Dont call me small (English Translation)

15

Co-translator : acid_wash

Don't call me small [อย่า เรียก หนู ว่า ตัว เล็ก]
Chapter 15: Nong.


"Are you going to start talking anytime soon?" A cute young woman asked in a soft voice when the other party fell silent and refused to speak since they reached their destination.

"I, I just don't know where to start."

"Hmm? Why? It's not like we're strangers. Just say whatever it is you want to say. Why feel embarrassed?" Fern asked again while the other party seemed to hesitate.

"Exactly. It's because we're not strangers. That's why I don't know how to start." The former campus Moon sighed loudly. It seems like today is not going to end soon.

"Okay, okay, then I'll wait until you're ready. Fern can always wait." Said the person sitting on the opposite side in a soft tone. She smiled at her 'ex-boyfriend' like always. She didn't know why he called her. Still, she believes that if Mangkorn could handle this problem on his own, he definitely wouldn't call her.

"Here's your chili paste fried rice and Pad Thai."

"Thank you very much," the two of them sat silently. The waitress had taken their order, had the restaurant chef cook it, and serve it to their table.

Mangkorn thanked the waitress after receiving the food. He managed to season the Pad Thai to his usual preference before quickly scooping it into his mouth. Probably because he has been thinking a lot all day and during the exam. He was starving.

"It's still delicious," Mangkorn said as he chewed the food in his mouth with delight.

"Don't talk while chewing Mangkorn. How many times have I told you?" She sees the person in front of her softly but at the same time disgusted. Nothing has changed since they broke up. It seemed like Mangkorn's habit hadn't change the slightest bit. Even the menu in the restaurant they used to visit remained the same.

Right now, the two of them were sitting in a restaurant near Fern's apartment. When they were together, Mangkorn took her there frequently to eat. Not only because the food was delicious, but the prices were also affordable. Perfect for students with no income yet.

"Well, can you tell me now what you were calling me for?" Fern said when she saw that the other party had started to look less anxious.

Mangkorn took a deep breath and decided to talk about what he had been thinking all day.

"Well, I think I have a strange feeling for someone right now," Mangkorn said, picking the noodles on his plate with a toothpick.

"Oh, and then?"

"I don't know. I just feel like it's something I shouldn't be thinking about." Oh, Mangkorn thought it was something he shouldn't even have felt at all.

"Well, you mean you like that person, right?" Fern thought for a bit before speaking, and that made the other party immediately refuse.

"Hey, it's not like that. I just feel like, sometimes, my heart pounds when I'm with that person."

"What's the difference?" asked the girl across the table again.

"Uh, it's..." The great former campus Moon was perplexed and was about to erupt.

"Hey, you're The Great Former Campus Moon." The girl looked at her ex-boyfriend with a sly eye. Mangkorn may seem fierce or attractive to other people. But when Fern sees Mangkorn today, the guy is like a puppy, and she is sure that the person who can make Mangkorn feel small like this must be a giant cub.

"If you want me to answer whether I like this person or not, I may not be able to answer. But I can only say one thing, as I said before: I feel that my heart is pounding whenever I'm close to this person."

"He's that little guy, right? The person you've been posting pictures with recently."

"Hey! Fern, shut up, shut up," said the big former Moon. Mangkorn was a bit triggered when Fern interrupted him. Fern referred to the photo Mangkorn posted when he went on a field trip with the Comma House last week.

"So I was right, right?" said the girl.

"Uh, yeah, you're right. Isn't it strange that you say something like that, Fern? Or the fact that your ex-boyfriend is feeling something strange about a man?" Mangkorn replied, flustered. He was so embarrassed that he almost wanted to stick his head under the table to hide since he couldn't escape from this place.

"Hahahaha, oh wait a minute Mangkorn, let me laugh a minute." The woman giggled until her stomach stiffened as she listened to the other person.

"Why are you laughing, Fern?"

"I'm laughing at you, Mangkorn. Seriously, you're overthinking. I mean, these days, we don't know what others might think. But for me, it is normal." She was still so kind that Mangkorn wanted to hug her.

"Hey, friends can’t be jealous and hug each other."

"Yes, aren’t you my friend?" Mangkorn looked at her until the other party had to hurry up and apologize and return to their initial topic of conversation.

"Okay, stop joking around, so why did you call me?" Asked Fern.

"Well, you know, I've always dated women. I've always liked women, and suddenly I felt this way with men. It must be a mistake, right?" Mangkorn explained.

"Well, Mangkorn, you should answer my questions first."

"Uh-huh."

"Does it feel good when you talk to him or when you're near him?"

Mangkorn wondered, does he feel good when he's with his Nong? Although he's a little nervous, he admits he can completely forget all the tensions when they are together. Is this what you would call a good feeling?

"Probably." Mangkorn finally answered.

"Next, you don't like it when other men approach him. Right?"

"Hmm, there are some circumstances." He can hear Pung's voice in his mind, saying: I see you always acting like a dog in heat, bro.

"So, it's clear now that Mangkorn likes our Nong...wait, let me finish first." She said when she saw the other person was about to deny it.

"I understand that you have been dating women all this time, but first listen to my story."

"Well, I'm dating a girl right now."

"Hah!" Mangkorn immediately gasped upon hearing what came out of her mouth.

"Yeah, right now, I have a girlfriend, so I can understand your feelings. For me, sex doesn't dictate our love. I don't know about you, Mangkorn. But in my opinion, we love a person just because. It doesn't matter what the gender is. I can still feel good with men, but right now, the most important person for me is a woman. And if in the future I have to break up with this person, I can still talk to both men and women."

"As for your story, I believe you have a feeling about this Nong, but it's as if your heart has a standard that determines a man has to match with a woman. Try to stop thinking about that, Mangkorn. When you do, I think the answer is close to you."

Mangkorn sat silent as he got lost in his thoughts. He can finally agree with Fern after really thinking about what she had said because it's true that he had only been with women before. Even if he's not biased towards homosexuality, he had never fallen in love with a man even once.

"Well, you like him because you think he's cute, right? If you really like Nong right now, I don't want you to feel guilty about it." Mangkorn listened.

"Look, it's not uncommon for people to judge by appearances. People love pretty things. Just like when you first tried to approach me, you did it because you think I was cute, right?" Mangkorn actually wanted to say that since they stopped dating, Fern seems to gain much confidence. But he's afraid that if he said something wrong, the bowl of rice placed in front of Fern would fly and hit his head.

"I think it's the same case for our Nong. You want to get close to him because he's cute. Going back to what you said earlier, you don't like it when other men get close to him. I think this explains enough. Besides, even when the appearance is important, if, in the end, you don't really match, just don't continue. Think about it again, Mangkorn. Don't rush or try to search for the answer yourself because this is something new to you."

"Thanks, Fern."

"No problem. I'm willing to help you, but can you please come to me with someone else next time? My girlfriend was jealous. She almost died when she saw your LINE message. But I told her that I would only talk with you and that the matter we're about to discuss is a private matter. That's why you need to talk to me alone." Fern said as she stuffed rice into her mouth.

"I'm really sorry, Fern, and thanks again for the advice."

"The compensation is this food. You're paying," Fern said jokingly.

"No problem."

"Well, if you're going to do something to that Nong, please be considerate. He's so small, and since he's younger than us...it'll probably be a lot more difficult for him, Mangkorn."

"Fern! What are you talking about?"

Finally, the two finished their food between waves of laughter. They no longer felt their past feelings. Now they only share a good bond as close friends. And thanks to his friend, although Mangkorn might not trust the feelings that arose in his heart, now he can be sure of one thing...that he does feel something towards his Nong.

But now, he'll have to figure out how to reconcile with his Nong first. He admitted that he felt pretty guilty for breaking the promise he made, but it was worth it because it made him realize his feeling.

---

The true root.

"Hello! How are you?"

"Hey Music, when you started liking Milk, how did you flirt with Nong Milk?" Mangkorn asked once his brother picked up his call.

"Huh? Why are you asking?" Music asked curiously when his brother Mangkorn called to ask him an unexpected question.

"Just answer. Your boyfriend." Mangkorn became frustrated and only repeated the last part of his line.

"Most of them were with desserts. But when it's hard to do, I just sweet-talked him. N'Milk is soft-hearted."

But Mangkorn suddenly remembers that he wouldn't be able to approach his Nong with sweeter-talking than he had already done. And N'Namtarn would consider it fake since he already abandoned him today. So, he figured he'd just buy his Nong sweets/desserts instead.

"Thank you very much. I'll be coming home late today. Please tell Mom."

"Okay..."

"Miu, come help me with my homework..." Mangkorn can hear a boy's voice from the back.

"Then I'll hang up first. Bye. Say hi to Nong Milk for me." After finishing his conversation with his brother, Mangkorn immediately hangs up his phone.

Only a few people know that Mangkorn has a real younger brother named Music, and of course, his younger brother was blessed with a beautiful face. Since he went to high school, girls from his school continuously tried to hit on his younger brother. But it seems that the many beautiful women who came for his brother were pointless. This was because he knows that his brother has had a special feeling for his neighbor since childhood. And although that neighbor is a boy, his house can accept it if that is Music's happiness. They simply ask him not to do anything rash because both of them are still high school students.

That’s why Mangkorn decided to call his younger brother, because the boy next door seemed to have many similar habits with Namtarn. And he thinks that since the two have something in common, it can help him if he can use a similar method.

Moving on from his brother's story, now Mangkorn should find a way to reconcile with his own Nong.

Mangkorn's car was parked in a department store not far from Fern's condo before he got out of the car and walked towards the restaurant area. He wanted to find something delicious for the little one.

"Thank you very much." After walking for several minutes, Mangkorn decided to enter a famous dessert store. After waiting a while, the waiter brought him the menu he ordered, and he rushed back to the parking lot to drive to the next location.

Fortunately, that night, the traffic in Bangkok was not very congested. And Mangkorn finally arrived at his close friend's house that he hadn't visited in a while.

Mangkorn stood in front of the Chan-Nimit family home, saying that he had come to meet his close friend. If he said he came here for the younger brother, the housekeeper would probably not let him in.

The automatic gate was soon opened, so Mangkorn drove straight into the empty courtyard before exiting the car. A close friend who immediately recognized his face was already waiting at the door.

"Hey, are you done with that matter you told me earlier?" Namkang asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm done."

"So why did you come? Do you still have something to take care of?"

"I came for Namtarn."

"Looking for Namtarn? Then don't tell me you're thinking of my Nong," Namkang said, joking as he looked down to see the medium-sized bag that displayed the name of a famous dessert shop in Mangkorn's hand.

"Well, yes, I'm done, and I hurried to see him. I'm afraid your brother will get angry at me," Mangkorn explained, avoiding the point where Namkang misjudged him for hitting on his beloved brother. He's sure that if Namkang finds out, Namkang won't let him get through the door, and Mangkorn will definitely have his life ended under his best friend's feet.

"Welp, you're too late then. Nong has already gotten angry. I tried to call him to eat, and he refused to come out of his room. He also refuses to talk to anyone."

"Well, can you go and tell him that I want to talk to him?"

"Since you're already here, come up and speak for yourself. I won't help you. If Namtarn gets mad and refuses to talk to someone, it won't be easy for that person."

"Well, my dear friend, you do understand that if he does not cheer up soon, it will also be bothersome, right?"

Namkang led Mangkorn into the house, but at that moment, his parents returned from work. Seeing the eldest son's close friend, the two of them asked Mangkorn to talk a bit because they felt familiar as if they had met Mangkorn before.

"Yes, I've been coming here for a year now."

"So that's why Mae is familiar with your face. But I see that Mangkorn came here for Namtarn?" (t/n: Mae: Mother. Here, Namkang's mother called herself Mae. Most Thai use their own names to refer to themselves, like a third-person perspective.)

"Uhh," Mangkorn felt breathless. His throat stiffened when his best friend's mother asked.

"Mangkorn also studies in the same faculty as Namkang and Nong Namtarn. He's also Namtarn's mentor. Besides, he is the one who makes Namtarn angry." Namkang explained to his mother.

"Hahaha, so that's why that little guy is sulking. Then hurry up and go see him. Where is he now?" Said the lady kindly. Why doesn't she know that this guy is going after his youngest son? But Mangkorn felt relieved when the other party said she regarded him as a good person since he came to apologize.

"Thanks, then I'll go see him first."

Namkang's parents nodded with smiles before Namkang took his best friend to his younger brother. The latter had not spoken to anyone since he arrived home and remained silent in his room.

"This is his room."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Get in there, and good luck." Mangkorn opened his mouth and looked at his best friend, who managed to knock open the door and pushed him into the room.

Bang!

The door closed.

Mangkorn scanned the medium-sized room. Not very wide, but not narrow either for one person.

The room was decorated in a simple style. It matches the entire house's atmosphere. The difference would only be the figures of famous cartoon characters placed on the shelves, indicating the room owner's preferences.

Mangkorn suddenly spotted a small figure dressed comfortably, wearing his uniform shirt and shorts. The boy was sitting cross-legged in a chair in front of a computer screen displaying a cartoon Mangkorn was not familiar with.

Mangkorn gulped when he saw Namtarn's slender figure. His sitting position caused his pants to raise a bit. Mangkorn blinked a few times before slowly walking towards the small guy watching cartoon without noticing his presence.

"P'Mangkorn!" The little one called out the Mangkorn's name in shock. Sensing a movement from his back, Namtarn turned around and found Mangkorn standing there. But why did P'Mangkorn enter his room?

"Hey, little one, am I bothering you?" Mangkorn said, trying to send a friendly smile to the younger person. But it doesn't seem to work.

"I don't have to say I'm mad at you. How did you get into my room? Oh, P'Namkang? Namtarn is going to deal with P'Namkang right now." The little man removed his headphones in frustration before getting up and facing each other, but at different heights.

"Hey, wait a minute, listen to me first," Mangkorn hugged the little boy when Mangkorn saw that he was about to leave the room.

"Let me go, P'Mangkorn. Don't touch me, I'm mad at you," the little one tried to fight Mangkorn, but how can he fight the bigger person? With that strength, Mangkorn didn't even budge.

"Shhh, listen to me first." Mangkorn tried to calm the person in his embrace. He pulls the little one to explain himself. It's as if he poured oil on a fire. But when Namtarn has calmed down, he believed that the little one would cool down like water when he extinguished the flame.

"..." The little man stopped fighting and then gave Mangkorn a chance to explain himself.

"I'm sorry I broke my promise, but I had a very urgent matter to attend. Don't be mad at me, Namtarn."

"But P'Mangkorn had promised me that he would take me to eat. And I sat there waiting for you, and I didn't get to go anywhere with my friends. And I was dying to eat both shabu and bingsu." That is probably the main reason for the little boy to get angry. If Mangkorn had told him earlier that he couldn't go, perhaps the little boy would be having fun with his group friends at a shabu shop now.

"I won't make any excuses," said Mangkorn with a smile.

"I am wrong. I admit it. But next time, I promise to take you to eat as much shabu as you want."

"And how about the bingsu?" said Namtarn.

"Promise me, if you broke your promise again, I would really allow P'Pung to be my mentor instead of P'Mangkorn."

Pung? Oh no. "Yes, Phi promises."

The person's little finger was sent to replace the promise. They don't have any pen or paper to write up a legal contract, but Mangkorn promised to himself that he would definitely make it up to his Nong this time.

"I bought this for you as an apology."

"Oh! Bingsu!" Namtarn's eyes widened when he saw the bag in his mentor's hand.

"Yes, it's bingsu. I ordered it to take home. Even if you didn't eat it at the restaurant, that's fine. We can eat here instead, right?"

"Namtarn will eat." The little man tried to grab the bag in the other's hand, but Mangkorn lifted the bag above his head.

"A good kid has to go downstairs and eat first. Finish your meal. After that, if you want to eat dessert, you can."

"Okay, Namtarn will go eat. Mom, Namtarn is hungry!" the young man of the house rushing out of his bedroom. He also yelled loudly so that the people in his house knew that he would take care of dinner. When he finishes, he will get his favorite bingsu from his Phi.

Mangkorn laughed at the other party's actions. Although people often see Namtarn acting like a child, his actions are pure and without additives. And he still gives him comfort every time he sees it. And this must be why he's...attracted to Namtarn?

---

That night, Mangkorn dined at the Chan-Nimit house as he was invited by the elders of the house. Thus, today, the family dining room table has an extra chair with several covers organized very well for the guest.

And after having finished dinner. It was time for the small guy to enjoy the bingsu. The bingsu that Mangkorn brought home is now in a fine tiled mug before the maid served it on the table for Namtarn.

Although the condition of the take-home Bingsu is not as pretty as when he eats it at the store, that doesn't stop Namtarn from eating it. It was edible and delicious, and that was enough for him.

The people at the dining room table watched Namtarn eat his Bingsu with delight before they asked the oldest of the house.

"Next week, you're going to travel to Taiwan?" Chaturon turned to ask his older son after he finished his dinner.

"Yes," Namkang said.

The small guy who was scooping Bingsu to his mouth was stunned when he realized that his brother would go and work in Taiwan that month.

"Then, when Namkang goes abroad, we will take Namtarn with us," his father replied.

"Namtarn doesn't want P'Namkang to leave at all. If P'Namkang isn't here, Namtarn doesn't want to go to school," said the little boy. He already knows that his brother must go abroad. However, he and his brother had never been apart for so long. If they only counted when Namtarn went to Ratchaburi, he and his brother had only been separated for two nights.

"Don't worry. It will only be for five days, and then I'll be back."

"Huh. No, Namtarn is also going with P'Namkang." The little boy insisted. This problem looks a lot like what Mangkorn had with the Bingsu, so he probably won't be able to help.

"Namtarn, don't be stubborn. Phi should go to study. If you go with him, you'll have to miss school all week," the lady of the house tried to talk his son out of his plan.

"Uh, that's it." They all turned towards the voice of the person who has been sitting silently for a long time.

"Would you mind if I offer to drive Namtarn to school instead? Since I have to go through this area, anyway."

"That would be nice, son, but I don't want to bother you at all. Our driver can take the little one, so he doesn't have to bother you."

"Okay. However, my class schedule is consistent with my Nong's every day. I might even finish my classes long before him." Namkang looked at Mangkorn suspiciously. He had been to Mangkorn's house, and he's pretty sure that his house and Mangkorn's house are located in different directions. Still, since Mangkorn volunteered himself like this, he was willing to accept his help. Plus, Namtarn will have a friend to talk to.

"That's right, Mom, Dad. Let Mangkorn pick up Namtarn. It's good for Namtarn, too. He'll have someone to help him with tutoring."

"That being said, what do you say, Namtarn, if we let your P'Mentor pick you up instead of your brother? Will you be okay?" The lady turned to ask the youngest son. He stopped eating his Bingsu as if thinking.

If P'Mangkorn is going to drive Namtarn every day, Namtarn will be home late, and will also be able to enjoy and eat other delicious food (on Mangkorn's treat). This event is only possible if Namtarn does not refuse.

The little boy raised his head with a smile, he thought he was cunning, but he hid his mischievous eyes before answering his mother's question.

"Yes, I will go with P'Mangkorn, but you also have to buy me a lot of sandwiches, P'Namkang." Namtarn never fails to remember about food. Namtarn also made it seems like he had to endure a hard time when actually he's winning a lot from this deal.

"Then Mae will have to ask your favor. Please take care of your Nong, Mangkorn. If he's stubborn, you can hit him."

The petite guy suddenly said, "I'm not stubborn," making everyone laugh.

"Thank you, mother. I'll take good care of him," Mangkorn smiled.

Over the next week, it looks like there will be a lot of hard work for the campus Moon. And he will most likely get tired. But don't worry, because Mangkorn will take care of this stubborn child until he is under control.


End of chapter 15.