Yes — and it was amazing until it wasn’t. I met her on Soi 7 in Pattaya, just standing near the bars with a shy smile. We clicked instantly. After the second time, she stopped asking for money, said she just wanted to “be with me.” For a while, it felt real. We had dinners, beach walks, even Netflix nights. But over time, the truth trickled out — she had two other guys sending her monthly support, and I was just one of the rotation. Falling for a freelancer in Thailand is easy. Staying sane afterward? Not so much.

Back in 2022, I met a freelancer in Bangkok who worked the Terminal 21 plaza. Tall, soft-spoken, and refreshingly honest. We saw each other three times, then started chatting daily. She opened up about her life, her family in Isaan, her dreams. I invited her to Hua Hin for a weekend, and it was like dating a regular girl. But she always kept emotional distance — polite, sweet, but never fully vulnerable. I realized that for many freelancers, even “romance” is a performance. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable — but it had an expiration date from the start.