North slid the key into the door leading to the router room, exhaustion weighing on him like a lead blanket. It was well past his usual shift end at 10 P.M., and the shop had already been tidied up. Normally, this was the time when Easter's boyfriend, Hill, would arrive to pick him up—and often,
North would tag along. Hill, ever thoughtful, would take them for a late-
night meal before dropping North off at the dormitory.
To North, Hill's considerate nature was both admirable and a touch
enviable. It was during one of these routine pickups that North had ventured
to ask Hill about Johan, a figure who had become an increasing source of
anxiety for him. Specifically, he wanted advice on convincing Johan to
lower the interest on his debt. But Hill had offered little help.
"Just talk to him," Hill had suggested casually. "But whatever you do, don't
upset him."
That was the crux of the problem. North had received a message from
Johan earlier in the evening—around 9 P.M.—but had been too
apprehensive to read it. Now, the question gnawed at him: If I respond late,
will he be upset?
He voiced his concerns to Easter, who seemed perplexed.
"Why didn't you just take your phone?" Easter asked.
"I couldn't answer while working," North muttered, searching for an excuse.
But Easter, ever the pragmatist, decided to consult Hill directly. A few
moments later, he handed his phone to North, showing a message from Hill.
[HILL]: It's nothing to worry about. If it's me.
The casual confidence in those words unsettled North. He returned the
phone to Easter and finally mustered the courage to open Johan's message.
[JOHAN]: Fine, you don't have to pay interest.
[JOHAN]: But do you agree to do everything I tell you to do?
The words on the screen left North stunned. No interest? His debt, free of
interest? The proposition was tempting, but also riddled with potential
pitfalls. What exactly did Johan mean by "everything"? His mind raced with
doubts. Was this a trap? Some kind of twisted joke?
Instead of replying immediately, North sent a confused sticker—a small act
of deflection—and showed the message to Easter.
"What does he mean by that?" North asked, his brow furrowed.
Easter frowned. "He wants you to do what? Anything? What if it's
something dangerous?"
"That's what I'm worried about," North admitted. "But if it's just something
simple, like being his assistant or... I don't know, running errands, it might
be worth it. I'd save thousands of baht."
"Think about it carefully," Easter cautioned. "What if he asks you to do
something illegal?"
The thought sent a shiver down North's spine. Johan was an enigma, and his
unpredictable nature made anything seem possible. Moments later, Johan
read North's sticker response but didn't reply. Growing anxious, North typed
another message, trying to clarify the terms of the offer.
[NORTH]: What kind of thing do you want me to do?
[JOHAN]: Forget it.
The abrupt dismissal only added to North's confusion. "He told me to forget
it!" North exclaimed, pacing in frustration.
"Maybe he's busy," Easter suggested. But North wasn't convinced. Johan's
cryptic demeanor made it impossible to predict his next move.
Later, when Johan called unexpectedly, North scrambled to answer.
"Krap..." he greeted, attempting to sound composed.
"Too lazy to type," Johan said bluntly, his voice devoid of emotion.
North hesitated before diving into the heart of the matter. "About the
interest," he began cautiously. "You said I wouldn't have to pay if I did
everything you told me. What exactly does that mean?"
"It means what it means," Johan replied coolly. "Do you agree?"
"I... I guess it depends on what you're asking. Nothing illegal, right?" North
asked nervously. "Like killing people or smuggling drugs—that's off the
table."
Johan was silent for a beat, then responded, "Can't handle much, can you?"
North flushed. "I was joking. Of course, I can handle it! Just tell me what
you want."
But Johan's responses were as vague as ever, leaving North feeling as
though he were walking a tightrope over a pit of uncertainty.
"If you don't satisfy me, I'll increase the interest daily," Johan finally said,
his tone sharp.
"What?! That's not fair!" North protested. Frustration bubbled within him as
he stared at his phone.
What kind of deal had he just walked into?
North exhaled softly, letting his voice adopt a gentler tone to counter the
sharpness on the other end of the call. He couldn't blame Johan entirely;
after all, this was a business arrangement of sorts, no matter how lopsided it
felt at times. Still, the terms seemed unfair. North mulled over them in
silence before speaking again.
"So, if one day I do something to upset you, you'll just adjust the interest
rate? How does that even work?"
A pause. Then the response came, curt and unapologetic.
"Five percent per month. Do the math yourself."
North sighed and reached for a pencil and scrap paper on the cluttered desk.
Despite his engineering major, he wasn't exactly a mental math prodigy, and
he hadn't practiced this sort of calculation enough for it to be second nature.
"I'm finding paper," he muttered defensively.
"You're an engineering student, and you can't do simple math in your
head?" Johan's dry remark stung just enough to make North frown.
Why are all my creditors like this? he thought. This man is as cruel as he is
consistent.
North scribbled furiously, the sound of his pencil scratching faintly over the
line. "So, it's more than three hundred baht? That's... a lot. You'd ruin me if I
made you unhappy every single day."
"You've already done it today," Johan said flatly.
North's head sank to the desk. "Can I at least ask for an exception? I was
working earlier."
"What kind of worker leaves their phone in another room?" Johan shot
back.
"It was charging!" North protested.
Johan's response came with an audible scoff. "I bought you that phone, and you can't even keep it with you. Do you know how annoying it is when
someone doesn't reply to messages?"
"Okay, okay! I won't let it happen again." North's voice softened into guilt.
He wasn't entirely sure if it was genuine or if he'd been conditioned by these constant scoldings. Still, he couldn't help but bristle when Johan added,
"And don't use the phone I gave you to talk to anyone else."
"Excuse me? What?"
"You heard me."
"Fine. I understand," North grumbled. This was his life now — chastised
for things that felt trivial but weighed heavily when they added up. Trying
to salvage a shred of dignity, North changed the subject. "Okay, but tell me — what kind of things upset you? It'd be easier if I knew."
"That's your job to figure out," Johan snapped, his tone final.
Resigned, North sighed again. "Right. Thanks for the clarity. I'll hang up now—"
"Don't."
The command was sharp enough to make North's hand freeze mid-motion.
"Uh... okay. Do you need something else?"
"Don't ask questions. Just stay on the line and be quiet."
What kind of companionship is this? North thought bitterly, but he
complied. He sat in silence, the faint sound of Johan typing and shuffling
papers filling the air. The minutes dragged by.
After some time, Johan broke the silence. "Don't fall asleep."
"But I'm exhausted," North admitted, his voice a mix of weariness and
rebellion.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing! I won't sleep," North said hastily. He forced his heavy eyelids to stay open, staring at the glow of his computer screen.
Time crawled. The conversation was peppered with Johan's dismissive
remarks, punctuated by North's reluctant attempts to engage.
"Do you want me to talk?" North asked at one point, desperate to stay
awake. "Usually, people chat to keep each other up—"
"I'm not your ex-girlfriend," Johan interrupted icily.
"No, clearly not," North muttered under his breath.
By the time the clock struck 1:17 A.M., Easter was preparing for bed. North hushed him with a gesture, wary of making any noise that might provoke Johan. He listened to the quiet as Easter turned off the lights, leaving North alone in the room, bathed in the faint blue glow of his screen.
"P'Johan," North called softly.
"What?"
"I'm really sleepy," he confessed.
"Stay awake. That's your problem, not mine."
North slumped in his chair, torn between annoyance and resignation. How did he get himself into this? And why did he care so much about appeasing this man, who seemed to thrive on making his life difficult?
North sighed quietly as he glanced at the time on his phone. It was past 1
A.M., and he was struggling to stay awake, even as he continued his
conversation with Johan. His eyes were heavy, and his body was sore from the long hours he'd been sitting at his desk.
"How much longer are you going to finish your work?" he asked, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "I'm just asking, don't scold me."
"A little more," Johan's response came quickly, as usual, curt and
impersonal.
North wasn't about to let it go. "Do you work like this every day?" He was genuinely curious, though his tone was a bit sharp.
"No, just a few days," Johan answered, his voice barely breaking through the noise of his ongoing work.
North frowned, rubbing his eyes. "Don't you want to rest? I see you've been working on it for hours."
"No," Johan replied simply, without elaboration.
A wave of irritation passed over North. He was tired, and his patience was wearing thin. "P'Joe," he called, knowing that calling him by his nicknamenmight earn him a more relaxed response.
"What?" came the immediate reply.
North hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Please talk to me," he said, his voice softer now. "My eyes are closed."
"I asked you to accompany me, but should I talk to you?" Johan's voice had a dismissive edge, almost as though he found the request absurd.
North stifled a groan, his sleepiness making him more loquacious than
usual. "I can't think of anything to talk about," he said in a lazy, sleepy
drawl. "It's 1 A.M. Everyone should be sleeping, right? The more I work,
the more tired I get. I'm not playing around. I'm not doing anything at all.
Who can handle this?"
"That's your business," Johan replied, as though the topic held no weight. North, already beyond frustration, muttered to himself before speaking
again, "Alright, I'll tell you about me, then." He couldn't help himself. His sleep-deprived mind started rambling. "My real name is Khun Natchanan. I'm a first-year Electrical Engineering student. I'm roommates with Easter, a vet student, who's dating P'Hill, who's also your friend," he added, his words slurring slightly as he fought to keep his focus.
Johan was silent, the lack of response almost louder than his words.
"I'm a simple person," North continued, barely able to keep his eyes open now. "Not too serious, cheerful, intelligent, but respectful toward adults. I show enough respect to others and I'm a good man," he added, with a tired
laugh. "At least that's what my teacher wrote in the liaison letter to the parents."
"You talk nonsense when you're sleepy," Johan remarked, his tone flat.
"Just a little," North muttered, grinning to himself. "Oh, by the way, I
wash your clothes. When would be a good time to return it?" He was
half-dazed, but still trying to keep up some semblance of normal
conversation.
"I don't want it," Johan's answer was blunt, unaffected.
"Oh, but I washed it and it smells nice," North replied, more out of habit
than actual interest.
"I don't want it," Johan repeated, with no change in his tone.
"May I ask why?" North asked, feeling a bit confused.
"No," Johan's response was quick and final. North couldn't understand. After all, it wasn't like he was offering him a worn-out rag. "Okay, if you don't want it, you don't want it," he murmured, unable to shake his mild bewilderment.
The conversation lulled, and North tried to hold onto his sanity as the
minutes ticked by.
1:30 A.M.
"Yes, sir. I haven't slept yet. You can't break me that easily," North said,
trying to keep his voice light, but failing to suppress the exhaustion
creeping into his tone.
"Huh?" Johan's short response came through the line.
"Well, you thought I was going to sleep, right?" North laughed quietly, even though his eyelids were practically glued shut. "I haven't. You can't fine me that easily."
"Good," Johan replied, though his voice held no real emotion.
"So, how's the work going?" North asked, unable to suppress his curiosity despite his overwhelming fatigue.
"A little more," came Johan's reply, accompanied by the sound of clacking keys in the background.
"Do you work like this every day?" North asked again, already knowing the answer but unable to stop himself.
"No. Just a few days," Johan answered, not missing a beat.
"Don't you want to rest? I see you've been working on it for several hours,"
North asked, voice thick with weariness.
"No," was all Johan said.
North felt his irritation rise again. "P'Joe," he muttered, "Please talk to me.
My eyes are closed."
"What do you want me to talk about?" Johan's voice seemed almost exasperated, though North couldn't tell if it was from annoyance or simple boredom.
A voice in his head told him not to disturb, but North couldn't resist. He
continued, "Is there something you want to ask?"
He could almost sense the quiet annoyance. Good, North thought.
"So why should I meet you if you don't want me to talk? You don't need to complain because of me. Wouldn't it be better if you called someone you like? It'd be nice to have your girlfriend around, don't you think? Aren't there plenty of girls lining up for your attention?"
There was a pause. North wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one.
"None."
"How?" North pressed, intrigued.
"I've never called someone to keep company," came the reply, a hint of
coldness in the tone.
"Oh, why?" North raised an eyebrow, even though his eyes were half-lidded from the exhaustion weighing on him.
"Like you said, they'll keep calling. It's annoying."
North chuckled, trying to hide the growing irritation. "Oh, so why are you giving me your phone number then? Wait, are you asking me to keep making calls like this?"
The voice sighed heavily. "Um."
"Well, in that case," North drawled, "You can either turn off the phone or
switch on Do Not Disturb mode."
"I need to handle something urgent," came the response.
"Oh, so you're using me as a repellent for your phone calls?" North's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Um."
"Great. I'm just unlucky tonight. Is it going to be much longer?" North
grumbled.
"A little more."
"Alright," North muttered, slumping further in his chair.
"Are you in bed?" the voice asked, sounding oddly concerned.
"No, I'm sitting at the table. My eyes hurt, so I'll turn off the light."
"Why aren't you in bed?"
"If I go to bed, I'll fall asleep. It's late enough as it is. At least if I stay at the
study table, I can fight the temptation to sleep."
There was a brief silence, before the voice responded with a simple,
"Good."
"Oh, wait," North continued, a smirk on his face despite the exhaustion, "If I use your number now, your women might terrorize me if they find out. If they beat me up, you're taking responsibility."
The response on the other end was just silence.
"Still there?" North prodded. "Did you secretly fall asleep?"
"I'm here," came the response.
"You didn't answer my question."
"What did you say?"
North sighed, rubbing his temple. "I said, what if one of your women finds
out and slaps me?"
"Then you'd have to fight back."
"I can't hurt a woman," North protested.
"Then be quiet."
"Ugh, it'll hurt too much. I'll get bullied," he muttered, his frown deepening at the thought. "Is she going to bring a roommate to slap me like in the
drama?"
"That's absurd."
"I'm telling you, if that happens, I'll claim compensation from you. Deduct it from my debt," North joked, half-serious.
"Okay."
"Great. Tomorrow, I'll announce that I'm the one who called you. If they
threaten me, I'll come for compensation."
The voice on the other end seemed to grow more serious. "You!"
North laughed.
"My friend opened a psychiatric clinic. Can you contact him?"
"What?" North's voice sounded skeptical. "Who would do that?"
"You?"
"I'm not crazy. But hey, what do you think about studying medicine?" North continued, finding himself surprisingly talkative despite his exhaustion.
"I told you to be quiet."
"Oh come on, just a little chat. I'm really sleepy. Who wants to be a caffeine addict like you?" North teased.
"How did you know?"
"Just a guess... doctors usually love coffee. The more you work, the less
sleepy you feel. I'm betting you're into Americano."
"Smart."
"Praising me isn't enough," North said, his voice light. "Maybe I need to
practice making coffee."
"If it's good, I'll try it," the voice replied.
"That's what I thought," North chuckled. "Please, if you would, reduce my debt."
"Praise is enough."
"Why? Isn't there any other value?" North asked, curious.
"Many."
"Well, thanks for not rejecting it," North muttered, smiling faintly despite his tiredness.
At first, he thought about commenting on the voice's consideration, but the
realization that praise seemed to be enough made him rethink.
"Then make me some Pravain coffee," Johan added.
"Oh, well," North said with a groan, "I'm still learning. I'm planning to do
an internship at a coffee shop."
"With Ter?"
"No, not inviting him. I'm going alone. Otherwise, I'll have to deal with
P'Hill, and that's a huge headache."
"Um, then why bother?"
"I need to make money. I've got a lot of debt. I want to take on two or three
more jobs if possible."
The voice responded casually, "I didn't charge interest and didn't ask for quick repayment. Don't rush."
Johan's voice was annoyingly casual. He doesn't know what it's like to have hundreds of thousands in debt, North thought bitterly. Who would feel good
about that?
"I was born on a lucky day, so maybe I'll take a flower from the field,"
North muttered to himself.
The voice asked, "Where would you do that?"
"There's a shop nearby called Mary Mee."
There was silence on the other end, the only sound the faint scribble of pen on paper as Johan resumed working. North scrolled through his Facebook
feed absentmindedly, realizing just how much he needed sleep.
"I'm so sleepy..." he mumbled, eyelids growing heavy. "Can't take it
anymore..."
2:40 A.M.
[END OF CALL: 3 HOURS, 20 MINUTES]
[JOHAN]: I told you not to sleep.
[JOHAN]: Get up and lie down on the bed.
3:15 A.M.
[JOHAN]: Don't look for a part-time job again, okay?
[JOHAN]: [Message deleted]