Last Special Episode
Rival on the Other Shore
2.5 Years Later
"Ow!"
A gruff voice cried out. Anupap whipped around just in time to see Atikom clutching his head, his face contorted in pain. A smile tugged at Anupap's lips. Atikom turned to glare at the man walking beside him, mouth opening to say something, but Anupap beat him to it—raising a finger and cutting him off.
"Ah-ah-ah, don't you dare call me cruel. I didn't do anything to you, Detective."
"Not doing anything is doing something. You're smiling like I deserve it. Your boyfriend gets hurt and instead of comforting him, you pile on with that face and that grin." Atikom's voice took on a sulking tone.
"Fine, you do deserve it. Walking around spreading your charm everywhere. It's not like you're short yourself. So? I bet that shop awning had enough of you." Anupap shrugged and continued browsing the goods.
This morning, Atikom and Anupap had decided to visit the floating market together. The moment they arrived, the devastatingly handsome man drew attention from everyone around. When a group of Chinese tourists climbed out of a van parked nearby and spotted the police officer, their interest became obvious. One young man in the group, bolder than his companions, walked right up to Atikom and asked for a photo. Then he requested a group shot. When Anupap reached out to take the camera and volunteer as photographer, the slim young man in the tight white tank top dodged away, handing the camera to Atikom instead with an impassive expression.
...
"Huh, taking photo with the parking lot as a background." Anupap's voice dripped with irritation once the handsome tourists finally dispersed.
"Are you jealous?" Atikom smiled with obvious pride. "Better get used to it, Khun Nu. You have to understand—when you're with someone this good-looking, you need to accept these things as normal."
"Good thing we were in the parking lot. If you'd had me take photos by the water, I would've pushed you into the canal."
"Hey, you hooligan. We're the hosts here, we're Thai. When guests come to our doorstep, we have to welcome them properly. How can you treat tourists like that? Guests should be welcomed with—"
"Who said I'd push the tourists?" Anupap interrupted quickly.
"See what I mean?" Atikom's voice carried weary exasperation. "I didn't do anything wrong, but I get blamed every time. I can't help being born as Atikom."
"So impossibly handsome," Anupap muttered, completing Atikom's sentence. The man who'd just praised himself while receiving praise beamed—right up until he yelped in pain from walking into a shop awning.
...
Atikom must have noticed Anupap's prolonged silence and grown concerned. He reached out to tap his boyfriend's arm gently. "Khun Nu, I was just teasing. Even if you don't comfort me, it's fine. This little bit of pain—I can handle it."
"Comfort you for what?" Anupap raised an eyebrow.
"Well..."
"Oh, that? Earlier?" Anupap shrugged. "I wasn't even thinking about it. You accuse me of this stuff all the time. Getting worked up over it would be exhausting. Whenever something doesn't go your way, you say I'm cluel. I'm used to it by now. But if you want me to comfort you, I can do that. Next time just try walking into another awning. Make it hurt more. I'll comfort you properly then."
Anupap stopped speaking when he realized Atikom hadn't responded. He turned to look. Atikom stood frozen, staring across the canal that ran through the center of the market.
"Why is he staring like that?" Atikom murmured softly.
"What?" Anupap asked.
"That man. Standing by the coffee shop. He's been watching us for a while now."
Anupap turned to look, then went silent. A tall man in dark green camouflage pants and a white shirt, wearing brown-tinted sunglasses, left hand in his pocket, right hand holding a drink—he was looking their way. The moment Anupap glanced over, the man turned away.
"He's definitely checking you out, Khun Nu." Atikom's voice hardened.
"He's so far away, on the other side of the canal, and you can still tell what he's like?" Anupap remarked.
"How could I not tell? People of the same pole can recognize each other." Atikom replied. "I want to go over there and ask why he's staring at my boyfriend."
"You are overthinking." Anupap tapped Atikom's arm lightly. But he was beginning to feel uncomfortable, worried that the man across the canal might come over and approach them both. If that happened, he didn't know how he'd act or what expression to wear—he'd never told Atikom about Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap.
Police and military, on opposite sides of the canal. Let's hope they don't declare war across the units…
"Detective, stay calm. Don't start anything with anyone. Please."
"I'm jealous."
"He hasn't done anything yet." Anupap's voice rose slightly.
"Just looking is enough to make me jealous."
"You're being ridiculous." Anupap shook his head, bending down to pick up a souvenir from a nearby display, then turning to ask the vendor about the price.
"Someone looks at me and you get jealous. But this guy is looking at you like he's sizing you up, and I'm not supposed to be jealous? If you'd come here alone, he probably would've jumped in the canal and swum across to hit on you."
"He's wearing sunglasses. And he's so far away, on the other side of the canal, and you still claim to see his eyes. You're really looking for trouble."
"Even if he covered his eyes with thick cloth, I could still tell." Atikom's voice grew irritated. "His posture, his demeanor, the way he's looking—it's clearly the look of someone secretly interested in someone else's boyfriend. I'm not stupid. I know when someone's interested in my boyfriend."
Anupap ignored the jealous police officer, letting Atikom fume alone while he calmly browsed the souvenirs.
Before long, Atikom pressed his lips together when he looked ahead and saw the tall young man—roughly his own height—walking straight toward where he and Anupap stood.
"How did he cross the canal so fast?"
"What are you grumbling about, Detective?" Anupap looked up at the complaining cop. When his boyfriend stayed silent, he followed Atikom's gaze.
This is it. Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap is walking this way. His manner doesn't suggest a tourist casually browsing—he's walking with purpose, his gait as confident as a military parade march. He's as tall and impressive as Atikom, but noticeably fairer-skinned. As pale as Detective Awoot...
In fact, he rivals Atikom more than anyone else Anupap had ever seen...
And it seemed Atikom shared this assessment. As Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap approached, Atikom murmured quietly, "Does he think he's so handsome and cool?"
"Hello, Khun Anupap." The commanding voice called out before reaching them. Anupap quickly turned to tell Atikom softly:
"Khun Trin's friend." Anupap murmured.
Atikom looked down at his boyfriend with displeasure, then raised his eyes to meet the newcomer with a distinctly unfriendly gaze.
"Hi. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap. Pleased to meet you, Khun..."
"Police Major Atikom. Khun Nu never mentioned knowing you." Atikom's voice turned cold.
"We just met recently." Kongtap answered with a smile—but it was a smile Atikom interpreted as 'challenging.'
"Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap knows Khun Trin. He's seen me at a few parties. So when he saw me again, he must have remembered." Anupap offered a brief explanation.
Kongtap nodded in support of Anupap's words. But Atikom remained still, face neutral, while shifting closer to Anupap—clearly marking his territory for the other uniformed man: My boyfriend. Hands off.
In the end, the confrontation between these two equally formidable men concluded peacefully with no casualties. Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap exchanged brief pleasantries before walking away. Atikom just stood there, though Anupap could hear the jealous police officer breathing harder than usual.
Only after Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap left did Anupap turn to Atikom with a smile. "What's wrong, Detective? You looked like you wanted to sink your fangs into him."
"I'm not a pit bull, Khun Nu." Atikom protested.
"I wouldn't compare you to a dog. I meant more like a tiger or a lion."
"Really? Hard to believe. Tigers don't just bite and sink their fangs in." Atikom looked skeptical. "Tigers rip and tear their prey apart in their jaws."
"Then go run after him and maul him." Anupap said sarcastically. "Lieutenant Colonel Kongtap didn't do anything at all. He just came over, made small talk, and it only took a moment. The detective is overthinking."
"His eyes were practically sparkling. I could tell from his eyes that he likes you, Khun Nu." Atikom's voice deepened. "And more importantly, that challenging look in his eyes. He didn't even care that I was standing right there."
"He doesn't know who you are."
"How could he not see it? He must have seen that you and I are together. Knowing full well that you're mine, that soldier's eyes still said: I don't care. If I want something, I'll take it."
"Impressive. You can look at someone's eyes and translate them into words." Anupap's face showed admiration.
"Don't joke around, Khun Nu."
Can't trust him. That soldier with the strange name—his eyes look far more dangerous than Awoot's...
Atikom ground his teeth. His danger instincts fired immediately—he'd just encountered someone who liked his boyfriend. Not secretly crushing like Atid or Awoot, but someone who liked him and would try to steal him given the chance.
Atid was soft-hearted and not bold or brazen. He wasn't too worried about him. Awoot was a friend, and that man valued his own dignity too much. He had a clear stance that as long as Anupap was still his lover, he wouldn't interfere. Even when Awoot had nearly driven him mad that time when Anupap ran away to Prae Province—that was different from what he sensed this soldier was thinking.
In this battle with the soldier, the police cannot lose...
Thinking of taking Anupap from him? Don't even dream of it. Even if he died, he shouldn't think he could step over his corpse to reach Anupap...
***
Tongrob shook his head slowly, unable to believe what Atikom was telling him. Monday morning when he arrived for his shift, Atikom had walked straight into his office and sat down to recount what happened over the past weekend.
"He was checking Khun Nu out, eyes full of intent. Stone-faced and composed, just like that bastard Awoot. Except this one's more dangerous. It's like mixing Kasidit with Sarut and Bank Nitinai all in one person—the aggressive version, not the passive one. Even with that blank face and polite speech, I could tell immediately that this soldier's eyes were saying: I like Khun Nu. I want Khun Nu. I'll get him no matter what."
"You're insanely jealous, man."
"And you're not jealous when your little sunshine Atid is running around?" Atikom shot back.
"Don't bring up the kid. I don't want to hear his name." Tongrob's voice was bitter. "By now he's probably playing sous chef for that bastard Awoot, making dinner together. Look at this—just because he came back to visit Thailand, Atid has to run off and have dinner with him at his place. I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen."
"Dinner and then eating each other," Atikom smiled. "By candlelight."
"Fuck off, Kom. You don't need to paint that picture for me." Tongrob lifted his foot as if to kick his friend. "Why do we both have to deal with this crap? Is this what they call karma catching up?"
"Screw karma. I don't care. All I know is that nobody's taking Khun Nu from me." Atikom's voice turned fierce. "You go find out who that soldier is. How important he is."
"Why does it have to be me?" Tongrob protested.
"So you'll stop being distracted about Atid. I'm helping you here, man." Atikom's voice rang out. "You need to find something else to do. Stop moping around about Atid. It's pointless suffering."
"Says the guy who's done the same thing. I remember when you couldn't find Khun Nu, you slept hugging a bottle of booze at home. You looked pathetic as a dog."
"This jerk is being annoying." Atikom held up his 'flip-flop' to emphasize his words. Tongrob wasn't backing down either, refusing firmly.
"I don't have the energy to do anything, Kom. I can only think about Atid." Tongrob's voice softened. "Even when Takeshi stripped for me, I squeezed my eyes shut."
"Tongrob, you still haven't stopped? Another Takeshi? That model who was hitting on you at Khun P'Bud's fashion show?" Atikom's eyes widened. He wanted to punch his friend for letting problems pile up.
"I didn't do anything! I saw him fall in the water, so I went to help. Once I jumped in the pool, his clothes disappeared. Only tiny swimming trunk left. That's when I realized it was a new style of fashion show—models and staff pretending to jump in the pool and strip. At first I was confused why they were walking swimwear fashion show but dressed up fully. I even rushed to get front row seats by the pool."
"And you just had to be a good citizen and jump in first to save the model who fell in the water." Atikom pursed his lips at his friend.
"You saw it yourself. He cried out for help when he fell." Tongrob defended himself. "Other people jumped in to help too. But the problem is, Takeshi kept thanking me non-stop. That's why Atid got jealous."
"But you jumped in first. You couldn't resist, could you? That's you—whenever you see someone naked, you have to join them."
"Just a little bit. How are you any different from me?"
"I'm different now! Before I do anything, all I think about is Khun Nu's face."
"You mean Khun Nu making a demon face, holding a gun to your temple?" Tongrob made a mocking expression. "Whipped."
"You're not scared? That's why you're not getting anywhere. Look at you—nothing but problems, and you can't solve a single one. Now that bastard Awoot is back in Thailand, I'm telling you—you're definitely losing Atid to Awoot. Accept it, friend. Their names match perfectly. Just that alone and Awoot's already halfway to winning." Atikom pointed at Tongrob.
"Your name and Khun Nu's don't match at all, and you still love each other."
"They do match. Atikom and Anupap both start with 'a'—the same short vowel. Awoot and Atid are even more similar—'ar' and 'ar', both long vowel." Atikom laughed softly. "And old flames can reignite anytime."
"I'm the same. Tongrob and Atid—T flag—the same consonant." Tongrob argued.
"Ah, I see." Atikom tilted his head to look at his friend, then shook it slowly.
"'I see' what?" Tongrob raised an eyebrow.
"That explains it. You're this stupid—that's why you don't know how to handle your messy love life. Atid is spelled with 'T soldier'! Tongrob is spelled with 'T' flag. They're not the same consonant at all." Atikom's voice rose.* [See translation notes below]
"Oh." Tongrob nodded as if understanding, then continued, "Oh right, 'T soldier'—Kongtap. 'T solider—a solider's enduring shagging." ** [See translation notes below]
"You bastard—" Atikom roared, standing up to kick his smart-mouthed friend. But Tongrob was faster—he ran out of his fellow-sufferer's office before he could be kicked.
"I'm more worried it'll be 'T soldier'—shameless and relentless." Atikom muttered after him, then kicked his chair back against the wall. The more he pictured that soldier's stone-cold, stern face, the more irritated he became.
First fighting against Atid and Trin. Then fighting Chavis—both the living man and his spirit. Then fighting Awoot. Now he has to fight some cocky soldier. Khun Nu, oh Khun Nu—why do people never stop causing trouble for us? At this rate, will I have to keep being jealous and possessive forever?...
Atikom's love case had been closed—or so he thought. He'd won Anupap's heart, fought for it through investigations that spanned years, through evidence of tears and laughter, confessions and silences. Over the past two and a half years, he'd learned that love conquers everything. His past as a player had been carefully filed away; old conquests managed and defused to prevent any trouble with Anupap.
But karma, it seemed, had a sense of irony.
Now the tables had turned. Instead of his past chasing him, he faced something far worse—men being attracted to his beloved. That soldier with his challenging eyes. Awoot with his history. Atid with his devotion. And who knew how many others lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance?
Atikom clenched his jaw. He couldn't stand it. He wouldn't stand it.
This was his love case. It would always be his love case. Some cases you never stop working—they become your life's work, requiring constant vigilance and a heart that refuses to lose what it fought so hard to win.
And this one? This one was worth fighting for until his last breath.
*** THE END ***
Translation notes on Thai language word play:
*Thai language has two form of character to represent 'T' consonant. We called T flag, and T soldier. When writing words with T consonant, we have to use proper T character. Obviously, Tongrob doesn't do well in spelling. Thai 'S' is even more complex—4 different alphabets]
**In Thai alphabet's learning, students recite something like Ch elephant, running away; R boat, rowing, T flag, popular, T solider, endurance. Here Tongrob played with another Thai word by changing a syllable that make the word changes the meaning entirely. Od ton = endurace, Ow ton = shag with endurance (slang)