BE WITH YOU (POOHPAVEL)

CHAPTER 4 : SUNSET

That evening, Phoom studied Krittin's illness and searched for a way to treat it. He almost fell asleep from studying the illness, and when he woke up, he immediately started preparing breakfast. Normally, the maids cooked for them, but if anyone else prepared Krittin's food, he wouldn't eat it. Phoom knew that Krittin would likely reject his efforts, but he wanted to try anyway. Just then, he heard Krittin waking up. When Krittin saw the food, he spoke to the maid.

Krittin: "What is this? Who made this?"

The maid glanced towards the kitchen, and Phoom emerged, carrying a bowl of bone soup. Krittin looked confused, and Phoom explained.

Phoom: "I cooked it. Eat up, you have an early start today, right?"

Krittin turned away abruptly, about to leave, but Phoom grabbed his hand and said,

Phoom: "Eat first before you go. It's still early."

Krittin: "What are you thinking? Are you crazy? Did you forget what I did yesterday? Wasn't that enough for you?"

Krittin glared at Phoom as he spoke.

Phoom: "Kim called me last night and explained everything. I'm sorry for what I said to you. If you don't want to see me while you eat, I'll leave. Just please, eat."

Phoom walked out because Krittin couldn't bear to see him like that. He overheard the maids saying that Phoom had woken up early to cook breakfast for him. Krittin was on the stairs, about to leave, when he heard this. He went to the dining room, and indeed, it was true. He sat down and looked at the maid, signaling her to call Phoom. They ate together.

While they ate, Phoom and Krittin didn't speak to each other. Despite the silence, Phoom felt happy because Krittin ate a lot more than usual. It was the first time he had seen Krittin eat with such appetite.

Outside the company, protesters gathered due to a project led by Krittin's uncle, Jun. Although Krittin's family lived comfortably, there were still those in the family who were greedy for power. Intrigued by the commotion, Krittin approached the protesters. Recognizing him, the crowd quieted down and pleaded for his help. These people had long worked for Krittin's company, and he had given each of them their own home. However, his uncle wanted to demolish their homes to build a mall, causing widespread anger and fear as they depended on those homes.

Krittin took the hand of an elder named Sir Dave and said,

Krittin: "Sir, please go home. I'll handle this. What I gave you, I won't take back."

Sir Dave nodded and spoke to his fellow protesters, calming them down. Krittin then swiftly entered the company building. As he walked, he asked where his uncle was, and Kim informed him that his uncle was in Hokkaido. Krittin turned to Kim and said,

Krittin: "We're leaving. Get ready; we're flying to Hokkaido."

He handed a file to Kim and told her he wanted to be alone for a while. Krittin then headed to his office, preparing for the confrontation ahead.

Phoom searched the entire company for Krittin, but no one had seen where he went. Fearing the worst, Phoom scoured every corner, knowing how severe Krittin's condition was. He was terrified because this was the first time Krittin had acted so strangely before disappearing. Phoom recalled Krittin's words:

Krittin: "If anything happens, I won't let you be hurt or sad because of me."

Phoom had no idea what was running through Krittin's mind now. He suspected that Krittin planned to deal with his situation alone, as he always did, to avoid causing pain to others. Phoom knew this well; even as a child, Krittin had a habit of keeping secrets.