As the elevator doors began to close, Leo
instinctively moved a step to the side, creating a little bit of distance between himself and the secretary. To his surprise, she was very attractive. Not in a sexual way, just enough to make him straighten up and suddenly beco self-aware of how wrinkled his shirt collar was...
She didn’t seem to notice his quiet shuffle or the way he constantly cleared his throat...
The elevator chid softly.
Leo stepped out into a bright hallway with clean glass walls and white tiles. His every step echoed as he walked, and for a mont, he felt like he had entered a different world...one far away from his noisy part-ti job at the mall...
The secretary gestured toward a glass door in the middle. "Right through here. They’re expecting you."
Leo nodded before standing back up. "Thank you."
He wiped his hands quickly on his pants... "Uncle Tanaka called this a small company?" he muttered to himself...
Then he pushed the doors open.
Inside was a simple but modern eting room. A regular long brown table, and three people sitting on the other side. A woman with glasses typing on her laptop, a middle-aged man with a coffee mug, and a younger guy who looked barely older than Leo, holding a tablet in his right hand...
"Leo Kuroko?" the woman asked, looking up from her laptop...
"Yes, ma’am," he replied, trying not to sound too nervous or eager.
"Please, have a seat."
Leo sat in a chair at the far end, back straight, eyes forward, hands on the table...
The middle-aged man with the coffee mug spoke first. "So, Leo... tell us a little about yourself."
Leo took a breath. This was it..the mont.
"I’m currently working part-ti... but I’ve been developing gas since high school," Leo responded, trying to keep his voice steady...
"Most of them are indie-style... small 2D gas, so prototypes, but recently I’ve been working on a team-based RPG. I’ve always been passionate about creating stories that players can feel and also be part of."
He kept his hands folded on his lap, avoiding too much eye contact in the interview...
He didn’t ntion his part-ti job was at a mall... talking to custors, cleaning shelves, and sotis running the register. It wasn’t exactly the image he wanted to project here...
Still, even though he held back so truths and lied, he didn’t lie about the important part about him...
Leo wasn’t just a gar; he was also a ga developer. Not on paper, not officially yet. But in practice, in passion, in his effort. He lived and breathed ga design. Ever since his second year in university, it was all he thought about. He had a folder full of unfinished ideas, another filled with pixel art designs, and a notebook stained with coffee rings and crazy notes scribbled during his classes...
Sarah always knew of it. She never judged him for it. She saw how hard he worked, even when life didn’t seem to work exactly as planned...
But this... this was his shot. His chance to finally step into sothing that he truly loved.
So he straightened his shoulders and looked back at the interviewers with determination...
The younger guy leaned forward. "We saw the application your uncle submitted to us."
Leo brightened a bit. "Yes. That was sothing I made two weeks ago. It’s not perfect, but I wanted it to show both character design and gaplay chanics."
He lied again, it wasn’t two weeks ago, it was three months ago...
"We liked it," the man said. "Especially the emotion you conveyed in the boss fight scene. That wasn’t just technical... it was storytelling."
Leo smiled, pinching his leg. "That ans a lot. I always try to make people feel sothing when they play."
The woman looked up. "So, Leo... What do you think is the hardest part of working in a team-based environnt?"
Leo paused. He thought of the late nights coding he did alone in university, the struggles explaining bugs to non-developers. Back in university, a small online team fell apart after a few weeks because of this matter...
"Communication," he responded honestly. "No matter how skilled you are, if you can’t communicate your ideas clearly... or listen to others... you won’t go far. I’ve learned that the hard way."
They nodded again. The atmosphere felt less intimidating now...
After a few more questions, so technical, so about future goals, the interview began to co to an end...
"Alright, Leo," the woman said. "We’ll be reviewing all candidates today, but... thank you. You did great."
Leo stood, bowed slightly, then smiled. "Thank you for the opportunity. Really."
As he walked back into the hallway, the weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter. The nervousness was still there, but at least he’d made it through the interview.
Leo stepped into the sa elevator he had co in with the secretary, letting out a small sigh as the doors closed. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and for a mont, he just let the silence settle peacefully...
A few minutes later, the elevator chid and the doors slid open...
He stepped out of the elevator, his eyes scanning the lobby, and there he was...
His uncle, sitting casually in a different spot, waved at him with a proud smile on his face.
Leo couldn’t help but smile back...
Deep down, he didn’t know if he would get the job. Even with his uncle’s connection, nothing was promised.
But at least... he had tried his best. And that thought alone brought him a strange kind of peace in his inner self...
He walked over to his uncle, who stood up from his seat with a small nod.
"How did it go?" his uncle asked, adjusting his belt.
Leo gave a tired smile. "I think... I did okay."
His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder. "That’s all that matters, okay."
They both left, walking through the glass entrance door and exiting the company building. The sunlight hit Leo’s face again, warm and a little blinding, but he didn’t mind...it was a change of scenery.
He kept his facial expression neutral, but inside, he was hoping... quietly, desperately... that they’d call him back. That all the ti he spent building gas in his room, staying up late debugging code, watching tutorials, dreaming... would finally an sothing.
He didn’t say much as they made their way back to the road. His uncle just walked beside him, hands in his pockets.
Leo knew the odds. He knew the world wasn’t always fair. But still... Leo hoped for a better outco...
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