Charlie sat behind the tinted glass of his office, pretending to read reports while his eyes were trained on the girl by the housekeeping station. She had a yellow ribbon in her hair today, and her socks didn't match—one had little clouds, the other had sushi rolls. She looked ridiculous. And yet, in the middle of his sterile, grayscale world, she glowed.
Peachy Chen.
The girl who left sunshine in his drawer.
He found out by accident. One of the security tapes had to be reviewed after a client lost his wallet. The footage showed her entering his office with cleaning supplies, humming to herself, and placing something gently on the edge of his desk. Then she looked around, as if making sure no one saw her, and smiled at the note before leaving.
She had been doing that for weeks.
Hindi niya alam kung bakit hindi siya nagalit. She was technically invading his space. She had no business being in his office unless cleaning. And yet... when he saw how delicately she handled the paper, how her smile lingered like a silent wish—it didn't feel like trespassing. It felt like being chosen.
"Para kay Sir Mo," she had whispered to the empty room, her voice barely audible. "Hope today is lighter."
The note had a doodle of a whale lifting a suitcase. "You can carry more than you think."
Charlie had stared at that drawing longer than he should have.
Now, every morning, he opened his drawer first thing. Looking. Hoping.
And she never failed him.
Meanwhile, Peachy swiped her ID on the 30th floor, arms full of towels and a tiny sticky note hidden in her apron pocket. She didn't know who read them. Or if anyone did. But she liked the idea that someone might need them as badly as she needed to give them.
Gusto lang naman niya makatulong. Kahit sa simpleng paraan.
Maybe it was stupid.
Maybe she was stupid.
But hope was better than silence.
She paused by the office door—Mr. Charles Mo, CEO—and gently opened it. Wala ang tao. She had memorized his schedule by now; he rarely arrived before nine.
She tiptoed to the desk and pulled out today's note. It had a pink heart and said:21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACHXcqHf3u
"Even broken crayons still color."
She placed it in the drawer and whispered, "Kaya mo 'yan, kung sino ka man."
Charlie saw her again later, sa lobby. She was adjusting a vase, unaware of his gaze. Her apron was smudged with dust and lemon polish, but her hair glimmered like the sun touched it first.
He didn't believe in fairy tales.
Pero parang may magic talaga sa babae na 'to.
Then she looked up—straight into his eyes.
For a split second, they just stared.
Charlie quickly turned away, his heart thudding too loud in his chest.
"Idiot," he muttered to himself, retreating.
Peachy blinked. Was that the guy from the executive floor? The one who looked like he hadn't slept in months? Bakit parang kilala niya 'ko?
"Do I have something on my face?" she murmured, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
Later that evening, Charlie opened the drawer again. He read the note five times.
"Even broken crayons still color."
He traced the little heart at the corner and stared at his own reflection in the glass window.
Maybe... just maybe... she wasn't gullible.
Maybe she was brave.
Maybe she wasn't leaving hope behind because she had so much.
Maybe it was because she knew what it felt like to have none.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Hw7gDaqlQ
and then Add to home screen.