"Keng, pack your bags. Take only what you'll need. We're leaving – Now", keng's father said to him.
Keng had barely dropped his school bag when his father's words hit him. He looked up, confused, his brows knitting together.
"Leaving?" He echoed. "Where?",
"England" his mother said sharply. "Just go and pack".
"England? But why? What's happening?" He asked.
" There's no time to explain ", his mother continued. "Just pack your things".
Their family had always lived comfortably. But their business collapsed, debts piled up, and ruin loomed over them– leaving Thailand wasn't just a choice – it was the only way to survive. And it was all to protect keng from their own mess.
"I'll be back", keng said suddenly, heart pounding. "There's somewhere I need to go".
His heart was already racing ahead of him, back to ping.
Ping, who had finally opened up to him.
Ping,who trusted him.
He couldn't disappear. Not like this. Not without a word.
"You can't go anywhere", his father said firmly.
"Do you want to make this situation worse?"
"But Dad....."
"No keng", his mother snapped. "Enough. Go to your room and pack up".
Her voice left no room for argument.
Keng stood frozen for a moment before slowly walking away. His steps felt heavy, like he was being dragged rather than moving on his own.
Inside the room, clothes lay untouched as his thoughts spiraled.
Ping's smile
Ping's quiet voice
Ping finally letting him in.
If he vanished now..... ping would break.
Keng begged. Over and over again.
He pleaded with his parents, promised he would be careful,that he just needed a few minutes.
But they never let him out of their sight until it was time to leave.
When the plane finally landed in England, something inside keng shattered.
He felt empty. Angry. Powerless.
He wondered everyday how ping was doing.
If ping hated him.
If ping was hurting.
If ping was waiting.
Keng had always thought of himself as strong. Someone who could endure anything.
But when it came to ping, he was weak.
He stopped eating. Argued constantly with his parents. Locked himself away, demanding to go back to Thailand.
"I need to go back", he shouted more than once. "You don't understand. I left someone behind", he blurted out tears streaming down his eyes.
But no matter how loud he screamed,no matter how much it hurt, England became his cage.
And ping....
Ping became the regret he carried every single day.
Keng sat at his desk one day, a letter in front of him, hands trembling.
He had poured every word he wanted to say into it, trying to tell ping how sorry he was for disappearing, how much he missed him. He wanted ping to know he hadn't forgotten him.
But then he froze.
He couldn't remember ping's home address.
After a long pause, he found a solution. He would send the letter to Tao instead. And not just the letter, he packed the small doll he and ping had shared together, hoping it would reach ping safely.
Just as he was about to leave the room, his mother appeared. Her eyes widened at the sight of the letter and the doll.
"Where are you sending this to?" She asked.
"Home", keng replied.
"You can't send this to Thailand,my son", she shouted grabbing both from him. "If your father sees this, he'll be furious. We could be tracked! You don't understand the risks '.
"But mom", keng protested, desperation in his voice, "I'm sending it to a safe place. Trust me!".
His mother, however, was so resolute.
She hid the letter and the doll from him, leaving him frustrated and helpless.
Keng tried several times to retrieve it, sneaking into her room, hoping to reclaim it. But each attempt failed.
Eventually he was caught by his father.
"You're being reckless,keng!" His father roared. And argument erupted, heated and loud. In the chaos , his father grabbed the letter and burned it.
Keng's hands shot out instinctively grabbing the doll before it could get burnt in the process giving one of his fingers an
injury.
The small toy– a piece of ping, a piece of himself – was all that remained of his attempt.
For months after that,keng was closely monitored. He felt trapped, helpless, and consumed by the ache of not being able to reach ping.
Everyday, he longed for him, replaying memories of their time together, wondering how ping was coping with his sudden disappearance.
A year passed.
Finally news arrived: the family would be returning to Thailand soon.
Relief and urgency collided inside keng.
He immediately wrote another letter, carefully sending it to Tao's location. This time, nothing would stop it.
Even when continuing his studies in England,keng had learned of ping's dream university – something he had found out while still in Thailand.
He made sure his friends would attend the same school, planning to join them later on.
It was risky, but he didn't care. He would see ping again, no matter what.
And this time.....he wouldn't leave him behind.