love is blind

Sizume was sitting quietly in her office chair. Outside the large glass window, the city was busy as always. Cars moved fast, people walked with purpose, and everyone seemed to know what they wanted in life. But Sizume did not understand herself anymore. She was successful. Young. Beautiful. CEO of a famous cosmetics company. Still, something inside her always felt empty. She had one problem since childhood. She could never directly say “no” to people. Even when she disliked something, she stayed silent. Even when she felt uncomfortable, she smiled politely. Because of this, many people thought she was cold and emotionless. But in reality, Sizume was simply afraid of hurting others. That morning, she was thinking deeply. “How can I become a good CEO if I cannot even express my feelings honestly?” A few minutes later, a company meeting started. Employees presented new ideas for the cosmetics campaign one by one. Everyone looked excited. But Sizume disliked every single idea. Still, she stayed quiet during the meeting. After everyone finished, she slowly turned toward her manager, Samantha. “Tell everyone to prepare new ideas tomorrow,” she said softly. Samantha understood immediately. The employees became disappointed, but nobody complained. Sizume looked calm outside. Inside, she felt guilty again. After office hours, Sizume sat in the back seat of her car while returning home. The car stopped at a traffic signal. Through the window, she saw some of her employees laughing together. Some were planning a trip. Some were taking selfies. Some were going to a party. They looked happy. Sizume quietly watched them. She also wanted moments like that. Friends. Late-night talks. Random trips. Simple happiness. But her personality never allowed her to become close to people. The car started moving again. And once again, she returned to silence. At home, her family was having dinner together. Sizume’s grandmother was the owner of more than twenty companies. Her mother successfully managed three cosmetic brands. Her father and brother owned restaurants, hotels, and packaged food businesses. Everyone in the family was successful. But tonight, they were worried about only one person. Sizume. “She only works,” her mother said quietly. “She has no friends,” her grandmother added. “She never enjoys life.” After some discussion, the family secretly decided something. They would send Sizume on business trips alone more often. Maybe traveling would change her life. Maybe she would finally meet people. Maybe she would finally smile naturally. That night, Sizume finished dinner and went to sleep. The next morning— 7:00 AM Her alarm rang loudly. Still half asleep, Sizume checked her phone. A big cosmetics client had approved her company’s stock deal. But there was one condition. The final business meeting had to happen in India. Her company had already booked her ticket. Flight Time — 4:00 PM Sizume immediately called Samantha. “Cancel all my meetings for seven days,” she said. Then she quietly stared at the flight ticket on her phone screen. India. A country she had never visited before. At the same time, in another part of the city, Aruzo was also preparing for work. Unlike Sizume, Aruzo came from a simple middle-class family. Life was never easy for him. He worked hard every day, but promotions always went to someone else. Still, he never blamed anyone. Whenever he failed, he learned something new from it. That was his biggest strength. Aruzo worked in a food company that wanted to launch a new instant noodle brand worldwide. But before releasing the product internationally, the company needed authentic spice flavors from India. Indian spices were famous for their strong taste and rich aroma. Aruzo had good knowledge about food quality and flavors, so his company selected him for the project. His task was simple: Travel to India. Taste different masala samples. Finalize the best flavor for the noodle brand. When he opened his email, he froze for a second. Flight Time — 4:00 PM Same destination. Same day. Same flight. But neither Sizume nor Aruzo knew their lives were slowly moving toward each other. And sometimes… The people who understand us the most are complete strangers first. To Be Continued…