Tired

"Sir, your latté." Chen Kaori placed the cup before a stern-looking man with glasses.

"Cut!" The director from the adjacent area shouted.

Everyone dashed to fix the props, the clothes and makeup of the actors. Everyone was talking at the same time.

The man adjusted his glasses and drank from the cup placed before him. Then he frowned and gestured for the giver to take it back.

"Eh...what's wrong, Sir?" Chen Kaori took the cup back anyway.

"It's cold." The man replied in monotone.

"Huh?" Chen Kaori drank from the cup with no hesitation to check the temperature of the drink herself.

The man's frown became deeper. "Get out of my sight."

"Uh...sorry, Sir." Chen Kaori immediately took off, making sure she was not within his view for a second more.

She went out to the area of the trash bins. She hurriedly drank the warm coffee before throwing the cup. Her lips became red due to the warmth.

It was not cold at all. She bought it scalding hot from the nearest branch of his usual café, then patiently fanned out the steam from it using the lid, just before handing it to him.

She sighed as she held back the tears. There are no room for tears in advertising.

He changed too much.

He is not the kid living at the corner house of the next block who protected her from bullies that summer.

He is not the charming boy who tolerated her antics in high school. Back then, even if he totally hates it, he will take whatever gift she gave him. She was always pestering him all days of the week, but he would never really get mad.

He danced with her at their graduation ball when he knew she was mad at him. His family took her in like their own daughter.

He is not like any of those anymore.

Chen Kaori guessed that everything has its limits. Maybe it was also time for her to grow up, and grow out of her feelings for him. Maybe she really was only a sister to him.

She did everything to know all about him, to get closer to him. Still, everything was futile.

She was the top student in college. Companies poached her. A senior even wanted her to be a business partner. Yet she chose to work in the PR team of his company, being treated like a slave everyday, well at least by him.

The rest of her colleagues were generally good to her, but they are always busy. She never really had friends, just acquaintances.

The following day, Chen Kaori went to the human resources department.

The middle aged woman looked up at her after reading her letter. "Ms. Chen, when I interviewed you for this job, you seemed very enthusiastic, yet now as if you are a candle whose light was put out. What happened?"

Chen Kaori remembered that day like it was yesterday. She was a fresh graduate with great credentials, but it was not easy to get into his company at the beginning since the department had enough manpower. Luckily, an employee of the PR department suddenly resigned to get married, and Chen Kaori grabbed the opportunity to get the position.

She looked like a lovestruck employee during her first department meeting while her superior trembled as he was presenting a slideshow to the CEO.

Three years had passed since she started at his company. He was like an ice. It is time to stop daydreaming.

Chen Kaori stopped recalling the past and gave the head of HR a bitter smile. "Well, we can just say that I got tired."