𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 || 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐩𝐡𝐮𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐟

31

Pond woke up early, the first light of dawn casting a soft glow on the room. He turned his head slightly to see Phuwin’s peaceful, sleeping face. For a moment, Pond admired him—the softness of his features, the gentle rise and fall of his chest. A strange warmth filled him, but it only lasted a second before reality hit him. He realized what he was doing and quickly pulled himself away.

Silently, he slipped out of bed, trying not to wake Phuwin. After getting ready, Pond went straight to the kitchen where Joong was already preparing breakfast.

“Morning, Joong,” Pond greeted softly, grabbing his things.

“Morning, Pond. Where are you off to this early?” Joong asked, looking up curiously.

“I have some important work to take care of,” Pond replied shortly, glancing around the room to make sure no one else was awake. "I’ll leave now."

Joong raised a brow, sensing something off in Pond's tone, but didn't press further. “Alright. Take care.”

Without another word, Pond nodded and hurried out, his thoughts a tangled mess.

A little later, Phuwin stirred awake. His hand instinctively reached to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty. A sinking feeling crept into his chest. He got up and went through his morning routine, hoping to find Pond in the kitchen.

When he walked into the dining room, everyone else was already there. Joong, Dunk, Fourth, and Gemini sat around the table, talking casually over breakfast. But Pond was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Pond?” Phuwin asked, trying to keep his voice light despite the worry he felt.

“He left,” Joong said nonchalantly, “Something about important work.”

Phuwin’s heart dropped. He tried to hide the disappointment, but the feeling settled in, making it hard for him to focus on anything. He sat down, poking at his food, no longer hungry. A while later, he excused himself, along with Gemini and Fourth, deciding to head back.

As they left, Phuwin asked Fourth if he needed a ride, and the three of them drove off together, though Phuwin’s thoughts were far from the conversation in the car.

Days passed, and the atmosphere between Pond and Phuwin only grew more tense. They met often for work, as their companies had a collaborative project, but Pond spoke to Phuwin only in a formal tone, strictly about business. Outside of the meetings, he avoided Phuwin entirely, keeping his conversations short and professional.

Today was no different. After the meeting, Pond left the conference room without so much as a glance at Phuwin, heading straight to his office. He instructed his PA not to allow any visitors and buried himself in paperwork.

Phuwin, however, wasn’t ready to give up. He marched toward Pond's cabin, determined to break through this wall between them.

“Sir, Mr. Pond is busy right now...” Pond’s PA started to say, trying to stop him.

“I’m going in,” Phuwin interrupted, brushing past the PA before they could say anything else.

He opened the door to Pond’s office without hesitation. Pond barely looked up, still focused on signing papers and reviewing documents.

“Pond, let’s have lunch,” Phuwin said, trying to keep his tone light. “There’s a new restaurant nearby, and we could..."

“I’m busy, Phuwin,” Pond replied, not sparing him a glance, his voice cold and distant.

Phuwin bit his lip, trying to suppress the hurt that bubbled up. “It’s already lunch time. Come on, you can work later.”

“No,” Pond said flatly, “I have too much to do. I’m not coming.”

That was it. Phuwin could feel his patience breaking, his heart sinking deeper into his chest. Without another word, he left Pond's office, defeated.

Phuwin returned to his own cabin, sinking into his chair. His eyes burned as he leaned back, closing them tightly. All his efforts, all his attempts to bridge the gap between them—it felt useless. A tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it. He quickly wiped it away, but the pain in his chest remained, gnawing at him.

Just then, the door opened, and Gemini stepped in, his usual carefree smile fading when he saw Phuwin’s expression.

“Phu?” Gemini said softly, his brows knitting together with concern as he moved closer. “What happened? Why are you crying?”

Phuwin shook his head, avoiding Gemini's gaze. “It’s nothing, Gem. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” Gemini insisted, walking up to him. He knelt down beside the chair, gently placing a hand on Phuwin’s arm. “Come on, tell me what’s going on.”

Phuwin pressed his lips together, trying to hold back the lump in his throat. “It’s just… work stress,” he muttered, still refusing to meet Gemini’s eyes. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

Gemini wasn’t buying it. He stood up and, without warning, wrapped his arms around Phuwin, pulling him into a tight hug. “You’re lying. I can tell when something’s wrong. You’ve been off for days.”

Phuwin’s resolve broke under Gemini’s warmth. He hugged him back, burying his face into Gemini’s shoulder as more tears silently fell. “It’s… Pond,” he finally whispered, voice shaky. “I don’t know what I did, but he won’t even look at me anymore.”

Gemini’s grip tightened around him. “I’m sorry, Phu,” he whispered back. “I’ve seen how hard you’ve been trying. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out together.”

Phuwin just nodded, grateful for the silent support, but the heaviness in his heart didn’t ease.

---

What do you think about PondPhuwin situation?

What made Pond so distant from Phuwin? And what Phuwin did that make Pond like this?

Can you guess it? 👀