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P'Wadee and Can can only watch as P'Tul and Tin go to the room.

"Phi, are you sure that Tin will be okay in there?" Can asked

"Take it easy, Can. Trust me and P'Tul."

"It's precisely because of P'Tul that I can't calm down, Phi."

"All we can do now is pray, Can. If my plan goes well, after today they will return to being brothers again."

"Hopefully Phi ..."

Tin followed Tul to a room at the end of the hall, which when the door opened, the room looked like a warehouse.

Why did he toke me to the warehouse?? Tin thought.

Then Tul opened a hidden door and signaled Tin to follow him. Eventhough Tin was till confused, he followed him into the room and Tin was surprised when he saw the room that looked exactly the same as Tul's room when he was a child. On the study table there are many gifts written with numbers.

"What does all this mean? Why does this room look like your old room? Who are those gifts for??" asked Tin confused.

"Please take a sit, Tin," asked Tul.

Tin chose a chair near the study table to sit on, while Tul sat on the bed right in front of him.

"I deliberately made this room a few years after our relationship got worse."

"Why?"

"Because I miss my brother, Tin."

"Tch, what kind of nonsense is this??" Tin said irritably as he stood up, but Tul immediately grabbed Tin's arm, asking him to stay.

"I promised Wadee and myself to tell everything without the slightest lie. So please, just this once, listen to my story till the end, Tin."

Tin brushed aside his brother's hand and sat back in his original place. Actually he could choose not to heed his brother but his heart held him, wanting to know the reason for all Tul's crimes on him.

"In this world, there is no person I love more than I love you. You know how dark my childhood was. A father who has rarely at home, a biological mother who has never appeared even in my life, a stepmother who has never cared for me and a grandmother who hates me half to death. You are the only person who always reaches out when I fall, wipes my tears and hugs me when I felt fragile. You were the one who always choose to eat with me in the kitchen rather than on that big table with your family, to sleep in my small room rather than in your luxury room and stayed in a house with me instead of going abroad with your parents."

Tul's eyes, which usually looked cold, now looked at Tin gently. Tin, who had buried his childhood memories, now remembers everything clearly. His feelings fluctuate between anger and confusion.

"Then why did you say that? Why do you keep hurting me?" asked Tin in a trembling voice.

"At that time, suddenly my mother called me. Se cried and said that she didn't have anyone on her side. She said she really missed me but the Methanad's family forbade her to meet me. At that time she said something to me, "I've heard that you are very close with your step brother. Are you also on Methanad's side and hate me, Tul? Why isn't anyone on my side ?? You are my only son, if you also choose them, then what's the point of me living, Tul??? I would rather die!!!" After saying that, her cry grew louder. After all, she is my mother, Tin. I want to be her strength too. I want her to know that she is not alone, she has me. Then without realizing it, I said the words to calm her and it worked. She sounded happy when she heard my words. I had no idea that you were behind me at that time. You shouldn't have heard it, Tin."

The eyes that had looked at Tin gently now began to glaze over. Tin tried to find a lie in that eyes, a thing that is usually very easy for Tin to find in Tul's eyes, but he found nothing.

"If at that time I did not hear it, you will definitely continue to lie to me and will stab me sooner or later!!!" said Tin emotionally.

"No ... no ... I swear by everything, my words were just bullshit. I just want to calm my mother," Tul said.

"And you think I will believe you??!!!" he shouted angrily as he stood up.

"Tin ... Ai Tin ... please, listen to me first. After that, you can decide to believe me or not. After 13 years I just had the courage to reveal all this. Please Tin... " pleaded Tul.

That arrogant man's hands held Tin's hand tightly, as if Tin's hand was his only hope for life. Tin tried to release it but Tul's grasp was tighter than him. Finally Tin relented, holding back all mixed feelings in his heart.

"After that day, just like you, I went through my days like I was in hell. I really don't have anyone beside me. Moreover, not long after that I knew the truth that it wasn't Mehtanad's who forbid my mother to see me, but it was my mother who never wanted to see me because she already had a new family there. At that time, the reason she called me was because she annoyed that our father didn't want to give her some money, so she wanted to make me hate him as much as she did."

"How do you know about that? Maybe the person who gave you that information was lying to you?"

"Aunt Nam heard a fight between father and mother when he found out that she called me at that time. There's no way Aunt Nam lied to me, right?"

"Why didn't you explain to me right then?" asked Tin, who had begun to calm down.

"I don't dare, Tin. When I turn around, you were standing right behind me. I still remember clearly the expression on your face at that time. An expression that I haven't seen since you were born. At that time I wanted to explain everything to you, but seeing your eyes that were very hurt, stopped my intention. Everything I wanted to say, was swallowed back down my throat. Since then, you no longer talk to me, even you kept trying to avoid me since then. If we're in the same place, you won't even look at me. I know sometimes when you think I'm not looking at you, you would stealed a glance at me with fear and disgust and that makes me even more afraid to come closer to you. I'm afraid if I told you the truth, you wouldn't trust me or thought my explanation as an excuses and will hate me even more. I feel like I won't be able to accept your hatred more than that. "

"Then why do you keep on doing bad things to me? You even framed me for drugs!! Do you know how ruined my life has been since then? I am the heir of Methanad's but everyone looks at me like I was a prisoner and a disgrace to this family. Not to mention your outstanding intelligence, making people endlessly compare us. No matter how good my achievements, you always do it first and better than me. Do you understand that feeling??!!!"

This time, Tin's voice trembled as he recalled all the dark times he had gone through alone because of Tul's guile.

"I understand, Tin. I really understand because I've been through something worse than you. But I have no other way to make you turn to look at me."

"What do you mean?" Tin asked confused.

"Do you remember your broken toy?"

"My beloved robot that you damaged?"

"Yes. We named the robot T2, a combination of the first letters of our name. Actually I accidentally damaged it. At that time, I missed you so much that I secretly entered your room while you were still in school. I memorized all of your schedule, so I thought I would be in your room before you got home. I chatted with T2 then suddenly you came home earlier than usual. I was surprised and accidentally dropped the robot and damage it. I remember at that time you looked angry, cursed and then drove me out of your room. That was the first time you talked to me even with anger and I decided to do anything as long as it made you look at me again."

"Then what about your other crimes? You trapped me and made my parents send me to USA??"

"I did all that for your sake, Tin."

"Tsk !!!! After trapping and getting me kicked out, you still dare to say that it's for my sake??"

"Since childhood we know how cruel the world around us was. Many are trying to destroy our family. Even people who we considered as friends and relatives will stab us without hesitation. But because you didn't want to have any contact with me, I can't take care of you anymore like I usually does."

"I'm getting more confused," said Tin.

"I studied hard and got the highest score so that you are encouraged to do the same thing. I trapped you so that you would know that not everyone who seems to care about you is a good person. I want you to go to school in USA so that you are stayed far from the people who would hurt you here."

".............."

"Did you realized the result of all my 'crimes'? You always get the best score anywhere. You no longer choose the wrong friend. Pete and Natt are the people who love you sincerely. Then Can, he's perfect for you. When in USA, you become independent. You become stronger and smarter. That company is a gift from me."

"From you? Isn't that gift was from father?"

"No, I built it from zero with the aim to give it to you when you're ready. Of course I use father's name because you will definitely refuse if it's my gift. Now, the company has become much bigger in your hands right??" Tul asked, smiling.

"Did father know about all this?"

"No. I told father that I was unable to take care of the company because there were too many companies that I was managing. So I asked him as an intermediary to give it to you."

"And you think he doesn't know about all this? You forget, he is the leader of the Methanad's family," Tin asked.

"I'm sure he knows, but he didn't say anything to prevent me. Maybe that is the way to show his love for you. "

"Whatever!!"

"You think Father doesn't know about you and Can?" Tul asked.

Tin doesn't answer even though he knows the answer. He always said it doesn't matter if everyone opposed his relationship with Can, including his parents. But Tin could not deny, the fear was still there, because he knew for sure that his father is a cold-handed person.

"He knows, Tin. I once accidentally caught him while looking at the photos of you two."

"A picture of us?"

"Yes, surely father sent a detective to spy on you."

"Shit!!!!"

"Don't worry, he accepted your relationship with Can," Tul said.

"What do you mean?"

"When I caught him, he asked me to look after you two instead to separate you and Can."

"He said that?" Tin asked in disbelief.

"We all miss you, Tin. Since you're leaving father's house, you have hardly ever set your foot there. You know our father's nature, there is no way he will ask you to comeback home."

"Hmmm....."

"Tin, all those gifts are for you. Every day on your birthday, I always buy a gift but because I can't give it to you, so I keep it here. Will you open it with me?" Tul asked hopefully.

After thinking for a moment and seeing Tul's hopeful face, Tin nodded. Tul stood up and took a gift numbered 8.

"Open it. It was a gift for your 8th birthday," Tul said as he handed out gift number 8.

The robot is exactly the same as the T2 robot.

"I feel very guilty for damaging our T2 robot. Luckily at that time there were still a shop who sold it," Tul said as he held out a gift number 9.

"Do you remember the pot? We make it at the tutoring place. But we have not had time to decorate it because we became enemies. Do you know where I found the pot?" asked Tul, who was answered by Tin's shaking head.

"I found it under my bed. Surely you put it there, right?" asked Tul with teary eyes. Again, Tin nodded.

"You used to love One Piece comics. You always ask me to read it before you sleep. But after that night, you burned all of your One Piece comics. I bought the comic hoping that one day I would have a chance to read it for you again," Tul said in a trembling voice when Tin opened the gift number 10.

Since opening the first gift, Tin hasn't said a word. He just nodded in response. His chest ached, but the pain was different from the past pain.

"You really like playing basketball but mom forbids us from playing because it's too noisy and makes us sweating. We always play basketball in secret at school right?" Tul said with a faint smile.

"You asked for an NBA M.J card as your 11th birthday gift, but your mom forbid it because she thought that it was useless, right? I asked Uncle Keng for help to buy it for you without knowing that you still want it or not. Even if you still want it, you can definitely buy it easily because now you are already very rich hehehehe," Tul said accompanied by his awkward laughter.

Tin's eyes began to glaze over. It turned out that Tul had really paid attention to him since that incident. Tul's voice got more trembling in every opened gifts, making Tin's heart tight.

"This is a present for your 12th birthday. Do you remember this photo?" asked Tul, shows a photo from Tul's birthday.

Published : 05.02.2020 ; 10.33 am