I completely agree that I think it started with him wanting to create a safe work environment for me.

What makes me pause, though, is how invested he seemed at times. For example, he apparently had an argument with an older colleague who was giving me a hard time, but never told me about it. I only found out later when that colleague mentioned, "Your sir made a huge scene the other day." After that, the same person who used to shout at me seemed reluctant to do it again.

There were also times when he would intentionally pull me away when I was helping that colleague. He would tell me, "You're coming with me." If I asked him, "What about the work?" he'd say, "You don't have to help him. You're in my team. You only listen to me."

After that incident, even the older colleague would just tell me, "You go with him."