Five years is a long time. Long enough for little brothers to become teenagers, little sisters to outgrow the dresses you bought before leaving, and old houses to look smaller than they did in your memories. After years of overtime, skipped meals and saving every spare coin, today is finally the day Elias comes home. The old village bus rumbles to a stop beneath the afternoon sun. Dust rises into the warm air as a tall man steps off carrying a faded duffel bag. Inside are carefully wrapped chocolates, a second-hand football, a hair ribbon, school notebooks, medicine... little things collected over years because they were all he could afford. You happen to be playing outside when you notice the stranger walking toward your house. For a moment... You don't recognise him. Then he smiles. "...You've gotten so tall." Your heart skips. "...Big brother?" *The duffel bag slips from his shoulder as he laughs softly and pulls you into the first hug you've shared in five years. It feels familiar... yet strangely unfamiliar at the same time.* For just a moment... Everything feels like home again.

Your first part-time job wasn't supposed to feel this terrifying. At nineteen, you're juggling university classes during the day and evening shifts as the newest maintenance trainee at Lumen Global Solutions, hoping every paycheck will bring you one step closer to graduating. You promised yourself you'd work hard, keep your head down, and prove you deserved to be there. Instead, barely five minutes into your first shift, the heavy cleaning bucket slips from your hands. *Blue cleaning solution rushes across the polished marble floor, reflecting the bright lobby lights as the bucket clatters loudly enough to make everyone turn.* "...Well," Liam whistles with a grin, nudging another technician beside him. "That has to be some kind of company record." A few late-working employees glance over. Someone quietly chuckles. Your face burns with embarrassment as your heart pounds in your chest. *I'm getting fired...* is the only thought running through your mind. Heavy footsteps echo through the lobby. Mr. Bennett. "What happened here?" You open your mouth, desperately trying to explain, but before a single word leaves your lips, another voice calmly answers. "It was my mistake." *Standing beside you, Elias quietly sets his mop against the wall and steps forward without the slightest hesitation.* Silence falls over the room. Even Liam stops smiling. Because everyone in the maintenance department knows one thing. Elias has never lied. And today... He just did.

Every night after your final security patrol, the staff break room becomes the quietest place in the building. Only a handful of people are ever left. The night security team. The cleaning crew. A few exhausted maintenance workers. And Elias. You don't know much about him. He always works later than everyone else, speaks little, and somehow still finds time to refill the water bowls for the stray cats outside before leaving. Tonight, the vending machine accepts the last few worn bills from his pocket. "Preparing your drink..." Then... OUT OF STOCK. His money doesn't come back. "...That's alright." He simply smiles to himself and quietly steps aside. Nora, the overnight cleaning supervisor, sighs as she pushes her trolley past. "Again? That's the third person this week." Before anyone can respond, another maintenance worker mutters while stuffing his own dinner into his backpack. "Forget it, Elias... you always end up giving yours away anyway." He glances toward the rainy entrance. "Those cats outside are probably waiting for you more than dinner is." Elias says nothing. He simply picks up his backpack and walks toward the exit. Something tells you... He wasn't buying that coffee for himself.

Every night at exactly 11:47 PM, the headquarters is supposed to be empty. Yet every night, there's still one employee inside. The quiet maintenance worker. Most people don't even know his name. "He's still here?" Oscar, the senior security guard, mutters as he signs the patrol log. "He does this almost every night." Outside, rain lashes against the glass entrance while the last receptionist rushes to catch her bus. A cleaning supervisor walks past, barely sparing him a glance. "Don't bother asking," she sighs. "He never says much." Sitting alone beneath the dim lobby lights, Elias quietly stares into an empty paper cup. His maintenance uniform is stained, his backpack looks unusually heavy, and his hands tremble ever so slightly from exhaustion. "...Could I stay here for another ten minutes?" His voice is calm. Almost too calm. You ask if he's waiting for someone. He lowers his eyes. "...The first bus." "The first bus... tomorrow morning?" A small nod. Oscar looks at you before heading upstairs. "...Keep an eye on him tonight." Something about the way Elias avoids your eyes tells you... He's not waiting for a bus.

Every morning begins the same. The receptionist offers a small smile. The quiet janitor shyly returns it. Neither of them ever says much more than "Good morning." Then comes the biggest client visit of the year. Coffee spills across the polished marble floor. "I've got it—" "No, please... you'll stain your hands." *Thunk.* "...Ow." They accidentally bump heads before letting out the smallest, most embarrassed laugh. "...Are you two finished?" a sharp voice interrupts. Operations Manager Mr. Bennett stands behind them, arms folded. "The lobby is full of international clients, and this is what I find?" Elias immediately steps forward. "Sir... it wasn't their fault." "I wasn't speaking to you." One ordinary morning changes everything. By evening, an awkward janitor, an overworked receptionist, an endlessly cheerful café barista named Mina, and the observant security guard Oscar find themselves sharing the same café table for the very first time. None of them realizes they're about to become each other's favorite part of coming to work.

Every employee in the company knows your name. As one of the youngest executives in the building, you're admired, respected... and feared. Professional to a fault, you keep your distance from everyone, believing work should stay just that: work. Elias is different. A quiet janitor in his mid-thirties, broad-shouldered and strong from years of labor, yet so gentle he apologizes even when someone bumps into him. He works several jobs just to support his family back home, never expecting anyone to notice him. One morning, your coffee slips from your hand. "...I'm so sorry," you murmur, instinctively kneeling to help. Before your fingers touch the spill, a large calloused hand gently stops you. "P-Please... don't." His voice is almost a whisper. "You'll dirty your hands." Realizing he'd touched you, he immediately lets go. "I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have..." His ears burn red as he hurriedly cleans the floor before quietly disappearing down the hallway. You think nothing of it... Until a few minutes later, when laughter echoes from the maintenance room.