December 19, Saturday.
"Thank you for calling Global Warming. This is Luca, how can I help you?" With a tired and big panda eyes, Luca greeted his customer with enthusiastic voice that you wouldn't expect hearing after seeing Luca's blank and exhausted face.
Pressing his head phones with his right hand while his left hand is vigorously typing for the customer's account information, Luca's eyes unconsciously turn towards the pitiful looking attention seeker, gingerbread man.
And with that, their eyes met. Accidentally.
System 1225's black candy eyes brightens. Those bright round eyes sparkles like black Pearls, looking appetizing and delicious. Not to mention the scent that lingers under Luca's nose...
Gulp. Diverting his eyes from the delicious looking thing, Luca focused his attention to his furious sounding customer at the other end of the line.
Nevertheless, just hearing the voice from his ear phone, Luca can't help but caress his temple thinking how unlucky he was getting this kind of customer within his first avail.
'Such a bad luck.' All he ever wish for is to receive a peaceful, kind and lovely customer who wouldn't cursed people on the phone. He wanted to cursed too. For just a simple thing and this customer had to call customer service to asked for help. And he even have a nerve to get angry, just because he can't get it right.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, sir. But can I ask if there's someone else in your home right now?" 'you need someone else's assistance! You old man. If you don't get it, just asked somebody else's help!'
["No I'm alone. What is this?! Where am I going to insert the battery? The flashlight is already turn off. But my phone is not dead. What's happening to this broken phone?!"]
Luca heard an old rusty voice of a man in his head phones and some clattering noise of someone fiddling with something. Knowing what the old man is doing, Luca can only sigh.
The old man called because the flashlight of his phone was accidentally turned on and he didn't know how to turn it off. The company's phones were now replaced by touch screens. Those analog phones were faced out of the company long long long time ago.
However, for old folks like this one costumer for example is having a hard time adapting to touch screen phones. And for customer service rep, like Luca this kind of customer is a Nightmare for his call time.
No matter how much Luca explain it, guide the old man step by step he still couldn't get it. He stared at his call time that is almost reaching an hour and could help but sigh again.
His supervisor already warned him several times. But he can't help it. He can't just hang up the call, he will get a violation for that. At least he will not get call for QA. Nevertheless, he will still get a dissat., that's for sure. Just hearing the grumpy tone of the old man. He could only wish that his phone is still dismantle when the survey goes through, or else he will surely shoulder that dissat.
Just like that, Luca already forgotten the pitiful looking attention seeker at the side.
And knowing that it was just set aside by it's host, the pitiful expression of the gingerbread man couldn't help but crack. Literally.
...
...
...
With a voice that sounded happy and smiling, Luca with his face that expressed his tired and exhausted day inquired humbly.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Ma'am?"
"I see. If that's the case, thank you for calling Global Warming. Once again, this is Luca. Happy Holidays. May you have a happy merry Christmas."
Sighing, Luca dragged down his head phones and caress his ears. He then looked at the time, "5:53". Luca looked up and glance around the office. He was looking for his supervisor. And when he saw him, he asked him if he still need to avail a call. Thankfully, his supervisor just asked him to stay put and wait until six. And log off.
Exactly six o'clock, Luca sign off, but he didn't get off to work. Everyday, before and after working hours, the team is required to have a meeting with their supervisor. And as expected, the meeting is all about the team's satisfaction rating and disats scores.
Luca, for the first time in a while was call off by their supervisor because of his one long call earlier. Nonetheless, his excuse was very reasonable. And everyone understands the difficulty of this experience. Since everyone has experience it before. And every now and then, these kind of customer will appear, it can't be help.
After the 15 minutes long meeting with the supervisor, Luca without looking at the pitiful looking attention seeker gingerbread man at the corner immediately went off to work and decided to go home and rest early.
Until now, Luca was still unhappy with this delicious looking and smelling thing. Because of it, Luca was now sleep deprived and didn't get enough rest yesterday night.
This gingerbread man keep bugging him all night! That "Jingle Bells" tune keep on ringing in his ears. He was so irritated that Luca failed to sleep and was awake all night.
Fortunately, Luca's job is just to talk with the phone. If not, with his ghastly appearance, his rating will drag so low that he might not be able to get his bonus this Christmas.
Walking at the familiar street back to his apartment. Luca smells the gingerbread man again. He knew the walking cookie is near, but Luca doesn't have any intention of giving it attention.
He is now tired, sleepy and hungry. He just wanted to go home, eat and then sleep. Tomorrow is his day off, he will make sure to pay his a day of sleep tommorow.
Yawning, Luca continue walking. Little did he know, the cute and pitiful gingerbread man he kept ignoring was already blackened to the point of no turning back.
Smiling sweetly, System 1225, scan all the names written in the Right Guy Candidate. Thinking how this host just keep ignoring it. After talking so long yesterday night, the enthusiasm of the system was already spent just doing it's best so it's host will look at it.
It was a system created by Santa's own fatty hands. It was a system with its own pride. After being ignore all day long, system 1225 didn't care about its own host anymore.
'I already did my best, but you didn't listen. So, don't blame me!!'
"Initiate random Right Guy selection!" With an evil smile, the gingerbread man flew on top of Luca's head and play its "Jingle Bells" tone once again.
"Host! Host!" The gingerbread man happily called out on top of Luca's head. "Our first mission is here!" It then, wave it's candy cane. Again a scroll appear on the air with a "puff". Only, this scroll is much smaller and shorter than the scroll last night.
Taping the scroll twice, it unroll itself. And Luca who stopped walking from the moment the gingerbread man announced the arrival of the first mission, saw and read the writings on the scroll.
Mission #1 : Within 20 seconds a handsome guy will came out of the cake shop while holding onto his newly brought cake.
Task 1: Destroy the newly brought cake.
Task 2: Compensate the handsome guy with your body.
Luca, after reading his first ever mission, was once again speechless of his system's shamelessness.