Cyan stepped into the office, the usual buzz of keyboards and papers surrounding him. But something was different today.
Cyan glanced at Sam's empty seat and murmured, "So… he really is late."
He quietly pulled out his chair and sat down with a slight bend.
A small smile appeared on his face as he thought, Will I meet her again?
If she really joined as a new employee… then I might.
A little joy filled his heart...
Just then, all the other coworkers stood up straight, as if showing respect.
Here comes Boss Mai...
The moment she stepped into the room, her eyes landed on Cyan — wearing an unusually bright, happy face.
Her lips curled into a smile as she walked over to him.
Cyan, still thinking about the lady, didn't even notice her.
She leaned down slightly in front of him and said in a teasing voice,
"Well, isn't our Cyan having a joyful day today? Did something good happen, lil' Cyan?"
Cyan flinched slightly, surprised.
It was the kind of shock a little brother feels when his sister catches him keeping a secret.He shook his head quickly.
"Ahem. Boss Mai — when did you get here? And what joy? What happy day?"
He rested his chin on his hand in a fake thinking pose, trying to act natural.
Mai's eyes lit up with a sudden shine — like she'd just gotten an idea.
She glanced at Cyan, suspicious. Is he hiding something from me? Did something really good happen to him?
A teasing plan formed in her mind.
But before she could act on it, her eyes shifted to Sam's desk.
And just like that, her smile vanished.
"Where is Sam? Is he late again?" she asked, her voice dropping.
"I've warned him again and again—argh!"
Cyan calmly replied,
"Well, I didn't see him, so I guess… he's late."
Cyan, unknowingly, had just been saved — by Sam, of all people.
Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps echoed from the hallway.
A voice followed:
"WOooo—move, move, moveee!"
Huff... huff…huff
"Good morning, Boss Mai! Sorry, I'm a bit—"
SMACK.
"—sob... sob... late..."
"Boss, why'd you hit me? I'm only five minutes late!" Sam whimpered.
Mai glared at the wall clock.
Sam turned to look too.
"10:30," she said flatly. "And you think you're only five minutes late? Is your watch running thirty
minutes behind or something?"
"Bossss, that... sorry, boss... sob sob..."
His eyes teared up dramatically — emotional face, activated.
"There was an old woman—she needed help, so I—"
SMACK.
"Same old trick, Sam! This is your last warning. Go start working!"
"Yes, boss..." Sam sniffled as he slowly walked to his desk, his back bent, dragging himself
along like a cartoon character having the worst morning ever.
Cyan slowly walked over to Sam and said, "Thanks."
Sam, still bitter about his rough morning, thought Cyan was mocking him — since he
unintentionally gave Cyan a peaceful start to the day.
With a sudden roar of rage, Sam yelled, "CYAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
SMACK!
Mai, who was heading back to her desk, returned again.
All the other employees — including Yuna — clapped with amusement.
"Wooow! Hat trick!" someone cheered as the office filled with laughter.
Mai frowned and said, "Why the heck are you yelling again?"
"Sam, if you keep silent, I can actually tell y'all something," Mai said sharply.
"Well, everyone, pay attention," she added,clapping her hands lightly, drawing the attention of all eight employees."
"We have two new employees joining today."
A small wave of surprise went through the group.
"What? Again? Two more employees?" someone muttered.
"Two more? Oh, right… yeah, we do have two seats left," another said.
"Yes. Each team should have ten employees," Mai explained.
"It's been a year since our team last had all ten members. Since Yuna joined, we've had eight.
And now these two seats will finally be filled."
Sam, who was still sulking, suddenly stood up in shock and turned to Cyan.
"Cyan! You heard that? Two more employees! Last time it was Yuna, and she's sitting to your
left. And look! We have two seats left in front of you, so if this time two beautiful ladies
join—huhuhu—they're gonna sit right there!"
Sam drifted into his daydream with a stupid grin on his face.
"Hmph," Cyan muttered.
His thoughts wandered: "Will that girl… be the new employee?"
"No… she was heading toward Team 2's area, so she won't be."
A sudden flicker of excitement ran through him, but it quickly vanished with that second thought.
Still… a small trace of curiosity remained.
The door opened slowly, and soft light spilled into the room from the hallway.
A young, beautiful girl stepped in, her elegant dress catching the light. Her face glowed in the
soft brightness, her brown eyes shining and her golden-blonde hair almost sparkling.
Everyone froze in shock.
"Is she… a celebrity? A model? She's so pretty…" someone whispered.
Sam, who had been zooming in on her with full focus, couldn't handle her beauty—he flew
backward dramatically, blood spurting from his nose.
Cyan, who had only given a small glance at first, suddenly widened his eyes. His heartbeat
began to rise again. The room seemed to blur, like it was filling with smoke—he could only see
her slow, graceful steps.
It's her… she's going to be an employee here…
Cyan's face brightened like never before, joy flashing across it.
Meanwhile, Sam, who had landed on the floor, still had blood pouring from his nose. He shook
like a fish just pulled from water as he slowly, painfully got up—only to collapse again.
The girl stopped at the center of the room and said softly, "Hi, I'm Alia Fene."
Her voice alone was enough to fill the room with freshness, as if everyone's ears had been
washed clean.
Sam, who had barely managed to stand, flew backward once more with another nosebleed jet...
Cyan felt something new—his once desert-like heart had turned into a blooming field of flowers.
His expression softened, blooming just like that field.
Even the usually tyrant-like Mai, who rarely showed emotion, muttered under her breath,
"Whoa… kawaii…" Her eyes glittered like stars.
"Ahem… well, Alia, you know me—but still, I'm Mai, Team 1's leader."
"As you can see, we have 8 members right now. Including you and the other new one, we'll
have 10."
Alia gave a small nod.
"And yeah—wait a second. Yuna!" Mai called out.
"Yes, boss," Yuna responded, showing her presence.
"Alia, this is Yuna. She's also a newbie like you—she joined yesterday, so you two can get
along."
Alia looked at Yuna and smiled, like she was ready to be friends. Yuna also smiled gently in
return.
Mai added, "I'm saying this because you're both new," Mai continued, "so it'll be easier to get
used to things if you stick together. And of course, don't forget to mingle with the rest of the
team—they're all friendly."
Alia looked at the others and gave a warm smile that melted every employee's heart.
Sam, who had barely stood up, collapsed again dramatically.
Cyan, still stealing glances at Alia, turned toward the window—trying to look uninterested.…
though his mind was still trapped in the room."
Mai leaned closer to Alia.
"That guy, Sam—be careful around him," she warned jokingly.
Alia nodded, a little nervous.
Sam overheard. "Huh?! Beware of who? Hey—I'm not some gangster , you know!" he
said dramatically, his voice echoing hollowly.
Mai laughed. "I'm kidding, Alia! It's just a joke—haha!"
Sam let out a loud, annoyed tsk.
"Okay, Alia, you can go sit—"
Before Mai could finish, Sam rushed over to the empty seat beside his own, dramatically pulling
the chair out like a gentleman. "Right here, miss! Please, make yourself comfortable," he said,
flashing a cheesy grin.
All the other employees looked on blankly. Yuna sighed, already familiar with Sam's antics.
Cyan, still near the window, glanced at Sam with a deadpan expression.
Mai continued, "Go sit in front of Cyan."
"Huh? What? Boss, no!" Sam protested. "That's not fair!"
"What's not fair?" Mai raised an eyebrow.
"C'mon, boss, Cyan is boring. He doesn't talk, doesn't care—Alia's new, she'll get bored! But I
can help her! I'm full of energy!" Sam pleaded.
Alia, who finally realized the quiet boy she met in the elevator was Cyan, looked at him and
smiled softly.
Cyan, noticing her smile, blushed… and instantly turned back to the window like he was trying
to hide his whole face.
Mai, catching that blush for the first time, blinked. Wait—what did I just see? Did he actually
make a facial expression...?
Haha… this might be interesting. Maybe I should let Alia stay near Sam just to watch what
happens…
She chuckled with an evil laugh in her head.
Cyan, still staring out the window, suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. Who's scheming
against me…?
Alia, who caught his reaction, smiled again—like she'd just seen something cute.
"Okay, Alia, go sit in front of Cyan," Mai said. Then she leaned in and whispered, "Try to get
along with him. He's the one I mentioned to you before."
Alia grinned. "Leave it to me. He's kinda cute, haha."
Sam, eyes watery, said, "Boss, that's not fair. Why not me…"
"Sam, you idiot, shhh. The next newbie is even cuter and prettier than Alia."
Mai blinked at Sam like she was giving him exactly what he wanted.
Sam, who had nothing but bad luck all day, finally felt like fortune had smiled . He
leaned toward Cyan, grinning wide.
"Hahaha, Cyan, did u hear that! Boss said the next newbie is even cuter than Alia!
Hahaha!"
He was acting like he'd just reached the top of Everest.
Cyan, still staring out the window, didn't even react. He didn't hear a word Sam said...
Alia made her way to her seat, each step light but graceful...
Cyan was still pretending to look out the window.
Sam bowed toward her. "I'm Sam. If you need anything, you can ask me. I'm always here for
you," he said with a flirty tone. "If you ever get bored sitting over there… you can always sit in
front of me."
Alia laughed. "Nice to meet you, Sam. Haha, okay—I'll come to you if I ever get bored."
Sam nearly passed out again. He quickly pinched his nose—"Not again..."
Alia sat down gently, then turned to Cyan with a warm look..
"Hi, I'm Alia. And you?..."
Cyan, who was blushing, quickly forced himself to act normal.
"O-oh h-hi… I-I'm Cyan…"
He was visibly shaking.
Sam, watching from the side, was shocked. Is he shaking?! No way… don't tell me she's the
one who can move rocks with her charm! Hehehe…
Sam now had a new thing to tease Cyan about…
Cyan felt another chill.
"Ahem, I'm Cyan," he repeated.
Alia smiled warmly at him.
That made Cyan blush again—but this time, he held it in.
Alia noticed and smiled even more, finding it adorable.
Her smile warmed something in him — his ears turned pink as he quietly looked away.
Sam, witnessing this rare event, whispered like his life's goal was complete:
"I saw a humanoid robot blush… I can now peacefully die."
His soul floated slowly towards heaven.
Cyan, who couldn't handle it anymore, looked back out the window and said without facing Alia,
"Well, I hope you'll get used to being here…"
Alia smiled sweetly. "Ahem, same. I'll try to get along."
"Well, well... and now, everyone—our last employeeee..." Mai announced with flair.
Sam grinned wide. "Here comes my señorita~" he said, swaying dramatically, his face turning
red like a bull ready to charge. Steam puffed from the same nose that had just rained blood.
Everyone leaned forward, curious again. Sam, still recovering but full of hope, waited for his
desk-mate with sparkly eyes.
The door creaked open...
Click... click...
Elegant, pretty legs stepped in, wrapped in a stylish girlish outfit and shiny heels.
Sam saw just the legs. "So pretty..." he whispered, heart pounding.
Then the figure walked in fully.
Sam looked up—
Boom…
Sam's eyes exploded like twin volcanoes — and right after, his nose followed suit, bursting open like a broken pipe..
A fountain of blood shot up—and he flew.
Straight backward, limbs flailing, as if he'd been hit by a truck of betrayal.
"NOOOO—" his voice echoed through the room before thud! Silence.
The whole team stared.
Even Cyan blinked…