A white sedan came and parked in the front yard of the house. When it was parked, the driver got out of the car. That driver was myself. Next to it was another black car parked. I am familiar with this car because it is the car of the owner of this house. Yes, this house does not belong to me, but I designed it because my profession is an architect.

After graduating, I had the opportunity to work at a famous architectural firm in Europe for about three years. Even though I had learned a lot, I had never really done any work of my own. Not long after, my father passed away, leaving only my mother. So I resigned and moved back to open a small architecture firm in Thailand to take care of him.

The company just opened, so this house is the first project for our company and myself. This customer is a young woman who likes cartoons.

Alice in Wonderland

so it is used as a concept (

concept)

The house I thought about and I designed it.

Double Volume*

From the entrance hall to the living room, adding features to the entrance door to make it look like walking into the mouth of a tree hollow. When we meet the high ceiling, it makes us seem smaller.

The house isn't finished yet, but there isn't much left, so I made an appointment with a customer to come check and see if they were satisfied. Walking through the door, I saw a customer standing near the large round window looking out at the flower garden outside. But she wasn't alone; beside her there was another person standing as well. He is tall and large, wearing a white ankle-length tunic similar to period clothing seen in ancient Chinese series, but the tailoring is quite modern and not objectionable.

Even though the outfit covered almost his entire body, it couldn't hide his broad shoulders and back, which made him have strong muscles like someone who exercised. His hair was braided in a long braid that reached almost to the middle of his back.

The two of them were talking and didn't notice that I had walked in. So I raised my voice to let them know.

“Hello, sorry I'm late.”

“Oh, the architect has arrived?” the customer turned around and replied. The person next to me also turned to look at him. When I saw his face clearly, I couldn't help but exclaim in my heart, "Very handsome!!!" Using this word alone can describe his entire appearance. No matter how good-looking you imagine a handsome person to be, the person in front of him is just that handsome.

“It's okay. I planned ahead of time. I'd like to introduce you to this person. This is the master I hired to help me look at the feng shui of my house. This person is the architect who designed the house that I told the master about.” When she introduced us to each other, we both greeted each other and looked at each other to evaluate.

I have heard from seniors and friends who work in Thailand that one of the most difficult obstacles for Thai architects is the masterminds that clients invite. They have a way of speaking that causes the client to change his mind from the design we had previously agreed upon, citing beliefs or various fortunes, causing the architects to have headaches as well.

You could see that we were both standing still. The female customer then resumed the conversation. "A moment ago, my master and I went to look at the house. The house came out beautiful as you've shown us. Plus, the materials are strong and the colors are exactly as we chose. Overall, I really like it, but..." I smiled widely when I received the word. Watch those When I heard the word 'but' my smile froze. Thinking that my expression would definitely be funny, the corner of his mouth twitched and he bit his lower lip a little, as if he was holding back a laugh.

I cleared my throat once to relieve my embarrassment and then turned to listen intently to the customer. “...but from the consultant and Sin Sae, I thought that there were only flowers and grass in the garden and there was no circulation, so I thought we should add a little fountain.”

“We have already planted trees in this part of the garden. If we want to make a fountain, we will have to dig an additional pond and may need to connect the water system and pipes out again. Expenses will increase.”

“It's okay, I'm willing to pay. There is a flow point as the master said and money will flow in, right?” Even though I explained it that way, the customer seemed to have already decided to trust this master. I'm so ignorant. If you want money, you have to earn it yourself. How can a fountain make money flow in? Is it a magical fountain? But when the customer insisted on that, I just nodded and took notes to make an appointment with the engineer and technician to discuss again.

We walked and talked in various areas of the house. Most of the time, the customer will be the one doing the talking, telling them to move the furniture there, change the color of the wall here, and always start the sentence with 'The teacher said,' until I started to wonder if I was making a house for her to live in or for the teacher to live in. His impression of this master gradually decreased.

I secretly glanced at him from the first time we greeted each other and never heard his voice again, only his calm expression and occasional nods to the customers' words.

“Whoa, this is my bedroom?” Finally, he entered the customer's bedroom. This room is a room where the customer has detailed their needs and has also helped to order a special set of furniture. It shows that she values ​​this room, so I set out to design it and come see the craftsman do it myself. It can be said that I am very dedicated and proud to present this room. I am sure that anyone who sees it will be impressed.

But there seems to be one person who doesn't think so. "If this is a bedroom, I don't think it's appropriate. It'd be better if you moved to the opposite direction." The young master who had been silent all this time finally spoke up, but if you talk, you'll only add trouble to the work. I want it to be difficult. He kept his mouth shut like usual.

“Why?” That's what I want to know as well.

“Based on the principles of mutual support of the five elements, your personality is not suitable to lie facing the sun and strong winds like this. Because having too much fire element opposing your element can easily cause illness-”

“Wait a minute…” I listened for a long time, and the more I listened, the more I felt that it was unreasonable, so I argued.

“If you move everything, you will have to adjust the layout, including the electrical and water systems. There are still some items that need to be moved to find temporary storage. This is a big and sudden event. I don't think this is appropriate.”

“Then move the balcony to the other side instead. You can build a wall over there.” The master answered me without expression. He looked at me for a long time and then turned to speak to the customer. "Although doing this will help solve some feng shui problems, you still shouldn't leave the windows open all the time, as this can cause problems for your health."

Not only did the master speak for himself, but the customers also answered his words harshly without paying attention to my opinion. I listened to this kind of talk until the afternoon when I realized that I had a lot of work to solve.

We say goodbye It wouldn't be correct to call it goodbye. There were only two customers who said goodbye to me. The master waved his sleeve and ran off to sit in the car. No! In this way, I'm annoyed that if I have long sleeves like that, I'll flap too. What kind of science is this? It's clearly a scam. The important thing is that customers trust it a lot.

Now I'm in a really bad mood and I can't think of anything to think about. At the company, it was probably close to time to finish work, so I decided to go back and settle down at home.

Since the day I met the evil master, three months have passed and I have completed a lot of work and fixed various parts of the house until it came out good and meets the needs of the customer. But what still remains a problem is that bedroom. No matter how I talk to the customer, he doesn't change his mind about moving in a new direction, but keeps claiming that he believes this master. He has many teachers who read textbooks, are talented, and are trustworthy. Huh!

If talking about teachers, I have a lot of them. Talking about textbooks, I have read a lot as well. Listening to this makes me annoyed again!!! Don't let me see that devil.

“Mr. Nik, are you in a bad mood?” Nick is my name and the person asking is my newly hired driver. Lately, I have been supervising the construction of that house myself almost every time. Sometimes when I come back, I stay and help my subordinates fix models and other work that the company accepts until late at night, causing me to have to drive back even though I'm exhausted.

One time, I fell asleep and almost crashed into a light pole, so my mother hired a driver because she was afraid that if one day I really crashed into a light pole, I would have to use the money for the highway again.

kid! Mother is worried that my hair will be dangerous.

"Just a little bit. Work is stressful these days," I answered while sitting and massaging between my eyebrows. The driver looked at me from the rearview mirror and offered an idea.

“Khun Nick needs to find some time to relax. What do you normally like to do? Or just try lying down without thinking about anything, that's good too."

“I can't do it, Uncle. It makes me uncomfortable to stay still. If you were to ask me what I like to do, it would probably be drawing, but these days it's like I draw every day and drawing by myself again shouldn't be relaxing.”

“Uncle knows a place. He taught drawing. The teacher was very kind. My uncle's son went to study and liked it very much. Before, Uncle hadn't come to work with Khun Nik. During that time, I was stressed because I didn't have any work. Then I had the opportunity to do drawing therapy with this teacher. It made me relax and I was also proud of my work."

Drawing therapy?……..interesting.

“I'm interested.” Thinking it was interesting, my mouth suddenly moved to answer Uncle.

"Good. Tomorrow, when I hear that Mr. Nik is off, I'll take you there." I just nodded and waited for the next day to arrive.

Right now, I'm in front of a not-so-big studio where the uncle claims the teacher will be teaching. Looking in from here, I see children already waiting. The uncle said that he had already informed the teacher that he would bring me to see him. The teacher told us to wait until he was teaching and giving orders to the children and then come talk to us. After waiting for a while, the teacher I was talking about walked in. When I saw his face, I almost wanted to turn around and get on the bus and go home immediately.

Why is that evil master here!!

But when I thought about it again, if I ran away now, I would lose my form and be afraid of him, so I chose to stay. Today he was not wearing that boring long white shirt, but instead was wearing a crimson shirt covered with a black apron. Pale, form-fitting pants show off long, strong legs.

His long horns were tied loosely at the nape of his neck with a pencil inserted into them. He looked handsome and handsome beyond description. When he intends to teach children Or when he was concentrating on drawing, he looked even more brilliant, as if there was light shining out from him all the time.

When he finished ordering the children's work, he came out to me as he had said. Uncle didn't know beforehand so he introduced the two of us to each other, to which he just nodded and stared at me. I stared back at him as well. The uncle excused himself and said that when he finished drawing, he should call and he would come pick him up. When Uncle left the room, there were only me and the two good teachers left.

I realized that he was a master who put strange ideas into customers' heads, causing me and my subordinates to have to work many times harder. I couldn't help but feel annoyed. As he started to teach and mix the paint, I accidentally stirred the paint in the bottle that was quite hard without realizing it, causing the brush head to bend. When I realized this, people stopped in shock.

He walked over to me and took out a bent paintbrush and stood up a damp cloth for me to wipe my hands with. I took it and looked at him alternating with the cloth several times until he looked directly at me, so I quickly used the cloth to wipe my hands clean. He said in a soft voice:

“When drawing, you should be calm from the mixing process. The paint in this bottle is normal watercolor. If it hardens, you can use water to dissolve it like this.” He changed a new brush and used the tip of the bristles to lightly touch the water, then took a drop of water and touched the paint in the bottle. Gently stir a few times until the paint starts to liquefy, then divide the paint from the bottle onto a palette.

“Does the master say that impatient people or people in a bad mood shouldn't draw?” I don't know why I said that, maybe because I wanted to annoy and make him irritated. But instead of being annoyed, he replied in an unchanged tone:

“It's not that you can't draw, but you have to know how to manage your emotions when drawing. We can add any emotion to the picture. including anger or negative feelings But adding it in should be a release of emotion with the picture we draw, not a venting of emotions with satisfaction as the primary focus. When we gradually release concentration, it will occur.

When meditation occurs, it is like being with yourself, understanding your true feelings and being able to soothe those feelings. Drawing can therefore heal people's minds and help reduce stress.”

His words and the look in his eyes really meant something like that, and it wasn't just communication with the face, but it was like he wanted to communicate with the hearts of the listeners. I have to admit that at this time I couldn't take my eyes off him.

“And now I'm not acting as a teacher. It's better to call me 'Sin'," Mr. Sinsae said and smiled. May I put that smile in my pocket and take it to look at at home?

“Do you have something on your mind?” he asked again. I was silent for a moment, then answered.

“I would like to ask, normally the master says that the house has Feng Shui like this, if we don't do it, what will happen? Are these things true?" I had already asked. Hell, even if I got scolded, it doesn't matter. He was the one who started asking this question. I was fully prepared to receive anger, but none of that happened. He sat down and faced me. The atmosphere seemed comfortable, like when we were venting our repressed feelings to a close friend.

“Looking at Feng Shui is a science that has been around for a long time and has borrowed from nature to adapt. Later, they were compiled and written into principles to be used as guidelines for human life. Therefore, it cannot be said that it is completely right or wrong. Is it only appropriate for that person?”

“Then why does that bedroom have to be moved? Sickness is caused by taking care of yourself, if you don't take care of yourself well you will naturally become sick. Is that related?"

“One side of the house faces the light and wind. Hot, cold weather or the monsoon season will be fully affected. The bedroom is on that side and there's also a balcony built to allow the air to fully enter the room. I heard you tell customers that doing so will make them clear and cool. That's not wrong.

But the weather in Thailand is very hot and sometimes stuffy. Even when it's really raining, sometimes you'll still sweat. And don't forget that the wind blows and brings dust. That woman has air allergies. If the bedroom is exposed to these things often for a long time, she will easily get sick."

“Hmm, do you have allergies? How do you know that she has this disease and also knows that she's allergic to air?” I didn't know this at all.

“The crotch of her hand had a small red bump. And there are a few more similar but faded marks that I think are the same kind of bumps that just disappeared. When she walked past areas where the work was not yet finished and there was a lot of dust, she would sneeze several times in succession. If it's just this, you might think it's a normal sneeze because dust gets into your nose, but when you walk past the fan or when talking in an air-conditioned room, she'll start talking in a muffled voice, like her nose is stuffed and it's difficult to breathe.

And even though she was covering up with makeup, it could be seen that the bags under her eyes were slightly swollen, a symptom of an allergy. And when the weather changes a little, it's hard to breathe. It's possible that you're allergic to the air.”

The master explained at length until I was amazed. His knowledge is not only about Feng Shui but also about the body and is very observant. My feelings towards this person quickly changed from negative to positive, positive, positive. I asked and he answered many more questions like that. All of his answers are well thought out and always reasoned with examples.

“I'm sorry I misunderstood you. Now that I've heard it, what you said makes sense. But moving requires a lot of expenses and changes in plans. I have a proposal: Let's work together to make this customer's house as perfect as possible.” Up until now, I had accepted him wholeheartedly. We join hands in harmony and work together.

I realized that the sun had already set. The sky today is a beautiful orange-red color. I took home a picture I drew myself. I have a new colleague and I am very happy. At that moment, Mr. Master's cell phone rang. He answered the phone, then frowned, said thank you, and hung up.

“Today is done, I hope it helps you relieve some stress. I have to leave first.” Ms. Sinsae said goodbye in such a hurry that I couldn't help but worry.

"Is there anything I can help you with? I'm free today." Seeing that he was quiet as if he was thinking, I hurriedly continued. "Seeing this, I can do a lot of things. You're not sure if I can help or at least offer an opinion." I don't know why I have to be so enthusiastic, it's just that I feel like I can help a little.

Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind so he invited me to get in the car and drive away together. In the car, he told me that at his house, the ceiling had water seeping out and had taken technicians to fix it again and again, but it still didn't go away. At first it was just the front hall of the house, now it seems like it has spread to the garage. The water is dripping like the ceiling is leaking until a neighbor saw the water flowing out and called to tell him.

When we arrived, we took a flashlight and looked and saw that the ceiling was actually dripping with large drops of water. Some parts were dripping into puddles flowing down the slope. Mr. Sinsae had to put a bucket in place to catch the dripping spot first. I took a long ladder and climbed up to take pictures of all the water features. Then he offered to help with the repairs, but he quickly refused and said that he was being considerate.

"What are you so considerate of, Mr. Xin? I think today we talked pleasantly. I admire you and consider you to be my friend. Moreover, we are going to work together to work together. If there is anything we can help with, we have to help each other. I know several contractors and mechanics I can trust and will have them come look at it for me. If you agree, I will send these pictures to him so he knows how to prepare for the repairs.”

“Thank you very much. What expenses must I pay?”

"Oh, no need for you, I'll take care of it myself."

"Can't you? How can I come to your house and let you waste your money?"

“Then put it like this. The repair fee doesn't have to be paid in cash, but I would like to ask you to continue teaching me this style of drawing, taking the amount of money into account for the number of times I teach it, please?” I secretly swear with my fingers crossed behind my back that I'm not trying to do any tricks. really

“I normally don't collect money for drawing therapy. Even if someone asks to pay, I won't take it. Besides, I don't think the one-time teaching fee is worth it to you anyway.” You have no idea how much I'm worth. This is what I thought in my heart.

“When people pay you money, no one can stop you from paying them, right? Therefore, when I say I don't accept money, no one can stop me either.” No matter how I challenged him today, the only answer I would listen to was the word 'OK'. He sighed and smiled, shook his head weakly, then agreed.

He volunteered to drive me home and also said that we were close friends and just learned my name without having to have you. I told him to call me that too, which made me even happier.

I feel like I forgot something.

I know, I forgot to call the driver's uncle! This caused me to have my mother complain so much that she wouldn't call me until my uncle was worried and drove out to pick me up at Mr. Sinsae's studio. But mom, if you want to complain, just complain. Today this son is in a very good mood. He will listen to anything.

After today, I went back and forth to a few companies, construction sites for customers' houses. Your master's studio The customer's work is progressing in leaps and bounds very smoothly. If I don't understand anything, I ask Mr. Sinsae. He gave me advice and knowledge without holding back and even taught me the basics of Feng Shui.

When convincing customers, if the two of us speak together, it always ends well. As for our relationship, we are getting stronger.

How tight is it? To the extent that I have already taken Mr. Sinsae to get to know my mother. The other side is because he has lived alone since childhood. But it's not that he doesn't have a family. Mr. Master's only family is a white cat named 'Chao Yin'. It can be said that until I became close to him, I had to pass through the claw barrier. I don't know how much, but the results. It's considered worth it.

In addition, I saw the cute side of the master. For example, he has a very good memory and can describe the process of making desserts step by step, but when actually doing it, it's not quite as described, so much so that I couldn't resist and had to go in and help. He is a sensitive and attentive person. He knows that I am a person who likes to keep my feelings inside and rarely express them. Sometimes it becomes my own thoughts. He has a calm way of dealing with it, which makes me feel at ease.

With him, I feel like I can be myself fully. He also taught me to be attentive to other people's feelings, aware of my own thoughts, and more confident in myself.

The only thing I'm not comfortable with is the story that a customer of the house once told me that this master was a free-spirited person who was normally difficult to find. The house he lives in is not certain that he will stay in it for a long time because in the past he was alone and lived with a cat. He wanted to move so he moved and then sold the house. Even though I convinced myself that I was diligent in helping repair the ceiling until it looked like new, he saw that the house was good and might last a long time.

Or does he have students to teach and will he throw them away? Or do we know each other and he won't tell me anything? But these things cannot confirm that he really will not go. But worrying is useless, so I work hard and reap happiness in the present moment of doing things together.

And today has come the day when the house is completely delivered to the customer. I look at the first piece of work that is truly my own with pride. Mr. Sinsae also came and we turned and smiled at each other.

“Sin is great.” “Nick is great,” we said together. This coincidence made us laugh.

“Next, Nick can go it alone and he has basic Feng Shui knowledge. Just keep studying more. Nick is a talented person and the company must definitely prosper.” Mr. Sinsae praised him, but listening to it again was like saying goodbye. I was heartbroken.

“What are you doing solo? The company still lacks people to watch Feng Shui. Nick is a lazy person and has to study more himself. It's difficult. It would be better to have a master at the company." Mr. Master turned to look. I saw him listening and quickly used the skills I had learned to persuade him.

“Sure.” “Nick's company gives good money, bonuses, health insurance, and- wait what?!” I think I heard him say 'Yes'.

“Alright, please take care of me, Boss.” He gave me a cheeky smile.

“D..Okay..Okay. Do you want to make a contract now? I'd like to call you and tell you to prepare the documents in a moment." I hurriedly picked up my phone and was about to call, but a hand reached out and held my hand.

“Nick, calm down, let's go home today,” he said, smiling.

“Why are you rushing back? or worried about documents You don't have to sign it yet, the documents will come later.” I'm afraid that while driving back he will change his mind or there may be other reasons why I won't be able to see him again. Many people may think that we are not together but we have numbers that we can call each other. But don't forget 'chance'

Sometimes you can't wait for the next day because it may not be there anymore. Another thing is that in my heart I saw him as more than a friend. And what about him…..

“Nick, look into my eyes. Nick, can you tell Sin?” He must have seen my flustered expression so he grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him. We looked into each other's eyes and I saw eyes that gave me a gentle smile as if wanting to say that he was always ready to listen. His palm was warm. I felt calmer and allowed myself to share all my feelings and worries.

“And Nick likes Sin. I don't see you as just a friend...." I hurriedly covered my mouth, shocked that I was talking so happily that I accidentally confessed my love. Is this possible? I'm so embarrassed that I don't know where to put my face.

My hand moved from covering my mouth to covering my face in embarrassment. I heard the sound of laughter in the throat of the person in front of me as well as a warm hand pulling my hand away from my face and holding it in his. “Just now, Xin said to go home. Let's go 'ours'."

I'm a little puzzled. I could only blink my eyes. Normally, I'm a very quick-witted person, but this time my brain was blurred from any mistakes I couldn't think of in time. "means that…."

“Nick, would you like to move in with Sin as my girlfriend?” Sin smiled at me. I always admire his beautiful smile and compliment him hundreds and thousands of times about how handsome he is. But this time it was a smile that made my heart beat so fast that I could hear my heart beating loudly in my ears. He looks so good right now, I think this picture will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life.

“Is this your girlfriend?” I asked again, just to be sure.

“Yes, is that okay?” he repeated to reassure me.

“Um, that's ok.”

"You can have it too. Aren't you willing?"

“With all my heart,” I said before I could finish the sentence before he pulled me into a tight hug.

The evil master is truly evil, but evil and cute, this architect allows him with all his heart. In the future, our architect company will have both architects and teachers waiting to provide advice in a double package. Invite everyone to come use the service.

                                                                                                                        The End

                                                                                                                  by.  SALTYHONEY

*Double Volume

Refers to a room with a high ceiling that is twice the size of the room, giving a feeling of openness and comfort.