Chapter 1 — The Invisible Employee Knows French

I once wrote "fluent in French" on my resume, and for the next three months, I became a laughing stock for the whole company. Everyone sees me as someone who likes to show off and like to brag without a draft. Until the survey team from the headquarters in France suddenly visited... My name is Lam Van, a name so ordinary that it couldn't be more ordinary. My background is just as mediocre. Graduating from a third-rate university, dropping your resume into the recruitment market is like a drop of water falling into the ocean—not making a ripple. The fact that I was accepted into this company was completely lucky. Perhaps it's because of the words "proficient in French" on the resume, amidst a forest of lackluster resumes, it's both dazzling and ridiculous. So I became the laughing stock of the whole company. Three full months. Ninety-some days. I was like a living display object, for them to discuss and mock at their leisure in the tea room, at lunchtime, or after work.

"Hey, have you seen that girl Lam Van? The one who says 'fluent in French'."

“I saw it, I saw it, my appearance is nothing outstanding, but my voice is really loud.”

"I heard you can't even pass B1 in English, but you dare to speak French fluently? Does he know how many letters there are in French?"

"Young people today really dare to make up anything to get a job, their pride is too much."

Those words buzzed in my ears like flies, I couldn't chase them away, I couldn't escape them. I wear thick-rimmed glasses, a faded shirt and worn jeans, every day I sit in the most hidden place in the office, quietly doing odd jobs: organizing documents, photocopying files, taking on tasks that no one cares about. I didn't argue, I didn't argue, I didn't even bother to show my emotions. Because I understand, for those who already think I'm a braggart, any explanation will only make them mock me even more. My world is filled with only the sound of typing on a keyboard and the sound of a printer operating. They don't know that every month when my salary comes in, minus the minimum expenses, I immediately send the rest back home. My mother is sick and needs a lot of money for treatment. Face and self-respect, placed next to life and family, are not worth a penny. So I need this job. Even if I have to crawl on my knees to survive, I will still stay here. Today is like every day. The sunlight filtered through the curtains, shining down on the desk in streaks of light, with tiny dust particles floating in the air. The office was filled with a strange feeling of tension. The director of the sales department—Mr. Truong—was like a caged lion, walking back and forth in the hallway. Sweat poured down his forehead, shiny leather shoes stepped on the floor, creating urgent and chaotic sounds.

"Where are you?! Can you call yet? Keep calling! Keep calling!"

He roared, the sound echoing throughout the floor.

“Director, that's not possible... The phone is turned off, no one answers my calls home…”

Assistant Tieu Tran was about to cry. I carried a cup of instant coffee I had just brewed from the tea room through the eye of this storm. I know what's going on. The inspection team from the French headquarters suddenly visited - one day earlier than scheduled. The company spent a large amount of money to hire a professional interpreter. It is said that the hourly rate is shockingly high. Yet that's right At the most important moment, that person suddenly disappears from the world. In the conference room, several blond-haired, blue-eyed men sat for nearly half an hour. His facial expression changed from the initial polite smile to obvious impatience. The entire company, everyone who knew a little English, was dragged to try to communicate, but the results were disastrous. Because the opponent is French, stubbornly only uses French. The sales department—no, the entire company—was in a state of apocalyptic panic. I saw Vuong Ky—the girl who laughed at me the hardest—hidden behind the crowd, her face showing a mixture of gloating and anxiety. Of course she was worried. If this project fails, everyone's year-end bonuses will go up in smoke. Director Truong's phone rang, he almost rushed to answer it. Just a few seconds later, his face immediately turned white as paper. I guess, that was the call confirming that the translator had officially "disappeared". He turned off the phone, staggered a few steps, leaned against the wall, his desperate eyes scanned the bewildered and bewildered faces. The air seemed frozen. Everyone held their breath, cautious. In the midst of that dead silence, I slowly walked towards him, still holding a cup of coffee. The smell of cheap coffee spread lightly in the air, filled with the smell of sweat and anxiety, a bit lame but outstanding. I looked at his face twisted in despair, his eyes behind the thick glass still strangely calm.

“Director, let me try?”

My voice wasn't loud, even a little soft, but in that moment, it was like a stone thrown into a still lake—stirring up huge waves. In just a split second, the entire office's atmosphere seemed to freeze. All eyes—mocking, surprised, suspicious—like countless sharp needles, pointed straight at me. Director Truong was stunned. His eyes were red with worry, staring at me, his mouth moving but not saying a word, as if he had never known me—the invisible employee who had worked under him for the past three months. The silence lasted exactly three seconds. A sharp, leathery laugh tore through the frozen air.

“Phew… Lam Van, are you crazy?”

Vuong Ky crossed his arms over his chest, put on seven-inch high heels, and walked out of the crowd, his face full of sarcasm and contempt.

"Do you know what occasion this is? It's someone from the French headquarters! You study at a third-rate school and want to be a translator? Are you crazy trying to attract attention?"

Her high-pitched voice deliberately resonated clearly to every corner of the office.

"That's right, Lam Van, stop joking, now is not the time to make fun."