Chapter Text
Kongpob sighed, looking at his wrist. The numbers 1,810 stared back unforgivingly at him. He groaned and dropped his head back on the sofa. This was the smallest the number had ever been and he really wanted to dash out of the waiting room. The number right now was so tangible that he could almost feel his other half.
But he couldn’t because he had a job and that job required him to be on stage in less than 5 minutes. He threw a pleading look at his manager, Prae who was glaring at him as though he was daring him to try to ditch.
“I know, I know,” he said exasperatedly, trying to get Prae to stop throwing him dirty looks. “The last time this happened, I ran around the mall like a psycho and the owners had put in a complaint with the company because the fans were out of control.
Prae clicked his tongue. “I’m glad you remember that fiasco. We are not going through that again.” Looking at her number one artist and best friend, she too sighed as he pat Kongpob on the shoulder. “I don’t want to see you in pain and disappointment again this time either.”
Anyone who knew Kongpob personally would know that the man had been obsessed with finding his soulmate. While his numbers remained high, they were still a clear indication that his partner was in Bangkok, which meant that the likelihood of finding each other was still a very promising possibility.
A crew member entered the room, signaling Kongpob to prepare to head on stage. He gave another sigh before he stood up to straighten out his outfit. Clapping Prae on the shoulder, he promised, “I won’t do anything silly.”
The event goes on without a hitch, Kongpob actually kind of enjoying his time with the emcee and his fans. The ‘kind of’ part being that he kept glancing at his wrist and watched as the numbers steadily dropped downwards. He was getting progressively antsy towards the end as his soulmate GPS counter hit the triple digits.
During his last number, a quick glimpse to his wrist showed 120 and Kongpob struggled to remember the next few words to his lyrics. His soulmate was here. This was the closest they had ever been to each other. He tried looking around discreetly for anyone who might be showing the same signs he was now trying hard to conceal.
Scanning through the many faces of his fans, Kongpob sank further into hopelessness. While their faces were clearly drunk in love with him, it wasn’t what he was looking for. How he yearned to run through the crowd to find the one that was meant for him. As the number started to creep upwards once again, Kongpob wanted to cry. He was going to lose his chance.
However, a quick glance at Prae and the look that clearly said NO struck the madness out of his mind. Rushing into a fan crowd was never going to be a good idea. He knew that. ‘Stay calm,’ he told himself, as he gave the area ahead of him another scan.
And that was when he saw him. Standing alone at the back some small distance away from the crowd, staring into the distance.
His heart palpitated within his chest and he finally realised how true all the different experiences of others were.
‘You will feel like no one else exists.’
‘Your world will suddenly feel complete.’
‘The air that you breathe will suddenly be your other half.’
‘Your heart will ache and race all at the same time.’
And here he was, feeling it all happen at once. It felt like the song he was singing was now dedicated to him and him alone. His fair skinned soulmate turned on the spot, finally facing the stage and Kongpob felt a little delirious. He was now staring right into his other half’s glassy doe eyes. He wondered if he felt it too, the urge to run to him and to hold him in his arms.
But to his greatest horror and disappointment, said other half merely scoffed lightly, shaking his head, before walking off without a second look at Kongpob. The song he was singing had thankfully ended, as the artist stared open mouthed at the back that was now walking away from him and their destiny. Tears began to well in his eyes as he blinked multiple times, willing them to go away.
No. No. NO. Don’t go!
What had just happened? Did his soulmate not feel the connection? Had he recognised the wrong person? But the numbers that were now steadily increasing on his wrist told him otherwise.
Why was this happening to him?
~***~
A few weeks after his first meeting with his fated person, Kongpob was getting increasingly restless. The stupid counter on his wrist constantly mocked him, keeping itself in the high thousands, coming nowhere close to 0.
So here he was at yet another event, a fansigning for his latest single. It was as though Prae had purposefully flooded his schedule to disallow him from wallowing in self pity and despair. Why couldn’t his other half be a fan? By the looks of it, he was not only not a fan, it almost looked as if he despised him, with the way he had scoffed and walked away. He simply couldn’t get his image out of his head, his heart shattering with each replay. Was it because he was a man?
“P’Kongpob!”
Kongpob was snapped out of his reverie as he smiled professionally at his fan who was now standing in front of him.
“Phi, your new single is so good! We will be waiting for a full album next time!” His fan prattled on as he signed on her poster with ease. He flashed her one of his trademark grins before thanking her for all her support. As he reached out his hand to shake hers, his counter flashed beneath his sleeve. 206.
‘He’s here!’ He screamed mentally to himself, shooting out of the chair and startling the fan in front of him and causing all the other fans behind her to scream. He strained his neck trying to look over the girl in front of him as his eyes frantically scanned the line of fans behind but he wasn’t there. He would have recognised that face anywhere. There was no way he would have missed it.
“Kongpob!” Prae’s voice suddenly hissed in his ear. “What are you doing!” Kongpob soon found himself being firmly pushed by both shoulders to sit as the autograph pen was placed in his hand. “Don’t do this now Kong.” The stern warning came.
Kongpob sulked, his eyes continuously flitting around to catch a glimpse of his fair skinned beauty. He sighed as he picked up the next poster placed in front of him, signing it a little impatiently. It was then he felt a little shiver run down his spine.
He’s here.
He knew it. He could just feel it. Raising his head to look at the second level, he found himself once again staring at the same mesmerizing eyes that have haunted his dreams for the last few days. As he moved his pen across the poster out of reflex, he kept his eyes glued to the other, hoping that he could hear his silent pleas.
But like their first meeting, he had to watch in dismay as his significant other turned away for the second time with a shake of his head. This time, Kongpob couldn’t even react anymore as his pen froze on the poster for a few seconds too long, leaving a huge blotch in its place.
Why? Does he hate him? Was it because he was a guy?
“Phi! Are you okay P’Kongpob? You don’t look so well.” His concerned fan asked, bringing his attention back to the event.
“Oh, no no. I’m fine.” Kongpob put on his trademark smile once more, masking the fact that his heart had just been smashed to smithereens again. He played out the role of the perfect artist that he was right till the end of the event before he was whisked away by Prae where he sobbed in his company van away from the eyes of prying fans.
~***~
Prae must have activated the gang because that night, Kongpob found himself in the VIP booth of one of the most exclusive nightclubs in Bangkok. Sipping on his whisky on the rocks, he threw his head back on the sofa and let out a big sigh. Club music boomed all around him and yet, all he could think about was still his soulmate that had walked away from him.
Oak, Aim and Tew soon came bouncing into the room, with May, Maprang and Prae trailing close behind.
“Kong!” Oak screeched over the blasting music as he approached the artist with open arms. Kongpob shook his head and chuckled, standing up to return his friend’s hug.
After a round of greeting with each of them sans Prae, they all settled comfortably into their seats with a drink each. Kongpob sat quietly as he listened to his friends talk about their current lives. His eyes however, couldn’t help but wander towards the linked hands of Oak and Maprang. Out of all of them, they had found their soulmate in each other the earliest while they were all still in school together. Kongpob couldn’t help but feel envious, as his brain floated back to the memories of his own ivory skinned supposed significant other.
Somehow, it felt as though the fates were playing tricks on him as the numbers on his wrist suddenly dropped to a mere 189, causing Kongpob to shoot out of his seat.
He’s here.
Although his brain was screaming all sorts of ‘no’ at him after his rejections, his body had another brain of its own as he found himself dashing out of the booth and peering over the railings of the second floor, trying to spot a certain person in the midst of the crowd. He vaguely heard the rest of them rushing out of the room to try to find out what was happening but he had only one person in his mind. He ran down the stairs at full speed, racing towards the dance floor as he kept a constant check on his wrist, numbers consistently dropping.
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