22. Chapter Twenty-Two Park

Chapter Twenty-Two: Park

A couple of weeks pass relatively quietly other than for daily nasty texts from Spin's father, which I convince him to share with me. When Spin began staying at my house, I took his key and went to his apartment to get his essentials. I hoped I would run into his father—I was going to tell him to get lost and stop bothering Spin—but he wasn't there. I could see he'd been inside the apartment, though. When I told Spin this, he called his landlord, who said Spin's father claimed to be the one paying the rent.

"How can he possibly think that when I'm the one who hands it to him every month?" Spin asked incredulously.

The week the teaser trailer for Heartbeat is released, our ship blows up on social media like it never has before. It's due, I think, less to the teaser and more to a last-minute appearance Khun Lee garnered for us in which we modeled clothes for a well-known brand. Photos from it are all over the internet. Unfortunately, it tips off Spin's father as to where Spin works .

"Nong, you have a visitor," one of the staff members says. We've been reading through a scene with Daeng and Aod, and Spin puts his script down.

"A visitor?" he asks, frowning. Standing from the table, he leaves the room. I don't know what makes me follow him, but it's a good thing I do because when I enter the main room of the studio, I walk straight into a confrontation between Spin and a big bull of man I assume to be his father.

"Imagine my surprise to find out my son is in the acting business, yet is too stingy to help out his own father!" the man shouts. People spill out of doors and stand gaping at the scene in front of them as Spin's father grabs him by the collar and shakes him.

"Get your hands off him," I say, stepping forward.

The man glares at me with dark eyes that hold none of the shine and spark of his son's.

"Who the fuck are you?" he bellows.

"A friend of Spin's. Take your hands off him now ."

"You're a brave kid. Go away." He shoves me, and I stumble back three steps, almost falling down.

"Pah, don't hurt him!" Spin cries.

Khun Lee comes running, a security guard right behind her. The guard orders Spin's father to step away from Spin.

"That's my son, and he owes me money," Spin's father says, but he obeys the guard and takes a few steps back.

"Why don't we take this conversation somewhere private?" Khun Lee suggests, looking around at all the curious faces.

"To hell with that! I just want my money!" Spin's father shouts.

I can tell only the presence of the security guard is stopping the man from advancing on his son again.

Spin looks stricken, and I rest my hand on his shoulder .

"Pah, I don't have a lot of money. I haven't been acting for long, and I had to pay Nok's tuition."

"You probably don't even live in that tiny apartment," his father accuses. "You have a penthouse somewhere? You're probably living over in The Ritz Carlton or Athenee while I've been slumming it since I got back in town."

Spin's mouth falls open. "I don't make nearly enough money to live in those places! Honestly, I'm just getting by."

His father turns to where Khun Lee stands with Khun Hom, who has come out of her office to see what's going on. "Can you believe a son would be so disrespectful to his father? He has been avoiding my calls ever since I returned to town, and all because he doesn't want to share his good fortune with the man who gave him life and raised him. What kind of a son does this?"

I can feel Spin shaking underneath my hand. I'm relieved when Khun Lee convinces Spin's father to come into Khun Hom's office to talk. When they disappear around the corner, Spin turns to me, face wet with tears.

"What am I supposed to do, P'Park? I really don't have any money to give him." He lowers his voice. "If Pah finds out that Khun Hom doesn't want bad publicity, he will use that to his advantage."

"Let them take care of it." I lead him back into the room we came from, where Daeng and Aod are waiting for us.

"Are you okay?" Daeng asks Spin.

He nods.

Aod shakes his head. "Your dad is scary."

"How much money does your father think bl actors make?" Daeng asks .

Spin doesn't say anything. P'Big walks in a moment later, shutting the door behind him. "Let's continue where we left off." He looks at Spin. "Your father has been gently escorted off the premises."

Fortunately, Spin's father doesn't know where I live, and Khun Hom orders that he not be let into the building again under any circumstances. After that, Spin and I leave by the back gate after work every evening. Surprisingly, Spin's father stops texting him.

The week before we're due to check into the Love Lounge for eight days, I amuse myself by scrolling through TikTok during a break in filming. Someone downloaded a recently released clip. I look through the comment section.

Thirsty4Park: Look how Park tosses Spin over his shoulder and walks out! I can't wait to see this. (five red hearts)

ParkSpin_shipper@Thirsty4Park: No lie, I would not be mad if he did that to me. (winking face)

Thirsty4Park@ParkSpin_shipper: I would encourage him to! I'd ride everywhere like that. (horse, laughing face)

ParkSpin_shipper@Thirsty4Park: Nice view back there. (blushing face, peach, fire)

BTSY00ngmin@Thirsty4Park: (thinking). Wonder why the character does that in this scene? They had an argument, maybe?

RabbitSpin3: Spin is so cute. Look at his cheeks! All four of them! (laughing and fire)

I frown. I don't like fans objectifying Spin. Looking at the clip again, I have to admit his ass is cute, though.

I go back to the comments.

ParkSpinshppr@RabbitSpin3: I just want to pinch them! (shifty eyes)

LoveBamBam@Spinswifey: Did you see the way Park was looking at Daeng in this bts clip? (posts link)

SehunXO: Yeah, like he's wanting to tear Daeng apart for looking at him. Can't wait for Love Lounge . One more week—All four of them will be there, and also Prince and Gift!

17Woozi@SehunXO: OMG, yes! I love them so much. (a rainbow of hearts)

DaengAod4win@LoveBamBam: Daeng really does seem to be looking at Nong Spin a certain kinda way. (laughing face)

MyBabySpin@DaengAod4win: This is why Daeng can't keep a partner. Remember DaengJimmy? DaengOhm? DaengBeam? He's sunk several ships already. He better stay away from our baby Spin! (angry face)

Darkrriverjournee221025 @MyBabySpin: Naw, man, I'm DaengSpin all the way. DaengSpin domination!!!!

MyBabySpin@Darkrriverjournee221025: Troll! (three devils)

Darkrriverjournee221025@MyBabySpin: What, you think Park and Spin are real? It's called FANSERVICE, sweetheart. (three eye roll faces)

Before closing the app, I check out the behind the scenes clip they're talking about. It's from one of our early script readings, where everyone' s sitting on the floor, scripts in their laps. The cast is engaged in reading, all except for Daeng, whose attention is on Spin. The look on Daeng's face is wolfish.

Anger rises in my chest.

That asshole will sink his teeth into Spin over my dead body.

SPPT's series Love Lounge is in its fifth season, but until now I have never been a guest on the show, and I'm excited about it. Typically, participants gain a lot of publicity. The basic premise is six popular ships spend eight days in the house, living together, competing for things, and being coupley for the cameras, which are constantly on them. The couples also wear microphones. Khun Lee has lectured us several times on being careful what we say and do in the house, as the show is aired live.

The first night we get there, the six couples play darts to compete for the only private room. The bedroom and the two bathrooms in the house are the only rooms without cameras. Prince and Gift win the game, so Spin and I are stuck in the room with four other couples, five mattresses lined up in a row on the floor. That evening, Ban and Book volunteer to cook dinner, and while they're doing that, the rest of us go outside to swim in the pool.

Spin grabs the solar-powered pink flamingo float and jumps in the water. "Come on, P'Park!" He waves to me. Climbing down the ladder, I swim to him and, together, we somehow manage to get me onto the float behind him. It's a tight squeeze with my cock pressed to his lower back.

Aod glides by on the sloth, and Max and Title start a water fight. Pretty soon, I'm pulled into it, leaving Spin on the flamingo while I jump into the fray as Korn teams up against Title. Max grabs one of the water guns and pretty soon we're all weaponized and Aod and Fluke have joined us.

It isn't until Ban comes to the back door and tells us dinner is almost ready that we cease fire. Tossing my squirt gun onto the pavement, I hoist myself up onto the side of the pool. That's when I realize that fucking Daeng is sitting on the flamingo float with Spin, and their heads are together in quiet conversation. Getting up, I walk around to their side of the pool and hold out my hand to Spin.

"Let's go eat." He takes my hand, and I bodily lift him off the float and onto the pavement, immediately wrapping my arm around him as I lead him inside the house.

"The meal card said we had to make spaghetti," Book tells the group as they trickle in. "I hope it's good because I've never made it before."

"I don't care if it tastes like cardboard, I'm starving," Fluke says, rushing up the stairs to the bedroom to change.

"Are we going to be on camera changing?" Spin asks me, looking uncomfortable.

"No, they've turned off the cameras in here until we finish," I say, pointing to the one on the wall that's light has gone dark.

Fluke, Gift, Aod, Max, and Korn are in various states of undress. When I glance at Spin, his ears are red. Not everyone is comfortable stripping off in front of other people. I notice that Aod has taken his clothes to the bathroom to change.

Holding up my towel to cover Spin, I turn my face away. "Go ahead," I tell him. "I won't look."

Keeping my eyes on the far wall, I hear Spin grab something from his bag and then tug his shorts down. "Thanks, P'Park," he murmurs a minute later. "Do you want me to do the same for you?"

"That's okay," I tell him. "Go save me a place at the table. "

He leaves the room behind Max and Korn as Daeng, Title, and Prince walk in.

"Kind of surprised they turned off the cameras," Daeng says, peeling off his wet trunks. "Figured the production crew would get their jollies watching stuff like this." He reaches for his clothes. "Hope the cameras didn't catch the boner I got out there sitting behind Spin's cute, round ass."

Prince and Title barely manage to catch me around the arm and waist as, seeing red, I pull back my fist, ready to smash it into Daeng's jaw.

"No fighting," Prince says in his deep voice. "Think about your reputations."

"Tell him to keep his fucking mouth shut," I say through clenched teeth before dressing and stalking out.

"What's the matter?" Spin asks me when I sit down next to him at the long dining table.

"Nothing," I mutter. I don't even notice what the food tastes like, but the rest of the guys are complimenting it, so it must be pretty good. I can feel Spin watching me as I eat.

It only takes a few hours for the speculation to begin on the SPPT website where the live footage of Love Lounge is being broadcasted.

Daengswoman23: What's wrong with Park? He looks angry.

KaiSuholuv3rs @Daengswoman23: He's probably just tired.

Daengswoman23@KaiSuholuv3rs: No, he came out of the bedroom after changing looking like he wanted to strangle someone. You could see that Spin asked him what was wrong. They had the cameras and mics turned off while the guys changed .

MYwinter@KaiSuholuv3rs: Didn't you see what happened in the pool? Daeng was on the float with Spin. Park got over there fast! (wide eyes with hand over mouth) (312 likes)

KaiSuholuv3rs@MYwinter: Ack! When are they posting these on YouTube with subs?

Spin flops down on the bed next to me, wearing blue pajamas with yellow ducks printed all over them. We each have a separate blanket, which supposedly makes sleeping in the same bed less intimate. I'm over being angry, as long as I don't look at Daeng. Tossing my phone into my bag, I turn on my side and regard Spin. We've taken off our microphones, so the live feed won't pick up on what we're saying.

"How's it going so far?"

Spin furrows his brows. "I wish we won the single room."

"I think there will be a competition in a few days to take it from them," I say. "This isn't so bad, though, is it?"

"I just don't like being with people I don't know," Spin says so quietly I barely make out the words.

Reaching for his hand on top of the blanket, I squeeze it.

"Most everyone here is a good guy," I whisper. "The only one I really don't trust is Daeng."

Spin looks worried. "I didn't ask him to climb on my float."

"I didn't think you did. Just…don't trust him. Okay? He doesn't have your best interests at heart."

"Okay, P'Park."

For some reason, my heart flips every time he calls me P. I like it. I like being older than he is and responsible for him.

"Do you think it's going to mess up our ship to have that on camera?" Spin asks. When I look at him, he's biting his lip worriedly, and I automatically reach over and smooth my thumb over his lower lip to stop him.

"No. Fans like to see some jealousy."

"That's why you came over there to get me?"

"Yeah." Actually, I didn't even think about that. I wanted to get Spin away from Daeng.

I watch Spin fall asleep, my gaze lingering over the soft curve of his cheek and the shadow of his dark lashes. Our bed is on the end of the row, closest to the door. On Spin's left, someone's laughing softly. Raising my head a little, I make out the blond streaks in Aod's hair. Crap. I don't like Daeng being in the bed next to Spin, even if Aod is between them.

Getting to my knees, I carefully lift Spin—blanket and all—and place him where I was seconds ago, at the right side of the bed with no one on his other side. Then I take my blanket and move into Spin's former place next to Aod. Satisfied, I settle down to sleep.