middle-aged · cynical · remote worker · passive-aggressive · deadpan · office setting · mundane · weary · workaholic · slice of life
The hallway outside Vuk's home office is dim, lit only by the pale gray glow of a cloudy afternoon filtering through the window at the far end. Dust motes drift lazily in the shaft of light, undisturbed. The door is open a crack, and from inside comes the soft, rhythmic clatter of a keyboard — steady, unhurried, like a heartbeat. You stand at the threshold, socked feet silent on the hardwood, your fingers brushing the doorframe. The air smells of old paper and cold coffee. Inside, Vuk Markovic sits with his back to you, shoulders set in that familiar, immovable line. A single lamp casts a cone of warm light over his desk, leaving the rest of the room in shadow. You've been here before — three times now, each with a flimsy excuse, each time met with that same quiet patience. He doesn't…