PartyPartyParty!
Unknown to the interns, Valen’s family was hosting a big business party the weekend of their first week of their second month. The cafe was spruced up and the big meeting room was cleaned by P’Mod and P’Wharn. On the Thursday before the party, a sign-up sheet was posted for the different jobs the interns could do: make hors d'oeuvres, serve hors d'oeuvres, or clean up after. Zol found the sheet first, and after signing up to serve, told the others. They came over and crowded around it.
“Pharm, should I put you down for making the food?” Pao called out, pen in hand.
“Oh, yes please! Thank you, Pao” Pharm said gratefully.
“What about you, Tops? Cooking?” Pao asked after he wrote his and Pharm’s name down.
“Yes, thank you” Tops said, peeling away from the wall.
“Do you guys want me to write down your names or do you want to do it?” Pao asked the others still waiting. “There are four spots for serving and three for cleaning now, sorry, we took the cooking”
“If you want to write, that’s very helpful” Del told Pao. “I want to clean up after”
“Me too” Tutor said.
“Me three” Zen said quickly.
“Okay, Win, Pun, that means you’re serving with Manaow and Zol”
Pun looked a little annoyed that he didn’t get to clean up duty fast enough, but his face paled in comparison to Win’s, who looked utterly pissed off.
“Hey Win, you okay?” Pao asked in concern.
“Just peachy” Win said, glaring at the sign-up sheet.
“Do you want to clean that badly?” Tutor asked, slightly confused, knowing that Win didn’t like cleaning.
“I don’t mind serving, you girls better not squeal over every boy there, that’s all I’m saying”
“What if we squeal over the girls” Zol asked teasingly.
“Don’t do it near me” Win said, glowering.
“Yes sir” Zol said mockingly, giving him a salute. Win stuck his tongue out at her.
Instead of their usual duties, the interns were called to help decorate the room on the Friday before the business party. Win fell off a chair trying to reach a high hook, where they were to put fake candles, causing him to lose two points for being “disruptive”, and when Zen and Tutor tried to defend him, they also lost two points. Once they were finished decorating the room, the four servers were given some extra tips on how to serve, then they were all dismissed early.
The next morning, the baristas were surprised when all the interns came around the same time, as they usually came four at a time maximum.
“What’s the special occasion?” Tom asked Pao, who was hanging out near the baristas instead of talking to Manaow and Pun.
“You mean why are we all here at the same time?” Pao asked.
“Yeah, I know you have the party thing tonight, but it’s funny that you all came at the same time”
Pao shrugged. He didn’t know why himself. Tom shrugged back in kind, going back to washing the dirty mugs and watching Pao out of the corner of his eye.
Meanwhile, the interns were discussing the business party when Valen came to get a drink.
“Hey guys” Valen said to the interns as he waited for his drink.
“Hi P’Valen” was the chorus of replies.
“I didn’t realize I knew several of your friends and boyfriends already, looking forward to tonight guys” Valen said casually. The interns looked at each other, wondering who he knew.
“I know P’Fight knows you, who else do you know?” Tutor asked curiously. He wasn’t looking forward to tonight since he knew Fighter would try and seek him out.
Valen just smiled mysteriously and left with his drink.
The interns turned to the baristas.
“Hey, all we know is that Khun Sompai is going to be here with her girlfriend, and Toey with his boyfriend” Tom said defensively.
The interns turned back, disappointed.
“Who has rich friends?” Zol asked.
“Hey Pharm, doesn’t Team’s Hia own a bunch of resorts?” Manaow asked.
Pharm thought about it, then nodded. “Dean should have said if he was coming tonight, but that ‘Hia’ could have persuaded him to keep quiet. Maybe you’ll see Team tonight, though, Manaow”
“Oh, I hope so, he’s getting a makeover if I catch him” Manaow said.
“When are you going to have time to give him a makeover?” Del asked practically.
“The second the party is over, not even his precious Hia can save him if he comes” Manaow vowed.
“Well, we don’t know any rich people, do we, Tops” Win said.
“Not to my knowledge, no” Tops replied.
Pun looked thoughtful, then shook his head like he didn’t know any rich people either.
The interns looked at each other and started talking about other topics.
Several hours later, all the interns were in place, ready for the party. Win, Pun, Manaow, and Zol were all holding platters full of hors d'oeuvres made by their peers. Tutor, Del, and Zen were hanging out in the break room, where they had been instructed to wait just in case something happened with the servers.
“Is your brother coming, Del?” Tutor asked.
“I think so, I remember him vaguely mentioning something about a hotel party a few months ago”
“P’Fight is coming, right?” Zen asked.
“Yes” Tutor rolled his eyes. “I told him I wouldn’t be available but watch him try to see me anyways”
“At least we aren’t in there” Zen said, looking relieved that he had managed to get clean-up duty. “I wonder how the rest of them are doing”
Win looked around, confused. He could have sworn he heard his name. He didn’t think he knew anyone other than the other interns, though. He heard it again and walked to where he heard the voice, where he caught Pharm’s name.
“P’Dean, Pharm said he was doing cooking duty in my group chat with him” a athletic young man that reminded Win of a K-pop idol told a taller young man.
“I know, but I couldn’t help but see if he was here” was the reply.
“Awwww, look at our Dean so in love!” said the one who appeared to be glued to the K-pop-idol-look-alike, who had his long blonde hair in a low ponytail.
“Like you’re any better, Win, stuck to Team like you couldn’t bear to be away from him for one whole second”
Win stopped, understanding that the blonde was also named Win. However, he had caught the attention of the one that was apparently named Team.
“Is that food? What is it?” Team asked Win.
“It’s shrimp on a fancy cracker” Win shrugged as he offered it to the three.
“Team, you and food” the other Win teased.
“Hia, I’m hungry!” Team whined as he took two. Win wanted to leave before he got more confused, but the other Win looked like he wanted to talk.
“What’s your name? I’m surprised you guys don’t have name tags” the blonde Win said.
“Hey, Win, you found Win!” Sompai, who Win had seen around a few times, came over with a girl he assumed was Ying, her girlfriend.
“His name is Win too?” Dean asked curiously.
“Yes, my name is Win” he said.
“I told you guys in the group chat, do you not remember?” Sompai asked the blonde Win and Dean.
“That group chat goes one hundred kilometers an hour, forgive me for not remembering everything” the blonde Win said. “I just remember that Arm isn’t coming”
“He rarely does” Sompai agreed. The three of them started talking, leaving Win unsure of what he was supposed to do. Team looked bored as well, but Win decided to leave and not get more points docked off for staying in one place too long or something.
Pun offered champagne to a group of people that included two young men that appeared to be a couple, judging by their matching gears on their wrist, and was about to head back to the kitchen for a new platter when he was stopped by the slightly taller, slightly younger looking one.
“Excuse me, do you work here?” the young man asked Pun.
“I’m interning here, yes. Why?” Pun replied.
“Do you like it? I am always looking for opportunities for my juniors and if you think it’s a good opportunity, I can suggest it for next year. I’m Kongpob, by the way” he said, holding out his hand.
Pun slipped the now empty platter under his arm and shook it.
“Pun, and while I’m not here to win or anything, I think it’s helping me learn some leadership skills I can use in my apartment complex”
“You hear that, P’Arthit? Leadership skills for the future hazers” Kongpob teased the other young man, who had been listening with interest.
“What about business skills? Do you think you’re learning those?” the one named Arthit asked.
“Well, I am learning a bit of those at the front desk...this is a hotel service though and I’m not sure what business skills you would want your juniors to learn”
“Well, it’s something to keep in mind. It’s good to have a first person account though” Kongpob said thoughtfully. “Valen, even though he did the internship last year, still has the perspective of a business person so it’s always good to hear the opinion of the people who aren’t here to win or anything. Thank you, Pun”
Pun nodded and went back to get a new platter.
In the kitchen, Tops, Pharm, and Pao couldn’t churn out the fancy finger foods fast enough.
“What do these rich people eat??” Pao asked exasperatedly when Manaow, Zol, and Win came back at the same time.
“I think because dinner isn’t getting served, that’s why” Win supplied, looking at what Tops was doing with interest.
“I’ve been to a few of these before, with P’Dean, but I’ve never been on this side of it before” Pharm said as he gave a new platter to Manaow. “I didn’t realize it was this fast”
“I think it’s a lot of fun” Zol said.
“You would” Win muttered under his breath, earning him a look from Tops.
Supplied with new platters, the servers left, leaving the cooks to keep making new platters.
“This teaches you the importance of aesthetics, doesn’t it?” Tops remarked to no one.
Pharm and Pao nodded in agreement.
Manaow, with her new platter, was taking it to Krit and other employees when she was interrupted by a young man who looked slightly embarrassed to be there yet at the same time very proud.
“Hey you’re doing the internship, right? I’m Toey and this is my boyfriend Min” he said.
“I am, and it’s a lot of fun” Manaow said cheerfully.
“It is more fun when you actually do your work” Nook said, coming up to the three of them, holding a glass of champagne in one hand and holding Valen’s hand in the other.
“Hello P’Valen, P’Nook” Manaow said.
“You guys are ‘phi’s’ now? Wow, I feel old” Toey remarked.
“Imagine if you had actually worked and won the internship, you could be called ‘phi’ yourself” Valen teased.
“Nah, have you seen Tone? He really did deserve it, and so did Akk” Toey said casually.
“Are you guys still talking about Akk?” Sompai asked, having overheard the name.
“Apparently so” Valen informed his cousin.
“When’s the wedding again?” Ying asked.
“A wedding?” Manaow asked, feeling slightly confused.
“Last year, the winner of the Hotel Stars internship--Akk--purposefully lost his job so that the third place winner--Tone--could take his place. You would have met him, but he left because the homestay they now both work at expanded and he can work there full time now” Nook explained kindly.
“Sounds like a novel” Manaow said.
“We helped Tone propose almost right before the internship started” Ying supplied.
“That proposal was perfect” Nook sighed. “They truly deserve to be happy and that proposal went just perfectly”
Manaow wanted to hear more, but someone else saw her and her platter and asked her to come over, so she reluctantly left.
“How’s Tor doing?” Fighter demanded from Zol.
“He’s fine, P’Fighter. He likes the kitchen better than the front desk, I heard” Zol answered casually.
“Good” Fighter took some food off her platter and stalked off, looking mad that Tutor wasn’t there. Zol grinned, happy that Tutor had someone looking out for him. As she went around, holding her platter, she overheard two young men talking about...KitKats? She went over to offer them food, wondering why they wanted cheap candies when they had the good food the hotel provided.
“How mad do you think my KitKat would be if he was here?” the tall, athletic looking one asked his smaller, more delicate...friend? Boyfriend? Zol couldn’t tell.
“I don’t think P’Kit would be mad, just prickly. P’Pha would be bored out of his mind though. What do you think P’Forth and P’Beam would be doing though?” the other replied.
“P’Forth would be talking to those two over there, the ones with the engineering bracelets, since I’m pretty sure the shorter one is his cousin. I’ve seen them eat lunch together”
“Excuse me, would you guys like some...whatever these are?” Zol interrupted.
“Yes, free food!” the tall one took some of fancy food Zol’s fellow interns had made.
“Ming, we are literally millionaires” the smaller one reminded him.
“Shush Yo”
Zol smiled and left after Yo took some food as well.
Several hours later, the business party was over. Del, Tutor, and Zen started taking down decorations, happy to be doing something after being in the break room for so long. Tutor looked slightly nervous as he put tablecloths on the cart to be sent to the laundry.
“Tutor, you okay? You seem a little high strung right now” Del asked kindly.
“Just a little worried about my boyfriend getting me in trouble because he can’t keep his hands off of me”
“According to Zol’s novel, you can’t keep your hands off of him either” Zen muttered as he vacuumed, so neither Tutor nor Del heard him.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine” Del said reassuringly. “Wow, these people really made a mess, didn’t they?” She had just found a spill under the table and was getting the cleaner to get it out.
“Rich people tend not to care about who cleans up after them, trust me” Tutor said, making a face as he stacked dirty dishes onto a different cart.
“Are you guys cleaning or talking?” P’Mod called from where she was stacking chairs with P’Wharn.
“Cleaning” chorused the three interns, going back to their tasks.
“AI’TEAM YOU’RE DEAD MEAT” Manaow whisper-shouted as she caught Team and his boyfriend leaving.
“Hia save me!” Team dove behind Win and cowered.
“Nong Manaow, what do you want with my boyfriend?” Win asked, his arms crossed.
“P’Win, I’m sorry, but it has come to my attention that Team likes makeup and if he likes makeup, he is going to get a makeover from me and he is going to like it” Manaow said firmly.
Win looked like he was going to laugh at her indignant manner, but managed to turn it into a cough.
“Team, I’ve seen how you look at her makeup, I know you want to wear it at least every once in a while. You know I will support you in everything you do, baby” Win told Team gently. “Why not get the makeover?”
Team pouted. “I don’t want a makeover from her, she’s scary with her tools” he mumbled.
“I am not!” Manaow retorted.
“Look at her makeup now, Team, it looks amazing. You know that she would make you look good” Win pointed out.
“Hiiiiaaaa are you taking her side?” Team whined.
“I’m trying to point out that you like makeup and that she would make you look like you want because she knows that I will hurt anyone who hurts my baby” Win shot her a glance.
Manaow made a fake crying face as she nodded vigorously. “He can watch if you want, if that makes you feel better”
Team considered it, then hesitatingly nodded. Manaow nearly shrieked before she remembered where she was and threw her arms around him. Team patted her, then pushed back when she kept at it. She moved back and smiled at both of them.
“We are going to schedule a date and you are going to look so good, you hear me?” Manaow said.
Team made a face at her while Win put his arm around him, steering him so they could leave.
“See you around, Nong Manaow” he called as they headed towards Team’s car. Manaow smiled, triumphant in her victory.
Dean hugged Pharm, glad to see him again after nearly over a month of not seeing him.
“So you like it here?” Dean asked once he let him go, sitting down on a bench near the front of the hotel.
“I do” Pharm said simply, sitting next to him. “I’m learning how I can run a restaurant and how I would be able to help employees that do the other things that people forget about, like cleaning”
“That’s good, but don’t forget, if it ever gets too overwhelming, you can call me and I will come get you, no questions asked”
“P’Deeeaann!” Pharm said, blushing. “I know, but other than the fire alarm startling me, nothing bad has happened. I’ve only lost three points, as well”
“Do you think you’ll win?” Dean asked.
“I don’t know, but if I don’t, that’s okay, since I want to work at my own restaurant, not a hotel chain. But I’m glad I took this opportunity, P’Dean, I really am learning a lot”
“That’s good” Dean said, kissing Pharm’s forehead. “You have to go back now, right? When you get a few days off, tell me and we can go out, okay?”
Pharm nodded and hugged Dean one last time before heading back to his room.
Tutor took out the trash, feeling glad it was the last thing left of the party. Cleaning wasn’t too too bad but it still wasn’t fun cleaning up after a three hour business party. His phone buzzed, and he frowned, wondering who was messaging him this late. When he checked it, he cursed.
“P’Fight, you are…” Tutor let the thought go as he answered the message. He bit his lip, then went to the front of the hotel. “P’Fight, if you get me in trouble…” Tutor mumbled under his breath.
“Me? Get you in trouble?” Fighter said innocently, coming out from under a light.
“Yes, you, P’Fight” Tutor said, glaring at him.
“You know I wouldn’t get you in trouble on purpose though” Fighter said, bringing Tutor’s hands into his. Tutor could feel his will weakening, which was troublesome. He had the third most points lost at this point, as Zol kept track and would post any updates.
“It’s not like you actually care if you win this” Fighter whispered in his ear before gently nipping it.
Tutor considered Fighter’s words before whispering something to him that had Fighter grabbing his hand and running to his car.