Un-Beam My Heart!

23. So Scared...

            Kimmon parked his car at the restaurant's parking lot and walked towards the lounge. He scanned the reception area, to find the cute dimpled boy sitting on the couch and playing with the straps of his backpack. He was looking down at the ground with his right foot drawing patterns on the floor. A small smile decorated Kimmon's face as he watched the boy glance at his wrist watch pouting.

               Kimmon cleared his throat and shook his head slowly. He reminded himself that he was there to distract the boy and not to get cozy with him. He took a deep breath and chanted to himself that he shouldn't get carried away by that cute face again. He took slow steps and stopped right in front of the boy, who looked at the pair of feet that stood in front of him. His eyes traveled up the long legs and broad chest, until they settled on Kimmon's face. The doe eyes sparkled immediately followed by a bright smile that bloomed on the younger's face, deepening the dimples.

              And Kimmon froze.

              It was like being stuck in a cold freezer box made of glass, with no window or door to escape. And just outside was Kimmon's sunshine shining brightly and tempting him to escape from the cage. He could see it, long for it and cry for it, but he couldn't reach it. He could punch the walls, scratch them and kick them until they broke, but the moment he tried to step out of the confines, they would raise again and imprison him. He had tried to shatter them to pieces so they wouldn't rebuild. But the walls were too strong for his own liking.

          Kimmon had a vivid memory of the day when Tae had exposed the true face of his uncle Suchart. Kimmon was too shocked and devastated. He had outright denied every accusations and had berated Tae that he was trying to turn Kimmon against his uncle for business gains. He almost punched Tae that day as Tae continued to accuse his uncle of money laundering. He had yelled at Tae and refused to believed his words. But Tae stood firm to his words. He showed every record of Suchart's transactions with the Kreepolrerk, which he had collected in the past few months and Kimmon wasn't stupid to not understand what those numbers proved.

             Kimmon felt betrayed and ashamed. He had placed his uncle so high in his heart, that the pain he felt was much more than what he had gone through when he lost his father. Kimmon spent days checking every single detail that Tae presented to him. He went through every detail for at least ten times, hoping to find something which could prove Tae wrong. His heart was not ready to accept the fact that his uncle, whom he considered as the kindest and greatest person, was nothing but a fraud and cheat.

             Kimmon had always been proud of his uncle. He would always boast to his friends that his uncle had such a generous heart to adopt him and give him a position in Khemmonta industries. But Tae made him realize that the non executive director position he held in Khemmonta Industries was as good as being a sleeping partner in a firm. Kimmon didnt have any real power in the organization except a small percentage of shares which were on his name.

               Until then Kimmon had not paid any attention to what people talked behind his back. He was so focussed on serving his uncle and his family that, he had not realized that he was being treated worse than a slave by his uncle. His uncle had lured him with sugar coated words of comfort and raised him to become a loyal guard dog for him and his son. He was just a puppet, a lackey for Suchart, who followed Suchart's every instructions blindly.

             Staying under the same roof as Suchart had become difficult for Kimmon, after he understood how cunning his uncle was. He wanted to leave the Khemmonta mansion with his mother. He wanted to run as far as he could from his uncle. But Tae stopped him. He convinced Kimmon to stay. Tae listened to Kimmon and understood him. He supported Kimmon and helped him to build his selfconfidence and self esteem, which he lost completely after understanding how he was raised. Tae trusted Kimmon and encouraged him to stand independently on his own legs. And the respect Kimmon had for Tae grew drastically. He was so grateful to Tae for bringing him out of the dark. And when Tae requested the favour of approaching Tee's brother in New Zealand, kimmon readily agreed without hesitation.