She is Ready

On the day of her interview, Ran made sure to wake up early in the morning to begin her preparations. She especially didn't want to end up sleeping through her most important interview, missing a once in a lifetime chance.

'Well, I got notifications from other companies asking for an interview, so I guess if I mess this one up, the world won't end,' Ran reassured herself while taking her sweet time dressing up in the expensive clothes she bought the night before, the tight knot in her stomach slowly but surely fading.

'I would just miss my only chance of getting a job in the prestigious ATE...' Ran stopped brushing her hair as she felt her nerves slowly crawling back inside her. She's underwent so many job interviews, yet why was she feeling so nervous like some kind of beginner?

Ran finished her preparation and looked at herself in front of a body mirror that conveniently came along with her apartment room. She pursed her lips after seeing her reflection. Just... just what happened to her appearance lately? She didn't look like a youthful 21 year old. "My dark circles make me look older," Ran lightly touched her wrinkly bags, letting out a sigh in the process.

"Let's hope to God that I meet a nice interviewer who doesn't judge others by their appearance," She look one last glance at the mirror while praying internally. Since everything else in her life has gone downhill lately, shouldn't she experience a miracle now?

...

"Here's the list of potential candidates," A man handed Rowan a sheet of paper with a list that contained 8 names. Although his eyes were dazed from exhaustion, Rowan still read over the paper carefully. Nothing really stood out to him.

"8 names? This amount is much more compared to other application interviews," Usually, they would only get about 3-5 people. Rowan finished reading the names and set the paper down, dissatisfied with the extra amount of effort he has to expend now.

"Yeah, I have no idea what the person in charge was thinking, but Boss said to just mark anybody who catches your eye. Whether it's all of them or none of them, doesn't matter," The man gave the Boss' last set of instructions to Rowan. Rowan's eyebrows raised when he heard how lenient the rules were this time. Was ATE opening its tight doors now?

"I understand. Thank you for the information," Rowan politely bowed at his senior and stretched his sore body the moment the man's head turned. Ever since Rowan arrived for work in the evening, he hasn't gotten a wink of sleep.

'Perhaps I have enough time for a short nap,' Rowan calculated the exact time he needed to wake up in order to have enough time ready to prepare for the interview and then placed his head down onto his wide work table. In an instant, he fell asleep.

...

"May the next person please proceed inside,"

Rowan woke up from his 1 hour 27 minute and 33 second long nap, washed his face in the bathroom, and went to the office room located on the fourth floor. Currently, he was conducting the interviews. He's reached the 6th person.

He folded his hands politely on the desk with the next person's resume and application printed out. With just a glance, he didn't find anything outstanding about this person, since her resume seemed bland, like any other applicant's. There wasn't anything that popped out, anything to set her apart from the rest of the crowd.

*Click*

The sound of the door knob turning caught Rowan's attention as he looked up from the resume. He put on a professional smile as he prepared to politely welcome the next person in.

But his smile froze halfway through when he saw who walked in. The person who stepped in seemed awfully familiar. Was it her curly hair? Her lavendar smell? Her curvy figure? When he tilted his head to look at her face, he felt his heart thump.

"Ran?" He gasped out, totally caught off guard by her sudden appearance.

Upon hearing her name getting called, Ran lifted her head to stare at the caller, Rowan. She stopped moving when she recognized his familiar appearance and smell.

"Ro?" She breathed out quietly in disbelief, almost like she was whispering.

"..."

The two stared at each other for as long as they could have before they were interrupted.

"Please enter the room and shut the door behind you," A voice from the outside broke off the awkward silence beginning to loom over the room. Ran immediately complied to the voice's demands as she hurriedly stepped in and shut the door. However, her mouth was still dangling during the process of doing so.

Only after quietly watching Ran move and sit in the chair directly in front of him did Rowan finally move again. As if remembering something, he quickly took a glance at the papers on his desk. More specifically, he read her name.

"No wonder I was unable to recognize you after reading through the list. I presume this is your real name?" Rowan tapped on the part of her application that had her name written on it.

Ran gave a slight nod. After waiting for a moment and seeing Rowan remain silent, she spoke up. "In my most recent job, the owner of the store found that saying my real name was a mouthful, so he started calling me Ran," She explained diligently.

"I-Is this an interview question?" Ran spoke up again immediately after, doubt apparent in her voice.

Rowan shook his head with an embarassed smile, his ears slightly red. "My apologies. My personal curiosity took over," He ruffled his hair in an attempt to hide his reddened ears.

"Only ask me the necessary questions, Rowan. Other people are still waiting," Ran reminded him to remain professional. After all, this was an official interview at a top company. Rowan's personal feelings shouldn't get involved in business.

"Also, don't approve of me only because you know me. Only do it if I really match the standards of the company, otherwise I'll be forever self conscious and uncomfortable here. You wouldn't want that right? I thought so," Ran straightened herself out as she warned Rowan. If she really ended up getting into ATE only because she knew Rowan. She would lose any respect from other coworkers and higher ups once word got out, and she would drown immediately.

"Please do not worry about this matter for I have the capabilities of handling it well," Rowan pulled himself out of the trance he was in just a moment earlier and put on a professional appearance.

And the interview began.

...

"The interview has now finished. Thank you for cooperating with us today, and an email will be sent out a few days later regarding your results," Rowan sighed as he sorted out the papers on his desk, preparing for the next person's interview.

Ran also sighed a breath of relief as she adjusted her position on the chair to sit more comfortably. Those last three minutes were probably one of Ran's most strenuous moment in her life.

"But Ro's surprisingly serious while he's working huh," Ran quietly mumbled to herself while staring at Rowan shift through the various papers on his desk. She was caught off guard by how much of an efficient and intelligent worker he was, since she's only seen his long smoke break side. So, her expectations were lowered.

"Oh, my apologies once again. I was distracted by this messy desk and must have forgotten to dismiss you while organizing it," Rowan remembered Ran was here when he heard her soft whispers.

"May the next person please proceed inside?" He dismissed Ran with a polite smile and finally finished organizing the papers on his desk.

Ran returned a smile and got up to leave the room.

"Dinner later tonight? Or perhaps a drink together if you prefer," Rowan calmly asked her when she placed her hand on the door knob. Her head was turned to the side, so he couldn't see the wide smile that formed on her face.

"Dinner and drink afterwards. I'll wait in the cafe across the street," Ran agreed. She still had a ton of things to ask him about.

"Sounds wonderful. See you later then," Rowan smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, I'll be waiting," Ran left the room.

And the door shut.