“Karina?” napamulat ang pipikit pikit na dalaga when she heard the calm voice of her direct superior. Inaantok na kasi siya sa ginagawa niyang Excel file kaya naman umalis siya sa station niya at kumuha ng kape sa pantry. 

She just didn’t expect the even busier Ms. Catherine Seo would be in the same place.

“Y-yes, ma’am?” nauutal pa na tanong ng matangkad na Business Analyst as she fidgeted in her black suit. Required kasi na mag dress up when she’s reporting sa office. Hybrid setting sila wherein she just goes on-site every Tuesday and Thursday and the rest of the week will be work-at-home arrangement. 

“I was looking for you actually. How busy are you today?” Tanong naman ng Operations Manager sa kanya with a casual smile. Aware naman si Karina na naturally friendly si Ms. Cath pero strict din ito so she was worried na baka magpagalitan siya sa pagtake ng bio break. Nahiya naman si Karina na dinayo pa siya nito sa pantry, contrary to her initial conclusion na antok din ito kaya napadpad dito.

“Uh, I have to finish this report file for Project Cupcake. Then sync Project Cafe’s data to the Business Deck. I think that’s my agenda for the day.” pagrecite ni Karina sa bullet point na naiready niya at the start of her shift. May naipasa naman na siyang documentation na need ng isang department at inantok siya matapos doon kaya nga siya tumayo. Basically kakasimula niya lang sa Excel file.

Ganun kasi siya sa bahay, pag inaantok, kuha ng kape.

“I see. I was wondering if you have the time to join me for the interview today. I think it’s better if you join as this person will be working with you closely.” sabi ni Ms. Cath. 

It was laid out to her like she had a choice but she knows that it’s more of her superior directing her to come.

“I’ll make time, Ms. Cath.” pag-assure niya kaagad. Tama din naman ito. Medyo madami na kasi siyang workload kaya naman tama lang na bigyan siya ng kasama. She was actually just a test role sa expansion ng startup company nila. 

She happened to do so well kaya naman nagdecide ang higher up to give her an actual department. Iyon nga lang ay mas busy din siya lalo dahil lahat ay dadaan sa kanya. 

Promotion is just a few months away if you ask her. Pero hanggang wala pang official paper, she won’t claim it yet. 

“That’s great. That’ll be in my office in 30 minutes.” pagngiti nito sa kanya and was about to leave when she turned to face Karina dahil may naalala siya. Karina was busy stirring her coffee cup. 

“And I think my Excel file is acting up, can you stay for a few minutes after the interview to take a look at it for me?”

“Sure.” mabilis naman na sagot ni Karina. Relieved that she was not in trouble or anything. Wala namang kaso sa kanya na madaming request ang manager cause she’s the one who discovered Karina from the data entry tasks. 

Ms. Cath was the one who backed her up when everyone was questioning the decision of her being the chosen one for such a sensitive role. Nagdecide na lang si Karina na she can stay back a bit more to finish her intended task today. 

The 24 year old employee sighed. From a Summa Laude for Business Administration sa isang prestigious school to taga-ayos ng excel file ng bosses. When she was studying, akala niya magagamit niya ang napag-aralan niya sa work. But then, she got hired and realized na mas na-utilize lang siya sa paggamit ng Microsoft products and do other people’s bidding. May makikinig lang sa ideas niya if she was sitting on a better position and bigger desk.

She can’t complain. The pay is enough to sustain her and her family’s needs. Not to mention, easy and boring. Yun nga lang, sobrang busy niya lang talaga. But that’s okay. Iniiisip niya na lang na more opportunities are waiting for her after all this ordeal.

Baka by then, magamit niya na talaga ang “Business Analyst” title niya and hindi na on paper lang pero taga-ayos lang talaga ng files. Karina took her coffee and went back to her desk para magsync muna ng files since that’s relatively faster than creating a report file from scratch.

And just like that, time flew so fast inside the office.

--

TBC.

Please do not associate the characters I write with their real life counterparts. While there might be resemblance here and there, the author does not intend to make anyone delusional in any way. Everything that is written in this fanfic is a pigment of imagination and is a result of my strive in improving my writing skills.

Copyright © 2024 Rhi (Soshi_051697)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

--

Yes, yes. Another commissioned work specifically requested to be released ng February 14. Like, December pa lang ito na ang request niya. HAHAHA. So ayun, thank the sponsor and enjoy the oneshot. ^^

I'm also a er for feedback and comments so let me know what you think so far. ^^