Mai leaned out of her office, her voice sharp.
"Sam. Give me that file."
Sam clutched it to his chest dramatically. "You… you're actually going to read my hard work?!"
"Just give it," Mai sighed.Reluctantly, Sam handed it over.
"Fine. But prepare yourself for brilliance."
Mai flipped through the file, scanning carefully. Minutes passed. The whole office grew tense, watching her face for a reaction.Finally, she closed the folder and said, "Guys, want to hear a song?"
The room froze.
Sam's eyes immediately welled up. He slammed his hands on the desk. "S-see?! Boss is so
moved she's going to sing… for me! Sob, sob…!" He covered his face, overwhelmed with joy.
"Unlimited happiness is filling my body right now!"
The other employees stared in shock.
"What?! Boss is really going to sing?"
"Wait… does that mean Sam actually worked hard on his file?"
Luc gasped and threw his hands up. "So cool, Sam! Even Boss is singing for your effort!
Mwah, mwah, mwah!" He blew a shower of flying kisses toward him.
Sam leapt into action like a superhero, twisting and dodging left, right, up, and down to avoid the incoming kisses. "Too slow! Too obvious! You'll never hit me!"
The office erupted in chaos.
"Shush, guys. Just listen—it's a nice song. You'll like it," Mai said.
Everyone perked up, ears wide open, ready to hear.
Mai cleared her throat and began to sing.
"Ahem, ahem—voice check, voice check… okay!"
The office fell silent, watching.
Then, without warning, she began to sing—
🎵 "Rise and shine, oh world of mine~"
🎵 "Today I'll sparkle, today I'll shine~"
Everyone froze.
"W-woah… Boss really sings well!"
"Her voice is so sweet!"
"She's so cool!"
Luc and Alia, who were both on their very first day, were stunned. To them, Mai didn't seem like a terrifying boss at all—she looked friendly, even cute.Without knowing her true side, they both carried this gentle image of her straight into their hearts.
Cyan leaned slightly toward Sam, still in shock. "Sam… did you really work that hard?
She's actually singing. I thought she was mocking you, but…"Sam didn't reply.Cyan glanced at him and saw he was frozen in place, not even blinking. Misunderstanding the silence, Cyan patted him on the shoulder.
"I know, you're too shocked. Your hard work finally paid off. Nice work, buddy."
He gave him another pat, not realizing the real reason Sam couldn't move.
Then Cyan quietly returned to his chair and started working.
In the background, Mai's voice soared again:
🎵 "Watch me dazzle, steal the show~"
🎵 "I'm the star you'll never outglow~"
The employees cheered.
"Yahoo, Boss! Amazing!"
"Boss, you should change your career!"
Luc and Alia even stood up, clapping and cheering for Mai's performance.
But while everyone was celebrating, the man who had been full of happiness just moments
ago—The man Mai was singing the song for—
Sam…
... was now cracked in the center, like an old rock."
Luc glanced at Sam and saw him frozen stiff.
"Awww… Sam really got shocked, seeing Boss reward his hard work."
Luc clasped his hands dramatically. "Here, this is my reward for you, my cool Sam."
He puckered his lips into a heart shape and leaned in slowly, eyes closed,
moving closer and closer for a kiss.
Alia, watching from her desk, whispered, "Aww… so romantic…"
Cyan, on the other hand, completely froze at the sight.
Then—smoooch!
Sam's hand had instinctively shot up to block Luc's face, but Luc ended up kissing Sam's palm instead.
"Ewwww! Bleghhh! Baaaaahhh!" Sam screamed, flailing his hand like it was cursed.
"You punk! Why did you kiss my hand?! Blehhhhh!"
The office burst into laughter as Sam pointed at Mai, still singing in the background.
"Boss! Stop!!
how—how do you even know my song? Wait, wait, wait—how do you even know my song?! Are you secretly stalking me, Boss?!That's my song! I wrote it, and only I'm supposed to know it!Sam hugged his own body tightly, shivering in fake fear. "Boss… are you secretly stalking me?!"
Mai's song screeched to a halt. Her face darkened like an old steam train ready to explode.
"You damn wicked brat! Why on earth would I stalk you? Who do you think you are,
some kind of celebrity?!" Smoke practically shot out of her head.
But Sam shouted back,
"If you weren't stalking me, then how do you even know the song I wrote?!"
Suddenly, a sharp flash crossed Sam's mind. Something clicked. He froze again.
Mai's furious glare made it all too clear.
Sam… had handed her the wrong file. Not his actual work file.
Everyone slowly realized the truth—the song Mai had just sung was actually written by Sam.
The office erupted with cheers.
"Sam! You're amazing!"
"What a talented songwriter!"
But for Sam, none of that cheering mattered now. He had made a grave mistake.
Luc leaned in with sparkling eyes"Whoa, Sam, you're so cool!" Luc gasped.
"A real songwriter! Worthy to be my boyfriend!"
Sam couldn't handle Luc anymore. He ran straight to Mai.
"Sorry, boss! I didn't mean it—I think I brought the wrong file. But I really finished my work,
I swear!"This time, Sam wasn't acting. He was sincerely apologizing.
Mai's eyes narrowed. "How can you be so careless? If you really finished your work,
then why did you hand me this file? Were you writing songs after work?"
Sam scratched his head, embarrassed. "S-sorry, Boss. I do have a hobby of writing songs…
Every night I scribble down a few lines. I never thought it would end up here. Sorry, Boss."
Mai sighed. Seeing Sam genuinely sorry, her tone softened slightly.
"Fine. I'll forgive you. But I told you to submit that file today. If you hadn't realized…" She leaned forward, eyes sharp. "I'd have no choice but to sue you."
Her words struck like a death sentence.
"B-Boss, nooo! Please don't sue me! It was just a mistake!" Sam begged, dropping to his knees.Mai's expression stayed cold.
"Rules are rules. Today was the final deadline. If you can't bring the real file, then you'll face the consequences."
Suddenly, the office alarm rang—lunch break.
Mai crossed her arms. "It's lunch break. You have one hour. Within that hour,
bring me the real file."
Sam gasped. "What?! One hour?! I can bring it, but… what about my lunch, Boss?"
"That's up to you," Mai said flatly. "Eat or don't eat—I don't care. But you must submit."
Sam, realizing he had no choice if he wanted to save his job, grabbed his wallet and bolted out of the office.
Luc watched him go with teary eyes. "My poor Sam… Boss, can't you forgive him just a little?
If you do this, he won't even get to eat lunch…"
Mai shook her head. "I can't do anything. If he doesn't submit today,
the company itself will sue him."
Cyan didn't say a word. He only let out a heavy sigh—as if to say, It's your own carelessness.
Alia leaned closer, whispering, "Poor Sam… shouldn't he at least have checked before running off?Do you think he grabbed the wrong file again, or missed something?"
Cyan shook his head. "I don't know.
Maybe he was in such a hurry this morning that he picked it up without checking."
"Yeah, maybe…" Alia sighed. Then her tone shifted.
"Well, it's lunch time. Do you bring food from home or go to the canteen?"
"Canteen," Cyan replied.
Alia smiled. "Canteen? Then… can I tag along too?"
Cyan paused. The thought of having lunch alone with Alia—just the two of them—sparked a
small, quiet happiness inside him. He didn't even know why it mattered so much, but it did.
"Well… yeah. If you want to come, let's go eat together."
They began walking toward the exit, but before they could get far, a soft voice called out.
"Hey, you two—going for lunch?"
It was Yuna.
Alia turned with a friendly smile. "Yes, we are. What about you, Yuna?"
Yuna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, I didn't bring any lunch,
so I was heading to the canteen ."
Alia's smile brightened. "Canteen? Perfect, we're also heading there. Wanna join us?"
Cyan, however, didn't even glance at Yuna. He kept his expression blank,
giving not a single hint of acknowledgment.
Still, Yuna's eyes flicked toward him as she spoke. "If you don't mind… I'll join."
Yuna agreed to join, her tone polite as ever. But when Alia turned away,
her eyes lingered on Cyan.
It wasn't the look of a coworker.
It was something heavier. Something Cyan couldn't afford to face.