The days passed.
It's cozy inside.
"So you like these... cream buns?" Poking Kao's stuffed cheeks, the old man gave him another bun.
Kao chuckled.
"Do you like staying with Grandpa?"
Kao hummed happily.
It had taken the old man days and all kinds of tricks to get close to Kao. After growing close to his grandpa, Kao developed a habit of spending more time with him.
Now they sat together on the floor, the boy resting on his lap. Stacks of paper covered the table, alongside a corner inkwell and a half-finished piece of calligraphy.
"K... A... W... I... N..." He read the letters one by one, making the old man smile.
"Kawin Tawat... your name."
"My name...?" He asked, waiting for the answer.
"Kawin is the name I chose before you were born. It means wise and beautiful, just like you. And our family name is Ananta-Tawat."
"Pronounce it with me."
"Ana... ta... tawa... t..."
"That's right."
"Grandpa..." Kao blinked twice, waiting for his reward.
"You brat... I lost... " He gave him a small candy, scolding him not to eat too much but still handing it over.
"Look, a cat..."
"Ohh! A real cat... Grandpa... Can I pat him."
The old man shook his head, telling Kao that he would get sick.
Instead, they watched the white-furred cat sleeping in the corner of the garden. Kao leaned closer, his eyes fixed on it.
...
Knock! Knock!
"Come in."
Grandpa sat up straight, keeping Kao on his lap.
The suited man entered the office with some papers.
"Tsukasa, what's going on?"
"Chairman." Tsukasa bowed his head and knelt down, placing the papers perfectly on the table.
"Did my old man finally give up?"
"Right... Chairman, we don't have time, and your health—"
"What are you saying?" the Chairman hissed at Tsukasa. "I am still in my thirties." Even so, his hand still gently patted Kao's. Tsukasa glanced at Kao, who met his gaze without looking away.
"... Someone is here for the Young Master."
Hearing those words, Kao lowered his head. Seeing his reaction, the grandfather held him tightly and signaled Tsukasa to not talk about everything just yet.
"Chairman, he wants the young master."
"No." The old man faced the garden, where butterflies and grasshoppers filled the grass.
Tsukasa picked Kao up and told the servants to take him back to his room. Once the doors closed, he turned back.
"Chairman..." His voice was low. "Actually, it was their secretary who came."
"Until the end, she won't come out of her room." The Chairman's voice broke. "My bloodline has already done too many bad things. That's why I didn't choose the same path as my father and grandfather. I loved a woman who loved me, and we settled here for years. Now I finally know that no matter how hard you hide or run, blood never lies. Maybe that's why my child suffered like this."
His breathing became unsteady.
"Chairman... You need to watch your health."
"Tsukasa, I am going to give you an order. Transfer everything to him. And call him back from Japan."
Tsukasa lowered his gaze. The scar above his eyebrow and the others hidden beneath his suit seemed to carry a pain he had never spoken of. He didn't ask anything. He always simply did what the old man asked, as if he already knew what was going through his mind.
The door closed gently.
Inside, the old man continued his calligraphy.
Tsukasa made his way through the vast hallway toward Kao's room, checking his clothes repeatedly.
"Why am I scared...?"
The man who had single-handedly destroyed entire groups when he was in Japan was now shivering at the thought of opening a child's door.
...
The night when Kao was found was a chilly one.
Shoes scraped against the road.
Leaning against the car, Tsukasa took a pack of black cigarettes from his pocket.
Cling!
The lion-shaped lighter warmed his hand. A small white cloud of smoke formed around his face. Taking a drag, his eyes fixed on the dark alley.
The cigarette dropped with a dull thud, crushed beneath his shoe.
A large shadow loomed over him.
"Boss... We caught them," the man said, passing him several photographs. "We confirmed that the subjects are actually part of a human trafficking group. Just give us the order."
Tsukasa took a long breath and shook his head before opening the car trunk. "Take it. If necessary, use it."
"Boss, do we really need to do it? I'm —"
"Don't," Tsukasa cut him off. "You know me. I don't like unnecessary dealings over relationships, even when they involve my family or my work. Take it."
A bag full of money lay inside. It didn't look like much, but the longer the man carried it toward his car, the heavier it seemed.
On the left side, another bag rested there. Tsukasa unzipped it.
'I told her I would protect him. In the end, I failed. What am I going to do? Resign? But the Chairman needs me. Punishment... What punishment? Can I shoot my right hand or my leg?'
"Boss..." The call pulled him back.
"Everything is ready. I will lead you there."
"Mmh... Let's go..."
The streetlights in the alley had been intentionally blacked out. Silence filled the place. Even their footsteps disappeared into the darkness.
Tsukasa walked past the small gate toward the outside staircase. His men stood like rocks all along the steps. At the top of the grimy staircase, another iron door swung open.
Two people lay on the floor, their heads completely covered with transparent plastic bags.
"He... lp... Help..."
"Please..."
Their heavy breaths mixed with the sound of their struggles, and their wrists were already bleeding from being bound behind them as they crawled across the floor with their feet tied.
The smell of perfume still lingered in the air.
Tsukasa removed one of the plastic bags.
The wealthy-looking woman shook her head, gasped for air, and stared up at him, her face covered in sweat.
He asked in Japanese,
[You know me.]
[Who gave the order?]
The woman trembled and stayed silent.
[So you're not going to speak...?]
[Too bad. I won't slap women.]
Relief washed over her as she cast her eyes to the floor.
[But I can kill them.]
Her whole body shook with fear. Pleading, she clasped her hands and repeatedly struck her forehead against the floor until blood began to trickle down her face.
She knew those words were not an empty threat.
"Boss..." Another black-suited man stood beside him, carrying Kao.
'So he was the one.'
Tsukasa's steps became heavier.
'He was too thin.
'How old is he? Seven, right?'
A small smile appeared as he took Kao from the man.
He turned back, but after only one step, he paused. "Lock them in our place. I'll deal with them personally." Giving her one last glance, he added, "[You need to know who you just messed with. Even your bloodline will suffer.]"
More than five men in black suits bowed. The woman made no sound before fainting, even without tape over her mouth.
'What will I do? He needs a wash,' Tsukasa thought. 'Let's stop thinking. He's a kid. I can manage him. If he wakes up, I can tell him I know him. No... I'm his bodyguard... No... How about his mother's friend? But he never met her.'
He placed Kao carefully in the back seat. Before driving, he checked on him one last time.
'He looks just like her.'
...
Back to the present—
"It's my fault," Tsukasa muttered, sweat covering his forehead. "The Chairman suspected that the Young Master had survived. But we dropped the investigation because of her health. Still, I failed. I shouldn't have told the Chairman three years ago when I found out the child was alive."
He wanted to say sorry, but he didn't know how. Telling them earlier would have only endangered Kao. The decision was hard, but timing was everything.
The door opened before he could do anything.
Kao poked his head out.
With a stammer, Kao asked, "Did I make any mistakes?"
Tsukasa froze, not knowing how to answer.
"I heard I'm going to another place... Did I make any mistakes?"
'Oh my God. Where did he learn those words? He usually had trouble speaking, but now...'
Tsukasa knelt in front of Kao and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No. This is your mother's house. You're going to your father's home."
Kao gripped his shirt, avoiding his eyes. "Will they... like me there?"
"Of course, they'll like the Young Master there."
"But..." Kao's words faded halfway. Tsukasa waited for him to finish. "But if they like me, why did I live there? I heard that auntie..." He stopped, remembering she wasn't his auntie. "They said no one liked me. That's why I don't have anyone."
Now Tsukasa had another thing to add to his list of reasons to torture those people.
"You are not an orphan. You have a mother. Before you were born, she always called you Kaopun."
Kao's eyes widened. It was new information.
"Ka..."
"Kaopun."
"Oh..." Kao smiled.
Seeing the blush on the boy's ears, Tsukasa remembered someone patting a round belly and saying, "Tsukasa… my Kaopun really wants another rice ball. Look, my little rice ball starts kicking me whenever he hears your voice. Tsukasa… you're his godfather."
"Don't say it simply like that. I... I don't dare to..."
"Tsukasa... Please take care of him."
"Kaopun..." Kao said again.
Tsukasa hid his laugh, unable to help finding that tiny, serious voice amusing.
"Also, you can come here anytime. It's your house. Just call me." He bowed again and took the bags from the room.
Kao was even more curious. He admired this man and wanted to become like him—strong, admirable, and handsome.
"Young Master..." A pair of hands wrapped a knotted lace around his neck. "I made it. Don't forget me."
Kao turned and tilted his head. Pang was the one who looked after him, made him eat more, helped him sleep in a real bed, told him stories, and played with him. For the first time, he knew what it was like to be a kid.
A kid needed to act like a kid.
He even tried to bake cookies, and they actually turned out well. He wanted to stop time so he could learn more. Soon, he became everyone's favorite.
"Our Young Master is so mature for his age..."
"Look at him reading the newspaper like the Chairman..."
"Look, he's copying how the Chairman eats..."
There wasn't a single day in the house without the sound of his footsteps echoing through the halls, his giggles filling the rooms, or their games of hide-and-seek.
"Auntie Pang, I'll come here too. Don't worry," Kao whispered, hugging her neck tightly. "I like your gift. When I come again, I'll give you cookies."
Pang covered her mouth, clutching her chest as tears came to her eyes. "Khap... Just be happy and healthy. That's the only thing I want."
Pang held those little fingers the same way she had when they first met. But back then, she had lifted him into her arms. This time, she let him walk on his own, knowing how much he had grown.
"Auntie... What are you thinking?"
"Nothing... Let's go."