Work went on smoothly. The days rolled by with uneventful encounters.
Elias and Isabelle worked together most of the time when she wasn't behind her desk, taking up most of his workload.
With Team leader Clara and her team back in the office, the work she had to do reduced drastically and there was no need for so many nightshifts.
In fact, things were brightening up for these overworked office workers.
The competition between Clara and Isabelle was as fierce as ever and this competition favored the others who had nothing to do with it.
As a result, they could sit back with their neck pillow in place and slowly enjoy their cup of coffee.
"I'm so glad we don't have any deadlines coming up," Mira Bae exclaimed as she inhaled the rusty smell of her coffee.
But then her eyes caught Isabelle from the side.
She was working as intently, focused, and at the same time elegantly, as ever.
Her rough bun tied at the back, holding up with a pen, and the stray strands of hair falling at each side of her face should've made her look haggard but instead, she looked undeniably attractive.
Her focus was insane, but one look at that focused and beautiful expression on her face, even a woman could fall for her.
Mira gulped.
'A.M is working so hard,' she thought, and then her eyes lit up. 'I should be working just as hard so I don't get stuck as a regular employee forever but... I don't have the kind of motivation she has.' She sipped her coffee, her eyes stuck on Isabelle. 'Still, I want to be of some help to her.'
And that was when it struck her.
She couldn't help reduce the workload by a lot but she could at least prepare sheets for her. And not only that...
She got up, went to the small kitchen where the sachet of coffee was kept and quickly made one for Isabelle, but just as she excitedly turned around, the coffee in her hand collided with the person who had just walked in.
Elias Yoon.
Her face went pale and she immediately turned into a ghost as her insides screamed.
What had she done?
"Oh no, I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized, her voice so loud that the entire office heard it.
This, of course, caught Isabelle's attention and she lifted her head.
"I... I d-didn't know there was someone here. I... I'll help you clean it. I'll wash it. I'll..." She was frantic, not knowing what to do.
She picked up the wipe and wanted to help clean it but Elias took a step back, as if avoiding direct contact with her.
This made her feel even more guilty.
How could she make such a mistake?
She ruined the boss's suit and the shirt he wore inside as well because she wasn't paying attention.
She began to apologize again, bowing her head relentlessly.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Please, don't fire me."
Elias' character was not well known in the office. He was quite vague.
They didn't know if he was always having a bad day or if he was naturally a stone-cold-faced guy.
He looked like he would fire anyone for the slightest annoyance, but at the same time, he looked like he wouldn't give a rat's ass if the entire office went ablaze.
And for such a person, making a mistake like spilling coffee all over him was similar to asking for a blank death check.
What would happen to her now? Mira wondered, nearly on the verge of sobbing.
Elias had not said anything and this made her feel even more restless.
Was he thinking of a way to deal with her? Was he going to cut her salary? She didn't want to be punished.
But Elias wasn't thinking about either of those. What he was wondering was if he had that spare suit in his car or not.
He should, right?
It's not a big deal to her coffee spilled all over him. In fact, he expected something like this to happen at least once while working.
It had been a while and it was just happening now.
Should he say he was glad he was experiencing the office life in full — mistakes included?
And then, Isabelle walked in.
"What's happening? The entire office is abuzz." She said, smoothly, her eyes filled with disinterest but as soon as she saw the two, her eyes flicked from the crushed paper cup on the floor and the coffee spilled on Elias's suit.
"Assistant manager Han," Mira called, on the verge of crying. "I really didn't mean it."
Isabelle sighed and then spread her arms.
"It's alright, come here." She said and Mira went to hug her, sobbing while Isabelle patted her head.
This was a mistake that could slide without too much commotion, but the entire office was peeping from where they were, and some were even standing outside.
She glanced at Elias, who still hadn't said a word but was looking at her.
"I'll apologize on her behalf as well," Isabelle said.
She could not tell what Elias was thinking, but she felt he had every right to be angry at this point. But he wasn't showing it. As if that emotional numbness stopped him from getting angry.
"Mira Bae can be clumsy when it comes to little things like this, but she's a very hard-working employee and never makes a mistake during projects," Isabelle explained, hoping nothing would happen. "So please don't be too hard on her."
Mira felt touched that Isabelle was standing up for her, despite the fact that she had made such a mistake.
"And... I'll pay for your dry cleaning."
"No, I'll pay," Mira said and sniffed. "I made a mistake so I'll—"
"It's fine." Elias finally spoke up, interrupting Mira. But his eyes weren't in her They weren't on Isabelle. "It's just a suit. I have another one in my car."
Isabelle watched as his expression did not falter even as he said what he said.
Was he really not angry?
"Ms Han," Elias called. "Instead of paying for my dry cleaning, could you help me get my spare from my car?" He asked but she took five seconds to think it over.
It wouldn't be strange to ask an employee to get something from his car, but the fact that he was asking her, instead of Mira, who made the mistake, insinuated something.
Maybe it was because she had been in his car and wouldn't have trouble finding it.
Or... He doesn't want anyone else in his car.
She nodded.
"Alright." She said and to Mira, she added. "You should get back to work, don't make more mistakes, okay?"
Mira nodded.
"Yes, I'll be more careful from now on."