Chapter 9 — Dinner Invitation
1492 Words
The inside of Than Aiyarak’s car smelled faintly like expensive cologne, leather seats, and quiet intimidation.
A serious issue honestly.
The moment the doors closed behind them, the atmosphere immediately became heavier.
Outside the tinted windows, Suryakarn University still looked lively beneath the evening lights.
Freshmen wandered around campus laughing together while taking final orientation photos.
Music from faculty stages echoed faintly through the streets.
Completely unaware that inside one luxury sedan—
an architecture freshman was currently experiencing emotional collapse.
A complete disaster honestly.
Meanwhile—
inside the vehicle—
silence settled naturally after the driver pulled away from campus.
Dangerous silence.
Because somehow—
the seating arrangement itself already looked emotionally unsafe.
Than sat across from Aran calmly.
Tharin sat beside Chai in the backseat.
And honestly?
It felt less like riding home…
and more like surviving an interrogation professionally organized by terrifying older brothers.
A serious issue.
Beside him, Chai looked moments away from spiritually ascending from entertainment.
Coward behavior honestly.
Because unlike everyone else inside the car—
Chai clearly enjoyed this situation.
A terrible cousin honestly.
Meanwhile—
Aran quietly observed the interior surrounding him.
Dark leather seats.
Built-in screens hidden behind polished panels.
Privacy divider between driver and passengers.
And two additional black vehicles following behind them naturally through traffic.
A terrifyingly wealthy family honestly.
Then suddenly—
Than spoke calmly.
Than: “How long have you known Rin?”
Silence.
Because somehow—
the question sounded less like conversation…
and more like evaluation.
A serious issue honestly.
Across from him, Aran answered calmly anyway.
Aran: “One day.”
Real silence followed immediately afterward.
Then slowly—
Than’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because somehow—
that answer made everything sound even crazier.
Beside Tharin—
Chai physically covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
Coward behavior honestly.
Meanwhile—
Than shifted his attention toward his younger brother afterward.
Then quietly—
Than: “One day?”
Tharin immediately became nervous spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because somehow—
hearing the situation summarized out loud sounded suspicious even to him now.
A serious issue.
Before he could explain—
Chai immediately interrupted dramatically.
Chai: “To be fair, Aran emotionally attached himself within approximately twenty minutes.”
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Tharin instantly grabbed Chai’s sleeve aggressively.
Tharin: “Phi Chai.”
Chai: “What? I’m helping.”
Lying honestly.
A terrible lie.
Across from them—
Aran remained surprisingly calm despite the conversation turning emotionally dangerous.
Which honestly made him scarier somehow.
A serious issue.
Then quietly—
Than asked another question.
Than: “You helped him throughout orientation?”
Aran nodded once.
Simple.
Direct.
Then calmly—
Aran: “He was carrying too much.”
Silence.
Then unexpectedly—
Than glanced toward the overwhelming amount of bags surrounding Tharin.
And sighed quietly.
Like a spiritually exhausted parent.
Reasonable honestly.
Than: “Your brothers packed those.”
Not a question.
A statement.
Meanwhile—
Tharin immediately looked guilty again.
A serious issue.
Because unfortunately—
the bags absolutely came from his brothers.
One contained snacks.
Another held emergency medicine.
A third carried extra desserts because Khem worried Tharin “might become emotionally tired after orientation.”
Psychotic family behavior honestly.
Then suddenly—
Than looked toward one specific paper bag beside Tharin.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because the logo printed on it belonged to an expensive dessert café.
A serious issue.
Than: “Who bought that?”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because unfortunately—
everyone inside the car immediately knew the answer somehow.
A complete disaster honestly.
Beside him, Chai physically turned toward the window dramatically.
Coward behavior honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin quietly answered:
Tharin: “…Aran.”
Another silence followed.
Then slowly—
Than looked toward Aran again.
Careful.
Evaluating.
Dangerous honestly.
Because somehow—
buying desserts for Tharin carried emotional significance within the Aiyarak family.
A terrifyingly affectionate family tradition honestly.
Then calmly—
Than asked:
Than: “Why?”
Reasonable question honestly.
Because even Tharin wanted to know slightly.
Across from him—
Aran answered without hesitation.
Aran: “He looked tired.”
Silence.
Then unexpectedly—
something shifted slightly in Than’s expression.
Tiny.
Barely visible.
Still—
Tharin noticed immediately.
Because honestly?
That specific expression usually appeared whenever Than quietly approved of something.
A dangerous development.
Meanwhile—
outside the tinted windows, Bangkok traffic moved slowly beneath glowing city lights.
Motorcycles passed between lanes.
Street vendors packed up evening stalls.
Rain clouds gathered faintly above distant buildings.
Inside the car—
the atmosphere remained strangely tense yet calm at the same time.
A serious issue honestly.
Then suddenly—
Than asked another question.
Than: “Do you know Rin likes men?”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Because absolutely nobody expected Than to ask something so directly.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Beside him—
Tharin nearly choked spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because his terrifying oldest brother casually exposing personal information in front of Aran felt emotionally violent.
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Aran blinked once.
Then calmly—
Aran: “No.”
Silence again.
Then quietly—
Than: “Now you do.”
A horrifying older brother honestly.
Across the seat—
Chai physically buried his face into his hands.
Coward behavior honestly.
Meanwhile—
Tharin genuinely wanted to disappear into another dimension spiritually.
Reasonable honestly.
Because honestly?
This entire conversation stopped behaving normally several minutes ago.
A serious issue.
Then unexpectedly—
Aran spoke again.
Aran: “That doesn’t bother me.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because somehow—
his answer came naturally.
Without hesitation.
Without awkwardness.
And honestly?
That affected Tharin more than expected.
A serious issue.
Because back at his previous school—
people reacted differently after finding out.
Some acted uncomfortable.
Others treated his feelings like jokes.
Cruel teasing disguised as flirting.
Fake confessions used for entertainment.
Humiliation hidden beneath laughter.
Things Tharin rarely spoke about anymore.
Meanwhile—
Than quietly watched Aran afterward.
Careful.
Observant.
Dangerous honestly.
Because Than noticed reactions professionally.
And Aran’s answer sounded genuine.
A serious observation.
Then softly—
Than asked another question.
Than: “You’ve dated men before?”
Silence.
Then calmly—
Aran: “No.”
Another pause followed immediately afterward.
Then—
Aran: “Rin would probably be the first.”
Real silence exploded inside the car.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Because suddenly—
every functioning brain stopped working.
Especially Tharin’s.
Beside him—
Chai physically collapsed sideways against the seat dramatically.
Chai: “OH MY GOD.”
Reasonable honestly.
Because WHAT kind of statement was that?
A serious issue.
Meanwhile—
Tharin’s entire face turned red instantly.
A complete disaster.
Because Aran said that WAY too naturally.
Like he genuinely thought the possibility existed already.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Across from them—
Than stared at Aran silently afterward.
Long enough to become spiritually threatening.
Then unexpectedly—
the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Tiny reaction.
Barely visible.
Still terrifying honestly.
Because somehow—
Than Aiyarak looked amused.
A horrifying achievement.
Meanwhile—
outside the car—
the hidden bodyguard driving behind them quietly spoke into the communication line.
Bodyguard: “Atmosphere inside main vehicle emotionally unstable.”
Correct honestly.
A devastatingly accurate report.
Inside the sedan—
Tharin quietly looked down toward his lap afterward because eye contact became impossible suddenly.
A serious issue.
Because honestly?
His heartbeat still hadn’t recovered.
Meanwhile—
Aran continued watching him carefully.
And for the first time—
he realized something dangerous.
He genuinely wanted to know what kind of person could make Tharin fully comfortable enough to smile freely.
Not polite smiles.
Not careful expressions.
Real happiness.
And honestly?
Aran suddenly wanted to become that person himself.
Several minutes later—
the black sedan finally turned into a private residential road lined with tall trees and golden street lamps.
And immediately—
Aran understood one terrifying fact.
Tharin’s family was even richer than expected.
A serious issue honestly.
Massive gates slowly opened ahead of them automatically.
Security guards bowed respectfully as the vehicles passed through.
Beyond the gates stood an enormous modern estate surrounded by gardens and softly glowing lights.
A complete disaster for normal people honestly.
Beside him—
Chai proudly gestured toward the mansion dramatically.
Chai: “Welcome to the emotionally unstable palace.”
Correct honestly.
Because honestly?
No normal family functioned like the Aiyarak family.
A terrifying household.
Meanwhile—
Tharin quietly covered part of his face with his sleeve afterward.
Embarrassed.
Because unlike his brothers—
he genuinely disliked showing off wealth unnecessarily.
A serious difference honestly.
The car slowly stopped near the entrance steps where several staff members already waited calmly.
Then immediately—
before anyone else moved—
Than spoke again.
Than: “You’re staying for dinner.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Because somehow—
that sentence sounded less like invitation…
and more like unavoidable fate.
A COMPLETE disaster honestly.
Across from him—
Aran answered calmly.
Aran: “…Okay.”
And somehow—
that single answer changed everything again.
- Writer
