Chapter Text
THAME
Summer in Bangkok has always been hot, just fire no vibes. Pair that with relentless training and its seriously the end of the world. The song has been blasting through the roof of their practice room for the seventh time already and sweat is dripping down his forehead and he is pretty sure his oversized tee is already drenched by the way it's sticking on his back. The aircon in the room has picked the worst day for not working and the repair company is apparently surged with complains so, its gonna take some time for them to get it fixed. At least that is what the staff told them before telling them not to take a day off and slack because of such a small issue.
'Come on, boys! You are young, you can push through.' He had said that with optimism which was hard to digest.
They are young but not made of stone.
In any case they couldn't afford a day off, not when the Idol Championship was so close.
He had arrived here in Bangkok all alone. Just him with passion, dream and enough money to get by without problems. The solo auditions and competitions were already done, he did so well, he had surprised the judges and himself, if he was being honest. Then, the groups were formed, randomly at first then, curated perfectly based on merits and scores and positions. They want a group which can promote T-pop globally and locally at the same time. He was put into a group as well, MARS, it was a perfect formula for an idol boy group.
With main vocal, him. Visual, Jun. Rapper, Dylan. All Rounder, Pepper. Main dancer, Nano.
All four of them were extremely talented and good at what they did. The labels though were just to create some distinctions between them, all of them actually have to be good at everything while not compromising their said labels. That was also probably why all of them are here, pushing themselves for their upcoming performance. They are just three performances away for either winning or going back home.
But Thame is no quitter, he is here to win, to make a name for himself, to prove people wrong and take his first official step towards his dream. Dream, which all of them saw separately, but with time, became a collective thing. MARS.
There is no you and me, it's just them now, chasing their passion in hopes of getting a platform to showcase and share their art. Together.
The competition taught him that sticking together is far better than struggling alone. Initially, he was wary of opening up to the wrong person or saying the wrong thing or sharing too much. And true to his fears, he did make mistakes but learning is a process, he just needs to be careful. And with the right people by his side, he is sure things might not automatically get easy, but they won't be too hard to deal with.
The song finally comes to end with there movements. The choreography for this song is intense and very physically draining with lots of stunts, mostly handled by Jun and Nano, they are going for a song which is cheerful and upbeat, to capture the eyes of audience from the start. This week they have to work harder to impress both the judges and the audience, as voting begins.
But surprisingly, that's not the most stressful thing in Thame's life right now. It's the unchanging screen in his hand. No matter how hard he stares, it stares back the same.
Unchanging. Cruel.
message unseen.
unseen
unseen
unseen
'Where are you, baby?' He whispered low, to no one in particular.
Things have been like this for months now. He doesn't even know what went wrong. They were doing fine. They loved each other. Then, what changed?
Do you not love me anymore, Thiu?
'Thame, are you on your phone again? Who are you texting, huh?' Jun said wiping his sweat with a towel around his neck.
'Texting? P'Thame? Who is that person, huh?' Nano raised his eyebrows, grabbing a water bottle.
'Exactly, what I want to know! What makes him check his phone every hour from the past few months? And even in between rehearsals?' Jun said tapping Nano's shoulder for a bottle for himself.
'Phi, you know how difficult it already is to debut. You should not get distracted like this. Is there something we can help with?' Nano said with a pout.
'Wait! What did I miss? This guy? Has a girlfriend?' Pepper said surprised, not believing what he heard while continuing to apply the ice pack on his neck and shoulders to sooth the muscle ache.
'A boyfriend, actually.' Thame corrected quickly. 'It's a guy and he is not....we are not...talking......forget it... I don't even know.'
'Sharing things once in a while ,won't kill you, Thame. Plus, Nano is right, you being distracted could cost us all this debut. And you know, we can't afford that.' Dylan said straightforward as always. Thame always appreciated his honesty, okay maybe not always, but most of the time, like right now. He needs to get everything out of mind, not just for them but for himself as well.
'You are right. Okay, then listen.' Thame said looking at Dylan.
'I have been dating him, since high school and we were really happy together. Like seriously happy though there were some problems but we had each other and that was enough.' Nano smiled at that, his eyes crinkling at corners.
'He was the one who taught me how to be confident in my voice and made me passionate about pursuing music not just as a career but as something which could be my safe space when I needed it. I never thought I will be here you know? Performing? Singing? All this was a dream.' He looked at all of them one by one, letting the words settle before continuing.
'When everybody thought I was making a mistake not picking a safe subject that could give me a stable job but taking music as my major instead. He was the only one who said I should choose, what will make me happy forever.'
'He said, "Even the hard times coming from music would be a lot better than picking something which is just socially acceptable and nothing more". He only cared about what made me happy. Even before I cared about myself. He believed in me and my voice even when I was doubtful.' Thame was already teary eyed staring at the profile pic of the person who would not reply to him. He wouldn't cry, not in front of his friends at least.
So, he took in a breadth saying. 'So yeah, in short, I had already imagined my life with him.' Thame looked up to them, but he was not smiling as they expected.
'I can sense a but there.' Dylan said with an obvious but gentle tone.
'But *sigh* recently he hasn't been responding to my texts at all, like he has blocked me everywhere. Initially, when I moved here things were good. I don't recall doing anything to make him stop talking to me.' Thame said his voice confused and heart heavy.
'Oh, so you got ghosted.' Jun snickered looking around but- ' Aow! it was a joke.' Nobody laughed.
'Jun, behave.' Dylan said done with him, and handling Thame some water to drink as well.
'This is the most you have ever spoken, Phi. You must really love the guy.' Nano said genuinely excited.
'Why don't you go meet him?' Pepper suggested a beat later.
'It's far, Per. It will take hours to drive and we don't have days off here. So, I can't.'
'Actually, I have heard that if you win the competition, they will give a month long vacation before we get busy with debuting and idol life.' Jun gossiped.
'I heard the same, most people spend it with their families or go on a trip to relax.' Nano explained further.
'First, where are you two getting these details from? And second, we surely can't lose now, Thame.' Jun and Nano giggled looking at each other then at Dylan.
'Okay, so mission win-win is on?' Pepper asks excitedly.
'Seriously phi? win-win?' Nano makes a sassy face at Pepper.
While Thame processed the information like nuclear codes, looking more determined than ever to win.
'Then, why are we wasting time? Let's go from the top. Per play the song.' He was naturally competitive but now he was gonna give it his all.
For him.
'You provoked the devil, Phi.' Nano loudly whispered to Dylan, making all of them laugh together.
Thame couldn't help the smile which decorated his face, genuine after so long. He looked at them, laughing together, endearingly. This was his found family. His friends.
He would forever be grateful for trying.
Trying music.
Try taking risks.
Trying to convince his family for his dreams.
Daring to dream.
Try competing.
And most of all, try loving.
That has always been his biggest achievement, and he is not ready to let it go.
Not before fucking trying.
With that, they resumed their practice.
2 WEEKS LATER
These weeks have been the longest weeks, Thame has ever experienced in his life. Everything was rushed but for some reason everything also, dragged out.
It has been a cycle of- Practise. Rehearse. Get Ready. Perform. Rest. Do it all again.
From five groups competing with each other, it has now narrowed down to two, MARS and FOREVER. Elimination rounds were tough for everyone as all members of all groups were close and respected each other as competitors. It was hard to let go of some of his friends from other groups, but he wished them good luck and opportunities for future.
MARS and FOREVER, both are incredibly talented groups, with their own special charms. The cheers were loud for both the groups, when they performed for the last time on this stage in hopes of performing on many different kinds of stages. The venue is packed with fans and their overflowing love, cheers are so loud they could hear them backstage too.
Thame is grateful for that because it helps lower the voice of his own overthinking mind. The journey so far is something, Thame will cherish in his heart for the rest of his life. This place truly magical, a turning point in his life, everything he had learned, improved and perfected was going to help him along the way to great success he wishes to achieve in future. The support from his fans, guidance from the judges and care from his friends, will be unforgettable.
The closed arena is overflowing with anticipation and tension, air charged with curiosity and adrenaline. The performances set the stage on fire and left people screaming their lungs. The deciding time is over now and the judges have returned to their respective places, as the MC prepares to go live again and announce the result to the whole of Thailand.
'Welcome again, on Idol Championship co-produced by Grab and Oishi drinks. Dear viewers, we have just witnessed not one but two of the greatest performance presented on this whole competition.... today. Both of the qualified groups have already performed for the Finale of Idol Championship. let me tell you all a secret, today i am really happy that i am an anchor and not a judge, because i could never pick between the two. isn't that right, judges.'
'That's true, the performances we watched today has really impressed me. '
'Yes, and what impressed me even more was the growth. Every single one of them have worked really hard to qualify and it shows.'
'I couldn't agree more. All these kids are amazing and no matter the result today they are going to be really successful in their life. I would just like to ask them not feel disheartened no matter what the result is. You are all talented, best of luck, kids.'
'And with the inspiring words from our judges, lets call upon the finalists. Make some noise for Forever, krub.' The venue is filled with cheers so loud, the judges look around, surprised but supporting the cheers with a big smile. The said group enters and bows to the presenter, the judges and the crowd.
'Next up, we have MARS krub.' This time the venue erupts into screams so loud, people cover their ears with wide eyes, still supporting the fans and their enthusiasm for the group. Thame leads the group to stand on the other side of the MC, as they bow to everyone as well.
'Looks like it's time for the suspense to go away. So, without further ado, the winner of Idol Championship 2026 Finale is-'
The loud arena is so silent you could hear a pin drop.
MARS held their hands together.
Thame closed his eyes.
Hopeful.
Wishing.
Praying.
'Congratulations to MARS krub!!!!'
Cheers erupted from every corner of the venue as the MC announced MARS's big win to whole of Thailand. Fans who tuned in to watch the event LIVE crashed the site by filling the comment section with wishes, good luck and congratulations. While, the hundreds of them who are present at the venue itself couldn't stop their shouts. Cheers of ' MARS! MARS! MARS!' could probably be heard outside with how loud they are being.
But MARS members are seemingly numb to it all, as they make a group circle to hug each other while tears carelessly flow out of their eyes.
They won.
They WON.
THEY WON.
This is it, this is why they have been up in the mornings and gone late to sleep at nights, why they skipped eating meals to maintain their physique. All for this, their first win among many more to come.
They calm down and break their hug to give handshake to FOREVER, who despite their loss congratulated them with a smile on their faces. But Thame could see it, the sadness below, the tears which will break free the moment they find a corner free of judgement filled with safety and care. After all, they worked hard for this too. Thame stopped himself from feeling bad for them, he knows pity is the last thing want or deserve.
'Khun MARS, would you all like to say something to your fans?' Thame is handed the mic to speak first.
'We are the most grateful to our fans for voting and supporting us to the best of their abilities. This is a win for all of you as well. Please be kind and patient for our return as your MARS.' He signaled his members as they circled the mic.
'3,2,1...THANK YOU!!!!, krub.'
They held hands again to bow together, to end the special night.
IN THE CAR
'Oh god! I am super tired. I just wanna sleep.' Nano said with what looked like a fake yawn but his tiredness was real.
'True that, all of us are tired but I am excited for Thame.' Pepper said as all of them turned to Thame, expecting him to say something.
'What?' He said acting oblivious.
'Oh, come on. What about your.... Love Mission? Now, that mission win-win was a success, you should go talk to him. And Per, it really is a stupid name.' Jun suggested Thame and teased Pepper.
'Yeah? And your Love mission sounds sooooo coool, Jun.' Pepper teased back.
'There's no rush, Jun. I am going to rest tonight.' Thame interrupted them, before they could start a fight. 'Then, probably for a day or two, I will leave to meet my family first. All that is going to take time. Then, I will start searching for him at school first.'
'You have the whole plan ready and are saying there's no rush?' Dylan commented teasingly.
'What plan, this... this is just an overview of the...... plan.' Everyone laughs. They were not going to believe whatever he was going to say anyways.
Even though Thame rushed to clarify the comment he himself couldn't help but smile.
After all, he did sit down to meticulously think about every single thing he is going to do after his win.
What he would say. What he would do.
And if he is mad at him then how he will apologize or beg, if that is what it takes for him to start talking again.
And he is definitely going to utilize his vacation till the very end.
With him.
I will make everything right. Don't worry, I am coming, baby. Just wait.