The universe either hated me or I was cursed with bad luck. Out of everyone to mess with, it was the boss. The CEO of my dream company. I wanted to pinch myself, to smack myself just to wake up from my nightmare but it was reality. I had stained his shirt and he was looking at me like he wanted to rip my head off my neck.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words could form. I reached out my hand to do something about the stain but dropped it the next second. I was such a clutz.

“Who are you and what department are you in?” He asked in a deeper and angry voice.

I was finished. How was I going to explain to him that I was applying for a position in the company? I had to do something and not get in trouble. Besides, the building was big, I was certain that we would not cross part.

“I am so sorry, sir. I… please forgive me. I will pay for the shirt to get laundered—”

“Pay?” He eyed me up and down, too condescending. “This isn’t some fabric you can launder. Do you know how much I paid to get this shirt and on the day I wear it, you ruin it? I don’t think anything you own can buy it.”

So, he was a jerk. I gritted my teeth and hardened my gaze. I did not have the time to stand and exchange words with him. I had been willing to apologize but seeing he was a jerk, a prideful jerk, there was no need. I had important things to do and with a stiff nod, I turned around and marched away. I ignored his angry calls out to me and rushed to the sliding doors up ahead.

Once I got to the doors, it slid open and I rushed in. Everything that had happened a few seconds ago left my mind as I looked around the wide and spacious lobby. All around the walls were long banners of games, their characters and large picture frames of members of the game teams Kromer sponsored. 

The whole place was like walking into a dream, a lovely dream. The atmosphere was satisfying and the people around made it even more satisfying. I always saw the people who worked at Kromer as high standard and being part of them would make me like them too. 

Excitedly, I sped-walked over to the large receptionist desk and smiled at the men and women behind it. 

“Good morning,” I said to the woman in front of me. 

“Good morning. How may I help you?” She asked with a kind smile.

“I am here for an 8 am job interview.”

The woman typed on her computer by her left for some seconds before looking at me.

“And your name?”

“Adeline Roover,” I replied and she looked back at the computer for some seconds before searching through a small box on her right.

She pulled out an ID card with a strap and handed it to me. I turned it over and saw it was a visitor ID.

“Use the elevator and head to the third floor. When you get there, explain yourself to the lady at the desk.”

I thanked her excitedly and walked away from the desk to the elevator on the other side of the hall. Once I got to it, I pushed the button on the wall and waited for the doors to slide open. Once it did, I walked in and pushed the floor button. The doors shut and I looked around the small space of the elevator.

There was a small monitor on the wall by my right playing a series of in-game activities from some of the games they made. On my left was a banner of one of the popular gaming teams currently in a competition— AlphaGoons. They were one of my favorite esport teams and had never lost any match. Their leader, Bane, was my crush. He was good looking, smart and somehow inspired me to play the games he played. I was a huge fan. My wish was to meet him one day.

The elevator dinged and stopped then opened. I walked out of it and looked around in awe. The place was designed like the perfect gaming themed office I have ever seen. The single cubicles around were all occupied with staff. The miniature game-themed statues in every corner added to the aesthetics of the place. On the walls were the same banners from the lobby and there was a giant monitor facing the rows of cubicles with highlights of previous games I have played and esports competitions.

I closed my mouth when I realized it was open and made my way to the front desk on my left. I went to it and told them my reason for being here and they directed me to a row of men and women in suits and dresses, sitting with files in their hands. I approached them and sat on an empty seat then continued to look around. The hustle and bustle of the staff motivated me and  imagined myself with them.

I dropped my bag on the floor when my bladder alerted me that I needed to pee. I got up and asked a passing staff member where the restroom was. Once I was directed, I went straight to the restroom and was not surprised the decorations had gaming aesthetics. I hurriedly peed in one of the stalls and cleaned up then flushed. Once I was done, I left the stall and washed my hands then exited the restroom.

As I walked out of the short hallway leading to the restroom, I saw a guy standing in the corner of the busy hallway, holding his phone horizontally and swearing. I craned my head a bit and saw he was playing Capital Offense: Battle Royale, the top game from Kromer and the one I had been playing last night. I watched him play sloppily and grimaced when he got killed by an enemy.

I looked around and hesitantly approached him as he glared daggers at the phone.

“Rough game?” I asked and he flinched then glared at me.

“What’s it to ya’?” He asked and I smiled.

“I can help,” I said and he eyed me like I was crazy.

“You? A girl… play Capital Offense?” He barked a laugh and eyed me again.

“So? What’s wrong with a girl who plays battle royale games?” I didn’t want to take offense at his sexist statement as I needed to focus on the interview I had in a few minutes.

“Look. I don’t need your help. I am perfectly fine. The last thing I want is to have my gaming streak affected, especially my rank.”

I shrugged. “You don’t seem to be doing fine.”

He rolled his eyes and I did the same. I looked away from him and noticed a red haired lady looking in our direction with interest. I looked back at him and spotted his ID.

“Clark,” I said and he looked at me sharply. “Isn’t kromer all about limitless dreams and limitless possibilities? Just because I am a girl does not mean I cannot play games the boys do.”

Clark turned his head. “I just don’t believe that you, a girl can play such. Even the women who work here don’t. All they do is work and get their pay at the end of the month. So, what makes a visitor like you so special?”

I glanced at the screen of his phone and stretched out my hand.

“Let me prove it to you. You will be revived in three seconds,” I said and he eyed my hand before handing me the phone.

I balanced the phone in my hands and poised my four fingers on the screen based on how his settings were displayed on the screen. Once he was revived, I moved the character and started to seek out the enemy. On sighting one, I deployed my scope and shot him in the head.

“Oh, shit. That was a clean headshot,” he said beside me in awe.

I shushed him and continued to play, seeking out and killing the enemies. I smiled when I saw his gaming ID was at the top of the rank in the round. With the adrenaline moving through me, I continued to target the enemies until they were all killed. The word victory popped up on the screen and I handed the phone back to a shocked Clark.

“How…W-what… H-how did you just…” He was speechless.

I shrugged. “One, your rank is low so it was pretty easy for me to kill the enemy team who are in the same bronze rank. Two, I told you I play COB.”

I started to walk away but he called to my attention, making me turn around.

“What rank are you?” He asked.

“Ace!”

I chuckled when he started to stutter. I turned back around and made my way back to the waiting area. I sat on my seat and waited my turn with a smile on my face while I rehearsed what I was going to say.

Five minutes later, my name was called and a wave of nervousness went through me. With a fast beating heart, I got up and approached the door to the interview room. I stood at the door and inhaled then exhaled before grabbing the handle. I put a smile on my face and pushed the door open. I walked into the room where a long table was facing a single chair.

As I got closer, I bowed my head to the three men and one woman. My eyes widened when I saw it was the red haired woman from earlier when I was with Clark. I blinked hard when she smiled at me then I snapped out of my state.

“Good morning,” I said and sat down on the seat.

“Welcome,” a man with snow white hair said.

“Thank you for coming,” a bald headed man said and I nodded.

“Shall we begin?” The youngest looking man out of the three asked.

“Yes, please,” I said and made a brief eye contact with the woman.

“What is your name?” The woman asked.

“I am Adeline Roover, ma’am.”

“Miss. Roover. Can you tell us more about yourself?” The bald headed man asked.

I swallowed and nodded. “As I said, I am Adeline Roover.”

“Be free,” the woman said. “Just free yourself.”

“Okay… I studied coding and computer science in college and have had a passionate obsession with games ever since I was thirteen.”

“Okay… How did you learn about Kromer?”

I bit my lip as I was excited. I had a story to tell when it came to Kromer.

I chuckled. “It’s a long one.”

White hair shrugged. “Tell us.”

“Okay.” I laced my hands against my chest, feeling comfortable. “ I have an unhealthy obsession with the company, sorry. Ever since I was thirteen, the first ever type of game I had was from Kromer. It was the Loot Box game board and I would always play it with my dad. Since then, I have studied so much about Kromer. As I grew, so did Kromer. Every year, I was excited to know what game the company would release. I saved up so much money to buy every collection the company released. I even have a little stash of every game I own back at home.”

I laughed softly as I remembered those years before continuing.

“Kromer even made me want to be a game developer. That is how obsessed I am with it. I studied every subject related to computer science until I got into college to study computer science and coding. I graduated and since then, I have continued to have my obsession for Kromer.”

I stopped talking to chuckle again and to see an amused expression on their faces.

“You have a wonderful story to tell,” the bald headed man said and flipped through the file in front of him. “But why should we hire you?”

I bit my lip as a wave of sadness took over me. I took a deep breath to speak then looked at each of them.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind being rejected.” I chuckled. “One of my dreams has been to walk into this building. To see what is within it. Me sitting here today is enough for me. I know I am not qualified and my reason to get hired is selfish… I want to be here, I want to experience being in Kromer for me… When I spent almost ten minutes finding ways to send my resume, I had it in mind that I would never get a response but when I did, I felt like the luckiest person alive. So, just being here is enough if I don’t get in.”

They stayed silent for some seconds before the lady sighed.

“Your resume says you play games. What type do you play?”

I smiled. “Every type of game. But I mostly play battle royale games, simulations and strategy.”

She nodded. “Do you play any of our games?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yes! I play almost every game made by the company but my most favorite is Capital Offense.”

“You play COB?” Bald head asked with shock written on his face. 

“Really? I mean it’s not as if we don’t have a female demographic in the game but it’s hard to see one here. How…I mean, what is your ID and rank?” White hair asked.

“My gaming ID is 264947789, rank is Ace 55 and my username is JoyGiver.”

They all gasped and the woman rose to her feet.

“Wait… You’re the JoyGiver?”

I was confused at the way they were reacting and did not know what to say.

“Yeah…”

“Oh, my God. You are in the top three worldwide rank in COB.” Bald head was full of excitement. 

“We didn’t know you were a girl,” the youngest said and relaxed in his seat with a smile on his face.

I was more confused than ever. I sat up right when the woman left her seat and came to me. She held my hands and helped me up. 

“You know what? We have been meaning to contact the top ten people and you came to us. You made it so easy for us and what’s more, you are JoyGiver! You know what? You’re hired.”

My heart flipped. I was hired?