SOMETHING SERIOUS

The air in Chiang Mai was colder than they remembered.Or maybe it was just the weight of returning.

Jay stepped out of the car first, his boots crunching softly against the stone driveway. The mansion before him looked the same as it always had—tall, grim, and proud. But tonight, it felt like a fortress made of silence, brimming with unspoken history. The kind of silence that echoed with old screams and older expectations.

Behind him, Jack, Jeff, and Rin stepped out one by one, their footsteps slow, reluctant. None of them said a word. Their faces carried the same expression: the look of soldiers returning from a war with too much to say and not enough permission to say it.

Inside, Vavaporn waited in the grand main hall, arms folded across his chest. His figure cast a long shadow in the low, golden light. Cold marble floors reflected the tension hanging in the air. He didn't move.

Mr. Charlie sat across the room near the fireplace, where amber flames licked the air but gave off little warmth. A glass of something aged sat in his hand, and the soft tap of his cane against the tiled floor was the only sound as the boys entered. Once. Just once. Enough to declare their presence. Enough to warn.

Jay and Jack stepped forward in sync, a silent understanding between them. In Jack's hands was the file—thick, worn, and packed with evidence. Photos, recordings, names, dates. Pages stained with effort, sweat, and the kind of truth that gets people killed.

Jack's voice didn't waver. "His name is Juhu. A Korean. Young. Dangerous. He calls himself Ghost."

Vavaporn raised an eyebrow, just slightly. "A boy?" His tone suggested disbelief, but underneath it was something more. Concern, perhaps. Or curiosity.

"Not just any boy," Jay added, stepping in closer. "He's organizing something massive. He deals in drugs, weapons, human trafficking. He plans to seize Chiang Mai in three weeks."

There was a pause. A flicker of something passed through Mr. Charlie's eyes, but it disappeared quickly. He sipped his drink, eyes sharp as ever. "And you confirmed all of this?"

Jack nodded without hesitation. "With our own eyes."

The fire crackled behind them, filling the long pause that followed.

Then, finally, Vavaporn muttered, "Good."

Mr. Charlie added, "Efficient."

Vavaporn's eyes settled on Jay, unblinking. "You exceeded expectations."

Jay blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Praise from his father was rare, rarer than snowfall in summer. He stood still, unsure whether to speak or nod or breathe.

Jack glanced at his own father, hoping for something, anything. But Mr. Charlie only poured himself another drink, the sound of liquid hitting glass louder than any compliment he didn't give.

That was all.Mission complete.Report received.Everything else, ignored.

Especially the way Jack's hand had brushed Jay's as they passed the file over. Especially the silence blooming between Jeff and Rin like smoke in a sealed room.

Later that evening, Jay was in his room when Jeff stormed in without knocking.

"He won't answer," Jeff muttered, pacing the floor. His steps were quick, restless. "I've called three times. No reply."

Jay looked up from his phone, eyebrows furrowed. "Rin?"

Jeff nodded, agitated. "He blocked me."

Jay blinked, sitting up straighter. "He what?"

Jeff exhaled sharply, pressing his fingers into his eyes. "Not blocked. Just… silence. That's worse. No replies. Nothing. Just empty air."

Jay stood and grabbed his phone off the desk. "You want me to…?"

"Yes," Jeff said instantly. "Please. Call Jack. Ask him to hand the phone to Rin. Just—just for a minute. That's all."

Jay didn't hesitate. He dialed.

Jack answered after two rings. His voice came soft, familiar. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Jay replied. "But Jeff's not. He's… not great."

There was a short silence, then a sigh. "I figured. Rin hasn't said a word since we got back."

"Can you…?" Jay's voice dropped.

"I'm on it."

In the Charlies' mansion, Rin sat curled into the corner of the guest couch. The lights were dim, his phone glowing in his hand as he scrolled through old messages. Most unread. Some unsent. He was pretending not to exist, like fading was a skill he'd mastered.

Jack entered quietly. He didn't say much—just walked over, phone extended in his hand.

"Jeff," he said softly. "He wants to talk to you."

Rin stared at the screen, unmoving. For a second, Jack wasn't sure he'd take it.

But then Rin reached out, fingers brushing the device. He lifted it to his ear, slow and cautious.

He didn't speak first.

Jeff's voice crackled through the line, tentative and fragile. "Hey."

Rin stayed silent.

Jeff sighed. "You're ignoring me."

Rin's voice came low and sharp. "You said it was nothing serious."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"You said it, Jeff," Rin snapped, sitting up straighter now, anger creeping into his words. "To their faces."

"I panicked."

Rin laughed bitterly. "Yeah. I noticed."

"I didn't know what to say—"

"Then you could've said nothing," Rin interrupted, his voice cracking. "But you chose words. You chose nothing serious."

Jeff's voice softened, desperate now. "I didn't mean it."

Rin's eyes watered. "Then what did you mean?"

Jeff hesitated on the other end. "I meant… I was scared."

"Of me?"

"Of what I feel," Jeff admitted. "I've never had something like this. Not like you. Not… like us. It is serious. I just didn't know how to say it in front of everyone."

Rin's voice dropped to a whisper. "You hurt me."

"I know."

Another pause. Quiet, heavy.

Then Rin whispered, "Say it again."

"What?"

"That it's serious."

This time, Jeff didn't miss a beat."It's serious, Rin. I'm serious. About you. About this."

Rin closed his eyes. His fingers gripped the phone tighter, and something inside him—something tightly wound and cracking—finally let go.

And for the first time since they returned, his guard dropped.

"Okay," he whispered. "Okay."

Across the city, in his own dark room, Jay sat cross-legged on his bed, phone still in hand. He typed without thinking, thumb hovering for only a second before hitting send.

Jay ➤ Jack:You fixed it?

A pause.

Jack ➤ Jay:He's still mad. But he's listening now.

Jay smiled faintly.

Jay ➤ Jack:That's love.

Another pause. This one longer.

Jack ➤ Jay:Then we're all in trouble.

Jay didn't reply right away. He let the words sit there, glowing on his screen. True and dangerous.

Outside, the cold night air of Chiang Mai wrapped itself around the city like a warning.

Inside, four boys tried to figure out how to survive something even more terrifying than war.Something serious.