[EP 8] Running on fumes

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Perhaps Joong was too hasty in not taking on Pond as his bodyguard. Though their trailer was accident free and the fans were elated for the upcoming series, nothing prepared them when the actual shooting took place. Dunk had to constantly improvise his scenes to avoid Joong from getting hurt. Joong was confused the first time Dunk improvised. When a large crate smashed where he was supposed to stand, he was shocked to say the least. Joong had learnt to trust Dunk's instinct from them on, following the mood of the character as he remembered what the scene was supposed to convey.

Under normal circumstances, the changes would have irked Phi Aof. But Phi Aof was in love with the improvisation. It somehow made the scenes more real. Dunk was careful to ensure they stay within the area and not move beyond the blocking. They were still able to capture the essence of the character and what the story needed to convey. He couldn't believe that Dunk was a rookie actor when it was clear that he was leading Joong as they went.

***

The constant need to be alert and improvising scenes was taking a toll on Dunk. It was practically a 2 in 1 job. It was draining Dunk. The nightmare started, a distant past that still haunted him. 

It started out like any other ordinary day. He went to school. He waited for Pond to finish his class at uni after school. They returned home to a sea of fire. The whole compound was burning to the ground.

"Paaw! Pa!" Dunk had every intention to rush into the fire to save his family but Pond dragged him away.

Pond and Phuwin hushed Dunk's screams as he rode through his nightmare. His cry of despair clenched at their hearts. They could only hug him to convey the comfort that they could give.

***

Joong looked at this guy who introduced himself as Gawin. He apologized for Dunk's absence and informed him that he will be replacing Dunk for the day. It was the weekend. Joong and Dunk didn't have a shoot. But they weren't sure if Joong would leave the Guntithanon compound so they sent Gawin over. When Gawin informed Joong that Dunk was down with fever, he couldn't leave for the Tangsakyuen compound fast enough. It looked traditional, so vastly different from the Guntithanon compound. He started to understand why they still stuck to the old views.

***

Phuwin cursed the fact that Joong decided to visit Dunk. He wiped Dunk down, applied the industrial grade scent blocker on Dunk, hoping that it will last through his visit. He sprayed down the room with scent neutralizer, hoping that Dunk's scent will disperse. All he could do was pray that Joong didn't find out.

***

Joong looked at Dunk's bare room, as if he doesn't live here. Dunk looked pale and he was warm to the touch as he grabbed his hand. He was about to reach for the cloth to wipe Dunk down when Phuwin stopped him, telling him that he had just did that before he came. Joong offered to get the clan's doctor to come over since he was the best in town but Phuwin declined saying that a doctor had already visited. He had already given Dunk medication. Joong found Phuwin's reaction a little suspicious but before he could put a finger to it, a few of the elders of the Tangsakyuen clan had entered the room. They were a little too polite to him but he had also saw their look of distain towards Dunk. One of them had tried to wake Dunk up with a rough hand. That's when Joong had enough.

"Stop it! Dunk is under the protection of the Guntithanon clan. You will extend the respect you have for me towards him. He is my bodyguard, so he is an extension of me." Joong rarely use his alpha voice nor his stature to put people in place but it was necessary to remind them who they were dealing with. His sunflower belongs to me. No one gets to hurt him. His iris flashed red for a moment. The elders took the hint and shuffled out of Dunk's room to avoid Joong's wrath. He began to understand Phuwin and Pond's concern for Dunk.

"Phi Joong?" Dunk looked at him with glazed eyes. He tried to wake up but Joong pushed him back down.

"You're sick and you're off duty. Rest" he persuaded Dunk as he tried to argue.

"We need to find out who keeps harming you." Dunk said before he nodded off again. Joong pursed his lips. Dunk was still thinking about work despite being sick.

"Please let Khun Pond know that I'll take him up on his offer." Joong tells Phuwin. 


~Please vote if you like this EP. It drives me forward. Khoorp khun na kha~

Do comment to let me know your thoughts. 😊😊 

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A/N: This would never happen in reality🤣🤣 the director would be in 🤬🤬😵😵😵‍💫😵‍💫 since they need to do blocking and repeat the scene more than a few times from different angles.. but this is fiction so whatever goes. 

Despite having 2 series in the works... I'm actually considering writing a series on Dunk's hanfu pics and Joong's that resurface... I think it would most likely be a short series.. I'm excited but 🤣🤣 let's see if it's possible to roll it out sooner than I hope. but gotta warn you that would definitely be an angsty series. I've already posted the prompt that came to mind on twitter/X. 🤞🤞Would you be interested in it? 

But yea, are you liking this series thus far? 

To those who are celebrating the lunar new year, I hope you have a great reunion dinner tonight. 😊😊

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