Chapter 3

"Cheers!"

But having a group of nearly twenty rowdy guys just eating pork belly at a barbecue place wouldn't quite set the mood. So, Daddy Tylor ordered towers of beer for us. Not to mention Yok, who also ordered three bottles of Black Label. The guy was a heavyweight when it came to alcohol. He could guzzle it down like it was some mineral water. As for maintaining the image of the college students, we all already changed our uniforms into casual clothes before coming here.

"Pat, drink with me." Kan, a friend I mentioned that he had beef with some architecture students, raised his beer glass for a toast.

"Pat's not into you, man. Remember that time he—oops!" I quickly clamped my hand over Sunsun's mouth.

This guy couldn't stop blabbering when he was drunk. If anyone asked him something, he'd spill everything out, mixing truth with nonsense. Even though I was confident in my own integrity, having him shout out stuff like this in the middle of a barbecue restaurant wasn't a good idea.

"♪Hey, little sister, watch the dog for me,

don't let it bite... my leg, my leg

Kiaw is cranky, and Dang is rushing,

so I have to poke ... the dog's, the dog's eye.♫"

The later it got, the livelier we became. Whether it was pop, K-pop, or country music playing, we, engineering students, could sing along to any song. Most of us knew every lyric, especially the 'Dog Bite' song. Well, everyone except Tylor, who sat there puzzled since this song quite challenged his Thai vocabulary. Ha! I was just swaying and enjoying myself when suddenly, this damn Sunsun knocked over a punch cup, spilling it all over my pants without even realizing it. He just ran off to dance in front of the stage with Kan, totally buzzed. Luckily, there wasn't much left in the cup, so it just left a few spots.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom," I said, even though no one was paying any attention to me. Chekov was busy chatting up Kie, Yok was shouting over the table, and Tylor was hunched over, devouring river prawns, the shells piling up high enough to almost cover his face. I stood watching the chaos for a moment before shaking my head and walking toward the men's restroom at the back of the restaurant.

The live music from outside made me feel less lonely. I dabbed some water on my pants to make the punch stain fade a bit before washing my face to refresh myself. But when I looked up into the mirror, I flinched in shock to see a tall, broad-shouldered man standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall behind me.

Kong was dressed in a black, rolled-up sleeve shirt with the top button undone and a few strands of his black hair falling slightly over his forehead. He just appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, making my heart race!

"Uh, what's up?" I asked, trying to regain my composure and turning around to speak calmly while my eyes searched for an escape route. But the restroom door was already closed and securely locked.

When did he lock it?

"You're really irritating," Kong muttered under his breath, so low I could barely hear him. But from the looks of it, he definitely wasn't here for a friendly chat.

"Look, I don't understand what you want from me, but can't we talk this out peacefully, hey..."

I tried to negotiate, but Kong lunged at me with such speed that I braced myself against the sink and lifted my legs, ready to kick the guy. However, he quickly brushed my feet aside.

"Are you trying to kick me?" he asked with an icy tone. Now that we were so close, I could clearly see the beautiful color of Kong's eyes.

"Well, yeah! Who suddenly charges the other like that!?" I raised my voice, getting irritated by the sudden confrontation.

"I didn't know you could yell like that, too." Kong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah! Just say what you want. If you want a fight, then come on and get it over with," I said, shrugging my shoulders and flicking my wrists, ready for a fight. Just because I seemed friendly didn't mean I couldn't throw a punch.

"Fine by me." Kong cracked his knuckles loudly. If one of his punches landed, it would hurt like hell. I swallowed hard and then raised my hands to signal a time-out, asking for a brief pause.

"Before we fight, I want to know why. What's the reason?"

"Hmph," Kong snorted, his voice rising from his throat as he looked at me with eyes full of mockery, disdain, and unfriendliness. I'd never been looked at like this before, and it stung, even though deep down, I found those eyes strangely captivating.

"Pang broke up with me."

"Oh," I acknowledged, then nodded. The guy just got dumped by Pang, huh...

...Eh?!

"What's that got to do with me?" I asked, pointing at myself in confusion.

"Because if it wasn't you, then which bastard would have made Pang break up with me, huh?"

"I don't know which bastard you're talking about either, but I know for sure it wasn't me," I denied firmly.

What the hell? Suddenly, I was being accused of being the third person.

"Liar! I saw you with my girl in the car... I saw everything you did. You knew Pang was with me, you..." Kong gritted his teeth, clearly running out of patience, while I was stunned to realize he had seen when Pang stole a kiss from me in the car.

No, no, I had to explain quickly.

"How would I know Pang was going to do that? Besides, you've already broken up with Pang before that, haven't you?"

"What?!" Kong's brows furrowed in confusion. I nodded to affirm that what I said was true. Then he continued, "Pang just broke up with me a moment ago."

"Wait," I exclaimed, completely baffled. Now, I really didn't know who to believe.

"You're still the reason Pang broke up with me anyway."

What was wrong with this guy!? I was a hundred percent innocent here, and he still tried to pick a fight with me. He was so stubborn. Sunsun once told me before the Moon and Star contest that Kong was a top scholarship student at the university. And looking at him now, where did all his reasoning go?

"It's got nothing to do with me. I really didn't know. That's what Pang told me," I protested, slowly backing away as the taller one moved closer. His cologne, mixed with the scent of alcohol, reached me.

No wonder... he wasn't listening to reason... alcohol really did impair judgment.

"You're drunk, Kong," I said, pushing his firm chest, but he didn't move.

"You smell pretty good. What a weird guy," He said, smirking.

Weird? Since I was born, everyone had told me I was handsome, charming, smart, and a perfect man. 

But you! Who are you to call me a weird guy?

I pushed and shoved in irritation, but Kong seemed to enjoy annoying me. He moved closer until my back was against the edge of the sink, trapping me with both arms so I couldn't escape. I wasn't petite, so I couldn't dodge left or right without touching his arms. And just as I was about to clench my fist and swing at the chin of the person in front of me, Kong smirked.

Thump-thump...thump-thump...thump-thump...

But why was my heart beating so fast? Damn it! Okay, he was handsome, really handsome! But Kong was also a guy who always looked angry and spoke so bluntly. It was unpleasant of him. The only things about him that were somewhat redeemable were his beautiful brown eyes and that annoying smirk.

What was I even thinking about?

"You made me break up with Pang, so you'll have to take responsibility."

Still... He still couldn't stop talking about Pang!

"Take responsibility? What do you want me to do, date you instead?" I blurted out in frustration and pushed him hard in the chest. Kong responded by grabbing both of my wrists, his strength so great that pain shot down to my bones.

"Date you? No way!"

"Why can't you date me, huh? What's the reason?!"

Kong's words pierced me deeply, and I finally lost my composure, ranting until I shed almost all traces of Pat Nuntapob that everyone had known. Even my close friend Sunsun had only seen this side of me a few times.

Kong smirked coldly without answering.

"Why? Tell me! Am I not good enough for you?"

"I'm not like your fan club, who adores every little thing young master Pat does, okay?"

"What?" I widened my eyes, unable to believe my own ears. A flood of questions filled my mind. I couldn't help feeling insulted by a man like him, especially since we hadn't even really gotten to know each other.

"People like you are so annoying." His tone was sharp and icy, as cold as the look in his eyes.

It hurt in a sharp, stinging way to be insulted by someone I secretly admired, knowing full well he harbored no good feelings towards me. I clenched both fists tightly. Kong treated me as if I were some kind of joke to him, something to be toyed with for amusement. I wanted to smack his face so badly, but I couldn't do it because he still had my hands locked.

"Let go, now," I commanded, no longer wanting to hear anything more from his spiteful mouth.

"I'm not done talking," Kong said irritatingly, squeezing my wrist even tighter. I furrowed my eyebrows in pain.

"You!"

I shouted and began to struggle fiercely to break free from his grip, using judo techniques my sensei taught me about twisting an arm to escape an opponent. But Kong anticipated every move. I glared at him with resentment, unable to punch or kick as he locked my legs, too. My black belt in judo was useless against him. His mocking smile only multiplied my pain. At that moment, I chose to vent my anger through raw instinct.

I bit his damn lip!

And it worked. Kong flinched and quickly released my hands. His light brown eyes widened as I fiercely bit down on his orange lips. He groaned in pain and tried to push me away, but I grabbed onto his broad back with my now free hands, clinging tighter than superglue. Yet, the taste of alcohol mixed with the bitter taste of blood only made my body burn with heat. The more Kong tried to push me away, the more I wanted to escalate the violence. Before I could even remember why I was doing this, I pulled Kong's head down and began to kiss him fiercely.

The instinct deep down drove me to slide my hand under his shirt to touch his beautifully tanned skin, my fingers brushing over the tight muscles of his stomach.

Everything went white...

I never knew that a kiss could feel this good.

Of course, I'd never known that! Every time I kissed someone, it usually ended with discomfort in my gut because it reminded me of what happened in the past.

"Ugh."

My eyes widened in shock. There it was. My queasy episode had returned to haunt me.

I intended to push him away, but the owner of those light brown eyes held the back of my head firmly and pressed his blood-trickled lips against mine as if seeking revenge.

I felt like I was being devoured, with Kong's passion and aggression nearly making me forget what breathing was. He lifted me to sit on the edge of the sink and pressed his body between my legs while our mouths remained locked together. His skilled tongue flicked into my mouth, igniting an inexplicable heat in my body, a sensation I'd never experienced before. But no matter how skilled Kong was, he eventually lost to my condition anyway.

"Ugh, you, ugh."

I protested while feeling regretful for acting without thinking. Then, with one last burst of strength, I pushed his broad shoulders, causing Kong to fall backward onto the floor.

"I... sorry."

I spoke in shock, raising my hand to cover my mouth, preventing anything from escaping. Sweat beaded on my forehead and dripped down to my chin. I braced myself, expecting to be beaten, and I had no energy left to defend myself. Instead, Kong just stood up silently, those beautiful eyes showing confusion. And then he quickly buttoned up his shirt and walked out the door without looking back.

He left me alone again with my erratic heartbeat. But this time it was worse than before because I started to see something more clearly... which I still didn't understand how it could happen.

"Ugh!"

I wanted to find an answer for myself, but in this state, I needed to hurry and throw up in the toilet first.