One

"Miss Callista, you're assigned to interview our new applicants tomorrow, so be here on time. Please don't you dare to be late even for a second." The woman nodded in response to her head's instructions, holding some papers.

"Yes, sir," she replied before excusing herself and heading to her table, which was filled with folders. She took a deep breath, looking at a stack of application forms in front of her.

She needed to review them carefully to select suitable candidates to hire this month. She was assigned to interview the applicants because it was August, and unfortunately, the company had openings during this time.

She was a psychology graduate who passed the board exam in her first year. However, finding a job was not as easy as she thought. She was often asked for experience, which led her to the HR department in Quezon City. It wasn't bad, though; she had joined a good company with decent salary and friendly people.

But of course, she still needed to get along with everyone, as not everyone was kind to her, including their department's OIC, who always seemed to have a grudge against her for reasons she didn't understand. Since she started working there, the OIC's attitude towards her had been consistently unpleasant, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

She adjusted her hair and rolled up her sleeves slightly to start reviewing the applicants' overviews, as she planned to speak with them directly tomorrow and had limited time to read through them.

—

"Oh, how was your first day as an assigned interviewer?" her friend Alex asked, standing near her cubicle with a cup of coffee in her left hand.

"Not enjoyable. Why did they have to do the hiring in August? It's so inconvenient," she replied irritably, adjusting her glasses, which were almost falling off. She was busy reviewing the applicants who would be coming tomorrow for the two vacant positions in their company.

Her friend just laughed before gently tapping her shoulder. "Don't worry,

"Mars, you'll get through it," she said, tapping her shoulder again and continuing to drink her coffee, which she had been doing since earlier. "But wait, I heard you're being scolded by your grumpy head again." As she resumed their conversation, she pulled the nearby swivel chair closer, as there weren't many people in their department due to the lunch break, and most of their colleagues had already left. Meanwhile, she still had work to do and needed to stay late to finish it.

There are so many people looking for jobs nowadays, but the offer here is good. She thought to herself as she continued to separate the calls for tomorrow.

She didn't answer but shook her head, then laughed softly. Her colleagues at work were used to hearing them every day. She didn't really know why she was being scolded by their head; she hadn't done anything wrong except being late all the time.

"He hasn't gotten used to it yet; he starts lecturing me even before I can take a sip of my coffee. I haven't even sat down at my desk yet, and my ears and heart are already hurting from what he's saying," she laughed softly, placing the folder she had just finished on the other side of her desk. She would call them tomorrow to come in because they met the company's criteria.

"Oh, come on, haven't you ever experienced being loved and adored by someone?"

A sudden thought about Zander crossed her mind, her ex-boyfriend from their distant past. The image of their last encounter lingered—a cold and silent room, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air, and the distant look in Zander’s eyes. The breakup had happened a long time ago, yet the residual ache still lingered, adding an extra layer to her already challenging day.

"Oh, by the way, his voice only reaches the accounting department now, right? Before, it was the whole fourth floor, right? So weird! And hey! Slow down on your coffee; you might get a stomach ache again and turn pale! Then you'll have a pile of work again, and Miss Witch won't let us touch your work because she says it's your job." Her friend chattered away, as this had happened several times before.

She had been overwhelmed because she got sick, thinking she wouldn't have anything to do, but she was wrong because when she arrived, she was scolded and saw the pile of work. Almost everyone in her department apologized to her because they couldn't touch her work.

She tapped her friend because of what she said. "Crazy, someone might hear you, and stop using that gay lingo of yours; you're starting to look like a gay person, just a little bit, and I'm having coffee again now," she said, raising the mug she was holding. They were currently in the pantry, taking a short break.

"I'm beautiful enough to be gay!" She almost shouted in response, raising her eyebrows, before standing up and fixing her skirt, which was only above her knees, and her yellow long sleeves, which she had folded. She wasn't wearing her coat anymore because it was their lunch break.

"Okay, just be quiet, please. I have a headache," she replied, her tone showing irritation.

Her friend didn't say anything and just stayed quiet. It was true that she had a headache because of her migraine; she hadn't had a proper rest because of the amount of work she had.

"Here, drink this. I’ve told you many times to stop staring at your damn computer for hours. You know you’re weak in that aspect. I’m not mad; I just care about you. I love you, okay?"

She opened her eyes wide, startled by the sudden intrusion into her thoughts. Elara blinked for an unknown reason, suddenly remembering a voice and a person she had long forgotten.

Damn it.