"It always feels unfair, to the point that you want to run away like this. Just because you graduated from high school, now you think you're so arrogant and don't even need your family anymore?" A middle aged woman snapped at the girl in front of her.
The silver haired girl, with shoulder length hair, lowered her head as she listened to her mother's scolding for her reckless actions.
"When was the last time this family ever listened to my opinion?" the girl retorted, silencing her mother's words.
The mother realized, at that moment, that she had always ignored her eldest daughter, focusing all her attention on her youngest daughter under the pretense of making up for the mistakes she made when the younger one was a child.
She felt like she hadn't wanted the presence of her youngest daughter ever since she was born, even up until the age of three.
The middle aged woman bit her lip and grabbed her eldest daughter's right hand. With a face full of regret, though it looked almost sickening, she pleaded, "Honey... We've been living together for so long, just the three of us. We've been through everything together. Are you really going to leave me and Crystal now?"
The girl kept her head lowered, letting her mother speak. The middle aged woman held both of her daughter's hands tightly, trying to smile.
"Honey… You know why I..."
"I know. But, Mom, you've focused all your love and attention on Crystal for almost 11 years! She's no longer that three year old little girl. She's a 14 year old teenager now." The silver haired girl responded firmly.
She was sick of hearing the same excuses from her mother that never changed, even after all these years.
The girl shrugged off her mother's hand, still holding onto her suitcase tightly. She turned away from her mother, her back now facing her.
"You don't need to worry about the cost of living for you and Crystal going forward. Even though I'm cutting ties with you both, I'll still make sure to take care of your expenses until Crystal gets married." The girl said her final words before leaving.
Her mother stood frozen, kneeling weakly on the cold ceramic floor, watching her eldest daughter disappear from sight.
***
Eight years later...
The sound of steady footsteps echoed as they entered the customer service division. The noise that had previously filled the room, even spilling outside, vanished instantly.
The presence of a tall, athletic man with sharp features, around 170 cm in height, black shiny hair styled in a pixie cut, long lashes, a sharp nose, naturally red lips, and tired, droopy eyes instantly commanded the room's attention, making the employees fall silent.
"Is it time for a break?" He asked casually, eyeing the employees in the customer service division, who were now frozen in place, staring at their computer screens after spotting the HR manager, known as the Sharp Tongued Lamb.
The HR manager crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, his sharp gaze flicking to each of the employees who dared not look up at him.
He sighed heavily, then let out a small chuckle. Although he was laughing, there was something unsettling about it that made everyone in the division shudder.
"You must all be tired, right? Maybe some of you want to take some leave to go heal, or perhaps even resign. Honestly, I don't mind. If anyone's interested, raise your hand!" His tone was friendly and warm, almost as if he was on the employees side.
A few employees hesitated before quickly raising their hands.
The manager smiled, nodding his head.
"Alright! For those who want to take a leave, follow me to my office." He spun around, and the employees who wanted to request leave followed him.
Once inside the HR manager's office, he handed each of the employees two envelopes. One contained a leave letter, and the other contained their pay.
"Enjoy your long break," he said, giving a half-smile.
***
"How many people did you fire today? A lot, huh? You've been grinning like a maniac all this time." A short haired woman sat across from the Sharp Tongued Lamb.
"Not that many... Just 10."
The woman, Violet, was taken aback. Though her quirky friend had often fired people before, she still wasn't used to his unique style.
"Geez, Loey! You're going to fire your own bestie one of these days, huh? You're so scary, seriously! Even someone like Beyoncé would probably be terrified of you!" Violet complained, massaging her forehead.
"It's not Loey who should thank Beyoncé. It's Beyoncé who should thank Loey." A man with undercut black hair and glasses, named Sean, but often called Lepi Sutarman, chimed in. He was about 160 cm tall, extremely tidy, and looked just like Levi from Attack on Titan. Not to mention, he was a huge anime fan.
"Oh wow, Lepi Sutarman's here too. I thought you were busy watching Titan Bride like I recommended yesterday." Violet joked when she saw her quirky best friend walk in.
"That green-blob really needs to be sent to another planet. Instead of recommending hentai anime, she even recommended anime bl ," Sean grumbled, grabbing Violet's coffee and finishing it in one go.
"Yeah, trust someone like green blob," Loey added, sipping his iced matcha. Meanwhile, Violet earned her nickname because she loved anything in dull green, and she often acted embarrassingly in public, making her seem like she was from another planet.
Violet fumed as she realized that Loey was mocking her instead of teasing Sean like he usually did.
"This damn goat rag! You're no different, you know! I thought those frishen flag guys were better than green flag ones, so I stayed up late watching Mouse and Stranger from Hell just to see Jung Baerum and Moon Jo, like you said. And then... Bam! I was disappointed!" Violet vented, lifting her chair as if to throw it at her calm and sweet bestie.
Sean quickly held Violet back, preventing her from going crazy. Loey chuckled while sipping his iced matcha, muttering, "Fantastic, babe!"
And so went the daily life of these three unique friends, working at the big, prestigious company known as Ehek Core.
***
A man in a black suit, athletic and handsome, sat on a sofa by the window. Occasionally sipping his hot tea, he read news on his large iPad, keeping an eye on trending social media stories while waiting for his personal assistant, who was taking far too long.
Feeling frustrated from waiting, he decided to go check on his assistant himself. But just as he set his iPad down, the assistant appeared and rushed toward his boss.
"Here you go, Sir, information regarding the company you'll be managing next," the tall, slim assistant, Lucian, said, handing over the iPad to his employer.
"Just read it to me, Lucian. My mood's a bit off because of you," the man said with a smile, though his sharp blue eyes couldn't hide his irritation.
Lucian nodded and began reading. "The company's name is Ehek Core. And the qualifications..." He stopped, stunned by what he read next.
"What's the matter, Lucian? Did you just get stuck on the name?" Jaylen Karlsen, his boss, said with a mischievous grin.
Lucian cleared his throat and read again. "The qualifications for working at Ehek Core are that employees must have the highest morals, so good that even demons would feel insecure. Also, employees are encouraged to learn animal languages, as their politeness and dedication might even replace the animals in the zoo."
Lucian was speechless, unable to believe the qualifications.
"Hahaha... I can't wait to lead this company. Get the car ready! I want to start working there today."
"What?!"