Sometimes the brightest minds forget they're allowed to rest.
Chapter 1 : Sometimes the brightest minds forget they're allowed to rest
The soft hum of computers filled the laboratory, accompanied by the occasional rustle of papers and quiet conversations drifting through the corridors of the Aurelia Institute of Genetics & Genomics. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing rows of microscopes and research stations in a warm golden glow.
Yet amidst the quiet rhythm of the laboratory, one workstation remained unusually still.
A laptop sat open in front of its owner, its screen dimmed into sleep mode after several minutes of inactivity.
Much like the woman sitting before it.
Soul Evans rested her chin lightly against her hand, her eyes fixed on the blank screen without truly seeing it. Thoughts drifted through her mind like scattered clouds—too many to catch, too heavy to ignore.
She didn’t notice the knock on her cabin door.
“She seems distracted.”
A young researcher entered with another colleague, both carrying thick folders.
“I’ve been calling her for the last minute,” one whispered.
The other sighed before speaking a little louder.
“Soul?”
No response.
“Soul.”
Still nothing.
“Soul!”
“Huh?”
She blinked and looked up, momentarily startled.
“Oh... I’m sorry. Did you call me?”
The two exchanged amused glances.
“We’ve been trying to reach you for ages,” one laughed. “You looked like you were somewhere in another galaxy.”
A faint smile appeared on Soul’s face.
“Sorry... I got lost in my thoughts.”
“It happens.”
The researcher placed a stack of documents on her desk.
“Professor Falkner asked us to give these to you. They’re for tomorrow’s conference. Your team will be presenting before the review panel.”
Soul glanced at the files before nodding.
“I’ll have everything ready.”
“Good luck.”
The two researchers left, and silence once again settled inside the cabin.
Soul exhaled slowly.
She opened the presentation.
Her fingers rested above the keyboard.
Normally, she would spend hours perfecting every slide, adjusting every figure until it was flawless.
Today...
She simply began working.
By eleven o’clock, the conference room was filled with researchers, scientists, and invited panel members from different institutes.
Soul stood beside her team as the final slide disappeared from the screen.
The room fell silent.
One of the senior panel members adjusted his glasses before speaking.
“The presentation is well prepared.”
Soul’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.
“...However,” he continued, “there is still room for improvement.”
Several others nodded in agreement.
Professor Matthias Falkner acknowledged them with a calm smile.
“I understand, Mr. Henry.”
“I’ll personally review the amendments.”
The meeting concluded shortly afterward.
As researchers slowly left the conference hall, Professor Falkner quietly returned to his office.
He had barely reached his desk when there was a knock.
“Come in.”
Soul stepped inside.
“You wanted to see me, Professor?”
A small smile crossed his face.
“Actually...”
“I was just about to call you.”
Soul lowered her gaze.
“I’m sorry.”
Professor Falkner looked at her for a long moment.
Then he gently placed the conference file on his desk.
“Soul.”
She looked up.
“I didn’t ask you here for an apology.”
Silence.
“I asked you here because I’m worried.”
Those words caught her completely off guard.
“You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But...”
He folded his hands together.
“May I ask you something?”
She nodded.
“Are you happy?”
The question was simple.
Yet somehow...
It felt impossible to answer.
The silence between them stretched.
Finally, Professor Falkner spoke again.
“When you first joined Aurelia eight months ago...”
“...you walked through these halls with curiosity.”
“You questioned everything.”
“You smiled when experiments failed because they meant there was something new to learn.”
His voice remained calm.
“But for the past three months...”
“...you’ve been here only physically.”
Soul felt her throat tighten.
She hadn’t realized anyone had noticed.
Especially him.
“I don’t know what’s troubling you,” he continued.
“And I won’t ask unless you’re ready to tell me.”
“But I do know this.”
“The brightest minds sometimes forget they’re allowed to rest.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“So...”
“I’m giving you three months’ leave.”
Soul stared at him.
“...What?”
“Three months.”
“Professor, I don’t need leave.”
You do.”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
He smiled softly.
“No.”
“You’ve become very good at pretending you’re fine.”
Those words struck somewhere deep inside her.
“But the institute—”
“Will survive.”
“The research—”
“Will wait.”
“My responsibilities—”
“So will they.”
She couldn’t think of another argument.
Professor Falkner picked up the office phone.
“Mr. Schneider?”
“Please prepare a three-month leave order for Dr. Soul Evans.”
He placed the receiver down.
Then looked at her with the same calm expression.
“No more arguments.”
Soul couldn’t help letting out a small, defeated sigh.
For the first time...
Someone had refused to let her ignore herself.
It was almost seven in the evening when Soul finally reached her apartment.
She placed the leave approval letter on the dining table and stared at it for a while.
Three months.
It still didn’t feel real.
After changing into comfortable clothes, she picked up her phone and dialed home.
The call connected after the second ring.
“Hello, Mama.”
“My Soul.”
The familiar British accent instantly made the apartment feel a little less empty.
“How are you?”
Soul smiled.
“I’m okay.”
She wasn’t.
But mothers had a way of hearing the truth hidden behind ordinary words.
She told her everything.
The conference.
Professor Falkner.
The leave.
The silence that had quietly settled over her life.
When she finished, her mother spoke gently.
“Your work is important, sweetheart.”
“But your heart is important too.”
“If your mind is exhausted...”
“...your achievements won’t bring you peace.”
Soul closed her eyes.
“I think you should travel.”
“See places you’ve never seen.”
“Meet people who know nothing about your past.”
“And maybe...”
“...you’ll remember the version of yourself you’ve forgotten.”
The conversation lingered in Soul’s thoughts long after the call ended.
Later that night, she opened her laptop.
Not for research.
Not for work.
For the first time in months...
She searched for travel destinations.
A few clicks later, the tickets were booked.
She had no idea that one decision...
One unexpected journey...
Would quietly weave together the threads of every life she was yet to meet.
As she switched off the lights, one sentence echoed in the silence.
Sometimes the brightest minds forget they’re allowed to rest.
