CAPTURED

Chapter II

Complete silence engulfed the room as Shin realized the guy’s name mirrored that of his childhood friend. He dismissed it as a mere coincidence, focusing instead on training Hikaru to distract himself from the memories of that night and his childhood friend.

Shin wasted no time in assigning Hikaru some basic tasks like printing papers and scanning, oblivious to Hikaru’s innate clumsiness. With the first task of printing documents, Hikaru forgot to refill the ink, resulting in red prints. Then, tasked with scanning and compiling documents on A4 paper, he mistakenly used short bond paper, cutting off the text. Dumbfounded, Shin merely requested Hikaru to make coffee, hoping for success this time.

Filled with guilt, Hikaru continued to blame himself. “I’m definitely getting fired tomorrow, what the hell is happening?” As everyone dispersed, Hikaru raced to the rooftop, pouring out his feelings of worthlessness and failure.

“I can’t leave this place; it’s our last chance to fulfill our dreams. Hey! I don’t know where you are right now, whether you can hear me or if you’re still with us, but I need your help to make our dreams come true. I’m so close to becoming the photographer you always dreamed of, even though it’s been tough. Are you proud of me? I miss you… I need you here…” Tears streamed down Hikaru’s face.

The next day was the big day when everyone had to present their prepared portfolios and presentations to the head chief and the manager. Shin decided to arrive at work early and stay in the pantry, knowing that no other staff would be there as early as him. He ate his breakfast in the quiet pantry while rechecking his team’s presentation. At some point, someone entered the pantry.

“Oh, good morning Mr. Yamamoto, you’re so early,” Hikaru greeted, causing a look of disbelief to cross Shin’s face as he saw Hikaru.

“That’s what I should be asking you. You’re supposed to be here by nine, but you’re two hours early. What brought you here so early?” Shin asked.

“Uh… I just couldn’t stop thinking about the problems I've caused yesterday, and I wanted to observe the place to adjust better,” Hikaru replied.

“Fine, then I’m leaving first. Enjoy the pantry,” Shin said, but Hikaru quickly responded

“Oh no, sir… I’ll just make a cup of coffee and then leave. Please don’t mind me; I’m sorry.” Hikaru quickly made his coffee, greeted Shin, and then left.

-

As the clock struck 10:30 and the meeting was about to start, everyone in the room had arrived except for Shin.

“Where’s Mr. Yamamoto? Is he sick? Oh no, we cannot present our portfolio without him; the files are all on his laptop,” one of Shin’s team members exclaimed.

“He never gets late, especially in situations like this. The boss is coming anytime. Can someone call him?” the manager added, visibly worried. Everyone in the meeting room was anxious, unable to reach Shin.

“I met Mr. Yamamoto a while ago in the pantry. I happened to arrive early, and he was there reviewing your presentation, but I don’t know where he went next,” Hikaru shared, as everyone looked at him in disbelief.

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? We’ve been looking for him the whole time, and you didn’t say anything,” another worker snapped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know if I could help with that information,” Hikaru responded, his voice shaky with anxiety as everyone looked disappointed. They were about to leave when the boss arrived. They had no chance to check the pantry for Shin.

“I’ll ask to go to the restroom and then check the pantry for Mr. Yamamoto,” Hikaru whispered to one of his workmates. Since he was a newbie, he wasn’t part of any presenting groups; he was only there to observe.