Just The 2 Of Us

Chapter 57: Just Playing With Fire

"He could've died, damn it! Have you stopped to think about it? You let people drug me! Gosh, you're a shitty director! I'll never work with you again." An unreasonable Nanon exclaimed stubbornly. "Every time I do, disaster follows! Ohm and I were perfectly fine before you showed up with the BBS script in your hands! We were good friends, he and I, there were no blurried lines, and we could just be with each other without all this drama! Then you invited us to embrace Pat and Pran's world, we sacrificed our friendship for those roles, we gave those characters all we had! We lost our freaking peace of mind, our uncomplicated harmony, privacy, our safe space, and-"

"He was already in love with you, Nanon. He was living in agony even before you two joined the project. Perhaps, you'd rather pretend that everything was all right, but what about him? Secretly pining for his best friend, terrified of confessing his feelings to you because he couldn't mess up what you two had! Do you call that peace of mind? Can you stop being selfish for one second?!" The director argued.

"It wasn't ideal, but he could handle it! You made things worse. You entered our lives and fucked it all up!"

"I gave you the type of global recognition that no one in this Industry has achieved so fast in their first BL role! Yes, it was a gay character that you played, and yes, Pran made you cross the barriers of friendship with Ohm. You were only paired up with actresses in your previous roles, I knew your acting, your morals, and your heart would be challenged like never before, and you were aware of that too. Neither his nor your fans thought that it could work. Others claimed that even Chimon would have more chemistry with you. Some imagined that you were too 'straight' to pull it off, and you needed to prove them wrong, didn't you? You wanted to show the world that a real actor puts his own soul aside to borrow another. And you were successful in that. I had no doubt you would, because you're a brilliant artist. You love what you do, and you never regret any role you have ever played. You love Bad Buddy the Series, Nanon. And so does Ohm. Everyone does. The only thing you hate is the fact that you accidentally fell for a coworker, a man, a special friend, and that kind of thing is too unprofessional for someone like you." Aof looked extremely confident in his words. And Nanon didn't dare to mention that the conflicts he was facing were not solely career related, or sexuality related.

"I guess you're right. What can I say? I'm sorry, Phi." The singer took a deep breath, looked away, and then looked at his feet. "I apologize for my behaviour lately. I have been disrespectful, rude, and I have even been speaking to you informally...I let my characters play me. That was a huge mistake. But you need to understand that I am facing a lot of pressure right now. Ohm's career depend on the success of Our Sky 2. After the bullying issue, things have been chaotic, and P'Tha needs results, you know? I feel insecure about being Pran again. And I cannot just disentangle myself from Viper and Tiger. I'm not saying all of this as an excuse, but I-I've been too stressed, and cranky because all these 3 characters I've been trying to connect with are so different from one another-"

"Apologies accepted. It's obvious that you are yourself now. And I'm glad to be able to talk to the real Nanon at last." Aof cut him off, smiling a bit. The singer knew then that the man had no intention of holding a grudge. "Are we okay now then?"

"Maybe after you tell me what they gave me yesterday?" Nanon asked out of curiosity.

"Just something to calm you down." The director crossed his arms and sighed. "Listen, I didn't enjoy watching you panicking like that, or struggling to get free while people held you down and inserted a syringe in your arm. But it had to be done. Non, that storm was deadly. We couldn't let you go straight into it. They wanted to tie you up, but I refused to allow such a thing. At that moment, sedation seemed to be the best alternative. You were scaring everyone in that shelter. I myself was scared of you and for you. You punched a ranger and neither he nor his colleagues were happy about it. That's why the filming crew decided to get you out of the bigger shelter and bring you to the smaller shack while you were unconscious. We thought you would be safer away from them." Aof clarified it for him patiently, and the actor didn't interrupt him. "So I stayed with you until Ohm showed up and told me that he would take care of you. You can't imagine my relief when I saw that kid in one piece. He was soaked and panting, but with the largest smile I've ever seen on his face. Just because he knew you were safe. He's a keeper, that one."