Chapter Text
Chay woke to the sound of his phone going off on his bedside table. He groaned and rolled over, pointedly ignoring it. He didn’t know exactly what time it was, but he knew for damn sure that it was too early for phone calls. He hummed in relief as it finally stopped, only for it to immediately start up again. He pulled the covers over his head and let out a muffled moan of protest at the disturbance. A soft chuckle sounded from beside him.
Chay lowered the blanket just enough that his eyes peeked out over it. He squinted at the form of his boyfriend, just a few inches away and also still buried under the covers. It was too dark in the room to make out much of him, but the light from the still ringing phone was enough to see that he was smiling at his pain.
“This had better be good,” Chay sighed, ignoring Kim’s quiet laugh, as he turned over to grab his phone.
He glanced at the caller ID before answering the call and was surprised to see that it was Khun calling. He also noticed it was only 7:12am.
Chay looked incredulously over at his boyfriend, “Why the fuck is P’Khun calling me at 7am when we are in the same house?”
Kim lifted himself up onto his elbows, “I don’t know, but I do know he’ll keep calling until you answer him.”
“Clearly,” Chay grumbled, answering the phone, “P’Khun? What’s going on?”
“Chay!” the older man shouted into the phone making Chay flinch, “Finally you answer your phone!”
“I was sleeping P’Khun,” Chay complained, unable to hide the whine in his voice, “It’s seven in the morning.”
“Why are you still sleeping?!” he demanded, aghast at the idea, “I told you I have seven years of birthdays to make up for. We have to get an early start!! Your presence is required immediately. We must all be together when Kimmy gets here.”
Chay rolled his eyes, “You do realize he slept in my room last night, right?”
There was a blessed moment of silence on the line, then a clatter—most likely the phone hitting the coffee table—followed by distant yelling.
“Pol! You had one job!” Khun yelled at his bodyguard, no doubt in a spectacularly dramatic fashion, “I told you to tell me when he arrived.”
“My apologies, Khun Nu,” Pol replied nervously, “but Kim asked me to keep his arrival a secret so that he could spend time with Chay before the celebrations you had planned for the day.”
“Your loyalty is supposed to be to me!”
“I’m sorry, Khun Nu, he made me swear. It was movie night. He said I could tell you he’d arrived at 8am this morning.”
“I guess he does deserve to spend some time alone with little Chay,” Chay could hear Khun grumbling as he walked back towards the phone, “Anyway... get up and come down here! I’m having the kitchen prepare all of our favorites.”
It was Kim’s turn to groan, rolling closer to wrap his arm around Chay’s waist. He pulled Chay’s body back against his own and buried his face in his neck.
“Not yet,” he mumbled, pressing a soft kiss just below his ear, “Tell him we’ll be down at eight.”
Chay threaded his fingers with Kim’s on his stomach, “We’ll be down at eight, P’Khun.”
“But-”
“Eight,” Chay cut him off with finality, “We both need time to wake up first.”
Khun huffed, “Fine. I’ll ask them to wait until eight, but no later!”
“Yes, P’Khun.”
Chay hung up the phone and set it back down on the nightstand. He snuggled back into Kim’s arms, letting the older man hug him tight.
“You knew it was Khun calling, didn’t you?” Chay accused playfully, turning his head to look up at his boyfriend.
“I assumed,” Kim admitted, reaching up to gently push Chay’s hair out of his face, “I figured he was planning an extravagant entrance for my birthday. He’s been waiting for today since New Years.”
Ever since their reconciliation, both Khun and Kinn had been putting in a lot of effort to get to know Kim again. Kinn asked for tickets to his next concert and offered to pay for live streaming for Khun. He also called Kim a few times a week to talk, both about the business and their personal lives. The conversations had started out as stilted and awkward, but the more they did it, the more they both opened up. It was slow progress, but it was good.
Khun had taken it upon himself to reestablish drama nights, determined to catch Kim up on seven years of missed shows. He’d had Arm pull his watch history and make a list. Kim’s eyes had nearly bugged out of his head when he saw the thickness of the binder. He’d also presented Kim with a new guitar a couple weeks after the New Year and demanded he play all his songs for him. He must have studied Kim’s YouTube and albums beforehand because he’d known every single song. Kim hadn’t been able to stop smiling on the drive back to his apartment that day.
Each gesture from his brothers had originally brought a look of surprise or shocked awe to Kim’s face, but he was starting to get used to them again. However, when Khun unveiled his “make-up for all Kim’s missed birthdays” project, he’d still been startled. It was a lot after so long of nothing. It was to start with a family breakfast followed by a Studio Ghibli movie marathon in honor of Tan. The culminating event was set to be a private dinner at R-Haan, a 2 Michelin star restaurant in downtown Bangkok.
Kim asked if Khun felt safe going, that he didn’t need to put himself on edge for him, but Khun assured him that he would be fine. They’d bought out the restaurant for the night and had almost triple the necessary security going with them. Kim was impressed by how much he was improving since his first outing to Yok’s with Porsche.
Kim brought Chay’s mind rushing back to the present as he kissed him, ignoring their morning breath. Chay would never get tired of kissing Kim. In the months since they got back together, their relationship had blossomed. While hesitant at first, Kim held no reservations about showing his affection anymore. Chay had learned very quickly that an unreserved Kim was extremely tactile and preferred to be touching him at all times when they were together.
During movie night last night Kim had curled up on the couch in Chay’s room next to him with his arms around his waist and refused to move. He’d complained rather adorably when Chay had needed to pause the movie and go to the bathroom. He’d returned to a pouting Kim snuggled under the blanket they’d been sharing. He didn’t stop until Chay was back in his proper place.
Despite all this, however, they hadn’t progressed past kissing. Chay had started to initiate more by slipping one of his hands down to the inside of Kim’s thigh a few weeks after New Years, but Kim had panicked and pulled away. Chay worried he’d misread the situation and done something Kim hadn’t wanted. It had been a few long, tense moments before Kim explained what was going on in his head.
“I’m sorry, Chay,” he’d whispered, ashamed by his hesitancy to be with his boyfriend, “I don’t think I’m ready for anything like that yet. I haven’t- I’ve never liked anyone like this before. I liked it and I think I’ll want to someday just... not today.”
Chay’s worry had immediately subsided.
He’d taken Kim’s hand in his, pressing a kiss to it, “I understand. It’s okay, phi. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“I want to, it’s just...”
“You’re not ready and that’s okay,” he’d assured him, squeezing his hand, “We’ll do this at your pace.”
Kim had been greatly relieved that Chay wasn’t angry with him. There were scattered instances of Kim feeling guilty over not being ready yet over the following weeks and Chay had reassured him every time. Kim had not worried about it in a while.
“Stop spacing out,” Kim scolded, moving his head to kiss down his jaw, “We don’t have long before we have to go be with our family.”
Chay laughed quietly, “Sorry P’Kim. Are you excited for your birthday?”
Kim bit his lip thoughtfully, before nodding, “I think so. It’s a little overwhelming, everything Khun has planned, but I’m happy my brothers want to spend the day with me. Having them back these past few months has really shown me how much I missed them. I knew I did, but seeing the contrast is really jarring sometimes.”
Chay ran his fingers through Kim’s hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. He’d let it grow out a little longer than he used to keep it. It looked good on him. Chay wondered if Kim would let him braid it if it ever got long enough.
“I’m glad they’re making the effort too. I just wish they’d done it sooner.”
“The past can’t be changed now,” Kim reminded him, “but the future's looking pretty good, thanks to you.”
Chay smiled and rolled over, slipping one leg between Kim’s and pressing their chests together, his arms wrapping around his shoulders. Kim sighed happily, snuggling as close to his boyfriend as physically possible, squeezing his waist tight.
“Let’s just lay here a while,” Kim murmured, pressing his nose against Chay’s cheek.
They laid together in bed for as long as they could, occasionally exchanging kisses or whispering to each other. Chay was happy to have such a peaceful moment with Kim before the chaos that Khun’s party planning usually brought. Kinn’s last birthday dinner had included a performance from a nearly full-sized orchestra. Chay had impressed upon Khun the importance to Kim that it be as simple and private as possible and Khun had promised to do his best. Chay wondered what that meant.
Just before 8, they finally managed to drag themselves reluctantly out of bed and make their way down to the main dining room. They could hear the faint sound of classical music playing as they approached the room. Chay recognized it as Beethoven, one of Kim’s mother’s favorite musicians. As they stepped through the doors, both of them gasped. The entire room had been redecorated for the event.
The bold red of the walls had been covered with white silk drapery, lined with golden ratchaphruek and yellow and white plumeria flowers. Black music notes hung from the ceiling, surrounded by soft string lights. They were the only lights on in the room, giving the space a much more elegant and intimate feel. The table was set with a black satin cloth and silver plates were placed in front of each chair.
Their family was already at the table, everyone except Khun looking like they’d also just rolled out of bed. Pol and Arm were doing their best to stifle their yawns, while Porsche had his head resting on Kinn’s shoulder. They were all still wearing their pajamas which made Chay feel better about still being in them in the face of the very luxuriously decorated room. However, it was weird to see Kinn in his pajamas. When he’d first moved in, he would have sworn Kinn slept in slacks and a long sleeve button up.
“Good morning!” Khun cheered, throwing his hands up in greeting.
“Wow,” was the only word Chay was able to summon in the moment.
“Khun,” Kim breathed, looking around at everything, “it’s beautiful.”
“I’ve been dying to cover up that hideous red that our father chose for ages, but Kinn and I can’t agree on a paint color. I at least had to cover it for your birthday celebration. It doesn’t match anything!” Khun complined, patting the chair beside him, “Come sit!”
Kim and Chay followed his instructions, taking their seats side by side next to Khun.
“Good morning, Chay, Kim,” Porsche yawned, not raising his head.
He never had been a morning person. Kinn greeted them in much the same fashion, blinking a few times like he was still trying to wake up. The room hadn’t looked like this last night. Chay wondered how long Khun had forced everyone to stay awake to prepare for this.
“Morning, hia,” Chay greeted his sleepy brother back, “Morning, P’Kinn. Morning, P’Khun. You didn’t have to make them wait to set the table until we arrived.”
“Yes, we did,” Khun clapped his hands, announcing loudly, “Breakfast can be served now!”
Instantly, their staff appeared laden with almost every breakfast item Chay had ever eaten. Chay’s gaze locked onto the variety of dim sum placed in front of him as his stomach growled. Chay could eat dumplings for every meal and not get bored. Kim preferred salapoa buns filled with sweet red beans for breakfast, but he too shared Chay’s love for dim sum. Chay resisted the urge to coo at the way Kim’s eyes lit up when he saw them place the steamed buns on the table.
Chay happily helped himself to his favorites, filling his plate with dumplings, rice, fresh fruit and a mayak egg. Khun had discovered mayak eggs a couple years ago through a kdrama and now it was a must have for him almost every morning. Conversation was easy as they enjoyed their meal. Now that Porsche and Kinn had some coffee in them, they were slowly coming to life. Kinn spoke about his and Porsche’s recent trip to Phuket for their anniversary. Khun regaled them with the latest news from his current kdrama hyperfocus show. Kim talked about his upcoming album release and tour.
“When are you performing in Bangkok?” Kinn asked, taking a bite of his jok and dried shrimp.
“Early next winter most likely,” Kim replied, “I prefer to stay in warmer countries during the winter.”
“Where are you playing?”
“My manager thinks I can sell BiTEC, but it can hold almost 10,000 people. I’m not sure-”
“P’Kim, you sold out UOB LIVE two nights in a row two years ago and it holds 6,000 people. Your fan base has only grown since then. I know you can sell BiTEC. You’ll be amazing!” Chay enthused, almost bouncing in his seat.
Kinn blinked in surprise, “Wow, I’ve seen some of your concert videos, but I didn’t fully realize just how popular you’ve become. Congratulations, Kim.”
“Oh, thank you, Kinn,” Kim replied awkwardly, still not really believing he was that good.
“Back to my earlier purpose of asking,” Kinn continued, “Do you think you could play an extra concert in a smaller venue? Something more exclusive and easily secured?”
“Why?” Kim tilted his head, confused.
“So that we can come see you, silly!” Khun jumped in.
Kinn rolled his eyes at the predictable interruption, “Yes, Khun and I would like to see you perform but with a venue of that size it is difficult to ensure Khun’s safety.”
Kim stared back at his brothers, dumbfounded by their request. He was still adjusting to their sudden interest in his career. He’d honestly expected them to just wish him luck and maybe listen to the album when it was released.
“Of course,” Kim finally managed to agree, “I’ll have my manager arrange it. Would it just be family?”
“No, I want to see you with your fans, just not so many of them,” Khun clarified, shaking his head, “Do you think that would be possible?”
Kim bit his lip, eyebrows furrowed as he thought about how to include his fans in a space small enough for Khun to feel comfortable.
“What if you did a special raffle with your new album release?” Chay suggested, glancing around the table, “Only a few hundred lucky winners or something.”
Kim nodded along to Chay’s idea, “I think that could work. It would make more sense to do it right after the album launch though. We could market it as an exclusive album release fan meet.”
Khun clapped his hands excitedly, “Oh yes, yes, yes! I’d love to help organize that. I’m launching my own fashion brand, you know. What a great first sponsorship deal!”
Kim looked mildly worried by the idea of Khun arranging a Wik event, but agreed anyway. He hoped his manager would be able to curb some of Khun’s more extravagant ideas.
“I’ll have Chan work out which venue would be best for us and draw up the security plan,” Kinn added, already messaging their head guard.
Chan had fallen easily into the role of Kinn’s head guard, quickly disposing of all Korn sympathizers and bringing order to the large force of guards. Kim visited him often under the pretence of wanting to learn about any suspicious activity. The guard was still as professional and stoic as ever, but Chay believed he could see just a little more joy in his eyes every time Kim stopped by. Chay wondered how long it would take his boyfriend to drop the guise and admit he just wanted to learn more about the man who’d been secretly watching over him his whole life, protecting him from his father.
“Kim, send Arm your manager’s contact information, we must begin planning at once!” Khun demanded, “Your album is supposed to come out soon.”
“It’s not even fully finished yet, so don’t worry,” Kim reassured him, “Chay and I still have to record our duet.”
Porsche narrowed his eyes at Kim, “This is just an excuse for you to take Chay off on your world tour with you, isn’t it?”
“No, I genuinely think he’s a good musician and I want to perform with him.”
“So needing him to properly perform the song with you at every single tour date has nothing to do with it, huh?”
Kim looked away from Porsche and down at the table, not giving him an answer, cheeks tinted slightly pink.
“Stop teasing him, hia,” Chay scolded his brother, “I’d go with him even if I wasn’t on the album.”
“What about your schooling?” Porsche protested, “You said you were going to go back next year.”
“I’m enrolling in online courses for the duration of the tour, hia. I’ll be working on my degree while we’re traveling.”
“Oh yeah, that’s going to go well. Will you be able to focus instead of running around sight seeing with your boyfriend?”
“P’Kim is arranging a schedule that will keep us in one city for two weeks. We’ll be gone longer, but it will give me time to work on my studies and go sightseeing. Each stop only has one or two dates.”
Porsche still didn’t look fully convinced, but he relented. It’s not like there was anything he could really do to stop them anyway. Trying to trap Chay in Bangkok until he finished his degree would probably just result in him refusing to go back to school entirely. Having worked so hard and sacrificed so much for Chay to go to school, he couldn’t stand in the way of him going to school no matter how he chose to do it.
Kim squeezed Chay’s hand under the table. He’d known Chay was nervous about Porsche’s reaction to his decision to study on the road. Kim had also been staunchly against the idea at first, but had relented after Chay helped him come up with a plausible way for it to work. His manager had originally protested the extended timeline due to budgeting restraints, but Kim calmly explained he would cover the additional week at each place personally.
They finished their breakfast soon after and the staff cleared away their plates as they got up to go to the family room. Kim wasn’t sure which films from Studio Ghibli that Khun had chosen, but he wasn’t very picky. He did, however, secretly hope that Ponyo was in the line up.
The group entered the lounge area and Chay and Kim were again surprised to see it decorated. The white drapery wasn’t on the walls, but the music notes and string lights were hung across the room, softly illuminating the space. More ratchaphruek and plumeria flowers were placed in large vases on either side of each door. Howl’s Moving Castle was already queued up on the TV.
A pile of presents was sat in the far corner of the room, each box meticulously wrapped in black and silver paper with white bows. Kim was taken aback by how many there were. He couldn’t even think of more than one or two items that he wanted, let alone a pile that big. It felt almost like they were overcompensating because of their past, but he didn’t know how to express that without hurting their feelings.
Khun came up behind Kim and Chay and threw his arms over their shoulders as they took in the details of the room. It had taken Kim a long time to stop flinching when he did that, but now—as long as he knew Khun was in the room beforehand—he was never scared of his touch. Khun steered them both towards the couch, plopping himself down on one and dragging Kim down to sit beside him. Chay sat down on Kim’s other side, snuggling up to Kim’s side. Khun huffed and fidgeted with his pillows for a few minutes before he let Kinn start the movie. Khun’s dramatic questions started almost immediately, making Kim smile fondly in spite of himself. He let the familiar story wash over him and he listened to Porshce and Khun argue over whether or not Sophie was going to die when neither of them had ever seen the film before.
Kim listened to their theories with amusement as he rested his head on Chay’s shoulder. Chay ran his fingers through Kim’s hair, enjoying their family being together. Looking at them now, it was almost hard to believe that Kim had been absent from it for so long. He was the much needed balance between the two extremes of Khun and Kinn, one more loud and colorful and the other more quiet and stoic.
Chay had seen Kim display behavior from both sides of the spectrum since they’d gotten back together. Just like he’d predicted, there was a lot of himself that Kim had hidden away from him during their first relationship. When talking about a memory he loves from his time with Tan or his brothers, he can get very animated, waving his arms around and grinning from ear to ear. When dealing with his manager or other artists, Kim tends to slip into a more closed off, stoic personality.
His effortlessly charming and charismatic Wik persona was the most difficult one for him to get into, but he was a master at staying in character once he’d gotten himself there. Chay sometimes even had to help him revert back into being just Kim. Chay loved every side of his boyfriend, but he especially cared for the person Kim became when he fully lets himself relax and just be . There were patterns of behavior Chay knew were holdouts from his history of feeling unsafe even in his own space at the compound, but there were also habits that were just intrinsically Kim.
Kim couldn’t leave his apartment without checking twice that his security system was in place. He could only eat using smaller spoons. If he was given a big one he wasn’t able to enjoy his food as much. He never left the house without at least two weapons on his person, usually a knife and a small handgun. He didn’t mind morning breath, but if Chay tried to kiss him after eating onions he would make him chew a mint first. Kim liked his apartment clear and tidy, but if he was writing, anyone who touched the sea of crumpled up papers on the floor would get shooed away because he might still need one of them.
Time blurred a bit as they finished Howl’s Moving Castle and then moved onto My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. At some point, the staff brought out a spread for lunch, setting it out on the bar. It was a much more casual meal than their breakfast with each of them just kind of grazing when they wanted instead of setting aside a specific time to eat.
As Spirited Away was drawing to a close, Khun announced they had time for one more movie before they had to get ready and go to dinner. Kim’s heart swelled when the title screen for Ponyo appeared on the TV. Ponyo had been the first Studio Ghibli film Tan showed him and he’d loved it ever since. While not a perfect match by any mean, it was difficult for him to avoid drawing similarities between him own story and Ponyo’s.
As a child he’d strongly identified with Ponyo’s desire to choose her own path in life, no matter the consequences. This had been long before Kim grew to accept his role in the family, promptly before having to turn his back on it to protect his brothers. Kim’s departure had also disappointed his father and caused quite the storm一though more metaphorically than the tsunami caused by Ponyo in the film一when he left the compound and it hadn’t subsided until Chay came along and took it upon himself to help fix things.
Khun was much quieter during this film and Kim wondered if he too was noticing the similarities between them. Kinn and Porsche were almost falling asleep over on their couch. Porsche’s head was in Kinn’s lap while his legs were thrown over the armrest. Kinn was reclined back against the couch, holding Porsche’s hand where it rested on his stomach. Kim couldn’t remember when he’d last seen his older brother this relaxed. It was a welcome sight.
The movie ended and Khun shooed them all out of the room to go get dressed for dinner. Khun summoned staff in to take the presents to the car so they could be opened after dinner at the restaurant. Khun had wanted to open presents after and have a slumber party in his rooms, but Kim had explained he and Chay already had plans after dinner and would be going back to his apartment. They didn’t really have plans, but Khun didn’t need to know that. Kim was looking forward to spending the rest of his night quietly with his boyfriend after a long day of celebration with their family.
They entered Chay’s room to get dressed, Kim having brought appropriate clothes with him, only to find two new outfits laying on the bed. A note from Khun laid in between them.
“These items are from my very first fashion line. I want all of us to be matching for this special dinner. Happy Birthday, Kimmy.”
Kim looked down at his outfit. It was a suit, a simple enough 3 piece look, but he could see the attention to detail. The jacket was half black and half white with the lighter half covered in black prints of various music sheets. The shirt and slacks were a simple black but well made and tailored to him. A pair of black high low heeled boots sat on the floor below the outfit and in a box next to the note were a couple pieces of jewelry. The earrings were two small silver hoops, but the left one had a single back treble clef hanging from it. The necklace was a double layer silver chain and the black cufflinks had the Theerapanyakul emblem engraved on the top.
Chay’s outfit complimented Kim’s very well. Chay’s suit jacket was pure white. His shirt was black as well, but had a sweeping music staff design that circled around his chest twice. The slacks were a simple black just like Kim’s. The shoes left for him were designed more like a typical dress shoe for men, but they had a silver chain with black music notes hung on the front of each one. His jewelry was a black open clockwork watch with a diamond encrusted bezel and the same double silver chain necklace and black cufflinks as Kim.
“Khun really outdid himself with these,” Chay said, awestruck by the level of care in each piece, “I always assumed his fashion line would be bright colors and crazy patterns.”
Kim touched the jacket with reverence, noting that some of the prints were of his own music, “I know his first public collection will definitely have that, but this collection is private, dedicated to us. Khun always takes into account the style of the person wearing his designs when he makes them. This is just the first time he’s had the freedom to bring them to life under his own label.”
“Do you think it’s because Korn is out of the picture now, locked up in his wing for the rest of his life?” Chay asked him, beginning to gather the items to go change.
“I think so. I’m glad Kinn is finally letting him pursue his passion in a real way. Korn would buy Khun anything he wanted and have anything he wanted custom made, but it’s different when you finally get to create art to share with the world.”
They dressed quickly, Kim in the bedroom and Chay in the bathroom. Chay helped Kim pull his long hair back into a half bun. The first time he’d tried, it hadn’t held for longer than ten minutes. He was much better at it now and it made him happy to be able to do Kim’s hair for him. Kim applied some soft makeup and eyeliner to his own face while Chay declined. He didn’t mind the idea of wearing makeup on stage or during any music videos he might eventually make, but he wasn’t as into it as Kim.
“You look beautiful, P’Kim,” Chay breathed, eyes dancing up and down Kim’s figure, catching on every detail.
“So you do,” Kim replied, stepping close enough to run his hand down Chay’s shoulder, feeling the fine material under his palm.
Chay slipped his hands underneath Kim’s open jacket and pulled him closer. He kissed him gently, trying not to mess up the older man’s makeup or hair. Kim’s hands ran up the center of Chay’s chest, one of them coming up to caress his neck while the other one stayed rested on his chest. Chay’s fingers dung slightly into the sides of Kim’s waist, longing to feel the skin there without any barrier, but he would wait until Kim was ready. It was difficult sometimes though to resist the urge to touch his boyfriend in all ways he’d dreamed of doing since before they even met. He wanted to know Kim in every way someone could know another person, to love him like nobody else ever would. He pressed another kiss to Kim’s lips before stepping back.
“We should get going,” Chay managed to say, his voice a little hoarse, “Khun will be pissed if we’re late.”
Kim hummed his agreement, eyes flickering down Chay’s body briefly before meeting Chay’s again. Kim double checked his makeup in the mirror and then grabbed Chay’s hand to lead them down to the lobby. Multiple large SUVs were waiting for them along with a hefty portion of their guard staff. They were directed to the second car, climbing in alongside Kinn and Porsche. They were also wearing new suits, identical in almost every way except for the shirt and accent colors. Kinn’s was a deep red while Porsche’s was a dark blue, complimenting both of them very well. Neither of them had their shirts buttoned up all the way and Chay made out the sight of a hickey on Porsche’s collarbone. He gagged mentally and tried to forget about the poorly concealed bruise.
Khun and his guards were in the next car, allowing them more maneuverability to escape should anything go wrong. Kim would have been fine with a dinner at home, but he also liked that his oldest brother was making the effort to go outside again. Kim would be forever grateful to Porsche for starting that process. Korn would have had Khun locked up in his rooms forever if he had his way. He’d never liked how vibrant Khun had become after he was removed as heir.
When they arrived, they were greeted by more of their guards as they’d already secured the building in preparation of their arrival. Big stood at the front door, calmly waiting for them to exit the vehicles. Chay smiled and waved at the guard who bowed his head in response. Chay was going to get that man to treat him like a regular person someday if it killed him.
Kinn and Porsche entered the restaurant first, followed by Kim and Chay and then by Khun and his guards. This allowed them to finally see what Khun had designed for himself and it did not disappoint. Instead of a basic suit, he was wearing more of a hybrid outfit.
His slacks were solid gold, hugging close to his skinny frame. His shirt, however, was loose and billowed around him as he walked, the embroidered sequences catching the dying light from the sunset. It was a swirling mixture of oranged, gold and white, creating a beautiful pattern that looked almost like water. Chains of gold hung from his neck and almost each one of his fingers had a different gold ring. His shoes looked to be the same style as Kim’s, except they were gold.
Chay chuckled at the sight, there was the color he knew the oldest brother for. Kim was correct that he took into account each of their personal styles when he made them their clothes.
“You look amazing, P’Khun!” Chay called back to him over his shoulder.
“I know!” came his proud reply.
The hostess met them insides and waied to them as Kinn stopped in front of her.
“Sawasdee-kah! Welcome to R-Haan,” she welcomed them, a large smile on her face, “My name is Kanya and we are honored to be hosting the Theerapanyakul family for your brother’s birthday celebration.”
“Yes, this is my youngest brother, Kimhan,” Khun introduced him so that she would know how to arrange their seating.
Chay didn’t miss the slight widening of her eyes and the hitch in her breath as Kim stepped into view from behind Kinn. Kim gave her a polite wai, regarding her sudden stiffness with the practiced ease of a celebrity who knew when they’d been recognized. She returned the gesture professionally, not mentioning anything about Wik.
“Please allow me to escort you all into the dining room, Khun Kimhan,” she said, quickly regaining her composure, gesturing to the room behind her.
They all followed her back into the room, taking in the elegant, yet simple design of the restaurant. It was nice enough to know you were in a very fancy restaurant, but not so much that it felt like it was trying too hard.
She led Kim to the head of the table and allowed them to sit before addressing them again, “The meal you are about to enjoy has been curated specially for you by our head chef, Chef Alak Kaewmanee. We hope you enjoy your time with us this evening and please do not hesitate to ask for anything you might need.”
She waied one more time before making a quick, yet graceful exit.
Chay chuckled to Kim, watching her disappear around the corner, “I remember when that happened to me.”
Kim rolled his eyes, “You knew I was going to be at that university event and went there intentionally.”
“Okay, well yet but I never expected you to actually look at me.”
Kim pulled out the notebook he always carried with him in case inspiration for a song struck at an inconvenient time and signed one of the blank pages. He called one of their guards over and handed it to him, instructing him to find the woman and make sure she received it.
“Please also impress upon her the importance that she not tell anyone where she met me or who my family is,” Kim reminded the guard.
“Of course, Khun Kim,” the guard bowed his head and headed in the same direction as the hostess.
Kinn raised an eyebrow questioningly, “She didn’t say anything about you being Wik. How do you know she recognized you?”
“She definitely knew me based on her reaction and if it was from a family connection we’d have either known about it before coming here or she’d be dead.”
Kinn winced, remembering what Kim’s role in the family had been for so long. Anyone that saw the face of Kimhan Theerapanyakul after he left the family was likely dead. And it’s true, if she’d been connected to a major family, the guards would have found out when they ran the background checks on everyone in the restaurant prior to booking the place.
The first course was served within just a few minutes and Chay stared down at it. Sure he’d gotten more used to eating nicer foods now that he was part of a rich mafia family, but the food staring back at him now was by far the fanciest he’d ever seen. He watched Kim attentively to know how to properly approach the situation. Kim noticed and bit his lip to keep from smiling. Chay kicked him gently under the table in response.
Course after course was served and Chay didn’t know what half of it was, but it all tasted good so he didn’t really care. He’d never been one to shy away from trying new foods when they were presented to him. The atmosphere was relaxed despite the extravagant dishes and upscale environment.
A few courses in, Porsche had consumed enough wine to be telling some of his more adventurous tales from their life before the mafia. Khun was thrilled by each one, laughing loudly at the same jokes Chay had been hearing all his life. Kinn got jealous at a story about an ex-girlfriend and even Kim joined in on teasing him over it.
By the end of the entree course, however, Chay could tell Kim was starting to run out of steam. He took Kim’s hand under the table and squeezed it. The only thing that was left was dessert and presents, then they could go home and laying in bed and just rest. Kim smiled at him appreciatively, rubbing his thumb along the back of Chay’s hand.
As soon as their dessert plates had been cleared, Khun was out of his seat and shouting.
“You must open all of mine first, Kim!” he all but demanded, shirt flowing around him as he made his way over to the present table the guards had set up during their first course, “Ai’Pol! They’re all out of order!”
Pol flew to his charge’s side, quickly helping him rearrange the table into the correct order. Khun grabbed the first one and whirled around to hand it to Kim. It was a small envelope, but Kim knew better than to judge it by its appearance.
“Now I know for the past many years we were absolute failures as brothers, so I made sure to get you a present for each birthday I missed,” Khun explained, the number of presents on the table making more sense now.
Chay honestly couldn’t tell if he was overcompensating intentionally or if he was just being Khun. Shopping was one of Khun’s favorite things, so they all usually ended up with multiple presents from him on each holiday.
“Khun, you didn’t have to-” Kim started, but Khun shook his head.
“Yes, I did. I can’t fix the past, but I can at least do this. You never deserved to be ignored like that. You sent me a present every year and I never appreciated it. Allow me to do something to make up for all the years I missed,” Khun sniffled softly, his joyous exterior falling away leaving him looking absolutely miserable.
Kim got up and hugged his brother, “I forgive you, P’Khun.”
Kim's use of the honorific made Khun sob into Kim’s shoulder. He hadn’t used that title for either of his siblings in years.
Khun eventually waved him off, using his napkin to wipe away his tears, “Now, go sit and open your 17th birthday present.”
Kim followed the instruction, taking his seat and opening the envelope to reveal a set of tickets to see the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.
“Ma used to take us,” Khun revealed once the gift had been opened, “I doubt you remember, you were barely out of diapers the last time we were able to go, but she loved it. I thought you and Chay could go and start the tradition up again. I’ve wanted to, but it’s just too many people.”
Kim was touched, “I wish I could remember that. Thank you for the gift, P’Khun. I’m sure we’ll love it.”
“You and Kinn always shared her love of music. I often wished I could too, but I’ve never been able to carry a tune.”
For his 18th birthday, Kim was given a custom acoustic guitar. The outside was covered in a black and white swirling design similar to Khun’s shirt. His stage name was printed in large looping letters across the lower panel of the guitar. For his 19th, he received a custom microphone to match the guitar. Kim promised to use both items at the album release concert. Khun squealed and hugged him in response.
For his 20th, it was another custom outfit created under Khun’s own label. The shirt was made of white lace with an intricate floral design that came down to his mid thighs. It was paired with a long, flowing black cashmere jacket and a pair of white and black skinny jeans. Kim realized at that moment Khun had started planning his private concert long before even asking if Kim would do it for him.
For his 21st, it was a custom brown leather jacket. His 22nd and 23rd gifts were both travel related. The first one was an all expense paid week long trip to Chang Mai for him and Chay and the second one was a flight voucher for 2 plane tickets anywhere in the world. Porsche gave Khun a side eye for encouraging Kim to take Chay and jet off away from Thailand, but didn’t say anything.
“All of the other presents are obviously greatーI mean I chose themーbut, this last one is special,” Khun said, getting up to grab it for Kim himself, holding it delicately in his hands, “I don’t even really know if it’s right for it to be me giving this to you, but we all agree that its original owner would want you to have it.”
The air in the room shifted as Khun held it out to Kim, like the very room was holding its breath. Kim took the gift from Khun and gently laid it on the table. Kim pulled away the wrapping to reveal a violin case inside a large box. The case was well worn, it clearly wasn’t new. Chay wondered what the significance of it was.
“Khun... this isn’t... tell me it’s not...” Kim faltered, fingers running over the body of the case down to the latches, flicking them open.
Inside was a beautiful dark wooden violin. There were no special designs like the guitar, just a simple violin and yet Kim looked close to tears.
“It is, Kimmy, it’s Ma’s,” Khun confirmed, watching as the instrument was lifted from its case, “I had it restrung and tuned for you, but otherwise nobody’s touched it since she...”
Kim was barely breathing as he plucked the strings, listening to the notes ring throughout the silent dining room. Tears slipped down Kim’s face and he wiped them away quickly to avoid them getting on the instrument. Kinn was looked on with sadness, but also joy at seeing his brother, who loved playing just as much as he and their mother had, finally played her most prized possession.
“I’ve only ever seen it in photos,” Kim looked up at Khun, eyes searching for answers, “I looked for it for ages, but nobody could tell me where it had gone.”
“Chan found it in one of our father’s closets in his rooms. It was buried under a pile of junk and covered in dust. We were afraid it was destroyed, but when we opened the case, it was perfectly intact,” Kinn explained, fiddling with his ring.
“You didn’t want it?”
“I’ll admit my first reaction was to display it in the compound in her honor, but I realized that’s not what she would have wanted. She would have wanted it to be played. I remember watching her play it out on the balcony in her room. I would love to see you play it when you’re ready.”
Kim laid the violin back in its case, closing the case, “Thank you both so much. I don’t have any memories of her playing it and I wish I did. Thank you for letting me have this so I can feel close to her when I play.”
Not one for sitting in uncomfortable emotions for long, Kinn motioned for one of the guards to bring the next gift. It was a small box wrapped in silver paper. Kim refused to part with the violin case, stopping the guard from removing it from the table to place the small box down.
“The violin stays with me,” Kim spoke firmly, holding his hand out for the box instead.
The guard bowed his head, handing Kim the box and making a hasty retreat from Kim’s side. Kim tore away the paper to reveal a jewelry box. He opened it and gasped. Chay leaned over to peer around Kim’s hands to see into the box. Nestled in the red velvet cushion was a wide banded silver ring with three small black diamonds in it. He could also just barely make out an engraving of the Theerapanyakul emblem on the inside of the band.
Kinn shifted awkwardly in his seat, “Chay told me you still had the bracelet, but that you’d never had it fixed. He already gave you a bracelet, so I figured since we don’t have another family ring for you, I thought that this could maybe be that?”
“I could never have just thrown it away, even though it was broken. It was the last thing you gave me before...” Kim trailed off for a moment, pushing the lingering pain away, “but I couldn’t bring myself to fix it either. It felt wrong to fix it when we were so broken.”
“I’m sorry, Kim. I regret every second of it. I wish I had handled everything differently.”
Kim bit his lip, “I forgive you too, P’Kinn. You’ve made the effort to listen to me, to be there for me, these past months. You’re not the person you were when I was 16 anymore.”
Kim’s words seemed to take a physical weight off Kinn’s chest. Kim took the ring out of the box and slid it onto his left hand pointer finger, the same place where Kinn wore his major family ring. It fit perfectly, much to Kim’s surprise.
“How did you know my ring size?” he asked curiously, “Or did you just manage to guess perfectly?”
“I uh- maybe had Arm track down and hack into your stylist’s records,” Kinn admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Kinn!” Khun gasped, turning to smack Kinn on the arm, “You know I had that information right?”
“Oh...”
Chay snorted and put his head in his hand. Of course Kinn could never have just asked. Kim just shook his head, smiling fondly at his brother.
“Next time, just ask please,” Kim laughed, spinning the ring on his finger.
“Noted.”
With dinner finished and presents opened, they left the restaurant. The guards loaded the presents into cars, but Kim again refused to let anyone else touch his mother’s violin. He carried it himself into the car and placed it between his legs during the ride back to the compound.
“Thank you both for a wonderful birthday,” Kim thanked his brothers after they’d arrived home, “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed my birthday this much.”
Khun shrieked and threw his arms around Kim, hugging him tight, nearly knocking him off his feet by violently swaying back and forth. Kinn was much calmer when it was his turn.
“Don’t forget to send Arm your manager’s number,” Khun reminded him, pointing a finger dramatically in Kim’s face, “I am already looking forward to my first Wik concert.”
“Of course, P’Khun,” Chay smiled, “I’ll make sure he remembers.”
“Good nong Chay,” Khun said, dragging him in for a hug as well, “Take good care of my brother.”
“Not too good!” Porsche yelled, narrowing his eyes at Kim who raised his hands in surrender.
“Hia!” Chay complained, embarrassed.
They bid everyone goodbye and climbed into Kim’s car. Kim handed the violin to Chay so he could care for it on the drive to his apartment. The rest of the items were placed in the trunk by the guards. As soon as the doors were shut, Kim breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“I love them, but today was a lot,” Kim admitted, starting up the car, “Fun, but a lot.”
“I’m glad you had a good day, phi. Now let’s go home.”
“As you wish,” Kim agreed, leaning over the center console to kiss Chay, “This was all because of you, Angel. You are the most important thing in my life. Thank you for coming back to me.”
Chay took Kim’s hand and kissed the back of it, settling their joined hands in his lap as Kim pulled out of the driveway.
Life was good and he was happy. It felt good to be home.