Late next morning, Mina carries a stack of freshly printed reports to his office. She's balancing them carefully, determined not to drop anything. As she approaches the glass door, her foot catches the edge of the rug, a tiny stumble. The papers wobble dangerously. "Oh no..." she manages to steady herself, but the top sheet flutters dramatically, and lands on the CEO's desk, right in front of him. She freezes, mid step.
Isaac looks up slowly, glancing at the sheet, then at Mina, "Miss Kang, are you trying to intimidate me with the dramatic flair?" Mina blushes, then waves her hand nervously, "I was just....trying a new paper delivery...method?" He walks around his desk, and picks up the top sheet. Mina hands him the rest of the stack. He examines it briefly, then sets it down with a faint smirk.
"Well, I guess it worked. Your delivery method will definitely be of use to the...circus." He says with a stoic face, which made Mina widen her eyes. "Did he just...crack a joke?" She giggles nervously, but a sense of pride flares in her, she didn't actually ruin the report, and even made him smile! "I'll count that as a win!" she thinks, then slowly exits the room.
Isaac sits back at his desk, more relaxed than what he had been before, though he doesn't seem to realize it yet.
The rest of the afternoon is slow for mina, she works on menial tasks. The office echoes of familiar clicks, and low murmurs, the beeping of the coffee machine in the pantry. Mina observes suited men and sleek women visiting his office, the whole office silenced as he exits from his room. Some assistants rush to fix his tie as his eyes are glued to some papers, while his secretary briefs him about his next schedule.
She's sorta impressed, "Wow, he must have lots of work."
Her on the other hand, had already finished hers, and was bored. She scurries past her coworkers to another senior staff on the team, who when hears of her dilemma, laughs, "Wow, haven't heard someone asking for more work in a long time." He thinks for a moment, "You're only a junior and still new, but i've seen your work. Hmm...would you like to try and contribute on the proposal draft for the Misma Supermarket branch?" He points at a huge stack, "We're working on it too, you can handle the basic data, come to us if you need help."
Mina bows gratefully, takes the files to her desk, she ties her hair in a ponytail and gets to work. She skims the files, and jots down the basic things. The senior staff gives her a file with the work the others have done so far. She works maniacally, and doesn't notice that her other coworkers are clocking off.
"Are you not done yet?" Annie asks.
"No, I might've chewed a bit more than expected though, haha" she scratches her head, "But it's harder, and fun! I think I might have to work overtime today! I'll let the senior know!" She stretches, and jolts up. Annie smiles, "You're a weird one, really going for it huh?" Mina gives her a thumbs up, "More work, more bucks Annie" she tells.
Her overtime is approved, and she orders a sandwich for dinner, and works away as she munches. A few others stay overtime with her. After a while, Isaac hurries back to his office, his secretary Emily following close by. He doesn't notice Mina's cubicle alight at first. He and Emily grab some files, and his jacket, and he storms out. Then his gaze lands on Mina, still working.
Confused, and somewhat annoyed, he turns to Emily, "What's a junior employee doing here at this time?" Emily shakes her head, "No clue sir." He looks at his watch, then sighs, and chooses to leave her be. He walks out the building.
Mina finishes her work before midnight, and arranges it neatly on her desk to submit tomorrow. She and one other coworker clock out, and she walks the empty night street to a convenience store for a snack. She then walks home, fortunately only about 15 minutes from her office, then plops in her bed. She's proud of the work she did today.
The following day, the secretary again gives her and the junior staff some minor work, she does them, juggling with the new project she'd undertaken with another senior employee at the same office. He'd been very pleased with her work from yesterday, and had asked if she wanted more.
Isaac sits in his office, but seems to be swamped with work. His secretary brings in organic grape juice for everyone, encouraging them to work hard. When she gets to Mina, she says smiling, "I heard you did overtime yesterday, don't push yourself too hard." Mina catches the cool juice, "No worries, ma'am, I liked doing it!"
By midday, the office buzzes differently. The executives' floor is full of urgent conversations and quiet typing. Delivery staff rush past Mina's cubicle, a tray of lunch for the senior staff in hand. She takes a short break, munching her lemon candy and glancing toward Isaac's office, then at her own work.
After a few more hours of typing, cross-checking, and jotting down notes, a soft knock at her cubicle startles her. Emily leans over slightly, a gentle smile on her face:
"Miss Kang, sir asked for these reports. He'll review them between meetings. You can drop them by his office when you have a moment."
She nods, then takes it over to his office. She enters through the glass door, he is in a phone call, speaking in another language, probably with a foreign investor. He notices her, gesturing to place the files on his desk, then turns around. Mina could see the slight exhaustion in his face, the dark circles, strands of hair out of their place. His shoulder feels heavy. He seems almost... human.
Isaac feels a gaze linger on his back, and turns around. Mina is startled, and with exaggerated movements asks for leave, and exits. Isaac looks at her bounce away, with an unreadable expression.