Chapter 43: EPILOGUE

The sound of birds chirping filled the air on a new morning. Po’s room—or rather, their room—was filled with items that belonged to both Po and Thame. Toothbrushes sat side by side, as did coffee mugs, two phones, and the two people waking up to see each other.

“Morning,” Thame greeted first.

“Morning,” Po replied.

They were doing exactly what they had always dreamed of: waking up to see each other, brushing their teeth side by side, cooking breakfast together, and chatting a little before heading to work.

“Nervous about your first show?” Po asked.

“Not really, but Pepper’s pretty tense,” Thame admitted.

“Well, you did make him the leader now,” Po teased. “But what’s he nervous about? You’ve nailed the songs, and the choreography’s all set, right?”

“It’s just… today we’ll meet Winner’s new group. We’ll probably see Khun Pemika too. Pepper’s unsure how to act around her.”

“Nothing to worry about. She’s been kind to you all, hasn’t she?”

Thame nodded, fully aware of Pemika’s warmth hidden beneath her cool exterior. In the end, she had allowed them to keep the name “Mars,” even though she initially said they’d need to pay Winner for it. The debt she mentioned turned out to be a mere token amount, and she even let them take the songs they had worked on with Winner.

Thame headed to the studio for a TV show recording, while Po went to the suit shop for work. Po no longer felt the need to aim for something grand.

Working at the shop brought him peace. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was fulfilling in its own small way.

“Morning, Uncle Choi,” Po greeted as he arrived.

“Take that suit and fix it up,” Uncle Choi instructed.

“Got it,” Po replied, picking up the suit. The television in the shop was tuned to the music show where Mars was performing. Po glanced up at the screen just as their performance began. Uncle Choi also peeked at the screen and commented, “Those outfits we made turned out pretty good, huh?”

Po nodded. “Yeah, they really did.”

“Oh, by the way, if you need to leave early for your class reunion tonight, just close up shop.”

“Thanks.”

“Strange, though. You’ve never gone to one of these before.”

“Well,” Po said with a small smile. “There’s something I need to tell my friends—kind of like confessing a sin.”

Uncle Choi gave him a confused look, but Po just smiled and said no more.

—

The reunion was held at a cozy restaurant-bar. When Po arrived, he spotted Earn sitting at one of the tables. He gave a polite nod but headed straight for Baifern, who waved him over.

“Po, over here!” Baifern called out. Po weaved through the crowd to join her.

“Took you long enough. Been busy?” she teased.

“Not really. How busy could it be at a suit shop?”

“Oh, showing off that your boyfriend’s busy now, huh? So where is he? I know you’ve got one.”

“Wait, why are you working at a suit shop?” another friend asked, puzzled since it wasn’t related to their field of study.

“Just thought it was fun. That’s all,” Po replied casually.

“So, is your boyfriend coming? I want to meet him,” Baifern said, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “If he shows up, I’m going to interrogate him—ask how you met, why you’re together, everything. I have to make sure he’s good enough for my friend.”

“He’s here,” Po said, gesturing toward the back of the restaurant.

Everyone at the table turned to look. A man wearing a face mask approached and sat beside Po. Baifern stiffened slightly as the figure drew closer. Po decided to introduce him properly.

“Everyone, this is Thame—my boyfriend.”

Thame pulled down his mask, revealing his face. “Hi, everyone.”

The table erupted in shrieks of disbelief.

“This is why I came tonight,” Po said with a smirk. “Feel free to interrogate him all you want.”

Baifern, still in shock, said nothing before dramatically fainting onto the table.

“Baifern!!!”

“I’m fine,” Baifern grumbled, getting up.

“Totally fine.” She gritted her teeth and dragged Po away for a private chat.

The rest of the table burst into laughter. Thame watched, amused, and started chatting with Po’s friends. Some clinked glasses with him, others asked for selfies, and even Earn joined in. When Po returned, Thame grabbed his hand and didn’t let go for the rest of the night.

—

“Your reunion was fun,” Thame remarked as they walked home together.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be,” Po admitted. “I never went before—I was too scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Of not being good enough. Of not being as successful as everyone else.

But in the end, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“That’s because you have me,” Thame teased with a grin.

Po smiled, not denying it. “Maybe.”

“Not even gonna argue?” Thame chuckled.

“Well, having you really does make everything better.”

Thame rubbed his nose sheepishly. “You make me love the ordinary days,” Po continued. “You make me love my ordinary job. So now, I’m not afraid of answering anyone’s questions anymore. Because every answer I give— since meeting you—makes me feel like I’m living the life I truly want.

Thank you.”

“I told you,” Thame replied, casually holding Po’s hand. “All I need is for us to stay together.”

When they got home, they had dinner together, brushed their teeth side by side, worked on their own tasks while sitting near each other, and ended the day watching a movie together. About twenty minutes into the film, Thame turned to watch Po instead of the screen.

“You’re doing it again,” Po said, noticing.

“Doing what?”

“Watching me instead of the movie,” Po replied, a little flustered. “No wonder we never finish a movie.”

Thame grinned and confessed, “Who said I wanted to watch the movie anyway?” He leaned in, kissing Po before pulling him off the couch and toward the bedroom.

And that was how their every day would be—forever.

THE END.