Echoes of Us: The CEO and His Soulmates [BL]

Callum Pierce sat at his desk, bathed in the muted glow of the late afternoon sun. His office, which sat at the far end of Catalyst Games' second floor, was modern and minimalist. Bay windows that overlooked the plaza, dark leather and wood furniture, a few potted plants he occasionally remembered to water. The view he had from his windows wasn't the stunning city skyline visible from his fathers office but Callum liked that, around lunchtime, the plaza got busy and he could just watch people be people. The only sound was the faint hum of his desktop holographic display. 

His cold office usually calmed him but now, all Callum felt was restless. 

On his screen, design intern profiles scrolled by one after another. Their resumes were all polished, professional and were accompanied by a portfolio of their best works. Genesis hadn't been lying when she'd said they had some promising additions to the company, he could see some of them getting hired full-time at the end of their internships— or at least being given part time jobs.

Callum mindlessly glanced at the portfolios until his gaze settled on one. 

Micah Liu. 23. Final year Illustration student at Oakdale Community College. The school was still new and barely known in the industry; they'd only just included their Graphic Design and Illustration program a year before.

But Callum wasn't interested in the accolades. The moment Micah's name appeared, something flickered in his chest. That same, maddening pull that had overtaken him in the hallway and later when he'd seen him in the design department. Micah's headshot stared back at him: wild curly hair that seemed to defy gravity, glasses perched slightly crooked on his nose, and a shy smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. 

Callum's gaze dropped to the portfolio link beneath the photo. His hand hovered over the mouse for a beat too long before clicking it. 

The portfolio loaded and Micah's illustrations popped up on the hologram. There were full-body sketches of naked models in different poses, still life images of a public park, character designs of fantasy creatures. Micah had a distinct style, his bold lines and fluid motion made each drawing feel alive. His work was raw— honest, the kind that wasn't perfect but spoke to the viewer.

And then, he saw it. 

Drawings of the tiger-fox. 

Callum froze. The creature stared back at him from the screen, a perfectly rendered image that was a one to one copy of the creature from his dreams. Its sleek orange body, the sharp ears, the fluffy tail—it was Arrow, sketched with stunning precision in Micah's hand. 

There were other things too; landscapes that looked eerily familiar, a slow-running stream his skin seemed to know the temperature of, more sleeping Kinnarions.

His fingers curled into a fist, the leather of his office chair creaking under the pressure. How could this be? How could Micah—a stranger, an intern—know about Arrow? About the images in his dreams?

A sharp knock on the door jolted him out of his thoughts. He straightened, closing the portfolio with a quick flick of his wrist. 

"Come in," he called, managing to keep his voice steady although his was racing. 

Ryan stepped into the office with a grin on his face. "Hey. You alright? You've been cooped up in here for hours." 

"I'm fine," Callum replied coldly. 

Ryan leaned against the doorframe, clearly unconvinced. "Genesis just sent me a heads-up that the character design team's final sketches for the new mobile game are almost done. They're sending them to her by this afternoon." 

Callum nodded, but his mind was still on Micah's portfolio. 

Ryan tilted his head, studying him. "You know, you've been acting kind of weird lately. Spacing out in meetings, actually caring about your employees…" He grinned. "Should I be worried?" 

Callum ignored the jab, drumming his fingers against the desk. "Set up a meeting with the design team," he said abruptly. 

Ryan blinked. "A meeting? With the character designers?" 

"Yes," Callum said, standing and grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "I want to see the work they've done before it gets sent to the leads." 

Ryan's brows furrowed. "You've never done that before. That's Genesis's job. And don't we have, like, a hundred other things to deal with today?" 

Callum's voice softened but his tone was resolute. "Investors are on edge after the last few flops, Ryan. If we're going to turn things around, I need to be more hands-on. Even in the early stages of game production." 

Ryan's skeptical gaze lingered, but he finally sighed. "Alright, boss. I'll let Genesis know." 

"And make sure the interns are there," Callum added, already heading for the elevator. 

Ryan followed, his voice laced with suspicion. "The interns? What, so you can terrify them into doing better work?" 

Callum smirked faintly, though his mind was elsewhere. "They're here to learn. Consider it an opportunity." 

---

The meeting room was just as bright and colourful as the rest of the building. Bright orange bean bags surrounded a table that appeared to be made entirely out of Lego bricks, sealed under an epoxy resin top. The character design team was already gathered when Callum entered, their chatter quieting immediately at his arrival. 

"Alright, team," Genesis said, standing at the head of the table. Her eyes were sharp and her commanding presence filled the room, but even she couldn't hide her own surprise at seeing Callum. "I'm sure he needs no introduction, but here's our CEO, eager to see the work we've put in for Astro Cow." 

"I look forward to seeing what you've created," Callum said.

There was a nervous shuffle as he took the seat at the head of the table. His gaze swept across the room, and there he was—Micah, seated near the far end. His glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose as he adjusted them hastily, his face flushing under Callum's brief glance. 

Callum's lips twitched in amusement, but he forced himself to focus. 

The lead character designer began the presentation, projecting the initial sketches for Astro Cow on the holographic display. "It's a retro-inspired 3D platformer in the style of old arcade games," she explained, gesturing to the screen. "We wanted to keep the design simple but striking, starting with the main playable character: a cow. His blocky, square silhouette fits the pixel-art aesthetic, and we've designed his animations to emphasize his strength and personality." 

Callum nodded along, taking in the designs. They were clean, polished—perfectly competent. And yet… 

His gaze drifted to Micah. The intern was hunched slightly over the table, his pencil scratching at a notebook as he took notes. Callum didn't mean to stare, but something about Micah's quiet focus pulled at him. Again, their eyes met briefly, and Micah looked away so fast it was almost comical. 

When the presentation ended, Genesis turned to Callum. "Thoughts?" 

Callum leaned back in his chair, considering his words carefully. "It's a solid start," he said. "But…" He paused, letting anticipation build. "It's missing something. Right now, it looks like every other platformer on the market. We can't afford that. The story the writers have come up with is strong, but it won't matter if the designs don't stand out. Players need to fall in love with the characters the second they see them." 

The room fell silent as tension creeped into the air. Callum's tone softened. "I'm not saying this to discourage anyone. You've built a strong foundation here. We're still in the early stages, which means we have time to take this to the next level. So… what can we do to make it better?" 

No one spoke at first. Heads tilted as team members mulled over the question. 

Callum's gaze slid back to Micah. "You," he said suddenly. 

Micah's head jerked up, his eyes wide. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at Callum. "M-Me, sir?" 

A faint smile tugged at Callum's lips. The reaction was so endearingly awkward—and so familiar. "Yes, you," he said, deliberately pausing. "Micah Liu, right?" 

Micah shot to his feet, nearly knocking over his notebook in the process. "Yes, sir!" 

The room filled with muffled laughter, and Genesis pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her grin. 

"You don't have to stand," Callum said, keeping his tone levelled even though all he wanted to do was laugh. "And you don't have to call me sir." 

Micah sank back into his seat, his face flushed, as Callum continued. "What do you think we can do to make this character better?" 

Micah hesitated, his pencil tapping against the edge of the table. "Well…" His voice was soft at first but gained strength as he spoke. "So far, it's just a cow. A cute cow, sure, but I don't think it'll evoke strong emotions in the player. Maybe give him a cowboy hat? A harness?" 

Callum leaned forward, intrigued. "Both?" 

Micah's shy smile returned. "Yeah. Both." 

Callum clapped his hands together, looking at the rest of the room. "Let's start from there. Any other ideas?" 

The energy in the room shifted as others were encouraged to share their creative ideas. Callum leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on Micah once more. 

He didn't understand it yet, but this quiet, unassuming intern had stirred something deep within him and there was no way he could ignore it.