I was late.

On my first day of work.

And I was already late.

Not five-minutes-late.

Not the elevator took forever late.

Not even there was unexpected traffic late.

I was thirty-seven-minutes-late-on-my-first-day-and-my-career-was-over late.

I sprinted through the crowded street, clutching my bag against my side.

My phone bounced wildly in my pocket.

My hair, which had looked perfectly professional twenty minutes ago, now resembled a bird's nest that had survived a hurricane.

"Move!"

I squeezed between two pedestrians.

"Sorry!"

I nearly ran into a cyclist.

"Really sorry!"

A delivery scooter zoomed past, missing me by inches.

The driver shouted something.

I didn't stop long enough to hear it.

At this point, if I died before reaching the office, at least I wouldn't have to explain to Human Resources why I was late.

The towering glass headquarters of KoKup finally came into view.

I almost cried.

"There you are."

My future.

My salary.

My ability to continue paying rent.

My mother's daily reminder that I was now a responsible adult.

I rushed through the revolving doors and swiped my temporary employee card.

The security gate opened.

Thank God.

I practically threw myself toward the elevator lobby.

Fifteenth floor.

Marketing Department.

The place where I would either begin my successful career...

Or get fired before lunch.

The elevator finally arrived with a cheerful ding.

I stepped inside and repeatedly pressed the button for the fifteenth floor as if that would somehow make it move faster.

There were only a few people inside.

Most employees had already started work.

Because unlike me, they were competent adults.

The ride felt endless.

When the doors finally opened, I rushed out and hurried toward the marketing department.

The moment I entered the office—

Every conversation stopped.

Oh no.

Dozens of eyes turned toward me.

The new employee.

The late new employee.

The very late new employee.

I could practically hear their thoughts.

"First day and she's already late?"

"Bold strategy."

"HR is going to love this."

I wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole.

Then a voice came from somewhere behind me.

"Come on. It's her first day. Cut her some slack."

The office atmosphere instantly relaxed.

A few people laughed.

Someone returned to their desk.

And I finally dared to turn around.

Big mistake.

A very big mistake.

Because standing behind me was quite possibly the most attractive man I had ever seen in my entire life.

For a second, my brain completely stopped working.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Neatly styled black hair.

A crisp white shirt with sleeves rolled to his forearms.

And a smile.

A dangerous smile.

The kind that probably caused workplace productivity to drop by at least thirty percent.

My soul left my body.

I stared.

He stared.

I kept staring.

My brain helpfully supplied only one thought.

Angel.

An actual angel.

A very handsome angel.

The angel of employee orientation.

"Uh..."

His smile widened.

"You okay?"

No.

I was absolutely not okay.

Because after years of surviving university, group projects, internships, and family gatherings—

I had just developed a crush on my coworker within three seconds of meeting him.

And that had to be some kind of new personal record.