette for a day. He’s not that picky when
it comes to food. Needless to mention that the plate of chicken basil rice is more than enough
for him, and he couldn’t believe that Arthit would exchange it with his meal. What’s even
more surprising is that Arthit actually makes small talk with him in a kind expression.

“Is it good?”

“It is.”

“Really? But I think the taste that aunty made is a little bland. Let me help you spice it up a
bit.”

Having finished his sentence, the kind-hearted senior conveniently opens up the can of *chili
fish sauce. He obviously did not care about the state of health of the other person is in and
also the fish sauce in the can because he scoops only two full tablespoons of chili without the
fish sauce and voila. From chicken basil rice to chili fried rice in just three seconds.

*I’m not sure what is the English name for the sauce, so this is the literal translation.

“Enjoy your meal.”

That sentence is in a gentle tone you will rarely hear from the Head Hazer. However,
Kongpob feels that it is several times more terrifying than his usual ruthless swears at him, at
the first-years.
Kongpob then realizes that he is being bullied. From the amount of chili on his plate, this is
indeed the most serious attack since the beginning of his term up to now. He can only silently
bear the joke that his fate brings to him.

For a person that doesn’t take spicy, Kongpob takes a spoonful of the rice and hesitates, but
he wants to end this soonest possible. So, with his eyes closed, and his mouth opens, he
shoves that spoonful into his mouth.

With just the first scoop, the spiciness at the tip of his tongue is transmitted to his brain at the
fastest speed. Not waiting for another second to pass, he immediately reaches for his iced
coffee, takes off the lid and gulps it down. His whole mouth and tongue are numb, and tears
are escaping.

Arthit is the exact opposite of Kongpob. He is leisurely eating the omelette rice, drinking his
pink milk and from time to time, he uses the corner of his eye to peek at the other person that
is taking a spoonful of rice with a mouthful of iced coffee. He is loving every bit of the bully.

Yes, Arthit does admit that he is deliberately trying to pick on this guy. Though it seems
inappropriate for him to be abusing his authority as a Head Hazer, but he had warned
beforehand, that the standpoint between his and this guy will remain unchanged. All the more
when this guy is the person who dares to challenge the hazers.

Not forgetting the last time, he was spouting nonsense asking why Arthit is deliberately
targeting himself to pick on. Hence all the actions Arthit did now to prove.

Prove that Arthit’s picking on him is only for the sake of fun.

Ring Ring—

The ringing phone in his pocket intervenes his train of thoughts. Arthit looks at the caller’s
name displayed on the screen and taps on the ‘answer’ button, “Hello, yes… I’m having my
dinner… What? I’ll be there in a flash! Yes, I’m coming now!”

After he hangs up, he finishes the last few spoons of rice and stands up preparing to leave.
Before he walks off, he turns back to remind the junior, “I’m taking off and you have to
finish every single thing on the plate. Don’t forget the prayer you did earlier expressing your
gratitude.”

The Head Hazer walks off without turning back after throwing a warning at Kongpob,
leaving him to continue his battle with his half-eaten dinner.

After confirming Arthit is totally out of sight, Kongpob finally lets out a breath of relief. It’s
not like Kongpob did not see it coming, to be picked on by Arthit. But he still chooses to play
with fire. In fact, he really wants to hate him, but he is unable to bring himself to do so.

Probably because he is the one who started it, so him being in the position of the Head
Hazer’s target to seek revenge from, is just as normal.
Kongpob looks down at the chicken basil rice that is now flooded with chili. Truth to be told,
it’s obviously ok for him to throws this away now since the chances of Arthit coming back to
check on him are close to none.

But in the end, he sticks to the promise he made and continues to force-fed himself to finish
that awfully spicy dish. By the time he finishes, his entire mouth is red and swollen like a
sausage. He feels that his mouth is not his right now.

“Aunty, can I have the bill please?”

Kongpob stops the aunty who is passing him by to deliver the meal to other customers. But
aunty gives Kongpob a confused look then says something that stuns him.

“Oh, the man who shared the table with you earlier had paid for you.”

The person who shared the table with him earlier had paid?

Since the beginning, he has only shared the table with one person only. Which means…

He promptly stops his thought, stands up, leaves the stir-fried stall and walks over to the
beverage stall. He asks the owner for the bill for his iced coffee in which he receives a reply.

“Oh, you don’t need to. The person who ordered the pink milk had settled your bill.”

The same sentence the aunty had told him. They somehow clear off some questions that
Kongpob was having in his head. He originally wanted to order a drink to chase off the
burning sensation in his mouth, but he is now being reminded of someone after hearing those
replies and changes his mind.

“Then please give me another cup of pink milk.”

It didn’t take too long for a cup of pink milk to reach Kongpob’s hand. After paying, he takes
a sip of the pink-colored drink.

As he thought, this totally did not help in reducing the burn in his mouth but at least he
notices the reason why he’s unable to bring himself to hate that person.

Perhaps it’s because he always loses to this sweet feeling, he has inside.
Special Chapter 1 – 10 Changes After Arthit Becomes the Head
Hazer

One – Alarm Clock

Arthit is (very) good at oversleeping.

Usually, if there’s no morning lecture for Arthit, he would sleep all the way to noon. If
anyone wakes him up halfway, don’t expect a good attitude from him for the whole day.

But after he holds the post of being a hazer, he has to wake up early to prepare for the
freshmen training. It doesn’t matter how early or late that they required the first-years to
gather, he still has to reach earlier than that to do the preparations. Thus, he had gone out of
his way to get one more alarm clock, setting it to ring every two minutes just in case it’s only
able to wake a finger up (to hit the off button).

In the end, it did not work as he planned. Because he still ends up depending on his friends to
keep morning call him to have him reluctantly separating himself from his pillow, waking up
with a super long face, every single time. Since he dreaded waking up so early for it.

As long as the first-years are scheduled with morning training, don’t be surprised if you see
the face of the Head Hazer is three times worse than usual, having fierce eyes like he could
just kill you on the spot, with his gaze, anytime.

Do show your compassion as this is the tragic result of an ineffective alarm clock that is
unable to wake the sleepyhead Arthit up.

Two – Pink Milk

Arthit really loves his pink milk.

The fragrant, sweet, and pink-colored of his favorite drink.

And less mention, it totally does not match his cruel and merciless hazer image. He looks
more suited with a cup of black without sugar, the kind that you will *serve to a prisoner in
jail.

*Serves as a punishment, I guess. Chinese version did not fully explain.

He fully understands that being a man who likes drinking pink milk, just the picture itself is
strange enough. In any case, Arthit still loves it. If he is to be served any food with a cup of
pink milk, its effect is similar to the energy drink, much like Red Bull. Works well, especially
when he’s tired to the bone.
Because of this, each time Arthit walks into the restaurant, he has to be aware and keeps
reminding himself to hold back to avoid ordering pink milk accidentally.

Although Arthit’s been frequently asked at recently from the owner of the beverage stall, why
is it different from the one he usually orders, he has to pretend and answers that he just
wanted to switch around trying out different drinks. After answering, he will proceed to get a
bottle of mineral water just to protect the ruthless image of a hazer.

Arthit secretly vows in his heart that after all these freshmen training ends, he’s going to
replace water with pink milk, taking them thrice a day after each meal. Just to make it up for
the lost during the training.

Three - *Peony Throat Lozenges

*Peony being the brand name.

Arthit hates Peony throat candy.

He likes everything that’s sweet; hence he hates everything that’s bitter. Among those,
includes Peony throat lozenges that are supposed to help moisten his throat.

Since Arthit often yells at the juniors, he has to take extra care of his throat because it’s
definitely detrimental to a hazer’s dignity if he uses a hoarse voice to conduct hazing
activities.

The throat lozenges become an emergency savior for every hazer, but Arthit will try his best
to avoid it if possible. He has been getting the crew from public relations to prepare honey
lemon tea at all times. But then again, preparing the honey lemon tea requires a lot of steps
and is a very complicated job which very few of them are willing to do.

Arthit ends up having to endure the bitter taste of Peony throat lozenge. After each training,
he forces himself to swallow one Peony throat lozenge then takes another candy to clear the
bitterness lingering in his mouth. This is why he always has a few candies prepared in his
pocket.

In fact, he understands that the candies too have the effect of demeaning his hazer image, but
as long as he remembers not to take it out in front of the juniors, it should not be a big
problem.

Four – Sports

Arthit is never the boy with a sunny personality.

It is rare for Arthit to be taking exercises seriously. During his leisure time, he’d prefer to be
in his room, having the fan turned on with his comic in hand over playing football in the
field. Even though he is able to play almost all kinds of sports, he’ll choose indoors over
outdoors if given a choice.

He’s not the kind who is keen on looking good or is afraid of the sun. He just believes that
the sun in Thailand nowadays has the ability to roast a raw chicken thoroughly. He simply
does not want to turn into a running roasted chicken on the field under 40 degrees of burning
temperature.

However, after becoming a hazer, he has to go through the same level of training as the
soldiers did before they go to the battlefield.

It is very common for them to be running around the outdoor at noon. Because before the
hazers give out any command to punish the first-years, they have to experiment with the
commands first to make sure that the orders are within their ability. Whether it’s the squat up,
the squat jumps even the spinning circles head down; he has experienced them all first-hand
during the training for hazer. He even goes for swimming practices in order to strengthen his
lung capacity for those fierce, mighty roars.

All of these extreme exercises resulting in Arthit’s weight being reduced by 5kg. With firmer
muscles, his body obviously looks much better overall, and his friends can’t help but throw
compliments at him.

He knows that doing sports brings him a lot of good changes, but if he is to choose again,
he’ll still insist that he really isn't fond of sports.

Five – Beard

Arthit dislikes the idea of keeping a beard.

He doesn’t like the prickling feeling when he touches his face. The beard that grows from his
chin looks unsightly, and it makes his face looks weird too.

However, all of his friends force him to grow one, so he will look older. After all, he does
look baby faced when he has no beard, and it’ll have the first-years see him as their peer
instead of their senior.

That includes his hair that grows all the way to his nape to enhance the hazer’s cold, brutal
impression further. But to be honest, it feels so stuffy that he thought of going straight to the
barber to shave them clean.

Of course, he is once again stopped by his friends for the reason that the bald head will also
do damage to the hazer’s image.

Arthit is often seen impatiently searching for a rubber band to hold his hair in. And the razors
in his room are all hidden to avoid him accidentally shaves off all his beard in his semi-
conscious state during his morning shower.

Six – Classroom

Arthit is not a top student, but his results are not too bad as well.

Or should we say moderate. When he feels a slight of guilt, he will attend to his lectures;
when he feels too lazy to move, he’ll skip them like most university students do.

But after holding the post, there is this essential rule that he must obey. That is, you are free
to participate in any activity, but you must not miss lectures, especially those of your major,
your department. There will not be any special accommodation provided for those who are
absent from lectures. Those who can’t do it will be reported to the dean and will be removed
from attending future activities.

Therefore, being the person who is holding the Head Hazer post, regardless of how late the
freshmen training a day before ended, he still has to drag his body to the classroom the next
day so that it would not harm his position.

However, though he attends, don’t even expect that he will pay attention during the lectures.
In truth, he’s just sitting, posing like he’s listening; however, his soul already went out from
his body wandering around *ZhouGong. He has to rely on his friends to cram with him after;
hence, his result that is barely above borderline.

*There’s a saying in Chinese that if you’re sleepy, you’ll go look for ZhouGong.

At the end of each exam, if someone asks Arthit what did he learned for his subjects, he has
only one sentence to summarize all of his responses – don’t ask, it’s terrifying!

Seven – Bicycle

All asset under Arthit’s name is a total of one bicycle.

It’s not an ordinary bicycle; it’s a classic black bicycle in the early days. In his eyes, it’s a
super cool ‘iron horse.’ Usually, he will ride his bicycle from his dorm to the university
because the university covers a large area, and there are trees everywhere, easing the
atmosphere.

Whenever Arthit has free time, he would leisurely ride his bicycle around, feeling the cool
breeze against his skin, enjoying the birds flying around, flowers blooming beautifully along
the roadside. This also acts as a way for him to de-stress. But if a hazer is seen by the first-
years enjoying plants and the view as such, the contrast would also do damage to the hazer’s
name.

Hence for the time being, whether he’s going to his lectures or out to run his errands, Arthit
relies on his friends to give him a ride on their bike. It is to a point where his friends start to
discuss if they should raise a fund to get him a bike so that he won’t bother them again as
they couldn’t take it anymore.

Arthit is, of course, more than happy to accept this windfall; however, he doesn’t plan to get a
bike as his friends wish. He has been thinking of bidding for another classic bicycle, adding it
to his collection.

Well, can’t blame him for his love for bicycles.

Eight – A Woman’s Tears

Arthit always loses to woman’s tears. Always!

It doesn’t matter what kind of woman he’s hopeless once tears are involved. There are times
when he needs to shout at the female juniors during the freshmen training, and when the
junior’s tears fall to the ground, it’s as if Arthit’s heart follows and hits the ground as well,
guilt rising in his heart. He so wants to comfort the crying junior, but he can’t; forcing
himself to stay stern and firm. He could only respond to the tears with fierce eyes, chanting
‘don’t look, don’t care’ in his mind.

At the end of each training, he always reflects if he has overdone it. He is worried that after
the freshmen training ends, there will be no junior that dares to approach him. He had heard
that hazers are usually very popular among the female juniors to be crushing on them,
although still scary in the eyes of some.

But judging by what Arthit is going through right now, it’s the total opposite of what he had
heard. Not only did he not have any female juniors crushing on him, they even keep so much
distance with him, just like how people fled when they see a ghost.

Arthit comes up with a conclusion in the end. He doesn’t hold onto the belief that his
previous seniors told him anymore, that he will have better luck with women after being a
hazer.

Now, he feels like he has been baited into being a hazer.

Nine – Circle of Friends

Arthit is a people person.

He is always the cheerful kind of person who likes playing around with his bunch of friends.
Anyone can ask him to hang out, which he will gladly agree, regardless of whether they are
in his department or not. But never had he ever thought in his life that one day, these people
would turn into a massive problem when he becomes a hazer.

Although everyone knows about his current position, they still can’t help but wanting to
prank on him. In a few previous occasions where the juniors were present, they deliberately
made funny faces in a distance, with all their might just to make Arthit laugh.

This, without a doubt, becomes a huge problem when he needs to be all serious and jokes
aside. Whenever he sees his friends, he can only swallow it in first, then find a chance to hide
and laugh it out.

Arthit had repeatedly reminded them not to do so and even had times where he called and
yelled at them over the phone right away, but he still doesn’t get why they never listen to him
after all the yelling and scolding.

And so, this tragic result falls upon his shoulder once again. In addition to dealing with
the first-years, he also has to find ways to handle his own group of friends.

Ten – 0062, Kongpob

Arthit wants to be a good hazer.

He is crystal clear that the identity of a hazer will definitely bring negative comments that
will attack him vigorously. Nevertheless, he still wants to complete this task with all the best
that he has. From communicating with reasons, accurately controls his emotions to
arrangements in various activities, all these just to motivate the cohesiveness in the juniors.

However, due to the appearance of one unpredictable person, all the plans are burned into
ashes.

0062, Kongpob!

During the very first freshmen training, Kongpob was the one that jumped out from the group
and challenged the seniors. Often the words that he said got on Arthit’s nerve so much that he
almost lost his rationality, forgetting his head hazer identity.

Arthit doesn’t like the habit of Kongpob, who loves to play hero and always jumping out to
shield his fellow friends from punishments. Though he loves the idea of *killing the chicken
to warn the monkey, he keeps dropping orders worse than the last, hoping this could stop
Kongpob from being heroic all the time. But the other party doesn’t seem to mind at all,
which riles him up even more.

*It’s a Chinese proverb which means punish an individual as an example to others.

It feels like he is losing to his junior’s firm determination.

What he hates most is the eyes that Kongpob gives every time he looks at Arthit, there’s a
flash of light within that seems to be hiding something.

Arthit didn’t know what it was, and he doesn’t want to care as well as long as he still holds
the authority, whether or not to approve the juniors to receive the gear badge along with the
department flag. He believes that one day he will take this person down.
Every time there’s freshmen training ongoing, he must work hard to use all his focus on the
tasks he has to carry out. In case he accidentally sees that one person among the group and in
case that one person decides to flip out and go against him again, he’d be able to react in
time.

And it’s also because of this, although Arthit does not want to admit, he couldn’t deny the
fact that during his tenure as a hazer, the first-year that made him paid most attention to, that
makes him most unforgettable…

Is Kongpob.
 Special Chapter 2 – A Day of Kongpob’s

06:00 – Wake Up

Kongpob is used to getting up early. Most of the time, when the clock hits a little before
6AM, his body will automatically wake up. He was trained by his mother since young to
wake up early every morning to do offerings to Buddha, which then cultivated into a habit.

No matter how late he slept the night before, once the clock reaches 6AM, his body will be
awake automatically, and he is unable to go back to sleep.

Every morning, Kongpob likes riding his bike to search for food in the morning market, like
soymilk, deep-fried dough stick, congee. When he finds a stall that serves delicious meals, he
will gradually become a regular. Other times if he wakes up earlier than usual, he would get
some vegetarian breakfast for the monks nearby who are begging for alms.

He believes that breakfast is an indispensable meal because it’s the source of energy that
starts up your day. So Kongpob is a breakfast person without exception; to him, this counts as
preparing himself to the start of a new day.

07:00 – Shower, Dress Up for Class

Kongpob is used to watching the morning news on TV while ironing his uniform; he watches
them all the way from political news to the economy, the stock market to the international
news along with some entertainment news. If he feels bored with that day’s news, he will
switch his channel to CNN to watch foreign news. Lucky for him that his dorm has cable TV.

Kongpob usually does his things slowly, unhurriedly because he has plenty of time. But
there’s one thing that he will always leave it until he’s almost leaving his dorm to do, and that
is to put on his tie.

Truth is he doesn’t like wearing a tie, nor did he care about the uniform. To him, a student’s
aspiration to knowledge shouldn’t be distinguished based on uniforms; but he is also aware
that knowledge is not to mix with responsibility. He’s willing to abide by the set of rules to
show his sense of responsibility as a first-year in the faculty of Engineering

Though reluctantly, he’ll still insist himself that when he wears his uniform, he will properly
put on his tie. He’s looking forward to the day when he could rid of these ties, hoping to
change into the formal shirt as soon as possible.

08:00 – Arrived at University

He goes to the classroom in the faculty of Arts building since he’s having an English lecture
at 8:30 in the morning. Along comes a female senior from another faculty asking for his
name and Facebook account, which he easily gives out without telling her that he rarely goes
on to his Facebook.

Kongpob occasionally goes on to social networking sites. He had created an account for Line,
Twitter, Google+ but only hop on sometimes. He would always prefer communicating
through phone calls over messages for important matters so as to avoid mistakes like
miscommunication. The efficiency is also better as he doesn’t have to waste time waiting for
the other party to type and reply. And a few times, he doesn’t even get the meaning of the
stickers that they sent.

Therefore, his peers, friends will not look for him through social channels. They had even
classified him into the ‘seen without reply’ blacklist group. Owning an iPhone but not
making the best use out of it, his friends even suggested him to sell away his iPhone and get a
Nokia 3310.

Well that, Kongpob is seriously considering it…

08:30 – The First Lecture Begins

He is sitting at the back of the classroom with another guy he’s acquainted with when
someone brings in the news through the grapevine, that the required course later that
afternoon will have to select a representative from the Engineering faculty.

His best friend M pushes him to sign up for it to which Kongpob rejects with his head
shaking intensely. He doesn’t want to add a burden to his life; he just wants to spend the four
years of his university in peace like everyone else. But his peers sitting around join forces
trying to instigate him; hence, he has to talk tough.

—— Whoever that votes for him, he will get even with them afterward.

10:25 – Appointment with Direct Senior After Class

On the second day of their freshmen training, the department had already published the list of
direct members because the first-years would need help from their direct senior to provide
them with the textbooks that had been passing down year by year. However, Kongpob’s
direct senior was out in the United States for student exchange during that time, so he had
bought part of the textbooks and handouts to use first.

His direct senior contacted him earlier to pick up the things. After his class, he goes straight
to the marble table area located on the ground floor of the Engineering department building.
This is the first time he’s met with his *direct senior of second-year.

*They have a direct senior from each year.

P’Ple is a beautiful lady of Chinese descent. She has a hot figure and is a member of the
cheerleader club, but her interaction with Kongpob is of a very cordial attitude, definitely not
bound by her image and contrast of the aura she gives out.

When he arrives at the designated location, the scene of P’Ple holding a large cardboard box,
fully filled by textbooks and handouts, shocks him entirely. This senior of his senses
something from his reaction and quickly voice out to explain.

“Haha, it’s not just mine in the box. These are all the things that were left by our direct
seniors. You have a look and keep all that you need. The rest will be kept for the 0062 ID
juniors that join later. Oh right, I almost forgot about the souvenir! I’m not sure about your
flavor, so I’ve picked a few, and if you can’t finish them, you can share them with your
friends.”

A large bag of snacks makes its grand appearance on the table once P’Ple finishes her
sentence. Kongpob notices the ‘Duty-Free’ lettering on the bag. He guessed that P’Ple must
have bought them at the duty-free shop at the airport from her returned trip. With the amount
that she had bought, even if it’s tax- free, it must have cost a lot.

Kongpob quickly *wai at P’Ple as a sign to express his thanks. But P’Ple shoos it off saying it
was a compensation for her being so late to welcome her junior. They chatted for a while
before they leave for their respective class, not forgetting to exchange numbers. P’Ple
mentions she would contact him again for the gathering of 0062 ID family, introducing him
to his third and fourth-year seniors.

*Wai is a sign of respect, saying thanks or in a lot of other occasions.

After seeing P’Ple off to her class, Kongpob picks up the books in the carton and flips
through them. The outer layer of some books has visible traces of years, but in them are filled
with various essences like handwritings, notes sketches, and occasional graffiti to chase
boredom away.

Regardless of whether it’s the textbook or the handout, the common denominator is that the
cover of each of them has ‘ID 0062’ clearly written on.

He sees that the English textbook is the exact same as per the one in his English lecture in the
morning, and he silently plans that he is going to change into this textbook instead for his
next English lecture next week.

10:45 – Arrangement of Photoshoot for Faculty Star

P’Minnie called him yesterday to make arrangements for a photoshoot. There is another girl,
Praepailin, who is in the same faculty as his but different departments that participated for
Faculty Star.

Most faculty let the freshmen vote for the person to participate in the contest; however, for
the representatives of the Engineering faculty, they will be selected by their seniors. Because
there are over 1,000 first-years, therefore, the work of bringing everyone together just to vote
for the representatives is twice as hard. Hence the seniors leave it to each department to pick
a representative, and from there, the seniors will select the most suitable one to participate.

And this is how Kongpob got here.

During the photoshoot, a short interview and some necessary personal information are
needed. Basically, about the feeling of being chosen for the contest. These will be put onto
the website of the selection activity. The result from the whole university students’ vote will
be announced on the *‘Freshy Night’ holds on the celebration day of the university’s
anniversary.

*I believe all of you know Freshy Night. No correct trans for this, so I used the one from the
series.

Honestly, Kongpob has no interest in Campus Moon or whatsoever. However, P’Minnie

seems to have put all her hopes on him and has specifically stated that he must be fully
prepared for the talent show on the day of the finals. This makes Kongpob very nerve-
wracking because even he doesn’t know what talent he possesses.

If it isn’t for the sorry feeling he has if he disappoints P’Minnie and the photographer who
had finished taking his photos, Kongpob would very much love to quit the list.

12:00 – Lunch Break

Kongpob goes to lunch with around ten of his friends. This group became familiar with each
other since the beginning of the term, so no matter where they go, it’s always the whole
group. From the looks of it, they are like some badass kids getting ready to kick someone’s
ass and got teased by their other peers by giving their group the ‘Badass Gang’ honor.

But in fact, they are all easy going and light-minded. Every one of them is of a comedian
personality. And because of the similar nature, that’s why their group become good friends
almost instantly.

Having that said, no matter how much of a badass they look, they are still much better than
the group of third-years in hazing uniform in the faculty of Engineering. When they go for
their lunch break, they will all come together in a group as well. Although the number of
members of these two parties is similar, the level of viciousness is far less than that of the
seniors.

When the seniors step into the cafeteria, the first-years would automatically stand up and wai
at them politely to show respect. Among them, some will nod at them lightly in response
while some pretend they didn’t see.

The Head Hazer is among the ones that pretend. When Kongpob wai at him showing his
respect, the said senior doesn’t even bat an eyelid. He pulls this long face, sees past them like
they’re invisible, treats them like the air.
So, when the group of hazing seniors turn and leave, it’s not surprising that many of them
would talk badly about them behind their backs. Although Kongpob doesn’t like being
treated this way, he refuses to grumble about it. Because deep down, he understands that as
long as they have not won over the department flag and gear badge, the hazing crew has
every single right to treat them as strangers instead of one of their own.

13:00 – Attends Afternoon Class

In the large lecture hall, the entire faculty of Engineering are attending the lecture together.
Before the professor starts the lecture, someone goes up the stage to inform that they need to
pick a class representative from each year before today’s lecture ends, precisely the same
news they heard this morning.

Kongpob finds a few of his friends are whispering to each other and looking at his direction
from time to time. It seems to him that they want to play a joke on him and nominate him on
purpose while the peers on his left-right crying out for Kongpob to take on the position, being
completely ignorant about his warning to them earlier.

Without a choice, he uses the snacks he received from his senior to solve the problem by
stuffing their mouth with it so they would shut up. He sighs impatiently, unable to
concentrate during the lecture due to his brain keeps repeating the issue over and over…
maybe the best way is that he sneaks away for his escape before the lecture ends.

15:30 – Being Nominated as First-Year Representative

He ended up staying through the whole lecture. Not only that, he is being nominated after all.
Though not by his friends, some other peers from the same department. Kongpob refuses
profusely, telling them that there are other more suitable candidates. Furthermore, he’s not
ready to take on such a heavy responsibility onto his shoulder.

His reason and attitude of refusal are so strong that everyone decides to choose someone else,
and thus, Kongpob finally managed to narrowly escape this burden.

In the end, one student of the Civil Engineering department gets the honor to be the
representative of the faculty of Engineering.

After the voting is over, everyone starts to leave the lecture hall, respectively. Especially
Kongpob who is now in a rush to ride his bike back to his dorm in order to change into the
uniform for freshmen training because today at 4PM,

…Is the time for the freshmen training of the Industrial Engineering department.

16:10 – Freshmen Training

A lot of them are late to the freshmen training venue due to the ten minutes delay caused by
the voting of representative in the earlier lecture. But to the hazing crew that is already at the
scene way before, this couldn’t be accepted as a reason. They have long prepared punishment
for the first-years.

Those that reach first lined up in a row, standing side by side with their hands on their
friends’ shoulder doing sit and stand until everyone turns up.

By the time the hazing crew is satisfied and gets them to stop, the first-years had done nearly
200 sit and stand. They then go into the process of reciting the spirit of SOTUS repeatedly:
Seniority, Order, Tradition, Unity, and Spirit.

As a matter of fact, Kongpob is decidedly against the SOTUS system before entering
university. He believes that one should not use the means of force or take advantage of
another’s fear to gain respect from them.

There’s also this hazer system, which trains the first-years as they would in the military. In
addition to it, the hazing crew uses a lot of rude languages, pressing on them and creating lots
of other situations that make many of them are unable to bear.

But through this activity full of negativities, there are good points that deserve to be learned.
At least the system got him to get to know new people, make new friends, experience unity,
and see the resilience and spirit of his own year.

Each time Kongpob managed to prove himself and got recognized by the seniors, he feels
very honored to be one of them from the faculty of Engineering from the bottom of his heart.

This is the main reason why Kongpob continues to take part in the training. Even if he knew
he would be mainly targeted at, he still chooses not to be absent. Not to mention his sudden
decision to collide with the system on his first day due to his struggle to accept this system.
He didn’t think it through before acting on impulse with such behavior, and as a result, he got
the hazing crew to lose face on the spot and got punishments that are much heavier than the
others in return.

However, there is one thing that Kongpob can’t figure out. He always feels that the Head
Hazer, P’Arthit, often looks at him with an unhappy expression.

And since Kongpob has not done anything wrong, he would always return Arthit’s gaze, not
avoiding at all. Until the other party decides to give up, switching his gaze to any other
direction but him and lets out another impatient face then unreasonably penalize the first-
years again.

While Kongpob still has no power to stand against.

Although he doesn’t understand, he still has to continue to keep his head down and comply
with the commands to the end.
18:00 – End of Freshmen Training

Some vigorous male peers look for Kongpob to join them for a game of football, which he
agrees to. Even his body is visibly tired from all the training conducted earlier; he is still able
to hold up for a game. When they’ve finished a game, Kongpob’s body is soaked with
sweats, and he looks like someone that just got out of the pool.

He doesn’t mind one bit about it as he takes it as an exercise to strengthen his body. It's also
one way to build enough strength to withstand the hazer’s punishment in the future.

After the game, Kongpob rides his bike back to his dorm. Along the way, he would stop by
the rental shop he frequents to rent two or three movies.

Upon returning to his room, he would change out of his uniform and soak them in a bin to
wash them after his dinner because he has to wear this uniform every two days; hence it
couldn’t wait until laundry day.

Putting on a typical T-shirt and shorts, he heads out to get dinner.

19:30 – Dinner Time

The foods served by the restaurant beside the dorm are delicious and of a reasonable price,
which attracts Kongpob to become a regular. The business of this restaurant is booming, and
most of the customers are students from the same university.

Because of his inability to take spicy, he orders a simple meal, fried pork with rice, and goes
to the seat located furthest inside.

He took only three bites after his meal was served when a particular someone at the
restaurant entrance attracts his attention.

“Aunty, what’s good today?”

The familiar voice piques Kongpob’s curiosity to lift his head and bow back down almost
immediately after a glace because the owner of the voice is none other than the one that just
hazed them that evening——P’Arthit, the Head Hazer.

It seems that that person did not notice him being in the same restaurant as his vocal tone
with the aunty remains playful, so Kongpob decides to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Then… What you feel like eating today?”

“Anything is fine. It’s delicious as long as you’re the one who cooked it. I’ll leave it to you.”

“How about stir-fried pasta?”

“Wow, aunty going international now? Sure thing, I’ll have one of that, takeaway. I’m
bringing it back to my dorm. I’ll go get a drink and come back for it later.”
After he orders everything in one breath, he comfortably walks over to the beverage store
next door and soon reappears with a cup of pink milk on his hand. While waiting for his
pasta, he took sips from his pink milk.

“Aunty, how much is mine? 35? Here’s 40. Tips, tips. You can give me more rice the next
time I come.” Arthit says as he pays for his takeaway.

It’s a rare sight to see the Head Hazer with such lively laughter and playful appearance. This
golden opportunity doesn’t come by often; hence Kongpob is so lost in thoughts while
looking at this scene but quickly gets his head down again once he snaps out of it, thinking
how bad it would be if he got discovered.

However, today, the goddess of luck is on Kongpob’s side as the Head Hazer leaves straight
away after picking up his food. He is not going to get any punishment, which he’s relieved.

He now has a new discovery.

So, the Head Hazer can actually speak normally, and his voice sounds cheerful too. A polar
opposite of how he portrays himself during the freshmen training, with only piercing roaring
all around.

There’s one more thing that he is quite sure of; this Head Hazer really has an undying love
towards pink milk.

19:45 – Assignments

After completing his assignments, he set the rented movies into the player to watch it.

He could actually have them downloaded from the internet, but to him, he’d prefer to support
legally through the copyrighted disc. And if he happens to come across a movie that he really
likes, he will buy the DVD to keep as a collection. He especially likes those non-mainstream
films, which is a rare gem to find or download from online sources.

He also prefers watching it on the TV screen than that pathetically small computer screen.
The picture is relatively large, being the closest to the enjoyment feeling of watching it in the
cinema. He usually goes to the cinema when there are new movies being released —
sometimes tagging his friends along, occasionally alone. You can say that he would choose
movies over dramas in a heartbeat.

Regardless of the other things, whether it’s the assignments piling up begging to be done or
game invitations by his best friend, he would put all aside for two hours to indulge in the plot
of the movie.

21:30 – Movie Ends

He gives his body a stretch to loosen his tensed muscle then heads to the shower to clean
himself up. He is hanging his towel to dry at the balcony when the sliding door of the room in
the opposite dorm slides open, revealing a person walking to the balcony.

Kongpob turns and flashes back into his room, secretly observing the person through the gap
between two drawn curtains… The one that he saw in the restaurant today, is now holding a
laundry basket on his hand, preparing to hang his freshly washed laundry.

Yup, Kongpob has known this for a while now, that the Head Hazer P’Arthit’s dorm is only
15 meters away from his and what’s even more surprising is that both of them live on the
sixth floor and their rooms are the exact opposite of each other but in different dorm
buildings.

He has seen the Head Hazer before, drying his laundry at the balcony like today. When he
saw him for the first time, he was unsure if it was really the Head Hazer, and after a few
observations, he concluded that it is P’Arthit after all. So, he has to hide before being found
by the Head Hazer and only stealing glances at him.

Kongpob is neither a peeping tom nor is he a psychotic. The reason why he would peek at the
Head Hazer is entirely due to his expressions that Kongpob has never seen before.

Just like now, who will dry their laundry at 9PM? Yet look ing so focus in the midst of it.
When he bends down to reach for the clothes in the basket, his hair fell to the side of his
cheek, and he is getting irritated by it. At last, he couldn’t stand it much longer that he ran
back into his room.

The next time he returns to the balcony, he had his hair tied into a super tiny ponytail at the
back while those at his forehead got clipped up by a clothespin since they’re too short to be
tied. He goes back to drying the clothes once he feels satisfied.

He has not finish hanging them when he realizes there aren’t enough clothespins, and he
needs to remove the one on his head. His hair ends up intertwine with the clothespin, and the
more he tries to undo it; the worse the tangle gets.

Kongpob couldn’t help but snicker at the scene. The person living directly opposite him
shows an angry look, patiently untangles the clip from his hair so that it doesn’t hurt and
finally taking it down after much effort. He shows a face of victory, continues with his
laundry then happily head back in after he’s done.

Little did he know… That the entire process is witnessed by Kongpob with a smile plastered
on his face.

22:30 – Bedtime

Kongpob has his head on the pillow, but he’s fully awake. He has been turning and tossing
for an hour or so now, but still, no sign of sleep came to him. The blame may be on the cup of
coffee he took earlier that evening, or it may be due to other reasons, not any that he knows
of.

He decides to get up from his bed when the clock hits 23:30, pulling his drawer open to
retrieve the cigarette and lighter inside then proceeds to the balcony. He takes a deep breath
after lighting up the cigarette then exhale out the grey smoke, thinning out in the air.

Kongpob is a metropolis for drinking, smoking, etc. But he only does this when he wants to
integrate into the group or when he needs a breather. He understands that it’s going to
jeopardize his health, but in this way, he could cut down some messy thoughts going through
his mind.

He moves his eyes to the room opposite. Through the light that is escaping from the gap of
the curtains tells him that the owner of that room has not gone to sleep yet. Kongpob wants to
know what that person is doing right now. Writing his report or watching a movie? Surfing
the net? On the phone with his girlfriend?

The last hypothesis tightens his chest. The strange feeling makes him took another breath of
the cigarette. Why the hell did he care if that person has a girlfriend? Is it because he’s too
lonely that he’s starting to think of all the nonsense?

Before he can make another hypothesis, the sliding door of the opposite room slides to the
side, and a figure comes out. Kongpob quickly hides, making use of the darkness around then
slowly raise his head up to peek.

From here, he sees that person comes out with a towel. The wet hair indicating that he just
came out from the shower, mumbling beneath his mouth, looking in all good mood. Kongpob
heard the faint humming of a song, drifting along with the almost midnight breeze. Soon
after, that person disappears from his sight; the light behind the curtains goes out.

Looking at the room that is now covered in darkness, Kongpob stands up from his hiding
place.

It is exactly because of this that he dared not let the other party knows that he’s living in the
exact opposite room. Cause if he knew, Kongpob will definitely no longer be able to see his
most natural, relaxed patterns. The look that is entirely different from the one that he displays
during freshmen training.

Kongpob puts out his cigarette on the low wall at the balcony and throws the butt to the trash
can prior to turning back, returning to where his bed is. By now, he’s starting to feel the
drowsiness kicking in, and before closing his eyes, he recalls the person in the opposite room.

That person should be fast asleep now, yet Kongpob still hopes that this last sentence that
he’s going to say for the day can be sent over to the older’s ears.

24:00
*Sweet dreams, P’Arthit.

*Thai usually says sweet dream (Fun dee na krub/ka) instead of goodnight.
 Proving Your Ability to the Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

*“The chicken is being grilled; the chicken is being grilled. It gets skewered. Ouch! It gets
skewered. Ouch! Skewered on its left cheek, skewered on its right cheek. The flame is so hot.
Really hot, really really hot!”

*Thailand famous activity song <Grilled Chicken Song> which I believe you should know
by now :P

This fun atmosphere and lively scene will only appear when it’s the entertainment crew
guiding the first-years.

With all of them jumping and dancing around, releasing the enthusiasm and energy from
within. At the same time, relieving themselves from the stresses the hazing crew were
pressing onto them earlier. They had been ordered to *sit on an imaginary chair for 5 minutes
long, numbing all the muscles at their legs.

*It can be called the wall sit exercise, I think. Only without the wall but I want to keep the
trans from the Chinese version, so I decided to remain it.

Even so, nothing is going to stop them from enjoying and dancing along with those
drumbeats. Or you can put it this way. The greater the punishment the first-years received,
the crazier they'll be during the dance to lash out their anger. They are so at it that they are
only willing to stop after the seniors from the entertainment crew signal that time is up.

“Alright, first-years. That’s it for today’s freshmen training. If any of you want to participate
in the Freshmen Games, don’t forget to register your name at the stadium at 7PM.”

The seniors remind them again, just in case the fatigue has them losing their memory. Not
long from now, the university is going to hold the first significant event of the year, which is
the Freshmen Game!

It’s an activity where it lets the first-years from different faculties come together to have a
friendly match of a variety of sports. There will be cheerleading and grandstand
performances as well from each faculty. This game event is the reason why everyone is
pumped up during their practices.

Kongpob, too is, ready to excuse himself from the hall with a few other students. Since it’s
almost half past 6, he’s thinking of a place to settle his dinner. When he’s almost stepping out
of the gathering hall, a voice made Kongpob halts his steps.
“Hey, Kong. Wait a sec.”

His best friend, M, is the one who called out for him from way behind. Kongpob remains
standing, waiting for M to catch up.

“Do you have time? I want to sign up for the basketball game. Can you come with me?”

It’s expected that M will look for Kongpob because M was in the basketball team during high
school, and Kongpob more often than not, had accompanied him to the basketball practices
after class. M plays quite well despite the fact that most of his high school time, he only plays
around with his juniors. With M’s skills, it’s not a problem to be in the game. Hence,
Kongpob nods in agreement.

“I sure can, but before that, I’m thinking of dinner first. You want to tag along?”

Kongpob always believes that *soldiers depend on their stomach to march. During the
selection of the players, the coach will request a few simple throws on the spot to evaluate
their ability. Therefore, they first go to the cafeteria to replenish the energy that they lost
during the freshmen training.

*Thai proverb. Meaning = One needs to have a full stomach to have the energy to do things.

It is already past 7 when they finish their dinner, and they quickly head over to the stadium.
The scene of a crowd of people gathering in the stadium greets them when they set their foot
in. All of them are from the Faculty of Engineering and not only first-years, seniors are also
among them. Even P’Minnie is present too, walking over to them as she sees Kongpob.

“Hey, Kongpob! Haven’t seen you in a while. P’ miss you! What brings you here?”

“Sawadee krub, P’Minnie. I’m here with my friend to sign up for the basketball game.”

He brings his hands up and politely wai at P’Minnie. However, after listening to Kongpob’s
reply, P’Minnie suddenly speaks in a higher pitch, as if yelling.

“Hold it right there. Kongpob, you’re going to join the basketball game? But you already
have the Campus Moon contest on your plate, isn’t it? Are you sure you can manage?”

Oh. He totally forgot that other than sports matches and cheerleading performances, the
Campus Moon and Campus Star contest is included in the Freshmen Game as well.

Kongpob is still baffled at the fact that he became the representative of the Faculty of
Engineering, not to mention in a blur too. All because P’Minnie directly appointed him to be
instead of going through the voting process like the other faculties. Most of the engineering
students found out their faculty representative from the official website of the university. And
thanks to P’Minnie’s question, M’s memory has been refreshed.

“It’s ok, Kong. You don’t have to sign up for the basketball game. I forgot that you are in the
Campus Moon contest.”
M receives Kongpob shaking his head in refusal. Since he already comes all the way here, he
doesn’t want his effort to be futile. He turns his head to face P’Minnie with a half pleading
tone.

“Then, is it alright if I sign up as a benchwarmer?”

“Well, I guess it’s alright. If you go down the court and run for a good few minutes, you
might be able to boost your popularity anyway. Also, Kongpob, have you prepare for the
talent show?”

This is another issue that he has forgotten as well. The Campus Moon and Star are not chosen
based on appearance only; it also takes the contestant’s talent into consideration. Everyone is
obligated to perform a talent show that is not more than 5 minutes. But for Kongpob, don’t
say 5 minutes, being on the stage for 5 seconds, other than a self-introduction, he can’t think
of anything else to do.

However, seeing P’Minnie’s pair of sparkling eyes that are looking at him in full hope, he
needs to pull a little white lie to fob her off for now.

“Not yet, P. But I do have some ideas in mind.”

“Okay, but you have to decide as soon as possible. If you are not sure how to put on a
performance, let me know, and I’ll help you out. This year’s Campus Moon, I will definitely
push you to be the champion, don’t you worry.”

P’Minnie speaks with much confidence like she’s already holding the trophy in her hands.
Kongpob can only break into a few courtesy laughs as a reply. He is not even the slightest
worried, to be honest, and he does not have the slightest concern in the Campus Moon title
too. If he knew that the process would turn out to be so troublesome, he would have opted out
straight away, not letting himself be pulled in.

“Let’s go sign ourselves up, or else it’ll be too late.”

M interrupts the conversation, pulling back to the matter they are first here for. Kongpob
nods in reply and bids his goodbye to P’Minnie.

They glance around the stadium to look for the registration booth, and it’s not difficult to
locate it.

Dozens of first-years are already flooding around the booth, and a senior can be seen holding
a stack of papers ready for those who wanted to sign up to fill in their particulars.

Before both of them reach the registration booth, a commotion is heard behind them.
Kongpob turns over to see what sparks the uproar.

Quite a number of third-year seniors can be seen marching their way into the stadium. All of
them wearing an expressionless face and succeeded in creating a pressured and scary
atmosphere, which has the first-years automatically splitting into 2 lines, creating the *Red
Sea for the seniors.
*This was in the Bible, that God split the Red Sea into 2 for Moses to cross, like how the first-
years did. It’s called ‘Crossing the Red Sea.’ I’m not a Christian, so I’m sorry if it has
mistakes.

Some of the seniors are not familiar faces to Kongpob, and he guesses that they must be the
seniors from another department. But the leader who is leading the third-years straight into
the stadium, being utterly ignorant of the stares of the others, is none other than the one he is
most familiar with —— Arthit, The Head Hazer.

Kongpob’s gaze follows wherever the man leads. He sees Arthit walking over to the
registration booth and whispers to the senior in charge, which, after, the senior in charge
speaks with a volume loud enough for everyone in the stadium to hear her.

“Those who want to sign up for Freshmen Game, please gather over here.”

Although no one is able to grasp the situation, the first-years knew inside that it’s definitely
nothing good since the seniors showed up here with much tension.

Which their prediction was right. When Kongpob, M, and about 30 or so of them gather at
the appointed spot, he vaguely heard the seniors whispering to one another.

“Is these all?”

“From the looks of it, I don’t think we stand a chance to win.”

“I have the same thought.”

When the first-years heard the comments from their fellow seniors, they gradually felt that
they are unable to keep their face. However, they still maintain sitting on the stadium ground.
After everyone is gathered and seated, the Head Hazer stands in front of them, sweeps
through the venue with cold eyes before he officially enters the main subject.

“I ask of you to gather here is not that I want to help you train or give you any advice. This is
the work that you have to do on your own. Today, I am here just to let you know that, ever
since the first Freshmen Game was held, our faculty has never lost in any sports matches or
contests. We have claimed the championship every year. So, I hope I don’t have to witness all
that we have accomplished, ends at your year.”

The first-years are in complete silence upon hearing the Head Hazer finishing his sentence.
They immediately understand the true meaning behind their appearance in the stadium. They
are not trying to brag about the past achievement of the faculty but rather, to put pressure on
them in a way to force them to win.

As far as one knows, the Freshmen Game is just a friendly competition between faculties.
Some first-years that hold this view are protesting in their heart for this forceful command.
Then stands a first-year who can’t help but voice out his opinion.

“But isn’t the purpose of the Freshmen Game is to build unity among the first-years and the
university wanting us to understand better on the spirit of sports?”
Arthit turns to have a look at the owner of the voice. He remembers seeing Kongpob here as
well, so at first, he thought that it’s Kongpob again, jumping out trying to be heroic again.
But in fact, it’s actually another first-year standing not too far away from him. Not a familiar
one, supposed he is from a different department.

The first-year has this bold look, like he’s ready to challenge the seniors anytime. Prem,
being one of the hazing crew, is triggered by it.

“If this is how you think, then go home and let your mom suckle you.”

“Hey! P’Prem. I’m asking nicely, am I not? And here you are, ‘greeting’ my mom.”

The first-year who is provoked retaliates as he stands up full of rage, having no respect for
his senior. Prem is too, prompted by the first-year’s reply that he furiously yells as he points
at him.

“Know where you stand. Who do you think you are? You better be clear which of us is the
elder. Or I will show you some colors.”

“Sure, show me! Being born first doesn’t mean you’re stronger!”

“Fxxk, what did you just said!”

With the provocative and full-fledged confrontation between them, Prem clenches his fist
tight, charge forward planning to teach the first-year a lesson. Arthit sees what’s coming and
blocks Prem with his body, pulling his friend by the arm, trying to calm the latter.

“Stop it, Prem. You need to calm down.”

“You heard what he said! He’s so full of himself! Looking down on his seniors, wanting to be
kicked in the ass!”

“Picking a fight, aren’t you! Bring it on!”

They chorus with provocative insults, continue to spike up each other’s already agitated
emotions, pulling up sleeves, more than ready to blow fists to the other person. Upon seeing
this scene, Kongpob, who is seated nearby stands up, persuading his friend to calm down.

“Hey, calm down. Chill your head a little.”

“Calm my ass! I was asking nicely, and all I received is this kind of idiotic and insulting
answer!”

The last few words are particularly emphasized in a harsher tone. That acts as the oil to the
flaming fire in Prem.

“Shit! Don’t you dare run away!”

Prem pulls his hand back in full strength once he finishes his sentence, resulting in Arthit
being the one trying hard to stop his friend from being impulsive, finally snaps, and calls out.
“Enough, both of you! Fighting like mad dogs! Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself!”

Soon as Arthit drops the line, everything stays as static as the air. As if the 2 people that were
fighting earlier are being reminded that they have become the focus of all gazes in the entire
stadium. Arthit lets go of his friend’s arm, stands in front of the first-year, being the one to
break the silence.

“You want to know the reason, right? Fine! Let me tell you.”

The Head Hazer turns his gaze to face all the first-years sitting on the ground, wanting
everyone to listen attentively on the reason he’s about to tell.

“You are newly enrolled here, so to you, the Freshmen Games may just be another ordinary
competition. But to me, this is a test to prove your capability. Whether you have what it takes
to be in the Faculty of Engineering. The more effort you put into these competitions, the
more it proves to me that you earnestly give importance to them. But if you take them for
granted and give up from the beginning, then you don’t deserve to be one of the students in
engineering.”

Arthit did not speak in the position of a hazer but as a senior in the Faculty of Engineering.

In truth, Arthit is not sure either if the Freshmen Game each year is really won by their
faculty. But during the time when he was a first-year, he participated in the basketball game
and was too pressured by his seniors in the very same way. Hence, all the competitions in his
year were really won by his faculty. Those third-year standing beside him right now, were the
buddies who joined the game with him then.

As a result, this becomes a vision that must be passed down as well as proof of a spirit that
every engineering student must possess. This also considered to be one of the glories since
the Faculty of Engineering has the most admission compared to the other faculties. It’ll be the
most significant humiliation if the faculty with the largest number can’t even win against the
other faculties of a lesser number.

“We will win for sure.”

Arthit looks at the person who voiced out, and this time, it’s finally the regular visitor who
loves being the hero.

Kongpob lets go of his friend, takes the spot beside him, and looks straight into the Head
Hazer without fear. Arthit looks at them with contemptuous eyes, not forgetting to add on to
the provocation.

“Don’t just talk big. Bear in mind that when you speak this way, you are representing all of
the first-years; you speak on their behalf, carrying the responsibility of your year.”

“I know. Which is why I say we will win for sure. We will prove to the seniors that we have
what it takes to be the engineering students here. We will never let anyone belittle us.”
The way Kongpob put his declaration is not in the form of challenge or provocation but
rather from his self-confidence.

The statement from Kongpob once again pump s up the enthusiasm of all the other first-
years, having them looking into the group of seniors as if wanting to prove Kongpob’s point,
not wanting anyone to belittle them.

“Good. We’ll look forward to that.”

Arthit puts his final words and nods lightly to the other seniors as a sign they have finished
their business here and proceed to leave the stadium. The first-years heave a sigh of relief
after the last of the senior walks out of the stadium exit, but on the contrary, a senior turns
into an erupting volcano as he steps out of the stadium.

“Damn it! I have not taught that arrogant brat a lesson! Why did you stop me!”

Prem is the senior of the Southern Thai descent; sharp-looking feature and currently majoring
in Civil Engineering is now venting out his anger. Arthit doesn’t want to go along with his
complaints, so he explains the bigger picture to Prem and, at the same time, reminding him as
well.

“If any chance, both of you start a fight, there will be so many witnesses at the scene and
think about it, if one of them report this incident to the dean, what will happen?”

“Well… I guess you do have a point. Is the other good looking junior from your department?
He meddles about others too much!”

Prem diverts to another topic. He probably has concluded Kongpob as a nosy parker from the
way the latter was speaking earlier in which Arthit nods back to him in response.

“Yea, it’s in his nature. I’m sick of punishing him already.”

Though Kongpob had been warned not to stand out to be a hero, however, Arthit too
understands that in the situation earlier, it is inevitable. If no one jumps out to ease the
tension, the relationship between the first- and the third-years will get worse. Especially
when the ignitor is his grumpy friend with the most unforgiving mouth of them all.

“Hmph, so arrogant! I’ll see how he is going to survive here.”

As soon as Arthit hears Prem’s contemptuous tone in his statement, he understands why Prem
generalized all first-years thinking all of them are the same because he is still irritated by the
earlier scene, and his temper has not cooled down one bit.

But he is crystal clear that this is not the case, especially towards Kongpob…

“Don’t underestimate him.”

*The famous scene! Also, one of the many scenes I love in SOTUS!
Arthit was walking at the back when he whispered this sentence, which causes his friends to
turn back and ask as they can’t hear him clearly walking ahead of him.

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.”

Arthit pretends nothing happened and speeds up. But his thoughts are spinning into places,
scattered all over his mind. The more he thinks, the more frustrated and annoyed he gets.

Looking at this matter from the perspective of a senior, he has this hunch that he chooses to
believe in…

Kongpob will definitely win.

 Keeping Your Promises to the Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Hey, Kong! Kongpob! I’ve been calling you for a while! Did you not hear me?”

M’s voice awakens the dazing Kongpob, pulling his thoughts back to the basketball court.

The game is about to start, but Kongpob’s mind is everywhere but winning the Freshmen
Game. All because he is waiting for someone, one particular person.

The person that reminds him of the starting point of all these efforts he’s putting.

Just yesterday…

—— Beep!

The blow of the whistle indicating the match between the Faculty of Engineering and the
Faculty of Education is over. Immediately after, is the loud cheers from the audience and
cheerleading team, being all excited that the team they were cheering on had won.

“We won! We’re in the final! Woohoo!”

Kongpob could grasp the tone of M’s shout that is full of indescribable excitement. M then
runs over to the bench area to high-five with Kongpob, which he replies to M a perfunctory
one by his half slouching hand.

Kongpob’s response, if being compared to the atmosphere right now in the court, are poles
apart. His reaction made M feels confused about his dear friend.

“What’s with the dark face, Kong? We won; be more thrilled about it!”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that, I don’t see the third-years in the crowd.”

Kongpob shrugs his shoulders and says his thought out loud.

Actually, since yesterday, the first day the Freshmen Game begins, he only saw first-year and
second-years seniors. Unlike other faculties in which their seniors from different years would
come over to cheer on their juniors.

The third years are apparently the ones who stipulated that they must get an all-win in all the
competition, but now they are the ones that have not shown their face in any of the matches.
“Probably afraid of losing their face since they are always intimidating us, underestimating
us. See? Now when we prove them wrong, they become the coward. Just wait and see; I’ll
shut them and their big mouth once I get the trophy.”

The one speaking is Wad, who is walking over while wiping his sweat off. Wad is of Chinese
descent who possesses big eyes with a single eyelid. Wad is the friend Kongpob and M made
on the day the commotion happened in the stadium.

Kongpob and Wad started to get close during the practices of basketball. It was then he knew
that Wad is in the Department of Chemical Engineering and very against of SOTUS system,
escaping every freshmen training possible.

Wad had only agreed to participate for the love he has for basketball. His skills are excellent,
good enough to be chosen as the captain. His biggest shortcoming is his hot temper; spiking
up once triggered, creating conflict with his seniors. He even vowed to win the trophy just so
he could throw it to their face. However, thanks to his adrenaline, he managed to bring the
whole team to overcome all opponents, reaching the semi-final they are at today.

"We should head home as tomorrow is the final game. Doesn’t matter that those seniors are
not here. Since we won, they’ll find out somehow; we don’t have to worry about that.”

M gives a light pat on Kongpob’s shoulder, signaling him that they should leave the court
already. Kongpob, understanding the signal, stands up and follows. However, he still can’t
take his sight off from the direction of the arena that was cheering for the Faculty of
Engineering earlier. Some first-years are still staying there, singing the cheers while some
start to leave to attend another match to continue the cheering.

The university’s Freshmen Game will be held for 3 consecutive days and various events
being arranged in the evening after their respective classes. The first-years that did not
partake in the competitions will be on the arena to cheer for their own faculty’s
representatives.

Sports matches such as football, volleyball, badminton is competed between faculties in the
tournament way, advancing the winning team to the next game eliminating the losing team.

The tournament result so far is that the Faculty of Engineering has not lost any of the
matches. It looks like the intimidation of the seniors is useful anyway that it seems to act as
one of the crucial reasons for the first-years’ enthusiasm.

Although Kongpob is a substitute player, he is still subjected to strict training every day.
After all, he was the one who claimed that he would prove the dignity of his year to the
seniors. Therefore, he had done his best in every match, hoping the seniors would open their
eyes about the first-year’s capability. But none of the seniors were there to witness now that
they have made their way to the finals.

Including that person…

He is unsure as to why his gaze would often divert to the arena, searching for the view of a
particular person throughout the whole match. Even if he knew that the chances for that
person to appear are close to non-existent, he still holds onto that little hope that he would be
able to see that pair of fierce piercing eyes at the arena. Kongpob was always distracted for a
good while before he snaps back to reality, getting his focus back to the match. He silently
curses himself in his heart.

Kongpob, you must be out of your mind!

He drives away all his confusing, messy thoughts and whispers to himself that he should go
back and have a good rest so he could be fully prepared for tomorrow’s final match.

By the time Kongpob bid goodbye to his friends, it’s also the end of the second day for
Freshmen Game. Before returning to his dorm, he first went around the corner for the food
from a roadside stall. He had taken a bit of food as his dinner before the game, but up to this
time, all the food should be gone, being fully digested off already. So, he turns to his last
resort, street food. Just then, he sees a stall selling grilled pork skewer.

“I’ll have 10 skewers and a pack of glutinous rice.”

“Can you wait? I’m still grilling them; it will be done in a while.”

The uncle grilling the skewers tells him as he turns over the pork on the griller. He didn’t
notice that there was no more pre-grilled meat on the plate when he came over, but since his
order is already set, he’s lazy to spend another time to look again for something else.

“Sure.”

Kongpob replies while nodding his head and decides to stand by the side and wait for his
order. Just when he is calculating the total payment while reaching for his bag in search of his
wallet, another customer appears, and a voice behind him is heard.

“Hi, uncle! 10 pork skewers, 1 pack glutinous rice, please.”

“Can you wait? I’m still grilling them; it will be done in a while.”

The stall owner’s reply is the same as what he said to Kongpob earlier, not a word missing!
Kongpob lifts his head out of curiosity, removing his gaze from his wallet and onto the
customer. That customer responds to the owner with a cheerful tone while coming over to
where he’s standing to wait for the food as well.

“Okay~!”

The Head Hazer halts his words when he realizes the identity of the person that is standing by
the side. He swiftly hid the cup of drunken pink milk behind his back and substituted the
former cheerful expression with a stern one in a split second. Kongpob puts his hands
together to greet his senior respectfully.

“Sawadee krub, P’Arthit.”

“Hmm…”
Arthit’s minimal reply with a tone of indifference fully expresses his mood of ignorance
towards the other person. It’s as if there is a switch in him that was flicked on that has him
changing his attitude instantly, building an awkward atmosphere between him and Kongpob.
It made the latter to think of something to talk with his senior, wanting to break the ice.

“Our basketball team has made it to the finals. I heard the other sports matches had too
entered the final round as well.”

“And, why are you telling me this?”

Kongpob is speechless by his senior’s reply, but he has unexpectedly run into this particular
person that he was desperately looking for when he’s in the basketball court earlier hence,
though the icy atmosphere, Kongpob finds the courage to continue with his reply just so not
to end their conversation.

“I didn’t see P’Arthit at the arena to watch the game, so I was guessing you probably don’t
know about this yet.”

Arthit scoffs a little before continuing, “You don’t need to tell me when you had just got into
the final. Wait till all of you win the trophy, then we’ll talk.”

Sure enough, such ruthless words can only come out from the hazer’s mouth. Kongpob
supposed that this is undoubtedly also the reason why the third year did not show themselves
up during the matches of the first-years. To them, before the first-years win the trophy, they
are just another bunch of useless kids wandering around.

“You don’t have to worry about that. We will win, no matter what.”

Such confident lines would appear only in the movies, said by the lead actors, being shielded
with plot armor. Even bystanders would roll their eyes at what Kongpob said, not to mention
Arthit.

Good luck to you then, flawless, super, lead actor. Has he never heard before that ‘Nobody in
this world is perfect’? No one can be invincible. Being human, one inevitably has their
weaknesses, or else, why would there be a term for it? The word ‘loser’

“Are you sure about that? I heard that you’re in the Campus Moon contest as well, isn’t it?”

Even when Arthit put it like a usual question, Kongpob could sense that more is meant than
meets the ear. There’s something else that his senior is hiding between the lines, and sure
enough, before Kongpob manages to fish out his answer, his senior has already continued his
speech, eyes implying a slight mocking.

“I supposed you still remember what I’ve told you before, that we, the Faculty of
Engineering, has never lost before. If you guys want to be recognized, you have to win all the
competitions in Freshmen Game.”

Winning all the competitions mean to Kongpob, includes the Campus Moon contest too.
Don’t let the word game to fool you because the Campus Moon contest is not even at the
border-line simple. The scoring for Campus Moon is not only based on the appearance but
also evaluate from the participants’ talent, ability, and other comprehensive scoring projects.
But basically, the faculties of the university take turns to win the trophy every year.

Supposedly, the Campus Moon and Star contest are to serve its purpose as a fun and friendly
competition in the Freshmen Game. Because not only the winner who gets the title won’t be
receiving a lot of rewards, but also have to ‘sacrifice’ themselves to be various goodwill
ambassadors. This is exactly like the Miss Universe contest but in the university edition.

However, if one managed to get their hands on the title, it will be accounted as a reputation to
the faculty. Thus P’Minnie, for this reason, decided to choose him to be the representative to
partake the Campus Moon contest, skipping the intended voting course among respective
first-years.

The main point here is that Kongpob didn’t sign up for this. His chance to stand out among
other participants from other faculties are next to nothing. Once this thought hits him, he
realizes that it would increase the difficulty of reaching the condition demanded by the Head
Hazer in folds.

Arthit smirks conceitedly at the satisfaction he feels inside when he sees the worried look
plastered on Kongpob’s face after what he said.

His prediction on this freshman standing in front of him is that he will definitely lose at the
Campus Moon contest. Ordinary looks, and no unique talent. Guess all Kongpob has is the
heart of playing a hero all the time.

Once the whole Freshmen Game event ends by Kongpob losing the last contest, Arthit will
carry out the punishment towards the first-years because even if they are placed first for all
the sports competition, once they fail at the Campus Moon contest, all their previous effort
will go down the drain, to a waste.

While the hopes of all first-years fall on one person, it’s not too surprising that now that one
person is standing there completely still, wearing an anxious expression all over his face until
the stall owner’s voice breaks the tension.

“Pork skewers are ready!”

The bag loaded with grilled pork and glutinous rice is handed to Arthit as he ordered. After
he pays the stall owner, he turns around feeling content, preparing to take his leave.

This should be the way it is for the lead actor in actuality! Regardless of how strong and
powerful the opponent is, the one holding the trump card will be the last man standing.

Arthit puts on a pleasing face, feeling that he should have been the lead actor instead. He
brings out the pink milk that is initially hidden behind his back, takes a large sip showing an
air of happiness posing in a winner’s stance. But as he just takes off 2 steps away, the
younger’s question stops his track and is slightly startled at it.
“If I win, what will P’Arthit give me?”

The pink liquid almost got spurt out from between the lips. Arthit choked a little as some of
the liquid went down the wrong lane, and he tries to cough a little harder to sooth the choking
feeling. With a confused face, he turns around facing Kongpob, wondering if he heard it
wrong.

“What do you mean? Why should I even give you anything?”

Kongpob lets out a little sigh and swaps his tone into one that is lighter.

“Well, let’s make a bet then. If I lose, I will fulfill one wish of your request. But if I win, vice
versa. P’Arthit will have to fulfill mine.”

This time, it’s Arthit’s turn to be stunned. And at the same time, he could feel the tremble in
his body due to pressing really hard to control the anger in him not to burst.

This shitty brat is trying to provoke the hazer again, is he!?

“Kongpob! How dare of you to make a deal with me!” The Head Hazer in a towering rage,
yells into Kongpob’s face. The latter being raged upon instead shows no fear by putting on a
faint smile and calmly continues his explanation.

“I’m not making a deal. I’m merely proposing an offer. Whether P’Arthit takes it or leaves it,
the fact is still that; all the difficulties are solely on me. Unless…P’Arthit is afraid that I will
win?”

Arthit still can maintain the anger from the previous sentence, but the last one kills the final
control he has with the rage he is trying hard to suppress. This brat must have eaten the bear
heart and leopard gall else, where did he get the nerves to keep provoking the Head Hazer.

Fine! Since you’re brave enough to challenge me, I’ll be more than happy to take you on! I
will show you that I, Arthit, is a man of words! Bring it on!

“Fine, I’ll take your offer. Because I believe a person as yourself is fated to be a loser.”

Albeit the Head Hazer has accepted the bet, being as who he is, another line of mockery will
not be forgotten. However, Kongpob is not shaken by it, casually adding in an invitation that
causes the other to grit his teeth.

“Don’t forget to come and watch me tomorrow. Then you can see for yourself whether I will
lose or not.”

“You!”

There have been far too many times that Arthit is unable to think of any comeback for his
retaliation when he faces Kongpob. He’s only left with the option to turn around, venting his
anger under his feet, stomping away angrily. Kongpob, who has yet to receive an answer, can
only see Arthit out with his gaze following his back until he disappears from sight.
Kongpob did not deliberately provoke his senior. It’s an accident that he had infuriated his
senior again. Only because the other party is wearing an expression that made him unable to
refrain from teasing him.

There’s that, but there’s another reason behind his invitation to the senior. He hopes that the
third year would come and watch their game. Not only the basketball match but also the other
competitions as well. So that the seniors can see it with their own eyes, just how much effort
the first-years are putting in to win the game, proving themselves worthy.

And the deal suggestion that Kongpob made is merely a small episode in between of
everything. However, this little episode is more than enough to have him double his effort for
tomorrow’s match. Albeit he understands the risk of it, but since he’s way past the point of no
return, he has to suit up and fight on. The result?

Well, we’ll see it tomorrow.

-----

“Hey, Kong! Kongpob!! What are you dozing off at! You’ve been like this since earlier! The
match is starting! Stay focus!”

M’s voice once again brings Kongpob down back to earth. He’s currently in the final round
of the basketball match in the Freshmen Game, spending the first half as the official player
and leaving the second half out to spare some energy for his Campus Moon contest later that
night.

However, Kongpob finds it difficult to concentrate because his thoughts remain on the arena
as the person he hopes to see has yet to appear.

Is he really not gonna show up?

He understands well enough to know that he shouldn’t be having hopes in this matter. A
person such as Arthit will not spare a glance to the first-years, not when they have yet to win
the game. But, a person such as Kongpob will still clutch on that tiny little hope, hoping that
the bet he made with Arthit the day before would somehow work its effect on the latter. Yet,
what he sees in front of him right now is the truth.

It seems that his plan has failed him.

Kongpob gives up in waiting, gets himself up to walk over to the court, and prepare to do a
team cheer with his teammates before the match starts, as a way of them encouraging one
another. Before they get their feet down on the cheer, a squeal is heard from the arena and
arouse their curiosity.

“What’s with the ruckus?”

The whole team follow s the direction of the squeal. A group appears at the entrance of the
stadium, all of them being the third- and fourth-year seniors of the Faculty of Engineering.
Adding up to nearly 20 of them, they walk straight to the side of the court, taking the “best
view seats,” ignoring all the stares and whisperings that are obviously directed at them.

Well, judging by the atmosphere, it’s no doubt that the seniors are here to pressurize the first-
years.

“Oh, and here I thought they don’t have the guts to show up. Great! Wipe your eyes clear
while we show you how we are definitely going to pin this game down.”

From Wad’s sentence, Kongpob can clearly sense his anger with Wad fixing his eyes on his
nemesis, who happens to be standing beside the person that Kongpob has wanted to see since
forever. Captain Wad calls over the whole team to gather and shout their team cheer in an
unprecedented voice as a boost to their morale.

“Engineering engineer! Fight for it! We’re on it!”

*I know it doesn’t rhyme. I’ve done my best. :(

The deafening cheer and the continuous drumming sound from the arena jointly kick off the
game, welcoming the athletes from both sides. Their opponent for the final round is the
Faculty of Science, which is said to be the strongest opponent in the Freshmen Game this
year. During the game, both scores are almost on par; their scores keep alternating beyond
each other until the whistle rings, announcing the end of the final match.

Beep——!

All eyes turn to the scoreboard, showing a record of 83:76 indicating that the Faculty of
Engineering won the victory.

“Yes! We did it! We won!”

Kongpob sees M raising his right hand for a high five. This time, not waiting for his
teammates to come over to the substitute bench for him, Kongpob himself is so happy that he
runs over to the court, jumping, happily cheering with his teammates. The good news is not
limited to this. He hears a senior shouted towards the arena.

“Good news, everyone! The football match was won by our faculty too! Hit the mark when
we got the penalty!”

*I’m not a sports person, so I could only refer to Google for this translation. But I think you
get the drift.

“Yeeeaaaah!!!!”

Excited screams shake the entire stadium because basketball and football matches are the last
2 sports events for today. The result of the other competitions was already released in the
earlier evening, and the Faculty of Engineering now is indeed sweeping away the victory for
all events. With that, all first-years from the Faculty of Engineering feel proud of themselves.
Kongpob takes secret glances to see the reaction of his seniors. A part of them shows happy
expressions, but most of them are still keeping a straight face. Especially the bunch of hazers
that he is familiar with, wearing an expressionless face, no happy emotions being exposed on
their face.

Before Kongpob could further his observation, P’Minnie’s sweet yet thick voice reaches his
ear, and her figure comes running to him across the stadium.

“N’Kongpob! Where are you!? Oh, there you are! Follow me quick! We need to head to the
backstage to get you changed and ready for the Campus Moon contest!”

P’Minnie takes Kongpob’s hand and gets him off the court without further ado. It is merely
coincidence that their trail is closing the distance between him and a particular person when
they are passing through the seats where the seniors occupied.

“Don’t forget to come to watch me at the contest.”

Kongpob whispered to Arthit, and the latter looked up at him, but Kongpob only saw it for a
brief moment as P’Minnie barged in and literally dragged him away.

To Kongpob, this is more than enough.

He finally realized why he has been looking for that person in the arena; he finally
understands why he would go the miles just to win the competitions.

Maybe, just maybe, he wants to get one simple thing from this person, but to him, it’s
something very precious and meaningful.

And that is…support.

 No Secrets Kept from the Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit's POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob's POV.
Note: Underline wordings are song lyrics.

The stage is ready. The lights are ready. But Kongpob is not.

"Sawadee ka, everyone! Now starts the best part of Freshmen Game, the event that all of you
have been anticipating for, The Campus Moon and Star contest!"

The opening remarks made by two ladyboy emcees can be heard coming from the outdoor
stage area, followed by an outburst of screams and cheers. With cheers like that, it is evident
that the venue must be filled with audiences. Well, half the reason is that after the contest,
there will be several famous musical bands performing live to draw a perfect ending for the
Freshmen Game. Which is why today is also call as 'Freshy Night.'

However, there are not only first-years who came; even the seniors have come to participate
in the final grand event of the Freshmen Game. They will also lend a hand to cheer for their
faculty representative. Hence now, everyone is excitedly looking forward to Freshy Night to
kick off.

All of these happening, which is the total opposite of how Kongpob, who is still preparing
himself at the backstage, feels right now.

Kongpob has no confidence in winning at all, to be honest. To win the title of Campus Moon
and Star is nothing like a sports event, defeating obstacles with teamwork. Even though the
Moon contestant can pair up with the Star contestant for talent performance, however, the
final result is still graded by the individual presentation. It is no different than being in a one-
man-show and the most crucial part? The bet that he made with that person has now become
a double-edged sword.

Other than Kongpob himself, no one else is to blame. After all, this is all thanks to his quick
tongue to have made such a grand statement in front of the Head Hazer, nevertheless. If by
any chance, he loses in this contest, P'Arthit will certainly not let this chance to penalize the
first-years for slipping away. Furthermore, Arthit has been seeing him as a thorn in the flesh
for a long time and now will be an excellent opportunity to penalize them.

It's alright if it’s only him to be the receiving end of the punishment, but now he is carrying
the fate of all the first-years in his department, which the pressure is quite substantial.

Is it even appropriate for him to provoke the other party like that? Or is it that he just wants to
tease him?
Kongpob heaves a big sigh while frowning, and he’s probably too obvious, that even
P'Minnie who is running around helping with the preparations noticed.

"Are you feeling nervous, Kongpob darling? You don't look good, and that nervous face
won't work. Keep smiling. You look more charming when you smile. If you really can't do it,
then think about the prizes you will get. I heard that they got some amazing sponsors this
year, and if you win, I'm sure it will be as easy for you to smile!"

If I win?

Right! If he wins, his senior would have to fulfill one wish of his request. Although he has
not thought about what to have the other party to do, yet just having the image of the fierce
Head Hazer appearing into his mind is enough for Kongpob to put on a faint smile on his
face, which did not escape P'Minnie's sharp eyes.

"Meh~ How realistic! Once I mentioned the prizes, your eyes immediately sparkle. But this
smile is good. Attractive enough to kill everyone!"

"Is the Faculty of Engineering done? It's almost time to get on the stage."

The backstage staff comes over to inform them, and P'Minnie hurriedly pushes him and the
campus belle, Praepailin together towards the stage, not forgetting to give them a last boost of
encouragement.

"It's your call now. Go get them!"

The lights on the stage went off, getting ready to move on to the next segment.

Kongpob looks to the direction where the audience is seated. It is a little challenging to
identify the identity of the audience from the stage, but he knows that person will be here. He
takes a deep breath and pulls his focus back to the stage.

The show is about to start...

"Since when you are interested in this sort of event. Dragging me along even, what is wrong
with you?"

Arthit listens to Prem's grumbles while chewing on the meatball skewer he had just bought.
They are standing closer to the food area where the drinks and snacks are sold, far from the
stage, and the place first-years are at. There are fewer people in the food area as everyone
crowd near the stage to see the performance of the selected Campus Moon and Star
contestants.

Arthit doesn't care about the show, just like what he tells his friend.

"I only came for the concert after this."

"The concert? And you called me up at 6 to grab a seat."

Prem's complain hits Arthit's sore spot. He had called Prem up to watch the final basketball
match at six sharp when his class ended. They went straight to the stadium, not having the
chance to change out of their hazing uniform, much less for their dinner. Hence, they are at
the food area to grab whatever suits for now.

Arthit didn't let Prem alone making all the complaints; after all, Prem did complicate the
scene earlier in the stadium.

"You're complaining, but the truth is you wanted to watch too, isn't it? I've made only one call
to you, and you ended up dragging Non and his whole gang over."

Prem not being able to refute Arthit's statement, has no choice but to snatch away Arthit's
meatball, sending to his mouth while working up to think of some reasons to brush it off.

"Simple, I brought them over to put more pressure on the first-years. When they see more of
us seniors around, the pressure will be immense, and I was expecting them to lose due to it.
Who knows that they won. If they win this contest too, I don't know where I'll hang my face
at!"

"It's impossible for him to win."

Arthit criticizes confidently, not controlling the smug smile escaping his face.

If to compare, sports competitions have a broader gap between losing and winning, but for
Campus Moon and Star contest, it's different. Someone like Kongpob, what kind of talent
does he even possess that could attract people to vote for him? Not to mention, being plain-
looking as hell. The possibility of him winning is almost non-existent, yet Kongpob dares to
propose a deal to him boldly.

If Kongpob loses, Arthit is going to sleeve up and prepare the most humiliating punishment
for him so that he gets ridiculed by the whole university to the point that Kongpob is
ashamed even to show his face in the university.

Just you wait, 0062!

"Onto the next show. Please welcome the two representatives from the Faculty of
Engineering!”

The voice of the emcee intrudes Arthit's deep thought, and he draws his eyes to the stage, that
is now in pitch-black. It's already difficult for the front rows to see in these dark
surroundings. With him standing almost at the end of the crowd, it's much tougher, and he
ends up relying on the big screen that is broadcasting the stage.

The cheers and applause start when the spotlights on the stage slowly lit up, shining upon the
two representatives from the Faculty of Engineering.

Kongpob wears a simple, bright-colored shirt along with dark jeans. In contrast to those that
wore suit and tie or gorgeous full-fledged costumes, Kongpob seems more like a passer-by
than a contestant. And Praepailin too, wears a simple, cute dress with a small flower crown
on her head, adding a sweet look to it.

"Sawadee krub, everyone. We are the representatives of the Faculty of Engineering. We will
be singing for our show. If you know the lyrics, please sing along with us."

And here, Arthit thought what he had prepared for the show. Another singing performance.
The most basic and uncreative show of all.

Arthit sneers in secret and pulls his attention from the stage back to his meatball skewers. He
plans to take out another skewer while his ears are on standby, waiting to listen to the song
the two representatives had chosen.

" こんなこといいな (Konna koto ii na)

できたらいいな (Dekitara ii na)

あんな夢 こんな夢 (Anna yume konna yume)

いっぱいあるけど (Ippai aru kedo) "

Arthit almost drops his skewers and switch es his focus back to the stage, with an
unbelievable look plastered on his face, looking at the singer. He couldn't believe that guy
dares to use this song for his talent show.

The song is a theme song that he's been listening to since young. Every weekend, he will turn
on the tv to channel 9 for this cartoon show —— <Doraemon>

" みんなみんなみんな (Minna minna minna)

かなえてくれる (Kanaete kureru)

ふしぎなポッケで かなえてくれる (Fushigina pokke de kanaete kureru)

空を自由に 飛びたいな (Sora wo jiyuu ni tobitai na)

「ハイ ! タケコプター」 (Hai! Takekoputaa)

アンアンアン (An an an)

とってもだいすき ドラえもん (Tottemo daisuki Doraemon) "

Kongpob and Praepailin take turns singing a verse, and the effect is more than excellent. The
audience reacts with laughter and applause enthusiastically. Then the rhythm changes to a
faster pace and a lot of them cheer loudly at the prelude because it’s an English song that
many are familiar with as well.

" Young man, there's no need to feel down

I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground

I said, young man, ‘cause you're in a new town

There's no need to be unhappy

Young man, there's a place you can go

I said, young man, when you're short on your dough

You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find

Many ways to have a good time

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

They have everything for young men to enjoy

You can hang out with all the boys

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

You can get yourself clean

You can have a good meal

You can do whatever you feel "

Both representatives on the stage sing with the music, dancing along with the Y.M.C.A.
signature gestures. The audience is influenced and happily dance to the song and posing the
signature gestures while Arthit is stunned at sight.

It's not like Kongpob and Praepailin has superb singing techniques; however, their
performance is, in fact, entertaining, and most importantly, it attracts the audience’s attention
and brings everyone to indulge in the atmosphere within such a short period.

After a while, the music ends, and the spotlights gradually dim, leaving only a small part
shining onto the two representatives. Arthit sees a staff walking to the center of the stage
with a chair and an acoustic guitar. Then, Kongpob is heard through his microphone.

"Is everyone burned out from the dancing? Please indulge yourself in our last song. We've
picked a slow one, and please sing with us if you can."

It is expected from Arthit that Kongpob would pick up the guitar handed over by the staff,
but the male contestant on stage gesture it to Praepailin instead.

After they settle down, Praepailin did a check on the guitar's string, making sure it is not out
of tune. The audience is too, stunned by the overturned situation as the norm is always the
guy who plays the guitar, the lady in charge of the singing.

Nevertheless, the surprise arrangement earns loud cheers once again from the crowd, making
their final performance more eye-catching. Kongpob's gentle voice slowly rises with the
rhythm strung from the guitar, singing to the beautiful lyrics.

The song attracts Arthit to stand still and focus on listening to the lyrics.

" Have been looking at you for a long time

Yet I don't dare, always avoiding your eyes

Afraid that one day you found out the truth I've been hiding

A hidden secret that I have never told anyone

And I can't keep it any longer

The more I get close to you, the more I want to reveal my heart

When our eyes met, my heart shakes

It's a torture that I have to continue to keep my love hidden

Am I in the secret you held in your heart

The words kept hidden in your heart, please let me know too
I revolve around the things you said, they made me overthink

You are so fine, how much longer must I keep my 'I love you' inside

A hidden secret that I have never told anyone

And I can't keep it any longer

The more I get close to you, the more I want to reveal my heart

When our eyes met, my heart shakes

It's a torture that I have to continue to keep my love hidden

Am I in the secret you held in your heart

The words kept hidden in your heart, please let me know too "

The last verse was sung, followed by applause from the audience, indicating the performance
by the representatives from the Faculty of Engineering had come to a perfect end. The
emcees walk up the stage to interview the representatives to wrap up their fantastic
performance.

"Well, thus ends the performance from the Faculty of Engineering. I believe many must have
been enchanted by it! Now, I have a question. Why did you choose to sing those three
songs?"

"The reason for choosing these three songs is that they represent the three phases of our
growth. The first song relates to our childhood, the second reflecting us entering the growing
phase. And when we become adults, we matured to a point where we start to have secret
crushes."

Kongpob's answer on their selection of songs, especially that last sentence, once again
provoke squeals all over below stage. This kind of reply with hints of romance hits right at
the feel of many girls.

But the real reason behind it would disappoint them as it is not as what Kongpob told. These
three songs were chosen because this is the only song that Praepailin knows how to play,
which is one she practiced before during high school, <Secret> played by the band named
Pause.

While the other two songs were picked because they wanted something that everyone has
heard and knows how to sing. That's why when he proposed his idea to P'Minnie, and she too
felt that it was an excellent non-repetitive idea, as usual, people would just sing one song for
their performance instead of building up the feel song by song.
Other than that, this performance doesn't require much performing but would still be able to
bring up the audience in terms of interactions.

The only thing that Kongpob needs to do is to focus on the singing practice to avoid singing
out of tune and do his best to establish a fun and cheerful atmosphere. Lastly, just like
P'Minnie's advice, do a little more on his smiles.

Only then, the arrangement for this performance scrapes through. But honestly, the effect is
beyond what or how they have imagined it to be.

Even Arthit, who stands far away from where the audience is seated, could still feel the
reaction from them not decreasing even after the performance ended. His friend, Prem,
couldn't help but express his impression.

"He will definitely get through at this rate."

And suddenly, all Arthit could feel is trouble coming its way. He frowns a little, raising the
tip of his eyebrow. He hands the bag containing the meatballs skewers over to Prem, thinking
quietly that he will not admit defeat. YET.

"Even if he passes this one, there's still the interview round to conquer."

Although Arthit keeps saying unfavourable words, his heart shakes a little at the uncertainty.

He kind of forgot that Kongpob is quick-witted in his own way, and a glib talker, which has
always been his best skills. Otherwise, how would Kongpob had dared to stand up to the
hazers during freshmen training.

Usually, to most people, the type like Kongpob fascinates them. Classmates, friends, the
audience, even the judges, would be charmed by the little tricks he pulls.

Sure enough, Arthit's prediction comes true shortly after. Both Kongpob and Praepailin made
it to the final round with a reasonably high score.

They change into their uniforms during the short break and back on with eight other finalists
in a single horizontal line across the stage. They are prepared to go on to the next and final
round, where everyone needs to choose a question to answer.

"Next up, we have Nong Kongpob, the representative of the Faculty of Engineering!"

Kongpob heads to the side of a covered box, draws number 7, and hands the number to the
emcee who is opening the matching numbered envelope they are holding, preparing to read
out the question that is written inside. It really matches up the atmosphere of a Miss Universe
contest.

"All right, the question for Nong Kongpob is..."

The emcee pauses for a few seconds, allowing the music to pump up the tension in the
already tense atmosphere. The audience unconsciously holds their breath, anticipating
nervously for the question that Kongpob chose.
"What is your view on the SOTUS system applied to freshmen training? Do you think this
system should be abolished? And why?"

The audience couldn't believe their ears upon hearing the question as this subject is extremely
sensitive. SOTUS is said to be a very controversial system, and when answering, there's
bound to be some traps. In particular, Kongpob's position becomes especially awkward as he
is a student in the Faculty of Engineering, which is the one faculty that is very firm on
passing down the traditional SOTUS system year by year.

While Kongpob knows that a lot of them agree with the SOTUS system, there are also a
number of them who don't, holding an opposing attitude towards it, just like how he was
before entering the university, which makes this question to be extremely difficult from his
stand. If he did not answer it well, it's merely a suicidal act in disguise.

Kongpob did his best to think about it calmly and sorts out all his confused and scattered
thoughts. In the end, he decides to answer his question according to his own real feelings.

"In my opinion, all the systems in the world would have their pros and cons at the same time.
It depends on how the user uses it. The SOTUS system itself has its own advantages; that is,
it can cultivate unity among our classmates and us. We are all from different backgrounds,
and by utilizing this system in the freshmen training, it draws the common points we have in
the easiest and the fastest way. But if the system controllers are not able to manage this
system well enough or use measures that are too extreme, the first-years may refuse to
cooperate and find it hard to respect the seniors. It could lead to a severe disagreement
between the two parties in the end. Therefore, I don't think I can give you the answer,
whether the SOTUS system should be continued or abolished, because it depends on the
purposes of the users. But there's one thing that I can be sure of, as I'm also one of the first-
years who is going through these hazing training at the moment. Although the seniors opt to
use the SOTUS system on us, I believe that they have their reasons for every action. And one
of it is that the seniors want us, the first-years, to be able to lead the university life, as
effective as we can."

*A/N: This is by far the longest paragraph I did. Though I copied most of it from SOTUS
series cause most of it matches the Chinese version. :P

Although Kongpob's conclusion stood neutral, his answer still clearly responded to the
primary purpose of the question. The audience at the stage applauds and is very satisfied with
his well-organized thoughts and how he expressed them as well.

Arthit turns and leaves the scene without saying another word, leaving Prem alone after he
sees from the screen that projects Kongpob walks back to stand at his arranged spot after
saying his thanks.

"Oi, Arthit! Where are you going?"

"One minute. I'll be right back."

Arthit responded to Prem briefly, fasten his speed to leave the crowd. He decides not to stay
for the interviews with other faculty representatives, and he did not wait for the show before
the announcement of the final result as well – a performance by the Campus Moon and Star
from the previous year.

The contest continues until the final results are out. As for how the announcement is made,
they start with the consolation prizes then continues until it reaches the champion.

"Next, we will be announcing the names for the Popular Vote award!"

The Popular Vote award is decided based on the votes from the audience and the units that
don't have any direct relation with the judges. Groups such as the Student Council and the
Alumni Association. The members can vote for their favorite Campus Moon and Star
contestants. This year's Ms. Popular award is won by the representative from the Faculty of
Education.

"Now, the Mr. Popular award goes to..."

Everyone is waiting nervously for the result, and all the sound effects from the speakers add a
pinch more nervousness into the surrounding.

"Nong Kongpob Suthiluck, from the Faculty of Engineering!”

Kongpob is suddenly cocooned by several spotlights and only reacts by standing up to

receive the prize after he was in the daze for 2 seconds. A sash with the 'Mr. Popular' title
goes over his shoulder, and on his hands are a small stuffed toy and coupons provided by
their sponsors. When photos are taken to commemorate the win, the applause and cheers are
all over the place.

But who would have thought that Kongpob is overflowing with anxiety instead of happiness.

Of course, Kongpob is happy that he got the Popular Vote award, but it doesn't mean that he
won. Most of the time, Popular Vote winner and the Campus Moon and Star winner will not
be the same person. It is a practice of apportioning the prizes to multiple contestants,
allowing more chances for the others to get a title.

Based on the current progress, it is unlikely that Kongpob is going to win the Campus Moon
title. It seems that he has to admit defeat to that person this time.

With every second passing, Kongpob's depressing feeling is getting stronger and stronger
inside. During the process of the emcees announcing the other awards, his name never
appears again after 'Mr. Popular'. Finally, the time comes close to the end, and the emcees are
preparing to announce the winner of 'Campus Star.'

"The Campus Star award of the year 2556 goes to...Nong Praepailin Putthiaksorn!"

Shrill bursts from the students of the Faculty of Engineering are seated. It is so intense that it
almost feels like the stage is shaking. But to be honest, this reaction is no surprise at all
because of P'Minnie once mentioned that it is difficult for the female representative from the
Faculty of Engineering to defeat the representative from the Faculty of Liberal Arts to win
the Campus Star as they usually can't even get past the first round.
Therefore, this is the first time in a few decades that the female representative from the
Faculty of Engineering to have broken the 'rule' and take down the Campus Star title.

Kongpob claps his hands to express his congrats to his classmate. Although Praepailin is not
as brilliant or as eye-catching as the other contestants, she does look cute in her own way
with that sweet smile. Her performance is natural, and her response during the interview
session was good as well. All in all, she deserves to win this title.

After the Campus Star is given her crown and the commemoration photos are taken, the
audience goes into silence again, anticipating the name of the owner for the final award.

"Finally! The Campus Moon award of the year 2556! The winner is..."

Kongpob lets out a soft sigh. Well, he has done his best so, however P'Arthit is going to
punish him later; he is willing to accept it. A pinch of regret surfaces in him because he’s so
close to winning, and this close to having P'Arthit grant him a wish.

But right now, he stops himself for further clinging on that thought.

The lights on stage dim until it's entirely gone, rapid music playing louder by the second. Any
minute now, the emcees are going to announce the winner's name.

The winner will be the only person to be showered by the spotlight.

"The representative of the Faculty of Engineering, Nong Kongpob Suthiluck!"

The said winner looks up with a confused face.

Am I hallucinating? Did I really just won Mr. Popular and the Campus Moon title at
the same time?

All the doubts in Kongpob's head are swept away by the fact in front of him. By the time he
recovers from his shock, he already has the 'Campus Moon' sash around his shoulder, a
garland on his head, and various prizes in his hands.

A bunch of camera flashes around him taking commemoration photos. All the present
students from the Faculty of Engineering couldn't bear it any longer. They start cheering,
clapping, dancing, singing; celebrating the victory of the Faculty of Engineering. Whether it's
the sports competitions or the Campus Moon and Star contest, they have gotten the champion
for all events. The first-years from the Faculty of Engineering are all utterly proud of
themselves.

The contest for Campus Moon and Star finally ends, and all the contestants are getting down
the stage to let the staff up to prepare the instruments for the final concert that would draw
this Freshmen Game to an end.

Once Kongpob gets off the stage, he’s stopped by a bunch of people, with a bunch of
cameras, taking a bunch of his photos. P'Minnie, the honorary agent of the 'beauty contest' is
crying happy tears on Kongpob with her high decibel voice. She is indescribably delighted
that the two first-years that she chose for the contest had won the two biggest prizes of the
whole Freshmen Game.

The new Campus Moon title holder keeps getting stuck between people and cameras.
Kongpob is smiling so much that his mouth starts to hurt. He happens to find a quiet corner
not far from the backstage and seize the chance to catch his breath. Someone is already at that
corner when he walks towards it, and he is surprised to see who that someone is.

It's the person who had accepted his deal, the Head Hazer Arthit.

Kongpob certainly did not expect to be meeting him so soon. It almost looks as if Arthit is
especially waiting for him.

He walks straight to his senior, not forgetting to wai at him to show respect following the
provisions of the SOTUS system. But the words from Kongpob's mouth states otherwise.

"P'Arthit, I've won."

"Yeah, I know that already. Just tell me what you want."

Arthit is not the Head Hazer for nothing; he goes straight to the point without hesitation. One
look at his face, it's no brainer to tell that he's in a terrible mood because he lost to Kongpob.

Since he's taking such a direct approach with no consideration of being subtle, Kongpob
thought he might as well be the same as his senior.

"Well, I want......"

The last stretch of the word made Arthit's heart beats faster, not because of the tension but
because of the fear. For someone like Arthit that possesses a big ego, he will admit his defeat
no matter what. He is only afraid that Kongpob would get him to do something that would
damage the image of the hazers.

Even though Arthit is panicking on the inside, he still looks straight towards Kongpob, not
shifting his contact at all, waiting for the deal winner to sentence his punishment.

"I'll have it reserved for now. Once I know what I want, I'll let you know."

What!? Reserved!? Arthit didn't wait for that whole while just to get cut off this way. It's not
surprising that he can't help but explode.

"What the hell? Just be clean-cut about it, stop being wishy-washy!"

Kongpob didn't get the chance to reply to him when the screams from the front stage travel to
the back, preventing them from continuing the conversation. Shortly after, comes the prelude
that everyone is so familiar with, played by the popular band that is invited to ignite the
climax of the Freshmen Game.

Then, among all the crowd and noises, the Head Hazer hears a sudden question from the
person beside him.
"What do you think about the song, P'Arthit?"

The sudden change of topic made the still exploding Arthit a little puzzled. However, he still
replies to Kongpob while humming to the beat of the song.

"This one? I've heard it a few times; it's not too bad."

"Not this one. I meant the one I sang."

Kongpob's further explanation made Arthit stop his track of thoughts to recall back the songs
to think about them.

Oh, he meant the songs for the contest earlier! What are the songs again? There's
<Doraemon>, <Y.M.C.A.> and right...the love song.

When Arthit recalls the lyrics of that last song, he notices the faint smile forming from
Kongpob's mouth and the sparkles glittering in his eyes. A weird feeling well up in his heart
and to keep him from thinking what the feeling is about, he yells at Kongpob to distract
himself.

"Hmph, idiot."

Kongpob is laughing inside as he knew that that would be his senior's response.

P'Arthit is still the ruthless P'Arthit. Each time they exchange a conversation, Arthit never did
consider his feelings and would always end up saying harsh words to him. Even so, Kongpob
still likes seeing this long face that he has been waiting to see before the game. It is at this
moment only that Kongpob feels truly happy to have won the 'Campus Moon' title.

When Kongpob wants to make more small talks with Arthit, he is interrupted by a voice.

"Excuse me, Nong Kongpob. We are the representatives of the Student Association. Is it
alright for us to have a short interview with you for a bit?"

A female senior with glasses along with a photographer approaches him. So this is where the
missing newly appointed Campus Moon is at.

Kongpob had wanted to continue the chat with P'Arthit, but the said person had taken up the
opportunity to slip away, and it’s too late for Kongpob to react. He’s caught off guard, and
now he has to face the interview from the senior from Student Association.

"What are your sentiments on being crowned as this year's Campus Moon?"

"Um, I don't know either."

That is one odd answer that has the senior who is interviewing him to make a caustic remark
about it.

"Ow, how can you not know? Don't you feel nervous and all? Now, you are like the moon,
having all the stars together, adorning the night sky."
That sentence evokes an idea and a deep feeling in his heart. After a momentary silence, the
thought that he formed is quite the opposite.

"But I think that there are not only the moon and the stars in the sky."

Kongpob's retort caused the interviewer to frown and asks out of the intense curiosity about
the meaning of his words.

"Really? What else is there?"

Kongpob lets out a faint smile, gaze towards the direction in which Arthit had disappeared to.
He whispers a short and simple answer that only he understands the meaning of it.

"It's a secret."
 Do Not Interfere with The Matters of The Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“44! 45! 46! 47!”

“Stop! Still not in unison! You’ve been doing this since the start of the term, and you still
cannot do it right!? Useless! No progress at all! Start again! Go!”

Same reason, same line, as usual. The first-years have gotten tired and numb from listening to
the same scolding over and over since the beginning of their term. The hazing crew will
always find faults when they are so close in reaching the assigned 50 times of whatever
punishment and get them to restart again. It is a never-ending cycle until the hazing crew are
satisfied and the first-years start having doubts inside.

They thought their situation would get better after the Freshmen Game ended. After all, their
performance for this year’s Freshmen Game can be listed as extremely dazzling, sweeping
away all the championship for sports matches and also being double crowned as Campus
Moon and Star. Their performance have them looking forward a little that the hazing crew
will at least recognize the efforts and spirits they’ve worked so hard to prove.

However, the crew being the hazing crew, they remain the same violent attitude as before.
They are still the same devil in the eyes of the first-years.

It has become even worse actually. All because of the ‘Gear Battle’ and the ‘Closing of
Freshmen Training’ is due in a week, that’s why the hazing crew are reinforcing the training
during the last period. The unfortunate events will still fall onto the first-years in the end, and
they don’t have a say to escape from this fate being shoved into their throat.

The first-years have no choice but to reset the punishment count after the scolding from the
hazing crew. They proceed to prepare themselves, both arms holding the shoulder of their
peers standing on both left and right, ready to do another round of squat up.

Before they get down to one, the door of the hall swings open and they see about 5-6 men
walking into the hall with an overwhelming aura similar to a boys’ band, but the expression
on their face is stern and fierce.

Though these are not familiar faces, the first-years’ gut is telling them that they should be the
fourth-year seniors of the Faculty of Engineering. Because when the whole hazing crew saw
the identity of the visitors, they instantly stand straight, placing their hands together to show
respect.

“Sawadee krub.”
The fourth-years nod at their greeting and walk over to stand in a line in front of the hazing
crew. The third-years move to make space for the fourth-years and the Head Hazer makes a
brief introduction.

“First-years, they are your fourth-year seniors. Pay your respect!”

The first-years do as they are told, they wai and greet the fourth-years then the hazing crew
commands them to take their seat. The first-years uneasily prepare their heart to listen to the
fourth-years, waiting for the person who holds the most authority to start his speech.

During the freshmen training, second-years are in charge of entertainment and cheering;
third-years are responsible for keeping the first-years in an orderly manner, and usually, the
fourth-years don’t interfere much. With their sudden appearance in the hall right now, no one
knows the purpose of it. The third-years are brutal enough for the first-years to handle and
you can’t blame them for thinking that the fourth-years are much more horrible. If their
purpose here is to increase the penalty, the first-years will most probably drop dead on the
spot.

The seated first-years hold their breaths and are anxiously waiting for the words from their
fourth-year senior. Then, plot twist happened.

“First-years, I am very proud of your remarkable performance during the Freshmen Game!
All of you are marvelous!”

No curse is thrown at them, but compliments. Genuine compliments.

The first-years are so confused that they look at each other, scratching their not-so-itchy head,
thinking red rain might fall later as it’s very rare for them to be receiving such positive
feedback. Most of the time, it is always the third-year hazing crew to pressurize them with
underlying messages in their yelling or despise them sourly up to the point that the first-years
are numb from it already because they understand that they couldn’t fight back.

Since there’s this one traditional rule that everyone must abide by——*“First comers are
seniors; Latecomers are juniors; Same time called friends.” Therefore, the latecomers
(juniors) must obey and respect the first comers (seniors).

*I seriously don’t know how to put this into English so, literal translation it is. You get the
drift.

Abiding by the same principle, the ones who can manage the third-years would be the higher
graders. The fourth-year seniors then turn to face the hazing crew who have now stand in a
line, the silence consuming the whole hall.

“As for you, third-years. Judging by all of your commands and actions to punish the first-
years, I’m starting to doubt that you are as good as them. I was told that the crew has been
punishing the first-years inappropriately. Among those include forming lines, squat up, squat
jump, push-up. As well as running around the field for 54 laps.”
Kongpob lifts his head abruptly upon hearing the last. It is the punishment he received
previously when he tried to challenge the hazers’ authority. That has not include the other
penalties like being segregated from his peers, sitting alone at the back. Also, due to the
missing nametag incident, he has to carry out punishments that are twice the amount.

However, ever since the talk along with the warning from the Head Hazer, Kongpob never
stands up and plays hero again, so he is being aimed lesser after. The hazing crew then
decided to bend the rules, allowing him back to join his peers for freshmen training and cut
off the order on his doubled punishments.

Although it’s all in the past; although the punishment had been over, the memories are still
fresh to the first-years on the person who sends down those inhumane instructions.

“Who is the head of the hazing crew?”

“I am.”

Arthit steps forward and stands still with a poker face, waiting for the fourth-year senior’s
next word in a serious and calm manner. Seriously, it’s really no wonder that he’s the head.

“Please tell me your reason for penalizing the first-years.”

“I punish them so that they stay disciplined.”

A clear answer without the slightest doubt. Even though everyone understands, a lot of them
still questions why would the hazing crew chooses the punishment way to deal with them.
And no matter how many times they repeat, they can’t be satisfied.

You can’t blame the first-years for thinking that the hazing crew is using them to vent their
anger more than keeping them disciplined. This question is a universal doubt that the first-
years have.

“Then, as a hazer that is keeping the first-years in order, it means you are able to perform all
those punishments, right?”

“Yes!”

“Very well then. Now, I’ll ask of you, hazing crew to please demonstrate all those
punishments in front of the first-years and us.”

As soon as the fourth-year senior ends his request, the Head Hazer turns to face the hazing
crew that is waiting for his instruction. The next line that the Head Hazer utters, puts
everyone at the scene in shock.

“Hazing crew standby! Squat up 500 times, push up 500 times, squat jump 500 times. And I,
as the head of the hazing crew, will be responsible for performing all these together and will
run around the field for 54 laps after! Start!”

“Yes!”
All of the other hazers reply in unison. It is as if they wholeheartedly accept the punishment
that they give to themselves. The hazing crew stand side by side with each other, both arms
holding the shoulder of their crew standing on their sides and start to shout the count, well
prepared to face this several folds of punishment than they have ordered the first-years
before. The first-years look at the sight in front of them, with a heart full of admiration.

Some of them may feel pleased with it; after all, we are talking about the hazing crew
carrying out the inhumane punishments that they ordered the first-years previously. But most
times, no one will be all happily smiling when the sight of others being punished is just
before their eyes.

The person who is being punished right now, even though they are the ones that the first-
years are dissatisfied with and hated them but deep inside, they understand that whatever the
hazing crew did is part of the SOTUS system.

In fact, when the first-years are in trouble, the hazing crew is always the first to rush over to
save them. They are an important drive that motivates the first-years to have completed many
tasks successfully.

It may sound a little hypocritical, but a fact is a fact. Everyone would have to admit that the
honours of the first-years are all thanks to the hazing crew.

With the current atmosphere that is surrounding them, several first-years start to feel
uncomfortable and unable to hold back the thought of wanting to help. Heck, even Kongpob
intends to stand up and share part of the punishment, but he is afraid that his actions will
bring trouble. A part of him understands that there are the fourth-years senior at the scene this
time, and the situation may become worse if he said anything wrong. The other part is that he
believes the hazers absolutely will not allow the first-years to help.

They can only suppress their emotions, endure the sight of the hazing crew continues the
punishments until they reach the count. Even though the hazing crew looks firm and fit
thanks to the training that they went through, there’s bound to be some fatigue showing on
their face after all the continuous punishments. They try to mask their fatigue, but the
excessive perspiration and their hoarse voice have proven the opposite.

Even their Head Hazer Arthit continues to hold out and forces his footsteps to carry him out
of the hall to get on with the last penalty alone. To run around the field for 54 laps.

After wrapping up the freshmen training, Kongpob stands up, planning to chase over to the
field. He has not gone out of the hall when he is called by his best friend.

“Kong, where are you leaving to?”

“I’m going to take a look at P’Arthit at the field.”

“Will P’Arthit really finishes all laps? You didn’t finish your laps that time too, isn’t it?”

What M said is the truth that Kongpob is thinking as well.

Kongpob, in fact, did not finish the 54 laps. He only did 6, 7 laps. After the freshmen training
ended that day, the senior from the nursing crew stopped him and told him to take rest with
his peers. If he really finished all 54 laps, he’s going to be carried away by the ambulance at
the end of it.

The university board will definitely follow carefully on their hazing activities if an
ambulance really arrives on scene. That’s why no matter what commands they give to the
first-years, safety always comes first.

That time he only did a few laps and woke up the next day with a pair of terribly aching legs.
Today, the Head Hazer must be much more worn out than he was before as he finished the
1,500 counts of punishments before running the laps. Kongpob is having inner debates on
whether P’Arthit would really do as he said.

“Let’s go eat first! We have to finish the English report tonight, and there’s a physics quiz too
tomorrow!”

M reminds him of the assignments that need to be completed by tonight, which makes
Kongpob hesitates more. Checking at the time, it’s almost six, finishing his dinner, writing
the report, preparation for the quiz, all those will definitely take up a lot of time. Even if he
goes and see P’Arthit, he can only stand and look from afar, being of no help at all.

In the end, Kongpob decides to forget about it and join M and the others for dinner. He then
rides back to his dorm, get down with his English report, and print it out at the printing shop
nearby the dorm after he’s done. He hurriedly returns to his dorm and continues to prepare for
tomorrow morning’s physics quiz.

Kongpob is only halfway through his revision when he feels his eyes closing, attacked by all
the numbers. Seeing the time is almost nine, he thought it would be good to get a nice cup of
iced coffee. Kongpob gives his body a good stretch and relaxes his mind for a bit. He found
out that it is raining outside when he looks at the direction of his balcony.

Ow, when did it start to rain? Kongpob was so focused on his revision that he did not
notice the situation outside.

Holding an umbrella in his hand, Kongpob takes the elevator down. He plans to head to the
7-11 near his dorm to get some snacks and drinks to chase off the sleepy bug. He is already
out of his dorm building when the rain gets heavier. When he reaches the convenience store,
there are already groups of people seeking shelter from the rain.

Before Kongpob could get into the store, a rental bike suddenly flashes past him and stops in
front of the convenience store. Behind the bike are two female students who are drenched
from the rain. They quickly paid for their ride and rush into the store to keep themselves out
of the pouring rain.

“Gosh, this rain is so sudden!”

“I know! It was so light earlier! We are so close to reaching our dorm. Do you want to walk
back through the alley?”
“Are you out of your mind! This kind of sudden downpour would stop after a while. Let’s
just wait. You know, just now when we were on the bike, I thought I saw someone running on
the field.”

“How can it be possible? Who would still be running at this time, in this weather?”

“I don’t know; maybe my eyes tricked me. It’s too dark to get a clear view.”

Kongpob stunned after he overheard the conversation between the two ladies. Their exchange
reminds him of someone.

Someone running on the field, could it be…

There’s only one answer that Kongpob could come up with. He throws away his original
intention of getting his coffee and scurry back to his dorm to fetch his bike’s key, riding it
into the campus with one hand and the other holding an umbrella. He is unsure of whatever
the lady had seen, but he wants to go there to see it with his own eyes. Just to be sure.

Kongpob parks his bike near the field and walks into the field where only a part of the lights
is still lit. His vision is blurred by the heavy storm and couldn’t make up if there really is
anyone on the field. Including the person who is supposedly running on the field.

Surely it can’t be true. Who in their right state of mind would be running at this late hour,
under such heavy rain as well. But to Kongpob, he believes that there is a possibility for that
to happen which is why he chooses to rush over.

You are absolutely out of your mind, Kongpob!

He exhaustedly curses himself. Kongpob would have turned around, getting ready to ride
back to his dorm, if not for the sound behind him that causes him to halt his steps.

The sound comes from a distance. Although the sound is mixed with the noise of the dripping
rain, Kongpob instantly knows that it’s the sound of running footsteps. Then the figure
follows after is just the person he is desperately looking for.

Kongpob dashes forward without thinking twice to approach that person. When he sees the
Head Hazer in a closer distance, the view shocks the hell out of him.

From head to toe, whether it’s the jeans or the black T-shirt that the Head Hazer usually
wears, are all soaked to the point that it looks like Arthit just got fished out from the water.
However, the worst part would probably be his face. After running for such long hours, it’s
evident on his face that it’s more than what his body can sustain.

“P’Arthit, please stop! It’s raining! Don’t run anymore!”

Kongpob runs over to his side, trying to shield him with the umbrella in his hand. That act
resulted in him drenched by the rain too, but given the Head Hazer’s current situation, he has
no time to care about the other minor issues. That person starts to chase Kongpob away after
a quick glimpse at him.
“I’m only left with five laps. Leave me alone.”

Five laps left? That means P’Arthit has been sticking to his promise and has been running
since six! He has not even stop once for a break. Does he intend to stop after he’s done with
all the laps? But he didn’t finish 54 laps that time!

Kongpob is unable to comprehend the situation that is in front of him. Why? Why does
P’Arthit have to go to that extent? Just for the sake of the hazing crew’s dignity?

“But you are all drenched, P’Arthit! You will get sick if you continue. Take a rest, P!”

Kongpob tries to persuade his senior but got pushed away relentlessly.

“If you want me to rest, then get out of here, don’t hinder me! I want to finish the laps.”

“Then I’m going to run with you.”

Kongpob takes it to himself to stay with his senior, and while running alongside, he still holds
up the umbrella to keep his senior away from the rain. Arthit halts his steps after he sees what
Kongpob is doing and starts yelling at him mercilessly.

“What the hell are you doing!? Get out!”

Has a rejected Kongpob ever listens? With his serious eyes looking directly into the fierce
eyes of the other person as if telling his senior that he wilfully insists on sticking to his
decision.

“No. If you’re not going to take a break, then I will not leave either!”

“Kongpob!”

Arthit shouts his name, his patience reaching its limit. Kongpob knows that he is getting on
his senior’s nerves, but if to tell him to let his senior go, to let him continue his laps in the
rain, he couldn’t do it either.

A third party’s sudden appearance break it when Arthit and Kongpob are in a stalemate.

“Arthit, what’s going on?”

Both of them turn around at the same time to find one of the hazers is walking over with an
umbrella as he asks. Arthit is not surprised by his appearance and uses an impatience tone to
express his frustration.

“Deal with this first-year. I want to continue my run.”

Upon hearing Arthit’s request, he directs his gaze onto the uninvited guest and questions him
with the standard tone of a hazer’s.

“First-year, what are you doing here?”

“Why does P’Arthit have to continue running under such heavy rain? Can P please let me run
for him instead?”

Kongpob holds a hint of hope, wishing that the hazer would have a little sympathy towards
his friend. And if he allows, Kongpob is willing to take P’Arthit’s place to finish the
remaining laps. But things did not go as the way he wished for. Not only the hazer refuses his
pleading, but he also refuses it with a simple reason that Kongpob feels like he is being
punched in the face upon hearing it.

“This is the punishment order for the Head Hazer, not the first-year’s.”

“But…”

“Enough! I don’t allow! Go to the corridor over there!”

Not even a chance for him to refute.

Kongpob understands that his comebacks are going to be futile. And if he keeps dragging his
heels not leaving the field, he will definitely be dragged away by the hazer who is as tall and
sturdy as the guardian statue at the entrance of a temple.

He looks at P’Arthit hesitantly, but the latter avoids his gaze, waits for no one’s response and
turns to continue the run under the rain that is gradually letting up, leaving Kongpob still
standing still. The hazer gently taps his elbow, motioning him to wait over the corridor.

Kongpob has no choice but to follow behind the hazer, bearing a heart full of
incomprehensible questions that are gradually yielding a sense of anger in him.

Why? Why would the third-years just sit and offer no help towards their friend in that state?
Why would all of them let P’Arthit run alone? Why can’t he take his senior’s place to run for
him?

All his confusions turn into doubt. When he reaches the building closest to the field, the sight
of a bunch of people waiting comes into view. Every table is full of people, and all of them
are from his faculty. Whether it’s the hazing crew or the entertainment crew, even P’Fang
from the nursing team is there and greets him once she spots him.

“N’Kongpob, you’re here too! My, you are all soaked! Do you want a towel? Go over there
and join your peers for now. I’ll go get you a towel.”

……Peers?

Kongpob’s eyes widen after he turns to the direction that P’Fang is pointing at. He finds 20
over first-years are standing beside a table, chatting their time away. Some have changed into
casual clothes just like him while some still have the shirt for freshmen training on them,
obviously signalling that they have not gone back to their dorm once. Among them includes
this one female student that is wearing glasses who waves at him when she saw Kongpob.

“May!”
Kongpob remembers the name of this girl because she is the one who got her nametag ripped
off during one of the freshmen training previously due to him not able to answer the question
asked by the Head Hazer. He ended up giving his nametag to May and receive the
punishments on her behalf. May was choking down her sobs when it happened so Kongpob
figures May is very much terrified of the Head Hazer.

But now, he sees May here, waiting with all the others who are previously also scared of the
Head Hazer. All of them wearing the same worried expression as the hazing crew and the
other seniors.

“Why are you guys here? How long have you been here?”

Another person who just arrived comes to them and asks. Kongpob is too trying to
understand the situation before his eyes that he had never thought would happen.

“I’m here for almost an hour now. I was going to go back to my dorm through the field and
found out that P’Arthit is still running the laps, so I called up our friends to come.” May takes
the initiative to tell Kongpob before he opens his mouth.

May then uses her chin to point to one of the girls, and the girl continues explaining.

“Yeah! I posted P’Arthit’s photo that I took earlier to Facebook, and a lot of them are
reposting about it!”

Her further explanation helped Kongpob slowly put the answers to his questions together;
slowly figuring the ins and outs of the whole situation. Which means he is not the only one
that knows that the Head Hazer is still running.

Ring…

The sudden ringing of a phone interrupts the conversation. Kongpob almost forgot that he has
his mobile with him and reaching into his very wet pants’ pocket to retrieve his phone. Lucky
for him, the fabric of his pants is thick enough to protect his mobile from being soaked. One
glance at his phone screen showing his best friend calling, he immediately answers the call.

“Yea, M?”

“Kong, express news! I saw a photo post that someone shares, of the Head Hazer, still
running on the field.”

“Hmm, I already know, and I am here near the field right now.”

“Really!? P’Arthit is really still running? But it’s a raining storm now, and he’s still keeping it
up? Under this rain? Is he out of his mind?”

Maybe he is. Because why else would he do this to torture himself?

But the craziest out of all is no doubt them. Obviously, everyone knows that P’Arthit is
holding out, but no one reaches out to help. Everyone is standing here worriedly and
patiently, waiting for the Head Hazer to complete the promise that he made.
He now realizes how great the hazing crew’s dignity and honour is; he now understands why
P’Arthit would be chosen to hold this post. It’s because he did not and will not ask for any
sympathy in whatever situation. It’s also impossible for P’Arthit to accept Kongpob’s
sympathy.

Kongpob looks out to find the rain has noticeably let up, turning into drizzle. By the time the
rain stops completely is also the time P’Arthit finishes his final lap.

The hazing crew, along with the nursing team rush out towards the field, draping a towel onto
the person who is unable even to stand straight now. Kongpob follows them running over,
and he is so anxious that he can’t help but interpose to ask about his senior.

“Are you alright, P’Arthit?”

Although he is obviously too tired to talk, being the Head Hazer he is, Arthit still squeezes
out that tiny bit of strength to reprimand the crowd of first-year onlookers.

“You first years… What are you doing here! Go home! Knot… Send me back to my dorm…
I want to change my clothes.”

The latter sentence is said to the tall, sturdy senior who came and stopped Kongpob earlier on
the field. Knot walks over to help the overworked person. Arthit’s arm hanging onto Knot’s
shoulder, being literally drags to the car parked not far from the field.

Everyone there gives way to the Head Hazer, letting him through except Kongpob. He
follows by walking behind them.

“I want to go together.”

Arthit turns around to find this heroic regular speaking. His hair and clothes are starting to
dry, but his stubborn attitude is not, even for the slightest bit dry out, which made Arthit lose
his patience once again.

“For what you follow us?”

“I want to send you there.”

“Leave it! You first-year should just stay at where the first-years are at. This is none of any of
your business!”

“Do we first-years have no rights to worry about our third-year seniors like you?”

The question that is thrown out by Kongpob is so loud, enough for everyone at the field to
catch it. All at scene remain silent, with their eyes focusing on the two people who are
conversing.

Right at this moment, Kongpob is looking at Arthit with vaguely pleading eyes, hoping he
could get the permission for his humble request.
He wants… He requests the Head Hazer to understand that not only him, but many of the
first-years are also worried and just want to make sure that he is truly fine.

But the response that Arthit gives him is a pair of evading eyes. He then says to his friend.

“Let’s get going, Knot. And as for you! If you still insist on following us, I will punish all the
first-years tomorrow!”

The Head Hazer turns and gets in the car with the hazing crew and nursing team after
intimidating against the first-years standing not far from them. There are only first-years and
some seniors left who are getting ready to head back as it starts to drizzle again. It seems like
it’s going to be yet another storm.

“Kongpob, let’s go back.”

May comes over to wake Kongpob who is standing still on his spot. He nods lightly and
follows behind May. Through the raindrops, the figure gradually disappears into the falling
rain.

The current situation is precisely the same as the state of his mind. Even though he tries so
hard to convey his thought to that person, it seems that in the end, all feather away into thin
air.

He can never reach into the heart of that person.

 The Hazer Can Take Care of Himself

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Ring…

The phone is ringing. His ears heard it; his fingers awaken by it; his brain starts functioning
due to it. But his legs, are now in the dead zone.

Arthit is at the moment, lying on his bed, not moving an inch. There’s only one word to
describe his current condition —— Paralyzed.

Not for other reasons. Just because he wanted to show his demeanor to the first-years
yesterday by bearing the punishment orders from hell (himself), which includes 500 push
ups, 500 squat ups, 500 squat jumps. Also, the last and the most ruthless of all, running 54
laps around the football field, rain or shine.

Even God helped with the pouring rain, fearing the person carrying out the punishment was
not pitiful enough, creating an especially tragic atmosphere.

To be honest, other than feeling on his last legs, the physical condition of his body is now
practically at the edge of death.

Yesterday, after many difficulties, his friends managed to help him into the car and Arthit
passed out during the ride. It threw his friends off their feet, immediately giving him first-aid
and changing their route to the hospital emergency room.

However, Arthit woke up halfway through the ride and told his friend to bring back to his
dorm. All he wanted then, was to sleep and he didn’t want to make a big thing out of it.
Moreover, if this incident reached the dean, it's literally a shout of trouble to everyone in
charge of freshmen training.

When the car finally pulled over in front of his dorm, Arthit could only rely on his friends to
carry him to his room because he couldn’t even stand stably with his own two feet. They
helped him changed and got him to take various kinds of medicine. Cold medicine, anti-
inflammatory medicine, painkillers; any that they can think of to help Arthit ease the pain.
Then they put him to bed and got one of them to stay with him in case anything happens.

Arthit slept till noon in one stretch. When he woke up, he realized that he’s a little feverish
and has a bit of a sore throat. But the worst part was his feet. They hurt so bad like some huge
truck ran over his legs crushing the bones.
Turned out his muscles were already inflamed. He almost resorted to climbing when he
needed to use the toilet and the friend that was left to look after him, found this scene
unbearable.

In the end, his friends couldn’t take it anymore, and they skipped their afternoon class to
bring him to the doctor. The result was, of course, getting badly scolded by the doctor that
Arthit had over-trained his body to this state. The doctor then prescribed a bunch of
medicines to him and had his sprained left ankle bandaged up.

After the doctor’s visit, his friends sent him back to his dorm.

His whole body is stiffed and currently lying lifelessly on his bed, not able to move, looking
exactly like a log. When his phone that is placed on the table just beside his bed starts to ring,
he can’t even move to pick it up.

Since the others already went out for dinner, he could only ask help from the one person that
is in the current shift of taking care of him.

“Prem, help me get my phone.”

“Oh, here.”

Prem takes the phone and throws it onto Arthit’s bed instead of passing it to his hand. His
eyes are glued to the TV, and the other hand is busy stuffing chips to his mouth during the
whole process, not much caring about the situation of his friend. Arthit starts to wonder if this
guy is actually here to take care of him or he is just switching a place to munch his chips.

He takes a glance, and once he sees the person’s name on the screen of his phone, he quickly
presses on ‘answer.’

“P’Deer.”

“Hey, brat! Are you dead yet?”

This gloating tone of his senior is something that he has gotten used to a long time ago.
Because this is the voice he started hearing since the start of his summer vacation; since the
beginning of the hazer training.

“Almost P’Deer. I saw my gramps waving his hand at me, and I almost went to him.”

Arthit hears the other end laughs uncontrollably by the time he finishes his sentence. After
stopping, P’Deer uses a gentler tone and replies to him earnestly.

“I guess you are okay now since you can talk back like that. I got worried when I heard Knott
mentioned he took you to the hospital. What came over you yesterday? I thought we already
agreed on 20 laps?”

You heard it right, the person that Arthit is speaking to now is P’Deer, one of the fourth-year
seniors who raided the hall yesterday. He was one of the hazers in charge of the third-years in
the past and the one who gave out the order for Arthit to punish himself. But all these are
actually a show that they put on, to let the first-years understand, “Beyond mountains there
are mountains; beyond third-years, there are fourth-years.”

Although the seniors are not likely to intervene in the matters of freshmen training, yet the
fourth-years are still their seniors, so juniors are to observe the tradition to respect the
seniors. Therefore, the fastest way to show the prestige of the fourth-years is to arrange a
scapegoat and put on a show. It’s even better if the person is someone that the first-years think
impossible to take down. Hence, the role naturally goes to the current Head Hazer.

“I just want to show the first-years how powerful you are.”

“It’s you who gets all the credit now. Do you realize how popular you are right now? Some
first-years took pictures of you running and uploaded them to Facebook. It’s being circulated
now with so many people sharing it while bashing on us fourth-year for being too barbarian
on you. Now that I think about it, it’s a big loss for me. I made an appearance for only a few
minutes to be hated for a whole year.”

Arthit doesn’t know what to say when the voice from the other end sounded a mixture of
upset in his gleeful tone.

He honestly didn’t expect that the first-years will be there at the field. He thought the life and
death of the hazing crew would not be any concern of the first-years. Maybe some first-years
even feel happy that it’s finally the hazing crew’s turn to be punished in front of the eyes of
many.

Moreover, running 54 laps sound too impossible to complete but he is the Head Hazer for a
reason, and a real man that never goes back on his words; what’s been said has to be done,
regardless of the difficulties; regardless of how the process would break his body.

“I’ll stop disturbing you. Get some rest and get well soon lame puppy!”

There is a bit of teasing in the tone, but Arthit knows very well that this is the concern that
comes from the bottom of his senior’s heart.

Then, there’s Prem, sarcasm in his words. Well, a cracked bell can never sound well, right?

“Your department goes through so much trouble just for things like this. Ours don’t even
bother to do that much.”

*I’m guessing in the novel, Arthit and Prem are from the same faculty but different
departments.

**However, in Chinese, Faculty and Department are the same word. While English has a
slight difference, Chinese doesn’t so; I’ll do this part with my understanding.

Arthit shrugs and answers mindlessly, “I don’t have a choice. This is the rule.”

There are rules for the hazing crew to follow, and it’s especially so for the leader in charge.
One of the rules is whatever punishments are directed to the first-years, the hazing crew has
to make sure they can do it as well. Even if the punishment commands up to this day seem
cruel and merciless, yet they are not given out to vent personal feelings or to behave as a
senior with authority and power.

Like that time, he had ordered Kongpob to run 54 laps, even though he knew Kongpob did
not exactly finish the laps, but he was the one who gave out the order hence he was
responsible for it. So, no matter how much he had to push himself or how anyone tried to
persuade him and show ed concerns, he still has to complete it.

…Concern?

When Arthit thinks about it, he recalls the words that person said to him. But the one that left
a deep impression in him was…his eyes.

He can’t make out what the other party wanted to convey yesterday because the moment he’s
met with his eyes, other than anger, he felt another feeling coming from Kongpob’s eyes and
from the deepest of his heart.

Pain. The excruciating kind that made him turned his head, afraid to continue seeing them as
if reproaching him for what he had done.

No, wait. Why should he feel apologetic?

I didn’t do anything wrong. I drove him away because he’s always playing hero regardless of
the situation. Can’t blame me when he’s the one being nosy.

Okay, that’s enough. The more I think, the more my head hurts. It’s already painful enough as
it is that my legs are killing me. If my head decides to get together with my legs now, I need to
be prepared to return to the hospital again. And this time, the doctor will definitely force me
with admission.

Arthit tosses away all the messy thoughts in his head and turns to Prem, hoping a chat with
him would change the direction of his focus, but that bastard is still pretty much glued to the
TV and still with the chips in his mouth.

“Prem, I’m hungry. Buy me some congee. And a pink milk too.”

The person who was asked to run errands finally detach his eyes from the screen. Prem is not
surprised one bit by the food preference from this friend of his, or should he say he has
become accustomed to it. Such a piercingly fierce look but loves a girlish beverage. Yet
seeing the one ordering has no concern over his own half-disabled body, Prem can’t help but
mock him.

“Not forgetting your pink milk even in this state, huh?”

“Ho… As if you don’t already know that that is my exclusive Red Bull. It’s now specialized
in curing half-dead legs and it’s much more effective than the medicines prescribed by the
doctors.”

Prem rolls his eyes at Arthit’s stubborn justification. If pink milk really does cure his legs, the
dosage that he needs now would not be only a cup, but tens of liter to soak directly in it.
“Fine, you stay still. I’ll buy them for you, loser.”

The last word causes the patient to kick up a fuss before Prem closes the door. He goes
downstairs to get the food Arthit had ordered, and even though they are quarreling as usual,
Prem has not forgotten the task that is assigned to him, to take care of the bed-ridden Head
Hazer.

The time now is close to seven, just the time for the university students to come back from
class and hunt for dinner. Well, that explains the crowd building in the restaurant. Any
innocent passer-by may even think there’s some food sampling event going on judging by the
load of people.

After a hard time, Prem finally managed to squeeze through the people with the congee. But
after he came out of the restaurant, the queue of the beverage stall made him go crazy to a
point he wanted to give up his errand boy position.

Why does everyone cram at the same stall to get drinks!

Seeing that there are still around ten of them in front of him, he could only heave a sigh and
get the beverage stall owner to write down his order first.

“One pink milk please.”

With a weak voice, Prem orders the drink Arthit wanted, and it catches the attention of
someone who is waiting in line. After that someone looks back, he immediately put his hands
together and wai at his senior.

“P’Prem, sawadee krub.”

Prem turns his face to be greeted by him who is none other than the Campus Moon of the
year.

“Hmm.” Prem nods slightly along with a short-hum reply.

He plans to give credit to Kongpob in his heart because although they are of different
departments, yet this first-year would still take the initiative to pay his senior respect even
when they are out of the campus.

However, the next sentence from Kongpob causes the credit to vanish into thin air instantly.

“Is the pink milk for yourself, P?”

The one being asked wants so much to hide into a hole. He has already forgotten about the
order of the girlish drink that would do harm to his manly image. But Prem thinks it’s too
troublesome to explain that it’s for others; hence, he switches his tone to the hazer mode and
counters back with a question.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Nothing.”
Kongpob realized he had said too much and quickly keep his head down, zipping his mouth
shut. But his mind can’t help but circle around the pink milk.

It reminds him of someone who really loves to drink that.

The whole engineering faculty already knew since the news of P’Arthit running the field
spread like a fire yesterday. From their own department to other departments under the
Faculty of Engineering, with mixed judgments. Some praised him for his courage to take
responsibility, but others criticized that he is doing it on purpose to build his image while a
small part of them just couldn’t understand why the hazing crew is going through such
extent. And that small part includes Kongpob.

Of course, Kongpob knows that this is his responsibility; of course, he understands that this is
the dignity that the hazing crew must defend. What he is not clear of is doesn’t P’Arthit
knows that he made a lot of people worried over him?

Overexerting himself had caused some bad consequences. Kongpob was trying to remind
him; he tried hard wanting to help, but all his efforts were rejected. It seemed that his senior
didn’t want to know anything about it and that put Kongpob in agony.

Upon reaching his dorm yesterday, he leaped to open the sliding door that led to the balcony
and peeked at the opposite room. But he couldn’t get a clear view as the laundry of the
room’s owner was hanging outside, blocking the sight of his room.

In the end, Kongpob got zero information on what happened after he was chased back by the
Head Hazer. Although he went to his class, in truth, he was depressed and feeling uneasy
inside. And it was until he saw P’Prem ordering the pink milk that he realized——

That person has always been in his heart.

Ring…

The close-range ringing awakens Kongpob from his thoughts. It’s P’Prem’s phone that is
ringing, and he then watches his senior answering his phone, letting the content of the
conversation floating freely in the air.

*It actually means don’t care about others and letting the conversation dissipate. I don’t
know how to remain this as nice as the Chinese version, so I just do this literal. XD

“Hello. USB? Ah, I completely forgot! Yea, it’s with me. Sorry, sorry. It’s my fault that I
forgot. Huh? You need it now!? Alright, alright, I’ll bring it to you right away.”

Prem appears to be anxious, looking around restlessly. Then, his eyes met with Kongpob’s.

“First-year, you know Arthit, right?”

“Yes.”

Kongpob nods and answers, puzzled.

P’Prem, you should have known that I am the junior of your friend. Isn’t it?

But to Prem, this question is just to secure a confirmation because he plans to hand over a
great task to Kongpob.

“Can I trouble you to bring this congee and the pink milk to him? He lives nearby, at Rod
building, room 618. Something urgent came up, and I must settle it immediately. I give this to
you first. Money and congee.”

Everything, including the order is handed over speedily and before Kongpob could open his
mouth, the notes and congee are already in his hand. The next thing he knows is P’Prem
rushing off at lightning speed, leaving him dumbfounded in place to sort out the whole
incident.

Hold up, so the pink milk is not P’Prem’s? Which means, it’s……

There is only one name that appeared in his head and Kongpob smiled at the thought of it. He
definitely did not expect that God would be on his side and gives him such a great
opportunity to get close to the person he thinks of day and night.

*Sound like someone's in love. -squeals-*

He cancels his iced coffee order just to wait for the cup of pink milk. He then walks back on
the much familiar road, not to the building he is staying in but to the next building nearby.
Just nice that there are lots of students going in and out during this timing that Kongpob
could just easily walk in without the use of access card. He waits for the elevator to reach the
sixth floor and proceeds to room 618 once exited.

The room that he often steals glances at from the balcony of his room.

Kongpob’s footsteps stop outside the door of the said room. He could feel his heartbeat
accelerating; his mind starting to worry that if the person that comes to the door is P’Arthit’s
friend, what is he supposed to say? Probably he would get chase away before he could ask
about P’Arthit’s condition. But since he’s already here, one quick glance at P’Arthit is the
least he hoped for. He takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.

Knock, knock

Silent. No response from the other side.

Kongpob knocks for another time and there is still no response. Could P’Arthit be asleep? Or
did he came to the wrong place? He is contemplating if he should knock for the third time
when finally, there’s a very impatient voice that responds to him.

“Just come in! The door’s not locked!”

It’s the Head Hazer’s voice that Kongpob couldn’t be more familiar with. After permission
granted, he reaches for the doorknob, steps in and sweeps through the room, observing every
inch.
The room is painted in clean and bright tones; the size of the room is similar to that of his
own room; most of the things are scattered, left around without order. All these shows
enough of the room owner’s personality, which is the one lying on the bed now, leisurely
reading his comic books.

He’s already speaking in an obviously annoyed tone when he didn’t even lift his head to see
the person who comes into his room.

“Are you doing it on purpose, Prem? You very well know the fact that my legs are killing me,
and you still have the audacity to knock the stupid door. And, you went out for so long! Were
you buying stuff or helping the stall owner selling?”

“There was a long queue at the restaurant just now.”

Arthit is well aware that such a polite tone is definitely impossible to be coming out from the
mouth of his friend. The moment he heard it, he immediately springs up to see who is talking.

His eyes widen comically after seeing the identity of the person that comes in after the knock
on the door.

“Kongpob! Why are you here?”

Arthit raises his voice while pointing his finger at the visiting guest, wearing an expression as
if he had seen a ghost. The thoughts in his head are messy and confusing, and he has been
asking the same question repeatedly in his mind.

This, h-how… Why is 0062 here? How did he know which is my unit? A-And, for what reason
he looks for me?

All his questions are all solved by a simple explanation.

“P’Prem had urgent matter came up so he got me to bring you the congee and pink milk.”

The visiting guest lifts up the congee and pink milk as evidence. After seeing such clear
evidence, Arthit swears he hopes to have a one-minute recovery just to stand up and give the
traitor a kick.

That damn traitor!

Whatever is the matter that Prem had that was so urgent and important enough to throw him
aside!? Arthit won’t be complaining much if it was someone else but no, it has to be this guy
of all people; the one that he very much doesn’t want to see. The rough image that he built
yesterday, is all ruined overnight, now that he is seen lying on the bed like a sickly feline.

OH MY GOD! He feels like dying right now.

How many more faces can one lose? Arthit so wanted to hide in a hole, away from the
embarrassment. It’s too late to be driving the person away as the other party is making his
way in and expressing his concern.
“How are you feeling, P’Arthit?”

“I feel just fine!”

Although the fact in front of his eyes is of vast difference with whatever he just said, he still
has a face as the Head Hazer to keep! Otherwise, it will do more damage to his Head Hazer
reputation.

However, the fact sitting in front of them is that the Head Hazer is lying on the bed unable to
move even an inch, which made the guest even more confused.

“Really? Then why did P’Arthit needed to bandage your foot?”

Shit! I forgot all about it!

The patient who accidentally got his lie exposed quickly pulls the quilt to cover his feet while
blurting out the most far-fetched reason of all.

“Well, um…Fo-For the fun of it.”

Clearly, it is an excuse that is not mapped out beforehand and it sounds so bad that even a
three-year-old would know that it’s fake, let alone a person who is in the first year of
university. But Kongpob doesn’t intend to dig at him further.

He walks to the side of the bed that is situated at the center of the room which made the bed
resting patient exclaim loudly.

“What are you doing!”

Kongpob doesn’t answer but instead presses his hand against the bandaged foot that is hiding
underneath the quilt. It was a gentle pressure but that was more than enough to make Arthit
jump.

“Ouch!”

“Your injury is really bad. You’re unable to walk for now, right?”

The diagnosis from the visitor angers Arthit.

Y es, I know already so stop reminding me about it! Who told you to press it without even
asking about its condition. I’m fine doesn’t mean my foot is fine too!

“It’s none of your business. You can leave now.”

“How can I go when you are in such a bad state. Let me help you pour the congee into the
bowl.”

Not only Kongpob ignores the 'eviction notice' from the room owner, but also takes the
necessary tableware arbitrarily and moves a small table to the bed; ready to prepare for a
takeaway dinner home service with a bowl of congee with egg and pork and a cup of pink
milk.

After he’s done setting up, Kongpob proceeds to sit on the desk chair, watching Arthit’s
clueless and full of doubts face about this unexpected yet warm service.

But don’t think that you can get a ‘Thank you’ from the stubborn Head Hazer. Unless
Kongpob is preparing to leave his room, then he might consider.

“Why are you still here?”

“I’m waiting for P’Arthit to finish and clear the plate for you. You won’t be able to,
considering your current state, right?”

Not sure if Kongpob is deliberately trying to irritate him or not, but the previous statement
stabs right into Arthit’s sore spot, and it makes the urge of standing up and throwing a fist to
the other person’s face to rise.

This brat very well knows that he’s unable to walk due to the injury but whenever there’s an
opportunity, he would grab on it and talk wildly, making fun of him.

But it’s pointless to be bickering now, after all, he really does not have the strength to stand
up and push this tall figure out of his room. Arthit swallows his frustrations and reluctantly
sends a mouthful of congee to his mouth.

Kongpob takes the opportunity to admire the room’s decorations at will and his gaze stops at
the sliding door. The curtains are not drawn well, and the balcony outside can be seen
slightly.

The balcony that he often sneaks peeks at from his room on the opposite.

A weird feeling gushes out when he is looking at his own room from this perspective. Many
times, Kongpob wonders what the person is doing in his room and after he comes over today,
he feels that his room looks distant and lonesome. If he returns to his room after this, the only
chance he could see the owner of the room again would be when the said owner goes out to
the balcony to hang his laundry.

When he is thinking while looking at the clothes out at the balcony, he suddenly remembers
that he has been seeing these clothes out to dry since last night.

“P’Arthit, your clothes should be dry by now. Let me help you bring them in, or they will get
wet if it rains.”

Arthit had just fed himself a mouthful of congee that he immediately swallows after he heard
what Kongpob says and shouts a loud ‘No!’ in his heart.

But it’s already too late for him to get the word out from his mouth to stop him because the
younger had already slid open the sliding door and walked out to take the laundry on the
hangers. He asks as he brings in the laundry.
“P’Arthit, where’s your iron? I’ll help to iron your clothes.”

“No need for that. Just leave it aside.”

This time, the owner of the room made it in time to stop the person but to no avail, as
Kongpob puts his clothes on the back of the chair, he opens his mouth and answers back.

“Are you planning to grow dust on them, P’Arthit? Just let me help with the ironing.”

Like the concern of a mother’s had Arthit stops making a comeback at Kongpob. He could
only look at Kongpob setting up the ironing rack, then takes the iron out from the cabinet
under the TV. He also brings along the remote control for the TV to the person who is still
slurping his congee on the bed.

“Um, P’Arthit, do you want to watch the TV? I got you the remote control so you can switch
the channels.”

Arthit has never heard this sentence from the friends that had been to his room, especially
Prem who snatched away the remote control and made it as his own during the time he was
caring for Arthit. He didn’t even ask if Arthit wanted to watch it. As for his other friends,
well, they didn’t really care that much either.

Except for this person. He has been taking the initiative to meddle with everything, without
waiting for Arthit to say anything at all. Whether it’s looking after him, taking in the laundry
or ironing the clothes, even he had been ordered to leave, he still brazenly stays. While Arthit
doesn’t understand the reason for Kongpob doing so much, yet all of Kongpob’s doings…

Remind him of the last sentence that Kongpob said after he finished the laps last night, and
the overwhelming emotions escaping from the pair of eyes that were looking at him.

Arthit finds himself eating very slowly because his eyes are looking back and forth the TV
and the person who is ironing his clothes. He ends up not understanding whatever news that
the TV had broadcasted.

Kongpob has just finished ironing his clothes by the time Arthit finishes his bowl of congee.
He puts the clothes neatly into the closet then proceeds to fold away the small table on the
bed, washes the bowl and throws away the empty plastic cup that was filled pink milk
before.

*So, Kongpob did clear up after Arthit finished the congee unlike the one in series where he
just left. My soul can rest in peace now. HAHAHA

After everything is done, only Kongpob notices the packets that are placed on the bedside
table.

“Oh, P’Arthit needs to take your medication, right? I totally forgot to ask if you have any
medicine to be taken before meals.”

Kongpob blames his negligence in his heart. He walks over and picks up the drug bag to
check and the outcome is as expected.
“You do and you have missed one dose of this. Why didn’t P’Arthit remind me? If you keep
missing your medication, when will you recover? Please don’t forget it again next time.”

Kongpob’s long list of nagging made Arthit seem like a wilful child and it’s hurting his
dignity as the Head Hazer; he is losing face and can no longer press down the rage from
exploding.

“Such a busybody! Don’t come nagging at me! I’m your senior, not some kid!”

The sound of his yell ends and the air around them stiffens instantly. The moment of
complete silence makes Arthit feels that he had spoken too abrasively.

It’s not that he doesn’t understand that Kongpob is speaking out of goodwill and concern, but
Arthit has the dignity as a senior to look after. He cannot be seen so incompetent, especially
in front of a first-year.

This got him more depressed and is at his wit’s end to break the atmosphere.

Even then, Kongpob did not show a face of dissatisfaction or anger but a light sigh. He sits
on the bed, slightly closes the distance between him and Arthit and speaks in a gentle tone.

“I know P’Arthit is my senior, but you also need to know that you are now a patient. Since
you are not feeling well, it’s only natural that you need someone to attend to you. After you
fully recover, you can give out orders to punish me. But please listen to me for now. Please?”

*I’m sorry but, Kongpob, why did you sound so much like a masochist!?

His tone is not of a threatening one but rather a begging one and looking directly at Arthit’s
eyes with extreme determination.

Again, these eyes; again, this person. Arthit has lost count how many times he’s been
defeated by this.

And again, all Arthit could do is avoiding his eyes and spreads open his palm to take the
tablets from Kongpob then gulps them with water.

Knot reaches Arthit’s room by the time Kongpob finishes cleaning the glass. Knot is the one
who was on duty to take care of Arthit last night and tonight as well.

“Arthit, I met P’Deer when I was out eating earlier, and he asked about your…”

Knot stops his sentence midway when he realizes there’s a visitor in the room while Kongpob
immediately put his hands together to greet his senior with a wai after seeing Knot walks into
the room.

“P’Knot, sawadee krub.”

“Wadee.”
For a moment, Knot has forgotten his image of one of the hazing crew and accepted the
junior’s greeting. He has no clue about what is happening or had happened.

As for Kongpob, he plans to leave and not be a disturbance since there’s someone else here to
take over to care for Arthit. He tactfully gets ready to leave and before leaving, he turns his
head facing towards the bed and bids his goodbye to his senior.

“I shall take my leave now. Sawadee krub, P’Arthit.”

Arthit doesn’t even bat an eyelid and still maintaining the lofty stance as the Head Hazer. He
just stares at Kongpob letting himself out whereas Knot, still couldn’t grasp the ins and outs
of the situation.

“What is the first-year doing here?”

“Iron clothes.”

“Huh!? Iron clothes!?”

The more Knot listens, the more confused he is but Arthit brushes him off, not wanting to
continue this topic.

“Hmm, I’m sleepy already. I’m going to turn in.”

Arthit goes straight to sleep and ends the conversation. Right now, he doesn’t feel like
answering any interrogation from his friend and he feels that he might be having a slight
fever now. His face feels hot; his head feels dizzy. No wonder he would let that person in and
take care of him without putting up any defense.

The main point is still that damn pair of eyes that keeps coming into view. It’s like they’re
engraved into his mind and no matter what he does, he couldn’t get them out.

From the look that Kongpob gives out, Arthit is certain that the message that he wanted so
much to convey is not of an angry or a sulky meaning; but of an earnest hope.

Hoping that he could at least take one look at this person, this junior who cares for him from
the bottom of his heart.
 Want to Be Recognized by The Hazers

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Finally comes the day that all first-years of the Engineering Faculty has been waiting for.

The freshmen training that they have been enduring for nearly two months; the cheering
practices, the punishments, the pressure from the seniors. However, today, everything will
come to an end because today is the Closing of Freshmen Training.

For the Engineering Faculty, each department will conduct its own closing ceremony because
it will be easier for seniors to manage their first-year juniors. If all the departments are to
come together for the closing ceremony, it’s equivalent to bring together all of them from the
entire faculty.

Therefore, the field at six is filled with close to 800 first-years in their training uniform,
lining up according to their departments. There are other seniors around the area, forming a
small crowd to watch as this is one of the major activities that is held annually for the
Engineering Faculty.

“Hey, Kongpob!”

Kongpob turns to look at the source of the voice. He then smiles and greets back to the first-
year of the chemical engineering department, standing just beside his industrial engineering
queue.

“Hey, Wad! I thought you were not going to show up.”

Kongpob would say this is because he knows how much this person in front of him rejects
the SOTUS system. Heck, he never even participated once in the freshmen training; but then
today, it feels strange seeing him showing up for the closing ceremony.

Wad shrugged and briefly explains, “I was planning not to, but come to think of it, the idea of
the gear is pretty cool so, I want to get it and show it off to my brother.”

Such a simple reason made Kongpob accidentally laugh out. He almost forgot that in addition
to the Closing of Freshmen Training, there’s another important event, which is the ‘Gear
Battle.’

Gear can be said to be the sacred symbol of the Engineering Faculty. Here, gears are divided
into two, one to be the ‘faculty gear’ and the other is ‘department gear.’ Some departments
may have the gears made into the form of rings, all depending on the tradition of the
particular departments. The seniors will only truly accept the first-years to be one of them
after they succeeded in getting every trophy.

Therefore, fighting for the faculty gear is the first challenge for the first-years to prove their
worth, follow by each department’s own ‘flag capturing’ day. The level of difficulty to
capture the flag is solely based on how the seniors plan it.

Needless to say, the most famous department as of now is definitely none other than
industrial engineering. Not only the department has the most enrolment in the whole
university, but the commotion from their recent hazing activity was another ‘big hit’ too. The
Head Hazer had given out an order of punishment unto himself and actually stuck to his
words and finished the 54 laps, not to mention in the rain.

Photos were captured, shared onto Facebook, and it went viral; Arthit becomes an internet
celebrity overnight. There are even first-years from other faculty who specially come over to
see how the legendary Head Hazer looks like.

The moment the hazing crew makes their appearance, hundreds pairs of eyes immediately
focus on the named legendary. The said legendary chinned up and walks out, following
behind him is the hazing crew, consisting of nearly 30 of them in their hazing uniform, made
up of the other departments of the Engineering Faculty. All of them wearing a stern
expression, looking like a group of mafia bosses gathering together.

The Head Hazer’s loud voice greets all the first-years on the field, not relying on any
megaphone or microphone to project.

“Sawadee krub, first-years.”

“Sawadee krub/ka, P’Arthit.”

Silence follows after everyone paid their respect to their senior in unison. They are now
focusing on listening to what the Head Hazer is going to say next, his sharp eyes sweeping
through the field, looking at the first-years.

“I learned that the number of first-years gathered today is 791, which exceeded my original
expectation of 750. For this, I acknowledge your centripetal spirit.”

When such an opening with compliments is dropped, many first-years start to whisper to
their peers curiously as they never thought that the rumored brutal Head Hazer would turn
out to be so kind; such a vast difference from what they have heard from the rumors.

Except for the first-years from the industrial engineering department, looking unusually calm.
Because they know very well what their Head Hazer, P’Arthit is best at. Slapping you in the
face then console you only to kick you again harder.

As expected, the next sentence from the Head Hazer after the greeting immediately quiets the
rustling whispers and drained the colors off the face of the first-years from the other
departments.
“However! I have seen your initiation booklet! Many of you are unable to collect the 1,000
signatures that you have promised. Do you know what does this means?”

Although the freshmen training differs from each department, there will be some that are the
same. One of them would be the ‘Signature Collecting,’ which the first-years would receive
an initiation booklet on their first day and return it to their seniors a week before the closing
ceremony takes place to check.

It is not an easy task for the first-years to collect 1,000 signatures from their seniors in the
Faculty of Engineering, and it resulted in them handing back the initiation booklet to their
seniors even if the task is not completed.

Of course, this matter will be informed to the hazing crew and without a doubt, to be brought
up by them during the closing ceremony, as the first-years’ most severe mistake.

“You all may be an engineer in the future. And as an engineer, you must be able to abide by
the promise you had made. However, judging by your current performance, I don’t see any of
it at all! Let me ask you now, do you still wish to be a student in the Faculty of Engineering?”

“YES!”

Even after they got reprimanded, all the first-year still chorus without a sense of hesitation
nor fear. It’s better than keeping quiet.

“Then, I will take it as all of you have prepared yourself well enough.”

The Head Hazer turns to some third-year seniors, “I’ll leave the gears to you,” which the
senior nodded in return and bring out the gears that are placed on a high tray, adding a more
noble aura to the gears.

“The gear symbolizes the heart of the Faculty of Engineering, and it’s the one and only in this
world. All of you have to prove that you are qualified to own it. Otherwise, these gears will
end up sinking to the bottom of the university’s pond, and all of you will be disqualified.”

A few first-years swallow hard at the intimidating words because everyone is clear of what
P’Arthit is capable of, and he meant what he said.

Especially the case of dumping the gears into the university’s pond. There had been a
precedent, and the case has become a legend that’s been passed down to serve as a warning.
The year even got disqualified for Flag Capturing, and it took them a year to finally pass the
make-up test.

All first-years from the Faculty of Engineering are listening attentively with a heavy heart,
worrying what sort of puzzle will the Head Hazer with such a resolute tone gives out.

“I want you to sing our university song, faculty song, and the faculty cheer. You are to recite
the cheer the same number as your generation. You can start anytime you are ready while I
will move to the highest level of that building over there. Considered yourself pass if all of
you sing loud enough for me to hear, and if not, it will be otherwise.”
The building that the Head Hazer pointed is one of the buildings under the Faculty of
Engineering, which is seven-story tall. Although it’s not situated too far away from the field,
if the hazing crew is going to the highest level, no one can really guarantee that their singing
can reach them.

However, the first-years know that it’s absolutely impossible for the hazing crew to accept
any protest. Before leaving, the Head Hazer re-emphasize again, afraid the first-years might
forget the most important rule.

“Remember that you only have one chance! So, please show us the best you have. This is the
only thing I asked for, alright?”

“YES!”

The first-years respond with a voice much powerful than before, which pumps their
enthusiasm even more. All of them are ready, to fight for an honor that they can proudly
claim as their own.

Arthit nods, indicating his acknowledgment of their response. He then leaves with a part of
the hazing crew heading to the highest level of the said building, leaving a few behind to
watch over the scene. However, any help or interference is strictly not allowed; the first-years
are to act according to their decision.

The person who stands up and takes the place of their seniors, is the guy from the Civil
Engineering Department who was previously elected as the First-Year representative. He
walks to the front and gives the signal to get the group to get ready for their faculty song.

With a serious and exemplary attitude, it’s no wonder he’s been elected as the First-Year
representative. The first-years also cooperate and starts singing in unison.

Singing this song that everyone didn’t know how to before.

Nearly two months of freshmen training has made a formerly unfamiliar song to a song that’s
been branded into the first-years’ memory, which they can recite it anytime, anywhere. And
even though the first-years who are present are from different departments and have not
practice together before, the voice they emit is in harmony.

It’s a song that the first-years are singing from their heart, hoping they are able to convey it
properly, hoping their voice and feeling can reach the hazing crew that is at the top level of
the building.

--

Arthit walks to the building and takes the elevator to the seventh level, which is the highest
level. He goes out to the corridor to find some of the hazing crew members have taken up the
‘front-row seat’ watching the first-years through a large window.

“Prem, how are the shots?”

He asks his friend who is holding a large SLR camera; Prem is zooming in the lens in one
smooth action, adjusting to capture photos of the first-years. One glance at him, everyone
would know that Prem has a certain degree of interest in cameras to be that swift. After he
puts down his camera, he beckons the person who just asked him question over.

“See for yourself. The lighting is perfect.”

Arthit goes over, stands next to Prem, and probs to look down at the field. He hears the dim
singing coming from a distance, judging from the rhythm, it should be the last verse of the
faculty song. After it ends, the first-years begin to line to form a circle, getting ready for their
faculty cheer.

Due to a large number of people, they have to form a few circles and laps them together,
which resulted in their not too round and slightly crooked circles, much like the flowers
painted by pre-school children.

However, another kind of beauty sparkles when the bright orange sunset showers upon them.
It has Arthit entranced, and his eyes fixated at the scene.

It's ending…

Starting today, his hazer mission will gradually end. There is no longer a need to train their
stamina before they train the first-years; no longer a need to hold a review meeting after
every freshmen training; no longer a need of penalty to punish himself until his legs almost
went crippled after punishing the first-years.

Even though his legs still hurt quite a bit, the pain will soon be gone, just like the freshmen
training that is coming to an end. However, in Arthit’s view, he knows that all these will be
kept as his memory. Whether it’s the responsibilities of a Head Hazer or the challenge that he
received from a first-year since the first day, he has to find ways to deal with it. There have
been several times where he had to prepare a few tricks beforehand to deal with the issues
brought up by the said first-year.

Arthit couldn’t help but laugh when he thinks about it. A part of him feels happy, but there’s
another part that made him feel depressed because all these experiences are about to enter a
countdown. Slowly and gradually, he has to let go when it ends; let go of the authority of a
hazer in order to let the first-years be independent and to decide for their own future. As for
him, he could only look from afar, at someone…

*So, I guess now we kinda know when Arthit starts to unconsciously falls for Kongpob.

Click!

The sound of a shutter pulls him back from his deep thoughts. He frowns when he sees the
SRL lens that is aiming at him.

“What are you doing, Prem?”

“I’m taking your picture. Your vibe earlier was good.”

Arthit, who suddenly became the focus of the camera, turns his head with a blank expression
plastered on his face. Prem, on the other hand, wants to ask him for a few poses for the
pictures with the first-years reciting the faculty cheer downstairs as the background.

However, before Prem could press the shutter again, both of them are interrupted by another
member of the hazing crew.

“Let’s go, Arthit. The building is closing soon.”

Knot is the one who came over and reminds him, while the others has already taken the
elevator down. Arthit has to leave the window by the corridor that he was standing at as the
sky is getting darker. He trails behind a group of hazers, preparing to fulfill the final mission
of the Head Hazer.

--

The sun has set, so the only source of light they rely on are the few floodlights
hanging around the field. However, the recite of the faculty cheer continues since they were
asked to recite the same number as their generation, which is 35 times. Other than that, they
still have to lift and bow their heads along with the recitations.

*I remember them being the 56 th generation but I don’t know why the number to recite is
only 35. I just followed the Chinese novel, don’t ask me, I’m confused too. @.@

There are quite a few of them who can’t make it that they left beforehand to rest at the side,
but many of them still carry on, unwilling to give up. No matter how exhausted they are, they
continued to fight against the exhaustion, gripping the shoulder of their peers, dashing
straight to the end.

The Head Hazer reappears at the field, and this time he chose to stand at the higher ground of
the audience stands so the first-years that are encircled together can see him no matter from
which angle. He then loudly announced his decision.

“I went up to the Engineering building to hear you recite the faculty cheer, and your voice
was soft! Your formation is also out of order! If this is the best you can do, then all of you are
not worthy of being one of us in the Faculty of Engineering! The seniors at the stand can
proceed to leave. Dismissed!”

The first-years are stunned and saddened by the last sentence. Especially when they see the
seniors who have been watching them reciting the faculty cheer since the beginning starts to
walk down from the stands as if they too, have accepted the Head Hazer’s decision and not
recognizing them as their juniors. It is clear as the day that everyone has worked so hard, but
the outcome is never good enough.

“What are you still standing here for? I said, you’re dismissed! All of you can leave now!”

The hoot from the Head Hazer acts like a sharp blade drawing cuts on the heart of every first-
year. Some of them started sobbing, but no one steps out. All 791 of them are standing still in
the circle they formed because they’ve worked so hard to this stage, and if they just walk out,
it only means that they admit defeat.

All the first-years had the same mind without actual words being spoken. The consensus
among them gives the First-Year representative courage to face the hazing crew upfront, and
he pleads for another chance.

“Can P please give us one more chance to recite the cheer?”

The hazing crew who is preparing to leave halted their steps. Arthit faces the field with a
disdain look and nods scornfully.

“Sure, since you asked for it, I allow you. BUT! This will be your very last chance!”

After getting permission, the First-Year representative’s heavy heart was lifted by half.
Although it’s only one chance, they will put in their best to reach the best they could do. The
representative brisk back to the group and gives out the command to start their cheer.

The first-years prepare themselves, both arms wrapped around the shoulder of their peers on
both sides and bow their head low. They start to cheer with a voice greater than before,
conveying the glory and honor they feel, being a first-year in the Faculty of Engineering.

It’s a cohesiveness that the first-years never knew they have.

But in the eyes of the whole hazing crew, no matter how powerful the first-years’ cheer is, if
they say it’s not worthy of recognition, then it is not. After the cheer ended, the Head Hazer
returns to the stands again to announce the second, which is also the final verdict.

“First-year, remember this! This is the last time all of you cheer as a first-year! From now on,
you have no right to anymore!”

Being rid of the right to cheer is the same as being chased out of the Faculty of Engineering.

Everyone’s efforts vanish into thin air after going through nearly two months of freshmen
training, all the things they did in the past no longer hold meaning. Many cannot stand
suppressing their emotions any longer that some begin to sob, cry. Even Kongpob felt the
grievousness in his chest and really wanted to ask for another chance, but deep down, he
knows that it’s almost impossible to be given another.

Just when everyone is still pondering, finding ways how to turn the situation around, the
Head Hazer speaks again, capturing the first-years attention to look up to him.

“Because from now on, you are not just a university student, but a member of the Faculty of
Engineering. The next time you cheer, you will cheer as one of us; as a member of the
Faculty of Engineering.”

The sentence earlier meant more than said, but it made the first-years interpreted into the
opposite meaning. They stand still and seem to have grasp the bits of what it really meant.
Then right in the next moment, their breath hitch as the Head Hazer announces that one line
that all of them have been waiting…
“Listen up, first-years! The result of this test is, you pass!”

Upon hearing the word ‘passed,’ cheer and excitement encircle the whole field. Many of
them jump and hug each other with thrill while some cry louder than earlier. But each
teardrop comes from happiness and relief.

Finally…

Finally, they have proven themselves and become a part of the Faculty of Engineering.

“Seniors! Let us welcome our new members with our faculty cheer!”

The Head Hazer asks the seniors who had walked down from the stand to form a circle. They
actually didn’t leave, but had come down earlier, stood scattered around the first-years in
order to get ready for the welcoming cheer.

The seniors’ voice is on a par with the cheer the first-years last recite. The first-years are
officially becoming a member of the Faculty of Engineering. There’s only Flag Capturing left
for each department to settle on their own. The first-years are only considered through the
freshmen training after the completion of this event.

After the end of the welcoming cheer, the seniors go to the high tray to pick up the gears and
distribute them to the juniors of their own department. Kongpob received his gear from
P’Fang.

“Congratulations, N’Kongpob!”

“Thank you, P’”

Kongpob raises his hands and wai at his senior before accepting the gear that is wrapped in a
transparent bag. He removes the bag in a flash, wanting to take a good look at the symbol of
the Faculty of Engineering that took him two tough months in exchange.

The gear is a serrated one and is made of copper casting. It has the faculty and their
generation year engraved in words on it. He once heard that the reason the Faculty of
Engineering would choose the gear as its symbol because it conveys the meaning of unity.
The gears must cooperate with each other to make a machine function smoothly. If any of the
parts are missing, the system will not work out properly.

All of us. We manage to receive the faculty gear all because of our hard work together,
our unity, but not because of a certain anyone who jumps out and plays the hero that
had us achieve the goal — just like someone once said.

Now, he understands. All the things that P’Arthit had taught them. Although the way his
teaching is brutal, all actions have their own justification. It’s a pity that after today, there is
no chance to see that way of teaching again.

But at least, this could be counted as he’s one step closer to someone, and his first step
moving forward.
Click!

Kongpob’s thoughts are interrupted by a sound. He turns to look at the source of the weird
sound, and upon finding a familiar figure looking down at a camera, he quickly shows his
respect.

“Sawadee krub, P’Prem. You’re here too.”

“Yea, I’m here to take photos of the event. I need to go and continue the shoot.”

The ‘easy come, easy go’ senior had Kongpob puzzled. However, Prem ignores him as he has
to take more pictures to commemorate this meaningful event and it would be a shame if he
misses any precious moments.

Prem once again holds up his camera, getting ready to take another shot, but the screen pops
up a window saying that there is not enough storage space.

Oh no, the memory card is full. It must be the video recording of the the first-years cheering
earlier that had taken up most of the space, and it seems that he had forgotten to bring another
memory card as backup.

Left with no choice, he starts to browse the pictures to delete some, and while browsing,
some pictures suddenly caught his attention that he couldn’t help but stares at them for a long
time.

It’s not that he wants to show off how impressive his photography skills are, but he has to
admit that these two pictures show a different kind of beauty compared to the others. It’s not
because of the angle or the lighting, but the expression of the person that was captured.

One is proud of the result earned with his own effort; the other is a gleaming look like he’s
missing someone, and a faint smile showed when he was thinking about it. All these elements
make the pictures look natural.

And to Prem, these are the pictures that best represent the Closing of Freshmen Training—

Between ‘The Gear Giver’ and ‘The Gear Receiver.’

Between ‘The Hazers’ and ‘The First-Years.’

 A Hazer Needs to Keep His Dignity

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Tonight? I can. Sure, alright… See you later.”

“Which chick on the phone, Kong? Speaking in such a sweet tone.”

M is eating stuffed tofu, and he was about to shove a spoonful of *kuey teow to his mouth
when he speaks. Well, since M’s ears are equipped with ‘radar antenna,’ he is well known to
be capturing all the essential messages of this famous person sitting in front of him. His
question attracted even the attention of their friends that are having lunch together with them.

*Kuey teow is a type of flat and thick noodle.

It’s nothing big, actually. They thought maybe this Campus Moon has a pretty girl asking him
out, and they also thought it would be great if the almighty Campus Moon of the year could
introduce a few of the girl’s other friends, which is why it got their attention.

After Kongpob hangs up, he continues with his lunch as he answers.

“Oh, it’s my direct senior. For the arrangement of the ID number family gathering.”

They all switch into a grey expression, lower their head back at their plates after having their
hopes put off.

It’s useless! Getting to know such a handsome friend, but in the end, it’s futile.

Ever since Kongpob has been crowned as the Campus Moon, it attracted different kinds of
people. From girls to gays to ladyboys even. But he’s insensible to all of them; at most, he
just gives a polite nod, like he wants to keep a high level of privacy.

He appears to be friendly, but in truth, very few of them can really understand the world in
Kongpob. And his best friend, M, doesn’t go easy on nagging him.

“We really think that you’re wasting your good looks. You have such fine conditions, but you
are not putting them into the best use.”

“I don’t have time, M. Just by attending classes and joining the curriculums, there goes my
one day. Not forgetting that we have the Flag Capturing event this coming Saturday.”

Kongpob answers honestly. It’s not that he doesn’t care about girls or rejects a relationship.
It’s just for now, he prefers to prioritize other things over having a relationship.
Though the freshmen training is over, there are still a lot of curriculums and activities to do,
and those needed a lot of effort to be done properly as well.

“Oh, right! Speaking of the Flag Capturing event, I’m curious of what would the hazing crew
do that day. Since you’re attending your ID number gathering, help us to sound your third-
year senior out about the event.”

M pats Kongpob’s shoulder as he cunningly slips in the request for him to help. The others
follow suit and beg for him to help too.

Kongpob has not finish his lunch when he’s suddenly given the task of an ‘undercover.’ It’s
only reasonable for him to refuse resolutely and profusely explain that he is only going for a
dinner gathering with the seniors.

Finally, everyone t akes out their trump card by saying that it’s for the survival of their year
that made him left with no other choice but to agree.

So, here is Kongpob now, almost reaching the appointed place for his ID number gathering,
carrying along his ‘undercover’ role for everyone’s hope.

His second-year direct senior set the gathering at a barbeque buffet restaurant located near the
university. It’s one of the famous restaurants to be the ID number gathering place as the food
is cheap and delicious. The location is convenient enough for the students as well.

That’s why when Kongpob steps in, almost all the tables are occupied by university students.

However, it’s not difficult to spot his senior as she had chosen the table located furthest in.

“Sawadee krub, P’Ple.”

He greets his senior. P’Ple still looks as hot and beautiful as when she brought the books and
the souvenirs to him the last time, but this time, there’s another petite and sweet looking
female senior and a tall male senior sitting with her. They are people whom Kongpob had not
seen before.

“Kongpob, let me introduce to you. This is our third-year direct senior, P’Noon Noon; P’Pak,
our fourth-year direct senior.”

“Sawadee krub, P. Sorry that I’m late. Did I made you wait long?”

After getting to know that the people there are the seniors from the same ID number as his,
the young first-year quickly pay his respect by putting his hands together for a wai, while
asking sheepishly.

Having the seniors to reach before him on the first meeting is quite a rude behavior. But
P’Noon Noon shakes her head kindly and starts chatting with Kongpob in a relaxing tone
instead.

“Not at all! We just arrive as well. This restaurant is always packed with people. That’s why
it’s a must to come early to get the seats; else, there’s not enough for the others.”
“There are still others?”

Kongpob frowns, thinking that all the members of the family had arrived. Did P’Pak invite
the direct seniors who have graduated to join as well? Well, his guess was only half correct.

“Ple, you have not informed Nong yet?” P’Noon Noon asks, surprised. “Never mind, let me
tell you then. It’s like this, Nong. Our direct senior, P’Fon, just graduated. She’s dating
P’Tum from the same year and they’re getting married end of next month. There’s this
tradition in our department that when two people from different ID family get married, the
two families will merge into a joint family. That’s why it’s not only us; the members from
P’Tum’s side will be joining us as well.”

The person who is listening nods, indicating his understanding. Until today only he knows
that there’s a tradition as such exists, and it’s kind of cute. It creates another opportunity for
students from different families to get to know each other.

“What is the ID number of the other family?”

“It’s 0206! It’s the same set of numbers as ours but rearranged. That’s why many said that
P’Fon and P’Tum are fated to be with each other.”

P’Noon Noon said to Kongpob with dreamy eyes and got made fun of by P’Pak, saying that
she watches too many dramas lately; while P’Ple pats P’Noon Noon’s shoulder to ease her.
When both of them are making fun of each other, the third-year notices a group of people
entering the restaurant.

“There they are.”

It seems that the 0206 members had arranged to meet outside the restaurant first because the
four of them is seen coming in together at once.

It made both the first-years hurriedly pay their respect to the seniors on the spot. Especially
the eldest senior, P’Tum. He’s a man of Chinese descent, wearing a pair of glasses that
doesn’t help magnify his small eyes.

P’Fon, on the contrary, is the owner of a pair of sharp eyes. She is a beauty with a mix of
Indian descent, and many of the customers in the store are mesmerized by her beauty once
she steps in.

However, she paid no attention to the states; instead, she walks in straight towards the
direction of a particular person.

“Hey, N’Kongpob! You’re the Campus Moon for this year, right! I saw your photos on the
university’s official website during the voting period for Campus Moon. I never thought
you’d look more handsome in person.”

Kongpob gives a shy smile in return while he faintly feels the jealousy of the groom-to-be is
charging his way. P’Tum fakes a soft cough, attracting their attention.
“Alright, let’s start with the introduction. This is the 0206 family members. First-year is
called Lin, second-year’s Touch, and fourth-year’s Pete. Third-year said he had some stuffs to
finish up and will join us later.”

Lin is a short hair girl with quite a manly look, while the second- and fourth-year seniors are
two guys who look very lively. It’s 0062 family’s turn to do the introduction after them, so
everyone can get to know each other. After all, they will be a joint family, so they are all
considered to be part of a big family soon.

After they are seated, all of them start chit-chatting while getting the grill to business. This
type of buffet-style barbeque place is the best for university students’ gathering, and it’s
convenient as a treat too. The ones being treated don’t need to restrain themselves; it’s fine to
go ahead and order as much as they can eat. While the one who treats, can save a few pennies
as the price is not as expensive.

Due to them being a large group, two charcoal stoves are fires up on the table, which are
divided into the senior group and the junior group. The atmosphere of the dinner is pleasantly
relaxing. They are all chatterboxes, chit-chatting non-stop — until P’Tum’s voice cuts in.

He stands up and waves to a person who had just entered the restaurant.

“Ai-Oon! Over here!”

Kongpob is guessing that it should be the third-year senior who mentioned would be running
late earlier. He thought it should be a female senior because of the cute nickname.

He turns his head to take a look and gets surprised upon seeing the familiar figure. The said
figure is also wearing the much familiar hazing uniform.

And that figure is slowly approaching their table.

Kongpob’s widen eyes are looking at the person reaching their table, greeting the seniors, and
starts speaking in a serious tone.

“Sawadee krub, P’Tum. P, I told you not to call me Ai-Oon. It’s Arthit!”

Arthit wears the hazer’s typical serious expression and said like it’s a critical issue of life and
death. However, P’Tum’s reaction is the opposite, with a relaxed tone he replies to Arthit.

“Ow, but that’s your nickname, isn’t it? I have been calling you Ai-Oon since your first year.
It’s a habit already; how to change?”

“But I’m now in my third year already. And the Head Hazer too, P’!”

He especially emphasizes on the ‘Head Hazer’ word. There are first-years at the scene so, it’s
absolutely necessary for him to defend his image to death. By any chance, they get to know
that he has such a cute nickname as ‘Ai-Oon’, his ruthless hazer image will definitely be
wiped out.
Well, in particular, it would be wiped out from the head of someone who is sitting near the
edge of the table, which Arthit had noticed since his first step into the restaurant. Eyes widen
and amazed; lips pursed holding back a smile or a laugh.

Arthit already knew he would be meeting this first-year here. 0062, an ID number that has
long made a profound impression on him. He originally intended to show up grandly, using
his status as one of the first-year’s hazing senior to put a little more pressure onto the brat so
he would have more respect for his senior and provoke him lesser.

However, The Goddess of Luck is clearly not on his side today as his lab class ended late,
that caused him to be late, even if he had rushed over at full speed. Not only that, but he was
also called by his nickname when he showed up and poof, there goes his dignity. He should
have given some warning to his senior beforehand.

The miscalculation got Arthit to be in a bad mood and lucky for him that his senior
understands the reason behind his long face. But still, it’s too late now to be saving his face.

“Oh, right! I forgot that you’re in the hazing crew. But then, isn’t the freshmen training
already over?”

“It is, but there’s still the ‘Flag Capturing’ and ‘Faculty Gear’ to complete.”

It’s precisely due to these last two battles that Arthit has to continue maintaining his image as
a hazer. In truth, he so wanted to shave his beard, cuts his hair, and rid of the barbaric image
forever, but things don’t always turn out to be what you wanted. He has to continue the
image, or else the first-years will not be afraid of them and not respecting them as their
seniors as well.

“Right. Have you thought about what are you going to do for the flag event?”

A crucial topic! Kongpob, who is responsible for the secret mission, automatically perks his
ears up to listen. Thinking he could bring the info back to his friends and get it over if he
managed to grab some key points.

However, it seems that his plan is expected, and the key person is of course, responsible of
keeping his cards close to his chest.

“That I can’t reveal. But I promise it’s not gonna lose to P’s year.”

Not forgetting to add some intimidation at the end of his sentence too. There’s absolutely no
room for Kongpob to ask any more questions.

The mission was declared a fiasco before it even started. What can he do since it’s the Head
Hazer he met with for the dinner. He can see the Head Hazer’s sly smile before it quickly
turns pale — when P’Tum continues the topic that was only halfway through earlier.

“Oh yea, during my year of hazing, we instructed you to run the whole campus while singing
the faculty song, right? I remember all of you sang outside the girls’ dormitory loudly at
4AM that got the dorm auntie to throw metal pots at you guys to chase you away, and you all
dashed off.”

Again. Selling your own junior out again. I beg of you, P’Tum, consider the environment, will
you? The first-years are already desperately holding their laugh.

Arthit lowers his head and presses against his temple, feeling headache at the boat getting
rocked by his own direct senior. Not only did he not help him to maintain the image of the
hazing crew, but instead makes the crew into becoming a laughingstock.

If he chooses to stick around, he already predicted that he will be sitting on pins and needles
as he doesn’t know what other embarrassing stuff will come out from his senior’s mouth;
hence, he excuses himself to flee the danger zone for now.

“I’ll go get some meat!”

He stands up and rushes to the ingredients area as soon as he finished speaking. Whatever
topic that they say next is not in his control, but at least it’s better than sitting there, watching
the juniors holding back their laughter.

To be honest, he is close to zero to be angry with P’Tum. The relationship between the two of
them is actually very close because of P’Tum’s bright personalities and loves to joke nature.
It’s just that he is not much of a person to observe the surrounding before he cracks one.

It’s thanks to his unfinished hazing responsibilities that it would look inappropriate for him to
be there laughing with them together. Especially today, there’s this pair of gleaming eyes
beaming at him. The more he looks at it, the weirder he feels.

ARGHHHHH! Why that first-year is always present at places he shouldn’t be!

Since there’s no exit for his emotions, all he could do is none other than eat to vent out. Arthit
keeps taking the meat until it piles up on the plate; then, he sees the greens from the corner of
his eyes and wants to bring those along so he could avoid going another round.

As a result, he took a tad bit too much of the food that it’s straining for him to be using two
hands to carry three full plates of meat and greens.

Just as he is thinking of a way, one of the plates gets pick up by someone. Then he hears a
message of someone volunteering to help.

“Let me help you.”

That someone is none other than the first-year who will appear every time, in every situation
that he shouldn’t. And this time, he’s here with a big smile plastered on his face.

“I just found out today that P’Arthit’s nickname is Ai-Oon.”

“Who gives you permission to call me that!”

Arthit immediately reproaches at him. He had guessed it right that he would be laughed at
and true enough, it’s less than three minutes after he left his seat and this first-year has come
over, following him as he expected.

Actually, his nickname is not known by many, only those that he sees as best friends know.
But they are more accustomed to calling him Arthit because they feel that calling him ‘Ai-
Oon’ sounds weird. Even if they only call him ‘Oon’ then add the usual ‘Ai’ word when they
address their friends, it becomes Ai’Oon, which is no better than Ai-Oon anyway.

*Okay, Imma give a lengthy explanation here. So, in Chinese, when we address our close
friends, we usually would add a word which is similar to Thai’s Ai’. In short, Arthit’s
nickname is called Ai-Oon which is one word, and if you only call him Oon, adding the Ai’
into it, it may look the same, but the tone may differ, but of course, I am no Thai, so I am only
assuming the tone would change. Notice how I separate them with different punctuation, one
being Ai-Oon and the other is Ai’Oon.

The conclusion is he doesn’t allow any of his friends to call him by his nickname. His
nickname is too cute to suit him anyway. However, it seems that someone does not agree with
Arthit, as he asks again.

“Why? Ai-Oon is a good name, and it sounds nice and warm.”

“If you keep calling me that, I will order you to do push-up right here, right now, in the
middle of this place. Also, you’re not allowed to tell another soul about my nickname! Bring
this to your grave!”

The Head Hazer warns the other person with a serious tone and solemn expression. The one
got hooted at can only swallow back his words and return to addressing the elder with his real
name.

“Yes, P’Arthit!”

The owner of the name nods with satisfaction. Better be clear of where you stand; who’s the
senior, who’s the junior, and crossing the boundary. He holds his plates and leads in front,
wanting to get back to his seat when the younger’s voice comes softly from his back.

“So, is P’Arthit’s legs better now?”

“Hmm, they’re fine already.”

“That’s a relief. I can finally rest my worries about you.”

It’s a simple sentence, yet Arthit couldn’t help but halts and turns back. He sees the same
brief smile that he usually sees on Kongpob’s face, but the difference this time is instead of
the provocative one like before, it’s the kind of smile that shows pure relief.

The smile reminds him of the time when Kongpob surprised him by showing up in his dorm
to take care of him. It’s the exact same smile.
Whether it’s the smile or his eyes, it’s full of sincere concern. This is the message that he
often receives, looking at this person.

The Head Hazer didn’t open his mouth for any word. He just turns back and walks back to
the table; sits on the empty seat next to P’Tum. His senior is ready to start a new topic and
this time aiming at the first-years.

“Oh, I want to know why both you first-years choose to study Engineering at this university.”

“Cause it’s the closest to my home.”

Lin’s answer has the whole table goes dumbfounded. Even the one who asked the question,
P’Tum, is frowning, thinking if his ears are playing a trick on him. But Lin insists that it’s her
real reason and everyone bursts into laughter. So carefree to be deciding her choice this way.
P’Tum then turns to the other first-year who has not answer yet.

“What about you? Don’t tell me that it’s close to your home too.”

Kongpob shakes his head to deny, but his answer, too, got everyone at the table to be
dumbstruck, not losing to the reasoning from the first person earlier. But the silence is of a
different atmosphere than the previous one.

“It’s not. I actually like economics, but my mother wants me to study Engineering. So, I
enrolled in Engineering.”

The whole table stares at him, even Arthit; his action of sending a piece of meat to his mouth
freezes. Until P’Fon speaks up to break the silence.

“Ow, then why not study your choice? Not only you won’t be happy by forcing yourself to
study something you don’t like for four years, but it’s also a pity that you might be missing
out some great opportunities out there. Nong, I think you should talk to your mother again
about this. You’re the one who is going to walk on your path of future.”

“Someone told me the same thing too.”

Kongpob admits that he had though this over and over, countless times. On one hand, he likes
to study stocks, economic data, and he also looks forward to work in the related field in the
future. But on the other hand, he doesn’t want to let down the expectation from his mother.
So far, he is still unable to give up his dream, still contemplating, still feels at odds.

“It doesn’t matter if you choose to retake other faculty’s exam next year and resign from
Engineering, if you decide that it’s not for you. But this year, I’ll still consider you as one of
us in our ‘family’ code and my junior, so I’ll watch out for you. Don’t you worry!”

P’Tum encouraged, which Kongpob responds with a smile and thanking the seniors for being
supportive of him. It makes him feel proud to study here, surrounded by a bunch of caring
people.

It’s a solidarity faculty where the seniors and juniors are knitted tightly together, building a
close relationship.
Their barbeque gathering continues in the joyful conversations with the charcoal smokes
from the grilling. The time unknowingly reaches past eight, and everyone is ready to bid their
goodbyes. They give their thanks to the eldest senior for today’s hospitality and send
blessings once again to the groom- and bride-to-be. They agree to have another gathering at
their wedding that is soon to come.

Everyone goes their way, and those who doesn’t have transport will be sent by P’Tum.
Kongpob came on his bike, so he is going to ride back to his dorm. Arthit is the only one left,
still standing in front of the restaurant. The junior who lives nearby the senior’s dorm,
couldn’t help but ask.

“P’Arthit, how are you going back?”

“It’s none of your business!”

Each time when the hazers don’t want to continue to speak to the first-years, this is the kind
of tone they would use. But this time, Kongpob feels it was not the same serious and clean-
cut tone as before. The one now is full of anger, wronged, and resentful emotions. It feels odd
and the source of it? Kongpob’s guessing himself.

“Are you mad at me or something?” A question asked casually, and he reckons that the senior
would raise his head almost immediately to look at Kongpob with a pair of eyes ablaze with
anger.

“Why do I have to be mad at you? You’re a nobody to me, not when you have not captured
the flag! Also, you don’t even know yourself yet if you’re going to continue your study in our
faculty!”

The sudden attack of a series of mocking in a satirical tone throws Kongpob into a confused
state, but he’s always one to not back down, so he tries to refute.

“But I am one of the students in the Faculty of Engineering now.”

“Huh, are you sure? If you didn’t plan to take engineering in the first place, then why apply
and take away other people’s chance? Do you know how many people are struggling to get
in? While you just come and go after a year as you like. So damn selfish!”

The loud emphasize of the last few words is full of discrimination. Kongpob feels his body
numbing upon hearing those words; his brain dealing with a mess thoughts. He couldn’t
understand why P’Arthit is looking down on his earnest efforts.

“I have my own reason! Plus, I did not come here just for fun or as I like! I attended to all the
activities, and I take the Flag Capturing ceremony seriously too. I’m determined to capture
the flag without fail!”

But these explanations are meaningless as the senior is still throwing discriminating eyes at
him.

“Get over yourself. Flag Capturing is not as easy as you think!”

“I will definitely win it!”

Kongpob states sternly with confidence, looking straight into Arthit with his unwavering
eyes. This exacerbates him, who is still in duty to protect his Head Hazer dignity.

It’s not that he didn’t know this person attended all the activities, it’s precise ly because of
this that made him believed that Kongpob was serious about studying here. But now he
realized that this is not the case at all, yet the junior still puts up an earnest front about
capturing the flag! In his face!

Since his heart is not with engineering, he still dares to talk big in front of the Head Hazer.
Clearly show no respect for his senior and looking down at the honor of the Faculty of
Engineering!

Arthit was about to cuss at him, but before he could say anything, he heard the noise of a bike
stopping behind him, in front of the restaurant. It’s Knot he sees, who is his ‘assigned driver’
had arrived to pick him up. He jumps a tad bit too eagerly onto the back seat and demands to
Knot impatiently.

“Knot! What the hell have you been doing? I called you much earlier telling you I could
leave already. You're so slow!”

“How is this junior going back?”

Knot looks at Kongpob, who had just paid respect to him and thought of showing some
concern to their junior. Arthit on the other hand, interrupts him to stop the conversation.

“He’s old enough to know how to get home himself. Can we leave already?”

Being pressured, Knot is left with the only choice to start the engine feeling confused,
leaving the junior no chance to explain. Well, from the look of his friend with an angry face
and the reaction of wanting to hurry leave, it doesn’t take Knot a genius to know that the cat
and dog must have been quarrelling.

“Call everyone in for a meeting tomorrow. I want to change the plan for the Flag Capturing!
Damn, they’re gonna be dead meat!”

“What did the first-year do to upset you this much?”

Knot secretly shakes his head in his mind. It must be a serious one to get Arthit so worked
up, but he just doesn’t get why his friend always gets worked up over the same person every
single time. The reason for his rage this time, Knot faintly hears the angry voice leaks out an
answer through the wind.

*Honestly, even in the Chinese version, I don’t really understand the last sentence. So, I’ll do
literal. If you can understand, do leave a comment. I need a master for this. HAHA

“Hmph, did you know that 0062 bloke wanted to study economics in the first place, but
because of his mother, he ended up enrolling in engineering.”
“So what?”

“He said he’s considering to transfer!”

“Come on. He’s not wrong about that. It’s only right for him to transfer if he thinks he
doesn’t fit. You remember Win? Didn’t he transfer as well to Communication?”

By mentioning the name of one of their friends who had teamed together with them during
their first year, Knot refreshed some of his memories, and that knocked some senses into
Arthit.

Right! In his year at that time, many transferred out. Some didn’t find it fit; some couldn’t
bear the pressure, and some couldn’t adapt to the environment. But he didn’t stamp with rage
that time; on the contrary, he readily accepted the reason why his friend chooses to leave.

“So, what’s the reason behind your rage? Don’t tell me it’s because of something this petty!”

Arthit stays silent because even he doesn’t know why he is raging so much. It’s just a little
first-year who is going to run away, escape by transferring, so why did he get so personal
with it and even threw his temper on the junior!?

Well, half the reason that made him angry is caused by his responsibility as the Head Hazer.

In order to get the first-years to understand and feel the honor of being a student in the
Faculty of Engineering, he had put in a lot of effort and sacrificed a lot. Then, he found out
one of the first-years does not have his heart in engineering. How can he tolerate this!?

As for the other half that contributes to his volcano erupting, is that sometimes he just wanted
to…

“It’s nothing, it’s the pork I had earlier. It was bad!”

Arthit lowers his voice and suppresses his anger, but the action increases the pent-up feelings
in his heart.

Right! The other reason for his rage is thanks to the culprit who made the barbeque
unpalatable, and it all started after he heard the person saying that one sentence.

The hesitation of wanting to leave…

 Solving the Hazer’s Puzzles

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

The Flag Capturing event for the Faculty of Engineering takes place on the fifth day after the
Freshmen Training ended.

Before the hoarse throats heal from all the cheering and before they could regain all their lost
stamina, they have to face the next battle that follows. Yet no matter how exhausted they are,
the first-years are still motivated to conquer this victory.

The Flag Capturing is as important as the Battle of Faculty Gear. Moreover, there’s no
cruelest in the Faculty of Engineering, only harsher. The rules and way to obtain the
department flag vary from year to year, all depending on how the hazing crew of that year
wants to play the game.

There’s the previous record of having the first-years to sing the faculty song loud and clear
while running laps around the university compound. Not only that, but they also heard one of
the years, the first-years had to climb a five meter tall flagpole covered with lubricant to
reach the flag hanging high on top.

So if you happen to see a large group of first-years crowding at the field on a Saturday
morning at seven, waiting uneasily with a face looking paler than when waiting for the result
release for the university entrance exam, don’t be alarmed. It’s all because they are waiting
for a devil-like test that is entirely unpredictable.

Though there are still a few of them volunteering to be the dare-to-die corp, putting every
single brain and blood cell into work to observe publicly and investigate secretly what the
hazing crew would be planning this year.

But most third-year seniors had been given a gag order, and only a handful of hazing
members were disclosed with this year's rules, to avoid a slip of the tongue. Even so, there’s
still a leak of information.

Just that they don’t know if this information is actually encouraging them or the opposite.

Well, the Flag Capturing this year…is guaranteed death.

With Kongpob in particular, who is also a member of the dare-to-die spy group. The
information he got should be reliable since the recent ID family reunion gave him the chance
to speak face to face with the Head Hazer directly.
The Flag Capturing this year ain’t gonna be easy for sure, and most probably, he is the key
person who fired his senior up to raise the bar even higher.

He knows it himself. The act of confidence and the talk of a definite win in front of the Head
Hazer will undoubtedly anger him. But it wasn’t considered a fight, Kongpob just didn’t get
to finish conveying the remaining opinion he had in mind to the other person.

He had wanted P’Arthit to know that he isn’t trying to challenge him or to be a hero and
speak up for his fellow peers. His only intention is to let P’Arthit see the efforts he and his
peers have been putting in.

No matter how difficult it gets, all of them have made up their minds to strive in the Flag
Capturing. And no other reason than to prove their qualification to be one in the Faculty of
Engineering and also to be accepted by their seniors as well.

Kongpob is eagerly waiting for the hazing crew to show up. He couldn’t avert his gaze away
from a certain someone who is currently leading a group of third-year hazers into the field.
They start greeting the first-years after standing in front of them in their usual cold demeanor.

“Listen up, first-years! Today is an important day for you. You must prove that you have
what it takes to get us to recognize your eligibility to be part of our department!”

Arthit glances across the field. A wave of juniors in neat attire, and there are more of them
than usual. At least from this, he understands the level of value that the juniors have for the
Flag Capturing event.

But no matter how many of them attended, it will not affect the task he is going to give them.

“Now, turn around and take a look at the department flag on the grandstand.”

All eyes turn as instructed to have a blood-red flag in view. It has the Faculty of
Engineering’s famous gear symbol printed while their department name is written in white
and English, waving high on the top of the cement-made grandstand. The steps of the stands
are decorated with rectangular cloth of different colors from top to bottom.

“Your task is to come up and get the department flag! I will not tell you how; you can only
rely on your own ability and all that we have taught you during the training. You need to get
the flag within the time we set, which is seven in the evening. If you fail, all of you will be
disqualified from being part of our department!”

The content of a few simple words is not simple at all! Because there’s no clue or direction
and the time they give is up to twelve hours, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that this will
not be an easy win.

Though everyone is itching to raise their hands for questions, they have long been ruled not
to ask any questions about the Flag Capturing event. So, the conclusion is that the first-years
can only wait quietly for the Head Hazer to start the countdown.

“If you are ready, then let’s start! First-years, come and get the department flag!”
After the opening speech, his last phrase sounds like welcoming the first-years with open
arms to come over and get the department flag. The first-years are completely lost, looking
confusedly at each other. They certainly did not expect that the red carpet would be rolled out
on the road to get the flag, with strewn petals of flowers even; so easy, so simple.

If that’s really the case, then everyone shouldn’t be still standing still. If they continue to
hesitate and not move an inch, all the first-years will be doomed.

A male student in the first row is pushed out by the others to get the department flag. He
walks towards the final goal with much fear. When he has only reached the first step, he is
unexpectedly blocked by hazer Knot.

“First-year, what are you doing here?” The person being questioned shudders but grits his
teeth and answers truthfully.

“I…I’m here to get the department flag.”

“Permission denied! Please return!”

A firm rejection leaves the first-year representative perplexed. However, this is also expected
by most of them. The hazing crew will not let them get the department flag this easily;
there’re must be some tests to go through for them to pass. And now, the one thing that
everyone wants to know is, how?

“Can you tell me what we are supposed to do to get the department flag?”

“That's what all of you need to do, not me!”

There is no emotion in his reply. The whole field is covered in silence, and everyone begins
to feel the tremendous pressure behind this fierce battle.

A test without any hint nor telling them any method and yet it has to reach the hazing crew’s
expectation. Really, who the hell can do that? This year’s Flag Capturing event can be
adequately described in three words.

A challenging one.

Even Kongpob could not have imagined that the Flag Capturing would be carried out in this
form. It’s much more complicated than a battle of wits, and a fight of physical strength added
up. The first-years have no direction at all on where to start.

But no matter how lost they are, having more than 200 brains is still better. So, everyone
starts to gather around and sit down directly on the field to discuss.

Tew, the guy who went up to the seniors earlier, begin the discussion with everyone focusing
on it.

“Anyone has any idea?”

“How are we supposed to know when they're not telling us anything!? Not even a single
hint.”

It’s only the start, and there’s already a voice of anger replying. The voice belongs to a
chubby person named Oak. But everyone could only nod along as they understand the anger
of feeling helpless. After all, the hazing crew is not giving them any hint, and it’s not fair to
play the game this way by having the first-years guessing their mind.

*The Oak in the novel is chubby while the one in the series is so damn skinny, I just had to
laugh.

They are studying in an engineering major, not some psychic training!

“Maybe P’Arthit already gave us a hint, but we have overlooked it. Should we think
thoroughly again?” A glasses girl, May, raises her hand and offers her thoughts, reminding
everyone to rethink the words P'Arthit said earlier. And her suggestion made another short-
haired girl raises another question.

“Right, I saw that the stand is decorated with five different colors for each step. Why is that?”

Her question made Kongpob turn to look at the stand more attentively this time. P’Knot is
still standing as if he’s guarding the first step. Behind him is a step decorated with yellow
cloth, and counting upwards from the second step is blue, green, pink, then red, and the last
step is where the department flag is.

At first, he thought it was just a decoration, to make the department flag looks more
prominent and hold an extraordinary status. However, when he thinks about it, only the red
color is the relevant color representing their department, while the other colors hold no
meaning.

The cloth tied along the stairs look more like…

“Game levels?”

The words in Kongpob’s mind comes out from his best friend, M, who is sitting next to him.
It is well known that M loves to play games, so when he sees such a scene, he is quick to
grasp the situation. He even explains his thoughts to convince others.

“Look, each step is tied with a cloth, right? And they look like levels that we need to pass
through. There are five colored cloths over there, which means the hazing crew created a total
of five levels for us to go through one by one. But I have not thought about how yet.”

M’s explanation has them starting to get hold of a direction, and they see the possibility of it.
But the question now becomes, what are the tests for the five levels? Where should they
start?

Kongpob frowns anxiously, his expression of a person with immense pressure is the same as
his other peers. Everyone starts brainstorming and figuring out every possibility. As for what
the Head Hazer had said, have Kongpob pay more attention to it.
Is P’Arthit really not going to say anything? Or did Kongpob really missed out on his
senior’s clues?

“You can only rely on your own ability and all that we have taught you during the training…”

In every freshmen training, of all the things they 've been teaching them, the one thing that
they keep stressing all the time seems to be…

“SOTUS”

Kongpob said to himself. Even though his voice is soft, but it’s enough for M to hear and
turns around to look at him.

“What did you just say?”

“It could be SOTUS, which is what the hazing crew has been teaching us.”

Kongpob explains in the least confidence, but what he said made M’s eyes light up as if he
has found a long-missing piece.

“Right, if SOTUS is correct, then it’s just nice! The five colored cloths on the stands
represent the five letters, and we have to go through the stages with the letters.”

M happily pats on Kongpob’s shoulder as if he had just solved a mystery to some treasure
maps. M then explains their whole deduction with some lively gestures, showing his
excitement. Though there is nothing to prove its validity, they must at least give it a try. It’s
better than letting the time slips away. So, the first-years start with the first letter for their first
stage.

‘Seniority: that means respecting our elders.’

“So what can we do to pass? Surely it doesn’t mean we have to pay our respect to all our
senior, is it?” A voice from the group asks.

When it comes to respecting the seniors, the easiest way is to close both their hands together
and wai at them to show respect. The first-years have always been asked to show respect to
all elders , as this is a sign of courtesy and traditional culture.

But it would seem a bit odd to have more than 200 first-years paying respect to the hazing
crew. It doesn’t look this easy to get through the stage. There must be a better way to show a
clearer image of their respect for their seniors

“The ones who are more senior than the hazing crew are the fourth-years. Do you guys
remember the time when the fourth-year seniors showed up in the hall? The hazing crew
could not even lift their heads.”

Oak speaks up, and everyone gets pulled back to the past when the fourth-years came into the
hall and got the third-year hazing crew to punish themselves. If they could find the fourth-
year senior for help, the chances of passing might be higher. The most senior in their
department is the fourth-years after all.
“Does anyone has the number of the fourth-year senior? Better yet, if you have the number of
the representative of fourth-year. Second- and third-years’ number is fine too! Just get them
all!”

As soon as they get a firmer direction, the chatter begins. Even to the point of getting all the
other seniors other than the fourth-year. It doesn’t matter which year anyway since they are
all considered to be the senior of the first-year.

Then begins a reconnaissance operation to find the fourth-year representative, starting with
everyone’s direct seniors first. But before that, they ask for the favor of their seniors to come
to the field to meet them. However, most of them rejected due to it’s 8 AM on a Saturday, so,
understandably, many would choose to sleep in.

The first-years then form a transport team to ride their bikes to their seniors’ dorm for the
favor and fetch them over to the field if agreed while some of the seniors come rushing to the
scene to watch the first-years upon hearing the news.

Finally, the most important person they’ve been looking for —— P’Deer, who is the
representative of fourth-year, the one who got the third-year hazing crew to punish
themselves; at the same time, the Head Hazer for the previous year. He gets off the bike of
the first-year who fetched him with a confused face, unaware of the current situation.

After learning the story from the first-years, he lets out a laugh and says, “Your hazing crew
is being real tough on you guys for the Flag Capturing this year.”

They have prepared all the required conditions, and the one condition that’s left to pass this
stage is to show the first-years’ attitude of respecting the seniors. Of course, it can’t be done
with just putting their hands together for a wai. That would be too basic.

After a round of consultation with the seniors and series of discussions with their peers, the
final decision they decided that ‘Seniority: Respecting the elders’ includes the ones who have
more experience than them, so they choose to adopt a humble approach to obtain the seniors’
approval.

“P krub/ka, would you accept us to be your junior?”

“Absolutely. It’s not a problem for me. What do you say?”

P’Deer smiles and nods as he asks the second- and third-year representatives in which they
agree with it too. P’Deer then looks towards the hazer who is guarding the first step and
shouts.

“The hazer over there! Are you going to let them pass?”

P’Knot remains his long face in a calm posture. The others urge Tew to step up to the stand
and try again.

“P, may I have the permission to get the department flag?”

Everyone on the field is holding their breath; their whole body is stiffen with tension.
Especially Kongpob, being the one who came up with the idea of SOTUS. After all, everyone
has spent more than an hour on this, and they would need to redo the brainstorming and
deduction thing all over again if they guessed it wrong.

Now the junior could only pray real hard that he grasped the Head Hazer’s mind correctly
and had done what the hazing crew expects. He keeps his eyes peeled, waiting for the result.

Silence covered the field, and time seemed to have stopped.

P’Knot starts moving to unstill the time, he turns 90 degrees sideways and responds in two
short words.

“You may.”

Soon as they get a pass, the first-years’ excited cheer fill the whole place. Finally, getting
through the first level! Kongpob and M high-fived while the others were smiling from ear to
ear. Even though they have not won the department flag, at least they are on the right track,
and they have more confidence now for the next one.

Another hazer is standing on the second step, replacing P’Knot’s responsibility as the
guardian. This is also the step that represents the second letter of SOTUS.

‘Order: means to comply with the orders given.’

By the university rule, all of them are wearing the standard uniform, but it shouldn’t be this
easy to get the recognition of the hazing crew. There must be something more in it.

In all the freshmen training, through all the punishments, the thing that the hazing crew keeps
emphasizing, keeps reminding them…

“Fall in!”

The conclusion drains the color from a lot of the first-years’ face. Yet, everyone agrees that
this is the simplest and fastest way to get past the ‘order’ stage since they still have a few
more levels to get through by seven.

The first-years start to form the lines. They give out the order themselves, timed themselves
on their own, and try their best to create a neat group in the fastest time. The girls run in front
while the guys behind take care of the girls just in case; those who are worn out will leave to
the rest area on the side.

They ran back and forth several times to form the line. Each time after they formed a line,
Tew would go up to the hazing crew to get the permission. It was almost noon when they
finally heard the long-awaited words from the second guarding hazer.

“You may.”

The sound of happy shouts and cheers is accompanied by their exhausted panting to catch
their breath. Since the seniors from the entertainment crew have prepared simple boxed lunch
for them, the first-years stroll to the side of the field for their break. The first-years gather
around and eat while discussing the possible task for the next stage.

“About our third stage, what can we do for ‘Tradition: to inherit and pass on traditions’? We
don’t even know what kind of tradition we have in our department.”

Kongpob listens to his best friend as M scoops the fried rice into his mouth. He has no
solution to that either since everyone here is a first-year who has just entered the university.
Hence, they thought that the person who knows the answer must be a senior who has been
around for a longer time. So, off they send someone to look for P’Deer.

They find the senior sitting near the field as he plans to watch the entire Flag Capturing event
for this year. However, his answer to the first-years is equally puzzling.

“We don’t have any particular traditions!”

“Not even one, P’Deer?”

Maprang, the prettiest girl in their class, acts cute, trying to get some words out of P’Deer.
When the senior sees her acting this way, it puts him in the middle, contemplating whether he
should tell them.

“Um… I’m not sure if this counts, but we do have something that we do every year. Every
New Year, the department will hold a friendly football game. Everyone will help to clean up
after the game and go out for dinner together.”

The first-years who are listening to P’Deer look at each other. To have a football game this
timing shouldn’t be the way; the dinner part can be excluded, after taking all those out, they
are only left with the clean-up.

But having more than 200 of them cleaning only the field doesn’t feel right. Since they are
talking about cleaning up, let’s make it big and get down to cleaning the entire campus.

The first-years spend the entire afternoon, dividing teams and assigning them to various areas
of the campus to pick up garbage and clean up the environment. Actually, they don’t know if
this is the right tradition to inherit, but at least it’s helpful to their campus.

It may be due to this reason, coupled with the fact that the guarding hazer for the third stage
is a female, her heart softens and let them pass. But that level had taken up a lot of their time.

The hour hand on the watch indicates that the time is now approaching four. Seeing that the
first-years don’t have much time left, they know they have to increase their pace and get pass
the fourth stage. All of them conclude that nothing else is better than singing to show the
fourth letter, ‘Unity: be united as one.’

The drums are ready; their voices are ready. And most importantly, the solidarity of the first-
years is ready too.

All of them work hard to show, with the loudest voice and neatest manner, they sing their
department song, faculty song and then university song as well as the group songs that the
second-year entertainment crew taught them before. They also included dance and music to
lighten the atmosphere. More and more seniors appear on the field to cheer for the first-years.

It is when the sun sets, and the sky gradually darkens, that they finally reach the last phrase of
their university song and overcome the fourth stage. The first-years have little to no energy
left as they have been exerting their strength since the early morning.

But there’s only one stage left, and it’s the most crucial finale stage to their victory.

‘Spirit: enthusiasm and mind spirit.’

The guardian of the last stage is the one who calls for the life and death of the first-years.
That’s why the one and only person who is qualified for this position is none other than
P’Arthit.

Arthit is standing on the highest step of the stand that is covered in red cloth; behind him is
the department flag fluttering along with the wind. There is only an hour left before seven.

“This must be the most difficult stage. So, how do we do this? I’ll say this first; I can’t do it
anymore if we have to rerun the field.”

Kongpob sits next to M, who has little strength left to move only his mouth. Roaring several
songs constantly took away so much of their energy that even the voice of complaining came
out hoarse. Kongpob admits that even he is reaching his limit. In the case they really need to
run the field to show their enthusiasm and spirit, they will not be able to pass this stage.

The first-years all look at each other with blank eyes; faces show that they are on pins and
needles. They have no idea what way can be used to get through the devil’s final stage.

Kongpob switches his gaze to the person on the stand; he’s standing still, waiting for the first-
years to make a move. Neither his face nor his eyes show signs of softening; again, the same
old look he sees every day.

This is the person who, in the middle of the night, in the middle of the rain, had run this exact
field… Huh? Wait a minute.

For a moment, there seems to be a flash of an idea which Kongpob is working hard to catch.
After a quick thought, he calls for the attention of all his peers.

“Everyone, hear me out.”

All eyes are on Kongpob, who spoke out. He gets up and walks into the middle of the circle.

Although he’s not sure if this will work, however, this might be the only way to get everyone
gets pass P’Arthit’s stage and take down the department flag.

He takes a deep breath and looks at the Head Hazer, who is on the top step and slowly
explains.

“I have an idea…”
 Showing Spirit in Front of the Hazing Crew

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Note: Underline wordings are song lyrics.

The time is now at quarter past six.

The sun hanging in the sky gradually sets, but *the other sun is still standing on the stand,
sticking to his duty of guarding the final stage of the Flag Capturing for the Industrial
Engineering department.

*I’m pretty sure we all know what THIS OTHER SUN means already.

Looking below from the Head Hazer’s current angle, from a distance, he is watching the first-
years grouping together to discuss. The atmosphere becomes livelier as more people from the
same department of all grade crowding around the field to witness this prestigious event,
which is rumored to be absolutely cruel.

To put it bluntly, the Flag Capturing is simple yet at the same time hard. It’s especially tricky
in the beginning. If the first years can’t guess the logic of the hazing crew’s test, it won’t be
easy to head in the correct direction.

Furthermore, there’s no hint for them at all! Well, except for the five colored cloths being tied
to each step that represents five stages. However, this hint can be interpreted into a million
different combined solutions.

Arthit first expected the group of first-years would take half a day to guess what the test is
about or worse, spent the whole day, and not even knowing the meaning of the test itself. But
the fact is in less than half an hour, they broke the record and solved the puzzle accurately.

The answer that the hazing crew want them to look for is ‘SOTUS.’

He’s not sure if he should label the first-years lucky or it’s really just him underestimating
their real abilities. The puzzles that the whole hazing crew broke their brains to come up with
didn’t stump them even the slightest.

In any case, it’s unlikely for them to be completely clueless too since SOTUS is a lesson the
hazing crew has been drilling into the first-years’ skulls from freshmen training day one.

In addition to this reason, another important reason he chooses SOTUS as his theme of the
test because it’s the best standard for the first-years to prove their spirits.
In fact, the Flag Capturing event every year, the hazing crew is the one to set up the puzzle(s)
focusing on testing not only the first-years’ unity but also their respect for the elderly, sense
of responsibility and their cooperation.

Even though freshmen training ended, there are other activities queueing up in the first year’s
next four years in the university that need all of them to be united.

Therefore, the test actually hides many other objectives, but all in all, it’s the hope of the
seniors that the first-years understand the importance of the said system.

As to how to pass the whole test depends on the hazing crew’s judgment. If they think the
first-years have done well enough, then they shall pass. And that is why no one has any
objection towards the way the first-years this year pass the first four stages.

However, it’s guaranteed that the ‘Spirit: the enthusiasm and mind spirit’ stage will not be as
easy to pass as the first four.

Especially the guardian for this stage is the one who has the absolute authority for all
decisions and always holds a high standard for all the things he does. It doesn’t help the first-
years that the last stage is the hardest among all, and they need to express their spirit in the
most specific actions within the minimal time left.

Of course, the first-years know this already, and all of them feel the pressure pressing against
their chest, but they still gather around, not willing to give up and discuss their plan earnestly.
Finally, they stand up group by group, as if they have reached a conclusion.

*I’ll be honest, the Chinese version stated they stand up one by one. But…there’s hundreds of
them! So, I changed it to group instead. One by one is scary.

Arthit looks at the first-years walk to the center of the field and line up neatly. He doesn’t
know what they planned to do but the leader this time must be a certain someone — someone
who wants him to move his eyes away from the first-years and the said someone is now
coming straight towards to the stand, walking up the steps and stopping one step below
Arthit.

In front of Arthit now stands 0062 Kongpob.

“What are you here for?”

“I, representing the first-years, would like to ask of P’Arthit to come down for a while.”

The direct and clear expression got Arthit stunned, he can’t believe the guts of the first-years
to be requesting him to go down! Didn’t they spend a lot of effort for the first few stages?
Why is it that up to this stage, his stage to be precise, that they do nothing?! If they think he
would be this easy to let them through, they are looking down on the Head Hazer.

The look of dissatisfaction is written all over the guardian’s face, but he suppresses his
emotions and holds on to the stern face and asks the other arrogantly.

“And why should I?”

“So that we can prove our spirit to you, P’Arthit.”

Arthit understands Kongpob’s explanation. The first-years probably want to show him
something that they ask for him to go down. But with his temperament, he’s not the kind to
do as he was told. And the most crucial part? Wrong move by sending a person who had the
most conflict with him to do the communication.

Just wait and see, each time they meet and talk, not once ends well. For example, the day of
the ID number family gathering recently.

It was then Arthit learned that this person wanted to study economics, and his heart has not
belonged in the Faculty of Engineering since the beginning. So why did he show so much
enthusiasm participating in all the activities and training of the department? If he has plans to
change his major, then these training, battles, tests are meaningless. What is he trying to
prove? Where does he think he stands to prove?

But Kongpob vows to get the department flag. His gesture and tone are as firm as that day,
which made Arthit looks even more displeased and blurts out.

“You want to prove your spirit? Hmph! You should first ask yourself if you even have it! I
have told you before that if it’s not sincere, then you don’t deserve to get our department
flag!”

The scolding hits a sore spot, but Kongpob is not surprised at all, as if he has expected it. He
knows that P’Arthit is still angry about that night, yet he still volunteers to be the
representative.

He has a lot of things that are yet to resolve, and he wants to get them done. He knows the
senior in front of him is someone who will retaliate force with force, so being tough is not an
option. If he went and did that, the situation would surely turn sour again like always.

All Kongpob wants is to explain his point of view and his stand, hoping to gain an
understanding of the other.

“P’Arthit…” With a slightly softer tone, the other person indeed reacted a little that he
subconsciously stares at Kongpob.

“I admit that engineering was not what I intended to study in the first place, but up till this
point, I have never regretted my choice even once. I feel proud to be able to study here, feel
honored to meet new friends, and get to know the seniors here. If P’Arthit thinks I don’t love
this faculty, you’re wrong. I really want to be a part of the Faculty of Engineering here, so are
my peers. Otherwise, we would not desperately put in so much effort to get acknowledge
from you. If P’Arthit wants to confirm whether what I said is true, please come with me to
the field. Please…”

A long list of pleadings is said without Kongpob’s usual arrogance tone. It is filled with a
voice of asking for forgiveness and understanding.
Arthit had heard this voice before; it was the last time when he was nagged by this person to
take his medicine. The strangest part is that this person could calm his temper every time
with this tone. Not only did it keep his mouth shut, but even his brain also stops functioning
that he could come up with no lines of refuting.

The senior stands silently, looking at the first-years on the field who are anticipating for him.
Truth is he can delay the time on purpose as the Flag Capturing would be over in half an
hour. But he is really curious about how would the first-years express their so-called spirt.

Well, the power of letting them pass or not is still in his hands, right?

“Fine. I’ll go.”

Once the Head Hazer decides to go, he sees Kongpob sighs with relief before taking a step
back to let him down the steps and to the field. He stops in front of the first-years as he
shouts provocatively.

“Well! Here I am. Let me see how you are going to show your spirit!”

Kongpob walks back to the front of the first-years, and with a diligent and clear voice, he
answers the Head Hazer’s question.

“All the seniors from the hazing crew are the main reason for us, the first-years’ spirit is
formed and shaped! If without the opportunity for us to see your performance, your spirit, we
may not be what we are today! This is why we would like to sincerely thank the seniors with
this method! First-years, fall in!”

As soon as the order is placed, the first-years on the field start to surround the Head Hazer.
Nearly 200 of them forming a large circle, leaving Arthit in the middle with a doubtful
expression.

What are they doing? Their spirit is formed because of me? Of the hazing crew? And what
does it mean by thanking us?

It doesn’t take long for the answer to reveal itself, commanded by Kongpob from his
position.

“First-years, show your spirit!”

It is a minute later that Arthit fully grasps the meaning of their way to express their spirit.

“Thank you, P’Arthit, for your guidance.”

“Thank you, P’Arthit.”

“Thank you very much, P’”

“Thank you, P’Arthit.”

“P’Arthit, thank you very much.”

Each sentence, every single one of them, in the order of their line. No matter whose turn it is,
the word ‘thank you’ is not missed out, and the first-years sincerely hope that they have
managed to convey their gratitude directly to the Head Hazer.

This person who encourages these brats from different places to unite and work as one.

This person who is willing to sacrifice his time, just to plan out and rehearse for the freshmen
training.

This person who ran 54 laps in the rain, just to take responsibility for the words and promise
he had made.

He who always upholds the word ‘spirit’ more than anyone else, is also the one who taught
the first-years to know and understand the true meaning of the last letter of SOTUS.

Spirit doesn’t only mean enthusiasm and cooperation but also showing a kind of thought
through actions. For a long time, the Head Hazer’s thought is something that all first-years
can feel through all his past harsh actions, and now, it’s their turn to return the same by
showing their gratitude in the same way to P’Arthit.

The thank-yous from the first-years are the proof that they want to show to all their seniors.
After the circle of thanks comes around, Kongpob gives out another command for the last
time.

“First-years, a round of faculty cheer to thank our Head Hazer!”

All of them in the circle put their arms around the neck of the person next to them, bow their
head, and start the chant of their faculty cheer. Although the first-years are spent after the
whole day of tests since morning, they still chant with the loudest voice that they have
because this is all for the Head Hazer that they respected very much.

The seniors of different years who have been watching at the side can’t help but admire the
first-years’ courage to chant their faculty cheer in front of the Head Hazer without feeling
intimidated. This is not your everyday scene, and it’s the first time they get to see such a
sight.

Other than admire, they also appreciate the spirit that the first-years show. Hundreds of them,
chanting in unison, for one particular senior.

It’s a powerful scene, adding in a greater revelation of the genuine relationship built between
them.

However, the result of it is of a vast difference from the Head Hazer’s reaction. After the
cheer ends, he stands still, unaffected. Faint trembles are showing as if his anger has reached
to the peak and could no longer hold it in.

“Do you really think you will get a ‘yes’ from me just by this? Sorry! It’s a ‘no’!”

As soon as he finishes, Arthit rushes out of the circle, and anyone who blocks the way gets
scolded. He dashes off hurriedly and disappears into the back of the stand, with no one being
able to stop him. Leaving him behind is the group of first-years stunned in place. This is the
result of the last stage from the Head Hazer.

They failed…

Kongpob feels his heart falling to the bottom of the pit. He heard M’s mention of running
around the field, and it reminded him of the incident of P’Arthit running the laps in the rain,
not willing to accept the help of others. It’s the main reason why Kongpob would come up
with this plan in the first place and proposed it to his peers. All of these in the hope that the
Head Hazer could understand the feeling that the first-years are trying to convey.

But it fails. His plan fails. Not only did P’Arthit not let them pass, but he is also angrier than
before, and to make things worse, all the first-years got involved in this. Kongpob feels guilty
and apologizes to all of them.

Some of them shrug him off, telling him it’s ok because after all, this plan was agreed by
everyone’s vote. They now would have to think of other ways to get the ‘yes’ for the last
stage.

One glance at the time, their breaths hitched as all of them are shocked that the time has
already hit seven. Then, the first-years see P’Knot walking up the stands and gives out an
order.

“First-years, fall in! Your time is up! Quick!”

Although the first-years are reluctant, they could only obey the order and once again start
their footsteps and trot over for the line. Many of them look up at P’Knot as they form the
line, pleading with teary eyes.

A little bit more. Just this little bit more to their success. They worked so hard the whole day,
but this is the result they receive.

“Who permits you to look at the department flag! Heads down, first-years! You already lose
the right to look at the flag!”

The more they hear such words, the more they feel devastated. Yet, they have no other choice
but to follow the instruction. All of them heads down in disappointment, and some start
weeping uncontrollably.

The sun had set for some time, and the field is now shrouded in darkness, without any lit
lights. This scene is a signal of the end of today’s event. The atmosphere is quiet, and there’s
a depressing feeling mixed in it.

And suddenly, along with the wind, a sweet song is sung…

“Ou~ Ou wo la nuo~ Ou wo ou~ You oh~”

*Obviously I do not know how this works so some parts I just put in the Chinese pinyin.
The first-years look up to find the singing comes from the seniors from the entertainment
crew. An eight layers high tray and small candles in their hands, they slowly lead almost a
hundred of the seniors from the other years to them.

They have been watching the first-years working hard the whole day beside the field, and
now it’s their turn that they start to light the small candles in their hands. In the complete
darkness, a circle of lights is formed around the first-years, and the song is continued.

“Oh you, I want to be here, to be near you so I could comfort you

I want to love you with all my heart, never feeling tired

La la la, la la la la, la la la

I want your heart, to stay in mine, love you as I love myself, with all respect

La la la, la la la la, la la la

Please don’t be sad, stay away from pain, surround yourself with happiness

Long cotton thread, white and flawless, la la la, la la la

Tied to your wrist, la la la, la la la

Binds to your heart, keep it close”

After the last verse, the first-years look blankly at the seniors, feeling confused. Even though
many of them already grasped the meaning of the situation, they are still at a loss. Until hazer
Knot’s voice is once again heard giving the command.

“First-years, please send a representative up!”

Tew is still the one being pushed out to be the representative. He feels terrified when he steps
onto the stand as the representative is afraid of losing face if he gets rejected by the hazing
crew again. P’Knot, on the other hand, stands still at the first step of the stand. He looks at
the representative that the first-years sent with scrutiny then announces the sentence that
everyone has been waiting for.

“You may get your department flag.”

As soon as the permitted instruction is given, an instant burst of cheering explodes on the
field. Each pair of eyes follow the figure of the representative that they sent to the highest
step of the stand and takes down their flag.

The moment Tew waves the flag in the air after taking it down indicates the great moment of
victory for the first-years. They have won and also successfully proved themselves worthy of
the Industrial Engineering department. They are now officially one of the Faculty of
Engineering.

Then starts the important welcoming event. The seniors follow *the ceremony of welcoming
the YuanShen. A white cotton string is tied on the wrist of the first-years by them as a sign of
welcoming the new members of the family.

*I don’t know what ceremony this is and tried Google, but to no avail, so this is a literal
translation.

The seniors from each year are holding white threads, preparing to tie one onto the wrist of
each first-year. The queue for the hazing crew is much longer than others because they have
already taken off their ferocious cover, making the atmosphere more relaxed and surrounded
by a warm feeling. The first-years have rid of their fear of the hazing crew, but one of the
hazing members still has not shown his figure.

Kongpob doesn’t see P’Arthit among the hazing crew and has been looking for him. Ever
since P’ walked out and to the back of the stand, Kongpob didn’t see him again, which got
him worried, not knowing what had happened.

After all, P’Arthit did say that he wouldn’t let them pass, but then P’Knot reappeared and
allowed them to take down their department flag. He’s not sure if the seniors have had a talk
or argument.

All in all, he is still the culprit who angered P’Arthit, and no matter what, he wants to
apologize to the said senior in person. Which is why Kongpob didn’t wait in line for the wrist
tying, but walks out of the field in search for someone, but happened to meet P’Fang on his
way.

“Oh, N’Kongpob! Come, let P’ tie your wrist!”

He stops and lets his senior do the work. Since he has a watch on his left, he stretches out his
right hand to the senior. While listening to P’Fang’s blessing of welcoming new members,
Kongpob watches her tying the white thread attentively to his wrist.

“I wish N’ to fully enjoy the four years here. I hope you will encounter all the best things
here, both academic and love!”

“Thank you, P’,” Kongpob sincerely puts his hands together and thank his senior.

It is exactly because of these wonderful seniors that he feels proud to be able to study in the
Faculty of Engineering. Just as how he had guaranteed his sincerity to a certain someone
before. But the whereabouts of this someone that he is looking for still remains unknown that
he decides to ask his senior.

“Uhm… P’Fang, any chance you’ve seen P’Arthit?”

“Arthit? Oh, I think he’s still at the back of the stand.”

P’Fang had a weird face on her when she answered like she’s holding back a laugh. Before
Kongpob leaves, she gives him another thread.

“For you. You can get him to tie your wrist when you find him.”

P’Fang gave him a faint smile before she leaves towards to field while Kongpob goes
towards the back of the stand with the white thread.

The back of the stand is quite dark, only a trace of light shining through, making it difficult to
see the path clearly. But Kongpob still manages to find the familiar figure he’s been
searching, standing in a corner with his back to him.

“P’Arthit!”

The said person flinched upon hearing his name being called and immediately turn his head
to his back. Kongpob stunned at the sight of P’Arthit’s face; a pair of red eyes replace the
angered look from earlier. He couldn’t help but feel concern.

“What’s wrong, P’Arthit?”

“Nothing! It’s…the weather’s hot, so I had just washed my face. Why? You have any
problem with that?”

Arthit hurriedly denies and hastily plasters on a straight expression, as if afraid that the
younger would find out. As for Kongpob, he could have guessed the situation by looking at
the elder’s behavior, yet he chooses not to go against him.

“No.”

“If no, then get back to the field! It’s the wrist tying ceremony now, isn’t it? How can you
leave during it?”

The Head Hazer angrily chasing the first-year away and is prepared to head to the field as
well. However, he was stopped by Kongpob’s request.

“Hold on, P’Arthit. Can you give me a wrist tying?”

Arthit looks at the white string in Kongpob’s hand, thinking to himself where did the other
party got hold of the string. However, following the tradition, he, as a senior, cannot refuse
and has to give the junior a wrist tying.

Looking at the tall junior in front of him, Arthit waits for him to stretch out his right hand, the
one that already has one string tied on it. Then, this tall brat suddenly changes his mind.
“This hand instead, please.”

The junior has been in two minds that he, all of a sudden, decides to take down the watch on
his left. Arthit tsk-ed impatiently as a result.

“Fussy.”

Even so, Arthit still ties the string onto Kongpob’s left wrist. Leaving important words to him
as he secures the tie.

“Take care of the department flag for me.”

It’s just a short sentence, but the meaning it carries is significant. Because this stands as his
senior has accepted him as a member of the Faculty of Engineering and officially becoming
one of them in the Industrial Engineering department.

“I will take care of it with my heart.”

Kongpob assures Arthit of his promise with a smile, but the one who listens feels irritated.
The senior finishes up the tying casually.

“Done.”

“Thank you, P'Arthit.”

“Hmm…”

The Head Hazer responded perfunctorily. Can I leave already?

But just as he turns around slightly, Arthit gets called again.

“Wait…”

“What now?”

Being stopped for a second time made Arthit growls impatiently and switches back to look at
Kongpob. The junior shows a faint knowing smile and blurts out something that widens the
senior’s eyes.

“Tell me the next time you want to cry. Don’t hide in a corner and cry alone. I’ll wipe those
tears away for you.”

“Kongpob!”

A series of insults can be heard, but it’s too late. As soon as Kongpob finishes his sentence,
he turns and runs away, back to the field.

This time, P’Arthit will surely be angry again. He knows well that it will definitely anger the
senior, yet he doesn’t understand why he still went and did it. What is strange is that this does
not feel like the fights they had before that will leave a knot in Kongpob’s heart.
Maybe it’s because he knows that his ‘heart’ has been conveyed to the other’s ‘heart.’

Another step further.

 Don’t Judge The Hazing Crew Unilaterally

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

No matter what, there’s always people beyond people, mountains beyond mountains. In
addition to the Flag Capturing event, there is also the existence of what people call ‘the
midterm.’

There’s only a week left before the exam starts. Although to the first years, it may seem like
the term has just begun, and they're still thinking that university life is all fun and refreshing.

From freshmen training to the devilish Flag Capturing event, the first-years thought they
could finally get a break and start enjoying all the fun they heard from the people about the
university. But the word ‘midterm exam’ forcefully drags them back to face the harsh, cold
reality.

But maybe, it’s not the ordinary reality. After all, to some, this is considered hell.

Especially for first-years who have just entered, it seems more nerve-wracking than the
seniors because they know that the university exam is of a completely different level than the
high school exam.

If one has several records of not meeting at least the passing score, then there is a chance of
repeating the year or worse, getting suspended from the university. When the time comes, it
doesn’t matter if the pleading comes from the professor or some big shots; all will be deemed
pointless.

In addition, some subjects are only open for one semester each year, and the situation gets
worse if the subject is a necessary foundation. In the event of failure of the subject, the
students may not proceed with the relevant subjects afterwards.

If they want to pass the failed subject, they have to wait for next year's class, studying with
their juniors, and this would downgrade the senior to the junior; the junior to *the earthbound
spirit, sending away their friends, repeating year after year.

*Earthbound spirit in this means the failed students keep repeating the year until they kind of
become the bounded spirit of this particular subject, ‘protecting and sending away’ their
succeeded friends.

The engineering first-years will definitely meet with a few compulsory subjects that are of a
demonic level, one of them being Calculus I. Every year, a bunch of first-years’ result are
decorated with an *‘F’ due to this subject.
*There are a few methods of performance assessment in Thailand. Besides the usual 100-
point scoring method, there are also 1) A to F grading in which A represents high distinction
and F means fail or 2) 4.0 to 0.0 grading in which 4.0 represents full marks and usually less
than 1.5 indicates a fail. However, the grading varies depending on the school.

A/N: I’m guessing the second method should be the GPA scoring, to put it simple.

Their university’s calculus lecturer is a well-known ‘butcher’ and is infamous between

universities for cutting everyone’s throat with the level of strictness in the exam questions.
The students who pass the examination should go home worship their ancestors, and if
anyone gets an A, it’s merely a miracle on earth.

Which is why many of them went to worship the *Lord of the Soil of the university grounds.
The students even pray with the sincerity they didn’t know they had, that if this examination
is a pass, they will return to redeem their vow.

*I’m not a religious person, so I only know the Lord of the Soil is commonly known as a
guardian of a particular land and such. Not a God to worship specifically to pass an exam,
but more like praying to get Its protection. Something like that.

Still, everyone knows that in the end, it’s themselves that they have to rely on. Their brains
and hands are ultimately the ‘weapons’ that will assist them to break through this obstacle.
Hence, scenes of juniors asking their seniors for help and pointers to prepare for the exam can
be seen almost everywhere nowadays.

Fortunately, the experts in the Industrial Engineering department are more than willing to
help their juniors.

The department is now having a last-minute tutorial set up, and by the juniors’ word of
mouth, it attracted nearly 50 of them to show up, joining the class. With this number of
juniors attending, they have to fence up a spot under the Engineering building in advance to
accommodate them.

The senior, in turn, brought a whiteboard to the scene. He plays the role of a teacher prepping
the juniors for the exam, and also spotting questions for them. In general, the questions
should be similar to those of previous years.

Even if they have their senior giving them the much-needed tuition, the first-years still have
splitting headaches to understand the content.

Kongpob keeps hearing M, who sits beside him sighing every three minutes, gripping his
pen, solving equations while mumbling foreign words, as if trying to release some negative
energy from him. However, this phenomenon is not surprising at all.

“The questions for the admission test were already difficult enough. This here is another level
worse. Can I go back to kindergarten and start again?”

“Just grit your teeth and hang on. It’ll be over before you know it. Think about all the fun you
can have after the exam!”
Tew, who is sitting in front of them, turns back to cheer M up. The latter sentence arouses
their curiosity.

“Where to?”

“Oh, you haven’t heard of it? After the exam, the seniors will be taking us off-campus for the
initiation rite.”

Kongpob perks his head up curiously after hearing Tew’s answer.

Speaking of off-campus initiation rite, it’s one of the traditions that the Industrial Engineering
department will hold annually. The seniors of all grades will join the first-years for the
ceremony.

As for safety concerns, they should be put to rest as the dean and teachers will follow them
for overall supervision.

Therefore, rest assured that cruel acts during freshmen training will not re-enact.

“Then, do you know where they are taking us?” Kongpob joins the discussion and receives a
shake of the head from Tew.

“I don’t know either. But I heard from my direct line senior that it’s usually set at a beach.”

The beaches closest to the university are only Rayong, Hua Hin, and Cha-am. But it doesn’t
matter to Kongpob which beach the seniors will bring them to as he has not been to the beach
for a long time. It’s not a bad idea taking it as an opportunity to join this huge get-together
and have fun with his peers.

Few seconds into his deep thought, he is cut off by M.

“Hold up. How can we be sure it's just a fun trip? The seniors always have plans to give us a
hard time. Don’t forget that we still have not get our department gear.”

Right. Although they succeeded in the Flag Capturing, obtaining the department gear is still
on the to-do list. Judging by the norms of the Faculty of Engineering, of course, it will not be
an easy process for the first-years.

The Flag Capturing ceremony took place a few weeks back that almost had them sending
away their lives for going through several stages before they finally succeeded. They feel the
uneasiness of being in the dark, not knowing what the seniors are planning next.

But no matter what their plans are, the key person who has the authority to make the final
decision would still be the hazing crew.

Coincidentally, the person that Kongpob is thinking about now appears in sight.

When the first-years see a group of seniors swarming down the stairs, they assume that their
afternoon class has just ended. A few of them bantering while walking towards the direction
of the first-years are seated. The youngers put down whatever that they are doing and pay
their respect to the seniors.

Among the group of seniors, some are unfamiliar faces while some are from the hazing crew,
and one of them is Arthit, The Head Hazer. He halts his steps and greets the second-year who
is holding the whiteboard.

“Aon, what’s this?”

“Oh, P’. I’m tutoring the juniors on calculus. Anyway, since you are here, can P’ share the
key questions of your test that year?”

The second-year with glasses who is tutoring takes the opportunity to ask the third-years to
help with the coaching but then gets rejected without a second thought.

“Our test was two years ago. Who in the world would remember! However, I do remember
that in our year, we only had five scoring an A, and half of the rest got an F.”

This hazing crew is really living up to their position. They just have to throw in those words
to destroy the confidence that the first-years have built. The situation worsens when the ever
serious P’Knot adds in another comment.

“I remember I couldn’t answer most of them at that time. I ended up writing a short phrase to
fawn the lecturer, and I got a C. This trick might work.”

Important information! The first-years all raise their ears and listen attentively. Another
senior standing next to P’Knot cuts in to show off his ‘secret trick’ as well.

“Mine was better. I drew a portrait of the lecturer on the answer sheet to let him know that I
attended every class to the point I could remember the lecturer’s face.”

*I would like you to know that there’s actually no P’Bright in the novel. So, this is some other
senior from Arthit’s group of friends.

This statement caused an uproar among the seniors and Arthit mocks with a question.

“And? You ended up with?”

“F! What luck! The lecturer has no eye for art at all. I gave him a sketch which is logically
more difficult than Ai’Knot’s phrase. So unfair!”

The senior is complaining about the past while the friends are behind, making disdaining
noises. The first-years honestly thought that the ‘secret tricks’ would really help, but the
hopes in their eyes are put out within seconds after they heard the result of the senior.

Even so, they couldn’t help but laugh at the senior’s antics, and the Head Hazer suddenly
interrupts with a straightforward suggestion.

“Just refer to past papers and lecture notes. And if that still doesn’t help, you can just resit the
subject next year with your juniors.”
“Hoi, P’Arthit. Don’t throw a wet blanket at them, putting them down. Why not give them
some wishes for the exam?”

P’Aon acts fast, trying to regain the first-years’ bits of confidence back. Once the first-years
heard that the senior would give them some blessings for luck, they quickly put their hands
together, waiting for the seniors to open their golden mouths.

The responsibility was thrown to P’Knot by the other seniors, urging him to give the first-
years some heart-warming encouragements.

“Fine. Listen carefully, guys.”

P’Knot clears his throat with a cough and starts chanting a blessing verse.

*There are different blessings, and the one used here is to bless someone with a long life.

“I wish you a long life with happiness, and strength.”

*This is from the series cause I honestly don’t know how to translate the Chinese one.

“Amen.”

“Blergh! How is this the wish for an exam!?”

The senior who talked about the portrait earlier digs at him.

P’Knot scratches his face sheepishly and explains, “I almost fail this exam myself, how am I
supposed to bless others?”

*I still can’t imagine the ever serious P’Knot we saw in the series has a personality like
P’Bright in the novel.

“At least choose something closer! Arthit, you do it!”

In the end, the ace is still the one to lead. It is seen that the other seniors making room for
Arthit to stand in front of the first-years. He advises sternly while having his arms folded
over his chest.

“If you can’t pass the foundation subject, it only proves that you don’t even have the basic
knowledge of engineering. You won’t have a future, even if you managed to graduate.”

The ace being an ace. But not an ace for giving wishes for the exam, but the hazer’s standard
of sarcastic remarks. A few of the first-years’ face is seen turning pale; their confidence level
dropping rapidly. However, P’Arthit is not done with his speech yet.

“Who would want to hire you in the future? The girl you court will turn you down. You can
only comfort yourself by drinking every night and showing up hangover every day, only to
get kicked out by the lecturer for sleeping in the class. You keep borrowing money from your
friends without returning it, becoming a freeloader for food. You will end up all alone
because no one wants to hang out with you anymore.”
The last few lines sounded odd, and all of a sudden, the portrait drawing senior seems to have
realized something.

“Wait a minute! You were talking about me, weren’t you!? Damn you, Ai’Arthit!”

The one got talked about protests in hindsight and made all the third-year seniors there laugh
out loud. Even the first-years who listened were laughing with them, smoothing out the exam
tension. Arthit then gives serious wishes to the first-years for their exam.

“Don’t have to worry that much. The exam is not that difficult; I’m sure you can do it! I
believe in you guys.”

The first-years couldn’t believe their ears, that the Head Hazer could say something so…
warm. The rarest part is that smile. That’s the main reason they are all stunned.

A faint smile would actually appear on the face of the person who is always known to be cold
and ruthless. It softens the pair of usually sharp eyes, not creating the killing air as before,
instead it turns into some sort of charm that people couldn’t take their eyes off of.

“Let’s go! I’m hungry.”

At the calling from P’Knot, the third-years leaves the engineering building to let the first-
years continue with the exam prep. Once the third-years are out of sight, the first-years start
to talk over the happening earlier, especially the Head Hazer’s expression that they see for the
very first time. Tew can’t help expressing his doubt.

“I only get to know today that that’s the Head Hazer’s true colors.”

“Yea! After the freshmen training is over, he’s like a new person. The one sandwich short of a
picnic kind of person with quite a witty mind. What do you think, Kong?”

While M nods in agreement, he turns over to ask about his best friend’s opinion.

“Hmm…”

Kongpob replied briefly, his eyes still fixed on the person who had just left. He then hears
vaguely from the female students seated at the back, discussing the same topic.

“Hey, hey, P’Arthit doesn’t look scary at all when he smiles!”

“Yea! He looks so much better without the fierce look!”

“But I like him better when he puts on a fierce face! He looks cool!”

“Ahem, settle down, guys. Let’s continue with the lesson. Let’s look at question twelve that I
was explaining earlier…”

As soon as P’Aon starts speaking, the murmurs and whisperings stop immediately, restoring
the original silence before the third-years appearance, and continue to focus on the
calculation to solve the past questions. Kongpob also draws his attention back to the papers in
his hand, reading formulas for calculus.

Kongpob doesn’t know why, he can’t seem to focus on P’Aon’s explanations for the
remaining questions, not even a single number. Is the reason because the questions are too
tricky like M complained earlier, or it’s because of other reasons. He can’t quite put his finger
on it.

Even though Kongpob’s mind half-assed during the tutor session, he still tries his best to sit
through the lessons since the seniors prepared it especially for them. By the time it ends, the
watch is showing at almost 8PM.

Everyone bids goodbye and return respectively. As for Kongpob, he’s riding his way back to
his dorm. However, before returning to his place, he has to stop by someplace to fix his
stomach’s protest as he is going to stay up all night to review the questions from the tutoring
session.

This time, instead of heading to the food street, he charges his way to the 7-11 near the dorm.
He’s thinking of getting a simple ready meal as his dinner and hoard some coffee cans at the
same time.

Kongpob gets through the convenient store’s automatic door and walks straight to the inner
aisle, which is the fridge area. He finds someone there by surprise, and the someone hesitates
about his choice of green tea cans in front of the fridge.

Meeting the person coincidentally twice today, he couldn’t control himself and goes up to
greet the person.

“Not pink milk today, P'Arthit?”

Holding the can in his hand, Arthit turns his head upon hearing the voice to see which junior
actually dared to make fun of him. Once he sees the identity of the junior, he switches his
expression into one that shows infuriation, and answers back in a superficial manner.

“It’s closed today!”

Kongpob nods, given his understanding. After a few moments of silence, he tries to find
topics to talk to his senior.

“Does anyone else knows that P’Arthit likes pink milk?”

The can almost slip from Arthit’s hand after hearing the question thrown at him. He yells
furiously again at the younger.

“Why are you asking? Are you thinking about telling it to your friends!?”

Kongpob shakes his head as he explains.

“I’m not! I’m just curious. So, P’Arthit has never told anyone that you like pink milk?”
“No!”

The Head Hazer answered loudly. Although a few of his friends have long known about it,
who would go around telling others to destroy the image of their friend who is also the Head
Hazer? Urgh! What is this 0062 bloke trying to do with this info? Is he going to provoke me
again?

True enough to his guess, this brat does not intend to end the topic there and continues.

“Does anyone know that P’Arthit hid behind the grandstand and cried on the night of the Flag
Capturing ceremony?”

It reminds him of the night he embarrassed himself. The scene was as clear as daylight like it
just happened yesterday. The one being questioned could feel his face heat up and quickly
deny it.

“No!”

“Then, does anyone else know your nickname is Ai-Oon?”

Damn it! Is he trying to pick a fight!?

“Kongpob! Don’t you dare tell anyone about this, or I’ll have you face the music!”

The last warning was so loud that it caught the attention of the other customers in the
convenience store. Arthit forgot that he is now in public and lost his temper for a moment. He
changes into his sharp and fierce eyes to intimidate the younger and Kongpob assures the
senior.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

Kongpob doesn’t know if this promise is enough to ease the person’s anger because the
senior didn’t respond. He goes straight to the cashier with his can of green tea to pay for it.
The one being neglected follows behind silently, feeling a little guilty about whatever he had
said earlier.

“P’Arthit, I…”

“When is your calculus paper?”

Before Kongpob could apologize, the person suddenly cut in with a question.

“Next Wednesday.”

He answers according to his paper schedule. Looking at the senior who is silent, the younger
thinks that he most likely would be hit by mocking remarks like the afternoon before. He
strengthens his heart to accept the remarks; however, what he heard is different from what he
had expected.

“The lecturer likes to test the parallel cross-section. Prepare more on that topic.”
*I can’t find the name of the particular calculus topic, so I copy the topic from the series.

……No mocking remarks, no harsh scolding. Only unexpected advice for his calculus paper.

“Yes!”

Kongpob responds briefly, while Arthit turns and leaves the 7-11. The younger wants to stop
P’Arthit, but the chaos in his heart refrains him.

There is this pleasant feeling of relief in his heart. He wants to clear the doubts he has in him
but also understands that some things are better kept inside. Kongpob dare not ask, yet, he’s
dying to know.

Does anyone know how cute P’Arthit is…

Does anyone know how awesome P’Arthit can be…

Does anyone else know about these, except me…

Then is it possible…

To tell P’ that I don’t want the others, anyone, to know about these little secrets!
 Don’t Worried the Hazing Crew

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Kong and M, orange group. You can get on bus no. 3 after getting your nametag.”

Kongpob and his peers gather at the open space in front of engineering building, queueing to
collect their respective nametags from P’Fang. They were told to gather here at 6 in the
morning but when it’s just a little past 5:30, many of them already showed up.

Partly is because they were intimidated by the seniors telling them that anyone who can’t
reach on time will be deemed as forfeiting the initiation rite. While the other part is that
everyone is looking forward to the beach in Rayong as well as the activities in the 2 days 1
night trip.

Above all, the first-years join free of charge because the seniors will be the ones to share the
cost of this trip. All they need to do is to pack up some clothes and personal items then they
are ready to go. However, they know that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so it’s
impossible not having to pay the price for this at all.

This seemingly joyful trip might lurk a malicious purpose.

“P’Fang, will there be another wave of harsh torture in this event?”

Kongpob heard M asking, looking all anxious about it.

It is as mentioned earlier, although the main purpose of this trip is to officially welcome the
first-years, this kind of activity would always make the headlines every year and that does not
add a positive image to it.

It is expected that the first-years would feel fear, not knowing what the seniors have in plan.
Especially their department as there’s a test awaits them, the battle of department gear which
puts on more pressure on all of them. The female senior hurriedly explains while trying to
hold back a laugh.

“Oh, it won’t be brutal like the last time! In fact, it’s actually just an excuse for an
opportunity to go out and have fun after the exam. You don’t have to look so worried! Just
think of it as a vacation.”

The few of them survey the surrounding after listening to P’Fang, and it seems to really be as
she said. The atmosphere at the gathering spot is quite relaxing and joyful like everyone is
coming to join some sort of party. There’s even a beautiful hand-made cardboard placed
behind the windshield of the tour bus, “Rayong Tour Group Promoting the Cultivation of
Environmental Awareness by the Department of the Industrial Engineering”

In the eyes of the first-years, they understand but they won’t say it out loud, that this is
simply deceiving.

Although there’s no obligation forcing the first-years to sign up for it, most of them would
still choose to go. This is considered a major event in the Industrial Engineering Department
and there will be people from every grade joining. Even some alumni will follow along with
the lecturers for supervision.

The seniors rented five tour buses as there’s a total of about 300 headcounts. Buses are
allocated in grades, some of the seniors from entertainment crew will share a bus with the
first-years to drive the atmosphere. The seniors had also prepared two cars to trail behind, in
case of an emergency.

Once the departure time hits the clock, all the buses depart in order, heading to the destination
located in the east. But before heading to the destination, they will first make a detour to the
Herbal Medicine Education Center else it won’t fit the name of their tour group, isn’t it?

The Industrial Engineering students are divided into several groups accordingly to the
assigned color. After listening to the herbalist introducing the basic knowledge of the herbs,
they are allowed to visit freely around the greenhouse.

The thing that most of them do would be taking pictures to check in, recording the moment of
youth. Some of them run around taking group photos with the others. The most unbelievable
part is that the most popular person getting asked for group photo is the one that everyone
used to fear most.

“P’Arthit~ Can I take a picture with you?”

“Sure!”

The Head Hazer responding to each female junior’s request with a charming smile. Not sure
if they admire the senior’s personality or just liking the new style of the bunch of hazing
crew.

All of them rid of the usual black round neck T-shirts and the serious images, putting on a
white singlet inside and a colourful, floral print shirt out instead with shorts and flip flops.
Some even have straw hats and sunglasses as accessories for them to look cool. The whole
view smells of tropical sea.

Not to mention that the group of hazing crew continues to let out pleasant laughter instead of
the usual angry expression. Probably that’s the biggest reason why the girls are attracted and
scrambling to get close.

The boys from the same year are ignored and cast aside, couldn’t help but feel envious
towards the hazing crew who is now being treated like a superstar.
“Look at the girls! They used to shiver at the mention of the hazing crew but now they are the
ones following behind them.”

“Just they wait! When I get to the beach, I will bring out my six packs and show off to them!”

“Ha! Six packs of abs or one big round of fats? I can only see a belly on you! Come on,
Kong! You join too! Take off your shirt and show off to the girls!”

Kongpob was listening quietly to his peers in the orange team chatting around and when he’s
suddenly dragged into the conversation, he forcefully detaches his attention away from the
group of hazing crew who is posing for pictures, back to the group. He answers in a calm
voice while shaking his head.

“No, I don’t like playing in the water.”

Well, he’s just blatantly telling the truth. Going to the beach and playing in the sea are two
different things after all. Ever since he graduated elementary school, he stopped playing in
the sea because he didn’t like the stickiness and the salty taste of the water. So, every time he
went to the beach, he would just sit on the beach zoning out while watching the waves,
feeling the breeze and eating the food prepared.

“Why? What’s a trip to the beach without playing in the water? We have to compete for our
popularity with the seniors!”

Those in the orange group team up to apply peer pressure on Kongpob. At any rate, Kongpob
is holding the title of the Campus Moon, so he already has a solid base on his popularity. The
girls in their department is so less that it’s pitiful and it would be even more so if all of them
are robbed by the seniors.

“Think about it, girls look super sexy when they play in the water. Can you really let it go if
the seniors snatch all of them away? There’re also opportunities to interact with them closely
when in the water. Think! That’s like heaven on earth!”

The words from one of his peers spark everyone’s imagination. Before Kongpob could give
any reaction, a voice behind him interrupts their chat.

“Looks like all of you here would really love to play in the sea, don’t you?”

As if on cue, everyone shivers in an instant. A familiar face comes to sight, the seriousness
on the face is a sharp contrast with the floral shirt on the body. The hazing crew is all wearing
the same design, just that the one speaking now is the head of them.

They don’t know when the Head Hazer came, but what is certain is that P’Arthit must have
heard all the bad talks because he continues their sentence just nice.

“Relax, I will definitely make it enjoyable for you.”

The Head Hazer’s helping hand made everyone sweating cold sweat, like they got stamped as
criminal on their forehead, pending for punishment. The Head Hazer left after finishing what
he has to say, leaving the boys in the orange group hanging their heads low, swallowing their
fear, preparing for the arrival of their death.

“It’s all cause of you! Why did you have to jinx it!” M blames the big mouth friend. Now
everyone would definitely get a taste of the sea as they wished. Kongpob lets out a helpless
sigh. Seems that he’s going to be thrown into the sea today.

Though the dullness in his heart has drifted away with the wind, a strange mood still lingered
in his heart that makes him feel frustrated. He’s unknown to the reason, and not knowing
what the emotion is makes him feel powerless as well.

*It’s jealousy if you guys don’t understand.

Overthinking would only increase the frustration. Kongpob waves away the annoying
feelings and walks back to get on to his assigned bus, all ready to set off to Rayong. The
journey took them hours and at noon, the buses finally turn into a quiet seaside resort,
indicating that they have reached their destination.

Kongpob helps moving the luggage to the place that is set as their gathering point after
getting off the bus. He glances around the resort, there are several cabins and even meeting
rooms as well as a vacant space for events. Trees are planted all around, the air is fresh, and,
in a distance, he can see palm trees and the waves. He can even smell the sea water from here
too.

After everyone gets out the bus, all first-years are given the order to gather at the resort’s
open space to listen to the senior explaining the various rules of this trip. It doesn’t mean that
they can do everything freely just because they are out of campus.

Moreover, all the seniors carry double the pressure as they have to take care of the first-years’
safety, which is the primary focus.

Moving on, the seniors start to distribute the key to the cabin, which each cabin can
accommodate up to twenty people. They first let everyone settle down with their luggage
then return for a meal.

After replenishing their energy, all of them are ready for the afternoon activities. The first-
years are divided into eight groups according to the assigned color and each take turns to go
through all the levels.

The games prepared are not difficult. Most of them are common games, such as the mystery
box, blowing the flour, makeup games and so on. There’s not even one hurdle that makes it
difficult for them, just like P’Fang told them this morning, everything is relaxing and fun.

Even the level located closest to the sea that is guarded by the hazing crew, the atmosphere is
also relaxing and pleasant. P’Arthit is seen leading groups of first-years to sing while they are
sitting on the beach chair with P’Knot strumming the guitar at the side.

When the Head Hazer sees the next group of first-years register in, he even gets up to
welcome them.
“All the female juniors, please come over to shelter yourself from the sun. Let’s take a break
while listening to the senior here plays the guitar.” The Head Hazer invited the female juniors
in a cordial tone, kindly letting them under the parasol to cool off.

The girls are excited upon hearing the ‘order’ and trot in to enjoy the special treatment. Then
the senior turns to face the rest of the male juniors, who happened to be the group that was
targeted this morning.

“So, I have heard that you guys wanted to play with the water, didn’t you? Then I shall fulfil
your wish. Shirts off!”

Well, the Head Hazer is still the Head Hazer even if they’re at the beach. No matter how
much they show their kind images, the hazer’s order is always absolute. So, the rest takes off
their shirts and put them on the beach, taking the opportunity to show their figure.

The female first-years couldn’t help but squeal and cheer for them. Even some seniors come
around to peek at the juniors.

As usual, for the orders from the hazer, there’s no cruelest but only increasing cruelty. They
are ordered to do squat up in the sea then crawl up to the beach. Lie around, roll over, their
whole bodies covered in sand like pork chops covered in bread crumbs. Then head back to
the sea to wash up and repeat the cycle.

And the Head Hazer? He went back to singing with the female juniors after dropping his
instructions, not even casting an eye on them, who are now in the sea.

Anyone with a discerning eye would know that the hazing crew is bullying the first-years on
purpose and all of them in the sea agree.

“Damn! He’s obviously doing this so it would be easier for them to hit on the girls. If this is
not double standard, I don’t know what is!?”

Kongpob listens to his peer beside him complaining then turns to see the person on the shore
really does not care even one bit about them. A certain emotion flares up in his heart. He
stands up.

“Permission!”

All eyes turn to him, including the Head Hazer who is chatting with the girls halfway
through. It is no surprise to be seeing the same person acting as the hero again, what’s more
surprising is that this time he seems to be releasing an immense sense of intolerance. Which
Arthit switches to a serious tone to ask the other party.

“Is there a problem?”

“I think it’s very unfair that P’Arthit made us soak in the sea under the sun while P’ is here
singing songs.”

Arthit’s eyes widen in shock. Although 0062 often talks back, this time he seems clearly
dissatisfied with the situation. Even then, he continues to put on a serious mask and responds
with absolute command.

“If you can’t endure even small things like this, then what can you do in the future!?”

“I can do anything! I do think that some of the activities that P’Arthit arranged are indeed
good, but I voice out about this because I can’t think of any positive outcome that we can
learn from it!”

Talking back to him this way is like giving the senior a slap in the face! This angered Arthit
even more, being the senior of the other person.

“You say you can do anything? Then I’ll tell you now to go soak yourself in the sea to cool
your head off. Is this enough reason for you!?”

All of them sitting at beach dare not say another word after the shout of command. Everyone
looks at Kongpob, who had not moved for a while, then finally chooses to accept the Head
Hazer’s reason and walks out to carry out the order.

Kongpob heads to the direction of the deep sea. Every step he takes feels so heavy. Not just
the body, even his heart…

He doesn’t understand why he dared to talk back to P’Arthit. There’s no reason for his action
at all. He had only listened to the complaints of his peers to have his heart feel annoyed, but
previously when all of them were punished, he had often listened to the same complaints, so
why this time? Why a huge reaction over it and even talking back without thinking twice?

And the result is always the same.

He’d pissed his senior off and got punishment orders, always repeating the same cycle. He
actually wanted very much to talk properly with the senior, just like how everyone else does
but his actions were never carried out as planned.

Who else to blame but himself? He’s his own culprit.

If so, does this mean the seniors hates him?

Kongpob fears of the answer to the question that he dares not continue the thought. He stares
at the waves hitting onto his body, wave by wave, reaching the height of his chest. He can
swim so he is not too worried , or maybe…he should really soak his head in the sea as
P’Arthit said…

Just as the brain thinks about it, the body executes it right away.

Kongpob closes his eyes and dips into the sea, letting the cool water wash off his impulsive
feelings. He exhales slowly in the sea, and it took him a long time to finish his breathing. Just
as he’s about to return up the shore, a sudden force pulls him up and he hears his name being
shouted.

“Kongpob! Are you okay!”

The first scene that comes into his eyes once he’s back on the surface is P’Arthit’s dreadful
eyes. He doesn’t know why the senior is here. He was just about to ask when he was dragged
more forcefully by the senior up shore, causing him to choke on a big mouthful of seawater.
Yet, the senior still doesn’t stop until both of them reach the shore.

Kongpob sits on the beach with a coughing fit because of the seawater earlier which increases
Arthit’s nervousness, and he keeps patting the younger’s back.

“Kongpob! Are you okay? Can you breathe? Did you get cramps? Or got stung by a
jellyfish? Nursing team! Get the nursing team! Quick!”

The Head Hazer calling the nursing team in a hurry-scurry, and it is when he hears the
‘patient’ talking that he stops being a chaos.

“Uh, P’. I’m fine.”

Kongpob sits on the ground as if nothing happened, but Arthit continues to ask in disbelief.

“How can you be okay! I clearly saw you drowning!”

“I dived.”

“Huh!? Why did you dive in for?”

“P’Arthit told me to go soak in the sea to cool my head, so I dive and try.”

The answer leaves everyone speechless.

Arthit blinks his eyes and starts to think about the whole situation. Which means him rushing
over to save the younger is just him being nosy? He admits that he did ask the junior to calm
himself in the sea, but who would have thought that Kongpob would disappear into the sea!

This person is mad! Where do all his guts come from!?

Worry turns into anger. Arthit grips his fist tightly as he growls.

“Are you crazy! If I tell you to die, will you really do it?! Can’t you judge it yourself!”

Many emotions are mixed in his tone but there is one that is most obvious, Kongpob has
never seen the senior this fired up before. The quarrel is then interrupted by P’Fang from the
nursing team.

“Where? Who? What happened?”

“Nothing! Call it a day! Dismiss!”

After Arthit ordered the dismissal, he walks away angrily through the crowd, leaving the
group of people puzzled. Even Kongpob is puzzled too.
M comes over and reaches out to pull him up. He asks concerned, “Hey, how are you feeling?
Are you okay?”

“Yea, I’m okay.”

“You scared me to death, you know! I thought you were drowning. I didn’t know you were
gone until I see P’Arthit suddenly rushing into the sea!”

M adds in an explanation of what just happened, which made Kongpob aware of a certain
thought in his heart.

True that he didn’t know what had happened and he didn’t how worried P’Arthit is towards
him, but what is certain is that…

At least he can feel it.

Through the other person’s action, voice…and eyes…

 The Gear Given by The Hazing Crew Is Important

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“So, it’s decided! Kong… Kong… Kongpob! Are you listening?”

Kongpob comes out of his trance, drawing his attention back to the discussion between his
peers. He is now in one of the resort’s cabins, discussing the evening performance with them.
He was called to talk about their roles and scripts, but now, he has everyone staring at him,
waiting for an answer.

“Oh, hmm! I’m listening. Go ahead as May said.”

After getting consent from the person, May begins to summarize the meeting, not knowing
that the answer she got from Kongpob is not exactly the truth.

Kongpob’s mind was never with the meeting, instead, it drifted to the incident that happened
earlier that afternoon. The one that affects him, about how he feels toward the person.

P’Arthit was angry at him. No, more accurately, he was pissed at Kongpob.

It’s hardly a surprise that this happened. When Kongpob thought about it again after he had
calmed his nerves, even he wanted to give himself a hard punch for doing something so
idiotic. At that time, all he wanted was to take out the unpleasant emotions in his mind by
diving into the sea, but he had startled the others, making them worried about him.

Especially the one who gave Kongpob the order, being the first person to rush over to his
rescue.

The look of panic, the tone of concern, the eyes filled with fear. Kongpob could feel how
genuine those reactions look.

But when the person later found out that it was all due to Kongpob’s willfulness that had
stirred up a commotion, it was like a slap to the person. His saving act turned into a joke.

The senior’s patience is probably all worn out by now, right?

Kongpob wanted to make it up to his senior, but he had nothing to offer except the word of
apology. He tried hard to find P’Arthit in every corner of the resort but to no avail. He was
later dragged by his peers to discuss the evening show, so he had to put a stop to his search
operation. But the guilt in his heart remained and made him restless.

He couldn’t help but sigh, releasing the pent-up feelings into the air.
Alright! After the show tonight, there’s still the battle for department gear anyway. The
person will have to show up by then to keep everything in order. It’s an easy guess that this
battle will surely lead to more brutal tests since this is the last battle for the first-years to
prove themselves.

But Kongpob is confident. He is confident that he will come up with a way to convince the
seniors to accept them as their juniors.

Above all, he hopes P’Arthit would accept the words he would like to tell him.

--

7 sharp in the evening.

After the buffet dinner, everyone gathers in the open area. A simple stage had been set up for
each grade to come up to perform the show they had prepared and rehearsed since afternoon.
Starting from the upper grades then to the lower.

The fourth-year seniors start with a warm-up act and kick-start the event tonight. P’Deer,
along with a few other seniors play romantic love songs with guitars to make it easier for the
first-years to blend into the atmosphere. Their performance even had the girls squealing.

As for the second-years, they did some editing. They’ve edited various plots and punch lines
from drama, movies, commercials to create a hilarious video. Their performance was
arranged before the third-year because the third-years are not yet ready.

After the second year’s performance comes to an end, the third-year representative gestures
the backstage, informing them that they are still not ready and letting the first-years go first.

Kongpob performs according to the script. It’s a simple reality drama script that May came
up with. The story follows the campus life of a first year engineering student. The experience
of making new friends, going through various freshmen training and getting to know seniors
who are not stingy in providing help and advice.

The lead of the story is not Kongpob. He only plays the role of one of the first-years,
appearing in two scenes with no lines. This gives him time to observe the entire venue as he
waits for his cue to be on stage. Just as he is glancing around at random, he notices a group of
third-years coming in, taking their stand behind the first-years.

He finally sees the man he's been looking for the whole day.

Kongpob locked his eyes at the Head Hazer, feeling relieved to see him standing along with
the other hazers watching the performance.

He finally shows up as expected and this time, Kongpob will not let the opportunity slip
away again.
When he is mentally preparing himself, his mind is interrupted when he hears the script of
one of the actors—

“You see this gear here? This gear represents an honorary symbol of the Faculty of
Engineering! Now, tell me what are you going to do if I refuse to give this gear to your
year!?”

“I’ll snatch it from you!”

To say Kongpob is shocked is an understatement. He quickly turns to his peers on the stage
upon hearing those lines. Isn’t that the line that he said during the first day of freshmen
training?!

The provocative words that resulted in him being seen as a thorn in the side of the hazing
crew, his charge being offending someone who was older. Why wasn’t he informed that this
part will be included? Since May is standing beside him, he asks nervously.

“May, why is this part included?”

“Huh? But I did ask you if I could use this scene for the performance and you said ok!”

May’s answer got him to recall the bits and pieces of his memory. It should be the time when
he was in a daze about not being able to find P’Arthit so he was not focusing on the
discussion at all.

Shit, Kong! You shouldn’t have answered it so absent mindedly that time!

Kongpob actually doesn’t care but the person that he provoked that time is beneath the stage
and this performance acts as a memory refresh for the person that he was once publicly
humiliated.

“What did you say? How are you going to take it!?”

“I just need to take you home and make you, my wife! Don’t they all say that what belongs to
your lover, belongs to you as well? And if I make you my wife, I could claim your gear as
mine too.”

Whistling sounds are heard from the first-years under the stage. It seems that they all love
this iconic exchange between one of their peers and their Head Hazer. Except for the one who
said this in the first place.

The dialogues got Kongpob thinking.

Ever since their first meeting, he has always been the one to anger P’Arthit first. If it was
someone else he provoked in the face like that, Kongpob probably already had someone beat
him up or bullied by the third-years. He was too conceited and did not respect his seniors.

But P’Arthit did not do this. No matter how heavy the punishments he got, in the end, he
would still feel the kindness from P’Arthit. It made him wanted to get closer to P’Arthit and
it also made him wanted to be possessive of his kindness.
Whenever he saw P’Arthit teasing with the others, being friendly with the others, he always
gets this unhappy feeling creeping in. Like a sulking child whose toys have been taken away
by others. He has not even had a normal conversation with P’Arthit ever since the school
started.

Is it too late for him to start today? If he’s given the chance to redo this, he promises that he
would not do things that would make P’Arthit angry again.

He wants to apologize for all that he had done in the past that caused P’Arthit to be unhappy.
But will P’Arthit be willing to forgive him?

Maybe there will be a day when we can close the distance between us.

However, from the looks of it, it’s too late now. Not only did he not obtain the other’s
understanding, he even worsens the situation. He watches the Head Hazer walk up the stage
in a huff to stop the performance.

"You guys think this is funny!? Sorry but this is not funny to me! By doing this, does it mean
that you don’t want to get the gear from us!? Off the stage right now and fall in! I am going
to punish all of you!”

The actors who are still on stage are overwhelmed by panic and could only follow the given
command. But the person who feels the most grief would be May as she is the one who
worked out the whole plot.

The next scene is actually going to talk about how the first-year who provoked the senior
gradually understands the meaning behind the hazing crew’s various actions. But before they
could reach the climax, the show was cut short, and it had also caused everyone to suffer
punishment together.

“Why are you looking at me?! Heads down and close your eyes!”

All the first-years remain seated on the ground with their heads low, their jaws almost
touching their chests. The lights at the open space are off, leaving them in pitch-black which
increases their fears.

Are they really doomed to not get the gear?

With their case, even if the seniors could let this time go, they may be ordered to go through
another much brutal battle of the faculty gear as well as the flag capturing all over again.

The minute of silence is like an invisible pressure pressing against the first-years’ shoulders.
Suddenly, they heard a loud voice of cheer. The cheer is not shouted at the scene but from a
speaker along with a projector screening a video.

It’s a picture of the third-year seniors practicing their engineering cheer.

The pictures that follow after included the third-years undergoing hazer training; the
entertainment crew practicing the anthems; the nursing team members staying behind to help
move equipment.
The first day of freshmen training, the review meeting after freshmen training, the first-years’
cheer during the battle for faculty gear, going up the grandstand to take down the department
flag, the seniors tying the white strings onto the first-years’ wrist.

Every clip, each picture is a memory of all that they have experienced together. Whether it’s
the friendship, the struggles, the unity, all the things that they have gone through during the
period are compressed into a ten-minute long video.

Tens of thousands of words can’t accurately describe the viewers’ current overflowing
emotions and irrepressible sentiments.

The video ends. Another scene comes up after a few seconds. It’s a group of hazing members
sitting together on the chairs located beside the engineering building and the camera heading
directly to the Head Hazer. P’Arthit looked at the camera with a surprised face as he wasn’t
prepared to be filmed. Then a conversation between the Head Hazer and the cameraman is
heard.

“You started filming already?”

“Yea, it’s recording! You can start talking now.”

“Huh? What should I say?”

“Just say anything that you have in mind!”

The person who received a mission out of the blue was still confused but his eyes were still
on the camera. The lens zoomed in, and the Head Hazer became the focus of the whole
picture. He cleared his throat before beginning his speech.

“Ahem! First-years, you probably know by now, all that we have done is a three-months
show we third-years had put on, in order to have everyone unite as one. If we have done
things that upset you or make you feel bad, we hereby express our apology to you. Lastly, if
you have any issues, you can always approach us, and you would still need our permission
before doing certain things. But now, we would like to seek for your permission…”

Arthit looked at the camera with his sharp eyes, as if looking at everyone who is paying
attention before the screen waiting for his question.

“We would like to ask if you’d let us be your seniors?”

The question left the people in the open space speechless but the first-years finally
understood.

That the senior-junior system does not come by force or by abusing certain principles to have
the younger respect the older one-sidedly.

It comes from mutual acceptance between seniors and juniors.

“If you accept us as your seniors, please head to the beach. We are waiting for you.”
The screen dims after the last sentence said, marking the end of the third-years’ performance.
The first-years will certainly not refuse this request and are getting up to the beach not far
from the open space with a light heart.

They are, however, surprised by the sight that welcomes them. There are two rows of small
candle holders arranged in parallel, like a walkway that leads the first-years to the end, to
their final goal.

The seniors of all grades are standing around, waiting for them. Only one person stands in
front, blocking the entrance.

P’Arthit, the Head Hazer of the year stands at ease. But with a serious tone, he says as he
looks at the first-years.

“First-years! The department gear for your year is waiting for you behind me. Here, I will
complete my final task, and that is to send you over to receive your gear badge.”

Soon as he finished speaking, Arthit takes his seat on the beach. Some hazers and seniors
from the entertainment crew are already seated in two rows, holding their left arms with their
right hands and their left holding onto the arm of the person opposite them, joining together
to form a bridge.

This is called the ‘Bridge of Stars’ to let the first-years step on it to head towards the finish
line to receive the honorary symbol of their department.

Throughout the ceremonial process, their department anthem is playing in the background,
adding a sense of warmth and solemnity. When every first-year steps on the ‘Bridge of Stars’
formed by the seniors’ arms, even though it’s only a short distance of five meters, they’d still
feel hesitant.

*By now, I’m wondering if Thailand university really has so many anthems. 校歌 =
University anthem, 院歌 = Faculty anthem, 系歌 = Department anthem @.@

But they also understand that this act represents their acknowledgement of all the hard work
that the seniors have put in for them. Especially the senior who takes the first position, is also
the person who has to bear the most weight.

“P’Arthit, I’m sorry.”

Kongpob whispers to the Head Hazer. He noticed the senior looking at him before moving
his gaze elsewhere, letting his apology dissipates into the air. He feels a tingle in his heart and
though he feels like talking to P’Arthit now, the timing is just not right.

He decided to set foot on the ‘Bridge of Stars’ first. There are seniors on both sides to help
balance everyone walking to the other end. P’Deer, the fourth-year representative is standing
on the other end with the gears, waiting to pass them over to the first-years.

In his hands are the department gears in silver, with the department name and year engraved
on them. When P’Deer noticed the next first-year coming over, he decided to talk to him for a
bit before handing over the gear.

“N’, what’s your name?”

“Kongpob.”

“I heard that it was you who came up with the idea of everyone thanking Arthit on the Flag
Capturing day?”

A sudden question from P’Deer that comes out of nowhere had Kongpob puzzled. But he still
nods in response.

“Yes.”

“Hmm, very creative! Say, do you want to try to be a Head Hazer?”

Not only does the second question puzzles him more, but it also shocks him and responds to
P’Deer with a question.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You can think about it first but take it as I have saved the spot for you!”

P’Deer replied in a light tone, showing a kind smile which is the polar opposite of Kongpob’s
face of doubts. He doesn’t understand why P’Deer wanted him as a Head Hazer. Before he
could proceed with another question, the older male reaches out to pass the department gear
to him.

“This is our department gear. Remember to take good care of it. By the way, did you know
that the gear actually carries a lot of meaning?”

Kongpob listens tentatively while P’Deer explains the hidden meanings of the gear, acting
like an elder passing on the tradition to the younger generation.

He gives his thanks to P’Deer after he’s done and moves back to his place in the group,
replaced by another first-year who came for the gear.

After the last first-year was sent to receive the gear, all seniors and juniors gathered, arms
around each other and chant their faculty cheer as the final step to end the ceremony.

The three-month long freshmen training finally comes to an end.

Now that the touchy-feely ceremony is over, next up is of course, the time to celebrate! A
party to welcome the new members!

Drinks? Prepped! Music? Ready! Let’s get the get-together party started!

Kongpob is soon pulled over by his peers to drink and toast for their success, but he finds the
opportunity to slip away. After all, he still has unfinished business to settle. He wants to talk
to the person but still couldn’t find him after a long time.
Before the gear-giving ceremony ended, Kongpob had been staring at the figure. But when
the crowd was dispersed, he lost sight of P’Arthit with all the people walking around. Even
though he found the place where the hazing crew gathered, there’s still no sight of the one
he’s looking for.

And now, he is walking along the beach looking around. After a long time searching and still
no sign of P’Arthit, he starts to feel anxious.

He doesn’t have P’Arthit’s number or else, he could have just called to ask his whereabouts.
Or should Kongpob the hazing crew for his number?

The moment Kongpob decides to turn back, the corner of his eye tells him that someone is
walking along the beach from the cabin. The closer the figure gets, the more he feels like it’s
the familiar figure he’s been searching for. But something feels different.

It’s until the person reaches closer that Kongpob understands the reason for his
disappearance.

P’Arthit’s right arm is bandaged. It is not surprising that the arm is injured as it’s the same
arm that carried the weight of hundreds of first-years earlier. That is why the senior went off
to apply ointment and is swathed in bandage.

But P’Arthit never express his pain for anyone to see. He keeps a straight face and
doesn’t even spare a glance at Kongpob as he walks past him. Kongpob takes the initiative to
catch up and stop him.

“P’Arthit, I have something to tell you.”

Arthit, who was blocked, had no choice but to halt his steps. He stands there with no reply,
waiting for Kongpob to speak.

Upon seeing his reaction, Kongpob gets straight to the point.

“I want to tell P’Arthit that I’m sorry. I wanted to apologize.”

I want to say it out.

Earnestly, genuinely saying it out to let the senior know that he’s sorry, hoping that the senior
can give him a chance.

Kongpob looks at the person in front of him with a hopeful look, but the other’s first response
is a question in an indifferent tone.

“Sorry for?”

“For everything that made P’Arthit mad.”

“Then why did you do it knowing I would get mad?”

It’s a short remark but its words pierce into Kongpob’s heart.
Kongpob is stunned and unable to come up with a response. Because even he couldn’t
answer why he’d done it in the first place.

It’s not that he has not pondered about this question before. Many times, he asked himself
why he’d keep making fun of P’Arthit; why he’d always make P’Arthit angry on purpose. He
would end up worrying every time he’s done it, and thus resulted in him finding ways to
apologize to P’Arthit.

“I… Uh…”

Kongpob tries hard to force out a few words but P’Arthit gets impatient and sighs.

“Forget it. I’m tired of arguing with you.”

Arthit starts walking to the spot where the hazing crew gathers as soon as he ends the
conversation. Leaving Kongpob standing alone on the beach with his heart feeling empty.

He’s done for. P’Arthit can’t be giving him another chance.

This is what he deserved for stepping on the senior’s mine. He’s been doing it so often that a
few of them even made fun of P’Arthit for letting a first-year to go against him. It’s only
normal that P’Arthit doesn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.

Just thinking about it ties Kongpob into knots. He can’t believe that there exists such a person
who holds so strong of an influence on him. A person he’d only known for three months, yet
he remembers everything related to this person so clearly in his mind.

He becomes a person who is his source of motivation that drives him to do more.

A person who can always make him laugh, regardless of how small the matter is.

A person who he wants to understand more, wants to be closer to.

P’Arthit is the first. He is that person.

However, there will be no chances for him anymore. If P’Arthit prefers not to see him, he
will remove himself from his sight so as not to put P’Arthit in an awkward situation.

Kongpob is ready to turn around and leave the beach in the other direction after stomaching
all his mood in. Before he could move his step, a sudden coldness from the back of his neck
sends chill down his spine that get him look back abruptly to see what is behind him.

He widens his eyes in shock at the view that comes to sight. The man who had left earlier is
back, holding out a can of beer to him, “Want some?”

Kongpob accepts the cold beer. His palm feels cold, his heart full of doubts. He just prepared
himself to not see P’Arthit again from now on so, he didn’t expect P’Arthit to return so soon,
even sitting beside him sipping on his cold beer now.

Couldn’t help with his curiosity, he asks P’Arthit.

“I thought P’Arthit didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“Huh? I said I’m tired of fighting with you. But if you want to talk, we can sit down and have
a proper conversation. Or you don’t want to?”

“No, I want to!”

As Kongpob seized the opportunity, he replies hastily. He still doesn’t know what is going on
in P’Arthit’s mind as he sits himself on the beach next to P’Arthit. But one thing for sure is
that P’Arthit is no longer angry with him and even brought him a can of beer.

Again. The kindness he received from P’Arthit.

Kongpob opens the can and takes a sip with his eyes on the seascape at night. The crescent
moon and stars tonight seem brighter than usual; the sea breeze gently touches his face and
his ears listening to the calm sound of the crashing waves. The relaxing ambiance makes him
feel at ease.

He starts looking for topics to talk to the senior, so he starts with the question he has always
wanted to know.

“Why did P’Arthit become a Head Hazer?”

“Forced.”

The straightforwardness! One word covers it all! His beer almost slips out of his hand upon
hearing such a direct answer. P’Arthit continues to explain further.

“My direct senior, P’Tum, was the third-year senior as well as the Head Hazer when I was a
first-year. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a Head Hazer.”

P’Tum is the senior from Kongpob’s joint family, and he is also the man who is getting
married to his direct senior, P’Fon two weeks from now. He remembered that the wedding
was discussed during the dinner of the joint family, but he just got to know that P’Tum was
the Head Hazer during P’Arthit’s first year.

“In all honesty, I didn’t want to be a Head Hazer at all. The responsibility is heavy, and my
personality doesn’t suit either. I’m a short-tempered person. When I grabbed your collar
during the first day of freshmen training, I almost got removed from the head’s position
because I violated the regulation. I cursed at you and physically harmed you too.”

“But my friends pleaded for me, saying that since none of the hazing crew stepped out to stop
me at that time, we were all at fault. P’Deer let us off the hook considering it was our first
time, but we still got our punishment of twenty laps.”

He has never heard of these inside stories, and it reminded Kongpob that this is the first time
he’s getting to know things in P’Arthit’s perspective.

No wonder after that, P’Arthit never swear again during freshmen training and has been
treating him leniently every time. But then, Kongpob was the one who provoked the senior
first.

After some deep reflections, Kongpob did not make any excuses except that one sentence that
he’s been wanting to tell the senior…

“I’m sorry, P’Arthit.”

“Forget it. Let the past be the past. I did punish you for it anyway.”

Arthit shrugs his shoulders and takes another sip of his beer, as if not taking what had
happened to his heart. His eyes are fixed on the sea when the younger sitting beside him asks
another question.

“P’Arthit, do you remember our bet when I participated in the Campus Moon contest?”

Kongpob brings up something that Arthit had almost forgotten. However, he has always been
a man of his words, hence he nods at Kongpob’s question.

“Yea, I do. You have something you want to ask of me already?”

“Yes. Next Saturday. Is P’Arthit free?”

“Hmm, I should be.”

“There’s something I want to buy. Can P’Arthit accompany me?”

“Uh… That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Arthit looks at the person who asked with a frown and a head of doubt. After dragging this
for more than two months, he’s prepared that the younger would have come up with some
weird requests to make fun of him.

But in the end, it’s such a simple request.

“Sure.”

Upon hearing P’Arthit agreeing, Kongpob could no longer hold the smile beaming on his
face.

“Well then, can I have P’Arthit’s number? I’ll contact you again about the time when the date
is near.”

*Kongpob you smooth bitcx

The junior is quick to reach into his pocket to fish out his phone and enter the 10 digits that
the other reads out. It’s then Arthit notices something.

“When are you taking that off?”

Kongpob confused at the question for a moment. He then lifts his head and follows the
direction that P’Arthit is looking. Could it be the thing on his left wrist that he’s talking
about?

The left wrist that has a white string attached to it.

“Why should I? It’s good like this. I don’t have plans to take it off anyway.”

With a smile and a firm tone, those eyes looking at Arthit seem to be shining.

Arthit doesn’t know what it is, but he always gets this weird feeling and subconsciously, he
would dodge the gaze Kongpob gives. A loud yelling is then heard calling for him.

“Arthit! Arthit!! Where are you? Hurry over!”

The hazing crew table is calling for their leader to return. Arthit stands up, pats the sand off
his body, getting ready to go.

“Well then, I shall take my leave.”

“Hold on, P’Arthit!”

He’d only took a small step when Kongpob stands up to stop him.

“I have something to give you.”

“What is it?”

“Your palm, please.”

Arthit begins to feel annoyed at the troublesome brat but still stretches out the hand that is not
holding the beer. He sees Kongpob searching in his pocket before placing something on his
palm — a gear-shaped thing in silver. It’s also the thing that he had sent over hundreds of
juniors to get earlier.

Their department gears!

“Why are you giving it back to me?!”

Arthit roars, anger surging again. He thought that this guy is finally willing to communicate
properly but look at him, trying to pick another fight. Returning the gear to a senior that was
presented by the seniors is merely an act of utmost disrespect to the seniors.

However, the person who almost got misunderstood hurriedly explains.

“No, no. I’m just leaving it with you.”

“And why is it that you’re leaving it with me!?”

Kongpob didn’t answer directly. He gives the other a puzzled expression instead.
“Ow. P’Arthit didn’t know? I thought you knew what it meant. Then, why not P’Arthit try
asking P’Deer about it?”

His answer didn’t solve the doubt and it’s completely beyond Arthit’s grasp. What is the
meaning of gears? And why is it that he has to ask P’Deer about it? Since he’s the Head
Hazer, he already knows the meaning and the importance of a gear!

As Arthit is about to ask the troublesome guy to explain, the urging voice from the hazing
crew rings again.

“Hey, Arthit! Everyone is waiting for you! Hurry up!”

Arthit stares at Kongpob but he doesn’t say anything more. He moves aside, giving way for
Arthit to return to meet the hazing crew. He keeps the gear in his pocket and leaves the beach
to meet up with his bunch along with the fourth-year seniors to drink.

Lucky for him, the person who carries the secret decoder is also there drinking.

“P’Deer, what is the meaning of the department gear?”

The fourth-year representative gapes at his junior, who served as the Head Hazer this year.
He walks to the empty seat next to him and makes himself comfortable.

“You drunk? What kind of weird question are you asking? The gear represents unity and
cooperation. It also represents the great effort that the engineering students put in to get hold
of it.”

Arthit gets angrier at each passing second as P’Deer explains. See! Kongpob being Kongpob!
He had guessed it right. What other meaning could it be other than that? That 0062 brat just
wanted to mess with him again! Hmph! All the time and energy wasted taking nicely to him
earlier!

“Oh! And because of the importance it carries, the gear is also regarded as the heart of the
engineering people. So, they said ‘the gear is the heart, the heart is the gear; where the gear
is, is where the heart at.’”

Arthit almost spit out the beer he just took in and it chokes him into a coughing fit. P’Deer
who is next to him reaches out to help pats his back to make him feel better.

“Whoa, slow down! Your whole face is flushed. Did you really get drunk after only one
can?”

P’Deer laughs as he jokes but Arthit couldn’t laugh. He only nods at him.

“Yea. A little I guess.”

Yes. It must be because he’s drunk that his heart is beating weirdly, his face painted in a
shade of red. And the reason for that is neither the breeze, the wave nor the beer.

Maybe it’s a gear…

The gear he had just received from someone.
 Stop Making the Hazer Overthink

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“Please make sure your friends are here! If anyone is left behind, the bus will not turn back to
pick them up!”

The bus had just driven out from one of the Rayong’s seaside resorts when the second-year
senior from the entertainment crew keeps emphasizing the notice on bus 3.

The orientation finally came to an end, and a celebration party was held last night, with most
of them partying until dawn. Even though they’ve made quite a late check out at 11, many of
them showed up in a zombie state, feeling hangover and hurriedly prepare to get on the bus.

Their sober peers are the ones who have to suffer as they take on the task of moving those
hungover peeps onto the bus so that all of them will arrive safely back at the university.

Kongpob sits next to M, the same as when they came to Rayong.

After the talk with P’Arthit yesterday, he walked back to the cabin and chatted with his peers
for some time before they disbanded and went to bed respectively. They didn’t sleep too late,
so they are energetic enough to play with the seniors on board. Whether it’s the singing, the
dancing, or the games, they enjoyed all of them.

They also bought some local souvenirs at the rest area, then continued the journey back to the
university.

It should have been a memorable trip for the juniors; however, unexpectedly, something feels
off with the bus.

“Kong, do you smell something burning?”

After M mentions it, Kongpob puts down his headphones and looks up at the air-conditioner
vent, only to frown as a reply that he notices the same.

“Yea. Where is it from?”

They do not spend much time finding the source of the burning smell as the bus soon
begins to vibrate abnormally. The bus driver slows the bus down and stops at the shoulder of
the road. Frightened emotions spread among the first-years who were onboard bus 3.

The second-year senior in charge hurries to the bus driver to check on the situation. Turns out
that the thermometer is showing an abnormally high temperature, and he could not continue
driving. He has to get down to check the bus’s condition to see the root of the problem.
Some of the people on the bus follow suit. If they continue to stay on the bus, the bus will
soon feel stuffy due to the lack of air conditioning.

Lucky for them that there’s a big tree not far from the road where they stopped, so at least
they are spared from the scorching afternoon sun. The unfortunate part, however, is that their
current location is still quite a distance from the city. Not even a house can be seen nearby.

In case the bus really breaks down and needs replacement of parts, it will take a long time for
the technicians to reach them.

Judging from all the different aspects, the current situation is far from optimistic. When the
bus driver opens the bus hood at the back for inspection, a spurt of steam is fast to emerge,
forming white smoke — a clear sign that the engine is overheating.

“This could be a radiator leak. I’ll have to wait until it cools down before I can continue the
checking.”

*I am no car person, so I relied on Google for the name of the car parts.

The 40-year-old looking bus driver expresses helplessly.

No one is to blame for an unforeseen situation like this. If the leak is not severe, maybe they
can find a simple way to deal with it for now, then look out for the temperature along the
way. They might be able to continue the journey if they stop to add water whenever the
temperature gauge reads slightly higher than usual.

But of course, this solution is a very strained one, not knowing how long it can last as they
have only reached half of their journey. It’s still many hours away from the university.

The problem in front of them has not been solved when another bus approaches them from
behind, slowly moving to the side before stopping in front.

It’s bus 4, and it’s the bus that all the third-year seniors hopped on earlier, which means the
Head Hazer will get off from the bus in front to check on their situation.

“What happened?”

“It seems that there’s a leak in the radiator, P’Arthit.” The second-year relays the current
speculation to the elder.

Arthit takes a look at the engine behind the bus and acknowledges the message with a nod.
He then turns around and appoint another in charge.

“Fang, Fang. Make a call to bus 1 and 2. Get them to drive slower, or they will get further
away from us.”

Arthit first takes down one issue with the buses before theirs, then calls up the bus behind to
fill them in on the situation so they can slow down the bus promptly. After all, it’s
inappropriate to have 3 buses pull up close to each other on a road shoulder.
P’Fang, who receives the order, is quick to action. She immediately calls one of the in charge
of each bus. Bus 1 is filled with the second-years, while bus 2 has the first-years, and lastly,
bus 5 with the fourth-years, alumni, and teacher, which later pulls up not far behind them.

The second-year senior runs to bus 5 to report the situation. After learning the news, the
teacher gets off the bus to help take a look. Within minutes, he learned the cause of the
damage.

“It’s not the radiator. It’s the head gasket. It’s blown, causing the air to flow into the cooling
system and burned the engine. This can’t be repaired here. They have to get the tow truck to
move it to the service center.”

What started as initially small speculation turned into a big problem in an instant! Earlier,
they had hoped to have at least a short repair, but now everything is thrown out the window.
If they wait for the bus company to send another bus to them, the distance is not short as if 30
minutes away.

The complication of the situation escalated so quickly that it will definitely be a ‘memorable
journey’ to remember.

“What about the juniors, teacher?”

Arthit asks with a stern face. Since this is a trip for the juniors’ welcoming party, the seniors
have the responsibility to get all of them home safely. Upon seeing the teacher frowning hard
for a solution, he offers his idea.

“I think we should disperse those in bus 3 to bus 4 and 5. All of us will have to squeeze
together for now, and we’ll split again to bus 1 and 2 when we meet up at the rest area.”

Well, that seems to be the only way to fix the situation.

So, all of them proceed as the solution suggested. They bring down all the bags off the bus
and split into two groups to get on bus 4 and 5 respectively.

Usually, a tour bus can accommodate up to 60 passengers. Adding in another half of the
number of people on the bus, all the remaining space was filled instantly. There’s also their
bags, toolboxes, mineral water, and other miscellaneous items. The bus is packed to the brim
that some of them have to stand.

A manly task as such will inevitably be on the shoulders of the hazing crew. The seniors give
up their seats and squeeze three juniors into a two-seater. As for those initially vacant seats,
they are all given up to the juniors too. But even with this arrangement, the seniors still
struggle to find a place to put the items.

As the Head Hazer, Arthit is pushed to the last row because he is responsible for keeping an
eye on the cartons that contain various tools. The sight is like a father carrying his child,
holding the box securely in one hand while the other firmly grabs the handle to prevent him
from stumbling when the bus starts moving.
Suddenly, the voice of someone who voluntarily lends a helping hand is heard.

“Let me help you!”

Arthit was in a slight shock before lifting his head to see Kongpob sitting with another first-
year. Even though he has a seat, it looks obviously crammed with their bags and a box of
mineral water occupying the legroom. Yet, Kongpob still takes the carton from his hand to
his lap. He even tries to squeeze make room for the other to sit.

“P’Arthit, do you want to sit? If we squeeze together, there’s enough space for you.

“It’s ok. I can stand.”

Arthit refuses the offer manly, and Kongpob dare not push the offer any further. He could
only watch P’Arthit turning his face in the other direction while grasping onto the handle
firmly. The bus is ready to leave any minute now.

Due to the overload, the bus has to throttle to a slow speed for everyone’s safety. The driver
has to drive like a turtle crawling on the highway, and it takes more time than usual for them
to reach the next rest area.

Those without seats endure sore legs for almost an hour, and it’s until the bus stops at the rest
area that they get to head down to stretch and rest for a bit.

“Later, some of you will have to switch to other buses. Those who want to change can bring
your bags directly to the other bus. But don’t forget to report yourself to the in charge of the
bus!”

P’Fang briefly explains the procedure before letting everyone off the bus.

M asks Kongpob’s opinion, “How? Tew and the others are on bus 2. Do you want to switch
over?”

If he switches over to bus 2, he can sit with his group of friends, and the atmosphere would
definitely be better than the seniors’ bus, but…

“You guys just bring your personal belongings over. Leave the toolbox here.”

The Head Hazer issues an order directly. As he takes the toolbox away from Kongpob’s lap,
he pushes his body to the side to make way for the people in the seat to walk out.

Having the situation evolves into this, the younger is left with no other choice.

Kongpob carries his bag and gets off the bus after M. Arthit places the box onto the empty
seat and waits until all the first-years are clear of sight before he sits down in the window
seat. He emits a weary sigh.

He’s been enduring the stand the whole way. All he wants now is to sit and rest. Gone is the
mood of buying snacks to replenish his energy. Plus, he didn’t sleep a wink last night. He’s
been out drinking and catching up with his seniors and the alumni until the horizon lit up.
He had planned to make up for his lost sleep on the bus, but it seemed that he’s out of luck
since the unexpected episode happened. What’s worse is that he had to stand beside the
person that he didn’t want to see.

The person who gave his gear to his custody. And he had already found out the other
meaning of it.

He later put the person’s gear in his wallet and carried it with him for the sole reason of the
convenience of returning it to the owner the next time Arthit sees him. But when they
suddenly meet under this circumstance, he didn’t know what or how to say.

He wanted so much to lash out at the younger because he always felt that the brat was
deliberately messing with him. But in the end, he just stood there without a word. And when
they finally arrived at the rest area, he even urged everyone off the bus just to avoid all
contact with the person.

Ah! But if he keeps avoiding him like this, when will he be able to return his gear!

Arthit scratches his head in frustration. The more he puts his mind into it, the more his head
hurts. He’s the kind of person who doesn’t like to dwell on such a thing. It’s better to close
his eyes, clear his head, and take a nap to relax his tension. Before he could fall asleep, a
voice reaches his ears.

“P’Arthit, are you asleep?”

Arthit opens his eyes as a knee-jerk reaction. His sleepiness is chased away and stands up in
shock once he sees clearly the person in front. Kongpob carrying his sling backpack, standing
beside the seat with a convenient store bag in one hand, looking as if he’s here to take back
his seat.

“Why are you back? Did you forget something?”

“No, I’m taking this bus.”

His answer was clear, but Arthit is puzzled. Didn’t this guy just say that he’s going to take
bus 2 with his friends? Why did he come back? Just as his mind is thinking about the
question, his mouth already beats to it.

“What about your friend?”

“He’s on another bus. The teacher said it’s better to divide us equally into each bus, so I came
back to take this bus. Can I sit next to you, P’Arthit?”

Kongpob asks because of the box that is sitting on the seat. Arthit doesn’t want to move it at
all, yet he also doesn’t know what to say to reject, being in the current situation.

What should he do… He had tried his best to avoid him. Or should he just give up this seat
for the guy? He can sit at the back with his friends anyway. Yes, this seems to be the best
solution to the problem!
Aha! Here comes Knot! Just the right timing.

Arthit plans to take the opportunity to change seats, but Knot speaks first.

“Oi, Arthit! Why are you letting the junior block the whole path? The box can go to the floor;
then the junior can have a seat instead of standing in the way.

This Knot. It’s better that he keeps his mouth shut than being a hindrance. The other students
are starting to get on the bus, and all are waiting for Kongpob to sit down.

In the end, Arthit has no choice but to put the box in his legroom and moves his eyes to the
window. Kongpob slides his backpack down and sits down. Arthit hears the rummaging
sound of the plastic bag, presumably that the younger is looking for the snacks he bought
from the rest area.

He then hears Kongpob, “P’Arthit, do you want any of these?”

Arthit turns his head to see Taro shredded fish snack, Tao Kae Noi seaweed, and Lay’s chips
on Kongpob’s hand, letting him pick. He is indeed feeling a little hungry, but he still has the
Hazer’s pride to take care of, so he refuses with a straight face.

*I see Tao Kae Noi, I think of my younger brother. He loves that to the max that he bought
cartons when he went to Thailand. That crazy ass.

“I don’t want.”

But the kind-hearted junior does not stop here.

“Then do you want something to drink? I saw this when I was at the convenience store and
got a can for P’Arthit.”

Bought it especially for him? Arthit can’t suppress his curiosity, so he turns again to take a
look. But the moment he sees the can that the guy is holding, his eyes go wide.

Canned pink milk!

“Did you buy this to make fun of me!?”

Arthit yells at him. Buying this for him at this timing where there are so many people around,
admittedly, it’s a plan to embarrass him! Does this brat think he can provoke him over and
over again with the secret that he discovered?

But Kongpob quickly shakes his head and explains to resolve the misunderstanding.

“No. It’s just P’Arthit looks really tired, so I thought of buying you some snacks and drinks.
But I don’t know what you like so I got different kinds of snacks. As for pink milk, I knew
you would like it, that’s why I got it, but if P’Arthit doesn’t want it, I still have green tea! It’s
still a long way to the university. I think it’s better for P’Arthit to have something so that you
won’t feel uncomfortable later.”
Kongpob’s long list of explanations had Arthit stunned. He looks into the other’s eyes while
listening to his voice. This is another time he feels the sincerity of this person and not a
fabricated pretence. Also…

The underlying concern and care between the lines.

The Head Hazer hesitated for a moment, he looked at the two drinks on the other’s hands for
some time before finally choosing the pink milk. He pokes the straw in and sips on his
favorite as he turns his head to the window to admire the scenery. The bus engine comes alive
once again, signaling its departure.

The sweetness of the pink milk is refreshing, but it doesn’t help with his cluttered mind.
Instead, it becomes more chaotic than before.

Arthit is not sure if Kongpob’s heroic attitude and caring behavior towards the people around
him are his inherent character. Sometimes he’d joke; sometimes, he’d look dead serious. He
is confused about what exactly the other is trying to convey.

Another crucial point is that Arthit doesn’t know if Kongpob treats everyone the same.

Or just to him...

Even though he had tried his best not to pay attention, he would still notice the pair of eyes
along with his actions. Other than gentleness...

There’s also a sweet feeling that he can’t help but make assumptions of. And...

The other meaning of the gear.

He is not so oblivious as to not notice that Kongpob is trying to hide something, but the
younger had never expressed it clearly before. Kongpob always portrays himself as the
person who likes to provoke him by making fun of him, yet at the end of the day, he would
approach him to apologize and show his sincerity of wanting to get along with him.

This is enough to make him feel frustrated because he is itching to ask the other for a reason,
but he also thinks that now is not a good time to talk about it.

Arthit shakes his head hard, an attempt to get rid of the messy ideas. After the last sip, the
empty can heads straight into the garbage bag. His eyes then continue to stare out of the
window in a daze, completely ignoring the person sitting quietly beside him even though, in
truth, Arthit has a lot that he wanted to ask of Kongpob.

--

Kongpob is scared of asking if P’Arthit has found out the meaning of the gear.
He is guessing not, because if he had, he would have come running and screaming in his face.
P’Arthit has not talked much since earlier, but he did accept Kongpob’s kindness easily.
Although he is still pulling the long face, his expression softens much more compared to
before.

Kongpob did not forget the fact that P’Arthit is a man; so is he. He is afraid that he will fire
the senior up if he approaches him directly. It was a very bold move on his part to give his
gear to the senior, and when he handed it to him, Kongpob was actually still unsure of what
his true feeling is.

The atmosphere at the beach may be the cause or maybe he’s finally able to chat with the
senior properly that prompted him to make that sudden decision. But putting the blame on the
pleasant atmosphere doesn’t sit right with him either. After all, he does acknowledge the
existence of a feeling in his heart that is always so clear and certain.

He likes to look at the senior; wants to be close to the senior; wishes to take care of the
senior. These are the feelings that he will not deny, as for the other part of the feeling…

He is still finding a way to confirm the final answer in his heart.

Kongpob’s thought gets interrupted. He felt a weight on his shoulder. It’s the head of the
person beside him that has slipped and is now leaning against his shoulder. P’Arthit fell
asleep. He stares at the sleeping face, a faint smile forms, and he can feel it clearly…

He can’t put the feeling into words, but he knows that P’Arthit is special.

And this is all that is to him.

--

The buses continued rolling for several more hours before finally reaching the destination
everyone anticipates. All of them begin to stretch their bodies to relieve the stiff muscles and
start checking what needs to be carried down.

However, there is one person who is still in a slumber and Kongpob had to wake him up
gently.

“P’Arthit. P’Arthit. We’re almost there. You should get up now.”

The person whose sleep has been interrupted opens his eyes in a blur, and the first image that
comes into view is a slanted seat in front of him. His neck feels sore, like he’s been
cushioning his head one side onto a pillow... Wait, what pillow?

Arthit bounces off the mysterious pillow immediately. He doesn’t even need to think twice to
know the said pillow is the shoulder of the person sitting next to him. He feels a little angry at
himself for unconsciously slipping into slumber. He’s worried if the other had seen him
showing any weird or ugly expression in his sleep. But Kongpob does not look like he’s
holding back a laugh or giving him any other unusual reaction.

The Head Hazer rubs his face with both hands to wake himself faster, pretending nothing had
happened. The bus slows down after making the turn that leads them to the campus.

Due to the incident of a bus breaking down, their arrival time is two hours later than the
originally scheduled time, which states 6PM. All of them are tired, and their faces are
screaming home as soon as they get off the bus. So, everyone hurriedly shares the workload of
unloading the things from the bus and putting them away.

Arthit stands up with a box in his hands, only to realize that there are two small boxes of
mineral water bottles under the seat. He stops to pull them out of the seat. It would be too
difficult for him to carry all in one go, but he’s lazy to do two trips. Then a hand stretches out
and takes the box in his hands.

“I’ll help.”

Kongpob once again initiates to help, and Arthit nods in agreement, letting the other to get
off the bus first and walk towards the engineering building.

“P’Arthit, where should I put this?”

“Just leave it by the drum.”

The Head Hazer points at a place not far from where they stand; it’s the drum from the
entertainment crew. After leaving the box at the designated spot, he gets ready to walk over
to the other bus his friends are taking but is stopped by a voice behind him.

“Um… Wait.”

“Yes.”

Kongpob stops and turns to respond to Arthit’s call, but Arthit bites his words back.

“It’s nothing. Thanks for your help.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my pleasure.”

The sentence was accompanied by a pair of sincere eyes and a genuine smile. Then Kongpob
turns and heads to the spot where his friends are gathering, leaving Arthit, who has a question
stuck in his throat.

Do you have any thoughts towards me?

It’s not because of the fear of knowing the other’s answer that stops Arthit from asking.
Instead, it’s because Arthit knew that he doesn’t know how he should respond after hearing
the answer.
If Kongpob answered yes, what should he do? How will they interact with each other in the
future?

But if Kongpob said no…

Then to Arthit, there is only one response that he’ll give...

Please don’t treat me so well then, alright?

 The Hazer Has the Right to Choose
Chapter Notes

No time to proofread still so read with caution ;_;

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Kongpob looks in the mirror and feels that he is dressed as usual.

A dark-colored jacket layered over a light-coloured T-shirt creates a nice contrast, paired with
black jeans and canvas shoes. He dabbed a touch of hair gel on his hair and ‘accidentally’
misted just a whiff of his Armani Acqua Di Gio perfume simply because he adores the
scent… Just that, no particular reason! Really!

… Ok, fine! He admits. Today is not his typical day.

Even if today is only a meet-up with someone and have that person’s company to a nearby
mall for a quick shopping, he feels that he did spend more time than usual getting dressed up.
Not just his appearance, the butterflies in his stomach are also acting up.

Kongpob lightly shakes his head, pondering about how different he is today. He feels that
he’s overdressed as if he’s going on a date. But today is also the first time he’s going to spend
the time alone with P’Arthit, so he wants to dress to impress. Ultimately, he wants to avoid
angering P’Arthit again, but another part of him could foresee himself failing this plan, again
.

Just as he is thinking about his prediction, the person shows up just in time and sees Kongpob
in the distance to realize that he has been waiting for him. The person quickens his pace with
a frown appearing on his face.

“Sorry! Did I make you wait long? The time you set is too early!”

...11AM is not exactly early anymore, P’Arthit.

Though Kongpob had the urge to retort, he wisely chose to swallow the words in. He
observes Arthit’s outfit and notices that it’s the complete opposite of his.

P’Arthit dons a T-shirt with Che Guevara printed on it with a pair of weathered jeans that
have seen better days, coupled with a pair of canvas shoes and a shoulder bag. The whole
outfit matching seems to be over casual and bold, yet Kongpob doesn't understand why he
finds the style looks quite appealing on the senior that his eyes are fixated on him.

*In the series, Arthit is really wearing a Che Guevara shirt. Omo, I like it when they keep the
minor details.

It’s not until Arthit starts to speak that Kongpob is brought back down to earth.

“So, what are you planning to buy?”

Kongpob turns his focus to answer P’Arthit’s straightforward query.

“It’s just something small. But I hope P’Arthit could help me pick it out.”

Yet another open answer. Kongpob has a slight smile on his face as he answers, preferring to
reserve it as a little secret for the time being.

Kongpob strides ahead to lead the way while Arthit follows him with a confused face and a
slight pout. Part of it is because of the open answer that has him hanging; while the other part
is because it seems to him that 0062 is shining more brightly than usual.

Yea, yea, yea. I know you’re so charming that you’re afraid that the talent scouts might
overlook your charm that you had to dress like you step right out of a fashion magazine.
While I look like a master’s servant when you brat stands beside me.

Although it pisses him off, Arthit knows that it’s pointless to be compared based on face
value. It’s something you’re born with. So, he could only silently follow Kongpob into the
department store. They went up several levels of escalators before stopping at the floor where
the toys are sold.

This floor sells mainly toys, creative merchandise, small gifts, etc. But those are not the
things that Kongpob is looking to buy. He heads directly to the stuffed toys section and
browses shelf by shelf. He picks up two very cute looking stuffed toys; a brown bear with a
pink princess costume and a white bear with a light blue princess costume. With a bear in
each of his hands, he asks Arthit’s advice.

“P’Arthit, which one do you think is cuter? I want to get one, but I can’t seem to choose one
between these two.”

Arthit blinks a few times, looking at the Campus Moon of the year holding the stuffed toys in
his hands. Many weird assumptions pop up in his head. He did try to put whatever he plans to
say next in a more polite way, yet he still can’t help but blurts out his thought.

“Uh, I didn’t know you fancy this...”

Upon hearing his comment, Kongpob is startled and quickly offers an explanation.

“It’s not me, P’Arthit! It’s my niece’s birthday tomorrow, so I thought of buying her a gift.”

Arthit nods as he listens, showing that he now understands the situation.

“Oh. How old is your niece?”

“She’ll be three tomorrow. She’s my sister’s child.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yes. I have two older sisters. We are almost ten years apart, with me being the youngest.
What about P’Arthit? Do you have any siblings?”

“No, I’m an only child.”

Him growing up in an only child environment has shaped him to be accustomed to carrying
all responsibilities on his own, supposed that his only child personality is the exact opposite
of Kongpob’s youngest child personality.

Arthit only learned today that Kongpob has sisters who are years apart from him. Having to
grow up in a protected environment as such, it is no wonder that it shapes implicit rebel and
wilfulness on Kongpob.

Just like today, he asked him to help pick a gift for a girl, completely disregarding the fact
that Arthit’s image is totally not associable with such cute toys. This stands as proof that
explains the younger’s youngest child syndrome.

Arthit heaves a sigh and glances at the other shelves. There are different types of new toys
sold here and gives a casual opinion.

“Do you really want to get a stuffed toy for your niece? I think there are plenty of others to
choose from. There are educational toys that can train their creativity or helps in brain
development and growth. I have seen one on the internet before. It’s a play dough that can be
used as a building block. It can be stacked to create various shapes. When I was younger, the
flashiest toy I had was a laser gun. I bet it’s different in your era. The toys now are getting
better and more advanced every year.”

The 21-year-old senior speaks to the 19-year-old junior as if he’s an old man reminiscing his
younger days. Is it because he feels that the way the first-years today absorb and interpret
information differently? Which made him feel that there’s a generation gap between them
that makes him sometimes feel tired of the communication.

However, just one response from Kongpob is enough to turn the situation embarrassing
instantly.

“But P’Arthit and I are only two years apart!”

Arthit freezes on the spot after hearing it. Only then did he realize that how much difference
would two years have, this bloke here is actually also within the same generation as his! His
nag earlier made it sound like he’s more than ten years older than the younger. To put it
simply, it’s super embarrassing! But Arthit continues to be stubborn.

“So what? I’m still older than you. So, no matter what, I am still your P’!”
“Right. Then when will P’ drop the formality and change ‘you’ and ‘me’ to ‘P’ and ‘Nong’?”

*The original text is to change from the polite version of me (phom) and you (khun) to the
more friendly elder brother/sister/senior (P’/Phi) and younger brother/sister/junior
(N’/Nong). The other seniors have started calling their juniors ‘N’’ in the past few chapters,
whereas Arthit is used to the hazer’s way of speaking that he insisted on remaining it as
‘phom’ and ‘khun.’

This is another one of Arthit’s sore spots.

The orientation, freshmen training is long over, and it is no longer necessary to use such a
polite way to address them. But because he’s already so used to it that suddenly addressing
himself as ‘P’’ and the others as ‘N’’ always gives him a weird feeling. But it’s kind of stupid
to be explaining so much for a matter so small that he pretends to be ticked off so he could
end this topic.

“None of your business. You got a problem with that?”

“Nope, none.”

Kongpob raises both his hands to admit defeat, but his expression clearly shows that he’s
teasing. Arthit has to continue to keep an angry expression and proceeds to change the
subject.

“Didn’t you wanted to check out the toys!”

Arthit walks over and takes the two bears from Kongpob’s hands while he obediently takes
half a step back and secretly observing those sharp eyes evaluating every inch of the white
bear and the brown bear.

Although the picture looks out of place, yet Kongpob doesn’t understand why in his eyes, the
gap, the contrast seems cute. Maybe it’s because the point he focuses on is how seriously
P’Arthit is right now in helping him to pick the gift.

P’Arthit is always earnest in whatever that he does.

Though he often pays attention to the senior, those are only the outer part of him. He has
never been able to get to know all that is in the older’s mind. He wishes to hear the senior’s
opinions, how he sees and thinks about the world, etc. He would always smile when he
stumbled upon the views that the senior blurted out naturally.

Is it weird for him to possess this kind of thought towards the senior who is older than him?
Though he admits that he has never treated P’Arthit as a senior. All because he wanted to see
the senior as an equal individual, that’s why he often crosses the line by accident, forgetting
the fact that he is a junior. He needs to keep reminding himself all the time, or he’ll be doing
something again that might anger the senior.

However, the truth is all of his restraints are useless.

Kongpob’s thoughts got interrupted by the stuffed toy. Arthit hands out one of them to him
and speaks his advice.

“I think brown is better. The white one could get dirty easily. What do you think?”

“I’ll choose as P’Arthit advised.”

Kongpob’s casual answer without thinking twice annoys Arthit.

“Why is it as I advised!? It’s for your niece, pay more attention to it.”

Arthit’s scolding has Kongpob speechless. In fact, the toys and all are just excuses. He was
just finding an opportunity to ask the senior out alone. However, he didn’t expect that the
senior would be so serious in helping him pick a gift for such a long time. It makes him feels
as well, that he should be serious about picking this gift as well.

“I’ll get the brown one. Girls would usually like pink clothes.”

Arthit nods as he agrees with Kongpob’s reason for selection. After all, the person who did
the final say is the birthday girl’s uncle.

“Then, I’ll go pay for this.” Kongpob walks towards the checkout counter located not far
away from the stuffed toy shelves. There is also a free gift-wrapping service included.

Seeing that there’s still some time to shop around, Arthit randomly roams around the store.
The store mostly sells DIY toys; there are also festive related small gifts as well as various
congratulatory cards like birthday cards, wedding wishes cards.

Oh, yea! P’Tum and P’Fon’s wedding is next week. He has not prepared a gift for them yet.
In the past, P’Tum often took care of him when he was still in the university, and Arthit feels
that just giving a red envelope is too common. But he also doesn’t know what gift could
better express his heartfelt gratitude towards the senior.

Thinking left and right, walking back and forth, looking up and down, yet nothing seems to
catch his eyes until Kongpob is done settling his bill and walks towards him, a bag with the
gift in his hand.

“What are you looking at, P’Arthit?”

“P’Tum’s wedding is next week. I was thinking of giving him a gift.”

Arthit said while picking up a photo frame with ‘Wedding’ in English engraved on the frame.
He thinks that they should have taken a lot of wedding photos from the photoshoot, and a
photo frame would be useful for P’Tum. Or should he get a photo album as well and make it
a set to gift to the elder.

While Arthit is indecisive, Kongpob suddenly speaks a suggestion.

“I think getting a card should be fine.”

“Won’t it look cheap?”

He mocks Kongpob intentionally for making a hasty decision, just like when he chose the
stuffed toy. But Kongpob shakes his head.

“It’s not. Because the real gift is not the card itself but the message written in it. If P’Arthit
writes the wishes with your heart, I’m sure P’Tum will feel your appreciation to him. And it’s
kind of romantic too.”

The first reason sounded pretty convincing, but the latter sounded weird, and Arthit can’t
help but refute.

“I am writing a card on wedding wishes for P’Tum. Why would I need to be romantic? It's
not like I’m writing a love letter!”

“Or P’Arthit can keep it now and write one to me in the future!”

It came out like a joke, but its power is enough to shock Arthit like an atomic bomb just
exploded in his mind.

Do guys usually make such a joke? Arthit doesn’t know. But one thing he is certain is that the
eyes of a guy looking at another guy shouldn’t be shining like he’s seeking some sort of hope
from him.

Arthit recalls the question that he did not ask. It’s the same question that he had when they
went to the beach for the initiation rite.

He wants to know if Kongpob has any feelings for him.

Maybe he should take this chance to ask directly for a clear answer. Although he doesn’t
know what the younger’s response will be, it’s better than holding it in and getting cranky
overthinking about it.

Arthit takes a deep breath. When he’s about to ask the question he’s dying to know the
answer, a sweet voice interrupts him.

“Oon... Is it you, Ai’Oon?”

*The name used here is the one to call a close friend. Ai’ instead of his full nickname, which
is Ai-Oon.

The owner of the name stops and turns to see the person who called him and discovers in
surprise that it’s a girl who he is very familiar with.

“Namtan!”

The petite lady shows a bright smile and quickly walks over to her old friend, looking at him
from head to toe.
“It really is! You grew your hair and a beard too! I almost didn’t recognize you. What are you
doing here?”

“I’m accompanying my junior here to get some stuff. This is a junior from my department,
Kongpob. This is my friend, Namtan, from the Faculty of Science.

Kongpob puts his hands together and wai at the senior, to which Namtan replies by flashing
her sweet, friendly smile. P’Namtan is not of the sexy babe category; she’s more of the cuter
side. Her manner is gracious and polite; both her dimples show up whenever she smiles. Just
one look at her is enough for a person to have good feelings about her. Kongpob stands at the
side knowingly, letting the two seniors catch up with each other.

“What about you? What are you getting from here?”

“I’m also shopping around here to look for a gift. It’s an anniversary gift for Jay.”

“Oh. It’s the third year already, right? I’m so envious!”

“Hey, stop teasing me. You’re the one who is unwilling to open your heart to someone.
Always rejecting when others show you their feelings.”

“It’s all because I can’t get over you yet.”

“Oi, still the sweet talker like before. Oh yea, you can give me a call whenever you’re free.
I’ve not even heard from you!”

“Oh, I don’t dare to! What if Jay beats me up cause he’s jealous?”

“Don’t be crazy! We’re all friends! And if he dares, I will end him!”

“How are you ending him? Abandon Jay and date me instead?”

“Hoi, I’m not talking to you anymore. You’re always teasing me at every chance. I won’t take
up your time; you continue your shopping with your junior. I have an appointment with Jay
to the movies, and I suppose he’s already waiting for me.”

Arthit nods. Before they parted ways, Namtan keeps reminding him again and again not to
forget to call her sometimes.

After Namtan left, that section is left with him and Kongpob. The person who has been quiet
for long suddenly speaks.

“Is she a friend of P’Arthit?”

He’s sure that he had mentioned it in the introduction earlier. It’s fine, I’ll just repeat it again.

“Yea. We were classmates during high school.”

Arthit is browsing the wedding wishes cards while explaining. However, the other seems like
he doesn’t want to end this topic yet, so he continues.
“Then, you have known each other for a long time now, right?”

“Well, since high school, so, it’s been around seven or eight years now.”

“P’Namtan looks cute when she smiles.”

“Well… Yea.”

“P’Arthit likes her?”

The hand that is flipping through the cards halts. Arthit looks up and is met with Kongpob’s
eyes that are waiting for an answer. He doesn’t know if it’s because he saw how he was
teasing Namtan that had Kongpob question him so closely or if there’s another hidden reason.
He paused for a while before answering the younger.

“Well, yes.”

It’s a short answer, yet it acts as a long rope tied to Kongpob’s heart that is continually
pulling him around.

Kongpob is speechless. He watches P’Arthit sighs softly, and a long list of explanation
follows.

“But it’s long over because my friend beat me to it. My prayers for them to break up were in
vain. You see, after three long years, they are still together.”

Arthit holds back his smile as he recalls. The guy who Namtan is dating is none other than
Jay, who is also his classmate and they used to be in the same class.

In the past, they would often play sports together, eat together, even copying homework
together. But he didn’t know when did Jay start courting Namtan. And by the time he found
out, they were attending their high school graduation ceremony and he watched the two
lovebirds sitting together holding hands.

What’s worse, all three of them admitted to the same university even.

“But... I can’t blame it on Jay too. I’m the one who didn’t confess to Namtan after all. I don’t
even know why I kept it to myself.”

It’s like a switch in Arthit was flipped that he mumbles on about the feeling that awakened in
his heart then.

He often teased Namtan ever since they got into the same class during high school, so it’s not
surprising that she concluded all his teasing as a joke and took none seriously. Little did she
know that those words were his most genuine feelings in disguise.

When he had the chance to confess last time, he chickened out at the last minute. He clearly
has had the opportunity to confess to her before Jay started to pursue her.

Maybe, he was too young then.

“I understand.”

The person standing next to him suddenly said. Arthit questions back with a frown.

“Understand what?”

“Why P’Arthit did not confess.”

The words aren’t clear-cut, but they are transparent enough for Arthit to understand what
exactly the other person means by that.

Strangely, it’s a sentence that makes him feel depressed all of a sudden. Before this, he’s been
trying to channel a similar topic as to what they are now discussing on. Just that it is the other
who is leading the topic instead of him.

“Nonsense.”

Arthit decided to end the topic. He picks up a wedding wishes card and heads to the counter
for payment.

Kongpob is left rooted on the spot. He sighs as he sees P’Arthit walks away. He notices a
wedding wishes card in the corner of his eyes. There’s a cartoon style bride and groom on the
card. This once again attacks him on the thought that he has yet to say.

Yes, he understands. He knows why P’Arthit didn’t have the courage to take another step.
Because, maybe, it’s the same as him not having the courage to take another step closer to
P’Arthit as well.

The one feeling that is enough to abort all missions.

Fear...

The fear of losing that little bit of connection between them.

 Don’t Look Straight into The Hazer’s Eyes

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

“0062... 0062...”

The number you dialed is unreachable.

Arthit’s brows crease. He stretches his hand over and pats the other person’s face while
calling out his name.

“Kongpob!”

“Ah!”

Finally, back to earth!

Kongpob looks at the man who strikes him with a baffled expression and asks, “What’s the
matter, P’Arthit?”

This brat still has the gut to ask? Ever since he finished paying for the gift, Arthit noticed him
becoming silent the whole time they strolled around. He had been calling him several times
but the younger was so preoccupied to hear him.

Arthit isn’t sure if the reason lies with him or another person, but one thing for sure is that he
can’t allow this gloomy mood to go on as the depressing atmosphere is causing him to lose
his patience too.

It’s best for both to just bid their goodbyes and go on their separate ways rather than wasting
each other’s time.

“If you’re finished with your business and want to go home, go ahead! Don’t walk with me
with a sullen face.”

Arthit can’t help complaining and it immediately snapped the dazed person out of their
stupor.

Kongpob admits he was absent-minded earlier. But that’s simply because there was too much
information for him to process in too little time, in just a short conversation they had.

Especially the time they stumbled upon P’Namtan when they were browsing around, whom
P’Arthit had a crush on. Even though P’Arthit mentioned that it was a long time ago, learning
about this incident stirred up all the past emotions that were kept hidden. He was frustrated.
If Kongpob is to express all his feelings to P’Arthit, he surely will not just turn around, not
listening to any of his explanations as before. It will definitely provoke his senior more than
ever, which will only worsen their relationship. He doesn’t want to fight with P’Arthit
anymore, so he makes up an excuse to get away with it.

“No, I don’t want to go back yet. I, uh... I’m just hungry.”

However, he didn’t expect the excuse to work its magic.

Arthit stops and glances at his watch. Oh, it’s already half-past twelve. Hmph! And here he
thought what had happened that got the junior plastering a dejected look on his face. So, it’s
just hunger.

Upon learning the cause, Arthit’s feeling of displeasure is reduced tremendously. He then
continues the conversation.

“Why didn’t you say so then? What do you want to eat?”

“I’m fine with anything. Does P’Arthit has anything that you would like to eat?”

When the question was directed back at him, Arthit proceeds to scan the restaurants in the
mall and finds a line-up of Japanese restaurants, ala carte dining options, and various fast-
food chains. Their tastes are overall the same, nothing refreshing, and not to mention, higher
price tag too. They’re incomparable to street foods that not only have a much better taste but
are also much cheaper as well. As soon as the idea reaches him, he promptly proposes it.

“I know a noodle house that is good but it’s a short distance away by bus. Do you want to
go?”

“Yes!”

Kongpob follows after Arthit with the shopping bag in hand. The senior brings him out of the
mall to wait for the bus. In just a few minutes, a non-air-conditioned standard bus pulls up to
the stop. They board and alight after three stops.

Arthit guides him down an alleyway until they arrive at a small noodle house. Whether it’s
the crowded dine-in area or the long take-out queue, both are enough to explain the
popularity that Arthit spoke of. They are lucky to have secured a small table that
accommodates them.

Kongpob browses on the menu board on the wall. It’s nothing more than some noodle
choices and a variety of broth to choose from. The menu offers regular and large servings
with all prices clearly indicated. A server comes over to take their order and Arthit swiftly
places his order as any regular would.

“I’ll have the extra egg noodles with stewed pork in spicy soup. What about you?”

“I’ll take the rice noodles with pork balls in clear soup.”
Maybe Kongpob is overthinking, but he senses that P’Arthit looks strange after hearing his
order as if he is trying to hold back a chuckle yet remains silent. Then they add another order
of two glasses of water.

Shortly after, two steaming bowls of noodles are served. Kongpob picks up his chopsticks
and spoon, ready to savor the aroma of the clear soup rice noodles. But just as he is about to
reach for his soup, the senior suddenly stops him.

“Hold on. This bowl is yours.”

Kongpon could only sit and watch as P’Arthit switches his clear soup noodles to his spicy
soup egg noodles. The person who is coerced into exchanging their meal looks up in
objection.

“Are you trying to pull a prank on me again?”

There’s a reason why Kongpob asked. Déjà vu. It happened during the time P’Arthit was still
the Head Hazer and he had intentionally changed his minced pork omelet rice to a plate of
chicken basil rice drenched in red hot chilis.

P’Arthit even reminded him of the hard work done by the farmers and encouraged him to
finish the whole plate. The result? Kongpob spent the whole night with a numb mouth.

That’s why it is reasonable for him to be suspicious because he doesn’t want to repeat history.
Or is he going to be asked to recite the prayer again in this noodle house?

“Who said anything about pranking? I really wanted you to try out the spicy stewed pork
soup! It’s really the best! You don’t believe me?”

The last sentence carries a tinge of annoyance, and it effectively shuts Kongpob up. He eyes
the chili peppers floating on the bowl of spicy soup filled with stewed pork and egg noodles.
He’s pretty certain that by now P’Arthit is aware that he cannot handle spicy food, but he is
also uncertain about what other moves the senior has in mind.

The junior finally gives in. He scoops a spoonful of soup into his mouth, holding his breath,
bracing himself for the kick of spiciness that would leave his mouth numb.

But when his tongue meets the soup, Kongpob finds it unexpectedly different from what he
had anticipated. The soup doesn’t have a spicy taste as intense as it appears, and the flavor is
well-balanced where additional seasoning is unnecessary. Not forgetting the fragrant stewed
pork that was cooked along with the soup.

His surprised expression is revealed on his face, and Arthit, who is watching from the side
can’t resist asking once more.

“So? It’s delicious, right?”

“It is! Why didn’t P’Arthit tell me earlier then?”

“I wanted to see what food you usually eat. And you actually ordered something so damn
bland. Rice noodles in clear soup, huh.”

Upon hearing Arthit’s stifled chuckle, Kongpob who got laughed at, turns to his senior with a
blank face.

See, I knew it was to make fun of me again to see what reaction or expression I would
give.

One reason for him ordering clear soup noodles is that he enjoys them. However, the
underlying reason is that he wanted to know the quality of the noodles served in the noodle
house. After all, the key component of a noodle dish is the soup base. By trying out the clear
soup, he can easily determine if this place is truly worth the penny.

*Never knew Kongpob is such a food critic.

Even if he decides to clarify it now, he is not sure if P’Arthit would understand. He might end
up being perceived as childish by the senior again. Thus, he simply slides the bowl back
towards P’Arthit and responds with a slightly weary tone.

“P’Arthit can take it back since P’ is the one who ordered it.”

“Ow. Acting all sulky just because of this? Take it. Learn to eat something that has more
flavor.”

Arthit playfully mocks him and pushes the bowl back to Kongpob. Adding another sentence
with a smile that further bewilders the junior.

“I ordered it for you in the first place anyway.”

Arthit picks up his chopsticks, feeding himself mouth after mouth of rice noodles after
dropping the last sentence. Meanwhile, Kongpob looks at the large bowl of egg noodles in
front of him. It has a ton of pork on top that he can barely see the egg noodles underneath.

Again… P’Arthit is doing it again.

Kongpob has had a feeling for a while now, that P’Arthit’s bark is bigger than his bite. He
couldn’t figure out why P’Arthit always did this, especially to him. Kongpob has been
showing signs that he thinks of P’Arthit beyond a friend or a senior, albeit not obvious.

Could it be that P’Arthit has not realized it yet?

Does P’Arthit realize…that his words and actions are giving him hope?

What upsets him is that, he acknowledges his fondness for P’Arthit’s small gestures of care,
while at the same time feeling bad about it as this will only make his feelings grow deeper.
He’s giving his all to maintain the bond between them, hoping that they’ll gradually grow
closer as friends.
But now, the wall guarding his heart is gradually crumbling, his emotions growing stronger
with each passing day.

“0062… 0062…”

*I sometimes feel like they are calling prisoners with all these numbers instead of their
names.

The signal is gone again. And Arthit, again, couldn’t control his temper and tapped the
other’s bowl lightly with his chopsticks.

“Kongpob! Why are you spacing out again? Start eating already or the noodles will turn
soggy!”

Kongpob, whose mind has drifted far away, lands back on earth. He is met with the sight of
P’Arthit adding a few spoons of chopped chili into the clear soup noodles while shooting him
an impatient look with a visible frown between his brows.

He hurriedly lowers his head and starts eating the noodles, freeing his jumbled thought.
Thankfully, the delicious noodles ease a lot of the burden on his heart.

After polishing off their noodles and settling the bill, they exit the noodle house to find the
time is just a few ticks past one in the afternoon.

The sun is still in high spirits, emitting intense heat to the earth. Arthit squints his eyes due to
the bright sun as the person walking next to him asks.

“Where else does P’Arthit wants to go?”

“Where else can I go in this weather?”

“Then would you like to go to the movies? We’ll have a place to sit and cool air-conditioning
to beat the heat as well.”

Kongpob suggested. Despite having to take three stops back to the mall, it’s definitely better
than having to walk and sweat a bucket under the sun. Arthit nodded in agreement.

“Yea, sure.”

They both return to the alley and wait for the bus that will take them back to the original mall
they visited. This time, with a different goal that is located at the top level, the cinema, that
occupies half of the floor space. They pause in front of the movie schedule to check out the
selection of available movies and showtimes.

“Which one does P’Arthit prefers?”

“I’m not sure. Haven’t been following the updates on movies.”

Arthit shrugs honestly in reply. He had spent the past few months preparing for the
orientation and freshmen training leaving him no time or energy to keep himself updated.
Following the orientation, came the midterm. It was only until a few days ago that he was
finally able to get some much-needed rest.

Also, he is not really a movie enthusiast. The previous movies he watched were either a hit or
were a recommendation by his friends. Typically, he would just download them from the
internet or borrow the DVD from his friends. He prefers to spend most of his free time
reading comics or playing games.

Which is the complete opposite of the person beside him. Kongpob provides a
comprehensive respond to his question with thorough information. He even sounds
professional while explaining.

“What does P’Arthit think about this then? I heard the producer invested billions of dollars in
production. America just released it not long ago and has remained at the top of the box
office for two consecutive weeks. The online rating gave good reviews too.”

Arthit looks in the direction where Kongpob gestures at, noticing an action movie that is
currently screening. Honestly, he had no idea this movie was so renowned. Heck, he had not
even heard of it before. But seeing Kongpob recommending it with much enthusiasm, he
doesn’t make any other comments.

“Sure, up to you.”

“Alright. Wait for me here then, P’Arthit. I’ll go get the tickets.”

After finishing their conversation, Kongpob rushes off to the ticket counter, leaving Arthit
standing alone and waiting for his return.

As he stands there, he observes the passing crowd, which consists primarily of couples. They
are all joined hands on a movie date as they approach the cinema entrance or ticketing
counter. Arthit feels envious as he watches all the couples, sighing as he yearns for a sweet
romantic moment like theirs.

When he reflects on it, coming out with Kongpob today isn’t too bad after all. Initially, he
suspected that Kongpob was using this as an excuse to lower his guard, then make fun of him
when he least expects it. But in retrospect, it was simply routine shopping. Buying stuff,
having a meal, watching a movie. Just like the things couples would do on a date.

What is he thinking! Arthit here is just fulfilling his promise to accompany Kongpob on his
gift shopping. Definitely not a date, woi!

Arthit shakes his head lightly to dismiss the strange idea. It’s all because of Kongpob’s
strange behavior that’s causing him to overthink. As of yet, he is still hesitant to ask Kongpob
about the relationship status between them.

*Tbh, I find this a bit weird cause like yes, Kongpob is literally shooting love signals
everywhere, but shouldn’t Arthit’s question be more like ‘what do you see me as’ or ‘are you
harbouring any feelings towards me’ instead of ‘the relationship status between us.’ Or
maybe, it’s just me.
Judging from the gradual progress of them getting along, Arthit believes that although
Kongpob enjoys playing occasional pranks, he’s still a very responsible junior overall. Even
P’Deer approached him and reserved him as the Head Hazer two years after.

Well, it’s not like Arthit didn’t see the potential of this junior. Just that he thought before that
if this junior could respect his seniors more and talk to him in a more appropriate manner,
Kongpob would undoubtedly be the junior who could provide others with 100% reassurance.

As he grows closer to him, Arthit gradually discovers more of the junior’s all sorts of traits.
He senses that Kongpob’s every action is often imbued with a strange feeling that went
beyond a senior and a junior. There were moments where he struggled to ask for a
straightforward answer, but the words wouldn’t escape his lips, so he continued to let things
flow again and again, acting like there’s nothing odd between them.

Because deep down, he understands that certain things need time. Be it too early or too late, it
may cost their relationship to crumble.

As Kongpob approaches Arthit with movie tickets in hand, all the chaotic thoughts in Arthit’s
mind come to a screeching halt. Since the screening is about to begin, they make a beeline for
the hall to locate their sears and devote the next two and a half hours to the big screen.

The movie was amazing and totally deserved to top the box office for two consecutive weeks.
They have left the cinema for a while now, but Arthit is still buzzing with excitement and
couldn’t stop raving about it.

“The explosion scene was epic! What’d you think? Oh, and they kept the ending open. I still
can’t figure out if the person died in the end.”

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure if P’Arthit remembers but they’ve already dropped the hint at
the beginning of the movie. This director loves to leave hints early in the movie. And I’ve
heard as well that there are plans for a sequel, which explains the mystery at the end. I agree
with P’Arthit on the explosion scene. The special effects were amazing, but I love the
soundtrack better. The lyrics fit perfectly with the theme and the scene. I think this movie will
most likely win an Oscar this year!”

Arthit, who had never really analyze the whole movie thoroughly, nods at Kongpob’s long
review as he agrees that he felt the same emotion from what the other said.

“You sure know a lot about movies.”

“Well, I do like watching movies. What about P’Arthit? What are some of your favorite
things to do? Like any hobbies?”

“Hmm… Not really.”

The person in question shakes his head while recalling his usual lifestyle.

He thinks that he’s just another person with an ordinary appearance; until he chances upon
their reflections on the massive mirror of the mall. It is only then that he came to realize that
he had fallen into the ‘below-average’ category. And it’s not helping that the junior is
exuding his Campus Moon aura, completely obscuring his existence.

God! When did he begin to neglect his appearance!

“Do you wanna go back already?”

The unexpected question had Kongpob turn around, glancing at him anxiously.

“Why? Does P’Arthit feel like going back?”

“Not that. I’m thinking of getting a haircut. You can go ahead if you want to go back first.
You don’t have to wait for me.”

Kongpob secretly heaves a sigh of relief after knowing the reason. And here he thought that
P’Arthit was feeling bored and wanted to head back already.

Kongpob wishes to have a longer conversation with P’Arthit, and to get a little closer to him.
It’s only four anyway. So, if P’Arthit wants to get a haircut, it would at most be done in an
hour or so.

*I’m curious if guys would get a haircut so long. My husband can only sit thru a 15mins
haircut max. Lol

“I can wait for you. P’Arthit can choose a hair salon from here.”

Arthit hesitates at the suggestion. Hair salons located in a mall are typically pricier than the
barbershops situated in a shoplot area. But since he’s already decided to get one, he doesn’t
want to waste time searching for another shop elsewhere.

He can finally get any hairstyle he wants now that he’s free from the freshmen training.
Furthermore, P’Tum’s big day is coming up next Saturday so he really should at least give
P’Tum some respect and show up looking presentable.

And so, Arthit opted to heed Kongpob’s suggestion and surveyed the hair salon that seems
more reliable.

Well, let’s decide based on the salon’s customer count then.

Upon entering, the receptionist greets them warmly and directs them to their seats.

The receptionist welcomes them warmly and gets them seated once they enter. Another
assistant hands him a magazine of hairstyles to choose from. He flips through the magazine
while asking nonchalantly to the person next to him for his opinion.

“Hey, what hairstyle do you think suits me? How about a skinhead? I’ve been wanting to cut
it short for a while now; I am tired of the current length. So, what do you think? Skinhead?”

Kongpob peeks out of the corner of his eye at the senior who is discussing his haircut plan.
He undoubtedly wishes to voice his opinion.
Skinhead? That bald head won’t match P’Arthit’s face at all!

But before he could express his opinion, the assistant approaches to assist the customer.

“Who is the one getting the haircut? This way, please.”

“You can go walk around first! Don’t need to sit here and wait for me.”

After telling Kongpob that, Arthit follows the assistant to the back to have his hair washed.
But Kongpob didn’t comply. He remains seated in his current spot, not leaving because he
doesn’t know what to look around either. Since he came to the mall too early, he had strolled
through almost the entire mall. As for the gift for his niece, he’s already tick that off his list
too.

Kongpob randomly chooses a magazine to pass his time. He didn’t keep track of the time
until he hears someone calling his name softly.

The younger lifts his head to meet with P’Arthit, who has already had his hair trimmed and is
now standing before him.

About an hour. The same as he had estimated earlier.

“Kongpob.”

This time, he was addressed by his name instead of the usual 0062 that he frequently hears.
He feels his breath hitched as he stares at the senior standing in front of him.

P’Arthit’s long hair got cut. Short enough to reveal his nape; his bangs were trimmed to
frame his face, and it was just the nice length to cover his ears, accentuating his facial
features, especially the pair of sharp eyes. He no longer has a beard too.

A fresh face coupled with his attire gives this person a much younger appearance. Not at all
like his P’Arthit that he had known.

On the contrary, the person who received a makeover appears uneasy and keeps touching his
hair here and there while seeking feedback.

“Do you think it’s still too long? I intended it to be shorter, but the hairstylist said I won’t
look good if it’s too short.”

Arthit gestures to the brightly dressed transgender woman, indicating she’s the hairstylist. As
she walks over to return change to Arthit, she raises her voice to remind the senior.

“Ow ow ow. Nong! Stop touching your hair. P’ already helped you to style it nicely to suit
your face. You’re looking very charming now! Korean hairstyles are in trend now and it
looks good on you! Trust me or you can ask your boyfriend here.”

The first sentence of compliment was pleasant to the ears, but the latter comment almost
shocked him to death. Arthit quickly intervenes to clear up the misunderstanding.
“No, P’! He’s my junior.”

“Oh! Sorry about that. I noticed him sitting here waiting for you for so long and even looking
at you with such sparkling eyes that I thought you guys were a couple.”

The hairstylist’s apology didn’t help one bit and only heightened the awkward atmosphere.
Arthit turns to look at Kongpob but the latter actually got the gut to avert his gaze on
purpose. Before any of them speak, the voice of the assistant chimes in.

“P’Nina! Your customer is here!”

“Coming! P’ have to go now. Here’s a membership card for you. Remember to look for P’
again the next time you want a haircut. P’ will provide you two with excellent service since
both of you are handsome!”

P’Nina passes the card to Arthit with a playful wink before tending to her next customer.
After they left, Arthit continued fussing with his hair around.

Actually, he is quite confident that he will look good in any hairstyle. He just thinks this
hairstyle is a little too lengthy for him. He had suggested to P’Nina that he will look better
with shaved sides, but she wasn’t convinced and ended up ging him a free beard shaving
service instead.

Well, that’s not an issue for him as he does have a plan to shave his beard off soon. But still,
the length of his hair! Feels! Uncomfortable!

“I still think that it’s too long. What do you think?”

Arthit couldn’t stop complaining. The person walking alongside him echoes the same
compliment expressed by P’Nina earlier.

“I think it looks good.”

“I’m being serious. You don’t have to compliment me out of courtesy. Be honest with me.”

Arthit halts and turns around to face him while asking in a serious tone. Kongpob pauses
together, then take a moment to study Arthit’s fresh haircut, letting out a gentle sigh before
speaking again.

“I think it’s bad.”

“What? It’s that bad?”

Arthit yelps in surprise upon hearing the answer. While it’s true he wasn’t exactly thrilled
about it, but he didn’t expect it to be that awful. But Kongpob shakes his head in denial
and explains further.

The eyes that are fixed on Arthit shines brightly and he blurts out—

“No, I meant me.”

It is at that moment Arthit understood the eyes that Kongpob gave which P’Nina had referred
to earlier.

He trots away, too hesitant to ask anything more about his hairdo. With each step, he could
feel a warm sensation flushed across his cheeks and a thunderous thump resounded on his left
chest.

He’s aware…that some words have the potential to shake the relationship between the two of
them.

But now, he knows too that some eyes, some stares, have the potential to shake a person’s
heart also.
 Confessing the Truth to The Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Home! In this situation, going home would be the best choice!

“P’Arthit has nothing else to buy?”

After Arthit got asked, he turns to see Kongpob with a puzzled face. It seems like this person
has not notice it.

And upon seeing Kongpob acting all confused like that frustrates him even more.

This guy had only said a few words after they both left the hair salon but those were more
than enough for him to feel overwhelmed.

He wanted to calm his chaotic thoughts so he brisk walk until he reaches the bus stop in front
of the mall.

For some reason, he didn’t feel anything when he was being complimented by P’Nina, not to
mention for so many times too. Yet, the moment he thinks about Kongpob’s gaze just now,
that gave him weird feelings.

Though it was just some general courtesy compliment between men, he feels that he’s been
letting this person having more and more influence on him. Furthermore, the atmosphere
between them is becoming more like a date. Things will get worse if this situation continues,
so the best plan now is to keep a distance from the other for the time being.

“I’m going back.”

Since the errands are done and the time stating almost five, it should be a timing good enough
for them to split. But then, Kongpob stands next to him and replies…

“Then, I think I’ll head back too.”

…Makes sense. Even though he wants to escape back to his dorm, he still couldn’t escape
from this person for the time being since they are heading in the same direction back to the
dorm.

Arthit waits patiently for the bus, endures the infamous congested intersection before finally
getting off at the bus stop in front of the campus. He completely ignores the person who came
together with him, neither talking nor bidding goodbye, he charges towards the alley that
leads to the dorm he lives in.
As he walks, the feeling of being followed that creeps from behind him gets him to turn
around to scold the person.

“There’s no need to see me home! I’m not a girl. I can walk on my own just fine!”

“It’s not that. It’s just my dorm is also this way. I live in X dorm.”

*The Chinese version gave a Chinese name of the place BUT I googled nothing out of the
name. Sorry ‘bout that. Guess you guys have to live with X and Y.

Upon receiving the answer, Arthit is rendered speechless. X dorm? That’s very close to the Y
dorm that he’s staying at. No wonder they see each other quite often during dinner time.

Yet, Kongpob didn’t mention anything about it, and he had misunderstood it the whole time
they walked the alley. Or did he had no plan to tell him either? He squints at Kongpob and
realizes the other is chuckling. He even has the face to ask him back.

“What’s wrong, P’Arthit? Or did P’Arthit think that I was going to see you home?”

“Certainly not!”

“Well, if P’Arthit wants me to, I’ll be glad to send you home.”

Other than the eyes, these ambiguous phrases are also questionable. Rather than reducing, the
hidden meaning under these phrases has increased by tenfold. However, the Arthit now is not
in the mood to talk to him about anything, so he chooses to let things go for now and
continues walking to his dorm direction.

If that bloke wants to continue to follow him, so be it. He can’t possibly follow him to the
door of his room anyway! In short, all the crazy things that happened today will be over once
he steps into his dorm.

Arthit quickens his pace and dashes towards his dorm not far away. Just as he steps onto the
first flight of stairs before even breathing a sigh of relief, the dorm manager comes rushing
out from the building, calling his name.

“N’Arthit! Luckily, you’re back. I was about to give you a call!”

“Is anything the matter, Paa’Porn?”

*Paa = Auntie / Aunt

Paa’Porn is a kind lady near her fifties and is in charge of managing various matters of the
residents in this building. Most of the residents here are university students and Paa’Porn
takes care of everyone like her own. But now, she looks panicky and is taking short breathes
to quickly explain the situation to Arthit.

“Someone informed me that the corridor on the sixth floor is flooded, and the water is
coming out from room 618, which is your room! Go have a look quick! I’m guessing that the
water pipe burst, and I suppose your whole room is flooded by now.”
“What!? A burst pipe!?”

Arthit cries as his eyes widen. Before Paa’Porn could say anything further, he runs into the
elevator and presses frantically at the level six button. And when the elevator brings them to
the sixth level, without waiting for the elevator door to fully open, Arthit rushes out through
the gap and heads straight to his room.

Looking at the scene, his heart drops to the ground. The corridor is flooded, and the water is
indeed coming out from his room.

Arthit hurriedly shuffles his bag for his key and unlocks the two locks at his door. The
moment the door opens, the water that has piled up in his room immediately pours out and
floods up to his ankle. The floor of his room is covered by water and the water level is still
rising.

He steps into the flooded area, trying to search for the source of the problem. It’s not difficult
to notice anyway as water is seen spraying out from the broken pipe under the sink. Arthit
first shut the water valve before walking into his room to check the damage.

It seems that the broken pipe is beyond repair and the only way is to replace it with a new
pipe.

“Paa’Porn, can you please call the plumber for me?”

Arthit asks Paa’Porn who is in charge, in a serious tone, to which the other replies in distress.

“I have contacted them. But they are not available today. Furthermore, it’s too late now to
buy the parts as it’s almost the closing time for the hardware stores nearby. Paa will push the
plumber again to come over tomorrow morning but today, can you stay with your friend
first?”

As Paa asks the last sentence, her chin points in the direction behind Arthit. This is when he
realizes that Kongpob had actually followed him to his room!

He probably had overheard his conversation with Paa’Porn earlier and had followed him up
to see if he could be of help. Kongpob takes the initiative to speak, extending a helping hand
in a worried voice.

“Yea, P’Arthit. Do you want to stay at my place for a night? It’s closer too so it would be
convenient for you to come back tomorrow morning to oversee the situation.”

Arthit nods. Right now, he’s willing to accept any help from anyone who offers it. To be
honest, he has no extra energy to think of other things. The more he looks at the condition of
his room, his mood gets worse.

He’s never been a neat person. And now with this flood, the disaster doubles up. In one
glance, he deduced some of his belongings that have passed the saving stage; the books that
are laid on the floor are soaked in the water for far too long so there isn’t a need to check on
the damage anymore.
Arthit has a habit of leaving his things on the floor beside his bed. Whether it’s the handout
of his lectures, the rented comics, the reference book from the library, even his phone and
laptop chargers that are plugged into the extension sockets.

Lucky for him that the extension wire was not plugged into the main socket and not powered
on as well or else it wouldn’t be just a flood that occurred.

Mini electric fan, backpack, shoes, the dry laundry that he had brought in but have not had
the time to iron them this morning, and other miscellaneous things that were on the floor are
now soaking in the ‘bath.’

He puts the things away one after another, then sweeping the water with a mop, either into
the bathroom or to the balcony.

He apologizes to his neighbors who are affected by the incident. But most of them understand
that it’s an accident and fortunately, it didn’t cause any inconvenience to the others.

Well, except himself.

In addition to his room being badly damaged and needed a house cleaning, he also has to
clean up the whole corridor. He’s glad that Kongpob is here beside him acting as a great
assistant.

“P’Arthit, what should I do with this basket of clothes? Do you want me to bring it down for
a rewash?”

“No, it’s ok. I just washed that one. Bring the wet ones out to dry for now. I’ll find another
time to rewash them.”

“I’ll help to iron those that are not wet then.”

As he finishes his sentence, Kongpob familiarly sets up the ironing board and finds the iron
at the same place. Well, it’s not the first time he irons the clothes in P’Arthit’s room anyway,
but he never thought that he could help P’Arthit to iron his clothes again in such
circumstances.

*Kongpob, the housewife all husbands want and also a sweet caring gentleman that all
women want. Where do I sign up?

As for Arthit, he didn’t put too much thought into it. He takes the few wet clothes out to the
balcony and walks back into the room to deal with the pile of books that has taken a ‘nice,
long bath.’ Seeing the miserable situation in front of him, he couldn’t suppress the urge to
press his temples as he takes deep breaths to ease his mood.

He could recopy the handouts from his friends; he could negotiate with the store for the
penalty of the soaked comics. But he will definitely be reprimanded by the librarian for the
reference book from the library, and the compensation for that would be much higher too.

Who else to blame other than himself? For not cleaning his room, for piling up books on the
floor because there are too many stuffs on his table to the point that there’s no space left.
The conclusion is, the root of all these problems is that he never cleans his room, and the
predictions that his mother always nagged at him has finally come true today.

What’s worse is that these extra expenses happening at the end of the month.

Arthit breathes a long sigh again as an indication that he could only accept the miserable fate.
He has mentally prepared himself to get an earful when he goes to the library tomorrow to
ask about the compensation.

While Arthit’s mind is running with the possible amount of compensation, Kongpob had
finished ironing the clothes and as he hangs them into the closet, he suggests an idea that may
work as a solution.

“I’ve heard that if you put a soaked book into the fridge, you can restore it to its original
shape. Even clearing the wrinkles due to the soak!”

“Really!?”

As if seeing a light of hope, Arthit asks for a reconfirmation in which Kongpob nods a reply.
But once he opens his fridge, the light of hope goes out again.

He forgot that his fridge is small, just the drinks alone had fed the whole fridge full. Other
than that, he had also put in some snacks to chill them. With his fridge in this state, where will
he find the space to put in such a thick book?

“Why not bring it to my room? Since P’Arthit will be staying at mine for a night, you can put
all of them in my fridge. Would P’Arthit like to go now? I’ll help you carry some of the
stuffs.”

Kongpob suggests again. Since Arthit had already accepted the first help from the junior so
it’s kind of too late for him to act polite and turn him down. If he refuses him now, it would
be troublesome for him to call his other friends for help.

Knot did mention on Facebook yesterday that he would be going home for the weekend
while Prem’s dorm is too far from his.

In the end, Arthit is left with no choice but to unwillingly pack a change of clothes into his
backpack for a night at Kongpob’s dorm nearby. With Kongpob leading the way, who also
helped to carry some of the books for Arthit.

After the elevator opens the door on the sixth floor, they walk to room 608 and Kongpob
opens the door to welcome the visiting VIP.

Although the size of their room is similar, the tidiness inside is worlds apart. Everything is
neatly organized, enough to reflect what kind of attitude the room owner has.

Kongpob walks in first and switches the air-cond on, then turns to Arthit, who is standing still
at the door, “Make yourself at home, P’Arthit. I’ll head down for a bit.”
The door clicks after Kongpob finished speaking, leaving the guest dumbfounded in the
room.

Well, since the room owner had told him to make himself at home, Arthit first begins with the
pile of soaked books. He finds the fridge and plans to leave the books in it as per the advice
he had heard from the junior.

Only then did he discover that the fridge in Kongpob’s room is much larger than his. When
he opens it, he notices the large fridge accommodates only three bottles of water, leaving the
remaining space empty. It’s like the fridge is there running just for the sake of running.

Arthit realizes that his and Kongpob’s habits are very different. The more he gets along with
the younger, the more he discovers new things about him that he never knew.

But it feels strange in some ways too. He notices that every time he decides to stay away
from Kongpob, instead of staying away, he ends up getting closer and closer to him.

Arthit drives these thoughts away once again when his senses came back. He doesn’t want to
dive into these thoughts now, not when he should be putting the books into the fridge. After a
while, he hears the sound of the door being opened and understands the reason why the other
had run off earlier.

“P’Arthit, I bought dinner.”

Kongpob holds up the styrofoam boxes that contain their dinner. The smell alone is enough to
entice his stomach acid to start secreting. The loud growl from Arthit’s stomach reminds him
that he’s hungry as he hadn’t eaten anything else since the bowl of noodles in the afternoon.
And the time now is already close to eight.

“I’m not sure what P’Arthit likes so I ordered my favorite for you.”

Kongpob hands one of the boxes to him and after opening it, the dish that is Kongpob’s
favorite is… a simple omelet and white rice.

“You went down especially just to buy a box of rice covered with a minced pork egg on top?
Why didn’t you get dishes that are more difficult to make since you went all the way down
already? This kind of pork omelet, you can fry one yourself at home!”

“I can’t make it as delicious as Paa’s. I always ended up burning it.”

“Huh? You can’t even fry an egg at your age? Are you some kind of prince from ancient
times with servants serving you all the time? Way to go!”

Arthit intentionally made fun of him, holding the laughter in his throat. Now he’s able to put
the pieces together. This is why Kongpob’s fridge is so empty. The owner of the room can
cook nothing.

Even though Kongpob receives a caustic remark, he did not make any comeback or protest.
He simply holds up something else on his other hand.
“But I’m certain that P’Arthit will like this.”

Icy pink milk. And it’s from the drink stall that Arthit frequented.

If it was before, Arthit would be thinking that Kongpob bought the pink milk on purpose to
piss him off. But he doesn’t think so anymore now because every time Kongpob brings him
pink milk, he can always feel the genuine care that the younger is expressing.

Even today. Just earlier he was worried sick about the flood in his room, and suddenly, the
upset feeling somehow went away. It’s like someone comes to his rescue, helps figure out a
solution to the problems to relieve his pressure, being able to crack a smile again for little
things.

“Thank you.”

*I read this in my mind with Krist’s tone in the series. Cause gosh, that was WAY TOO
CUTE!

Arthit thanks softly while taking the cup of pink milk from the other and starts to devour the
box of rice to soothe his starving stomach. Kongpob turns on the TV and set it to one of the
drama channels before coming back to join him.

No conversation ensues and although there’s the sound of the TV as a distraction, for some
reason Arthit still senses an odd feeling between them. He speeds up to finish his meal and
stands up before Kongpob does to clear away the empty styrofoam box and take-out cup. He
looks around and asks the room owner.

“Where’s your trash can?”

“On the balcony.”

Arthit slides open the door behind the curtains, ready to take the garbage out.

The sky outside already turned dark. But thanks to the bright light from the opposite building,
which should be the dorm where he stays, he notices that the two dorms are actually quite
close; close enough to be able to see the happenings on the opposite. Because as he takes a
closer look, he could see clearly the clothes that are drying on the balcony in the opposite
room.

Wait a minute. Why do the clothes look familiar? They look like the ones that he put out on
his balcony to dry earlier. Even the furnishing of the room also looks like his.

...Right! Kongpob’s room is on the sixth floor too! How could he have missed it!

“Kongpob, you know where my room is, don’t you?”

Arthit turns back to the other person in the room and asks as Kongpob just stood up and is
about to tidy up the table. He answers with a puzzled expression.

“Of course. Didn’t I just go to P’Arthit’s room this evening?”

“No, I mean... Did you know all along that our balconies are opposite each other?”

The hands that are packing up halt, Kongpob lifts his head and looks at Arthit who asked in a
calm tone.

So, the man had discovered the secret he has been hiding all along.

Even if he could lie now and answer that he doesn’t, it’s no use concealing the truth since it
will eventually be found out, so Kongpob admits with a nod.

“Yes, I know.”

“For how long?”

“Since the first two weeks of the semester.”

“How did you find out?”

“I saw P’Arthit out on the balcony hanging your laundry. And many other occasions.”

After he learned about it, Arthit feels his anger rising.

For almost three months. How many times he’s been seen in private? Even during the time
he’s still on his duty as a hazer. How many more things does this guy know? Or has he been
doing it on purpose from the start?

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want P’Arthit to know.”

“Why not? You planned to use this to make fun of me in front of your friends, didn’t you!”

“No! I have never told anyone about this!”

“Then why!?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to be closer to P’Arthit more than me!”

The room falls silent.

Arthit’s anger turns into a daze and Kongpob is also shocked at the accidental slip of the
thought he hid in his heart. But he can’t take back what he had said, and this is also
considered the answer to the question that Arthit had always wanted but was too scared to
ask.

Too many times he pushed the question back in his heart before it escaped his throat.

All those times he chose to look past it; now that he’d confirmed everything and if he still
chooses to look past it and doesn’t make clear of things, it will only confuse the relationship
between them even more.
Arthit takes a deep breath, trying his best to organize his words to form the right sentence.

“Kongpob, I’ll just get to the point. Up till now, everything that you have done for me, is it
because you have feelings for me?”

Just a simple sentence, yet it has the power to hit the right spot in his heart hard as if the wall
that was separating them collapsed in an instant.

With each passing second, the air surrounding them becomes heavier. In the few minutes of
silence, no one gives any response. Just them looking at each other, like they are trying to
find the answer from each other’s eyes, acting like both of them are testing the water.

Kongpob makes a move first. He chooses to not look into the senior’s eyes and questions
back in a soft voice.

“What do you mean, P’Arthit?”

Rather than an answer, he…avoids it.

Kongpob was clearly the one who started all of it, yet he chose to drop everything in this very
moment, leaving both of them circling in this fuzzy relationship.

“Forget it! I’m going to take a shower.”

It’s pointless to continue this conversation now, so Arthit opts to end the talk. After closing
the sliding door, he goes to his backpack to pick up his change of clothes and gets into the
bathroom for a shower, leaving Kongpob standing in situ.

In situ… This is where he ruined his chance.

Kongpob sighs as he takes out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the drawer, then heads
to the balcony for relief. He wishes for the misery in his heart to disappear along with the
smokes as he exhales.

There were times where he noticed that P’Arthit was conscious of his actions but no matter
how much he tried to hide it, he couldn’t. If he’s not careful, his feelings will flow from his
eyes or from the words he said.

All of these made it clear to him that P’Arthit is special. But these had made P’Arthit feel
uncomfortable which had forced the senior to interrogate him today. However, he instead
chooses to stop everything at this point.

From the standpoint of a man, yes, it’s pitiful and pathetic. Maybe he’s wrong for not having
the courage to move forward; maybe he’s wrong for the fear of hearing the words of
rejection.

But is he so wrong to be afraid of the feeling of losing someone? He didn’t want to lose this
person who he deemed important.
The unlocking sound of the bathroom door indicates the person inside has finished his
shower. Kongpob opens the door and walks back into the room. He doesn’t know what is
P’Arthit feeling now but he bets he must be angry because the senior doesn’t even look in his
direction.

Suddenly, P’Arthit stops whatever he’s doing and turns to ask.

“You smoke?”

“Yes.”

Kongpob nods and admits. Figures P’Arthit must have smelled the smoke from him. He
reaches into his pocket, thinking that P’Arthit wanted one too. But he was wrong and gets a
lecture in a harsh tone.

“Quit it. Think about your parents. They work hard to pay for your education, not for you to
burn your lungs.”

P’Arthit is still…P’Arthit. He has never really been angry at him, still cares about him, acting
like the earlier episode never happened.

*I don’t even know if Arthit ignoring what had happened is a good or bad thing.

“Yes. I’ll quit smoking.”

Kongpob gave his word, crushed the cigarette pack that still have half a pack left in his hand,
and threw it into the trash can before walking to the bathroom with his towel and clothes. He
intended to let the water to extinguish his irrational thoughts that are burning as well as
calming his frustrations.

But even after shutting himself in the bathroom for nearly 15 minutes, nothing seems to be
working. He ends up walking out with the same state of mind.

P’Arthit with a T-shirt and shorts on comes into his view as he emerges from the bathroom.
He’s sitting on the bed with the remote control in his hand, switching between channels.
Maybe there isn’t any particular show that has caught his interest that he ends up turning off
the TV. Noticing this, Kongpob asks.

“Are you going to sleep now, P’Arthit?”

“Hmm.”

Luckily, Kongpob’s bed is big enough to fit two men to sleep comfortably and his room has
always had spare pillows. The left side of the bed is taken as P’Arthit lays down and in the
next second, the room is enveloped in darkness after the younger switches off the lights.
After confirming all lights are off, he walks to his side of the bed to rest. The silence in the
dark increases the intensity of the heavy atmosphere to the point it’s suffocating.

Their distance is close at hand, yet it feels so out of reach.

The time passes by seconds, minutes, then hours. Kongpob has no idea how long the time
had passed but he still couldn’t get himself to sleep. He looks at the back of the person lying
next to him, and a question slips.

“P’Arthit… Are you asleep?”

No response other than the calm breathing from the other. P’Arthit should have been asleep
for a while now, it’s only him that is still awake and thinking about nonsense. He turns over
to face the ceiling and begins to say the words he’s been keeping in his heart for a long time.

“The question that P’Arthit asked, I don’t know what you mean by that… But if it means the
same as I thought…”

Kongpob moves his gaze from the ceiling back to the person beside him, trying his very best
to put all of his feelings into words, into a sentence…

“I have. And have been for some time now.”

He said it extremely soft. It’s only because Kongpob can no longer control the feeling that is
spilling. He doesn’t dare to say it in the other’s face and even if he knows that he can’t hear it
now, he hopes to at least let out some of the feelings that he has been suppressing too hard in
his heart.

He rolls over and faces the other side, closes his eyes again to force himself to sleep.

While on the other side, Arthit opens his eyes in the dark.

He hasn’t been asleep at all and had heard every single word that Kongpob had said. It was
the answer that he’s been dying to know but dare not ask. He continues to pretend to be
asleep, but he knows that no matter how hard he tries, his efforts will be in vain.

Because tonight, he could no longer control his heart, and with it, he could hardly sleep a
wink.
 All Timing is Led By The Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Note: ‘’ = Text message / “” = Conversation

Arthit opens his eyes from his sleep.

The first thing that comes to his sight is an unfamiliar ceiling; the first sound that he hears is
the water splashing, like someone is taking a shower. He props up and sits up from the bed,
eyes still sleepy with a head of messy bed hair.

The sunlight that shines through the gap of the curtains signalling the dawn. However, his
brain is still in a shutdown state, not yet ready to welcome a new day. As the still drowsy
Arthit plans to go back to sleep, Kongpob opens the bathroom door and sees him.

“P’Arthit, you’re awake?”

The sleepy person nods casually as a reply and asks while releasing a huge yawn.

“Hmm. What time is it?”

“Half past eight.”

Arthit frowns upon knowing the time. He would usually sleep until noon on a Sunday
morning, but today, he is woken up by the sound of the shower. He gets caught by the sleepy
bug and lays back on the bed as he mutters.

“Why are you even up at half past eight on a weekend?”

“I have to go to my niece’s birthday party today.”

Kongpob’s explanation brought Arthit’s brain to start functioning, recalling the pieces of
memories from the night before.

Right! He had accompanied Kongpob to buy a birthday gift, and when they returned, he
found out his room was flooded due to the broken pipe under the sink. Being left with no
choice, he had come to this person’s room to stay the night. Then he unexpectedly found out
that his room is directly opposite of the other, of which Kongpob could get a clear view of his
balcony. All of these prompted him to ask the question he’s been keeping and finally getting
some answers too.

The answer that caused his heart roaring up a commotion.

Even though he had forced himself not to overthink and tried lulling himself to sleep the
whole night, he’d only got sleepy just slightly before dawn. He feels dizzy, the confusion and
insomnia had taken a toll on him.

Now that he’s gradually waking up, whether it’s his brain or the feelings that he felt…

Arthit now confirms that this person harbours feelings towards him.

Just thinking about it, the chaos in his heart work up again, causing him to have strange
reactions. He sits still, not knowing what to do, and doesn’t dare to look the other in the eyes.

Kongpob, however, brushes it off, thinking that P’Arthit is quiet because he is not fully
awake yet, and kindly offers a suggestion.

“You don’t have to get up in a hurry, P’Arthit. You can go back to sleep, I’ll leave you a spare
key.”

Arthit gets panic and quickly refuses.

“It’s fine. I’ll head back after I shower.”

Once he finished speaking, he bounces up from the bed, grabs the towel and runs into the
bathroom. He stands at the sink, turns the faucet and splashes water to his face to sober up.
He catches a glimpse of his dispirited self in the mirror due to the lack of sleep and giving his
best to look more refreshed.

It’s fine… Just act normal…

After the shower, he can go back to his room first and wait for the plumber to come fix the
pipe, then he could get rid of all these messy matters.

Making up his mind, he takes a deep breath and finish up the morning routine. Just as he
walks out of the bathroom, Kongpob who is now neatly dressed, asks.

“Are you hungry, P’Arthit? I bought soy milk and some Chinese doughnuts for you. Have
some before you leave.”

*Not sure what 油条 is in English tho it says deep-fried dough sticks in the dictionary. But
I’ll just use the one in the series which is Chinese doughnuts.

Arthit glances at the steaming soy milk and delicious looking Chinese doughnuts on the table
and they got him thinking that when he woke up, Kongpob was already in the shower, which
means he went out earlier than that to get them. In other words, Kongpob got up real early;
early enough for him to shop around the morning market, getting breakfast.

Although he wants to go back soon, it wouldn’t look good on him to not accept the junior’s
kindness. His reaction would seem unusual too.

Forget it. It’s just breakfast, don’t stress on it!

Arthit walks to the table and picks up a bag of soy milk. The aroma of the soybean wafts into
his nose while his eyes sweep around looking for something.

“Where did you place your glasses?”

“It’s at the shelf on the fridge, I’ll get it for you.”

Kongpob takes the initiative to get a glass from the shelf to the person who is ravelling out
the rope tied to the soymilk bag.

“Here, P’Arthit.”

However, the situation turns into Arthit holding Kongpob’s hand instead, as when Arthit
reaches out for the glass, the junior has also stretches out his arm to pass the glass.

It’s only a momentary light touch yet it had Arthit gasps in fright and let go both of his hands;
the glass that he released from his left is safe in Kongpob’s hand, but the soymilk bag on his
right falls straight to the floor and spills all over.

“Ah, shi-… Sorry! I’ll wipe it.”

Arthit is all shaken up that he keeps on apologizing. Fortunately, the hot soy milk didn’t spill
on Kongpob, only the floor. Even so, Kongpob shakes his head calmly in response as always.

“It’s alright. P’Arthit, you can get the other bag.”

Kongpob walks to the balcony and retrieves a mop to clean it, being composed as ever to the
situation. And Arthit is just standing there, watching the whole process quietly. His heart is
not how he acts on the surface. He is absolutely clear that right now, no matter how he
pretends to be collected, his body or his heart...

Neither of them is calm.

Ring——

The ringing of a phone breaks the silence. It’s Kongpob’s. He stops mopping the floor and
reaches into his pocket to take out the ringing phone. A familiar name is displayed on the
screen.

“Sawadee krub, mom. I’m about to leave the dorm. I’ll call you again when I’m about to
arrive.”

“I’ll go first!”

Arthit blurts out the sentence before Kongpob could finish the phone conversation. He then
opens the door and rushes out without waiting for any response from Kongpob.

The junior wanted to call out to him, but he was too late as when he ran out to the corridor
after hanging up his mother’s call, the senior is no longer seen, not even his shadow.
The person who was left alone returns to his room, shuts his door and sees the soy milk and
Chinese doughnuts that were abandoned on the table. They were the breakfast that he went
out early to buy for P’Arthit, but in the end, it didn’t go as he planned. P’Arthit didn’t even
touch the other bag.

Kongpob hardly get some sleep last night because he couldn’t control the things that were
stuck in his heart. Those were the things that he doesn’t dare to confess to P’Arthit out of the
fear of ruining the relationship (friendship) between them.

Although he did let some out his chest when P’Arthit was asleep last night just so to relieve
the weight in his heart a little, yet when he woke up this morning and saw the sleeping face of
the person next to him, it got even more unbearable to suppress.

There are some feelings that seem clear yet fuzzy at the same time. And even in a blurry mist,
there are still some clear outlines in it.

He is sure that the outlines are telling him that P’Arthit is special to him.

But now, he is unsure of what is the special person thinking and suddenly hurry off like that.
Could it be that he had done something that upset P’Arthit again?

Puzzled by the unanswered question, Kongpob sighs softly. He stores the soy milk and
Chinese doughnuts into the fridge, saving it for tomorrow.

When he opens the fridge, only then he notices the things that the other had forgotten.

Ah! P’Arthit’s books are still in the fridge. If he calls him now, he should still be nearby to
come back for them.

Once he thought about this, Kongpob immediately picks up his phone to call Arthit. It rings
for a long time without anyone answering until it reaches the voicemail. He frowns in
confusion and dials a second time, but still to no avail.

He isn’t sure whether it’s the signal problem or P’Arthit didn’t carry his phone with him, but
Kongpob is certain that he has no time to wait for the senior today. He needs to rush to his
niece’s birthday party hence he puts off the matter until Monday. He can always just bring it
over to P’Arthit.

Kongpob brings out the dried books that had been restored to their original condition on the
table, then he picks up the box of present and heads out to the party. When the face of the
person who accompanied him to purchase the gift appears in his mind, the corners of his
mouth rise.

It’s alright…

The words that he said to P’Arthit last night, of what does he thinks of P’Arthit, even though
he has yet to have the courage to admit it out loud, he does wish that one day, he would be
able to properly confess, bravely and clearly in person.

Well, let’s just wait for that one day to come!

--

Kongpob’s out of luck as things are not going as he expected. When Monday came, he’s been
reaching out to P’Arthit since morning but zero response from the other end. P’Arthit didn’t
even attempt to call back as if he had vanished into thin air.

What happened to P’Arthit? How could he just disappear all of a sudden? Or did he really
accidentally upset P’Arthit again? But what is it that he’s done? Was it because he didn’t tell
P’Arthit that their rooms were across each other? Or was it the question that the senior had
asked?

Ding—

Kongpob is shocked by the notification sound from his phone and is looking forward to
seeing if it’s a reply from the person he has been waiting to hear from. Upon seeing the
message that is shown on the screen, it is M who LINE-d him.

‘Where are you?’

‘Ground floor of the Engineering faculty building. The innermost table.’

The owner of the phone taps open the LINE app that he rarely uses to reply to his friend and
after that, he notices a name in the friend list.

He is not sure whether P’Arthit is using LINE but at least it’s another channel that he could
try to get in touch with him. He clicks on the ‘add friend’ button and sends out a message
right away.

‘ P’Arthit, this is Kongpob. You’ve forgotten your books at my place. What time will P’Arthit
be available today? I can bring them over for you.’

He hopes for that person to read the message after pressing ‘send.’ He then lifts his head up
as he hears the voice of his best friend looking for him.

“Hey, Kongpob! What are you doing here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Can you
lend me your chemistry assignment? I gamed too late last night. I kept guarding the base but
still got attacked by the opponent. Not only did I lost the game, but I also didn’t finish the
assignment! Damn it!”

M mutters a nag. Kongpob is already too used to M’s preaches on games since middle school.
He takes out the assignment from his bag and puts it on the table while the other is still
prattling about things from last night till this morning.
“Oh, by the way! I saw P’Arthit earlier. I only noticed him when I heard the group of girls
with May squealed. I didn’t recognize him at first cause he had a new haircut. He looks so
cool with it!”

The hand that is about to pass over the chemistry assignment to M pauses in mid-air and
Kongpob asks anxiously.

“Where did you see him?”

“At the bike parking lot.”

“I’ll be back!”

Kongpob gets up suddenly, leaving a confused M in place and sprints to the front of the
Engineering building, which is the student-only parking lot for bike to search around for
someone. He spots a group of his peers in the same department as his are standing there
chatting but the one that he is looking for is not among them.

He walks pass the group of peers and is seen by one of the female peers who is wearing
glasses. She notices Kongpob sweating profusely with a flustered look, so she greets him.

“Morning, Kongpob. Where are you going in a rush? You’re sweating all over.”

“May, where’s P’Arthit?”

“Oh, he went up already earlier. It seems that he needs to hurry to his lecture.”

It’s only a few minutes apart so it’s possible for Kongpob to catch up to him but he doesn’t
know which floor and classroom P’Arthit is attending for his lecture.

Kongpob decides to put his phone to use again but it’s still the same beeping sound until it
reaches the voicemail again. He hangs up and clicks into LINE to check on the message that
he sent to P’Arthit just now.

It shows ‘Read.’ And that’s it.

Kongpob grips the phone in his hand. An emotion in his heart is constantly writhing.

What does P’Arthit mean by doing this? It’s like he’s avoiding him on purpose, and he
doesn’t even know the cause of it. He can’t bear to let the situation goes on like this unless he
figures out why does P’Arthit not want to meet him.

During lunch break, the cafeteria is packed with the students and most seats are occupied by
the engineering students. After all, the number of engineering students is much higher than
that of students from the other faculties. At first glance, it would even seem as if the cafeteria
was built exclusively for the engineering students.

There’s a group of seniors from the industrial engineering department among them, who
came over to have lunch together after their lecture. But one of them is in a visibly bad mood
and does not keep up with the topic that the others are talking about, until someone calls him
out.

“Arthit… Arthit… Hey, earth to Arthit!”

“Ah! Huh? What’s up?”

The distracted person regains his senses and frowns at the other who has been calling him.

“No, what’s up with you? You’ve been spacing out since morning.”

Knot actually had been meaning to ask him after seeing his friend’s odd behaviour since
morning. He’d received incoming calls, and forget about not answering them, he even
intentionally silent it and let it vibrate until the call disconnects.

He had sat through the lecture in a daze, being absent-minded and not joining their
conversations as well. Anyone with discerning eyes would know that something must have
happened. But given Arthit’s personality, he would just zip his mouth about it. Like now,
even after Knot asked, he would just find ways to avoid answering.

“Nah, just sleepy. I watched a football match last night.”

“Yea? Who played against who? I didn’t see any broadcast yesterday?”

Knot asks deliberately. He notices the person, whose lie has been exposed fidgets and quickly
diverts the subject.

“Um, well... Let’s not talk about that! I’m hungry. What are we getting?”

Arthit squeezes to the front of their group, pretending to be interested in what the group are
discussing to eat so that he could escape from Knot’s interrogation about the lie he had
uncovered.

The part about him being sleepy is actually the truth, however, it’s not because of staying up
for a football match. He has not been sleeping well for the past two days.

It’s weird because he’s already sleeping in his room yesterday since the plumber had come
over at ten plus in the morning to repair the pipe, yet he can’t seem to go to sleep. It was after
that that he remembered the books that he left in the fridge in Kongpob’s room.

He blamed his carelessness as it’s one reason why he’s unable to keep away from this person,
causing them to keep having reasons to meet with each other at every other incident.

Sure enough, Kongpob did call him yesterday evening but he didn’t understand why he’s
afraid of answering the call. He only knew that he’s not ready to face this person.

Arthit sighs while he gets rid of all that is in his mind. Then, he notices a familiar figure,
approaching them from a distance.
Kongpob caught sight of a group of third-year seniors who are wearing the workshop
uniform on the other side of the cafeteria. He vaguely saw that one of them seemed to be the
person he had been looking for.

Although uncertain, Kongpob still decided to push his way through the crowded cafeteria.
There were a few times where he almost missed the sight of them due to the crowd but in the
end, he managed to rush to the group of seniors as quickly as he can for that person.

He greets the seniors and asks, “Sawadee krub, P’Knot. Do you happen to know where
P’Arthit is?”

“Oh, he’s behind… Ow? Where’d he goes? Hey, did you guys see where Arthit went? He
was still here just now.”

Knot is perplexed as to why they couldn’t find the person who was still with them minutes
ago. Kongpob is not surprised at their reply. A steadfast look flashed under his eyes before he
collects himself, returning to his calm demeanour and asks another question.

“P’Knot, do you still have classes today?”

“Yea, lab class in the afternoon. We should end by six.”

“Okay, thank you P’Knot.”

After he said his thanks, the first-year takes off, leaving the group of baffled seniors behind.
Though they feel at a loss about the behaviour of their friend and the junior, yet at the same
time, they are able to somehow make some assumptions from these pieces of clues that seem
related.

By now, they probably know the cause of Arthit’s odd behaviour today.

--

“Alright, we shall stop here today. You’re dismissed.”

Finally, the long-anticipated signal from their professor for the end of the lecture. Arthit
packs his things and the handouts into his bag while Knot, who is sitting beside him invites
him to dinner.

“Wanna grab something to eat?”

“Nah, I want to go back and sleep.”

He answers Knot briefly. He can’t hold back dozing off throughout the whole lab class today.
So to say he is definitely not in the mood to chat and joke with anyone at this moment. He
just wishes to leap back his room and sleep. Who knows, it might help to relieve the blue in
his heart.

As for Knot, he had eyes on Arthit’s miserable condition, so he stops the chatter and takes the
lead out of the classroom in front of Arthit.
Suddenly, Knot halts his steps and says to the person trailing behind him, “Arthit, someone is
here for you.”

Knot slips to the side after informing Arthit and the moment the latter looks up, he badly
wishes he could turn back the time so that he’d just stay inside the classroom. Well, it’s
obviously too late now. The junior he has been avoiding is now standing in front of him, like
he’s here to wait for his class to end.

“P’Arthit.”

He politely pays his respect as usual however, for Arthit, he feels especially tensed. Even
more so after seeing the suppressed emotions from Kongpob’s eyes. Arthit pretends that he
did not notice the emotions that the other lets out and keeps himself calm. He stays aloof in
his tone and briefly asks the junior.

“What’s the matter?

“I’m here to return the books to you.”

Kongpob holds out the library reference book, his handouts and the rented comics. All the
books are dried and not a single trace of the books being soaked in the water can be seen.

Arthit reaches out, wanting to take the stack of books and let this be the end of it. But when
his hand gets to the books, the other holds them tight, not letting go. Arthit snaps.

“Let go!”

“I will give them back. But before that, I need to talk to P’Arthit.”

“I have nothing to talk to you.”

Not only his tone, even his behaviour is indifferent. He has not batted an eye at Kongpob and
it made Kongpob retreated a little. But he still stubbornly looks at Arthit and then tries to call
the senior in a gentler tone in hope to soften his heart.

“P’Arthit...”

“If you don’t let go, then fine! I don’t want them anymore.”

Arthit has lost his patience and decided to put an end to it fast. He releases his hand from the
books, ignoring the other completely, he turns and walks to where his friend is waiting for
him. Knot catches up to him while looking back at Kongpob who was left rooted in place.
Upon seeing the junior in such a pitiful state, Knot can’t hold back the question.

“What are you fighting about with the junior again?”

“No. We’re not fighting!”

Arthit denies it with an expressionless face which is obviously the opposite of the situation
happening before Knot’s eyes. He heaves a heavy sigh at his frustrated friend.
“Yea, like I’ll believe that! You know, he’s been looking for you since noon and judging by
his face, anyone could tell that there’s something that he wants to clear up with you. So, why
are you avoiding him?”

Every word pierce through Arthit’s heart. He very much wanted to retort but even after
squeezing his brain dry, no words come out of his mouth.

Because all that Knot said is true.

Each time he sees Kongpob’s eyes, they’re constantly reminding Arthit that he can no longer
return to his normal self. The reminders pained him so much that it’s suffocating, that’s why
he chose to escape, to flee. Far away from this person; and also away from...

His wavering heart.

“Knot, where did you say you were going? I’ll tag along.”

Knot, who is walking beside him, turns to look at Arthit, who had a change of mind but
points nothing at it.

Arthit ended up going out for a dinner with Knot and happened to meet with Prem and the
group, so they decided to go for a second round. However, instead of going after alcohol,
they went to one of the coffee shops to get pink milk and sat there just to see girls while
chatting around. It was until raindrops started to fall that all of them decided that it was time
to disband.

It’s almost nine when Knot drops Arthit at his dorm with his bike. Arthit drags his drenched
body weakly back into his room. He’s all ready to hop into the shower for fear of catching a
cold. But as he opens the door to the balcony, he stops when he notices someone standing at
the balcony of the opposite building, rain curtains between them.

Arthit peeks through the gap between his curtains. At first, he thought that the person is
smoking again but after a closer look, it seems like he’s just standing in a daze, not knowing
what is running through his mind, staring at the rain with blank eyes.

He looks at the scene with a complicated feeling. In his heart, there’s a certain emotion that
entangles him; an emotion that was and still is, remaining deep in his heart.

--

Hmm... It seems like P’Arthit is home.

But Kongpob doesn’t move an inch. He stands still, watching the light of the room across
him lit up.

He’s lost track of time, nor does he know what he should do now. Kongpob not at all want to
face the one thought that keeps hovering in his heart.

That he is about to lose P’Arthit. And he's afraid of it.

Why hasn’t he noticed? Not only today, since last Sunday morning, P’Arthit has been
reluctant to look straight at him. Or more accurately, it’s been like this since Saturday night…
When P’Arthit had asked him a question that he ended up avoiding.

Perhaps P’Arthit had known the answer all along and the reason why he’s angry is because he
didn’t want to accept his feelings. But if he’s really getting angry for this reason, then
Kongpob rather P’Arthit reject him straight in his face than keeping silent.

He couldn’t bear to see P’Arthit running away from him like a plague while he’s breaking his
brain to figure out the reason for the senior’s anger.

The pressure in his mind is getting so much heavier which triggers his crave for a smoke.
Then, he recalls the day when he promised P’Arthit to quit smoking, he had tossed away the
half a pack of cigarettes into the trash can.

That’s why at this moment, all he could do is just standing at his balcony like some MV actor
while staring at the balcony located directly across his that is although only 15 meters away,
yet feels like the furthest distance in the world.

With a sigh, Kongpob moves his eyes away from the balcony on the other side.

He should take a shower. Maybe the cold water can help to ease the pressure in his heart, on
his mind. Just as he’s about to turn to head back to his room, the phone in his pocket starts to
ring. When he takes it out, he gawks at the name displayed on the screen with widen eyes,
finding it hard to believe.

He answers it in a panic, the first word being the name of the person who has been avoiding
him all day.

“P’Arthit…”

“I’ll leave the reference books in your care to return them to the library for me. As for the
comics, you can keep them. I’ll go to the comic shop to pay for the fine. Well… That’s all!”

The senior quickly briefed him the tasks and it’s Kongpob who speaks up to keep the call
connected when he’s about to hang up.

“Hold on, P’Arthit! Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not.”

“If so, then why won’t you talk to me? Or actually, you are mad that I did not answer your
question that day?”

The question that Kongpob asked did not receive any response, only the sound of raindrop
falling on the floor acting as a reply. They are once again shrouded by a dull atmosphere. He
is well aware that these issues will affect the relationship between them, but at this point, he
couldn’t care about those anymore.

“If P’Arthit really wants to know, then I will answer you now.”
Kongpob looks at the balcony again, hoping that these words could reach to the person’s ears.

“I don’t know when it happened. I don’t know how it happened. P’Arthit is a guy, and I’m
also a guy. But I really can’t stop my feelings…”

The silence remains, only the light breathing of the person who is listening is heard. The
words Kongpob says next, after going through some careful filtering are all his most sincere
feelings, most genuine thoughts.

“P’Arthit, I’ve been wanting to tell you since a long time ago, I...”

Beep—— Beep——

The phone was cut off before he could finish. Kongpob stares at his home screen after the
call ended abruptly. He tries to dial back but gets cut off right when the dialling tone rings.
He tries again and this time, it brings him to the voicemail to leave a message.

P’Arthit has switched off his phone...

A merciless rejection... But he has yet to express his feelings properly.

Is this it between him and P’Arthit?

Kongpob lifts his head to see the balcony across his, a curtain of rain in between, blurring his
vision, and emptying his heart.

The thing that he fears most had happened. And now, he has lost P’Arthit.

But what Kongpob didn’t know is that, like many raindrops dripping on the ground,
overwhelming emotions drip onto Arthit’s heart at the other side.

Behind the curtains of the opposite balcony, Arthit falls weakly to the floor, throwing aside
the phone that he had switched off a moment ago.

He perfectly understands what Kongpob is going to say, but he doesn’t want to hear anything
now. He is not ready to face all this, nor is he ready to answer the question in his heart...

Towards Kongpob, what are his feelings?

 Keeping A Distance with The Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Ring—!

“Kong.”

Ring—!

“Kong…”

Ring—!

“Kong! Phone!”

Not just the person who just calls out to him, everyone else is too glancing at Kongpob
because they are now in the library, and they are supposed to be silent. Yet they were
disrupted by Kongpob’s phone constantly ringing while the owner of the phone is in a daze
without noticing at all. It’s M who elbows him that wakes him from his trance.

Kongpob rummages his backpack for his phone but as he retrieves it out from his bag, the
call has cut off. He sighs as he stands up and informs M, “I’ll be out to make a call.”

“Sure. But are you okay?”

M couldn’t help but express his concern. Looking at Kongpob’s distracted look, it’s as if he
hadn’t had a good night's sleep and there’s no longer the shining aura of a Campus Moon that
he previously wore.

Well, part of the reason may be that he’s possessed by the spirit of a bookworm. He had taken
the initiative to carry all the responsibilities for the group report assigned by their professor,
volunteering to complete the full report on his own, which includes the essay report, the
PowerPoint slides, and every other task.

For the other members, of course it’s like a fortune from heaven falling onto them. But then,
a report that needed seven of them to complete as a group, the weight is definitely not light so
none of them wanted to take advantage of Kongpob. M got the other members to meet in the
library to help search for the data together.

But now, it looks like the one person who volunteered to carry all the burdens is the one that
seems absent-minded, to the extent that he didn’t even notice his phone ringing.
“Actually, why don’t you head down and take a break? Go get a coffee or something. We’re
good here.”

“Hey! I want to go too!”

“Save it, Tew. How’s your part coming?”

Kongpob hears M turning his head to the whining Tew as he stands up. In front of him is a
pile of reference books stacking in the middle of the table. They have been sitting here since
three and it’s now past five.

He admits that he’s been busy lately. Or rather, he’s been making himself as busy as possible
to prevent him from thinking about the incident that happened three days ago. However, these
three days felt like three long months, and there’s no end to it.

Judging from the call that P’Arthit cut off abruptly before he could even tell him about his
feelings, as dumb as a person can be, anyone would’ve understood that there’s only one
explanation for the older’s reaction…

That is… P’Arthit hates him.

Yet, it’s not surprising.

P’Arthit’s a guy, and even he never thought that there would be a day that he’d come to like a
guy. It’s just, after meeting P’Arthit, a special emotion formed in his heart, to which it slowly
accumulates, causing him to be confused as well.

The only thing he’s certain of is how he feels about P’Arthit and he’s definite that it’s not the
senior-junior brotherly kind of feeling.

He knew about his eyes when he looks at P’Arthit and not limited to this, there are also other
emotions appearing and increasing day by day.

He wants to be close to P’Arthit, wants to take care of P’Arthit; whenever he sees the senior,
the corners of his mouth would unconsciously lift. But because of his avoidance, all that he
feels now is pain and heartbreak.

Though he’s been telling himself that everything will be fine, it’s hard for his haggard look to
go unnoticed by his friends after a few days of insomnia.

He tried stopping himself from thinking about it, yet he would often find himself
unconsciously turn to peek at the balcony across his, causing him not wanting to go back to
his dorm. Each time he looks at his phone, the same feeling surfaces that he has to throw his
phone into his backpack which resulted in the incident earlier, that he was unable to answer
his phone in time.

Kongpob scrolls his phone to check the missed call log. Instead of leaving the library, he
stops near the stairs while looking for the latest missed call. He returns the call to P’Ple, his
direct senior from the second-year who answers the call within a few seconds.
“Sawadee krub, P’Ple. Sorry I didn’t answer your call earlier.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I was just calling to check if you wanted to go to P’Fon and P’Tum’s wedding
with me this Sunday? I plan to drive there from the university. P’Noon Noon, P’Pak,
P’Touch, and Lin will also go with me.”

From the number of people he heard, he wonders if a car can really fit all of them. He’d
already planned to attend P’Tum’s wedding anyway, just that he doesn’t know the location
yet. So, he agrees with his senior’s suggestion.

“If it’s convenient for P’, I’d also like to tag along.”

“Alright, I’ll pick you up at five. Which dorm are you staying at?”

“X dorm.”

“Okay, see you on Sunday!”

After confirming everything, he hangs up the call with P’Ple. Having that said, he’s been so
caught up in the report that he hasn’t had time to prepare his attire for the wedding. Well, it
doesn’t matter anyway because it’s exactly what he wanted. Keeping himself busy enough so
that it drains all his energy.

Kongpob rubs his face with both his hands to chase away his sleepiness. He should take M’s
advice and get a cup of coffee from the coffee shop downstairs.

Before he brings his feet down, he sees a familiar face coming down from the higher floor.
Kongpob raises his hands together to pay his respect.

“Sawadee krub, P’Knot.”

“Wadee.”

It’s Knot’s habit and reflex to respond with his hands clasp together like the person who just
paid the respect. He was looking down at the book he’d just borrowed from the library and
when he looked up upon being called and saw N’Kongpob whom he’s familiar with, he
didn’t say anything much. He’s about to leave when the junior stops him.

“P’Knot, I have something that I need your help with. Can you wait for me for a minute?”

Before Knot could reply, Kongpob disappears before his eyes and runs back into the library
on the third floor. After a while, he returns, handing him a small stack of handouts.

“P’Knot, I’d like to trouble you to pass these to P’Arthit.”

Knot looks at the handouts that he hands over and they are really the handouts for the third-
year. If he remembers correctly, the scribbled writings and doodles are of his friend. How
odd, why would the handouts of a third-year be in the hands of a first-year? Though he didn’t
quite understand, he still agrees to the junior’s request.
“Sure. I’ll pass to him.”

“Thank you, P’Knot.”

After accepting the handouts, Kongpob sends P’Knot off with his gaze. Then, he goes back
to continue his report with his friends.

Since P’Arthit hates him, he should have known better than showing up in front of him or
taking any initiative to look for him. At least being this way can make P’Arthit feels more
comfortable and less uneasy.

And more importantly, maybe the pain in his heart can be reduced as well… Right?

--

“How much are you giving for P’Tum’s wedding? Can we put all of ours in one? It’s the end
of the month and my wallet is bottomed out. Arthit! How much are you giving?”

*I’m not an expert on Thai culture but I’m guessing it’s the same as Chinese culture as we’d
give a red envelope packed with money when we attend weddings as a blessing/gift.

“I’ve prepared a gift.”

“Oh-ho. You’ve even prepared a gift huh! As expected of P’Tum’s pet!”

Arthit listens to his friends’ endless chatter, totally disregarding the fact that they are in the
library. But then again, the place they are at now can’t really be considered as the library. It’s
actually a coffee shop on the first floor of the library building. The purpose of the owner
operating it in this location is so that the students could get some quick and cold refreshments
when they feel tired.

There are a bunch of third-year seniors from the engineering faculty, holding a pile of
textbooks and stacks of handouts to study for tomorrow’s test. Lucky for them, they’d
managed to get the largest table in the shop. But don’t think that they are really there to revise
for their test, they are basically just changing their chatting location.

The same goes for Arthit. The textbooks are just opened there to air and his head is lowered
for the book to look at him instead of him at the book.

He’s just too sleepy. There are already so many classes to attend during the day and there’s
still a test coming up tomorrow. P’Tum’s wedding is also approaching. He’s been suffering
from insomnia lately and could only take a nap during the day to catch up on sleep.

The reason for his insomnia is not unknown, still the same old problem. Even if he’s forced
himself not to think about it, it still pops up in his mind from time to time.

After he hung up on Kongpob abruptly that day, he felt sorry afterward as his action might
have hurt the feeling of the person on the other end. But what else could he do in that
circumstance? Until now, Arthit still can’t give himself a clear answer…
To Kongpob, a person he’s only known for three months, what kind of feeling does he
possess?

After thinking about it calmly, Arthit realized that he doesn’t know much about Kongpob.
Other than him being one of the juniors in his department, who likes to challenge the seniors’
authority, loves to provoke the seniors, and often creates troubles for him.

Even now, he is being the biggest problem in his life and it’s driving him nuts!

Arthit massages his temples. The more he thinks about it, the more he gets annoyed. Left
with no choice, he decides to lie his head on the table again with the intention of letting his
brain rest for a second time. But he soon opens his eyes again as someone wakes him.

“Here, Arthit. Yours.”

Arthit looks at the stack of handouts that Knot hands over. He tilts his head while remaining
on the table and vaguely sees the content of the handouts. They seem like the ones that were
accidentally soaked in the water then forgotten in someone’s fridge a few days ago. He’s
shocked by its sudden appearance that sends him bouncing off the table and sitting upright.

“Where’d you get them?”

He immediately finds it stupid to be asking such a dumb question. His hands reach out for the
handouts that have returned to their original state, without traces of being soaked in the water
before while listening to Knot’s reply that he already knew.

“Kongpob passed them to me. By the way, why are your handouts with the junior?”

“Something happened. Nothing important.”

Arthit murmurs a reply as he stares hollowly at the handouts.

It’s true… Forgetting about the handouts is not important, what’s important is the things that
someone did for him. And he could still feel his kindness dancing around him.

Yes, Kongpob often causes trouble yet there are things that he did that made him feel warm,
the unexpected kind. Especially the warmth and concern that was given without asking for
anything in return.

Like yesterday, when he went to the comic shop for the fine, the bookshop owner told him
that someone had returned the books and explained on his behalf that an accident happened
causing the books to be damaged. He had also compensated for the loss. As for the reference
book, Arthit already saw them arranged nicely back on the library shelves since Tuesday.

Even though he had tried to keep his distance, even avoiding a few times the chances that
they might run into each other, yet the things that Kongpob did always surround him. And the
worst part is that the culprit is none other than himself.

The more he forces his mind not to think, the clearer his emotions are...
He missed it.

--

7PM.

Kongpob and his friends leave the library respectively. They have found all the required
materials for the report today so, all that’s left is to memorize their own content for the
presentation. Before they left, they have agreed to meet up for a presentation run-through
tomorrow.

Kongpob had volunteered to prepare the PowerPoint slides, that’s why he must integrate all
the data and do a final check as well. Considering the amount of content they have, he
probably needs to pull an all-nighter.

Before returning to his dorm, he stops by the shoplot nearby for an energy booster so that
he’s able to finish up the work by tonight. Something that can keep him awake and refreshed.

Kongpob walks to the drink stall he frequents and as he gets closer, he realizes that there are
more customers in the waiting line than usual. Probably because the stall owner is the only
one working today as he didn’t see the staff that usually helps alongside. Even so, the owner
still shows hospitality to the people.

“For those who just came, you can write down your order on the paper first! I will prepare
them in order. Today will be slightly slower but I promise that everyone will definitely get
their drinks!”

The paper and pen are placed at the stall. Kongpob picks up the pen, thinking of ordering the
coffee that he initially wanted to buy during the day. Well, having it now should boost him
some energy all the same.

After he has finished writing, he is interrupted by a sudden thought which makes him hesitate
in putting down the pen. In the end, he decided to scratch his coffee order and replace it with
something else.

This may be a meaningless idea but to him, it might be the only motivation that could support
him in the long night of finishing the task.

Kongpob hands the paper to the owner and waits for his cue. He walks away from the drink
stall, planning to find some food that he can bring back to his dorm.

With only a few minutes apart, another person walks to the drink stall and his mood
immediately goes bad after seeing his favorite stall is surrounded by seven to eight people
waiting in line as if there’s a free sample event.

However, for this man named Arthit, this crowd does not affect him at all. He passes through
the people and heads directly to the owner and speaks to the owner casually.

*Thai language has a few formality levels; in case you don’t know. So, to speak with someone
casually, you must be closer to the person first before dropping the formality.
“P’Nid, pink milk as usual for me. I’ll come over to get it later!”

There isn’t a need for him to write down his order because Arthit has long become one of the
VIP customers of the drink stall. The owner already remembered his name partly because he
always orders the same drink. The other part is that Arthit would sometimes chat with the
owner while waiting for his drink. In the long run, they naturally become acquaintances. He
even knows that the stall is packed today because the staff took a day off back to their
hometown.

Still, VIP or not, P’Nid insists on the first-come-first-served principle so he’s positive that his
pink milk will have to wait a while before its turn. So, he plans to go on a short detour to get
some snacks as he needs to burn the midnight oil to prepare for the test tomorrow. Even
though he’d spent the whole afternoon in the library, very little content got into his brain.

Arthit visits the *Pad Thai stall, *Moo Ping and Khao Niao cart. Then to the fruit stall for a
bag of guava and walks back to his first destination with both his hands filled with bags of
food. His pink milk should be ready anytime now.

*Pad Thai: Stir-fried rice noodle, Moo Ping and Khao Niao: Pork skewer and sticky
(glutinous) rice.

The people waiting in line are much less than when he just came. It’s now left with two to
three of them standing in line with their backs to him, allowing him to easily reach to the
owner and ask for his order.

“P’, is my pink milk do…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as his eyes met with someone’s standing next to him in
line.

The someone who he has been trying so hard to avoid.

Yet just so happened to meet again.

Kongpob seems shocked. His eyes flicker for a brief moment but are quick to regain his
composure. He turns his head to the other side and looks at the owner making the drink
silently.

Arthit too is speechless and doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. After all, his last
conversation with Kongpob ended terribly. Just as he plans to go and wait someplace else, the
owner’s call is heard.

“Pink milk is done!”

The senior is about to reach out for the pink milk he ordered so he could hurry off the
awkward situation. But before he could even touch the cup, the owner stops him.

“Ah! This is not Arthit’s. This Nong here ordered it first. I was looking for you earlier, but
you weren’t around. P’ ran out of the red syrup for pink milk. This is the last one. Are you
okay with normal iced milk?”
He is surprised by the reason the owner explained. He subconsciously turns his head around,
looking at the person who ordered the same drink as him unbelievably. Kongpob remains
calm and says to the owner, “It’s okay. Let P’Arthit have it. I’ll come back another time.
Please excuse me.”

He sacrificed and showed due respect too. Kongpob then leaves without ordering something
else, not even turning his head to look at the person next to him.

Even though it’s in Kongpob’s nature to take care of the others, he doesn’t understand why
this time, Arthit feels that it’s not the same.

Indifferent…

And distant…

“Oh, Arthit can have this then. 15 baht.”

The owner’s voice calls him back to his senses. After paying, Arthit reaches out for the cup
of pink milk and plods back to his dorm.

But every step is with a heavy heart and deep inside, it’s filled with complex feelings.

Well, this… Isn’t this the result that he had hoped for? He once thought that if a distance was
kept with Kongpob; that he did not go against the hazers; no intentional provocation; no
offenses that irritated him, and not spouting some jokes that would let his imagination runs
wild…

Then it would just be like any normal relationship between a senior and a junior.

And now, everything is going as it was supposed to be.

Arthit picks up the pink milk and takes a sip. The liquid passes through the tip of his tongue,
but strangely, it tasted bitter in his throat, nothing like the usual.

How can it be nice though? Now that all he sees is a blurred vision.

And only then he understands, that drinking pink milk with tears…doesn’t taste sweet at all.

*Arthit actually cried in this scene! And the last line broke me. T^T
 Let the Hazer Decide

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Arthit looks at himself in the mirror.

Black suit pants paired with a white shirt. At first glance, anyone would think that it's his
class attire and that he’s going to attend his class. However, there’s a slight difference than
the usual as he puts on a red tie. The additional bit of red is to match the red theme that is
indicated on the wedding invitation.

He is getting ready to attend P’Tum and P’Fon’s wedding ceremony. He should be wearing a
happy face for the bride and groom in such a joyous event as both of them are the seniors that
he admires and looks up to. They had taken very good care of him when they were still in the
university.

However, from the reflection in the mirror, the haggard face clearly shows that this person is
far from happy and is currently incapable of blending into the coming joyful event.

He had just finished his exam on Friday and had been searching around for clothes for the
wedding theme on Saturday as he didn’t have any red in his closet. After searching up and
down, he ended up with only a red tie. Well, still better than nothing.

Now, he can only rely the rest on a better hairstyle so that it could emits more charm to cover
up the dark circles under his eyes and his fatigue. He has been facing too many problems
lately, all crashing down on him at once.

Especially the most problematic one. Other than making his head swim, even his mood feels
heavy as if there’s a weight hanging on his heart.

Ring—!

The ringtone that breaks the silence pushes its owner to quickly pick up the call. After seeing
the name displayed on the screen, he taps on the connect button and Knot’s urging can be
heard from the other side.

“Are you done? I’m already at your dorm!”

“Yeah. Coming.”

Arthit hangs up after a simple response. He heaves a sigh, as if a way to release the weariness
in his heart.
Alright… Anyway, today is an auspicious day and he shouldn’t be putting on a face as if
someone had died. He should be happy for his two beloved seniors.

Before he heads out, he puts on his dark suit jacket and gives a final check on his overall
appearance. After making sure that the gift for the newlywed is in his hands, he then locks his
door and leaves.

When he reaches the lobby, a black Camry is seen at the pickup point. Knot had parked his
car at the lobby entrance to wait for him. The driver is being so ‘sweet’ that he even put the
windows down so that his friends can tease him.

“Prince Arthit is finally willing to show his face! You’re dressed so handsomely that I
thought you were some *fresh meat imported from Korea.”

*Not sure if you guys know but apparently fresh meat is a slang which means young hunk. I
feel that using young hunk here is a bit formal(?) so I opted for the casual one and more of a
teasing tone.

“Fine. If I’m from Korea then what about you, Prem!? You actually put on a *bright red
Chinese traditional costume! From afar, I thought some old uncle who sells sugar roasted
chestnuts at **Yaowarat had hopped on the wrong car. Where the hell did you even find
this?”

*In Chinese, 大红色 can be of different shade of red. Can be dark or bright and I opted for
the bright one cause it would look funnier.

**Yaowarat = Chinatown

He bickers with his friend who is sitting in the car. Other than Prem, his other friends from
the same hazing team are also in the car because they all went through the hazing training by
P’Tum previously.

As for Prem, although he’s not in the same department, he often went out drinking with them
and P’Tum. Moreover, he is given an important task today as the wedding photographer. So,
he too had to find something red to meet the theme requirement.

Having been teased by Arthit, Prem hums and haws and finally picks whatever reason to fob
him off.

“I just wasn’t able to find the right clothes in time! I happened to wear this during Chinese
New Year.”

The one who is listening raises his eyebrows. Prem with a full-fledged Southern looking face
and features without a single group of DNAS that hints any Chinese lineage in him. Arthit’s
mouth is itching to mock him again but the person who is at the steering wheel cuts in first.

“Hey, how long are you guys going to bicker? And you, Arthit. Are you getting in or what?
We’re going to be late!”
Knot’s interruption stops the two from their rounds of bickering. They realized that this is not
the time to joke around as their destination today is quite far. Arthit quickly hops into the
unoccupied front passenger seat. Knot starts his car’s engine then joins in the usual evening
traffic in Bangkok.

After some time, the car finally parks in front of a high-end hotel located near the Rama VIII
Bridge, along Chao Phraya River. The sun had just set by the time they reached.

The place is mainly decorated with red roses, looking full of joy and corresponding to the red
theme the couple had set. Looking around, most of the people who attend are of familiar
faces. And this deserves to be called the wedding ceremony of a fellow engineering graduate
as most of the people are either the seniors who had graduated or the juniors that are still in
the university from all years.

It looks more like a social gathering for the Faculty of Engineering rather than a wedding.

The bride and groom are standing at the entrance welcoming their guests, and Arthit takes the
chance to go over and greet them.

“Congrats, P’Tum, P’Fon!”

The groom is wearing a white suit with a red bow tie, seemingly in high spirits. The bride is
already a beauty to begin with but today, she’s especially stunning and lovely.

But whatever it is, the couple is still everyone’s P’Tum and P’Fon. They turn to see who are
the ones that greeted them and upon seeing the group, their eyes light up, the usual smile
beaming on their faces. They wave at them, beckoning them to join in.

“Ai-Oon! Come on over. Let’s take a picture together!”

The group of hazers swarm over and honor Prem the photographer by doing a lot of poses for
him to capture, until another group of guests show up.

“P’Tum, P’Fon! Congratulations!”

“Oh, here comes mine!”

The bride speaks excitedly as she rushes to her ID family members. Both P’Ple and P’Noon
Noon who are dressed in pretty dresses take the lead, following behind are fourth-year P’Pak,
second-year Touch and first-years Lin and Kongpob.

Kongpob shows up in a black suit with a red shirt and a black tie, which matches today’s red
theme. What he wore is quite similar to Arthit and a lot of the other guests but being the
Campus Moon, the aura he gives out has him appear to be more dazzling, attracting the
attention of most female guests. Even the bride gives in to his charms as she greets the junior
with much enthusiasm to come over for a group photo.

“N’Kongpob, come and take a picture with P’ first. Tum, can you move away for a second? I
want a photo with my ID family.”
The bride is actually chasing her groom away…

The groom rubs his nose in embarrassment while stepping aside and watches his bride
snapping photos with the junior. He is booed jokingly by his other hazing juniors, livening up
the atmosphere.

After pressing the shutter several times, Prem invites the groom back for a photo together.
Then, a thought comes to P’Tum.

“Oh, that’s right. The joint family has not taken a photo together yet! Both 0062 and 0206
come over! Let’s take one together!”

Tum beckons his juniors from his ID family and arranges them to stand by the flower arch,
along with the 0062 ID family. Arthit has no choice but to follow suit. However, it’s really
testing the photographer’s skills because he has to fit nearly a dozen of them into the lens, so
he could only request them to stand closer.

“Everyone stands closer to each other please.”

Arthit takes a small step forward and a faint perfume waft from his left, so he turns his head
subconsciously in the direction. He stuns when he found out the identity of the person who is
standing on his left and vice versa. The other turns his head away coldly back at the camera,
waiting for the photographer to begin the count down.

“Alright, everyone. Three, two, one, cheese!”

Arthit puts in great effort to stretch a smile at the camera but even he feels that his smile is
forced. No matter how many takes, though it seems like he’s wearing a smile of blessing on
his face, in truth the feeling in his heart reflects the opposite. The feeling he’d tried so hard to
forget seems to come back and sweeps his heart away.

How distant...even when the person is actually just beside him.

“Ok, perfect!”

As soon as the photographer gives the ‘ok’ sign, the crowd scatters. The perfume fades; the
man turns to walk in the other direction, leaving only a back to Arthit. A sudden sense of
emptiness and loneliness surges into his heart.

It’s too much... Too much for him to bear...

“Kongpob!”

When Arthit comes back to his senses, his hand is already pulling the hem of the jacket of the
person in front of him. He retreats his hand quickly, but it is too late. The person whom he
had called out to had turned his head around, looking at him in surprise.

“Yes?”
He’s not ready to face Kongpob yet but now, he has to think of a topic to relieve the awkward
tension between them.

“Um... How are you doing?”

Arthit thinks this is a stupid question but really, he can’t think of anything else to talk about
right now. The other nods in response.

“Good.”

“Right... Well, th-the decoration for the wedding is gorgeous! Don’t you think?”

“Yes.”

“But the red theme... Yea! The red theme is quite a pain. I’ve hunted almost everywhere and
the only thing I got out of it was a tie. Ha, ha, ha.”

The laugh that Arthit offers is so dry that it shows his uneasiness even more. The other
person already had an inkling about his action, and he let out a soft sigh.

“P’Arthit, I know this is awkward for you, but if you’re pushing yourself, you don’t really
need to do this.”

These words from Kongpob got Arthit to lift his head and looks into his eyes. Not shying
away this time and it’s the first time he’s looking straight into these eyes, observing them.

It’s not an unconcerned look but more of a mix of hidden fatigue, discouragement and
torment. All these are then reflected in the voice of the owner of the pair of tired eyes. His
voice so soft like a whisper to himself but loud enough to hit the core of Arthit’s heart.

“Because the more P’Arthit does this, the more hope it’s going to give me.”

After saying what he had to say, Kongpob turns and leaves. And there’s no longer any words
from Arthit’s mouth to keep the person from leaving.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to but rather, he doesn’t have any reason to make him stay. And
he now understands that it’s not just him who is feeling this way; Kongpob as well.

His and his heart are filled with sorrow and pain because of the vague relationship.

“Hey, Arthit. What are you doing here? Let’s get inside.”

Knot walks over and gets him to go into the hall to find their seat. Since Kongpob is gone, he
could only follow quietly behind Knot to their seat not far from the stage. The appetizer is
served not long after they’ve taken their seat and the ceremony begins.

*I’m guessing this is like the Chinese kind of wedding dinner. (I don’t know how the wedding
of other races work so don’t jump) It’s usually a table of 10 and around 8-9 dishes will be
served to the table. So, it’s a different image from the series.
A video of the bride and groom since young is shown on the projection screen, a sweet
atmosphere spreads among the guests. Once the video ends, the bride and groom walk onto
the stage along the red carpet from the entrance. Thereafter, the minister and both their
parents put on a wreath on the newlywed, blessing them on their journey in marriage and to
love each other until both are of old ages.

The emcee lives up to their responsibility to lighten the mood so they have arranged a short
interview to ask on behalf of all the curious guests about the newlywed’s love journey.

“Both of you were friends at first, right? So, how did you guys end up together?”

“I was the head hazer back then while Fon was the head of the nursing team. The SOTUS
training that year was very grueling and many of them would frequently pass out. Fon often
jumped on me not to be so tough on the juniors and that there’s not enough of them in the
nursing team to take care of them. She even said that she’ll report it to the dean if a lot of
them faint again in the next training. You guys be the judge, she volunteered to be in the
nursing team but threatened to expose us when the hazing team and the nursing team should
work together. I was hot-headed then and not willing to give in, so we always fight.”

A lot of them can testify to the past that P’Tum is reminiscing about. Especially Arthit, who
was one of the first-years when P’Tum served as the Head Hazer. The image of getting
trained till they’re on their last legs is still fresh in his memory.

Back then, although it’s true that a bunch of them fainted, some were sick for real, but the
others were just faking it to escape ‘hell’ and at the same time, to create a chance to get close
to the lovely P’Fon.

“Well, that’s how it is. I don’t know how we did it but by the time we realized, we already
can’t live without each other.”

As P’Tum speaks the last line, his hand holds onto his bride tightly. Both embracing each
other while recalling the touching moments, from friends to lovers and finally getting married
today.

A vast difference compared to the situation of Arthit and Kongpob.

Arthit looks at the scene on the stage with a sorrowful feeling in his heart.

He is the third-year Head Hazer while Kongpob is a first-year, and both of them are men.
Although he wants to go back to the normal relationship between a senior and a junior, there
are some things that make it difficult for them to return to that state.

It is perhaps too late now.

“Now, let us all lift our glasses up for a toast to the bride and groom. Cheers!”

The voice of the emcee interrupts his train of heavy thoughts. Arthit does his best to get rid of
the depressed feeling and adjust his mood that fits the happy occasion. He stands along with
his friends and holds his glass high for the toast. He suddenly remembers the small gift he
had prepared for P’Tum.

Well, that can wait until the wedding’s over.

By the time this romantic and joyful wedding ends, it’s already close to nine. Most of the
guests are already on their way back, only some of the juniors from the Faculty of
Engineering are left. Arthit’s group walks to the flower arch to find the newlywed who is
sending off their guests and when they notice only the beautiful bride is left standing alone,
Arthit asks.

“P’Fon, where’s P’Tum?”

“Oh, he went to the restroom.”

Fortunately, the restroom is not far from the entrance, so he decided to head there for the said
person. When Arthit walks in, Tum has just finished washing his hands and he greets his
junior upon seeing him.

“Ai-Oon!”

“P’Tum, I have something for you.”

Arthit hands over a pink envelope to Tum after informing him. After seeing it, the senior
looks puzzled, assuming that the junior is giving him the *red packet, so he accepts it
naturally. But after he opens it, he finds a beautiful card with words of blessings and thanks
resting inside.

*Red packet is usually packed with money and as far as I know, is given during Chinese New
Year and weddings as a blessing.

**PINK, YOU GUYS! PINK ENVELOPE! I CAN’T BELIEVE THE SERIES ROBBED US
THIS DETAIL!

Thanking for all the care that the groom had showered on him in the past. Every word comes
from his heart and the person who receives it could also feel the honest feeling oozing out
from the words as well.

“Thank you. But man, I can’t believe you’re capable of cards!”

The groom, which is also his senior, still teases Arthit out of habit. Because something so
cute and attentive is not at all a thing that the direct junior of his would do. Even the junior
himself takes it upon himself to admit the ‘charge.’

“I didn’t know what gift to choose, and someone once told me that a card is pretty romantic
in a way.”

“Ha! Romantic! Which girl told you that? Oh-ho, picking up girls now, I see. Not bad, good
progress there.”
“Not really. In fact...until now, I have no idea what it is between me and that person.”

The tone of the sentence sounded heavy, obviously hinting major concerns behind those
words. Before the groom could question him further, the troubled person continues.

“P’Tum, I have a question. Are you happy when you’re with P’Fon?”

“Of course I am! Why’d you ask?”

“Because I once heard that if you are with the right person, you’ll feel comfortable and happy
when you are with them. But if you feel upset and in pain when you’re with them, it means
that they are not the right one. Is that right, P’Tum?”

After hearing his logic, Tum seems to have grasp onto the concerns his junior is bearing. He
sighs after a deep breath and changes to a more serious tone, putting on an expression and the
posture he’d had when he was the Head Hazer back then.

But what’s different this time is that he’s going to pass on his life experience to his junior
instead of training him till he’s half gone.

“Listen to me, Ai-Oon. It’s not always sunshine and roses when I’m with Fon. We, as a
matter of fact, fight a lot. Believe it or not, we just quarreled this morning over a small matter
like the wedding cake. I’ve experienced anger, happiness, sadness, fits throwing, all kinds of
emotions when we dated. And I’m fully aware that I will continue to face these situations in
the future, yet I still choose to be with her. Do you know why?”

Arthit shakes his head, implying he doesn’t. Tum smiles faintly before he answers. And his
words confirm Arthit’s answer that is all along within his heart.

“Because I have not felt this way for anyone else except Fon. She got me into doing things
that I never thought I could do.”

*I supposed the answer can be interpreted differently. To do things he never thought he could
do is like giving him the encouragement and support for things he’d not done before OR
changing him into a better person that does better things.

‘Doing things that I never thought I could do before...’

The person who made you feel comfortable when taking care of each other...

The person who made you feel warm when you’re near them...

The person who made you feel pain when they act indifferent to you...

The person who made you cry when you thought you lost them...
For him, the answer is more than clear now.

Kongpob, is that person.

Even though he understands the theory, there’s still something stuck in his heart that is still
messing his mood. He can’t help but continue to ask.

“But how can you be so sure? What if our relationship can’t go back to how it was before?”

*I’m guessing how to go back to being friends if the relationship doesn’t work out.

“Then, is the relationship between you and that person the same now?”

Tum asks a question in reply that renders Arthit speechless.

It’s exactly because he knows, that there’s already no turning back. Especially after seeing the
other’s response today. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the starting point, he
also clearly understands that it’s impossible. Just like the question P’Tum asked.

“Ai-Oon, us human, once some sort of feeling happens to you, it’s hard to revert to the
former and go back to the way it was before. The only way is to rely on time to heal it for
you. Though, are you willing to just let the time pass you by and do nothing? Or would you
rather make use of it and do the things you want to do? Think this over, alright. I’ll be going
then; I need to send off the guests. Take care!”

Tum pats Arthit’s shoulder, giving him a little cheering before leaving. However, he gets
called again after only marching out half a step.

“Hold on, P’Tum.”

“What again?”

The groom is beginning to lose his patience to his junior’s curiosity since he has his hands
full at the moment as well. But he still stops for the third time after seeing the junior acting
all distressed, waiting for him to speak up.

“So, what exactly it is that I’m feeling?”

“Even if you ask me, how would I know? You have to figure it out yourself. Don’t use your
brain, ask your heart instead. But if you still can’t figure it out, then forget it and just do
whatever you want! You are the Head Hazer, man! Bring out your courage! Don’t ruin our
reputation!”

Tum reminds Arthit of his previous Head Hazer post not long ago. Then he walks out to
complete his task as the groom, leaving the junior alone surrounded by the quiet air.

Arthit clenches his fists. He trots out of the restroom and runs to his friends. Prem yells when
he sees him.

“Hey, Arthit! Where were you? We’re heading back already and you’re the only one left.”
“Where’s the first-year?”

“First-year who?”

Prem frowns suspiciously at his friend’s question and the nervous look. Knot, who is standing
beside answers on his behalf, as if knowing who the person Arthit is asking.

“If you mean Kongpob, he just walks out. Probably waiting for his ride outside the hotel.”

“Okay, thanks!”

Arthit responds briefly and runs in the direction that Knot pointed. Prem at the side still can’t
figure out what is going on and he asks Arthit again.

“Hey, are you going back with us then?!”

“Y’all go ahead. I’ll go back on my own.”

The person says to his friends before dashing out in a hurry, leaving them behind.

Because the only thing he must do now is to run.

To catch up with the opportunity...

From this second on, he has decided...

He chose to follow his heart...

 The Hazer Will Stand Beside You

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

Arthit can’t remember when’s the last time he ran with all his might.

Perhaps it was that time when he was ordered to punish himself by the fourth-year seniors
two months back and had run 54 laps around the field in the rain. It was also the day he ran to
prove the dignity of a hazer but today, he’s running to let go of his dignity, all for a first-year.

Arthit takes the elevator down to the lobby on the first floor, rushes through the glass door
that is guarded by two doormen on each side, then continues dashing down the stairs to the
hotel’s parking lot.

Even though it’s quite difficult to find a person under the dim lights at 9PM, he still tries,
hoping to find that person.

But he’s only getting an empty parking lot as a response, not a single soul is found.

He could tell himself that he can still speak to Kongpob at the campus tomorrow, or if not, he
has Kongpob’s number too. But deep down, he’s afraid. He’s afraid that if he misses this
chance now, he’s gonna lose it forever.

Because for some things, it’s now or never. Even if you’re late for only a second, the changes
that could happen may be too deep to be undone.

Just the thought of it triggers a certain emotion from his chest that quickly floods up to his
throat. He stands alone in the vacant parking lot. He really wanted to sit directly on the
ground and take a breath after being physically drained from the running earlier. He’s already
out of strength to figure out what to do next.

He supposed Knot and the gang have reached the lobby by now. Should he go back and take
a ride with them back to his dorm? It’s better than spending a much longer time taking a cab,
then transfer to a bus back to his dorm. Not to mention, all alone.

Arthit listlessly holds up his phone and plans to give Knot a call. Suddenly, a familiar voice is
heard calling him that almost stops his heart.

“What are you doing here, P’Arthit?”

The one who got called turns back with his eyes widen in surprise. The person he had just
decided to give up looking for suddenly appears before him. He blurts out a question without
thinking, “Kongpob, you’re still around?”
Kongpob shows an awkward face upon hearing Arthit’s question. He thought he was causing
Arthit problem again since the other didn’t expect his presence. But he still answers
truthfully.

“Yes. I don’t feel like going back yet.”

He’s referring to the wedding ceremony that he had just attended. He was, from the bottom of
his heart, happy for the bride and groom, but when he compared it to his situation, he
couldn’t help but feel his heart wrenching.

He knows... He understands that his feelings are not easy to be accepted. Even he is confused
about his own feelings, let alone the society. So how can he ask for more from the person he
admires? This is simply out of the question.

But if he’s given the choice to let go, he can’t do it either.

That’s why he told P’Ple to go ahead without him because he didn’t want to go back to his
dorm and stare at the opposite balcony alone. Instead of keeping up like this, he thinks he
should give himself some space to calm down and think through things.

Not long after he saw P’Ple and the rest out of the parking lot, he noticed P’Arthit running
down from the hotel, looking around frantically as if searching for someone.

At first, he thought that P’Arthit was rushing to chase P’Knot’s car, then he started to feel
worried when he saw P’Arthit still standing alone after a while that he decided to walk over
to check on him.

Maybe he’s really putting pressure on P’Arthit since he was speaking to him uneasily during
the wedding ceremony earlier. He’s not sure if it was out of hatred or other reasons, but one
thing he’s certain of was that he never wanted P’Arthit to feel awkward.

And it’s the same now too. He should keep reminding himself before deciding if he should
greet P’Arthit because right now, the said person is standing quietly in front of him, and the
surrounding is so silent that it’s getting embarrassing.

Well, since he knows who’s responsible for creating such an atmosphere, he should
knowingly leave the scene.

Kongpob sighs slightly, intending to turn around, and disappears in the other direction. But
before he could do so, the person who has been silent suddenly asks, “Are you hungry?”

Kongpob frowns in confusion at a question that is thrown out of the blue.

To be honest, he does feel a little hungry. Though the meal portion served at P’Tum and
P’Fon’s wedding was quite large, he couldn’t get much into his stomach. However, he
couldn’t figure out why P’Arthit asked him this.

Is it the ‘how are you doing’ kind of small talk like earlier at the ceremony? This senior really
understands nothing. The more Arthit shows his concerns towards him, the more hopeless
he’s going to be.
Just as Kongpob opens his mouth, wanting to clear things up, the other snatches away his
chance.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go find something to eat.”

The person who claimed to be hungry is the first to walk out of the parking lot after finishing
his sentence, while the other is still standing in place trying to decipher the meaning of the
sentence just now.

The only result he could interpret from it is...an invitation. From P’Arthit.

He still couldn’t understand P’Arthit’s actions yet Kongpob can’t stop himself from catching
up to him.

They leave the hotel and walk into an alley that brings them to the main road filled with
traffic. After walking a little further along the main road, they reach ‘The Fourth Gentleman’s
Wonton Noodle.’ It’s a roadside stall with a few tables and chairs, and only a few customers
around.

Kongpob sits at the same table as P’Arthit, waiting for the owner to come over for their
orders. The one who invited him promptly orders his usual.

“P’, I’d like a large egg noodle with dumplings in spicy soup.”

“Then I’ll have rice noodles in clear soup with meatballs.”

He orders the lighter option as usual. At first, he thought that P’Arthit would make fun of
him, but he didn’t. Without saying a word, he just loosens his necktie. It is then he
remembers that they’re all suited up. It’s no wonder the other customers are shooting a
strange look here and there at them, as it is quite odd to eat at a roadside stall in a formal suit.

However, P’Arthit doesn’t seem to care. Perhaps, the senior’s invitation is purely just because
he’s really starving.

It’s getting more and more chaotic in his brain, but he has no idea how to get it started. In the
end, he stays silent until the two bowls of noodles are served.

One bowl of spicy soup egg noodles; one bowl of clear soup rice noodles.

This reminded him of the first time he went to eat noodles with P’Arthit, the moment when
their noodles were exchanged by the senior. The reason still clear in his mind; it was because
the senior wanted him to try something new. Moreover, P’Arthit even mentioned that he
specifically ordered it for him.

It was such a simple reason yet enough to get closer to him and touched his heart, affecting
him more and more.

But this time, judging by the situation, the same moment wouldn't happen again because the
person who ordered the spicy soup noodles pulls his bowl closer, covers it with chili powder,
and starts digging right in without wasting any time in conversations.
So, Kongpob too picks up his chopstick for his noodles. He aims for his favorite meatball
first. Most people would prefer saving their favourite for last, but Kongpob likes having it
together with the rest of his food. His way of eating his meatball may have caught the
senior’s attention that he asks, “You like meatballs?”

“Yes.”

Kongpob nods while admitting, then lowers his head to continue eating his rice noodles.
Suddenly, a glimpse of a pair of mysterious chopsticks slips a meatball into his bowl, “Here,
you can have it.”

Here he goes again… He’s lost count of how many times P’Arthit has done this.

Kongpob always feels like giving up whenever the older acted like he didn’t care about him
but when he’s determined to do so, he gave him hope again.

Well, it seems that being kind to others is in his blood and is impossible for him to change.
And he should have known better of this personality of P’Arthit’s. But in the end, he’s still
the idiot he is, always overconfident, always not learning from his lessons and getting hurt
repeatedly.

It’s self-harm to be hoping hope from a hopeless hope.

“Why is P’Arthit treating me like this?”

“Like how?”

“P’Arthit. Do you really not know or you’re just pretending that you don’t?”

The hand that holds the chopsticks pauses momentarily before quickly regaining its senses
and continue picking up the noodles, sliding away the question, replacing it with another.

“You’re not starting? The noodles will get soggy.”

Kongpob looks at P’Arthit who after changing the subject, puts all his concentration on the
bowl of noodles and ignores everything else around him. He’s trying to avoid this topic and
his response has given Kongpob a clear answer.

P’Arthit knew. He knew what he meant but he still chooses to do this, to be the reason his
imagination runs wild; to lead him on.

Sometimes, P’Arthit welcomes him to get closer to him, but pushes him thousands of miles
away on the other. He’s confused about where his stand is. And only one person knows the
answer to this question.

He wants to know, what P’Arthit is thinking.

But as long as P’Arthit is not willing to face it, it’s futile even if he keeps pursuing the
question. So, he ends up going back to devour his noodles.
After both of them have finished eating and settling their bills, P’Arthit is the first to walk
out.

At first, he thought that P’Arthit is going out to flag a cab or to the bus stop sign but seems
like he’s not doing any…

P’Arthit continues his walk, while he trails behind. He doesn’t know how long they’ve been
walking until the Rama VIII Bridge appears in front of him. The lights on the bridge
illuminate the night sky of Bangkok.

However, he still didn’t stop and continues to walk onto the bridge. On their left is the Chao
Phraya River and the right is the road with passing cars from time to time. The night wind is
a little chilly but fortunately, they’re in full suit, so it isn’t too cold for them. Aimlessly, they
reach the quarter point of the bridge.

They wander silently, no conversation or small talk initiated. The silence gives them the
space to think, to ponder about the questions, and to find the answer.

And surprisingly, the first to conclude an answer, is Arthit. He stops his track and turns to
face the man following behind.

Kongpob’s still there, still sticking to him throughout.

It’s a simple question, “Are you tired?”

Another act of concern. The same as all that Kongpob had heard before. He shakes his head.

“No.”

Arthit didn’t avoid the subject this time. Instead, he looks into Kongpob’s eyes and asks with
a serious expression.

“Honestly, aren’t you tired at all that you keep chasing after me like this? You don’t even
have the slightest idea on where I’m heading or when am I going to stop.”

Kongpob pauses, as if he’d just figured it out. This is not him acting out of concern. There
are underlying messages in between, and it’s also the same question he’s been asking himself.

Is he ready? To go on this road? If he chooses to continue, their relationship will remain

undefined and none of them know what the end will be.

Once the line is crossed, they can never be able to go back to as before. And if in the end,
things didn’t work out, and he and P’Arthit end up becoming strangers, he might go through
a far worst suffering than now.

If that time comes, will he be able to endure it? Does he have the ability to face the reality?

It’s not easy to face everything chin up, but neither it is easy to give up the one you hold dear.

Kongpob stares quietly into P’Arthit’s eyes. He then replies firmly on his decision.
“No matter what lies ahead, no matter how far this journey will be, I still want to be by
P’Arthit’s side.”

*I like the series version more. Where Kongpob said he wants to be there for P’Arthit.

He has expressed himself clearly, the rest is left waiting for the other party’s decision.

In silence, Arthit seems to be in deep thoughts. From time to time, he would turn his head
away to look at the lights reflected on the river. Then, he asks again, “You know right? That
I’m a guy and you’re also a guy.”

“Yes.”

“And you also know right? That I’m your senior and you’re my junior.”

“Yes.”

They both are clear of their gender and position in society. All along, P’Arthit has always
maintained his image as a man who strictly observes the dignity of a Head Hazer. If there’s a
guy who is his junior that thinks of him beyond a senior, it’s probably going to be difficult for
him to accept.

Yet, Kongpob can’t prevent himself from developing the feelings for P’Arthit. However, if
P’Arthit hates and rejects him for this reason…

Then he can only accept it.

When he thinks about the distance that exists between them, Kongpob’s heart begins to sink.
When his mind is running with all the possibilities of how P’Arthit is going to reject him, the
senior continues.

“You know right? That I’m addicted to pink milk.”

This strange question causes Kongpob to raise his head up at P’Arthit and the other also turn
to return the gaze, looking like he had set free the words that he has been suppressing in his
heart for a long time.

“And you also know right? That sometimes I can be super annoying, I act on impulse, and
gets cranky easily. I always sleep in and laze around a lot. Can you still really accept me after
knowing all of these?”

Kongpob is in shock. He never thought that P’Arthit is also as worried as him; both wanting
to make sure that they could truly accept each other. For him, the hesitation doesn’t exist.
Because for all the things that P’Arthit had said, he had long known about them.

“Yes, I can! What about P’Arthit? Can P’ accept me?”

Kongpob asks, with a hint of greater hope in his voice. But the reply makes his expectant
heart falls into pit bottom again.
“I don’t know you well enough yet.”

It didn’t come as a surprise though, P’Arthit’s hesitation. For they had only known each other
for only three months. Before he had the time to fully process the words and react, P’Arthit
speaks again.

“But I want to know you more.”

It’s just a short sentence but capable enough to shake Kongpob up that he couldn’t help
widening his eyes at the words. He couldn’t believe his ears and wants to reconfirm it.

“The words just now. What does P’Arthit mean?”

Soon as Kongpob ends his question, he feels a strength pulling his tie, dragging him to fall
close to the person standing across him. A soft touch on his lips.

A kiss so tender yet imprinted so deeply in his heart.

Only briefly, the senior let go as he says...

“My answer.”

With that, Arthit turns and trots off the bridge, leaving a stunned Kongpob in place. When he
finally understands the meaning, a beaming smile slowly spread across his face. He turns and
shouts at the senior.

“Wait, P’Arthit! I didn’t hear your answer clear enough. Can I ask for it one more time?”

“No!”

The immediate loud retort had Kongpob laughing. He quickens his pace to catch up to him.
They walk together silently, just like when they were getting onto the bridge just now.

It seems that ‘silent’ has affected their relationship without them realizing, playing the part
where ‘talking’ can’t do.

Because at least for now, they are clear of the place they stand in this relationship.

Being like this, being the person who walks next to each other...

Just like this, is more than enough...

 The First-Year’s Heart is the Hazer’s Heart

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV.

The wheel of time continues to turn; the days passing by in a flash...

It’s been a week since the wedding of P’Tum and P’Fon, and everything is back to its usual
track as before.

For Kongpob, it’s a hellish week packed with all sorts of quizzes, piles of reports, and a
mountain of assignments. Only three weeks left until the final exam, and after that, he’ll be
done with his first semester.

This also means that the days of him being a first-year have gone by half. The time passing
by so quickly that it feels kinda surreal.

Kongpob decided to go to the library after lunch to return the reference books he’d borrowed
for the report before going back to his dorm since he has no class in the afternoon.

When he and his friends finished their meals and are about to stand up to return the tray, M
who had just ended a phone call turns around and inform him, “Kong, Wad called and said
that the midterm score for calculus has been announced. It’s on the bulletin board next to the
elevator on the ground floor of the Engineering building. You wanna go and take a look?”

Calculus (I) is considered the most difficult subject by everyone, and the releasing of the
result is also the slowest. Every year, all first-years await the result release for this subject
anxiously.

Even for Kongpob, who is able to answer more than half of the questions, is still inevitable to
worry because this subject has no other quizzes or reports that allow them to accumulate the
scores. Fifty percent of the score comes from the midterm and the remaining fifty from the
finals.

Therefore, the Calculus (I) score from the midterm is a prediction of whether this year's first-
years will be getting their first F in the first semester of their university life. And if that’s
really the case, one can only hide at home and bite on their defeat.

Kongpob immediately changes his plan after hearing the news and follows a few of
them back to the building to check their results. As expected, a crowd had formed in front of
the bulletin board and those who came later don’t even have a slit to squeeze in.

In the end, Kongpob gets M, who’s smaller in size to squeeze into the crowd to check their
group’s results while he and the others stand next to the board and wait.
*Well, M in the series is definitely not smaller than Kongpob. XD

Not just the front of the bulletin board is packed with people, they even took up space in the
corridor affecting the people who are getting in and out of the elevator. Until finally, someone
who couldn’t stand the mayhem anymore yells to the crowd.

“What are you guys doing!?”

The first-years are all startled by the sudden outburst and after turning their heads to look at
the person who shouted, all of them automatically jump aside to form a path for the group of
seniors who are in their hazing uniform. All of them wearing a terrifying gaze, exuding a
fierce aura.

Especially Arthit, who once served as the Head Hazer walks in front taking the lead.
Although his then beard is now gone, his once messy hair is now neat and tidy, changing into
a completely different style compared to before, that doesn’t soften his gaze that still carries
the power to kill.

Just one stare, the first-years instantly recall the horror of the freshmen training and start to
fear what’s going to come at them.

Well, except one.

“We are checking our midterm result, P’Arthit.”

0062 again. The hero who loves to stand out to cover for the others. But all explanation is in
vain as Arthit continues to reproach them firmly.

“Then why are you guys in such disorder! Or have you forgotten the ‘Order’ that we taught
you previously? It seems to me that we need to haze you all over again, right? Well then.
First-years! Fall in! Now!”

Everyone is stunned as they didn’t expect to hear the command at this timing. Although the
first-years from the industrial engineering department are very much familiar with the fall in
command, the other first-years from other departments are still rooted in place, looking at
each other baffled.

Before anyone could make a move, one of the seniors next to the Head Hazer jumps to their
rescue. He slaps hard on the commander’s shoulder.

“Hey, you! Did you get possessed by the hazing spirit!? Can’t you speak properly? Look at
how much fear you’re causing to the juniors!”

“I-I’m used to speaking like this! I don’t know how else I should put it.”

Arthit turns to his friend and complains. He only wanted to ask the juniors to make way but
what other choices he has? He’s already so used to the way of a Head Hazer that no matter if
it’s speaking or acting, it’s still the hazing style.
The first-years then realized that the seniors were just joking around after seeing the situation
in front of them and immediately let out a breath of relief. However, the command that was
given had worked its magic because the juniors have already cleared up a path for the others
to pass through.

One of the first-years stands next to Kongpob before whining, “Hey, P’Arthit. You scared all
of us to death! We were this close to getting in line!”

The whine from the first year had the fierce-faced seniors rolling.

It’s actually quite an intriguing scene...

If the time turns back to the beginning of the semester, the juniors dare not to even face them.
But look at them now, greeting each other at ease, interacting cordially, respecting the
boundaries between a senior and a junior.

“So, how’s the calculus result of our department?”

“Our department has the least failing grades. And the top scorer is in our department!”

M, who had squeezed into the crowd to check the results answered on their behalf and the
good news also earn compliments from the seniors.

“Well, this is expected of the students from the Industrial Engineering Department. Just one
look at the way you give out the command, I can already foresee that the first-years would
pass all their exams!”

“What’s it got to do with my command?”

“Oh, you see. If the first-years can survive from the commands that you bunch of hazers had
meticulously arranged, then even the most difficult trials will just be a piece of cake to them.
After all, there’s no hell more brutal than yours.”

Wait, that sounded kinda weird. Was that a compliment or an insult? Just as Arthit is about to
argue back, another voice beats him to it.

“Even so, I’d still like to try becoming a hazer.”

Not only the seniors but even his peers are also stunned by his sudden announcement. All of
them look at Konpgob with admiration. Well, their reaction is expected since no one would
have thought that there would be someone who willingly offers to take on that devilish post.
Even Arthit, the former Head Hazer couldn’t help but ask again to reconfirm the other’s
decision.

“Have you thought about it thoroughly?”

“Yes, I have.”

From the firm answer and the pair of determined eyes, anyone could feel the sincerity that the
person is conveying. Arthit’s friend pats on his shoulder and exclaims, “Congratulations,
Arthit! You’ve officially found yourself a great successor!”

Although his friend sounded like he’s joking like he always does, Arthit didn’t fight back
because he feels that it might come true. After all, when the time is up, he needs to let the
next in place take over anyway. And he thinks that he’ll be more at ease if Kongpob is the
one to carry forward their engineering traditions and spirit.

Just when everyone is basking in the warmth of brotherhood, a voice of disruption comes to
them.

Knot, who has been quiet for a long time suddenly voice out, “Um... I just saw Professor Su
went into the elevator.”

“Oh, shit! We’re dead if we’re late! She’ll lock the door once she reached the class! Hurry!
Let’s go!”

The group disbands in a second. The third-years notice that it’s almost time for the afternoon
class to start so there’s no way for them to squeeze into the elevator since there’s most likely
be a queue by now. This class is on the third floor so they should be able to make it in time if
they run up the stairs.

When Arthit is about to turn around and follow his friends to the stairs, a hand holds onto
him.

“Wait a minute, P’Arthit.”

He who is called turns his head back and sees Kongpob approaching him at the side. He
notices he’s wearing the same smile but that sincere eyes earlier had replaced into sparkling
eyes, with a soft voice that is just loud enough for the both of them.

“Study hard.”

It was a simple sentence, yet it made his heart tremble fiercely, a feeling which he could not
explain surfaced. He subconsciously pulls his arm back while the other let go of him easily,
telling him to quickly follow his friends to class.

Although many things had happened that day on the Rama Bridge VIII and were more than
enough to confirm their mutual feelings, they maintained their interactions as senior and
junior; none interfere with each other’s daily life, nor do they open up to the public.

To put it simply, they have even fewer chances to meet as they have their own classes to work
on so everything seems like it has gone back to normal.

But deep down, Arthit knew very well that the relationship between them has begun to
change, bit by bit, without the need for any definition to label them.

Because ordinary things that happen in ordinary days...

Is already considered as extraordinary to them.

--

Today, ended as usual just like any other day.

Arthit limps back to his dorm. After his afternoon class ended, the lab class next had
continued until past six. His energy has been squeezed dry to the point that he just wants to
crash in his soft bed.

But before that, he needs to go to his usual place to replenish his lost energy and of course,
not forgetting his favourite drink. He queues with the group of other customers and when the
owner sees his VIP guest in line, a friendly greet escapes.

“Hey, Arthit! Your usual pink milk?”

“Uh, iced coffee for today. I’ll come back for it later.”

He doesn’t know what has gotten into him that made him changed his favourite. Was it
because his weak body needed some caffeine? Or was it because of someone that he met in
the afternoon?

At the thought of this, he quickly comes to his senses and fends them off like you’d see a girl
does in a Shoujo manga out of embarrassment.

It seems that he is very much affected, by a virus called Kongpob! Only then did he realize
the extent of the influence the younger has in his heart.

Arthit hops to his usual stir fry shop and waits for nearly ten minutes before it’s his turn to
order. After paying for his basil chicken rice with fried egg, he goes back to the drink stall
that is nearby. Seeing that the crowd has died down, he takes the opportunity to head in
quickly and asks.

“P’Nee, is mine do...”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as he notices someone standing next to him who is also
waiting in line for his order. He calls him out without thinking.

“Kongpob.”

The one who got called turns his head to Arthit’s direction and immediately beams with a
bright smile.

It must be fate that they bumped into each other twice in one day. Kongpob happily greets the
senior.

“Are you here to get dinner, P’Arthit?”

“Yea.”

Arthit answers with a nod. Looking at the bag the other person is holding in hand, he’s
guessing that he is here for the same purpose. He then takes the initiative to start another
conversation.

“Right, how was your calculus result?”

“It’s fine.”

Even though he said fine, he is actually the second top scorer. However, part of the reason he
is able to get such a result is all thanks to P’Arthit who told him the key to the exam which he
had also generously shared with his peers.

But P’Arthit interpreted it as a different result as he worriedly encourages Kongpob, “Hey, if

you really think that you can’t keep up, it’s okay to apply for a transfer. You wanted to major
in economics, right? I think if that’s truly your dream, then transferring is not exactly a bad
decision.”

The advice from the Head Hazer now is completely different from what he said a few months
back. Arthit had actually had it all figured out then after he had calmed down. He doesn’t
have the right to stop Kongpob from pursuing his dream. If the younger really wanted to
study another major, he doesn’t have the right to point fingers at him.

Well, though yes, it’s a pity that his dream is not in engineering but at least Kongpob can
work on something he likes, and just for that reason, he should be supporting the other’s
decision.

But now, it seems that the younger don’t think the same anymore. He shakes his head
rejecting Arthit’s advice and lists his reason.

“I can save the economics major for my master’s. Now, I don’t have any intention to transfer
because I…like it here.”

Like it here? Arthit doesn’t know how vast his words cover but when he sees Kongpob’s
shiny eyes staring directly at him, he unconsciously blushes. He decides to turn his head
away and not look at him but the throbbing in his heart is beyond his control. This feeling is
appearing more and more frequent, making him less and less aware of how to react.
Fortunately, the call from the owner of the beverage stall at this moment rescues him from
this embarrassing situation.

“Arthit, your pink milk is done!”

The cup of sweet pink milk is handed to the regular and rather than accepting it like usual,
this time he reacts in refusal.

“It’s not mine, P’Nee. I ordered iced coffee today.”

This time, P’Nee is the one who is puzzled since there is indeed an order of pink milk written
on her little ordering pad. Left with no choice, she asks the others in the line.

“Anyone ordered a pink milk?”

“It’s mine.”
Kongpob raises his hand to admit. P’Nee then hands the freshly made pink milk to the person
standing next to Arthit.

“Ow, sorry about that! I was confused cause you guys would usually order your usual. So,
swapping orders today?”

P’Nee looks at the two in front of her with a face holding in laughter causing Kongpob and
Arthit to look at each other before bursting into laughter. It’s really as P’Nee said that they
both had swapped their orders today by chance.

And it’s not because of anyone’s influence but rather, they are gradually welcoming each
other’s habits into their lives unknowingly.

Arthit can only continue to wait for P’Nee to make him his order of iced coffee while
Kongpob stands by his side and waits with him so that they can walk back to the dorm
together.

The street is illuminated by the streetlights at night, amidst the people passing back and forth,
they stroll back to their dorms that are actually not far from here.

Suddenly, Arthit recalls something, “Oh, yea. I have something for you. Help me hold onto
this.”

Kongpob takes the coffee cup in Arthit’s hand and watches the other retrieving something out
from his wallet out, and holds it in the palm of his hand. He grabs his cup back.

“Hold your hand out.”

Although he doesn’t understand, Kongpob still stretches out his empty hand anyway and he
could feel a thing falling onto his palm.

Department gear…

Kongpob’s heart almost shattered.

At first, he thought P’Arthit had returned the gear that he gave him. But on a closer look with
the help of the faint streetlight, he could make out that the gear in his palm is not the silver
one for his year but a bronze one. The year engraved on it is two years lesser than his.

This…is P’Arthit’s gear.

Kongpob looks up at the man who handed him the gear. He didn’t say more except for the
most important words with an earnest face.

“Take care of it for me.”

Kongpob has heard those exact same words during the flag capturing day. Now it is once
again used to express his most important feeling. And he, of course, has to use his brightest
smile to seal his promise.
“I will take great care of it with all my heart.”

--

From now on, none of them knows what the future will be like for them.

So what if there’s no specific term to define the relationship between them? As long as they
know and understand how much they weigh in each other’s heart, who cares about the
definition of their relationship.

But if they really have to put a label between Arthit and Kongpob, then perhaps, there is only
one word to describe their story…

SOTUS

Story Of True love between US.

The love story between an evil senior and a cunning rookie junior.
 Special Chapter 3 - The First Meeting

Note: This chapter will be in Kongpob’s perspective.

The life as a high schooler is over in a blink of an eye.

When I open my eyes again, I realized that I am about to be a university student.

“Kong, call me after you’re done with the interview, alright?”

“Mae, I can go home by myself. It’s busy in the factory, isn’t it?”

I said to mae. The university I got admitted in is actually not that far from home but mae
insisted and even squeezes time out of her busy schedule to do so.

Even so, I still listened to her, “Well, mae won’t have the chance to fetch you here and there
anymore since you planned to stay in the dorm so, just let me.”

“Okay.” I nod in agreement.

Although the campus is not far from home, I still proposed to mae about the thought of me
living alone and she showed me nothing but support.

So, the situation now is her slowly letting go and free me to venture into a wider world. Just
like a young bird starting to learn to spread its wings and fly away from the nest to be
independent, and it’s understandable for the mother bird to be worried. Well, I at least
understand mae that much.

“I’ll give you a call when it’s over then.”

I follow her intention and change my initial answer to suit her. After arriving at the
destination, I open the door and get off the car. Mae cheers me with a warm smile before
saying goodbye, then I watch as her car drifts away.

No matter how old I get, I am still a child in mae’s eyes. Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest
in the family as well as the only son. In contrast, my two older sisters have long graduated
while I am just about to enter the university. So, her worries didn’t come to me as a surprise.
No matter how busy the blooming business is, she never hesitates.

The business that my family operates is a company that manufactures plastic pellets for
international trades. Though not largely scaled, it’s still considered as a stable company. The
annual volume of the orders is steadily growing as well as the increase of blueprint for
several potential future developments. It’s only natural that someone in the family needs to
take over the expanding business and it’s also the sole reason why I choose engineering as
my major.
I head to the engineering building for the admission interview, passing through different
faculty buildings in the campus. A singing voice can be heard getting louder as I get closer
and soon find out that it comes from the ground floor of my assigned building. One glance at
the situation, I figure out what is going on.

Nearly a dozen seniors dressed in white t-shirts and red linen trousers gathered around to sing
as a gesture to welcome the first-years. Not only did they sing loudly and neatly, but they also
dance to the beat of the drums, not showing any trace of fatigue or stopping in between to
gasp for breath.

Surrounded by a group of other students and parents, some of them were pulled to the front to
join the dance.

This is the orientation activity that every university will organize and is specially designed
for the first-years.

To be honest, I don’t particularly like or have a good impression of this activity. Probably
because I’ve heard a lot of news about it and most times, it leans more towards the negative
side. Especially on the ‘hazing crew’.

I have not been able to understand the purpose of ‘SOTUS’. I feel that it’s just an excuse for
the seniors to bully the newcomers, abusing their powers to force the first-years to obey
them. Although everyone is saying that this is the tradition that has been passing down by the
previous seniors, no one truly understands the core of it.

A lot of times, the bullying went overboard and led to cases of severe abuse being reported.
Not to mention the orientation activities of the Faculty of Engineering have always been
especially notoriously brutal.

At the thought that I am also about to be one of the future victims of this welcoming activity,
my knees start to feel weak. Turning my attention away from the activity, I walk to the
appointed desk to register my name and prepare myself for the interview. Just when I finish
filling my name on the registration form, I hear someone calling me from behind.

“Hey, Kong!”

“Oh, M! You’re here too!”

M is a classmate I knew since high school. We are not considered very close, but we would
often go out for some basketball sessions with other friends. You could say we do know each
other to a certain level. When M found a familiar face here, he too shows a happy face.

But the smile soon fades, as if he remembered something and asks with a suspenseful face,
“Are you sure you want to study here? Tae mentioned before that you wanted to do
economics, no?”

Now it’s my turn to stay quiet. Not just Tae or M, almost everyone in our group is aware of
my interest in numbers because I’m usually the top scorer in Math. Though the score for
physics, chemistry and biology are not bad themselves, it’s said that people would normally
pay more attention in the subject that they’re interested in, which resulted in a better score in
that particular subject.

“Yea. You know, family business. It’ll be more suitable for me to take industrial engineering.

The most important reason of my choice, my family.

The business is growing and though I do have a little knowledge of the working process in
the factory, it’s still insignificant compared to the knowledge that one must have in the whole
industrial process.

That’s why I have to learn the professional theories to be able to run the family business
longer and smoother. Sharing my parents’ burden is also one of the advantages. If I am well-
equipped in this field, my parents would feel at ease to pass down the family business that
they worked hard to build into my hands in the future.

But still, deep down, there is no denying that letting go of my dream is so much more
difficult than I have imagined. Every time there’s a chance, I’d put myself in that crossroad
over and over, and hesitate about my choice. Whether it’s my dream or the reality.

M notices the hesitation on my face and reaches over to pat me on the shoulder to cheer me
up.

“Don’t you want to reconsider? Studying a subject that you don’t like for four years is no
joke. Why not try discussing it with your mae? This is your own life we’re talking about.”

M’s advice puts me into a dilemma.

Because mae is not going to stop me, whether I talk to her or not.

After all, mae has never pressured me into engineering studies in the first place. When I was
filling the application form for the university entrance exam, all four options were of my own
choice, and none of them stated economic major.

Because I was afraid that if I do get enlisted into economic, I would waver even more. And
my fear has also indirectly proved that I am actually not ready to go through a four-year life
as an engineering student.

“Those who are here for the admission interview can now head upstairs after you’ve
registered and wait for your name to be called.”

The voice of a senior interrupts my musing. The students who are wandering around
downstairs can now go up and prepare for the interview, which will be arranged in sequence
according to the first letter of the name. My name would usually be the first few, but I turn to
M, “You go ahead first. I’ll head to the restroom real quick.”

“Alright. Hurry back.”

M still looks at me worriedly before he heads to the stairs while I head to the opposite
direction, passing by some of the students who are rushing over as they are late for the
registration of the admission interview. Slowly, I pace to the restroom.

As if I was stalling, my heart is filled with conflicts. I feel like I am honestly standing at the
intersection of life, and I must decide now which path to take.

The restroom out of the engineering building is quite quiet. There’s only one person standing
at the sink, washing his hands. I walk over and turn on the tap to wash my hands and face to
see if I can wash away the messy thoughts in my head and give myself a clearer mind.

I couldn’t help but sigh, as a method to relief the pressure in me. Then, the person beside me
suddenly asks.

“Are you here for admission interview?”

I turn around and meet the guy who had just turn off the tap. His sharp eyes give off a fierce
vibe, his face well-groomed, clean-shaven, seemingly about my age. But the dark red t-shirt
that has ‘We are Engineer’ printed on it clearly indicates that he’s a senior from the Faculty
of Engineering. He should be one of the seniors who oversees the orientation activity that I
saw earlier.

“Yes.”

I answer accordingly and the senior nods in understanding.

“You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself. It’s just a simple interview!”

It seems that the person in front of me has misunderstood the reason of my sigh. Well, it does
sound like I’m worried about the interview though that isn’t the case at all. But before I could
explain myself, the person continues.

"The interviewer asked if I had a pet at home during my interview that year. I replied that I
have a Golden Retriever and they asked about its name, in which I answered *Peacock.
Because there was once **it got its head into the fish tank and ate all the guppies, that’s how
the name came by. The interviewer kept laughing at my joke for a while before telling me
that I’ve passed the interview and that’s it.”

*Guppy is called peacock fish in literal translation so that’s why Peacock.

**I use it for the dog because the gender of the pup is not mentioned in the book.

The person shares his experience with a warm and friendly smile and at the end of his story,
he cheers me up by giving me some confidence.

“Actually, if you have passed the examination, you can consider yourself enrolled. The
interview is just to make sure that it is truly your wish to study here. So, you don’t need to
worry too much about it!”

I quietly listen to the senior’s blabbering about things that I didn’t ask even when my mind is
still filled with doubts. In his shoe, I understand that he’s just trying to cheer me up, hoping
that he could be of some help to relieve my stress.
I just didn’t expect a person with a fierce looking face can be so friendly. And perhaps it’s
because of his attitude that made me open up to ask the question that is stuck in my heart.

*Hey hey, don’t judge a book by its cover, Kongpob.

“Then, can I ask P’ a question? Why did P’ choose to study engineering in this university?”

“Because I passed the examination. That’s it.”

The answer is simple enough to let me think that he’s just trying to brush me off. I almost
wanted to give up, thinking that I should not have hold onto the hope of getting some
valuable advice. But the next thing he said attracts my attention again.

“When I was filling the form for the university entrance exam, I just fill whatever. I didn’t
really give much thought. It’s not like I really wanted to go into engineering, and I also think
that wherever I study, it’s the same.”

These words caught my attention back, as if I had met with someone who had suffered the
same fate as mine.

“So, P’ doesn’t like engineering?”

The other party denies, he shrugs before answering.

“So-so. The assignment pressure is suffocating in the beginning, and I did think about giving
up. But overtime, I got accustomed to it and the atmosphere here played a part in helping me
to overcome as well.”

“Atmosphere?”

“Yup! The atmosphere of the university, the atmosphere in the Faculty of Engineering, the
relationship between classmates, professors, seniors. It’s a very warm feeling. I’m not sure
how to explain but it’s the ‘you feel at home’ kind of feeling.”

I can’t help but stop and think about the words coming from the perspective of a senior.

Maybe it's just as what the senior mentioned. I have decided to stay in the dorm, and this will
soon be my second home. Four years is neither too long nor too short, but enough for me to
gain a lot of experience.

I don't detest the atmosphere here, to be honest. On the contrary, it actually gives me quite the
warm vibe. Perhaps it was because of the seniors who came over to help, whether it's the
registration station or the orientation activity. Although I still don't quite get the real purpose
behind the SOTUS system, what I feel today is the seniors expressing the sincerest and
warmest welcome to the new students, the first-years into becoming a part of the Faculty of
Engineering.

"Then, I realized where I study and what I major in does make a difference. Not everywhere
is the same, each place has its own special points. It depends on what you're looking for
during your university life.”
As someone who had gone through all, he concludes his whole experience in that one
sentence. While I couldn't find any point that could be denied.

If I choose reality, I have to give up my dream. Whichever that I choose, I am bound to give
up the other. Some lucky ones may have a way to pursue both at the same time but at the
expense of time. I don't have much time which is why I end up having to decide now, on
which path to take.

My second thought becomes heavier at each minute, causing me to feel more frightened. I
couldn't refrain myself and ask again in a melancholy tone.

“P’, do you think it's the right path for me to go into the engineering major here?”

“Beats me. I don't know either. Maybe you'll only find out that you don't like it after you
started studying, but who knows what will happen in the future?”

His suggestion didn't help one bit. Rather saying it helps, it’s more like he made me hesitate
even more now. Though it’s true, who knows what the future holds? But if the road to the
future is the dream that I hold onto, it seems to be able to guarantee a happier future, right?”

I breathe another sigh. My heart slowly leans more towards economics. But before I whole-
heartedly give up on engineering, the senior resumes to finish the rest of his sentence. And
this time, his words amazed me.

“But if I were to choose again, I would make the same decision, the same major in the same
university. Because...I like it here.”

It's yet another simple answer but this time, the senior's tone changed, and the pair of sharp,
fierce-looking eyes soften. He straight-forwardly conveys the like he experienced with his
facial expressions and no more explanation is needed. I can feel that those words are spoken
from the bottom of his heart.

Ring…

A ringing of a phone is heard, and the owner answers the call, connecting him to the other
end of the phone. It sounds like his friend is calling for him.

“S’up, Knot? Huh? No leader? You guys can start without me. What!? P’Tum is coming? Ok,
ok. I'll be there soon!”

After hanging up, he slides his phone into his jeans pocket, turns around ready to rush off in
the other direction. I hurriedly speak up to give my thanks.

“Wait, P’. Thank you!”

It was just a polite gesture because I'm just a random stranger that he doesn't know yet he was
still so kind to give me advice, share with me his experience. The person who reaches the
exit, turns back to me and gives me a frown.

“For what? We are going to be P’ Nong soon anyway! See you around!”
Changing the frown into a faint smile, he leaves the restroom, while I was left to watch the
retracting back of the red t-shirt. The senior jumped into conclusion again without even
asking me what I was thanking him for.

Yet another sigh from me but odd enough, this time I didn’t do it out of pressure, it was more
like a sigh of relief.

I exit the restroom and walk back to the direction I nearly gave up. Upon reaching the floor
for the admission interview, a bunch of people come into view who are waiting for their turn.
When M saw me, he trots towards me and his tone sounding like a huge relieve after a long
time of nervousness.

“Kong! Where were you? You went out for so long that it’s almost your turn for the
interview! I thought you sneaked home!”

I shake my head while taking the seat next to him. With a firm voice, I reassure him, “I won’t
run away. I’ve decided to go into engineering!”

“Why?” M asks out of curiosity.

Well, aside from M, even I was shocked that I didn’t have any hesitation or fear in my heart
about this decision that I made so quickly. Probably because I found a simple reason and it
was more than enough for me...

“I think... I will like it here someday.”

Maybe the virus of rushing into conclusion is contagious, but if my university life is going to
pass by in the blink of an eye like my high school, then I don’t mind trying to understand
different things in a different direction.

Of course, my dream remains but I am willing to take a detour. An experience in the Faculty
of Engineering might not be such a bad idea. And with someone’s first-hand experience talk,
I’m more certain that a detour can turn out to be something good.

It’s a pity that I’ve forgotten to ask for the name of the senior, and I’m not sure if we will still
remember each other the next time we meet. There’re so many people coming in and out of
this university after all.

Well, I’m going to be one of the newcomers here in the near future anyway, following the
previous and current seniors, learning things in the same direction.

So, I believe that one day, we will meet again at some place.

And if that day does come, this feeling inside me would be clearer.

And I’ll be happy, very happy, that we get to meet again.

 Special Chapter 4 - The Uniform Shirt Battle (or Bet),
Appreciation Party, And the Day We Walk Together Part I
Chapter Notes

*It’s gonna be a long note. I honestly have no idea what to call that cause it’s somehow
like the test to earn the gear, there’s a test to earn the engineering uniform, or maybe
jacket? Cause in the text, it will be explained that it is in red so I assume it’s not going to
be a shirt uniform but more of a jacket you would wear outside your normal white shirt.
THEN AGAIN, I thought that jacket is meant for the Hazing Crew only so like??? I am
so confused. So, I’ll do a literal translation on that cause I don’t wanna change the
meaning that the author might want to convey. Red shirt it is!

**Also, this is actually the second bet in the series in which Arthit is the one asking for
the favor from Kongpob at the Appreciation Party. Well, this is the story of how the bet
came about that is not depicted in the series. LOL, novel rests my confused soul again.
LMAO. Sorry for being long-winded.

This chapter has three parts in total and thanks to it being freaking ass long, I won't be
proofreading this chapter. If you see mistake(s), let them go. LOL

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob's POV.

“What’s with all the ruckuses? Have you all forgotten how to be in order when you are called
to gather!?”

Same voice, same atmosphere...

Though the time has entered the second semester, the Industrial Engineering (I.E.) first-years
still get called to the gathering hall. This feels the exact same as their freshmen training in the
first semester. The only difference then and now is that the seriousness of the atmosphere
more intense than before. What’s worse is that the reproach came from Arthit, who is now
their ex-Head Hazer.

Despite having the ‘ex-’ in his title now, and despite having shaved off his beard and a
shorter hair, leaving no trace of barbaric appearance of the past, his aura is kept. That sharp,
piercing gaze and his way of speaking with no filter are still able to quell the first-years,
shutting all of them up at once so that Arthit could begin with the serious topic of why he had
them gathered.
“I will not repeat myself so listen up carefully. I believe all of you have known by now that
we are only two weeks away from the annual Engineers Game.”

The Engineers Game is a friendly sports match between the departments under the Faculty of
Engineering, carrying the goal to encourage exchanges among the students that are under the
Engineering umbrella.

Even when everyone is in the Faculty of Engineering, they will still be subdivided into
several departments so the easiest and the most direct way to create a sense of unity for them
is to hold sports competitions with the first-years as the main participants, while the seniors
from the upper-year to only aid and look after them. It also creates an opportunity for
interactions between the seniors and juniors.

Well, the explanation might make the event seems like something that is created for a lovely
and meaningful purpose, but the reality is in fact, far from the picture visualized above.

It is still a competition and holding it in a place like the Faculty of Engineering, where most
of the well-developed guys are gathered, the Engineers Game is simply to compete between
the departments to see who’s the strongest of them all.

Rather than promoting the unity between different departments, it’s more of an event that
would get everyone to see students from another department as enemy. At the end of the day,
the dignity of the department is as important as the dignity of the faculty. No one wants to
lose and the first-years from across different departments would be pressured by their own
seniors as well.

Just like the current situation happening in the I.E. department, Arthit solemnly commands
——

“You are obligated to win the first place in every competition!”

The whole gathering hall remained silent. Upon hearing the order, it’s clear in their head that
things are always way easier said than done. Some of their faces begin to pale and everyone
falls into a blank state.

Seeing their reaction, P’Arthit suddenly announces a ‘prize’ as bait to boost their morale.

“If you win, I will approve you to wear the uniform shirt that has your year embroidered on
it.”

The uniform shirt is a symbol of engineering students. The glory it wears is nothing less than
the gear and it stands out more than the gear because it’s directly worn on the outside, low-
key showing off that they have been approved by their seniors. Carrying the symbol of honor
around could help raise a few more bars for one’s attractiveness.

Every department is different so it’s easier to distinguish when others see it.

Usually, each department will embroider their department’s abbreviation in distinct colors.
Some other universities directly use distinct colors for their uniform shirts to differentiate.
For their university, the Faculty of Engineering will wear a maroon uniform shirt with the
university badge embroidered on the right pocket and the student’s name on the left. The
most distinguishable feature is the color, and the words embroider on the right. The I.E.
Department uses yellow and ‘I.E.,’ which serves as the abbreviation of ‘Industrial
Engineering,’ followed by the number of their year.

Although the uniform shirt needs to abide by the university’s regulations, in recent years, the
admins are not that pressed on the procedure and choose to let the students deal with it
themselves. They can still choose to register and place the order with the university if they’d
like to lose the hassle, or they can find their own tailor and get it done, as long as it fits the
listed requirements.

However, the first-years must first get their seniors’ approval before they could embroider the
number their year on the uniform shirt.

Having that said, the focus is actually not the uniform shirt. Other than the fight for their
dignity, the bet has another important meaning...

“If you lose, our senior-junior relationship ends here.”

The sentence sounded harsher in Arthit’s cold tone, causing their hair to stand on end,
swallowing their saliva in fear. They know that this is not just a verbal threat. Not only to
defend the honor of their department but also to prove to the seniors their capability.

“I hope you won’t let me down.”

Adding that last pinch of salt to their fear, the ex-Hazing Crew then leaves the gathering hall.

Though there’s no entertainment crew to help ease the atmosphere like before, just by the
hazing crew leaving is enough to let the first-years breathe some fresh air. Some of them start
to whisper a discussion among themselves, including Kongpob. He heard a worried voice
from one of his peers sitting beside him.

“How is that even possible? There’s marching, grandstand performance, cheerleading, and all
the sports matches. Or does P’Arthit really thinks that we are some superheroes? Might be
easier to just ask us to fly!”

Tew grumbles helplessly. M, who is also expressing his frustration adds on.

“If there is a flying competition, the seniors will still order us to win! Shit, just the basketball
game alone is hard enough! And it’s Wad we’re talking about. Kong, remember the time
when we had the Freshmen Game and practiced with him? He’s one hardcore guy!”

M turns to Kongpob, who was also one of the basketball players then. Both have seen how
explosive the basketball captain from the Chemical Engineering Department can be when it
comes to basketball. His observation skills and leadership are strong enough to have him
leading the engineering basketball team to win the championship, even putting a distance
between their scores.
“I remember. But right now, I’m more concerned about marching, grandstand performance
and cheerleading.”

It’s not just the sports matches that they have to worry about, the other competitions are also
on the list. Despite being the major that has the most enrollment, it can be a disadvantage
when it comes to competitions like marching and grandstand performances that are marked
by harmony. There are also other minor details to take into account the, so they don’t have
much time left for practice.

“Well, I’ll be leaving these to the vise-representative to chew over.”

M pats lightly on his shoulder, showing an expression of not knowing whether to cheer or
comfort him.

It’s exactly because of the title that he carries that resulted in him being overloaded with a
heavy sense of responsibility.

When their class voted for their head representative, Kongpob got an overwhelming number
of votes and was elected as the best candidate which he unfortunately rejected. He
desperately recommended May, who came second in the votes. He thought that she was a
more suitable candidate since she always enthusiastically participates in every event.

But thanks to the various deeds he’d done during the freshmen training and his heroic
personality that someone commented on before, he didn’t manage to escape the fate of being
crowned as the vice-representative instead.

Despite the stress, just the image of someone’s sharp gaze and fierce tone appearing in his
mind is enough to put a smile on Kongpob. The intimidating look he put on earlier was quite
different from the loving side that he showed in private.

Or should he think of a way to bargain?

*Kongpob, you should be learning from your mistake. Have you forgotten the last time you
went for a bargain? -smh-

Arthit is currently waiting in line for his basil chicken rice with a sunny-side-up, a dish that
he won’t ever get tired of. The difference today? He’s happily slurping on his pink milk in
public, with zero intention of hiding it.

Excluding today where he had to go back to his Head Hazer position act as the key person to
decide if the first-years are worthy of their uniform shirt, he actually cared less about his
image soon as the second semester starts.

Part of the reason is that he had built quite a good relationship with the first-years, so he
starts to relax, be himself, restoring his life to how it was before the Head Hazer title.

Since he’d lost his beard and hair that contributes to his fierce image, he was a little worried
at first if his threat won’t be effective enough to evoke much fear from the first-years. Not to
mention the wacky way he acts when he hangs out with the bunch of hazing monkeys.
Fortunately, his menacing image is burned into the first-years’ minds that all of them are still
afraid of him, and with that, he is still able to exert some amount of pressure on them.

On second thought, not all of them.

There’s that one person who has never been afraid of him since the day they met.

“Getting your dinner, P’Arthit?”

Arthit flinches a little. Not only was he startled by the sudden greeting, but also the sudden
appearance of the person he was just thinking about.

Kongpob is still looking neat in his uniform, looking like he just left school. It’s already past
7 but fatigue is not shown on his face. Both his face and eyes beam the moment he sees him.
Those eyes shine so brightly that Arthit has to move his gaze away before answering his
question.

“Yea, I’m waiting for my order. It’s quite busy today.”

There wasn’t a need for his statement because anyone can see that the restaurant is fully
packed today. Some of the customers even have to wait outside the restaurant. He already
went to the drink stall to get a cup of pink milk and is now half gone, he is still here waiting
for his order. He thought to himself that if there’re still new customers coming in to order,
they’ll gonna have to wait for an eternity for it to be ready!

Oh! Is Kongpob here to get his dinner too?

“You should hurry up and order, or you’ll have to wait longer.”

Arthit kindly reminds the person who remained in place beside him to see him shake his head
in response.

“I already had it with my friends. I’m just stopping by for some coffee.”

“Oh, go ahead then.”

He nods this time but is still rooted to the spot.

“The queue is too long so I’m not going to wait for it. And even if I do, I prefer this spot.”

The latter sentence is definitely on purpose, and it doesn’t take long for Arthit to understand
the underlying message the other was trying to express.

Arthit now realizes why Kongpob has never been afraid of him, even when he’s the Head
Hazer.

Because he diverts all his energy into expressing his feelings instead, especially the one that
is slowly blossoming as time passed.
‘An undefined relationship’ gradually forms between them and despite him not hating the
slow-paced progress, it is exactly this kind of day-to-day interactions that make it harder for
him to resist the flutter.

Yes, they’d probably have to spend more time on a slow-burn relationship, but he believes
that baby steps can go a long way and each step more meaningful than the last.

So, Arthit let him be. They both stood side by side until he gets his order, and they walk back
to the dorm together.

While they’re on their way, Kongpob takes the initiative to start a conversation.

“P’Arthit, can I ask you something?”

“Yea. What’s the matter?”

Arthit raises his head to the younger and leisurely sips on his pink milk while waiting for the
question. The one who asked, in turn, hesitates for some time before finally mustering up
enough courage to continue.

“About the Engineers Game. Isn’t it too difficult for us to win every event?”

Not only does he stop the sipping after hearing the question, but even his track also stops. He
had not expected Kongpob to be bargaining with him. His relationship with Kongpob does
not mean the younger has the privilege to beg for leniency.

The uniform shirt carries the same meaning as the gear, and it’s not just them, even the
seniors in the past had shed blood and sweat to earn it. And now Kongpob is standing right
here, pleading for leniency! He thinks too little of the honor their department holds!

“What? Are you telling me you guys can’t do it?”

The scornful tone and indifferent expression draw the atmosphere between them back to the
afternoon gathering. Probably worse than before as Kongpob notices the mocking look fills
the Head Hazer’s face.

Kongpob realizes in hindsight that he had said something wrong and angers P’Arthit.
However, he had the foresight to his response, so it didn’t come as a surprise.

*Though I don’t really understand how he realizes in hindsight that he said something wrong
but had the foresight to him being angry. But yea, I guess that’s how it is. LMAO

In the process of them slowly learning more about each other, he discovered that no matter
how gentle and considerate the senior is, when it comes to something related to dignity, his or
their department’s, it’s absolutely impossible for him to give in. So, the pleading plan failed,
it’s alright. He had prepared in advance for a plan B to turn the tables.

“Then, shall we make another bet?”

Arthit eyes him with his tough expression. A cunning look flashes through Kongpob’s eyes.
As he listens to Kongpob’s next words, he immediately understands the meaning of the look
just now.

“If I lose, I will fulfill one wish of your request. And vice versa if I win.”

It’s the same bet they made during the Freshmen Game. Initially, Arthit felt that he’s being
mocked with Kongpob bringing up his lost bet. But after some careful consideration, he
decided that he wasn’t at a disadvantage. Since the game between departments this time is
much harder than the last, he nods as an acceptance of his offer.

“Fine! But it’s every event that you have to win.”

Well, Kongpob had the guts to bet with the same terms, he’ll also accept the challenge in the
same way.

Every event here means all the sports competitions, marching, grandstand performance, and
cheerleading.

Compared to the previous solo event that Kongpob participated in, he just got lucky to have
won the Mr. Campus title; but when it comes to competitions that require cooperation from a
group of people, the variables increase as well.

Moreover, their opponents this time are all under the engineering umbrella and all the
departments would most likely get pressured by their seniors to fly high and aim for the
champion. No matter how they look at it, it’s definitely going to be much worse than the last.

Kongpob, on the other hand, didn’t show any worried expression. Instead, he reassures him.

“Not to worry. We definitely will!”

The confident smile reminded Arthit of those times how Kongpob managed to fulfill his
promises. Even if he wanted to deny that impression he has of Kongpob, deep down he’d still
secretly cheer on him and favor him.

Cause even he had to admit that he couldn’t underestimate Kongpob who has proven his
ability time and time again.

Huh? So, what is his actual wish? For him to win or lose?

He begins to waver when his thoughts turn messy and his patience decreases by the minute.
And the reason for his grumpiness is none other than the person next to him. He realized that
the more they talk, he is more likely to fall into hesitation.

He decides to speed up his pace so they could end this topic. Just as he’s going to take the
step, the voice from behind calls for him and a force falls on his wrist.

“Hold on, P’Arthit.”

“Ugh… What again?”

Taken aback, Arthit asks in surprise. Although the streetlights here are dimmer, there’re still
people walking around and Kongpob’s touch on his skin makes him feel weird inside.

But he’s still not letting go. Those eyes are fixated on him, his expression more determined
than the other and asks, “Can I have a bit of encouragement?”

Hah? Encouragement? Is he crazy? Why would he ask for encouragement from the person he
just made a bet with? What is he even thinking!?

“Don’t get your hopes up. I won’t say it!”

Arthit rejects firmly the man who wants a mile after an inch while shaking off the hand that is
still on his wrist. He thought the rejected person would give up but apparently, that is not the
case.

He blurts, “Don’t say it then.”

Before Arthit could process the meaning of his words, the hand that is on him pulls him
closer and a warm feeling falls on his cheek for a mere millisecond, ripples forming as his
heart shakes inside.

Arthit replays the whole situation again…

He got… By Kongpob…

He turns over only to meet with Kongpob with a sly smile on his face. He even politely adds
before letting go of his wrist, “Thank you for the encouragement.”

“Kongpob!”

The one who got smooched slips into a rage out of embarrassment but the one that got yelled
at has already fled the scene, heading back to his dorm, leaving the ex-Head Hazer with a
bomb that is going off anytime now. He so wanted to chase after Kongpob and show him
some colors.

How bold is he to walk into the lion’s den!

But he didn’t go after him. Because other than anger, there’s a mix of other feelings that
shock him, making his heart beats so fast that he couldn’t keep up.

A light sigh followed by a subconscious touch on his left cheek. The feeling has not
dissipated and is gradually seeping into his heart.

Regardless of whatever, Kongpob is never afraid of him.

Though it might sound weird to say this…

He’s thankful that Kongpob is not afraid of him.

--

“So, P’Arthit ended up not giving in?”

The I.E. Department first-year representative, May concludes after listening to Kongpob’s
report of his negotiation with P’Arthit during the meeting.

Well, they didn’t expect much in the first place anyway since it’s the devil-like Head Hazer
they’re dealing with. It’s not like he’d just suddenly turn into a sweet, kind-hearted angel that
would cut them some slack.

There’s one that Kongpob is keeping to himself. That is, he might have fueled P’Arthit’s
anger.

He knows he should be cutting off the habit of annoying P’Arthit, yet every time he sees him,
he couldn’t help but to tease him a little here and there.

He does realize that he’s falling deeper and deeper into P’Arthit, but he still isn’t quite sure if
P’Arthit harbours the same. That is why he’s holding onto every opportunity he gets to spend
more time with the senior.

And he knows that the meaning of his win could create an extra opportunity.

Therefore, to him, the Engineer Game is not just earning the honour of the uniform but also
another more significant matter.

He most certainly can’t lose!

Kongpob puts all his concentration on the meeting, starting with May listing the topics for
discussion.

“Now that the panel has announced the theme, all departments have to perform under the
same theme.”

The format of the Engineers Game is similar to that of a middle school’s sports meet with all
the cheering performances that are incorporated with each departments’ creativity. Only this
year, there is a theme given by the panel to set a standard that will ease the evaluation. And
the theme is——

‘Youth Anti-Drugs — Creating a White Campus, join forces to resist drugs.’

*That is one specific theme. LOL And the white here kinda symbolize pure, clean, not
contaminated with drugs.

The responses given by the first-years are either a pair of rolling eyes or a twitching face.
This sounds more like a theme for an essay writing competition rather than a grandstand
performance! It’s too difficult to pinpoint clearly in terms of performance. Seems like this
time, there’s a lofty mountain placed between them and the road to victory.
Despite that, this victory is still crucial to them. Whatever that is in between, the I.E.
department’s first-years must grit their teeth and pull it off. As a result, everyone
brainstormed and racked their brains during the meeting to come up with various ideas on the
presentation styles.

Angels, Indiana, Maya, Egyptian, Medieval, etc., anything that they could think of is
proposed for discussion and voting, just so they can find one sharp style that could give an
impact to the audience while sticking to the White Campus theme.

After nearly two hours of intensive discussion, the ideas gradually fall together though most
of them were rejected by the majority. Even May’s seemingly clever idea of getting the
audience involved in an alphabet-changing board-flipping show for the grandstand
performance was also rejected.

*The audience here means the other students from their department who are not taking part
in the performances.

“I think if there’s enough of engagement from the audience, May’s idea will definitely
present an amazing final picture, but we have to, in turn, bear the risk of the lack of
involvement.”

A serious disadvantage indeed. Even if they come up with the dopest idea, but if they don’t
get enough support from the audience, it’s bound to be a spectacular failure in the end. And
this is an issue that is beyond their control. How would they dare to get all 216 of them to
take part in the Engineers Game when they recall back the times when there were a bunch of
them that felt reluctant to gather for the freshmen training?

But...

“If we change it into an interesting game, it might work.”

All eyes on the person who proposed the idea. And this person is not just some random
passer-by, it’s Mr. Kongpob, who is their vice representative. Just as everyone went silent,
thinking how to counter the said problem, he’s the one to say something that sparks
everyone’s curiosity.

“How so, Kong?”

“That is, we make it interesting enough to get them to join on their own accord and not
obliged. This way, we should be able to secure enough participants to engage with our
performance.”

“So, what’s your idea?”

Those eyes under May’s glasses sparkle with hope. Although Kongpob came up with the
idea, he doesn’t have full confidence that this will work one hundred percent, but he’s eager
to take on this challenging task.

“I’m not sure if it’ll really work but I guess it’s worth a try...”
--

Time passes by and in a flash, two weeks went by, and the Engineers Game finally kicks off
officially at 8 on a Saturday morning.

The marching band will start their march from the gate of the campus to the sports field.

As everyone has been saying, the Engineers Game is truly one of the important events of the
engineering major. From the costume to the props to the choreography, are all well-done and
eye-catching. All of which were all prepared by the first-years, pulling all-nighters after class
to rush them out, hoping to achieve the most perfect result.

Especially the I.E. Department that has always been the attention of everyone, even those
from the other departments since they have all heard that the bet for this game will be their
uniform shirt. Not to mention not having their seniors to help them as the other departments,
they even have to win all competition before they can get the approval.

Which resulted in the high anticipation of the marching performance that the I.E. Department
is going to bring. All the audience ready to give the highest decibel of their voice to welcome
the surprise from the said department.

The one holding the power of the approval of their uniform shirt is also one of them.
Standing in the open space in front of the field, along with some other friends, waiting for the
performance from the juniors of his department. The performance sheet shows that his
department will be the last in line to enter the venue.

Once the time hit the clock, all eight departments of the engineering major march in one after
another, with the performance they’ve prepared to match the ‘Anti-Drug, White Campus’
theme. Although some of the costumes and performances from the other department did not
reflect the theme well enough, they still nonetheless receive applause from the audience for
the gorgeous costumes they came up with.

A variety of performances were put into action: the carrying of a sedan chair, the elegant
traditional dances, the parade with a gigantic sphinx statue.

There’s even a department where the students painted their whole bodies in white to act as
plaster statues. Everyone sacrificed for the amazed reaction from the audience, giving their
one hundred percent of effort to get the first place.

When each department enters the field, the seniors from the respective department will
applaud loudly at the stand, boosting their morale with enthusiastic cheers. The more
gorgeous the band is, the louder the cheers will be.

Then comes the time for the last band in line to enter. Just the number itself is already
overwhelming considering that it’s the department with the most enrolment. However, when
the band starts to march in, the costumes and props are surprisingly ordinary, to the point that
the audience is shocked.

They’re in their department’s T-shirts and sweatpants, entering into the field in perfect order.
On their hands are pictures of liquor bottles and cigarettes on cardboards as well as a banner
with encouraging words to stay away from drugs, which is very in line with the given theme.

The one that attracts the most attention is the earth model that is placed on a table that is
covered with a cloth at the centre of the band. The table has wheels fixed into it so it could be
used as a cart. The earth model is most likely made of styrofoam, then painted in bright
colours.

Well, if compared to the fancy props that the other department prepared, theirs seemed...dull.

“Hey Arthit! Low budget for your department?”

Prem who is beside Arthit, can’t help but roast his best friend while pressing the shutter of his
camera. The one getting roasted responded instantly with a comeback.

“Of course not! I did see them collecting money for the budget. I don’t understand why
either.”

Feeling pissed and embarrassed, Arthit frowns grumpily.

Why? Is this the best they can do? Is this it?

Do the first-years still want their uniform shirt or not!? Or do they think it’s going to be an
easy win? How will they when they only put in this little effort, thinking that they’re a bunch
of children playing house!?

Ugh, forget it. There’s no need for him to stay for the other performances. They’re going to
lose anyway since no heart was poured into the performances. He’ll get increasingly annoyed
if he’d chosen to stay so why the torture? It’d be better for him to just go back to his dorm
and catch up on some sleep instead.

“I’m leaving.”

Arthit said angrily, ready to turn in the other direction and leave for his dorm. He recalls the
bet that he made with someone. Well, it seems that he will be winning it easily this time.

But before he gets to leave the grandstand, he heard the commotion from the people around
him and some of them pointed to the field.

“Hey, look! What is I.E. doing?

His steps halted and flash back to his seat to take a look. He couldn’t help widening his eyes
at the scene. The first-years in his department are...fixed into position!

Everyone holds still with the pose of the action that they were doing before stopping, like
tying the shoelace, talking on the phone, goofing around with friends, finger pointing in a
direction, drinking water, etc. It’s the daily stuff many would do, just that the scene now is as
if someone pressed the pause button on them.

“This is... Flash mob!”

Prem yells in excitement, but the audience still doesn’t have a clue about what is going on.
The keyword that Prem blurted out earlier revived Arthit’s bit of memory about it. Before he
could ask further, his friend as if possessed by a photographic soul, rushes out to the front to
capture this epic moment.

Oh well, at least he did leave a clue for Arthit.

He pulls out his phone and searches about flash mob. The first link that pops out directs him
to Wikipedia.

*A flash mob is a group of people who assemble in a designated place that was agreed
beforehand to perform specific actions that seem meaningless for a brief time, then quickly
disperse like nothing happened. It’s often done for the purpose of entertainment, satire or
artistic expression.

*Source from Wikipedia. For real.

When he scrolls down further for more information, he finds that flash mobs had appeared in
various forms all over the world. Some of them gather to dance with well-known singers,
there’re even pillow fights in the city centre, etc.

And one of the widely used performance by flash mobs is ‘freeze’, which is to stop any
action midway to attract the attention of the public.

He had watched videos of flash mobs on YouTube before but never had he expected to see a
live one with his own eyes, from the marching performance of the Engineers Game.

They stay frozen for almost five minutes long and the earth model is the first to break the
stillness with smoke erupting and slowly splitting. A banner with a short but powerful
warning then comes into sight.

‘Stop! Before trying drugs!’

The band then resumes the actions each of them was doing, returning to the order as if
nothing had happened. But the audience understands clearly the meaning hidden behind the
performance that correlates perfectly with the ‘Anti-Drug’ theme. The way they presented it
is also very interesting as proven by the thunderous applause from the audience.

From his seat, Arthit could hear the compliments for the stunning performance. Even Prem
who’s from a different department also throws in compliments, admiring the whole
performance by taking lots of photos.

“Wow! You were so discreet about this! Not a word at all when your juniors have prepared
such an amazing performance! Who came up with this? This is mind-blowing!”
“I would like to find that out too.”

Arthit’s gaze stays on the field. Despite the large number of people there, he couldn’t hold
back his eyes from searching for someone.

There aren’t a lot of people from the first year who can come up with such an uncommon
idea.

He can’t be completely sure if it’s that person’s idea but the one thing he can be certain of is
the first-years did put in their best efforts for the uniform shirt.

Only, it’s still a long way to go if they’re talking about getting all the champions for all
events. The marching performance is merely a starter.

Well, it’s considered a brilliant start so he’s beginning to anticipate the next performance.

This ‘battle’ is indeed not easy, but he’s now intrigued. He wants to know how that junior
will overcome all the obstacles hurled on the way.

The one who first thought of returning to his dorm changed his mind and stays at the field.
And the place where he’s at is actually not the place for I.E. Department but Civil
Engineering Department. But he chose to stay here, near Prem, because he could get a clearer
view of the grandstand for I.E. first-years.

Anyway, nobody will care about minor things like this. Most times, the seniors would be
walking around at will.

*Someone’s being self-conscious. 😏

When the dean is giving the opening speech, he quickly picks a good front-view seat to enjoy
the next performance later. Expected to start at 10am, before the sun turns scorching hot.

*Who are we joking, Thailand’s sun burns even only at 8/9am.

So far, most of the stands of the various departments kept the same style as the marching
performance. Like the Chemical Engineering Department had chosen the Egyptian style
hence they had designed a pyramid to place on the stand as their background; the Mechanical
Engineering Department had adopted the Air Force style, so a pattern of a large military
aircraft was used as theirs, overwhelming the two departments beside them; the Material
Engineering picks Thailand’s retro style and, puts in a lot of effort and money into recreating
the decorations during the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

As for the I.E. Department… He’s been looking at it vertically and horizontally, from the left
and the right, he couldn’t tell what exactly the *style is they’re using. The background they
presented looks kinda messy and dirty like they simply smeared paint on a white board.
There’s also a brightly coloured ‘I.E.’ on top and he believes the line at the bottom should be
their concept written in English. He can’t tell since he’s too far away from where the board is
placed.
*In Chinese, they kept using the same word which is theme. But I think since the theme is
already given, there’s not really a choice on theme anymore so it’s either a style or a concept
(slogan) I guess. Hopefully you guys understand D:

He plans to borrow Prem’s camera to zoom in on the wordings but he’s a step late. The first-
years that performed in the marching performance start to move into the grandstand and them
walking around makes it harder for Arthit to see, even with the camera. He waits for them to
settle down but soon notices that the tens of rows in the grandstand are immediately filled. It
seems like there’re not even enough seats to accommodate them.

Hold it! He knew all along that his department had the highest enrolment, but he didn’t
expect this many! The seating of the other departments is either just nice or there’re still
vacant seats available. How can this be…

“Hey! Hey, Knot!”

Prem calls out to Knot when he saw him and Arthit takes the opportunity to clear his doubts.

“Great timing! Hey, do you know what’s the background pattern behind our grandstand?”

“Palms.”

“What?”

He got the answer but he’s still frowning, wondering if he’s heard it wrongly. Knot adds
another explanation that stuns Arthit completely.

“The palm prints of all our first-years.”

The sharp eyes widen and turn around to take a closer look. It’s then he’s able to make out the
palm prints from the messy paints that are evenly spread across the board.

From a distance, it doesn’t look much stunning but after a closer look, one can feel the
abundant efforts that have been poured into the work. But things don’t stop here, Knot
informs him of another news that’s sure to surprise him another round.

“I checked with Fang earlier. Do you realize how many first-years registered attendance
today?”

“How many?”

“216!”

216? If not mistaken, isn’t that the total number of enrolments for this year? In other words,
all the first-years took part in the Engineers Game!

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! There wasn’t even once with full attendance during Freshmen
Training!”

The ex-Head Hazer replies in a skeptical tone, the same as Knot’s.

“I don’t either at first. That’s why you see me here, counting head by head. And I believe it
now. They’re really all here.”

Closing his surprised jaw, Arthit said nothing. There’s nothing to refute anyway since the
lack of space at the grandstand for the first-years is solid evidence laid before his eyes. Some
of them even had to sit outside of their assigned stand.

They are in luck as the board is big enough to shield them from the sun. It’s almost like the
person who thought of the idea had predicted this situation and have taken it into account
when designing the board.

Who in the world came up with this idea!? How!?

His fixated curiosity gets buried by the sudden cheering from the Electronic Engineering
Department, a sign of the start for the grandstand performance.

A lot of cheerleading songs are played, and along with the drums, the melody evokes a lively
atmosphere. Along with the melody, in comes the cheerleaders making their grand
appearance.

The outfit is designed to be consistent with the style of the grandstand; matching the rhythm
of the drums, the cheering performance carries on, and those who are at the grandstand pull
out a hand fan. The front and back of the fans are painted with different colors to form
beautiful patterns.

When one looks at such neat and consistent movements from a distance, it’s simply
astonishing. Even Prem’s shutter can barely keep up with the pace of them changing into
different patterns.

Although the props prepared by each department will differ based on the style they chose, the
scoring structure for the stand performance will be the same as the marching performance. As
for the singing and cheerleading performance, it’ll be determined by the harmony of the
rhythm as the judges can tell if they’ve put in enough effort and time in practice.

Which means, the ‘Order’ in the SOTUS system that the seniors have taught during their
freshmen training will be perfectly utilized in this performance.

Next in line is the department that everyone’s been waiting for. Curious voices can be heard
discussing about the performance from I.E. They are, after all, the one department that went
through a hell of a freshmen training. But the most important issue to counter right now is the
massive number of people they have on the stand.

There are too many of them squeezing into that small space of the steps that they’re getting
out of hand. If they plan to bring out the same stand performance as the others by using their
hands to create visuals, they will lose without a doubt.

Of course, Arthit is aware of the problem. A larger number of people might have an
advantage in the volume, but the cons are all lying under the stand performance as the scoring
base is more than just the number of people.
So, how will the first-years adapt to the cons they’re facing?

After nearly three minutes, silence is the only thing enveloping the whole field. No action, no
singing, stillness in the air. This made him worried if they had an unexpected occurrence
without a backup plan.

Just as he was about to get Knot to go check on the situation, someone breaks into
movement.

The few who are standing under the stands give way for a person inside to walk out. But
what attracts everyone’s attention is not the person itself, it’s the thing that the person is
holding instead.

“Is there a rule about using the instruments?”

Being at a loss, Prem asks as he is not familiar with the rules in regards to the Engineers
Game. The two ex-hazers turn to look at each other, puzzled spread across their faces.
Judging from his senses, he replies.

“I think it should be ok since the rules never say anything about instruments.”

Arthit nods in agreement since it’s true that the rules didn’t indicate whether it’s a ban or a
permit on instruments, just that no one had thought of doing this before. Now in addition to
guitar, there’s bass, drums, electronic keyboard, violin, saxophone and even trumpets! It’s
more than enough to start a concert!

Only a few seconds passed after this idea came to mind and as expected, the drums begin to
roll. The strike of the rhythm announces the start of the performance from I.E. Department,
creating a livelier and more immersive atmosphere than the others.

*I’m guessing the previous performance only played songs from the record and I.E. Dept is a
live stage.

Maybe it’s the contribution of the instruments? They’ve created a medley from different
songs that manage to bring everyone in the stand dancing to the tempo!

Even those from the other departments couldn’t help but shake to the music. This is not even
the end. While those are busy singing, the ones in the I.E. stand started flipping the board and
it changes into a row of English characters——

‘Stop Drugs! Start Music and Sports!’

When the last board with the word ‘Sports’ was flipped over, applause and cheers envelop the
field. Some of them who wore simple vests and sweatpants hop out to the field, and dance
along with the cheerleaders, looking like aerobic teachers and students in your normal
community park.

With the cheerleading captain shouting sets of eight as a tempo, like the flow of aerobic
dances, leading even those in the stands to follow along.
Although the board changing is the same as the others, the beautiful patterns that were
created by the extremely in-sync movements amazed everyone instantly. The cheerleading
ends their performance on a neat note with their faculty song.

Their performance allows the judges and students from the other departments to witness the
fruit of their efforts. Finally, they sing their faculty song in unison, announcing the perfect
ending of the I.E. Department’s performance.

Another thunderous applause covers the field.

At first glance, it seemed like another average performance, the same as others. But from all
the cheering and clapping, it’s evident that they are surprised by I.E. Department’s courage to
express their creativity, not getting cooped up in the box and lines.

“Knot, what’s the concept of our first-years' performance?”

After everything ended and everyone settled back down, Arthit checks with Knot. The
moment he receives the answer, his admiration towards the first-years grew. It’s almost
similar to the sentence on the flip board earlier, and it’s more than enough to sum up their
whole spirit.

‘Don’t do drugs, let’s do something fun!’

*I actually quite admire this idea that Bittersweet thought of. With that being said, I have not
attended to any school in Thailand before so I’m not sure if anyone had used this idea before
but to me, it’s brilliant, it’s smart. Taking something that we subconsciously do or maybe even
took advantage of, turning it into something to focus on, to have fun in, so as to ignore the
‘bliss talk’ about drugs from people who tried to convince you to do so.

From the marching performance to the stand performance and cheerleading, none of them are
made to be grand or elegant to catch the audience’s attention. Rather, they infused interesting
elements into their performance while sticking to the theme. The concept was conveyed to
the audience through a series of art, music, sports, etc., and is done in a way to get everyone
involved and unite as one.

Now he knows the real reason why all 216 first-years agreed to partake in the event.

“With the way they presented, huge chances for them to sweep all the first place off the chart!
This much for the uniform shirt huh! Whose idea is this anyway?”

Prem throws in another question which he receives Knot’s shaking head as a reply.

Everything is handled by the first-years, without any interference from the seniors.

Still locking his gaze in the direction of the first-years, he whispers to himself...

“I think I know.”
--

“Kongpob!”

The one who was called is busy helping with the packing of the props behind the stands. He
stops to answer his friend who is walking over towards him.

“The senior is asking for the basketball players to assemble.”

“Oh, right. I’ll be over in a minute. May, I’ve packed the boards into this box here.”

Kongpob turns around to inform the head representative before he checks out from the stand
with his friends. With a weary face, he wipes the sweat off his face with the back of his hand.
M couldn’t help but worry upon seeing him in this state.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine!”

He looks far from okay even though he answered so since he was responsible for supervising
all the work for the past two weeks, assuming the role of the vice representative. He’s been
staying up late to attend meetings almost every day just to achieve the result they achieved
today.

Kongpob was the one who proposed to use a fun and interesting concept, and then applies it
to the performances. Everyone agreed to his idea after some thoughts, feeling that they could
make this work. All of them chipped in every little idea, wanting the outcome to be as
appealing as possible. When they’re done with the final blueprint, they then share the news
on social platforms and encourage their peers to join them.

Yes, he knows that to win by numbers alone is far from enough. He needs to evaluate the
whole performance from the judges’ perspective and make sure they still abide by the rubric
as well. In addition to the visuals and creativities, the assigned theme holds most of the scores
and they must stay on the right track to form all the performances to be impactful.

By the time they finalize their ideas and plans, their brains are already half dead.

But at that time, they have not included the board on the stand, the search for students who
play instruments and the discussions with the cheerleaders on the aerobic exercises. Never
had they expected to receive a skyrocketed positive response.

Their performance makes the road to the championship look brighter. He can see the trophy
waving its hand to them. And now comes the last and the most difficult part.

The performances in the morning are designed and supported by creative ideas and
everyone’s cooperation whereas the sports matches depend on the skills of each player.
The preparations for the performance are complicated and exhausting but Kongpob still
reports himself to the basketball court every evening to catch up on practices. Just the
practice itself is harsh enough as if they are preparing for a match in the Olympics, aiming for
the gold medal.

Rather than the Olympics, the first-years are fighting for their dignity and the glory of being
fully accepted by their seniors.

Football, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, etc., all the athletes are giving their all to reach
their goal, the champion.

When it’s time for their respective matches, all of them are full of passion to win the game.
Students from their departments are also scattered to various venues to cheer for them.

And it’s the same for Kongpob, who is one of the basketball players. Their department will
play against the Civil Engineering Department in the first round. The game will be using a
single-elimination method that is to eliminate the losing team while the winning team
advances. No matter how burns out he is now, he perseveres.

The I.E. Department easily took down the first win and played against the Mechanical
Engineering Department in the second round. They were infamous for playing rough, so by
the time they finally advance to the final, most of their energy was depleted.

During half-time, news came from time to time on the winning results of the other sport
matches. Yet Kongpob didn’t have time to feel happy because they are now in the finals, and
he had long expected that they will meet with this group.

The basketball team from the Chemical Engineering Department enters the court with Wad,
who is the captain and the center player. He leads the others to greet the I.E. Department team
who entered the court slightly earlier than them for warmups.

Though a smile is plastered on his face, his voice and eyes show otherwise. With a sentence,
he provokes.

“I’ll let you know that I won’t go easy on you (because we’re friends).”

The level of intimidation spreading from the sentence has the opponent swallowing nervously
in reflex. It’s well known to all that Wad’s skills are good enough for him to be qualified in
the university team. Out of the court, they are friends but being on the court requires the
capability to prove themselves worthy of the champion.

One mistake can cause all their efforts down the drain.

Their morale takes a hit, except for one. Decided to be the opposite, he stands up and calmly
accepts the challenge.

“Don’t worry, we’re serious about this too.”

Maintaining his firm stance and unwavering eyes, there isn’t any fear in them. Kongpob is
letting his opponent and friend knows that he holds a lot of confidence in this game as well. It
is a rare opportunity to see both teams trying to intimidate each other, especially when Wad is
in one of the teams. This acts as a booster to heighten the morale of the players from both
departments.

“Great! It’ll be more exciting this way.”

Wad replies in satisfaction before going back to their team’s bench for warmups, preparing
for the upcoming game.

A piercing whistle echoed throughout the court, indicating the beginning of the basketball’s
final game, I.E. Department vs. Chemical Engineering Department and the cheering
resounded from all over the stadium at the same time.

The attack and defence are quite fierce and strong between the two teams and their scores are
constantly taking over each other. The strategy used by the Chemical Engineering
Department seems to be a notch above their as they are leading by three points when the time
goes into the final countdown in the second half.

Judging by the current situation, Kongpob decided to get a three-point shot, at least getting
their scores into a tie. But just as he dodged his opponent’s defence, Wad’s elbow hit the side
of Kongpob’s rib cage. The pressure is so strong that he squats down and hisses in pain.

“Sorry! Are you okay?”

Wad quickly apologizes and checks on him. Kongpob shakes his head, reassuring that he’s
fine. He was responsible for it after all. He knew very well that all the late-night preparations
and practices had taken a toll on him, he’s already almost at the end of his limit.

Wad’s foul got the I.E. Department two free throws, pulling the gap closer by one point apart.
Everyone breaks into cold sweat seeing the remaining time.

With only two minutes left, the opponent’s defence gets more cautious, with two of them
guarding in front of him, thus there isn’t any chance that he could get near the ball. In the last
15 seconds, M got the ball and pass it to him, counting on Kongpob to score a last two points
from close range.

With a jump, Kongpob shoots the ball, and it hits the rim...

Beep —!

The same whistle that indicated the start of the game, is now signalling the end. They turn
around nervously to check on the scoreboard, only to find it showing ‘111 vs. 112’.

I.E. Department has lost the game.

Kongpob stays rooted blankly, his eyes fixated on the ball that rolled all the way out of the
court.

It’s him. He had missed the shot...

 Special Chapter 4 - The Uniform Shirt Battle (or Bet),
Appreciation Party, And The Day We Walk Together Part II
Chapter Notes

I will be taking a hiatus from translation for some time as I am prepping for SAT exam
in December for a Thai Uni that I am trying to apply end-Dec. Will try to keep it to one
chapter at least per month but would also appreciate your kind patient and understanding
<3

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV.

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

Because of him, all their efforts went down the drain in an instant.

“Kong!”

A call of his name wakes his wandering soul. M walks over to him. He couldn’t suppress the
urge and sighed when his best friend stood in front of him.

“I... I’m sorry.”

Of course, his friend is not here to blame him, instead, he pats Kongpob’s shoulder and spoke
light-heartedly, “What are you sorry for? Winning and losing is the norm in competitions,
ain’t it? It doesn’t matter if we didn’t get the shirt, we’ll just find other ways to ask P’Arthit
for another chance to make amends.”

He turns to look at his teammates and no one indeed shows any look of disappointment but
more of a face of relief that the game is finally over.

It was after all a game against the university basketball team and it was already beyond their
expectation to get such a score. Even Wad complimented on how well they played and at one
point thought they might lose during the second half. He also invited Kongpob to join the
varsity team and made a promise with the others to have another match with a barbeque
buffet treat as a bet. All of them laughed together, throwing the competition result to the back
of their heads.

Just as they leave the hall, someone came to inform them of the results of the other games.
They lost soccer on the penalty kick; badminton was close, but it still ended up a loss. And
although it is solid that they won’t be getting the shirt, everyone still stays on the stand until
all the results are out.

Sure enough, the I.E. department didn’t disappoint and won the championship for the
marching, grandstand performance, and cheerleading. All the all-nighters pulled were not in
vain and the thunderous applause from the other departments acts as an acknowledgment of
the result and their hard work.

The Engineers’ Game is after all an event for the various departments in the Faculty of
Engineering to come together and build a strong bond.

It was almost eight in the evening when the closing ceremony ended, and the sky was already
shrouded in darkness. The first-years of the I.E. department were told to stay behind and
assemble for the announcement of the last important result that they already knew. They sit
quietly and wait for their ex-Head Hazer to come to the front of the stand.

“You didn’t win all the trophies in today’s game, and this means you are denied the
permission to embroider your year’s number. There will not be a second chance as well!”

In just a few words, Arthit gave the strongest attack on the softest part of their hearts. It
didn’t matter to the seniors how much effort they’ve put in, if the result did not reach the set
goal, all efforts are in vain.

When the first-years start thinking about the humiliation they’ll face with the bare shirt that
they have to wear in the next few years, many pairs of eyes start to wet. But they could only
swallow the grief and remain seated. The next thing they hear is a rare gentle tone from
P’Arthit.

“But your performance today showed me solidarity, how united you all are as a team.”

The first-years weren’t expecting a compliment and that got them lifting their heads, looking
at each other puzzled. They’re not sure if it’s P’Arthit usual tactic, to console them before
giving another stronger blow or if he has other hidden motifs.

And the senior’s next speech is what confused them even more.

“According to the school’s data, the Industrial Engineering Department has a total of 216
enrolments.”

He pauses while sweeping over the first-years in the stands with his piercing eyes. Then
moves on to finish the last and most important part of his sentence.

“So, you are to embroider the number ‘216’ on your shirt.”

There were a few seconds of silence after the announcement. After the first-years are done
processing the meaning of the words, a wave of shriek breaks out.

‘216’ represents the total number of first-years who came together to participate in this event
and face the challenges as one to achieve such an amazing result. Not only that, the glory that
this number shouldered does not lose to the number of years at all, because it has another
more special meaning…

It also symbolizes comrades-in-arms.

Smiles and tears filled the first-years’ faces but it wasn’t long before Arthit raises his hand
again, signaling silence for another announcement he was about to make.

“That’s enough. Don’t jump right into the happiness. There’s still one last bet left to be
announced, whether we considered you as part of the I.E. Department.

Their relief suddenly got cut off. That’s right, they almost forgot that there’s another bet other
than the uniform shirt. That is whether the seniors accept them into the big family. Although
they have already passed the freshmen training last semester, that doesn’t secure them a free
pass into the family.

Moreover, they are still young and new in the university and need to rely on their seniors’
advice and guidance to walk through the years in university. If they’re being cut out now,
then all the support that they need will definitely be cut off.

The air turns tense once more, with tension enveloping the surrounding. The first-years in the
stand staring at the person standing in front with knitted brows, fidgeting worriedly for the
result that is about to come.

“I’ve had discussions with each group, and everyone agrees…”

Arthit pauses again and the silence this time brings the tension to its peak that it almost stops
the first-years’ heart. After a deep breath, he continues in the loudest voice, “That it’d be
stupid for us to cut ties with you.”

It didn’t take the first-years long to understand the meaning, because it’s been expressed
clearly enough. A bet in the name of honor, and the first-years passed it beautifully.

The result of this is more exciting than the last. The cheers are loud enough to shatter the
stands. Everyone started singing the faculty anthem, celebrating this victory. Even the seniors
who had been watching them all day got influenced and sing along until it was time to
disband.

“That’s it for today. You are dismissed, go back and have a good rest. Oh and, don’t forget to
clean up the stands before you leave.”

After the last reminder, Arthit left the first-years to clean up the trashes, and pack up the
props, instruments, and all the other scattered stuff back to their department’s activity room.
As for the board, they agreed to come back tomorrow morning to remove it.

As the vice representative, Kongpob is also the one who is safekeeping the key to the activity
room so the responsibility of the final checks before locking up falls on him. It’s almost ten
by the time everything is checked and done.
The surrounding now is quiet since most of them had left, with only the six to seven of them
who are part of the event in charge that are waiting for him to lock up.

“Whew, finally over and done with! Hey, you guys wanna get supper as a small celebration
among us?”

As they walk towards the parking lot, May suggested. Since they are the representatives and
the in-charge who oversees the event, they are responsible for all the details of every section.
Hence, the group who poured twice the effort into The Engineers’ Game.

It wasn’t until the end of the closing ceremony that all of them finally heave sighs of relief,
that’s why May suggested finding a place to celebrate as well as releasing all the pumped-up
tension in their system.

Kongpob nods along with the group. Although he knew that he is already at his limit and
very much wanted to run back to his dorm and reunite with his bed, he couldn’t relax as he
still has unfinished business. The others are elated to have passed the seniors’ test but for
him, the stake isn’t over.

Just as he’s roaming in his deep thought, he spots a dark figure not far away leaning against a
bicycle. Though the outline reflected by the dim streetlight isn’t very clear, he recognizes the
features. He halts and bids his peers goodbye.

“Sorry guys. Something came up so I guess I’ll pass.”

*Yea, P’Arthit. Lmao.

His peers are puzzled by the sudden change of heart and start to persuade him to tag along.
But after hearing his insistence on leaving, they cried in pity and parted ways, leaving
Kongpob alone who turns towards the place the shadow is at.

“P’Arthit.”

The one whose name was called didn’t get surprised. He looks away from his phone and
greets briefly.

“All packed up?”

“Yes.” Kongpob nodded. He takes the initiative to cut the greetings and went straight to the
point, not wasting another minute.

“I lost. What’s P’Arthit’s wish? I’m willing to accept anything.”

He knew why P’Arthit is waiting for him here. The memory of when he participated in Mr.
Campus came to mind. The last time P’Arthit waited for him at the back of the stage, but this
time, he was the one who let the win slip through his hands.

He feels ridiculous when he recalls the time when he was being opinionated in front of
P’Arthit. The image of the last ball hit the rim, failing his last shot is deeply imprinted in his
mind and is constantly tormenting him. Even if no one blames him, he still broods over the
feeling that if he had tried a bit more and a little harder, the result wouldn’t be the same as
now.

And maybe, he’ll get one more chance to get closer to P’Arthit.

The feeling of loss envelopes his heart like a thick fog, but Kongpob remained calm and
patiently waits for the other to express his request.

Though he did not expect P’Arthit to say...

“I’ll tell you next time.”

P’Arthit requested to save his wish, just like what Kongpob did the last time. And of course,
he didn’t have any right to reject.

“Okay.”

Kongpob whispers an agreement and didn’t dare to lift his head to look at the other’s face.
He’s unsure of what P’Arthit is thinking now, whether he is mocking him silently or he feels
disappointed in him.

Silence descends between them, and the atmosphere gradually turns awkward.

But a sudden touch surprised the one who was feeling depressed all along.

A warm palm gently strokes his head, coupled with a short encouragement.

“You did great today!”

Kongpob finally looks up into P’Arthit’s eyes and to his surprise, there’s no blame or
contempt reflected in his eyes, only sincerity and gentleness just like how his encouraging
voice sounded earlier.

“You must be drained after all that energy spent. Go back, have a good rest, and don’t think
too much about it.”

It was just a few simple words but like a gust of wind, it blew away the fog that was
engulfing his heart.

The harder you work, the greater the pressure. And when the result didn’t come out as
expected, it is normal for anyone to feel sad. P’Arthit, however, when he saw the grief
Kongpob was carrying and trying so desperately to hide and decided to comfort him, hoping
it would relieve him from some of the grievances.

P’Arthit is still as gentle as ever.

Unconsciously, Kongpob’s hands move to hug on P’Arthit and the older is taken aback by his
sudden action. Though he is surprised by the warmth of the ‘attack’, when he sees fatigue on
Kongpob’s body, his heart softens, and returns the hug with pats on his back.
Arthit had in fact noticed Kongpob’s condition the moment the basketball game ended. It was
a pity that they lose with the most crucial last shot being delivered by Kongpob.

He thought with the other’s perfectionistic tendencies, he would probably be constantly

blaming himself afterward. He was worried about Kongpob, that’s why he decided to stay
and wait for the younger. As expected, he saw a depressed Kongpob and let him cling to him
as if to cheer him up.

But uh... That’s too tight a hug.

“Kongpob, you can let go now.”

“Just a little longer. An hour will be enough.”

Are you crazy?!

Arthit’s face changed at this cheeky request. It’s strange for two guys to hug each other like
this in the dark night. And they stick so close to each other that the hearts are skipping beats!

Arthit had no choice but to intimidate the younger while he struggles, “I told you to let go, or
I’ll really kick you!”

“Won’t P’Arthit give me a little reward?”

“No can do!”

The loud refusal from Arthit didn’t frighten Kongpob at all, instead, he let go reluctantly and
smiled softly.

“Then let’s walk back together today.”

Finally regaining his original smile, Arthit sighs as he looks at him. He wasn’t signing for
Kongpob’s cunningness, it’s because he chose to give in to the younger since he knew very
well that deep down in his heart, even if he has won the bet…

His heart will still lose to 0062.

--

It’s been two weeks since The Engineers Game and the first-years from the Industrial
Engineering have started to register their names for the uniform shirt, using the number ‘216’
as a replacement for their year number.

This bizarre number made those from the other departments wonder when they saw it. After
getting to know the reason behind the number, all of them cast admiring expressions and the
news spread like fire within the Faculty of Engineering.
Though the number on the uniform is nothing more than a number, it is the friendship
between the seniors and juniors in the I.E. department that carries more importance and
would never be broken apart. The juniors give their respect to their seniors and the seniors
watch their juniors’ backs.

Their caring could be seen through places, even in the cafeteria. Kongpob and his gang are
now there to get their lunches but it’s too crowded that the seats are all occupied. When they
are in the midst of finding vacant seats, they happen to meet a group of their department
seniors waving at them.

“Over here, Nong! We’ll be leaving in a minute.”

“P’Nu!”

M calls out the name of the generous and helpful senior, who turns out to be M’s third-year
direct senior. There are seven or eight of them eating together and all of them are familiar
faces. He could see some emptied plates by the time he walked over, however, there’re still
some of them who are still in the middle of it and had no intention of giving up their seats.

M heads over to his direct senior and whispers sheepishly, “P’Nu, are you guys done eating?”

“We’re done! Hey Arthit, speed up!”

The person who decided on his own stood up and put the plates away, then turned around and
urged the person who is feeding the braised noodles to his mouth halfway. Suddenly getting
chased like that, the one that is still eating gets angry.

“Hey, Ai’Nu! What has this got to do with me? Plus, why are you suddenly so nice to your
junior? What scheme are you plotting?”

Nu was surprised by the expose and denied it in a raised voice out of guilt.

“None! What scheme you’re talking about! A simple-minded person like me, what could I be
plotting?”

“Only idiots will believe your facade! The appreciation party is at the end of the month and
you’re trying to buy your junior’s heart now so you can ask for gifts without guilt later,
innit?”

Upon Arthit’s reminder, those present are recalled of the coming important event that is held
annually.

‘The Appreciation Party’ is like a thanksgiving party, usually held at the end of the semester.
It’s like how they did it at the beginning of the semester when the seniors plan a welcoming
party for the juniors, just this time is the other way round. The juniors will be the ones to
prepare gifts for their seniors as a token of appreciation for taking care of them.

Although there’s no regulation on the price, most juniors decide the weight of the gift based
on the amount of care they received from their seniors or the depth of their friendship with
their seniors.
Therefore, there will be some seniors like P’Nu who feel embarrassed getting caught and
exposed on the spot. The same drama every year.

“Shit, Arthit! Why are you exposing me! BUT N’M don’t forget alright? P’ loves chocolate!
Ferrero Rocher specifically. Two large boxes please, and thanks!”

The lot laughed at him for not forgetting to request his gift even in midst of the shame. After
all the laughing subsides, the third-years start to pack up to give their seats to the juniors who
had been waiting so they could have their lunch.

Kongpob leans slightly sideways to make way for the seniors, leaving an especially bigger
space for someone, who quickly gulps down his drink in order to keep up with his friends.
The mischievous junior could only watch in silence and dare not hum a word.

Although he often teases P’Arthit on purpose when they were alone, if he dares tease him
like that in public, he'd die an ugly death for sure!

So, he made the wise choice of keeping his mouth shut and letting P’Arthit leave along with
his friends. Just as he turns around, ready to put his bag down to take up the table, he gets
pulled by a force and his body naturally turns in the direction he was pulled.

He's surprised to find the person who was pulling him earlier is the one whom he was
suppressing not to tease and keeping a straight face at.

“Um, are you free this Saturday?”

P’Arthit maintains himself in his normal look as if he's just going to ask some trivial
questions. However, the calm look couldn't conceal his ambiguous tone. Kongpob nods in
response as his schedule is empty for the weekend.

“Yes, I am.”

“I, uh, have something I want to buy. If you're free, c-can you go with me as a company to
choose a suitable one?”

His expression remains the same but the way he speaks doesn’t resemble P’Arthit’s usual
sternness. Kongpob could see the shyness in him and agreed while holding back his smile.

“Sure, P’Arthit!”

“Alright, same place 11AM then.”

“Hold on...”

After finishing his business and about to leave, Arthit is the one, in turn, to get called. The
junior whispers slyly into Arthit’s ear which made him blush.

“Is this a date?”

“Hell no, it’s not!”

The stern image that he had been putting on shatters upon the one sentence from that guy. He
got so annoyed that he couldn’t help shouting at him, attracting the attention of everyone in
the cafeteria.

After a fierce glare as a warning at Kongpob, Arthit then turns and catches up to his friends.
In the eyes of his friend, they had no idea what the two were arguing about. Only Kongpob
smiles faintly for the good deed he’s done and watches Arthit leaves.

He had wanted to hold back but the situation just now acts like a reminder for him not to let
go of the rare opportunity. He knew he was being childish and knew that it would make
P’Arthit pissed off again, but he couldn’t control it.

He couldn’t hold back the desire to get closer to P’Arthit.

*I sometimes wonder about Kongpob’s logic. Like how is that getting closer? I would have
hated that tho. LMAO Guess everyone’s different in treating the people they love.

Even just a tiny bit, he would love to spend more time with P’Arthit if given the opportunity.

--

On Saturday morning, Kongpob arrived just a little before eleven.

Kongpob, who holds the title of Mr. Campus is still dressed up as usual. Even though it's only
a classic light-colored shirt and dark jeans, it's more than enough for the girls to take second
glances and wonder to themselves who is the lucky person that gets to have such a handsome
man as their date.

The fact is that Kongpob is the one who is accompanying his date shopping, who strongly
disagreed that this is not a date. But that didn't kill the joy in him and he's not anticipating the
arrival of the person.

Soon after, still isn't eleven yet, comes a man walking in his direction.

P’Arthit looks unkempt but true to himself in a t-shirt with the Red Bull logo print, paired
with faded ripped jeans and espadrilles, maintaining his usual carefree personality.

But without the beard and messy hair from last time, he now gives out more of a clean-
looking music artist vibe, simple and natural charm, compared to the homeless artist vibe the
previous time. Even when he’s frowning, it doesn’t detract him from his charm.

“What the hell! I already think that I’m early enough but you’re even earlier than me!”

“I’ve just arrived as well. So, what does P’Arthit want to buy?”
Kongpob cuts straight to the point because he realized that if they continue standing there,
not only him, even the person next to him is getting second glances from the girls passing by
them. Well, not that the casual personality Arthit would realize at all. He turns to him and
replies briefly, “Come with me.”

Arthit walks up the escalator and the junior obediently follows suit. While at it, Arthit
initiates a chat.

“P’Tum called yesterday and mentioned that P’Fon is two months pregnant.”

“Really!”

This is such wonderful news that the person who just received the news is now smiling
excitedly. It has been three months since they attended the wedding banquet of their seniors.
Now the families of 0062 and 0206 have a baby coming their way, serving as a witness to a
tighter bond between them.

As the baby’s elder, Arthit felt that he should prepare some gifts to welcome the new member
and nods to Kongpob as a reply of confirmation.

“Hmm, that’s why I’m thinking of getting something for them as a token of congratulations.

“How ‘bout a card then?”

The old gag that was used once is now brought up again and this time Arthit rejects it with a
frowning face.

“No way! The card I gave out last time during their wedding had me die of shame on
P’Tum!”

Thinking back to the last time he mistrusted this guy’s advice and wrote a card to the groom
and bride for romantic reasons had him wanting the earth to swallow him whole and
disappear.

If he’s going to use the same ‘gift’ again for the baby, he doesn’t think he can walk out of the
hall of shame. Not wanting history to repeat itself, Arthit went out intending to find new
inspiration.

“What do you think is better? Toys or clothes?”

Arthit asks casually as he strolls in the direction of the children’s department, thinking of
looking around to see if there’s any suitable gift to get. But before he could look further into
it, the other stops him.

“Hold on, P’Arthit. P’Fon is only two months pregnant so we wouldn’t know the gender yet.
Isn’t it a bit too early to be getting toys or clothes?”

Well, that’s true too. After thinking it over, it’s another eight months before the child is due
and he’s a bit too thrilled and eager to race the others to buy the gift for the child first. This is
more humiliating than the card incident! But what else can he do; it would still be a shame if
he takes back what he’d just said.

*You and your pride, Arthit.

“I mean, it’s supposed to be a surprise anyway! I can get a neutral gender kind of clothes or
toys, innit? You know neutral gender? Those that can be used by both boys and girls?”

Arthit’s attempt to turn the table was really stiff and Kongpob, who had already seen through
him, shows a faint smile. Feeling like he was being laughed at, the senior hurried to find a
new topic.

“Don’t you have a niece yourself? Any suggestions?”

Recalling the previous time when Kongpob requested his help to pick a gift, saying it was a
birthday present for his niece’s third birthday. Maybe he will have some experience to
provide as a reference.

Kongpob thinks about it for a bit before floating along Arthit’s flow of questions.

“Well, the one in our family is a girl. So, as long as it’s something cute like plushies, they’ll
love it immediately. But it’s going to be different if we’re going to buy for a boy. I’ve thought
of it before that if I am to have children, I would love to have a son.”

Children...

Upon hearing the keyword, Arthit seems to think of something and turns to take a look at the
person beside him. This is the first time he looks so closely at him.

Right, why did he only realize now that Kongpob is a man, and a man of perfection at that.
Other than some willfulness and stubbornness, his appearance, features, family background,
educational background, etc., is nothing of a complaint. He is overall a nice and kind person
who is worthy of a friend, and it is not surprising that many girls are aiming at him.

And it is definitely not difficult for someone like Kongpob to find a suitable lady for
marriage and children. Building a warm family together like P’Tum and P’Fon, have one or
two lovely children.

And though he has many shortcomings himself, he had also thought about his future. Diving
into the working field for a period of time and after having a certain amount of savings, he
will also build a family of his own. Watching his children grow up, growing old with his
other half, and leading a leisure old age surrounded by his grandchildren.

But of course, that was before he chose to be with Kongpob.

Being in a same-sex relationship in a society full of restrictions, even if there’s a strong

emotional bond between them, he can’t help but doubt if it’s worth it to persist on this path.
Because in the end, his relationship with Kongpob will come to an end.

It’s just a matter of time.

“What do you think, P’Arthit? P’Arthit? P’?”

Kongpob’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and he realized he had stopped walking at
some point. He had missed Kongpob’s message and seeing the other’s expression as if he is
waiting for an answer, he had to ask again for the question.

“Sorry, what was it you were saying?”

“I’m saying should we buy some nutritional supplements for P’Fon? It’s best to get enough
nutrients during pregnancy so the child and the mother will be healthy. What does P’Arthit
think?”

“Um, I guess that’s fine too.”

Arthit does agree wholeheartedly with that suggestion. It would be more practical for them to
get some nutritional milk powder and fruits and make them into a beautiful basket. So,
today’s task of picking gifts was quickly wrapped up within half an hour and the two had
nothing else to deal with now.

“Since there’s so much time left, do you want to go to the movies, P’Arthit? We should be
able to make it for the next screening.”

Kongpob offers while raising his left hand to look at the time. It’s too early for lunch and a
pity if they are to head back to the dorms.

Thinking that the senior is going to answer the question, however, those sharp eyes are
staring at something else instead.

“You should take off the thread on your wrist. It’s already soiled.”

Kongpob looks in the direction after being reminded.

The thread that was once white is now covered in grey. It had been on his wrist since the
night of the thread tying ceremony after the flag capturing and no matter how attentive he is
to protect it; ruin is inevitable.

But he refuses to take it off because...

“P’Arthit put this on for me, I want to keep wearing it.”

It’s one little thing that symbolizes the connection of their relationship.

Arthit can’t tell how he should feel at this moment. Shy? Happy? Or is he just shaken by
Kongpob’s unhiding growing affection towards him?

He chooses to let the rising confusion slip for now and go with the flow agreeing to the
movies. They took the escalator to the highest floor and a dazzling array of movie posters and
movie trailers playing on the TV came to view once they reach the highest floor.

The taller junior once again asks for the other’s opinion.
“Is there any movie that P’Arthit is interested in?”

“Hmm, your choice.”

Since the junior is more knowledgeable in the films, might as well let him be the one to
choose while he just nods to any of it that he chose.

“Alright, P’Arthit just wait for me here then.”

Kongpob proceeds to the ticketing booth to queue up for the movie tickets while his eyes
evaluate the movie trailers playing on the TV. It’s after all very rare for P’Arthit to ask him
out. He doesn’t know if it’s willful of him but it would be nice to extend the time a little
longer so he could have more alone time with P’Arthit, even if it’s just for an hour or two.

That’s why he carefully picks the movie that is best suited to P’Arthit’s taste with the best
viewing seats and returns to the person who is digging his wallet. As he opens it, he asks,
“How much is it?”

“My treat.”

The generous man smiles but as his senior, Arthit would not accept this kindness from his
junior so easily. He pulls out a hundred-baht bill from his wallet and shoves it forcefully into
the other’s hand.

“No need, how much is it!”

“It’s fine~ Since we’re on a date.”

Arthit is stunned upon hearing the reason for the treat and before he could continue, a sweet
voice interrupts their conversation.

“Kongpob!”

The two look up simultaneously at the source of the voice. A fair-skinned girl in a simple
with brown curly hair is being let down, covering her cheeks. It's no wonder that a cute lady
like her gets crowned the Ms. Campus for the year, Praepailin. And when she stands next to
Mr. Campus, their radiance overshadows all the couples in the cinema. Even Arthit too
almost became one of the ordinary beings. Until the big-eyed beauty notices him standing
behind them.

“Ah, P’Arthit sawadee ka.”

The junior puts her together in fear and pays her respect to P’Arthit. After all, the person in
front of her is the Head Hazer, the infamous devil throughout the whole engineering campus.

Moreover, in the first few days of freshmen training, Praepailin was asked to shout she likes
P’Arthit in public when she wanted to get his signature, which left a bit of trauma in her.

But the terrifying atmosphere is quickly shattered by Kongpob’s amiable conversation.

“Are you going to the movies?”

The person who received the question turns to him and nods in response with a bright smile
on her face.

“Yeah! I’m watching it with my friend. Which one did you pick, Kong?”

Arthit had never even heard of the title of the film that Kongpob mentioned, Paraepailin
instead, is immediately lit up with excitement.

“We are watching the same movie! I had planned to watch it once it was released but we were
so packed with school. I love the female lead and I’ve watched all the movies she acted in.
Her acting is first-class!”

“I agree. I love her acting in heavy scenes when her eyes perfectly convey all the emotions to
the audience.”

“That’s right! This film is based on a novel, and I heard that the director put in a lot of effort
and doesn’t lose to the novel version one bit!”

“I’ve read the book before.”

“Really! I’ve read it too. It was a thick book, and it took me a long time to finish it, but it was
definitely worth it!”

A topic that he’s unfamiliar with drifts past Arthit’s ears and he could only stand aside and
watch the two chatting happily until Praepailin gets a wake-up call.

“Right, so did you come by yourself? Or...you were with P’Arthit?”

Facing the sudden question, Kongpob’s eyes can’t help but move to P’Arthit. When he’s
almost nodding his head to answer, the other speeds to answer instead.

“No, I’m by myself. We just happened to bump into each other.”

Now, Kongpob turns around to look directly at the man beside him. A calm face with no trace
of lying and Praepailin didn’t doubt for another second.

“Ah, I see. What a coincidence then! I’ll be leaving to get the tickets first; my friend is
already waiting for me at the counter. See you on campus, Kong! Goodbye, P’Arthit.”

Ms. Campus did not forget to pay her respects to her senior when she bid her goodbyes and
ran off to meet up with her friend, leaving the two boys in place. Silence creeps in and
suddenly awkwardness gradually forms between them.

Arthit turns to walk into the movie hall. He looks at the hall number on the movie ticket to
find his spot while Kongpob follows behind him. They went in a few minutes before the
movie starts and once the hall dims, they switch their focus to the big screen.
But the exciting plot and gorgeous CGI effects are not able to calm Kongpob’s nerves down
to enjoy and admire.

For his eyes keep drifting to the person next to him and the words of denial that he’d just
said.

Denying that there’s something between them...

He understands that P’Arthit is just brushing Praepailin off since his relationship with
P’Arthit at this stage is not an easy thing to make public, even more so when their
relationship is still so unclear. At present, he only knows of his one-sided feelings. He feels
happy when he gets to spend time with P’Arthit alone and took today as a date, but he’d
never ask if P’Arthit is on the same page.

Perhaps, it is him who is expecting too much...

--

Two hours pass and the movie ends along with the lights brightening up the hall again and the
audience slowly leaving the movie hall. Kongpob looks at the watch on his wrist that is
telling the time at nearly two in the afternoon. He pulls away and turns his gaze to the person
next to him to check on him.

“Are you hungry, P’Arthit?”

“A little.”

“How about we go to the noodle shop you brought me last time?”

“Sure.”

The Q&A kind of conversation is filled with helplessness. And though Kongpob notices, he
could only keep it in and not question it. He follows P’Arthit to the bus stop for the bus. After
getting off at the third stop, they walk into the alley, and today, there’s a lesser crowd than
when Kongpob first went.

After getting seated, the waiter gets called to take their order.

Kongpob didn’t order the clear soup this time, he replaced his order with the famous hot and
sour egg noodle soup with pork. It’s the same menu that the person opposite him forcibly
recommended to him. He also remembers how P’Arthit laughed at him at that time for eating
such bland food.

When the two bowls are served to their table, P’Arthit pulls his bowl over and starts eating.
Not another word is spoken and it’s usually quiet even when their surroundings are not.
Kongpob couldn’t help but feel concerned after some time.
“Are you not feeling well, P’Arthit?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Or was it the movie that I chose? Was it bad?”

“It was good!”

The Q&A alike conversation shuts Kongpob off from continuing. He thought maybe P’Arthit
is tired and preferred some alone time, so he quietly eats his noodles. Just after he feeds
himself a few mouths, P’Arthit suddenly asks.

“Do you think Praepailin is cute?”

This brief question left Kongpob’s chopsticks hanging in the middle of the air, and there’s a
gush of curiosity in his mind wondering why would P’Arthit ask that. In the end, he
reluctantly answers the question.

“Well, not bad. She was crowned as Ms. Campus after all.”

The sharp eyes dim but regain composure within two seconds, too fast for Kongpob to catch
the odds.

“Such a cutie, right! Not sure if she already has a boyfriend.”

“I heard she’s still single from our classmates.”

“Really? I have her phone number though. It was given to me back when she asked for my
signature.”

Upon hearing this, Kongpob’s heart almost falls to the ground.

Well, Praepailin indeed has a great personality, like a blooming flower in the engineering
campus that is 95% boys. It’s no surprise that many guys are targeting to woo her, but he
never knew that P’Arthit is also one of those guys.

As for him, in what status he is or what right he has, to stop P’Arthit from liking someone.

Whoever P’Arthit likes, he could only be the listener.

“Yeah? That’s good!”

“Yeah.”

Arthit nods to end the conversation. The two continue to eat their noodles, but Kongpob feels
that the noodles today are not as delicious as the first time he had them. After they pay their
bills, both walk out of the store aimlessly.

“Do you have anywhere else you want to go, P’Arthit?”

“No.”
“Well, let’s head back then.”

“Right.”

On the way back to their dorms, Arthit keeps staring out the bus window in a daze, while
Kongpob has a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he doesn’t know where to start. In the
end, the only thing he could do was to let it all pass quietly.

Since their dorms are near each other, when the bus comes to the nearest stop to their
university, they get off and walk back together. Kongpob also takes this rare opportunity to
accompany P’Arthit back to his dorm.

Just when they turned into an alley, a motorcycle riding in a reversed direction swayed out of
the road when it almost hit a car. Its sudden change of path nearly knocked a pedestrian who
couldn’t react in time.

“P’Arthit, be careful!”

Luckily, the tall junior is able to react swiftly to grab Arthit’s hand to bring him back to the
sidewalk. He hurries to check on the other party’s condition.

“Are you alright? Are you anywhere hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

The person who got rescued in time responded softly while secretly pulling his hand away.
He coldly steps back to keep some distance then continues to walk back to his dorm,
completely ignoring Kongpob who is standing just behind him.

Kongpob understands that P’Arthit doesn’t like physical contact and would always get fired
up whenever he makes excuses to get closer. But this time... It doesn’t feel quite right. He
could feel the distance between them getting farther away.

Or is P’Arthit already tired of him? Sick of him overstepping his boundaries all the time,
tired of his childish acts around him? Is it P’Arthit’s kindness that stops him from rejecting
him directly?

Remaining rooted where he’s at, Kongpob looks at P’Arthit’s back as he walks further away
from him. He recalls the old, dirty thread hanging on his wrist.

That person would have wanted him to take it off, right? Even though he insisted on wearing
it, his heart is actually terrified to ask any further...

About the gear, does P’Arthit want it back too?

 Special Chapter 4 – The Uniform Shirt Battle (or Bet),
Appreciation Party, And the Day We Walk Together Part III

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

Seats in the cafeteria at noon are as hard to find as ever.

The first-years are lucky today because their lecturer let them off early and they manage to
secure the large table and eat in peace before the students from the other departments are off.
There’s even enough time for them to grab some snacks and the ten skewers of grilled
meatballs gone in seconds, leaving only the bamboo skewers as proof of that they existed
before.

“Pay up, don’t be thinking this is on me.”

M extends his palm to his friends at the same table to get the money back for the meatballs.
Yes, he’s the one who bought it, but was robbed by everyone and he didn’t get to eat it. Some
of them pretended to be out of the world so they could get free snacks. Desperate, they even
try to act cute to see if they could get away with it.

“Hoi~ Come on~ The Appreciation Party is nearing, and I don’t get enough money to buy
gifts!”

Tew tries to inflict an injury on himself to gain M’s sympathy, but M is quick to reject.

“I’m the one who needed the pity. Didn’t you hear P’Nu asking Ferrero from me the last
time? Two boxes even! I’m done too after I have done shopping for those! Also, isn’t Kong
the one who has it worse? He has the seniors from the joint family to gift too, right?”

M’s question is not only asking for confirmation from Kongpob, but it has also ignited Tew’s
curiosity.

“You have a joint family?”

“Hmm. My direct senior who graduated last year married a senior from another ID.
According to the custom, the two ID will unite to form a big family.”

The friends at the same table nod in understanding. Because the recipients of the appreciation
gift are not limited to just their direct seniors, but also the seniors from *angel buddy. The
price tag of the gift is up to them to decide, after all, the main intention of the Appreciation
Party is to promote the friendship between the seniors and juniors within the department.
*Angel buddy is decided by drawing lots. The main purpose is for them to ballot the junior
that they will look after in secret until the Appreciation Party where they will reveal their
identity to the individual junior that they are responsible for.

Kongpob also has to prepare a gift for his seniors. Although he wouldn’t say that they are
very close, he had indeed received a lot of care from them this year. Like P’Ple who brings
him snacks from time to time, P’Noon Noon and P’Pak asking about his well-being each time
they meet.

As for the joint family, though the second- and fourth-year seniors can only be regarded as
acquaintances, the third-year senior of 0206 ID holds a special place in his heart instead.

He should properly think about the gift for P’Arthit but he is unsure what the senior likes.
Well, P’Arthit himself too never told him about his preferences.

P’Arthit’s preferences, habits all come from Kongpob’s own observation. Even if their
relationship now is much closer than before, the fact is it’s more like Kongpob chasing after
P’Arthit, following aimlessly behind him. Adding on the matter that happened not long ago,
he couldn’t help but waver.

He doesn’t feel tired at all for the affection he’s been showering P’Arthit all the time, but he
also couldn’t deny that sometimes he would feel...

Discouraged.

The more he’s fixated on the issue, the more scars the messy thoughts will bring him.
Kongpob struggles to stop himself from thinking about it and draws his attention back to M
instead. Seeing that his friend is collecting the money for the grilled meatballs, he stands,
planning to take out his wallet to return his share.

However, his move made another person mistaken that he was going to leave.

“Excuse me, is there anyone else using the table next?”

Turning his head to the source of the voice, he realized it was from one of his friends.

“Praepailin!”

“Oh, Kong! Didn’t recognize you from the back.”

Praepailin smiles at another of their encounters and checks again with the others at the table.

“Are you guys done? Can I use the table next?”

“We’re just about to leave.”

M rushed to answer. It is a rare chance for him to be speaking to a beauty and as a gentleman,
there’s no reason for them to refuse. So, everyone scrambles to pack their bags and clear their
plates and if they could, they even wanted to offer to clean the table up so as to leave the best
impression.
Kongpob is the first one to exit for the belle.

“Take a seat first.”

“Thanks! I’ll wait for my friend first. She’s buying food over there.”

The pair of shiny eyes gesture to one of the stir-fry shops that is packed with people, and
even so, there’re still crowd walking into the shop, including a group of third-years who just
got off their class.

They almost gave up soon as their eyes met with the crowd of people.

“Told you we should have just eat out.”

Arthit and his friends walk in while they nag because the cafeteria at lunch hour is always
like a huge music chair game brawl, and they feel impatient having to wait for seats. But they
still have to get their lunch here since they have an important work plan to carry out for the
afternoon class.

“Hey, Arthit! Here, your pen.”

Knot returns the pen which he borrowed to jot down notes and report progress.

“I’ve called to make an appointment with the Amphawa factory.”

Their so-called important plan is to visit a large factory, which is a compulsory module
assigned by the university, in hope of letting the students gather some practical experience
before graduating. A bit like an internship, this module is to be completed in two months
during the school break. They even have to draw up a proper proposal to submit to their
lecturer before the internship starts.

They’ve chosen a factory located in Amphawa. Not only is it not far from the university, but
also because the homestay run by Knot’s family is nearby. In addition to saving them the
hassle and money for accommodation, they could also drop by the Amphawa floating market
after the factory visit, which is totally killing two birds with one stone.

“What time is the appointment?”

“Next Saturday, eight in the morning.”

Arthit’s mouth twitches after hearing the schedule. Can he take back what he just said? This
is no longer killing two birds with one stone for him! So early! He could have slept till noon
on a weekend and the schedule killed it. This weekend would be the same as last weekend
since he and Kongpob had a dat—

It feels weird for him whenever he thinks of the name now. He keeps having this odd feeling
in his heart. The things that he doesn’t want to think about keep making their appearance in
his head which he could not control, no matter how hard he tries to suppress.

The picture of Kongpob and Praepailin happily conversing.

It wasn’t because he felt like an outsider that made him unhappy, on the contrary, he had
always felt that the two were a good match and while he was at it, the odd feeling that he
couldn’t put a finger on it was stuck in his heart.

“The questions have to be well-planned as we’ll need to include them in the final report later
on.”

Knot reminds him of his task while looking around for a table. But Arthit seems to be
thinking of something else that he suddenly diverges from the topic.

“Oh, I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“If there’s these two people who are a good match in every single possible way, on one hand
it feels like they’re a match made in heaven yet on the other hand, it also feels like an
eyesore. Is this what they call envy?”

He frowns after hearing his friend’s question, one that is completely unrelated to whatever he
had just said and had nothing to do with the factory visit as well. He feels like he is now on
the *Club Friday show, listening to the cliché love story told by the listeners.

*Thailand’s well-known radio program for letting the listeners call in to tell their stories
anonymously. The program is so popular that some stories were adapted into MVs, short
films and even TV series.

Although he’s not as experienced as *P’Ai or P’Chen, from the way his friend narrated it, he
could guess one way or another that this is not envy. This is more like...

*The Chinese copy did not include how the names are written in English alphabets, so I
apologize if it’s incorrect as I apply the Chinese pronunciation for it instead. Also, they are
the DJs for the radio program.

“Over there! I saw my junior standing up from his table!”

Ai’Nu’s voice interrupts while pointing towards the table that the first-years stand up with
their bags and empty plates in hand. There’s also a beauty standing among the group.

“Oh, isn’t that the Ms. Campus of the year! She looks much cuter in person than in picture!”

Arthit looks in the direction of his friend’s gaze and is stunned the next second.

There is more than just Ms. Campus at the table, even Mr. Campus is also together with her,
interacting like a pair of close friends. He wanted to turn around and leave, pretending that he
didn’t see them. Just as he is about to call out Ai’Nu to find another table, he was a step too
late because his dumb friend had already stridden straight to the table and give out his ‘senior
order’ to his junior.

“Are you guys done, M? Speed up for the seniors. And the pretty junior over there, have you
eaten? If not, do you want to join the seniors?”
The senior’s intention to flirt with the girl is too obvious, which resulted in the juniors at the
table booing at him. The loudest comes from M, who is driven away by his direct senior. He
murmurs in a low voice that the brotherhood they’ve built up so far got broken so easily
because of a girl.

The moment P’Nu hears his junior’s complaint, he quickly turns to M, thinking of a way to
appease him.

“Look, I’ll give you a discount, alright? Only one box of Ferrero, how’s that sound? But in
exchange, back down for now. So, Nong, have you decided?”

The last question was thrown back at Praepailin and the junior showed an awkward
expression with her mind running quickly to make up an excuse.

“Uh, I uh...”

“Praepailin is here with her friends, P’Nu. I’m afraid there’s not enough seat for P’ and the
other seniors.”

Arthit watches as Kongpob stands up to speak for Praepailin. The image of him standing next
to her like a male lead in those cliché movies protecting his heroin is enough reason to turn
down Ai’Nu’s invitation.

Damn it for losing it to the leading character. But even so, his prideful mouth did not forget to
lash out his bitter feeling.

“Ah, I see someone is all jealous. Why didn’t you just say so? Are you guys in the flirting
phase now? Fine fine, as the senior, I’ll return the table to the lady. We’ll go look around for
another table.”

Ai’Nu wisely talked himself down and grabbed along his friends to leave with him.

Just as the group of seniors are about to go off, Kongpob notices something that had fallen
out of someone’s pocket. After picking it up, he calls out for the name while unconsciously
reaching out his hand to stop him.

“P’Arthit...”

“Don’t touch me!”

The senior suddenly shouts and pulls away his hand forcefully. Kongpob, on the other hand,
immediately let go the moment he got yelled at. He looks into P’Arthit’s eyes that are filled
with shock and explains.

“I was just going to return the pen you dropped, P’Arthit.”

“Uh, thanks.”

The owner of the pen thanked him softly. He accepts the pen then turns around to catch up
with his friends. But everyone at the scene is still puzzled by the sudden rage.
“What’s wrong with P’Arthit? Did he have to be that mad?”

Praepailin expresses her opinion on the senior’s overreaction and the others nod in
agreement. While everyone thinks that it’s just a minor issue, to Kongpob, he knows it is
not...

He is unsure if P’Arthit’s outright rejection is purely because he dislikes skinship or because

of Praepailin. But all in all, P’Arthit’s reaction left a huge shock and a deep wound in his
heart.

Kongpob once heard that the feeling of loving someone is only the beginning, and there will
be many other emotions that he has to accept. The closer they get to the other party, the easier
it is to be affected by their words and deeds, thus continuously accumulating conflicts and
heartbreaks.

No matter how much he puts in the effort to shorten the gap, he always feels that the distance
between them did not improve.

Sometimes he had forgotten that although the sun and the moon are in the same sky, they are
two parallel lines.

They can never be together.

--

Friday evenings in Amphawa market exude the charm of a floating market.

All the stalls in the market are open for business. There are all kinds of goods such as food,
clothing, accessories, etc., as well as various creatively crafted items that tempt people into
buying them back as souvenirs or gifts.

There are also a lot of girls shopping around. The group of singletons from the engineering
faculty set their eyes on their type and later on, courage up to strike up a conversation with
the girls. All but one...

“Hey Arthit! Cat got your tongue!?”

Knot roasts his friend soon as he opens his mouth. The group are now out enjoying
themselves, then there’s Arthit with a cold, straight face, as if afraid *the white flowers will
fall out of his mouth. He’s been ignoring all the stalls they passed by, putting on a sad face
like he just got dumped. And Knot can’t help but adds on the roast.

*Thai folklore, which means keeping your mouth shut, not speaking a word.

“Did you argue with your girlfriend?”

Startled by this assumption, the man finally responds.

“Right, with my non-existent girlfriend.”

Arthit doesn’t know why but when he answered the question, he felt a tingle in his heart.

Is it not? Since he can’t even explain what the relationship between him and Kongpob is.
Especially the things he did blur the line even worse.

Why did he fling Kongpob’s hand away at that time? He was sure it wasn’t out of disgust but
rather a momentary emotion... When he saw Kongpob and Praepailin together, there’s this
mixed emotion that he couldn’t put his finger on and the more he wanted to sort it out, the
worse the emotion became.

“It’s just a bit of headache.”

Arthit fakes a reply to brush his friend off. Not knowing if the gang pity him or if they’d had
enough fun, a short while after the gang decide to head back to Knot’s homestay.

It’s a detached house built with a garden by the river. It has an astonishing landscape and of
course, beautiful scenery must be accompanied by fine wine. Soon they form a circle and
start toasting around, totally ditching the fact that they have to get up early tomorrow for the
factory visit the next day.

But Arthit is not in the mood to chat. He sits on the side and listens for a bit before getting up
to the toilet alone. He walks around the place after he finishes his business and notices a
gazebo by the river. He rests himself, wanting to think things through quietly but gets
interrupted by a voice.

“Does your head still hurt? I got you painkillers.”

Arthit turns over to look at the person who expresses concern about him and it’s the person
who roasted him earlier. Though Knot didn’t have even half a painkiller in his hand, he
brought over two cans of ice-cold beer. As expected of his close brother.

Beer is always the best medicine for matters of the heart. At least, it can temporarily alleviate
some of the messy thoughts.

The two cans are opened at the same time and after each takes a sip, they look at the night
scene by the river. It took a while for Knot to break the silence.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

Having known each other for so long, they already understood each other inside out. Arthit
knows his friend cares about him a whole lot and maybe...he would get a better insight or
even solution by talking to others about it. It would still be better than him constantly circling
around in the same place with the same messy thoughts.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

And so, Arthit opened up and spilled everything to his best friend. From the very beginning
when he discovered he had some feelings towards Kongpob to him realizing the feelings had
surpassed those of a senior and a junior, and to all the incidents that happened after.

Knot didn’t give any reaction thinking it was unusual. He turns into Arthit’s listener and sits
on quietly without expressing any opinions.

“I tried so hard not to think about it, but I can’t help it. There are so many restrictions
between guy and guy relationship. Whether it’s family, society, or even children. I feel that if
I already knew we wouldn’t have a good ending together, then shouldn’t I let go now and let
him pursue someone who is more suitable for him than I am?”

Better a little lost than a long sorrow. Even if they are in bliss at first, things would most
likely change after two or three years. If that’s so, he should let Kongpob find someone who
is suitable for him, rather than wasting the time on him.

Before things escalate; before they sink deeper.

Until the speaker finishes his whole story, Knot picks up his beer and takes a sit. He sorts
through what he had heard and asks Arthit just one question.

“Then do you regret being with him?”

Arthit looks up at his temporary relationship consultant and shakes his head in denial.

“No, I’m afraid that he will regret being with me.”

“Have you asked him about that?”

No, he has not. Who would dare to ask this kind of question? Yet, it’s exactly because he
couldn’t bring himself to ask that he’s worrying about it alone now. Even though this is not
what his personality will usually do.

“So, you haven’t even asked him yet. May I ask if you’re a psychic or a mind reader?
Otherwise, how can you know what he thinks?”

“It’s not that. I’m just worried about his future.”

“Compared to the person whom you can touch in a distance, you choose to worry more about
the future that you can’t even see?”

The words seem to hit Arthit in the brain, and he falls into deep thought without giving a
respond. Knot watches his friend silently beside him.

The change in Arthit is not surprising. When a person falls in love, they will start to worry
about everything related to each other. The more important the person is, the more their mind
will be occupied by the other party unconsciously.

Sometimes, it’s better to slowly untangle the jumbled knots and look at the problem as an
outsider to understand the root of the problem. It also helps to see the solution clearly.
Being the best friend, Knot also chips in another explanation to accelerate Arthit’s thinking
process.

“Also, the uncomfortable mixed emotion in your chest that you mentioned when you see him
with others is called jealousy!”

It seems to work cause the person who had been quiet suddenly jumps in opposition.

“Dammit, Knot! I was not (jealous)!”

Finally, the furious look is the Arthit that Knot is familiar with. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fine, suit yourself. Just be honest with him about whatever’s on your mind. You keeping to
yourself and him keeping silent all the time doesn’t help you guys to get to know each other
better.”

The relationship consultant gives final advice before standing up and gestures to walk out of
the gazebo.

“I’ll go get another beer.”

“I’m going too.”

“Nah, just wait here. I’ll bring yours on the way.”

“I’m not talking about beer. I want to go back to the market.”

Knot is confused by his friend’s action. When they were shopping around just now, this man
here behaved like the walking dead. He tries to stop him by pointing at the watch to inform
him that it is already past midnight.

“It’s so late already, the market is almost all closed.”

“But I want to go now.”

Seeing his eyes firm and unwavering, Knot knows he has his reason. As the host, he could
not refuse so he heaves a sigh and goes along with Arthit’s wishes.

“Alright, I’ll drive you over.”

“Thanks!”

Knot nods in acceptance of his friend’s gratitude. Honestly, he can’t figure out why Arthit is
going at this time but at least now it seems that he has decided...

What is the thing he should care about.

--
The Appreciation Party for the Department of Industrial Engineering is being held on
Saturday at 6 in the evening.

The party is one big party filled with a warm atmosphere with the seniors and juniors from all
years attending it together. Chatters, photo taking, and small gifts prepared by the juniors to
gift to their seniors who have been taking care of them for the past year. There will also be
some seniors who also prepared gifts for their juniors as well, adding more warmth in the
sentimental event.

All members from the 0062 family are present at the party. Kongpob already had his gifts
prepared for each of his direct seniors. Although they are not expensive, he puts his heart in
when he’s out selecting them. His seniors gave him some snacks in return for the gifts they
received. He also went over to greet the 0206 members.

All but one of the members was present. When the two ID groups stand together, it does
make them look like a big family.

The party had started for half an hour, but there is still no sign of the man. Under the
influence of curiosity, his second-year senior, P’Ple asks.

“Hmm? Is P’Arthit not coming?”

“Oh, P’Arthit said he is going to a factory visit in Amphawa today. It’s going to end late so he
may not be able to come back in time for the party.”

Lin, who is the first-year in the 0206 family informs of the news. Kongpob didn’t know of it
till now and he had also prepared a gift for the said senior. It seems that the gift is going to go
to waste.

Along with his heart...

But then, P’Arthit is under no obligation to tell him with who and where he is going, let alone
the incident that happened the last time they met. All these things made him even more
unsure if he still has that special place in P’Arthit’s heart.

Sure, an ambiguous relationship would sometimes make one’s heart flutters, but other times
it’s a silent kill. Because there’s no confirmation from either of them, and it’s torturing since
it leaves them having no rights to clear the doubts.

But if that’s the case, it might be better for P’Arthit to give it to him straight. Even if P’Arthit
finds it impossible between them, he will still calmly accept the outcome. The only thing he
begs of him is not to be indifferent to him and disappear from his life silently. At least give
him a frank answer to the question that is still resting in his heart...

What exactly is the relationship between us?

“Hey, isn’t that P’Arthit?”

P’Ple’s exclamation puts Kongpob’s train of thoughts to a stop and he quickly glances up to
see someone joining in the party with his gang of friends. They are not the ones who are
surprised. As P’Ple gathers the members of ID 0062 and 0206 over to greet P’Arthit,
Kongpob overhears P’Arthit’s peers greeting the latecomers with question.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t make it?

Ai’Nu gives him caustic remarks, knowing that it will already be evening by the time the
group finished the factory visit. And if he includes the journey back, the appreciation party
would almost be over.

Knot, who was responsible for driving, replies wearily with an exasperated tone.

“That was the plan, but Arthit kept pushing me to speed up. We were nearly stopped by the
police!”

“What’s this? Such intense desire for the gifts from your juniors?”

Ai’Nu jests, and the person being teased responds with a glare before clarifying.

“You better shut up, Ai’Nu. I’m here with gifts to my juniors, alright!”

As he wraps up his sentence, his ID family members approach him, and he promptly pulls out
the souvenirs from the bag to share.

“Here, just something small.”

It’s a popular souvenir from Amphawa—a small firefly keychain. He distributes them to
every member of his ID family, including the juniors of the joint family.

Kongpob is the last to get it and his gaze briefly meets P’Arthit’s. After giving out his gift, he
turns to leave but is halted by the younger male.

“Please wait, P’Arthit. I have something for you.”

The senior who had been halted, pivots to see Kongpob retrieve a plain white card from his
backpack. The card is not adorned with any fancy decoration on the card, just a rather simple
thank-you card. Presumably a gift for the appreciation party, right? Without a second thought,
Arthit flips it open and takes a look.

The card is loaded with words, yet every sentence makes his heart race.

To P’Arthit

P’Arthit, I once told you that I wanted you to write me a love letter. But today, please let me
be the one to write it to you first. I hope P’Arthit won’t get mad at me for doing this at will.
Actually, I have so much to tell P’Arthit, but I’m afraid that this card won’t be enough. I’m
also unsure of how to express my feelings because the words may not be able to fully
convey my gratitude to P’Arthit.

I want to thank P’Arthit for making me see things in a whole new light during the
freshmen training.

I want to thank P’Arthit for your kindness, for always looking after me and doing so much
for me.

I want to thank P’Arthit for your smiles and laughs, which never fail to turn my mundane
days into ones that are so special.

I want to thank P’Arthit...for allowing me to love you.

P’Arthit, you can’t imagine how happy I feel when we’re together. I may be a little childish
at times, playfully teasing you and being stubborn, which gives P’Arthit a headache.

I won’t ask P’Arthit to love me the same way, but regardless of what happens between us in
the future, the only thing that matters to me is you, P’Arthit!

You are my only sun, and I promise you that you will always be that to me.

Kongpob

Arthit recalls Kongpob once expressed that gifting a card to someone is a romantic gesture,
as it’s not the card that is the focus, but the words written on it.

He gets it now.

Every word, every sentence echoes Kongpob’s heartfelt emotions. And now it’s his turn to
speak from his heart.

“Give me your hand.”

Kongpob is puzzled by the unexpected request, but he complies and extends his right hand.

“No, the other hand.”

Still not quite understanding what P’Arthit is trying to do, but he follows the instruction and
switches to his left hand, where the white string remains attached.

Then Kongpob’s eyes widen in shock as he witnesses Arthit’s next move, causing his heart to
sink in an instant.

P’Arthit removes the thread from his wrist as if severing the ties between them.

Is this...P’Arthit’s answer?
But the older male is not done yet. He delves into his pocket and pulls out two sturdy-looking
brown woven bracelets. He proceeds to wrap one around Kongpob’s wrist and hands the
other to him, uttering a last instruction.

“Here, tie it for me.”

Kongpob’s heart starts to pound fiercely once more the moment he realizes P’Arthit’s answer
is not cutting him off.

Instead, it marks the beginning of a stronger bond, a more stable relationship for them.

He carefully fastens the bracelet to P’Arthit’s left wrist, catching the attention of those around
them.

“Wow, you guys are wearing the same bracelet! Just like a couple!”

The duo is taken aback by Ai’Nu’s joke, and it causes the others to also take notice. Just as
Kongpob struggles to come up with an excuse, fearing that P’Arthit would get angry because
of this, only to hear P’Arthit’s response—

“Well, we are a couple! What about it?”

Not only Kongpob, but even his friends and all his ID members are astonished.

There is a brief silence before the crowd erupts into joyful cheers and applause. They gather
around and gossip about the bold move to announce their relationship in such a high-profile
manner.

There are some who (jokingly) exclaim ‘What a shame for Mr. Campus!’, while others
wonder when the chemistry between the two began. Some are skeptically questioning if their
infamous hazer is truly gay.

Despite the lingering uncertainty, Arthit firmly takes hold of Kongpob’s hand and leads him
through the crowd towards the secluded rear of the engineering faculty building, releasing it
once they reach a quiet and unoccupied area. For the first time, he had a face-to-face
conversation with Kongpob after the incident.

“Do you remember owing me a wish?”

“I do. What does P'Arthit want to ask from me?”

Arthit pauses briefly, seemingly organizing his thoughts. With unwavering determination, he
lifts his head and speaks in a composed manner.

“I don’t know what the future holds for the two of us, but there is one thing that I ask of
you...”

The piercing gaze locks onto Kongpob’s eyes, as the words he’s about to speak emanate from
the depths of his heart.
“I’d like you to understand just one thing. Right now, you are the only person I have a special
feeling that is unlike anyone else... You are the only person I love.”

‘Love’

It is a simple word, yet its immense meaning is enough to clarify everything. It’s the ultimate
word that provides a definitive and forming a firmer relationship between them, transforming
anxious hearts into affectionate emotions.

Kongpob pulls Arthit in and holds him tight in his arms. This time, he isn’t afraid of the older
male dismissing him as he usually does, for even if P’Arthit wishes to retreat, he wouldn’t
hesitate to pursue him back, all for one reason...

“Yes, I understand! I also want P’Arthit to know that at this very moment, P’Arthit is too, the
only person I love.”

His heart flutters at the soft whisper of confession in his ear.

Arthit doesn’t want to struggle anymore because he has come to realize that even if their
relationship might not work out in the end, he still wants to cherish the present happiness
they share. He chooses to create beautiful memories with the person he loves most, and that’s
all that matters.

And that person is Kongpob.

A warn breath brushes his cheek and Arthit looks into the eyes of the man before him,
overflowing with bliss, sparkling like shimmering stars in the sky. He softly closes his eyes,
lifting his face to feel the gentle caress on his lips.

Their second kiss comes from love.

The muscular arms gradually loosen, granting the other their freedom. It’s the one who was
embraced earlier who suddenly remembers what they have just done in public, just behind
the engineering campus building no less. What if someone happened to walk by and saw
them!

Even if he had just announced their relationship in front of everyone, he’s still not the thick-
skinned kind of person. Dear Lord, he’s so going to be teased to death tomorrow!

A sense of shyness surfaces on Arthit’s face. Just as he is overwhelmed with embarrassment,

Kongpob breaks the silence with a question.

“Um, P’Arthit... I have a question.”

“Yea?”

“Does P’Arthit like Praepailin?”

*Bitch, Imma be giving you the group facepalm gif for you, Kongpob.
This question startles Arthit, prompting him to look up at the younger and swiftly denies it.

“Huh? I don’t. Aren’t you the one, who likes her?”

*Second facepalm gif for you, Arthit.

Arthit asks rhetorically. After all, he had seen how close and friendly the two of them were.
The tall junior shakes his head in denial and explains.

“I don’t. How would I like her when she likes girls?”

“What? What did you say?”

The shocking inside information leaves Arthit feeling rather light-headed, and Kongpob goes
on to explain further.

“Praepailin told me personally when we were rehearsing for Campus Moon and Star.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?”

'“Because she told me to keep it a secret. That’s why I didn’t tell you. Why would P’Arthit
ask me this? Was P’Arthit perhaps, jealous?”

“I was not!”

Arthit snaps and resists being questioned a second time. He turns away in frustration as usual,
but this time Kongpob is beginning to pick up his little tricks.

Before this, he had always wondered why sometimes P’Arthit would rebuff his advances, but
he eventually discovered that P’Arthit was simply being sulky.

And of course, he has to be responsible to please (coax) him!

Kongpob is trailing behind P’Arthit when he abruptly halts and asks him as if recalling
something important.

“Are you free next Saturday?”

Although it seems odd to be asked of this out of nowhere, he still nods and answers truthfully.

“I am. P’Arthit wants to go out and get something again?”

The senior rejects his guess with a shake of his head, and his direct response surprises
Kongpob.

“No, I was thinking of asking you out on a date.”

And just like that, Kongpob’s face is plastered with his first big smile in a few days.

And just like that, a broad smile spreads across Kongpob’s face, the first in a few days.
--

What will people speak about them tomorrow? What does the future hold? None of that
matters anymore. As long as the moon and the sun share the same sky, their only wish is to
bask in joyous moments together and let one thing guide their path...

That is what Kongpob and Arthit experienced with their hearts—

Love
 Special Chapter 5 - When Arthit is a First-Year

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

Arthit Rojnapat is an ordinary first-year in his university.

With an average appearance and a normal cheerful personality, he’s leading an ordinary but
happy university life. Even the freshmen training he participated in is also...

Well, that is extraordinary.

“You guys are the worst bunch!”

The sudden outburst in the gathering hall is a typical scene in the Faculty of Engineering,
especially in the Industrial Engineering department where the freshmen training is infamous
for being the toughest. The small-eyed, bespectacled third-year Head Hazer in front of the
first-years is the living proof of it.

Ai’Tum, who got his nickname as *The Eggy Devil from his foul mouth and difficult
personality, which the first-years have to endure every day.

*I did literal on the nickname as I have no idea what it is in Thai.

“I have never dealt with a class year of university students like you! Yesterday I heard that
some of you did not wai and show respect when you came across your seniors! You don’t
take us as your seniors, do you!?”

The first-years lower their heads with pale faces, afraid to talk back. Partly because they feel
numb having been scolded each day through the two weeks of training. It’s always the usual
atmosphere, like a movie playing on repeat.

They would always find an incident (excuse) to intimidate the first-years and make everyone
fearful, then end with a set of unfair punishment. If someone resists or refuses to comply, the
seniors will come after them. Therefore, most people simply shut up to avoid trouble.

Arthit is no exception. He is mentally prepared to face the freshmen training, but there is one
thing that irritates him yet helpless about it. The gathering hall is full of mosquitoes.

Large mosquitoes that fly fast and react quick. Just one bite is enough to make their hearts
hurt! They are currently feasting on a buffet dinner that serves the first-years as tributes,
which are the people who are sitting on the ground.

With crossed legs and hands on their knees is the standard sitting posture during the freshmen
training. They have been instructed not to move but of course, Arthit can’t let the mosquitoes
have their way, right? He is not the type to fond over these tiny creatures either, so he tries to
move his toes in an attempt to shoo away the mosquito sitting on his thumb. However, the
Head Hazer catches him with his small but sharp eyes.

“What are you doing!”

That startled Arthit. He has been keeping a low profile during the freshmen training, hoping
not to attract any attention. He can’t believe he got caught and is now the focus of the entire
gathering hall. Leaving with no other choice, he stands up and stutters the truth.

“Uh, I was trying to keep the mosquito away.”

“You have no rights over the mosquitoes in our department!”

The heck— So, it’s my fault now?

P'Tum truly deserves the devil title for refuting with such a ridiculous reason. He even
continues to exploit this issue to upgrade his illogical order.

“Do you know how to show some respect when I am standing here talking? If you don’t, I’ll
teach you. Go and wai at the banyan tree in front of the engineering building for three hours,
now! Stand before the tree with your palms together and reflect! Until you learn how to show
some respect!”

Not only is Arthit shocked after listening to the order, but even the entire group in the
gathering hall is stunned. Is there such a way of manners training for someone to wai a tree
for three hours? But of course, it’s obvious that the Head Hazer is just trying to give him a
hard time.

Arthit had wanted to retort for some justice, but another person intervened before he could.

“And you guys wonder why we are reluctant to pay respect to the seniors when you are being
unreasonable.”

One of the guys with a nametag ‘Knot’ around his neck, who is sitting next to him protests
loudly on behalf that got P’Tum turns and yells at him.

“What did you say?”

“P’Tum’s curious as to why we don’t pay respect to you? Because we are here to study and
not to be slaves who follow anyone’s unreasonable instructions! The SOTUS system is just
an excuse for those who want to feel superior and to have power, isn’t it!?”

Low pressure envelops the hall after the comeback that springs out from Knot. The whole
hall looks at them shooting daggers at each other in silence. Then one of them breaks the
silence by stepping forward to take a closer look at the person who has guts to challenge the
authority.

“Do you understand the meaning of respecting your elders? I am a senior and you are a
newbie, you are supposed to respect me! All you focus on is study, then what about friends
and social circles? Let’s see how long you can handle it being a lone ranger!”

“And what’s that got to do with you? Whether I can handle it or not!”

“Of course, it does! Each place has its own set of rules and if any of you cannot accept the
rules here, then get out!”

“Yeah, I will!”

Knot stands up immediately to walk the talk, wanting to leave the gathering hall. But just
after taking a step, P’Tum mocks in a light tone, “Pretentious.”

The hazing crew who is standing around the first-years echoes the word ‘pretentious’, as if
they had planned it beforehand to mock the junior who is about to walk out of the hall on
purpose. Knot halts his steps and looks back at the instigator. He’s still rooted at the same
spot, looking at him provokingly.

“Ow, why did you stop? Can’t continue after just two steps? You’re not even out of the hall
yet!”

The mocking that crushes his dignity acts as a pair of scissors, cutting Knot’s last straw. He
clenches his fists and bolts in the direction of the nasty mouth Head Hazer.

Fortunately, Arthit is still standing beside him observing the situation and has enough time to
stop the impulse of his friend.

“Knot! Calm down!”

“Look what he did to you! How could I calm down!”

Knot flies into a rage. He is usually the calmest in their group, but if his friend is bullied or
his pride is trampled on, that’s the bottom line and even if it costs his life, he won’t back
down to fight the person. Arthit knows him too well and could only first find ways to calm
his friend down.

“Can’t you see P’Tum is doing it on purpose? You’re falling into his trap if you lose control!
You told me you wanted to study here, didn’t you? Then please save yourself from troubles
and stay with us until the end, okay?”

Arthit persuades his friend with a sincere and serious tone, and finally calms the raging friend
down.

Arthit is right about it. If there happens a fight with P’Tum and the rest of the hazing crew, no
doubt there will be more severe punishments. He’d also probably get boycotted by the
seniors, or even get suspended by the university. It would be suicidal, so Knot decided to give
in after thinking it through.

“Okay, fine!”
The scene suddenly quiets down, and all this is seen in the eyes of P’Tum, who is observing
quietly.

How strange. He was prepared for the blows he might receive and had even had a plan B
figured out with the hazing crew just in case. Because he was provoking the first-year
according to the script, but he didn’t prepare for another newbie who pops out of nowhere,
disrupting his plan.

At first glance, he’s just one of many first-years in the hall, but just with a few sentences, he’s
able to catch on to his friend’s soft spot and easily persuades him into dismissing his anger.
He takes another look at the guy.

“There’s no need to persuade your friend. As I said, if you find it hard to accept the rules
here, feel free to leave!”

P’Tum thought this time the bomb would hit the target, but it turns out to be the opposite
unexpectedly. The junior who stopped his friend earlier takes a step forward and takes the hit
for his friend.

“So, if I do what P’Tum asks, I can stay, right?”

Although his tone and action remain respectful, P’Tum is still able to tell the anger hidden
under those eyes, which is obviously the kind of personality that is unwilling to admit defeat.

He might have misjudged this kid, and he also gets the feeling that he was programmed to
only be able to give one answer.

“Yes.”

“All right.”

As soon as he receives the confirmation, the junior turns around and walks out of the
gathering hall, ignoring the face the Head Hazer is giving at him.

P’Tum yells loudly from behind, “What are you doing!?”

“I’m going to wai at the banyan tree. Didn’t P’Tum order me to do so?”

The Head Hazer was stunned at the explanation, almost forgetting that he indeed had given
such an order.

He isn’t quite sure of the reason why this junior is willing to do it, if he is intentionally doing
so or he has hidden agenda behind his action. But at the very least, the act that the hazing
crew pull to maintain their authorities works its effect, so he allows the junior to leave.

“All right, you may leave. As for the rest of you, will too have to bear the punishment
together. First-years, squat up 100 times. Go!”

In the end, the first-years still couldn’t escape the unfortunate fate. But the good thing is that
apart from squat up until the Head Hazer is satisfied, there are no other serious consequences.
At around seven in the evening, the hazing crew finally calls it a day and dismisses them.

While the first-years are relieved that the day is over, the work for Head Hazer is not over
yet. There is still a routine of review meeting after the training.

But who would have thought behind the scene, the Head Hazer who is feared by the first-
years is now getting reprimanded by P’Fon, the head of medical team for being too harsh
with the first-years during today’s freshmen training.

“Are you crazy, Tum! Have you ever thought of the consequences if today’s situation went
out of control? Us seniors are the ones who bear the full responsibility, and not the juniors! If
this happens again, I will have to report it to the dean!”

“Hoi, Fon! Can you please stop being naggy for once? You have a pretty face, but you’re so
naggy like a grandma! Who would dare to take you home as their wife?”

“Tum! That nasty mouth of yours is why you’re not being respected by the juniors from the
bottom of their hearts. They only pay their respect to you because they are afraid of being
punished! Do you feel proud to get their respects by force like this!?”

Well, that hits the spot. But Tum has his own reason to do so.

He believes that the gesture of putting hands together to pay respect is the most beautiful part
of the Thai transition. It can teach the juniors to learn to be humble, so that no matter where
they meet their seniors, they will know they are their fellow juniors and take extra care of
them. When they run into troubles, the seniors would always be ready to lend a helping hand.
This can help form a good bond between the seniors and the juniors in the department, rather
than letting the juniors outclass and ignore the seniors. And although the act of showing
respect is really simple to do, the benefits of it are too many to count. He doesn’t understand
why Fon would sing a different tune for this matter.

But he’s too tired to fight with her, so he promises not to let it happen again to get over it.
After giving her his word, Fon had let go of this matter, but by the time they are done
reviewing the other issues at the meeting, it is already almost nine.

Tum heaves a deep sigh wearily. His only desire right now is to go back to his dorm, take a
warm shower and sleep. So, he quickens his pace to his car in the parking lot in front of the
engineering building.

It is pitch-black outside with the sound of wind gently breezing through the leaves, the
silence adds to the eeriness of the atmosphere. He reaches into his pocket for his motorcycle
key, but the change in his pocket falls out along with it, rolling down to the banyan tree.

Without a choice, he walks over to pick them up. When he raises his head, the corner of his
eyes detects a shadow standing not far away from the tree, which resulted in him screaming
out in fright.
“Heck! Why are you standing here? Are you trying to scare people to death!?”

Tum adjusts his glasses and recognizes that the person is his junior after a careful look.

“Eggy... I mean, P’Tum, sawadee krub.”

Arthit almost blurts out the nickname ‘Eggy Devil’ that his peers gave to their Head Hazer.
With his palm already folded in front of his chest, he turns to pay his respect to P’Tum, which
reminds Tum...

“Don’t tell me you have actually been wai-ing this tree for three hours!”

P’Tum speaks in an unbelievable tone. He thought that by the end of the freshmen training,
all the first-years had already long gone, including this junior who he had commanded
punishment on. No one would be so stupid as to stand here for three hours, right?

However, the traces of mosquito bites all over the junior’s body, and the shaky clasped hands
due to the lack of strength after long hours of standing are enough proof that he really did
what he was told.

“Because P’Tum said that if I want to stay here, I must obey P’Tum’s every order.” The
junior’s answer is simply just that.

Tum massages his temple with his hand. He doesn’t know whether to describe him as honest
or just plain crazy. He asks out of curiosity, “Well, it’s not wrong. But don’t you feel tired at
all?”

“I do. After all, I did this because I was ordered to, and not out of my own will.”

It reminded Tum of the advice that Fon was trying hard to drill into his skull earlier.

She’s right... Forcing the juniors to pay respect to their seniors is just like how this junior is
paying respect to the banyan tree now. Even if various methods are used on them to force it
out, without doing it from the bottom their hearts, the act of it would be meaningless.

“Also, I already gave P’Tum my word so I must fulfil it.”

Arthit’s overflowing sense of responsibility catches the Head Hazer’s attention. He looks at
him with new eyes and for the first time, he notices the name and ID code written on his
nametag.

There is a light of thought in Tum’s eyes before he sighs as a sign of surrender. He asks in a
firm tone, “*What’s your name?”

*Though the novel didn’t specifically explain, I guess before this Tum regarded the juniors as
‘khun’ which is the more polite way of addressing someone. But here, he uses the casual term
which surprises Arthit.

“It’s Arthit.”
He replies with a puzzled and slightly surprised look on his face. Surprised because P’Tum
addressed him in casual term; puzzled because his nametag is so obviously hanging around
his neck with the huge ass size characters written on it, so why did he still have to ask?

“What about nickname?”

“Ai-Oon.”

It’s still about the same length as his real name, not to mention it doesn’t sound man at all.
But it is still a little better than Arthit, which is three syllabus long. Tum tries to get himself
to remember the name, while ending the conversation, dismissing the junior.

“Okay, that’s it for today. Remember to apply medicine when you’re home. Also, you can
call me *Hia, I’m fine with it.”

*Hia is another term for P’ but is widely used in the Chinese families. But some also said
that Hia is closer than P’.

Arthit’s eyes widen at the kindness P’Tum is sparing on him. Not only did he excuse him, but
he also even showed care for him. Totally different from the devilish Head Hazer that he’s
been seeing and experiencing before. He wonders if the senior had taken the wrong medicine,
but still nods at the chance to accept his goodwill.

“Thank you Hia. Then I’ll get going, Hia. Sawadee krub.”

Arthit pays his respect according to the rules, and quickly stretches out his legs that are
already numb from the long hours of standing, leaving the third-year senior in place.

Looking at the receding back of his junior, Tum feels a surge of emotion on impulse.

He’s unsure of why he would easily strip off the devilish image he’d built just now, but one
thing he’s certain of is that he wanted to try to have the junior to respect him from the bottom
of his heart.

Maybe for a first, he should drop that nasty mouth of his and provide the juniors with positive
advice instead, setting a good example as a start. Especially for this junior whom he has set
his eyes on. His sixth sense tells him that Arthit’s future is very promising.

Whether it’s dignity, sense of responsibility or attention, this person possesses all the
qualities. In addition to these, the more he gets to know this him, the more he finds that the
junior has a rare charm that is ‘the extraordinary in the ordinary’.

“Looks like the 0206 code family will be getting another Head Hazer.”

Tum said to himself with a faint smile. Although he’s unable to tell the future, if what he
expects does come true...

He thinks that Arthit would be an excellent Head Hazer!

Special Chapter 6 - When Kongpob becomes the Head Hazer

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

‘Hazer’ is a title for someone who sports a grave expression, maintains a stern stance, and
give out orders resoundingly. Each sentence brims with sarcastic undertones, they place
informers everywhere to monitor the juniors, as well as planning fitting punishments to
cultivate the unity and spirit among them.

These are the must-have traits of someone who aspires to be a Head Hazer, and the first-years
have been graced with the tales of the notorious Head Hazer. Yet, the individual before their
eyes is far from this depiction!

Kongpob with his hazer jacket breaks away from the stereotypical savage persona. Standing
at 1.8m, his physique shines bright, coupled with the good looks adhering to today’s aesthetic
norms adds a lot of charisma to his image.

No wonder this person is awarded both the Mr. Popular and Mr. Campus title at the same
time. Plus, his grades are stratospheric, earning him the academic award and he is also the
person who bags the vice-class representative role.

All these traits and awards gathered in one body is the Head Hazer Kongpob.

This marvel is none other than the all-rounder, Head Hazer Kongpob.

The perfect man now holds the highest power in this year’s freshmen training, in which
fascinates more girls. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the turnout for freshmen training
among the previous years is higher compared to previous years with them attending it
voluntarily.

Yet, as the steadfast Head Hazer is carrying out his duties, a tender heart isn’t part of the plan.
His utmost priority is to shield the SOTUS system and nurturing the legacy for future juniors.
All to uphold the honor as an engineering student.

And it’s because of this unwavering commitment, Kongpob sighs softly at the end of the
faculty anthem before announcing the test result...

“Again!”

Nearly 200 first-years in the Industrial Engineering Department are crushed over the result.
They’ve practiced the song for three days only to receive this unexpected response from their
fellow seniors. In particular, the Head Hazer, who has the final say, isn’t about to berate or
shout at them, but instead showers them with encouragement.
“I won’t blame you. Maybe it’s just not the suitable way to get everyone to sing together.
How about this? I will have you sing individually, then maybe you will be able to perfect it.
Or does anyone else have any other suggestions?”

This questioning approach is a stark contrast to those harsh training sessions from before!

Using the approach of asking questions to give his opinion is way too different from the
brutal style training from before! In the eyes of the first-years, this kind and polite demeanor
increases the tension more than the aggresive style. No one dares to say anything, so
Kongpob takes the silence as consent.

“Since nobody suggests anything else, I’ll take it as everyone agrees with me. Let’s start with
you.”

A first-year sitting in the front row is called. He stands up and goes to the front to sing alone
for the seniors to evaluate. After the singing is done, they anxiously wait for the outcome of
the strict evaluation by the Head Hazer.

“You were too soft. The seniors from behind said they couldn’t hear you clearly. Please sing
again, louder this time.”

The result had the first-year to follow the order to sing a second time. But it is still not up to
Kongpob’s expectation, and he announces the conclusion of the second assessment.

“You sang too fast. Please slow down your rhythm. Again please.”

Some first-years had already discovered at the beginning that Kongpob’s proposal is not as
simple as everyone imagined because not only the evaluation method is stricter than *‘The
Star’ or ‘AF Talent Competition’, but they also cannot give up or quit. They could only grit
their protests and endure watching their peers getting made fun of in the gathering hall
shrouded in pressure. And of course, the third round still failed to meet the high standard of
evaluation.

*Both are well-known amateur singer competition in Thailand.

“The last part is out of tune. Do take note of the high notes when you’re singing the last part.
Again please.”

The first-year has been singing for four times without a break so his throat would naturally
start to itch but because the Head Hazer’s order is absolute, he has no choice but to carry on.
He sings until his voice becomes hoarse, yet Kongpob didn’t bat an eyelid and still insists on
his evaluation method with a blank face.

“Your pronunciation is off. Again!”

Not only does the face of the person singing turn pale, but even the other first-years begin to
fidget, worry that their peer’s throat would soon give out. But his perseverance keeps him
going, refusing to give up even with the condition of his throat.
Some of the first-years couldn’t bear the sight of it and started to sing along. It didn’t take
long for the gathering hall to be filled with the voices of all the first-years, helping to finish
the song. Upon finishing the last verse of the song, all of them look at their Head Hazer in
charge, waiting anxiously for the result.

“Pass!”

The first-years cheer happily, with big smiles printed on all their faces. While they are excited
to have passed the test, Kongpob quietly stands on the side watching how his plan had been
perfectly carried out.

This is a gimmick designed by him to test the dignity of this year’s first-years and a means to
create unity among them. It can be regarded as one of the various activities designed by the
rules of the SOTUS system.

The goal of each designed activity is for the social connection and abilities that they will
apply during their university years to come.

Since today’s KPI is fulfilled, Kongpob dismisses the first-years for the day and lets them
hop home. Though it is almost seven, he has to stay for a meeting for the next activity
discussion.

He is the Head Hazer who shoulders a heavy responsibility in managing the first-years, but
he is also the one who initiated the suggestion of not using threats or coercion instead replace
it with a more reasonable method that can directly affect them in a psychological way. Just
like the time when someone used the same method of tearing up the piece of nametag before
his eyes.

He kind of misses the days when he’s reminiscing about it. At that time, he was always
playing the hero, jumping out to take the hit for his peers, bearing all kinds of punishments
alone, and treating himself as the victim for his seniors to vent their anger on. But now when
he is standing in the position himself, looking at the first-years from that perspective, he
gradually understands the little things his seniors did, and also understands more of the
sentence someone once told him—

“How is it? Are you tired?”

A greeting brings reality back to him. Kongpob looks up only to find out the person who
walked into the gathering hall turns out to be...

“P’Arthit! Why didn’t you mention that you are coming over? I can go pick you up.”

The senior had completely thrown away the unkempt image of an engineering student in the
past, replacing it with a neat image of a company employee, decked in a pair of formal
trousers. However, with his baby face, he could undoubtedly still fit into the group of
university students. It’s been half a year since his graduation!

The one being questioned responds, “I just drop by to get the grade certificate. I’ll be heading
back in a short while.”
Arthit had never thought of working in an office either. But graduating from the Industrial
Engineering department gave him a variety of opportunities in the career field. He got taken
into the procurement department of a well-known electronics company and was the first to
land himself a job among his friends.

The grade certificate he used during the interview was missing the grades of the last semester.
But now that he has passed the three-month probation period, he has to get the copy of his
official grade certificate to the company.

So today after work, he had no choice but to return to school to get his certificate, and also
catch up a bit with his professors and juniors alike. After going back and forth, his legs
subconsciously brought him to the door of the gathering hall.

As a former Head Hazer, he couldn’t stop his curiosity to come back and take a peek of this
year’s freshmen training. Guessed it also let him see how well the current Head Hazer is
performing.

Kongpob’s way of training after the adjustment does not emphasize roughness and savagery,
it’s even incorporated with some principles, so the first-years can feel it intuitively. He once
heard that it was because of Kongpob’s unique creativity that got P’Deer recommending him
as the Head Hazer because he believed that Kongpob would definitely be able to come with
positive and creative training methods to attract the first-years into participating.

And after observing today’s performance, he is more than sure that he can rest assured that
his successor will carry out every activity excellently.

“You’re going to the meeting later, right?”

Even though it’s a question he’s asking, he already knows that after each freshmen training,
the crews in duty will hold a review meeting and discuss the next day’s training plan. Now
that his business is done, he has no other reason to stay here and hold someone up.

“Off you go then! I’m going back.”

The person who had bid his goodbye is preparing to leave when he gets grabbed on the wrist
from behind.

“Are you really leaving, P’Arthit?”

It sounds like a question, but the tone is full of pleading, and it’s a tone that is close to
impossible for the first-years to hear it from Kongpob. The P’Kongpob that they admired is
now transformed into a gentle big dog, looking at Arthit with shimmering eyes which he
knows Arthit wouldn’t be able to refuse.

“Um... I actually don’t have anything urgent anyway so I could stay just a little longer.”

Though the plan can’t keep up with the changes, when Kongpob gives him a glowing big
smile, he makes the hasty decision to change it.

“Then P’Athit wait for me. I’ll go let the crew know.”
“Hey, it’s ok! You’re the Head Hazer. Go to the meeting.”

Arthit reminds Kongpob of the important responsibility as the Head Hazer, and that his sense
of responsibility should always come first. But the junior refutes cheekily with a reason that
stuns the former Head Hazer.

“Yes, I am the Head Hazer in duty...but I’m also on ‘boyfriend’ duty, ain’t I?”

Who can refuse when the other is saying such things in such a way!

Ever since the high-profile announcement of their relationship at the Appreciation Party, they
have been pestered by their friends to spill the tea, while the rest were turned into a strange
rumor in the Faculty of Engineering. But they maintained their usual attitude and did not
show their affection in public.

If there’s someone who asked Arthit about it, they will be given the death glare so they would
stop right there and then; as for Kongpob, he just walked through with a smile. Fortunately,
same-sex relationships are not that a big deal among their classmates and the couple have
spent their university days peacefully and happily without getting any discrimination.

Arthit had no choice but to let his boyfriend to settle his work first, while he waits outside the
engineering building. It didn’t take long for the person to show up.

“Sorry, P’Arthit! Have you been waiting long? Are you hungry?”

Kongpob bombards Arthit with a barrage of questions because when he is telling his crew
that he had important matters to deal with first, he looks at his watch and notices that the time
is already half past seven. He guesses that P’Arthit hasn’t eaten anything since lunch.

However, the other didn’t answer but instead returned the favor, “I should be the one asking
you. Have you been eating? You look like you’ve lost weight again!”

Arthit observes him with his sharp eyes as they speak. He knows very well how strict the
training for the hazing crew is and the two of them rarely see each other because they are
both busy with their respective affairs. It has been two months since they last met.

But Kongpob is still that cheeky brat who likes to tease his favorite senior, and this
mischievous temperament will never change.

“Are you worried about me, P’Arthit?”

A few words are enough for Arthit to feel the heat flushing in his face which has him change
the subject angrily out of sheepishness.

“Don’t change the subject! What do you want to eat?”

“Minced pork omelet!”

Arthit has no problem with the usual simple children’s menu, after all, even he doesn’t like to
use his brain after a long day of work, so he also always orders the same chicken basil rice
with a fried egg. And it just happened that there is only one stall near the university that
could make these two dishes the way they love, so he gets Kongpob to ride them to aunty’s
stir-fried stall by motorcycle, not forgetting to buy pink milk and iced coffee on the way to go
along with it.

Sitting in the familiar atmosphere, the two catch up with each other while eating.

“So did you face any problem during the freshmen training?”

“Nope. This year’s first-years are in good order, and we are getting near full attendance on
the freshmen training.”

Arthit doesn’t feel pleasant upon hearing Kongpob’s smooth sailing hazing journey. He has a
feeling that the number of attendances is all thanks to his face! Back when he was the Head
Hazer, even with the threats and force, he’d still missed more than 50 of them at every
training. His initial plan even backfired at him when he got tricked by a certain someone.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but sneer at a certain someone sitting opposite him.

“And here I am thinking there would be as many problems as your year.”

He doesn’t need to state clearly who the troublemaker was. In Kongpob’s year, there was
only one person who dared to go against the Head Hazer. But the said person pretends like
nothing happened and asks back on purpose, “I’m not sure what the problems are. Is it...the
kind that announces on their first day that they will take the Head Hazer in duty home as
wife?”

“Kongpob!”

The sudden increase of volume attracts the attention of the customers at the stall. Arthit
realizes in hindsight that he has done something really embarrassing out of a burst of anger.
He quickly lowers his head and goes back to eating his food quietly.

But other than that, he actually has another strange feeling welling up in his heart.

It’s been two years. Since the day he heard that sentence. It was the first time he had felt his
dignity being challenged and lost his temper over it. And look where they are now.

People who are dating would of course occasionally have some intimate times. They are both
guys after all. But who would have thought that Kongpob did turn that initially provoking
sentence into reality. As for Arthit, he just goes with the flow. At least they know they are
together because of love and not lust.

After they clear their plates of chicken basil rice and pork omelet rice, it’s time for Arthit to
return. The company he works for is quite far from the university so it would take him some
time before reaching his current rent place. Kongpob drops him at the bus stop and expresses
his words of concern.

“Be careful on the way back, P’Arthit!”

“You too. Remember to take good care of yourself and rest when you feel tired!”

Arthit reminds him. Adding on the heavy assignments in his third year, Kongpob still had to
serve as the Head Hazer. Even though he didn’t complain one bit, he still noticed the fatigue
on the younger’s face.

However, Kongpob forces a smile and makes a request on purpose, “If P’Arthit says you
miss me now, it would chase away all my fatigue for sure!”

Here we go again! Every time I give an inch, this brat asks for a mile at every opportunity!
Not to mention, it’s becoming more and more frequent recently.

For the years they’ve been together, he knows that Kongpob have caught his shy spot, but he
still gets tricked into losing his temper every time.

“You’re crazy! Who would say that!”

He had expected a reprimand from the person he provoked, but he still did it because he
wanted to see P’Arthit’s shy expression.

He has always loved that expression of P’Arthit! That’s why at every chance he gets, he can’t
help but tease his senior like a childish kid.

Beep—!

The honking of the bus informs the passengers that they are ready to board, and just nice, this
bus is the one that will stop in front of the place where Arthit lives now. So, the person who
brought him here takes a step back to let him board the bus and plans to ride back to his dorm
after seeing him off.

Suddenly, Kongpob is grabbed by the hem of his shirt from behind.

“Wait...”

Kongpob turns to look at him. When he sees the senior’s gesture, suspicion rises inside him.

Arthit gives a gesture of beckoning sign as a signal for him to come closer. He lowers his
head near the senior and receives a whisper from Arthit covering his mouth.

“I miss you, Kong!”

It’s a whisper so soft, yet it resounds to the deepest part of Kongpob’s heart.

The receiver widens his eyes in bewilder as he couldn’t believe his request had come true.
And true enough, all the exhaustion in his body disappeared and is replaced by a warm
feeling.

“Alright, I’ll be going!”

After Arthit pushes the person away, he looks down at his footsteps to get on the bus, but this
time it is Kongpob who stops Arthit.

“Wait, P’Arthit! Can you not leave?”

“No! I have work tomorrow.”

“I will send you there! I promise we’ll get there in time. Stay with me today, ok? Pretty
pleaseeee~”

He hesitates at the begging tone and sparkling eyes, hence, dares not take another step. Until
the driver calls out to him, “Hey, sir! Are you getting on?”

In the end, Arthit surrenders. He lets the bus drive off, not forgetting to turn and blame the
culprit.

“I’ll let you know Kongpob that if I am late for work tomorrow, you’ll be doing a hundred
push-ups in front of the first-years!”

The same old command from the former Head Hazer did not have any intimidating effect on
the current Head Hazer. He responds with a smile instead and smiles, “I will do it even if it’s
a hundred laps on the field!”

Kongpob believes that as long as he is still standing in the position of the Head Hazer, he is
not going to get defeated by any difficulties and trials because he knows that there is
someone who will always stand by him through whatever.

And this also made him understand the meaning of that sentence—

No matter how many years have passed...

The person who cares most about the juniors is the ‘Head Hazer.’
 Special Chapter 7 – One Day in Memory

Note: Italic wordings are Arthit’s POV

Note: Bold wordings are Kongpob’s POV

Kongpob has a motorbike.

It’s an old bike and he’s been riding it since high school. His mother once told him to take
one of the cars in their house, but he felt that riding a bike would be more convenient on the
campus. Parking is easier to find, and he doesn’t need to waste time stuck in a traffic jam as
well. Which is why his final choice is the bike.

Today, just like any other, he is about to ride from the dorm to the campus, though it’s the
second trip of the day as he forgot to bring his report for submission. Seeing that the time for
class is approaching, Kongpob decides to speed up, but it seems like God is not on his side
today when he sees the long queue at the gate.

He slows down, trying to get a clue of what is going on and it looks like the barrier gate’s
sensor at the guardhouse has broken down, preventing cars and motorbikes alike from
passing.

His class is starting in five, and his report must appear on the professor’s desk by then. He
quickly starts to think of a plan B and recalls the back door of the Engineering building
would be his best shortcut.

He changes his plan and starts riding to another road, but as he rides, he senses something
wrong with the wheels and he can’t grip firm of the handlebar. He slowly controls it with the
brakes and pulls over to the side of the road.

Damn, the tire is punctured! And the reason for that is the iron nail that penetrated the tire.
Must be because he was in a rush that he didn’t pay attention to the road earlier.

What to do now? There is no motorbike taxi station near here and it’s too far to walk. He’ll
definitely not make it to the report submission.

Kongpob sighs for his bad luck, considering if he should skip class and push his bike for a
repair.

Just as he is looking up and down, checking left and right on his bike, a voice is heard from
behind.

“What happened to your bike?”

The simple question got him to look up and his eyes widened upon seeing the identity of the
person who was asking. Turns out it’s P’Arthit who is leaning on his bicycle and stops behind
him. If God decided to give him some good luck in his unlucky days, this should definitely
be one of them.

“Seems like the tire is punctured.”

Arthit was passing by with his beloved bicycle just now when he noticed someone seemed to
be in distress. He bends down to help check the tires’ condition.

“Do you need help?”

“It’s okay, I’ll bring it to the repairman later.”

“You don’t have class?”

“I do.”

“Then park your bike here and go to class first. Deal with it after your class.”

Acting as if Kongpob’s planner, he helps work out a plan on his behalf.

Kongpob knows P’Arthit values education more than anything else, and it’s also
inappropriate for him to skip class with the final exam approaching and the report he has to
submit. Although he’ll be a little late, it’s still better than skipping. Well, guess he’s got to
follow the plan suggested by P’Arthit then, leave his bike here and walk to his class.

The taller is about to turn around and walks towards the building gate when he is urged by
the person on the bicycle.

“Why are you still standing? Hop on! I’ll send you over to the building.”

With a puzzled expression on his face, he wonders when he thinks about his height and
weight...

“Is P’Arthit sure you can...?”

“Do you want to just get on normally or do you want me to get you to do a hundred push-ups
before?”

Such an impatient intimidating aura.

That’s what you get from the former Head Hazer.

And Kongpob, as an excellent former first-year, who must not resist orders, obeys the words
of his senior.

As he straddles the back seat of the black retro bicycle, he notices the seat cushion has been
adjusted a little lower and the person sitting in the back can only see the rider’s back and
waist.

He asks cheekily, “Can I hug P’Arthit’s waist?”

The one got questioned startles and shouts at him, “Then get off!”

Ruthless immediately refusal. But Kongpob’s not sure why he is laughing at it instead. The
owner of the bicycle grasps the handle and exerts force under his feet to move the bicycle
forward slowly.

Although the speed is incomparable to that of a motorbike, the slow speed is unexpectedly
comfortable. When he was riding his motorbike before, he didn’t have the leisure to look
around, but with the speed of a bicycle, he now has the opportunity to appreciate the
greenness of the landscape, the laughter of the students, the gentle breeze blowing his hair,
and the back of his beloved.

“Does P’Arthit like cycling?”

“Hmm. It’s environmentally friendly and I could also exercise at the same time.”

“Then can you fetch me every day?”

“No!”

Being rejected outright for the second time is also what made Kongpob laugh for a second
time as well.

Well, if P’Arthit is not willing to fetch him, should he consider buying a bicycle himself?

He thinks about it comfortably, and by the time he comes back to his senses, he has
successfully reached the Engineering building just in time for his class.

“Thank you, P’Arthit.”

He remembers saying his thanks and paying his respect to his beloved P’Arthit, who is
always all barks and no bite after getting off the bicycle. He prepares to brisk to his class
when he is stopped by his senior’s voice again.

“Wait! What time do you finish class today?”

Kongpob tilts his head in confusion yet still answers truthfully.

“At 4.”

“Right, I’ll come pick you up.”

After informing, Arthit rides back from where he came from, leaving Kongpob with a faint
smile as he watches him leave.

It seems that there is no need for him to get a bicycle, as long as someone is willing to fetch
him.

And he would also love to have someone send him around on a bicycle for the rest of his life.
Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!