BOUN FOR YUNA

It was a Saturday morning, and the Ritthirong family and the Suriya family were having a meeting for a business deal. The two families had been business partners and friends for more than three decades. Both families were known for being the richest, most famous, and successful families in Thailand. However, there was more to their story. While in the eyes of the public, they dealt only with real estate businesses, behind closed doors, they were involved in underground matters—running the underground trades. The two families typically met 2 or 3 times a month. In emergencies related to business, it was a rule that all family members should attend the meeting, as each member had their own role in the business. The Ritthirong family consisted of five members: Mr. and Mrs. Ritthirong, Soun Ritthirong (the firstborn, responsible for real estate business and security), Goun Ritthirong (the only daughter of the family, responsible for financing), and Boun Ritthirong (the youngest son). Boun is responsible for the underground businesses and cleanup missions. He is clearly not someone to be messed with. Standing at 6 feet tall, he is an imposing figure with an even more oppressive aura. Despite his age, he maintained a calm and respectful demeanor, but there was no doubt that he exuded an intimidating presence. His father and grandfather believed he was made for the role he currently fulfilled. No rival, business partner, or subordinate could get past his cold gaze. However, Boun had a soft spot. There was one person with whom he could drop the scary crime boss persona—a person who always managed to coax a gentle smile out of him. The Suriya family, on the other hand, consisted of four members: Mr. and Mrs. Suriya, Suna Suriya (responsible for the real estate business), and Yuna Suriya (the youngest, not responsible for anything except, of course, being cute). Boun and Yuna are both 19-year-old boys. They have known each other all their lives and spent most of their time together. Although they are the same age, Boun was born six months earlier. Boun treats Yuna as his little brother, while Yuna looks up to Boun as his big brother. Boun is reserved, doesn’t talk too much, rarely expresses his feelings, and has a tall and masculine build. However, his entire personality changes when he’s with Yuna. Once, when the boys were younger, Yuna wanted to go see a magic show. Unfortunately, he was in the hospital with a broken bone and couldn’t attend. It was even sadder because the magician wasn’t Thai, and the next time he would come to Thailand would be at least three years later. Yuna remained very sad about missing the show, even after a few days. In a heartwarming gesture, Boun spent the next six months learning simple magic tricks. He then performed a special show for Yuna alone—no one else had ever seen Boun perform those tricks. The entire family was shocked when they realized why he had learned magic. Yuna, on the other hand, is fluffy, cute, short, cheerful, and somewhat spoiled thanks to Boun. He loves playing video games and watching Boun perform magic tricks. Yuna is also passionate about books, but not in the way you might expect. You see Yuna is fond of adding books to Boun’s collection. He also really love to be read to, but not just by anyone. Half the time, he doesn’t even remember the plot or what the book was even about. But whenever he was upset he would run the Boun’s room and have him read a book to him. It had always been like that for the two. As they grew up though, what was once considered brotherly affection seemed to become something more in the eyes of onlookers and the hearts of the two. Their perspectives on each other change, and their feelings evolve. Both last-born of their respective families have graduated from high school, and it’s their first year of college. Just before the meeting was about to end, Yuna winked at Boun. Boun looked at his father and said, “Dad, Mr. Suriya, Yuna, and I have decided to move out for college and live together.” Mr. Suriya responded, “That’s not a problem. I’ll ask my secretary to find a suitable house for you near your college. However, for security reasons, you’ll need to move with your bodyguards.” Yuna was excited and hugged his dad, thanking him. A week later, Mr. and Mrs. Ritthirong were having breakfast by the pool. Mrs. Ritthirong asked Boun to join them after he finished his laps. She mentioned that it was good to have breakfast as a family since Boun would be moving out soon. Boun, drying off with his towel and applying sunscreen, knew what was coming. Soun teased him, saying, “We’ve noticed you haven’t seen your little Yuna since the meeting.” Goun chimed in, “You really do have a soft spot for your boyfriend, Boun!” Boun denied it, saying, “He is not my boyfriend. But what if he was? Why do you keep talking about this? Do you want him for yourself? ” was starting to get irritated by his brother’s jokes. “ooh, jealous Boun, I’m scared, I’m so scared.” the teasing continued, and Soun and Goun playfully speculated about something going on between Boun and Yuna until Mr. Ritthirong finally intervened. He walked in on his family having a good laugh and thought of adding to the joy by announcing that Boun and Yuna would be moving out soon, together. Boun’s mom nodded with a smile as she looked to her husband , “As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.” She whispered. Without hesitation, Boun grabbed his towel and rushed to his room. His actions spoke louder than words—when it came to Yuna, he didn’t think twice. Mr. Suriya and Yuna arrived and saw that Boun had already arrived. “See, this is why I like Boun,” said Mr. Suriya. “He’s always on time. Look, he even got here before us.” Yuna smiled shyly as he stepped out of the car. “I’m sure you’ve looked around already,” Mr. Suriya said as he approached Boun. “Do you like it?” “I’m fine with anything, Mr. Suriya,” Boun replied. “As long as Nu Yuna is comfortable.” They both looked at Yuna and waited for his response. “I love it, Dad! It’s beautiful,” Yuna exclaimed. Mr. Suriya smiled and handed Yuna the keys. “Here are your keys. Congratulations on your new home.” Yuna grabbed the key out of his dad’s hands and ran off to explore the rooms on the second floor. “You have the house all to yourselves,” Mr. Suriya said. “Take care of each other.” “Don’t worry, Mr. Suriya,” Boun assured him. “I’ll take care of him.” “Great. I trust you,” Mr. Suriya said as he turned around and left. Boun walked up the stairs. “Nu Yuna, where are you?” “I’m here!” Yuna jumped into Boun’s arms, wrapping his arms around Boun’s neck. “Ahh! You startled me,” Boun chuckled as he pretended to be shaken up all while holding Yuna up in his arms. “Did you already choose your room?” Boun asked. “Yes, I’m choosing this one,” Yuna replied. “Good choice. There’s plenty of space in here for your video game table,” Boun said. “So are you taking the room next to mine?” Yuna inquired. “Yes, I am. I want to be close to you,” Boun answered. They continued to look out. “Let me drop you off, Nu Yuna. We have to finish packing,” Boun said. Boun walked down the stairs, tossed the keys to his bodyguard to lock the house, and headed to his car with Yuna still in his arms. Excitement washed over him as he thought of living together with his baby. “are you sure you don’t want me to help setting up?” Yuna asked, clinging to Boun’s body like a baby monkey with his arms wrapped round his neck and his legs wrapped around his torso. “no need Nu. I’ll have all things you wanted set up. You don’t need to worry about anything, just move in.” Boun replied and he walked over to the car. Once he placed Yuna safely in the passenger seat and helped him secure is seat belt, he took his place in the driver’s seat and was about to start driving when suddenly Yuna’s phone buzzed. A strange number flashed though the screen with a message. “Who was that?” “oh. No one. Could you drop me off at the café close to our high school instead? I’m going to meet up with a friend.” Yuna replied clutching his phone.