With that, they practically shoved Kaija out of the room.
Not before the assistant slammed the thick compensation document back into her arms with a saccharine smile.
"Do look into the details further, dear."
The door shut behind her.
Kaija stared down at the heavy stack of papers resting against her chest.
"Hm." Her lips flattened. "Look into the details and lull myself to sleep again? Nope, thanks."
She flipped absentmindedly through a few pages filled with numbers so huge they no longer even looked real.
"I wonder how much they pay for human organs these days," she muttered. "Maybe I should start with that…"
The fluorescent-lit hallway stretched endlessly before her.
For the first time since she had joined the airline, Kaija noticed how cold headquarters actually felt.
No warmth.
No laughter.
No glamour.
Just polished floors, expensive perfume, and people who smiled while destroying your life.
The elevator ride down felt eternal.
When the doors finally opened onto the ground floor lobby, Kaija walked out like a ghost carrying her own death certificate.
Outside, the afternoon heat slammed into her face instantly.
The city buzzed around her in loud, indifferent chaos.
Cars.
People.
Traffic lights.
Everyone moving forward with their lives while hers had just imploded.
Kaija dragged out her phone and opened the taxi app.
"Thirty dollars back…" she read blankly.
The number practically vibrated in front of her sleep-deprived eyes.
"Nah. Forget it."
She closed the app immediately and opened the maps instead.
"One hour and thirty minutes estimated time on foot."
A beat.
"Alrighty. Let's walk then."
And so she did.
—
The city slowly swallowed her.
Kaija walked through crowded sidewalks with the thick compensation document tucked under one arm and her suitcase rattling noisily behind her.
Sweat dampened the back of her shirt within minutes.
Her feet ached.
Her brain felt like mush.
Still, she kept moving.
'Okay. Think.'
She needed money.
Fast.
The only thing she had ever been remotely good at besides airline work was singing.
So she started calling people.
Old bar owners.
Cafe managers.
Contacts from her university years.
Anyone who had once booked her for gigs.
Most didn't pick up.
The ones who did gave awkward, apologetic answers.
"Sorry, Kaija, we already hired someone else."
"Wish you called sooner."
"Business has been slow lately."
Even Vance.
That one stung more than she expected.
"Angel, I'd help you if I could," Vance sighed over the phone. "But I already replaced your slot months ago."
Kaija smiled faintly despite herself.
'Right. Of course he did.'
Life moved on frighteningly fast.
By the time she finally neared her apartment building, the sky had shifted into orange-gold evening hues.
Her entire body felt disgusting.
Sweaty.
Sticky.
Her legs were on the verge of giving out.
Then her phone rang.
Another unknown number.
Kaija almost ignored it.
Almost.
But exhaustion had destroyed whatever caution remained in her soul, so she answered immediately.
"Who's this?" she muttered, voice rough with sleep deprivation.
Silence.
Only faint rustling.
And breathing.
Slow, steady breathing brushing against the receiver.
Kaija's brow twitched.
"Listen, mate, whoever you are," she sighed, "I really don't have time fo—"
"It's me."
That cold, smooth voice stopped her mid-sentence instantly.
"Charles Kosonen."
Kaija blinked.
She lowered the phone slowly and stared at the number on screen.
'Wait. Did he use this number before?'
Honestly, she couldn't remember anymore.
Her brain had gone through too much in one day.
"Mr. Kosonen," she said at last, covering a yawn poorly with one hand. "Why are you calling again?"
Silence answered her again.
So long that Kaija nearly drifted asleep standing upright beside the apartment elevator.
Then finally—
"Ms. Sepala," Charles said carefully, "I thought I would see you on flight STAR420 this morning. Like I mentioned last time."
"Oh…"
Kaija's tired eyes wandered upward, trying to dig through the fog in her head.
"Right."
She leaned against the wall heavily.
"Well… several things happened these past few days." A weak laugh escaped her. "But anyway, I'm no longer with Starlight Airlines."
A pause.
"Maybe that's why you didn't see me on the flight."
Silence.
Again.
But shorter this time.
"I know," Charles said quietly. "I asked the flight attendants onboard. I heard what happened."
"Oh. Good."
Her answer came far too brightly.
Then her tone flattened again.
"Then why are you still calling?"
On the other end, Charles exhaled softly.
"Like I said before," he replied with endless patience, "I hoped you would reconsider my offer."
Kaija's finger hovered in front of the elevator button.
Then she smacked herself square in the forehead.
"Right…" she muttered weakly. "You offered me a job at your label."
"I did."
His response came immediately.
"And you should know," Charles continued evenly, "that I will happily settle that S$200,000 debt for you."
Everything inside Kaija's head stopped.
Completely.
The hallway around her suddenly felt unreal.
Too quiet.
Too blurry.
Her eyes darted left and right like she was checking whether hidden cameras would jump out screaming surprise.
So.
Let's summarize today.
First, the airline destroyed her life and demanded S$200,000.
Then she walked for an hour and a half like a homeless zombie through City Z.
And now an ultra-rich billionaire was casually offering to erase the exact same debt?
Kaija slapped herself once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
The pain was very real.
So unfortunately, this probably wasn't a dream.
"Look, Mr. Kosonen…" Her voice came slower now. "I thought I made it clear during dinner that my singing isn't anywhere near the level of artists at KE. My mom always told me—"
"Then your mother has been terribly wrong."
His interruption came softer than expected.
Not cold.
Not forceful.
Just certain.
Charles continued quietly.
"I remember every single word you said that night." His voice lowered slightly. "But you need to understand something, Ms. Sepala."
Kaija's grip tightened around the phone unconsciously.
"You have the deepest, saddest, most haunting voice I've ever heard in my life."
Her breath caught.
"It's just you," Charles murmured, "who has never truly listened to yourself properly."
Silence.
Real silence this time.
Kaija stood motionless beside the elevator.
Heat slowly crawled up her neck.
Then her cheeks.
Her blue eyes softened faintly.
No one had ever spoken about her singing like that before.
Not once.
Not her mother.
Not Niklas.
Not even herself.
'Deepest. Saddest. Haunting.'
The words wrapped strangely around her chest.
Dangerously warm.
On the other end, Charles shifted slightly in his seat.
He suddenly felt absurdly nervous.
"How about we discuss everything properly when I return to Z City?" he asked carefully. "I'm currently in V City for work."
Kaija finally found her voice again.
"When will that be?"
"In three days."
A pause.
"I'll call you."
"Okay," she murmured softly. "Three days then."
She was just about to hang up—
"One last thing, Ms. Sepala."
His tone suddenly dried with irritation.
"Do me a favor and save my number. Please."
Then the line disconnected.
Beep.
Beep.
Kaija stared blankly at the phone screen.
"That guy really likes dropping emotional damage and hanging up immediately, huh…"
Her lips twitched faintly.
And… had he sounded annoyed just now?
'Actually, fair enough.'
He did keep calling her and getting greeted with Who's this?
Kaija unlocked her contacts and started typing.
"Hm. What should I save him as?"
Her thumb hovered thoughtfully.
"Mr. Kosonen? Nah. Sounds like my landlord."
"Charles Kosonen?" She grimaced. "Too long. Who even saves full government names anymore?"
Then suddenly, a memory surfaced.
Charles standing outside the hotel that night.
The glow of cigarette embers in the dark.
His sharp face half-lit beneath golden lights.
Those silver eyes softened by smoke and shadow.
For some reason, he had reminded her of one of those lion cubs she used to watch in nature documentaries as a kid.
Elegant.
Proud.
Dangerous-looking.
But oddly cute.
A sleepy grin tugged at her lips.
"Mister Lion King it is."
She hit save firmly.
Then let out a long, quiet sigh.
The elevator doors finally opened before her.
Kaija stared at her reflection in the mirrored walls.
Messy hair.
Sweaty face.
Dead-tired eyes.
And somehow… beneath all that exhaustion…
A strange feeling had begun stirring quietly inside her chest.
Uneasy.
Uncertain.
Like the first tiny crack appearing in a perfectly ordinary life before everything changed forever.