Why… why is that guy… Thanathorn Wachirayan… Thailand’s biggest superstar looking at me like he never expected to see me here? That’s what I was thinking. 

Until…

"Did you... did you see that? Thanathorn... Thanathorn is looking at me!" Tan nudged me, practically bouncing with excitement. 

That’s when it hit me—Thanathorn wasn’t looking at me, but at the person next to me—he was staring at the disco ball beside me. The walking human reflector. 

Sigh...

“What am I even thinking?” I mumbled to myself. 

Of course, why would Thailand’s biggest superstar be looking at me? What am I to him? An ant in the crowd, unnoticed and probably stepped on by his fancy shoes.

And then, Thanathorn entered the school, surrounded by bodyguards, walking through the crowd, but his eyes... his eyes were still locked on the idiot beside me. The disco ball dancer who was cheering his name like there was no tomorrow.

“Thanathorn... Thanathorn... THAAANNNAAATHOOOORRRRRNNNNNNNN!”

Damn it, this guy... I kicked him in the leg, hard.

“Owww... owwwww! What’s wrong with you?!” Tan yelped, holding his leg.

“I might go deaf, you idiot,” I snapped.

Tan pouted, muttering under his breath, “Tch... what a mood spoiler.”

“I can hear you, you bastard,” I shot back.

                                                                                         ***

As soon as Than was inside, they took him straight to the principal’s office. Meanwhile, us teachers were informed to handle the kids for the day, but honestly... why do I feel like this is going to be a nightmare? Just look at these crazy students. If they put as much energy into their studies as they do screaming for Thanathorn, they'd all be geniuses by now.

Then, my eyes landed on Rit. He was standing all alone near the pillar, looking like a deer caught in headlights. I furrowed my brows. The boy looked scared out of his mind. I was about to go over to him when suddenly...

"Win..." A voice called out.

I turned around, and it was one of the other teachers.

"Yes?" I asked.

"The principal wants to see you."

"Me?" I blinked. "Why?"

"I don't know," the teacher said, nodding, and then just left like it was no big deal.

I stood there, scratching my head. What the heck? I wanted to check on Rit, but then Phat came out of nowhere and dragged him away. I hope everything is good with him.

But... "shouldn't the principal be busy with Thanathorn or something?" I mumbled.

And just like that...I made my way to the principal’s office, but to be honest, I was just hoping that old man wasn’t going to hand me some extra work when I already have a mountain of things to do...I’m going to lose it.

                                                                                                   ***

Principal's Office,

Later, I knocked on the principal’s office door, and his voice came through, “Come in.”

I stepped inside and saw him standing there, totally engrossed in his phone. It’s not just Thanathorn coming today, but also some of the school sponsors, so I figured he was probably dealing with that.

“You called me, sir?” I asked, trying to keep my tone respectful.

He glanced up from his phone for a second, then went back to tapping. “That’s right, Win. I need you to stay with Thanathorn today. Be his representative.”

I froze for a second. “What?”

He didn’t even look up. “Yeah, you’re gonna be his representative. Go with him, make sure he’s comfortable, handle anything he needs.”

I blinked a couple of times, trying to process what was happening. “But... why me? There are so many other teachers here who are, you know, his crazy fans. Why me?” I asked, genuinely confused.

He paused for a moment, finally glancing at me. “Exactly. That’s why. They’re too... enthusiastic. They’d probably bombard him with selfies or something. I need someone who can keep it together.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Other teachers? They’d see Thanathorn and go into full fan mode—selfies every second, recording videos, smiling and giggling. Yeah, I get it. 

But still...“Can I say no to this?”

The principal didn’t even hesitate, his tone as blunt as ever. “No.”

Great. Of course. No choice, as usual. “Alright,” I muttered, accepting my fate. “I get it.”

“Now go, make sure he’s comfortable,” he said.

“Alright, sir,” I replied and walked out of the office.

                                                                                        ***

Music Room, Later...

As soon as I reached the music room where Thanathorn was supposed to be, I knocked on the door. A man opened it—probably his manager. He scanned me up and down, looking me over before asking, "Oh, are you the representative?"

I nodded and greeted him, "Sawasdee krap."

He smiled and opened the door wide. And there he was again—Thanathorn. But this time, he was right in front of me. His makeup artist was busy working on his face, while he was casually scrolling through his feed. His whole vibe screamed "superstar."

His manager stepped forward, "Than, this teacher is going to be our representative for today."

Thanathorn didn’t even look up from his phone. He just mumbled, "Umm."

His manager smiled at me and said, "He is Thanathorn, you probably know him."

I smiled and nodded, “Sawasdee krap, P'Than,” I said, giving a respectful bow, because, well, that’s just the discipline. 

His manager turned to me again and asked, “I forgot to ask, your name?”

I smiled, “Oh, it’s Phuwin. You can call me Win.”

His manager nodded, and then the makeup artist, who’d been working on him, said with a proud smile, “It’s done. You can change now.”

That’s when Thanathorn finally looked up from his phone and glanced into the mirror. As he did, he caught sight of me. Through the reflection, his eyes met mine, and once again, his expression softened. There was a flicker of surprise, like he wasn’t expecting to see me here, in this place, at this moment.

And just like that, I could feel something shift in the air between us again. There it was again—an unexpected moment, like the universe pressing pause.

And just like that, time seemed to freeze for a brief moment between us—or am I getting it wrong again?