Chapter 6

After Zhang Ai Yue finished showering, he went straight to Kab Kluen's bedroom. Feeling worried, he wanted to check on him. However, when he opened the door, the room was empty. Kab Kluen was not there, only the television screen was playing a video. Zhang Ai Yue stood watching and sighed deeply with sadness, thinking that Kab Kluen must miss his parents terribly. He went to turn off the TV and reached to switch on the light, scanning the room for Kab Kluen. When he didn't find him, Zhang Ai Yue began to wonder where he could have gone. He was about to go out and ask He Xing Yan when he caught sight of something in the bathroom from the corner of his eye. Zhang Ai Yue turned to look closely and saw what appeared to be a human foot, prompting him to walk over and push the door open wider.

"Kab Kluen."

"Kab Kluen, my boy."

As soon as the door opened, Zhang Ai Yue saw Kab Kluen lying on the floor with foam at his mouth, and a bottle of bathroom cleaner toppled over beside him. Zhang Ai Yue quickly picked Kab Kluen up and rushed out of the bedroom.

"Dear! Dear! Start the car quickly!"

"Dear!" Zhang Ai Yue shouted for He Xing Yan at the top of his lungs.

Everyone in the house heard Zhang Ai Yue's frantic cries and came out to see, their eyes widening in shock when they saw Zhang Ai Yue carrying Kab Kluen, who looked in a bad state.

"Young Master!"

Aunt Bua shouted in alarm before fainting.

"What happened to the young master, sir?"

Uncle Pol, the driver, ran over to Zhang Ai Yue and asked in shock, while simultaneously running to the car and opening the door for him to get inside.

"He must have swallowed some bathroom cleaner. Please take us to the nearest hospital as fast as you can."

He Xing Yi and He Xing Yan, who had been having a tense moment, quickly ran over to Zhang Ai Yue when they saw what was happening. The moment they saw Kab Kluen, the father and son were extremely alarmed. Seeing the urgency of getting his brother to the hospital, and noticing the driver's injured wrist, He Xing Yi instructed the driver to sit in the passenger seat so he could drive himself. Initially, Uncle Pol was reluctant to let him drive, but given the time constraints and his own injury, he agreed to let He Xing Yi take the wheel.

…

"The patient is safe now."

"Luckily, we were able to pump his stomach in time. If you'll excuse me."

The three of them thanked the doctor and then turned their sad faces towards Kab Kluen, who had not yet regained consciousness. Zhang Ai Yue gently reached out to stroke Kab Kluen's head, feeling deep sadness and compassion for him. He understood well the hardship and loneliness of living without parents, having lost his at a young age. However, he had been luckier than Kab Kluen because, even without his parents, he had his grandmother to care for and love him. But Kab Kluen, after losing both his parents, had no one left.

"When Achira entrusted Kab Kluen to us and expressed his wish for him to marry Xing Yi, it was because he knew what would happen to Kab Kluen after he was gone. He wanted someone familiar, who had cared for him since childhood, to continue looking after Kab Kluen in his absence."

He Xing Yan spoke deliberately, hoping He Xing Yi would consider his words. However, He Xing Yi remained silent, his gaze fixed on Kab Kluen's face.

“…”

"He's only fourteen. You think he can manage, but he's lost the people who meant the world to him. Do you really believe he can cope without anyone by his side? Achira always told me that Kab Kluen liked you, liked you since he was a child. He often said he wanted to marry you. It's okay if you don't want to marry him now, but can't you at least take care of him, stay by his side until he gets better? What Kab Kluen nee—"

Before He Xing Yan could finish, Zhang Ai Yue interrupted.

"Dear, enough for now. We can discuss this later. There's plenty of time to think about it."

Zhang Ai Yue spoke to He Xing Yan in a calm voice before turning to He Xing Yi. "Xing Yi, go home and rest. I'll stay here with him."

"You and Dad should go home. You've been organizing the funeral all day, and tomorrow is Uncle's cremation. I'll stay and look after him."

"Alright, then I'll leave him in your care."

Later that night,

Kab Kluen slowly opened his heavy eyelids. The first thoughts that crossed his mind were, ‘Am I still alive?’ and ‘I thought I was dead.’ He stared blankly at the ceiling. As soon as he became aware, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed him, leaving him feeling suffocated. He wanted to cry, but no tears came, as if he had cried so much in the past days that there were none left. He gazed out the window absentmindedly before turning his attention back to his own body.

His hands and sides were covered with tubes. Kab Kluen was about to pull out the IV drip from his hand when suddenly, He Xing Yi opened the door. Seeing that Kab Kluen was awake, He Xing Yi hurried over to him.

"You're awake? How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?"

“…” Kab Kluen didn't respond, just stared at He Xing Yi, shocked to see him there.

"Do you want some water? Hold on, I'll pour you a glass."

After saying that, He Xing Yi turned to pour water into a glass and then returned to Kab Kluen. He prepared to offer the straw, but Kab Kluen turned his head away and lay down with his back to He Xing Yi, not saying a word. The reason he was like this was that he was upset that someone had saved his life.

"Not thirsty? Then do you want to eat something? I just bought some food."

“…” Kab Kluen remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together as he faced the wall. His eyes began to redden, even though he thought he had cried all his tears. Yet, tears fell unexpectedly. Seeing Kab Kluen's silence, He Xing Yi was about to speak again, but Kab Kluen interrupted.

"Why did you save me?" he asked in a hoarse, soft voice.

“…” He Xing Yi paused, hearing the question. He had avoided mentioning Kab Kluen's suicide attempt, thinking Kab Kluen wouldn't want to talk about it, but he hadn't expected Kab Kluen to bring it up himself.

"You shouldn't have saved me. You should have let me die."

Hearing this, He Xing Yi sighed deeply, placing the glass of water on the table. He walked around to the side where Kab Kluen was facing and saw that he was crying again. He Xing Yi sat down on a chair beside him and spoke.

"Why do you want to die so much? Is life not enjoyable? Is there nothing you want to do, nothing you want to eat? You're only fourteen. Why think about dying?"

Kab Kluen looked at He Xing Yi with trembling eyes full of displeasure before turning away again, not wanting He Xing Yi to see him cry.

"Now that my parents are gone, I'm all alone. I don't know how to live by myself or who to live for. Living without my parents by my side is incredibly hard for me, Brother Yi. It's too hard. All I see ahead is darkness, and I don't know which way to go. It feels like I can't go on living. That's why I don't want to live anymore."

He Xing Yi wasn't angry or surprised by Kab Kluen's thoughts. Achira was everything to Kab Kluen, his entire world. It wasn't surprising that when Achira was gone, Kab Kluen felt like he had died too. He Xing Yi looked at Kab Kluen's back quietly before speaking.

"Live on, okay? If you don't know who to live for, then live for yourself. Your life is valuable, you know why?"

“…” Kab Kluen didn't answer, only cried silently.

"Because it's a life born from the love of your father and mother. For you to grow up this much, they must have raised you with love and cared for you well when you couldn't take care of yourself. Even as you grew, they always looked out for you. They provided good things for you so you could grow up well. Would you abandon the life and body your father and mother gave you? It might not seem valuable to you, but to them, it's priceless. So, live on, okay? There are still places to visit and delicious food to try."

He Xing Yi spoke in a calm voice, yet Kab Kluen felt strangely comforted by it.

"If there's no one by my side, if I'm alone, then food, travel, and even life itself don't matter," Kab Kluen replied, though He Xing Yi's words seemed futile.

He Xing Yi took a deep breath and sighed again, then reached out to gently stroke Kab Kluen's head. Kab Kluen was slightly startled but allowed He Xing Yi to touch his soft hair. At that moment, He Xing Yi's voice rose again.

"How can you say there's no one? You still have me and my family. From now on, I'll be by your side whenever you need someone. My father told me that Achira entrusted you to me before he passed away. I'll take care of you and fulfill Achira's request. So, stay and let me take care of you. Without you, I wouldn't know how to fulfill Achira's wish."

“…” Kab Kluen listened quietly to what He Xing Yi said.

"Don't let yourself get hurt like this again, and don't stay sad for too long. If your uncle and aunt are looking down, they wouldn't feel good seeing their beloved son in pain and crying all the time. No parent wants to see their child like this."

‘Kab Kluen, if one day your father is no longer here, you must continue to live. Don't get hurt, don't get sick, and don't be sad about his departure. In the end, I’m only leaving you physically, but I'll always be here, in your heart. Remember that.’

When Achira's words from long ago resurfaced in his mind, Kab Kluen began to cry again, feeling guilty for what he had done. It was only now that he realized he should cherish the life his parents had nurtured. No matter how lonely he might be, he should strive to live on. At the very least, before he dies, he should do something to make his parents proud.

"Yeah, I don't want to die anymore. I won't do this again."

He told He Xing Yi with a trembling voice, yet there was a strong resolve in it.

Throughout his recovery at the hospital, He Xing Yi was always there to take care of him and keep him company. After the loss of Achira, He Xing Yi and Kab Kluen seemed to get along well. They no longer felt awkward around each other like when they first met. They could share jokes, smile at each other without embarrassment, or sit in silence without feeling uncomfortable. Most importantly, He Xing Yi's constant care made Kab Kluen like him even more.

His feelings gradually intensified to a point where he couldn't hold them back anymore.

The words He Xing Yi had said earlier about fulfilling Achira's request made Kab Kluen mistakenly believe that He Xing Yi would agree to marry him in the future. Instead of thinking that He Xing Yi didn't like him and trying to move on, Kab Kluen now couldn't even consider letting go. In reality, He Xing Yi's promise was to take care of Kab Kluen, not to marry him as Kab Kluen thought.

Since no one mentioned it again, Kab Kluen remained in his misunderstanding.

And he was quite happy with this misunderstanding.

"Kab Kluen, are you really not coming with us?"

Zhang Ai Yue asked with concern, wanting to persuade Kab Kluen to go to China with them. It was time to leave, but he didn't want to leave Kab Kluen alone in Thailand.

"No, I'm not going. I want to stay in Thailand until I finish my studies. Uncle Ai Yue, don't worry about me. I'll take good care of myself."

Kab Kluen firmly told him.

"Well, it's not as good as having me, Uncle Xing Yan, and Brother Yi taking care of you."

"I have Aunt Bua and the housekeepers to look after me."

He said with a smile, feeling amused by Zhang Ai Yue's persistent attempts to convince him over the past two days.

"Mama, it's time to go. Stop pestering him. If he wanted to come with us, he would have agreed in the past two days."

He Xing Yi said as he dragged his suitcase out of the house.

"It's a pity, really. Alright, I'll let it go for now. But once you graduate, you must come live with us."

"That's right. When you finish your studies, I'll send someone to pick you up right from your house," He Xing Yan added, supporting his wife.

"Haha. Alright, Uncle Yan, Uncle Ai, have a safe trip. Brother Yi, you too, travel safely," he said with a smile, feeling a bit shy as he turned to speak to He Xing Yi.

Zhang Ai Yue hugged Kab Kluen tightly as a farewell, promising to visit him often. He Xing Yan also gave Kab Kluen a hug.

"What I meant earlier was that we'll come to get you to live with us as a son-in-law. Study hard so you can marry Brother Yi."

"Uncle!" Kab Kluen was shocked by what He Xing Yan said, and his voice sounded like he was scolding him. However, he couldn't help but smile with delight. He Xing Yan laughed, amused by Kab Kluen's reaction, patted his shoulder lightly, and went to wait by the car, leaving the two young men to talk alone.

"I probably won't visit often because of my studies. So, while I'm away, take good care of yourself."

He Xing Yi spoke in a calm voice, each word filled with concern. He had repeated these words many times before, so Kab Kluen nodded, not paying much attention.

"I know, Brother Yi. You take care of yourself too. Don't study so hard that you forget to look after yourself."

"Alright, I have to go now. You should go inside. It's getting dark and cold; you might catch a cold. See you later."

Kab Kluen nodded with a smile but didn't go back inside as told. Instead, he walked with He Xing Yi to the van door.

"Have a safe trip, Uncles," he said once more.

"Take good care of yourself, Kab Kluen."

After an unknown number of farewells that day, the van finally drove away. Kab Kluen felt a bit disheartened about being alone, but he knew he had to be strong for his parents and for himself. He stood watching the van until it disappeared from sight, then turned and walked back into the house.