The whole way home, I kept repeating to myself: Why such a terrible punishment?
I called Taeng and told him everything.
"Wait, what? You're going to live with Chak?"
"Yeah," I groaned. "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. As if I don't already have enough work, now this too!"
"Damn… Well, look on the bright side—at least you'll get to know your boss better."
"Taeng, this isn't funny,"I sighed. "Hey, do you want to grab a drink tomorrow? I need to clear my head before I move in with him."
"Of course!"
When I got home, I sat on the couch and stared at Leo, who was curled up in a ball, looking peaceful.
"Leo, on Monday, you're coming with me to live at my boss's house."
Leo just rubbed against me and purred, completely unbothered.
"At least one of us isn't panicking," I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
I took a shower, hoping the warm water would help me relax, but my thoughts were all over the place. What if Chak is a complete control freak? What if he expects me to clean his house like some kind of maid? What if I mess up dinner and he fires me?
I groaned, burying my face in my pillow.
This is going to be a disaster.
I set my alarm for 7:00 AM so I could finish the documents, but sleep refused to come. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
By 3:00 AM, I finally gave up and sat up in bed. There's no point. I might as well start working.
I dragged myself to the desk, feeling like a zombie, and started typing. The hours passed quickly.
By 8:00 AM, I made myself a smoothie, hoping it would wake me up. But even as I sipped it, my thoughts kept spiraling.
"I wonder what I'll have to cook for Chak,"
I muttered. "What if he has crazy expensive tastes? What if he expects a five-course meal? What if he watches me cook and criticizes every move? Crap… I don't even know how to cook properly."
"The last time I cooked lunch for my family, I almost burned down the kitchen."
The more I thought about it, the worse it got.
"I should start looking up recipes now,"
I panicked, grabbing my phone. "Maybe if I memorize a few, I won't look like a complete idiot."
Leo meowed at me and jumped into my lap, interrupting my crisis. I sighed and scratched his ears.
"You have no idea how lucky you are, Leo. Your only job is to eat, sleep, and look cute."
I slumped back onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm doomed."