Viw: Whispers and the Beautiful Challenge

Season 1 – The First Whisper

Episode 2: A Rhythm Falling Apart

Morning sunlight filled the conference room.
Stacks of freshly printed proposals lined the table.
A week ago, the project had collapsed.
Now, rebuilt in mere days, it stood before them with impossible completeness.

“Impressive, Chief.”
“With this, we can win.”

Even the department head nodded.
“I knew you’d manage.”

The project was alive again.
Yet Naomi’s expression held no light.

(So they think I’ve recovered.
That’s how I look to them…)

She forced a smile.
But inside, another voice whispered—

(But is this really right?)

The logic was sound.
The data backed it.
And still—her chest resisted.

＊

At lunch, a message blinked on her phone.
From Yuuko—her closest friend, working in another division.

Caffè Serenità.
Yellow walls, green shutters, ivy curling along the facade.
Iron tables on the terrace, glimmering in the noon light.
A quiet corner of the city, filled with the scent of deep roast.

Inside, the wooden tables and shelves of old books cut her away from the office noise.

By the window, Yuuko closed the menu and leaned forward.

“Guess what? I have a new boyfriend!”

Naomi blinked in surprise.
“Oh? Tell me.”

“He’s Canadian.
He says things we’d never imagine here—just casually.
It’s kind of refreshing.”

“Canadian…”

The word snagged on Naomi’s chest, sparking thoughts of a far-off future.

Yuuko’s gaze sharpened.
“By the way… your skin looks tired lately.”

“You can tell?”

“Of course. Makeup hides color, but not fatigue.”

She dabbed her cup with a napkin, her voice low.
“You can’t build anything good by piling on exhaustion.”

“…I know.”

She knew. And yet she couldn’t stop.
To pause felt like surrender.
As if everything would collapse the moment she rested.

＊

The afternoon meeting flowed smoothly.
One staff member murmured, “We’ll win with this.”

Naomi returned the smile—while unease scratched at her chest.

(Win? Against what? Against whom?)

The project regained its order.
Her home life, however, had begun to unravel.

Later, in the restroom, she thought of her silent living room that morning.
Kenichi and she barely spoke beyond greetings.
The children’s voices grew rarer.
Her skin worsened daily.
The mirror had become something to fear.

(Is this really fine?)

Work and life blurred—the line no longer clear.

＊

That evening, Yusuke approached, clutching a thick file.

“Chief, the figures are all updated.”

“Thanks. Your outline helped hold it together.”

“N-no, I’m still learning… but being trusted—it means a lot.”

He smiled shyly, then added—

“I actually joined as sales. But I always wanted to do creative work.
Ah—forget it. Just an old thought.”

He laughed it off, then steadied his voice.

“As for yesterday’s server logs—no major issues.
Still… something feels off.”

“If it bothers you, keep watching. Tell me if anything changes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The exchange was brief, yet Naomi felt his sincerity.
It stirred something—like the raw drive she herself once carried.

＊

Close to midnight, Naomi returned home.
The living room lay dark.
The table scattered with children’s worksheets, snacks, a folded newspaper.
Traces of a life lived without her.

In the bathroom mirror, her face looked even more drained than that morning.
Her skin dry, the circles beneath her eyes sinking deeper.

A thin light slipped from under Airi’s door.
Naomi raised her hand to knock—to say Go to bed.
But her lips would not move.
She turned away in silence.

Her phone vibrated.
On the screen glowed familiar words:

—Listen to the whisper of Viw.
Beauty lies within you.

(Why now…?)

Her brow tightened.
She almost cursed aloud.

Words meant to soothe—yet now they only stung.

Naomi closed her eyes and breathed out slowly.

The project was back on track.
But her own rhythm—her heart, her home—was falling apart.

(Something’s wrong.
Can I keep going like this…?)

The question lingered, heavy in the silence of night.