Love Business

"Zee! Phi Tan!! Help me! You gotta help me!"

A man rushed inside Zee's house. He was in panic mode.

"Ai Tong! What's wrong with you?!"

"Kaper... Kaper found me!"

Zee stood up from his seat. He looked at Tan. The man looked anxious as well.

"Ai Tong, what did you do this time!?" Zee grabbed the boy's collar. He dragged him closer and stared at him with fury in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Zee! I didn't mean to! I need money-"

"Ai satt, Tong! Why are you stealing from him again?!" Zee almost launched a fist on the boy's face when Tan stopped him.

"We need to leave now, or we'll screw!"

"But where to, Phi?"

"Don't ask, just follow me!" the man dragged Zee and Tong pursued them from behind. They ran along the back alley, catching their breath in between.

"Oi! Stop right there!"

A scream from behind made them anxious. They ran even faster than before. Avoiding heavy traffic at this late hour.

"Tong, Zee! Run!"

"Phi!" Zee screamed.

"Run, Zee! Go!!" Tan pushed them away from him. Tong grabbed his hand and dragged him away. The two continued to run alongside the road, with a bunch of Kaper's men pursuing them from behind.

One of the men shot at them.

"Tong!" Zee screamed.

"Run, Zee! Come!"

They avoid the gunshots, blending into the crowd that's already in a panic state. They tried their best to run far.

But not for long.

From behind, Zee could heard something falling. He looked back and saw Tong fall onto the ground after being shot.

"Tong! Tong!!!"

***

"What is wrong with me wearing pink?"

"Today, you're supposed to wear green. It's a sports day..."

"But I hate green!"

"You're in Green Team. How can you say that?"

"It's all because of Aunt Mei! I asked her to create a Pink Team. But, she told me boys might hate that idea..."

"Maybe she's right..."

"No! Atuan is a boy but he loves pink! Besides, what's with this gender and colors?? Everyone deserves to love what they love anyway!"

Zee opens his eyes slowly. Those voices abused his hearing this morning. He tries to recall what happened yesterday. But he lost track. He feels grateful to have the ability to recover fast from a hangover. His alcohol tolerance is higher, so a hangover is nothing but a bug bite to him.

Reality hits when he stares at the ceiling. It's white, just a plain white ceiling with a wood frame. No fancy LED lighting like a modern bedroom. White day curtain waves inside the room, being swiped by a cool breeze.

Zee pats his hand on the duvet. It's fluffy. Off white. When he rises from the bed, he takes a look clearly around the room. A Japanese-style room attracts his attention.

He comes to a realization.

This is not his room. And this is not even his house.

He grabs his hair tie on the side table and ties his long hair in a bun in hurry. Lucky for him, his t shirt is still intact on. As he is about to escape, those voices get closer to the door.

"Enough with that rant, missy. Just wear it!"

"No!"

"Shu..."

"I don't want to!"

He pulls the sliding door, leaving a small gap so he can peek outside the room.

A girl is running around a small Japanese table with a lady, chasing her from behind. There is an infant, probably a boy, relaxing on a baby chair, laughing at them.

He recognizes the lady, but who is the girl and the infant?

"Shu!"

"You can't catch me, Aunty Fia!" Shu mocks her. She quickly ran towards the room where Zee resided. He feels nervous and steps back when the door slides from the outside.

The girl slams herself against Zee. She whines in pain and slowly looks up. Her round eyes blink while she locks her gaze on Zee.

"Aunty Fia!" the girl screams. She runs and hides behind Sofia. Zee freezes at his spot when he sees Sofia is now looking at him.

"I'm home..."

A voice from outside makes the girl run towards the door in a hurry. The door is wide open, revealing Pan in casual wear with some shopping bags in her hand.

"Mama! There's a man in the house!" Shu yells at her.

Pan quickly walks into the house. Zee is standing in front of the guest's room in confusion.

"Shu, get ready fast. We need to leave in 30 minutes... Get ready with Aunty Fia..."

"But ma-"

"Shu..." her voice becomes stern. The girl looks down. She slowly walks towards Sofia.

"Come, let's go to your room..." Sofia grabs the boy in the chair and ushers Shu into the girl's room, leaving Pan and Zee alone in the hall.

"I wanna serve you breakfast, but I guess you must be in a hurry-"

"I'm not. It's Sunday anyway..." Zee leans against the door frame. A white lie that he doesn't mind using.

"But, I'm in a hurry," Pan puts the bags on the dining table.

"Are you chasing me out, freshie?" Zee inquires with a stern voice. Pan stares at him.

He is in senior mode.

"Fine. You can stay. But, no question allowed. This is my house and you have to follow my rules," says Pan. There is no other way to chase Zee out. If she acts suspicious, he will stammer her with a flood of questions.

She won't take a risk.

Zee smiles. He casually sits at the dining table. Pan works fast in the kitchen. In no time, the breakfast is served.

"Help yourself with the food..."

Even before Zee can thank Pan, she disappears from the room. A few minutes later, she appears again in the room. This time, with the girl.

"Eat fast, Shu. Aunty Mei will pick you up soon," she passes the girl a bowl of porridge.

"You not joining?" she whines a bit, eyes glaring at Zee.

"I need to send my friend home. I'll be there later, okay?" Pan replies.

"It's okay. I can book a Grab. Go ahead," Zee says. He slowly enjoys his breakfast while his eyes still gaze at the girl who sits in front of him.

"Pssst!" Shu calls him. Zee lifts his eyebrows at her.

"You don't remember me?" Shu asks. Zee stared at the round face before he recalled something.

"You... The girl at the kindergarten! With a boyfriend, right?" Zee says with a smile on his face. Shu swats him with her sassy glare.

"He.is.not.my.boyfriend!" Shu denies the statement with a full guts, making Zee chuckles a bit.

"Okay... Sorry..." Zee quickly apologizes.

"Who are you to her?" Shu asks, pointing her chubby finger at Pan.

"Who is the woman to you?" Zee asks her back.

"Her? She's my mom!" Shu whispers to Zee.

Zee halts. His brain is trying to process the information. Now, he has more questions than answers.

"My name is Shu..."

"I'm Zee. Your mom's friend," Zee smiles at her.

"Oho, so mom brought a cute boy back home!" Shu claps her hands. Pan immediately shuts her by softly pulling her ponytail.

"Ma! It hurts!"

"Eat up, bunny. You're late..."

Shu pouts. She scoops the porridge while venting silently.

"Where are you guys going?" asks Zee.

"My Kindergarten's Sports Day!" Shu replies to him. Her sassiness reminds him of someone close to him. The vibe is too obvious!

"You must be in the Green Team!" Zee says.

"How did you know??" Shu's eyes got enlarged.

"You wear green. I used to be in the green team, too!" his merry voice attracts Shu.

"Really?!"

"Yes! We are always the champion of Sports Day!" Zee taps his chest and smiles proudly.

"Pft! It's different from us. We are always at the last place..." Shu looks down and pouts. Zee stares at the girl and unknowingly gives her a faint smile.

"You know what... It does not matter who is first or last. What matters the most is we enjoy the moment with our friends! It's not like every day you can play with your friends like that. So, just enjoy yourself!" Zee gives Shu a tender look. He smiles when the girl slowly lifts her head and gazes at him.

"What if we win?" she raises a question.

"Well... It's a bonus then!" Zee replies. Shu seems to have enlightenment after some encouragement from Zee. She nods and grins widely before finishing her breakfast in no time.

"Sir?" suddenly, Shu calls Zee.

"Yes?" he replies fast.

"If you don't mind... Would you like to come and watch us?" Shu invited Zee.

"Bunny, my friend has something to do today. I don't think he will-"

"Sure! Why not? Besides, it's Sunday! Who works anyway?" Pan glares at Zee. The man watches her and draws a smile on his face.

"Great! Now I have one more supporter in my squad!" Shu claps her hands.

Pan frowns in anger while staring at Zee. The man casually eats and finishes his breakfast.

"Shu, wait at Aunt Fia's house... I need to talk to my friend," Shu nods. She hops down from the chair and runs outside.

"What are you doing?" Pan asks Zee in a stern voice. The man casually stands up, leaves the dining table, and walks straight toward Pan.

"Nothing. Just enjoy my Sunday,"

"Your Sunday has nothing to do with mine!"

Zee leans his face closer to Pan. She backs off a bit, trying to avoid the man.

"Go ahead and tell her I can't come. Will you dare to break her heart? Did you see how excited she was just now?" Zee whispers to Pan. She shuts her eyes for a while, trying to think of a solution.

But she has no way out. Shu is a girl who loves asking questions. She probably gonna roast her with thousands of questions about why Zee can't follow them to the Sports Day. Pan needs to prepare for answers and she will get tired of it.

"Your silence is a consent for me. So, where's the bathroom? I need to get ready, or else I'mma look shabby and humiliate Shu," says Zee. He smirks at Pan. The girl grits her teeth, anger boiling inside her heart.

"Make it quick!" she shows him the bathroom, toasts him a clean towel, and storms out of the house.