Parallel Universe [NaMon Fanfic]

Chapter 3

Chimon's POV

Who would've thought that he'll be here, right in my territory? And look, he even brought his princess with him. I hope I'm not interrupting someone's date. Not.

"Why are you here?" Nanon asked. I simply shrugged while putting my phone in my pocket. I did a wai to P'Janhae. Then, Nanon motioned P'Janhae to put the phone in her purse, which she did.

"What's your plan?" I asked, then I invited myself to their table and grabbed a seat which earned me a scoff from Nanon. Too bad, I don't care. Wait. The reason why I'm sitting with them right now is because I care. I care about the vlog accident. I care about what Pluem might think of me and that he will only believe me that it was just an accident if the words came from another person.

"You ran away, didn't you? Why are you here?" Woah. He sounded like a nagging girlfriend. Holding grudges, aren't we? He's wasting his time on nonsense.

"I asked you first. What's your plan? You said you had one, right?" I asked, challenging him.

"Do you want to order anything, sir?" I knew who it was before I turned around. It's Ciize. I smiled and greeted her.

"I'll take this week's bestseller. Thank you," I said while smiling. She was smiling ear-to-ear as she took down my order.

"Noted!" she said then hopped away. I turned to Nanon and saw him looking at me differently. What's with him this time?

"What?" He shook his head. I can almost hear his question though. It's written all over his face but I can't be certain about what exactly his question is.

"So, what's your plan?" I asked, a little annoyed. It's getting tiring asking the same question over and over again without receiving an answer. Why is he so hard to talk to?

"Vlog." I automatically rolled my eyes. Last time we showed up on the same screen, we ended up creating a dating issue about us. Would that really solve our problem?

"Can't you just delete the video?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I wonder when my order will come. I'm famished.

"No," he said aggressively. Isn't that too much of a reaction? I even saw P'Janhae reach for his hand. What a short-tempered brat.

"If we delete it, it will just create confusion." That sucks... but I guess it's true as well. We might as well act as if the whole world knows about our "relationship". Deleting it is more of a suspicious move rather than a fixing move.

"And even if I do delete it, the clip is already shared. Besides, I'll give you a part of the revenue for that video." Hey, I'm starting to like this guy. I can almost see the word revenue in glittering gold above his head. I relaxed on my seat. Maybe, we can still have an agreement despite the arguments we already had.

"And a part of the revenue for the next video we'll make," he said. My order came at that moment. I took the tray of food from Ciize and thanked her. Revenue huh?

"How much part will I get?" I asked, then I started eating my food. It tastes better now that they agreed to make it less spicy.

"10%" What the heck? I almost choked on my Som Tum! I was wrong to think that talking to Nanon will ever be easy. Ugh.

"That's too little. I want at least 80%," I replied. He stared hard, as if he wanted to punch me. If what I said was not true, then I'd let him punch me twice.

"I have an editor to pay," he said strongly. Oh, I did not think of that. But how would I know? I'm not a Youtuber!

"70 then," I replied. He exhaled heavily. Hey, that's already a low rate, considering that I'll show my face to the public. My talent fee isn't cheap. And I'm the victim here. I deserve some reimbursement for the trauma of being in a relationship with someone like him!

"25," I shook my head. It's not easy to have a steady source of income nowadays. Just look at this restaurant. Despite the excellent food, service, and atmosphere, people still choose those capitalistic fast food restaurants serving unhealthy foods.

"You know that I can ruin your reputation, right?" Ai sàt! What's with the threat?

"Nanon!" We both looked at P'Janhae. I'm pretty sure about what's running in her mind because that is also what I'm thinking right now. How could Nanon negotiate like that? I'm the victim here!

"50," I said.

"Take it or leave it," I replied. I'll probably spend it on decorations. And maybe some lessons and workshops I have to take. I'm not really sure how much Youtubers earn. I sat straight and looked at him. He looks like he'd rather ruin my reputation than negotiate with me. Why did I even have to meet him in the first place?!

Calm down, Chimon. Diplomacy before violence.

"Look, it's difficult for me to be on screen with no script, no plan, just genuine me. I don't if that's weird but that's just how I am. And I think I deserve a big part because I literally am a big part of... whatever this situation is." He just sighed and looked sideways. Why isn't he speaking his mind? He's seriously draining my patience.

"You can't just be my lover and expect me to take responsibility without you giving me the worth that I deserve!"

Right then, I heard a click! Should I turn towards the sound? No, I'm scared. I can feel cameras aimed at me... us. Oh no.

"Sit down!" I can feel the anger in his whisper. He was shielding his face with his hand. P'Gun and Ciize went out of their hole to talk to the customers. One by one, the cameras went down and the shutters were finally gone in a few minutes.

Two issues in a day!

"Fine," he said. Then, he resumed eating. I sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Your order's on me," I said as a way of showing gratitude.

"You don't have to-" P'Janhae started speaking.

"It's fine," I said while smiling.

"You're a regular customer anyway," I replied. She looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Nanon asked. I shrugged and finished my food. I'm really proud of this Som Tum recipe.

"Jan, please give me my phone," Nanon said. P'Janhae did as he said and took the phone from her purse then gave it to Nanon.

"I'm ordering dessert." P'Janhae said then called for a waiter.

"Make it two," I added after she said her order.

"Does Nanon want any dessert?" I asked P'Janhae. She then turned towards him.

"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer though," he replied, while busily scrolling through his phone. I nodded and turned to P'Gun.

"That's all," I replied. When I turned around, I think I heard Nanon choking. I grabbed a glass of water and gave it to him.

"Hey," I replied, not really knowing what to do. What could've happened that made him choke?

"You own this restaurant?!"