From Something To Everything (Bounprem)

153. Scuba diver

 "What do you mean by being triggered by people with ill intentions?" Ohm asked.

"P' Boun has a lot of enemies, phi. A few of them that we know and the majority of them that we don't. his position as the next in line as the head of the Guntachai family is so enchanting and powerful that he would attract enemies like flies to a fruit. We would never know who they are until they strike." Fluke looked at the scenery outside the window.

"You know phi, Prem had long noticed that there was something wrong with Boun's behaviour, especially after that assault incident. He couldn't rule it out as normal behaviour caused due to mere anger. Prem thus asked for my help in the matter.

Thus, from day one, I have been observing P' Boun and I concluded that Prem's hunch was right." Fluke looked at Ohm straight in his eyes. "I know about his psychological condition, phi."

Ohm froze in his place. He had never breathed a word about Boun's actual condition to anyone. The only people who knew of it were him, Boun and the psychiatrist treating Boun, Tee. Recently, Boun did tell him that he had opened up about the situation to Prem and the younger responded supportively. He had no clue that Fluke knew about it too.

"I know more about his situation than you, Phi. Or maybe more than P' Boun himself. And I need to tell you that his condition is very fragile. We have to handle him with care."

"But, how did you know?" Ohm was in shock.

"a little from my observations, and mostly from my snooping around." Fluke scratched the back of his head shyly. "I may not be a certified psychiatrist phi, but I do have a lot of practical experience dealing with people in P' Boun's condition."

"Okay, I understand. So, what do you suggest?"

Fluke smiled. "All these years, you had been trying to patch him up and was unsuccessful. That might not have been because you weren't putting in enough effort or not using the right method. It might have been because, P' Boun himself never felt an urge to cure himself, phi.

But now, that is not the case. Now that he has Prem by his side, he wants to be cured. I see a spark of motivation in his eyes nowadays, phi. All we have to do is ignite that spark further so that it grows bigger and bigger." Fluke moved his hands in a circular motion to show how the spark should turn into a wildfire.

"Are you sure that you are trying to ignite the flame and not trying to pour cold water on it and completely put it off?" Ohm questioned.

Fluke glared at Ohm murderously.

"Okay. Okay. I was joking. I know you don't have any ill intentions." Ohm raised his hands in surrender.

"Ha ha ha." Fluke let out a fake laugh. "You have really got a good sense of humour, P' Ohm"

"But on a serious note, Fluke, whatever you are doing is hurting Boun," Ohm said in a grave tone.

"It's not like I want to hurt him, phi. I just have to do it." Fluke sighed. "When a scar is left open for a long time, rotten flesh grows over it. if one wants the scar to heal properly, we would have to cut off that rotten flesh along with the flesh that had come in contact with it, before applying the medicine and dressing it up.

As painful as it may sound, there is no better way around it, Phi. I might need to reopen those scars so that they would heal and don't leave marks behind."

"Sounds like something from an ancient chinses medical drama." Ohm snickered.

"Yes, it is one of the methods used in treatment for grave injuries in chines medicine. The only difference is that they used the method on one's body and I use it on one's soul." Fluke looked at the starry night sky through the window. "Currently, P' Boun's aim is to prove me wrong. He wants to prove to me that he is qualified to be Prem's partner, that he is the best option for that position."

Fluke turned his gaze to Ohm. "He has been putting a lot of effort into it. And he is also showing the results too, phi. Did you see how the stocks of Guntachai Enterprises had jumped up in the past two months? It's all because P' Boun has been working behind the scenes for it.

All I have to do is act like I have no other option but to give him a little credit to make him feel a sense of achievement. For us, that small credit may not be a big deal, but for someone like P' Boun, it is a huge win."

Ohm frowned at Fluke's words.

Fluke understood Ohm's confusion "For someone who had been dealing with depression, living their life is like drowning in deep sea. No matter how much energy you try to bring out, how many times you try to move your limbs, it will not be of any use and you will not be able to get to the surface of the sea and take in some oxygen.

In the end, you will lose all energy and the will to try for anything. The only option left would be letting yourself drown in the depths of the sea. And in P' Boun's case, I don't want that to happen.

Those little credits I or anyone around him, give his is like him seeing a scuba diver in the sea while drowning. A ray of hope that there might be a chance for him to survive. He-"

Fluke paused mid-sentence when he saw Ohm laughing. The older's whole body was shaking as he tried not to laugh out loud. "What's so funny, Phi?"

Ohm laughed holding his stomach. "Scuba diver? Seriously, Fluke?" he was rolling on the bed in laughter.

"You have got a better analogy then? Who else would dive into a deep sea other than a scuba diver?" Fluke crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting.

"Yeah, you are right. But scuba diver" Ohm couldn't control his laughter. "That one was really funny."

Fluke rolled his eyes at Ohm. "Can we be serious here? We are discussing an important matter, now."

"Yes, sir." Ohm sat up and fixed himself. "You may continue."

"I want him to have a sense of achievement. I want him to feel that as long as he puts an effort into anything, he will be able to do it. and if that needs me to play the 'bad guy' in his life, I would gladly do it. I will play the powerful yet helpless villain in his story if it brings back his confidence as the hero, the main character."

"But aren't you too tiny to be a villain?" Ohm asked with a mischievous smile.

Fluke was so done with Ohm. He grabbed a cushion from the couch and attacked the giggling Ohm.