Gameplay is sitting in one of the chairs in front of Top's desk, toggling his eyes between his phone, which he is using to find recipes that he can experiment on, and his boyfriend, who is on the other side and busy filling out blanks in an open file on his computer. The Head Chef of Cocotte left work five hours earlier than usual, leaving Plan at the helm to drive their team to another successful day.

"What are you doing, Game?" asked Top, observing the other using his peripheral view.

"Looking for a way to make a better Beef Wellington." GP doesn't take his eyes off the webpage, running them over the printed ingredients. He is, however, half-interested in what he is reading: the order from Table 5 earlier, whose specific instructions are from someone he unmistakably know, keeps bugging him.

"For me?" Top veers his look away from the screen and stares at Gameplay – smiling.

However, GP's response is dead silence. Gazing at his phone with his pointer finger touching the LED screen, he scrolls down slowly with a clouded mind: he does not know to which part he will stop.

"Gameplay?" Top's voice is sternly firm.

"What! Did you say something?" Surprised, GP stops tinkering the gadget on his hand and looks abruptly at Top.

"I asked you if you are going to prepare that dish for me?"

"Oh...uhhh...of course – for you and the other customers at Cocotte." Returning his ebony orbs back to the screen to see further details, Gameplay knowingly admits to himself that what he just said is part-lie: he is referring to only one customer – a revenant who might had visited his restaurant earlier.

After the response, Top turns his attention back to his computer, proceeding in filling out cells of an Excel file. GP, on the other hand, saves the website he is looking at to his Favorites, losing interest to go further at it now. Putting his phone down beside him, he stares at Top after, yet his looks doesn't have anything behind it: his eyes express impassive thoughts.

Saving his work, Top looks again at GP – a short respite while waiting for the green gauge to fill up and disappear from the screen. With their eyes meeting at the same horizon line, Top pouts his lips, giving his guy an air-kiss that would've landed on GP's nose if done accordingly. GP, however, did not return the gesture and just stares back as if he is looking at a void instead of a human.

"Game?" called Top. However, there is no response – not even a nudge. Top repeats the name, and this time, he does it together with a couple of snap from his fingers.

"Huh?! What?!" exclaimed Gameplay with eyes wide open. He seems to have been snapped out of his daze.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Top runs his eyes all over his boyfriend like a scanner. "Are you alright?" he asked. 

"I am."

"The truth now, Game. I've caught you absentminded twice. Is there anything bothering you?"

"Nothing; just stressed out at work; it's a Friday today; lots of customers," replied Gameplay, not wanting to share with Top the fact that Jeff might had been in his restaurant, ordering his favorite dish for lunch. He moves his eyes around the table while his head is stationary, trying to look for something from which they can start a new conversation. He finds one on the desk.

"Personnel....Diss..." GP tries to read the label of a folder that Top's arms are clamping down on the table. "Dissolution?" he finished, able to read the last word by titling his head.

"Oh. Yes, it is. I've been working on this since before you got here." Top opens the folder, and the papers inside follow the trail of the cover before stacking themselves back down.

"You're terminating employees?" GP has one brow raised.

"Something like that – yes."

"Why?" There is disbelief in Gameplay's face.

"According to Finance, we can save more money if we cut them out." Top faces his screen, turning away from GP.

"Giving them the boot should be the last resort, Top. You should know that considering you are the CEO."

"Not to me," Top gives Gameplay a dagger of a glance.

"This is their livelihood you are taking away from them."

"There is a separation package awaiting them – part of the law, you know." Top makes it sound like if not for the Labor Code, he would not spare those people even a quarter. He looks back to his computer afterwards.

"That is just like putting a patch to a hole you will carve yourself."

"At least I covered the hole."

"And you said you are going to save money by terminating them?" Gameplay shakes his head in frustration.

"Yes."

"Why? Are they those who grew old working here? Is this some kind of forced retirement for them?"

"Actually, I'm cutting off the rookies and not the veterans."

"Say that again, Top?" Gameplay's rounded eyes show apparent bewilderment. "You can have them trained, so they can replace those who will leave. Why take them out?"

"Again, to save money: training costs a lot. I'm not a fan of putting novices in a classroom with a teacher."

Gameplay lets out a laugh – something not of gaiety – then turns to the nearest window to look into the horizon.

"This isn't your problem, Game; it's mine; I run the show here; relax," said Top, looking at Gameplay.

"This is not right."

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Have a heart," replied Gameplay, looking back at Top. The gravity on his eyes echoes the idea that even if Top is alive, he has something vital missing.

"I have it, and I gave it to you." Top gives GP a smile and a two-eyed wink.

Gameplay's expression, however, did not wane – serious with his lips not even remotely curving to a smile.

"Was that a joke, Top? If it was, I'm not laughing. You should reconsider this."

"I'm doing this for the company: they are causing us to bleed more than we should."

"And you're sacrificing them to stop that?"

"I'll play any card that I want, so we don't lose much."

"SO YOU DON'T LOSE MUCH!?" Gameplay's raised tone is for the other to think of an alternative. As someone who also calls the shots for his own business, he knows that there are certainly other ways to stop a bleeding company.

"Whatever." It is Top this time who displays the frustration, so this one-word reply is his attempt to stop the conversation.

"Top. Please think about this," said Gameplay in an imploring tone.

"I have thought about this." Top just looks back to his screen and continues working.

GP can only look with despair, as he guesses that Top must be marking the employees' termination proceedings with finality – one after the other – and probably setting a last day of work for each one.

***

Jeff opens his eyes amidst the subtle sound from his air-conditioning unit, which is doing its job to make his room just cold enough to prevent him from sweating. He reaches for his phone under the pillow next to the one supporting his head – his favorite hiding spot for it.

"Jeez, I overslept!" he nearly shouted, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles and remembering that he went to his room with the notion to just lean on his headboard. However, he ended up sleeping for almost five hours.

Too late to cook anything for dinner now, he decides to just order out of Grab. "I have lots of rice at the fridge, so I'll just get a couple of viands and a soup," he said as he fiddles with his phone to find what he wants. After checking his orders out, he gets up and proceeds to the bathroom, which is inside his bedroom, to take a full-body wash that will completely freshen him up.

Now wearing matching pajamas with images of Superman, Jeff checks his phone to track his food.

"It's still being prepped," he said, seeing the progress that the app displays. He dials a number afterwards, then proceeds in towel-drying his hair.

"Hi. Good evening," said the guy on the other line.

"Hello there, Mister College of Sciences," answered Jeff, preferring to use a moniker instead of a real name.

"What? Who are you?"

"You really don't remember me, Jakrin? I am the only one who called you that when were in the office before," answered Jeff, remembering that Folk shared to them – during one of their group lunches – that he won the Mister College of Science title from his university.

"God! Jeff? Jeff, is that you?"

"The one and only."

"Call me Folk, okay? When did you get out? Where are you? Where are you staying?" Pauses seem to be non-existent with the way Folk bombards Jeff with queries.

"Hey hey, hold your horses," responded Jeff, smiling at his friend's eagerness. "Listen: I have a favor to ask."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you come here on Sunday?"

"This coming Sunday?"

"Yeah. Can you?"

"Of course. What time?"

"Around lunch. We'll talk while having something."

"You'll cook?" confirmed Folk. The aura of pessimism blankets him.

"Do you want me to?"

"If you promise not to burn anything, then I'm good." Folk lets out a mocking laughter.

"That's very funny, Jakrin," retorted Jeff with a poker face.

"I said call me by my nickname."

"As you wish."

"Anyway, why did you invite me all of a sudden?"

"Remember what you promised me before about something you will do secretly?"

"Ahhhh. You want to talk about that?" Folk switches hand in holding his phone.

"More or less, including the questions you raised seconds ago."

"Sure, but let me tell you this in advance, Jeff – you put a foot where it doesn't belong."

"And I tripped big time because of that."

"Did you really trip by yourself, or did someone push you out of balance?" asked Folk putting the sauce to spice up their talk.

"What do you mean by that?" Jeff stops wiping his hair, dumbfounded by what he has just heard.

"I learned a lot – and I mean a lot."

Jeff drops his hand holding the towel, as indeed Folk is on to something with the crumbs he is saying. "Do you have the data too?" he asked after.

"Printouts?"

"Yeah. Do you have them?"

"Thick enough to rival a Dan Brown novel, and it's not even in hardbound."

"I'm impressed, Folk. Claps to you. How did you get it?"

"Well, Le Cargaison's CEO doesn't know anything about password management. One day, when he was absent, I worked on an issue he raised."

"What's in it?"

"Network connection issues with Scylla and Charybdis."

"Those two that are under the table?"

"Yeah. Can you guess where he keeps his passwords for them?"

"A place not safe, I guess."

"A sticky note that always shows up on his screen when his desktop finishes loading."

"What a prick," chuckled Jeff as he says the insults. "And you were able to retrieve the data because of that, right?"

"Yeah. Transferred them to a network folder, and voila, I have them."

"What excuse did you make up for it? I'm sure Sutthirak asked you about that. From what I remember, Scylla and Charybdis have an activity log tracking feature."

"I told him it's for testing: I had to check if everything is working fine."

"And he bought it? He took that excuse?"

"Hook, line, and sinker, my friend."

"A numbnut indeed." At this, Jeff bursts into laughter as he shakes his head. Never did he imagine a head of a company to be that weak when it comes to information security. "Bring them all on Sunday, okay?"

"Will do."

The sound of the buzzer from his gate prompts Jeff to end the conversation, so as to enjoy his food hot and not warm. "Hey Folk, I have to go. There is a package here for me."

"Okay. See you Sunday."

"Yeah. Don't forget the reports."

"I won't." Folk is about to press the red icon that will end the call when an alert from Jeff stops him.

"Hey, Folk."

"Yeah? Anything more, Jeff?"

"Thank you – thank you very much. I owe you one."

"Pffft! What are you talking about? This is nothing."

"Name your price. I'll give it if I can."

"I'll tell it to you on Sunday."

"Okay. Bye for now."

"Bye." Jeff looks at the Grab app after dropping the call, and it is flashing a message from the rider – a default one – saying "I'm here". Walking out of his room, he feels like someone who has just taken a tab of Vitamin C with a thousand milligram dosage, renewing his strength and resolve, and excited for Sunday to come. 

------

Author's Note

First of, I would like to give a humongous shoutout to all of you who are reading this story. I hope you are liking it so far, and keep those stats coming. 

Second, I hope you like the new cover photo for this novel: I had to redo it to show the two lead characters.

Now, going back to the story, what will Jeff learn with his upcoming meeting with his old colleague - Folk.  What are those "a lot" that Folk learned, and since Jeff owes him, what rewards will he ask for? This is one face-to-face that took more than a year in the making. Hahaha! I hope it won't disappoint.

Stay tuned for the release of the next chapter - Median - in the following days.

Don't forget to leave a like or comment :)

Add this book to your reading list to get notifications in case of updates :)

And guys, keep your passwords safe, hard to crack, and regularly changed.  You have no idea of the favor you are giving yourself if you are managing your passwords right - believe me ;)