Chapter 3: The Forgotten Department
1014 Words
Lena stood outside the department, the transfer letter clutched tightly in her hand.
She looked up at the old, faded sign hanging above the door.
"This can't be right..."
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
Creak...
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
Dust floated through the air.
The ceiling fans squeaked as they spun lazily overhead.
The walls were stained with age, and old filing cabinets stood crooked against the corners. Shelves overflowed with dusty files that looked as though no one had touched them in years.
The desks were chipped and worn.
Some of the chairs had broken legs.
Others were held together with tape.
The computers looked ancient, as if they belonged in another generation.
Lena blinked several times.
"...Am I in a company or a museum?"
Just then—
Crack!
One employee's chair collapsed beneath him.
Papers scattered everywhere.
Instead of helping him, the others burst into laughter.
Lena could only stare.
"This is part of Knight Corporation?"
As she walked farther into the office, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.
One woman folded her arms.
"So... you're the new transfer?"
Lena gave a small nod.
Another employee smirked.
"What did you do? Annoy Mr. Knight?"
A man laughed.
"No one gets transferred here unless they've done something terrible."
Lena forced an awkward smile.
"I'm Lena Brooks. Nice to meet everyone."
No one replied.
The silence made her even more uncomfortable.
Just then, the department manager walked out of his office carrying a pile of dusty files.
Without saying a word, he dropped them into Lena's arms.
"Welcome to the Forgotten Department."
"You'll be working here from today."
Lena looked around once more.
Broken chairs.
Dust everywhere.
Old equipment.
Employees who had clearly lost all hope.
She couldn't believe it.
Without another word, she turned around and marched out of the department.
"I'm talking to Mr. Knight."
Ignoring everyone's surprised expressions, she headed straight for the executive floor.
A few minutes later...
She stood outside the CEO's office.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
Bang!
Adrian Knight sat behind his desk, calmly reading through a stack of documents.
He didn't even bother to look up.
"Sir!"
No response.
Lena walked closer.
"What did I do to deserve this?"
Silence.
"You saw my records."
"You know how hard I've worked."
"My performance has always been excellent."
Adrian slowly reached for the shiny red apple on his desk.
Crunch.
He took a bite.
Lena frowned.
"...Sir?"
Another bite.
He calmly continued reading the documents.
"Sir, I'm talking to you."
Nothing.
She felt as though she was talking to a deaf person.
Her frustration boiled over.
"Answer me!"
"Look at where you transferred me!"
"That place is dusty!"
"The chairs are broken!"
"The equipment is older than me!"
"The employees have already given up!"
"You saw my records, didn't you?"
"I've always done my work well."
"So tell me..."
"What exactly did I do to deserve this?"
For a long moment...
Silence.
Then Adrian gave a small nod.
"Yes."
Lena's eyes widened.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"...You think I deserve this?"
Another bite of the apple.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Why?"
No answer.
He simply turned back to his desk and continued reading as though she wasn't even standing there.
Lena couldn't believe it.
"So you're not even going to explain?"
Still nothing.
Without looking at her, Adrian slowly raised one hand...
...and pointed toward the office door.
Leave.
Lena stood frozen.
For a few seconds, she couldn't even speak.
Finally, she let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Fine."
"No problem."
She turned around angrily.
"I don't need your explanation anyway."
She marched toward the door.
Just as she reached it, her foot caught on the edge of the carpet.
"Oh!"
She nearly fell.
Trying to regain her balance, she stumbled sideways.
Bang!
Her forehead hit the wall beside the door.
"Ouch..."
She quickly rubbed her forehead, her face burning with embarrassment.
Behind her, Adrian finally lifted his eyes.
He simply looked at her.
His expression never changed.
Not a single word.
Not even a hint of concern.
Lena wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
Without looking back, she hurried out of the office as fast as she could.
The office door closed behind her.
Adrian quietly glanced through the glass window, watching Lena walk away.
A few seconds later, he lowered his gaze and returned to the documents on his desk.
Meanwhile, Lena rushed toward the elevator.
The elevator doors slid open.
She stepped inside and repeatedly pressed the Close button.
As soon as the doors shut, she exploded.
"Arghhh!"
"I swear, Adrian Knight..."
"One day I'll kill you!"
"You cold-hearted monster!"
"Does he even have a heart?"
She clenched her fists and started throwing imaginary punches into the air.
"Take that!"
"And that!"
"You and your stupid apple!"
"I hope someone throws it at your expensive suit!"
Just then...
Ding!
The elevator doors suddenly opened.
Lena froze.
An employee stood outside the elevator, staring at her with wide eyes.
He had clearly seen everything.
Lena immediately lowered her fists, cleared her throat, and stood as straight as possible.
"...Good afternoon."
The employee looked at her for a moment before awkwardly nodding.
"Good afternoon..."
He stepped into the elevator.
Neither of them said another word.
The silence was painfully awkward.
When the elevator reached the Forgotten Department floor, the doors opened.
Lena stepped out as quickly as she could.
She didn't dare look back.
As she walked toward her department, she covered her face with both hands and groaned.
"Oh, Lena... why do these embarrassing things always happen to you?"
She let out a long sigh.
"I am never using this elevator again."
She stopped walking for a second, clenched her fists, and looked up at the ceiling.
"And Adrian Knight..."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I am definitely killing him one day."
With that, she took a deep breath and walked back into the Forgotten Department, ready to face another long day.
- Writer
