Although the previous day had been a nightmare he wished to forget, Santichai dragged his exhausted body to campus. It was the first week of the semester, and he couldn't afford to miss a single lecture. Among the third-year accounting students, Santichai was clearly the eldest, yet his gentle features and quiet demeanor made him look nearly as young as the twenty-somethings surrounding him.
He sat in the corner of the front row, a solitary figure who kept to himself. He was there on a mission: to finally earn his degree. He knew the stakes were high; if he failed, he could never repay the tuition stipend HappyCare had provided. With his jaw set in determination, he kept his eyes locked on the whiteboard, absorbing every word.
When the lecture ended, Santichai stayed behind to review his notes long after the professor had departed. As he finally reached for his schoolbag, two female students hurried past him. A moment later, he spotted a small purse lying on the floor at his feet.
He grabbed his bag and rushed to the door to return it, but the hallway was already a sea of moving bodies; the girls were gone. Deciding to wait, he found a quiet bench and opened his lunch container. His home-cooked meal was only half-finished when his phone vibrated. It was a text from KK.
KK: "Don't study too hard. Remember you have your follow-up appointment at three this afternoon. See you soon."
Santichai couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. He quickly typed back: 'O.K. Please remember to eat your lunch, too.'
By two o'clock, Santichai was back in the classroom. He was settling into his seat when he saw the same two girls from earlier walking in, their eyes scanned the floor anxiously.
"Pam, are you sure you had it this morning?" the one named Pim asked.
"I'm positive," Pamela replied, her voice thick with worry. "Remember? I used it to buy us roti in front of the Faculty building."
As they walked past his row, Santichai reached into his bag and pulled out the wallet. "Nong..."
Pamela turned, blinking in surprise. "Yes, Phi?"
Santichai held out the purse. "I think this belongs to you. You dropped it after the first lecture."
Pamela's face transformed instantly. A massive smile broke out, and two deep dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Oh my god, thank you so much! I've been looking for it all morning. Phi... thank you, truly!"
Santichai gave a polite nod and began to turn back to his notes.
"Phi!" Pamela called out.
"Yes?"
"What's your name?" she asked, her friend Pim smiling beside her.
"I'm Santichai."
"My name is Pamela, but everyone calls me Pam. And this is my best friend, Pim," she said warmly. "We should have lunch together sometime. Thank you again, Pi Santichai."
"It was no trouble. Nice to meet you both," Santichai said. As they moved to their seats, he sat back down, feeling a strange, light sensation in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he was just a student, making friends on his own terms.
As soon as the lecture ended, Pam rushed forward, catching Santichai just as he reached the door.
"P' Santichai!" she called out, a bit breathless. "What are you doing after class? Would you like to join us for dinner?"
Santichai gave her a polite, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have a doctor's appointment at three this afternoon. Maybe another time."
Pam's face fell in a brief moment of disappointment. "Oh, no problem! Next time for sure." She quickly reached out and touched his arm before he could walk away. "Pi... is it okay if I add you on Line?"
"I don't really use those apps," Santichai admitted.
Pam blinked, momentarily stunned, then felt a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck. "Oh! Well... then, what's your phone number?" She looked down at her shoes, trying to play it cool. "Just in case I have questions about the homework, I can consult you. You seem to really know your stuff." She tentatively handed her phone to him.
Santichai was older than Pamela, and he wasn't oblivious; he knew this was the age-old way of showing interest. However, with his appointment looming and his mind on the clinic, he didn't overthink it. He quickly tapped his number into her phone and handed it back.
"Here you go. I really have to run now," Santichai said. With a quick wave, he hurried out toward the parking lot.
Pim nudged her friend from behind, a teasing smirk on her face. "So, nowadays it's the woman who makes the first move, huh?"
"What's wrong with that? It's the twenty-first century, Pim!" Pamela defended herself, clutching her phone to her chest.
"Come on, standing here daydreaming isn't going to bring him back into the classroom," Pim laughed. "Anyway, you'll see your 'Phi' next Monday."
Pamela looked at the whiteboard at the front of the room and sighed. "We don't have class next Monday. Didn't you see the notice? The professor canceled it."
Pim smiled and hooked her arm through Pamela's. "Then I guess you'll just have to wait until Tuesday afternoon. Plenty of time to come up with a 'homework question' to text him before then!"
Inside the exam room, Sarah pivoted the monitor to show Santichai his latest X-rays. "The alignment looks excellent, and the fusion is progressing exactly as we hoped. Tell me, do you feel any sharp pain while you're sitting in class?"
Santichai shook his head. "No, just a bit of stiffness."
"Any discomfort when you walk for long periods?"
"No," Santichai replied.
"Then we can be a little more aggressive with your recovery," Sarah said, turning back to her notes. "You can start light chores—doing laundry, folding clothes, maybe some light cooking. You can carry shopping bags, but for now, I'm strictly limiting you to ten pounds. No heavy lifting."
"I understand," Santichai said.
"This afternoon will be your last formal session of physiotherapy. If you feel confident in your home exercises, there's no need to return unless you feel a relapse." Sarah laughed, a playful glint in her eyes. "And if the laundry basket is too heavy, make sure you let KK help you."
Santichai felt his cheeks flush. "I think I can manage." He paused, looking at her seriously. "Sarah... what kind of work should I look for during this period?"
"Given the nature of a spinal correction, a sedentary desk job is your best bet for the next few months."
"Thank you." Santichai stood up to leave. "And thank you for everything, Dr. Lin."
Sarah wagged a finger at him. "I told you—call me Sarah."
"It feels... inappropriate to use your first name," he admitted.
Sarah gave him a warm, sisterly smile. "You'd better get used to it. We're going to be seeing a lot of each other."
After leaving the clinic, Santichai tried to call KK, but the line went straight to voicemail. Assuming KK was caught up in surgery or rounds, he decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up supplies for dinner at KK's house.
He walked out of the store clutching four bags. He could feel the familiar tug in his lower back—he was likely over his ten-pound limit—but he was determined to be useful.
"Chai..."
The cold, sharp voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned his head and saw Mrs. Siriporn standing by an expensive black sedan. He lowered his gaze out of habit, then forced himself to look up. "Mrs. Siriporn. Can I help you with something?"
"The only thing I need from you is for you to stay away from my son," she said, her voice like ice. "But you always seem to find a way to bewitch Asnee into coming back."
"What do you want from me?" Santichai asked, his voice weary.
"Let's have a cup of coffee. I have a deal to put on the table."
Santichai didn't want to spend another second in her presence, but he knew this was his chance to sever the ties for good. "Fine."
They sat in a small café three doors down. Santichai's grocery bags were huddled around his feet like a protective barrier.
"I never once thought there was anything 'off' about your friendship with Asnee when you were boys," Mrs. Siriporn began, sipping her coffee with calculated elegance. "I thought you were just normal friends. Do you even understand why Asnee must marry and have children?"
"Mrs. Siriporn, if you're here to talk about his marriage, we have nothing to say to each other. Asnee and I are over. I have no intention of going back."
"Chai, be honest with yourself," she said, leaning in. "Liking the same sex is... it's a phase, a distraction. Asnee has a bright future. This marriage will secure two empires. If you truly love him, you'll realize that staying near him only hurts him. If you love him, let him live a normal life."
She sighed, reaching into her purse. "I can relocate you. A different city, a comfortable life. I'll even provide the capital for you to start a small business. You just have to disappear."
Santichai looked at the woman who had spent ten years treating him like a shadow. "Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Siriporn. But I decline."
Her face twisted in sudden, ugly anger. "Santichai! I am trying to explain the benefits of a clean break! Why are you being so stubborn?"
"Because I know the 'benefits' of staying with him better than anyone," Santichai said, his voice trembling as tears welled in his eyes. "And I know the cost. Living by Asnee's side was more painful than my broken back. It was more agonizing than six hours of spine surgery. You and Asnee... you never treated me like a human being."
He stood up, grabbing his bags, ignoring the flare of pain in his back. "I want you to know something. I am a person. I have feelings. I feel pain, I shed tears, and I have my own dignity. I may be poor, but the love I gave your son was priceless. It is worth more than every cent in your bank account."
He took two steps toward the door, then turned back one last time. "Please tell Asnee I wish him a happy life. He has my blessing. But he will never have me again."
He walked out into the crowded street, the weight of the groceries heavy in his hands, but his heart feeling lighter than it had in a decade.