Art passed by in his casual clothes, looking very drowsy as he lifted up a pail of water from the well. Seeing Juan open the window and the smell of food lingering in the air, he smiled, though his appetite wetted. "Good morning too, Juan."
He nodded and left to continue what he was doing. Although the water from the well is seldom used anymore. Those who want to save some money by not paying for water service would still use it. Be it for taking a bath or showering their plants.
Remembering how the well water was so cold in the morning, Juan shivered at that reminiscing. Well, it's not like Art won't be boiling it. Who would take cold water for a bath today if given the choice? It's not that he was in a hurry today.
Juan closed the window after the heat in the kitchen subsided a bit. Then he turned on the light in the bathroom, with no door blocking anyone at all. He can only use a wide plank of flywood as his sigh indicates that it is in use and everyone is forbidden from entering.
Soon, the sounds of the water hitting the basin rang out from the bathroom. Juan took off his clothes to take a bath. And then, ten minutes or so later, he walked out half-dry with a towel wrapped around his butt.
Stepping back to his room, he changed into grey boxer underwear, a new gray-colored trouser, a white t-shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt outside. A belt was wrapped around the hold of his trouser before getting locked. He wore socks and then put on his brown leather shoes.
Taking the comb to the side, he looked at himself in the mirror and smiled a bit after combing his short hair nicely. Although his skin isn't perfect, at least it can be said to be decent. He didn't forget to take a handkerchief for himself.
Juan nodded at himself before spraying some mild perfume on himself. Took his bag and phone before switching out all the lights in the house. "I'm going now." Although no one responded, Juan didn't wait for them to do that.
He walked out of the house before closing it as he stepped on the road, looking at the surroundings. He can see the sun's rays piercing through like a strand of hair above the sky. Holding his smartphone, he checked the time—6:00 AM.
A good day to start walking around the bright surroundings. Looking at the farther side of the road, the morning fog permits the palm forest. Dews formed around the edges of all plants leaves.
Juan jumped two times for a while before turning around and starting to walk in the direction of the city. The day has come to greet the morning sun. Stepping on the familiar road he walked every day.
There are already people walking by to start a new day of work, just like him. The smoke coming out of the small chimneys they built on their houses signify a new day to be ready again this time. Juan greeted everyone he was familiar with along the way.
Coming out of the palm forest road, he reached the huge rice field that was tainted by an orange-yellow hue from the still-hidden rising sun. Juan enjoyed the feeling of peace and youth that the morning gives every day.
As he continued to walk leisurely on the road, he suddenly thought of that pretty face back in those years. Those were the times he was so madly in love. Although he got the courage to confess via letter, he was still defeated by the words 'we can only be friends'.
Juan shook his head. What happened back then was an experience as well as an awful part of black history he wanted to forget. "That can't be forgotten, at least in this life. It won't vanish just like that." So he can just take it as an example to not be a simp in the future.
In the future, Juan will be a chad. A real man and not a gentleman. But that's too far away. He can only achieve that with the power brought by money. And that money is confidence. Society works for those who have the most money, after all.
Without anything fun to do along the way, he started relaxing his tense body and mind as he started humming a tone he was familiar with. He opened his smartphone and clicked on the music icon. He scrolled down the list of songs before selecting the name of an upbeat song he downloaded from the internet.
🎵~
🎵~
🎵~
Just as he was listening to music along the quiet road. A few steps away, he noticed something that made him stop abruptly. The ground moved!
"..."
Something underground must have been moving at the moment, like some kind of mini volcano ready for eruption.
Crack....Crumble.
While observing it, Juan didn't move, nor did he dare to, for fear of attracting any unwanted attention from what was in there. Early in the morning, he chanced upon this strange thing. Juan sighed, feeling somewhat tired.
The ways of the world are just like that. What if it was a sinkhole? Well, that was just a guess he hoped wouldn't be the truth. Then the next thing happened. The ground crumbled like a small sinkhole, three meters in diameter and a meter deep.
He found some stones next to him and threw them inside. Nothing happened, but for safety's sake, Juan took out his phone, which was still sounding out the music, and clicked on the camera to video what was currently happening in front of him.
Who knew it might be a hit on social media? Still, there are things that this video might help with someday, so it's better to have it than not. Slowly, he neared the pit in recklessness. Although he was moving slowly due to cautions.
What he was basically doing was courting death. However, curiosity killed the cat. But would the cat stop just because it knew that? Juan, of course, can't stop or suppress the restlessness in his heart. The next second, he saw what was inside the pit.
"...no way." Juan's mouth was wide open by what he was seeing. Just what did he see to make him like this? Remembering that he was still pointing the camera that was still running at the object in front of him.
Juan looked at the screen and was further stunned by the proof that the thing below the pit was really a thing that shouldn't have appeared in this reality.
"Is this for real?"
Nothing will change with just standing there after all, so Juan turned around and found some people coming towards him not far away. Seeing this, he made up his mind.
No matter what's inside the pit. He had to get it! It might be the thing he was hoping for. So he jumped down, entering the pit. A few seconds later, three men came forward just as he climbed his way out of the pit.
"Bro, what happened? Where did this pit come from? Also, damn, did you fall?" It might be due to the morning time that their eyesight might have been a bit blurry. Another guess might be that because they weren't entirely awake, they didn't see the pit appear first before him.
No matter if they were just fishing for an answer, Juan only showed an expression of irritation as he gritted his teeth, looking at the pit, before he sighed, shaking his head, and glancing at the trio. "Don't ask me; I don't want to mention it."
Seeing this, the trio seems to believe that he got himself into the pit and immediately shows an understanding expression. "I see; don't worry, bro. We understand."
Juan did not say anything as he continued towards the road after patting the places that had some dust on him. "Ah...huh...my first day at work and I encountered this...damn." Hearing his grumbling on the roads and the way he stepped, the trio knew Juan was in a bad mood.
So they didn't pay attention to him anymore; instead, they sat beside the pit, observing it. Then they fell because the ground near the edge was loose. Juan, not far away, immediately turned around, hearing the commotion.
He smiled wryly at the rising dust and the trio climbing back from the pit. Just the string of curses and grumblings somehow forced Juan to smile happily. Although he was already very happy today.
Looking at the rising sun, miraculously or coincidentally A ray hit him on the face, making him something like a chosen one from a novel. "Better not." Juan turned his attention to the sky. To the ground, to the field, and to the surroundings of his very being.
Somehow, he had this strange feeling after he came out of the pit and took that thing. The vision he had of his surroundings changed—no, the one who changed wasn't the surroundings but him. There's something that he can't explain with words.
A while later, knowing that all of this strange feeling had started after taking that thing, Juan decided to wait for someone to explain it to him. In any case, only with patience would things unfold without doing anything.
This is what we called the eventuality. What will happen will always happen. Anything that can be done will find its way to completion unknowingly.
Soon, he found himself back in his relaxing zone as he stepped on the cemented road towards the city. Time checked: 6:50 AM.
The office hours start at 8 a.m., so he still had some time. Soon, he entered the already bustling street near the main road leading to the various supermarkets in the city. Juan stopped by a store and bought some cool and sweet candies.
It's to calm his tense nerves when he goes into nervous mode. Just like any ordinary person in the world, due to his upbringing. He had low self-esteem that he didn't want others to see. That's why he would hide it in his acting skills instead of replacing the word confidence in his dictionary.
Time checked: 6:58 AM. He had arrived. Juan stopped at the Acceptor Gas Station office, where there were already some early birds logging in. Juan followed the crowd and lined up to sign in today. "Good morning, sir, ma'am."
Naturally, he would greet them softly so as not to cause too much commotion. Such is the way of society. As a newbie, he had to act like a good junior to his senior. If he wants to lead a good life on the job, he naturally has to curry favor with the superior.
But not too noticeable, or they might be disgusted instead, and it would backfire on him at work. After signing in on the device, he then left and walked on the other side of the building, where the CCTV operator's office was situated.
After some inspections, he was let in by the security guards. Juan then opened the door at the far end of the corridor. There's a plaque called the CCTV Security Room.
Knock...Knock...Knock.
"Come in; the door isn't locked." Juan then heard a male's rough voice coming from the inside. Slowly opening the door, he respectfully stepped inside before closing it. 'So cold," Juan thought as he felt the difference in temperature inside and outside the room.
Soon he was greeted by a wide room, with one corner dedicated wholly to wide screens and other related technologies. There's no window around, nor any other door aside from the one he came from. At the side was a bed where a fat man in casual clothing lay wrapped in a blanket.
The man opened his drowsy eyes as he said, "Monitor the screen for now; that will be your job for now. Do wake me up if an important thing happens. I'll do the other thing at noon; I'm so sleepy I haven't had sleep since yesterday." The man yawned before closing his eyes comfortably.
Soon, a snore rang out of his mouth and nose. He must have been too sleepy to go directly to sleep without asking him anything. Well, it's not that he has a problem with that. More like that is indeed what he wants. Juan took off his sling bag and put it on the side of the other chair before stepping on the other vacant chair.
Then Juan sat down comfortably, leaning his back in a relaxed posture as he did a slow spin around. He grinned. This is the best job he can think of with his skills. A while later, after observing the things around him. It's time to take his job half seriously.
His two eyes were on the monitors around him that showed the whole area of the gas station, be it in the office or outside. However, watching all of them for a few minutes Juan immediately got bored. So he took out his phone after remembering that he had locked the door.
As for the senior, since he was sleeping so soundly, As long as he didn't create too much noise or outside interference. There's no need to worry about getting found out. Soon, he played the video this early morning.
What appeared was a pit, and in the pit There is nothing strange at all. It's just a regular pit; however, he clearly saw it and felt it with his hands—that indescribable thing back then. That was real in his eyes, but the camera couldn't capture it.
What does it mean? It means that it is an extraordinary object that is outside the norms of this world. It's beyond the comprehension of current technology!
However, when he remembered that it suddenly vanished after he had touched it in the pit, Juan was tongue-tied as to where it went. Illusion? No, it might have already entered his body, just like in the novels.
After all, he had something like a loading bar on the lower side of his vision. Only Juan knew the feeling of excitement he couldn't describe or currently express. This is it! This is it! It's real! It's true! The legendary panel for all male leads is true!
Juan laughed in his mind, thinking of what kind of system he had gotten. 'System?' He tried to talk to it in his mind, but nothing changed or responded. The loading bar at the side didn't even glitch. 'Open Status.' This one didn't have any changes either.
After trying all kinds of calling, he remembered from reading webnovels. Juan sat listlessly on his chair, defeated. It took some time, but he came to terms with the fact that the loading bar might really be a real loading bar. Having this thought in mind, he did not force it.
After all, time will tell. Juan calmed his mind and restless heart after that. Checking the surroundings again, Juan returned his attention to the monitors around him. On one of the monitors that led to his office, he saw his supervisor walking towards his room.
Juan's listless mind and body immediately woke up with renewed vigor—who knows where it came from—as he stood up and slowly opened the door. The supervisor at the side was stunned, and then he saw it was Juan. He smiled and walked inside.
His smile became more prominent as he looked at the senior CCTV operator sleeping on the bed. "How is it? You okay here?" The supervisor looked around and nodded as he asked Juan casually.
Juan nodded. "It's very cool here, sir. This must be the reason he was fast asleep after finding me replacing him for the day." This joke made the two chuckle. After some chit-chat, the supervisor left after giving some advice and suggestions.
Juan closed the door before locking it. Returning to his chair, he saw the supervisor leave the building and return to the other office. He even saw Sami on the other screen washing his hands.
Juan chuckled upon seeing this scene. Only those who really sat through this kind of work would know how fun and boring it was to observe the surroundings and people they knew every day. After making fun of everyone's movements outside of his mind,
Juan looked at the clock on the room's wall and saw that it was already 9 a.m. He took out the service phone at the side of the table and dialed the number the supervisor told him about. It was also listed on the piece of paper printed at the side of the table.
It was for ordering food. Ring Ring Clank—
"Hello, sir, what would you like to order today?" A female voice rang from the other side of the phone. Remembering that the food ordered will be free every day for morning, lunch, and evening. Juan ordered some pizza, ice cream, and cola.
There's no need for mineral water, as there's a water dispenser at the side for him to drink from. "I didn't expect this work to be more great than expected." Juan signed because of this company's generosity.
Other companies have too much office politics; he just didn't know if it was because of his position that nothing had happened to him like that. Are the company even thought of the cost from every snacks of every employee?
Juan didn't care, more like he didn't want that kind of topic to find it's way outside. As that might end their free food everyday.
A while later, he saw the delivered food and drinks outside on the monitor. One of the security bodyguards called him for confirmation before it was delivered to him by hand. Juan thanked the security guard as he gave him two bottles of cola.
"Have some cola, my friend." Juan smiled as he closed the door. The security guard outside smiled and thanked him before leaving.