Two years ago from the incident….
March 3rd, 2024 — Morning
Avenhill City, George Groov Inc.
"Move, move, we're getting late!"
"Hey, hold the elevator!"
Voices filled the entrance of the company building. People rushed past each other, laughing, complaining, living their normal lives.
And then… him.
Lian stood near the entrance, dressed in a neatly ironed light blue shirt and white pants, holding a small paper bag. He adjusted his glasses, trying to steady his breath after running all the way.
"…I'm not late." He checked the time again. Still early.
He looked at the building for a second… then lowered his gaze and signed
"…Here we go."
He walked in quietly. No one noticed. Near the elevator, a few female employees glanced at him… and almost instantly began whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear? She dumped him yesterday," one of the girls said, laughing mockingly.
"Again? Seriously?"
"I mean… what do you expect? He's too plain and nerdy material."
Lian's steps slowed down…Just for a second. This wasn't new to him. People whispering behind his back about his love life had become some kind of entertainment for them. They didn't even care that he was standing right there… they laughed like he didn't exist.
But did that make him give up? NO.
He still chose to search for someone… someone he could spend his whole life with. Whenever moments like this happened, he would imagine his future partner and somehow, that thought alone would lift his mood.
He is just… a guy with hope.
A small breath escaped his lips. He reached his desk and sat down. Everything was neat, Clean, and perfect. Just the way he liked it.
He placed the paper bag on the table and slowly took out a small box. Opening it, he looked at the chocolate cake he had made at home. "Okay… let's see how this turned out." He took a small bite…and paused, a hint of surprise in his eyes. For a first try… it was actually pretty good.
"Okay… not bad. Still needs a tiny bit of improvement."
He took another bite, then a few more, before placing the rest back in the box.
"Lian! Meeting in five minutes!" his colleague called him
He quickly stood up.
"Yes… I'm coming."
In the conference room.
"So the numbers don't match. What is this?"
"I already checked….."
"No, this is wrong."
Voices overlapped.
Lian sat at the corner, silently observing everything keenly. It looks like he is the only one who is interested in the meeting, unlike other people out there, some of them are dozing off in their seats
He knit his eyebrows "…It's not wrong." He looked at the screen. "…They're missing something." He murmured to himself
He adjusted his glasses. His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"…Should I say it?"
A pause.
"…No, it's fine."
Another pause.
"…But it's wrong."
He took a small breath.
"Sir…"
The room went quiet.
"If we shift the timeline by two weeks… and include the previous quarter's delay… it matches."
Everyone turned.
"…Did I say too much?" Even after working in the company for three years, the nervousness and self-doubt were still there.
He continued anyway by explaining his side of the solution. When he finished
Silence.
Then his manager nodded his head like he got what Lian was explaining, "…Good catch."
Lian blinked once.
"…Oh."
He nodded slightly and sat down. When it came to work, his skills never failed to impress. He always found solutions faster than anyone else. That's what made him one of the most recognised employees in the company.
"…That's enough."
He let out a long breath, silently praising himself…because sometimes, that was the only thing that kept him going. After a decade, the hazy meeting, it finally came to an end, and everyone returned to their desks. Lian walked back to his desk as well.
He picked up his phone. A message popped up on his screen
He already knew what it was, and his mood is not going to be the same after reading the message
Still… he opened it.
"Let's break up Lian. I don't like you even a bit."
His eyes didn't move. A quiet sigh slipped out as if he had been waiting for this moment, and now it had finally arrived. He had expected worse… this was still better than last time.
"…Again… It's fine. It's not like she's the only girl in the world."
He brushed the thoughts aside, like he always did.
A small exhale.
"It's okay, man… seriously. Just look at my face, she didn't even want to be with me. At least she was nicer than the others… that's why it lasted more than three days."
"A whole week this time… that's an improvement."
"The last one barely lasted three days."
His fingers hovered over the screen.
"…Don't ask why." Cuz, he knows the reason….
"…Don't ask anything." He knows everything…
He typed…
"Okay. Take care."
He stopped for a second before sending the message
"…That's too cold." And erased the text
He added
"Hope you find a perfect guy for you."
"…Why do I always say that? God… she probably doesn't even expect a reply from me. Then why the heck do I keep saying all this to someone who doesn't even care?"
A soft, almost invisible smile.
"I won't lose anything by being nice, right? You know what… whatever, I'm just going to send it anyway."
He sent it.
The screen went blank.
So did his expression.
"That's it…Over! Come on, why so dull? Isn't it what happens every time you should get used to it, Lian. Get a grip, this is not the end, you've got a long way to go…". Another positive thing about him is that he knows how to take care of himself whenever rejection happens.
He placed the phone down.
No anger.
No sadness.
Just… quiet.
He leaned back slightly and closed his eyes. It was already evening after a long, hectic day of work and meetings, and the day had finally come to an end. His body felt drained, his eyes heavy, and slowly… thoughts began to flow through his mind. "Maybe I really am the problem."
"Too boring." His voice softened.
"I just wanted someone to stay." No matter how strong or confident he tried to be, those thoughts always came back… quietly reminding him of how alone he really was. Outside, the sunset spread across the glass windows. Bright, Warm, Normal. He opened his eyes again. As if nothing ever happened.
"Let's wrap up and go back to bed… that's the only thing waiting for me anyway."
With that thought, he quietly returned to his work.
On his way back home, Lian got stuck in the city's heavy traffic. He tiredly watched people rushing past, all trying to get somewhere… to someone.
His gaze shifted to an old couple sitting on a sidewalk bench, sharing food and smiling as they talked. Another teenage couple walked hand in hand, the girl eating cotton candy while the boy laughed, making her smile even brighter.
For a moment… those simple scenes brought a strange, quiet peace to Lian's heart.
"How good it must feel… to have someone by your side. Good for them…" He sighed heavily and let the thought go. He took out his earbuds, put them on, and started listening to music, slowly drifting into a light sleep.
Finally, he reached his apartment. It was small, cosy, neat… and too calm.
"Home sweet home." He threw his bag onto the table and quickly lay down on the bed. After a while, he got up, freshened up, and changed into a white T-shirt and grey sweatpants.
"Finally! Gosh, my back hurts so much…" He dropped onto the sofa, completely worn out, and turned on his favourite show, quietly munching on his food.
After some time, his phone started ringing loudly.
"Oh, Mom… I forgot to call her after work." he quickly picked it up
"Hey, Mom! I just got back from work. Sorry… I was too tired and forgot to call you," he said, still munching on some meat.
"Oh my! Are you overworking yourself again, son? I told you to get some rest and eat properly. You need to take better care of yourself… or do you want me to come and visit you for a while?"
Her voice came from the other side, soft, warm, and soothing.
Lian chuckled at his mom's words.
"I'm fine, Mom… don't worry. I just had a few extra meetings today. Sitting through all of them made my back hurt, that's all. I'm okay, and I'm eating right now."
He paused for a second, his voice softening.
"I actually want to come visit you and Dad too… I miss you guys a lot."
He said this as he walked toward his room's balcony, stepping outside and quietly looking at the dazzling city lights. The cold breeze brushed against his soft, slightly wet hair, still damp from the quick shower he had taken.
"Tell me, how are you guys? Is Dad still going to the fields every day? He better not be."
"What can I say, son? He just won't listen to me. I keep telling him to take some rest, he doesn't need to work so much. But has he ever listened? No."
She sighed, clearly annoyed.
"And recently, he's been hanging out with those useless friends of his and coming home late. It's making me worried sick. And you… You're just like your father, aren't you? Both father and son are getting on my nerves these days."
Lian couldn't help but laugh at her complaints.
"Mom, don't be too hard on Dad. It's his retirement, let him do whatever he wants. Just… keep an eye on him, okay?"
"Okay, okay! Anyways, son… you said you wanted to visit us. When are you coming then?"
He paused for a second.
"I'm not really sure… but I'll try to come next week. I still need to inform my manager. Once it gets approved, I'll be there, Mom."
"That's great! I'll be waiting for you. And… there's something important your father and I wanted to tell you. We can talk about that too when you come."
"What is it, Mom? Is everything alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
"Don't panic, son. It's nothing serious. I can't explain it over the phone… that's why we'll talk when you're here, okay?"
"Alright then. See you next week, Mom. Bye… good night. Take care. Love you."
"Love you too, son. And don't be too hard on yourself. Eat on time… now go get some rest."
He put his phone down and took a deep breath, thinking about her words.
"Hmm… suspicious."
With that, he went back to bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
At the same time…
In another city…
A man in his fifties, dressed sharply in a suit, stood before a glass window, the city lights reflecting in his eyes as he stared at a photo of a young man in his twenties.
"I just hope this decision doesn't destroy them both…."