Chapter 2
The new architect arrived on a Monday morning.
And the entire office completely lost its mind.
“He’s so handsome.”
“No, seriously, is he actually an architect or some celebrity?”
“Did you see his shoulders?”
“Oh my God—he smiled at me.”
Whispers spread from one department to another before the elevator doors had even fully opened.
Then he stepped out.
Calm. Polite. Effortlessly composed.
Sean Nakamura looked like the kind of man people noticed immediately without even trying.
Tall enough to tower over most of the employees, broad shoulders hidden beneath a crisp black long sleeve, sleeves rolled just enough to expose toned forearms and a silver watch resting against fair skin.
His dark hair was neatly styled, his features sharp and clean like he walked straight out of a magazine cover.
Transferred directly from Japan to the Thailand branch for an international architectural collaboration project.
And unfortunately for Lingling—
Orm had been assigned as his mentor.
“Be nice to him, okay?” Orm whispered excitedly beside Lingling before the morning briefing started. Her eyes practically sparkled with curiosity as she peeked toward the front of the conference room. “He looked so nervous earlier.”
Lingling glanced at her and smiled softly.
“Since when are you not nice to everyone?”
Orm grinned proudly, completely unashamed.
“True.”
A few seconds later, Sean introduced himself in front of the entire department with a respectful bow.
“Good morning. My name is Sean Nakamura. Please take care of me.”
The women in the room nearly melted on the spot.
Even some of the men looked impressed.
The atmosphere shifted almost instantly after that.
People suddenly volunteered to help him settle in.
Someone offered to tour him around the building.
Another employee brought him coffee before lunch.
And by the end of the day, office group chats were already filled with discussions about him.
“Sean or Lingling?”
“Both are ridiculously attractive.”
“But Lingling’s prettier.”
“No competition there. Lingling Kwong supremacy.”
“Sean is handsome, but Lingling’s aura is something else.”
“Exactly. Lingling doesn’t even try and people still fall for her.”
Lingling only sighed whenever she overheard conversations like that in the pantry or hallways.
Because honestly—
none of it mattered to her anymore.
Not the compliments.
Not the lingering stares.
Not the attention she’d been receiving ever since she started working there.
Women from different departments still occasionally left little things on her desk.
Coffee with sweet notes attached to the cups.
Flowers she never asked for.
Expensive chocolates.
Handwritten letters carefully folded into envelopes.
And every single time—
Orm shamelessly stole them first.
“Ooooh, strawberry cheesecake today,” Orm hummed one afternoon while opening another gifted dessert box without permission.
Lingling looked up from her laptop across the table near the drafting area.
“That was given to me.”
Orm gasped dramatically while placing a hand on her chest.
“You wound me.”
“You’re literally eating my gift right now.”
“Well,” Orm said casually before stuffing a strawberry into her mouth, “I’m protecting you.”
“From what exactly?”
“Food poisoning.”
Lingling laughed quietly under her breath.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“I know.”
Orm leaned back against her chair, happily chewing while scrolling through memes on her phone. A few strands of hair fell against her forehead as she laughed at something on the screen before immediately shoving the phone toward Lingling.
“Look at this one.”
Lingling glanced at it obediently.
It was stupid.
Absolutely stupid.
And somehow she still smiled anyway.
Because it was Orm.
Sean eventually adjusted to the office surprisingly fast.
He was good at his job. Smart. Efficient. Respectful to everyone.
Which only made the employees admire him more.
Especially after they discovered he could sing, spoke three languages fluently, and somehow remained humble despite being painfully attractive.
One afternoon, Lingling returned from a site inspection only to find Sean standing near Orm’s desk while helping her organize blueprints.
“You mixed the structural drafts with the electrical layouts Ms. Orm,” Sean said gently.
Orm blinked.
“…That explains why nothing made sense.”
Sean laughed quietly.
And the entire nearby architectural department froze.
Because apparently even his laugh sounded attractive.
“Oh no,” one of the interns whispered dramatically. “He laughs nicely too.”
Orm pointed accusingly at the papers.
“You should’ve stopped me earlier.”
“You looked very confident.”
“I was confidently wrong.”
Sean smiled again.
Lingling watched the interaction silently from a distance while holding her coffee.
Then Orm noticed her immediately.
“Ling!” Orm waved enthusiastically. “Sean saved my life.”
Sean turned politely.
“Good afternoon Engr. kwong.”
Lingling nodded once.
“Thank you for helping her.”
“She would’ve sent the wrong files to the clients,” Sean admitted.
Orm gasped loudly.
“Traitor.”
Sean looked genuinely amused.
And for some reason, Lingling suddenly hated how natural they looked standing beside each other.
Not because she disliked Sean.
Actually, Sean was kind.
Too kind.
The kind of person impossible to hate.
But seeing Orm laugh that freely with someone else—
seeing another person slowly becoming part of her everyday life—
did something uncomfortable to Lingling’s chest.
Something quiet.
Something sharp.
Still, nothing changed between them.
Orm continued dragging Lingling to lunch every single day.
Continued sitting on Lingling’s desk whenever she got bored.
Continued complaining dramatically about deadlines while stealing bites from Lingling’s food without asking.
And Lingling continued letting her.
Like always.
One evening, the office stayed busy preparing for an important presentation. Most employees had already gone home, leaving only a few lights open across the department.
Lingling was reviewing floor plans when Orm suddenly dropped onto the chair beside her with a tired groan.
“My back hurts.”
“You’ve been sitting incorrectly for six hours.”
“I’m suffering.”
“You’re dramatic.”
Orm rested her chin on the table and stared at Lingling.
“You know Sean asked me earlier if we were dating?”
Lingling’s fingers paused slightly over the documents.
“…And what did you say?”
Orm laughed immediately.
“I told him absolutely not.”
Something inside Lingling quietly sank.
But Orm kept talking, completely unaware.
“I mean, can you imagine us dating? We’d kill each other.”
Lingling forced herself to smile faintly.
“Right.”
“He said we act like an old married couple though.”
Orm snorted afterward, clearly finding it ridiculous.
Meanwhile Lingling only lowered her eyes back to the papers in front of her because suddenly looking at Orm for too long felt dangerous.
Outside the office windows, Bangkok glittered beautifully beneath the night sky.
Inside the room, Orm continued rambling about random things while spinning slowly in her chair.
And Lingling listened to every word the same way she always did.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Like someone memorizing a voice they were terrified of losing one day.
A few minutes later, Orm suddenly reached across the table and stole Lingling’s iced coffee.
“Hey.”
“I’m thirsty.”
“That’s mine.”
Orm took another sip anyway before grinning mischievously.
“You love me anyway.”
Lingling froze.
Just for half a second.
A tiny pause no one else in the world would’ve noticed.
Then she smiled again.
Soft.
Small.
Painfully sincere.
“Yeah,” she answered quietly. “I do.”
Orm didn’t hear the truth hidden beneath those words.
She only laughed before continuing her story about office gossip and stolen desserts and Sean accidentally terrifying an intern earlier that afternoon.
And Lingling—
Lingling simply watched her.
The same way people watched sunsets they already knew wouldn’t stay forever.
At first, Sean was just another coworker.
A name casually mentioned between meetings.
Someone from Orm’s department.
Nothing important.
Nothing memorable.
But slowly—
almost so slowly Lingling didn’t notice it happening—
Sean began appearing everywhere inside Orm’s stories.
“Sean’s actually funny once he gets comfortable.”
“Sean bought coffee for the whole team today.”
“Sean stayed overtime to help me finish the revisions.”
“Sean likes hiking too!”
“Sean listens to old songs while working.”
“Sean said my design style feels warm.”
At first, Lingling only smiled and listened the way she always did.
Because Orm had always been expressive.
Always full of stories.
She talked about people easily.
About random strangers she met at cafés.
About cashiers who complimented her nails.
About professors she admired.
About coworkers who annoyed her.
So Lingling told herself this was normal.
Just another passing name.
Just another temporary person inside Orm’s orbit.
But then Sean’s name kept returning.
At dinner.
During car rides.
In sleepy midnight calls.
In voice messages sent while Orm walked home from work.
Even in silence somehow—
Sean lingered.
And Lingling noticed the little things.
The way Orm smiled unconsciously while reading his messages.
The way her eyes brightened whenever she said his name.
The way she started fixing her appearance more carefully before work.
The way she suddenly cared about perfumes because Sean once mentioned liking subtle floral scents.
Lingling noticed everything.
Because loving Orm had always meant noticing everything.
And still—
she listened.
Always listened.
With a smile so practiced it almost looked real.
—
One night, Orm sat cross-legged on Lingling’s couch while eating instant ramen at nearly one in the morning.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
The apartment lights were dim except for the glow of Lingling’s laptop resting on her legs.
Orm wore Lingling’s oversized gray hoodie—
the one she always stole whenever she stayed over.
Her messy hair fell over her face while steam curled around her bowl of ramen.
And somehow—
even looking half asleep—
she was devastatingly beautiful.
Beautiful enough to ruin Lingling without even trying.
“I think Sean is misunderstood,” Orm said thoughtfully between bites. “People think he’s intimidating, but he’s actually soft-hearted.”
Lingling kept her eyes on the laptop screen.
“Mhm.”
“And he remembers small details,” Orm continued absentmindedly. “Like earlier—I mentioned liking this one Japanese snack once, then he brought it for me today.”
“That’s nice.”
“And he smells good too.”
Lingling’s fingers paused above the keyboard.
Just for one second.
A tiny pause.
So small most people wouldn’t notice.
But to Lingling, it felt enormous.
Then she forced herself to continue typing again.
Orm remained oblivious.
“He’s very gentlemanly,” Orm added quietly, smiling to herself while twirling noodles around her fork. “Like… naturally gentlemanly. Not fake.”
Lingling swallowed hard.
Because every word felt soft and harmless to Orm—
but inside Lingling’s chest, they landed like tiny blades.
Careful.
Precise.
Repeated.
And somehow that hurt more.
Because Orm wasn’t trying to hurt her.
She was simply happy.
Simply talking.
Simply falling for someone.
And Lingling—
Lingling had no right to break over something Orm didn’t even know she was doing.
So she smiled.
Because what else could she do?
Orm was free.
Free to admire someone.
Free to fall in love.
Free to choose anyone in the world.
And Lingling had no claim over her.
Not after all the years she chose silence.
Not after letting fear keep her quiet for too long.
Not after pretending friendship was enough.
—
Later that night, Orm eventually fell asleep on the couch.
Half-finished ramen forgotten on the table.
One hand tucked beneath her cheek.
Still wearing Lingling’s hoodie.
Still close enough for Lingling to smell her shampoo.
Lingling stared at her quietly from across the room.
The city lights reflected faintly against Orm’s sleeping face.
And God—
Lingling thought she had already mastered this pain.
Thought she had learned how to carry it gracefully.
But lately—
every mention of Sean made something ugly grow inside her chest.
Not anger.
Never anger toward Orm.
Just fear.
Pure, unbearable fear.
Because Sean was real.
Sean could openly like Orm.
Sean could court her.
Could stand beside her in daylight without hiding.
Could offer her things Lingling never dared to.
And worst of all—
Orm looked happy whenever she talked about him.
Lingling slowly stood and walked toward the couch.
Carefully, gently—
she pulled the blanket over Orm’s sleeping body.
Her fingers brushed against Orm’s hair for the briefest second.
A dangerous mistake.
Because even that tiny touch nearly shattered her.
Lingling looked at Orm for a long time after that.
At the girl she had loved quietly for years.
The girl who trusted her completely.
The girl who still looked for her first whenever something exciting happened.
And suddenly—
for the first time—
Lingling wondered what it would feel like if one day Orm stopped looking for her at all.
The thought nearly made her sick.
—
A few weeks later, Junji and Fluke found Lingling alone on the company rooftop during lunch break.
The sky was gray.
Cold wind moved through the buildings.
Lingling stood near the railing with a cup of coffee in her hands, staring silently at the city below.
“She talks about him a lot now,” Fluke said carefully after a while.
Lingling chuckled softly.
“She’s happy.”
Junji looked like she was already seconds away from crying.
“Ling…”
“She deserves to like someone openly,” Lingling said before either of them could continue. “We’re not together.”
“But you love her,” Junji whispered painfully.
Lingling looked away toward the skyline.
Cars moved far below them.
People continued living their lives.
Everything felt unbearably normal despite the ache inside her chest.
A long silence followed.
Then Lingling smiled again.
That same gentle smile she always wore whenever she was hurting the most.
“She doesn’t know that.”
Junji’s face crumpled immediately.
Because she had known Lingling since childhood.
She knew every version of her.
The loud Lingling.
The mischievous Lingling.
The stubborn Lingling.
The confident Lingling who could walk into any room and make everyone laugh.
And this version—
this heartbreakingly quiet version—
was the worst of all.
Because this Lingling had already accepted losing before the fight even began.
“You’re faking it,” Junji suddenly cried.
Lingling blinked in surprise.
Junji walked forward immediately and wrapped her arms tightly around her.
“You’re pretending you’re okay because you love her too much to make her feel guilty,” Junji sobbed against her shoulder. “But you’re hurting so bad.”
Fluke looked away silently, jaw clenched tight.
Because even he didn’t know what to say anymore.
What comfort could possibly exist for this kind of love?
Loving someone so much that their happiness destroys you—
and still choosing their happiness anyway.
Lingling closed her eyes slowly.
And for the first time in months—
her smile disappeared.
The wind felt colder after that.
The silence heavier.
More honest.
Because Junji was right.
Lingling was hurting.
So much that sometimes she couldn’t breathe properly whenever Orm smiled at her phone.
So much that every “Ling, look what Sean gave me,” felt like another goodbye waiting patiently in the distance.
So much that she had started memorizing Orm’s expressions whenever Sean was mentioned—
as if preparing herself for the day Orm finally said:
“I think I’m in love with him.”
And maybe the cruelest part of all was this—
even now—
even while breaking apart—
the only thing Lingling could still think about was Orm’s happiness.
Whether she was eating properly.
Whether she was sleeping enough.
Whether Sean treated her gently.
Whether he deserved her.
Lingling hugged Junji back softly and let out a weak laugh despite the trembling in her voice.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
But her eyes were already red.
And for the first time since falling in love with Orm—
Lingling finally looked terrified of losing her.