Beneath the Surface

Part 35

The clink of silverware was the only sound in the room.

The dining table in Longtai's apartment had never felt so big-or so quiet.

Yok sat stiffly, shoulders tense, eyes fixed on the untouched bowl of rice in front of him. Across the table, Phupha sat with his arms crossed, his military uniform jacket hung over the back of his chair, crisp and sharp like the man himself. Tain sat beside him, calm, observant, a slight glimmer of amusement tugging at his lips.

Longtai sat next to Yok, his pinky looped gently around Yok's beneath the table. A silent tether. A soft anchor.

Phupha finally broke the silence with a voice as straight as steel.
"I'm going to help you."

Yok blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Longtai's head turned sharply to Phupha, eyes wide. "You're serious?"

Phupha nodded. "You're not under arrest. Not yet. Not officially named, either. That means we still have ground to work with. If we move fast, get a lawyer-one who actually knows how to spin a case like this-we can protect you."

Yok stared at him, lips parting. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to thank me yet," Phupha replied, voice firm. "You'll probably still get charges. But not jail."

Tain tilted his head toward Yok. "Phupha's not just a decorated soldier. He's got connections. Military influence, political leverage. Enough to shift the weight where it counts."

Yok's brows furrowed, his voice low. "But I can't be the only one who gets away."

Phupha narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Yok said, lifting his gaze, voice steadying with every word, "I won't leave my friends behind. I'm the one who pulled them into this. If anyone should take the fall-it's me."

Longtai's hand tightened around his. "Yok-"

"No," Yok cut in, eyes still on Phupha. "They're my family. I dragged them into this mission. I told them it would be worth it. If I leave them behind now, what kind of justice am I fighting for? I won't run from this and watch them suffer."

Tain leaned back slightly, visibly impressed. "Dramatic. Noble. actually."

Phupha's expression didn't shift. But something behind his eyes flickered.
"You're saying if you go down, you go down with them?"

Yok met his stare evenly. "No. I'm saying if we fight-we fight together. I'll take the help. I'll take the lawyer. But only if it's for all of us."

The room was still for a moment.

Then Phupha leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "If it's all of you, we'll need more than one lawyer. And more pressure from both public and legal channels. But I've worked in this system long enough to know how it bends."

"And?" Longtai asked quietly.

"And it can bend in your favor. Especially when you didn't cause any harm to anyone in the process."

Yok blinked. His heart thudded in his chest, not quite believing it.

"You'll help all of us?"

"I'll try," Phupha said. "I can't promise full freedom, but I can promise protection from the worst of it. No one's rotting in a cell. That's the line I draw."

Tain reached for his drink, lifting it in a casual toast. "Guess you have your blessing, then."

Yok looked down for a moment, throat tight. When he finally looked back up, his voice was soft but certain.