UNISTAR : Invisible Moon [English Version]

ลำดับตอนที่ #11 : Chapter 9 : Close to the Moon

 

Invisible Moon
 

Chapter 9

Close to the Moon

"The moon looked so bright tonight,

if I got closer, would it be warmer?"

#WINisWIND

A rock couldn't fly upon the sky, unlike the moon that could rise from the horizon. Similar to the wish of being by the moon's side would just be an unimaginable dream.

Nevertheless, right now, the invisible air like me was walking by the famous Moon's side - the UNISTAR Moon. I almost couldn't believe it. I could only wish it wasn't a dream. If I were to wake up, I would be disappointed.

No, that was just my imagination, but this was real.

I glanced at P'In, eagerly. He was walking beside me. I tried to take my attention away but failed. I couldn't take my eyes off P'In. And I just realised, I thoughtlessly looked at P'In too often. However, P'In didn't say a word, didn't even turn to me. He was only looking forward.

I was amazed, seriously, because of our true invisibility. We were both walking along and passed through many people, but no one noticed us, not even a single one.

As if...there were only the two of us in this whole world, just the two of us.

Wait...What was I thinking? I cleared out my silly thoughts.

"Where to eat?" P'In asked when we were outside the university.

"Um..." Actually, I was too excited to think about food.

"How about the place where you usually go?" I suggested. I was also curious about the kind of food that P'In liked to eat.

P'In stayed still, then asked me back.

"Really want to go there?"

"Yes." I nodded.

Having the UNISTAR Moon treat me to a meal was indeed good enough. Whatever he chose, would certainly be perfect.

"It isn't expensive." P'In said in his monotone voice.

"I don't mind, I'm fine with anything." I didn't have an expensive taste. I mean, high-priced food wasn't always tasty to me.

"No air-conditioning." P'In continued.

"I'm okay with hot weather." I was too ecstatic to worry about the heat.

"Alright." P'In then led the way.

He didn't drive, nor called a taxi, nor did we take the bus. We were only walking.

"Is the restaurant nearby?" I asked curiously.

"Uh-huh." P'In made a sound in response.

We were walking together towards the temple where P'In always gave alms. I noticed that there was a row of old shophouses nearby. The restaurant was a traditional local Thai style, still using a charcoal stove. The owner was an old grandpa, and most of the customers were elderly. Seemingly, this restaurant had been around for many decades.

"Oh, Little IN! You came today. Take a seat." The grandpa greeted P'In warmly. Later, he turned to me and narrowed his eyes.

"I haven't seen you accompanied by anyone before. Are you dating?"

I almost stumbled my feet at what he said.

"Buddy-code brother." P'In corrected him.

"I'm kidding. I've never seen you bring any friend, any senior, or any brother before. He's the first one. Really. So I just asked."

Was it true? I was the only one who had ever come to this place with P'In? I looked at P'In, surprised. However, his face was still emotionless, no response as always.

The grandpa arranged a table for us. We sat and looked at the menu board on the wall. The food available here were mostly common Thai a la carte dishes with various options. I had no idea which one was nice. So I asked P'In.

"P'In krub, which dish is recommended here?"

P'In was thinking for a while.

"Claypot stir-fried suki[1]."

"Alright." I nodded.

I also saw many customers ordering this dish.

"Okay, I'll order that one."

"Meat?" P'In asked.

"Huh? Meat?" I was confused for a second.

He was asking what kind of meat I would like to order, right?

"I'd like...seafood...krub. Thank you, P'In."

P'In nodded, stood up, and walked to the grandpa.

"Claypot suki - seafood and no meat."

"No problem, Little IN. Finally, you changed your order. You always ordered the coconut milk dishes."

P'In didn't answer. He just moved to the wood counter, picked up two metal cups, poured the water in, and came back to our table.

He took a cup of water for me.

"Thank you so much." I felt grateful. P'In was such a nice person.

P'In only nodded at me.

Our table was too quiet while waiting for the food. P'In was watching as the grandpa was cooking, in the meantime, he was folding tissues into a carp fish. I was amazed that P'In didn't even look at it, but the carp was folded beautifully.

"Do you like folding the carp fish?" I asked.

P'In shifted his eyes to me, later, back to the fish.

He looked dazed. Perhaps, he didn't even realise it either.

"Sometimes....I miss." He said while looking at the carp. His eyes reflected a slight sadness.

This was the first time that I had seen P'In with a different expression, other than emotionless. I fell silent. At first, I had thought P'In just liked folding carp fish. After seeing his expression now, I was aware that carp fish might be meaningful to him in some way — a very significant meaning.

I should change the topic.

"Uh...P'In krub. Is there any other senior in our 101 buddy-code family?"

"No." P'In placed the folded carp on the table. I was staring at it. If P'In didn't take it, should I snatch it and keep it in my bag? It was the carp fish from a UNISTAR Moon!

I already had one, but still wanted more.

Wait...What did he just answer?

"No way! Our buddy-code family only has you and me?" I was shocked.

"Yes." He nodded, calmly.

"Oh no...Were you alright back then? It's like...you didn't have any buddy-code senior at all."

I had thought that I would be so unlucky if I didn't have any buddy-code senior. However, P'In had it worse. He didn't even have a single one.

"I was alright." P'In replied flatly.

I couldn't even imagine how he felt — whether it was really alright for him or he had no choice.

"P'In...can I...have this, please?" My voice trembled as I pointed to the tissue carp.

P'In followed my direction, then looked up at me.

"That time, didn't take it?

"Huh?" I was muddled. Later, I realised he was asking about that UNISTAR event where P'In had given paper carps to his fans.

"Oh, I took it, but...I want more." I scratched my head and felt a bit bashful.

"Okay." P'In nodded slightly. His hand laid the carp on the table in front of me.

"Thank you krub, P'In." I was so happy as I hurriedly kept it in my bag.

"P'In...at that time, did you see me from the stage?"

Since I had the chance to talk, I couldn't stop my chatty mouth. I barely had someone to talk to. I was probably repressed because I've never socialised in my whole life.

"Yes." P'In nodded.

"Oh, but there were a lot of people. How could you see me?" I couldn't help but ask, reassuring that I didn't presume it.

Because I was extremely fading, and couldn't believe that P'In could see me.

"Then how could you?" P'In asked back.

"Huh?" I was stunned for a second.

P'In was probably asking how I could see the Invisible Moon like him.

"Well, I don't know. I just saw. I couldn't explain it." I told him the truth.

"'Me neither." P'In said while sipping water.

"Uh..." I blinked.

His way of speaking was too short, always making listeners confused. I had to think hard before I could get what he meant.

My question about how P'In could see me, even when I was so fading — he didn't know either — this was his answer.

"And why did you point for me to take the paper carp?" I continued.

"You came." He said.

"What?" I was confused, again.

"Are you a fan?" He asked.

"Oh..." I was startled. His question was so direct.

Was I one of the UNISTAR fans?

Well, was I? Recently I had searched about UNISTAR so often. However, it was a little embarrassing to admit that I was a fan too. Since most of the UNISTAR fans were female, besides the pretty-faced P'Sea who had some male fans.

"Which dom?" P'In asked again.

I widened my eyes.

Dom?! Fandom?! P'In wanted to know who my bias was?

Then...who? What should I reply?

"Well...that time, I just coincidentally went there..."

I didn't know how to answer either. It was the truth. At first, I didn't intend to go anyway. But after hearing everyone talking about it, I decided to join it, that's it.

P'In was listening and glancing at me, he seemed to have something in his mind.

"Your order is ready."

The grandpa served the claypot suki, interrupting our conversation.

Now my attention turned to the food in front of me. It was indeed appetising with the charcoal smell, giving it a very Thai local scent.

P'In handed the spoon and fork, and also moved the sauce jar towards me.

"Thank you krub." I said.

After that, we both ate together. I was eating while watching P'In as well.

It was surreal that the person sitting opposite me was the popular P'In — the extremely famous UNISTAR member.

From far away, he was handsome, from a close distance, he was even more handsome. He must have been an angel of heaven in his previous life, so that he was born with such a perfectly gorgeous appearance.

"Getting cold." P'In suddenly spoke. Still focusing on his meal.

"Huh? Yes?"

He shifted his eyes, beckoned towards the claypot in front of me.

"Alright, I'll eat now." I was embarrassed. I was thoughtlessly looking at P'In for too long again. Shame on me.

I immediately started to eat.

And with only one bite, my eyes widened.

Wow! So amazing! The taste was pleasantly mellow and palatable. It was well-cooked as the vermicelli, vegetable and meat had all absorbed the suki sauce and charcoal flavour. This stir-fried suki was the most delicious suki that I had ever eaten.

"This is so yummy, P'In." I told him joyfully. He also nodded slightly.

While eating, I saw a group of high-school girls hanging out around here. They were watching the grandpa as he cooked suki in the clay pot. The girls were discussing whether they would eat here or not. They had never tried, but it smelled good and looked delicious.

Everything was alright until —

"Little In!" The grandpa suddenly shouted.

"Today I made the jujube juice for you, don't forget to take it back home."

The grandpa's voice was loud enough to get those girls' attention.

"Eh? P'In?" The girls seemed confused until one of them pointed towards us and screamed.

"Ahhh that's P'In!"

"Ahhh P'In — UNISTAR!"

So screwed...I swallowed hard. At this time, no matter how good our invisibility was, we wouldn't be able to avoid them.

I suddenly felt someone grabbing my arm. I was being pulled and I noticed that we were running out from the diner.

"Ahhh P'In! Wait for me~" The girls' voices were growing faint as we got further and further away.

Everything had happened so quickly before I could even process the situation.

I widened my eyes as I finally realised that P'In had grabbed my arm, leading me to run away from the chasing fangirls.

I eventually understood how P'In could teleport so perfectly. It's no wonder because he was literally fast. He could find the right spot to hide and ran in just a few seconds. We could barely hear the screaming fangirls anymore.

Because P'In was running so fast, I felt very exhausted. Anyhow, it was the first time that I could feel his touch.

So I wasn't sure if I was really tired or my heart was just beating too fast.

His hand was warm. I thought. P'In grasped my arm hastily, but not forcefully. He was gentle with me.

I couldn't help smiling while running.

Afterwards, I found myself at the riverfront behind the market. As soon as P'In let go of my arm, I was panting, bent over and rested my hands on my knees. While P'In still swept his eyes over to reassure that no one was following us.

"Sorry." P'In said.

I waved my hand, implying that I was fine.

"Please don't worry about it, I totally understand."

It wasn't his fault at all. Well, it was the celebrity way of living. He would always be in the centre of attention whenever or wherever he went.

"But...we haven't paid for the meal." I was worried. As we ran out in the middle of eating.

"Paid on table." P'In said flatly.

"Huh?" I was blinking.

Wait...What?!

P'In had time to put his money on the table even when he was in a rush?

But if the meal was already paid, then all should be fine.

"But...too bad. I haven't finished my suki yet." I mumbled.

That claypot suki was indeed tasty. Unfortunately, it was such a waste.

"Here you go."

P'In handed the claypot to me.

"Huh? What?!" I was shocked.

I just noticed, he was holding the claypot's handle all along!

What did he just do?!

Not only 'paid on table' but also — 'here you go' — the tasty suki which I hadn't finished eating. Only in a few seconds of escaping, he even took the claypot and ran all the way.

Plus, with a fork and spoon, and no spill.

It was beyond incredible. How did he manage that?

"But...could only take one. Go ahead." P'In still gave me that claypot suki.

He took mine but didn't bring his.

"Uhh...what about grandpa's claypot..." I was a bit concerned.

"Return it later." He said.

"Okay, thank you krub. What's about yours? Would you mind eating together?"

I invited him. Still a little hesitant, I wasn't sure if P'In would mind eating with me.

"No, my treat." He said.

"Huh? Treat?"

"Yes. It's a treat." He nodded.

It took me a while to understand.

I was speechless with gratitude. P'In said he treated me to a meal so I should eat it all up.

After that, P'In and I sat on the bench beside the river nearby.

The claypot was just perfectly warm, not too hot. So I placed it on my lap.

I was eating. And P'In was sitting beside me and watching the riverboat passing by.

"Next time, I will go to another place." P'In told me.

"Oh. Really? But if it's not convenient for you, that's all right!" I would love to go though, but I knew he was very busy.

"Redo, compensate today."

Now I understand. He said that because of his fans today, this treat didn't go so well.

"Okay krub, P'In" I agreed.

I wasn't actually worried about that. I was already happy enough to eat with P'In. But I would love to go eat with him again. It would be so nice. So I didn't refuse.

And now I wanted to talk to him again.

"P'In, can I have your phone number, please?" I asked.

P'In stayed calm for a moment.

I observed his reaction. Then I just realised. As a rule, UNISTAR members were forbidden to share their private phone number with anyone. So I hurriedly continued.

"I'm sorry, I forgot. Not exchanging numbers is okay. Still. Is it alright to have your Facebook or anything for contact? Just in case I need to ask you anything about my studies."

Boss had said that our buddy-code seniors would lend us some textbooks, or some lecture notes so that freshmen didn't have to buy a new one and even save their time for taking notes in the class.

"Can I ask first?" He said.

"Huh? Ask me?" I had no idea what he would ask.

P'In took his cell phone from his pocket — MW Skyline, the latest model. He dialled a number.

I was puzzled until the call was answered and P'In spoke through the phone.

"Yes. I have a buddy-code brother." He said, emotionless.

I just watched as he continued the call with a confused expression on my face.

"Archawin Deshsakul."

I flinched as I heard my full name. Did P'In know my name? Really? How? I was a bit excited.

"Yes, a first-year."

P'In just spoke for a minute and hung up. Then he turned to me.

"What's your number?" He asked.

"Huh?" I was flustered.

It would be weird if I wasn't flustered. Really. The famous UNISTAR Moon just asked me for my cell number! This feeling was...

"Do you want my phone number?" I pointed at myself, hesitantly.

"Yes." He confirmed. "Forgot mine."

"Huh?" I needed to process his answer in my head in order to understand it.

Ah! He forgot his phone number, right? So he asked for my number so he could call from his phone, then he would see his own number on my cell phone.

"Alright, my phone number is 089-xxx-xxxx."

He pressed my number and dialled. My cell phone was ringing later on, so I showed it to him.

He just nodded.

"Save."

"Huh?" I was confused, again.

"Oh you mean I could save your phone number, right?"

"Yes. If there's anything, just call."

He meant if I had anything, I could just call him? I was a bit surprised.

Wait...Did he just give me his private phone number?

But I heard that his agency was very strict about this.

"Does the agency allow you to share your private number?"

"Already asked." He said.

"Oh..." I gasped for a while, then it clicked.

So...The reason he called a moment ago was actually him asking his manager's permission to share his phone number.

I almost couldn't believe it. I was so delighted, I could cry. I didn't know how to express my feelings right now.

Ever since I was born, I had been forgotten, I had never gotten any attention. My existence was unnoticed.

Despite that, P'In was the first person who didn't forget me, and also cared about me. Even the seniors in his year still didn't have his number. So I must be special — even if it's just as a buddy-code family.

Right now, I would like to shout to the whole world.

P'In was the best buddy-code senior ever!

"By the way, you remember my name, right?" I was curious.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Oh, since when?"

I asked, just wondering. Since P'In had always noticed me, he might have known that I was in his buddy-code family from the start.

And as my impression of P'In was growing...

"Just remembered...today."

His reply almost made me choke on my suki.

Very well...what I just shouted in my head — P'In was the best buddy-code senior ever —

Could I take that back?

☽------------☽

Footnote :

[1] Thai suki is a communal dish for Thai people. Cooking the meat, seafood, noodles, and vegetables together in a pot or pan and eating with a spicy sauce. Thai suki can be both stir-fried or hot pot.

Here, some picture. This is common Thai suki (dried and soup), you can try some when you come to Thailand~ ^^ it's very nice and low calories too~ 

(credit image : https://www.knorr.com)

but the Thai suki in claypot mentioned in this chapter is quite a signature dish. Typically looks like this.

(Credit image : https://www.khaosod.co.th)

Hope you enjoy the meal--- I mean the chapter >< 

Thank you for following P'In and N'Win~ //HUG~