Pimploy was overjoyed. Because, if measured by age, Pailin was a late talker compared to other children her age. But her daughter was a kid who had quite a special way to communicate through facial expressions. When her daughter wanted something, she would stare at it for a long time. When she wanted to eat something, she would point. When she was sleepy, she would blink slowly and pout. And even when she was scolded—strangely enough, Pailin wouldn’t cry. Instead, she would lower her head with a dejected expression and slowly walk up to hug her like a sorrowful little kitten.

Told you... Her daughter is easy to raise.

“What is it, my daughter?” Pimploy turned to look and saw Pailin holding something out to her.

“You want to bring this hat with you?” Pailin nodded. Once her mother took it, the little girl ran off and came back with another item.

“Hm? You want to bring these glasses too?” Another nod. She stuffed them into her mother’s hands and turned to grab something else.

“You want to bring Mr. Bear too?” The little girl nodded again. The mother laughed. “Alright, but Mr. Bear will be the last one.”

Pailin made a resigned face, tilting her head as she walked over to sit beside her mother, who was packing items into a picnic basket. Inside, there were milk bottles—both breast milk and boxed milk. She also caught a glimpse of another outfit folded inside.

This day, mother and daughter took a taxi to the meeting spot. Pailin was very well-behaved. This was to conserve her energy for the whole day. Being in a child’s body didn’t mean she could do anything just because she had the sheer spirit for it. Pailin needed to live carefully. She shouldn’t overwork herself resisting the fate of a growing child.

When the weather and the sunlight were on their side, everything felt pleasant. The traffic was light, the temperature was fine. There was no need to worry that the little one might get rashes on her skin, which would make the mother’s heart ache. She paid a 200-baht taxi fare and got out of the car. In front of the plaque before the public park, a familiar-looking man already stood waiting for them. Pimploy carried Pailin and walked toward him.

“Big Sister Pim, hello.” The young man raised his hands in a wai.

“Dol, hello. Have you been waiting long? I thought I arrived before the meeting time.”

“Oh, I was walking around checking out locations. I needed to come a bit earlier. What luck—today’s weather is nice.” Nawadol glanced at Pailin and smiled. “How is Little Pailin today?”

Pailin turned to meet his eyes, flashing a heart-melting smile before pretending to be shy, burying her face into her mother’s shoulder and clinging to her like a baby monkey.

“No fussing at all. She’s really excited to be outside.” Pimploy moved her arm to carry her more comfortably. “Little Pailin, say hello to Big Brother Dol. What did Mommy teach you?”

She brushed her face against her mother’s shirt, being a little reluctant before turning to give him another smile. Meanwhile, she complained in her head. For a child of this age, who could talk? However, she had to build a relationship for a bit. The girl extended her tiny hand to him. She clenched and unclenched her fist in the air several times.

Seeing this, Nawadol wiped his hand on his shirt hem a couple of times before extending a finger into the kid’s palm. She grabbed it and shook it back and forth, smiling with delight. Nawadol felt as if he had lost to something—his heart itched. What kind of child was this adorable? The young man withdrew his hand. His love-for-children syndrome must not flare up during work.

"This morning, we’ll start by shooting in the flower garden. Follow me. Big Sister Pim, do you need to prepare anything first? There’s a convenience store right here," Nawadol asked, grabbing the bag from the ground.

"I've brought everything. Let’s start right away so we can take many pictures."

"Alright, then."

Nawadol led the mother and daughter into the inner part of the garden. The distance was quite far, but they reached a spot with few people. He laid down a tarpaulin and placed their belongings under a tree. Nawadol set his bag down and pulled out a camera. One glance, and Pailin could already tell—it was worth no less than six figures.

"I’ve checked the area—there’s no glass shards or wooden debris, but for safety, let her keep her shoes on."

Pimploy nodded. She took her daughter to stand in the middle of the flower garden. There were small purple and white blossoms which were short enough not to make Pailin disappear into them.

"Does Pailin need to do anything special, Dol?" Pimploy asked.

"You can let go of her. Let her do whatever she wants. I’ll handle the rest."

"Okay. Pailin walks quite steadily. You don’t have to worry about her falling, Dol. I’ll keep an eye on her." Pimploy placed Pailin down on the ground and stepped back until she was out of the frame. Without having to be instructed by anyone, the little Pailin had already locked onto the tallest bush. The moment she was released, she dashed straight for it. She reached the back of the bush just as Nawadol called out. "Pailin."

The little girl turned toward the voice, erasing her smile into a neutral expression in a fraction of a second. Half of her face was hidden behind swaying branches of purple flowers. Her grayish-brown eyes widened. One could clearly see the mysterious patterns in those eyes.

Click!

Pailin broke into a wide smile, in the same angle.

Click!

Just two shots. Nawadol pulled the camera away from his eye, glancing down to look at the images that the LCD screen displayed.

Perfect!

My god... If she was already this stunning in the very first shot...

Pailin ran away again. Pimploy jogged at the edges, she didn’t want to disrupt the camera angles. Nawadol had to put his admiration for the photos on hold. There was no need to chase after her, since his lens could zoom across various distances. All he needed to do was observe the little girl through the camera and call her name from time to time.

Nawadol remained in place while Pailin ran further into the open space.

"Pailinnnn, come back quickkkk," the young man shouted. He spoke with a smiley face. He didn’t want to make this photoshoot a serious matter.

Pailin turned back and dropped herself onto the ground. Her hair reflected the sunlight. One could see a faint shadow that reflected lights. A gust of wind blew past, lifting flower petals into the air. Pailin looked up at the sky at a 30-degree angle. She smiled widely; a smile that made the world bright. She had swaying trees, flowers and grass that swayed along with the wind as her background. Her hair rippled.

Click!!

Pailin adjusted the angle of her face slightly downward, looking straight ahead with a smile.

Click!!

Pailin lowered her gaze to the ground at a 30-degree angle, having the same smile.

Click!!

Triple Shot!!!!!!

‘Oh god, the spirits are truly on my side today.’ Nawadol groaned internally. Even when shooting female adult models, giving them directions over and over, he had never gotten images this good.

Pailin stood up, grabbing a flower stem in her hand. Half running, half stumbling, she wobbled toward the photographer. She stopped right in front of the young man, tilting her face up to look at the taller one. The little girl smiled and held out the purple flower in her hand to him.

Nawadol did not take it…

He moved the camera to his eye, holding the lens and making a close-up shot—through the flower—framing Pailin’s face. Her bangs parted over her right eye, the eye that was clear and glossy because of the water that sustained it. The flower covering the left side of her face blurred due to the close range of the lens. Pailin smiled brightly, a kind of smile that only little kids had it!!!

Click!!

Perfect… Again?!

‘I got goosebumpssss.’ The young photographer was screaming inside. Of course, no one knew about it, only he could hear it the loudest.

Whoever said that animals, children, effects, and rigging were difficult to shoot…

Take those words back right now!!!!!!!

The morning part went smoothly. The teddy bear, sunglasses, and even the wide-brimmed hat had all been used up as props. Pailin ran to this and that place mischievously. But when she reached the places where she should move slowly, she would deliberately hold still.

At times, Pailin pretended to be clueless, letting the photographer guide her to wherever he needed. By eleven o’clock, the sun was getting strong. The two adults, fully aware of their responsibilities, asked each other to walk out and have lunch. Afterward, they headed to a cat café.

This plan had never once crossed Little Pailin’s mind, and it wasn’t in any of her mother’s conversations, which meant they must have added this scene behind her back.

The problem was Pailin did not like cats, dogs, lizards, millipedes, or any kind of creature. Back when she was Passorn, she had once felt lonely and asked for a Scottish Fold cat from a fellow actress to keep as a pet. The adorable little kitten would run to rub against her legs affectionately.

Passorn enjoyed it for a few days. By the fifth day, she returned home from an exhausting work and collapsed onto her favorite sofa, one that she paid an outrageously expensive price for it. And she realized that it wasn’t the same. She ran her hand across it until she found three jagged scratches, as if something sharp had run past them. It tore the cushion fabric to the point that the stuffing foam spilled out. Passorn raised her hand to clutch her chest because of the pain in her heart.

…The next day, she returned the cat to its original owner.

Back to the present—Pailin sat among the cats. The cats in the café were well-behaved. Most of them sat flicking their tails in place, as if humans could no longer do anything to trigger their fear. Perhaps, it was because they had encountered more humans than their own species.

A leopard-spotted cat crouched on the floor. With her professional-level acting skills, even when she disliked someone, she could still smile and hold friendly conversations with them. So, it was nothing with these cats. However, the issue was they wouldn’t come near her.

Nawadol held his camera, waiting for the good moment. But when the cats sat still and the person sat still, he had no idea what to do. The leopard-spotted cat seemed confused as to why a human was sitting and staring at it, so it stood up and leapt away in annoyance.

A white Persian cat strutted past, walking gracefully in front of Pailin, who sat on the floor with her arms crossed. Suddenly, it stopped. It turned its head slightly, gazing at the small human through the corner of its eye.

A blue-eyed Persian cat met the gray-eyed human’s gaze.

The cat narrowed its eyes. The child narrowed her eyes too...

Zing...! Invisible electric currents sparked in the air.

Click!! Click!! Click!!

Nawadol quickly pressed the shutter while thinking in his head. Why did an image that was supposed to capture a child playing with a cat adorably turn out to be an image of a stare-down between a human and a cat instead?

But it was fine. It was cute in its own way…

Before they knew it, it was already two in the afternoon. The sunlight was only slightly less harsh than at noon. Pailin was changed into a floral dress. The three of them headed to their next location—the towering grass fields. When the wind blew, the grass flowers would sway along with it. It was a perfect spot for trendy photography, a place where people constantly came to take pictures.

The two adults chose a zone with short grass. The young photographer searched for a place to secure, preparing his equipment. Pimploy also got ready, placing Pailin down on the ground.

"Daughter, are you hot? Do you want to wear a hat? The one you like," Pimploy asked, holding up a light brown wide-brimmed hat to show it to her.

Pailin wore it willingly. With the sun this strong, she might develop freckles prematurely. And since she seemed to have some unidentifiable European heritage, there was a chance she might be susceptible to various skin conditions.

"Okay then, stand right here. Mommy will be just over there." Pimploy stepped aside.

The sunlight was quite intense. Nawadol needed to carefully check the direction and adjust his camera settings. Because if he missed a good shot, he couldn’t ask a slightly over one-year-old kid to redo it.

The photos he got were quite natural. With only a few things in the area to play with, Nawadol focused on capturing the changes in the little kid’s expressions. Sometimes, Pailin ran. Sometimes, she made a lonely face. The little one probably wasn’t paying attention to the photographer. She didn’t understand what a photoshoot was. She likely thought her mother was simply letting her run around. At times, Pailin ran toward her mother, and Nawadol quickly captured it.

It was a picture of a mother in long jeans. She was tall and had a nice figure. She wore a white tribal-style blouse from the northern region. She let her long hair flow. She seemed gentle and bright. She held a little kid, adjusting her child’s hair into place. It was an image that could tell many stories without using words.

Pimploy found a new spot. She placed Pailin down for her to stand there, she then stepped back again.

The little Pailin stood alone in the middle of the brown grass flower field. She stood out because of her floral dress with a little pink color, a flared skirt, and a ribbon tied at the waist.

The young photographer looked at the little girl through his camera. He took a few shots, but he still felt dissatisfied.

Nawadol had only a few definitions for weather conditions when he took photos. If the air was still but he wanted the wind to blow, he would plead to the divine beings. And if the wind did come, he would call it ‘spirit wind, divine wind,’ out of respect for whatever had created it.

And at that moment, the ‘spirit wind, divine wind’ came... Only, it was a bit too strong.

A gust swept through, bending the tips of the grass flowers. It brought away the hat on Pailin’s head. The little girl tried to reach out and grab it, but it was too late. The wide-brimmed hat soared into the sky. Her hair, too, was being blown in the same direction.

Click! Click!

Nawadol snapped the shots just in time. The hat had already landed on the ground. Pimploy ran to pick it up and put it back on Pailin’s head. The little girl smiled, walked over to the picnic bag, and pulled out a pair of sunglasses.

‘Just now, looking at the sun almost blinded me,’ Pailin could only groan in her mind.

Meanwhile, Nawadol looked at the photos on his camera and let out an “Oh.”

And the shoot continued until it was successfully completed. Everyone parted ways. When mother and daughter arrived back at their dorm, they showered and collapsed into deep sleep. Pailin, having already run out of fuel from the time she was in the taxi, could only fall asleep in the embrace of her mother.

Nawadol returned to his place but did not go to sleep yet. He turned on his computer, transferred the photos from the memory card, and started reviewing them. Most of the images were usable, and he quite liked them. The young man selected a few images and edited them using Lightroom. Once the colors became sharp and clear, the lighting and shadows were just right, and with the little model’s heart-meltingly adorable face, everything came together perfectly. Nawadol logged into Facebook and clicked to post an update.

Nawadol Photographer

The first day I met her, she gave me a flower.

Today, I give a flower to her.

#LittleAngel

The first image showed Nawadol’s hand holding out a flower toward the camera with the background featuring Pailin sitting on the grass.

The next ten images captured Pailin in various poses.

The young photographer left his computer on and grabbed a towel to take a shower. After finishing, before he could do anything else, he accidentally fell asleep on his bed. The next morning, Nawadol groggily woke up. The bright light from his monitor made him recall that he had fallen asleep the night before without shutting down his computer. Dragging his feet to sit on his chair, and when he was about to move his mouse to close the browser, his eyes caught the sight of the album of Pailin’s photos that he had uploaded to Facebook the night before.

It turned out that…

It was shared by people 6,000 times!!

"Hey!!!"