Echoes Of The Past

In the vast garden, neatly trimmed rows of green trees are interspersed with colorful flowers in full bloom. Under a large tree, two boys are playing together. One looks older, about 12 years old, while the smaller boy beside him is only around 6 or 7.

Ying carefully folds a paper airplane, then holds it up in front of Jay, his eyes filled with pride.

-"Jay, look! I'm done folding it."

Jay's eyes light up with excitement as he eagerly takes the paper airplane.

-"It's beautiful! Ying, teach me how to fold one! I want to fold it as well as you!"

-"Sure! Watch closely, I'll show you how it's done…"

Ying patiently guides Jay, and Jay carefully follows along, trying his best to mimic each fold.

The scene shifts—this time, it's outside on the road where young Jay is struggling to learn how to ride a bicycle. The bike wobbles as Jay sits on the saddle, his small feet desperately pedaling the wheels. Ying walks right behind, holding the bike steady so Jay doesn't fall.

-"Don't be scared, I'm here. I'll always be behind you."

"Ying, don't let go! I'll fall!"

Jay's voice carries a hint of worry, but he still pushes himself to pedal a little more. Ying smiles, gently reassuring him,

-"Don't panic, take it slow… You're doing great!"

In the clear afternoon air, the sound of the two boys' laughter blends with the soft rays of sunlight, as if that moment would never fade away.

———————————————

Morning in Thailand, in Jay's room, he is still deep in sleep. Perhaps because he was quite tired yesterday, he slept very soundly. Suddenly, a few voices can be heard from downstairs, causing Jay to frown slightly and slowly wake up.

Lazily sitting up, Jay stretches and drags himself to the bathroom to freshen up. Once done, he sluggishly walks downstairs, still looking half-asleep.

In the kitchen, a middle-aged man is cooking, with smoke rising and the aroma of freshly prepared food filling the air. This is Sakda, Jay's father. Seeing his son come down the stairs with a tired expression, Sakda calls out:

-"Awake already? Come here, breakfast is ready."

Jay yawns and pulls out a chair to sit down, sounding a little sulky:

-"It's so early and you're making so much noise, no wonder I woke up."

Sakda laughs while quickly arranging the food on the table:

-"If I didn't make noise, you probably wouldn't show up until noon."

Jay chuckles, picks up his chopsticks, and asks:

-"When did you get back?"

-"I came back early this morning. I thought you might have trouble adjusting, so I came back to be with you."

Jay eats slowly, speaking absentmindedly:

-"What's there to not adjust to? I was born and raised here for 10 years."

Sakda looks at his son and gently reminds him:

-"But it's been almost 10 years. By the way, have you met anyone since yesterday?"

Jay pauses for a moment and then teasingly responds:

-"Yes, Anton."

As expected, a light smack to the head follows:

-"I asked Anton to pick you up, if not him, who else would you meet?"

Jay rubs his head, grimacing in pain:

-"Ow… but you asked me if I met anyone!"

-"What I meant was, have you greeted any of the neighbors?"

-"No. I was tired yesterday, so I just went straight to sleep."

Sakda nods:

-"Well, you should go greet everyone later. Mr. Runrot asked about you yesterday."

Jay squints playfully, his voice mischievous:

-"Did you tell him I'm a famous artist now?"

Sakda laughs and shakes his head:

-"Famous? You're famous, and I haven't heard anyone mention your name yet? You should be a little humble, Jay."

-"That's because you haven't looked into the music industry! Felix is a hot artist now. I get a lot of offers!"

Sakda looks at his son, still enthusiastically bragging, with a helpless smile:

-"Alright, alright, Artist Felix, hurry and eat!"

Jay squints:

-"What's that supposed to mean?"

-"Nothing, Mr. Felix~"

The atmosphere in the kitchen is filled with playful teasing between the father and son. However, while they're eating, Sakda suddenly remembers something:

-"Oh, by the way, do you remember Ying? That boy is now an executive director, really talented."

Jay freezes for a moment, his action of eating slowing down.

-"Really?"

-"Not only that, but now he looks more mature and handsome. Truly a 'model child.'"

Sakda casually talks about Ying, but Jay no longer focuses on his meal. His eyes grow distant, and it's unclear what he's thinking…

After breakfast, Sakda sits on the sofa in the living room, leisurely flipping through the pages of a newspaper. The morning sunlight filters through the window, casting soft light patches on the floor.

At this moment, Jay comes down the stairs. He's changed into a neat but comfortable outfit, seemingly preparing to go out.

Seeing this, Sakda lowers the newspaper and asks:

-"Are you going somewhere?"

Jay checks his phone and replies:

-"I'm going out to buy a few things."

Sakda nods and sets the newspaper aside:

-"Then I'll call the driver to take you."

Jay shakes his head and waves his hand to decline:

-"No need. I want to go by myself, maybe take a walk around."

Sakda smiles at his son and reminds him:

-"Alright, enjoy yourself."

Jay nods and heads out the door.

As he stands outside waiting for his car, the large gate of the house across the street slowly opens. A black luxury car glides out, reflecting the early sunlight. The person behind the wheel is none other than Ying, who seems to be on his way to work.

Inside the car, Ying briefly glances at Jay. His hand on the steering wheel tightens slightly, but then he remains silent, thinking for a moment before continuing to drive.

Jay sees Ying too, but he doesn't pay much attention. He continues standing there, waiting for his own car.

That brief moment passes, leaving a quiet stillness between the two who once were like brothers.

——————————————

In the parking lot of the shopping mall, Chirawan skillfully turned the steering wheel, parking the car in an empty spot before turning off the engine. Behind her was Isra, always silently following her.

-"Isra, let's go inside." Chirawan said as she opened the car door.

-"Yes." Isra replied, quickly following behind.

As they entered the revolving door, the light in the shopping mall reflected off Chirawan's sharp eyes. Suddenly, she turned to Isra and arrogantly spoke:

-"Do you want to buy anything? Feel free to, I'll pay."

Isra hesitated for a moment:

-"But…"

Chirawan raised an eyebrow, cutting her off:

-"No 'buts'. I'm in a good mood, don't spoil it for me."

Pausing for a moment, she scanned Isra from head to toe, then continued:

-"Aren't your clothes getting old? Go inside and pick out some new ones. I don't want people thinking I'm treating my assistant poorly."

After saying that, Chirawan confidently walked into the mall. Isra could only sigh and quietly follow behind.

At a nearby counter, Jay was holding a few snacks while his eyes were glued to his phone when a video call came in.

-"Hello, Ryan!" Jay answered cheerfully, his face lighting up with a smile.

From the other end, Ryan's voice came through with a hint of sulkiness:

-"What are you doing? I haven't heard from you since you got back."

Jay laughed:

"I didn't want to disturb you while you were performing. I'm just out shopping for a bit, look…"

He turned the camera around, showing Ryan the lively surroundings.

-"By the way, how's the performance in the US? Was it good?"

Ryan smiled lightly:

-"It went really well. I've got some good news for you, want to hear it?"

Jay raised an eyebrow, curious:

-"What is it? Why have you been so mysterious lately?"

-"The music festival in the US is coming up, and they've sent you an invitation to perform."

Jay froze, his eyes widened with surprise, then quickly turned into excitement:

"Really?!"

Ryan laughed at his reaction:

"You're that happy, huh, Felix?"

"Of course! This is my dream! Aaaa— I'm sorry!"

Jay got so excited that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and accidentally bumped into someone. His snacks fell to the floor.

-"Don't you watch where you're going?" A sharp voice scolded.

Jay looked up and met a pair of familiar, sharp eyes.

On the other end of the phone, Ryan, hearing the noise, asked worriedly:

"Jay, what's going on?"

Jay quickly responded:

"I'll call you back in a bit, something's come up."

He quickly hung up, bent down to pick up the items, and continuously apologized:

-"I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

As he looked at the person in front of him, something clicked in his mind… that face… it was so familiar. He tried to recall, then his eyes lit up:

-"Ah… It's you, Chirawan, right?"

Chirawan paused, looked closely at the young man in front of her, then suddenly her eyes widened in surprise:

-"You're… Jay? Is that really you?"

Jay laughed, nodding vigorously:

-"Yes, yes! It's me, Jay. Are you okay?"

Chirawan crossed her arms and shook her head:

-"I'm fine, just a light bump. Isra, pick up my bag for me."

Isra quickly ran over to grab the bag from Chirawan.

Chirawan, however, kept staring at Jay. The next second, she squinted and smiled mischievously before suddenly pinching his cheek.

-"Wow, look at this! My little brother's all grown up and even more handsome now!"

Jay squirmed and rubbed his cheek:

-"Aaa… that hurts! Chirawan, let go of me!"

Chirawan laughed, letting go:

-"Sorry, I got too excited. But it's your fault, you've grown even more handsome!"

Jay pouted:

-"And you, haven't seen you in so long, still as violent as ever!"

-"Do you want to get slapped?" Chirawan raised her hand as a threat.

Without waiting for Jay's reaction, she linked her arm through his and pulled him along:

-"Come on, let's go to the coffee shop and talk. I've missed you so much!"

Jay called out:

-"Wait! Slow down, I'm not going anywhere!"

Chirawan ignored him, still dragging him along.

Behind them, Isra watched the scene and finally spoke up:

-"Ms. Chirawan… what about me?"

Chirawan didn't turn back, just waved her hand:

"Buy whatever you want, just use my card to pay for it. Get something nice, Isra!"

Isra sighed, feeling helpless as she muttered:

-"Ms. Chirawan… Haizz…"

————————————

In a small corner of the coffee shop, Chirawan and Jay sat across from each other, the atmosphere relaxed with a hint of nostalgia.

-"Oh… my little brother is growing up and becoming even more handsome!" Chirawan rested her chin in her hand, looking at Jay with a proud gaze, like a sister who had just reunited with her long-lost brother.

Hearing this, Jay became embarrassed, his cheeks flushed as he quickly waved his hand.

-"Chirawan, you're the same! Don't compliment me anymore… Jay's shy."

-"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. But…" Chirawan narrowed her eyes, as though deep in thought. "You look really familiar… I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

At this, Jay chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

-"Maybe you've seen me somewhere before, try to think harder."

-"You little rascal, don't mess with my memory!" Chirawan pretended to look stern, then laughed and shook her head.

-"By the way, Jay, are you staying here for good, or just for a while?"

-"I'll only stay for about a month, then I have to go back to France."

-"Really? That's too bad…" Chirawan clicked her tongue, a bit disappointed, but then she smiled again. "But now that you're back, have you met anyone yet?"

Jay raised an eyebrow, his gaze carrying a hint of mystery.

-"Who do you think I've met?"

Chirawan tilted her head, raising an eyebrow with a knowing look.

-"Well… Ying, and Faisal too…"

Jay just smiled without answering, his fingers absently stirring his coffee. A soft breeze swept through, carrying with it the lingering echoes of the names just mentioned…

...…..

————————————

In front of the coffee, the rain poured down, cooling the air. The streets were slick with water, and the raindrops pattered on the eaves, creating a soft natural melody.

Jay stood under the awning, hands in his coat pockets, his gaze quietly following each falling raindrop.

He chuckled softly, leaned his head against the wall, and took out a small notebook and pen from his jacket pocket. He flipped through a few pages, then stopped at a blank sheet.

An idea sparked.

"If love cannot be spoken in words… then the eyes will speak for you."

The pen gently glided across the page, words gradually forming, blending with the sound of rain falling outside:

"In a room full of people, my gaze is always on you…"

Even if it's just a brief touch, or silently watching from afar…

You might never know…

What I was feeling back then."

Jay smiled and quietly underlined a line: "Silent love."

He smiled softly, his eyes filled with emotion. He stopped writing, leaned back against the wall, and looked up at the sky, which was slowly clearing.

-"One part is done… I'll finish it tonight…"

He sighed in relief. Just as he put the pen back in his pocket, it accidentally fell to the ground. As he bent down to pick it up, another hand reached out faster and grabbed it.

-"Thank you…"

Jay smiled reflexively, but when his gaze met the face of the person in front of him, his smile froze.

Before him stood a tall young man, his features sharp and mature, the kind of face that Jay couldn't look away from.

The person stood there, holding Jay's notebook, his eyes deep as though staring into Jay's soul.

A gentle breeze passed by, carrying the lingering scent of rain on the other person's coat.

Jay flinched, stepping back a step, stammering:

-"… Ying?"

End of Chapter 2.