Episode 3: Rooftop Sunset and the Misaligned Cube

Episode 3: Rooftop The sunset and the cube intertwined - hwiiing. 6:40 PM. The red sun of late autumn was slowly setting behind the ridge of the western skyscrapers, brilliantly coloring the sky above Neo City with deep scarlet, burning orange, and mysterious purple gradations. The red taillights and golden headlights of tens of thousands of cars driving on the city highway sparkled like a huge river of lava flowing on the ground, and the romantic and melancholic atmosphere unique to retro city pop warmly enveloped the entire city.

On the huge electronic display boards on the outer walls of high-rise buildings, analog pink and mint-colored neon signs were lighting up one by one, announcing the night in the city. Crown Tower 60th floor Sky Rooftop Garden. The cool autumn wind blowing 250 meters above the ground made the sound of crunching waves as it brushed the leaves of the silver sandalwood and silver grass planted in the garden. With his arms hanging over the rooftop railing, Louis let out a deep sigh.

“Ha... it’s difficult, really difficult. I feel like my head will explode.” For three days and nights, I racked my brain, writing and deleting a 30-page draft plan dozens of times, but my mind was a mess, like a tangled skein that could not be resolved. Competitor commercial analysis was meticulously completed, and the target profiling for the 2030 generation was also reasonably organized, but the crucial idea of ​​how to visually and spatially implement the '3x3 cubic core storytelling concept' that Team Leader Tia had excitedly shouted out in the store space could not come to mind.

If I tried to attach a lot of superficial ideas, it was obvious that they would be ground to dust by Tia's fierce bombardment of facts. Click, square – click! Louis turned a 3x3 cube the size of his palm on the railing. Last time, when the subway stopped suddenly, one of the corner blocks was slightly broken and I managed to glue it back together with instant adhesive, so every time I turned the axis of rotation, a slight creaking friction sound was transmitted through my fingertips.

“If you align the green, the red will change, and if you align the yellow, the blue will run away… It’s just like my plan. I have no idea where to start.” It was at that time that Louis was muttering self-deprecatory words and rapidly rotating the cube. Again, again. The regular, determined sound of high heel footsteps approached from behind, echoing clearly on the wooden deck floor.

“It seems like you know how to turn a cube, but you don’t know how to turn your head.” "omg?!" Louis was startled and looked back as if he was jumping up and down. Two startled white ears perked up on top of the head. The person who walked next to the railing, backlit by the glow of the sunset, was none other than Team Leader Tia. She took off her neat black suit jacket and draped it lightly over one arm, and with the sleeves of her dark wine-colored silk blouse slightly rolled up to her elbows, she gave off a strangely languid and alluring atmosphere, instead of the shabby life she exuded in the office during the day.

Between the golden hair blowing in the wind, the tiger's ears stood up and softly sparkled in the glow of the sunset. “Tea, team leader?! Didn’t you get off work?” “The draft that Mr. Louis plans to submit is so messed up that he can’t get off work.” Tia let out a light sigh and came to the railing next to Louis. Ok. She placed the warm can of coffee she was holding on the railing. It was a sweet caramel macchiato canned coffee commonly sold at convenience stores or vending machines.

“Eat it up. If your brain runs out of sugar, you’ll end up spouting nonsense in your plan.” “Ah… thank you, team leader.” Louis picked up a can of coffee with a puzzled expression. The warmth coming from the surface of the can melted Louis’ fingers that had been frozen by the autumn wind. Tia placed both arms on the railing and looked down at the sunset-colored downtown view of Neo City. The burning red sunset was painting her slender and fascinating profile in golden light.

“Mr. Louis.” “Yes, team leader.” “When you solve a cube, what do you do first?” In response to Tia's surprise question, Louis looked down at the cube in his hand. “That’s right… start with the cross on the floor. Whether it’s white or yellow, you have to complete the cross shape on one reference surface before you can put the first floor corner blocks and second floor edge blocks back in place.”

"that's right." Tia turned her head and looked straight at Louis. Her amber eyes shone softly with the color of the sunset. “But the plan that Mr. Louis is writing now is trying to force in only the fancy corner pieces of the third floor without even erecting a cross. So, every time he touches it, the whole thing falls apart.” Louis' heart sank. Tia's point hit right at the heart of the bottleneck she was experiencing.

“Because you are too greedy to fit every aspect perfectly at once, you end up hitting the wall. Space planning is the same as a cube. There must be a single, clear anchor, an ‘absolute reference point (Cross Axis)’ that will instantly grab the customer’s attention and support the flow of the entire space. Only when that anchor is firmly centered will the retro feel on the first floor, the neon maze on the second floor, and the rooftop on the third floor fit together naturally without shaking. I will." Tia stretched out her hand.

“Give it to me for a moment.” “Yes? Oh, yes!” Louis quickly handed the cube he was holding in his hand to Tia. The moment the fingers brushed, a subtle warmth and the scent of cedarwood seeped from Tia's fingertips. Louis's cheeks got hot without realizing it. Tia held the cube with her long fingers and began to click and turn the cube's faces with surprisingly skillful hands. Click, square – click!

“Team leader... do you know how to turn the cube?” When Louis asked with wide eyes, Tia smiled bitterly. “When I was new, I thought I could dominate every project in the world at once with my perfectionism, when I was as good as Louis. I believed that my thoughts were always right, and I did not know compromise. Three years ago, during my first main project, my stubbornness caused my team members to collapse all night from overwork and the project itself to be canceled. I was called in by the former head of the company and received a harsh reprimand, and I was left alone in an empty conference room, staring at the unlit ceiling and swallowing tears.

“At that time, it was this cube that a senior threw on my desk without saying a word.” Tia's tiger ears gently tilted back as if she was reminiscing about the past. “No matter how angry you are or how much force you twist, the cube will not fit together. You can only reach perfection by respecting the rules of the set rotation axis and sometimes accepting the setbacks that temporarily disturb the aligned pieces. Mr. Louis, planning is not a solo stage where you can show off your genius. It is an orchestra that coordinates the hearts of diverse team members and customers on one axis.”

Sweet. Tia placed the cube back on Louis' palm. Surprisingly, there were bright white crosses perfectly aligned on the bottom of the scattered cubes. Louis felt a shiver. The tiger team leader in front of me was not just a harsh speaker. He was a true leader and mentor who forged his own philosophy through deeper frustration and reflection than anyone else. And at that moment, Tia's advice sparked like lightning in Louis' head.

‘An absolute reference point… … cross… … One central axis... … !' Louis' eyes flashed with joy. “Team leader… I understand! It occurred to me!” “Hoo? What came to mind?” Louis clenched his fists and shouted in an excited voice. "In the center of the store's first floor lobby, we are building an 'ultra-large 3x3 moving kinetic cube art wall' that extends from the first floor to the third floor ceiling! It is a huge cubic tower composed of nine acrylic LED panels measuring 3 meters by 3 meters! Every hour on the hour, the blocks actually rotate in three dimensions to the beat of neon lights and city pop sounds, creating a new spatial combination!

“Customers move from floor to floor looking at that huge reference point and feel an overwhelming sense of spatial immersion, as if they are swimming in a living cube!” Tia's amber eyes widened in surprise at Louis' passionate briefing.

“It’s a kinetic art wall… the idea is great, but can you handle the load design and motor control drive shaft estimates? Firefighting laws and emergency escape route regulations must be tough.” Tia crossed her arms and asked sharply. "I majored in industrial design and spatial mechanics in college! If we use an ultra-light carbon fiber frame for the motor drive shaft and install an emergency power interlock on the central pillar, we can perfectly satisfy the fire protection law Article 12 evacuation route regulations! I will attach all load simulation data to the drawing to be submitted tomorrow!"

Louis answered confidently without any hesitation. Louis's eyes sparkle like a boy under the sunset, spouting out ideas. The white rabbit ears were standing up with confidence and were flapping passionately. Tia looked at Louis' ears and let out a small laugh.

“I thought it was a cute rabbit, but it turns out it has some pretty sharp claws hidden away.” “Huh? What’s wrong with my ears…?” When Louis blushed and covered his ears with his hands, Tia smiled and turned around. “That’s great, Mr. Louis. It exceeded my expectations. That concept has a good chance of winning in the executive presentation. As expected, I was not mistaken.” Tia walked gracefully, putting her jacket on her shoulder.

“Please stay up all night today to complete the revised plan. I will also wait in the office, so if you get stuck on anything, feel free to knock on the door of the team leader’s office. Let’s complete a great plan together.” Again, again. Tia walked gracefully with her long legs toward the exit of the rooftop garden. Looking at her proud back disappearing into the sunset, Louis drank the remaining can of coffee in one go. The 3x3 cube in my pocket was throbbing hotly in my chest, along with the sweet caramel scent. The gentle guitar riff of city pop spread through the night wind above the skyscrapers of Neo City.

Beyond the simple work passion of a new employee, the excitement of the first puzzle being gently put together towards the door in the cold tiger team leader's heart was quietly blooming deep in my heart.