The place and atmosphere seemed to pale in comparison to the three people sitting around the table. The servers were setting up the dishes silently and quickly, as they couldn't wait to go outside this suffocating room. The room smells like gunpowder, one light from a match, and everything within a one-kilometer radius would ignite.
After the servers set up everything, they hurriedly said goodbye and rushed towards the exit, not forgetting to slowly close the door. They wondered what the three people inside would do at a place like this. They are like distinguished officials coming to inspect the lives of the common people. Giving off the energy that what they come to experience tonight is full of novelty. In short, their looks, aura, and the way they dressed looked out of place in this seemingly ordinary hotpot center.
Though their hotpot center offers the best and is rated number one in the city, it still felt like a crime to let the three of them sit together in the cramped room. The atmosphere filled with smoke, oil, and the chatter from nearby cubicles and tables is far from what the three of them should be used to. One could tell they belonged to some high-class Michelin-starred hotel, where fine dining, cutting the rarest slice of meat, and drinking the oldest fermented wine were the norm.
The three did not really care what other people thought. From various stares upon entering the hotpot center to the assessing looks from the servers, they really don't care if they could gather and enjoy the place where Suthirae wanted to eat.
Yes, the three people inside a private room in a hotpot center are Surithae, Yothasira, and the only man in the circle – Thanakorn.
Dressed in formal suits, Yothasira and Thanakon clearly went directly to their meeting place after a business function. Luckily, both were present at the function, so they've decided to go there together. The only one dressed less formally was Thira. Unlike the two, Thira is dressed in a simple white short-sleeve dress that flows an inch above her knee, and her long hair cascades on her shoulders.
From the moment he entered the room, Thanakorn noticed that Surithae's hair was different from the other day.
"Su, your hair is straight today. It really looks good on you. The other day, your hair had defined waves; now it is pin-straight. Well, you look good in everything." Thanakorn said while gently rubbing Thira's head.
'She really looks like a cute innocent kitten when she is silent and behaving well,' he added, with a thought.
"You are right, she looks good in anything. Though it seems your hairstyle depends on your mood that day. Is there something you want to share with us, Su?" Yothasira asked while she looked straight at Thira, hands busied putting Thira's favorites in the boiling hotpot.
"I'm annoyed, ate Sira." Thira bluntly replied, looking bored, straight into Yothasira's eyes with an ear-to-ear smile.
Thanakorn was full of smiles. It wasn't really a surprise; they can easily tell just by the hairstyle.
'The little kitten is annoyed, but it's good that she voices her thoughts clearly and doesn't do rebellious things again.' Yothasira thought to herself.
"What seems to be the problem, kitten? You can tell your kuya. I'm all ears, darling." Thanakorn said, beaming with smiles as he enjoyed the show.
Surithae – 'Thira' by the masses and 'Su' by the only two closest persons in her life, stared directly at Yothasira once more. She kept her stare while answering her brother.
"Well, kuya Tan, could you please tell this sister to stop meddling with my affairs? I'm already an adult; she said it herself. I don't want my actions to be monitored and dictated, as they were in the past. In short, I don't want to work under her company nor just be working near her at all." Surithae replied, still smiling towards Yothasira.
Thanakorn's smile faded instantly while Yothasira just listened, making Thira's go-to dipping sauce. The short silence was broken after Yothasira placed the dipping sauce in front of Thira.
"Can't do that, Su. You know your kuya can't do anything about me meddling with your affairs. It is not his call after all." Yothasira replied while clipping the cooked meat and vegetables and putting them on Thira's plate.
"Even your kuya Tan still has something to explain to me," Yothasira added as she shifted her gaze in Thanakorn's direction.
Thanakorn choked on his drink. He can clearly sense a suppressed omen from the deadly stare that Yothasira is sending his way. He cleared his throat, looked left and right, and finally shifted his attention to Thira as if asking for divine protection.
"Sira, I was just helping Su let loose from academic stress. You know, being a sophomore is stressful; we've been there. I just want her to forget her school worries for a second and come with me to have fun. Though the fun kinda escalated quickly, I admit that it is my fault. I lost my attention for a moment, but hey, at least she had fun, right?" Thanakorn replied, his voice slightly nervous.
He couldn't believe he dared to confess to Yothasira. He barely remembered what had happened that night. They had been drinking at one of his newly opened bars, and the next thing was him introducing his college friends to Thira. One thing led to another; Thira found her prey for the night. The very one she'd chosen to help let herself loose and forget the thoughts bugging her that night.
The night passed like a blur. He remembered waking up to the sound of his phone ringing – the caller's urgency imminent. The caller was Yothasira; she was looking for Surithae, and that was when Thanakorn felt that he fucked up big time. One, for raging at the female wolf, and two, for losing sight of a naughty kitten. He was supposed to be on guard enough to let her loose and send her home safe and sound after the ordeal.
He should have noticed the signs earlier. From the defined waves cascading down the Surithae's shoulders, a message is clearly relayed – the kitten has been up for a hunt.
Luckily, he quickly read the message sent half an hour ago by the hotel manager of one of his family's hotels. The 'miss' will be using his exclusive presidential suite. Thanakorn felt slightly relieved knowing the missing kitten is still within his vicinity of reach, and no harm will surely come her way.
He quickly relayed the news to Yothasira, knowing she would rush to the place and clean up any messes. He knew going together with her would be the end of him – he doesn't want to be the subject of Yothasira's wrath. He still wants to enjoy the rest of his night. He trusts that Yothasira can handle it on her own, just like how she handled all of it in the past.
Yothasira was still silently helping the two with clipping the food on their plates. She hardly eats this kind of food; however, Thira has been bugging her for weeks to eat at this restaurant because she heard one of her blockmates talking about how good the food and service are here.
She was on a very tight schedule, working on the company's overseas expansion project, and she just managed to squeeze time for Thira right now after rushing home to the country the other day. She was so busy these past few weeks that the moment her attention was shifted from Thira, that hotel mishap happened.
She shouldn't have trusted leaving Thira with Thanakorn, knowing that this brother spoils and indulges her the most.
"Kuya Tan was not wrong; he was really doing his best to take care of me, ate Sira. Please don't blame him." Thira spoke in a very soft tone.
"I got tipsy, and I couldn't handle my thoughts anymore, and there's a willing individual who said that she could distract me, so I just went along with it. I know it's wrong of me to go with a stranger, but I know I'll always be safe…" she added while her voice was getting quieter by the minute and her smile faded by the seconds.
Yothasira stopped whatever she was doing, throwing an exasperated glance at the two in front of her. She settled her gaze before Thira's innocent face.
"Su, can you promise me that that would be the last time? I don't want to see you with another stranger ever again. Once, twice, or thrice is enough. Please stop, you know you are hurting yourself. Can you promise?" she asked with a voice laced with a pleading tone.
She was rewarded with Thira's blank face. A normal response whenever Thira doesn't want to dwell on it anymore.
Thanakorn felt a drop in temperature in the atmosphere and moved to change the subject too quickly.
"Well, we are here for old times' sake, eh? We should celebrate Su's sudden employment in your company. Holiday break is approaching; it would be a good time for Su to keep herself busy and enjoy the holidays," he joked.
"Su, I hope you can have fun working in your ate's company. If you get bored, kitten, you can always come to my company – more fun awaits you there." Thanakorn added.
Listening to her kuya's words, Thira smiled for the first time that night. She combed her fingers through her pin-straight hair with a small smile. Though she's in a bad mood after suddenly landing an early internship she doesn't want, her eyes shone with smiles because she gets to dine and enjoy this night with the two closest people in her life.
She just wished she had worn her brown hair in big waves that night.