25. Chapter Twenty-Five Spin

Chapter Twenty-Five: Spin

F ollowing the arrival of SPPT's producers comes the longest lecture I've ever been given. We actors are not only reminded of the "sanctity of the ship," but also about our loyalty to SPPT Productions, who works so tirelessly to make sure we're taken care of. By the end of the meeting, I feel as guilty as though I was one of the transgressors in this mess, which, thank God, I'm not.

Claiming technical problems, the producers shut off the live feed for the night. Our instructions are that the following morning, when the cameras and mics are turned back on, we are to act as though nothing happened, and that includes the two couples involved. Anyone not doing so or heard talking about "the incident" will be let go from the company immediately with no severance pay. Properly chastised, we all go to bed in somber moods, and Prince and Gift head to their single room without a word or look passing between them. Book returns upstairs to sleep in the common bedroom.

The next day, a rigged game of bingo pronounces Ban and Book as the next occupants of the single room. Prince and Gift move to the shared room, where they show no outward signs of their dispute. But the affection between them that was once there is glaringly absent from their interactions.

Aod tries to talk to me about it in hushed whispers that night when most everyone's asleep, but I shut him down. I don't want to risk getting into trouble.

Needless to say, the rest of the week in the Love Lounge house is extremely stressful. Prince keeps to himself, which fans notice and talk about on social media, but Book sticks next to Ban. When we leave, it's actually a relief for me to go back to worrying about things like what my father's up to, Bass's interest in my sister, and Kiet's absence in my life.

"The next several months are going to be about damage control," Khun Hom announces in a hastily called meeting of all SPPT actors the day after we leave the Love Lounge house.

A meeting in which Prince is noticeably absent.

"It will take all of you to divert attention from what occurred last week. Our team has worked tirelessly the past couple of days to comb through the footage at Love Lounge and edit out anything we don't want fans to see. Of course, many have already seen this footage, and there are screenshots and video clips all over social media. Beginning today, Prince is no longer with SPPT Productions. A notice is going out in the morning saying he has decided not to renew his contract."

We are given a minute to digest this shocking but not-so-shocking information before Khun Hom resumes.

"Ban and Book will ramp up their fanservice and promote their upcoming series, but all fanmeets, promotions, and live streams are canceled for the next two weeks, at which time we will reevaluate the situation. No one is to speak of what happened. If questions come your way, you are to deflect them as best you can. We recommend that you act like you don't know what the questioner is talking about."

Cream told me and P'Park privately that Ban and Book were sequestered in Khun Hom's office for hours earlier, and it's probable they've been given a list of provisions for their ship, which they evidently want to keep. We assume one of them will be that Ban's girlfriend—whom the producers were never particularly keen about having around—stays away.

Khun Hom's eyes land on me and P'Park.

"Park and Spin are now SPPT's lead ship. Please keep this in mind in everything you do, as eyes will be on you," she instructs us before addressing each of the other shipped couples in turn. There is a special wedding episode planned for some characters, and a series of live streams for other actors. Everyone is expected to ramp up their skinship and promote their next series with enthusiasm and lots of skinship.

When she finishes her instructions, Khun Hom asks me and P'Park to stay behind and then dismisses everyone else.

"I realize this is a lot, but I have faith that the two of you can handle it," she tells us after the room clears out. "I wanted to let you know about a couple of other changes. One is with the Heartbeat script. As you know from reading the novel, your characters go to the beach with Daeng and Aod's characters, but that was left out of the screenplay. Due to recent events, we've decided that the beach trip should be included after all, along with the intense NC scene between Khao and Boom. We'll give you your new scripts before you head to Koh Sumei next week to film." Khun Hom pauses, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "There's something else. You may have noticed Aod was missing from the meeting. "

Now that she mentions it, I realize that he wasn't sitting beside Daeng.

"Aod has been let go."

I glanced at P'Park. From the look on his face, he's as shocked by this news as I am.

"Why?" he asks.

"He leaked information about what happened between Prince and Book. His part in Heartbeat has been recast. Gift will be taking his place. With Prince out of the picture, we feel it is best to get Gift with another partner as soon as possible. The fact that it's a secondary character he'll be playing will make the transition easier all around. We'll have to scramble to have Gift refilm the scenes we've already filmed with Aod, but there's no way around that." Khun Hom looks at her watch. "Go on to lunch. Spin—I need to see you in my office when you get back."

I'm reeling from the information dump. Prince was let go? Aod leaked information and now Gift will be playing the part of Bear? A hotter NC scene is being added back into the series? Hotter than that implied blowjob and the nipple-sucking?

And why does Khun Hom want to see me in her office?

In silence, Park and I head down to the lobby in the elevator. When we're out of the building, I say, "Khun Hom wants to see me. It has to be something about Love Lounge or about my father. I can't think of anything else."

"You didn't do anything wrong at Love Lounge ," P'Park says.

"I let P'Daeng get on the float with me."

"That was his fault. What were you supposed to do, push him off? If anyone's going to get into trouble, it will be me for yelling at Daeng. Stop worrying. I'm sure it's nothing. "

"Do you think you'll get into trouble?" I ask, now more worried about that.

P'Park gives me a small smile. "No. Everything's going to be okay."

"Why would Aod risk his job like that?"

"I don't know. Maybe he thought he wouldn't be caught."

"But why ? Did he want to get Book and Prince in trouble?"

"I doubt it. Some people just like to stir up drama."

"Do you think Prince deserved to be fired?" I ask after a moment.

"Yes. That was a stupid move on his part. I don't know if he and Book are involved or it was just a hookup, but couldn't they have waited until after they left the Love Lounge to fool around? Now they've ruined their ships. Well, Prince has. Ban and Book may be able to salvage theirs if they're careful. Prince's voice is clearly audible in that clip, and it's all over the internet. No way would fans forget about that. Book may have been seen leaving the bathroom, but fans are already making excuses, claiming that Book and Ban are real, even though many have heard rumors that Ban has a girlfriend. Gift is seen as the injured party, and the producers are right to ship him with someone else as quickly as possible. Even if it is Daeng."

And now SPPT is counting on us to be their most popular couple. As we head through an alley two streets over to the ramen place we like, I ask, "P'Park, why do you think Khun Hom and P'Big decided to put Khao and Boom back into the beach scenes?"

"I'm sure they think adding the more elicit NC scene will give our ship a boost and help distract fans from what happened. Do you remember that scene in the novel?"

I shake my head. "I was in a hurry to read the book and skipped that part because I knew they'd taken it out. What happens? What can be steamier than the scene we've already filmed? "

"In the book, our characters have just gotten back together after their misunderstanding, and they enjoy themselves for the most part. The sex scene is on the beach."

"On the beach ?" I repeat.

P'Park nods. "Are you worried about it? I think we did pretty well with the other scene, don't you?"

"Yeah. But …"

"It will be fine. We'll get through it together." He ruffles my hair. "Don't worry. The scene may just be considered steamier for small reasons, like if they show the top of my ass or if we make simulated fucking motions or something."

I try not to show my shock at that.

After lunch, I walk into Khun Hom's office feeling like everything I just ate is about to make a reappearance on her beautiful blue carpet, although I didn't consume much between worrying about "simulated fucking motions" and what she wants to talk to me about. My sweaty palm slips on the door knob when I turn it.

"Nong. Did you have a good lunch?" Khun Hom asks, looking up from her work when I walk in.

"Yes, thanks, Khun."

She motions for me to sit in one of the chairs, and when I do, she regards me steadily for a moment, making me even more nervous.

"Did I do something wrong, Khun Hom?" I finally ask.

"No, of course not. This is about your father."

My eyes go wide and my heart starts hammering. "What has he done now? I haven't heard from him. I hoped he'd left town."

"After you explained the situation to me, I had a talk with him. I told him to leave you alone until after the week at Love Lounge , and then perhaps we could come to an agreement. I have since spoken with the other producers at SPPT, and it's been decided to present you with an offer. SPPT is willing to pay off your father. He will have to sign an agreement that he will not contact nor harass you in any way, and he will receive a one-time monetary offer. In exchange, you and Park will sign five-year contracts with SPPT as a shipped couple."

Shocked speechless, I can only stare at her.

"Spin?" Khun Hom prompts.

"Sorry, but…wouldn't it be easier just to fire me?"

Khun Hom smiles—something she hasn't been doing a lot of since the scandal. "Nong, you are an asset to this company. We are very happy with the work you're doing and have every confidence that you and Park will be something special. In the long run, this deal will be worth it. That is, if you agree to it."

"Of course I agree, but I don't want P'Park to feel he has to do this to help me."

"I understand." Regarding me, Khun Hom rests her chin on steepled fingers. "How about this? I will offer the contract to Park without telling him about the agreement with your father. That way, he will make his decision without feeling an obligation to you."

I nod. "That sounds good. Thank you for doing this for me, Khun Hom. And I'm sorry for the trouble my father is causing you."

"Nevermind, Spin. If you and Park become as popular a ship as we think you will, it will be well worth it to us. Now, could you please send Park in to see me?"

I find P'Park in the main room of the studio and give him her message. He looks at me questioningly but doesn't say anything before heading for Khun Hom's office.

Sitting on one of the couches, I nervously fiddle with the hem of my shirt, thinking how lucky I am that Khun Hom has so much faith in me. I only hope I can live up to her expectations.

I text my sister, asking how she's doing.

I'm fine, P. But we need to talk soon. Don't worry, nothing's wrong. (Blue heart)

The couch dips when someone sits beside me. I look up and see P'Daeng.

"Is something bothering you, Spin? You look upset."

"No, I'm okay," I say.

As with most touches, I find P'Daeng's hand on my thigh comforting.

"Has your father been bothering you again?"

"No. I haven't heard from him at all. Are you okay, though? I heard about Aod," I whisper.

"Sure, don't worry about me. I'm flexible. What Aod did was really stupid."

I glance around to see if anyone around us heard. "Be careful, P'Daeng. We aren't supposed to talk about it, remember?"

Giving my leg a pat, P'Daeng smiles. "You're so cute to worry about me. Okay, I won't talk about it."

P'Park walks out of Khun Hom's office and immediately heads our way.

"We're filming this afternoon. The scene at the cafe and the one in the parking lot," he tells me.

"Okay." I stand, dislodging P'Daeng's hand from my thigh.

P'Park and I leave to meet P'Big and the staff downstairs in the lobby. On the ride to the shoot location, P'Park seems distracted. I wonder how he reacted to Khun Hom's proposal. What if he chose not to sign the contract? I doubt SPPT would pay off my father for just my signature.

Touching P'Park on the arm, I ask, "Is everything all right?"

"Khun Hom told me she offered you the contract and you agreed to sign. I did the same." He looks out the window of the SUV .

"I hope you agreed because it's the best thing for you," I say.

"Of course."

After a few seconds, P'Park turns to look at me. "It's none of my business, but will you tell me what you and Daeng were talking about?"

Surprised, I say, "He just asked me if something was bothering me. He wondered if I was upset about everything that happened or if my dad was threatening me. And I asked him if he's okay about Aod leaving and P'Gift taking his place."

P'Park nods, but I notice the muscle in his jaw clenching as he turns back to the window. I don't know what to say. I understand that P'Park thinks that P'Daeng only wants to hit on me, but so far P'Daeng hasn't done anything to give me that impression. I'm not going to be unkind to him. He did tell me I'm cute, but I get that a lot. It doesn't necessarily mean he's interested in me.

Then I remember his hand on my thigh.

I love touch and affection so much, maybe I didn't realize it was meant to be more than that? He did keep it there for a long time.

I worry about this for the rest of the drive, but when we arrive at the coffee shop, I'm soon too busy to think about it. The simple scene takes several hours to film, and when we finally wrap up, the staff packs the equipment into the van and we hop back in the SUV and head for the parking lot where the next scene is to be filmed. This one takes even longer, and by the time we're finished, it's getting dark.

Later that night, at P'Park's house, I'm lounging in bed looking at my phone when P'Park comes out of the bathroom, looking incredibly hot in black pajamas and his hair damp from the shower. I know I'm going to miss sleeping with him when I move back to my apartment. Being close to someone in bed, even if we don't touch, is comforting and, well, intimate . It's also a completely different feeling from the one I got when P'Daeng rested his hand on my leg.

I've found myself bonding with P'Park, which is a good thing for our ship, but what about for my heart? I vividly remember how devastating it felt when I realized that P'Bang and I would no longer be working together. I know my feelings for P'Park are what has helped me to get over that hurt so quickly.

Not wanting P'Park to see the blush suffusing my face, I turn to plug my phone into the charger as P'Park climbs onto the other side of the bed.

"I have something I need to tell you," I say when we're settled.

"What is it?" he asks, turning on his side to look at me.

"The deal that Khun Hom made with us today has to do with my father. She told me that if you and I agreed to sign on as a shipped couple for the next five years, SPPT would pay off my father to leave me alone. So, I should be able to move back into my apartment when we return from the beach."

P'Park frowns. "But what if I hadn't agreed? Why didn't Khun Hom tell me anything about that?"

"I asked her not to. I didn't want you to make your decision based on what it would do for me."

"What would you have done if I hadn't accepted the offer?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I'm glad you want to stay with me."

P'Park's gaze drops from my eyes to my mouth, lingering there a moment before he clears his throat and rolls over to turn off the lamp on his side of the bed.

Suddenly struck by how much I owe him, I touch his arm. "Thank you for giving me a place to stay. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't. Bass has moved back with his parents now that his father's health has declined, and Cushion has a roommate. Obviously, Kiet's out." I sigh. I really miss Kiet, and it still hurts that he picked Daw over me. If Daw were a better person, I might understand it, but if that were the case, I would get along with her and we wouldn't have a problem.

"It's no trouble," P'Park says. "You don't have to keep thanking me, and you don't owe me anything. Anya loves having you here. She's going to be sad when you leave."

I lean over to turn off the light on my side, and I must push too hard because the heavy lamp tips. P'Park lunges over me to grab it before it falls, and when he turns to look at me, lying underneath him with my breath caught in my throat and every cell of my body aware of the weight and warmth of him, his face flushes pink. It's cute. We stare into each other's eyes for several beats before he slowly lowers his lips to mine, pausing a breath away as though to give me time to say no. As if.

Lifting my head, I press my lips to his. Even as I register the softness of P'Park's lips, my brain is screaming, This is a real kiss, not rehearsal. P'Park is kissing me because he wants to! My heart flutters like a butterfly in a jar as our mouths move together languidly, tasting each other, P'Park being careful not to rest his full weight on me. When we finally part, we don't talk about it, but P'Park laces our fingers together, and we fall asleep that way.