The warm breeze drifted through the air as the morning sun slowly warmed the sky.
In Bua and Nene's dorm room—
The scent of perfume clung to Bua from head to toe.
After checking her outfit and smoothing her college uniform, she carefully looked at herself one last time before heading out.
"Nene... Nene..."
"Mmh..."
Nene stretched her arms as if she were already awake. In reality, Bua had called her several times, but she was still lying in bed.
Nene was a night owl.
"How many times have I called you, Nene? That's your fourth stretch. I'm leaving."
"It's still early..."
"Not that early. I'll come to the Music Department. After that, we can go shopping. You can stay there."
"But Bua, you don't know the campus that well."
Nene narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Don't tell me you're... coming to see her..."
"No, Nene. That's enough. I'm leaving. I have some documents to submit."
"Bye... Love you na..."
"Love you too..."
The door slammed shut as Bua left the room.
Her perfume still lingered in the air. She slipped a hand into her bag and pulled out a camera.
"Can I really see her?"
"P'May..." The name echoed in her heart.
She let out a sigh.
"This time, I'll confess."
Bua cheered herself on, though her confidence was at rock bottom, and headed toward the campus.
***
In the parking lot of Mok's dormitory, he remained inside his car.
More than thirty minutes had already passed.
Mok rested his forehead against the steering wheel, staring at the floor of the vehicle.
His thoughts were in complete disarray. He didn't know what to do or how to act.
Mok didn't regret what he had done.
Eventually, gathering all his courage, he opened the door and stepped out.
He wanted to run as fast as possible, but he couldn't.
Instead, he dragged himself forward, uneasiness weighing heavily on him.
He didn't even greet the security guard like he usually did.
He passed the Dorm Auntie without stopping, despite her calling his name several times.
His feet carried him straight toward the elevator.
Mok boarded the elevator but forgot to press the button. He simply remained there.
His thoughts wouldn't settle.
Mok brushed his fingers against his lips.
"My first kiss... My first..."
He shook his head.
"I wish I could stop thinking about it."
The elevator doors slid open.
Mok exited, following his usual route to his room.
But something felt wrong.
He couldn't find his room.
"Where is it?"
Right then, someone burst from a nearby room with a trash bag.
The man paused and watched Mok wander around the hallway.
"Is he drunk or something?"
"That jerk. I told him we should grab a drink. But no, he had to play his stupid game. I'm going to sell that scrap one day. Just wait."
The man grumbled under his breath about his roommate while clutching the trash bag.
"Even a drunk person wouldn't act like this."
Curious, he headed over to Mok.
A hand landed on Mok's shoulder.
For a brief moment, both of them thought the other looked strange.
Mok gave him a quick once-over.
His clothes were wrinkled, and it didn't seem like he had even brushed his hair. One look at the overflowing trash bag was enough to tell that he survived on takeout food and barely left his room.
"Are you drunk?" the man asked.
Mok tilted his head and shook it.
The man frowned.
"Then why are you standing on the first floor?"
"What? The first floor."
"I'm on the first floor..."
Mok repeated the words to himself. Only then did he realize what had happened.
"I don't think he's drunk. Maybe it's something stronger. I'd better leave before he starts talking to me," the man mumbled.
Before Mok could thank him, he quietly slipped away.
Mok glanced around.
Gone.
"Where did he go? Forget it."
Blaming the elevator for his own mistake, Mok returned and finally pressed the correct button.
A few minutes later, he arrived in front of his room.
Unfortunately, Kao wasn't his only problem.
Another challenge was waiting inside.
Mok stood frozen outside the door, wondering whether he should go in.
Before unlocking it, he took out a pair of glasses from his bag and put them on. After tidying his hair one last time, he slung the bag over his shoulder again.
The keys trembled in his hand as he unlocked the door.
Someone was already inside.
Toffee stood there with his arms crossed.
One look was enough for Mok to know exactly what that expression meant.
Ignoring him, Mok headed toward the bed to drop off his bag.
"Look who's here."
"MOK!"
Toffee's voice shot up several pitches.
Startled, Mok nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Why didn't you answer my calls?"
Toffee's gaze swept over him from head to toe.
"You look suspicious."
He pointed at Mok one thing at a time.
"Your hair is messy. Your glasses aren't sitting properly. Your shirt is wrinkled. Your lips look a little swollen. And the worst part? You're sweating way too much."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'll give you one more chance. Where did you go that kept you so busy you couldn't even reply to me? And who did you get into a fight with?"
Mok kept a blank face as panic exploded inside his head.
He had hidden most of the evidence beneath his clothes, but he had completely forgotten about his lips.
Toffee stepped closer.
"Don't even think about lying to me."
"Tell me right now."
Silence filled the room.
Not a single word came out of Mok.
With a sigh, Toffee closed the distance again.
Then he started sniffing around like a puppy, circling Mok as if trying to catch every scent.
"You smell different."
Toffee leaned in and lightly nudged Mok.
Avoiding Toffee's eyes, Mok ignored him and strode over to the shelf for a bath towel.
"Dad came yesterday, so we stayed at the villa."
The words came out quickly. Regarding his lip, he added, "I slipped and hurt myself."
"No more questions, Toffee. Drop it, please," he wished desperately.
It wasn't because he couldn't think of an excuse, but because he could barely lie to Toffee or his family. Ultimately, he always told the truth.
"You cheater... Why didn't you call me? You went off and enjoyed yourself."
Seeing Toffee sulking, Mok felt a little guilty for lying.
"I'll take a shower and come back."
Mok reluctantly walked toward the bathroom.
Clank!
The bathroom door swung shut behind him as he dropped his forehead against it.
"Toffee..." Mok whispered.
"I'm sorry. We'll go together next time."
No answer.
Toffee came closer to the door.
"You promised. I'm letting you go this time because it's your first."
Mok didn't respond. He only gave a small, tired smile.
He still felt sorry. Both of them had their own secrets, yet it always felt heavy because they usually shared everything.
Mok stood quietly in front of the mirror.
Lowering his head slightly, he checked again what Toffee had noticed earlier.
"Do I really smell like him… because we slept together?"
It wasn't Kao's perfume, but his natural body scent.
Just thinking about it filled his mind with images he didn't want.
Trying to clear his mind, he turned on the tap, rinsed his toothbrush, and froze.
After brushing for a long time, he took off his clothes and looked in the mirror again.
Mok stiffened.
"My perfect body… why is it…"
His voice trailed off.
Teeth marks covered his skin.
Earlier, seeing the marks on Kao had made him feel slightly guilty. Now, seeing his own condition, he felt completely betrayed.
Worse, he was annoyed that he had felt sorry for the wrong person.
"You jerk, Kaopun..."
Without making a sound, Mok screamed inside and clenched his fists.
Then another realization hit him.
He was still wearing the college shirt Kao had picked out for him yesterday.
"No wonder Kao's scent felt stronger."
Without a second thought, he drew the clothes closer, breathing in the familiar scent.
"His scent felt so comforting, like something I could never grow tired of, even if I smelled it for years."
As soon as reality hit him, he threw the shirt down.
"Why am I acting like this?"
He thumped his hand against the mirror.
"I'm Mok. I'm strong. I won't fall for petty tricks."
His gaze dropped.
Then he went rigid once more.
Before he could continue his thoughts, a loud bang interrupted him.
Toffee banged his hand against the bathroom door.
"Mok! Be quick!"
Mok glanced downward for a moment, then quickly looked away, forcing his voice steady.
"I'll be right out, Toffee."
He dragged himself to the shower and turned it on. Above everything else, he was rock hard as the water poured over his body.
Staring down, Mok knew he needed to handle his problem before heading out.
His fingers wrapped tightly around his length, his pace quickening to match the rushing water.
He pinned his other hand against the wall, his strokes accelerating at the sudden memory of last night.
"Kao..." his soft voice escaped as his hand moved faster.
Once he released, he gazed down at his wet palms.
"Great. I can't even defend myself after doing something like this."
"I'm turning into a total pervert. I can't believe I actually came just from thinking about Kao."
"Oh no... I think I am getting hard again..."
"You, Kaopun... I won't forget this."