Clash of Roaches vs Dogs

 

Yui had always been a firm believer in the order      of things. From a young age, she was exposed to the ancient belief of her grandparents that there was a predestined path the Universe set aside for everyone. But since she embarked on this trip, it felt as though the cosmos was playing a cruel joke on her. Every little mishap, every delay, every unexpected turn seemed to be a deliberate attempt to throw her off course.

As she sat in the stagnant traffic – a stark contrast to their ride from the airport the previous day, she couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling that she was on the wrong side of the scale, upsetting the balance. She took a deep breath, trying to center herself. She needed to regain her equilibrium, to find her footing in this seemingly hostile environment. She reminded herself that she was here for a purpose, and no cosmic conspiracy could deter her from achieving her goals.

Upon reaching their destination, Yui braced herself for another unexpected setback. But the warehouse they’d rented stood unscathed, a nondescript industrial structure amidst similar ones. Its large metallic door opened to reveal a vast space, filled with the cool, metallic scent typical of such places.

The quiet inside was a stark contrast to the bustling streets outside, with only the distant hum of machinery breaking the silence.

Boxes awaited them. Without a word, Adam lit a cigarette, pulled out a pocket knife, and began opening them. “Going to help?” he asked, glancing at Yui.

She set her laptop aside, hesitated for a moment, then approached. “Is there a specific order to these boxes?” she inquired, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Adam smirked. “Doesn’t matter. I can assemble everything with my eyes closed.”

Determined to reset their professional relationship after the rocky start and those re-establish peace and balance, Yui approached the task at hand with renewed focus. “All right,” she began, carefully avoiding any unnecessary comments. After their disastrous breakfast, she had to accept that her approach could be more elegant, she was stuck with mister Stroe for the next 8 days whether she liked it or not.

 However, as she opened the boxes and saw the device, she couldn’t help but voice her surprise. “I’ve seen the sketches, but I never imagined ROACH would be so…dull.”

She had coined the name ‘ROACH’ as an abbreviation for ‘Rescue Operational Assistance Control Hybrid’, finding the full name rather cumbersome. Her marketing team had lauded her creativity. Adam, however, looked anything but impressed.

“What the hell did you just call it?” Adam paused, his attention now fully on her. “It’s called DOG – Disaster Operations Guardian.”

Yui raised an eyebrow. “The box says ‘Rescue Operational Assistance Control Hybrid’, and that’s the briefing I received. My entire presentation is based on that. I can’t possibly change it now, so ROACH it is”

Adam ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated. He muttered something under his breath, too low for Yui to catch.

While she didn’t grasp the depth of his frustration, in an effort to smooth things over, Yui offered to show him the email where the device’s name was highlighted. When she revealed that the email came from his own team member, Ioana, Adam responded with a series of Romanian curses. Yui didn’t understand the words, but the rhythm of the language struck her as oddly melodic—like a somber funeral march.

The remainder of the unpacking process was marked by Adam’s constant muttering. However, once they finished, Yui’s anxiety spiked again upon realizing that not all the necessary parts had arrived.

“Chill,” Adam advised, his tone casual.

 She halted her pacing to glare at him. “What do you mean ‘chill’? Our presentation is in a few days.”

Adam crouched down, beginning to assemble the device. “I’ll get this working with or without the parts. They’re just extra connectors and safety pieces. Not crucial.

Yui’s disbelief was evident. “How are safety parts not crucial?”

“In a design that has multiple safety protocols for damaged or lost parts,” he replied, not looking up from his work. “Now, you can either watch me or go write emails. Just… be quiet.”

Yui huffed, feeling slighted, but she adjusted her stance, preparing to scrutinize his every move. She wasn’t about to let her guard down around him.

Yui huffed, feeling slighted, but she adjusted her stance, preparing to scrutinize his every move. She wasn’t about to let her guard down around him.

For hours, Adam was deeply engrossed in his work, the scattered robot parts around him resembling an eccentric art installation. Yui observed him intently, her patience tested but her silence maintained.

Finally, he stood, wiping his hands on his jeans. “It looks… industrial,” she remarked.

Adam pointed at her with the hand holding an unlit cigarette. “Is this a beauty contest? My boy does its job. If you want to stay behind and draw some flowers on it for design, be my guest. I’m done for the day. I want to catch the afternoon surf.”

Yui’s frown deepened, her patience waning. “Surfing? Are you abandoning work for leisure again? What components are you missing? Can we replace them? When will they be delivered? Did Miss Luca forget to ship them?”

“Again? This is just our first full day. Stop barraging me with questions. I’m the engineer here. You go write an email or do whatever it is you do.”

Ignoring his comments, Yui arranged for a rental car—a white BMW, similar to the one she owned back home. She believed it would be comfortable for her to drive. However, as they exited the warehouse and met the local dealer, Adam swiftly snatched the keys before she could react.

“You’re not driving,” he stated, his tone firm but not aggressive. “Don’t make that face. Let me be a gentleman for once. Plus, you’re the boss here. It won’t look good if you drive me around.”

She squared her shoulders, ready to challenge him. “Since when do you have a driver’s license? When was your last ticket? What was your last ticket for?”

“Since I was 18. What do you think my last ticket was for? You seem to have a knack for making assumptions,” he retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Speeding or driving under the influence, or both,” she shot back without hesitation.

“It was a parking ticket,” he replied dryly, opening the passenger door for her with a flourish.

“You’re insufferable!” she declared, sliding into the car with a huff.

He leaned in, his face close to hers. “I tried the gentlemanly way. It didn’t seem to work on you. So, tell me, boss, why are you so… rigid?”

“Rigid? I’ll have you know; I am not rigid. I do yoga and Pilates every day,” she paused, a hint of realization dawning on her face. “Oh, you’re talking about my personality. How very considerate of you, Mister Stroe. Judging me without even knowing me,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she buckled her seatbelt.

“Returning the favor,” he said, starting the car. “Admit it, you had made up your mind about me before we even set foot on that plane.”

She turned to face him, her eyes cold. “I would never admit to such a thing. I never judge people without getting to know them… and I feel like I know you plenty.”

“Alright, go ahead, criticize me. What did I do to land myself on Miss Ishida’s blacklist?”

“I would rather not. It wouldn’t be professional of me,” she replied, her tone stiff, missing the playful undertone of his question.

“Do you want me to do you instead?” he asked with a teasing grin. His demeanor seemed impervious to her elegant insults, but there was a hint of exasperation showing after five hours of her scrutinizing his every move as he worked on his DOG-turned ROACH.

“Oh please, do,” Yui allowed sarcasm to slip into her tone, just to cover the fact that she was actually genuinely curious.

As they drove, the streets of Malaga blurred past them, a mix of modern buildings and historic architecture. Adam maneuvered the SUV smoothly through the tight traffic, heading towards the city exit that led down Costa del Sol.

“I was flirting. That was a sexual innuendo. Do you live in your office in Japan and never leave it?”

“What?” She only realized what he meant after he clarified, and she turned beet red. She tried to look out the window, but she knew that her pale skin made it impossible to hide being flustered. “I actually thought you were going to highlight my flaws.”

“I think I just did. A guy offers you sex and you say yes please then almost choke in indignation.”

“Are you implying that I’m frigid? I’ll have you know, I am NOT,” Yui told herself she would not let herself get flustered around the engineer again, yet here she was. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest.

“I’m suggesting you’re a prude, but call it what you want,” he retorted, opening the window to rest his elbow on it and light a cigarette.

“I am NOT a prude,” she hissed back, and as soon as she spotted the cigarette, she pointed a finger in his face. “No, you don’t. This car is a non-smoking car.”

“But you’re not a prude? I’m blowing the smoke out the window.”

“No, it’s a non-smoking car, and you do NOT smoke in a non-smoking car. You can pull over and smoke outside,” she couldn’t believe the audacity of the man.

“For fuck’s sake, woman, my mom is Eastern European, and she’s not even a tenth as nagging,” he pulled over nevertheless and got out, slamming the door with a force that echoed her own frustration.

“It was stated in the contract I just signed,” she called out after him, her voice sharp, ensuring he heard every word. His insult had stung this time. She wasn’t even sure what was worse, being called naggy, or being called woman. She could already hear him in her mind claiming both statements to be undeniably true.

“And smoking is not good for you,” she added, mostly to herself, her voice softer now as he was already a few steps away from the car. He leaned against the railing separating the highway from the beaches sprawling downhill.

She took a moment to breathe, trying to calm her racing heart. Yui really wanted to hate him at that moment, but as she looked at him, the orange halo from the setting sun framed him perfectly. Why did the infuriating bastard have to be more good-looking than all of Yui’s fictional crushes mashed into one perfect pack?

“Your presentation is in a few days, I would expect you to be a lot more enthusiastic than this,” Takeo’s voice echoed with authority.

Yui felt drained, and it was only the second day of their trip. She had firmly declined Adam’s invitation to see the beach, instead choosing to retreat to the hotel lobby. She was angry with herself for being so easily riled up and even angrier with Mister Stroe for his nonchalant attitude. He acted as if her lecture about smoking in the car never happened, and it drove her to the brink trying to discern if he was genuinely that calm or simply dismissive of her. To make matters worse, she now had a Skype call with her boss and father, who had an uncanny ability to see right through her, especially when she was this flustered.

Even through the screen of Yui’s business laptop, Takeo Ishida’s presence was palpable. She caught a glimpse of a pool bar waitress walking past her from reception to the inner yard, doing a double-take and almost tripping over her own feet as she stared at the screen. Takeo had been voted the most eligible entrepreneur on their side of the world multiple times. His onyx hair, elegantly combed back, framed a face with noble features, and his dark, penetrating eyes always seemed to be assessing. His impeccable suits only added to his commanding presence. Yui adored her father, who had raised her as a single parent since she turned 14. However, as she grew older and decided to follow in his footsteps, he had to reconcile with the fact that he was not just her father but also her CEO, her direct superior. He was both her biggest challenge, and her greatest supporter.

“I feel like this man is constantly mocking me, father. Why do you permit him so much liberty? He goes and drinks all night and surfs all day.”

Takeo tilted his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as they remained fixed on Yui through the screen. “What’s your concern with how he spends his time? You are there to sell his project, not mother him.”

Yui sipped on her tea, using the momentary distraction to hide the embarrassed flush of her cheeks beneath the shade of her bangs. She couldn’t entirely contradict her father. She had been rigid in her approach to building a work relationship with their head engineer. “I feel like he is not taking this seriously,” she finally replied, her voice wavering slightly.

“And yet I see in your report that he completed the setup and it’s functional even with missing parts.”

“He did…” Yui trailed off, her words disappearing into a mumble. She saw her father’s eyebrows knit together in a slight frown, prompting her to muster the courage to voice her true feelings. “I dislike him, okay, and…and I can’t help but feel you favor him.”

“More than I favor you?” Takeo Ishida asked, leaning back in his office chair, his sharp features accentuated by the room’s lighting. He sometimes looked like a character straight out of some manga, a comparison Yui’s best friend often made, and in moments like these, Yui couldn’t help but agree.

“To a point, yes,” she admitted, struggling to keep the irritation from her voice. “How could you befriend this…brute?”

“I believe it was you who insisted I needed friends.”

“Do not turn this around and pin it on me. You could have chosen a more… suitable friend, not a man-boy that wants to surf all day long and looks like a game character.”

“I was under the impression you would appreciate his aesthetics,” the man countered smoothly, his tone never faltering.

“I do, but aesthetics are not everything,” Yui responded, her tone dropping slightly.

“Agreed, but he is also the most brilliant engineer I know,” Takeo’s tone had a note of finality. “You would do well to be more adaptable, Miss Ishida.”

There was a moment of silence on Yui’s end. She wanted to protest, to counter her father’s argument, but she bit her tongue. “Yes, sir,” she finally responded, checking her watch in the process. “I will be…adaptable.”

“There is more than one reason for your presence there. You need a vacation as much as you need that contract. Consider both a job assignment.”

“Vacation, I don’t need a vacation,” Yui protested, her tone dry.

“Did I ask you if you need one? This is part of your task.”

“Understood sir,” she responded, the excitement clearly absent from her voice.

“Remember that sometimes trying too hard has the opposite effect,” Takeo pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

“Yes, sir…I know,” she muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“You are outside office hours, Yui. Local time is 7 PM, I believe?”

“Yes, it is. I need to get in a call with Mina in 15 minutes,” Yui confirmed, glancing at the clock.

“Miss Williams…and how is she recovering from her fall? It’s a good thing she decided to be this level of clumsy at home and not on company property. I did have my secretary send her flowers,” he added as an afterthought.

“Dad, that is a selfish thing to say, the company property thing,” Yui laughed, her professional attitude gone with her father’s subtle but effective remark that she was off work. “Well, her cousin is taking care of her. She’s slowly recovering but can’t do very much.”

“Send my regards and best wishes, then. I also expect a very detailed section about how you enjoyed a day off in your next report.”

Takeo Ishida was born to be a leader. And like all people born for such positions, he knew when to make a dramatic exit. He cut off the call before Yui could protest, leaving her to ponder the insurmountable challenge of an unexpected day off.

She sighed, brushing the hair behind her ear, and moved to open a report on her laptop. But she stopped herself. Suddenly, she felt like the entire staff of the little beachside hotel now knew her father, the man who started building his empire at 17, thought SHE was a workaholic. Not willing to deal with such paranoia that early in the evening, she chose to retire upstairs, to her room. Her room was essentially a stylish shoebox. It featured a bed that dominated the space, a desk that felt more like a glorified nightstand, and a balcony that offered a cozy view of the hotel’s courtyard and pool. The constant hum of the air-conditioning unit felt like an over-enthusiastic white noise machine.

With her emotions still in turmoil from the two men who had the power to unsettle her, she decided it was a comfy pajamas kind of night. She had packed her yellow gudetama pjs, much like a child would pack a teddy bear for comfort, never really thinking she’d wear them. As she pulled the vibrant yellow shirt over her head, she decided it was definitely a gudetama pjs kind of evening.

She found herself reflecting on her father’s advice. His words echoed in her mind, “Sometimes trying too hard has the opposite effect… You need to relax.” She couldn’t shake off those words because they rang true. For Adam Stroe, this trip was the culmination of his work. For her, it was the beginning, the ultimate challenge. She couldn’t let him relax before the finish line, potentially costing them the race.

Just as her thoughts threatened to spiral into frustration, Mina’s call lit up her laptop. Collecting herself, she put on a smile, ready to greet her bedridden best friend and assistant.

As Yui clicked ‘accept’ on the Skype call, her screen was promptly filled with the sleep-tousled image of her best friend since pre-school, Minami Williams. With hair that seemed to have had a wild party with her pillow, and glasses precariously perched halfway down her nose, Mina looked like she’d been roused from a deep slumber.

            Her normally bright eyes were bleary, and her radiant smile was momentarily replaced by a yawn that seemed to stretch on forever. Miss Williams, looking slightly comical with her neck brace, giggled at the sight of her friend.

“Oh, Mina, how are you feeling? That neck brace looks so awfully uncomfortable,” Yui remarked, a mix of concern and amusement evident in her voice.

“Fantastic!” her friend responded. Her recent predicament involved a comical accident at the Nishiki Market. Distracted by a display of wasabi ice cream, she’d walked straight into a low-hanging sign that ironically read ‘Mind Your Head’. “How is Malaga so far?”

Yui hesitated, “It’s going… interestingly,” she began, trying to steer the conversation away from Adam but failing miserably. “Adam Stroe is a handful. Can you believe he tried to lecture me on my own project?”

Her friend’s giggles interrupted her, but Yui was too engrossed in her rant to notice. “I mean…he isn’t all bad. He’s brilliant at what he does, and watching him work on the robot is something else.”

Mina’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh yes, I’d love to see him. Show me!”

Yui gave in without any resistance. In truth, she had sneakily taken a snapshot of their engineer just for Mina. She shared it with her friend on the messenger, and the reaction was immediate. She stared at her phone for what felt like an eternity. Yui was about to voice her concern when the other young woman gasped dramatically.

“Yui, oh Yui! This man isn’t just a Norse god, he’s Thor himself, the entire pantheon in one! I’d wrestle sumo wrestlers, swim with great white sharks, even eat that wasabi ice cream without a sip of water, for a man with such chiseled abs, biceps that look like they could break chains, and a jawline so sharp it could cut diamonds!” Mina’s hand fluttered dramatically over her heart as she mimed fainting, only to be stopped by her neck brace. This level of theatrics was entirely unlike the usually reserved Miss Williams.

“Mina… Are you okay? That’s very… descriptive,” Yui remarked, her tone a mix of concern and amusement. She called out, “Kesha, did you give Mina the right medicine?”

Kesha’s head popped into the frame, her eyes wide with surprise. “Yes, Yui. I double-checked everything!”

Yui raised an eyebrow, “Mina seems a bit more… enthusiastic than usual.”

Kesha, looking slightly flustered, grabbed the pill bottle and held it up to the camera. “See, Yui, I followed the instructions perfectly!” she exclaimed, although doubt was evident in her voice. “I gave her 3… see, it says right here!” she concluded, pointing to a number in the small script.

Yui closed her eyes and took her fingers to her temple, massaging slowly. The weight of the day’s events pressed on her. Her head engineer had abandoned work to surf, her father had lectured her about overworking, and now her assistant was high on painkillers. “That’s the grammage, Kesha,” she sighed. Turning her attention to the still giggling and mumbling Miss Williams, she said, “Mina… you need sleep, okay? We’ll talk about insufferable Norse gods in the morning. Kesha will make your bed comfy and give you lots of water, right?”

Panicked, Kesha nodded vigorously, clearly regretting her mistake. She immediately set to work fluffing the pillows as Mina waved a giggly goodbye.

Alone in her hotel room, surrounded by the muted colors and the soft glow of the bedside lamp, Yui collapsed on her slightly squeaky bed. She grabbed her phone and frowned at the image of Adam Stroe working on his robot that afternoon. “He isn’t even that good-looking,” she tried to convince herself, pushing the phone away. But not even a full breath later, she grabbed it again, her fingers scrolling over the image, determined to find a flaw, like an ugly mole on his perfect, tanned skin.