[2] a

Every morning for Olive was a delight. Opening her eyes with a sparkle of happiness was a duty. So for Olive, it was just like any other morning. This morning too, she had to greet it with joy. She immediately put on a smile with a blush on her slightly chubby face. Her shoulder-length, somewhat reddish-blonde hair was tied up high. She already had her black backpack with a BTS keychain hanging on its right side slung over her shoulder.

She was ready to go to work. But before she actually left, bidding farewell to her mother was a must. Although...

"Mom," she whispered half-heartedly. She crouched down slightly to level herself with her deeply sleeping mother. "Olive's leaving. Breakfast is ready. Don't have coffee first, Mom. Cut down on cigarettes."

"Rude," her mother grumbled with a soft and husky voice. Her eyes still refused to open. She just shifted to change her reclining position. "Be careful on the road, Olive."

Olive smiled faintly. "Okay, Mom. Olive's leaving."

There was no response except for the rhythmic sound of her mother's breathing. She remembered opening the door to their small apartment around four in the morning for her mother. There was nothing Olive could do, let alone protest. She loved her mother with all her flaws, just as her mother undoubtedly loved Olive wholeheartedly without exception.

The girl sighed softly, patting her cheek gently, reaffirming to herself that the life they were living was just fine. Nothing had changed in the whirlwind of their lives. Olive believed that.

It didn't take her long to arrive at her workplace. "Good morning, everyone," Olive greeted cheerfully. Her face lit up with happiness as she looked at each of her coworkers who had arrived earlier.

"Surely you've had breakfast, that's why you're so energetic, right?" guessed one of her coworkers, Riana.

"Not yet. This is my breakfast bag," Olive lifted a plastic bag containing breakfast she had bought around her home. She needed a substantial breakfast this morning. Mondays were pretty busy, and she needed a lot of energy to deal with the many customers coming in. She didn't want to get an upset stomach just because she had lunch late. Although, to be more precise, her lunch breaks during work were never on time.

Working as a teller at a well-known private bank in Indonesia, Olive had to live with the consequences. She did her part as best as she could, trying not to stir up trouble and being friendly with everyone she knew. She behaved well with her superiors and chose to be the obedient one. Regardless of the office policies, Olive didn't join in protests or badmouthing.

"Hurry up and have breakfast, Liv. We have a briefing every Monday, you know."

Olive knew her work schedule. "Got it."

She quickly headed towards her locker, but before she even reached the employees' designated room, she stopped in her tracks. Someone was calling her. Darius Phillips.

"Yes, Darius?" Olive looked at the neatly dressed man in light blue uniform who was now in front of her.

"Just arrived?"

Olive answered with a small nod. "I was in a rush, haven't had breakfast yet. Have you?"

In return, Darius nodded.

"I'll have breakfast first, then. It's not even seven yet."

"Let's have lunch together later, okay? We'll eat at Alamasta."

Olive frowned. "That's unusual. Are you treating me?"

Darius chuckled. "Yeah, I'm treating you. But don't invite Riana, okay? Just the two of us."

"Are you asking me out?" Olive laughed heartily. "Wow, Darius-Darius, I thought you'd given up."

Darius smirked slightly. "Until the yellow bamboo bends, anyone can still get close to you, Liv."

Olive waved her hand playfully. "Okay, fine. Let's go with whatever Darius wants."

"Wow, I get greeted by my darling so early in the morning."

Olive's laughter only increased. "Come on, let's stop. I want to have breakfast. I'm not even properly dressed yet. I might get scolded by Ms. Sonia."

Darius allowed Olive to leave him behind. Until the small figure of the girl was no longer visible to him, he headed to his work station. In his eyes, Olive was a tough nut to crack. She was warm, always cheerful, rarely had a sad look on her face, but it was so hard to win her heart. Olive easily shared her sweet smiles with many people but not her attention. In the eight months he had known Olive, Darius was determined to make her his girlfriend. Maybe if God was kind, they could end up getting married. That was his hope. But conquering Olive was incredibly challenging.

The slightly curly-haired man sighed softly. He began to tidy up his desk before the Gajah Mada branch of SAVEFUND opened at eight o'clock, ready to serve its customers.

The morning briefing lasted only ten minutes. Most of it was to boost their spirits because they mostly worked face-to-face with customers. They couldn't afford to have their performance complained about because they weren't friendly or didn't make a good impression. As much as possible, even if they came in with unfriendly faces, complaints as high as mountains, and anger ready to devour anyone, those working as front liners still had to put on a smile. They had to serve and respond to customer complaints well.

"Oh, Olive, before you head down to the floor, I'd like to talk to you," Sonia said before closing the morning briefing. Almost everyone in the second-floor office of SAVEFUND turned their heads towards Olive. Their gazes mostly expressed curiosity about what was happening with Olive. While she herself was puzzled. Her mind raced, trying to recall what she might have done. Throughout her time as a teller at SAVEFUND, even though it hadn't been two years yet, she hadn't encountered any significant issues.

Everything went smoothly and proceeded as usual.

"Alright, Mrs. Sonia." There was nothing Olive could do but say 'yes,' right?

Once the briefing was over, Olive's steps didn't follow her colleagues. She chose to mimic the steps of the branch manager at her workplace, known for being firm and disciplined.

"Please have a seat, Olive," Sonia said with a faint smile. She also immediately opened her desk drawer, knowing that Olive had been watching her since earlier. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

"I'm scared. Did I do something wrong?"

Sonia chuckled softly. "No. Your performance has actually been good in recent months."

Olive sighed with relief. "But why was I called in?" She asked with curiosity in her tone.

"You're being transferred to the CBD central branch, Liv. You know that the CBD branch is the best one in Jakarta, right?"

Olive still hadn't responded to anything.

"One of the tellers is resigning because she's accompanying her husband on an assignment, Olive. You're being asked to replace her."

"Why me?" Olive wanted to protest.

"They don't want intern tellers there. And you're the top candidate to fill the position," Sonia explained wisely.

"Why does it have to be me, Mrs. Sonia?"

"Well, this is your opportunity to move up, Liv. Don't you want to become a head teller?"

"I do, Mrs. Sonia," Olive replied softly. "But..."

"No 'buts,' Liv. This is your opportunity. Mrs. Marta and Mr. Thomas over there will surely guide you. Don't think I'm just getting rid of you, not at all."

"I don't think like that, Mrs. Sonia," Olive quickly retorted.

Sonia's shoulders seemed to slump. "You don't know what rumors will circulate. I'm sure that's what you'll hear."

Olive didn't know what to say. Although there was a slight feeling like that because the transfer seemed sudden, seeing Sonia looking sad made Olive think it might not be as bad as she feared.

"I'm losing you, actually. Your work here is excellent, Liv. Rarely any mistakes. Disciplined too. Not much fuss, and, well... I admit you're meticulous and smart. Don't forget that your name often comes up as the friendliest teller in this branch."

Olive involuntarily chuckled.

"Since a week ago, I've been arguing to keep you. Everyone here is good and performs well. You have your flaws, they do too. But at least there's something more in you. And now, I have to let you go through the transfer."

Olive felt sad hearing Sonia's words.

"I can't do anything else when it's Mr. Matthew who makes the decision."

The blonde-haired girl looked bewildered. Who didn't know Matthew? A well-built athletic man with a fairly handsome face, but don't think he's easy to approach. Matthew was an Area Manager for SAVEFUND across Indonesia. Every decision he made was something that had to be done, including transferring Olive.

"What do you think?"

"They promise a three-month trial for you. If it goes well, Mr. Matthew will promote you to head teller."

A smile that was reluctant to appear on Olive's face began to emerge, albeit faintly.

"I really hope you can follow the flow there. Rise to become a head teller and become the best employee, even if it's not in this branch," Sonia sighed finally, but she quickly dispelled her displeasure because Olive had to go through this transfer.

"Alright, Mrs."

"Stay the Olivia Charlotte I know, alright?"

Olive laughed. "Have I turned into Sailor moon, Mrs.?"

They finally laughed together. Although Olive still felt a bit uncertain, at least Sonia's laughter and the expressions of this woman who was quite a bit older than Olive gave a unique impression.