Me After You ✔

006

The motorcycle turned into an abandoned steel rolling mill. The road was filled with numerous potholes, and the tree leaves were covered with a thick layer of dust and soot.

During the 70s and the 80s, the steel industry was booming. As a result, the employees who worked in the steel rolling mill were held in high esteem by the people surrounding them, and often had an easy time landing themselves a marriage partner. Indeed, regardless of which era one lived in, one would always be subject to societal hierarchies...

But Fortune is fickle, and along with the various transformations in the New Century, people gradually began to perceive the processes of the steel rolling mill as being extremely inefficient, wasteful, and harmful to the environment. The decreased reliance on steel mills ultimately resulted in the steel rolling mill laying off its employees and declaring itself insolvent.

This plot of land was thus left abandoned for more than a decade. Presently, the steel rolling mill remained in a dilapidated state, and constantly seemed to be on the brink of collapse. Only the innermost staff dormitory remained upright, its walls greatly darkened by its prior constant exposure to the black fumes spewed by the steel mill.

The motorcycle came to a sudden halt, causing Arthit to bump into Kongpob's back. Arthit hurriedly grab hold of his helmet and readjusted his position. Holding Kongpob's shoulders for support, Arthit carefully climbed down from the motorcycle as he grumbled. An old-fashioned staff dormitory loomed ahead of Arthit. In the late afternoon, wisps of cooking smoke drifted out from various doorways, causing the entire building to look like a huge honeycomb that was on fire.

Kongpob said, "This way."

Arthit turned back to look at him.

Behind the thick, lush trees, there was an old building that consisted of two storeys in total. The shutter doors of the building were shut, and didn't seem to be capable of inhabitation, but resembled a goods transfer station instead. There was a rusty iron staircase on the right side of the building, connecting the second storey to the first.

The tree leaves gave off an extremely pleasant and fresh smell; beneath the foliage, thin and delicate strings of white silk hung from the tree branches, akin to an astounding pearl curtain. Upon Arthit walking nearer, Arthit discovered that there were white, fat bugs hanging at the bottom of the white strings.

A cold shiver shot up Arthit's spine. He carefully avoided the white strings and began climbing the stairs.

On the second floor, the corridor was covered with a thin layer of coal ash. Various plastic bags, old bicycles and other waste objects lay strewn around the corridor.

Kongpob squat down, unlocked the shutters, and lifted the shutters in one fluid motion. The metallic shutters clanged noisily whilst dust motes swirled around in the evening light. Momentarily stunned, Arthit blinked a few times before a small smile formed on his lips. Turning back to look at Arthit, Kongpob asked, "Why so happy?"

Arthit lowered his head, "This door......is very......cool."

Kongpob looked at Arthit expressionlessly and didn't make a single sound.

Arthit continued, "Motorcycle......also."

"Also what?"

"Also, very cool."

Kongpob remained expressionless. Lifting the shutters fully, He marched into his home quickly. Once his back was turned towards Arthit, his lips curved into a quick smile before returning to a neutral expression. Turning towards Arthit, he said, "Come in."

Arthit hesitated for a moment before following him into the house.

The interior of the house was extremely dim, and the hot and humid smell of his bed sheets filled the entire house. It smelled like scent of the mulberry trees outside, or the scent of the rain soaked ground – slightly bad and moist, but filled with vitality.