An old man wearing a suit and tie walked into a four times three meters office room. The sign at the door was written as "CEO".
The man whose age was around eighties went straight to a sofa at the corner of the room. He loosened up his tie and took a deep breath, like he had not breathe for a while.
A couple of minutes later, a St. Bernard breed suddenly showed up and sat close to his feet.
It probably waited patiently for its owner inside the room all this time.
The old man stroked the head of the large dog, as if praising it for being a good boy.
"Found anyone new, Zef?"
Woof! The dog barked as the respond of the old man's question.
The old man smiled as if he understood the dog's answer.
"I see. It's not that easy to find candidate who's strong and wilful enough, huh"
Woof! Woooof! Woof! The dog barked again, but this time followed by a whining.
"Hm, you think so? Well, instead, I think that what makes us human interesting though" commented the old man now while standing up and walking toward his desk "We are weak, fragile and easily broken, even so, we look for ways to dominate and manipulate all things around us"
The dog did not interrupt the old man self lecture, instead followed after him obediently.
"We are probably the greediest, dirtiest creature in this earth, even god -- if he existed -- would be fed up with the way we carry out our life"
The old man opened the second drawer of his desk and took out a piece of frame made out of wood. He stared at the picture engraved inside it.
His eyes gave off the vibe of a death fish. Shallow, hollow, the kind that was not from this living world.
"Hey, Zef, I've been pondering about this for some time now" asked him toward the St. Bernard, while lifting the frame close to his front for it to see "Shall we give up everything and pursue it for real?"
The dog did not answer directly. Its quietness really made it like it properly thought over what the old man before it asked about.
The old man snickered toward the sudden silence "You seem hesitant, Zef. Are you still that attached to this?"
It's not just me, wuf! It's us to be precise, wuf!
The old man's eyes widen as a voice he had not heard for a while rang inside his head. He then closed his eyes while smiling.
He put the frame back where it was saved before and pushed the drawer back in.
"Yeah, you are right"
***
"Heh? 's tat so? Tat explains things then" mumbled Jack after hearing it himself from Diandra. That confirmed his suspicion, but it did not make him happy either.
"Yea-- wait! My office will be around that corner, I'm good if you drop me here"
"Naah, I'm droppin' ya right at yer front door" murmured him while looking at the sky, it was probably raining soon "Where to?"
"Ah-- hm. Please turn left at the next corner and you can just go straight ahead. Five minutes or so we'll arrive at my office" answered Diandra while feeling a little bit giddy, he might be a version, but he surely was Matthew's version "Sorry to trouble you"
"Thanks"
"Huh?"
" 's not [sorry to trouble ya], 's gotta be thanks"
"Oh-- eh! Th-- thanks, Jack!"
Jack was a little surprised when Diandra called on his name instead of Matthew's, suddenly his chest felt a little tight "Ta-- tat's nuttin'. Just do what Matt-boy wud do"
A few minutes after, they arrived at the front door of Diandra's office. She thanked him once more and excused herself from the car.
Jack was observing as she pushed the door open and walked out of his ride.
At that moment, he called on her. Diandra turned around in confusion.
"Tat, ya know, 's good ya know me, but don' mistake me and Matt-boy when us in public -- causin' chaos fer sure"
Diandra was smiling at Jack's concern, one that made Jack's -- or Matthew's -- chest tightened.
"I won't, Matt"
"Go-- good! Here, gimme yer number" ordered Jack while giving out his smartphone.
Diandra seemed to be confused by the gesture.
"Umm, didn't you have my number from the company profile?"
Jack was blushing hard from the commentary Diandra threw at him.
Ahhh, geez! Tis slow poke gonna be da death of us, Matt-boy!
"Tch! 'f course yer number's heckin' written there, but-- " answered Jack now converting to Matthew's way of speaking " --I'm asking whether I can personally call you out of office matters, Dia"
Realising what it meant, Diandra turned red from head to toe. She quickly took the phone from Jack's hand and typed her number in.
After giving the phone back to the owner, she nodded once again and speed-walked toward her office building.
Jack was looking at her going and chuckling on his own.
Ya ther', Matt-boy? Ya definitely missin' tis good event heh~ If ya not come out soon, I feel like stayin' forever and makin' her my own. Ya can't complain later, hah!
***
Diandra had just arrived at her office floor. She walked straight to her desk and took the shortest route -- she had been avoiding for a reason.
Yet, today she forgot about it all. Her mind was elsewhere.
This is not good, not good. I don't have the time to be swooned like this. Not when Alien-Sir issue hasn't been solved yet!
She was agonising over her recent behaviour. She was big time embarrassed by Jack's -- or Matthew's -- bittersweet act. It was not that she hated it. It was just might be not the best time for that.
She rubbed her forehead repeatedly, trying to get her mind back where it should be. Just then, she felt a strong presence from her behind.
She did not have time to look around when her back was touched by somebody.
"Hey, you've been avoiding me. That's cold" A whisper so close to her ear made her body frozen stiff.
She knew this voice a little too well. His breath grazed her nape's skin, brought a shiver all over her body.
Without further ado she turned her body around and quickly took a couple steps back from him.
There, in front of her, she saw the source of her terror standing, staring at her. His version -- Nero -- stayed at his side, grinning from side to side.
She could no longer stand the atmosphere. She planned to run away. Just then, an arm vastly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to where she was before.
To prevent her from running away, the man slammed his hand against the wall and pinned her down against it.
She was surprised by the action and closed one of her eyes as the result. Hurt not, but noticeably surprised.
A famous kabedon* was performed at her -- but contrary to the popular belief -- she did not feel bashful, at all, instead she felt like dying. That instant.
--///--
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Note (*):
Kabedon: "kabe" means wall, "don" is a sound produced when hitting a wall. In shoujo manga, this is a situation in which a guy slams his hand against the wall, pinning a girl against it. The proximity between them is so close that causes the heart to beat faster.