Chapter 56: Pharmacamp 1

As the title explains, this is where this story takes a detour.  Pharmacamp is an event from the original LS novel that was duly imported into the series.  Since only the beginning portion of the event from the original novel was translated into English, it is difficult to get the flavor of P’Hed’s original intent, which makes gauging the series version all the more difficult.  All I can personally say is that, I found the treatment of this event by series rather awkward and clumsy, so my approach to interpreting the appearance of Pharmacamp in this story is as follows.  Pete is in crisis following a pretty ugly reaction by his parents to coming out as bis*xual and he’s shared this with Earn.  This means that they are both entering the Pharmacamp experience with underlying emotional distress.  My focus is on the influence exerted this distress and its impact on how they navigate the Pharmacamp experience; more specifically, how they emerge from Pharamcamp both as individuals and as a couple returning to the life they were living before this detour.

The chapter opens with Earn’s jovial father, dropping the boys off at the train station, and giving them some fatherly advice on how to conduct themselves, while Pete recounts the events of the past few days.  Since the soccer game with Oil, the pair has spent that past few days relaxing.  It turns out that Por was actually on time the next morning and they enrolled in summer classes, after which they grabbed a snack at a restaurant nearby school and Pete told Por about the night he came out to his parents.  The retelling brings forth a slew of mixed emotions and, while Earn is again supportive, Por is at a loss of words.  He appreciates being kept in the loop, though, and offers any support he reasonably can.  Pete knows it would make everyone’s lives easier if he was straight but he’s not society’s view of what’s normal.  He loves Earn and cannot envision loving anyone else.  They decide that after they return from Pharmacamp, Pete should assess the situation with his parents anew and go forward from there.  The one thing he takes note of is a recurring spike of jealousy whenever he catches people staring at Earn when they are out in public.  He admits that he’s not always the most observant, but it has been bugging him.  Still, he keeps burying the feeling along with all the others he’s trying to keep a lid on and vows once again to keep his inner turmoil in check for Earn’s sake.

The underlying tensions in their lives don’t waste time in generating offspring.  The girls that welcome Earn and Pete to the camp, at the check-in table, begin flirting with Pete and his natural politeness doesn’t help the situation.  Earn ends up draping an arm over Pete’s shoulder while showering him with a smile but Pete isn’t sure if he’s doing it in approval of his display of charm to future upperclassmen or as act of staking out his claim.  Seconds later, a large flamboyant guy starts hitting on Earn in a suggestive manner but Earn seems uncomfortable about it and massages Pete’s shoulder.  The guy is pretty blatant about it to the point of being cautioned by one of the girls at the table but Pete is angered by the guy’s actions and insinuations and asks who he is in an irritated manner.  Addressing Pete as Nong in a snide tone, the guy introduces himself as Laura, one of the head organizers of the trip.  After advising Pete to remember his beautiful face, Pete is about to make a snarky reply when Earn cuts him off while thanking P’Laura for the introduction then hustles Pete off to a safe distance.  Pete hears the girls call their farewells to him while P’Laura calls after Earn.  Earn asks Pete what the heck that was about in a serious tone but Pete plays aloof.  Earn reminds him that they could be his future upperclassmen and could give him a hard time when he gets into university.  Pete downplays that it was just banter, adding that the guy was being too friendly.  Earn tries to reassure his Penguin by pointing out the girls flirted with him, and while it made him feel uncomfortable, he wouldn’t talk to them rudely.  Pete tries to reassure his Panda that he would never do anything with the girls but Earn presses that his parents would want him to.  Pete is kind of lost on his comment, so Earn explains in a pout that his parent want him to be straight, before adding that he is after all bis*xual and could start liking girls.  Pete calls him an idiot and hits Earn’s head while assuring him he wouldn’t do that because he loves him.  Earn is touched and with a childish grin tells Pete that he loves him too.

They look around the train station and see others have arrived and are wearing colored nametags as well and wonder aloud what the colors mean.  Earn reasons they could stand for teams or groups and Pete immediately observes that they have different colored nametags.  Earn says he hopes they won’t be separated and is immediately tapped on the shoulder by a young girl with a group of friends and they too sport colored nametags.  The boys quickly learn the girls know their names and that they attend Friday College.  The girls state how lucky they are to see both of them and then close in.  Pete asks how so, and they explain they saw them perform at Huamark Stadium and the Year End Concert.  As understanding settles on them, the boys step back slowly just as the girls gush at all the fanservice they provide and how much they love it.  One calls out asking if they are single or have girlfriends and another cuts her off asking if they are really lovers.  With their pledge to be up front about their status as a couple in mind, Pete begins to answer but, Earn speaks over him stating that, ‘We’ll let you ladies decide.’  This gets a shriek and a desire to take pictures with them and with that, Pete declares their morning as officially becoming strange as they stand in a circle of young women posing for pictures.  The girls are apparently fans of the group on Facebook the Angels had shown them and after spotting them, decided to speak up.  Once they depart, Pete and Earn find a bench to relax for a second.  As Pete sits with Earn’s arm on the back of the bench and his shoulders, Earn declares how much fun the encounter with the girls was.  Pete replies that he hates the attention but Earn declares that when he gives Pete attention he loves it as they face each other with noses nearly touching. 

Despite being affectionate in the moment, something from earlier is bugging Pete.  With brows furrowed, he asks Earn why he didn’t tell the group of girls that they are together.  Earn replies jokingly, but Pete is bothered by the sense that Earn doesn’t want to acknowledge him as his boyfriend.  Pressed, Earn reminds Pete that his parents didn’t want him to publically spread his preference around but Pete states that was the point of announcing their status as a proud couple.  Struggling to be delicate, Earn replies that his mom and dad have legitimate concerns about it influencing his father’s job.  Pete’s response is blunt, fueled by anger over his parents indirectly messing with a love he knows is true.  Earn tries to be soothing, suggesting that they take a more low-key approach with strangers until Pete mends his relationship with them.  Pete agrees in a resigned manner but Earn announces that he immediately regrets the plan, noting he was looking forward to some wild adventures on the camping trip.  While Pete blushes, Earn explains that camping with him in the forest alone, taking shared showers and sharing a room…  Pete’s quick smack to his chest ends the fantasy talk while Earn rubs the spot of impact.  It still sails for a few more back and forth remarks but soon Pete is asking Earn what they’re going to do in the time remaining before they leave.  They kick this around until Pete suggests playing a game.  This sets them off on the dubious path of attempting to master their inner jealousy by playing a flirting game wherein they walk around the station together and try to get as many names and numbers as they can, then split up the last 30 minutes and go solo.  A girl’s number is worth 1 point, a boy’s is worth 3 points as they can be a discreet gay or bi and how difficult it can be. 

They pal around together, competing for points, and Pete watches and observes Earn’s style and method of flirting.  When they move onto the 30 minute solo session, things get serious.  Pete first reasons that getting a couple of guys numbers would assure his victory but soon thinks of 2 points he could easily capture.  He heads to the check-in table and sweet talks the phone numbers of the two girls that checked him in earlier.  The girls agree to his request but Pete hears the annoying voice of P’Laura ringing out behind him, asking if he wants his number as well.  Pete is puzzled, so P’Laura explains that Pete’s hunky friend had been over earlier and asked for the beautiful maiden’s number.  In response, Pete just asks, ‘What beautiful maiden?’  P’Laura quickly makes it known that a delicate boy could never handle all of him but only a man with muscles.  Again, Pete jabs at his weight, commenting that he wouldn’t want to carry that baggage around but the insult goes ignored as P’Laura vows to wait for Earn’s call and to win him over.  Pete’s fists tighten at the suggestion however, he’s interrupted by the seated girls offering the paper containing their numbers, so he thanks them and gives a thumbs up before heading off to agreed meeting spot to wait for Earn.  He tells himself that he shouldn’t be angry that Earn took the guys number yet he admits that he is.  He’s not sure if it’s because Earn knows Pete dislikes the guy or that the guy thinks he can steal Earn away, but he’s pissed.  He still has time to get more numbers but his mood is off the game.  While entering Praew’s and Best’s numbers into his phone, Earn slumps down next to him.

Earn greets Pete warmly but Pete’s short and direct answer signals to him that something is bothering Pete so he inquires.  Pete dismisses Earn’s inquiry, explaining that Earn will just become concerned and he’ll end up more upset.  Earn persists though and Pete finally comes out with his anger over Earn getting P’Laura’s number.  Earn notes it an easy 3 points for him and reminds Pete the focus of the game but Pete comes back with a declaration of dislike toward P’Laura in a huff of frustration.  Earn assures Pete he’d never call P’Laura and then once again reminds Pete that the object was to test and tolerate their jealousy spectrum.  Earn’s point has the desired impact and Pete apologizes to his Panda even as he fears losing or upsetting Earn.  Earn is patient in his response, quickly tearing up his stack of numbers and tossing them in the air before conceding defeat to Pete.  Pete responds that they both know Earn won but Earn digs in by pointing out that for all Pete knows P’Laura’s number was the only contact he got.  With a chuckle, Pete tells Earn he’s a dummy and Earn giggles as he rises, calling Pete a dork.  Before they head off to board the train, Pete tosses his wad of paper into a trashcan and then scolds Earn for tossing his onto the floor.  As they pick up the mess together, Pete points out to Earn that each of them is wearing the slippers they gave each other last Christmas.  The realization causes Pete to ponder all that has happened since that time which puts him at ease.  They have known each other on a deep level even before becoming a couple and Pete decides to try to banish his negative thoughts by thinking about how to patch things up with his parents as they head toward the train.

Throughout the foregoing passage, it is clear that Pete’s emotional equilibrium is questionable.  Not that he’s about to have a breakdown but his mood is mercurial which makes him clearly susceptible to unreasonable fears and inaccurate conclusions regarding the people and the events around him.  In an earlier comment, I mentioned that Pete has tried to buoy his emotions by reassuring himself that Earn and his love are his rock and will use Earn’s actions toward him as demonstration of the reality of that love.  The vulnerability in this stratagem is that Earn may not always feel like or be capable of satisfying Pete’s evidentiary needs.  Adding insult to injury is that Pete’s condition will rain down most upon the folks he has strong emotional feelings toward.  This clearly includes Earn but it really encompasses anyone he feels strongly toward in either a positive or negative way.  Under these conditions, Pete is vulnerable to unpredictable mood swings that are potentially disruptive to his social relationships.  The remainder of this chapter is an illustration of Pete’s emotional volatility in action but it’s not entirely a one-way street.  One reaps what one sows and his reactions will engender reactions from those around him, especially Earn.  This is only expected as a normal facet of human psychology.  The question, from a storytelling perspective, is whether these emotional tensions sustain the series events in a believable manner.  I think they accomplish this herculean task but just barely and that is only because, in my opinion, the series is so disjointed.

The series storyline picks up full speed when they board the train but it will thankfully be filtered through the lens of this novel.  They pass by groups of familiar faces (including a group of Phun and his friends) as they make their way toward a couple of open seats.  Pete notices, off to the side, a group of loud boys (Noh, Ohm, and their friends) and his temperature rises when Earn’s head begins to turn so he quickly pulls him into the seat.  When Earn turns back again to see, he’s greeted by the large belly of P’Laura under a pink shirt.  Laura is obnoxious and clingy while Earn squirms uncomfortably.  Pete finds it initially sort of humorous since Earn kind of brought it on himself however, quickly gets worked up over Laura’s busy hands.  Pete sticks a flag in his property by wrapping an arm around Earn but Laura persists as does Earn’s and Pete’s discomfort level.  Pete plays to Earn’s like of his aggressive side and stands to remove his belt and tether it around Earn’s wrists like shackles as Earn looks with keen amusement.  Pete motions Earn to rise and removes Earn’s belt and begins snapping it around like a whip while biting his lip.  Pete disregards the gasps, squeals, and whispers that erupt around them while Earn stands grinning from ear to ear.  Pete finalizes Laura’s defeat with a flick of the belt which causes him to flee in defeat while the pair laughs intensely. Earn requests more aggressive Penguin when they get back from the trip but Pete blushes and slaps his forehead while calling him a horn dog.  Insert Pete’s obligatory fantasy of Earn bound in leather.

Scenes from the series continue as Em is forced by Laura to do the Banana Dance to the amusement of everyone present.  Throughout the spectacle, Pete can’t help but notice that Earn’s eyes have settled on Noh and his friends and this begs the question in Pete’s mind if Earn still likes Noh.  He tries to read Earn’s expression but he can’t make out how he feels.  When Earn faces Pete, chuckling, Pete wonders if he is just feeling paranoid.  Phun is the next victim of the Banana Dance and the shrieks and laugher tell it all while Noh blushes red.  The Village Game is also introduced and while each person is supposed to keep their status secret, Pete and Earn reveal to each other that Pete is a Human and Earn is a Shaman.  Pete takes comfort that he will be protected if he sticks with his Panda.  As the trip continues, they talk about how to resolve Pete’s impasse with his parents.  Earn suggests a calm discussion and explaining that he is Pete’s boyfriend but Pete declines, feeling that his parents wouldn’t take it too well since Earn has been staying over at Pete’s for months.  Pete asks if they should involve Earn’s parents and Earn thinks it over and decides it’s a possibility.  As calm as this discussion between them is, things start to slide sideways when Pete stands and bumps into Yuri.  The dialogue comes straight out of the series but is cleverly de-fanged by casting Pete’s side of the exchange as polite and playful joking which ends up being misread by Earn.  Pete takes up the invitation to join Yuri and her friends for some snacks as an opportunity for him and Earn to get some distance from Phun and Noh but when he turns back to Earn, he’s met with an annoyed expression that he doesn’t comprehend. 

When Yuri returns to her seat, Pete motions to rise but Earn grips his arm and asks where he’s going.  Pete jokes that he’s going the bathroom but with furrowed brows, Earn points out it is in the other direction.  Pete reveals that he’s just joking and explains that he’s going to eat some snacks with Yuri and her friends while motioning Earn to join him but Earn wants to know when they became such close friends.  Pete explains that they attend cram school together while swearing that he thought he already told Earn.  At this point, they start to get jealous and petty in their exchange that centers around Noh and Yuri, with Pete being wary of Earn’s feelings toward Noh and Earn focusing on Pete’s feelings toward Yuri.  The resurgence of Pete’s resistance to Earn trying to control who he hangs out with, once again, has him disregarding Earn’s feeling entirely as he rises to join Yuri and her friends leaving Earn to sit alone and pout.  Pete notes that this is the beginning of their passive-aggressive treatment of each other.

Earn’s reaction to Yuri comes off a little forced since he has, up to this point, been the pinnacle of calm understanding and support for Pete on this journey.  In the abstract, it makes sense but it’s kind of like a rough throwback to the way Earn behaved in the past, making it seem as if all the progress and maturity he’s achieved has kind of vanished.  That said, it is not unheard of for a person to regress when stressed, and Earn has made it clear that he’s been thinking about what Pete’s parents want Pete to do as well as Pete’s attraction to both boys and girls.  He’s also been exerting considerable effort toward keeping Pete uplifted.  There is no current mention of Earn’s own insecurities in this chapter but it’s safe to assume that they are exerting some level of influence on him as well.  And then there is Noh.  To ask if Earn still harbors significant feelings toward Noh is easy to answer for Earn of the series but for Earn this story the answer is unclear.  In either case, if there are such feelings even on a minor level, they too will create stressors. 

The story suffers through Pete’s time with Yuri and her friends, with Pete glancing at Earn pouting by himself every now and then but eventually notices that Earn has moved to sit in front of Noh and Phun playing cards and being chummy, which pisses him off and causes him to act like he too is having a grand time with Yuri and her friends.  Hours pass but Pete keeps his eyes on the loud card game, noticing that Earn keeps losing and has to drink water as a penalty.  He notices that Yuri is also looking at Noh.  Not really knowing the history between Yuri and Noh in any detail, Pete begins to surmise that he and Noh kind of have a shared history of sorts by being in a relationship with a girl while falling for a guy.  The realization allows for a recasting of the conversation Pete has with Yuri about her relationship with Noh, who, as she reveals, was never really her boyfriend and never liked her the way people thought he did.  As the conversation continues, Pete silently watches Earn and a couple of others jump up and bound toward the bathroom in a rush to relieve their bursting bladders.  The revealing talk with Yuri allows her to ask about any parallels in Pete’s love life and Pete tells her the person he loves returns his feelings but knows there was a prior love of greater intensity.  The memories of how long it took Earn to get over Noh while simultaneously seeing Earn now all chummy with him has Pete’s gut wrenching.  This is followed by the scene of Rodkeng and Pong running back into the car proclaiming a dragon breathing fire in reference to seeing Earn pissing off the side of the train.  This incenses Pete to such a degree that Yuri notices and asks if he’s okay but Pete assures her that he’s fine before excusing himself and returning to his seat where he slumps down and begins texting Lhew to vent about Earn hanging with Noh.  She tries to calm him down but, in the end, she can only offer to be there for him to vent, so he’s left to sulk about how sh*tty he feels in the situation.

Earn eventually returns to join Pete at their seats and greets him sheepishly.  Earn ties to get Pete to talk but Pete is simultaneously engaging and dismissive.  Earn acknowledges that he saw Pete’s reaction to what Rodkeng and Pong said and Pete just gives him ‘No sh*t’ as a reply.  Earn tries to explain that the bathroom was occupied and they all had to go so bad they decided to pee off the side of the train but Pete can only point out how Earn simply followed their lead.  Earn tries to justify his position but Pete only blames him for not being more subtle under the circumstances.  Earn tries to poke holes in Pete’s complaint but Pete declares that he’s the only one who should be seeing it.  Earn immediately concedes that Pete is the only one allowed to do anything with it on purpose and when angered.  Earn’s little joke draws Pete out of his foul mood for a second as he flicks Earn’s temple and calls him a before commenting on how he is getting chummy with Noh all of a sudden.  Earn tries to assure Pete that he loves him but Pete retorts, ‘Yeah…now you do.’  Clearly upset, Earn points out that a lot has changed from then to now and Pete seems begrudgingly satisfied and tells Earn that he loves him too.  Pete asks him why he didn’t go sit with him and Yuri but Earn stays silent for a few seconds before declaring they should just stay together and put an end to whatever the drama is they are going through.  Pete agrees but decides that if Earn doesn’t share what bothers him about her or protest, he’s going to remain friends with her.  After reaching this truce, Pete admits that he can never stay mad at Earn for very long.  His feelings regarding Earn’s crush on Noh are still there but Noh has Phun and they’ve been together for a while.  Pete thinks of Yuri and how she must have felt being the third wheel and how that is never a pleasant position to be in.

Once they arrive at the site, the boys stick together behind the male leaders from the faculty of Pharmaceuticals to the dorms.  They find that they’re staying in a rural school with open living quarters to accommodate large groups of people.  Earn and Pete find a spot near the end of the room and Earn grins devilishly at Pete in spite of their uncertain moods.  Pete knows why Earn picked the darkest place in the room, the bastard.  Pete is okay with that though, deciding it’s no one else’s business.  As they unpack, they can hear the usual rowdy group of guys approach and settle down next to them.  As Pete sees Noh looming near, he makes sure Earn is sleeping closest to the wall and furthest from Noh.  He admits to himself that he simply doesn’t like the idea of them sleeping next to each other under any circumstances. The whiney voice of Ohm, is heard asking about whether they should bring their nametags to the meeting being held and Em’s quip in response asking him if he’s a man or gay.  Pete lets it slide but then hears Ohm proclaim that pink is for men and red is for fagg0ts, which causes him to feel uncomfortable and irritated.  In his own defense, Noh asks Ohm if he’s referring to Earn and him, and Pete quickly catches the context.  Pete is surprised by Ohm’s remarks.  Since Pete and Earn are out at school and all, he finds Ohm’s comments pretty sh*tty.  Earn looks at Pete with a hurt yet, perplexed expression but Pete remains calm while feeling irritated at Noh, who is obviously in a same s*x relationship with Phun, but just passes on Ohm’s insult to someone else.  He decides Noh needs to grow a pair.  Ohm rises in fury and tells Noh he was talking about him, not Earn, then calls Noh a fagg0t.  Pete starts to feel enraged at Ohm for being such a d*ck and Noh for taking it.  The day hasn’t been a good one for Pete yet, he feels compelled to go after Ohm and either give him a piece of his mind or a fist in the face.  When he motions to leave, a hand grabs him and he hears Earn’s voice asking him where he thinks he’s going.  Pete snarls that he needs to sh*t but Earn sees through this and tells him to calm down and let them think what they want.  Pete is incensed and accusingly asks him ‘You call those friends?’  Earn explains that they were just being idiots and messing around and insulting out of fun.  Pete is less forgiving and growls that if they wanted to offend someone then mission accomplished.  Earn tells his Penguin to let it go and that Ohm is probably in a rotten mood, and besides, if Ohm says something upsetting to Pete, then he’ll do the punching.  Pete asks Earn if he’s okay with Noh shifting crap onto him but Earn tells him that what they said is true.  Earn acknowledges being gay but if he doesn’t let them bother him then it renders their sh*t talking moot.  Pete asks him if he’s sure that’s the reason but Earn answers that it is, clearly now annoyed.  Earn tells him to drop this nonsense and that they shouldn’t care what people say unless what they say is offensively true.  Pete declares, ‘They can s*ck a d*ck for all I care.  I’m me, you’re you and they’re them and we’re together’.  Momentarily conflicted, Earn responds that they know who they are and where they stand in each other’s lives while grinning.  Pete, realizing how stupid he’s been, breathes deeply and apologizes to his Panda, explaining that the day has been a hassle.  With that, they head off to the meeting area.

So the story has once again woven itself through the mucky scenes from the series and continued to show the boys under stress from their own lives and now, stressed by the actions of those around them.  It is clearly a very dicey task to entangle the Pete and Earn from this novel into and through the choppy storyline of the series in a believable fashion but it holds together okay.  I find it helpful to think about the nature of this story’s Pete and Earn and the immediate events they have lived through immediately prior to facing the circumstances in this story arc. 

As they make their way to the meeting site, Pete begins to notice just how many different name badge colors there actually are, and as they get seated, he realizes who else is in his color group, namely Yuri and Phun.  Pete notices that Yuri is uncomfortable around Phun for obvious reasons.  Pete decides to sit in between them to prevent any conflicts.  Events begin with a variety of lame activities forced onto each group (yes that’s me talking, not Pete).  Pete notes that when Earn gets up, he’s pretty cute and even manages to shoot Pete a dimpled smile.  Pete even admits that Noh is pretty damn funny too.  Next comes some friendly games and Pete remarks that his favorite is the rock paper scissors challenge.  Eventually, each team is asked to pick a captain and vice-captain and Pete notes it’s no surprise that Phun is picked for Yellow, Earn for Red, Ohm for Pink, but Ohm is picked because he’s the only guy in his group.  Pete is surprised he’s picked as the vice-captain for Yellow but is confident he and Phun can work together.  His nightmare starts when he discovers that Noh has been selected as Earn’s vice-captain for Red.  Pete is insecure about it but reasons that choosing Noh makes sense and couldn’t be helped.  It helps Pete to cope when he realizes that the person he’s partnered with is the lover of the guy paired with his boyfriend.  This sets up the ping pong ball challenge which all series fans know has Earn and Noh using their lips to transfer the ping pong balls.  When Pete learns this, he has to force himself to calm down by telling himself it’s just a parlor game and that their lips will be on the ball not touching each other’s lips.  Noticing Phun’s concerned expression, Pete asks him if he’s okay.  Phun answers that he is, then asks Pete if he’s okay.  Pete is honest and says no, then notes that neither is Phun.  Phun chuckles dismissively calling Pete a pessimist to break the tension and Pete accuses Phun of being too relaxed.  Phun responds that these are the cards they’ve been dealt, unless Pete has a better way to deal with it.  Pete thinks briefly then tells him they should play to win to distract themselves until it’s over and they get their boyfriends back.  Phun responds, ‘Who says Noh is my boyfriend?’  Pete’s response is to quote his friends telling him that playing stupid doesn’t suit you, while noting to himself that he and Phun have gone past the point of sympathy and are empathetic to each other’s plight.

The game commences with each team attempting to carry and deposit as many ping pong balls into a jar as they can in a given time limit.  Of course, Pete and Phun concentrate on their task to avoid thinking about Earn and Noh being a ping pong ball away from touching lips.  Phun is laughing and waving at people while they play but Pete isn’t fooled; he knows Phun is just distracting himself.  When Phun gives him a smile of encouragement, Pete finds that it actually helps.  The crowd chants louder as they countdown to the deadline and the pair quickens their pace but at the last moment, as they near the jar, Pete leans forward while Phun stops short, looking wide-eyed to his right and wearing a devastated expression.  Pete’s glance follows Phun’s until he too sees Earn and Noh mouth-to-mouth, as it were.

Well, la-de-da.  Boy, I sure didn’t see that coming (wink).  Anyway, considering the tortuous path this story had to follow, I’d say so far, so good.  I mean, it’s almost the definition of a Sisyphean task.  What makes it work are the “interstitial” bridges of original writing that work to recast the series events to fit into the arc of our story.  Among many, a prime example is the verbal exchange between Phun and Pete right before the ping pong ball challenge begins.  A hardcore series fan would recognize in a second that no such conversation transpired but it serves to keep possession of ball by our team a little longer before turning it over to the series.  It also adds another chapter to the Pete-Phun détente that started at the Year End Concert.  In this round, it’s Pete’s openness to the reality that he and Phun are in the same shoes with respect to Earn and Noh that allows for an even deeper understanding (empathy as Pete puts it) to emerge.  I really like that because I have always believed that in certain ways ,Pete and Phun are somewhat similar in that they are both exceptionally intelligent, studious, responsible, dedicated, and good looking, even if they’re also a touch nerdy.  It amused me that Pete didn’t like Phun because I have long believed that when we express a dislike of a particular person, it is often because we unconsciously recognize a quality (or qualities) in that person that we do not like in ourselves.  It is interesting to see Pete soften his position on Phun because it means he’s actually embracing and accepting himself as he matures.

So the next chapter will of course pick up from where this one left off and we’ll get to see how our Pete and Earn deal with “the kiss” in this chapter.  It will be interesting indeed because, in the series, Earn expresses some pretty strong feelings he still has for Noh, while Pete‘s interactions with Yuri seem contra to the myriad of times Pete and Earn have pledged their love to each other in this story (not to mention all the s*x).  The author has set himself a huge challenge indeed.  How will our Pete and Earn explain themselves and their actions?  I seriously can’t wait to find out.  Alfred Hitchcock used to point out that in mysteries, the audience is blind or kept deliberately in the dark so they can be surprised but in suspense films, tension/suspense is created when the audience is knowledgeable of certain facts or outcomes in advance.  Based on that distinction, I am definitely in suspense.  I can’t wait for the next chapter.  Thanks again!