Love's So Contagious

Dew Lomasorn

Mew trailed behind Chen as they walked down the hallway. He couldn't deny the fact that he was contemplating something sinister. However, he quickly dismissed the idea. He wasn't the type to commit murder, especially not for someone like Chen Rathakorn. Despite this, he allowed himself to entertain the thought in the confines of his own mind.

Chen abruptly halted in the hallway and spun around to face Mew, invading his personal space. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "The freedom of the press is a fundamental right, and you, with your gun and badge and those ridiculously chiseled pectoral muscles, have no right to interfere with that. Ha!" With that, he jabbed Mew in the chest.

That was all Mew needed to take action. He firmly grasped Chen's shoulder and guided him into a nearby conference room. "Assaulting a police officer," he declared smugly. "Well done. I can't recall the exact punishment for that, but I'm sure you'll have a great time in the Legal Hall. Feel free to document your experience on your precious little blog."

He urged Chen to take a seat. He could have been more gentle, but he chose not to.

Chen stared at him. "This is police brutality!"

"No. If you want to see police brutality, keep being rude to Dr. Kanawut." Mew stood over him, arms folded.

"So you two are together!" He clapped his hands. "Oh, this is just perfect. Are you the reason he decided to reduce his hours?"

"He makes his own decisions." Mew glared at Chen. What was it with this guy and his fixation on other people's relationships, anyway? "Look, you do know he cut back to ten to eleven hours per day, right? It's not like he's down to part-time."

"Huh." Chen twirled one of his curls. "That's funny. The guy who gave me the lead made it sound like he was working maybe three or four hours a day."

Mew took a deep breath and counted to ten. "And who might that be, hm?"

Chen batted his eyelashes at Mew. "Oh, come on, sweetie. A journalist never reveals his sources."

"You're not a journalist, ' sweetie.' You're a blogger. There's a huge distinction between the two."

Chen clicked his tongue. He crossed his arms. "I share valuable information with the LGBTQIA+ community here. Whether it's about who prominent queer figures are dating or holding them accountable for their actions, I do what needs to be done." He paused. "Honestly, it seemed strange to me. Dr. Kanawut has always been dedicated to his work."

"That's true. He practically lived at the hospital for a while." Mew shot Chen a look. "But that's not sustainable. It's not helping his patients if he's overworking himself to the point of exhaustion. Sure, it might boost his reputation, but working yourself to death isn't the answer, is it? There's a limit to how much one person can do in a day."

"Yeah, I guess so." Chen closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "I just don't get why that guy wouldn't have mentioned that. I've seen him around Dr. Kanawut so many times. Why would he want to ruin Dr. Kanawut's reputation like that?"

"Hmm." Mew squinted his eyes. "Is it possible that this person is trying to make the investigating team look bad?"

Chen stuck his tongue between his lips as he pondered. Normally, it would have been cute. On Chen, it was just irritating. "But that doesn't add up. He's always at the hospital. I'm pretty sure he's a medical student." He covered his mouth with his hand. "I shouldn't have said that much."

"Chen, that guy is most likely a murderer." Mew snapped. "If he's not, then he's protecting one. He's already killed forty people. Don't you think we should catch him?"