Rami breathed a sigh of relief after finding Aluna. She had nearly gotten lost, even though the guard out front had given her plenty of details about the room. The room was nearly empty, with only Aluna and another staff member whose identity she didn’t know inside.
“Al!” she called, lifting the lunch box.
Aluna’s eyes widened. “Rami? What are you doing here?” She was surprised, but happy too.
“Hmm... inviting you to eat together?” Rami set her lunch box on the table.
“Aww~, that’s so sweet.” Aluna and Rami opened the lunch box.
It was only kimchi fried rice, but they ate enthusiastically until not a single grain remained. They also offered some to the other staff member, but he declined because he was about to head home too.
“Awesome!” Aluna gave two thumbs-up.
“Do you still have a lot of work?”
“Quite a bit,” Aluna replied as she typed. She was one of the most trusted staff members and had earned considerable notice from her superiors because of her excellent work.
“Want me to help?”
Aluna gave her a crooked smile. “Can you?”
Rami pulled her laptop over. She was used to management work from her previous job. This could be a warm-up before she really started working again after four... years? No, wait—after not working like this for ten days.
Half an hour passed. Everything was done. Not bad. Her skills had only declined a little.
Aluna beamed. “You really are amazing, Ram. You’re fast, organized, and hardly make any typos.”
“Ram, what happened to your forehead? It’s really red,” Aluna said, only just noticing.
“Ah, this?” Rami pointed to her forehead. Luckily, it wasn’t swollen.
“Ricky and Kak Jun did it.”
Aluna’s eyes widened, then she clapped. “You haven’t even started working and you’ve already met two of them. Oh, wait—three, counting Kak Jinren. If you get hired, get ready for a life full of drama.”
Little did she know that Rami had already met all six of them.
“I got hired,” Rami said.
“Huh?”
“I got the job, Aluna!” Rami emphasized.
Aluna covered her mouth in disbelief, then grabbed both of Rami’s hands and pulled her to her feet. She jumped up and down by herself before hugging Rami in delight.
Here we go again. Rami was surprised that Aluna was even happier than she was.
A second later, Rami joined in, jumping for joy to match her friend’s excitement.
“Congrats! Finally!” Aluna shouted.
They laughed together. That night became a beautiful one for them both.
First day on the job.
Rami was dressed neatly in her work clothes—borrowed from Aluna. In her left hand, she carried a brown folder containing the important documents the company had requested to complete her records.
“How are you feeling? Ready?” Aluna smiled broadly at the sight of Rami looking nervous.
Rami shook her head. “Stay calm, Rami. You’re not a fan in disguise. You’re an official staff member now.”
Her first steps into the building felt heavy. Everything was new, even though she already knew what it would be like. Still, her nerves dominated.
Aluna had gone inside first.
In the lobby, Rami was greeted by the receptionist.
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
Rami nodded quickly. “I’m Ramiela Shinsen. I’m starting work in the artist management department today.”
“Oh, you’re the new hire. Please wait a moment. The manager will come get you.”
Rami sat down restlessly. Deep down, she really wanted to see Starlight this morning—as a source of encouragement.
A few minutes later, a man in his late thirties stood before her.
Rami immediately stood and bowed politely. “Good morning, sir!”
The man nodded and held out his hand. “I’m Daniel, your direct supervisor. Come on, I’ll show you to the management division.”
Rami shook his hand, a little hesitantly.
As they walked through the office corridors, Rami couldn’t stop looking from side to side. Photographs of Starlight hung on the walls, from their debut all the way through their major concerts. She smiled faintly. This wasn’t a dream. It was real.
When they reached the division office, Daniel introduced her to several other staff members. Everyone looked busy, but friendly. A few also seemed indifferent to her presence.
“This is your desk. Your laptop and employee ID are ready. Today, you can start by reading the SOP and helping Kak Yuka input the artists’ schedules.”
Rami nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, sir!”
Yuka—the senior staff member Daniel had mentioned—smiled warmly. She was incredibly sweet.
Rami’s desk was in the middle. Yuka sat to her left, and a man sat to her right. She tried to greet the man beside her, who had been looking down the entire time.
“Oh?” Rami blinked several times when her eyes met his.
It seemed like... they had met before.