In the Quiet Between Wars

Gawin is newly hired as an assistant at a high-end interior design firm in Bangkok, where Joss is the notoriously strict and brilliant creative director. The staff call him "Boss Joss," half out of respect, half out of fear. Gawin, fresh out of university, is nervous but determined to prove himself. However, on his very first day, he messes up a coffee order during a high-stakes client meeting-earning Joss's sharp glare and cutting words.

Joss, irritated but intrigued by Gawin's persistence, makes him work overtime to organize a chaotic storeroom. Gawin quietly fumes at the unfairness, calling Joss a tyrant in his head-but something about the older man's poise and authority makes his chest tighten with an unfamiliar emotion.

By the end of the chapter, there's tension. Gawin hates how Joss makes him feel so small, but also how his heart pounds every time the man walks past.