After rain comes the clear sky (Kaoearth)

3. Heir

Kao was the eldest grandchild of his family. His grandfather and father had many expectations of him putting a lot of pressure on him.

Being the heir of one of the richest households in the country wasn't easy.

Kao started his training to take over the position of the family head of his generation at a very young age. He was forced to learn multiple languages, martial arts, management skills, etiquette, horseback riding, and the list of things went on. Having breaks was like a luxury for him, especially since he became a teenager.

Thankfully, he had his two younger cousins, Ohm and Boun to accompany him. One could call him a sadist because he was happy to have his cousins going through similar suffering and training as him.

Even though the three of them shared the same bloodline, they were heirs to three different families. Kao, Ohm, and Boun carried different surnames, Dechaphatthanakun, Ritprasert, and Guntachai respectively, making them the next in line of inheritance.

Due to this reason, Kao was especially close to Ohm and Boun. His parents often compared him with the other two, especially Ohm who was the most hardworking and goal-oriented one among the three. His parents would always ask him to learn from this younger cousin of his. On the other hand, they forbid him from hanging out much with Boun, who is considered a rebellious troublemaker.

None of these opinions mattered to the three. Their bond was as strong as ever. They grew up supporting and caring for each other. Their grandfather was extremely pleased to see this.

A few years ago, the teenage Ohm who was doing well as a child actor jokingly blurted out that they should start an entertainment agency by themselves, Kao had found it a good idea. Along with Ohm, Kao established their start-up agency.

Kao's parents were not supportive of this decision of his. They wanted him to join the Dechaphatthanakun Empire, their family business, as soon as possible. He had to persuade his parents, telling them that he could use the start-up to gain experience and prove himself to everyone. His parents had reluctantly agreed with him.

Since then, Kao has worked day and night to secure a place for the agency in the entertainment industry.

Kao was well supported by his aunt and uncle who were Ohm's parents who brought in so many resources from their connections within the industry. He was extremely thankful to the couple for their support.

Sometimes he was a little jealous of Ohm for having such supportive parents who had his back no matter what he wanted to do. Among the three cousins, Ohm had the most freedom of choice.

When the long-awaited chance to have a spontaneous vacation presented itself in front of Kao, he was clueless about what to do.

'If he was here with me, he would have had many fun ideas.' Kao thought of his ex-best friend.

It had been a week since Kao had left home. He has been wandering aimlessly visiting random places, trying random food, and watching random people. He couldn't find anything interesting throughout the journey.

The only exciting part of the journey was that he finally got to use his camera.

Photography was one of Kao's major interests. He wanted to be a professional photographer since he was young. But his parents had already planned out his life for him. His love for photography had to take a back seat to just an interest, not even getting an opportunity to develop it as a hobby.

Kao's grandfather had always loved him more than his other grandchildren. So, on the day he turned eighteen, his grandfather gifted him with a limited-edition camera.

He had treasured the camera more than anything else since then. But never got an opportunity to use it.

During the trip, he used the camera to his heart's content. He took photos of places, people, and anything he found intriguing. He even brought several memory cards so that he could store all the images he took.

Kao ran to catch the bus that had already started moving, carrying his bag on his shoulder. The driver saw him and stopped the bus for him to get in.

Kao thanked the driver and found a comfortable seat. He settled his bag on the seat next to him. 

The bus only had a few passengers.

"Where to?" the bus conductor came forward to issue the ticket.

"Where is this bus going? Give me a ticket to the last stop." Kao said looking up at the bus conductor.

"The last stop is Chiang Mai." The conductor said as he handed over a ticket.

Kao handed over the bus fare and thanked the conductor.

"Kids these days are so carefree. Who gets on the bus without even looking where the bus is heading to." The conductor mumbled under his breath shaking his head.

Kao looked outside the window watching the scenery.

'Chiang Mai?' He smiled.

Chiang Mai was his grandmother's hometown. The place where his grandparents got married.

Being a man who loved his wife with all of his heart, his grandfather had built a house in her hometown where they spent their initial years of retired life.

Kao too stayed with his grandparents for a few years in Chiang Mai. He had a lot of memories attached to the place.

He was kind of nostalgic as he thought of Chiang Mai. Those days were the ones that had been the most relaxed days of his life.

With his grandparents around, his parents couldn't force him to do anything which was a major relief as a teenager.

Still, Kao had never slacked off from anything, making his grandparents even more fond of him. He might as well stay there a few days, he decided.

After all, Chiang Mai had so many tourist attractions. It would take him almost a week if he were to visit them all.

The sky had already turned dark as the bus approached its final destination. Rain clouds filled the clear sky within a few minutes.

The bus stopped at the final stop. Passengers started getting off.

Kao wasn't in a rush to get off the bus. He waited till all the passengers left and got off the last.

He took a deep breath as he looked around.

'I am back. After all these years. I am back to this place that had so many beautiful memories of my childhood days.'

The place looked familiar yet unfamiliar to Kao. There were many changes that took place in the past few years. There were new buildings, new roads, and new people.

Rubbing his stiff neck Kao walked forward.

He halted in front of the huge signboard at the exit of the bus station.

The board showed a brief introduction to the main tourist attractions of Chiang Mai.

Kao carefully read through each of them, making note of the places where he wanted to visit and the route map.

For the first time in his journey, he made plans on what to do the next day.