Two years ago.
An innocent high school student was stepping into the life of a university student. His hair, once short, was now long, and he thought it looked just right. His slender hands fondly styled his hair, as if he were seeing himself in this look for the first time. Well... he couldn't have had that cool hairstyle in high school. Even though he was already handsome, the hairstyle worked wonders for his face, not to mention the long pants and the simple long-sleeved shirt he wore. He looked really good.
"Are you done yet, kiddo? We're going to be late!"
"Just a sec, Mom. I'm grabbing my bag," he replied hoarsely, snatching his bag before walking out of his bedroom.
"Where are your socks?"
"I'll put them on while we're in the car," he replied, breezing out of the house.
"You're in university now. Don't act like a child."
"What child could be as cool as me, Mom? Just look," the self-proclaimed cool guy said as he swept his long bangs back, emulating the handsome Korean idols. He thought he looked incredibly cool and dashing, just like them.
"Sigh~ You're cool, alright... Hurry up. Our driver is busy today. Say goodbye to your dad, and let's go."
"Why is that?" he asked with a curious look at his mother, who sighed. His cool demeanor lasted less than five minutes before he returned to being the cute kid.
"Your dad's heading out of town soon."
"Again?" His sullen expression showed that this wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.
"He's going to make money for us, alright?"
"We already have more than we can spend," he said, dissatisfied but not arguing because it was his work. Without it, there would be no money for the family. His father's business wasn't large, but his mother's substantial inheritance allowed them to build upon it. To this day, he has everything he needs without having to study solely for the sake of finding a job.
"Just go say goodbye to him. If you keep complaining, we'll be late."
The small figure walked towards the front of the house, where a small garden was arranged with a table for lounging. At the moment, his father was sipping coffee there. He approached, greeting his father with a traditional Thai wai before heading off to university as his mother had instructed. His father turned to him with a smile, blessing him with a good university life and friends.
"Study hard and don't be too naughty," his father reminded him.
"Dad, do you still think I'm a child?"
"You just turned eighteen yesterday," his father replied with a frown.
"I'm grown up now," he retorted with a raspy voice, earning affectionate smiles from both adults.
"Go on, or you'll be late for your morning assembly."
"What kind of university has that activity? You'll just have to walk into class looking cool," he replied before walking towards the car.
His mother drove him today, and thanks to her stylish and gorgeous presence, they reached the university on time despite the traffic. Her sleek car stopped in front of his faculty, and he quickly got out, worried the car behind might honk impatiently.
"Did you make sure you have everything for today?" her clear voice called out to her son.
"Yes, I've got everything I need!" the cheeky boy shouted back before dashing off into the crowd of white-shirted students. She watched her son for a moment until she had to drive away, as he'd already disappeared into the crowd.
She was concerned about her son's first day at the university, but he seemed overly excited about it.
"Oh, my little boy! So excited you forgot your wallet. That's why I can't stop worrying about you."
She knew she couldn't do anything about her son's forgetful nature, but she was one step ahead and had already placed a spare wallet in his backpack.
Mom: You forgot your wallet. But I already put a spare one in your bag.
She sent the message to her son and waited, but as the traffic light changed, there was still no reply, not even a sign that the message had been read. He must be really excited. She just hoped her son would check her message later.
But no...
The person she kept worrying about strolled into the Faculty of Engineering with a deliberate air of coolness, seemingly unaffected by the persistent vibrations of his phone or the sidelong glances from passersby. He kept his proud smile, greeted the seniors who came to welcome new students, and eagerly lined up to register with everyone else.
"Man, it's crowded, isn't it?" The guy in front of him turned around to start a conversation, catching him off guard with his strikingly pale and handsome features, and the charming aura he emitted when he spoke.
"Yeah, but it's good we got in line early," he replied.
"I'm Fuse," the tall guy introduced himself, and then pointed to his friend, "This stoic guy here is Mark."
"I'm not stoic," Mark said, turning around to join the conversation. He grabbed a name tag from a senior without even bothering to look at them. If he wasn't stoic, what should he be called? Cold? But never mind that. This Mark guy was incredibly cool, even cooler than him.
"Your name is Fuse... right?" a female senior asked as Fuse approached, to which he smiled and nodded, causing her to blush.
"Yes," Fuse responded.
"Fuse," another senior repeated the name before writing it down on a piece of paper and handing it to him.
"Thank you."
"And what's the name of this cute one here?"
Cute? Were the seniors really using that word for the son of a supremely handsome father and a stunningly beautiful mother?
No way! He's cool, cool in both looks and name, so don't call him cute.
"Ben..."
"Kamphan."
"Pardon?" He exclaimed when the senior who wrote down Fuse's name said the name.
"Just call him Kamphan."
"Call... me?" He repeated, pointing to himself.
"Here, Kamphan."
"Welcome, Kamphan."
"Geez! You're so cute, Kamphan."
He made a puzzled face. He was genuinely confused and not just pretending this time. Then he reached out to get the name tag with a name that wasn't his own.
"Hey... Kamphan, let's find something to eat. I'm starving," Fuse said, slinging an arm around his neck in a friendly embrace. The two seemed close, but Fuse didn't even know his real name.
"Dude, my name isn't Kamphan," he protested, pushing himself away from his friend.
"If the seniors call you Kamphan, then you're Kamphan," Fuse insisted.
"But..."
"It's cute," Mark interjected before he could argue further.
"I mean..."
"I'm really hungry now, Kamphan."
"Mark, my name is..."
"Let's go, Kamphan," Mark said with a smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him outside. He just walked along with Mark, who had Fuse leading the way, feeling a bit confused. Wait a minute; he hadn't even introduced himself to them yet.