The First Fall
808 Words
The next morning, Aki arrived early—earlier than anyone else in the department. His nervous hands smoothed the wrinkles from his suit as he reviewed the stack of documents Daichi Hayama had given him yesterday.
(I have to do this right. I have to prove I belong here.)
He spent hours cross-checking numbers, typing until his fingers ached. By the time the office began to fill, he had already finished a draft report for the planning division. His heart fluttered with pride—maybe, just maybe, this would show them he wasn’t useless.
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The Mistake
Later that afternoon, a team meeting was called. Department heads, assistants, and a handful of new recruits gathered around a long table. The air was tense; everyone knew the CEO might drop in unannounced.
Daichi spoke calmly as he assigned tasks. “Sato-kun, why don’t you present the market analysis you worked on? A good chance for practice.”
Aki froze. “M-me? Already?”
“Confidence is part of this job,” Daichi encouraged.
Heart hammering, Aki stood and carried his neatly bound report to the front. He began to explain the graphs he’d prepared—supply lines, projected sales, target demographics. At first, it flowed smoothly.
But then—
“Wait a second.” Aya Fujimoto’s lilting voice sliced in like a knife. She leaned forward, lashes fluttering. “This data doesn’t match the latest financial release. Are you sure you checked your sources, Sato-kun?”
Confusion rippled through the room. Aki blinked, flipping pages desperately.
“N-no, I—I double-checked everything last night—”
Aya’s lips curved sweetly. “Oh? Then why are your figures outdated by three months? How careless.”
The blood drained from Aki’s face. He stared at the numbers—she was right. He had pulled data from the wrong folder in the system. His entire report… was flawed.
Whispers broke out around the table.
“Knew he couldn’t handle it…”
“An Omega in planning? What a joke.”
“Bet the President only kept him for appearances.”
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The Collapse
Aki’s throat tightened. His vision blurred as shame and panic rose like a tide.
(No, no, no, not here, don’t cry here—)
His voice cracked. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean— I’ll fix it right away, I—”
“Enough.”
The room fell silent as Ryuji Takahashi strode in, flanked by Haruto. The weight of his presence silenced even Aya’s smug smile.
His obsidian gaze landed on Aki like a blade. “Is this what you call work?”
Tears prickled at the corners of Aki’s eyes. His knees almost buckled under the weight of humiliation.
“I—I’ll redo everything tonight—”
“Pathetic.” Ryuji’s voice was ice.
The word cut deeper than any insult. Aki bit his lip until it bled, trying desperately not to break down in front of everyone.
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The Rescue
Before the silence could shatter him completely, Haruto stepped forward, calm and steady.
“President, with respect,” Haruto said, placing the flawed report on the table. “The error isn’t due to laziness. He worked diligently, but pulled from the wrong archive. If we correct the dataset, the structure of his analysis is actually strong.”
Murmurs spread—surprise, even grudging agreement. Haruto’s tone was matter-of-fact, not indulgent, yet it shielded Aki like armor.
“Allow me to retrain him on system access. With time, Sato-kun will adapt.”
Ryuji’s eyes narrowed, flicking between Haruto and the trembling Omega at his side. For a long, unbearable moment, the CEO said nothing.
Finally—
“Hn.” He turned, striding out without another word.
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Aftermath
The meeting dissolved in whispers. Aki gathered his papers with shaking hands, cheeks burning. Aya passed by with a pitying smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Poor thing,” she whispered sweetly. “Maybe this company is just… too much for someone like you.”
The sting of her words lingered even after she left.
Aki’s tears finally spilled as he sat back at his desk, clutching his pen so tightly his knuckles turned white.
(Why… why am I always so useless?)
But before despair could swallow him, a quiet voice interrupted.
“Don’t let her get to you.”
Aki looked up. Haruto stood there, arms crossed, gaze sharp but not unkind.
“You made a mistake. Everyone does. Learn from it, correct it, and next time, don’t let her corner you.”
Aki sniffled, wiping his eyes quickly. “Minami-san… I—I’ll do better. I promise.”
For the briefest second, Haruto’s lips curved—soft, almost imperceptible.
“I know.”
And for the first time that day, hope flickered again in Aki’s chest.
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✨ End of Chapter 3 ✨
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- Writer
