That might have been the most challenging turning point in a teacher's life at least in my case. It happened on the thirtieth; the next day was the first, lottery day. I tried buying a lottery ticket for the first time thanks to Grandma Manee, the vegetable vendor, and Grandma See, the famously kind-hearted lottery seller, who kindly allowed me to pay two hundred baht later.
Month One
Whoa, ten baht!
Month Two
Whoa, the last two digits!!
Month Three
What nothing? I spent three hundred…
Month Four
Not a single number, and that cost one thousand! Nothing! Nothing! I haven't won for almost a yearrrrr!
Every time I bought a ticket, I imagined myself paying off debts just like the elderly lottery seller firmly promised. But whenever I lost, my spirit died a little, and I ended up mumbling an embarrassed "I'll pay next time…" By the time I realized it, I'd basically become a full-on lottery addict hunting numbers every month, and unable to look the lottery dealer in the eye.
Why on earth was my very first year as a government kindergarten teacher so heartbreakingly poor?
The young-looking teacher could only sigh at personal misfortune, wandering around with teaching materials in both arms, putting everything away like an empty shell.
By the time the classroom was finally cleaned, the few teachers in this tiny rural school had all gone home, leaving the evening atmosphere lonely, hollow, and a little depressing.
I suddenly thought about Grandma See, the lottery vendor. Haven't seen that elderly lady for a while. Rumor had it that poor health had caught up well, at that age it shouldn't be surprising. Someone said the son had come home to take care of that bedside, so maybe things were not too serious.
I wanted to visit, yet I owed too much lottery money to bring anything over. Would that elderly seller think I was heartless? After all, that heartwarming granny was always kind and oddly fond of this tiny city-born teacher who was somehow poorer than most rural folks here.
Utterly embarrassing. When will I ever win the lottery? What really sent chills down my spine wasn't the mother it was the son everyone in the village kept whispering about. Rumor had it that the guy was vicious, causing trouble since childhood.
Some even said he killed someone as a minor, which was why his mother sent him overseas.
Just overhearing that made my skin crawl hot and cold all at once. And what if that guy shows up demanding the lottery money and isn't as sweet as the mother? What the hell am I supposed to do then?!
I've barely been a teacher for a yea I seriously hope I won't end up murdered and buried somewhere in this countryside before my career even gets started. While I was lost in thought searching for my motorcycle key to head back to the teacher housing… the last person I wanted to see suddenly appeared.
"I'm here to collect the lottery money, Teacher Looktan."
A deep, icy voice came from behind so low and rumbling it made me jump. Just hearing that tone alone was terrifying enough, but when the words "collect the lottery money" hit my ears, every hair on my body stood up. I wanted to run, yet somehow my legs refused to move, like I'd been cursed on the spot.
"Heard you vanished ever since my mother got sick. Don't you think it's time to be responsible and return what you owe? You've racked up enough to buy a house by now."
The cold voice let out a laugh, but it didn't make the atmosphere any less suffocating especially this late in the evening. Who was I supposed to scream for out here? The more I tried to think of an escape plan, the closer those heavy footsteps felt behind me.
My hand tightened around my cloth bag, face paling as I slowly turned toward the voice. What kind of "monster" would someone with such a vicious rumor look like?
Gulp.
I swallowed down pure fear along with a suddenly bone-dry throat.
The man standing in front of me was massive his build completely blocking me from view. The height difference alone made my chest tighten. My round eyes traced upward, landing on a honey-toned chest inked with dark tattoos that screamed danger.
And yet… I couldn't look away.
Handsome. So damn handsome. Criminally handsome so much so that my brain refused to believe he was real.
His shirt hung open, exposing sculpted pecs and those neat rows of abs. Broad shoulders like a professional fighter, a strong neck leading up to a razor-sharp jawline. Every feature hit like a punch even in the dim twilight thick lips, a high-cut nose bridge, narrow jet-black eyes framed by bold brows. Rugged, cool, raw, dangerous easily the most ridiculously attractive man I'd ever seen.
And inside my head, only one word echoed as everything about him seized my gaze:
Delicious.
It seemed the tall figure was also scanning me in silence, as if sizing me up after finally getting a clear look at my face. Smooth skin, small pink lips slightly flushed from the evening chill, short shoulder-length hair, and that khaki teacher uniform that honestly looked nothing like a teacher more like a kid cosplaying as one.
The chill that had been crawling up my spine just moments ago suddenly turned into a burning heat. We accidentally swallowed at the same time, something unexplainable stirring in the air between us something hungry.
Just looking… and it already felt like this.
The new lottery collector was every bit as scorching as Thai sunlight raw, rugged, dangerous, the kind of danger that made me want to stand close enough to get burned by those broad shoulders.
My mind slipped into places it shouldn't wondering just how dangerous "things like that" with someone like him could get. The thought was shameless, yet impossible to chase away.
How long had my dull little teacher life gone without excitement like this? And now here he was someone who made it impossible to stop wanting.
I stood frozen, eyes glazed, like I'd been bewitched, staring at that rock-solid chest until my head went light.
That body so wickedly tempting…
handsome like a literal demon.
A soft gasp slipped from my lips before I even realized it, and I quickly pressed a hand over my mouth, horrified I'd just said my thoughts out loud.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Careful, Teacher you're drooling. Starving or something?"
That low voice curled right against my ear as the collector leaned down, lips close enough to brush skin, the bridge of that sharp nose teasing along the edge of my heated ear provoking without a single crude word.
A large hand rested lightly on my waist, and just that touch stirred something instinctive like a hunter brushing prey.
My whole body burned instantly, a tiny tongue darting out to wet dry lips as I stared up at the towering figure like I couldn't look away.
My fingers moved on their own, tracing a slow line down the solid chest, along the cut between those muscles, stopping just above the waistband of rugged denim. My bottom lip caught between my teeth, eyes turned warm and glossy nothing like the terrified mess I'd been a moment ago.
Maybe this poor teacher had been broke long enough to skip proper meals.
By the looks of it…
hungry.
The bulky underground lottery boss lowered his sharp, chiseled face toward the pale one beneath him, noses practically touching apparently delighted by the tiny kindergarten teacher's unexpected boldness.
He leaned in on purpose, voice rough and husky right by the teacher's ear, as if he was teasing something dangerous out of the flustered young man right in front of him.
"Hungry, sweetheart? Drooling already… huh."
The corner of his mouth curled into a wicked smirk, that deep voice rumbling low as his gaze stayed glued to those soft lips like he was about to devour them whole.
The small hand pressed against his solid chest, and the little teacher nodded just a bit adorably meek and absolutely begging to be ruined.
Who the hell wouldn't want to take something that cute? He slid his slender arms up to loop around that thick neck, lips parting in shameless invitation.
"If you're hungry… would you kindly feed me something?
Dark desire clouded his brain, making his small body lean into that muscular chest, completely forgetting why he even came to see his debt collector in the first place.
This sweet, gentle kindergarten teacher didn't look anything like the needy little slut trembling under him right now. Honestly, Luk-Tan might not be cut out for teaching kids at all he'd make a better pet for a lottery boss.
Hungry.
Suddenly he was starving starving for something that definitely wasn't food.
He never knew deprivation of that kind could hit this hard. Bad boys weren't even his type, but this one made his instincts claw and scream until his whole body ached.
Years of working with barely anything left.
Never getting to relax.
Almost depressed at this point.
I deserved a little release just once.
If he could taste this raw, dangerous man even one time… maybe he'd finally figure out whether he belonged in heaven or hell.
The man's sharp eyes locked on the tiny teacher who dared ask him to feed him with that oh-so-tempting tone. Fair and delicate like this? He'd love to see how long he could last.
"If you're hungry then go eat. Why starve?"
FWIP!
Without another word, that rough giant grabbed his waist and hoisted him up onto his huge motorcycle parked nearby.
The small body was sat up front, his back pressed right against that solid chest as the boss leaned down, took the handlebars, started the engine with a couple of loud revs, and drove off.
"W-Where are you going?"
The little teacher asked over the rushing wind when they passed his dorm.
"To get food, obviously. Or do you have something edible in that teacher dorm of yours?"
He smirked wickedly at the road ahead, voice annoyingly pleased.