Chapter 6

"How is the investigation on P'Net’s side going?"

​Nunew’s eyes widened in horror, and he instinctively clamped his hand over his own mouth. His breathing was faint yet chaotic.

​"Only so-so," the voice belonging to the one named Net suddenly rang out, followed by a heavy sigh.

"That woman, Kannika, certainly knows how to exploit her family’s influence."

​Nunew’s ears rang, and a cold shiver ran down his spine. His body swayed, but he couldn't allow himself to lose control now. He gave his arm a sharp pinch, his lips pressed firmly together.
​
"However, Nat and I discovered something else," Net chuckled dryly.

"Her singing career was built literally on the blood and bones of others."

​For a moment, Nunew could almost visualize the sharp eyes of the man speaking. Yet, he shook his head violently, trying to dispel such stray thoughts. Just an aftershock of a dream, he told himself.

​"Is it Duangkamol?"

​Hearing an unfamiliar name, Nunew hesitated for a moment before slowly lowering the hands that had been covering his mouth. This time, his hands behaved; they weren't trembling anymore, only drenched in sweat.

​"You guessed correctly, James."

There was the sound of running water intermingled with Net’s voice.

"Though there’s no concrete evidence yet, she is the highest possibility."

​Nunew continued to scavenge for information about this 'Duangkamol' in the dust-covered corners of his memory. Unlike the two men chatting outside, any clue about the owner of that name remained a complete blank. Giving up, he realized he simply couldn't remember.

​"So, have you told P’Zee yet?"

​As the words were uttered, the atmosphere froze instantly. The sound of the faucet in the sink cut off abruptly.

In the near-absolute silence, Nunew didn't dare breathe loudly, despite the sharp pain in his chest.

​"I haven't told him," Net finally replied after a long silence.

"P’Zee has looked so lifeless lately; I don’t want to disturb him."

​Nunew lowered his eyes, habitually fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

​"Has P’Zee still not been able to contact Nunew’s family?"

​At the mention of his own name, the boy’s hands faltered for a split second before resuming their restless movement.

​"No, and neither has P’Aof," this was Net’s second weary sigh.

"Setting aside Nunew’s brother, just trying to call his parents is nearly impossible."

​"After everything that happened, it’s understandable that they wouldn't want anything to do with us."

​Behind the stall door, Nunew’s face was expressionless. If not for his sweaty palms and red-rimmed eyes as evidence, he would have looked like an indifferent traveler accidentally eavesdropping on a dull story. As if he weren't the main subject of that conversation.

​As if the 'Nunew' they spoke of wasn't him.

​"Even so..." James couldn't help but advise, "When P’Zee arrives later, I think you should still give him a heads-up."

​Those were James's final words before he turned to leave.

Net seemed to offer a grunt of agreement, followed by the sound of footsteps on the floor growing fainter.

​Nunew remained in his seated position, staring vacantly. By the time he realized it, the space was echoing with his own soft, self-mocking laughter. A cheap sob caught in his throat. Overlapping fragments of sound still rang in his ears.

Some from the past, some from the present, and some from haunting illusions.

​He took a deep breath, his emotions so frayed that he didn't even bother to stop the noise from occupying his mind. He unlocked the door, scanned the area outside, and slowly stepped out.

​Mechanically, Nunew walked to the sink and turned on the tap. His sweat-dampened hands felt cleansed under the cool water. He splashed water directly onto his face, trying to wash away his haggard appearance. Leaning his hands against the rim of the basin, he forced himself to look directly at the reflection in the mirror.

​And then, he could only stand in stunned silence...

​Disheveled hair. Pale skin. Dry lips curved into a forced smile. Dark circles beneath swollen eyes. Sunken cheeks still clinging to tiny droplets of water.

​Nunew stood dazed for a moment, finally reaching out a hand to touch the boy in the mirror.

So this is the appearance everyone has been seeing.

​For some reason, he suddenly remembered the photo frames scattered around his house. He remembered the photo he had set as his phone wallpaper during his final days in Melbourne. He remembered the jagged shards of memory that haunted every dream.

​Strangely, it was the same person, yet why in all those images did no one look like the boy standing before him now?

​Nunew felt a sense of humiliation, but at the same time, he felt strangely satisfied with the stranger in the mirror. The cold glass against his fingertips awakened a stray thought.

​No one would recognize the boy named Nunew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong from the past anymore. Whether it was Kannika, Net, James, Aof, the DMD members... or even that man, no one would recognize him.

​Because even Nunew didn't recognize his current self.

​He gave one last self-deprecating smile, then put on his mask, covering the few familiar features left on his face. He brushed away a few ironic tears from his lashes and, step by step, walked out of the cramped restroom.

​In the end, Nunew still had to return to the world outside.

A world he didn't belong to.

​The handsome young men who had coincidentally appeared in the temple caused the tourists to whisper incessantly. Nunew followed the crowd's gaze, his vision lingering on a few strangers who were once familiar. But only for a split second. The next moment, he turned his back, walking alone against the bustling tide of people without a word.

​If meeting causes only awkwardness, it’s better to pretend they never knew each other.

​Nunew thought vaguely, never once looking back. Despite the reel of memories and distant faces scrambling his mind, he kept trudging forward.

​THUD!

​Nunew’s fragile body reclined backward from the force of a sudden collision. His head spun, his balance faltering. If a hand hadn't reached out in time to steady him, he would have likely ended up on the cold tile floor.

​"Are you okay?" The timely inquiry pulled Nunew from his reverie, but instantly plunged him into an icy abyss.

​This was the voice that had haunted his subconscious time and time again.

​Nunew rudely jerked his hand back, responding in a tiny, instinctive whisper, "I’m okay, sorry Hia."

​As the words left his lips, both froze in shock.

​Nunew saw the stunned gaze of the man standing before him, his nails unconsciously digging into the flesh of his palms. A second later, he decisively maneuvered past the man and fled, leaving behind the one who had once been his everything.

​"Nunew!"

​His strides across the vast marble floor grew longer and more frantic. Nunew pretended not to hear the familiar voice behind him or the sounds screaming in his mind.

​"It was you who hurt Kannika, right?"

"Was it really just for that award?"

"The media is in an uproar; listen to Hia, deactivate your social media."

"Just stay home for now; it’s not safe outside."

"Go apologize to Kannika; Hia and P’Aof will find a way to convince her not to file a lawsuit."

​Despite his waning strength, Nunew didn't allow himself to stop. The graceful, calculating laughter of the past echoed in his ears.

​"From the beginning, whatever I, Kannika, want, I must have at all costs."

​"Tell me, if it were just you and me here, and I were lying injured on the ground... what would Zee think?" ​

"Let’s make a bet: between you and me, who will Zee believe more?"

​Nunew’s vision blurred as the heat from the weather seemed to sear his barren soul. For a moment, he felt as if he had lost his way back to that horrific day.

The day he learned the true meaning of cold-heartedness.

​He caught a fleeting glimpse of a familiar figure waving at him. Without hesitation, he lunged forward like a moth drawn to a light.

​"Nunew!"

​It was the same name being called, but this time, Nunew felt as if he had caught a lifesaving straw in a vast, desolate sea. He collapsed into the embrace that had shielded him for years, pushing all thoughts of that man to the back of his mind. Because he knew that in these arms, he would be absolutely safe.

​"I'm here. You can rest now."

​With that, Nunew lightheartedly fainted in his brother’s arms.