Chapter 8 – The degree
The middle-aged man told her to sit on a chair, but Naomi sat. There were traces of their actions that were still wet, and she didn't want her clothes to be touched by them. he appreciated Naomi's behavior and was pleased with the girl's answer that it was impossible to sit while measuring the degree of their work.
He gave a record of Naomi's accomplishments so far, and there was nothing the director didn't like. He wants Naomi to recruit an artist or an innocent teenager to make an ad, as suggested at the meeting. The prospect Naomi offered was appetizing at the time of the earlier discussion. Investors wanted to realize it immediately to achieve profits from the sale.
Naomi prepared for this by handing over ad samples to invite young people to be selected and market them to buyers. Without waiting a long time, he agreed to Naomi's request, making it easier for the girl to ask for funds to run the ad.
She brought a power of attorney as a representative on behalf of the director in case Naomi needed anything challenging to handle. She was glad the company leader was stupid enough because he always enjoyed messing around with many women. This proposal was also why he wanted to sleep with girls who were still innocent. No wonder the company didn't go bankrupt because prominent families managed many branches and wealth.
Naomi doesn't think about it. The most important thing has been planned successfully, and what she wants is achieved. Until the company managed to get big profits, Naomi got an injection of money from embezzling crumbs during advertising.
Naomi's co-workers want to throw a party that she hates. She feels that the surrounding people are like poison and a parasite. People have done nothing special to contribute to the company.
However, thanks to Angela and Rio's coercion, Naomi finally invited her office friends to have dinner at a restaurant. This time, she would decide to go somewhere close to the apartment and not have anything to do with alcohol or bars. They will always follow wherever Naomi goes if they get free food.
They agreed to meet at the usual place, but the people forced Naomi to walk with them until they reached their destination.
It turned out that at the restaurant, the dinner was not only from the company where Naomi worked. Several employees were sitting in groups while enjoying the food. The aroma of smoked meat and pickled vegetables that are grilled is appetizing. Even people who want to order non-grilled food end up being tempted to order similar food.
Naomi told them to order, and she was about to put the card in the cashier so she would remember to pay later. She tried to smile in front of many people.
"Damn it, later I will withdraw a lot of money again because of your greed." thought the girl. She never treats her friends using money from her hard work. So far, Naomi has managed to do that because she can minimize the expenditure of blessings from what she remembered before her death.
After making sure nothing was left behind, she approached the big table where it was used for them to gather. Not long after, the food finally arrived, and they ate it. When the food ordered is almost finished, they re-order.
They chatter about the new year that will soon arrive and that the snow in December is over. Naomi remembered when the following month entered the rainy season. They talk about events or activities for the holidays for a few days. Some plan dates with other people, and when they find out that one of them is dating, it becomes a topic of conversation.
Naomi and Rio were not spared from the discussion. She was still evasive but did not badmouth Rio's actions. Likewise, with the young man, he defended Naomi because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Even though Naomi was annoyed, she was happy with the conversation.
"Ah, even though it's going to be a vacation soon, I still think about the announcement written on the notice board, " said one of the bespectacled men. They began to speculate that the announcement was simply a threat to make the people working at the company do a better job.
"That's because you guys are too stupid to respond to the words of the people there." thought Naomi. However, she tries to cheer up her friends and diverts them to enjoy dinner without being frightened by this annoying feeling.
Naomi was to go to the bathroom and clean the remaining fat on her clothes. The smell of flesh lingered on her body. When reaching into the contents of her small bag, she found part of the slinging rope even though Naomi was sure that the string had been moved to Angela's house altogether.
She didn't realize that there were still about ten centimeters left in one of the bag pockets, and Naomi didn't notice. She was worried that it would take her life on the same day. Naomi opened a notebook containing plans that had been written before. She had used every means to keep Angela from noticing the beautifully strung strings before.
Naomi rushed to one of the toilet cubicles to draw up a plan and immediately took stationery and scribbled plans in her book. Naomi was there long enough not to notice an incoming call three times on her cellphone and Angela calling her in the bathroom.
Angela almost knocked on the door, but Naomi succeeded in holding the door ahead. Angela was worried about her best friend and wanted nothing wrong to happen, so she caught up with Naomi to check on things. Naomi tried to comfort Angela because she didn't want Angela to be sad and invited her to join the others.