UNISTAR : Invisible Moon [English Version]

ลำดับตอนที่ #20 : Chapter 18 : The Evaporated Air

Invisible Moon

Chapter 18
The Evaporated Air

"The heat of the Moon could evaporate the Air."
#WINisWIND

"I love reading books and articles, but I don't like textbooks as much. Oh, I used to join a general knowledge contest, but I didn't win..."

I explained to P'In after he asked why I knew so many things.

In fact, I have a good memory, but I could only remember what I was interested in or whatever I intended to remember. For example, I knew about Jasmine rice because I loved to eat it, I knew about coconut because I also loved to eat it recently. And I knew about P'In and UNISTAR because — ahh...why? Why did I know so much about them?

Whatever it was, it was true that I had broad knowledge, but I had a limitation of understanding because I could only remember the basic things. I wasn't good at understanding in depth or complex knowledge. That was the reason why my studies weren't outstanding even though I had an extremely good memory. Unfortunately, there was no general knowledge class in my school, so my special ability was rather useless in my pursuit for academic excellence.

"Why didn't you win?" P'In asked. And I recalled a pitiful memory.

"Well, in that contest, I actually knew all the answers, but the judge didn't notice me when I raised my hand..." I sighed. My invisible curse was always a nuisance.

P'In paused for a while before continuing to ask.

"So can you perform it?"

I was shocked. P'In wanted me to perform a general knowledge for the Moon contest?

How?

"Really? But no one has performed this kind of ability in our university before." I wasn't confident.

In general, people would prefer fun and exciting performances, ones that were pleasurable to watch and listen to. I couldn't imagine what kind of general knowledge performance would interest people.

P'In then put down his cutleries. He walked to the sofa, picked up a piece of paper, then came back and handed it to me.

It was the list of judges for this year's XU Moon and Star contest.

I knew that normally, my university would change the judges every year. Each year, teachers from each faculty would be randomly selected to be fair. However, this year was special, as there were students who would be part of the judging panel — P'Wayu and P'In — the current UNISTAR members.

"Teachers from three faculties," P'In said.

I shifted my focus to the teachers' profiles.

The first judge was the Head of Department from the Faculty of Architecture. The second one was the Assistant Professor from the Faculty of Science, Department of Astronomy, and the third was a special lecturer from the Faculty of Arts, Department of Chinese Language.

"On stage, let the judges ask." P'In explained how to perform, in his usual brief way. I tried to imagine it.

If I got on the stage and told them that my special ability was general knowledge, the judges could ask me anything that was not advanced knowledge. In fact, it wasn't a very exciting or impressive ability like a musical talent or acting performance, nevertheless, supposing that I could answer all the questions they asked, it would be rather novel.

His idea was indeed not bad. I sort of agree with him. It's better than letting me perform something common that I'm not even good at. This unusual performance could probably turn out memorable for the audience.

Still, concerning my ability, I do know various things, but I might not know enough.

"P'In, how can I make sure I'll be able to answer all questions from the judges?"

"Prepare for it," P'In said while pointing to the paper that I was holding.

"In a short time, the questions will be about their major."

P'In explained briefly and I understood it.

What P'In said was reasonable. In a short period of time to ask something, most people would naturally stick to their field of expertise. For example, the teacher from the architecture faculty might ask about houses and buildings, the teacher from the astronomy department might ask about planets and stars and the Chinese language teacher might ask about Chinese culture. So, I could prepare by reading and memorising all these areas of knowledge.

"Eat up."

After discussing the performance, P'In urged me to continue eating. So we kept eating the best green curry that P'In made.

It was the most delicious meal ever!

Once we finished eating, I offered to wash dishes. P'In didn't say a word, he just wiped the table and counters.

While I was washing at the sink, I thought of something. Although I occasionally met P'In, I never had the chance to ask about it, so this might be a good opportunity.

"P'In... a few days ago I went to the overpass, but that old man wasn't there anymore. Do you know where he went?"

I asked him about the old man that P'In often gave food to.

"Back home." P'In answered, still wiping the table.

"Back home..." I was a bit surprised. As I remembered, that old man was dumped by his son because of debt or something and now he was already back at home with his son?

"Non-profit foundation helped find him, I went and met his son." P'In said without looking at me.

"P'In contacted his son?" I asked.

"Yes." P'In nodded.

"How did you persuade the son?" I was curious.

"I don't know," P'In seemed to clueless of the reason.

"Just went to see him. He looked shocked and promised to take his father back."

I was confused with his explanation for a while. From P'In's expression, he probably didn't understand why the son was suddenly willing to take the father back either.

As I thought about it, realisation hit me and it caused me to laugh.

I understand now. God! It was incredible.

My guess? P'In probably went to meet the son and told him that his father was facing difficulties, but was still waiting for the son. P'In's intention was only to let the son feel sympathetic, nothing else. But P'In said that the son seemed really shocked. So I assumed that the son might already know who P'In was. The son knew that P'In was the UNISTAR member who had a good reputation for social responsibility. P'In, who was so rarely seen, went to see the son himself. How could the son think in any other way? The son must have been scared to death. It's obvious that if the son still ignored his father and neglected him, the father would become P'In's responsibility. If P'In's fans found out, then the son would be in trouble.

Nevertheless, from all of this, the most humorous thing was P'In didn't even realise what he had done.

"Why laugh?" P'In tilted his head. He was standing beside me, waiting for me to finish washing the dishes so he could wash the wiping cloth.

"No, nothing," I held my laugh. P'In was indeed an incredible person.

"P'In krub." Since I had a chance to talk, I just didn't want to stop.

"Do you still feed the fish and stray dogs recently?"

I thought about the waterfront near our university that P'In usually visited.

"Not often," P'In said. "Fish aren't hungry, dogs have homes."

His answer made me think of what I did before. I posted on Twitter and made that place an attraction. P'In fans came to take care of stray dogs and always fed the fish, and it seemed like grandma's bread was sold out every day too.

However, I still wasn't sure of how P'In thought about this.

"P'In. Are you okay with this?"

"Why not?" P'In said. "It's for the best."

"Oh," I nodded. "Actually, if you just posted or told your fans, they would surely be willing to help."

"No." P'In replied immediately. "They've already done a lot. If I can, I'll do it myself."

I smiled for DomKati after hearing his reply. P'In was really different from other idols. Although P'In didn't express much emotion, he indeed cared for his fans. Although his fans were willing to help, P'In still thought that they already did a lot. P'In tried to do his best on his own without disturbing anyone else.

How could DomKati not fall for him?

But I was still wondering. Did P'In know that I posted that tweet? But I didn't dare to ask him.

"P'In. Let me wash the cloth for you." I picked up the used cloth and washed it.

P'In was standing still, then, he picked another clean cloth to dry the washed dishes, so there would be more space to place the dishes.

I thought I should stop asking, but I couldn't —

"P'In krub. About the rose...on Rose Day..."

Though I brought it up, I ended up bending my head.

I couldn't help but wonder. There were so many beautiful women at our university, but why was I the one who received his rose?

"Why...did you give it to me?"

After P'In heard my question, he stopped wiping and asked me back.

"Don't like?"

"I like!" I replied immediately as I didn't want P'In to misunderstand.

I pressed my lips tight after those words escaped my mouth.

I just said 'I like' unconsciously. I felt like I was blushing.

"You like?" P'In repeated my words. My hands started shaking.

"Yes, I...I like." Even my voice was shaking too. The world around me seemed to blur out.

The cloth was already washed clean, but my hand was too weak to turn off the tap, so the water kept running through my hand.

P'In looked at me and glanced at my soaked hands. P'In helped me to turn off the tap. I was startled as P'In came closer. I could smell his scent again. I could only lower my head, like a turtle shrinking into its shell.

"Thanks." P'In said lightly while leaning closer, gently pulling out the cloth from my hand.

Both my hands and legs became weak. I didn't know whether P'In thanked me for helping him wash the cloth or thanked me for liking his rose.

But I couldn't stand this any longer. My body was limp and I had to hold the counter as I went back to the dining table.

After P'In hung the cloth, he turned back to me.

"Wanna eat strawberries?" P'In took out a box of strawberries from the fridge and washed them.

"Oh thank you krub, P'In." I told him, feeling relieved that the topic had changed.

P'In invited me to eat strawberries? My imagination ran wild, as strawberries usually symbolised cuteness and sweetness. I blushed as I imagined myself and P'In eating something cute and sweet together.

It was just eating strawberries and nothing else, wasn't it? I pulled myself together.

P'In sat opposite to me with a bowl of strawberries. I took a look at the fresh and red strawberries. They looked cute and would obviously be sweet.

"Wanna eat?" P'In picked one and pushed the bowl towards me. I thanked him and picked one too.

I slowly bit into the strawberry and widened my eyes. It was really delicious and luscious. So fresh and sweet. I had no idea where he bought them, or perhaps his fans gave them to him.

I was happily chewing the strawberry.

P'In was so kind. He not only treated me to a meal and cooked for me, but he also served me fruits. P'In was definitely the best buddy-code senior.

I realised that I should repay him too. But what can I give him?

Oh right. I had a chocolate bar in my bag. I bought it as my snack this morning.

"P'In. Please wait a moment."

I took my bag and searched for it. Where was it? I couldn't remember where I put it. There was too much stuff in my bag.

"P'In, sorry but I'll just..." I said as I took out the bunch of things out of my bag – such as notebooks, books, a pencil case, and so on – so it would be easier to find the chocolate.

I was determined to find that chocolate bar.

"Found it!" I mumbled and took it out. It was at the bottom of my bag, but was still in good condition, neither crushed nor melted.

"P'In krub. For you..."

I was about to hand the chocolate bar to P'In, but suddenly paused.

P'In was holding something and he was looking at it with a curious expression.

When I realised what it was, I almost shrieked.

"Oh no!" I was shocked because it was the lip balm that I recently bought.

Normally, I wouldn't bring any cosmetics with me. It's just that I really liked this lip balm and I couldn't live without it, so I kept it with me all the time.

The problem was, it wasn't just any normal lip balm. The tube was labelled UNILIP and the brand 'Molly Welly'. But on the other side of the tube, it was P'In's character with the UNISTAR logo.

One would know that it was a UNISTAR product even if they were looking from the Planet Pluto[1], it was obvious that the user was a UNISTAR fan.

No way, it was embarrassing!

"I like this scent!" I blurted a split second excuse because I didn't want P'In to feel weird about me.

How could I say that I bought it because I like P'In?

P'In looked at me, his expression curious.

"It was my sister," I hurriedly attempted to elaborate.

"My sister is a UNISTAR fan. She always uses this lip balm, and I just like the scent. So I bought one as well."

I knew that mentioning P'Wun was a silly excuse. In fact, I didn't lie, well, not all of it. Because P'Wun was actually a UNISTAR fan. I heard that she was once successful at buying a ticket to a fanmeet. I wasn't sure who she preferred the most, as my sister kept changing her bias, even more often than changing her clothes, depending on her mood.

P'In was silent for a while. I started feeling worried. He might be doubting me.

"P'In..." I hesitated to ask him.

Suddenly, P'In just stood up and walked to his bedroom.

I became nervous. Was he angry at me? Was he unhappy with me? What should I do now? Should I tell him the truth?

While I was anxious, P'In came out from his bedroom. His hand was holding a bottle and he handed it to me.

I gazed at him in astonishment.

"Try this," P'In said.

So I instinctively received the bottle.

It was a simple glass bottle with a spray on the top, and clear liquid inside. I noticed the label and realised that it was the perfume's brand.

"You are giving it to me?" I was surprised.

"You like the scent," P'In answered, before reaching out his hand to press the spray. The scent diffused around us, it was a very soft mellow smell.

"Oh, this smell!" My eyes widened again in realisation.

Right! It was P'In's scent — but not that exactly. P'In's scent had a more concentrated coconut milk fragrance.

Oh right! If we mix this perfume with the coconut milk scent, it would turn out exactly as the lip balm's scent — P'In's unique scent. Since P'In used this perfume and made fresh coconut milk every day, it naturally became his personal scent.

"What about you?" I felt concerned. At first, I intended to give him a chocolate bar in return for sharing the strawberries, but it ended with P'In giving me a bottle of perfume.

"I have another one," P'In said. "You like, take it."

I widened my eyes again. To sum it up, P'In gave his perfume to me because I told him that I liked the lip balm scent. Despite the fact that I actually do love it, that was just an excuse to avoid any misunderstandings. Instead of feeling weird about it, P'In gave me a bottle of perfume that was similar to the scent of the lip balm because the scent of this range of lip balms imitated each UNISTAR member's personal scent.

God! I was such a bad and stupid Win.

"I really appreciate it, but I don't think I can take it," I lowered my head in shame.

Today, I've received too much from him without any chance to repay them.

"Don't like?" P'In tilted his neck a little.

"I like...I really like," I said and gulped.

Why did P'In keep asking 'Don't like?' and making me say 'I like' every time? He left me no choice but to admit that I like it.

I already said 'like' unconsciously again. What should I do?

This time, however, I was determined to give him the chocolate bar.

"P'In. Please take my chocolate." I finally handed it to him.

He took it, but paused and asked...

"Is today Valentine's day?" P'In glanced at me.

"Huh?" I was stunned. "No, it's not February."

"Or White day?" P'In tilted his head.

"Not March either," I replied, confused.

"Uh. Then, why give it to me?" P'In asked back.

"Oh, I gave it to you because..." I thought for a second.

I wanted to tell him that I intended to repay him, but when I compared the price between the chocolate and the perfume — the gap was obviously too big.

"Because I admire you." I eventually answered.

P'In fell silent, seemingly wondering about what I just said.

"It isn't a Valentine's gift," P'In murmured.

"Huh?" I was shocked, trying to rethink what he had said.

I gave a chocolate to P'In and he asked whether today was Valentine or White day or not. So could it be —

P'In misunderstood that I gave him a chocolate as a love confession?!

I was blushing. My face felt so hot, I was sure I had turned red.

P'In lifted his eyes from the chocolate bar in his hand, and looked at me. He blinked, twice.

"Why is your face red?" P'In asked. He didn't take his eyes off me.

"Huh? What?" I exclaimed, touching my face.

Did my face turn too red?

Unexpectedly, P'In didn't only say it, but also reached his hand across the dining table and slightly poked my cheek.

When I felt the touch from his warm finger, I felt like the heat from my face was flowing all over my body. I could even hear the sound of my heart beating so loudly.

"Red, like strawberry," P'In commented.

"Is...that s...so?" My voice was shaking. I was too nervous to say another word.

"Yes." P'In nodded. He took back his hand and used it — the hand that had poked my cheek — to pop another strawberry into his mouth.

"Yum," P'In said while chewing the strawberry, looking at me at the same time while remaining emotionless.

I swallowed hard.

P'In was only eating a strawberry. But after poking my cheek and telling me my face was red like a strawberry as well as saying 'Yum' afterwards...

I thought I was in trouble — my heart was in trouble, caused by his simple actions.

As if I was going to turn into overheated air – evaporating, floating and exploding like fireworks.

Because of the Invisible Moon.

☽------------☽

Footnote :

[1] Looking from the Planet Pluto is a Thai slang, it has the same meaning as 'just a glance'.