Proofreader: SMV2454

"Hey, listen up, you monkeys and gibbons!" The voice of the art master rang out as he banged the blackboard with an eraser. Yes, a blackboard, not a whiteboard. The noisy chatter of the sparrows gradually died down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, stand up, please!" This was followed by a cheeky order from Q, which made the whole class burst into laughter.

"Good morning, teacher!" We all greeted the teacher in unison, laughing at how silly we sounded. Even with our teachers, we didn't hold back.

"Good morning, students. Amphai, Anyu? (I'm fine, and you?)" Our teacher is even better, making us laugh even harder.

"Pa, you're so cool!"
[Pa (ป๋า)= Dad]

We all laughed heartily at the man in the scruffy clothes and messy hair, who was actually a doctor. His knowledge and appearance seemed to be at odds. Because of this, no one in our department called him 'professor'; we called him 'Pa Kul' because of his coolness, which made him an idol for us artists.

Pa Kul had been teaching us drawing since our first year. He was also our section advisor. We were so close, more like friends than teacher and students (both a bit eccentric). Especially with Q, they were like long-lost brothers. They were best buddies because Pa Kul had a slogan that Q loved.

"I judge my students by their hearts, not by their grades."

Because of this, Q had declared himself Pa Kul's top student.

"So, can I get a grade of 1 or 2, Pa? But I'll be a good person." Q joked. That was too low; he'd definitely get kicked out.

"Are you showing slides again today, Pa? We can't see them. It's like an outdoor movie. Why don't you use technology like others?" Joe teased.

"Why? Others can use projectors if they want, but I'll use slides. Anyone got a problem with that?"

"No krub, Professor!" We all laughed.

Throughout the class, we had a great time, laughing and learning. It felt more like a café than a classroom. Haha.

When lunchtime came, Q took me to pick up Toey to have lunch together, but Toey had already gone to eat with his friends in Yaowarat. Q was throwing a tantrum (I saw him calling to teach ' how to argue in Thai').

After hanging up on that kid, he practically dragged me to the central cafeteria, where all kinds of wild animals were waiting to eat. There were tigers, lions, bulls, and penguins??

As soon as Fang saw me, he gave me a mischievous smile, "So, I heard my brother took you to meet our mom? How was it? Have you set a wedding date yet? Since you're already engaged." He glanced at my finger with a ring on it. Fang, you're really dangerous. "Haha, silent, huh?" He lifted my chin and turned my face side to side. Phum didn't even think to help me, just sat there smiling. "When are you going to change your last name to ours, huh, sister-in-law?"

"When you change your last name to Tan's, friend-in-law. Hahaha."

[T/n: smv2454 was confused that if I mistakenly translated "brother-in-law" to "friend-in-law". I confirm that it's "friend-in-law" 😂]

"Fuck!" He pushed my face away before turning to mess with Tan, who was laughing and reaching out to shake my hand. He could dish it out but couldn't take it. Hmph.

"By the way, where are Pan and Mick?" Q craned his neck, looking for the alien duo. We had been eating for a while, but there was no sign of them.

"I sent them to buy drinks, but they stopped to flirt with the som tam vendor's granddaughter. There they are." Chan nodded towards the back. We turned to see Pan and Mick walking arm in arm, grinning widely. When they reached the table...

"Hewwo fwiends!" Pan greeted us. It seemed like his Anna Chuan Chuen syndrome was acting up again, making him speak unclearly. Or maybe he was just in a good mood from {after instead of from} talking to a girl, hehe. Even the vendor's relatives weren't safe from his charm. Was he trying to be Chan 2.0?

"Hello friends!" Mick translated.

They didn't sit down but stood at the head of the table, arms around each other. They were already drawing enough attention in the cafeteria that I didn't dare open my mouth to eat. The two dishes of rad na and pad thai they had asked Phum to buy were probably mushy by now (Q and Tan had secretly stolen some pork from Mick's plate).

"Haven't been you for two days. Beat you berry much, cousin." Pan said to Q.

"Haven't seen you for two days. Missed you very much, cousin." Mick continued his translating duties. But who was the cousin here? Haha.

"Damn it, Mick, I drank toilet water."

"Go get it back right now." Mick stopped translating and kicked Pan instead. I almost choked on my food from laughing.

"Just kidding, I'm not crazy."

"Haha, you're really something, my friend." Q shook his head, still laughing.

"You're pretty good, Mick, understanding Pan."

"I've been good for a long time, but you guys might not see my greatness with the naked eye."

"We see it, Mick, but we have to deceive ourselves."

Mick rolled his eyes at Q. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Phum chuckled and shook his head, then continued eating his noodles. Why are you taking the chicken from my dry sukiyaki? So, I took one of his meatballs in return. Hehe.

We continued eating while my friends teased Phum and me about the ring. They were asking for a punch every moment. Knowing that Phum earned the money himself made them even more excited. Fang even got up to hug his brother, patting Phum's head and back with a mischievous look.

[T/n: Fang was like "My little brother has grown up." 😭]

"If your parents knew, they'd throw a party, Fang. The youngest son of the family knows how to earn money to buy a ring for his wife." Chan said, smiling at Beer. Damn you!

"Haha, he's really something." Khun Chai quickly chimed in.

"What's going on?" Pan asked.

"Oh, it's Phum and Peem. They're engaged. Didn't you see the ring?"

Pan looked at my hand, then leaned over to grab Phum's hand and turn it over, giving a creepy sweet smile.

"Wow, you only know each other for a short time and you're going to get let carried.

"Get married!" we all shouted in unison.

Pan seemed to have trouble with tones.

"Uh uh, get married."

I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or laugh. Haha.

[T/n: I think Pan intentionally mispronounce the word 😂]

After finishing lunch, it was just past noon, so we sat and chatted, with Chan's occasional outbursts because Tan kept stealing the Thapthim krop from his shaved ice. Haha, and he didn't even go buy a new bowl.

"Hey, Peem, which hell are we going to visit in our next class?" Q asked, comparing the classroom to hell.

"Slob."

"Q, you've been getting more artistic every day. How far are you going to look like this?" Fang rested his chin on his hand, looking at Q. Fang, you don't realize you are just as artistic as him?

[*Q has long messy hair, an unshaven beard, wearing old dirty jeans and flip-flops. In short, he looks messy, disorganized, and, uh, stands out the norm. If he goes far more than this, he might look like a beggar.  Fang doesn't have a beard but has longer hair.]

"To your heart, Khao Fang." Q replied cheekily.

"Hmph, someone like you won't even see my toenails."

"Yeah, I'm not good, not handsome, not having a short d*ck, and wither fast like Tan. Haha."

"You idiot!" Tan threw down his shaved ice bowl and chased Q around the cafeteria, creating a scene that was both entertaining and mind-numbing.

"Um, Phi Khao Fang, my friend really likes you, so she sent you this chocolate." a girl's voice interrupted.

The laughter died down as two girls approached Fang with a cute box. Wow, she was brave, approaching a group of guys like this. I respect them. We teased them a bit, and they blushed. Phum nudged me to look at Tan's annoyed face. Haha, serves him right.

"Thank you." Fang said, accepting the box with a sweet smile. The tiger was starting to show his stripes. His horns and fangs were starting to grow. But I think he just was  probably trying to make Tan jealous. Before accepting it, he glanced at Tan.

"Which friend?"

"Over there. Kate was too shy to come over." the girl said, subtly revealing the name of the admirer.

"Don't worry, P'Fang  isn't fierce."

"Yes, P'Q." the girl said, biting her lip and smiling shyly. Oh she's cute.

"Oh, you know me? Have we met before?" Q started selling his charm, only to get a bottle cap thrown at his head by Beer. Calling Toey, where are you? Q is doing something big. Over.

"I don't bite, but don't get too close to the one who just talked to you. What faculty are you in?"

"Accounting." she said, making Pan and Chan's eyes light up.

Chan smiled and stared at her until they both blushed. Huh huh, you find the real deal, girls. He just kept staring at two girls. Believe it or not, he'll get both of them even though they're friends.

"Don't forget to eat the chocolate, P'Fang. We'll go now."

"Sure, tell Kate thanks for the chocolate. She can come say hi next time. I only have brothers, so having a sister would be nice."

The girls looked a bit disappointed as they walked away. Haha, becoming his sister is good enough, Nong. Because P'Fang already has... a faen. Hehe.

"What's up with you?"

"Always handsome, always popular. Girls always hit on you." Tan finally spoke up.

Seeing a girl flirt with his boyfriend right in front of him, Tan handled it well. If it were Phum, he would have gone berserk and made a scene in the cafeteria.

"Haha, she just admires me." Fang said, putting his arm around Tan's shoulder, patting him, and even pinching his cheek. It was a rare sight. I should have recorded it.

"Tan, I just accepted the gift. Don't be petty (ใจแคบ)." Fang didn't seem serious about trying to coax him, it was more like he was trying to annoy Tan because he was laughing and scratching Tan's chin. Oh my god!!! In the middle of the cafeteria, Fang really didn't care about anyone's eyes. If Nong Kate saw this, she'd probably need an ambulance.

"Yeah, I'm narrow-hearted (ใจแคบ) , so I can only have you in my heart." The person who spoke was laughing at himself. What about the listeners like us?

[*ใจ: heart, mind.  แคบ: narrow. ใจแคบ literally means narrow-minded, petty.]

"Ughhh."

Go, build your dream world somewhere else.
...
..
.

After lunch, we all went our separate ways to our respective faculties. I have to say, the afternoon class was incredibly boring. It was torturous because it was Eastern Art History. Ugh.

The teacher was so loyal to his laptop, talking only to the screen, teaching non-stop without looking up to see that most of the students had gone to pay respect to Indra. Q was the ringleader, zoning out before anyone else. Near the end of the class, the teacher gave us a list of books to read. The titles were nothing like Pa Kul's.

"Alright, I'll give you a rough idea of the exam. There are 180 questions divided into three parts."

"Ugh, professor." we groaned, sounding like we were being chased by debt collectors, our houses were on fire, or our spouses were cheating on us. I was one of the groaners too. Ugh.

"Wow, 180 questions? I'll be as sick as a dog after finishing all of them." Q muttered to himself, pretending to complain as if he was actually going to study.

"The exam covers the six chapters we didn't cover in the midterm."

"That's a lot." Q whispered to me.

"The exam has three parts. The first part tests memory, the second part tests understanding, and the third part requires analysis. I want to see if you remember the content, understand the theories, and can analyze based on this book. There might be questions from other books I mentioned."

Nine books. The teacher gave us a list of nine books related to the course. Just seeing the list made me want to be reborn. If I had to read all of them, I'd be a corpse.

"We'll meet two more times. Next class, I'll summarize the content on India and Japan, and we'll have the final assessment. Good luck with your studies."

"Sorry, professor, I can't give you what you're asking for." Q said, losing his mind, and I was right behind him.

After class, Joe and Nueng forced Q and me to be the representatives on a journey to India to search and collect Buddhist Sutra*. Wait, that's not right. You guys are just crazy along with me. Have you ever thought of stopping me? Oh!

[T/n: Nah, Peem, we're birds of a feather.
*In case anyone don't get it, Peem is referring to 'Journey to the West']

Let's try again. Rewind. Three, two, one, action. Q and I went to a place we didn't want to go but had to—the library.

We were there to find the nine books the teacher assigned. We quickly searched, copied, and planned to leave as soon as possible. I can't stand the smell of books for too long; it might kill me YoY

[T/n: allergy to books? 😂 But you don't have any symptoms when you read comic books.]

"Damn, I thought this was Petch Pra Uma. It's so long. Who's going to finish this?" Q complained, flipping through the book like it was his mortal enemy for a hundred lifetimes.

[Petch Phra Uma (เพชรพระอุมา), written by Phanom Thian, is Thai adaption of "King Solomon 's Mines". It is the longest adventure novel in Thailand and is considered the longest novel in the world.]

"Q, this is a library. Keep it down." I said, covering his mouth. Q pushed my hand away, annoyed.

"I think we should take these for now and come back later. It's too much." There were so many. We might not be able to carry them all.

"What if someone else borrows them? Let's finish it now. I don't want to come back multiple times." Why did he seem so irritated? Could it be...

"Okay, okay. Aren't you in a hurry to pick up Toey?"

"Why should I? I'm not a chauffeur. You're talking too much, Dwarf. Stop talking and find the books, or I'll kill you and hide your body here."

I blinked, confused. Why the hell are you mad at me? It must be because of Toey. Just because Toey went to eat with friends without telling him first, he got mad. They're both the same. Sigh.

After finding the books and copying them, Q and I parted ways (when Toey called Q to pick him up, Q practically flew. Oh, did he say he didn't care?). And how did I get home? Hehe, Phum skipped basketball practice to pick me up. -_- Kluen called to complain about the team captain shirking his duties. -o- Why don't you guys sort it out yourselves? Why drag me into it? T^T

Speaking of Kluen, I have something to tell you, but don't tell Phum. I'm trusting you with this.

[T/n: No, don't. Don't trust me. But I'm here to listen, always.]

The other day, Kluen asked me to help him pick out a birthday gift for his brother. And it just so happened that Phum wasn't around; he was practicing music with friends. So, I sneaked out with Kluen. I felt like Khun Phaen that day. Haha. I wanted to tell Phum first, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to go, so I had to sneak out. Kluen and I went shopping, had lunch, and then went back. That's all. ^o^

[*As mentioned in chapter 51, Khun Phaen has five wives. Just try to get three more, Peem.]
...
..
.
And the reason some guys skipped basketball practice today was because Khun Chai wanted ice cream. So, he took me to chill at Swensen's. The waitress was very attentive, constantly refilling our water and even sneaking smiles at Phum. Haha, so I stuffed ice cream into Phum's mouth right in front of her. Not jealous, you know, just letting her know that Phum is "not available".

[T/n: not jealous 🙂‍↔️]

"Phum, that girl is looking at you." I nudged him. He frowned, looked at me, then turned to see the girl at the other table staring at him.

"So what? Do you want me to wai to her? Or do you want me to go and prostrate to pay respects to her?" His choice of words made me laugh. Haha.

"Oh, you know the word 'pay respects', Phum?"

"Hey, Shorty, I'll kiss you to snap you out of it. I studied Thai, I'm a Thai citizen, you know." he said, touching my lips with a cold spoon.

"Well, seeing you as a foreign playboy, trying to get girls in bed all day. I thought you wouldn't know Thai words."

He pushed my head hard. Ouch, was it a mistake to sit on the same side as him?

"Someone like me doesn't need to try. Just a flick of my finger and they'll get in my bed. Except for... hehe." he glanced at me and smirked, then continued eating his ice cream.

"What? Speak clearly." I stared at Phum. He just smiled and looked at me from head to toe with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "What, Phum? Why are you looking at me? Stop it, or I'll poke your eyes out, you son of a bitch."

"Haha."

"I said stop looking. Stop laughing. What were you going to say? Except for what? Speak up." I pushed him away. He laughed wickedly and looked at me with a perverted grin.

"Except for you. It was so hard to f*ck you."

OoO You buffalo!!!!!!!!!

"Yeah, it's good you're aware of it. So, take good care of me." My face was burning, so I had to eat some cold ice cream to cool down. Phum laughed loudly and messed up my hair. Damn you Phum.

After eating, he took me to a T-shirt printing shop. Remember how Fang and Tan had matching shirts? Well, Phum wanted to do the same. The shop owner asked what kind of shirts we wanted—class shirts, gang shirts. Phum loudly and clearly said,

"Couple shirts, with this guy." >o<

He pointed at me. I was so embarrassed I wanted to hide in a light bulb. He made me wait outside because it was a surprise. Soon, Phum came out smiling brightly.

"Let's go for a walk. We'll come back in two or three hours to pick them up." He was so cheerful, but I was nervous. What did he print on the shirts?

"If it's something silly, I'm not wearing it." I warned.

"That's not up to you. I know you'll wear it." he said with a triumphant smile, putting his arm around my shoulder as we walked, making us a sight for people to admire.

Have you ever been able to refuse him, Peem? Have you ever been able to refuse Phum? I could only cry inside. I had no choice. T_T

"Want to check out the cameras upstairs, Shorty?"

"Are you buying a camera? I didn't see you using the ones you have."

"Don't know, just looking."

Phum nudged me to step onto the escalator. When we use the escalator in a mall, he likes me to go first so he can stand a step below and wrap his arms around the handrails, making it look like he's hugging me without a care in the world.

People going down the escalator turned to look. Did Phum care? Not at all. He rested his chin on my shoulder.

[T/n: The fact that Phum is still taller than Peem even when he stands a step below. Hahahaha]

Phum took me in and out of various shops. When were we going to the camera shop? At first, we just walked side by side, sometimes he put his arm around my shoulder. But now, he was holding my hand. I looked up at Phum, who pretended not to notice, looking elsewhere.

Heh heh, he's acting cool.

"You don't have to hold my hand, Khun Phumin." I teased, smiling at him because it was rare to see him embarrassed.

"Shut up. Is it illegal to hold my boyfriend's hand?"

Oh, calm down, honey. He smiled but tried to threaten me, glaring at me to stop laughing. Haha, such a kid.

"Alright, alright, hold my hand. I'm generous, you can do more than that. Interested?" I wiggled my eyebrows at Phum.

"Don't mess with me, Peem. If I get serious, you'll be in trouble." He smiled slyly and put his arm around my shoulder as we entered the camera shop.

Now, I became invisible to Phum because he forgot he brought me along, leaving me alone to look at cameras. I wandered around, waiting for Phum. A large group of students, probably from my school, were also looking at cameras. They seemed to be photography students.

I felt like someone was watching me. I thought it was Phum, so I looked for him, but he wasn't in the shop. He was outside on the phone. I shrugged, thinking I was paranoid. After a while, the group left the shop.

"Hey, Nong! Hey!" Suddenly, a scruffy-looking guy ran up to me. Huh, wasn't he in that group earlier? Why is he running back?

"Yes? Me?" I looked around before pointing at myself. Did he know me? No way, I don't have any relatives who look like this.

"Yeah, you. I study communications at the same university. I've seen you at the central library a few times. I'm interested."

"Huh?" Here we go.

"Haha, don't make that face. I'm not interested in that way. I'm working on a photography project for a class, but I haven't found a model yet. I saw you and thought you fit the concept perfectly. I'm Guide, and you are...?"

"Uh, Peem."

"Nice to meet you, Peem. Cute name. So, what do you think? I'm really interested. Can you help me by being my model? I have a little bit of budget."

He looked hopeful. I never thought I'd be asked to be a model. Guess I'm not too bad, huh? :P

"You didn't mistake me with someone else, right? I rarely go to the library. Maybe you met someone similar?"

"Not wrong, just now I was watching. I'm sure it's you."

"I'd like to help, but I'm not good at this. I might waste your film." I said, feeling awkward. I can't say no to people, but as a clumsy person like me, I'd probably mess up his project.

"Don't worry, it's not hard. Your face is perfect. Help a fellow student out, please. If I pass this project, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Oh, you don't have to. I want to help, but... uhm..."

"What are you doing?" A cold, calm voice interrupted, and a dark shadow loomed behind me.
Guide looked confused, glancing between me and Phum. I started sweating as I felt Phum's intense aura.

"Uh, he asked me to be a model for his project, which he needs to submit to his professor." I explained, craning my neck to look up at Phum. He just stared at Guide rudely.

"Sorry, but he's not photogenic. Find someone else."

Phum grabbed my wrist and walked away quickly. I barely had time to bow to P'Guide, who stood there stunned. Phum muttered something under his breath.

"What kind of model is this short and stubby, round-eyed, and pale? You flirt!!!!"
...
..
.
When we got back to the condo, Phum was swinging his trunk, tusks, and tail all over the place, even though I should be the one upset. I didn't plan to model anyway; I was going to find a way to politely decline. But Phum's blunt rejection might make Guide angry. What if he brought his friends to beat me up?

But no matter what, I needed to clear things up with Phum. After showering, I stood in the bathroom, thinking of how to apologize. I heard Detective Mori and Ran's voices from the bedroom.

I quietly entered the room. Phum was half-sitting, half-lying against the headboard, his left hand hugging a brown teddy bear named Little Tiger, and his right hand holding a milk carton. He glanced at me angrily, then continued watching Conan shoot a tranquilizer dart at the drunk Detective Mori.

"What's wrong, Phum? Jealous that someone asked me to be a model?" That didn't sound right. I smiled awkwardly.

"Can you use your brain for once, Peem?" Just insult me directly, why don't you? I hate deciphering things.

"Are you still mad about that, Phum?"

"... "

"I'm sorry."

" ..."

"Hey, I said I'm sorry...."

Wham!

A teddy bear hit me square in the face. Nice aim, Phum. He glared at me twice before turning back to hug Little Tiger and watch Conan. When he's mad, he either throws a fit or goes silent. How do I apologize when I didn't do anything wrong? I decided to crawl onto the bed next to him, wearing only a bathrobe and...

Give me a moment to coax this sulky guy ><

End of Chapter 54 >>>>>>>>>>