Chapter 1

Big mess of Tan

It is very quite.

Tan stands in front of his room's door that the word on it is ' Chairman '. He has stopped here for a while and unlikely to move . He is thinking to someone. What's about this feeling ? Shi...

He abuses in his mind, frowns , but can not help smiling , ' Stupid Guy...'.

At last he pushes the door, His tall and slim body but strong is walking straightly to the free form shape desk in the center of the room that was placed a squared white bar, with the name ' Stephen Tan G. ' and lower line is 'Chairman '.

Just a little light from a table lamp, it feels more quite and lonely. This time is almost dark in the room because now nearly to eight o'clock and there are many dots of car's light outside the window. The phone rings in the silent. Tan touches the button, so a woman clearly speaks,

“ Tan, I 'll leave now, do you need anything else?”

“ No, thanks.” He answers, “ Min, see you next week”.

Today is Friday and Min, his coordinator, will take her vacation with her family in this weekend. Maybe he ought to tell her like “ Have a good trip.” or something like that but he did not do that. Tan sighs softly, likes feel relieved that nobody to disturb his time .

He turns on to the desk, looks the papers of new movie reviews from the bloggers and the summary sheet of advertising sale this month, still achieved as the target. “ Something is still good.” he talks himself. At finally, he is the person to making decision to approve all medias in this channel, ' Big flix '.

Tan has been in position of Chairman of ' Big flix ' for two years. ' Big flix ' has been growing with a big leap in his administration for the country's market. It competes with the Giant network media from the western like Major ; Mono Max or Netflix, with the lower price in the similar choices and be enable to tailor-made for individual needs. Not to refuse that he is a key person.

He always return to his office in the evening to think and spends the time alone in silent to crystallization of thought. The silent is best help to focus the problems. But this day is different. He sits but not start to work. He smiles again when a face appeared in his mind.

Tan frequently thinks of that guy, Kim Rattana , he has known him when he was in university. He studied in Business Administration class and Kim was in Poli-sci class. They firstly were not friend, but knew each other in the yearly faculty’s play.

After they had been graduated, they had never met each other. Tan had not believed himself can be enable to remember someone in very long time like this, however, he had has ‘someone’ for the past years but it had been like he had always been waiting. He had follow Kim’s Facebook and IG for a period but stopped to do that after he had founded Kim had been quiet moving on with his life.

He recognized Kim at the first time he appeared at the front desk of the Innovation center of SBC Bank in Bangkok last month ago. Kim was tall similar to him but thicker, a little , dark strength hair long to his neck, navy blue long sleeves knit shirt, blue jeans, brown leather boots and absolutely Kim looked to be a prideful guy. Tan laughs when he think this point ,

“ Truly, not a pretty guy ”.

“ You, Mr. costume ? ” Tan said, he did not stop looking at Kim.

“ What ? the costume ? ” Kim asked puzzled .

Tan did not say any more, he walked into the lift's room at once it opened . No one was inside and he started to anger himself, what did I do?---left for what ? Rapidly up to visiting my Papa ? Big pig, stupid Tan...!

“ Good afternoon Mr. Gold, do you look for someone? ”

“ Patrick, Oh, no one.” Tan said and checked hand with Patrick. He was the company lawyer of Tan's elder brother. His brother had sent him to meet and talked about the new business of Startup venture capital investment. Tan was the youngest brother in Y Generation of his family that his brothers needed him to be in deep understanding everything in Startup business. Not waste anymore time, Tan had came here with 1 million US Dollars for first time to invest one or two Startup.

Patrick was forty years old man, good – looking, very slowly speaking and very very polite. Certainly, if he described a chapter of law, it seemed to be more three times length. Tan was so sleepy when he listened Patrick presented. He was in the big meeting room which were plenty of young startups and they were being determine to listen about the necessary for Start-up 's term sheet for fundraising.

Tan felt it was boring now he wish he was out of this room and ran to the first floor...

All presentations were finished at three o'clock. The next rounded of pitching battle would be set in this weekend, that meant Tan will stuck here for 3 days. He needed to give the fund to some companies now and went home in this minute, but, for Tan, anything would progress as it should to be. He would be done in the best way.

“ Let dine with me, Tan” Patrick invited, he had three persons after his back . “ Or you have other business?”

“ Where to dine?'

“ Here, I know your hotel is not far from here. We will go to Beer Garden at the roof top, tonight it will have three music bands, not too bad. ”

“ Okay, lead me.” Tan thought, even though , maybe better to spend the boring time pass rapidly.

Lift stopped before reached to the roof top. The door opened. Tan felt he was cooled as an ice sculpture and the time was too long as a decade . Kim walked in front of him, a minute, he turned back. Tan thought, umm, not to tall as I have thought and no cologne smelling.

Kim walked out before, he walked slowly in order to Tan walked to him, actually, he maybe remembered. Tan thought he had never walked so slow as this time before.

“ Hi, Romeo.”

Tan secretly swallowed Stupid Tan....say something..and he said at once,

“ F-ck you, Kim” Tan looked at Kim sharply.

“ How are you ? It's an accident.” Kim turned face to him and smiled. “ I'm sorry, I didn't think to see you here.”

“ We...my colleges and I… ” Tan said “ will dine here. Would you like to join with us?” What’s a f_ck, Tan, he don't know others, he will refuse, wont' him.

“ I come with my friends, too.” Kim said simply,“ That table...and your colleges? ”

Tan saw Patrick chose the table next to, because not too many seats in the roof top bar.

Kim was grinning. “ Why have you been in Bangkok ? ”

Because he did not hear anything from Tan then he turned his face again to look him.

“ I did not think...” Tan said, “ We met the last time at...”

“ After the graduation.” Kim acted likely he was thinking something. “ Why have you been here ? ”

“ I need to smoke, if you don't mind..” Stupid Kim, smiled for what? Tan thought, but he felt better that Kim walked with him to the cactus garden for Smoking Area.

“ Yah, I've been here for business meeting.” Tan felt pity himself at once.

“ I am glad that you remember my name. First time, I thought you just recognize that I took the cloths for you in... in the Poli-Sci faculty's play, don't you? ” His face still cool not to be serious.

“ Stu...Kim.. I'm kidding, guy...” Tan laughed. Truly, he was so happy to see Kim.

“ How many days for this trip?” Kim asked.

“ 3 days, until this weekend and I will go home on Monday.” Tan lit the lighter and sighed deeply.

“ And don't you dare to call me ' Romeo' again , I swore , I kill you.”

Tan walked through inside the bar. He abused himself again. He just left because he could not find the powerful stories to talk with Kim. He felt very awkward.

After the second band finished the last songs, Patrick still was very enjoying with his friends and decided to wait for one more band. Tan went to outside, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette. Tonight he smoked around half a pack. He slightly startled when saw someone sitting. Kim shrugged his shoulders and said,

“ I want to smoke and I knew you got.”

Tan knocked the cigarette pack, gave him one.

Kim picked it and said,“ One cigarette reduces your life eleven minutes, let say I save your life.”

" Okay, let say I owed you, right?” Tan replied , he saw that Kim was smiling at him,“ No, no, no, don’t smile at me like that anymore, Kim, you don’t know…”

“ Tan, it’s impossible, it has been my face.”

“ Aha, so you should know that you face is very easy to read.” He looked at Kim.

“ How about the music?” Tan said, “Have you ever dined here before? ”

He looked down to Kim.

He still remembered, the first day of faculty’s play, Kim brought him to dress. The student's committee had decided to make a play of the adaptation of  ‘Romeo & Juliet’ because someone had interpreted that ‘Romeo & Juliet’ could be a political play. And there were many people agreed if they could have  a ‘magnet person’ to play a protagonist, their play would be popular and made much more money.

The Head of team approached  Tan to play without casting,( if they casted, he surely was fail ). Why they selected him? Because certainly he was a perfect guy, wasn’t he?

He had seen Kim always looked too busy in the back stage and did many things for everybody such as; water serving, coffee serving, first aids doing, queue booking and script printing.

“ Hey, Mr. Costume, here is so hot. I’m sweating like a pig.” Tan said to Kim.

“ You even sweat pretty.” Kim said without looking anything, he just looked at his mobile.

“ Hmm, right, do I look sweaty enough for a 5 kilometer run?” Tan said, “ And now my shirt is wet…”

Kim stopped looking his mobile and walked to Tan with serious face,

, will he punch me?, closely, Kim saw as Tan said, his clothing now was wet with his sweat and his make-up on his face would be melting off.

“ Okay.” Kim picked up a fan and blew him for more cold and dried his shirt. It was a surprise for Tan and felt Kim was so kind.

“ Better?” Kim asked and his hand touched Tan’s back, “It’s dried.” Kim said, “You wait here for five minutes, your first scene will start, ready?”

“ Actually, not yet.” Tan answered with a calm expression.

“ I’d like to say that I was wrong to accept to do this.”

Kim smiled, “ I think so.” He shrugged his shoulders “But nobody cares about your talent, just they are happy to see your face.”

“ What an insult!... this is a real insult!” Tan said but did not really anger.

“ I didn’t mean that.”

Kim spoke with smiling face, “ and I’m not only just to be your Mr. costume, but also be your Mr. Playwright.”

“ No wonder, ” Tan still yap at once. “ That’s why the dialogue is so weird.” Tan said with lowed voice but Kim was not interesting in his words.

“ So, now, I hope you will do your best.” Kim spoke to him clearly, “ Ready?, Now is time to go, you said I insulted you, let go and prove me wrong.”

Kim pushed his shoulders gently to the lane to go to stage. The stage lighting faded off preparing for next scene…

“ What’s your business in Bangkok?”

Kim’s voice pushed him back, Tan was quite for a while before answered,

“ To select one or two start-up business to invest.”

“ No plan to do anything else ?”

“ I have some meetings in each day.” He answered and felt Kim would think himself like a stupid guy to do everything only for his family’s business. It was difficult to talk any more, he wanted to leave here now.

Kim grabbed his arm to stop and unclasped rapidly , “ Sorry.”

“ I don’t understand you, I just wonder, you are always walking out every time we are talking. Or I made you feel uncomfortable, right?”

Tan looked at Kim impressively, at once, he knew this situation was very dangerous for him.

Kim spoke slowly,

“ Next month, I will go to Seoul for an international conference of Public Administration. I would like to ask you a few questions about Seoul. If you don’t mind”.

“ No.”

Tan sat down again, necessary to say apologize or not? But he did not do that.

“ What will you do about Public Administration? ”

“ I’m now PhD. Student” Kim explained, “Ah, It was a long story.”

“ Wow, you will be…Dr. Kim.” Tan said. That made Kim laughed loud.

“ You never reached me out. So apathy.” Kim said “ I just have a simply inspiring.” He looked to the sky,

“ My friends that came with me tonight are my friends in classroom. It’s now my second semester of total courses. It would be a long journey for me to do that and I hope to survive.”

“ It will take time too much, but after that I will marry…”

“ Marry..?” Tan repeated puzzled .

“ Just plan..” Kim sighed and changed the topic to talk , “ I think the third band is singing now, are you okay? Let’s go inside.”

Tan was thinking so many things in his mind, his ears still remain the echo of the word, 'marry,.

.. how did he do tonight to change the present situation… using of force… or tried to get him drunk…kidding yep.

“ Kim ” Tan called when they came back to their tables, Kim turned to him and dragged his chair closer. The music was too loud then Tan must talk to his ear.

“ My address.” He handed his card. “ Before I am drunk tonight. But I need you to save my number now.”

“ No problem.” Kim kept the card and brought his mobile out.

“ Name to insert...Baby Tan ?...ha ha ha..”

“ F-ck you,” Tan abused.

Tan had thought as if something which he wanted now placed in front of, but he could not keep it. This feeling was hard to explain. Looked at the mirror on the wall, he saw himself; a guy , tall and slim body, short brown hair, small brown almond eyes and his face was unreadable.

Before the end of that night, Tan walked to his hotel with Kim. They had cut across a large plaza that plenty of many trees that was more quite than the roadside.

“ Are you okay?” Kim asked. Tan had drank not too much but he also looked like being in worrying. Maybe Kim had thought Tan was not a native here, it had been not safety to let him return his hotel alone. So he had decided to walk with him.

“ Alright, taking care my little boss, too. Thank you so much.” Patrick had said to him before they left. Kim did not like Patrick’s eyesight. It made him uncomfortable.

“ It's almost two o’clock. Will you have anything to do tomorrow?” Kim asked.

“ Patrick and I, we have an appointment with someone, at Real Digital Park, at one o’clock.”

“ Do you know the location?”

“ Yes, yes, yes, I’m not a child.” Tan smiled openly that Kim had never seen before, generally, Tan had only a poker’s face.

“ I will call you tomorrow.” Kim told him before Tan passed the entrance door.

Tan was beaming, meanwhile, he thought he needed a fish-slap to clam down because now his face was numbed by power of alcohol. For what? But he just said “ Good night, Kim,” he weaved his hand but not move in.

“Bye.”

Kim turned back and walked far away then he did not see Tan’s sight now.

“ Stupid Tan,” he blamed himself, …you are just only acting as if the world ends today…