Morning
9:47 AM
The number at the bottom corner of Chihiro's laptop screen flipped to the odd minute just as she closed her weekly report.
She stared at the words "Submitted successfully" for one more second—as if to make sure everything was truly finished—before finally standing up.
The meeting room door opened almost immediately.
The sound of chairs scraping, low conversations overlapping, and the lingering scent of cold coffee filled the air.
Chihiro stepped out into the hallway.
Her shoulders felt slightly sore.
Not from exhaustion—but from the tension that had stretched from early morning until now.
— Did I do well?
The familiar question surfaced again.
This time, however, it didn't tighten her chest like before.
It was merely a light self-check—more habit than anxiety.
She was about to turn toward the Marketing & Communications Department when she suddenly slowed to a stop.
Just outside the office, several female employees were gathered together.
They weren't loud.
But they weren't quiet enough to be accidental either.
"Hey, did you hear the news?"
"Huh? What news?"
"Mei and Itsuki—you know. They posted photos yesterday. Publicly dating and all."
"Ara… that's unexpected."
"Unexpected? I totally suspected it before!"
Soft laughter followed.
Not malicious.
But not entirely innocent either.
Chihiro stood a few steps away, her pace slowing.
— Ah… so that's it.
She had no intention of eavesdropping.
But the keywords slipped into her ears anyway.
Mei. Itsuki. Public relationship.
Another couple within the company.
"Office romance really is… tough,"
she murmured—quiet enough for only herself to hear.
Not out of jealousy.
Nor curiosity.
But because she understood.
Understood how other people's gazes—whether intentional or not—could easily become a burden.
At that moment—
A low, cool voice sounded from behind.
"Hey. You girls over there."
Not loud.
Not sharp.
But enough to change the atmosphere instantly.
Chihiro turned around reflexively.
Takahashi.
He had just stepped out of the large conference room.
His suit was immaculate, a thin folder in hand.
Behind his glasses, his expression showed little emotion—but his displeasure was unmistakable.
The female employees flinched.
"S-Sorry!"
They bowed repeatedly before quickly dispersing, hurrying back to their desks.
The hallway grew quiet again.
Watching the scene, Chihiro felt a very small sense of satisfaction rise within her.
— Serves them right.
But before that feeling could spread—
"Mizuno-san!"
Hana's voice rang out from behind.
Chihiro startled.
"Hana-senpai!"
"Thank goodness, I finally found you," Hana sighed in relief, still holding a thick stack of documents.
"Hm? Is something wrong?" Chihiro tilted her head.
Hana glanced at her watch, then at the pile of paperwork in her arms—clearly overwhelmed.
"Could you help me submit the year-end salary and bonus statistics to accounting on the upper floor?"
"I'm swamped right now."
She clasped her hands together, practically begging.
Chihiro hesitated briefly.
She looked at the documents.
Then toward the elevators.
And saw Takahashi standing there, waiting—showing no sign of leaving immediately.
— Riding together…?
The thought made her chest tighten ever so slightly.
"…Alright. I'll do it."
Hana's face immediately lit up.
"Thank you so much!"
Chihiro took the documents.
They were heavier than she had expected.
Not just because of the number of pages—
But because she knew that in just a moment, she would be standing in the same elevator as Takahashi.
She took a deep breath.
Then walked toward him.
---
Elevator — The Boundary
They stood side by side.
Not too close.
Not too far.
A distance just wide enough to avoid contact—
yet close enough to sense each other's presence.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
A group of employees stepped out, chatting cheerfully.
The interior quickly emptied.
Chihiro and Takahashi stepped inside.
The doors closed.
A confined space.
Silence.
Only the steady hum of the elevator machinery remained.
"You're heading upstairs too, Mizuno-san?"
Takahashi spoke first.
His tone was neutral—professional.
"Which floor?"
"Eighth floor."
Chihiro answered briefly.
She stared straight ahead.
Didn't turn to look at him.
Not because she didn't want to talk—
But because she was preparing herself.
Takahashi pressed the button for the eighth floor.
As the elevator began to move, he let out a very small breath.
He shifted slightly, as if about to say something—
When Chihiro's voice cut in.
"Senior management shouldn't casually talk to employees during working hours."
Not loud.
Not excessively cold.
But clear.
Decisive.
Leaving no room for retreat.
It felt as if Takahashi had been struck square in the chest.
He froze.
His lips parted slightly, but no words came.
In the end, he straightened his posture again.
"I… apologize."
His voice was quieter than usual.
Something was missing.
The elevator doors opened.
"I'll be going ahead."
Chihiro said.
Takahashi nodded.
He watched her back as she walked away.
Not knowing that—
The moment Chihiro stepped out of the elevator, she smiled faintly.
A very small smile.
— Alright.
— I kept the boundary.
---
POV: Chihiro — Finance Floor
"Hm… where's the accounting office?"
Chihiro stood in the hallway on the eighth floor, glancing around.
The atmosphere here was completely different.
Fewer voices.
Less movement.
A heavy stillness hung in the air.
She stopped in front of a door labeled Finance Department.
"This should be it…"
She swallowed.
"But why does it feel so… oppressive?"
Even before opening the door, she could feel the pressure radiating from inside.
She gently pushed it open.
The scene before her made her instinctively hold her breath.
Employees sat tightly packed together.
Eyes glued to their screens.
No smiles.
No conversation.
Only the relentless sound of keyboards.
"Um… excuse me…"
She called out to a male employee passing by.
"Where's the accounting office?"
He pointed down the hall.
"Ah… thank you very much."
Chihiro smiled awkwardly.
The deeper she went, the heavier the air became.
A chill ran down her spine.
The accounting office.
Inside, a woman wearing glasses was working.
Neatly tied hair.
Sharp eyes.
Her keyboard clacked nonstop.
Chihiro approached.
"I'm here to submit the year-end salary and bonus statistics."
The typing stopped.
Chihiro's heart pounded.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then the typing resumed.
"Leave it on the desk."
A cold voice.
"Yes."
Chihiro complied and turned to leave.
"Wait."
She stopped short.
"Who gave this to you?"
"Hana-san, from the Marketing Department."
The woman murmured quietly.
"She still hasn't changed…"
"Um… is there a problem?"
"No."
"Just minor issues."
"You can return to work."
Chihiro let out a quiet sigh of relief.
But—
"Wait."
The voice behind her spoke again.
This time, different.
"I have something I want to ask you."
"Yes?"
Chihiro replied, keeping her tone politely neutral.
"You're the new employee, right? You've been working here for almost three weeks?"
Chihiro nodded lightly.
"Is there an issue?"
The woman—Yuki—turned her chair slightly, leaning back.
Her voice remained calm.
"No, not really."
A brief pause.
"I was just curious about the person who was personally interviewed by the CEO."
Chihiro froze.
Yuki placed the report on the desk and leaned forward, sharp eyes fixed on her.
"Perhaps you don't know."
"The person who was supposed to interview you…"
"…was me."
A beat.
"But the CEO came to me and said he would handle it himself."
Chihiro's legs went weak.
---
She took a deep breath.
"Hearing that… I think I understand what's going on."
"And I won't make excuses for it."
She paused.
Slowly turning to face Yuki, her gaze steady.
"However…"
"I will prove that I'm here entirely because of my own abilities."
"Not because of anyone's favoritism."
"Please give me time to prove that."
Yuki looked at her for several seconds.
Then adjusted her glasses slightly.
"I see."
"You may return to work."
Chihiro bowed politely.
Then left.
---
POV: Yuki — Behind the Door
The door to the accounting office closed.
Yuki removed her glasses and placed both hands on her cheeks.
"Oh my goodness…"
"She's so cool!"
Her calm expression from earlier vanished completely, replaced by barely contained excitement.
"I actually thought she was the type to rely on others at first!"
"They really suit each other so well!"
She whispered, giggling.
(Author's Note: She is, in fact, a full-fledged walking surveillance camera—with a highly sensitive love antenna.)
Yuki leaned back in her chair, fingers interlaced.
"The story of a CEO and a new employee…"
"Oh my, just hearing it sounds romantic."
(Author's Note #2: She is also a hardcore fan of office romance novels.)
At that moment, an employee entered.
Yuki immediately straightened her posture and cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
"Is there something you need?"
END
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