It was a typical bustling Friday afternoon at a Thai university in the heart of Bangkok. Students from different faculties crowded around the open courtyard in front of the engineering building, chatting and joking in groups. Under the large tree casting cool shade across the stone benches, Phaayu — a third-year student from the Faculty of Business — sat quietly, eating from a simple packed lunch.

His white dress shirt looked old but was neatly ironed, sleeves rolled up to the elbows to cope with the sticky heat. Though technically the cool season had started, the sun still blazed enough to make sweat soak through the back of his shirt. His worn-out sneakers looked like they were on the verge of falling apart. The lunchbox he held was home-cooked — part of his efforts to save every single baht he could.

“Wanna be my boyfriend for hire? A hundred baht per day.”

The sudden voice came with a faint scent of expensive fabric softener. Phaayu looked up in surprise to find Thee — a well-known third-year engineering student — standing casually nearby, one leg crossed as he leaned against the stone table. His navy-blue engineering jacket was rolled up to reveal pale arms and prominent veins. His face was expressionless yet oddly magnetic.

“Huh… what?” Phaayu blinked, caught completely off guard.

“You heard me.”

This was Thee — the infamous 'resting bitch face heartthrob' of the Faculty of Engineering, often joked about but secretly admired. He wasn’t joking. Leaning forward, he rested his chin on his hand, eyes narrowed, looking straight at Phaayu like he was stating something as normal as asking for a pen.

“Are you drunk or something?”

“Nah. Just sick of people flirting with me,” Thee shrugged. “Let’s fake-date for a month. I’ll pay you 100 baht a day.”

Phaayu gave a dry laugh, trying to mask the spark of interest in his eyes. But inside, his brain was doing quick math. A hundred baht a day… three thousand baht a month. That could cover his little sister’s meals — maybe even enough to patch up those dying sneakers.

He glanced up again, really looking at Thee this time. He wasn’t conventionally handsome, but there was something dangerous and magnetic about him — a confidence that didn’t need effort, and eyes that seemed to see right through people.

“So what do I have to do?” Phaayu asked with a half-smile, voice now more serious. His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to read the fine print in this strange verbal contract.

Thee stepped closer, making Phaayu tilt his head to meet his gaze. The sunlight hit Thee’s face perfectly, highlighting the deep black of his eyes — eyes that carried something more than just apathy. For a brief moment, it felt like the air around them had stilled, as if the world was waiting for the answer too.

“Just hold my hand sometimes. Eat lunch together once in a while. Sit with me on the lawn so people can see. Walk next to me during breaks. If anyone asks, say we’re dating,” Thee said, then paused before continuing more firmly, “But no flirting. No falling in love. No catching feelings. I don’t mess with people’s emotions.”

His voice was calm, but beneath it, Phaayu sensed something… a quiet fatigue, maybe even sadness. There was a faint crack in Thee’s tone, a vulnerability that few would notice.

Phaayu blinked, questioning himself. What was he about to get into?

He knew being part of Thee’s life wouldn’t be simple. Even if it started with a hundred baht a day, it felt like it could become something more — something he might not be ready for.

But then he thought of the bills, his sister’s meals, and those damn shoes. He clenched his jaw gently.

“One hundred baht it is,” he murmured to himself.

Then, with a soft sigh, he nodded.

“Deal.”

He told himself it was just acting.

But little did he know — this act was going to mess with his heart, for real.