Chapter 2

The surrounding coworkers chimed in with approval.

"This is exactly right. The rest of us are working ourselves to death here. Why should she get to slack off just because she has her period?"

They went back and forth, completely forgetting that I was the one who had just been publicly humiliated.

Lydia was getting a bit carried away by their praise.

She turned to me with a friendly expression.

"You finish copying all of these, and you can leave an hour early today. How's that?"

"I've already given you special treatment. I'm not mistreating you, am I?"

"Show me which other female employee gets this kind of treatment when she has her period."

I looked at the mountain of documents piled up.

And laughed.

These files would take at least three days to copy, even working non-stop.

What special treatment indeed!

But right now I didn't feel like wasting another word on her.

I'd gotten too worked up earlier, and the cramping in my abdomen became even more severe.

My body felt unbearably uncomfortable now, and cold sweat was pouring out.

I gritted my teeth and moved to the copy machine.

Mechanically repeating the motions: lift the lid, place paper, press the button.

A bone-breaking ache spread through my lower back.

The pain in my lower abdomen felt like knives churning, with a heavy pressure constantly pushing downward.

Cold sweat soaked through my underwear, and the double vision before my eyes grew worse.

Five hours later, I couldn't hold on anymore and slid into a chair beside the copy machine.

"Slacking off again?"

Lydia appeared behind me like a ghost.

She even reached directly into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

"Looks like I can't control you anymore. Fine! Let your mother teach you what workplace rules mean."

She grabbed my finger and unlocked my phone.

Then dialed my mother's number.

The second the call connected, she put it on speaker.

"Hello, is this Sophia's mother? I'm her supervisor at work."

I tried to grab the phone back.

But the moment I stood up abruptly, everything went black and I fell back into the chair.

"Please educate Sophia better. She fakes being sick at work. Do you know how much work she's delaying for us?"

"Your daughter is really something—using her period as an excuse just to take advantage of the company's leave policy?"

"Does she think we won't do anything about it?"

"They say children learn from their parents. Were you this delicate when you were young too?"

In her matter-of-fact tone, there was a perverse pleasure in destroying someone.

She kept saying I was delaying company progress.

But in reality, I hadn't delayed any of the work I was responsible for.

When I asked for leave, I had already worked overtime to complete my assigned tasks.

At the end of the day, wasn't she just jealous that my salary was a thousand dollars more than hers?

If she's so capable, she should take on assignments from headquarters too!

My mother's labored breathing came through the phone.

Lydia wasn't planning to stop.

"The company has decided to fire her. We can't afford to keep such a delicate princess."

Then came the dull thud of something heavy hitting the floor.

"Mom! Mom, don't listen to her nonsense!"

I lunged forward frantically to grab the phone.

But Lydia dodged nimbly.

The call disconnected.

"My mother has a heart condition. Didn't you hear that she just collapsed?"

"I need to go home..."

I pushed past Lydia and ran toward the exit, but she blocked me firmly at the door.

"Want to leave? Fine, but first sign this agreement voluntarily waiving menstrual leave."

"The two days you take off will be deducted from your pay as personal leave!"

She threw several sheets of paper in my face, blocking the only way out.

"I won't sign!"

I pushed past her through the pain.

Then rushed into the elevator.

I called for an ambulance while rushing home.

Watching my mother, pale-faced, being wheeled into the emergency room, I sat on the bench with palms full of cold sweat.

My phone was vibrating frantically in my pocket—all messages from Lydia.

"If you're not back at the company in five minutes, you'll be marked as absent without leave."

"Sophia, don't be ungrateful. Get your ass back here right now and write a self-criticism."