"Let the world walk in—
He belongs to me alone."
—Nil
Nil leaned forward, brushed a swift kiss across Kao's cheek, then pulled back at once. 'Chu.'
Kao touched the spot, eyes narrowing with sudden brightness. The next moment, he caught Nil's wrist, tugged hard, and drew him in until their bodies almost overlapped.
"Not enough," he murmured, mouth curving with deliberate arrogance.
"Here." He tapped his lips, shamelessly puckering them.
Nil's ears burned, "Stranger—! The door's wide open..."
"Someone could walk in any second."
Kao's arm banded tighter around him, dragging him closer still, "Let them!"
"You already kissed me without asking. Shouldn't you make it right?"
Nil gave a helpless laugh, looping his arms around Kao's shoulders, voice half-teasing, half-submissive. "You really are a businessman—"
"Always pressing for profit." he added.
They stood locked together, eyes refusing to break away, mouths only a breath apart. The air between them crackled—one more inch, and it would be undone.
The door banged open.
"Kao!" Lava's voice rang out.
Nil jerked back like a startled bird, leaving Kao's hand grasping empty. Lava froze on the threshold, her gaze sweeping the scene. Kao coughed, words tumbling out in haste,
"Lava—what brings you here?"
Lava leaned against the doorframe, lips curled in a sly arc.
"I came to find Nil. But—" her eyes swept deliberately between the two of them,
"—all the better, finding you both together."
Nil, unaware of the storm brewing under her words, thought she was merely curt by nature. He offered a polite smile. "Hello, Lava."
She gave a soft hum, no more than a clipped sound, then stepped inside, brushing far too close to Kao as though it were her right.
Kao's brow tightened almost imperceptibly, his arm at his side twitching with restraint.
"We've always been close," Lava said lightly, her tone sugar laid over steel. "Since childhood."
Nil blinked, then nodded in earnest. "Ah, yes. He told me that before."
Kao quickly placed distance between himself and Lava, stepping to Nil's side, his voice low, almost coaxing:
"Come on, let's not drag this out. Dinner is waiting..."
Before he could guide Nil away, Lava's tone slipped in, smooth and unhurried, like someone tossing oil into fire,
"Kao, why so impatient? The servants are still arranging the table."
Her eyes slid toward Nil, then back to Kao, lips curving.
"In his teenage years, Kao was far bolder than you can imagine. We often spent days together—Shian, him, me, and the others."
"Back then, he was so at ease with me, we'd share the same room for days at a time." she added.
Nil's step faltered. His expression shifted, but he said nothing, his dark eyes falling on Kao as though seeking confirmation.
Kao's throat tightened; a soft "Lava...enough."
But she only tilted her head and pressed on, voice light, words heavy.
"He was bold enough that we used to change clothes right in front of each other. Completely bare. I can still recall every mole on his body."
Nil's breath caught, his hands curling into fists at his sides. His face burned, yet his features remained composed.
Kao exhaled, he knew Lava's nature well—once she began, she would not stop. His gaze fixed firmly on Nil. And as expected, Lava did not falter. With a smile too sweet, she dropped another knife,
"He always liked when I wore pink lingerie. Who knows—if you hadn't appeared, perhaps Kao and I might have ended up together."
Her words rang clear, carrying no shame. Nil's lips pressed into a thin line, his expression unreadable—too still, too calm.
Kao's eyes never left Nil, his jaw set tight.
Nil's lips curved, but it was no longer his bright, guileless smile. It was a smile weighted, deliberate—like a blade slid into its sheath,
"Lava," his voice was quiet, almost courteous,
"you're very good. Too good, in fact. And truly... quite funny."
Lava's lashes fluttered, the smile at her mouth faltering.
Nil did not stop, "I lived in a city named Magura. But my grandmother's home was in the village. There, the fields stretched farther than the eye could see, seas of green paddy swaying under the wind."
"In those days, I was young, wild, and free. Often, I would run through the fields without a stitch of clothing. Boys and girls alike, all of us would leap into the ponds, bathe and laugh together, naked under the sun."
Kao's body stiffened. His teeth ground together. His voice low under breath,
"Naked..!"
"With girls?"
Lava's lips froze. For a moment, nothing came out.
Nil tilted his head, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, a spark of mockery threading through the calmness,
"Yes. They saw me—clearly, fully, without the smallest veil. Every part of me, inside and out. But tell me..." His smile sharpened, like a knife wrapped in silk.
"...does that mean I am bound to marry each one of them? To give myself away, simply because they happened to look?"
The air shifted. Lava's face stiffened; color drained, then burned hot again.
Nil's smirk deepened. His voice, still soft, pressed down mercilessly,
"Think about it. If that logic were true, then wouldn't I already belong to a dozen people?"
"Surely you don't believe I could be so insane."
Each word landed with delicate precision, yet each was an unerring slap. Lava's painted elegance cracked, her lips pressed thin, "Mn..."
She had no words left and leave.
Nil and Kao stood facing each other, the air between them taut, almost vibrating. Silence stretched, heavy and sticky, until Nil's eyes narrowed, dark with curiosity,
"Did you... really do those things?" he asked.
Kao's gaze fell to the desk, fingers brushing the polished wood, He exhaled slowly. "I was merely in high school..."
His voice remained calm, almost disarming. "And we were friends. I thought it was... normal."
Nil's brow furrowed. "But believe me," Kao continued, straightening slightly, "I never had any feelings for her. All I ever considered her was... a friend."
Kao stepped closer, his voice lowered, —bitter, curiosity, restraint.
"But you... handled it well."
"You even lied to her," he added, eyes momentarily glancing away, voice almost a whisper yet sharp as glass.
"Said you used to run naked in the fields... that you bathed with girls in the pond."
Nil's lips curved, slow, deliberate, "But I didn't lie."
Kao's staring cold, "Who... runs naked through the fields?"
Nil's hands rested softly on Kao's shoulders, deliberate, teasing. "The one who chooses bras for so-called friends," he murmured, a taunt.
On the upper floor, Ms. Nin reclined gracefully upon a broad balcony sofa, her posture as composed as carved jade. A faint breeze stirred the silk hem of her dress. At her side, the maid Pha bent slightly, voice hesitant yet daring to probe:
"Madam, will you truly accept Young Master's... relationship with that boy?"
Ms. Nin did not so much as glance at her. Her tone unbending. "Never."
Pha bowed her head lower, voice cautious but unable to hold back, "But Young Master... he listens to no one." "
"As stubborn as the late Great Master himself..."
At this, Ms. Nin's painted her hand struck out—sharp. A resounding slap rang through the balcony.
Pha staggered back, clutching her cheek, stunned. Ms. Nin leaned forward, eyes like twin blades, her bold red lips curving with disdain.
"Mind your tongue. Speak only within the worth your station grants you."
"Do not presume to rise above your place." Her voice low and venomous.
The maid trembled, her palm pressed against the burning mark on her face, "Forgive me, Madam..."
Suddenly, Lava stormed in, her face flushed with anger. "Aunt, you must do something!"
Her voice cracked with frustration. "That bastard... he's too sly! How could this be? Kao—Kao is madly in love with him. Why?"
Ms. Nin merely raised her hand, a slight gesture for calm, her expression untouched by Lava's agitation. "Sit."
Lava obeyed, though her chest still heaved with indignation.
Ms. Nin's tone was cool, deliberate. "You are mistaken. He is not sly."
Her crimson lips curved faintly, almost amused.
"On the contrary, he is simply... too innocent. That is precisely what draws Kao in."
She leaned back against the sofa, her eyes half-lidded, sharp as a blade veiled in silk.
"Kao was raised in an elite circle. Countless girls, countless boys have approached him. He has long grown cold to all of them. It is only when he encounters such untouched simplicity... that he loses his guard."
Lava let out a long, trembling sigh. Her hand slipped into her purse and withdrew a small velvet box. With a flick, it opened, revealing a diamond ring that caught the light like a blade, with a bitter smile.
"Look," she said, voice tight, "I bought this for your son. I approached him again and again, and what did I get in return? Nothing but humiliation."
Her gaze lifted, sharp with resentment. "It was you who convinced me to come here. And now, in front of me, you praise that dog?"
Ms. Nin did not flinch. Her eyes lowered slightly, her tone calm as a still pond. "Have you never heard the proverb? The dog that sees a shadow in the water... forgets the meat in its mouth."
Lava's breath caught. "Just tell me clearly, Aunt..."
Ms. Nin's gaze turned upon her. "Do not waste time envying what Nil holds. Look instead at yourself. Consider what you have. Nil has known Kao for mere months. You, on the other hand, have been by his side since childhood. Which do you think weighs more?"
But Lava's expression crumpled, the words striking like hidden knives. It was as though her heart had clenched into a knot, twisted beyond loosening.
She staggered away, her steps unsteady, until she reached the corner where a cabinet of liquor stood. With one sharp motion, she seized a bottle, pulled the cork with her teeth, and drank straight from the glass neck.
The diamond ring glimmered faintly on her trembling hand.
The quarrel showed no sign of ending.
Nil's brows drew tight, "Stranger, you shouldn't have invited her!"
Kao tilted his head, irritation flashing across his face. "And you didn't bring Than along? Don't start with me."
Nil's eyes widened. "Why drag Than into this mess? And don't you dare compare Lava with him—"
Kao cut him short, his tone sharp, "You dislike Lava. I dislike Than. That makes us even."
He exhaled harshly, as though trying to dispel the weight pressing down on him. "And I already told you—I never invited Lava."
The air thickened with frustration. Both men stood locked in silence, neither willing to yield.
But before Nil could throw another retort, Kao suddenly stepped forward. His hand rose to grip the back of Nil's neck, and without warning, his lips descended.
The world stilled.
Nil's eyes widened; his hands came up, pushing at Kao's chest, resisting the heat of the kiss. But Kao's hold was unyielding. Their breaths tangled, lips pressed together in a battle more fierce than their argument.
For a few long seconds, Nil fought against it. Then, as if his strength had drained with the pounding of his heart, his resistance softened. His lashes lowered, his lips answered back, tentative at first, then wholly surrendering.
It was not rough. It tender. Both closed their eyes, their mouths meeting as though each breath they exchanged carried all the words they could not say aloud.
Finally, Kao pulled away. His arms closed around Nil, crushing him into his chest. His voice, low and trembling with both anger and longing, whispered against Nil's ear—
"Enough."
Nil's breath was unsteady, lips still tingling from the force that had silenced him. He leaned weakly against Kao's chest, voice muffled with grievance.
"I was about to say the same... yet you sealed my lips first."
His chest rose and fell, "Sorry, Stranger. But her words—too filthy. I couldn't endure them."
He pressed his eyes shut, as though shutting out both memory and world, clinging tighter to the arms around him.
"No matter how old those things are, I don't want to hear them."
"Not from her mouth... not ever."