Something new

01. The basics

"...so we're going to send you to New York. Ohm, what do you think about that?", the boss asked to the young man who seemed so surprised by the news that he hardly knew what to think, let alone what to say about the offer.

"I… don't know what to say, sir!", he said showing an embarrassed smile to the man in front of him.

The boy's honesty might not be endearing, but it was certainly welcome. This was one of the reasons why they had managed to consolidate a good relationship and made the company grow over the years. The boss took a long breath and then turned to face the view from his office window. The room was on the top floor of a 30-story building, all staffed by hundreds of dedicated and talented workers, but the man had chosen Ohm to manage the new branch in another country, and he had reasons to do this.

"When I recruited you around the time you graduated from college, you had me because of your boldness, boy!", the man said, chuckling, letting his mind be engulfed in the flashback.

"And why should I hire you?", News had repeated that question so many times that day that it seemed to have lost its purpose by now. However, even as the president of his company, he refused to leave the hiring of new team members exclusively in the hands of other people. He'd always been the confident type when it came to knowing people and their potential at a glance and that had helped him build his empire, so he kept abusing of his little special power.

"Because I'm something different from anything you've ever seen!", the young man replied confidently, making the president look at him for the first time with interest. He reached into the pile for the boy's résumé and checked the name: Ohm Thitiwat. He knew right then and there that Ohm would be one of his most successful men and he wasn't wrong.

"Sir… but I can't even speak English!", Ohm started not knowing what to say.

"Ohm…", News left the window and approached the boy with a smug smile on his face. "You're already about… 28? 29? And as much as I love the fact that you're loyal to my company, you never take a risk doing anything. And that's exactly what I liked about that young man so many years ago! You told me you'd give me something different, new, but you seem to have gotten used to the routine! This chance will give you the opportunity you need to wake up again, boy! Take it! It's your chance to find something new!", News he said patting Ohm's shoulder who saw no alternative but to accept.

By the time he graduated, he really had the competitive spirit that News had mentioned, but life and work had made him settle down and he'd come to appreciate stability and security more than anything, even though he was at the right age to do crazy things and even make some mistakes. However, he recognized the boss's worried tone as the man had always treated him more like a younger brother than an employee. It was indeed a valuable opportunity for which many of his colleagues would be able to sacrifice a a lot to get.

However, in Ohm's case, he had nothing really important to sacrifice. He was single and his parents had a secure and stable income, they lived in their own house, in short, there was nothing to stop him from traveling to New York and starting a new life there, even if the very idea made him feel butterflies in his stomach. 

"I guess we're doing it! Come on, tiger!", he whispered to himself as he left the president's office after thanking the man for his trust and promotion.

********

That was exactly why Ohm was now sitting across from the woman on the other side of the table and anxiously awaiting her response.

A long sigh was heard in the small office of the director of the language school and it didn't come from the visitor, but from the woman who seemed embarrassed by the situation at hand. Ohm Thitiwat had several qualifications in his field, but somehow he had achieved this without even knowing how to introduce himself in a language other than Thai.