POV Nara
That morning, the atmosphere at the office felt a little different.
Or maybe it wasn't the office atmosphere that had changed.
Maybe I was simply feeling a little too excited.
For the first time since I started working as Arka Mahendra's secretary, I arrived early. I wasn't late, rushing, or—most importantly—spilling coffee all over my desk.
I even had time to stare proudly at my computer screen.
“Way to go, Nara.”
I nodded to myself.
“Today, you look like a professional employee.”
I had just reached for my work files when the door to Arka's office opened.
I immediately sat up straight.
Arka stepped out with his usual calm stride.
As always, his face was impossible to read. No smile. No exaggerated expression. Just the cold stare that often made every employee get right back to work whenever he walked by.
He walked past me.
I lowered my head.
But after a few steps, he stopped.
“Nara.”
I immediately stood.
“Yes, Boss?”
Arka turned to look at me.
I instantly realized what I'd called him.
“Sorry.”
His expression remained blank.
“Call me Arka.”
I nodded quickly.
“Yes, Mr. Arka.”
He was still looking at me.
“Arka.”
I sighed.
“Yes... Arka.”
Only then did he continue walking.
I sat back down, shaking my head.
Apparently, calling your own boss by his first name could be more nerve-racking than dealing with a mountain of work.
A few minutes later, Arka's voice came from inside his office.
“Nara.”
I grabbed several documents and hurried inside.
“Yes?”
“The report I requested.”
I handed him the folder.
“It’s finished.”
Arka opened the folder and began checking its contents.
I stood in front of him and waited.
A few seconds passed.
He flipped through the pages one by one.
“Did you check it?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any mistakes?”
I fell silent.
His question made me think.
Actually, I'd checked it twice.
But experience had taught me one thing.
The more confidently you say something can't possibly be wrong, the faster a mistake appears.
“I don't think so.”
Arka looked up.
“You don't think so?”
I gave him a stiff smile.
“If I say there aren't any mistakes, one will suddenly appear. If I say I don't think there are any, at least I still have a chance to save myself.”
Silence.
I started to feel like I'd said the wrong thing.
Again.
I lowered my head.
“Sorry.”
But when I raised my head, something I never expected happened.
The corner of Arka's mouth lifted.
I blinked.
He smiled.
It wasn't a formal smile.
It wasn't forced.
He was genuinely smiling.
I actually forgot what I was supposed to say.
Arka noticed me staring.
“What?”
I was still looking at him.
“You...”
His eyebrows rose.
“What?”
I pointed at his face.
“You can smile?”
His smile vanished instantly.
I quickly covered my mouth.
“Sorry.”
I lowered my head, hoping the floor would suddenly open up and swallow me whole.
But instead of getting angry, Arka simply shook his head.
Then I heard a quiet laugh.
I looked up.
He was laughing.
Not loudly.
Only for a moment.
But it was enough to leave me staring again.
I really hadn't expected it.
All this time, Arka had always looked like someone who'd forgotten how to smile.
Turns out he could.
And his smile was actually nice.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I hurriedly looked away.
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re strange.”
I turned back to him.
“Strange?”
“Yes.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
Arka frowned.
“That wasn't a compliment.”
“I’m accepting it anyway.”
For a while, the atmosphere in the room changed.
It wasn't as tense as usual.
I even felt like Arka didn't look quite as scary as usual.
He returned his attention to the report in his hands.
“That’s enough. Get back to work.”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
I turned toward the door.
After only a few steps, Arka's voice came again.
“Nara.”
I turned around.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t talk so much.”
I stared at him.
“That’s hard.”
“Why?”
I thought for a moment.
“Because if I stay quiet all the time, the office will feel like a funeral.”
Arka fell silent.
So did I.
Then, for the second time, he laughed.
I smiled too.
“So I successfully made you laugh twice.”
Arka immediately put his blank expression back on.
“Get out.”
I snickered.
“Yes, Arka.”
I hurried out before he could change his mind.
As soon as the door closed, I let out a long breath.
“Oh my God.”
I pressed a hand to my chest.
“I just made my boss laugh.”
I returned to my desk with a smile I couldn't hide.
But apparently, I couldn't keep the incident to myself.
Maya, who had been watching me the whole time, immediately came over.
“What happened?”
I turned to her.
“What?”
“You came out of Arka's office smiling.”
I shrugged.
“So what?”
Maya leaned closer.
“I heard someone laughing.”
I fell silent.
Maya's eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me it was Arka?”
I nodded.
“Yep.”
“Arka Mahendra?”
“Yep.”
“He laughed?”
I nodded again.
Maya grabbed my arm.
“Seriously?”
I let out a small laugh.
“Seriously.”
“Because of what?”
I pointed at myself.
“Because of me.”
Maya immediately covered her mouth.
Several employees around us began to stare.
I quickly pulled her hand down.
“Don’t make a scene.”
Maya lowered her voice.
“Nara, did you know? I've worked here for quite a while, and I almost never see Arka laugh.”
“So what?”
“He's famous for being cold.”
I glanced at Arka's office door.
“I don't think he's that cold.”
Maya stared at me as if I'd just said something bizarre.
“Are you starting to defend him?”
I shook my head.
“I’m not defending him. I’m just stating a fact.”
Maya narrowed her eyes.
I sat back down.
“Enough. I want to work.”
Maya continued watching me.
“All right.”
She went back to her desk.
I opened my laptop and started working.
But without realizing it, I was still smiling.
For some reason, what had happened earlier made me feel lighter.
I didn't know that behind the door to his office, Arka was standing and looking outside.
His gaze settled on me.
He watched me work.
Every now and then, I smiled to myself while reading something on my screen.
Arka didn't say a word.
He simply stood there for a while before finally returning to his desk.
From that day on, something changed.
Nothing major.
There was no confession.
No sweet words.
No obvious special treatment.
Just little things.
Arka started watching me more often.
When I talked to Maya.
When I laughed.
When I walked by carrying files.
Even when I was busy searching for a pen that was actually right in my own hand.
I didn't notice.
To me, Arka was still my boss.
A cold man who was impossible to read and far too serious about everything.
I also never imagined that the small smile that appeared on his face that morning would become something he remembered.
To me, it was just a funny incident.
I managed to make my boss laugh.
That was all.
But to Arka, maybe it wasn't that simple.
Because for the first time in a long while, someone had managed to make the atmosphere around him feel lighter.
And that person was me.
I didn't know yet that Arka's small signs of attention would appear more and more often.
I also didn't know yet that our relationship would slowly change.
The only thing I knew was this:
That day, for the first time, I saw Arka smile.
And for some reason...
I wanted to see him smile again.