Fael

“Senior, can you help me debug this code? It’s been an hour, and I can’t figure out what’s wrong,” Fael said, looking at the monitor, frustration clear on his face.

I decided to help him since he’s my junior.

“No problem, Fael, I’ll help you out,” I replied, walking over to his desk.

The relief on his face was obvious as I approached.

I glanced at his screen and quickly spotted the issue: he had forgotten to locate the asset files.

“Looks like you missed a step here,” I pointed out. After a few minutes of tweaking the code to secure the file path, the error message disappeared.

Fael looked surprised. “Wow, I can’t believe I overlooked that. I feel a bit embarrassed,” he said bluntly.

“It happens to everyone,” I reassured him. “You’re still getting the hang of things; it’s only been four months.”

He chuckled, trying to brush off his embarrassment. “Yeah, I guess I’m still a newbie here.”

I remembered my early days at EasySoft—how many errors I made, and how my coworkers always helped me out.

“Seriously, if you ever need help, just ask,” I said.

He smiled, a bit more relaxed now. “Thanks, Senior! I owe you one. How about a barbecue after this?”

“There’s no need to pay me back; it was just a small fix. But if you insist, I won’t turn down a free meal,” I replied with a grin.

“Great! It’s on me! Make sure to eat a lot, Senior,” he said enthusiastically.

I smiled as I headed back to my workspace. A few hours later, it was 9:20 PM.

I twisted in my chair to relieve some stiffness and packed up my things, planning to take the elevator down.

As I walked down the hallway, Fael called out to me, rushing to catch up.

“Senior, wait up!”

I looked back and saw him running.

“There’s no need to rush, Fael. I was just going to wait for you at the entrance,” I said.

He stopped in front of me and smiled a little.

“I thought you might forget!” he chuckled.

He was really committed to this barbecue.

We made our way to the restaurant, and within minutes, we were standing in front of the shop, ready to enjoy some good food and unwind after a long day.

A middle-aged lady greeted us with a smile.

“Hello, sir! Welcome to our barbecue eatery. Feel free to order whenever you’re ready,” she said, guiding us to a table and handing us menus.

I looked at the menu and saw a variety of dishes. I ordered a couple, and the lady noted it down with a warm smile before leaving.

While we waited, I talked to Fael about how he got into the company. He shared the pressure he faced just to get a job, being the only one to take care of his grandmother after his parents passed away.

I couldn’t entirely relate, having been born into a wealthy family, but as I looked at him, I could see how long he had struggled. Knowing his situation made me feel a bit guilty since he was the one paying for the food.

Our conversation flowed from his love for books—action and fantasy especially—to his desire to experience magic. Despite how childish it might seem, he was enjoyable to talk to.

After eating, I headed to the counter to pay, but Fael stopped me, insisting that he would cover it since he was the one who invited me.

I eventually gave in.

After that, we decided to part ways.

As I walked further, a loud voice called out to me.

“Senior, watch out!”

I turned and saw a hooded man approaching, holding a knife, as if he wanted to stab me.

My body felt numb as I saw that man looking at me fiercely, his anger so intense that it seemed like he wanted to kill me.

However, before the knife could strike, Fael tackled the man, and the two of them rolled onto the floor.

"Senior, run! I'll handle this!" Fael shouted as he struggled to restrain the attacker.

I stood there, unable to speak or move, stunned by the sudden turn of events. I didn’t know what to do.

I tried to step forward and grab the knife, but my legs were frozen.

While they were wrestling on the floor, the hooded man managed to stab Fael in the stomach twice, forcing him to release his grip. The man then quickly fled.

I stood there with Fael, unable to move, the realization hitting me — that man was my wife’s ex-boyfriend. I never expected him to be involved in this. Shaking my head, I quickly called an ambulance.

**Fael’s POV**

It’s cold. I can’t feel my legs, and the pain is unbearable. It feels like I’m about to die. I hope Senior is okay. I see him standing in front of me, panicking, trying to make a phone call. He looks at me and approaches. It seems like he wants to say something, but I can’t hear him clearly. My eyes feel heavy. I’m about to close them. It sounds like someone is calling my name. Grandma… it seems I’ll be gone for a while. That was my last thought before I blacked out.

“Faaaeeeeeellllllll!!!!!!”

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