Love Case Vol. 1

Police Captain Atikom clocked out at exactly noon. He swung by the condo to pick up Anupap, who was already waiting downstairs.

Saturday afternoon heat pressed down like a suffocating blanket. Traffic crawled through the congested streets. But the man behind the wheel radiated an unusual cheerfulness.

"Do you think I'm devastatingly handsome like P'Bud said?" Atikom blurted out.

Anupap froze, unsure how to respond. Captain Atikom was indeed strikingly handsome—everyone said so. But this sudden, random question caught him off guard. He nodded slowly, wondering what trap lay ahead.

"I thought so too." The policeman preened. "But someone this good-looking still doesn't have a boyfriend." He tossed the comment out casually.

The drive to the studio stretched over an hour. Atikom parked in a narrow alley and immediately complained about hunger. Anupap suggested they grab food at a roadside shophouse restaurant to save time.

"You're so easy to please, Khun Nu. You'll eat anything. Someone like you wouldn't be expensive to feed."

Anupap maintained his 'Ice Prince' facade with iron determination whenever Atikom was around. Though sometimes his composure cracked when the peacekeeping officer's teasing pushed him beyond his limits.

Anupap's reserved nature didn't intimidate Atikom in the slightest. The young captain felt refreshed being close to him, acting intimate like lovers—leaving home together, driving to work together, sharing lunch together.

When they entered the studio, several men and women buzzed with excitement at seeing the honorary actor they'd spent so long hunting down.

Atikom in his full dress uniform commanded everyone's attention. The photographer whispered to Anupap, "Devastatingly handsome. Even as a man, I can't look away."

Everyone adopted Sombat's new vocabulary until Atikom laughed with delight. "I think Khun Nu is devastatingly cute and handsome too."

Anupap's face burned without his knowledge. He retreated to a corner, watching Atikom position himself before the camera. The stylist arranged poses that bordered on overly intimate. Sombat's eyes smoldered with jealousy. The makeup artist shot envious glances at the stylist who got to touch the young captain's body.

Atikom looked awkward, unsure how to pose. This man who appeared smooth, natural, and magnetically charming in person transformed completely under the camera's gaze. With spotlights blazing, people staring and barking orders to move his arms, shift his legs, tilt his head and neck—the law enforcement officer became someone else entirely. He looked camera-nervous, his body stiff and wooden.

Anupap couldn't help but smile with amusement.

Atikom caught the expression and scowled in displeasure. 

"Captain, don't frown," the photographer instructed. Anupap turned away, suppressing his smile after being caught.

He probably can't see me with those blinding lights, he thought, worried the captain might file this away as future teasing ammunition.

The shoot wrapped near evening. The entire team dispersed. Anupap, Sombat, and Pojanee prepared to leave for Anek the copywriter's birthday party.

Another Saturday drew to a close. Atikom returned home exhausted. He hadn't imagined modeling would be this draining. Just standing and posing under blazing lights that seared his eyes proved more tiring than chasing down criminals.

If not for Anupap, he would never do anything like this again.

Monday morning, Sombat, Atid, and Pojanee went to present the final details for the car company's consideration before actual filming began. 

Pojanee said, "I'm so excited! Please let the client approve this. Amen..."

Anupap felt no anxiety because he knew no one could refuse a model like Atikom. Even though the studio shoot had ended with the model still looking stiff and wooden, his devastating handsomeness was undeniable.

His prediction proved correct. All three returned to the company with good news.

"You're back early," Anupap asked Pojanee.

"Piece of cake, P'Nu," Pojanee beamed. "The client didn't object to a single thing."

"The moment we showed them the Captain's portfolio, they took one look and nodded immediately. Meeting a devastatingly handsome model like that, they were stunned speechless," Sombat added, grinning so wide his mouth nearly reached his ears.

Atid's face darkened. He remained silent, then separated himself and walked back to his desk, head down, ignoring everyone.

Anupap and Sombat watched him go, then turned to meet each other's eyes.

"Atid was a bit shocked when he opened the portfolio while we waited for Khun Asanai," Sombat said evenly. "He's been possessed by some spirit ever since we got back to the company. Poor thing."

"You chose the Captain yourself. You have to blame yourself."

"Hey, I helped get the job done. See how the client opened the file, looked once, and handed it right back without a single comment. You know the deputy MD here is still young and quite handsome himself. Khun Asanai had been commenting on models the whole time, but when he saw our real Captain... speechless. We can start filming by the end of this week. Everything's ready."

"Atid's probably sulking because we didn't ask his opinion first."

"Come to think of it, if you hadn't crashed into the Captain, none of this would have happened," Sombat teased.

"Hey P'Sombat, the Captain rear-ended my car," Anupap corrected. "Not crashed into Captain Atikom. And all this meddling is his doing too, plus you acting like a pushy big sister."

"Whatever, who crashed into whom doesn't matter. What matters is we got ourselves a heart-stopping handsome model."

"This job might not go smoothly, P'Bud. Your devastatingly handsome guy turns into a stiff zombie in front of the camera," Anupap complained.

"Come on now, we've come this far. We're in the same boat—I'm not letting you drown alone."

Sombat swished away from the office.

Anupap sighed. This advertisement would require working with Atikom—a model who showed every sign of causing considerable headaches. This didn't even count the problem of Atid's hostility toward Atikom.

…

"Your personal assistant really doesn't like me. He's ready to strangle me," Anupap recalled when Atikom complained with a deadpan expression as he drove to the studio shoot. "He's protective of you like a cat guarding its owner..."

"That's enough. No need for comparisons," Anupap cut off the comparison-maker who was chuckling softly in his throat.

…

After lunch, Atikom called to report the car was ready.

"I went to push the mechanic myself. He was scared you'd storm the garage and kill him, so he finished faster than expected," the mischievous captain reported.

"Really? I thought he'd received orders from above to proceed," Anupap said sarcastically.

"Oh, Khun Nu, it was just some sort of technical error," Atikom's voice turned coy. "But the garage took responsibility and rushed to fix it. Please don't hold a grudge."

"Good that they took responsibility. Whoever makes mistakes must be accountable," Anupap emphasized heavily, deliberately needling Atikom.

"Absolutely. Whoever makes mistakes must be accountable," Atikom echoed before adding, "Accountable with their life."

Anupap shook his head at the captain's playfulness.

"I'll take you to pick up the car this evening," he offered, but the Anupap quickly declined.

"It's fine. I went to the garage myself when I went searching for the truth. I can pick up the car alone this time."

"Come on, Khun Nu," the policeman played innocent, pretending not to catch the sarcasm. "Acting like we've never been anywhere together. You have to pay the garage when you pick up the car. They won't let you take it without payment," Atikom reasoned.

"I have money to pay. I'll keep the receipt to claim from you," Anupap argued back.

"I'll be on official business for several days. It'll be ages before you get your money back," he smoothly went with the stubborn flow.

Anupap knew any negotiation would be futile. Atikom was determined to take him to the garage no matter what. He surrendered and arranged to meet Atikom at the mouth of the alley at three-thirty in the afternoon, saying he didn't need to be picked up at the company.

"Are you afraid of someone seeing us?" Atikom's voice turned soft.

"Not at all... I said the mouth of the alley, so the mouth of the alley it is. No need to negotiate even once, okay?"

"Three-thirty won't work. It has to be four-thirty. I don't want to interfere with official working hours," he said matter-of-factly.

Anupap sighed, too tired to argue further. Part of him thought Atikom was being difficult, but another part wondered if he might be serious. He was a police officer—a civil servant. He might genuinely have work to finish.

***