Shubi had only just arrived, and emotions had reached their final threshold.
Wee ..... who had lost something in every chapter of her life ... now stood in silence once again.
First Yim, then herself… then her sister, her brother, and now ... a dear friend.
Her eyes were fixed at one point, her mind drifting away into the haze of memory.
In that memory, she was sitting beside her grandmother outside the shop, the wind softly brushing her face.
White clothes fluttered gently on the line, and the fragrance of spring flowers filled the air.
Beside her sat Talotkan, gazing at the sky. Suddenly, she asked, with the innocence and honesty only a child could hold,
"Grandma… if someone wishes to stay close to a person forever… what should they do?"
Her grandmother, upon hearing that pure question, smiled warmly ..... a laughter so deep it filled the air like sunlight spilling through clouds.
Talotkan pouted, "Grandma… don't laugh, just tell me!"
Her grandmother took a slow breath and said ....
"To stay close to someone forever, child, one must give something in return.
This whole world is a beautiful play of energy.
The things we believe we choose .... in truth, they are the ones that have chosen us.
Long ago, when people wanted to remain bound to someone eternally,
they would give a gift .... a token their soul had chosen.
That gift connected their energy to the other person's…
and from then on, they could never truly be apart.
There are certain objects that we can never discard,
because they carry the intertwined energy of two souls."
Then she leaned closer, her eyes glinting with wisdom.
"Talo… if you ever wish to keep someone by your side,
give them something that will bind both your souls ..... forever."
The depth of her words left Talotkan in awe.
After a moment, she whispered again,
"But Grandma… how does the soul tell us what to give?"
Her grandmother rose without replying. She stepped toward the small patch of grass, plucked a white dandelion, and returned.
Placing it gently in Talotkan's hands, she said ....
"The thing you feel drawn to the most…
the thing your heart reaches for without reason ....
that is the voice of your soul, Talo."
And with that, she stood and went inside.
A gust of wind blew .... the dandelion scattered, its white seeds swirling like tiny stars in the air.
Talotkan watched, smiling in wonder, her gaze drifting to the spot where the flower had been plucked.
She realized then .... the place from which Grandma had taken the flower had no wind.
Its seeds could never have scattered on their own.
Maybe that's why Grandma plucked it…
or maybe… the flower had chosen her.
As another breeze passed, Wee's consciousness returned to the present.
A faint smile crossed her face, despite the heaviness around her.
And then .... there was a knock at the door.
Two figures stood there ... Kai and Teanguan.
Shubi turned, his eyes widening as he shouted ....
"Brother Lu!"
The name burst through the room like the first crack in a dam ..... emotions flooding every face.
Yen and Wee's father rushed to the door, disbelief in their eyes.
There stood Lu ... returned after so many years.
Tears welled up; even stones would have wept to witness it.
He knew everything now, but in the middle of grief, there was peace .....
for after years of darkness, he had found his family again.
But two souls still carried the weight of loss.
When Wee's gaze met Kai's, her chest grew tight; her breath faltered.
While everyone rejoiced around Lu, Kai quietly stepped forward.
Wee rose to meet her ..... and then she saw it:
the Thi Nai Sak Haeng Longloi pendant dangling from Kai's neck.
A true, radiant smile bloomed on Wee's face.
Without a word, she pulled Kai into her arms and whispered .....
"My trick worked… I found a way to keep you with me."
The room that had been drowned in grief suddenly came alive again ..
.
laughter and life filled the air.
Teanguan, too, smiled through tears as he embraced his family.
Everyone watched Kai and Wee ...
two souls whose bond needed no explanation.
Even Yen, Shubi, Lu, and their father felt no hesitation;
the light had returned to their home.
But peace is never without its shadow.
Outside, the sound of boots echoed.
Kraithong ... Kai's father .... had arrived, flanked by thirty men.
He had learned of Kai's betrayal ....
the rumor from the Institute, the destroyed lab, the missing poisonous herb.
As he entered, the air turned to ice.
Teanguan instantly raised his weapon, and Kai did the same.
She ordered Wee and the others to move back, her voice calm but burning.
Teanguan aimed straight at Kraithong.
Kai had told him everything ....
that her next target… was her father.
Kraithong stood still, his soldiers surrounding them.
But Kai .... fierce and relentless ... struck first.
One by one, his men fell; Teanguan finished the rest with bone-crushing precision.
The house echoed with the sound of rage, of justice, of freedom.
At last, Kai faced him .... her father.
His voice dripped venom.
"I knew you would betray me.
Trusting you was like trusting a serpent.
You've made the biggest mistake of your life, and you'll pay for it."
But Kai didn't flinch. Her fury blazed brighter than ever.
"Save your threats for someone else!
You talk about betrayal and shame .....
when it was YOU who murdered my mother!
I heard everything that night.
And since then, I've dreamed of this moment.
Did you really think I went after that poisonous herb for you?
No ....
I went to find it to kill YOU!
Fate saved you once, but not tonight."
Kraithong froze .... disbelief spreading across his face.
Before he could pull the trigger, a clay pot shattered on his head ....
thrown by Lamai.
Soil and roots scattered across the floor as Kraithong collapsed.
Wee had already called the police quietly.
They arrived moments later and took the broken man away ....
the once-feared General, now defeated by his own daughter's truth.
As he was led away, Kai shouted after him ....
"From this day on, you are no father to me…
and I am no daughter to you."
Days passed. Slowly, life began to heal.
Though Yen had sinned, Lamai and Mian were innocent ....
something Kai made Wee understand.
The café reopened, laughter returned,
and the scent of jasmine once again filled the air.
Wee and Lamai bickered playfully as before,
while Kai planned to open her own plant nursery ....
a peaceful home for new beginnings.
That night, Kai sat in Wee's room, scrolling through her phone,
searching for land for her nursery.
Wee slipped quietly behind her, wrapping her arms around Kai.
Kai didn't need to look ..... she knew that fragrance, that warmth.
Wee whispered softly,
"I really love the name Yim...
I'll call you that ..... but only when we're alone."
Kai smiled, gently pulling her closer,
showing her, without words, how deeply she had been missed.
Their lips met .... softly, like raindrops on a leaf.
Their breaths intertwined, hearts melting together,
souls merging like.....
Scent in the wind,
Color in the rain.
No one else existed.
No past, no pain ....
just the two of them, wrapped in quiet eternity.
The End