Clock In

Part 1

"I'm Fourth. Call me Fourth... no, wait." He shook his head quickly, exhaling through his nose. "Call me Fourth... Fourth Nattawat Jirochtikul from Chiang Mai... no, no."

He drew in a deep breath, pressing his lips into a small circle as he let it out slow. "Calm down," he muttered under his breath. His mouth formed another careful o as he exhaled again.

"I'm Fourth," he said at last, a small smile tugging at his lips. "From Chiang Mai, and I'm looking forward to working with all of you."

He paused, then nodded once to himself with a little more confidence. "Yeah... that's better."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. He straightened his shoulders, took one more steady breath, and stepped out.

As he walked in, Fourth was immediately greeted by a senior named Joong. The man looked friendly, approachable, and wasted no time getting into things. Joong guided him through the onboarding, patiently pointing out the pantry, the meeting rooms, and the HR desk along the way.

"Your shirt's too big for you," Joong remarked offhandedly.

Fourth immediately glanced down at his attire, a flush creeping up his neck as self-consciousness hit. But Joong carried on as if he hadn't said anything at all.

"You'll most likely be trained by the lead accountant," he continued, his tone smooth and easy, as they headed toward the main office space. Then, with the same casualness, he pushed open the door.

"Hi everyone," he called, before gesturing toward Fourth. "This is our new joiner."

Fourth gave a small nervous smile, glancing around the room, adjusting his cuff. A few colleagues looked up and smiled back, some gave polite nods, while others didn't bother to lift their eyes from their laptops. Still, he cleared his throat, tried to ignore the sweaty palms, and gave his best shot.

"Hi," he began, his voice a little shaky but steadying as he went. "I'm Fourth, junior accountant. From Chiang Mai." His nerves showed plainly. Sweaty palms, uneven breaths, and a heartbeat thudding too fast for comfort.

He probably didn't even sound warm or approachable, just someone who wanted to get the introduction over with as quickly as possible.

There was a round of soft claps. A few people gave him welcoming looks, while others remained indifferent. Just as he started to relax, someone called out his name.

"Fourth?"

He turned quickly, trying to locate the voice. A man had just stepped out of a glass cabin. Sharp suit. Straight posture. A familiar face. It was Phuwin, and he was looking at him with a mix of surprise and recognition.

"Fourth Nattawat?" Phuwin repeated, the corners of his mouth curling into a slow, familiar smile.

"Hey, you know our lead accountant?" Joong asked, eyebrows slightly raised.

Fourth glanced at Joong, then nodded quietly.

Phuwin started walking toward him, that smile now growing into a grin. "I haven't seen you in a while," he said. "How are you?" he asked gently.

"I'm doing well. How are you, Phi?" Fourth replied, using the familiar term with ease.

Before Phuwin could say anything else, Joong jumped in. "Wait, how do you two know each other?"

"He's my junior from university," Phuwin answered quickly, brushing past the question like it wasn't worth lingering on. Fourth blinked, caught off guard. He glanced at Phuwin, but the older man wasn't looking his way. He didn't mention that they knew each other from childhood, from the same neighborhood. He didn't bring up the hours of tutoring, or the afternoons spent sitting together on the old bench by the 7-Eleven near their street.