Five Minutes In Summer

14. Talk About Loss

Forth was nowhere to be seen. 

"Park, have you been able to contact him?" Lam asked anxiously. 

"Not yet. The phone hasn't been active since yesterday after dinner and the last time I checked it was ten minutes ago," Park answered grimly. 

Everyone looked at the couple in confusion. 

"I've also contacted my uncle and aunt, Phi Forth's parents and all our relatives, but no one knows where Phi Forth has gone. In fact, some of them are surprised because as far as they know Phi Forth is on holiday with us," said Wayo in a trembling voice. 

Ming pounded the table in annoyance.  "What if Phi Forth gets kidnapped? Like ... that time?" 

Lam put his hand on Ming's arm and shook his head.

Phana, Kit, and Beam listened and watched all the conversations and scenes in front of them in silence. Then, there was a soft sob from someone. 

Phana turned around in surprise, knowing that it was Wayo who was crying.  He immediately hugged Wayo's shoulder in panic. 

"Nong, why are you crying? Are you sick?" asked Phana in surprise. 

Lam immediately stood up and took Wayo's hand. "Sshhh... don't cry, Yo, we are here with you," persuaded Lam, hugging Wayo tightly and stroking his head. 

"Where is Phi Forth," cried Wayo sadly. "I don't wanna lose him again!"

Wayo drowned himself in Lam's arms and cried even louder. Park motioned for Lam to take Wayo away and his lover walked, hugging the man who was younger than him, towards their room. 

"What happened, Phi?" Kit asked confused. "Why is Wayo crying like that?" 

"My fault," Ming said, hitting his own forehead.  He also looked like he wanted to cry, so Kit, who was sitting next to him, subconsciously reached out to comfort him. 

Park took a deep breath. "Don't blame yourself, Ming. Once upon a time, all of us would have let go of talking like that," said Park. 

"Phi, does Wayo's crying have anything to do with Phi Forth's disappearance?"  Beam asked carefully. 

"Yes," answered Park.

He was silent for a moment, before continuing his words. "Among us, Forth is the closest to Wayo. They look after each other because they have both experienced the most difficult times in their lives. In the past, we all really liked camping in the hills, mountains or forests. We didn't like the sea. One day, the five of us invited Nayma and Rayma, Wayo's younger twin sisters, to join us camping at  a hill, as their birthday present. The twins had just graduated from elementary school and were happy because they were allowed to go camping. However, a terrible incident turned all that joy into tragedy." 

"At that time Phi Forth left with the twins, because there was business that had to be resolved at the twins' school regarding their graduation. On the way, they were intercepted by a number of criminals. Apparently they were people ordered by Wayo's father's business rivals. They intended to kidnap the  Twins. Phi Forth tried hard to protect them and offered himself as a replacement. He told the twins to run and they cleverly hid, but they saw Phi Forth shot and collapsed, then taken somewhere," Ming continued. 

Phana, Kit, and Beam turned pale when they heard the story. 

"Forth disappeared for more than three months. Then, one day, a farmer suddenly found him collapsed in his field, while hugging two cats. The farmer reported it to the police and it was discovered that it was Forth. He had amnesia, his body was full of wounds from whippings, almost blindness, and malnutrition. I don't know what the kidnappers did to him," continued Park in a trembling voice. "It took eight months for Forth to recover, and even then he still often had nightmares after that."