"Haha. Look at that face. Do you think you can be better than me?"
"Hey, take the money. Let's use karaoke."
No matter where it is, bullying always exists. Even from generation to generation, it seems like it's a culture.
"Did you know, last night I got an offer from Unamed. It looks like tomorrow will be my last day here." Someone joked.
"Wow! Cool! Can I join too?"
Lance, 19 years old, is an intern at AREA, a company owned by Myles that works in the creative field, including modeling, actors, actresses, and others.
He deliberately interned there in the hope that the company would not discriminate even though he is a weak person.
Melodia, a magic that uses music as its medium. However, the magic is very weak because it requires its users to often play musical instruments, imagine how the melody rhythmically creates the magic itself.
Lance, who is the owner of Melodia, cannot do that. Born into a poor family and having no siblings, forced him to fight harder. Collecting money from his internship wages little by little which he would later use to buy a piano.
However, everything was lost in a day at the hands of a teenager his age who even had the same internship place as him.
Because he refused to give him money, Lance had to get unpleasant treatment. Taken to a deserted place, then beaten until he was helpless.
No, give me back my money.
He even had difficulty moving his hands. The two perpetrators, one of whom was a senior photographer, just left with happy laughter.
Damn it.
Just before he lost consciousness, he saw someone walking toward him. Someone he didn't know at all.
"Hang in there."
-o0o-
Lance forced his eyes open when he felt his body getting warm. He had been lying unconscious behind the building. Now he was lying on a hospital bed.
There was no one around him. The other two beds were empty. His left hand had an IV attached to it, and his clothes had been changed into hospital attire.
I have to leave. I don't have any more money to pay for the hospital.
Despite his weak body and trembling hands, he tried to remove the IV needle from his arm.
"Where are you going?"
Someone suddenly appeared in front of his bed—a tall man in a luxurious black suit, standing there glaring at him.
Lance had seen him before. The man worked at the company where he was interning, and people called him the owner, Myles.
"I'm sorry, I don't have the money to pay the hospital bill. So I have to leave," Lance whispered.
He was a handsome man, but his current condition was truly pitiful. The dark circles under his eyes, even his gaze showed no desire to live.
"In your condition? Stay for one more day, then you can leave. I'll take care of the bill."
Myles had no intention of speaking softly. He already looked fierce even without saying a word.
Lance bowed his head even lower. "Once again, I'm sorry for the trouble," he whimpered.
"Yeah. You guys are all so troublesome. If you want to do that, don't do it around my office. Typical kids these days." Myles grumbled as he sighed heavily.
He was still patient enough to deal with the teenage mischief around his company, and it wasn't the first time.
"If you know, why are you just staying quiet?" Lance muttered softly.
The frustration in his chest didn't disappear immediately. Especially when he heard Myles speak as if he already knew beforehand, it made his anger build up.
The man who was supposed to be mature didn't even try to intervene or help, and instead let it continue, in this case, his own situation.
"That's your problem. Why are you angry at me? Be angry at the person who made you like this, not the one who's helping you," Myles snapped.
His tongue was sharper than a sword, and it hit the mark.
Hah! A heavy sigh escaped Myles again. He looked at the teenager in front of him with a reluctant gaze. If it weren't for his duty, he wouldn't want to deal with the troublemaker in his company.
"If you don't accept it, retaliate against them. Take one day off to rest; the rest is up to you."
And he disappeared.
Lance turned his face to look at the window of his room, which didn't reflect the sunlight. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was that it was already dark. And when he opened his eyes again, it was still dark.
The trauma he had experienced wouldn't fade easily. Especially since he hadn't experienced it just once.
"Bastard."
-o0o-
The next day.
All of Lance's wounds had healed, thanks to the healing magic possessed by every hospital. Nevertheless, the wound in his heart could not be erased and left a deep scar.
Even so, he continued his internship. What was different this time was his attitude. He was much friendlier than the day before.
He greeted everyone, smiled at everyone, and covered up his wounds so well that everyone misunderstood him.
"Lance is handsome, isn't he?"
"Did he get a haircut? It's so cool. Gosh, I think I'm starting to like him."
"He's usually handsome, but today... wow, he's so cool!"
The talk about Lance began to spread. With his Comma Hair hairstyle and more trendy outfit, he managed to catch the attention of many who saw him.
Is he a new actor? Is AREA holding auditions? Cool.
And there were many more whispers.
On the other hand, Lance's appearance made those who were jealous of him grow angry. Those standing behind the people admiring Lance glared angrily at the teenager of the same age.
"Damn it."
.
"Lance, please take this to the warehouse."
One of the senior Art Directors asked him politely. A man in his 40s wearing casual attire stood at the doorway, waiting for Lance to move the items he had requested.
"Okay, sir."
With a smile, Lance picked up the two lightweight boxes and prepared to take them to the warehouse.
"If only all the interns here were like you, this job would be done quickly. Ah, yes, have you met Mr. Myles's niece? She's as friendly as you are. She's also very beautiful, but unfortunately she's underage. If not, I might have recommended her as an advertising model."
Lance, who heard this, could only smile. He was still stuck there just to listen to the venting of frustration about his other interns and also someone he had never met during his internship. The girl referred to as Myles' niece.
After that, he could finally move the boxes to the warehouse. The warehouse was on the third floor, in the far corner. Every three floors had their own warehouse. The building had a total of 20 floors.
"Wow, look at you—you're not afraid at all. Where did your cowardly spirit go yesterday, huh?"
"This time, you won't get away. It's better if you withdraw from this internship."
The two people who had been waiting for him in the warehouse now revealed themselves. They had heard that their target was moving items to the warehouse, so they hurried ahead and waited there.
As soon as Lance entered, they quickly locked the door to prevent anyone from entering and disturbing them.
Lance carefully placed his box down but was still reluctant to turn around.
Minor.
"Turn around so I can beat you up."
A so-called professional engaging in bullying in a hidden place. It was known that the two were uncle and nephew who knew each other. He brought his own nephew to his workplace to make a lot of profit.
Such words were nothing but empty talk. What he received was the opposite.
The incident happened so quickly. Using his magic 'Minor,' yet sensitive to others' mana, Lance managed to defeat both opponents without damaging a single item in the warehouse.
Both of them fell with their mouths bleeding profusely. Lance's magic attacked directly at the point where his opponents were, penetrating the skin and finally exploding inside the blood vessels.
"H-How is that possible—"
"Just know that I'm fed up with the attitude of both of you. Consider us even," said Lance.
He, who was once again surrounded by floating keys, prepared himself in case his opponent suddenly attacked. It was undeniable that he was trying to hold back his anger right now.
"Ha-ha, who would believe you? You're stupid, huh? They trust me more."
"Ahaahaha, he's stupid."
Click!
The sound of the door being opened from the outside was heard so loudly from inside. The two people who felt they had won smiled broadly.
Meanwhile, Lance moved his keys closer to the door. He was already on the brink, whether he wanted to or not, he had to get rid of the person who interfered.
The door opened inward. The silhouette of a long-haired girl began to appear, until the door was wide open, her figure was clearly visible.
"What are you two doing here?"
Ah, yes, have you met Mr. Myles' niece?
His senior's words suddenly crossed his mind when he saw the figure of the girl across from him. And the girl looked very calm in the face of the situation in front of her.
"Miss, help us! He just beat us up," the senior photographer shouted.
"We did nothing wrong and he dragged us! Help us!"
Damn it! I couldn't hurt him either.
The girl crouched down, smiling kindly. "Really? Aren't you guys lying?"
The two complainants were silent for a moment but they immediately interrupted with a loud voice.
"We're not lying. He started it!"
"All right." The girl stood up, staring at Lance across from her.
"I need your testimony, so let's move."
With just a snap of her fingers, the four people immediately moved. They didn't even have time to respond to the girl's words before they were transported from the warehouse to a room filled with antiques.
Their arrival was already anticipated by Myles, who stood beside his desk, folding his arms with a stern expression.
"S-Sir..." the two battered individuals fell silent, bowing their heads. They remained kneeling on the floor, while Lance stood beside them.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Miss," Myles said, bowing his head.
The girl was none other than Ruby, known as Airy. She had disguised her identity as Myles's niece, though she was actually the owner of the Hunt Guild.
Why is the master being so polite?
Who is that girl?
"Yes, it's fine. Finish it today."
Ruby walked over to Myles's work chair and sat down. An unusual sight during their time working at AREA Co.
"Alright." Myles replied firmly. Then he looked at his three employees one by one.
"So, who wants to testify? I heard one of you joined Unamed? Who is it?"