Episode 1: First Day at Work and Subway Chaos

Episode 1: Chaos on the first day of work and the subway Chiiikik--clunk, rattle! Departure time: 8:20 am. The train on Line 2 of the Circular Line, which passes through the heart of Neo City by crossing dark tunnels above and below ground, was the pinnacle of the ‘hell train’ so tightly packed that it was difficult to even breathe properly. Gray skyscrapers soaked in the cold fog of a late autumn morning passed by dizzyingly beyond the hazy window, and a cheerful yet somewhat languid retro city pop synthesizer melody from the 80s was flowing dreamily from the old speakers on the ceiling of the carriage.

The refreshing saxophone solo and electric piano melody flowing as if comforting the cold forest of buildings in the city gently tickled the tired ears of office workers on their way to work. “This station is Central Tower, Central Tower Station. The door to get off is on the right….” Every time an announcement was made, hundreds of people on their way to work rolled around like a huge wave, mercilessly putting pressure on each other's shoulders and backs. The bitter scent of freshly roasted take-out coffee, the smell of a cold wool coat, and the fatigue and tension typical of city office workers mixed together to weigh heavily on the air inside the carriage.

In the midst of the bean sprout-like chaos, stood Louis, a 26-year-old young man dressed in a freshly ironed, stiff navy blue suit. A rabbit with pure white and soft fur, his two long ears were unable to lie back naturally as usual due to extreme tension, and stood erect on the top of his head, fluttering.

‘Whoa…’ … Calm down, Louis. You need to stay calm. From today, you are a new employee at a decent large company. 'You can't show that you're scared from day one.' Louis secretly wiped the cold sweat on his palms from the side seam of his pants. ‘Crown Corp’, Korea’s leading comprehensive entertainment and creative group. It was the long-awaited first day of work, having passed the competition rate of 400 to 1 and finally passed the final exam at the Brand Strategy Planning Headquarters. However, the overwhelming excitement was short-lived, as the throbbing of the toes crushed by the newly purchased dress shoes and the pressure of the crowded subway train that made one breathless were shaking the young new employee's mentality without mercy.

Even when the shoulders of people around him bumped even slightly, Louis' white ears trembled and turned red. Click, square – click! To soothe his anxiety, Louis' two fingers began to unconsciously move in his coat pocket. In both of his hands, he held a '3x3 Rubik's Cube', a dirty plastic cube that fit easily in his pocket. It was a long-standing mental protection puzzle that Louis had used as a habit since his school days whenever he felt confused or nervous before an important exam. The process of finding only one complete unity in the midst of countless intersections of as many as 4,325 quintillion 2,003,274,489,856,000 pieces created by 54 square pieces on 6 sides.

Only that rhythmic clicking sound would calm my pounding heart. White seemed to symbolize beginning, yellow symbolized stability, and red and blue symbolized the conflicting emotions of different people. Louis quietly took a cube out of his pocket and raised it to chest level. The colorful pieces were all mixed up in a chaotic manner. Sweet, sweet! Good! Louis' long, flexible white fingers moved like magic. Step 1: Cross fit, Step 2: Align the edges of the first floor, Step 3: Insert the edge blocks of the second floor… … . Even amidst the rattling of the train, Louis' fingers turned the axis of rotation at the exact angle like a machine.

“Oh my, look at that bachelor’s hand movements. He’s so fast.” A middle-aged fox lady standing next to him looked at Louis' fingertips with admiring eyes. “Ah, haha... I’m sorry. I have a habit of turning things around whenever I’m nervous.” Louis slightly folded his ears as if he was embarrassed and gave a small nod. It was then. Kkeikik – Boom! Perhaps due to a sudden signal failure on the track, the train came to a sudden stop, making a screeching noise.

“Ugh?!” “Aaaah!” Louis' body, which was spinning the cube without holding the handle, was unable to overcome inertia and bounced forward mercilessly. Dozens of people fell like dominoes and hit Louis' back. “It’s dangerous…!” Louis stretched out his feet in a desperate attempt to keep his balance, but the smooth soles of his shoes slipped and he fell straight onto the hard shoulder of the person in front of him. thud! What reached my nose was the subtle yet cool smell of cedarwood perfume and the heavy feel of a high-quality cashmere black long coat.

“Ugh….” Louis barely raised his face. And at that moment, a cold silence fell as if lightning had struck Louis' entire body. The person Louis had unintentionally embraced was a tall woman who was well over 175 centimeters tall and boasted a slender silhouette. Her golden hair with dark amber stripes was neatly tied back, and two majestic and sleek tiger ears stood at a sharp blue angle on the top of her head. Tiger beast. She was a young career woman who radiated charisma and cool urban sophistication that could not be overlooked even at a glance.

Her deep golden eyes looked sharply at Louis' pure white rabbit ears. His eyes were as cold and harsh as the ice walls of the North Pole in the middle of winter. "hey." A low, husky, yet cold voice like a knife struck Louis' ears. “Did you take the subway to hug someone else’s back?”

“S-sorry! I lost my balance because of the sudden stop... and it was definitely not intentional!” Louis became thoughtful and jumped back. However, because I backed off too hard, I got tangled up with the other passengers behind me and stumbled again. In the chaos, the 3x3 cubic in Louis' hand slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor. Grumble- thud. The cube rolled to a stop right in front of the tiger woman's black stiletto heel shoes. The woman frowned and looked down at the toy at her feet. It was a colorful cube with only one yellow side barely completed and the remaining sides distorted in a terrible way.

“You seem to be a leisurely person, rolling around toys on your first day of work.” With a cold hand, the woman kicked the cube with the tip of her shoe and pushed it towards Louis' feet. “Oh, no! It’s not that… it’s for mind control…” “In public places, check your own body and belongings first. Next time, they won’t look at you.” The woman's harsh words made Louis completely dumb. Louis repeatedly lowered his head in a hushed voice and quickly bent down to pick up the cube. The pinna of my ear turned bright red, as if it was about to burst from shame and embarrassment.

Chi-ik- rattle. Fortunately, the train immediately slid onto the Central Tower Station platform. “Central Tower Station. The door to get off is on the right.” As soon as the door opened, the tiger woman walked out onto the platform without even looking back, confidently cutting through the crowd with long strides. Her gait, visible through the fluttering hem of her black long coat, was as unstoppable as a wild beast stalking an urban safari.

“Whew… I survived. I really thought I was freezing to death.” Louis sighed and walked toward the stairs opposite her. As I came out of the subway station exit, the clear, cool breeze of late fall filled my eyes with the huge 80-story glass pyramid building rising into the sky.

'Crown Corporation Headquarters Tower.' The golden morning sunlight reflected on the glass exterior wall sparkled brightly, and around the fountain in front of the main entrance, thousands of elite office workers wearing neat employee ID necklaces were constantly flowing into the lobby.

“Wow… that’s really cool. I really get to work in such a cool place.” Louis walked toward the front door, feeling an overwhelming emotion welling up deep in his heart. The embarrassing incident on the subway was completely forgotten the moment I entered the grand lobby with its high ceiling and sparkling marble floor.

“Are you Louis, a new employee at the Planning Headquarters? Here is your regular employee ID and welcome kit. A high-quality fountain pen and company regulations guidebook are also included. Please go up to Brand Planning Team 1 on the 42nd floor.” Louis, who received friendly guidance from the information desk staff and hung his employee ID card around his neck, entered the elevator with trembling hands. The number display went through 10, 20, 30 and finally stopped at the 42nd floor. Ding!

“Whoa… Okay, Louis. Show your skills. Let’s come up with the best plan.” Louis tidied up his clothes, took a deep breath, and entered the ‘Brand Planning Team 1’ office beyond the translucent glass door. The office was filled with the latest dual monitors, sophisticated design boards, and the faint scent of a coffee machine. About 20 team members were busy typing on their keyboards in their respective seats, preparing for the morning meeting.

“Hello! I’m Louis, a new employee who starts working in Planning Team 1 starting today! I’ll work hard to learn!” Louis bowed 90 degrees and bowed bravely. Then, the assistant manager, a friendly bear wearing horn-rimmed glasses, came up to me and held out his hand in greeting.

“Oh, Mr. Louis! Welcome. I am Assistant Manager Park in charge of the gunnery. My seat is over there by the window… Let’s get along well from now on.” It was the exact moment when Assistant Manager Park was about to lead the way. The door to the ‘team leader’s office’, separated by transparent glass inside the office, burst open. Again, again. With the sharp sound of stiletto heels hitting the floor, all team members' breathing stopped.

“Assistant Manager Park, hasn’t the printed copy of the City Pop Festival sponsorship report you requested from last week been uploaded yet? It’s 5 minutes before the meeting starts.” That cool yet familiar husky voice. Louis unconsciously turned his head and looked toward the team leader's office. And then it froze in place like a dead stone. The person who just walked out of the team leader's office was wearing a neat burgundy silk blouse and high-waisted slacks, with cold golden eyes flashing... … It was the same tiger woman that Louis fell on his back on in the crowded subway this morning!

The golden name tag on her chest had three characters engraved in clear Myeongjo script. 'Brand Planning Team 1 Team Leader, Tia.' Team leader Tia's sharp gaze met Louis' pure white rabbit ears standing in the new employee's seat.

"……uh?" Louis' two long ears stiffened in shock. One corner of Tia's mouth rose slightly, drawing a cool line. “The person who rolled the toy on someone else’s back on the subway this morning... was a new member of our team?” In an instant, a silence colder than the thin ice of the Arctic Ocean descended on the entire Planning Team 1 office. The team members' pupils all began shaking as if an earthquake had occurred.