Love Chromosomes

XXXVI. That One Friend

1 year later in Sapporo

———

The temperature dropped drastically in a cold December night as the snow started falling over Mark's home town in Sapporo. But this doesn't stopped him from getting into his car after receiving a call from his dear friend Kana who just came back from Tokyo after shooting a series for a couple of months. His handsome friend is now a famous actor in Japan after the first series he starred to hit worldwide recognition.

Mark on the other hand continued his studies after shifting to a business course as soon as he came back from Thailand. Despite being occupied with his studies, he still can manage his time to help his uncle run his father's small company. He always keep himself busy that if not for the holiday break, he will surely refuse Kana's invitation for tonight without any hesitation.

It was Mark who arranged for Kana and him to meet in this exclusive club owned by cousin, Renji. Mark see to it that he'd get them a private VIP room where Kana won't be noticed by the other club goers given that his popularity is now at it's peak that even a common sidewalk vendor knows his name.

Mark arrived there first and immediately ordered some drinks after looking down to the crowd of people partying below. The beat made by the dj is giving the kind of vibe that would make anyone detach themselves from the real world outside. Dancing and music is a way for some people to detoxify after a long and hard day of work and sometimes, it's a way to escape from one's thoughts.

Mark is no different from those people he was seeing below who constantly bumps each other with their sweaty bodies while swaying to the beat. He can't count how many nights he have spent there before. With Kana and Saya being busy with their careers, he was left alone in Sapporo dealing about the emptiness inside his heart. He had played with a few people during those few months after he came back just to ease some of his loneliness. It was not easy for him to forget everything that had happened in Thailand after all.

His aunt Preeda gave him a cold shoulder after learning everything that he had done. And when Mark told her about his brother's demise in Japan, she cried her heart out after lashing hurtful words to him. Though her mother knows about his identity from the very first day, she had no idea about the death of her other son. Mark's aunt made sure to throw every painful words to make him more guilt stricken. He asked for forgiveness for about a hundred times but she refused to talk to him after that. After the funeral, she went back to her home in Changmai without saying a single word to her nephew. If Pran and Jane wasn't on his side, Mark won't be able to survive that dreadful feeling that seemed to dragged him down to the pit of hopelessness.

He had to talk to his lawyer to seek for advice about the inheritance left by his mother and the publication of his brother's death in Thailand. In the end, he had to stay for a couple of weeks more to settle everything before finally going back to Japan.

He never came back to the university and leave the matter regarding the commotion of his brother's death to Pran and Jane. He knew a lot of people from the uni was shocked and confused by the sudden publication of "his" death that it would absolutely be a bad idea to show up his face and calmly tell everyone he's that other twin brother.

So Mark haven't seen his P Vee as well. He had almost forgotten the matter about him given the much more important problems he had to face first if not for Axel, Vee's older brother who came with their parents to attend his mother's funeral. Mark accepted their condolences as the absence of Vee doesn't surprised him that much. For Mark, it felt so similar to what happened between Saya and him before. When a person doesn't want him anymore, then it's the end.