Beyond The Hidden Hours

Kai, a graphic designer from one of the best company known in the country. He spent most of his days glued to the glow of his laptop screen, designing visuals for a big creative agency that was just enough to keep him busy and tormenting enough to feel like a cage sometimes. Being a graphic designer meant deadlines were his constant companion, and the midnight oil his closest friend.

It was ironic, he poured his emotions into colors, shapes, and lines, but real connection? That was a different story. Most days, he was just another faceless presence behind the screen, longing for something more than pixels and deadlines.

The office buzzed with chatter and clacking keyboards, but he often felt invisible, like a ghost drifting through the noise. His co-workers saw him as the quiet guy who got the job done, nothing more. That was fine. Sometimes, being unnoticed was easier than having to explain the mess tangled inside his head.

When he left the office, the city's neon lights flickered like distant stars, but they didn't warm him. He dove into a small apartment that smelled like old coffee and unfinished dreams. His routine was predictable: late dinners, late-night scrolling through social media, searching for a spark he couldn't seem to find.

Love? Passion? They felt like stories other people lived, not him. He was comfortable in the gray, not numb, not bursting, just... existing.

But maybe that was about to change.

There was Ren. Always just out of reach, the one whose nod could change everything. In this world of deadlines and deliverables, Ren was the gold standard, the person whose opinion made or broke the work. Kai had been chasing that approval for years, handing over presentations, reports, ideas, always hoping to catch his eye, to hear that one word: "Good."

But Ren wasn't easy to please. Sharp, demanding, exacting, he saw through all the noise and half-measures. Kai knew he wasn't the only one trying to impress him. Still, something about that challenge kept him going, kept him from slipping into the shadows for good.

Sometimes, he wondered if Ren even noticed him beyond the work. Or if he was just another face in the endless stream of talent vying for his attention.

Either way, he couldn't stop trying.

"Got a minute?"

"Again? What now?"

"I know it's late, and this is the nth time I'm asking, but I really need your sign-off on the latest draft. I can't move forward without it."

"You're weeks overdue. You think I just wait around to rubber-stamp your work?"

"I'm aware. I've been pushing hard to get it right. Just need to know if it meets the standard or if I should start over."

"This isn't just about standards. It's about consistency. Miss deadlines, you lose trust."

"I'm not making excuses. Just asking for approval to proceed. I want to fix this, not lose ground."

"Fine. Submit the full report by end of day tomorrow. Show me you can handle responsibility. Otherwise, the project's dead in the water."

"Thank you. I won't let you down."

He took a deep breath, forcing calm into his voice despite the tight knot in his chest. Respect is the price for progress, he reminded himself.

"Understood. I'll have everything ready by tomorrow."

Inside, frustration simmered, this wasn't just about a signature. It was a test of endurance, of swallowing pride. But the path to approval always demanded patience.

He folded his hands on the desk, masking the impatience clawing at him. One step closer. One step closer to proving I belong here.

He glanced up, catching the brief flicker of something unreadable in the other's eyes. Maybe it was skepticism, maybe respect, or just the weight of expectations Kai had yet to meet.

Either way, he would endure. Because giving up wasn't an option.

The hour crept closer to midnight, and the soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound left in the office. Kai's eyes burned from staring too long at the screen, but he didn't blink it away. He leaned forward, dragging the cursor with precision, aligning the last layout element into place.

Almost there.

The document was a pitch deck, clean, sharp, and obsessively detailed. He'd spent hours refining it: adjusting spacing by pixels, revising the font hierarchy, selecting colors that wouldn't just look good but feel like something Ren might finally nod at. Approval wasn't just a goal anymore. It was the lifeline he clung to in a job that often made him feel invisible.

He stretched briefly, cracking his knuckles before sitting up straighter. The office, bathed in the dim light of his desk lamp and laptop glow, felt like a world sealed away from time. Everyone else had clocked out hours ago. Desks were empty, screens dark. The cleaning staff had already come and gone.

Kai hit save. Then save again, just to be sure.

As he reached for his thermos, long gone cold, he froze.

The elevator down the hall made a soft ding.

He waited. No footsteps. Maybe it was just a glitch in the system, or maybe security doing a late-round check. Still, instinctively, he straightened his posture, brushing a hand through his hair and glancing toward the door.

Then, footsteps.

Steady, unhurried. Polished shoes on linoleum.

Kai's heart sank before it could rise. There was only one person who walked like that.

Ren.