Chapter Text
Song Inspiration:
~Wish I Didn't Know Now by Toby Keith
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~ Authors Note:
This novel will be 6 years later after Fake News ended.
Yes, it is a time jump, but it only feels right.
I will also write it similarly to Collided. The second chapter will be a bit of both Saint, Joong, and Perth. Then, it will trade examples: Chapter 3 will be Joong, Chapter 4 will be Saint, Chapter 5 will be Perth, and Chapter 6 Joong. Those will not be the chapters' names.
Once their stories are done, I will go to their friends. I am very excited about writing new characters into my novels, some I haven't written about before.
Also, we will pretend Saint and Joong are old friends from the days of PerthSaint.
I also plan on writing this novel in 30 chapters since Fake News has 32 chapters and Shippers Pain has 26. I figured 30 chapters was a good middle ground to get started.
Let's wait and see how it works out, though.
Three characters are mentioned in this chapter but not in the introduction on purpose. They may be mentioned again, but very little.
Looking at the artwork picture I created above, you will see many glimpses of future chapters.
There is a lot to go over.
Now let's get into it.
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Saint POV:
6 years later, everything is different. From my relationship status to whom my friends are. Even my best friends changed.
The only person I can blame is myself, too.
It's been 4 years since I simply called Zee or Nunew.
It's been just as long since I talked to Bas. Perth and I are still friends, but we rarely talk.
I have my actor friends Billy and Babe now, but they are also my co-workers, so I have to remain professional with them.
I stopped drinking the next day after everything happened 4 years ago. Cold turkey, some will say, and been single ever since.
I have been on dates with different people, from Ben, introduced by one of Joong's friends to others.
It doesn't stick, though, nor does anything click romantically with anybody.
Possibly because I feel it will be another heartbreak, I will mess it up somehow.
Losing Zee and Nunew after everything we had been through was heartbreaking. It was hard to lose them so easily after all that happened.
Perhaps it was because of loneliness or jealousy that everything happened. I'll figure that out another day.
I just get tired of starting over and thought it would work out this time.
I met Joong again through Perth since they are both at GMMtv now. Who would have thought I would get along so well with the boys from GMMtv?
Four years ago, we broke up. Four years ago, you would think that, with that statement, I would have to move out, right?
I lived with them for a while, but we never talked about getting rid of my place, so I kept it because something told me to.
It was also just not something we talked about like in other relationships.
Zee's house was home back then. Nunew's home, but then my house was always never just one house.
Zee always had issues with me being with Nunew, but not in the way you think.
It was always the same thing. Nunew was his, not ours.
It was supposed to be a throuple, not a couple, and then me.
It was always like that after the "honeymoon" was over.
After 2 years after my last update, I was lonely, tired, and frustrated.
Bas, my ex-bestie, wasn't doing much better. He left his company, Cop left too, but he went in a different direction, leaving Kim at their old company.
They managed to separate their private lives from work and still live together till that night.
Well, currently, I am at my office. In the same place, I look around and remember all the memories.
Even 4 years later, it's still so vivid everything that happened.
All the people who have come in and out of my office doors use my office as a neutral place.
Even GMMtv has used my office after everything.
I have come so far work-wise.
I am well respected, but I haven't acted in BL as a main lead in nearly 6 years. I have only acted in guest roles or regular movies and shows.
I have been asked plenty of times.
Even one of my main actors, Billy, when his now ex-partner Seng was ready to move on, asked me.
Seng has his own life and even has a girlfriend, who is still one of my main actresses.
It was no bother to me since I know the pain of balancing both worlds.
The outside world found out because a now-fired staff leaked confidential information.
It didn't go over well, but I did my best to settle matters.
That's my life now, being depended on to put out fires when called on.
This all happened quickly a year ago.
Billy then needed a new partner, and I had a friend, more of an acquaintance, who was a photographer named Babe.
Babe, if you ask him, considers me one of his besties and will bravely argue with me on the matter.
I just agreed after 6 years to make a comeback in bl as a lead with one of my actors named Poom.
It's for my company's idol factory. I am excited about this change. We are friends, and I can tell already it will be a good platonic friendship.
I am contemplating selling my office and having one in the building where my company's actors rehearse, read scripts, and practice music and dance.
It would be a fresh start without haunting memories and more convenient now that I am returning to BL acting.
There's even a huge office upstairs that everyone has already set up for me when I can't make it to this office. Thanks to those staff, it feels like I have two offices now.
I think I will call Babe and Billy tomorrow and ask their thoughts on it since they have become close friends, though I will never admit that to them.
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Joong POV:
There are so many different places I could start. I have tons of friends and lots of acquaintances. I even have an ex-partner/ex-boyfriend, Nine.
For me, I have watched my friends go through breakups, heartache, and things I couldn't ever imagine.
My best friends are Dao, Pond, Phuwin, and my current acting partner, Dunk, whom I just started dating.
I have my old friends Saint, Perth, Ben, and Pavel.
With everyone around me now, I just want to run back sometimes. Everyone tells me to be careful with whom I flirt with and communicate with whom I want to be with. I hear them, but I can't help but question whether I am ready to settle down.
I love Dunk, I really do, but I can't help but feel things for my dance bestie Pond and his partner Phuwin.
Pond himself can be seductive with his big eyes and juicy lips. Phuwin has a beautiful smile.
After 6 years since my project 2moons2 success and then it all fell apart, my ex-Nine is calling me.
How do I explain to my current boyfriend, Dunk, that my ex-Nine wants to talk? I can't talk to Pond or Phuwin since all four of us are besties.
Nine, and I didn't get closure. We simply broke up for this or that reason and went our separate ways.
It's really no one's fault. It's just something that happens when you are with someone that it's meant to not work out with.
I know I can ignore Nine all I want. I know Nine well, though eventually, he will randomly show up to talk to me about whatever it is. Based on the voicemails and texts he has left, I have three options: talk to him, take him back, or let him meet Dunk.
Luckily, he doesn't know about Pond and Phuwin.
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Perth POV:
I should be drowning in Chimon's protectiveness, Nanon's caring eyes, and Ohms's strong arms.
I should be working on another project with Chimon at the top of our game.
Chimon saved me from myself when I was cruel to everyone.
I can't tell you how many times Zee wanted to kill me.
Six years later, that's a thought of the past, and it's just Ohm and me. Though we are not dating anymore, we are still best friends.
Everything is different. I have a new acting partner in Santa. He is younger but a good Nong.
Ohm has his new partner, a childhood friend of his, Leng. They recently just started dating.
Leng knows Ohm and I used to date but don't anymore. I refuse to tell Santa anything of my past, though.
Leng tries to talk to me about it. He doesn't find it fair that I am alone and worries about me.
I just tell him it's all for the best. It's no one's fault.
Santa tries to get to know me and does make me happy. I worry, though, that without Chimon, I will hurt him.
Ohm has a bad habit of forgetting we are not dating anymore because it was just too hard. I have to remind him, and he just says it will work out with time—whatever that means.
Santa has friends who are more protective of him than Chimon was of me. Some call them his BL parents, BounPrem and YachtSammy.
Santa is also still close friends with his ex-acting partner Cooheart, who he tells me is dating Bas of all people.
Santa told me this so I could get to know him and everyone around him without knowing my background.
I want to ask so badly how Bas went from having two boyfriends named KimCop to just having Cooheart. How did that happen?
I clearly remember six years ago when they wanted nothing to do with each other. They were as different as night and day, even with different companies.
It's like when I talked to Saint a few months ago. I found out he had been single for 4 years. He mentioned it like it was something I should know and old news.
I tried to get him to talk to me, but he shut me out, as I should have seen coming because of the past. Zee thought he was always so quick back then to forgive and work everything out with Saint, but then again, Zee seemed different when Nunew came around.
We are at an event where fans no longer question Chimon and Nanon.
Chimon and Nanon don't even talk together as well.
We are taking pictures of the four of us: Santa, me, Ohm, and Leng.
After a while, though, I need to go to the bathroom to myself for a moment. The tension of being in the same place as Chimon alone is a lot, and dealing with it alone is so much.
I want to ask how Ohm handles it, but I know he has Leng, so I don't bother him.
I just want to scream. Chimon's on-again-off-again girlfriend is here. Nanon is single, but I notice his bi-self flirting with different people.
I was at the sink after doing my business, splashing water on my face with my eyes closed, when I felt arms around my waist.
I was scared to open my eyes because it could be anyone.
Santa finally said that it was just him who wanted me to open my eyes because he could feel how scared I was.
I do and just stare at him through the mirror.
He kisses my neck, and I tell him he shouldn't get personal with me. I have a horrible past.
He just says he might be younger but wasn't born yesterday and knows that already.
He says he has already been warned by plenty of people, including Cooheart.
I then ask if that means he already knows about my cruel past of being a bully and all that happened because of it.
He tells me he knows enough to know people change.
I tell him I have three ex-boyfriends besides being a past bully. All three are here, and one is still my best friend.
Santa just says he refuses to judge me based on my past and that everyone has one.
Santa asks who the best friend is, or should he guess?
I tell him one is Ohm, he is still my best friend. After losing Chimon and Nanon, it was just too hard to be together.
I tell him I don't understand why I am spilling all this out. I have hurt so many people in my life, and I am sure it's somehow all my fault.
Santa said it's because I have been alone for a long time and need to talk about it. He said I can't keep all my emotions bottled up like this.
I just start crying while he keeps hugging me from behind and kissing my neck while I lean on the sink.
He just rubs my back, telling me to let it all out. Next, I know I am turning around and falling into Santa while crashing to the ground.
I tell him all I have is Ohm. Now, even my old friends have long stopped talking to me. I try calling Saint occasionally, but who wants to really talk to their ex-bully, like Cooheart said. I tell him that Cooheart was often saved from my bullying because Saint took it for him.
I just released 6 years of emotions out on him while crying into his chest and shirt.
I tell him that he doesn't need to worry about Ohm, that we really have moved on to being best friends. It's just that old habits are hard to break.
Santa says he understands, and they will work it out over time. I tell him that sounds like what Ohm would say.
Santa then asks if we can start dating, at least for a bit, and maybe even go on double dates with OhmLeng.
I told him yes. We could also try to talk to them about it.
Little did I know that Chimon stood outside and heard everything and was rather hurt by the whole conversation, but Ohm came and got him removed, knowing I couldn't handle Chimon's betrayal from the past and mixed hurt feelings from both.
Little did I know that Ohm didn't ever want to let me go and wanted me back, even if it meant bringing Leng and Santa along for the journey.
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Thank you for reading and leaving feedback, and please vote.
Ann
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Written: 11.3.24 Updated: 11.16.24