"Okay, let's begin with a gesture drawing."
The professor paused, noticing the students frowning.
"Is that why you're yawning? Because this is the class after lunch?" she asked the students, making them burst into laughter.
"Okay, let's continue..."
"Sometimes, you come across a subject that inspires you to sketch right away. That feeling is important. But most of the time, we artists are too lazy to draw in our own spaces. Honestly, it's not laziness. It's because our creative pot is slowly filling up again, giving us time to recharge."
"Inspiration and the connection you feel through each stroke matter."
"Whether you keep drawing in the future is up to you. But try to draw at least once a week. That's my advice. Otherwise, you'll end up feeling empty or lost."
"Yes..."
"Yes..."
"Khap..."
The slim, elegant professor slammed her hands on the table.
"I know you can all become good artists. But this classroom"—she pointed upward—"is only the start. That doesn't mean everyone here will reach their dreams, but you have to try. Don't give up. Keep drawing and we don't need anyone's permission to say who we are."
"So... say it with me. I am an artist!"
"I am an artist..."
She raised her voice along with her students before resuming the class. "Okay, now try drawing a rough sketch."
Her lectures were loved by everyone, and she was famous for her honesty and motivational speeches.
Sighing, Mok stared blankly at the plain white canvas. Everyone else was already doing their best, but he had no idea where to start. He picked up a pencil and began sketching the flowerpot the class was using as a model. Halfway through, he paused, dissatisfied with the messy flowers he had drawn, and set the pencil down.
The professor's words kept echoing in his head.
'Whether you keep drawing in the future is up to you.'
'Keep drawing.'
'Inspiration and the connection you feel through each stroke matter.'
He had never really drawn for fun—he only did it for his exams. It made him wonder if he even deserved to be called an artist.
'Why did I even pick up a brush?'
...
They only had one class that afternoon.
After Kao went home, Mok grew restless. He hadn't received the usual call Kao always made once he got back to his condo. As time passed, Mok couldn't focus on anything.
"Auntie, we need four grilled skewers, right? We need rice, and..." Mok read the menu as Lamon whispered beside him.
"I want chicken soup, Mok."
"Auntie, two chicken soups..."
"Kid, it's sold out," the auntie replied.
Lamon was slumping like a sloth with zero energy left, letting out a long sigh as his head dropped.
"If it's urgent, there's another stall just across the road," the auntie suggested.
Lamon straightened up, a small smile forming on his lips.
"Mok..." With his lips pouted and his hands clutching his shirt, he pleaded silently.
"Ha... Okay."
Mok told Lamon to wait inside, but Lamon followed him anyway. After a scolding, Lamon finally returned to his seat.
"Kid..." the auntie called out.
Lamon pointed at himself.
"Yes, you. Come here."
She handed him their packed food, along with an extra dish.
"Eat well. I like kids who eat."
"Oh, look how cute you are when you smile! Come back often, okay?"
"Yes... khap." Lamon pressed his palms together in a respectful bow, secretly thrilled.
He went out to wait for Mok.
Mok waved from across the street, holding up the food bag to show he got it. That made Lamon smile even wider.
"Stay there, I'll come over," Mok signaled.
There were no cars coming on either side of the road. Even though there was no traffic light—just a zebra crossing—Mok hurried across to him.
Thud!
"Mok!"
Lamon screamed, his breath catching in his throat as the bag of food slipped from his hands and landed at his feet.
People rushed toward the street, but Lamon stood frozen on the sidewalk. Everything happened so fast that his mind couldn't process what was going on—until the restaurant auntie grabbed him.
...
The night was still young, but Kao already felt like everything around him was completely foreign. The suit he hated wearing, the car he hated riding in, and the sound he hated most in the world.
He and his stepmother sat in one car, while his sister Alisa and his father traveled in another.
The car pulled up at a high-end restaurant.
Kao sneered.
This was where his father usually conducted his shady business deals.
'The Rooftop Sky Dining.'
The name glowed brightly in lights even during the day. Despite being in the middle of the city, the atmosphere was quiet and exclusive. Only a few guests could dine there, and most tables were booked months ahead.
When they walked in, staff dressed in traditional Thai attire welcomed them with bowls of scented water to wash their hands before guiding the family into a glass elevator.
The lower floors were for walk-in guests, while floors 30 through 50 were strictly for private reservations.
Ding!
The elevator stopped with a quiet hum.
On the 44th floor, the family entered a private dining room where three people were already sitting.
The same routine. The same meaningless meeting.
Kao had lost count of how many times he had seen different families sitting in those seats, yet his father still dragged him here. Napat always made empty promises. Kao just hoped this would finally be the last time.
"Please, come in..."
A gray-haired man bowed his head, grinning wide as he did everything he could to flatter Napat. Beside him stood his wife in an elegant, wine-colored one-shoulder gown. Kao's stepmother looked visibly annoyed seeing the woman smile so warmly at her husband.
Their daughter—who looked like she had never done a day of hard labor in her life—wore a matching cream wrap gown that fell below her knees. Her outfit mirrored Kao's suit: a cream coat over a black shirt and black pants.
"Sawatdee khap..."
Kao didn't bother responding to her.
Everyone in the room could feel the dark, heavy mood around him.
The girl's father lightly touched Kao's shoulder, guiding him to his seat as if nothing were wrong.
"I'm sure the kids will hit it off in no time..."
"Right, right... They're still young..."
Clink!
The wine glasses touched.
The girl's father and Napat filled the room with fake laughter and future plans. Dish after dish was served on the glass table, but Kao didn't care about the food. To him, food was just something you ate to stay alive.
"Eat more, Kao. I always tell this boy to take care of his health, but he never listens."
"That's how kids are. Look at my daughter. She barely ate a bite because she said she needed to watch her weight for tonight."
"Oh... You've raised her well."
"Haha..."
Kao was sick of hearing his father's fake laughter. Even Alisa was unusually quiet today, though she usually looked for any excuse to pick on Kao.
"Excuse me."
Kao stood up and walked out.
Napat and the others froze at his cold reaction, but quickly tried to laugh it off.
Kao walked out onto the open balcony. Usually, it was filled with wedding parties and events, but tonight it was dark and quiet.
The small decorative lights and empty carpet felt cold.
The sun was completely gone.
A cold gust of wind blew past him, and an unexpected tear slipped down the corner of his eye.
Was it because he missed his brother, his mother, or Mok?
He didn't know. But tonight felt heavier than usual. The weight in his chest was crushing. It wasn't that he couldn't take it—he had just been living in a dream lately, forgetting who he actually was.
'You're getting engaged.'
'Haha... Love?'
'Someone like you thinks you can feel love...?'
'You're just as pathetic as your mother.'
'You ungrateful, miserable bastard! You murderer!'
The more his father's words echoed in his head, the deeper he sank into the dark.
'I-I... love... you, Kao... I do...'
Mok's hesitant confession suddenly came rushing back to him.
'Mok...'
Kao looked up at the sky and forced a tiny smile as the darkness swallowed the last bit of light. He gripped the glass railing and leaned against it, feeling sickened by the bright lights inside.
Then, his mood ruined instantly.
"Why are you out here, Kao?"
The sudden voice made him frown.
"We're getting engaged. Is this how you're going to treat me?"
The girl walked right up to him, her fingers reaching out to touch the buttons on his suit jacket.
Slap!
Kao coldly knocked her hand away.
"Don't touch my clothes."
"Ha…" She looked up in shock. "Kao, don't cross the line. Just play your part. We've known each other since we were kids. Stop acting like this. Do you think I actually enjoy looking at your miserable face?" she snapped through gritted teeth.
Seeing his blank expression, she reached for his buttons again, a cruel smile on her face.
Sigh!
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine as long as you act like a good husband. After we're married, you do your thing, and I'll do mine." She raised her eyes from his coat to look straight into his cold glare. "Or... you could hand Mok over to me. I actually like everything you like, Kao."
Kao clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. That was the last name he wanted coming out of her mouth.
He lowered his head, his voice dangerously quiet.
"What makes you think you can play games with me?"
"Ha... Game..." She sneered. "What if Mok finds out his boyfriend is a murderer...?"
"Ria..." Kao interrupted, his tone mocking. "You really don't know anything about me, do you? Poor Ria. You go around telling everyone I'm a monster, and honestly, I almost feel sorry for you. You're just a pathetic kid desperate for her family's attention." His expression hardened. "But if you don't know when to back off, don't blame me for what happens next."
Ria's face paled.
Everything about him terrified her now.
He was no longer the helpless boy Ria used to bully whenever their families met during their childhood. As adults, they rarely crossed paths, and even though she had applied to the same university, she couldn't touch him because of his close relationship with Artit. But now, she thought she had found a new toy to use against Kao—Mok.
Fury flared in her chest.
How dare a pathetic bastard talk to her like that?
"Y-You..."
"Ah..." Kao smirked, moving closer. "That's right. You're just a helpless little rabbit who has never seen the real world."
Ria swallowed back her tears.
Too terrified to raise her head, she stared at the floor until he walked away.
"You bastard…" She bit her lip, frozen in place.
"I will kill you..."
...
Kao loosened his collar as he left, letting out a long breath.
"Now I can breathe."
He climbed into the waiting car.
Several file folders were scattered across the back seat, and he began skimming through them one by one.
"What about the Pen drive?" Kao asked.
"We already sent it to the press," Fluke replied from the front. "We're just waiting for your call."
Kao threw the files onto the seat.
"Release it before their death anniversary."
"Yes... Wait, what?!"
Screech!
Fluke slammed on the brakes. Kao lurched forward, nearly hitting his head on the front seat.
"Lawyer Fluke, I'd prefer to stay alive a bit longer."
"Sorry, khap. But young master..." Fluke turned around from the driver's seat, his eyes wide. "Didn't we agree to expose everything—including the drug allegations—after your graduation? If we do it now, your inheritance will—"
"I don't care. Just do it."
"Young master..." Fluke exhaled sharply.
"Calm down, Fluke," he muttered to himself as he started the engine again.
"You've really changed."
"Have I...? Artit said the same thing."
"Who else has the guts to talk to you like that except him?"
"Did you say something, Fluke?"
"No... khap."
"Do you want us to end up in the hospital?"
"No."
"Just focus on driving. I don't want another accident."
"Yes... so petty," Fluke grumbled quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing... khap."
As Kao continued criticizing his driving, Fluke held back a sigh. He was already fed up with his young master's endless nagging.
Ring!
Kao checked his phone.
'Artit? Why is he calling now? Didn't I tell him I'd call him later?'
Kao raised the phone to his ear, ready to snap at him, but before he could say a word, panic seized him.
"What are you talking about...? He got into an accident?!"
"Kao, calm down, he's—"
Kao hung up instantly.
Fluke noticed Kao's expression in the rearview mirror and felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't seen Kao look like that in years—not since he was a child, sitting outside the morgue, waiting for his brother.
Fluke pulled the car over, opened a bottle of water, and handed it back to him. Kao shoved it away in a panic, splashing water all over the seat.
"He's in the hospital! Why did you stop the car?!"
Kao's voice trembled uncontrollably, the words barely coming out.
"Who… Not Mok, right?"
"Just drive! Didn't you hear me?"
Fluke quickly called Artit to find out which hospital he was at. Otherwise, Kao might be the one ending up in the hospital.
Kao clutched his chest tightly the entire drive.
The fear of losing the person he loved was worse than any nightmare he had ever had.
As soon as they reached the hospital, Fluke took Kao's suit jacket to avoid any misunderstanding.
Kao rushed inside.
Fluke returned to the car and drove off. He still had too much to do, and above all, Napat couldn't find out about this.
Fluke took out his phone and dialed a private contact.
"Can you pull the CCTV footage near Phassakorn?"
"How much?" the voice on the other end asked.
"Name your price."
Beep!
The call ended, and Fluke finally let out a breath.
Even though Fluke had acted as Napat's informant for years, he couldn't help protecting the boy who had suffered so much in that house.
From the very beginning, Fluke had been the one advising Kao's grandfather to file a lawsuit against Napat, but Kao had refused.
'That child is even more stubborn than his mother.'
'At least he finally found someone to care about.'
Fluke was the one who had found Kao bleeding in the bathtub years ago, rushed him to the ER, and truly looked after him in a home full of snakes.
"Kao, I'm Fluke. Don't worry. We'll make sure everyone who hurt your mother and brother pays for it."
He had made that promise years ago, placing his hand over Kao's small palm.
"Stay alive, Kao. At least for them..."
It was never out of pity, nor was it because Kao was weak. Fluke genuinely cared for him like family. He proved that blood wasn't what made a family—just like the name Kao kept in his diary, a name he never dared to say aloud.
That name was Fluke.