Chapter 2: Abnormal
1818 Words
The next morning, after Nariya woke up, she walked into the bathroom as usual. She is someone who needs to go to the bathroom first thing in the morning because of her habit of drinking water before bed.
After finishing her business, her slender figure stood in front of the mirror. She flinched when she looked into the mirror and saw marks on her neck. Her slender fingers gently touched them as she recalled the events of the previous night. It wasn't that she didn't want to resist; she was just too shocked to process her thoughts because she never imagined her friend's brother would do this to her.
The young woman sighed softly. She didn't have any makeup, and she was sure Narin probably didn't either. How was she going to cover these marks?
"Nam, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Narin, who woke up shortly after Nariya, noticed her friend had been in the bathroom for a while without coming out. She knocked on the door and called out, prompting Nariya to slowly open the door with a troubled expression.
"Huh, what happened to your neck?"
"...Bitten."
"Bitten by what... hey..."
"..."
"Was it Brother Kin?"
"Yeah."
"Tell me. Wait, wait, let me go to the bathroom first. Go sit and wait."
Narin said, rushing into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out with her fair face still wet, in such a hurry that she didn't even dry her face.
"Dry your face first," Nariya said to her friend with a sigh, seeing her friend's haste.
"No, I want to know. What happened? Tell me."
The young woman recounted the events of the previous night to Narin, who was as shocked by what her brother had done as Nariya was.
"Brother Kin must be out of his mind."
"I was so shocked I couldn't think straight and just froze."
"Yeah, I believe you. I kind of know how Brother Kin is, but I didn't think he'd do this to you."
"What should we do? Just ignore it?"
"I guess that's all we can do. Let's see how Brother Kin behaves first."
"...Do you have any makeup, like foundation or powder? I need to cover the marks."
"Yes, but I only have powder. I don't think it will cover everything, but it should help fade the marks a bit. I'll get you some clothes. Go take a shower first. Take a robe with you, and I'll go get Kin's shirt for you."
"...Can I not wear Kin's shirt?"
"It's the only shirt that fits you properly."
"...Kin said to give this shirt to me."
"!!!!" Narin was about to leave the room but paused when she heard what Nariya said.
"Why?"
"It's his favorite, a brand-name shirt. He bought it in America during his summer trip."
"!!!!" Nariya was the one to pause this time after hearing Narin's explanation.
The two girls stood there, shocked and confused, until they heard a voice from outside, which startled them both. The owner of the voice was the main topic of their conversation that morning.
"What are you two doing?"
"...You startled me, Kin. I was just about to go to your dressing room to get a shirt for Nam to wear."
"Then go ahead. Check my pants too, so you don't have to wear shorts. They're too short."
"...Okay."
"Hurry down. I'll be waiting downstairs."
"Got it."
The door closed as Phakin and Narin went to do what they said. Soon, Narin returned with a t-shirt and long pants in hand.
"Rin, how am I supposed to wear this? It's so long," Nariya said, looking at the pants Narin handed her as she came out of the bathroom.
"Just fold the waist and use a rubber band to tie it, then fold it. It should help."
"Can't I wear shorts?"
"Better not. Since Kin specifically mentioned it, if you wear shorts, someone might have their eyes pop out."
"..." Nariya sighed in acceptance before agreeing to put on the clothes. Narin then went into the bathroom and came out shortly after.
"Give me five minutes to get dressed. Nam, use the powder to cover the marks first."
"Okay."
Nariya took the powder Narin handed her and went to the mirror, gently patting it on her neck to help cover the marks.
"It's not completely covered, but it helps a bit. Let's go, it's time for breakfast."
"I really don't want to go downstairs."
"If you don't go downstairs, I'm sure P'Kin will come up to fetch you," Narin told Nariya, guessing correctly.
"Alright, let's go down then."
The two girls left the bedroom and slowly made their way downstairs. Narin kept chatting with Nariya to ease her tension. She knew that Nariya had become Phakin's target, and when Phakin wanted something, he always got it.
Thawin, who was sitting and talking with Phakin, turned to see Nariya coming down in Phakin's clothes and looked at his brother in shock.
"Why is Nam wearing your clothes?"
"Rin got them for her to wear."
"No, I mean, why are'nt you angry? You're very possessive, right? You don't even let me borrow your stuff."
"I just don't like it. I saw her wearing shorts, so I asked Rin to get her something else to wear."
"But yesterday, Nam was wearing Rin's shorts since I got here."
"....."
"Let's just pretend I didn't say that," Thawin said, changing his words after looking at Phakin.
"What's going on? Why does P'Kin look like that?" Narin asked her brother as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Nothing," the deep voice replied, glancing at the slender figure, making her feel uneasy.
"Don't bother my friend, P'Kin. Let the tiger stay with the tiger, and don't mess with the kitten."
"....." The tall figure didn't say anything, still staring at Nariya.
"What? Bothering how?" Thawin asked, curious about what Narin said, and turned to inspect Nariya.
"Alright, let's go eat," Phakin cut in, getting up from the sofa and leading everyone out.
The conversation ended as they gradually got up from the sofa and went to sit at the dining table. Shortly after, the chatter faded away.
"Alright, let me formally introduce everyone, Nam. This is P'Kin, Phakin, 22 years old, our older brother. And this is Win, Thawin, 14 years old, our younger brother. We're each four years apart. And this is Nam, Nariya, my close friend."
"You two have similar names," Thawin remarked after learning Nariya's real name.
"Yeah, when I first heard it, I thought it was strange that our names were similar, so we became close because of that," Narin explained to everyone briefly.
"Our names are kind of strange too; they all have the same vowels and consonants: Phakin, Narin, Thawin," Thawin noted as he listed the names.
"Wow, that's true. I never noticed," Narin nodded in agreement.
While they were chatting, Phakin received a phone call and went back upstairs to continue working because the call was from his personal assistant. This prompted Thawin to excuse himself and return to his room as well, leaving Nariya and Narin to decide to study downstairs. By evening, no one had seen Phakin since then.
"I'm heading home now. See you at school."
"You didn't forget anything, right?"
"Nope, didn't forget."
"Okay, let me know when you get home."
"Sure."
"I'll give you a ride."
Nariya and Narin studied until evening, and then Nariya excused herself to leave without staying for dinner. She didn't change back into her own clothes; instead, she wore Phakin's clothes home because she didn't want people to judge her for wearing her school uniform.
After packing her bag and putting her clothes in a bag, Nariya prepared to go home. She intended to call a taxi at the end of the alley, but before she and Narin could part ways, Phakin came downstairs dressed to go out.
"...Don't take my friend anywhere else."
"Where would I take her? I just have to drop her home. I'm going out afterward."
"Meeting a girl, huh?"
"You talk too much. Come on, let's go."
Phakin grabbed the paper bag Nariya was holding and led the way to the garage to get his luxury car. The young woman, who was engrossed in the siblings' conversation, was startled before waving to Narin and nodding when Narin signaled her to call. She then got into the car when Phakin pulled up next to where she was standing.
"Where do you live?"
"Sathorn."
"Oh, fancy area."
"....."
"Let me know when we're close."
"Okay."
Phakin drove on without engaging Nariya in conversation again. He wasn't lying to Narin; he did have plans to go out. After working all day, he had arranged to meet his date for dinner and then head to a hotel. But when he came downstairs, he happened to see Nariya about to leave, so he offered to drive her home.
As they neared her house, Nariya gave directions to Phakin before asking him to stop at the entrance of the alley, as it was quite narrow.
"Thank you."
"Give me your number, please."
The fancy phone was handed to Nariya, and she entered her number before returning it to him.
Phakin took it back, dialed out, then used another phone to enter her number and dial again, leaving Nariya puzzled.
"Let me save it myself."
Nariya handed her phone to him without hesitation, her large eyes watching his actions, which she didn't understand.
"The first number is my personal one, reserved for family and close friends only. The second number is for work, used for business contacts."
"...Okay."
"These two numbers will never be on silent or turned off, but the one I keep with me at all times is the first one."
"Okay."
"Make sure you grab something to eat."
"Okay, thank you for the ride."
Phakin waited until Nariya disappeared into the alley before driving off. A few minutes later, a call came in on another phone, the one whose number he hadn't given to Nariya. It was the phone he used to contact his various women.
"I'm back... Who am I telling this to?"
Nariya's house is of moderate to good status. She lives in an area where people are wealthy, but her house is considered to be among the least affluent in the alley. Nevertheless, they are not struggling or starving. It's just that her parents work so hard that they hardly ever see each other.
Both her parents worked for a large private company at the managerial level, which required them to travel to the provinces or abroad, come home late, and leave early. You could count on one hand how many days a month Nariya saw her parents.
After locking up the house, the young woman texted Narin to let her know she had arrived home safely before clearing her mind and heading upstairs.
- Writer
