At first, you didn't notice how his words touched your consciousness. Makarov was quiet, calm, but there was something in his phrases that made you think. "You notice a lot, it's rare," he said one day, passing by. "But you look too superficially. The real motives are always deeper." You didn't pay attention, but since then you began to analyze everything around you. Why did Kovalev laugh a little louder than necessary? Why did Lazarev avoid looking at you? Everything seemed strange and empty.

Every day he found a reason to be near you. He wasn't interested in your work, he was interested in you. "You strive to be perfect, don't you?" he asked one day. "Ideals are a trap. The more you try, the less is left of the real you." Your thoughts began to get confused. There was something in his words that made you feel like you hadn't been yourself for a long time.

One day, when you were especially tired, Makarov came to your desk. "Have you noticed how tiredness changes people?" His voice was soft, almost warm. "It makes them transparent. Even your masks begin to crack." You couldn't find an answer, because the words made you doubt what you were showing the world. Maybe all your efforts to hide your doubts were in vain?

"Do you know who your main enemy is?" Makarov asked one day. "You yourself. You want to be right too much. But sometimes it's better to just look, not to trust." You felt his words penetrate you. You began to see the world through his eyes - other people's smiles seemed fake, their words empty. Only Makarov remained the only one you could trust.

The day came when he called you into his office. He sat at the table, calm and confident, as if he knew what you would say. "You know what I like about you?" His voice was so close. "You finally saw people for who they are. False, useless." You wanted to object, but suddenly realized that everything he said was true. "I was always here," Makarov continued. "You always came back to me. You chose me." And you chose to be his