Clock In

Part 1

Once on the bus, Fourth settled into a seat by the window, eyes flicking between the passing streets and his phone. He refreshed his email app again and again, waiting for a response from the company. It wasn't the only interview he'd done recently, but it was the one he really hoped would go his way.

He had packed up and left his hometown for Bangkok just a week ago. With what little he had, he managed to rent a small room, still expensive in his eyes and planned carefully around this interview. If nothing came of it, he told himself he'd find a part-time job to scrape by while waiting for another chance.

He didn't want to work at GMM just because it had been around for ages or had a strong reputation. That was part of it, sure, but the real reason ran deeper. What really drew him in was Phuwin. A boy from his own neighborhood. Just a couple of years older, from the same kind of background, nothing flashy, nothing handed to him. And yet, somehow, Phuwin had managed to turn his life around.

Fourth had always admired him. He held a quiet respect for him, who walked the same streets he had and still managed to break through. He wanted to follow that path, to prove that someone like him could make it too. Phuwin was proof that background didn't have to be a barrier.

He remembered the evenings before his high school exams, how the man used to sit with him, patiently explaining formulas and helping him stay focused when his mind kept drifting. Fourth had watched him study late, work hard, disappear into textbooks while others gave up. And then, just like that, Phuwin had left their neighborhood to study accounting at Chulalongkorn University. It was the reason Fourth chose to study accounting there too.

If Phuwin could do it, then maybe he had a shot too. That was the thought he clung to when everything felt stacked against him.

Now, years later, attending the interview at the company where Phuwin worked, Fourth let out a long breath, the kind that carries more weight than it lets on. A trace of disappointment flickered across his face.

"I probably won't get the job," he muttered, the words sitting heavy in his heart.

//

It has been two days. Fourth had been sitting on the edge of his bed for what felt like hours, just staring blankly at his phone like it might magically buzz if he looked pitiful enough. He had already refreshed his email at least ten times in the past half hour, each time with a flicker of hope that fizzled out just as fast. His heart was stuck in this loop of anticipation and disappointment, over and over again.

Then, just when he was about to give up and toss his phone aside, it buzzed. A new email. From GMM.

His stomach dropped. He froze, eyes locked on the screen. His thumb trembled a little as he tapped to open it.

The subject line read, "Application Update: GMM."

He took a breath, held it for a second too long, and finally opened the message.

The first line hit him like a punch and a hug all at once. "Congratulations, you've been offered to join us as-"

He didn't even finish reading. He set the phone down like it had turned hot in his hand. Eyes wide. Lips slightly parted. For a few seconds, he just sat there in stunned silence.

Then slowly, cautiously, he picked the phone back up and reread the email, this time letting the words sink in fully.

"Congratulations, you've been offered to join us as a Junior Accountant."

The words sat quietly on the screen, but they felt massive to him. A small grin tugged at his lips, soft and slow, like it was blooming on its own. His chest felt lighter. His mind, still spinning, started to settle just enough to let the moment land.