Leo greeted me at the door. I picked him up and sat down on the couch. My mind kept racing—what was Chak doing at my place? Did he think I didn't live alone?
And then it hit me. Of course. He must have thought that Lun would answer the door.
But why? Why would he want to talk to him?
After a while, I took a shower and cooked some noodles. Once I finished eating, I went to bed. The night passed quickly.
In the morning, I got up, fed and cuddled Leo, then put on a white long-sleeve shirt, gray pants, and a gray blazer. I grabbed my bag and left for work.
I greeted my colleagues, made myself some coffee, and went to Chak's office to continue inputting data into spreadsheets.
He wasn't in yet.
Thank god.
If he had been here already, I would've been a nervous wreck.
After some time, I stood up to get a glass of water. Just as I reached the door, it suddenly swung open.
Chak stepped inside.
My heart jumped, and I instinctively took a step back.
His cold gaze scanned me from head to toe.
"In a hurry?" he asked in a low voice.
"I was just getting some water, sir," I said nervously.
"If you're going, bring me coffee too."
"Yes, sir," I nodded and hurried past him.
In the break room, I grabbed a bottle of water and made him coffee.
**Calm down, Niran. It'll be fine.**
I took a deep breath and returned to the office. My hands were slightly trembling as I carefully set the coffee down in front of him.
Then I went to my desk and tried to open my water bottle.
The cap wouldn't budge. I tried harder—nothing.
Of course, Chak noticed.
"Niran, where are your muscles? Give it to me," he said with a hint of amusement.
I felt my face heat up.
"No need, sir," I mumbled.
His gaze turned icy. "Don't argue, Niran."
Reluctantly, I handed him the bottle. He opened it effortlessly on the first try.
"You need to try harder," he said as he handed it back.
"Thank you," I whispered and took a few sips.
I could feel his eyes on me.
Why is he watching me?
I quickly put the bottle down and focused on my work.
---Two hours later---
Chak's phone rang.
I looked up and noticed a faint smile on his face as he answered the call.
A woman's voice came through the speaker.
"Hey, Chak! We just wanted to say hi!"
I took a sip of water—
And nearly choked when I heard a child's voice say:
"Daddy!"
I coughed violently, my throat burning.
Chak's sharp eyes landed on me.
Wait… what?! Chak has a son?!
"Ton, how are you? Are you having fun?" Chak asked.
"I'm good! It's great here! But I have to go now. Bye!"
"Bye, Ton," Chak replied, his voice unusually gentle.
"Malai, I have work to do. I'll call you later," he added before hanging up.
He turned back to me, watching closely.
"Niran, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered and forced myself to focus on my screen.
But my mind kept repeating that tiny voice over and over again.
**Daddy.**
---
A few hours passed before Chak spoke again.
"How far along are you?"
"Almost done," I replied.
"Good. When you finish, take these files home and complete them there. It's clear that my presence bothers you."
"Sir, that's not true!" I said quickly, but his gaze remained cold.
"Oh? Interesting." He leaned back in his chair.
What's interesting? I wondered.
"When you're done, send them to me for review."
"Yes, sir," I mumbled and got back to work.
---Thirty minutes later---
"I'm finished, sir," I said softly and stood up.
"Alright," he said indifferently, without even looking at me.
I packed the files into my bag, but I had the strange feeling he was watching me.
Slowly, I glanced back—
But he was staring at his screen.
"Goodnight, sir," I said and left.
---On the way home---
I couldn't stop thinking about Chak's family.
When I got home, I cut up some fruit and gave Leo a treat. Then I sat on the couch and texted Taeng:
"How are you?"
A few minutes later, he replied:
"Hey! I'm great. How about you? And did the stain come out?"
I started typing, telling him everything that happened this week.
And when I finally admitted how I felt about Chak—
A new message popped up.
From Chak: "Find the data from 4/17–5/17 and send it to me NOW."
Ugh, he won't even let me breathe at home!
I sighed and found the documents, took photos, and sent them to him.
Just then, Taeng sent me a picture of his nephew.
I smiled and typed: "He's so cute!" and send to Taeng. Then I selected a heart emoji—
And accidentally sent it to Chak.
My eyes widened in horror.
NO. NO, NO, NO.
I squeezed them shut.
This isn't happening.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened them.
It happened.
And Chak had already seen it.
NIRAN, WHY DO YOU TYPE SO FAST?
Panic surged through me.
I jumped to my feet and started pacing.
What do I do?