shadows of the first day

Ready to head to the office, I decided I wasn't going to let Lehan mess with me anymore. Today, I was prepared. I even got ready earlier than usual—miracle, right?

When I arrived at the office, the place was completely empty. I sat there, waiting for someone—anyone—to show up and keep me company. But nope, it was just me and the sound of silence.

After what felt like an eternity, the boss, Lehan, finally walked in. And oh, he gave me that death stare. You know the one. I immediately looked down at my phone like it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world. He marched to his cabin, sat in his chair, and started flipping through some files like the world depended on it.

Still, no one else showed up. Just me and the death-stare specialist.

Then he called me into his cabin. I took a deep breath, walked in, and asked, "Yes, sir?"

He looked up at me and said, "Get me a coffee."

Now here's the kicker—he didn't give me any money. I stood there, wondering if he expected me to brew it out of thin air. He looked up again and asked, "Why are you still standing here?"

I cleared my throat and said, "Um, you didn't give me any money."

Cue another death stare. (I swear, he should patent that look.)

Finally, he handed me some money, and I couldn't help but think, What was that about? Is he trying to cheat me out of a coffee? (LOL).

At that moment, he probably realized I'm the kind of person who won't even spend money on myself, let alone someone else. (Double LOL).

I bought the coffee and returned to the office. By then, the place had filled up with people.

As I walked toward Lehan's cabin, I didn't realize the floor had just been cleaned and was still wet. It was slippery. My foot slid, and before I knew it, I almost fell—spilling the coffee everywhere.

I didn't even dare look at his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I blurted out, my voice shaking. But he wasn't listening. His anger exploded.

"You can't even do this properly! Who hired you?" he shouted, loud enough for the entire office to hear.

I felt my cheeks burn as everyone turned to look at me. Some people were laughing, while others just looked at me with pity. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

I was completely crushed. This was supposed to be my first day—a fresh start. Instead, it had turned into a nightmare. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I stammered another apology.

But he wasn't having it. "Get out!" he barked, slamming his hand on the table for emphasis.

My nerves were still on edge, but soon, all the freshers were called for a meeting. I plastered a smile on my face and headed there, trying to appear calm.

As I entered, I noticed that everyone else looked so young. I was the only one who seemed older. I glanced around, hoping to connect with someone—anyone—but no one even looked my way.

I tried to make eye contact with the team members, but they avoided me like I didn't exist. That sinking feeling crept in again. My insecurities about my appearance kicked in hard.

Am I really that bad? I thought, questioning myself. Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me?

I felt a heavy sadness settle over me. My mind spiraled, and all I could do was sit there, feeling bad about myself.

After the meeting ended, they gave us a test to evaluate our illustration skills. They described a situation and asked us to create an illustration based on it.

I nearly died on the spot. I had no clue what to do. Sure, I knew how to use the tools, but that was it.

Everyone else dived right in, working confidently on their designs. Meanwhile, I sat there, completely stuck. I didn't have a choice but to try because, well… I had put fake experience on my resume.

I gave it my best shot, but the result was disastrous. It looked awful, even to me.

When the team leader glanced at my work, his expression said it all—What on earth is this?

Everyone returned to their workspaces, but the team leader asked me to stay back. I watched as he headed to the boss's office.

After a while, he came back and called me into the boss's cabin. My heart sank—I already knew what was about to happen.

I walked into the room, trying to brace myself. The boss sighed deeply and said, "Why do you make me mad every time I see you?"

I had no idea what to say. I just stood there in silence, and before I knew it, tears started rolling down my cheeks.

He began scolding me. "If you don't know anything, why would you apply for this job and waste our time?"

His words hit hard. He continued berating me for several minutes, and all I could do was stand there, feeling utterly humiliated.

Finally, he said, "Get out of here."

As I left his cabin, I realized the entire office had been watching me again.

I sat at my desk the entire day. No one talked to me. People walked past, busy with their work, but no one even acknowledged me. I felt terrible.

By evening, as everyone started leaving the office, I stayed in my seat, unsure of what to do. Nobody had given me any instructions, and I didn't want to make another mistake. One by one, almost everyone left.

From his office, the boss noticed me still sitting there. He called the team leader, and they had a conversation that I couldn't hear.

After about ten minutes, the team leader approached me and said, "You can't continue working here as a full-time employee. Your knowledge is too lacking. But we've decided to let you work as an intern for three months. You'll assist the freshers and learn during this time. After three months, we'll evaluate your skills and decide if you can continue here."

He paused, then added, "We also can't afford to pay you the full salary. You'll receive only half. If that's okay, you can stay. Otherwise, you're free to leave."

Without hesitation, I said yes. I didn't have any other choice.

After everyone left the office, I sat alone on the steps, feeling an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Just then, my mom called. She asked how my day at work had been. I didn't want her to worry, so I hid my pain and pretended everything was fine. I spoke to her cheerfully, trying to sound convincing.

Once the call ended, I couldn't hold it in anymore. The weight of the entire day crashed down on me. I missed my family so much, and the day had been nothing short of a disaster.

I felt like I was lost in a vast forest with no one to guide me, no one to help me find my way.

I broke down, crying harder than I had in years. The tears wouldn't stop, and I sobbed loudly, unable to control my emotions.

I started walking to my dorm. It wasn't very close to the office, but I decided I would walk there every day from now on.

On the way, I passed a small children's park. A few people were walking around, enjoying the evening air. I sat down on a stone bench and gazed up at the sky.

The stars and the moon seemed to comfort me in a way nothing else could. Whenever I'm at my worst, I always look at the sky. It reminds me that the world is so vast, and my worries are just a tiny part of it.

After spending a few hours lost in the beauty of the sky, I finally made my way back to the dorm.