"Section chief!"
"What is it?"
"Section chief, section chief!"
Those dreaded words echoed from all corners of the office. Is this what they call 'life flashing before your eyes?' Yes, that cursed job title that has haunted me throughout the prime years of my youth.
"FUCK I SAID WHAT IS IT?!"
Beeeeeeep, beep, bee-
What a wonderful morning. Be it the ridiculous dream I just had or the feeling of the shattered alarm clock beneath my palm. Truly, life is amazing. Haha… Hahahaha! Haaaaa….
I couldn't even pretend to laugh if I wanted to. The morning started off with a sigh, followed by a sharp pain on my temple, thus marking the beginning of the biggest misfortune I have ever experienced in all my 32 years of living.
I would have started the day off as usual, my mundane life was one full of routine. Get up at 6.50am, freshen up by 7.30, and leave by 7.50, allowing me to avoid the 8.30 traffic.
Contrary to my expectations, the shocking nightmare I had experienced earlier led me to fall behind schedule ever so slightly. I sat upright in bed for 10 minutes contemplating corporate life, leading to me rushing to leave, yet still getting caught in traffic. In hindsight my terribly chaotic morning should have been a sign to call in sick, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way had I just done that…
Now, despite getting caught in a disgustingly huge amount of traffic, failing to get my usual double shot espresso due to the never ending queue and no space in the company's parking lot, I had made it to the office on time.
"Section chief ~" A jolly voice rang behind me.
Gasp. Is this deja vu..? Reluctantly I turned my head to see my fellow corporate sla- I mean coworker holding a pile of unsigned documents. Her jolly expression contrasted with her soulless eyes.
"Mr Lin…"
Her face came closer to mine, yet the only thing in my field of vision were those darn papers in her arms. Her smile seemed to widen as her hand slowly extended. Fuck no… Please no… Don't tell me-
"Mr Lin, these are files our director assigned to us that need signing haha~ Please implement the changes listed and test it until there are no bugs ~~~~"
I felt my soul leave my body as her overly sweet voice rang in my ear, almost causing my eardrums to burst. It was obvious she was losing it as well. As is the life of a corporate slave with no rights… Sure, 'section chief' may sound like a cool title that holds a decent amount of power, but alas, with great power comes great responsibility. By that I mean I have double, no, triple the workload of others for a sliiiiiightly higher salary. In other words, I'm an overworked mule getting paid practically nothing considering my workload.
I peeked at Ms Han's bloodshot eyes and overly friendly smile. My eyes slowly drifted to the papers. Instinctively, I took a step back, to which she responded by pushing forward.
"Mr Lin~~~~~ Don't tell me you're running away ~~~~"
Curses filled my mind upon hearing her exaggerated tone, my ears will literally bleed at this rate. Reluctantly I reached for the doomed stack.
"Of course not, Ms Han, Haha…"
The warm, homely atmosphere was so heartwarming I could almost cry. Feeling the sheer weight of the papers caused a tear to actually drop from my eye.
I found my way to my desk at the forefront of our 'Quality Assurance'' department. I set down the documents before taking a seat and booting up my computer. The pear logo had not even finished loading yet when I saw the face of the man I loathe most. Director Lee. Oh God. No. Not agai-
The man came bearing gifts it seems. Gifts… Yeah right!
Purely by reflex, my business smile flashed across my face,
"Oh~ Our amazing, talented, young and handsome Director Lee, what brings you-"
Now, what's the most important thing about working in an office? Reputation? Wrong. Teamwork? Close, but still wrong. It's knowing when to avoid work! I shamelessly ignored the stack he was holding as I greeted him.
Unfortunately, Mr Lee was a man who cared solely about deadlines. He poked his head out from behind the papers that towered past his forehead, flashing an equally shameless smile.
"Why of course I'm here personally to see our hardworking, dedicated and honest Mr Lin~"
"Hahahaha!" I laughed while brushing off his words and creeping away from him.
Mr Lee followed up with a brilliant laugh himself before straightening his face into a serious expression.
Thud.
He released his stack onto my desk, creating a loud sound.
"Deadline's tonight, I believe in you section chief!"
By the time I finished greeting his ancestors in my head, he had already escaped. I glanced over at the endless paperwork. Only one thought crossed my mind.
"Fuck. Should I quit…"
The heads of every overworked colleague twisted towards me. I realised I had accidentally said my thoughts out loud, but it was too late. The room erupted into pleas and cries.
"Noooooo!!! Please don't leave us chief..!"
"Sir you can't abandon us!!!"
"Section chief, Section chief~~~"
The faces of my sleep deprived colleagues clung onto me. I was about to pass out from stress. Am I secretly a shaman? Do I have precognitive dreams? Fuck I don't even know anymore.
After pushing off my tear soaked colleagues and assuring them I would not resign, I finally sat and started working, ignoring the watchful gazes from the cubicles.
Despite my complaints and the inhumane workload, believe it or not, there was once a time where I had enjoyed my job. Yes I remember…