Love Director [ENG]

Chapter 12: Compensation

"Paint, can you get me a glass of water?"

"..."

"Paint."

"..."

Aphros, who had stepped into the kitchen, froze in his tracks at the doorway. His sharp eyes focused on the nong sitting dejectedly at the dining table. He watched as Paint absently fiddled with a basil leaf, not bothering to pluck it from the stem. With arms crossed, Aphros' gaze moved from Paint's slouched shoulders to his tightly pressed lips and distant, unfocused eyes. It was clear the boy's thoughts were far away from the kitchen. Aphros suspected something must have happened recently.

Just yesterday, when Paint was about to go home, he had been all smiles, reminding Aphros to microwave the roasted pork whole before slicing it, to avoid it becoming tough inside. He even added a sweet reminder to eat the roasted carrots and potatoes. Paint had given a warm smile when Aphros ruffled his hair as a goodbye.

At that time, Paint had seemed perfectly fine, just beginning to feel what Aphros wanted him to feel. Aphros knew he needed to take things slowly. Rushing decisions often led to mistakes, so Aphros wasn't just thinking about the month Paint was on break; he was looking much further ahead. Moving too quickly might scare Paint, and Aphros did not want to see that kind of fear in his eyes.

Who could have guessed that the sweet nong, who thought he wasn't lovable, would come back in that state after just one day? That day, Paint arrived early, even though he usually came later on weekends to have breakfast with his family. When Aphros came downstairs, he found Paint sitting there, lost in thought, with things spread out on the table but seemingly unsure of what to do.

When Aphros called out to him, Paint jumped, quickly wiped away a tear, and hurried to make breakfast. Aphros suspected something was wrong but didn't ask, sensing that Paint didn't want to talk about it. Instead, he tried to engage Paint in conversation, teasing him to lighten the mood. But Paint didn't respond, he seemed too distracted to even listen.

That time, Paint didn't want to talk or share what was bothering him. Aphros decided to leave him be, letting him have the space he needed. Aphros went to his room to work for a while, hoping that Paint would find a way to feel better on his own. But when he came back out, it was clear that Paint hadn't managed to do that.

Aphros shook his head. He had spent quite some time trying to make the nong in front of him begin to feel better. However, letting Paint on his own for just a few hours had halted the progress that he had just started. Aphros didn't need to guess much to know it had something to do with the person Paint liked. Ten years versus a few weeks... it wasn't surprising.

"I told you my hands were idle. Just ruffling your hair isn't enough." Aphros said, moving his hands to cradle the boy's head, nearly engulfing Paint's face with his hands. He gently stroked Paint's cheeks with his thumbs, under the pretense of needing something to do with his hands. Paint opened his mouth as if to protest but quickly closed it again, letting it go as if nothing could pique his interest.

"Close your eyes." Aphros ordered.

"Huh?"

"Come on, if I say close your eyes, just do it." Aphros repeated.

The boy obediently closed his eyes. Then, Aphros moved his thumbs to Paint's temples, gently massaging and occasionally applying more pressure, trying to relax the furrowed brows bit by bit.

"Are you giving me a massage?"

"Just keeping my hands busy." Aphros laughed. He continued massaging Paint's temples, pleased to see the boy's tense expression slowly relaxing, the tightly pressed lips loosening. He kept doing it while Paint kept his eyes closed. Aphros' sharp eyes roved over the boy's face.