I Found You [COMPLETED]

Part 23

Gulf was in shock. He tried to hide his trembling hand. The secret he has been hiding has come out. It's too soon for him.

Bright comes closer to Gulf and looks straight into his eyes.

"From the moment I saw you, I knew it was you. And when you fight, that skill is definitely from Master Kittisak. All the information I got from Dew never mentioned your family name. You hid it, right?" Bright said, getting closer to Gulf.

Gulf was in shock. He had tried so hard to conceal his family name, but the man in front of him now knew about it. It was the last person he wanted to discover his secret.

"No, you've got the wrong person," Gulf shook his head, attempting to deny it.

"Stop denying it. I know who you are, Gulf. Even now, your eyes are still the same," Bright said, cupping Gulf's cheek.

"You..." Gulf looked up and saw tears in Bright's eyes.

"I found you... I've been looking for you... Why did you leave me?" Bright said, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Seeing the tear, Gulf's walls broke down. Bright, the leader of the biggest group, was crying. Who could stand their ground in such a situation? Gulf's eyes welled up with tears.

"You... remember me?" Gulf said, barely above a whisper.

"Of course, I have never forgotten you, not once. The moment I saw you, I had suspicions at first, but it just became clearer..." Bright confessed, another tear escaping his eye.

"I..." Gulf's tears fell freely now. He had hidden himself for far too long.

Bright wiped away Gulf's tears and leaned his forehead against Gulf's. He pulled Gulf closer by the waist, while Gulf placed his hands on Bright's chest, clutching his shirt. Both of them remained silent. After a few minutes, Gulf gently pulled away from Bright, still sobbing softly.

"Stay with me," Bright said, holding Gulf's hand.

"I can't," Gulf shook his head, his distress evident.

"What? Why?" Bright said, furrowing his brow.

"I'm sorry, I can't... I don't want to," Gulf pulled away and sat on the bed, looking troubled.

"What do you mean?" Bright said, sitting next to Gulf.

Gulf hesitated to speak up. However, he thought if things were going to end between them, maybe he should just tell Bright.

"I don't want history to repeat itself," Gulf began.

"What history? Tell me," Bright said, his voice becoming calmer.

"You asked why I left you... It's because of my father," Gulf confessed.

"What happened to Master?" Bright asked, concerned.

Gulf took a deep breath, tears streaming down his face.

"You're right. My father was the master of this group years ago. As you already know, he trained people in this group. He met my mother, who used to be the chef in this house. Your dad... he was fond of my father. My father was the most respectful, strong, and kindest person I've ever seen." Gulf spoke slowly, his voice choked with emotion.

Bright sat there quietly, waiting for Gulf to continue, his heart sinking.

"A few years ago, a war broke out in this house. It all happened because someone in the group betrayed your dad," Gulf said, his voice trembling.

"Witaya..." Bright said, his voice barely a whisper, remembering the conflict between his dad and his uncle years ago that led them to go their separate ways. Since then, he hadn't seen his master again.

"In that fight, my dad saw my mom, his love of life, got shot right in front of him," Gulf said, his body shaking with grief.

Bright's eyes widened. Gulf's mom had died in that war?

"Since then, my dad stopped smiling. Do you know how difficult it is for a person to carry on after witnessing the love of their life die before their eyes? My dad, who was always smiling, lost his reason to smile. He lost the sunshine in his life. My dad, the strongest person I have ever seen, became weak in an instant," Gulf said, his voice filled with sorrow.

"I should have understood his pain, but I was just a child back then. My dad, who was always smiling at me, never smiled once after the incident. I tried everything I could to make him smile, but it was never enough. It hurt me to see him like that," Gulf said, his tears flowing uncontrollably.

Bright held Gulf's hand tightly.

"After that, my dad quit his job and moved out. This house holds a lot of memories of him with my mom. My dad became stricter; he trained me every day without fail. He told me to become stronger so I could protect myself," Gulf wiped his tears, but they kept coming, an unending river of grief.

"One day, I stumbled upon my mom's recipes for baking and coffee. I remembered my mom used to bake my dad a cake and brew him coffee every morning. Desperate to bring back my dad's smile, I tried to make them and gave them to my dad on his birthday. When he tasted them, he smiled for the very first time in years. He told me it tasted just like my mom's. That's the first time I saw his smile in years. Since then, I would always bake him cakes and brew him coffee." Gulf's voice cracked, his heart heavy with the weight of his memories.

"We were getting better, but the trauma was still there. Whenever there were shotgun sounds, my dad would panic. He would break down at some point. Sometimes I saw him being scared in the corner as if the memories haunted him every time he heard a shotgun sound. It hurt me a lot to see my strong dad become weak. I know it's not your fault, or your dad's fault, but that incident made my dad's life miserable. It traumatized me," Gulf said, his voice filled with deep sorrow that seemed to have no end.

Gulf then turned to face Bright, their eyes locked in profound pain.

"Since then, I promised myself never to associate with your group or any mafia group. That's why, please... let me go"

TBC