"Ladies and gentlemen... the moment we've all been waiting for is almost upon us. Oh my... I'm so excited! Mister Pongsakorn, who do you think will be crowned Moon and Star[1] of the university this year?" Dahla, the beautiful hostess and last year's runner-up Star, asked her co-host from the Faculty of Education with an excited tone.
"I really don't know what to say. This year, their scores are closely matched with each other, and the situation is unpredictable. Ah! The scores are in!"
Pongsakorn quickly reached out to receive the scorecard that was elegantly placed on a tray and brought up to the stage by a petite, pretty girl.
"Pat, Nun-ta-pob! Pat, Nun-ta-pob! Pat, Nun-ta-pob!"
Then squeals of excitement erupted from the crowd of girls of several ages as they chanted the name loudly, not to mention the flickering lights from various-sized signs displaying the name of the handsome, shy-looking young man. He was awkwardly smiling at the girls in front of the stage, unsure how to react to the frantic calling of his name. He'd never imagined he would have such a large fan base. However, his shy smile alone was enough to send the girls into a frenzy, nearly collapsing in excitement.
'Pat' stood in the center of the stage, looking elegant and outstanding even among the crowd of equally attractive people. A number 29 badge, his candidate number, was pinned on his left chest.
"Kidakorn! Kidakorn! Kidakorn! Let's get it, Kong! Woooh! Come on, guys, cheer him louder!"
A cacophony of raucous cheers erupted from the other side of the stage, revealing a group of about twenty rowdy men. Some of them were spotted with long hair and others with beards, but none looked dirty. Instead, they had a stylish edge to them. They worked together to hold up a massive banner made of sackcloth. They even spotlighted it with three extra large-sized flashlights to ensure it was seen. Fearing that their artistic creation might go unnoticed, they needed the extra illumination to compete with the expensive, glowing signs surrounding the stage, especially when it was almost eight p.m. already. The banner bore words of encouragement for their friend named Kidakorn. The design, the font used, and the colorful patterns on the fabric made it clear that this group was definitely from the Faculty of Architecture.
'Kidakorn' was the young man wearing the number 45. He turned towards his friends' group and offered a slight, appreciative smile.
The award announcements continued. Candidate number 29 won both the Outstanding Performance and the Popular Vote by a landslide, leaving the other six candidates far behind. Nuntapob, or Pat, had swept through the minor awards to the point that it started irritating 'some' of the candidates on stage quite a bit. Finally, the moment everyone had truly been waiting for arrived.
Pat had never aspired to be the University's Moon. If his friends hadn't nominated his name in the Engineering Faculty's Moon selection, which he won surprisingly, he wouldn't be standing here beaming smile like this. The winner from the faculty round would automatically be sent to compete for the university's round, with no need to fill out a new application like the other handsome candidates. It was a privilege and an unspoken mandate for the Faculty's Moon, which left Pat with no choice but to participate in the contest.
"Alright, I'll now announce the names of the three finalists," Dahla said.
The intro music boomed, mingling with the audience's cheers, setting the stage for an electrifying contest. Pat admitted that since he hadn't initially intended to compete, his performance during the Q&A wasn't excellent. However, when it came to showcasing his talent, Pat chose to play the piano, giving it his all upon realizing that he was representing his faculty in the competition. Everyone had high expectations of him. That was why he couldn't help but expect to be one of the three finalists.
"The three finalists are... Candidate number 12, Mr. Chanin Akkarachot from the Business Administration Faculty—please step forward. Next up, we have candidate number... truly not disappointing at all... number 29, Mr. Nuntapob Watcharabadin from the Engineering Faculty. The last one is... candidate number 45, Mr. Kidakorn Kanpirom, from the Architecture Faculty. Gentlemen, please come to the front. I'm so… so excited!"
The crowd blasted into periodic cheers as the hostess announced the names of the three finalists.
Pat walked to the front with a grin so wide he felt like his face was two times bigger than usual.
'After this, even if I don't win the title, I won't feel any regret.' He thought.
He turned and gave a friendly smile to Peem, or Chanin, candidate number 12, who returned the gesture with a gentle, soft smile. Soon after, the other two finalists made their way to stand beside him. Pat turned to offer a friendly smile to candidate number 45 as well but was met with nothing more than an indifferent face that didn't even bother to glance back.
Pat kept smiling, but the handsome, stern-faced man showed no sign of returning the friendliness. So, Pat turned back to the people who'd come to support him instead.
'Did I do something wrong?' Pat couldn't help but wonder.
"And now, the moment everyone has been waiting for. The second runner-up award goes to candidate number..."
The sound of drums thundered through the auditorium, matched by the continuous cheers of the crowd.
"Number 12, please! Mr. Chanin Akkarachot from the Faculty of Business Administration, come on up and receive your award along with the sash right here."
Pat smiled at Peem before he walked up to accept his prize.
"And the university's Moon of the Year award winner goes to... number 29! Pat, Nuntapob Watcharabadin from the Faculty of Engineering. Please come up and receive your award along with the sash," the hostess announced with a sweet smile, congratulating this year's winner and not forgetting to announce the runner-up next.
"The first runner-up award goes to number 45, Kong, Kidakorn Kanpirom. Ahem... please, Kong, come up and receive your award."
Dahla felt awkward as she made eye contact with the person who'd just been announced as the runner-up.
'This guy has such an unfriendly gaze. Sure, he's handsome, but geez.'
She thought to herself before turning to smile and offer congratulations to all the award recipients.
Amidst the joyful atmosphere where everyone was congratulating the new University's Moon, the shouting of the winners' names filled the air, and no one noticed the irritation on Kong's face.
He stood there, looking at the newly awarded Moon with annoyance. Seeing the confused expression on the face of the person next to him only added to his irritation.
"It's alright, man! Guys... let's chant his name, quick! Kidakorn! Kidakorn! Woo-hoo!" The cheering came from the same group of architecture students trying to cheer up their friend who stood on stage with a face that looked utterly bored and annoyed by something.
The young man who'd just been awarded the second place University's Moon title had piercing light brown eyes. His thick eyebrows were well-shaped. His nose was beautifully prominent, and his orange-colored lips looked thin and healthy. He had tan skin and a well-built physique that attracted the gazes of many women. He stood out no less than any other candidate with his one hundred and ninety-two centimeters tall. The only difference was his cold, stoic face.
The reason for Kong's irritation wasn't because he didn't get that Moon title. That wasn't the main reason that brought him to this stage at all!
"And the University Moon contest winner will receive a sash and a 'cash prize of fifty thousand baht'—wow!"
...That was it. That was the real reason he was standing here!
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[1] Commonly known as the Daw Duen contest, this is a beauty pageant held in many universities in Thailand to select the university representatives among the first-year students. Daw (ดาว translated as Star) is the title for a female representative, and Duan (เดือน translated as Moon) is the title for a male representative.