Bela led me through the lobby to a room on the right side of the building. The words “Human Resources” were displayed in front of the door. I swallowed before finally following Bela inside.
Several employees who were working immediately turned to look. Their gazes shifted from Bela to me, then back to Bela again. I could feel their intense curiosity, even though none of them dared to ask directly.
“Don’t think about it too much,” Bela whispered as she continued walking. “In this office, a newcomer’s arrival is always something people talk about.”
“I’m just afraid I won’t be able to live up to Master Arya’s expectations.”
“Then don’t think about his expectations. Think about your own abilities.”
I turned to her. Bela’s words sounded simple, but they were enough to make my steps feel a little lighter.
We stopped in a room filled with filing cabinets. A woman around forty years old greeted us warmly. Bela introduced me as a prospective employee who would be taking an interview and skills test.
I was invited to sit down and given several sheets of documents.
“Please fill out your personal information and complete this administrative test,” she said. “There’s no need to rush. Just do your best.”
I nodded and began reading the test questions.
At first, everything looked ordinary. There were several questions about filing, document management, drafting letters, and recording employee data. However, the longer I worked, the calmer I felt. None of it was unfamiliar to me.
For years, I had helped manage household affairs, recorded expenses, organized bills, and arranged various family documents, so I was used to working carefully. It was just that no one had ever considered those abilities meaningful.
I finished the test faster than expected. Afterward, the HRD staff member gave me several documents that had deliberately been mixed up.
“Try organizing them by date and document type,” she requested.
I began examining them one by one. Some files had numbers that weren’t in sequence, while others had no clear markings. I grouped everything, made a few notes, and arranged the documents by category.
Bela, who had been watching from across the table, slowly raised an eyebrow.
“That was fast.”
“I was just trying to understand them,” I replied quietly.
“That’s exactly the point. A lot of people need much longer just to understand the pattern of the documents.”
I didn’t know how to respond. So I just gave a small smile and went back to checking my work.
After nearly an hour, the interview finally ended. The HRD staff member asked me several questions about my work experience, education, and whether I was willing to start from the lowest position.
I answered honestly. I had no experience working at a large company. However, I could learn, I was detail-oriented, and I was used to finishing my work without complaining much.
Bela listened to all my answers without interrupting. Every now and then, she wrote something down in the file she was carrying.
“All right, Ma’am Ayu,” she said when everything was finished. “Let’s go meet Mr. Arya.”
I followed Bela back toward the elevator. This time, my steps were no longer as stiff as before. A little confidence had begun to grow inside me, even though I still didn’t know what the outcome of the interview would be.
The elevator doors opened on the top floor. Bela led me to Master Arya’s spacious office, which was surrounded by glass. The man was standing in front of the window with his back to us.
“Sir,” Bela called.
Arya turned around. His gaze immediately fell on me, then shifted to the file in Bela’s hand.
“How did it go?”
Bela handed him the file. “The interview results are quite interesting. Ayu is smart and quick to understand administrative work.”
Arya opened the file and read several pages without changing his expression.
“What positions are available?” he asked.
“Deputy head of HRD,” Bela replied. “Or receptionist.”
Arya lifted his head.
Bela smiled mischievously. “If you want, she could also be your assistant. Maybe?”
I immediately stared at Bela with wide eyes.
“Bela,” Arya warned flatly.
“Sorry, Sir. I was just giving you options.”
Arya looked down at the file in his hands again. After a few moments, he closed it.
“Deputy head of HRD.”
I caught my breath. “Me, Master?”
“Yes.”
“But I’ve never worked at a company this big.”
“That’s why you’ll learn.”
I fell silent. The decision sounded so easy for him, while to me, it felt impossible.
Bela looked pleased. “All right, then I’ll take care of her placement.”
“Starting today.”
My eyes widened again. “Today too, Master?”
Arya looked at me calmly. “You came to the office to work, not to look around.”
I lowered my head. “Yes, Master.”
Bela took me back to the HRD floor. An employee handed me an ID card and introduced me to several members of the team. Several faces looked surprised when they learned my position. I knew they had to be wondering how a woman in a simple abaya had immediately taken up such a position.
However, I tried not to let it bother me.
I started working that very day.
I checked the employees’ attendance reports, studied the administrative system, and helped resolve several delayed files. The work wasn’t easy, but I gradually began to understand its patterns. Whenever I ran into difficulty, I asked questions without embarrassment. Once I received an explanation, I immediately wrote it down so I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
*** Author’s POV
On the top floor, Arya sat in front of his computer. One of the screens displayed footage from a security camera connected to the HRD room.
He watched the way Ayu worked without moving much.
When he saw Ayu remain calm as she faced a mountain of files, his eyes narrowed. The woman didn’t complain, seek attention, or use his name to make things easier for herself.
Even when a senior employee deliberately gave her a difficult file, Ayu merely took a breath and began working on it carefully.
Arya leaned back in his chair.
For the first time, he felt that the decision he had made that morning might have been more right than he’d imagined.