It had been a week since seeing each other up close. A week without the scent, without the hugs, without being intimate with the small figure. Tod didn't know what to do first.
Before, if he wanted to see Luktan, he could just send a message. But the latest events had made him overthink in a way he never had before.
Frowning, Tod stared at his phone, eyes locked on a familiar number. He didn't know how to start the conversation, even though in the past he would have said whatever came to mind without caring about anyone's feelings.
The irritation and restlessness were clear enough that his close friend spoke up.
"Tod… do you like Luktan?"
Peradol's question made him freeze for a moment.
Like… like them?
With someone obsessed with money, willing to do anything to pay off a debt, and who loved to nag about taking responsibility for a child that wasn't even planned really?
The small figure's pained expression, like getting trampled on, lingered in Tod's mind, impossible to shake.
Or maybe… that was exactly what he was feeling.
"Daeng, the school break has started. I'll be heading back home to Bangkok, so I probably can't have Luktan stay over. Please… take care of Luktan for now."
Even standing next to the woman, the young teacher spoke with a worried look, as if handing over a child to someone else, temporarily swapping roles.
"How many days will you be gone? I'm still busy, but can't you stay as Luktan's temporary guardian? You're more attached to Luktan than anyone… but then again, Luktan hardly ever goes to Bangkok. Would it be okay if you kindly took Luktan along to explore Bangkok for a month?"
The middle-aged woman, made up and dressed flamboyantly, looked sly yet careful, but her actions contradicted her polite words entirely.
"…Uh… well…" The small teacher's hesitant tone only encouraged the experienced woman to push harder.
"Come on, I know you want a child. You care for Luktan so much how could you possibly refuse? There's no one else here to look after Luktan. Aunt Si hasn't left the hospital yet, and you can't rely on Tod, that selfish father. He never takes responsibility for his own kid…"
Luktan thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. The small teacher's sad eyes, despite the proud tilt of the head, looked far more pitiful than any crying child throwing a tantrum.
"Okay. I'll take Luktan with me. Just make sure all your work is done, Daeng, so you can focus on the child properly when you return."
"Alright~ I'll finish as much work as I can. I'll have someone pack Luktan's things. You're leaving tomorrow, right?"
"…Yes."
Amid the cold, early morning in a remote countryside, a young father carrying his infant son walked barefoot out of the village at dawn, determined to take the helpless child unable to walk on his own to receive medical care in the capital, hundreds of miles away.
Facing the unbearable weight of the journey and the pain of seeing his son injured, he silently prayed to the divine, hoping for a miracle.
Then, a soft golden light appeared in the distance, gradually approaching. The young father raised his hands in a gesture of gratitude, overjoyed, thinking that a heavenly being had come to help. He quickened his pace, ready to speak to the figure before him…
"Excuse me, Venerable, have you seen any vehicles heading into the city this way?"
"Where are you off to so early, layperson?"
"We're heading to the bus station to catch a coach to Bangkok. School's on break, so we thought we'd go home for a while."
"Ah, it should be coming soon."
"Thank you very much, Venerable."
Luktan raised hands in respect to the three monks going on alms rounds so early in the morning.
The voice that had just spoken was Teng's, reading a story on the back of the small teacher to break the silence along the path.
Last night, Teng's mother had dropped him off in the evening without fuss, leaving nothing for the boy to carry or request. If anyone didn't know that the teacher was hired to look after other people's children, they might have assumed he was Daeng's new husband always taking care of her son like this.
…Sigh, well, maybe it's a good thing.
Suddenly, a six-year-old child was left in the care of his father and mother. They'd surely be overwhelmed with joy, tears streaming down.
Would anyone complain about taking the child to Bangkok? Perhaps it's because they can't bear to see those bright eyes clouded with sadness.
…Kindness doesn't always follow logic.
And yet, he could show no such concern for that cruel lottery agent's child. Why meddle in the lives of ordinary families when they don't even care for their own adorable children?
Who could bear to watch such a helpless little one suffer?
Well, since he had no children of his own, taking care of this kid was a blessing in itself.
"Father! Mother! Luktan's back~"
The elderly couple in traditional Chinese attire turned toward the gold shop and saw their child walking in, holding the hand of a small boy with a cute mushroom-cut hairstyle. A familiar smile spread across their faces as they greeted them.
"Oh? Luktan, why didn't you tell us you were coming? And… whose child is this?"
The mother hurried over, wrapping her arms around her precious child in a warm embrace, speaking lovingly while also inspecting the little boy's face. Even though she pretended to be slightly annoyed that her child hadn't informed them, the bond of family ran too deep to stay angry for long.
The woman, wearing a refined bun in a qipao befitting a wealthy neighborhood, kissed her son on both cheeks before cupping the small boy's face affectionately.
"Are these your father and mother?" Teng whispered softly to the homeroom teacher.
"Oh, yes, I forgot to introduce them. These are my parent they're Thai of Chinese descent."
"Oh? Then why does their child live so modestly if the parents own this gold shop?"
"Not living modestly at all! I just want to earn my own money it's not strange. Only you and your father overthink everything, aren't you?"
The small teacher bent down, whispering to the six-year-old boy who was staring at the gold shop with sparkling eyes.
"Do you think you're the heroine of a soap opera, running off to find true love in the countryside? Ridiculous!"
The mushroom-headed boy tilted his head, teasing the gold shop heir without fully understanding the situation. Rich as can be, yet pretending to be poor so natural these adults are scary! (Teng's thought)
"This is Mother, Teng. My top student, my favorite, my most cherished pupil. My parents are busy, so I offered to take care of him during the school break. I hope you don't mind having him stay at your house for a while. He may look serious, but he's a sweet, well-behaved child. I promise you'll love him as much as I do. Think of it as me giving you a grandchild to take care of."
The little teacher spoke rapidly, leaving no room for the parents to respond. After hugging them both, the child led the way quickly up to the second floor.
"Don't worry I'll take you on a full tour of Yaowarat!"
Word spread quickly about the gold shop owner's son, now working as a kindergarten teacher in another province, who had brought back his partner's child to Yaowarat.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew Luktan was a sweet, gentle man who had never had a girlfriend before. Seeing the little teacher care for the boy as if he were his own son made many believe the story was true.
Luktan didn't care who was watching and didn't deny when people commented that father and son looked alike. Some even asked how a teacher so youthful in appearance could have a child already. Just judging from appearances alone, it all seemed amusing.
The pair walked hand in hand throughout Yaowarat, sometimes accompanied by Luktan's parents, who seemed especially fond of Teng. The boy's intelligence, quick wit, and endearing behavior with adults won over the grandparents completely, as if he were their own grandchild.
The little boy, unaccustomed to such affection, grew to love his teacher's family even more. Both of them enjoyed the long school break so thoroughly that an entire week seemed to pass in a blink.
But for some others, who were stuck elsewhere, unable to eat or sleep, it was pure torment thinking that leaving things as they were was no longer an option…