A Promise to the Moon [BL]

Chapter 6.:

“You shouldn’t have to be so rude to him.” Sun scolded his brother once they both jumped into the car and were on their way back home from the restaurant. Sun hated when his brother behaved like this towards any new person coming to the town, but this time it was something more. Although Mork usually behaves badly with new people, presenting himself as an arrogant a*s, something in today’s acting seemed off. Sun noticed Mork paid extra attention to Pete, following each of Pete’s movements and commenting on everything he said.

“How old is he? Huh? Twenty? Maybe twenty-two? He should study by himself and not play as an adult on a vacation here.” Mork replied to him, and Sun could hear the disapproval and resentment in his voice. Sun realized why Mork was extremely against Pete being there. Because of their parents’ death, Mork couldn’t finish his college. He had to come back, take over the resort and start taking care of Sun, since he was too young to be alone at that time. Subconsciously, Mork became jealous of everyone who had the chance to study and resentful towards those who could but didn’t.

“You don’t know his number, so you shouldn’t judge him. He might be in a difficult position, same as you were.” Sun hit the nail straight on the head. Mork opened his mouth, searching for words to reply to his brother, but he couldn’t find any. Sun was right about this and Mork knew that, but he still refused to change his mind. Something about this guy just seemed off, and he was definitely hiding something. Mork believed his guts when it came to vibes others were giving.

“Do as you like.” Mork had no other argument to give to his brother, so he simply gave up. Truth was, he could argue with Sun for longer, but in the end, he would do whatever he wanted either way, so it was better for Mork to give up instead of searching for plain words to use as an excuse. Sun already seemed to like this new guy, so there wasn’t a way to change his mind.

“You should really try to open your mind and at least get to know those people coming to our town before judging them. Do you remember Mavis? You were wrong about him and, until now, he refuses to talk to you because of the insults you showered him with.” Sun reminded his older brother about his biggest mistake he made shortly after he took over the resort. Mork had already listened to this example hundreds of times. Whenever Sun considered his brother’s behavior to be tough or rude, he always reminded him of that situation. Mork shook his head, expecting a long speech about his behavior and advice on how to behave to make friends, which he also heard a number of times. Sun’s speech took them the entire way back to the bay, where they took the boat to the island where the resort was.

“If you want him to tutor you, just speak to him, but please spare me from this.” Mork surrendered once they boarded the boat and Sun took a deep breath to continue in his speech. Sun was one of those who could convince you about anything and literally talk your brain out of your mind. Mork didn’t know after whom he took this. Both of their parents were social thanks to the work, since they had to maintain connections with their customers, but those were learned abilities. Sun was natural in this and innately talkative.

“I don’t want to hear any more bad comments on his address unless you get to know him and prove that he is a bad person.” Sun lifted his index finger, giving Mork warning. Sun was always a cheerful person but easily manipulated by his own emotions. He always felt strongly about everything and everyone. When he liked someone, he liked it with his whole heart. When someone hurt him, he felt heartbroken, but Sun never let this control the way he acted towards others. Sun’s biggest problem was he couldn’t hate others. He could resent no one, just like the real sun. Shining equally to everyone, no matter if good or bad. Providing light and warmth to every single living being without breaks. His little brother was exactly the same. Accepting everything others threw at him, without letting them know how hurtful it was and crying alone, hidden when no one could see him. This made Mork feel protective of his brother, making sure he would always be smiling and not hiding in his room, always venting sorrow out of Mork's eyes. Especially when it took him two months after his parents’ deaths to make Sun speak and react to something again.

Mork didn’t react to the warning Sun gave him. Sun technically forbade him to talk badly about Pete, but that didn’t mean he had to go and get to know him or become friends with him. Mork thought about getting to know him, but that seemed like too much hassle, and he didn’t want to confirm what kind of person Pete was. Spoiled kids like him won’t stay in the town for too long. Soon he would start to feel bored and leave on his own, so why go through all the troubles in the first place? Not speaking about him at all seemed easier.

Sun observed his brother a bit, trying to read in his expression, but as for most of the time, his expression had stayed with no emotion written in it. Sun forgot the time when he saw Mork smile for the last time. It was definitely before their parents’ death. Mork learned to put on the fake smile whenever he interacted with the guests in the resort, learning all those skills and abilities their parents used to provide the best services and give the best experiences to them, so they would return and spend their vacations on the island again. Mork did this to keep the business his father built from nothing and, as well, because he needed to provide for himself and his brother, but in general, this wasn’t the work Mork wanted to do, but everything changed on that unfortunate day, four years ago.

The boat landed on the shore beside the pier. Chanti, the receptionist, awaited their arrival.

“How is everything, Chanti?” Mork asked her in his low, deep voice. She had worked in the resort since her father founded it and always stayed loyal to him. She even married another person working in the resort and soon after, this place simply became their home. For Mork and Sun, she and her husband were like a family, although they weren’t blood related.

“Dinner went well, and our evening program started without delay, too.” She reported to Mork. Whenever Mork left for town, she was the one in charge of everything, since she easily kept track of the situation. Her husband, who worked as a chef in the resort, spent most of his time in the kitchen while Chaisee and Aran worked around the hotel. There were a few more workers helping in the kitchen and with the cleaning, but most of them were just part-timers who needed to help their families or wanted to earn some extra pocket money for themselves. The resort itself wasn’t too big. The main building had around twenty rooms. This was the old part of the resort. Around ten years ago, his father added several bungalows which increased the capacity and workload, especially during the season, when the resort was fully booked thanks to the favorable prices Mork kept.

“Thank you.” Mork replied to her, showing his learned smile while talking to the members of the resort. Sun stormed around him, briefly greeting Chanti and leaving abruptly once he saw Mork’s expression. Chanti has lived with them since they were both born. She literally saw them growing up and many times, she acted like they both were her sons, yet Mork behaved distantly since he took over the resort. Every single person working here seemed to be just an employee to him, forgetting everything that was in the past. Together with today’s performance at the Bass’ place, he couldn’t watch it any longer. Sun wasn’t angry with his brother, he just felt disappointed and sad.

“What’s wrong with him today?” Chanti looked at Sun’s disappearing back, confused, asking Mork for an explanation.

“Aranya rented one of her apartments to a new person…” Mork, given Chanti’s expression, stopped from finishing his sentence. She was throwing daggers at him with the gaze she gave him. Just hearing about someone new joining the town gave her a full picture of everything. She had already known Mork’s personality, which drastically changed four years ago. Chanti didn’t blame him for it. He was still too young to take over the responsibility his parents left for him, so she accepted it, but given to Sun’s character, he fought with his older brother too often, especially when it came to making new friends, whom Mork always pushed away or, more precisely, he scared them away.

“I know you have a lot on your plate, but you should try to understand your brother. You learn how to interact with the guests, how to speak with them, which tone to use and everything you need to run this resort, but silence is sometimes of the same importance. You should learn when to stay quiet.” Chanti didn’t scold him, nor did she try to lecture him. From her, it always sounded more like advice to think about. She looked softly at Mork, who narrowed his lips into a thin line. He had already listened to his brother scolding in the car and if he wouldn’t stop him once they boarded the boat, he would listen to him now. Now even Chanti was giving him a little speech, making it really sound like he did something wrong.

“I’ll see about that.” Mork technically dismissed her with this sentence, passing past her and walking inside the resort. He could hear the music coming from the other side of the resort, which was the private beach, belonging to the resort and where they had live music, together with the fireplace and drinks. Two times per week, Mork planned some activities in the resort for an evening for guests to interact with each other and his employees could join them as well. Mork himself never attended unless he had to because of a direct invitation from the guests, especially if it seemed profitable for the resort. Sun, on the other hand, attended those activities for most of the time, practicing his language skills, since few of the guests were English-speaking foreigners.

Mork headed straight to his room, knowing Chanti would take care of the place until the guests were all asleep. There was going to be one more boat before the island boat shuttle closed for the night. Those who were out in the town should come back with that boat, so Chanti stays awake until they arrive, unless everyone is on the island already.

Mork laid on his bed, thinking about the conversation in the restaurant. Something about Pete bothered him and he couldn’t get him out of his head. That guy was small. He had almost no muscles at all, and his hands were completely smooth. He was born with a gold spoon in his mouth, probably never working on anything by himself. And he was even taking a break from college. Coming to this town without having a plan for his future, without getting proper work, being supported by his family. All those thoughts swirled inside Mork’s mind, driving him mad. He didn’t want someone like this anywhere close to his brother.