Chapter 11: Lucky wife

Chapter 11: Lucky wife

An order came from the National Police Headquarters for Police Sergeant Major Mangkon to continue resting for another week. The condition of the gunshot victim was gradually improving, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he was receiving too much care from his ‘fake husband’.

What’s gotten into the inspector?

Evening arrived. The sun was setting low, waving goodbye to the horizon. Golden-orange light painted across the sky. Birds were flying in formation, returning to their nests. As winter began, nightfall came earlier than usual. The once bright sky began to shade with indigo.

Now, in the front yard, Mangkon, wearing a thin t-shirt, strolled along the path. His beautiful eyes focused on the surrounding view. The cool air felt so pleasant that he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

“Hah… the weather is so nice today.” “When were you able to say that?”

Today, the house was quieter than usual. The workers had taken the day off to participate in the robe offering ceremony, and Khunying Pharada had gone on a trip with the Police Wives Association, leaving him alone with hardly anything to do.

As the small man stretched, the homeowner’s son’s car sped into the garge and stopped. Before Mangkon could even start the process of going to greet him, someone quickly got out of the car and spoke with a serious voice,

“Why are you wearing so little out here? It’s cold – you’ll get sick again!” “I was just stretching, Inspector.”

“You haven’t fully recovered yet. It’s better if you go back inside.”

As soon as the words were spoken, a large hand gently pushed the smaller man on the back, guiding him inside. The atmosphere inside the house was lonely because it was just the two of them. Therefore, this afternoon there was no doubt who was going to be doing the cooking.

“I bought a lot of ingredients today. What do you want to eat?”

“Huh? You’re going to cook, Inspector?” Mangkon replied, hardly believing his ears. The Inspector?

“Why? Don’t I look like someone who can cook?”

“I don’t know… you just don’t seem like you’d be able to.”

“The ladies all say I’m a good cook.” He said it to sound convincing, but in reality, he rarely cooked for anyone.

“Hmph. You must cook for the ladies often.”

“Don’t get jealous, you. You go wait in the living room.” And before heading towards the kitchen, Thian turned back and said jokingly,

“You should be happy that ‘your husband’ is cooking.” “Inspector Thian!”

What else was he supposed to do; just sitting waiting was boring. Finally, the stubborn Police Sergeant Major abruptly got up and headed straight into the kitchen as well.

The aroma of some kind of soup filled the air. Before he could say anything, his light brown eyes gazed at the back of the man who was cooking skillfully.

So cool… what’s wrong with me?

Since coming to Chiang Mai, how many times had he admired the inspector? It was probably difficult to count on his fingers. However, at the moment the other turned around and discovered it was him, he frowned slightly.

“I told you to wait in the living room,” he admonished. “I want to help,” Mangkon insisted.

“You don’t need to. I can handle it myself.”

“Can’t I help? Please? Please?” The sparkling eyes and pleading tone sent a jolt through Thian’s heart. What was this feeling? The cuteness stunned the notorious playboy into a temporary trance, before he had no choice but to give in.

“If you want to help, then help,” he relented. “Yay! You’re so nice, Inspector!”

With a willing helper and boundless energy, Mangkon was assigned simple tasks, like chopping vegetables and grabbing equipment. Throughout the cooking process, silence never filled the air; it was full of chatter, teasing, and barely-concealed complaints.

“Hey, you have some greens on your face. Let me get that for you,” Thian says.

Mangkon froze for a moment, then stood still without thinking, letting the other do as he pleased. But he’d been tricked! There was nothing on his face. Instead, the mischievous old fox took his hand, covered in white flour, and gently touched it to the fair cheek, leaving a distinct smudge.

“Clean now!”

“Inspector!” The exclamation rang out with wide eyes. This man really couldn’t be trusted! “What? I helped you,” Thian innocently said.

“You want to play, Inspector? Fine!”

Did he really think someone like him would just take it? Hawk eyes were looking for something within reach. And just like that, tapioca starch was grabbed and thrown at the cunning trickster without hesitation. Instant karma.

“Take that, Inspector!”

“Ouch! Are you picking on me?!”

“You picked on me first!” White powder started to scatter across the floor and throughout the kitchen. The handsome Thian transformed into a white-faced ghost, and Mangkon was no different.

“Alright, you asked for it!”

A small-scale war erupted with laughter and scolding. No one was yielding! However, in the game of playful pranks, there’s always someone who’s superior. The handsome policeman was apprehending the ‘criminal’ by pulling the other in close, putting Mangkon at a disadvantage.

“Stop, now! You’ll make a mess!” “L-Let go of me, Inspector!”

The younger man was taken aback by the actions, the petite frame now enclosed with both arms of the Sergeant Major. Still, he just said to let him loose, but it was proving apparent with each passing moment that his action was contrary to his words. The heightened proximity caused breathing to turn heavy. The orbs of light brown peered up to the face of the man who, in turn, leaned down so that his lips were close to the other’s cheek.

“You smell so nice,” Thian whispered softly in a playful tone.

“I’m going out of province tomorrow, for a few days. Don’t miss me!”

The strength to push away was almost non-existent. Moreover, the tricky man changed the subject so abruptly. What a cheater.

“I won’t miss you,” he countered sarcastically. “Your ‘ladies’ are more likely to miss you.”

A soft chuckle rose to a growl and followed immediately. The strong arms loosened slightly, but the jet-black eyes continued to stare at the smooth face with mixed emotions.

“I really don’t have anyone, you know,” Thian declares. “Yeah, that’s what all the players say.”

“I don’t have anyone at all.”

This time, the speaker’s tone was noticeably different – warm and serious at the same time. Mangkon had no idea what the inspector was getting at, so all he could do was lower his gaze to the floor, trying to process the growing silence.

“Wait for me to come back. I won’t be gone long.” “Y-You’re talking like you’re going to war,”

“I just wanted you to know, in case you’re waiting,”

Those words made the listener’s small heart skip a beat. He began to feel confused, and that confusion was swirling around him. What did the Inspector mean by saying that? Did he want to make him fall in love?

No one said another word, and silence filled the air. It was Thian who leaned in, so close that his warm breath brushed against the length of his ear.

“I’ll hurry back,” Thian whispers, his voice so close that Mangkon almost forgot to breathe.

Crimson crept across Mangkon’s face. How could he control himself from letting the other know how shy he felt and how rapidly his heart was beating? How would he handle this feeling?

It sparkled in a way that was impossible to ignore. He felt himself wavering without realizing it.

.

.

.

Three days passed.

It was almost a week since Mangkon began his recovery. Soon, the Police Sergeant would return to work. Today, as usual, he did nothing but eat and sleep. His slender legs carried him down from upstairs, where he found Khunying Pharada sitting and arranging something. The favorite daughter-in-law didn’t want to intrude, so he quietly tried to walk away. However, he was stopped by a sharp voice.

“Mangkon, come here, dear.” “Yes, Khuny Mother.”

“Come look at Gear when he was little.”

Pharada was organizing photographs into a new album. The table was covered in several photos, but the one that stood out the most was of a tall boy with handsome features, pouting and crying next to a fallen tree.

“This is Gear when he was five years old, dear. I still laugh whenever I think about it,” Pharada said.

“Why is that?” Mangkon asked, suddenly curious.

“You see that cork tree? When I first planted it, it was only as tall as my leg. As kids usually do, Gear rode his bike and accidentally ran it over. But he cried, not because he was hurt, but because he killed the tree.”

Pharada recounted the story while pointing to the cork tree covered in beautiful white flowers. Come to think of it, the fence surrounding the house was full of memories of her son’s childhood.

“How adorable,” Mangkon thought. Even crying, Thian was cute. “And Gear told me, ‘I’m going to plant a new cork tree myself.'” “He’s had determination since he was a child,” Mangkon giggled

“How determined he was as a child is how he is now. Gear has never changed. If he is determined to do something, he will do it until he succeeds. I have always seen that in him.”

When she praised her son, she looked incredibly proud. This child had never disappointed his parents even once. He was promoted to police captain at a young age, even though his father was a Police General and had never used any connections or influence.

“As for Gear’s reputation for being a playboy, I know that my son can change if someday Gear finds someone he wants to spend his life with.”

Pharada reached out, took her daughter-in-law’s hand, and stroked it gently, looking at him as if she wanted to convey some meaning. From past events and who has been through it more, she was quite confident that her fine son had feelings for this cutie Mangkon.

“I believe that one day, the Inspector will find someone he truly wants to spend his life with.”

As he spoke these words, he felt an indescribable twinge of heaviness in his heart. Many playboys can stop, or some won’t. But from living with Inspector Gearthian, he believed he could stop being a playboy and be a good husband and father.

“And Mangkon, would you give him a chance?”

“H-Huh?” Mangkon asked, his voice rising. He didn’t quite understand her question. “What kind of chance?”

“If he stops being a playboy, then…”

“Ah… the Inspector and I could never be. Besides, this marriage is just to fix his bad luck. In any case, we’ll have to divorce someday. It’s not…”

“Yes, Mother, we’ll have to divorce anyway.”

Before Mangkon could even finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a deep voice from someone who had just arrived. Thian had entered, having arrived just in time to hear his mother ask his “lucky wife” if he would ever have a chance. He had stopped to listen, eager to hear Mangkon’s answer. However, the word “divorce” that had just been spoken so freshly

from Mangkon’s lips felt like a sharp needle stabbing him. The sound echoed in his head. For a moment his sharp eyes flickered, but Mangkon didn’t see it.

“What are you talking about, Gear?”

“It’s just a fake marriage. We’ll have to divorce anyway.” “Right, my ‘lucky wife’?”

As he finished speaking, their eyes met. One person spoke rashly, not thinking about the consequences, however he caused the other great pain.