Morning had already settled over the News 24 building by the time Krishna finished the last of his transfer formalities.
The entire process had taken longer than he would have liked. Forms, approvals, signatures, and unnecessary paperwork had consumed most of his patience. By the time everything was finally complete, he felt more exhausted than someone should after doing nothing but sitting at desks and moving papers from one office to another.
Once the final document was processed, he was instructed to report directly to Kapil Sharma.
Krishna didn't waste time and headed toward the editor's floor.
When he reached Kapil's cabin, the door was still closed. Through the glass panel beside it, he could see several people sitting inside discussing something. Since there was no point interrupting a meeting, Krishna simply leaned against the nearby wall and waited.
A few minutes later, the cabin door opened.
Several employees stepped out carrying files and notebooks while continuing their discussion. Kapil followed behind them, saying a few final instructions before his attention shifted toward Krishna.
For a second, he looked at him.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Ho gayi transfer ki formalities?"
Krishna pushed himself away from the wall and nodded.
"Haan. Ab officially idhar bhej diya gaya hoon."
Kapil looked at him for a moment before shaking his head.
Normally he would have argued over the difference, but after everything that had happened recently, he wasn't particularly interested in debating technical details.
For a few moments, both of them walked through the hallway in silence.
Employees moved around them carrying files, discussing assignments, and rushing between departments. The usual chaos of a newsroom continued uninterrupted.
Kapil glanced sideways at Krishna.
"Abhi bhi transfer se khush nahi lag rahe."
Krishna adjusted his glasses before answering.
"Khush hone wali koi baat bhi nahi hai."
The response came immediately.
"Galti tumhari thi."
Krishna didn't reply.
Because there was nothing to argue about.
Kapil had already heard what happened.
Almost everyone in the office had.
After a brief silence, Kapil spoke again.
"Lekin ek baat bataun?"
Krishna looked at him.
"News line mein galti karne wale do tarah ke log hote hain."
His expression remained calm as he continued walking.
"Ek woh jo galti se kuch nahi seekhte."
A small pause followed.
"Aur doosre woh jo uske baad dobara wahi galti nahi karte."
Krishna remained silent.
The words weren't comforting.
And somehow that made them feel more genuine.
A few moments later, Kapil stopped in front of another section of the floor.
Unlike the crowded newsroom behind them, this area was noticeably quieter.
Several workstations were arranged inside, and a handful of people were busy reading documents, checking reports, or working on laptops.
Kapil looked toward the room before turning back to Krishna.
"Chalo."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Ab tumhari nayi problem se milwata hoon."
Krishna followed Kapil through the doorway and stepped inside the department for the first time.
The moment he entered, his eyes instinctively moved around the room.
Unlike the noisy sections of the newsroom he was used to, this place felt different. Several people were working at their desks, some buried in documents, others staring at laptop screens filled with reports and photographs. Files were stacked on tables, whiteboards were covered in notes, and the atmosphere carried a strange mixture of concentration and chaos.
Kapil walked a few steps ahead before slowing down.
A few employees had already noticed them entering.
Others were still busy with their work.
Just as Kapil was about to gather everyone's attention, a sudden voice echoed from somewhere to Krishna's right.
The voice sounded hurried.
Almost panicked.
Before Krishna could even turn properly to see who it was, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.
Someone was running toward them.
Fast.
Far too fast.
The person appeared to be carrying a large cup of coffee while weaving through the desks as if he were trying to reach them before something important happened.
Then disaster struck.
One careless step.
A slight loss of balance.
The person's foot slipped.
Everything that happened next seemed to slow down.
The coffee cup flew upward.
The dark liquid left the container and scattered through the air.
For one brief second, Krishna simply stared at the incoming disaster without fully processing what he was looking at.
Then—
SPLASH.
The entire contents of the cup landed directly on him.
Coffee exploded across his face.
His glasses.
His hair.
His shirt.
Even his shoulders.
The impact was so sudden that Krishna didn't react immediately.
He simply stood there.
Frozen.
Warm coffee slowly dripped from his hair onto his forehead before sliding down across the lenses of his glasses.
A few drops continued falling from his chin onto the floor below.
Beside him, Kapil wasn't spared either.
While most of the coffee had chosen Krishna as its primary victim, several drops had splashed onto Kapil's shirt and sleeve as collateral damage.
For a moment—
complete silence filled the room.
The employee closest to the accident slowly lowered the file in his hand.
Someone near the back stopped typing.
Another person looked up from their laptop.
Every eye in the department had turned toward the same spot.
Toward Krishna.
Who was now standing motionless in the middle of the room looking as though he had personally lost a battle against a coffee machine.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The entire department simply stared at the scene that had unfolded in front of them.
And Krishna's first official day in his new department had somehow become a disaster before anyone had even managed to introduce themselves.
An hour had already passed.
The atmosphere inside Kapil's cabin had finally settled down. Krishna sat quietly on one side of the room, listening without interrupting while Kapil continued staring at the person standing across from his desk.
Priya stood there with a surprisingly serious expression on her face.
She looked to be around Krishna's age. Her long black hair were tied loosely behind her head, and her sharp features gave her a naturally attractive appearance. Dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, she looked calm and attentive, as though she were listening carefully to every word being spoken.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"Priya, main sach mein samajhna chahta hoon," Kapil said while rubbing his forehead. "Tum har baar late kaise ho jaati ho?"
Priya immediately nodded.
"Hmm."
Kapil continued.
"Ye pehli baar nahi hai. Har week koi na koi nayi problem create ho jaati hai. Aur aaj toh tumne record hi tod diya."
Priya nodded again.
"Hmm."
Seeing her reaction, Kapil assumed she was finally taking the conversation seriously and continued speaking.
"Main pichhle das minute se tumhe samjha raha hoon. Kam se kam itna toh batao ki tumne meri baat samjhi ya nahi."
This time Priya looked up.
"Haan."
Kapil leaned back slightly.
"Achha? Toh batao main kya keh raha tha."
A brief silence followed.
Priya looked at him.
Then she looked at the paper lying on the desk in front of her.
After thinking for a moment, she answered with complete confidence.
"Mujhe bhi lagta hai Bruno better naam hai."
The cabin became silent.
Kapil stared at her.
Krishna slowly turned his head toward Priya.
Only then did Kapil notice the sheet of paper resting on the desk.
Across the page was a rough sketch of a cat.
Several different names had been written beneath it, most of them crossed out.
For a few seconds Kapil simply stared at the drawing.
Then he slowly closed his eyes.
Krishna adjusted his glasses and quietly looked away.
For the first time since entering this department, he was beginning to understand that whatever kind of place this was....normal probably wasn't the right word for it.
END OF THE CHAPTER