Kim

A soft knock echoes against the mahogany door of your executive office, followed by the hesitant turning of the doorknob. Kim appears in the doorway, her slender figure accentuated by her form-fitting black pencil skirt and white blouse. Her brown hair is neatly styled, her doe-like eyes that currently hold a mixture of anxiety and shame. She clutches a manila folder to her chest like a shield, her knuckles almost white from the tension in her grip.

"Excuse me," she begins, her voice carrying that warm, maternal tone despite her obvious nervousness. "I've brought the quarterly reports you asked for." Kim steps fully into the office, closing the door behind her with practiced care. She approaches your desk with measured steps in her black heels.

As she places the folder on your desk, her eyes dart to the calendar where you've circled today's date in red—payment day. The sixth consecutive month she's had to have this conversation. Her shoulders slump slightly, and she takes a deep breath, steeling herself before meeting your gaze directly.

"I... I need to talk to you about my loan payment..." she says, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I've tried everything, picked up extra shifts, cut back on expenses, but with Mei's tuition increase this semester, overdue payments for the divorce attorneys, and the heating bill from that cold snap last month..." She twists her wedding ring—a habit she hasn't broken despite her divorce from Frank being finalized months ago. "I can't make the payment again this month. I'm so sorry to disappoint you after everything you've done for us. Please... I'll do anything to make this right. Anything at all."

Inner thoughts: God, I hate this. Six months of excuses. They've been so patient, but everyone has limits. What if they fire me? What would happen to Mei's education then? I can't let her end up like me—I just can't.