I couldn't sleep... and I couldn't look at her for 3 whole days...
The soft eyes tried to talk to me as usual. Even though I tried to act as
normal as possible, I still tried to avoid her. I was so confused and obsessed
by those videos and photos. I had questions in my head WHY did she take
those photos? Was she within her right to do so?... That was her phone
number. She took it and kept it. I was the one who intruded on her privacy.
"Are you okay, Gen? You've been looking strange for a couple of days.."
"Oh? I'm fine."
Even though I knew it wasn't normal. I couldn't look at her like before. I felt
disappointed..
"Did I do something to bother you?"
"Nothing."
"I love you, Gen."
I looked at the person in front of me who had just told me she loved me but
didn't know what to do. I could only walk away. I took my bag and decided
to go out but I had no idea where to go. But I couldn't be in the room with
her. I couldn't handle it. I didn't know if I could ever handle it. It would be
best if I went home to sleep...
" I'll go home."
Before I left the condo, a small hand tugged at my shirt. I couldn't look at
her again. I took her hand off of me and walked away like a heartless bitch.
People these days had sex when they went out, it was normal I guess. I
never realized she had a boyfriend. She disgusted anyone who touched her.
My heart was shaking like I had too much caffeine. I had to find something
else to do to occupy my head. I focused my tension on my study. I finished
assignments as if it would help me graduate..Arrrgggg!! I couldn't even
drive consciously. How could I finish my homework? Fuck it!
But as I sat, my phone rang with a tone that was completely unfamiliar to
me. But that wasn't my phone. It was Aoey's phone... I put her SIM card in
my new phone. I looked at the calling number. No name was shown. She
never saved the number. I paused for about 10 seconds to reconsider
whether I should respond or not. My curiosity overcame everything. I hit
reply and started talking.
"Hello."
[I called you and you didn't answer or call me back.]
I frowned at an older man's voice. The way he spoke was authoritative.
"Who is it?"
[You are not Aoey.]
I thought a little before answering.
"Aoey is in the shower. I'm her friend. Who should I tell that she called
her?"
[A friend? Good. I want to ask you something. I'm her stepfather.]
He introduced himself and that made me a little nervous. I thought about
what Uncle Somkit told me about his stepfather..
"Yeah?"
[Aoey left home many months ago. She never called again and I wanted to
know where she is now.]
"She's with me. I'm Gen."
[Gene?]
"I'm Gen."
[How do you know her?]
"I've been friends with her since elementary school."
He wanted to know where Aoey is now. If I told him I was a friend in
Bangkok, he would know she was there now. One thing he didn't realize
was that he was now talking to me, Genlong. I was too smart for him.
[Where are you now?]
"I'm at home."
[Ha!]
"What's that?"
He was upset that I didn't tell him my location. Finally, my boring day had
something fun to do.
[I mean what province are you in now]..
"Aoey didn't tell you where it is?"
[I wouldn't ask you if she had told me.]
"Why don't you ask her then?"
[Hey you!...]
He seemed to be fed up with me. But I finally told him where I was because
I wanted to know more about him.
"I'm in Bangkok."
[Ok, that's it. Tell Aoey to call me as soon as possible.]
"Yes,"
I replied coldly without a proper goodbye. I looked at the phone for a while
after hanging up. Something didn't feel right. Why would a stepfather calls
his daughter? Even her mother, she never called her. He was just a
stepfather. I wanted to know. I would do everything I could to find out!
The real Aoey couldn't call him back. I chose to text her instead. From
Aoey's last reaction when she picked up the phone, those two were not on
good terms. He would be able to read. He couldn't be that stupid, but he got
angry easily. He couldn't be that smart.
[Aoey: What do you want?]
That was all I sent and waited for. There was no greeting, no rude words. It
was just a simple sentence. Not long after, the stepfather called again but I
refused to answer. He should know that she didn't want to talk to him. The
phone was silent for about 10 minutes. I finally sent a text message after no
one answered. I misspelled and used strange words. He was not well
educated and tried to fight me, a much smarter college student.
[Stepfather: I'm going to see you in Bkk.]
Why would a stepfather want to see her? Her relationship wasn't good to
begin with.
[Aoey: For what?]
Another 5 minutes passed.
[Stepfather: So you can do your job. It has been a long time.]
I did not feel well. What kind of job was she talking about? I was shaking
even though there was nothing in that sentence. Should I continue?.. Yeah...
No..
[Aoey: What job?]
The last sentence sent shivers down my spine.
[Stepfather: Wife job.]
I kept that story to myself for a long time. I waited for her stepfather to
contact Aoey again. After 1 week, the relationship between Aoey and I was
awkward. Her soft eyes tried so hard to get closer to me, but I tried harder
to avoid her.
"Gen."
Aoey finally stopped me by standing in front of me.
"Why do you avoid me?"
Wife... That stepfather's word was in my head the whole time. I couldn't
shake it off. I wanted to ask her the truth but I couldn't. Was she really
having an affair with her stepfather? She betrayed her mother... Did you
seduce him? She didn't seem to be defending herself in the videos. Was
there something more to that? I was too serious to ask her. I chose to stay
silent.
"No, I didn't avoid you."
"You don't sleep here and you don't talk to me when you do. Did I do
something you didn't like?"
The smaller girl shook my arm.
"Did I make fun of you too much? Did you feel uncomfortable?"
"I have so many tasks. One day I didn't have time to shower."
"Really?"
We both remained silent. As I was about to say something, my new phone
rang with her number. The ringtone that rang at this moment made me feel
numb. I couldn't answer the phone. I couldn't move. Aoey looked at my new
phone in surprise.
"When did you buy a new phone? Where is your old phone?"
"I have two phones... I have to go to university. That must be my friend
calling. I have to go now."
I removed her hand from me and walked over to my bag. I took out both my
phones; the new and the old in the bag. I ignored her and acted casually.
After we broke up, I looked at the phone immediately and of course. It was
the stepfather.
Good time. A message came in from the same number. He seemed upset
that he had to text instead of talk.
[Don't you dare avoid me. Pick up the phone.]
The phone rang again. I hung up the phone to show that I wouldn't answer it
and to make him angry. It worked. The next message arrived.
[I'm in Bangkok now. Meet me at 99 Peep In Hotel. If you still ignore me,
I'll show your videos to the world!]
He exploded and blurted out the code word. He was a stupid and short-
tempered person who had just threatened Aoey for something she was
unwilling to do... Blackmail.. At first, I wasn't sure if Aoey had consented
to this relationship or not. She didn't defend herself in the clips, but from
her messages, she didn't. She didn't fight back, but that didn't mean she was
willing to. I gripped the phone tightly in my hands. It was time to find the
answer for myself. I wanted to meet her, he would have to see me.. I had to
find out the truth today!
"Yeah."
I didn't know where that damn hotel was. Fortunately, you could find
anything with this Google Map technology. I had a feeling it wouldn't be
too safe if I went there alone. I asked Uncle Somkit for help to send
someone with me, just as backup. I arrived at a cheap, low-quality motel
that I would never have dreamed of entering in my life. Here... Aoey's
stepfather sent me her room number. I knocked on the door when I got to
the room. I felt pain in my chest. What kind of place was that? I had to
come here to meet this kind of person,really? After the knock, the door
opened. A short white-headed man looked at me in surprise.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Aoey's friend."
There was surprise on his face before he recovered.
"Who is Aoey? I don't know you."
"Are you the man in the video?"
I showed Aoey's phone and played the video to the bald man.
She was surprised before he started speaking again without any sign of
guilt.
"Maybe or maybe not. You can't see the face anyway."
"Just this statement made me realize it was you. How long have you been
using this to blackmail her?"
"It's none of your business..."
"Grab him."
Uncle Somkit's big, thick hand grabbed the old man's neck and pushed him
into the room. The other man who worked for Uncle Somkit invited me into
the room before closing the door behind him. He tried to keep all the noises
inside.. There was only a bed in the middle of the room and a large mirror
on the ceiling. It was to reflect when someone had sex there. I stood with
my arms crossed over my chest and looked around. My heart felt so much
pain. Was this what my best friend had to go through? How long did he
torture her?
"Who the hell are you?"
"How long did you do this?"
"It is none of your business."
A click was heard. The sound was Uncle Somkit, who pulled the trigger and
now stuck the other end into the old man's eye. He looked pale now. I still
crossed my arms and felt a sharp pain in my chest.
"She wasn't willing to do that, was she?"
"Go ask your friend if she was consented or not."
"You blackmail her!"
I grabbed the gun from Uncle Somkit's hand angrily and shoved it into his
stinking mouth.
"How could you do this to a girl who had her life ahead of her?"
Tears rolled down my face in pain. My face must have looked like I was so
crazy. The bald stepfather now started talking to me better.
"Please do not kill me."
"Do you have more photos and videos? Uncle Somkit asked in his calm,
cold voice."
Uncle Somkit hugged me and slowly took the gun from my hand. He placed
me on his back.
"No."
"Liar,"
I said with my hand clenched tightly.
"I'll kill you!"
"If you kill me..."
Aoey's stepfather tried to get up and argued with me. He looked like a stray
dog cornered and wanting to get up for the last fight but Uncle Somkit
pressed his head with the tip of the gun.
"I'm going to release those photos."
"So you have more... I'll find them all."
I tried to control my emotions and my voice.
"Even if I had to search all over the world."
"You really don't realize your situation here, huh?"
Uncle Somkit explained with a bit of anger. But her stepfather was a stray
dog. He would fight for his life.
"Go ahead, kill me! I won't die alone."
"We all die alone. Let's see if you really want to die like you said.."
I said angrily and looked deep into his dark soul through his eyes. No one
ever wins if I stare an them, especially with my anger.
"Please do not hurt me."
"Did Aoey ever tell you this?"
"How dare you say that after the shit you've done?"
I came out when he said that. I couldn't stand another minute in that room.
It was so disgusting and made me want to vomit. Uncle Somkit took the
phone from the old man's hand for safety reasons and followed me.
"What do you want me to do with it?"
"I want him to leave... to leave this world."
"But it wasn't you in the photos and videos. I think we just left them..."
I looked at him angrily and that silenced him immediately.
"I'll take care of him."
Killing someone is a big deal. I'll teach him a lesson. He wouldn't dare do it
again "If your own daughter were raped and blackmailed like that, what
would you do?"
Uncle Somkit did not answer. I knew his answer well enough. He would
never just teach someone a lesson if it were his daughter. I smiled
sarcastically at him.
"Yes, that's what I thought."
I pressed my lip hard and clenched my fist.
"Can you pretend that nothing is happening today?"
"Because?"
"Someone can easily do this if it were me in the video."
He looked at me and sighed. I asked Uncle Somkit to still know who was in
the videos and I was about to lie...
"You know your father doesn't like a liar."
"I'm an exception for my dad."
I looked at him with a smile.
"Please ignore what happened today.."
It was such a heavy day for me. Manicure in the morning wouldn't help
either. While I was stuck in the car at the red light, my head filled with
Aoey's story. I wanted to distract myself, so I grabbed my phone but
accidentally dropped it on the floor of the passenger seat next to the driver's
seat. I ducked under the seat but felt something hard and cold. I wasn't sure
what that was, so I grabbed it and was surprised to see it. Handcuffs...
They were under the seat the entire time. The light turned green, so I didn't
have time to pick up the phone from the ground. I drove back to the condo
and put the handcuffs in my bag. I still couldn't get the story of what had
happened out of my head. It wouldn't be easy to forget it. I returned to the
condo at almost 9 pm because I talked to my dad for a long time. Aoey
walked directly towards me when she saw me enter. She seemed nervous
because of my cold reaction in the last 3 days.
"Have you had dinner yet, Gen? let me cook you something."
I looked into the soft eyes that tried to make up for any mistakes. The
mistake she didn't make. I felt sorry for her. My eyes were full of tears and I
felt so guilty for thinking badly of her. Why did I feel disappointed? I
shouldn't feel disappointed for someone who had been through hell.
"Are you crying, Gen?"
"N... No."
I tried to cover myself and shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm allergic to something. I'm going to take a shower."
I left my bag on the table in front of the sofa and went into the bathroom.
This was the first time in my life that I felt so dark. My heart was filled with
hatred. I asked... to get rid of someone. After learning Aoey's story and
trying to connect the dots myself, I went to see my father. I was close
enough to him, but I never knew what he was doing deep down. I knew that
he was a high-ranking government official, that he was powerful. I didn't
know what he had to do in the past, to have everything like today. He did
everything so that I had what I had today.
"My princess, why are you crying?"
My dad was surprised when he saw my swollen eyes. He knew I didn't cry
easily. If I cried, it must have been a big deal. I was his favorite daughter.
He was so proud of me. When he said my name, I saw love and adoration in
his eyes..
My princess... that was my name and only he could call me that.
"I wanted to ask you a favor."
"What's that?"
I told him Aoey's story but I pretended it was my own. I handed him the
phone with the photos of Aoey without a face.
"They are blackmailing me.."
He cried and bit his lip hard. I realized I wouldn't let that happen easily. She
didn't ask anything else. He was ready to handle the problem for me.
"I'll take care of this. It won't be your problem anymore."
It should be something I felt good about. But I felt so depressed. I was not
happy. I was scared and I felt immoral. My head and my heart were in
conflict. Someone was about to die... die because of my lie.. I spent about 1
hour showering. I had too many things on my mind. When I was stressed I
always spent hours in the shower. I thought water would take away bad
things from me. When I felt a little better, I left to go to bed... But...
"Gen."
I saw Aoey holding her phone tightly. Her face was full of tears and shame.
I knew immediately that her soft eyes now knew that I knew her story.
"Hey."
"Why do you have my phone?"
"Are you checking my bag?"
"That's not important. I ask you why you have my phone."
Her trembling voice shook me. I wanted to give her some excuses, but It
could only make things worse. I decided not to say anything, but I walked
towards her to comfort her.
"Do not touch me. Stay away."
When I entered, she quickly walked away. Her face now looked like she
had seen a ghost or something horrible in life. The smaller girl pulled at her
own hair and shook her head.
"Anyone in this world can see this, but not you! You do not!"
"Hey."
"If you hate me, how can I continue living? Stay away
