Touch

An Evening in Phuket – Sweet Memories

The three of them—Ying, Jay, and Ryan—strolled down the lively streets of Phuket as the evening breeze carried the aroma of street food through the air. Vibrant stalls lined both sides of the bustling road, teeming with people. Jay and Ryan were bursting with energy, like two curious children, stopping at almost every stall, eager to try everything.

— "Oh! Look at that! Those grilled skewers smell amazing!" Ryan exclaimed as he caught a whiff of the food, eagerly pulling Jay toward the stall.

Jay glanced over before raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you just saying you were too full to eat anything else?"

Ryan waved off the comment without a second thought. "Being full and wanting snacks are two completely different things!"

Jay chuckled and ordered a serving for himself as well. Behind them, Ying stood with his arms crossed, watching the two with an expression of mild exasperation. He felt more like a babysitter than someone out for a casual walk.

After finishing their skewers, the two moved on to a juice stall. Jay sipped his mango smoothie before turning to Ying.

— "Ying, do you want something to drink?"

Ying shook his head. "No, you go ahead."

Ryan smirked playfully. "Ying, you really act like a strict adult! We're out having fun, but you're not enjoying anything at all."

Ying sighed, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. He didn't argue, simply continuing to walk.

Then, curiosity sparked in his mind—why were Jay and Ryan in Phuket?

— "What brought you two here?" Ying finally asked.

Jay, still sipping his smoothie, turned to answer.

— "Oh… We're here for a vacation. And since Ryan's family is from here, he wanted to visit before heading back to France."

Ryan nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! Before flying back, I have to revisit all my childhood spots. If I don't, I might cry from nostalgia when I get home!"

Jay laughed. "Do you think you're a little kid or something?"

Ryan shrugged, completely unbothered. "Being young or not is all in the heart."

Standing beside them, Ying listened quietly. His gaze softened slightly. The carefree and genuine energy these two had—it was oddly comforting.

Suddenly, Ryan gasped with excitement.

— "Jay! Look! Cotton candy!"

Jay instinctively turned to look, but the moment he saw the cotton candy stall, his expression stiffened.

Ryan, oblivious to the change in Jay's demeanor, grabbed his arm excitedly. "Let's go buy some!"

But Jay hesitated. "Too much sugar will give you cavities."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "How old are you to still be worrying about that? Don't tell me you've never had cotton candy before?"

Jay was silent for a moment before answering slowly, "…It's been a long time since I last had it."

— "Then let's eat some! It's a rare occasion—why not?" Ryan insisted, pulling Jay toward the stall.

At first, Jay resisted, but in the end, he let Ryan drag him along. Behind them, Ying stood watching, a small, almost imperceptible smile forming on his lips. His gaze lingered on Jay, and suddenly, a long-buried memory resurfaced…

A childhood afternoon, under the clear blue sky.

A little Jay ran up to a cotton candy stall, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. He tugged on Ying's sleeve, voice soft and pleading.

— "Ying, Jay wants cotton candy…"

At the time, Ying was just a teenager himself. He looked down at Jay, his expression gentle and full of affection. With a small chuckle, he replied,

— "Alright, I'll buy it for you."

— "Yay!" Jay beamed, his chubby cheeks turning pink from excitement.

Ying reached out to ruffle the little boy's hair before speaking again in a soft but firm tone.

— "But you have to promise me—don't eat too much."

— "Why not?" Jay blinked up at him.

— "Because too much sugar will give you cavities."

Jay pouted but eventually nodded obediently.

— "Okay… Then from now on, I'll only eat cotton candy if you let me, okay?"

Ying chuckled at his adorableness and gently nodded.

— "Alright. Good boy."

Back to the present.

Ying stood there, eyes fixed on Jay. Though he had grown up, some habits remained the same.

A soft smile unknowingly formed on Ying's lips as he murmured to himself,

— "Still a good boy."

Meanwhile, Jay had just bought his cotton candy. But when he turned back, he saw Ying standing there, lost in thought. Without hesitation, he ran over and grabbed his hand.

— "Ying, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go!"

A small, warm hand wrapped around his. Ying let Jay pull him along, his gaze never leaving the boy's back.

Some things, it seemed, never changed.

————————————————

A Quiet Night at the Resort

The soft golden glow of the resort's lights illuminated the surrounding trees, casting flickering reflections on the rippling surface of the pool. The night air was unusually quiet, with only the distant sound of ocean waves blending into the gentle breeze.

Jay and Ryan had been running around all day, full of energy, but by late night, Ryan had gone out to buy a few souvenirs before returning to France. That left Jay wandering alone through the resort.

By the poolside, Ying sat alone, his feet submerged in the cold water. A glass of wine rested in his hand, swirling slightly as he took occasional sips. His face showed a hint of fatigue, his gaze unfocused as if lost in thought.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called from behind.

— "Ying, what are you doing? Drinking?"

Before Ying could turn around, Jay had already walked over and casually sat beside him.

— "Yeah… You're still up?" Ying's voice remained calm, deep but gentle.

— "Not yet." Jay replied, glancing at him and sensing an emptiness in the air around him.

Jay wasn't great at comforting people, but he could feel the loneliness hidden in Ying's eyes.

Ying slowly raised his glass and took another sip before asking,

— "Where's Ryan?"

— "He went out to buy something. Since he's going back to France soon, he wanted to get some souvenirs… He's worried he'll miss home." Jay chuckled. "Such a child."

Ying didn't react much to that, only staring at the liquid in his glass. After a brief silence, he spoke in a steady voice,

— "You seem to like him a lot."

Jay blinked, thought for a moment, then nodded honestly.

— "I do. A lot. Ryan is talented, kind, and always full of energy. He's helped me so much… Honestly, I wouldn't be where I am today without him." Jay smiled, his eyes filled with gratitude as he spoke about Ryan.

Ying remained silent for a few seconds before exhaling softly. His voice lowered slightly.

— "I see. Ryan is really lucky."

Jay hesitated for a moment. He couldn't quite decipher the emotion in Ying's words, but there was something beneath the surface.

Turning to face him, Jay asked with a hint of concern,

— "Are you drinking this much because something's bothering you?"

Hearing that, Ying only curved his lips into a faint smile—one that lacked any real warmth.

— "Not really. Sometimes, the pressure gets to me… and drinking makes it a little easier to handle." His voice was calm, but there was a quiet exhaustion beneath it.

Late-Night Conversations by the Pool

Jay frowned slightly before asking,

— "What's stressing you out?"

Ying didn't answer right away. He slowly swirled the wine in his glass, watching the liquid ripple for a moment before replying in a calm, quiet voice,

— "Work, society… even relationships."

Hearing that, Jay hesitated for a moment.

— "Did you have a fight with Kanya?"

Ying was momentarily taken aback by the question but quickly shook his head in firm denial.

— "No. Kanya and I are nothing. Don't misunderstand."

Jay raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised.

— "Really? I thought…" He trailed off, absentmindedly stirring the pool water with his foot.

A brief silence settled between them, broken only by the gentle rippling of the water beneath their feet.

Jay looked up at the sky and asked casually,

— "What about work? What kind of difficulties are you facing? Ever since I returned, everyone has praised you—saying you're talented, hardworking, and incredibly capable. Sometimes, even my dad compares me to you. If someone as skilled as you needs alcohol to deal with stress, that's kind of unexpected."

Though Jay spoke lightly, there was a subtle sense of admiration in his tone.

Ying let out a faint chuckle, but it lacked warmth. His deep eyes reflected the golden light from the water below. After a long pause, he sighed, his voice carrying a hint of exhaustion.

— "Expectations. The pressure of expectations weighs on me."

Jay tilted his head slightly, intrigued.

— "Oh?"

— "I don't like being tied down by words like 'talented' and 'brilliant.' People around me always define me with those labels and set high expectations… That only makes me feel more pressured. I'm afraid that if I make a mistake—if I fail—they'll be disappointed."

Ying's voice remained steady, but his words revealed the contradictions and burdens he carried.

Jay listened quietly before leaning back on his hands, exhaling a deep breath.

— "If that's the case, I understand what you mean."

Ying finally turned to look at Jay, his gaze flickering with slight curiosity.

— "You've experienced it too?"

Jay didn't answer right away. He simply watched the water ripple beneath his feet. A cool night breeze passed by, but neither of them spoke further.

After a while, Jay turned to Ying and looked up at the sky, his expression calm.

— "I don't know much about business or the stock market, but when you mentioned 'the pressure of expectations,' I could relate."

Ying listened in silence, his eyes focused on Jay.

— "As a singer, whenever I step onto a stage, I want to give my best performance. But before I can even do that, I have to spend countless hours practicing. Once I became popular, more and more people started looking up to me. That's when the pressure really hit—fear of making mistakes, fear of letting my fans down." Jay's voice was soft, but there was a quiet depth to it.

Ying continued swirling the wine in his glass without saying a word.

— "And then?" he finally asked, as if searching for an answer he hadn't found himself.

Jay was silent for a moment before extending his hand toward Ying, palm open.

— "Look at this. My hands are full of calluses." He smiled—a smile that was both relaxed and a little bitter.

Ying glanced down at Jay's hand, noticing the hardened patches of skin from years of playing guitar. Some of them had likely bled before. His gaze deepened, a mix of empathy and curiosity flickering in his eyes.

— "So how did you overcome it?"

Jay didn't respond immediately. Instead, he took a deep breath, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.

— "There was a time when I performed on a massive stage, in front of thousands of people. I was so nervous that after the concert ended, the moment I stepped backstage, I fainted from sheer anxiety. I woke up in a hospital bed."

Ying raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised but didn't interrupt.

— "That was when I realized… living like that wasn't sustainable. I was constantly afraid of doing what I loved. But if you truly love something, shouldn't you enjoy it? Why should I live in fear of other people's expectations?"

Jay turned to Ying, his gaze gentle yet filled with an unspoken encouragement.

Ying met his eyes, and for a brief moment, an invisible connection passed between them. But deep down, he knew he hadn't yet let go of his own fears.

As if sensing this, Jay patted his shoulder, his tone becoming lighter.

— "That's why I started learning to be more at ease with myself. I stopped forcing myself into some perfect image. In life, we need failures to gain the experience for future success. No one is perfect. You don't have to push yourself so hard, Ying. We need to experience more, live more."

Ying smiled faintly, but a part of him wanted to test this mindset, as if challenging himself.

— "But what if… in the future, we don't succeed?"

Jay immediately burst into laughter. He never expected Ying, who was always so composed, to ask such a simple yet childlike question. For someone so serious, Ying could be surprisingly endearing sometimes.

— "At the very least, we'd be living true to ourselves. What matters is that we gave it our all, not whether we lived for other people's expectations."

Ying fell silent for a moment, but he couldn't deny that Jay's words made sense.

— "Life only happens once. Do what you love while you're still young, so you won't have regrets when you're old." Jay shrugged as he spoke, his expression relaxed, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Ying looked at Jay, feeling the lightness in his words. Without realizing it, he smiled.

— "You have a point."

Jay nodded in agreement, but then, as if remembering something, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and smirked mischievously.

— "Oh, and one more thing… If you were already perfect, you wouldn't need to try so hard. The people who like you will think you're great no matter what. And the people who don't like you—no matter how hard you try—you'll always just be a passing face to them. So stop stressing so much, Ying. Just relax!"

Ying stared at Jay for a moment before unexpectedly bursting into laughter.

— "How many people have you comforted with those words?"

Jay blinked innocently and answered without hesitation,

— "Just you."

Ying froze slightly.

For a brief moment, his heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected Jay to care about him this much.

Such a simple response, yet it brought him an unfamiliar sense of warmth.

Ying gazed at Jay for a long moment before shaking his head with a soft chuckle.

— "You're surprisingly mature for your age."

— "Well, life forced me to grow up." Jay grinned, then suddenly lifted his empty glass toward Ying.

— "And since I'm already an adult, pour me a drink."

Ying chuckled, the weight in his eyes finally lifting. Picking up the bottle, he teased,

— "Alright, then tonight, let's drink away the pressure."

— "Great idea! Cheers!"

Their glasses clinked together, the crisp sound cutting through the stillness of the night.

The ocean breeze continued to blow gently, and the pool's surface shimmered under the golden lights. But now, the silence no longer felt heavy—it felt comfortable, familiar.

Perhaps… the distance between them had grown just a little closer?

————————————————

The night grew late, and the only sounds left around the pool were the soft whispers of the wind and the gentle lapping of water against the pool's edge.

Jay was completely wasted. He leaned back against the chair, his eyes half-lidded, his face flushed red from the alcohol.

Ying sighed as he looked at Jay. If his alcohol tolerance was as bad as Jay's, he probably would have ruined countless business deals by now. Fortunately, years of drinking with clients had built up his ability to hold his liquor.

He gently shook Jay's shoulder.

— "Jay. You okay?"

Jay cracked his eyes open, his voice slurred yet still trying to sound composed.

— "I'm… perfectly fine."

But the moment he stood up, he wobbled and nearly fell flat. Ying quickly reached out, catching him just before he hit the ground.

— "I'll take you back to your room."

Jay rubbed his eyes and looked up at Ying with the dazed innocence of a drunk man. Then, out of nowhere, he gave the goofiest smile.

— "Okay. Thank you so much."

Seeing him like this, Ying couldn't help but find Jay utterly adorable. He chuckled softly and teased,

— "No need to be this obedient."

Ying tried to help Jay walk, but Jay was too drunk to stay steady. After only a few steps, he stumbled again. Ying tightened his grip, trying to keep them both balanced—

But suddenly, Jay tripped over his own feet.

— "Careful—"

Before Ying could react, Jay fell straight into him.

Out of reflex, Ying wrapped his arms around Jay, preventing them both from crashing onto the ground.

And in that moment…

Time seemed to freeze.

Jay's soft lips accidentally brushed against Ying's.

Ying froze. His breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened as his heart pounded so hard he could hear it in his ears.

The warmth from that fleeting touch still lingered on his lips.

Meanwhile, Jay—completely passed out—remained oblivious to what had just happened.

— "…"

Ying remained in place, his entire body stiff with shock. His face flushed a deep red—he wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or the overwhelming sensation crashing over him.

This… was just an accident, right?

Then why was his heart racing like this?

Just then—

— "Whoa… What the hell did I just walk in on?"

Ryan approached from a distance, his eyes widening the moment he saw the scene before him.

Ying immediately let go of Jay and adjusted his posture, trying to mask his flustered state.

— "He's drunk. Help me take him to his room." Ying's voice was calm, but there was still a hint of unease.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

— "Alright… Alright. I got it. You go rest, Ying."

With that, Ryan effortlessly hoisted Jay over his shoulder and carefully carried him away.

Ying watched them go, trying to maintain a composed expression, but his eyes betrayed him—filled with an undeniable storm of emotions.

— "I'll leave him to you, then," he said, nodding as naturally as possible.

Ryan simply shook his head with a laugh as Jay unconsciously nuzzled into his shoulder like a small cat.

— "This kid can't stay away from alcohol, huh? He's a total lightweight."

Ying stood there, quietly watching until they disappeared from sight.

Lowering his gaze, he unconsciously touched his lips.

A fleeting touch—yet somehow, he found himself wanting to confirm the sensation again.

Jay's warmth still lingered on his lips.

Why…?

Why did his heart skip a beat over something so small?

Ying's face flushed red once more.

Shaking his head, he tried to convince himself it was just the alcohol.

But deep down, he knew…

It definitely wasn't the alcohol.

End of Chapter 11