The Grand King and His Interpreter
Chapter 2 - Natsume

“What's the difference later with now?” Hendra asked as he handed me a stack of papers.

“Huh? What?” I asked back, then took a pile of paper from Hendra's hand. I flipped through each piece of paper given by him. The Employee Satisfaction Form is printed large on the top of the paper, with several questions and columns of criticism and suggestions following under it.

“Oh yes, please also give it to Sam and Meiga. I haven't seen them anywhere since morning.”ujar Hendra, getting busy with the other papers on his desk.

I shifted my seat next to Hendra's. “Can I use this form to convey complaints, for arbitrary actions of our new Director candidate?” Tanyaku. An annoyance erupted and filled my head.

“Do you think the criticism of a prospective former staff like you, influential?” Hendra chimed in, without looking at me.

I pinched his arm quite hard.

“Aww!!”Hendra screaming. “Hei! What's wrong? You yourself want to resign. Why pinch me??"

“I want to leave a good impression, and come out without leaving any problems. I want to get an exit interview from Mr. David, because I really put great respect on him.” explained me.

“Oh!! I forgot to tell you,” Hendra turned his chair, now we face each other, “Pak Steve is no longer a candidate for director, another week his name will appear in the deed of the company with the position of Director.” His words sound excited.

“Huh?Seriously? Looks like I'll really move section.” soon I said as I shifted my chair back to my desk.

“Why? Not that it is what you want, so that no longer under Mr. Evan and his favorite assistant manager, Mr.‘Ye-em’?Hendra chimed again.

Mr.YM is short for Yes Man, the name we attach to the assistant manager super rese, which can make me lazy to take a shower in the morning. Wh why? Because I started to come to the office. Strange sentences, insolent suggestions made me almost crazy. Mr.YM's name is actually Mr. Aldy. It is our presumption, me, Hendra and Sam, that Mr. Aldy has the motto ‘asal mr. happy’.

Actually the authors of this naming is Hendra and Sam. They both have a history that really amazes me, until they get to the point, ‘teras’ . Hendra and Sam were in the same department, the department I'm in now. So, how much it hurts me here, a little bit they've felt it.

“Cher, what is your relationship with Mr Steve?” Sam was suddenly standing in the doorway without me noticing.

“Sam! Don't stand there.” Hendra glared at Sam.

Sam did not argue, and immediately obeyed Hendra's words. Sam pulled the chair across from Hendra, and sat there.

“So, how?” Ask Sam to me.

“Of course there is no.” Reply quickly. “Again, why ask that?” Tanyaku later.

Sam seemed relieved by my answer.

Sam and Hendra have been friends since they met during an interview call at the company. Then they were both simultaneously accepted, and worked under the same boss. After two weeks of working, I joined the company.

“Kids see you alone in the recreation room.”Sam answered and shifted his chair close to me.

I chuckle. How could they think I had an affair with an heir of the Mahawira Group. I mean, Steve is the boss of the bosses. Just trying to imagine it, I didn't dare.

“Back office later go yuk.” Take Sam while turning his chair on the spot.

“Cafe regular?” Tanya Hendra chimed.

“I'm up to Cheryl..” Reply Sam

I let out a long sigh, then I said, “I want to eat chocolate ice cream.” I said.

Sam laughed for a while, one hand rubbed my head, “Alright, it's up to you.”

“Why not ask my opinion?”

I just kept waiting for Sam to answer Hendra's question.

“Your opinion is not very important here.” Sam's timpal is trying to look serious. The next second there was an object hovering about his temple.

Hendra would just open his mouth to start arguing over Sam when the sound of the door squeaking made us turn in the same direction. An unexpected figure stood there. Steve's. His towering body made him quite attract the attention of some office colleagues who passed behind him.

“Cheryl.” Steve walked over to me and handed me some documents. I was just about to reach out to receive the document, he dropped it on the table.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “This document should I do, Sir?” I try to sound normal.

“I want you to overtime to check these documents.” Answer Steve. His expression still hasn't changed. Flat and tends to seem cold.

I who can't resist can only answer, “Good, Sir.”

After hearing my answer, Steve immediately went out of the room, but he did not forget to give a smile to Hendra and Sam. Hendra and Sam immediately stood up and bowed slightly, as if their brains were systematically controlling their bodies simultaneously.

“It looks like our hangout show is off, Cher.” Hendra said, shifting his chair near me. Hendra picked up the document map that was in front of me.

“Cheryl!” Steve's loud voice made the whole room turn to the door.

“Iya, sir?” My eyes grazed a few times. I think Steve is really gone.

“Documents you received earlier, only you can see them.” Continue Steve.

I hurriedly took back the documents in Hendra's hands in a raspy manner and reflexively clasped them in front of the chest, then took a respectful position with the right hand at the temple.

“Ready, Sir.” I said firmly.

The power of an heir to the throne is different. Steve has an aura that not many people have. Like a weird atmosphere that can intimidate you. Of course the main facilitator is power and money, because he is the son of the owner of this company. But I feel like he has more than that.

Steve didn't answer anything. He moved out of my room after closing the door. I took a long breath. It was a short, stressful minute. I haven't seen what Steve's map contains either, but it looks like it's a secret document.

“Cher, I saw the document. Steve is gone.” Sam came towards me. He was just about to move to take the map from my hand, but I moved backwards. Sam scrunched his forehead. His expression changed, and he looked unhappy.

“No one can know the contents of this document.” I said as I sat back in my chair. I tidied up some of the files on my desk, then reassembled them with Steve's document map at the very bottom.

“Terussle.”Sam sounded sulky.

I looked towards Hendra.

Hendra took a long breath. “Sam, don't kayak little boy dong.” He stood up and patted Sam on the shoulder.

Human relations are so complicated. Sometimes I also do not understand it and sometimes confused to take a stance how. It's the kind of environment I've always avoided. I'm enough to be the scapegoat of the people around me. Maybe they think I'm the one with too much feeling, too stiff, and can't relax. Not at all.

Some people always secure their position to be good in the eyes of superiors, especially the Director. However, the right way is to work as well as possible, not by making others a victim. Although moving to another company also did not guarantee that I was not treated like this, I should at least try it to know.

“Sorry, Sam” I said.

Sam brushed Hendra's hand off his shoulder. With an annoyed look, Sam walked out of the room without looking at me in the slightest.

“Already, just let him.” Hendra tried to comfort me.

I just swooped, then said, “Sorry Hen, I can't tell you the contents of this map either. You know, I'll be resigning.” soon

Hendra smiled as he patted my back quite hard.

“Sick, Hen!” I cried, then pinch Hendra's waist.

Hendra paused for a moment and laughed. Suppose that everyone like Hendra is easy to compromise with and never scapegoat others.

***

I keep my promise to Steve. I stayed in the office to do what he was told. It's been forty-five minutes since the office hours. Hendra had been out of the office thirty minutes ago. The reason is, his dearest wife wants to eat out. It seems that without me having to cancel our hangout plan, in the end our event will be canceled because of course Hendra will prioritize his wife's wishes. That's not weird.

I opened the map. Inside are some documents of agreement. I put each one separately. Observing the contents one by one while occasionally stopping reading, because there are words that I do not understand. I opened the dictionary app on my phone. It took me ten minutes until I could completely digest the contents of all those documents.

I wonder where all these documents came from. I mean, the document I have in my hand right now, is a document that's been over fifteen years. How could Steve find this kind of document, while he had only joined this company for less than a year.

The crane!Suddenly the phone on my desk sounded. I immediately picked it up.

“Halo.”sapaku trying to sound as friendly as possible.

“Cheryl, please you in my room yes. You also bring the documents.” The voice across the corner that is no longer foreign to my ear. Steve's.

“Good, Sir.” Quick reply.

A second later the phone was cut off.

I quickly tidied up the documents on the table. Put it back on the map, as it was, and then rushed into Steve's room.

Steve's room was at the end of the hall not far from my room. I knocked on the door a few times. Wait until you are welcome to go inside.

“Log.” Voice from within.

I opened the door in front of me,“Excuse me, Sir.” I said, closing the door behind me.

Steve was not alone in the room. A man in a light blue white striped shirt stood right behind Steve. He smiled at me. I returned his smile while bowing my body a little. I've never seen that man flutter in the office. Looks like he's the guy from headquarters, Steve's colleague, or maybe his brother. I don't know. The guy's pretty tall. He was about the same height as Steve. His hair is neatly laid back, typical of a boss's neat-jali hairstyle. He's about 28 years old, if I estimate.

“Have you translated it?” Ask Steve to the point.

“Not yet I wrote, sir. But I already understand the contents of this agreement document.” I clearly. I hope Steve isn't angry because I didn't translate it right away.

“Alright, now explain.”

“So..”.

“You just sit down, why stand there?” Steve pointed towards the empty seat across from his desk.

Without the ba-bi-bu, I immediately sat in that chair. My fingers are interlocked, because honestly I feel groggy too.

“I started explaining from the first page,” I opened my explanation. “Related with the working relationship between Machine Steel, Mahawira Auto Part provides investment value for development of Fifty billion with profit royalties paid annually amounting to fifteen billion.”.

Steve didn't flinch. I decided to continue my explanation.

“Investment of new machines is included in the operating costs of the company, and royalties received are a net profit from sales every year.

“It was in what year?” Ask Steve.

“1998,pak.”Answer's short.

“As far as I can remember, I always signed a three billion unuk investment payment document.”Said the man behind Steve in his Japanese.

Already expected, the man must not be Indonesian, because his skin is much whiter than Steve who even I think is very white for the size of Indonesians.

“From all these documents, there is no agreement related to investment payment. The second document only contains the total value of shares between Mahawira and Machine Steel. While the third document is related to the provisions if Machine steel does not pay royalties to Mahawira.” explained me again.

“Cheryl, have you seen any Natsume that has been standing here since?” Ask Steve suddenly.

“See, sir.”my answer is confused.

Steve took a deep breath and rested his body on the back of the chair while putting both hands behind his head as a cushion.

Didn't he just ask a slightly strange and rude question? I mean how could he ask me if I saw someone who had clearly been standing behind him since I entered. Does Steve think I'm myopic? Or is he so arrogant that he wishes everyone would just look and care for him? So arrogant.

“Did you also hear Natsume speak?” Ask Steve again.

Good Lord! I don't understand anymore. Did Steve think I was deaf? No. gabe. Of course not. Snobbery. Does he think the other voices are not important to him? I really need to be able to hold back my emotions.

“I heard, Sir.” My answer.

Steve took a long breath. There was actually a heavy burden on his life today. Then, the strange questions made me uncomfortable.

“He is the one you should not see and not hear, Cher.”

***