As their relationship deepened, so did the scrutiny. Akin's empire was a vast, intricate network, and a man like him couldn't disappear for hours without causing ripples. His chief of staff, a formidable woman named Kanya, was a master of discretion, but even she couldn't ignore the new patterns. Akin, the man who once worked through dinner, was now often unavailable after five o'clock. Rumors, subtle as a whisper in a cavernous boardroom, began to circulate about a young man, a student, who had somehow captured the attention of the notoriously private CEO. His associates and rivals watched, their curiosity a mix of suspicion and opportunism. Akin had always been predictable in his ruthless ambition; this new "distraction" was an unknown variable, and an unknown variable was a weakness to be exploited.
Phasakorn, too, was finding it harder to maintain the secrecy. The replacement car, a constant reminder of Akin's presence, sat in the university parking lot like a beacon. His friends were becoming more insistent with their questions. "So, how is the car loan coming along?" Nat, his best friend, asked with a knowing smirk one afternoon. "That's a really nice 'loaner' you have there. Looks exactly like the ones they use in the Teerawong Group's fleet."
The lies felt heavy on Phasakorn's tongue. He was a man of science and truth, yet he was living a double life. The guilt was a constant companion, a stark contrast to the exhilaration he felt whenever Akin's name flashed on his phone screen. He would rush out of his last lecture, his heart pounding, to find Akin's car waiting for him, the tinted windows offering a momentary shield from the outside world. Inside, he felt a peace he found nowhere else. Akin, for all his power, was the one person he could be completely vulnerable with, and Akin, in turn, found a quiet sanctuary in Phasakorn's earnestness.
One night, as they drove through the quiet streets of the city, Akin reached over and took Phasakorn's hand. The gesture was simple, yet it sent a jolt through him. Akin's palm was calloused and strong, a physical representation of the life he lived. "I've been thinking about you a lot today," Akin said, his thumb stroking the back of Phasakorn's hand. "In the middle of a particularly tedious meeting about a new port facility, all I could think about was the look on your face when you explained the process of cell regeneration."
Phasakorn smiled, a genuine, joyful smile that lit up his face. "You make my world feel... important," he confessed. "You're the only person who doesn't look at me like I'm crazy for wanting to spend my life in a hospital."
Akin's grip tightened. "Your world is the most important one I know. You're building life, Phasakorn. I'm just building... things."
This moment of vulnerability, however, was a double-edged sword. Phasakorn was falling deeper in love with the man, not the myth. But the myth was real, and it was dangerous. He started noticing the subtle, unnerving details. The way Akin's security detail always seemed to be two steps ahead, discreetly clearing their path in crowded places. The way Akin's phone would sometimes vibrate with encrypted messages that he would read with a furrowed brow, his entire demeanor changing in an instant from a gentle lover to a ruthless strategist.
The whispers from his friends, coupled with these small, unsettling observations, began to coalesce into genuine doubt. Was he just a fascinating distraction for a man who could have anyone? Was he naive to believe that he, a simple medical student, could truly belong in a world of multi-trillion-dollar deals and, as his heart began to suspect, something far more sinister? He loved Akin, he was sure of it. But could he love the man and not be consumed by the shadow he cast? The fear was growing, a tiny, insidious seed of doubt that threatened to unravel the beautiful, fragile connection they had built.
Phasakorn knew, with a sinking feeling, that a choice was looming. He couldn't keep living in this in-between space, a ghost in two vastly different worlds. Sooner or later, he would have to confront the man he loved about the secrets he kept hidden in the shadows. And he wasn't sure if he was strong enough for what he might find.
To be continued.....