NilTai Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The morning sea

Early morning at the eastern coastal pier.

The sea lay still. The sky was clear. White seagulls circled overhead, as if waiting for something—just like the people nearby who sat quietly, anticipating.

The roar of a boat engine grew louder, until a fishing boat came into view, drawing closer to the dock. A salty breeze blew past, carrying with it the faint scent of fish. The moment one person stirred, others began to move too.

“Docked! Let’s go—lift it up!” A middle-aged man shouted through the sea breeze.

Wooden planks were laid out from the bow of the boat to the dock. Several workers moved together, hauling large foam containers filled to the brim with fish—so full that the lids barely closed. Amidst the commotion:

“Nil, drag these foam containers to the truck, will ya? Just pull them along the path, that's all.” The crew leader yelled from the boat.

Nil, a thirteen-year-old boy with long black hair hanging over his face, wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses that hid the darkness in his eyes. He was small and thin, noticeably smaller than the other workers. Dressed in a plain t-shirt and shorts, he simply nodded without saying a word and immediately got to work.

Just dragging the first container nearly drained all his strength. Luckily, he wasn't doing this alone—other workers gave him a hand here and there.

Time passed. The sun had now clearly risen, and the sky shifted from orange to a brilliant blue. The heat from the sunlight began to press down. The dock slowly emptied of people.

“Nil! That’s the last one. When you’re done, don’t forget to report to the office, understood?” The crew leader shouted again while dragging another container along the wooden rails.

Nil nodded softly, sweat beading at his temples despite the early hour.

He looked down, adjusting the container on the wooden path, ready to push it to the truck. But he didn’t notice that someone was walking across the same path up ahead. The planks were wet and slippery, and in that moment—he couldn’t stop in time…

CRASH!

The container toppled. Fresh fish spilled across the wooden floor. Water splashed everywhere, soaking a white school uniform worn by a boy now sprawled amidst the scattered fish.

“Crap…” Nil cursed quietly.

“What the hell?” The other boy muttered, sitting up to inspect what had just happened.

“S-sorry! I’m really sorry!” Nil quickly bowed, nearly pressing his head to the floor as he scrambled to pick up the fish in a panic.

The crew leader rushed over, having seen the whole thing.

“Nil! What the hell were you doing? Didn’t you look where you were going?!”

He turned to the boy who’d been hit—a boy about Nil’s age, with silver-white hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. His school uniform, which had been pristine and clearly not the attire of a laborer, was now soaked and stinking of fish. And most importantly—everyone at the dock knew who he was.

“Sorry about that, Nong Tai. I apologize on Nil’s behalf,” the crew leader quickly said in a groveling tone.

“He’s just started working here. Still doesn’t have much strength. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“It’s okay. P’Chai. I wasn’t looking either,” the boy—Tai—replied calmly.

“Nil! Apologize to Nong Tai now!” The crew leader pressed him firmly.

“I’m sorry,” Nil said again, bowing.

“Go on—let Nueng take over for now. You go rest!” The crew leader scolded, his sharp gaze driving Nil away.

Nil gave a small nod and walked off quietly, thinking to himself:

“Guess I’ll be looking for a new job soon.”

“Sigh…” Nil let out a loud breath.

“That guy—is he blind or what? Can’t he see people are working here?

Out of all the space he could’ve walked, he just had to walk right where I was working.

If I get fired over this, I swear...”

Shaa—

Still unsure whether to report to the office or not, Nil found himself stopping to stare out at the sea. The cool ocean breeze brushed against his face. If not for the miserable accident earlier, this might’ve been one of the most peaceful moments of his day.

“Tai, huh…? He’s probably some spoiled rich kid. That school uniform looked fresh out of the store.”

“People like me... What can we even do? Just surviving each day is already a struggle…”

“What now…? Go home? Not like there’s anything there waiting for me…”

Shaa—

The sound of waves and wind washed ashore again and again. Nil’s hair fluttered in the breeze, revealing tired, hollow eyes behind the dark frames of his glasses. He stared at the ocean with no real focus.

“Nice weather. Maybe… getting fired wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.”

…

“Anyway… I’ll just go report in first. Figure things out later.”

With that, Nil snapped out of his thoughts and headed off toward the office to report and collect his day’s wage.

//This novel, I used GPT for translating. If the language looks weird, please feel free to tell me. //Translating a whole novel is a difficult work. But I still want the outcome to be perfect. So if GPT can't do it properly, I will find another solution >3<

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Chapter 2

NilTai : Chapter 2