#Nampheung (?) lives

[fromperdition4]

Unparalleled viewing experience

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I have a plot bunny that I’m trying to ignore, but it’s unfortunately breeding

[porschesbabydaddy]

Currently obsessively thinking about an AU where Porsche and Chay are found by Gun at a young age and raised by the minor family

[veliseraptor]

Do you think vegas loved his father?

oh, yes. I think Vegas's life would've been a lot easier in some ways if he didn't.

but I think Vegas loved his father very much, and very much wanted his father to love him, and that makes it hurt all the more that he seems to not - a lot of the time, he barely even seems to like him. Vegas spends a lot of time and energy trying to earn his father's love and care, and I think it's one of his primary motivations for what he does.

for instance: I think it's important that, while he'd probably be interested in Porsche regardless as a sexy boy Kinn is interested in, he's also specifically told by Gun to watch him. (I forget what the exact words are; clearly Vegas reads this as 'seduce him' but that's definitely Vegas's personal read based on what we find out about Nampheung.)

his lashing out at the safe house is, I think, largely an exception - because for all that love there is also resentment and fear and tangled up emotions about Gun, and the wish, sometimes, that he had a different father, or that this father was different than he is. I think Vegas makes a lot of excuses for the abuse - he's not good enough, he's not living up to the family legacy, he's not doing what he needs to in order to advance the minor family - but he's still upset about it.

I think a lot about post-canon Vegas profoundly grieving his father (and grieving what it means that now he'll never get a chance to earn his father's love/be good enough for him), and Pete meanwhile being pretty thoroughly just glad Gun's dead.

[snickerdoodlles]

headcanons behind fic: Chay's allowance and KimChay zero baht dates mentioned in long & short

Kim chokes trying not to laugh. “Seriously Angel?” Chay looks at him, lips pulled into a pouty moue like what? “You only take me out on zero baht dates, but you’ll pay people to draw us as cats?” Chay sniffs primly. “I only use my allowance for education and fine art,” he says, haughty.

Korn giving Porsche and Chay a large allowance comes up in a lot of my fics I think, because I see him giving all of his sons and his wards a large allowance. And for once, it's not actually a part of his usual manipulation and control tactics.

(Well. It's not not about manipulation and control, because everything Korn does involves manipulation and control. Korn absolutely monitors their accounts and purchases, not to mention he's absolutely the sort of person to always have a mental ledger of favors given and owed for everyone, especially family.)

However, he doesn't need to control any of the boys' finances to have control over them and he's so present over all of them that giving them access to their own money (vs having them request it from him directly) doesn't give him any more advantage over them or could even run counter to it.

No, I see Korn giving all the boys a hefty allowance as a personal push back against the ghost of his father.

We don't know anything about grandpa Theerapanyakul beyond the fact that Gun invoked his name while yelling at Korn and the mere comparison of them rattled Korn more than the literal gun war happening in his own home. Of all the terrible fathers in this series, the grandpa takes the cake apparently!

Alongside Korn's deep-seated control issues, he also has this weird...thing where he really, really wants to be seen as a caretaker and good provider. He never outright denies his sons and is seemingly very supportive of them-- Khun was allowed to fall back and be taken care of, Kim was allowed to live separately to become a musician, he paid off judges in the name of Kinn's childhood dream, later he supports Kinn and Porsche's relationship-- and the whole fucked thing with Nampheung and the narrative he's constructed around him taking care of her. Even Korn's relationship with Gun is a little bit weird given how much he talks about competition. Like, he desperately wants to be seen as a good provider and caretaker, he just also can't stop being Korn and has that stupid-ass metaphor with the knife and the apple. It's a very crunchy contradiction.

Anyways, Korn's issues aside, I see Korn giving his sons and later wards personal allowances as a part of his personal image of himself as a good provider.

And Porsche and Chay hate it.

(Porsche reminds Chay they're very grateful. Chay mutters where was this help when Porsche took out an informal loan too young. Porsche hisses and whips his head around for any walls that are listening.)

Chay mostly just tries to ignore the supposed pile of money apparently just...sitting there, for him, and spend no differently than how he usually would (it doesn't feel real, digital money is never real to him). However, after so many years of Porsche sacrificing to save money for his needs and future, Chay can't bring himself to ignore the account completely when it comes to things like school or food. He never actually looks at his account, he mostly just squeezes his eyes shut whenever he uses his card for essentials and waits for the system to deny him, except it never does. That does not make Chay feel any better about the situation.

The only time Chay's close to breaking his "no treats" stance is shortly after he and Kim get together. Chay wants so badly to treat Kim to something really special, but. Money. He frets. He makes a pros and cons list. He paces. He has an entire argument with himself in the mirror. He angsts. He takes one look at Kim's happy face over a candlelight dinner and decides fuck it, that's a guy he's going to spoil to the moon and back, stupid blood money allowance be damned.

Except, as established, Chay's never looked at his actual account, so he goes to Cash the accountant to see what his options are for spoiling dates. Like, he's been paying his tuition and the card always goes through at the grocer or noodle house, and Korn does keep telling him his school allowance includes some extra spending money, but Chay wants to spoil Kim. A band they like will be on tour in Bangkok around Kim's birthday, Chay's gunning for special VIP tickets and some extra money for merch and dinner. Surely stupid rich mafia has plenty of money to spare for that.

Chay: would I, uh, be able to get a little extra money? tickets are 3000 but they're for a really special occasion and-

Cash, thinking about Kinn's 3000 dollar helicopter tickets: I don't care, let me just pull up your account details

Chay: thank you so much 🥺

Then Cash turns his screen around to ask Chay how much money he needs and. That is. A lot of money. So many digits. The decimal certainly in the wrong spot. Then Chay looks to the top of the corner and nearly screams because that's his name on the account, what the fuck?

Cash: Khun Korn said to have enough money to cover your tuition

Chay: [does not point out the initial balance was 3x his four year tuition]

Chay...leaves. He thinks. He doesn't know how he got from Cash's office to his room but his next stop is his bed to scream into his pillow until his throat hurts. Fucking rich people.

In protest, Chay takes Kim out the next evening on a zero baht date. They walk along whatever part of the river's nearest to their university to watch the sunset, have to jump a fence and duck two railings to even find a private sitting space away from any other river goers. The view's passable at best, at least free of most industry stuff thanks to the proximity to school but hardly the most inspiring. Chay spreads out his flannel for them to sit on, and feeds Kim dry packet ramen and stale shrimp chips he got free from a university event. He didn't even buy a drink, they survive off a mostly full bottle of grape soda Chay stole off a friend.

(It's a magical evening for Kim, obviously. Ferreting out little hidden spaces hand-in-hand with Chay, enjoying the nighttime air curled together, eating terrible cheap food that somehow tastes good? This is DOING things to him. He will be bringing a guitar and minimum two water bottles with him next time tho.)

[aeternallis]

So I was re-watching a couple of the earlier episodes of KPTS earlier last week, and I got to thinking about this scene again from episode 2. I remember when I first watched this scene, I thought to myself, “Ah, Porsche…you judgmental himbo, you would say that, wouldn’t you?” 😂

Personally, I’ve always been somewhat of the belief that Porsche and Kim probably wouldn’t get along in the beginning, not necessarily because of Chay (although Chay would probably be part of the reason), but because of how fundamentally different their mindsets are when it comes to how they see the family unit.

Porsche is a good son. He does his best to live up to the responsibilities Nampheung entrusted to him, and he’s stubborn in giving up the last remnant (the house) of his parents’ memory, even if in the long run, it maybe would have been the wiser decision to do so.

Porsche venerates the family unit—I would almost argue that in some level, he glorifies it, in the way he has held Pat and Nampheung’s memory on a pedestal. There’s definitely some sense of betrayal in his expression, imo, when he first gets to that room and sees Nampheung alive and (not) well, yknow?

But Porsche being Porsche, ultimately, he is a good son, and will always remain loyal to his parents. In that regard, he’s not too different from Kinn.

But contrast that to Kim. Kim is also a good son—at least outwardly to Korn, and genuinely loyal to his siblings. He’s investigating Korn, yes—but he does so secretly, without implicating either of his brothers to be complicit in his Sherlocking. He still gives Korn the subtle affection his father expects from him (the fried snack he got him) and plays at being ignorant, but he doesn’t give him much else.

Kim upholds the family unit, only in so far that he remains loyal and steadfast to the people that genuinely matter to him.

Whereas Porsche venerates the entirety of the family unit itself, Kim only upholds what matters to him, and his loyalty only extends to a handful of people within that family unit.

Porsche himself thinks in the beginning that joining the mafia is a bad decision, but he does it anyway, for his and Chay’s survival. Kinn’s family is shady af to him, and he struggles very much in the beginning to get accustomed to their ways. He sees them as an arrogant bunch who hurt good people.

And yet, upon hearing about Kim moving out, he doesn’t praise him for getting away from the madness. He doesn’t say, “good on him, for pursuing his own thing!” or something like that.

On the contrary: Porsche judges Kim, based on his seemingly lack of loyalty to his family. At least the way I see it, it very much rings true of the cultural attitudes in Asia at large, in that we’re more of the collectivist mindset, rather than the individualistic one.

I've said it many times before, but filial piety plays a big role in how Porsche makes his decisions. (Let's not even get into how Porsche felt he had no choice but to lower the gun when Kinn got in the way, in order to protect his father. Porsche would never make Kinn choose between their relationship or Korn, and all the drama that that entails)

I think that’s the reason Porsche was able to judge Kim so quickly, when he heard the (very little) bit of the other man’s backstory from Pete. Of course he would see Kim as a self-centered brat; in Porsche’s mind, without even truly knowing him, Kim is someone who is the antithesis of a good son: he moved out of the main family home, he doesn’t seem involved with the business whatsoever, and he’s left all the managing of the affairs to his father and brothers.

Imo, I think that’s part of the reason why Kim (and KimChay) fascinates me so much, since the POV character of the show is Porsche, and Kim’s story show us, 1) a different angle to the story, in that shit is going on behind the scenes and on the contrary, he's quite still involved in the family business and 2) demonstrates to the audience how unreliable and very limited Porsche’s POV is.

For me personally, it’s details like this that really enhances the story, when the narrative embraces the characters’ biases, and lets that navigate the drama of it all~

[turtlesocksv2]

Favorite Parallel

this was so easy for me. The parallel that is my favorite, the one that drives me the most feral the instant I ponder it for more than 2 seconds is Tankhun and Nampheung.

Tankhun Theerapanyakul is Korn's oldest son, beset by trauma and tragedy pre-series. He copes by staying in the Theerapanyakul House for his own safety and comfort, distracting himself with tv shows. His room is bright and fun and has everything he ever needs.

(gif by @auseyre)

Nampheung Kittisawat is Korn's foster-sister, beset by trauma and tragedy pre-series. She is locked in the Theerapanyakul House for 'her own safety and comfort', distracting herself with painting. Her room is calm and quiet and has everything she ever needs.

How does Tankhun react, when he's told about the silent woman living in their attic? Does it put a spotlight on how he's lived the last 16 or so years of his life? Does he look at her and see himself, kept scared and docile by Korn? The attic-son to go with Korn's attic-wife?

[auseyre]

Legacy is one of the major themes of KinnPorsche, and the show is brimming with examples. Physical legacies like the rings and the house, and so many psychological ones. Legacies of hate and love, of regret and trauma, of abuse, of honesty and deceit. 

We never get to meet papa T(though we get a pretty clear picture of what he was like), so that leaves Korn as the primary arbiter of legacy in the show. In one way or another, he directs almost all of it. And hey, it’s an outsider that wears a tattoo that says ‘there’s no legacy as rich as honesty’ because that sure as hell isn’t a Theerapanyakul motto. There are two specific legacies that I want to mention though. 

“Tragically, your worst enemies will always come from your own household.”

I’ve gushed before over the three sets of brothers and how they’ve defied the legacy of sibling hatred and harm that came before them when it would have been easy to do the opposite. I will always stan sibling love and I adore all three sets of relationships. But the rewatch made me actually delve more into that legacy. 

The first time I watched, I just assumed that Korn and Gun had always been in competition, always hated each other, and that was the legacy that got passed on to their sons, but I don’t think that’s true at all. I think at one time, Gun looked up to and admired his big brother. I think it was them and Nampheung against papa T... or at least Gun thought it was. Until the events at the Kittisiwasds house. 

When everything goes down, Gun isn’t angry, he’s in disbelief, he’s devastated by Korn’s actions, something that I don’t think would be true with the relationship we see between them now. Now, he knows his brother is a cold-hearted bastard. Tellingly, when he finds out Nampheung is alive, he is shocked back to the Gun he was then, not the cold, angry man he is most of the series. 

Korn crafted a new legacy that day, one of broken siblings, competition, distrust, and hatred between the main family and the minor one. And I think he did it deliberately to cover his ass. Who would ever believe a word that came out of the Gun we see against benevolent dictator Korn? Everything Gun said would look like jealousy. As long as Korn kept poking at Gun and the minor family with a stick, he never had to worry about any of them developing a relationship with his sons.

He never had to worry about Gun stumbling onto any information he shouldn’t about Nampheung, Porsche, and Chay. He never had to worry about any of his secrets coming out. Even Kinn didn’t really understand why his uncle hated his family... he thought it was a matter of money and power envy. And Korn wasn’t wrong. It barely took anything for Porsche and Vegas to stumble onto part of the truth, just a little communication.

The kind of communication that Korn spent years sowing distrust to prevent. (Porsche is sorry, not sorry to keep fucking up your shit, Korn.)

That means if you were to encounter the pressures these king snakes exert, your heart would fail to pump blood—that's how strong this is," 

Korn is a king snake. He holds on tight to everything he loves, and everything he hates with the same fervor, constricting until they can’t breathe, until their hearts can’t beat. His sons have learned this lesson well, flailing in his coils their whole lives. Khun is trapped in the house, with lots of toys and some playmates to keep him occupied. Kinn is trapped under the weight of family love and responsibility, and Kim is trapped on a barely visible leash, No matter how much freedom it seems he has, it’s still an illusion. It’s no surprise that they do their best to reject that legacy from Korn. They actively strive to be different from their father in the way that they handle relationships. 

Khun

 Kinn, 

And Kim all let go. 

We know it’s not easy. They all try to be stoic about it, Khun playing it off like he's not hurt, not missing his baby brother and leaving first, Kinn and his stiff upper lip, waiting until Porsche is gone before kicking at the handcuffs, the symbol of them tied together and Kim who tries to stifle all emotion, holding it in until he can’t any longer. We see the heartbreak and regret but they still let go. They will wish and want and ask, but they won’t be their father, won’t tie someone in ways they can’t escape, won’t hold them with lies and manipulation, won’t smother the thing they love until there’s barely any life left. 

There’s a line that Korn uses from the utterly fantastic, amazing fic Wings of a Butterfly https://archiveofourown.org/works/39799374

  .... “you can’t sharpen a blade with silk” and I think about it often okay, because the great irony of Korn’s legacy is that in some ways, Kinn modeled himself after the man Korn pretends to be, not the man he actually is. Yes, he’s more impulsive and irreverent — gifts from his mother as he’s told us, but the kindness, the gentleness, the guy that cares about his people, like Pete said, that’s all from the mask Korn wears. 

Korn spent a lot of years moving pieces on the chessboard, only for everybody else to wind up playing another game entirely. His sons won’t be like him, and his nephews won’t be like the man helped create (Porsche, Porchay, and Pete are sorry, not sorry to fuck up your shit, Korn). He may get to write history, but he won’t get to write the future. 

[live-from-flaturn]

KimChay: under the mask

I didn't see this coming, but, uh... here we are.

---

In this au, Kim and Chay do not meet during the canonical timeline. The Kittisawats still move into the compound, though, and Porsche's photokinetic powers activate/turn Korn to dust during the first Nampheung reveal.

With Kinn's funding/support Porsche starts taking down large swathes of the criminal underworld. He becomes an established Bangkok superhero, known for his charm: The Phoenix.

---

Kim is a wide-eyed, soft-smiling pop idol by day... and a superpowered vigilante by night.

After his Father's ruthless experimentation activated a dormant gene in Kim's DNA - and therefore his latent psionic powers (telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and teleportation) - he's been donning a special suit built for him by Arm & Co. in secret to help take down Korn's empire. Kinn wants to legitimize the businesses and secure them a real place in the word and Kim wants to help.

So he helps whenever he can by aiding The Phoenix in the guise of his own alter ego, Masked Shadow (he let Khun make it up, okay? it's his own fault for wearing an all-black ensemble and full facial covering).

---

Chay, still smarting after everyone he loves made enormous and life-changing decisions on his behalf (without once consulting him), decides to take a walk on the wild side.

Shortly after Phoenix and Shadow have cleaned up the neighborhood, they find themselves directly targeted by a new face on the scene. A young, brash, dangerous villain who dresses in bright colors and goes by the nickname 'Songbird'.

His fights with Phoenix are brief and tumultuous, ending with bruises for both parties, but something about his energy with Shadow is different. Like he wants to be caught in some moments and can't live without catching Kim the next.

And Kim has been caught. Several times. He (absolutely, definitely has not) been flustered by the tall, somewhat familiar villain tilting his chin up with one finger and calling him 'naughty' for ruining a well-laid plan.

Okay maybe he gets caught on purpose sometimes.

But he needs to find out who exactly is under that mask. Definitely for justice and no other reasons at all.

[7nessasaryevils]

well the title that interested me the most was "korn dies" because its what i wanted most from the show lmao

but this was fun, totally gonna join in this walk down memory lane (i have way more wips than i originally thought)

Pfft okay, so I've got the bare bones notes from this but essentially, I wanted to write a one-shot in which we get all the boys there.

Porchay and Macau are on a couch together, because they demanded to be here and didn't give two shits about their brothers saying no. Pete and Vegas stand together in one corner of the room; Pete didn't know if Vegas would want to be there but Vegas figured that if he couldn't put a bullet through his uncle's head, he'd at least like to be there to see the life drain out from his eyes.

Tankhun has taken up residence on a single armchair, Kim perched delicately on one arm rest. Tankhun looks at ease, but Kim can tell that he's tensed up, by the slight shake in his shoulders, the way he keeps fidgeting with one specific gem on his neon-blue jacket. Kim, for his part, flips a knife between his fingers, his own way of trying to deal with the nerves, although he wishes he weren't nervous. Because he knows that this deserves to happen.

Kinn and Porsche are standing, facing Korn, both quiet, even as Korn watches them with those benevolent eyes of his, pretending that he hasn't fucked up every single life in this room. He's not tied to the chair but he's also not going to move. Every single person in this room is armed and won't hesitate to stab him and pin him to the chair if required (Porchay has a tiny knife that was gifted to him by Kim and Tankhun has a bedazzled one tucked away in his boot: Arm helped him bedazzle it with pink and green Swarovski crystals)

Korn asks who's going to kill him. Kinn says that everyone here has motive to do so but there's someone here with that trumps all of them.

And that's when Nampheung walks into the room, her hair tied to one side the way her husband liked it, her eyes clear and knowing as she walks closer to her step-brother.

Kinn is the one who hands her his gun but she shakes her head. Instead, she pulls out Korn's knife, the same one he'd used for that stupid metaphor about apples and rusting.

Korn doesn't even have the chance to say anything; Namphueng slides the knife clean across his throat in one swipe.

Tankhun twitches and tcches at the blood splatter but other than that he comments to say that that was anti-climatic as fuck. And then says he's hungry.

Namphueng offers to cook and they all saunter off into the sunset to live murderously ever after!

There's a lot of nitpicking and fixing I wanna do to this but yeah... this was an idea I had 🤷🏾‍♀️♥️

[crystallinemoonlight]

you ever think about how chan was aware of the entire kittisawasd situation and just lived with that? man seemed so unbothered by the fact that korn shot his sister's husband, locked his sister in the attic, abandoned her children, and then employed her oldest son to be their bodyguard years later?? it's so wild to me, chan likely knew baby porsche, he knew nampheung, and now like 15 years later that same baby is on their front steps accepting a job as his trainee and chan just,,, goes along with it no problem?? does not say a thing?? I mean i dont expect him to blurt out secrets but i cant imagine how weird that must have been for him?

not to mention the fact he KNEW that porsche and kinn were "cousins"??? man KNEW they were semi-related (or fully related, for all he was told), and he just,,,, stood there. unbothered. whatever. not his business. man saw them making out knowing full well porsche's mom was in the attic and they were half-related and he never said a thing.

i wonder what other kind of messed up things this man has seen to become the king of being unbothered. it's almost impressive

[chanbig]

Also for the character ask game: Chan (I gotta do both) and let’s pick- 7, 8, 12, and 17.🥰

thank you for asking me about him @fawndlyvenus!!! 💗 sorry it took so long ahh

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I like that we all seem to agree that he is a definite badass, very competent, but also steady and calm and loyal. I think, handled differently, he could come across as much more boring or a heartless drill sergeant, which wouldn't be as compelling! I also like the back stories that people give him—how he might have gotten involved in the mafia and why, what his upbringing was like, if he has any family outside of the mafia, etc. There's a lot to kind of fit together that might make him who he is, so I love to see people's different ideas of that! I also like that so many people saw Chan give Big the full body scan and adjust his tie in one ep and were like YEAH lets do this they'd be 🔥 hot🔥 together (and they were right) 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

To be honest I enjoy a lot of interpretations of his character because we get so little in the text! Personally, I don't enjoy reading things where he is especially sadistic or just torturing another character for no reason—ultimately, I think of him as very pragmatic, so going out of his way to be cruel (with no endgame) doesn't fit with that interpretation.

16. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

me suddenly forgetting everything i have ever said about chan ummmm well a fun one that I have is that he is actually very good at chess (he grew up playing), but pretended to be a novice when Korn asked him to play. I think this would be far enough along in his employment that he knows how perceptive and manipulative Korn is, and he wants Korn to underestimate him. He also uses Korn's lessons as a way of better understanding how Korn thinks. A little power game between him and Korn 😎 Theres a moment in the show where Chan smiles behind his hand when he and Korn are playing... i like to think he is smiling to himself at the strategy Korn uses.

He has to make sure to lose, though, so he doesn't give himself away. 🫣

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

me living up to my username when i can't think of another chan ship aghh ummm hmmm OKAY i think changun would be very interesting to explore.

If they were in a romantic relationship, it would be significantly before the show's timeline. I'm thinking almost as a comfort situation after everything that happened with Nampheung (although Chan wouldn't know all the details until much later). It would make more sense that a younger Chan, who is perhaps not yet as in control of his feelings and has less of a grasp on the internal politics of the family, might be drawn in by Gun's charisma. Gun would see a hot guard who is willing to cross the major/minor family line and they would fall into a semi-casual relationship that maybe Chan sees as more serious, up until Gun announces his upcoming marriage. Maybe Gun thought they could continue their relationship even after marriage—but Chan won't see him again, and gives him the implacable bodyguard face whenever Gun visits the main compound. The experience would snap Chan back into his role on the major family side, and remind him to keep tighter control over his actions. Gun would be furious that Chan ended up choosing the major family and seems to be totally unaffected by Gun's presence now.

And then when they meet at their final encounter, Chan will say, "Don't make this a big deal. For me." and Gun will look murderous/smug as he lifts the gun, finally able to take out his anger at this long-buried hurt AND THAT LINE WILL FINALLY MAKE SENSE!

Character Ask Game - ask me!

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

Six Iterations of a Story

We're never going to know what really went down, but I'm intrigued by the many versions we get of the scene with Korn, Gun, and Porsche's parents along the course of the last two episodes. Trying to take nothing at face value and teasing apart this sequence.

This ended up being seven pages long in draft.

Version 1: Hearsay

The first version of the story we get is from "Uncle" Arthee.

Your dad and mom didn't die in a car accident. They were shot. ... You were in shock that [sic - should have been "and"] you couldn't remember anything. You just believed what I told you. [Guy]'s just a scapegoat, he wanted you to believe that. How many times did I tell you that this family was evil? ... That day, the person who shot your dad and mom .... [dies]

Arthee works for them, and thinks the family is evil.

Who shot Arthee? Kinn and Pete have arrived with guns drawn, but there is no reason for either of them to do it. He wasn't armed, and while I know trigger discipline is nonexistent in this show, it would have been awfully easy to hit Porsche. I assume that it was Chan on Korn's orders.

Arthee's information is second-hand, and he believes that both of Porsche's parents were shot that day.

Theory: Thee was part of the clean-up crew. They would have used Pat's body and that of some random young woman (they are in the Mafia), staged an accident, and then hid the details about that for a two-layered coverup. Thee was detached to long-term babysitting duty, keeping the circle of those who knew any of it small. Thee was a bit player, nobody was keeping track of what he did, and taking care of extended family members is common enough for nobody to wonder about it.

If Porsche had gone ahead and shot that guy, everything could have been blamed on him with no risk of contradiction -- and Porsche would have no one but himself to blame for that, which is tidy. Porsche - who has had barely any interaction at all with Gun - assumes that Thee was about to say it was Korn who killed them.

Version 2: Traumatized Child Eyewitness

Next we get Porsche's memory of his father speaking:

You're asking me to let my wife go back to your [fucking] family? Your evil runs in your blood.

Again, evil.

Pat and Gun are seated across from one another, Korn standing; the next thing Porsche remembers is his father on the ground dead and two people standing next to one another by the back door. We don't see their faces in that iteration. It's a position from which neither of them could have shot Pat, who is face down at right angles to them both.

Porsche confronts Korn.

You're wrong. The truth is, why would I do that? Since Nampheung was my sister.

I can't even imagine what the reaction was like watching that reveal in real-time. Why would I do that is not actually a denial.

Version 3: Unreliable Participant 1

Continue with Korn's version.

Back then, you were just a child. You might not be able to remember much.

Korn immediately plants a seed of self-mistrust here, casting doubt on any details Porsche remembers that do not match what he's about to say. Also Kinn has arrived, so Korn is not playing to an audience of one any longer. Although Kinn has pushed Porsche's gun arm down, he hasn't tried to disarm him. Whatever Korn reveals here has to work on both of them.

Nampheung was my foster sister. She went out and lived on her own with your dad. I was the one who completely understood her. But on that day, my papa forced me to bring Nampheung back. And I wasn't the one who shot them. But it was....

This approach underline points of commonality. That he understood Porsche's mother and by extension understands Porsche; that he knows what it's like to be forced to do something you would rather not.

Cut to flashback.

You are all bastards. Nampheung and I know the truth.

A new detail: there is a truth here to be known.

In this version, Pat and Korn are seated facing one another, and Gun is standing at the end of the table. There is no one at the back door.

Pat: And how dare you ask my wife back to your house?

There is a difference in verb here from Porsche's memory; in that one, it's whether Pat will let her go.

Gun: What the hell are you saying?

Korn: Listen to me. You know lots of people are targeting our family. Go back and talk to Papa nicely.

Casting himself as a would-be peacemaker and protector.

Pat (forcefully): I need peace! I'm done with all of that bullshit. I'm never gonna go back to your damn family.

That is unique to this version - this emphasis on himself, not purely on Nampheung. That he won't go back.

He stands up, starts to walk away and is shot.

Korn stands up: What the hell did you do, Gun?

Gun: A guy like this deserved to die.

That sounds like him. Vegas certainly uses the guy phrase a lot.

Korn: And how would Nampheung feel about that?

Highlights his connection with her.

Enter Nampheung, sees body.

Korn: Nampheung. Calm down. Listen to me.

He says her name twice and catches her as she faints.

That calm down is classic, make the person you're talking to defensive about their own emotions and take their focus off of you. Even in memory he's trying to control.

Back to the present day.

When she came home, she took pills to kill herself.

And why didn't you tell me that in the first place?!

Because he made it up on the spot, Porsche, sorry your father in law sucks. He's leaving himself room to maneuver in this moment by not telling a direct lie -- he doesn't actually say that she died, or for that matter that she took the pills willingly, or try to draw a logical line between her foster-brother shooting her husband and her own supposed suicide attempt, completely forgets to weave the kids into this version (Nampheung went home and killed herself without even thinking about her children...?)

He isn't crafting a story but trying to evoke a set of emotions, to play on Porsche's strong family feeling and protective instincts.

I was trying to protect you. And your brother. Thee was one of my people that I sent to look after you. But he was a gambler. That's why you were all dragged down. I'm sorry.

Korn constantly tries to position himself in a protector role, and mentioning Chay reminds Porsche of that link between them, but this is weaksauce.

Korn collapses, about to fake his own death and give himself time to think of a way out of this. Because that is not only a lie but a clumsy one; Korn obviously did not give a single shit about those kids. Thee isn't one of his trusted or even mildly competent people. He's been assigned to keep an eye on them, not to actually protect or take care of them, possibly just in case somebody else in Mafialand decides they have hostage value.

By collapsing like that, he also separates Kinn from Porsche. They never get a chance to discuss this, try to figure out together what's really going on, or make a plan as a pair.

Version 4: Traumatized Child Eyewitness Reprise

These scenes happen out of sequence in the show. After the above conversation, Porsche returns to the house and recalls some additional details. (And it's killing me a little how important the house always was to him, and how horrible it must be now. Korn really is the worst.)

Go hide! Run away! [Child!Porsche hides in cabinet.]

Who says this line? It doesn't sound like Nampheung; it sounds like Porsche. Was he trying to get his father to run away?

Cut to Pat falling, shot in the back. We see the people at the door this time, although not very clearly - guards. So that's potentially two additional eyewitnesses we haven't plumbed.

It's your fault for knowing too much.

This line appears in the subtitles but no one actually says it...?

If it even happened, there is no way of knowing to whom that line is directed. To Pat, by the shooter? To someone who did not shoot, by the shooter? Someone we don't even know was there? There are so many gaps.

Version 5: Unreliable Participant #2

In the middle of a firefight, Gun insists that all he wants to do is clear the air.

I want to take a step back and consider his position right now. He's committed. If he accomplishes nothing else today, he has to kill Kinn. Whether or not Korn is still alive (as he seems to suspect), Kinn was already out for Gun's blood after the Tawan clusterfuck, and after this? Korn might have some new game in mind. Kinn will put his uncle down without blinking at the first opportunity.

Kinn has also lost his gun somewhere in the excitement, and it's Gun and Porsche standing off. If Gun kills Kinn, Porsche will kill him. Why not shoot Porsche? Too risky? Or does he legitimately not want to? He stalls for time or maybe backup.

Come stay with me, and you'll be safe.

This is the Mafia; an offer of personal protection is kinda how things work. (Porsche's only reply is to rearrange his hold on Kinn, who is obviously not included in this offer).

I don't know what Korn's told you. But I guess I'm the villain.

Gun's worldview seems to be highly dramatized and characterized by emotional extremes. Mostly we've seen him raging at Vegas, but I want to point out that I guess I'm the villain is another manipulation tactic. Like Korn's "calm down," it puts the other person on the defensive about their own response rather than what is happening. He's experienced at this and wants to get out in front of that label right away.

Cut to flashback.

Pat: You guys are bastards. Nampheung and I know the truth.

Acceptably similar but not identical wording at first, full overlap on the second sentence.

Pat and Gun face each across the table, with Korn standing at the end.

And you dare ask my wife to go back to that evil family?

Again slight difference in wording; Gun's version is more dramatic than Korn's, and neither of them match Porsche's memory.

Gun: What the hell are you saying?

Agreement on that line.

Pat: Nampheung didn't come from a foster care. But it was your papa who massacred Nampheung's whole family. [brothers share a look here.] And now you're hunting my family down, aren't you. Your evilness runs in your blood.

Korn: Shut up!

Pat: Pathetic. You're just a filthy blood who can't accept the truth.

I assume that's an insult that doesn't translate. This is a totally new version. Grandpapa Theerapanyakul is no longer asking Nampheung to come home to protect her, or even asking her husband to let her come home, but has lied to her about her origins, and he himself is a threat.

I can't think of a reason for Gun to make this detail up when he could just... blame Korn. It also fits well with Korn's pattern of telling a partial truth that leaves things out, and in Korn's earlier version the what the hell are you saying line feels out of place.

He gets up, walks away, Korn shoots him in the back.

Korn: It's your fault for knowing too much.

This doesn't match Korn's version, but it does match Porsche's memory (maybe?).

Gun: Korn, why did you shoot him? How would Nampheung feel about that?

Suggestion that Korn knew the truth about her and Gun did not. That, I have my doubts about. He still thinks she is dead along with her husband right now, and is trying to cast himself in an innocent light.

[She arrives] Korn didn't mean to. He just didn't mean to. Don't worry, I'll take care of you. Alright? [says her name several times as she faints]

Abuse klaxons are going off. Korn has never even been hinted at having a history of physically abusing people; Gun does. So this is either him revising a line of dialog that was actually about himself - I didn't mean to - or he is aware enough of how this works to make himself sound like Korn's victim here.

[The guards are there in this version, because Korn orders them to take Gun away. Korn crouches threateningly over Nampheung. They have to drag Gun away! He fights them! He breaks down! Again, much more dramatic.]

[Korn comes out of the house] I've solved the problem here.

Implication that he's killed her, too. And the kids...? Was Chay asleep in his crib while this whole thing went down?! Did anyone in the many lacunae in this scene find Porsche's hiding place?

You're a bastard.

Take him home and calm him down.

Again with the calming.

Back to the present day, whew.

Gun: He told me that he killed everyone. But look, there are still two of you.

I guess he means Porsche and Chay, the lone survivors of that branch of the family. Gun seems to be really into bloodlines, with all of that yelling at Vegas about not being fit to be his son and so forth.

Kinn: What are you talking about?

Gun: Your dad is far more evil than you thought. Til now, do you know how many people I loved were killed? He destroyed everything. He killed Nampheung. Nampheung, whom I loved the most.

Enter bomb. Love is a complicated topic with a character like this. He is again casting himself as Korn's victim, and the wording suggests that there were other occasions. I do find it interesting that he doesn't claim to have seen Korn kill Nampheung.

Two mentions of evil, via Pat and Gun.

There are other possible reasons than family feeling for Gun to want to keep Porsche alive, but I would conclude from this version that he did feel something for Nampheung. Doesn't mean he didn't kill her, of course, but he may legitimately be invested in the concept of her children. Doesn't seem to like his own very much.

All Together Now

This is the section I refer to as Korn's castle move, taking place fittingly at the top of his tower. Gun spots Korn and is not surprised to find him alive, is shocked to find Nampheung -- there is no one else there when he sees her, no reason for him to pretend surprise if he suspected. Porsche and Kinn are right behind him. Never over Kinn's WTAF expression.

Gun: How could you do this to Nampheung? How could you?

Korn: I did this to protect Nampheung.

That's not true! You told me that Nampheung was dead.

That's all on you, Gun. You made me lie. Don't you remember? You shot Pat that day. Then we took Nampheung home. And you molested her! So she had to take the pills to take her own life!

Another classic tactic. Korn should write a book. He's got a gun. He also has an audience. I believe that last bit is intended to goad Porsche into an even more wound-up state. If he can be induced to shoot Gun, so much the better for Korn. I call this Korn's castle play because I think the idea is to shift attention to Gun (his reserved rook) and off of Nampheung (the king).

Luckily, I saved her.

Gosh what a coincidence.

That's why I had to keep the secret about Nampheung being alive. Because if you knew, you wouldn't let it go.

Seriously? You couldn't think of any other way to handle this? Sure, sure.

Gun: You did all of this because you're selfish. You lied to everyone. Korn, stop pretending. You just want all the power. The truth is, you're just as bad as Papa was. Nampheung, I love you the most. Please come back to me. I'll protect you. And everyone shall know the truth. The truth that Nampheung is--

Is what? Is alive? Nah, that's gotta get out now. Is whoever she really is? Possible. Is actually the one who killed her husband? Frankly I like that one. We know zilch about Pat, after all. The possibilities are endless, and the writers may not even have picked one at the time.

Gun raises his gun, and Korn shoots him.

Don't worry. Vegas and Macau, I'll take care of them.

Back to the protector role, and Korn's trying to repopulate his side of the chess board; it is vital right now that he be seen to be magnanimous. I think that line was mainly for Kinn's benefit -- in which case, hats off to you, Korn, for just this once gambling on your son's softness and not his sharp edge, because it fucking worked.

Nampheung faints, Porsche is kneeling down next to her and aiming at Korn.

You [fucking] lied! Where's the truth?

I did everything to protect you. And your brother. And your mother.

Ugh again with that bullshit.

This is where Kinn moves into Porsche's line of fire. It's a logical and even loving follow-up to the red herring earlier -- committing murder right now wouldn't be particularly good for Porsche -- but it's also exactly what Korn wanted. Korn seizes his moment; he can still play this to a stalemate.

It's my fault, I lied to Porsche. But I've been waiting for this day, the day that Porsche meets with his mother once again. All this time, I was afraid that if anyone learned that Nampheung was still alive, Gun wouldn't let go. And I was trying to make Porsche get closer and closer to his mother. Everything I did, I did it for my nephew. And for my sister.

Absolutely classic. Admit guilt for a small specific thing, then take credit for enormous good motives, his standard disarming tactic now that no one alive can claim otherwise.

The problem here is that Kinn and Porsche are both fundamentally honest people, and this sort of brazen, byzantine lie would never occur to either one of them. They will shoot you, sure. And they'll lie by omission and lie to protect themselves and lie to themselves, but they don't lie to people in an attempt to get them to feel a particular way, and that is the entirety of Korn's method.

And Porsche puts down the gun. Successful play; the game continues.

[porschesbabydaddy]

1 and 17 for the ask challenge! :)

1) the character everyone gets wrong

Oooohhh….. this is hard bc people get so many of these characters wrong…. But it’s gotta be Korn for me. He’s SUCH a complicated and twisty and manipulative man who’s inner workings we never get to really see, but he tends to get reduced down to a very one dimensional type of villain a lot of the time and it’s disappointing

17) there should be more of this type of fic/art

There are SO many options, but mostly I wish there were more fics exploring the relationships between the Theerapanyakul boys (Main/Minor family) as kids and what their lives might have looked like. I’m so curious abt them, I wanna know where the hatred began, I wanna know why Vegas and Tankhun have beef, I wanna know if they ever met their “aunt” and “cousins” before the Kittisawasd’s disappeared out of their lives. I have soooo many questions.

Also wish there was more fic abt the three Theerapanyakul women (Nampheung and Korn/Gun’s wives) that made them Actual Characters instead of cardboard cut outs in the shape of doting mothers and martyrs. Kinn literally says “I’m more like my mom” before shooting a man point blank and yet she still gets written as a passive society wife, make it make sense

[aeternallis]

It's honestly so fascinating to me how Porsche and Chay would handle the sudden wealth that fell onto their laps very differently.

Like, in that final scene on the boat, Porsche thanks Kinn—perhaps for reconnecting him and his brother to their mother, for loving him, for staying by him, etc., but I’ve always had a gut instinct that he was also thanking Kinn for getting him out of the gutter hole he’s been in for most of his life, yknow?

I mean think about it, he’s been the sole provider for Chay almost all his life, having to also deal with Arthee’s gambling habits, and making sure the last, physical legacy left behind by his parents remains out of the hands of loan sharks.

It’s no wonder in that final scene in the show, he’s confidently putting on the business suit that compliments Kinn’s colors, can ask Kinn almost a little too arrogantly, “does the Minor Family really have anything to do with the Main Family?” He’s sitting on that couch man-spreading with his arms stretched wide open, because not only does Kinn give him the validation that he belongs in this opulent new world, he has proof of it through his mother. While he’s happy that his mother is alive and that they can be a family again with Chay, Nampheung is also his excuse for staying in the glittering world of the mafia, yknow?

And what a load off his shoulders to finally not have to worry about money, to not have that sort of noose around his neck anymore. Sure, there are risks and dangers to this new life of his—but the rewards make it worthwhile for him. And besides, he’s high on the high-stakes lifestyle he’d been living with Kinn all this time. They’ve made it through some serious shit, how could they not be fated to be together forever?

It’s why he can thank Kinn so sweetly as he does in the boat, and just as easily, pledge his life to him.

But Porchay is so much more levelheaded between the two of them, despite being the younger one, despite being the one who has been sheltered by Porsche all his life.

Maybe it’s the pain of heartbreak from Kim, maybe it’s that he’s always been able to read when Porsche is hiding something from him, maybe it’s because for the first time in his life, he really is alone in making a decision for himself, without feeling obligated to make Porsche happy—maybe it’s due to all of these things that, unlike Porsche, he hesitates to quickly jump into the grandeur like his older brother.

I don’t necessarily think it’s that Chay has anything against material luxuries—he appreciates and covets them like any other person, if his initial reaction to Kim’s bribe gift of the new guitar is anything to go by.

But his immediate instinct is definitely not to feel like he’s entitled to them, or that he’s free to enjoy them.

I think for Porchay, it's more along the lines that he struggles with allowing himself to enjoy material luxuries in the first place. It's why he's more easily able to let go of the idea of going to college, to sell the house and move to a smaller dwelling with Porsche, why he can let go of the opportunity to go to Kim's school, like he'd originally wanted.

And it would line up more with his mindset too, in the way he's always thought of himself as unlucky. He doesn't allow himself to enjoy the material luxuries or any sort of opulence, because he's all too aware of how easily such things can be taken away from him. He's had multiple instances of it even throughout the show: he thought the money that Porsche had received from trading in the watch was safe, only to find out that Arthee had gambled it away. He thought the guitar from Kim was a sincere gesture of friendship and perhaps something more, only for it to turn out that Kim had been using him.

Perhaps he even thought that Porsche had genuinely found his dream job at the bar-at the very least, when he'd read that letter his older brother left-he looked like he wanted to believe it. Only for it to turn out that Porsche had put them in a lot of danger by becoming involved with the mafia.

Porsche may have not had access to the sort of luxury goods Khun, Kinn, and Kim have had all their lives, but during his time as a bodyguard, his salary was most likely nothing to sniff at either. And Chay would have had access to some of that money.

And yet, for all that he could have just gotten Kim something that was store-bought, the gifts he chooses to give to Kim are extraordinarily humble, more sentimental than anything else.

No wonder the guitar Kim had given him could so easily be discarded, yet it's Kim sending him their song that ultimately moves him to tears.

Porsche wanted the financial relief and security that the world of the mafia could provide for his family. But what Chay wants is something more lasting; when he tells Porsche he wants him to have peace, it goes without saying that that's what he wants for himself also.

[turtlesocksv2]

Let's talk Fate

ok for #kpanniversary2024 the first prompt is Fate and boy howdy is that a good one to start a rewatch with. Because from the very beginning, as soon as Kinn and Porsche crossed paths there was only one way it was going to play out. In fact, even before that, Porsche's fate was sealed as soon as he was born and here's why:

Porsche was always going to end up in the Theerapanyakul family one way or another. Nampheung was basically kidnapdopted when she was child by Grandpa T, was raised by him, grew up with Korn and Gun who both end up in love with her (or at least psychosexually obsessed with her). And when she was old enough she got out of there. She married a man and had (what we assume to be) an ordinary life for at least 8 years. But here's the thing: Nampheung never actually got out.

Nampheung was allowed her little housewife cottagecore daydream by Grandpa T. I call it that kind of dismissively, we don't know anything about her life, actually, maybe she had a highpower job, etc etc. but the point is that as soon as Grandpa T decides to call her back home, back to the Theerapanyakul Mafia, she is powerless to stop it. In the flashbacks we see of the moment Porsche's dad died, The things that really sticks out to me are these 3:

1: Gun and Korn both came to visit and in at least one version, they are there at the behest of Grandpa T who wants to see Nampheung.

2: Pat says that they will never go back to that house and that the family is rotten. (which implies that Pat also has a connection to the family, I am a 'Pat was Nampheung's bodyguard and they ran away together' truther and this leads into the last point and perhaps the most significant

3) Porsche was hiding in the cabinets when Korn and Gun are there. Now, I don't know about how your family operates but i'm pretty confident that isn't exactly normal behavior when your family has guests. Like, little kids are usually pretty excited to have company, especially people who grow up to be as extroverted and gregarious as Porsche is. Korn and Gun are obviously unaware in the moment that Porsche is hiding. Pat probably knows because I'm convinced that this is a safety drill they'd run many times. Nampheung and Pat knew that someday, Grandpa T's generosity would run out, or he'd die, and the Theerapanyakuls would come calling again. They were trying so hard to keep Porsche out of that life, but it was never going to happen. If they'd lived, Korn and Gun would show up to darken their doorstep at some point. And since they died...well, how did that turn out, hmmm?

Porsche (and Chay but lmao Korn and Gun don't give a single fuck about Chay so we'll just ignore the baby for now ) ends up in the guardianship of an unreliable gambler under the thumb of loansharks. Porsche ends up in illegal street fights to make money. He is being pushed in the Theerapanyakul's direction. Make no mistake, at some point the loan on his house was going to end up in Theerapanyakul hands, or Chan was going to come up to Porsche after a fight, and that would be that. There is no world in which Korn lost track of his beloved Nampheung's sons, not when he's so obsessed with her he has her locked up in his attic. Gun, at least, has the excuse of thinking Porsche and Chay are dead along with their parents. Korn was just playing the long game.

Is it fair to call it fate when it's being orchestrated by someone? Well, I guess that depends how far back you think the hereditary curse goes.

It was never about Kinn and Porsche at all. Nampheung knew it was always going to end here. She tried to stop it. It didn't work. She was never going to get out. Her sons were never going to get out. And now they're more enmeshed than if she'd never tried at all. Sounds like fate to me.