From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

24. Symptoms

“What are you reading?” Ohm asked seeing him bury himself in books. He picked one of the books and flipped through it. “Don’t tell me you are planning on going back to university.”
Ohm sat down opposite his cousin.

“What’s up with you?” Ohm questioned. He had never seen Boun study so hard even when he was having final exams back in university.

“Huh?” Boun looked up when Ohm poked him.

“l have been talking to you for a while now,” Ohm said crossing his legs.

“Sorry. I wasn’t listening. What did you say?” Boun apologized.

“I asked you what you are doing with all these books,” Ohm repeated his question.
“I am helping someone prepare for their exam.” Boun was referring to books and the internet to help Prem study.

“Someone?” Ohm’s gossip instincts lit up. “A new fling.”

“No, just a friend. A junior.” Boun brushed his cousin away.

A mischievous smile appeared on Ohm’s lips as he nodded in understanding.

“P’ Ton has been saying that you have been awfully quiet these days. Not partying. No alcohol or smoking or not even a hook-up.” Ohm leaned against the backrest.

“Isn’t that what he wanted?” Boun asked flipping to the next page of the book while making notes.

“I would have believed it if I didn’t see that.” Ohm pointed at the red mark on Boun’s collar.

Boun quickly buttoned up his shirt. His sex life with Prem had been pretty active. They had sex almost every night before going to bed in moderation, at least one round a day.

“You better keep it low. If P’ Ton finds out, he will probably attach a tracking device to you.” Ohm warned. “Also, don’t take your health lightly.”

“I won’t. He will not let me.” Boun replied.

“He? You slept with a guy again? I thought you would never sleep with another guy after meeting that guy who had haemorrhoids and almost got you infected.”  Ohm laughed at the memory of the traumatizing incident that happened to his cousin years ago.

Boun glared at his cousin.

“So, tell me. Who is he? Someone who had the ability to change your decision. A new fling?” Ohm was very interested in knowing the whereabouts of the person.

“He is not a fling. He is a friend.”

“A friend? Wow. It is the first time I hear you address someone you slept with as a friend. Impressive. Really impressive.” Ohm clapped his hands dramatically.

“Shut up, asshole.”

Ohm snickered seeing Boun lose his cool.

“Anyway Dream[1] called yesterday. She went to your place yesterday and didn’t find you. Where have you been staying nowadays? Your phone is also not available at night.” Ohm asked.

“I am staying at ‘his’ place for a few days. He is having his final exams. I am giving him last-minute revisions.”

Ohm raised his eyebrows upon hearing Boun’s reply.

“Revision? Good. Good.” Ohm shook his head.

‘Looks like someone has really gotten his attention this time.’ He thought in mind.

“What did the board of directors say this time?” Boun changed the subject.

“Nothing much. As the bl series will be one of the big projects coming up in the next year, they want the whole cast to be from our company itself.”

“Isn’t that normal?” Boun was confused.

“It is normal. But the problem is that there are no actors who fit the criteria of the characters. Some have good acting skills but their looks are not up to par, some have good looks but suck at acting and the artists who have both of these are not willing to be part of the bl industry. It is a mess now.” Ohm sighed.

“Ohm, I think you should relax. You are being too much of a perfectionist here.” Boun advised.

“How can I not, Boun? This is a huge project. Any mistake in the casting is enough to make the whole project go down no matter how good the storyline is. Not to mention that the scriptwriter has high expectations from me.”

Boun nodded understanding his cousin’s worries.

“How is the audition going?” he asked.

“As the Board of Directors wanted to cast people from within our company, it was not actually publicized. A few people from our subsidiaries did attend after hearing the news from somewhere. But the quality and quantity of candidates were very poor.” Ohm’s brows furrowed.
Boun hummed.

“You don’t have to worry about your partner. He had already been cast.” Ohm said.

“Oh? Who is it?” Boun was not really interested in knowing but he still asked.

“His name is Green. He had worked in a few dramas before in support roles. He has some experience.” Ohm replied.

“Never heard of the name. But, wasn’t it decide that they would cast a rookie with me?” Boun asked.

“There was a last-minute change in decision. The team said that if they were to cast a rookie with you, they might not be able to balance the popularity of your couple. Hence decided on taking someone with a little experience. They don’t want to do extra work.”
Boun tsked.

“I heard from P’ Ton that your acting classes are going pretty well.” Ohm bit his lips trying to hold back his laughter.

Boun’s mood deflated when the topic of acting class was bought up. It was pure torture for him.

His acting coach, Sia was very strict. She emphasized punctuality and only let him take a break after his performance reached her expectations. He had to agree that his acting skills had improved by leaps and bounds within a short period. But he was not comfortable being forced to do something.

“I know you might be having second thoughts about taking up the role. But trust me Boun, this is a golden chance. You might not get such a huge opportunity in the near future.” Ohm tried to convince his cousin.

“You don’t have to sugarcoat everything, Ohm. I have already committed myself to this project. I will not back out halfway.” Boun assured his cousin.

“Won’t your boy mind if you are going to take up this project? I mean you will be away for a few months for shooting. You will be having intimate interactions with Green on screen and off screen as a couple for fan service.” Ohm intrigued.

“First of all, he is not my boy. Second, I don’t think he would mind. We are not in such a relationship. We just like each other’s company.” Boun clarified.

“You guys are not in such a relationship, ‘yet’. But my gut feeling tells me that it wouldn’t take long before that happens given the way you are acting nowadays. Then it might be a problem.”

“That is not going to happen,” Boun said stubbornly.

“Boun, you are forgetting that I am not just your cousin. I am your best friend. I know you like the back of my hand. Do you think that I can’t see the changes that are happening to you? You were like this when you fell in love with that person as well.”

Boun’s expression hardened when Ohm brought up his ex.

[1]Dream- Ohm’s little sister, Boun’s cousin.