Days passed just like months...
What that little body remembered wasn't the loneliness, but the image of his mother staying in a room darker than the rest of the house, the sound of broken sobs, and the frightening memories from before he truly understood what had happened.
It pained him, hurting his heart more than anything.
Around five in the morning, his tutoring began. Even without an alarm, Kao woke up on his own. He struggled to brush his teeth because everything was placed higher than him. By the time he finished, he was soaked in water.
After changing into new clothes, he ran before Ton could arrive and scold him.
Food only served the purpose to say, "I have eaten." The hard steak was bad for his gums. He wanted to complain, but Kao kept quiet, accepting that this was simply how things were.
Except for one person, even a smile felt foreign to him—the boy who helped cut his steak into small bites. But he wasn't there every day.
'He must be busy.'
Still, Kao sometimes waited for him. There wasn't any talking between them, only a silent greeting. When that boy smiled, even his eyes seemed to tell stories.
After that came the night.
An unfamiliar, unsettling...
The more he hated it, the more he wished the next day wouldn't come. Perhaps because it was just a little prayer from a child, God never heard it. He simply ignored it.
Before he knew it, the next morning welcomed him with the exact same pattern.
"Kaopun... Kaopun..."
A long stick slammed against the table as his name was treated like a punishment by the maids, Ton, and even the different tutors teaching him. As a seven-year-old, he was smart, but what they taught him belonged to a much higher grade. No one knew. Even if they did, no one cared.
Every Sunday, he visited his mother.
Fragile and weak, the traces of her being one of the most beautiful women were still there. Her long braided hair was brushed only once a week, and she always wore dresses with the same bright-colored patterns.
'She must love colors.'
That's why Kao always drew something bright on white paper before visiting her.
He helped feed her when she stubbornly refused the maids.
"Mae... A-aaa..."
They never had a real conversation. It was always just, "My baby..." Then she wrapped him in a blanket and held him like a precious diamond. Kao felt breathless, but he didn't complain because he loved the feeling of being precious to her.
"My mae is pretty..." That word always slipped out unintentionally, but as time passed, his mother's possessive side began to suffocate him.
'It's okay. She loves me... She's my mother, so please make her healthy.'
That little prayer also went unheard. Her health only worsened with time, and she treated Kao like a doll, preparing him like an asset to make her own place valuable. Deep in her heart, through the memories she forcefully erased, she still loved the man who pledged the marriage vows and shared the kiss.
"You must not eat too much... You must be handsome... You are my precious son... You will be..."
What she forgot was that Kao had never received a proper mother's love. He came to her with no ill intentions, but from the day he could remember, he heard the same words like thorns among roses.
"Clean well if you want food... Piggy brat, that's why they left you..."
"How many times have I said, if you fall, don't cry? The neighbors complained, you know... Can't he just bathe..."
Even dogs on the streets received pity, but even pity was something he couldn't afford.
He loved his grandpa, Auntie Pang, and Tasuaka, who never properly talked to him but showed their care through actions.
'Can I go back...'
A black card and a new phone packed in luggage had been left by Tasuaka. Every night, Kao took them out and placed the card beneath his small palm, but he never dialed.
'What if Mother is sad?'
Once again, he carefully locked them inside the suitcase.
...
Just a normal day.
Kao skipped breakfast to avoid a tall lady who always wore heavy makeup. From what he knew, all the servants respected her and called her "Madam."
'She must still dislike me. She always throws food... Or did I do something wrong?' Kao sighed.
Today, he had more time because something important was happening in the house.
It was filled with flowers and balloons. From the stairs, he peeked through the railings.
'Wow...'
The balloons caught his attention.
"Do you like balloons?"
A sudden voice startled him, making him flinch like a frightened cat.
That boy smiled. It was the first time he had spoken to Kao since their conversation on the first day he arrived. Kao tried to trudge back to his room, but the boy started inflating a white balloon with his mouth. After tying it securely, he said, "Here."
Then he knelt on the floor. "If you want more, just ask me. I will..." The boy whispered near Kao's ear, "...steal them." Then he left to help the servants.
A very noisy day, but Kao didn't hate it. He placed the balloon in front of his bed and sat on the floor, staring at it.
'So he doesn't hate me.' Sighing, he folded his clothes
...
"It's crab. It's plum and delicious... Eat more... Eat..."
"Our leader is here!" Clicking his spoon against the glass, a bearded, wrinkled man stood up. Despite his age, he still bowed. When it came to power, age was just a number.
In the middle of the garden, a luxurious dining table was set perfectly, with nothing lacking from one end to the other. The aroma of different flavors mingled with the quiet murmurs of middle-aged men and women.
"Thank you, everyone. It's only been a year since I joined the party. I am a businessman, and my roots are also there, but I chose politics because it was my father's long-held wish."
Amid the silent garden, the atmosphere became more tense. The man speaking was none other than Kao's father, Napat Anurak. Everyone knew how he became rich.
'How cunning... Using a father who isn't even alive...'
Their thoughts were cut short by Napat's introduction of a woman.
"This is my dear wife, and my son. We are also expecting a baby by the year's end..."
"Congratulations."
"Congratulations."
Glasses clicked as part of the celebration, while some bowed toward the three of them. But their inner thoughts became one.
'Wife... She isn't his legal one.'
'Her makeup, the smell of perfume... It's nauseating.'
'How proud he is to introduce a mistress and her son.'
But no matter how malicious one's heart was, in the end, they all licked that man's feet. That's how society lived.
The party continued until midnight.
Some were drunk enough to lose control, while others were still discussing their plans for the election.
Near his father, a boy was having a hard time. Greeting everyone and repeating his name again and again was exhausting.
"Mae, can I go back?"
She leaned closer to him. "Go... Sleep early."
With a proud face, she praised how smart her son was, bragging about him. His ears kept hearing it until it stung his spine.
After unbuttoning two buttons, he took a deep breath. Passing Kao's room, he paused. The lights were still on inside.
He checked the large clock.
'It's 1:30...'
Knock!!!
"Who is..."
Along with a gentle voice, a small body froze in the middle of the half-open door.
"...You didn't sleep?"
Kao shook his head.
"Why?"
"It's noisy..." A lowered head gave the answer.
But he wondered why their thoughts were the same. He was his brother, but he wouldn't dare call himself a caring brother to Kao. He knew his place from the day he overheard the rumors. Cheating husbands were normal nowadays, following like a trend. But he hadn't known that his own birth had become a stain to another family. An unpleasant feeling made it hard to swallow.
And the truth was, no one in this house had more right than Kao. He was the real one. The heir.
Their first meeting had been ordinary.
'Is that him... He looks like his mother...'
Truth hurt. Accepting it hurt even more. When he felt pity for Kao, he helped him eat. But the pitiful one was actually himself.
'Right... I am the one.'
From that day, he avoided even accidental encounters. But whenever he observed Kao, his body automatically responded like a programmed machine. Those curious eyes and that mouth that rarely opened made Kao different from anyone else in the house.
At first, it was pity. Then it became curiosity.
What was really going on with Kao? Did he know everything, or was he pretending? Did he know they were half-brothers?
But the fact that Kao was still just a child hit him. After that, he abandoned his plan to keep avoiding him. Adult dirtiness was better kept among adults. What mattered was Kao.
'If I do the same as everyone else, I am no different from my mother.'
...
"Can I take a look at your room?"
Kao's eyebrows creased.
Hiding his laugh, he stepped inside without an invitation. 'It's smaller than I thought.'
"Mmh... Are you doing homework?" Seeing the piled papers on the floor, he asked immediately.
Kao nodded.
He tried to pick them up, but Kao ran over and stopped him.
'Is he embarrassed? Cute. But there isn't even a table for him to study.' His expression darkened as he scanned the space, then looked down at Kao, who was busy gathering the sheets. He wanted to sit beside him and ask if he was okay. But the words refused to come. He headed toward the door, not wanting to disturb him, but his body wouldn't listen.
"How..." The words trailed off. "How about visiting my room instead?" Then he breathed in relief.
Kao clenched his clothes tightly, hiding near the bed.
"You really don't want to..."
No reply came. Minutes passed as he backed away.
And the real problem started from there.
'What's going on? Why is he following me?'
Whenever Kao went somewhere, the boy was right behind him. Every night, he came into Kao's room, asking him to visit and repeating the invitation to his own space.
Kao liked that boy, but now it was weird. Everything about him was weird.
Finally, he agreed.
Compared to Kao's, his room was much bigger. Separate tables, wardrobes, and too many certificates filled the shelves.
"Admirable, right? I am at the top of my school..." He blinked one eye.
"Wait..." Kao gasped.
Carried from behind, he was placed onto the big bed.
"Don't you think you can run. Sleep here. At your age, I slept like a sloth. So forget the homework and just sleep."
"But..." Kao tried his best, but he was defeated. At last, he relaxed his stiff body and lay down on the bed.
'I will act like I'm sleeping, then I will...'
Before he could finish the thought, his eyelids became heavy. The light smell of the fabric, along with the continuous patting from the boy, made him drowsy.
'I can't...' His thoughts faded into the air.
"By the way... I'm Dao. Sleep tight..."
That night, Dao wrote all the homework in the exact same handwriting as Kao's. But it angered him. 'Why does a child have to go through this?'
He knew his father better than anyone, along with the fatherly advice he had received: "Work hard. Earn your place... And my son will become even greater than me, so everyone will envy me..."
He knew what Napat was like—not as a father, but as a man chasing his own ambitions.
'I am also just a pawn waiting for my time.'