Originally translated from the Thai language.
Deep within the labyrinth of Shanghai's narrow back alleys, a mysterious eatery hid in silence. Spanning barely 40 square meters, the space looked more like a neglected storage unit than a sanctuary for gourmets.
Ohm, a scruffy young man in a flannel shirt and faded, distressed jeans, was listlessly dusting a shelf with a rag. He scanned their bleak, run-down surroundings and let out a long, weary sigh.
"What exactly is Mr. Chatchawin thinking?" he muttered. This place had zero curb appeal. Forget high-flying businessmen even a stray cat would probably walk past without a second glance.
Suddenly, Phueak, a round-faced boy in a white shirt with buttons straining at their limits, burst out from the back kitchen. In his hand was a sewer rat, thrashing wildly as if it had been scalded.
"Ohm! Look at this! This rat is bigger than our house back home!" Phueak shouted, beaming with excitement.
"Holy ! Get that thing away from me!" Ohm recoiled, crashing into a spice rack, his finger pointing in frantic command.
"Okaaaay," Phueak shrugged. He dropped the plump rodent, which scurried across the floor and vanished into the shadows of the back room.
Ohm clutched his chest, trying to steady his racing heart. He bared his teeth at his troublesome partner, exasperated by the near heart attack.
"Am I actually going to survive working with you? I'm losing hope here," Ohm grumbled, hands resting loosely on his hips. "I bet Gawin and Tum are sprawled out in a chilled, air-conditioned room right now. Must be nice."
"Right? At first, they promised us a cool spy mission. How did we end up in a literal rat hole? And..." Phueak stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as if he'd just realized something catastrophic. "Ohm! We don't speak a lick of Mandarin! How are we going to talk to anyone?"
Ohm went quiet for a moment, tilting his head slightly.
"Because this is a novel... anything is possible. Don't overthink the logic too much," Ohm said nonchalantly, seemingly addressing an invisible entity currently reading these words.
Phueak's jaw dropped. He craned his neck, following Ohm's gaze into the empty air. "Who are you talking to? A guardian spirit?"
Ohm sighed heavily and smacked his own forehead. He reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a pair of translation earbuds. "Stop being confused and look at this! These are Real-Time AI Translation Buds. They even have a speaker so the other person hears you in Mandarin."
He held up the device like he was filming a sponsored ad. "Just plug it in. it converts our speech into perfect, native-level Mandarin, and we hear whatever they say in Thai instantly."
Phueak snatched one and jammed it into his ear, striking a suave spy pose. "Whoa! This is sick! Just like the movies!" He admired his reflection in a dusty mirror and tested the tech.
"Hello, hello! Greetings, Chinese citizens! We Thai people come in peace!"
The earbud speaker crackled to life: "Hello, Ni hao! Zhongguo pengyoumen. Women Taiguo ren shi daizhe youyi er lai."
Phueak's eyes nearly popped out. He pulled the earbud out, stunned. "Damn! That is top-tier! How do we have stuff like this? I never saw this back in Thailand!"
Ohm shook his head slowly, scanning the room once more.
"These high-tech toys are from Mr. Chatchawin. Use them carefully," he warned sternly, while Phueak just gave a playful, mischievous wink.
Ohm stepped into the center of the shop, hands on his hips. "A little decoration and we're set. Get ready to cook, because the 'Prophetic Chef' is in the house." He pointed a finger forward with a smirk. "Welcome to Ros Lom Restaurant."
Ohm flashed a cunning grin, and Phueak mirrored it with a wide, toothy smile, pointing forward ready to stir up some trouble together.