The moment Laddu proudly announced,"…so if MY five percent wins—"
Something inside Mochi snapped.
She didn't shout.She didn't warn him.
She grabbed his wrist.
Hard.
And dragged him out of the office like she was arresting a dangerous criminal who had just confessed on camera.
"H–Hey—careful!" Laddu squeaked, feet scrambling."I'm very soft! Emotionally fragile!"
The office door slammed open behind them.
Mochi shoved him—lightly, but with theatrical force—against the hallway wall.
THUD.
The sound echoed down the corridor.
"You. Are. UNBELIEVABLE!" she hissed, voice shaking with fury and humiliation.
Inside the office, chaos paused.
Chairs creaked.Keyboards stopped.The door cracked open one centimeter.
Faces appeared.
Employees peeked out like nosy pigeons watching a street fight.
From deep inside the office, Jin's furious voice thundered:
"If he comes back in here, I'm throwing a stapler at his head!"
Mochi stood tall in front of Laddu, scarf trembling, fists clenched.
"Do you have ANY idea what you just did?!" she whispered-shouted."You embarrassed HER!""You embarrassed YOURSELF!""You embarrassed ME!""The WHOLE OFFICE was watching!"
Laddu slowly raised both hands in surrender.
"Relax… relax…""Everything I said—""I already discussed it with the real boss."
Mochi froze mid-rant.
"…Real boss?"
Her anger stalled.
Her eyes narrowed.
He nodded seriously.
"Yes."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Jin's father?""The chairman?"
"No."
"Then WHO?" she demanded, patience evaporating.
Laddu tapped his chest proudly.
"Me."
Time stopped.
The hallway went silent.
Mochi felt her soul physically step out of her body, look back once, and leave.
She smiled.
Dangerously calm.
"Laddu," she said gently, softly, lovingly—"ARE YOU THE REAL BOSS?!"
He shrugged.
"No.""But I am the boss inside my mind."
Behind the door, someone audibly choked.
"You CANNOT TALK TO YOURSELF AND CALL IT A MEETING!" Mochi snapped.
"Why not?" Laddu replied innocently."In my brain-meeting, I approved everything."
"You CANNOT HOLD MEETINGS WITH YOURSELF!"
From Candy's phone, voices leaked loudly:
Mom: "He's insane… but cute."Dad: "Not cute. Just insane."Candy: "He's CEO of his brain!"Maya: "Mochi is two seconds away from homicide."
Laddu cleared his throat, trying to regain dignity.
"Look. I only said things I KNOW are true."
"LIKE WHAT?!" Mochi demanded.
"I said her sister has minus ninety percent," he explained calmly,"because I once saw her eat office budget paper."
"…WHAT PAPER."
"White. Crunchy. Expensive."
Mochi stared at him like she was reassessing reality.
"And I said Jin saved the company because the chairman told me.""And I said we'll be zoo monkeys because Jin literally said,'This office is a circus.'"
"STOP TALKING," Mochi begged, burying her face in her hands."Please. For my remaining sanity."
Laddu stepped closer.
His voice softened.
"No jokes now."
"You're angry.""That's okay."
"I never say things to hurt her.""Or hurt you."
"I just… say things the way they exist in my head."
Mochi peeked through her fingers.
Blushing.
"…You're still stupid."
"Yes," Laddu whispered, smiling gently."But I'm your stupid."
Her knees nearly gave out.
Behind them, the entire office exploded in synchronized chaos:
"OOOOOOOOOOOOH!"
Before Mochi could recover—
Heavy footsteps echoed.
"LADDU!"
Bob came running down the hallway, breathing hard.
"The chairman is calling you!"
Laddu panicked instantly.
"What?!""Why?!"
Bob leaned closer, voice low.
"He found out.""You ate his fish."
Mochi blinked.
"…Fish?"
Laddu nodded guiltily.
"The one he told me to 'make as snack' during our party."
Bob rubbed his face.
"That was his PET fish."
The hallway detonated.
Gasps.Whispers.Someone screamed from inside the office.
Mochi shrieked.
"YOU ATE HIS PET FISH?!"
"…It was crispy," Laddu whispered.
Bob shook his head in defeat.
"He's furious.""He said, 'Bring that idiot to my office NOW.'"
Laddu turned dramatically to Mochi.
"Don't wait for me."
Bob corrected him immediately.
"Girl—DO NOT wait for him.""He'll be kneeling for hours."
Candy screamed through the phone.
"HE ATE A PET?!"
Mochi covered her mouth.
"How is he still ALIVE in this company?!"
Bob sighed.
"If I tell you his full history," he said tiredly,"you'll think he should've been fired a thousand times."
Mochi looked up, timid now.
"Then… why do they keep him?"
Bob smiled.
"Because the chairman said—'Laddu is a real asset.'"
"He causes chaos.""But he brings luck."
"Every department he enters profits.""Every project he touches works."
Bob finished softly:
"Pure chaos.""But pure gold."
Mochi looked at Laddu.
Really looked.
This ridiculous boy.This lucky disaster.This soft-hearted menace.This accidental genius who ate someone's pet fish.
Her cheeks warmed.
"…Be careful, okay?" she whispered.
Laddu smiled at her gently.
"For you," he said."Always."