Chapter 1 The Troublemaker
The scorching afternoon sun blazed outside, but inside the luxury mall in Silom, the air was crisp and chilled. The scent of expensive perfume wafted through the air, yet the sophisticated atmosphere didn't suit Gun and his group of friends in their short pants school uniforms at all.
The handsome, mischievous looking teen sat hunched over, his long fingers tapping furiously on his phone screen. The chaotic sound effects from the game mixed with the curses and laughter of his two friends. The three were so immersed in their virtual world that they completely forgot they were supposed to be sitting in a cramped, air-conditioned classroom at school.
"Left, left! Gank him, guys! Get him!" Gun barked orders, caught up in the heat of the moment, utterly unaware of the towering shadow looming behind him.
"Why aren't you boys in class?"
The deep, authoritative voice came out of nowhere. All three jumped, nearly dropping their phones. As they turned to meet the accusing glare behind the spectacles of the student warden, their survival instincts kicked in instantly.
"Oh, shit... it's the warden! RUN!" Gun yelled, springing up like he was on coils. Faster than his thoughts, he bolted, leaving his belongings behind. His feet hammered against the floor as he fled the voice chasing closely after him.
"Stop right there! Students!"
"Only an idiot would stop, Sir! In your dreams!" Gun shouted back, laughing like a man with nothing to lose. He swerved through the crowd of shoppers, deciding to duck into a side corridor to lose his pursuer, his eyes still darting back to check the distance.
However... because he was looking backward, he didn't see that the path ahead wasn't empty.
THUD!!!
"Ow!"
The impact was heavy, like running into a living wall. Gun's lanky frame lost its balance, and he hit the floor hard, his head spinning. But the person he hit didn't fare much better, stumbling back into the arms of two burly men in dark suits who were standing guard.
"Sia! Sia, are you alright?!" One of them rushed to support the man a broad-shouldered, calm-looking figure with an air of quiet intensity.
"I'm fine..." The voice was steady but laced with a sharpness that made the hair on Gun's neck stand up. The man stood up with effortless grace, his large hand brushing dust off his fine, now wrinkled shirt.
Gun, regaining his senses, scrambled to his feet.
"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to! Are you hurt anywhere, Uncle... I mean, P'?" The boy instinctively reached out to check on him, his playful and clingy nature taking over, but his wrist was caught by the firm grip of the man's bodyguard before he could touch him. The tiger-like glare from the guard made Gun quickly pull his hand back.
"Next time... look where you're going. Stop playing around."
The large man in front of him spoke coldly. His sharp features, which looked younger than his actual age but carried an aura of intimidating maturity, stared down at the boy with unreadable eyes. He didn't like kids. He didn't like chaos. And he especially didn't like being touched without permission.
"Yes, yes. I'm really sorry, P'," Gun said, bowing repeatedly while feigning deep regret. But his disobedient eyes couldn't help but take a quick, curious sweep of the man before him.
The man simply gave a slight, dismissive nod and walked away with his entourage, leaving Gun standing alone in the middle of the hall.
The teen watched that broad back until it disappeared, taking a deep breath. A clean, premium scent mixed with a masculine musk still lingered at the tip of his nose, making his heart flutter strangely.
'Who the hell is that... his chest was soft, and he smelled so good. Scarier than a tiger but cool as hell.' Gun scratched his head, his playful eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
After narrowly escaping the warden, Gun took the bus back to his luxury suburban home. As soon as he stepped into the spacious house, the heavy atmosphere made him freeze.
"So, you're finally back, you little brat..." His father's deep voice echoed from the living room, as if he'd been waiting all day to check him in.
"Mom... Gun's home!" Gun ignored his father and lunged toward his mother on the sofa, putting on his best "good boy" act to survive the storm.
"Don't you try that sweet-talking with me. What trouble did you cause today? Out with it," his mother said, trying to sound stern despite her kind nature.
"I didn't do anything! Mom, you have to believe me!" The boy blinked innocently, playing the victim.
"Didn't do anything?! Then why did your teacher call the house to report that you skipped class to hang out at the mall?!" This time, his father exploded, making Gun jump.
"Mom..." Gun quickly buried himself in his mother's side, hugging her waist tightly his go-to move whenever he wanted to be coddled.
"When will you stop causing problems, Gun? Fighting, skipping class... do you think you'll ever graduate Grade 12? Or do you want to start over next year?!" His father continued his lecture, exhausted by his son's behavior.
"I'll graduate, Dad... I just went to de-stress," Gun mumbled, looking up at his father.
"I've had enough of this behavior, Gun!" his father declared, staring at his only son who was becoming harder to control by the day.
"Dear... please, be calm with him first," his mother intervened, hoping to cool the heated air.
"Don't you back him up! Look at this nothing but trouble. His grades are tanking, he's always in the detention room. If I don't send him away to be disciplined, he'll never grow up!"
"I'm not going! Whatever it is, I'm staying here!" Gun blurted out as soon as he heard the word "sent away."
"I'm sending you to Suphan Buri to stay with your uncle for a while!"
"No! I'll stay here with Mom! I don't want to go to the countryside!" Gun protested immediately. To him, Suphan Buri was a place devoid of all civilization.
"You're going!"
"I'm not! I really don't want to go!" Gun argued with all his might. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere would be the death of him.
"Whether you want to or not doesn't matter. The moment school breaks in two days, I'm driving you there myself!" His father finished the conversation and stormed out of the house in a rage, leaving mother and son alone.
"Mom... I really, really don't want to go," the boy looked up, his playful eyes now clouded with genuine worry.
"Don't be stubborn, Gun... just do as your father says. Right now, if you push him any further, he might change his mind and send you to an international boarding school. That would be much worse, wouldn't it?" His mother stroked his hair gently.
"International school sounds better... I don't want to go back to Suphan."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to help Uncle Wan sell pork in the market... It's hot, it smells, and it's full of old grandpas," Gun grumbled, pouting as he imagined himself sweating in a fresh market.
"Come on... bear with it for a bit. If you finish your studies, get good grades, and don't misbehave with your uncle, I promise I'll talk to your father about bringing you home early. Okay?"
"Okay..." Gun answered weakly, realizing there was no escape this time. He walked upstairs to his bedroom, slumped, and collapsed onto his wide bed. His mind drifted back to the man he bumped into at the mall today...
'If I have to meet nothing but old people at
that Suphan market... I hope I meet a cool old guy like that "Uncle." That wouldn't be so bad.'