"Just text me if I need to pick you up or not, okay?" Poyraz abi asked me through his open window.
"Sure. Thanks for dropping me off. See you tonight!"
"Bye, Kay! Good luck!"
I waved him goodbye as my older brother drove away.
I looked at my watch, twenty to nine. I was twenty minutes early.
With a sigh, I sat down on the doorstep and waited for my time to come. After what seemed like an eternity, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Taking my earphones off, I looked up at the boy tapping me.
"Hey, good morning," he smiled. "I'm Christopher, nice to meet you!"
"Good morning! Kamber Yildiz," I answered, shaking his hand.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'll be supervising you for the time being; that means until you get adjusted to the company. I hope you'll find your way around soon."
The boy was taller than me, not just taller but also bigger, bigger in a way that even my tiny brother seemed bigger than me. In other words, it was obvious he was fond of working out. He had a sweet-looking face, though, with dimples that deepened when he smiled, and blonde-dyed, curly hair falling over his ears.
But his curls were different from the boy I'd met a couple of weeks ago. That boy's hair was clearly permed, but this boy's hair seemed naturally curly.
"I hope so too!" I answered him.
He smiled at me, "You seem excited for your first day?"
"This is going to be a fresh start for me. A new chapter, a new page."
"Then let's start writing it, shall we?" Christopher proposed.
I loved how he just went along with it instead of questioning it. Maybe this job would indeed be as fun as Kenji promised it would be.
We walked into the enormous building. Once inside, Christopher led me to a backroom and fished something out of a drawer.
"This is for you," he explained, handing me a badge.
It was just a normal badge with my picture, name, position, and a chip in it.
"Wear it around your neck so you don't lose it. It's not a good impression to lose it right at the start," Christopher laughed. He seemed like a nice guy, and hopefully, that meant I'd already made a friend at work other than Kenji.
Christopher was already heading toward the four elevators and pressed the button for one of them, signaling up.
As the doors opened, six people left the elevator, bowing slightly to Christopher while holding their vests closed.
My supervisor must be an important person in this company.
We got into the elevator, and Christopher pressed the button for the eighteenth floor.
Seeing my curious look, he explained, "That's where I, and a lot of other residential architects, work. If I'm right, you'll be working as a commercial architect, right?"
I nodded.
"Yes, commercial architects are on the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth floors, but you'll walk with us until you get settled in, since I'm supervising you."
"I get it, sir."
"And who knows? Maybe we'll score an additional player for our team. I've seen the work you submitted, as well as the projects you did in school. They're really exceptional. And your designs included some beautiful houses too, I have to say."
My ears burned, I knew they'd be crimson by now, "Thank you so much! I'm not that good…I've just had good guidance."
"Aha," Christopher laughed, shooting finger guns at me. "You didn't exactly deny my offer to switch to the residential unit."
I smiled. I'd always had a thing for designing homes. It was a safe and personal kind of design. Every individual has different tastes, so every house could be totally unique.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't dare ask to change units. I still can't believe I even got hired."
Christopher snickered. "We'd rarely let such talent slip away. How else would we grow without all these talented workers?"
The elevator reached the eighteenth floor, and from up here there was a beautiful view of the city.
Christopher stepped out first, expecting me to follow him. Which I did, of course.
"I'll be in my office. You're welcome to join me and watch how I work. If any of the other architects need help, that's your job, got it?"
Christopher's stride was confident, his steps silent yet purposeful. He navigated the hallways like a king inspecting his court, his chin lifted, eyes scanning the offices with the calm authority of someone who belonged. Such grace and authority that one might think he owned the place.
Maybe he did, I thought, watching the sea of young faces around us. Some with brightly dyed hair, others with tattoos peeking out from beneath crisp white sleeves. A girl with a sketchpad doodled as she sipped her iced coffee, and a boy leaned back in his chair, sneakers propped on the edge of his desk, phone in hand, probably having a business call; his voice very formal. Yoon House felt like a start-up disguised in a skyscraper's shell. This might be one of the biggest companies in the industry, but it was relatively young.
At the end of the hallway, Christopher opened the door to an office with a full panoramic view.
As I entered, wide-eyed, Christopher pointed to a sofa diagonally across from his desk. "You can sit here while I work. Standing the whole time would be tiring."
He had a totally different aura when it was just the two of us compared to when there were others around. When we were alone, his posture relaxed, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. So different from the crisp, businesslike mask he wore around others. He drummed his fingers on the desk, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Maybe he had an image to keep up.
I watched Christopher work for what felt like hours. I knew that being an architect wasn't always the glamorous job people thought it was, but I hadn't expected it to involve so many emails, document signings, drawing measurements, and other tasks.
Finally, the silence was broken by a knock on the door. Then another. I looked at Christopher, but he didn't even flinch. He was so absorbed in his work that he might not have heard.
When the person knocked a third time, I stood up and opened the door.
"Gosh, Chris, I–oh, hey, Kay, it's you."
I smiled at the boy standing in the doorway. "Hey, Kenji!"