Though he looked a bit reluctant at first… after a while...
"Look at that face."
"Mmmm..."
It wasn't just the ear-cleaning that was making Syd feel blissed out—it was the scent of Jody's shampoo too.
"You've got a lot of gray hairs, you know that? And you're only seventeen."
"You're only two years older, don't start."
"Almost three if you count the months."
"Still probably gonna die after you."
"Then we'll die next to each other."
"Yeah, you over there, me over here—lying side by side with my foot shoved in your mouth."
"That's the ugliest death I've ever heard."
Jody chuckled softly, and Syd cracked a sleepy smile.
Having someone to pluck your grays for you... maybe it wasn't so bad.
"By the way, how old is Roxxy again?"
"...Two years younger. So... fifteen, I think."
"That's peak teenage years."
"You talk like you're thirty, Jody. These days, age and maturity don't go hand in hand anymore."
"True… I think your sister's way too smart for her age. Just a kid, but she knows more about tech than some programmers. When I was fifteen, I was still smoking in alleys."
"...Jody from the bad side of town, huh?"
"I've been wondering... why does your sister hate me so much? You saw it too, right?"
"...Yeah..."
Syd looked down, unable to deny it.
If Jody was bringing it up now, it meant they needed to talk about it seriously. Ignoring the tension would only make things worse.
"I get it… if she hates me for what I did in the past. Toshi told me she's got trauma from being bullied, so it's not surprising if she feels more strongly than others."
"Yeah... you're right, Jody. She really doesn't like you."
"Mm… that's why I thought I should ask you. You're her real brother. Maybe hearing it from you will help me understand what Toshi meant. If I want to fix this, I need to know the cause. The sooner the better, Syd. Before it's too late."
Jody shifted positions and plucked another gray hair.
"..."
He agreed. Part of him wanted to help his sister. Another part sympathized with Jody, who wasn't that person anymore.
So he decided to tell her…
A piece of Roxxy Barrett's childhood—real name Phetai Wongphudee—told by her older brother, Syd Barrett, aka Phaithoon Wongphudee.
"When we were kids, our mom sent us to different schools. I went to an all-boys school in Bangkok. Roxxy went to an all-girls one."
"You've probably noticed by now—she was born with odd eyebrows. See how they curve inward? Makes her look angry all the time."
"...Wait, so... she's not actually angry all the time?"
"Not usually. But that's just how her face looks. And she's quiet. So when we were little, she didn't have any friends."
Jody's eyes dimmed.
"Doesn't matter if it's boys or girls—kids can be little shits. And she got the brunt of it. Teased for her eyebrows… ganged up on, whispered about… they called her 'bushy brows'... surrounded her and mocked her in unison… smacked her on the head on the way home... Basically, the kind of bullying you used to do."
Jody swallowed hard.
Syd's tone was shifting. His gaze turned cold. She could feel it—he was angry.
There's a saying: hurt one member of the family, and you hurt them all.
These two loved each other fiercely. That was clear.
"...You know how bad it got?"
"...How bad?"
"That day, we were getting ready for school like usual. I was lazy, got up at 7. Typical guy—five minutes and I was in uniform. But I noticed Roxxy acting weird. She barely ate, barely said a word... and she was too quiet. Thought she was being slick. And she might've gotten away with it... if she hadn't been holding on to her schoolbag like her life depended on it."
"..."
"I got suspicious. She wouldn't let go of that thing. Wore it on her back the whole time. Wouldn't set it down. Then, just as our mom's car hit a red light, just one intersection away from her school..."
"What did you do?"
"I yanked the bag and opened it. And you know what I found, Jody?"
"...What?"
"A knife."
"!? "
"A kitchen knife, about the length of a forearm, wrapped in tissue paper so it wouldn't make noise. Think about it, Jody... An elementary school kid... bringing that to school?"
"..."
Jody didn't answer. Just stared in shock.
But Syd could tell—she got it.
"Yeah... If I hadn't grabbed that bag... Someone would've died that day. And it'd be front page news."
"...She was pushed that far?"
"Yeah. That's when everything came out. Mom turned the car around immediately. Roxxy had been the victim the whole time. But she never fought back. Never told Mom. I didn't even know... until she snapped and figured... if no one else was gonna help her, then somebody had to die."
"..."
It was heartbreaking.
If this were America, it would've ended in a school shooting.
Jody knew all too well—when a kid is cornered, it's not just anger anymore. It's hatred. The kind that makes you want to kill.
And she realized… she was lucky. All she got was pushed down the stairs. If she'd gone up against someone like Roxxy… she might not be alive.
Roxxy had been through that point… the same one Jody had once stood at… just from the opposite side.
"...So what happened after that?"
"It's a long story... Mom canceled everything. I don't know what they talked about exactly. But the school found out."
"...Strange… Why would the other kids even dare mess with Roxxy? Isn't your mom someone important?"
"Because Mom raised us quietly. No big names. Just 'small business owner' on the school forms. If they'd known who she really was, the vultures would've swarmed us like flies on shit."
"..."
Jody was still processing it all.
"So what did the school do?"
"Called the parents in. Let Roxxy point out who was responsible. She didn't want to at first. So I went with her."
"And then what? They just talked it out and went home?"
"...Hah. You think it'd end that clean if I was involved?"
Syd grinned. That dangerous grin.
"...What did you do?"
"I tracked down every single kid who messed with my sister. And beat the shit out of them. One by one."
"..."
He looked terrifying saying it.
"Did it escalate?"
"Of course."
He answered without hesitation.
"But who cares? They deserved it."
At that moment, Jody realized... the most dangerous person here wasn't Roxxy.
It was her brother.
"The rest, I left Mom to handle. That was that."
That was Syd's version, the older brother's side of the story.
For the full depths of what happened, you'd have to hear it from Roxxy herself.
"You were pretty wild even back then, huh..."
"Obviously."
"One of those bad boys?"
"Let's just say I had issues with the Thai education system."
"...Ah. Makes sense."
Jody could picture it now.
"If I had to guess... You were a troublemaker, but you never messed with people weaker than you, right?"
"Huh?"
"I've met guys like that before. Fizzy Coke types. Like you."
"Fizzy what now?"
"So... joining the organization means you're done with school?"
"Yeah. You go through hell training for six months—that's basically equivalent to a college degree. You've seen the kind of instructors we get here."
"So better than Stanford or Harvard, huh?"
"You already knew that."
"By the way, what is this 'hell training' like?"
"It's everything. Training for work. Training for the field. Brutal as hell. Makes Navy SEALs look like a joke."
"Wait, so if I join, I'll have to go through military training too?"
"Military training? No, that's basic. This isn't that. This is like… boot camp, college, and research lab all rolled into one."
"Whoa... Sounds tough."
"If I survived it, so can you."
"You really think so?"
"Yeah."
"...So what about your mom?"
"...Huh? My mom? What about her?"
"Back at the mess hall... I talked to one of the agents. Seems like everyone here respects her a lot. I kinda figured why people respect you, but your mom…?"
"...Huh... Yeah, I guess they do."
"Who is she really? I mean, aside from being a billionaire entrepreneur."
"..."
Syd went quiet for a moment, then looked up at her.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I want to know you better. I heard your mom's some kind of legend."
"...Tch. Everyone in this damn org's a bunch of nosy brats."
Syd scratched his head.
"So... is it true? Is she really a legend?"
"She's a Grandmaster. So yeah… I guess you could say that."
"What did she do to earn that status?"
"...Hmm..."
He thought for a moment, then decided—screw it, they were this far in. Maybe it was time Jody felt a little trusted too.
"The Chernobyl Disaster. April 1986. That's all I'll say."
"...Chernobyl? You mean the nuclear plant explosion in Ukraine?"
One of the biggest disasters in human history. A catastrophe of radioactive proportions. Everybody learnt that in high school.
"Yeah."
"..."
The deeper she dug, the more fascinating this man—and his family—became.
And that only made her hungrier to learn more.
"I've got one more thing I want to ask."
"...?"
"...Does your mom know you like Power Rangers?"
"YOU FU—"
"Language."
Pinch.
She gave his cheek a good, hard twist.