BURNING DESIRES

"Is this nice?" Manda asked Luna, showing her the green blazer she had bought earlier that afternoon at Mango on the ground floor. "Not really," Luna said as she took a bite of her crispy fried chicken. "Hana said it's nice," Manda showed off her new blazer. Luna recalled hearing the name Hana often. "Hana from the finance department?" Luna guessed. "Yes, the same one. We used to work on the same floor when I was still in finance," Manda said, inspecting her appearance in the square mirror. Luna turned Manda's chair around since she was just here to grab a quick bite. Luna looked at her friend Manda's appearance. Last month, Manda was in the finance division, but her contract renewal was moved to the marketing division with a supervisor position, and she became a permanent employee.

Luna observed the welt pocket blazer; she found it very trendy. The regular fit cut looked elegant, but the blazer's color was quite flashy, a bright green. She knew that green had become very popular lately.

"Do you want me to be honest?" Luna asked.

"Of course, honesty is important. This isn't a world of deception," Manda replied.

Luna gazed at Manda. "Manda, you look a bit chubby in that. Take a look at yourself. You might be better off with softer or darker-colored blazers instead of something so flashy."

"It's a matter of personal taste. If you think it looks good, that's what matters. Just be confident wearing it," Luna continued to eat her fried chicken.

"Yeah, I do look a bit chubby in this," Manda looked at herself again.

"The material is polyester and elastane. The quality is good, and it's comfortable to wear," Luna said, as she was quite knowledgeable about quality fabrics, given her past dream of becoming a fashion designer.

"But it's great for going out, hanging out, or just strolling around. It's very Billie Eilish style. It looks good with short pants. Suitable for outings, but not for the office, in my opinion. It's too flashy for the office, and people will talk about it. You know how toxic this office is; a slight difference and it becomes the talk of the whole tower. Gossip everywhere."

"That's so true!" Manda exclaimed, getting tired of their toxic coworkers.

"Where did you buy it?" Luna asked while continuing to eat her food.

"I bought it at Mango on the ground floor during lunch break."

Luna glanced at her circular watch, which showed 12:45. "How much did it cost?"

"It was 450 thousand originally, but it was on sale, so I bought it."

Luna nodded in understanding. "That's really cheap for Mango," she said, continuing to enjoy her crispy, breaded chicken and dipping it in chili sauce.

Manda sat back in her cubicle. "You're always eating," she commented, looking at her friend who had been working as a public relations officer for two years now. However, after signing her latest contract, Luna was promoted to be Mr. Wiga's secretary.

Perhaps everyone was familiar with the culture of kingdoms within companies. She didn't really understand its origins, but whenever someone left the company, they were replaced by someone new. The new person often brought their relatives to work in the company, creating a kingdom within the company itself.

The old-timers who remained in the company became uncomfortable, and this discomfort was sometimes intentionally created. As a result, many chose to resign. This was happening in the company where she worked, where people gossiped and undermined each other. Especially when the head of the department changed, his or her subordinates changed as well due to the discomfort.

It's true, such a culture existed in every company. They were building dynasties rather than helping their friends, and every new hire was accompanied by a family member. It seemed to be the law of the jungle. She knew this was called office politics. Others from their batch had already resigned, but she and Luna remained.

In this company, it felt like they were building their own kingdoms, which divided their social circles and made the workplace less enjoyable. People openly sabotaged each other. Fortunately, she and Luna were still determined to stay here. They needed the money to pay for rent and food. They had weathered the storm and had been here for two years, becoming like this. Luna, especially, was known for her outstanding performance; she was now Mr. Wiga's secretary, earning three times her previous salary.

Luna had been targeted for undermining by some of her fellow PR colleagues a few times, but Luna wasn't Luna if she didn't fight back. So now, Luna was disliked by almost everyone in the office, and only Manda remained her friend because they were the ones without their own kingdom. Even after two years here, none of her colleagues in the same division had ever invited her to go to the convenience store or have lunch together. Luna chose to order food delivery and brought her own lunch.

"We work to eat. If we can work while eating, why not?" Luna said, reluctantly taking refuge in Manda's cubicle. She didn't want the smell of crispy chicken in Mr. Wiga's office.

"How was it when you first became Mr. Wiga's secretary?" Manda asked, looking at Luna, who had just finished her meal.

"I don't know yet. Mr. Wiga hasn't arrived yet. The driver said he'll be back in Singapore at two. I only had a three-day training last week. After that, Risa left, so I only got some of her tasks. The rest, I have to learn on my own. It's annoying."

"What was her reason for resigning?" Manda asked, curious.

"The gossip is that she got pregnant with Mr. Wiga's child. They used to work late together. After coming back to the office, they'd check in," Luna said, her ears sharp when it came to office gossip, and she found spreading false rumors highly inappropriate.

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