Only Soft For You

Chapter 17 — After Midnight

By the time the family finally left the upstairs hallway, the mansion had grown quieter.

Not silent.

Never completely silent honestly.

Because inside the Aiyarak household, somebody always stayed awake.

A staff member organizing things downstairs.

Arthit answering business calls despite the late hour.

Praew wandering around looking for snacks like food solved emotional problems.

A terrifying family honestly.

Meanwhile—

after the long conversation near the hallway photographs ended—

everyone slowly moved downstairs together toward the main living area again.

And honestly?

The atmosphere felt different now.

Softer somehow.

Earlier that evening—

Aran still felt like a guest being evaluated carefully.

But now?

The distance between him and the family had quietly shortened.

A dangerous realization honestly.

Meanwhile—

Tharin walked beside him down the staircase while trying not to overthink every conversation from tonight.

Failing completely.

Because honestly?

Watching Aran interact naturally with his brothers still felt surreal somehow.

A COMPLETE disaster.

Most outsiders became uncomfortable around the Aiyarak family eventually.

The family loved intensely.

Protected intensely.

And sometimes—

that closeness overwhelmed people.

Yet somehow—

Aran adapted frighteningly fast.

A serious issue honestly.

Then unexpectedly—

Praew suddenly stopped halfway down the staircase dramatically.

A terrifying sign.

Because every time Praew stopped moving with that expression—

someone suffered spiritually afterward.

A serious issue.

Then loudly—

Praew: “I’m hungry.”

Complete silence followed immediately afterward.

Because honestly?

Nobody trusted those words anymore.

A serious issue.

Beside him—

Khem looked spiritually exhausted already.

Reasonable honestly.

Because Praew announced hunger approximately every hour regardless of how much food he consumed.

A horrifying metabolism honestly.

Then calmly—

Khem: “You ate cake upstairs.”

Praew immediately looked offended.

Praew: “Cake isn’t food.”

Psychotic behavior honestly.

Meanwhile—

Chai physically leaned against the staircase railing laughing.

Coward behavior honestly.

Then dramatically—

Chai: “You said that before eating noodles at two in the morning last week.”

Reasonable honestly.

Because apparently—

Praew genuinely separated desserts from actual meals emotionally.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

beside them—

Tharin quietly rubbed part of his face while trying not to smile too obviously.

Failing slightly.

Because honestly?

This entire situation felt ridiculous.

Yet somehow—

Aran still looked comfortable standing in the middle of it all.

A dangerous realization honestly.

Then suddenly—

Praew snapped his fingers dramatically.

A terrifying sign.

Because apparently—

his brain created another terrible idea.

A serious issue.

Praew: “Midnight kitchen gathering.”

Silence.

Then immediately—

Praew: “Everyone downstairs.”

A COMPLETE disaster honestly.

Because somehow—

the entire family naturally followed him afterward like this happened regularly.

Reasonable honestly.

Because apparently—

late-night food really was a family tradition.

A terrifying household.

Meanwhile—

Aran quietly followed beside Tharin toward the kitchen while observing the mansion around him carefully.

And honestly?

The farther he moved through the house—

the more obvious one thing became.

This family genuinely lived together.

Not simply inside the same mansion.

Together emotionally.

The warmth inside the house didn’t feel performative.

It felt real.

A dangerous kind of comfort honestly.

Then unexpectedly—

the moment Aran entered the kitchen—

he paused briefly.

Because honestly?

The kitchen looked nothing like he expected.

A serious issue.

Instead of a cold luxury space designed only for staff—

the massive kitchen felt lived in.

Warm lights glowed softly beneath hanging cabinets.

Recipe books covered one corner of the counter.

Different tea brands filled entire shelves.

Sticky notes remained attached to the refrigerator in messy handwriting.

And somehow—

everything felt personal.

A dangerous kind of domestic honestly.

Meanwhile—

Praew immediately opened the refrigerator dramatically.

Then loudly—

Praew: “We still have dumplings.”

Another pause followed.

Then—

Praew: “And cheesecake.”

Silence.

Then dramatically—

Praew: “…This family is emotionally wealthy.”

Psychotic behavior honestly.

Meanwhile—

Khem quietly pushed him away from the refrigerator afterward.

A necessary action honestly.

Then calmly—

Khem: “Move.”

Silence.

Then—

Khem: “You’re blocking oxygen spiritually.”

Reasonable honestly.

Meanwhile—

Than entered the kitchen last while loosening the sleeves of his black dress shirt slightly.

And honestly?

Seeing Than casually inside a kitchen somehow felt more intimidating than business meetings probably did.

A serious issue.

Then quietly—

Than looked toward Tharin afterward.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Than: “Did you eat properly earlier?”

Complete silence followed immediately.

Because somehow—

that question instantly changed the atmosphere slightly.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Tharin immediately froze internally.

Reasonable honestly.

Because honestly?

He knew exactly why Than asked.

Whenever stressed,

anxious,

or emotionally exhausted—

his appetite disappeared first.

And unfortunately—

his brothers noticed immediately every single time.

A terrifying family honestly.

Then softly—

Tharin: “…I ate enough.”

Silence.

Meanwhile—

every older brother looked deeply unconvinced instantly.

Reasonable honestly.

Because apparently—

they recognized his lying voice professionally.

A serious issue.

Then suddenly—

Praew pointed dramatically toward him.

A terrifying sign.

Praew: “He left vegetables.”

A COMPLETE betrayal honestly.

Because suddenly—

Tharin stared at Praew in genuine disbelief.

Reasonable honestly.

Because WHAT kind of brother exposed people publicly like this?

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Khem sighed quietly afterward.

Spiritually exhausted behavior honestly.

Then gently—

Khem: “Stop reporting him like security footage.”

Reasonable honestly.

Meanwhile—

Aran quietly watched the interaction from beside the kitchen island.

And honestly?

Something inside his chest tightened unexpectedly again.

Because suddenly—

he understood something important.

The family didn’t ask whether Tharin ate enough casually.

They worried naturally.

Constantly.

Like taking care of him became instinct years ago.

A serious observation honestly.

Then unexpectedly—

Arthit opened another refrigerator drawer before speaking calmly.

Arthit: “Make soup.”

Complete silence followed immediately afterward.

Because somehow—

that sentence sounded terrifyingly authoritative.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Praew instantly saluted dramatically.

Praew: “Understood.”

Then immediately—

Than: “Not you.”

Another silence followed.

Then suddenly—

Chai physically turned away laughing into the counter.

Coward behavior honestly.

Because honestly?

Nobody trusted Praew cooking unsupervised after midnight.

A dangerous truth.

Meanwhile—

Khem quietly moved toward the stove naturally afterward.

And immediately—

the entire kitchen shifted around him automatically.

A serious issue honestly.

Because somehow—

everyone unconsciously treated Khem like the safest person during food preparation.

A terrifying level of trust.

Meanwhile—

Tharin quietly sat beside the kitchen island while trying not to feel embarrassed by the entire conversation.

Failing completely.

Because unfortunately—

Aran witnessed everything.

The overprotective behavior.

The food monitoring.

The emotional interrogation.

A COMPLETE disaster honestly.

Then unexpectedly—

Aran sat beside him calmly afterward.

Close enough for warmth to become noticeable immediately.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Meanwhile—

Tharin instantly became hyperaware again.

A serious issue.

Because somehow—

Aran’s presence always felt stronger whenever he sat nearby quietly.

Then softly—

Aran asked:

Aran: “…Does this happen often?”

Silence.

Because honestly?

That question sounded strangely gentle.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Tharin looked toward the kitchen where:

* Praew argued with Arthit about dumplings,

* Than checked messages while supervising everyone somehow,

* and Khem calmly prepared soup despite the chaos surrounding him.

Then quietly—

Tharin: “…Mostly.”

Another pause followed.

Then softly—

Tharin: “They worry too much.”

Real silence settled briefly afterward.

Because somehow—

that sentence carried affection underneath despite the embarrassment.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Aran quietly watched him for several seconds.

And honestly?

One terrifying realization became clearer every minute tonight.

Tharin never hated being loved this much.

Embarrassed?

Yes.

Overwhelmed?

Constantly.

But underneath everything—

he treasured it deeply.

A dangerous realization honestly.

Then quietly—

Aran admitted:

Aran: “I think it’s nice.”

Silence.

Real silence.

Because somehow—

that answer affected Tharin unexpectedly.

A serious issue.

Then softly—

Aran added:

Aran: “Your family notices everything about you.”

Another pause followed.

Then quietly—

Aran: “Most people don’t pay attention that carefully.”

Real silence settled around them immediately afterward.

Because honestly?

That statement felt heavier than intended.

A serious issue.

Meanwhile—

Tharin quietly looked toward him.

And suddenly—

for one brief moment—

he noticed something unfamiliar inside Aran’s expression.

Not jealousy.

Not sadness exactly.

Something quieter.

Lonelier somehow.

And honestly?

That realization made Tharin’s chest tighten unexpectedly.