"Oh my God, someone like you, whose life is already impoverished, talks too much. Just answer my question!" replied Lucien with an increasingly disdainful gaze.
"Two and a half million rupiahs, you know! And now the sky is still bright. We will stay open longer because it's the holiday season, and many domestic helpers are going back to their hometowns. It should be more than that!" replied Zuko emotionally.
"I don't know how much it costs to run such an insignificant business like this, but with that much profit in one day, employing only one staff seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?" responded Lucien, puzzled.
"When it comes to that, I requested the shop owner myself," Zuko replied, "I'm willing to work alone even if I have to die so I can get paid more at a time like this. I need to raise a lot of money soon because I will soon be kicked out of the orphanage."
"Kicked out...?"
"So, I ask for your understanding, Young Master!"
"Then let me fill in your turnover today," Lucien said easily as he put his debit card near the cash register, "Plus the cost of renting this place for one day. Just total. I'll pay for everything."
"Ready, Boss," Zuko confirmed, his face immediately turning into enthusiasm. With enthusiasm, he immediately closed the sliding iron door on the front and locked the glass door on the inside. Cklek jglek cklek jgleek zreeek!!!
Once the situation was safely under control, the two seventeen years old teenagers sat side by side on the clean shop floor, as Zuko made it a habit to sweep and mop several times a day. If there was even a slight stain, he would immediately sweep it away. If there was a little dirt, he would instantly mop it. Zuko had the intention of making the grocery store owner dependent on him and continuously considering employing him, trusting blindly in his flawless performance.
If that's the case, it doesn't matter whether he wants to be kicked out of the orphanage.
"Just take as many snacks as the price I paid earlier," Lucien ordered while checking the Viatrix Upheaval game notification on his mobile.
"Oh, I'm so glad to have a buyer like you who makes my job so much easier today," Zuko said as he unwrapped a potato chip and started eating it. "But shouldn't you act more mature in facing the responsibilities as a wealthy person's child?" He thought he had never eaten anything feeling this free before.
"Actually, today is my birthday," Lucien shared, or Raidyn, as his family and friends call him.
KRAUPP KRAUPP KRAUPP. While listening to his best friend's story, Zuko was still serious about enjoying the food that was quite luxurious for him.
Lucien continued, "But, instead of giving me a gift or at least a birthday wish, they just keep giving me tasks, tasks, and more tasks, only obligations. I don't even know why I continue living if one day those tasks stop coming." His face looked very bleak as he said that. He turned off his screen.
Zuko stood up to grab a bottle of sweet drink from one of the fridges. "Have a sip of this first," he said, offering the drink to Lucien. "You're probably just tired. Let your parents know if you feel exhausted. If needed, threaten to run away or just commit suicide," he suggested.
A useless suggestion, thought Lucien. "My parents are very sensitive to such matters. Instead of giving me what I want, my life will only become more burdensome."
"So, there are drawbacks to being a rich kid, huh?" Zuko remarked, lifting his head and gazing at the row of feminine hygiene products placed on the top shelf.
"No drawbacks at all!" Lucien quickly replied, turning towards Zuko with a confident look.
"Hmm, what do you mean?" the teenager asked again, not understanding due to the contradictory statements.
"So being a rich kid is incredibly enjoyable. There's absolutely nothing unpleasant about it. You'll never suffer or lack money. Everything you desire can easily come true. You live in an extremely luxurious and grand house with the services of dozens of household staff. You also don't have to bother if you want to go anywhere."
Zuko instead looked at his best friend with pitying eyes.
"Isn't it just wonderful?" Lucien asked with an empty and vacant look, resembling someone with a troubled mind.
Ah? Eh? Is he using figures of speech? Hyperbole, perhaps? Metaphor? Interminable contradiction? Irony or antithesis? "I know you're feeling down, bro. But you don't need to say things like that in front of an orphan like me, right?" Zuko's response was subconsciously carried away.
"Not even a single person in this world genuinely wishes me a happy birthday," Lucien said again, bowing his head in increasing sadness.
Zuko immediately felt remorseful. "Uh, um, sorry. I want to say that before. I mean, happy birthday, Young Master Lucien."
While looking a little, Lucien replied softly, "It's too late."
"By the way, I just found out you were born on New Year's. Your name is Gemini, right?" he said, honestly surprised. Zuko's real name, Zuko Fazaira Caligo Jayengrana, is a Gemini, while Lucien, a Capricorn, has a name, as far as he knows, Lucien Gemini, just like the character's name in the online game that brought them together, Viatrix Upheaval.
"Heh, the story is long and wide," Lucien responded, not wanting to continue discussing the uniqueness of his name. He stood up and walked towards the shelf containing instant cup noodles. He wanted to make a cup of instant noodles for himself and Zuko, who has the character name Prince of Fire Zuko, similar to the name of one of the main characters in a famous cartoon series.
Zuko also stood up and walked behind the cashier counter, saying, "Actually, our daily turnover is only around one to two million. Not even two and a half million. But I'd be really happy if you really want to take home items worth that much."
"Are you crazy? How could I bring something worth that home? Even if I go by car, the car my family gives me to use every day can only accommodate two passengers, you know," he said excitedly while holding up his index and middle fingers in front of Zuko's nose.
"So, what should I do?" Zuko asked, still dealing with some payment processes on the computer. Click click click.
"Just open a line in front of this store. Just give it to people who need it," Lucien replied, walking back towards Zuko with two instant cup noodles in hand. "Here," he offered, almost splashing the hot water inside.
As Zuko was about to take them, "Thank you, but y—"
DDDUUU DDDUUU DDDUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAARRR!!! A super loud sound, like a falling comet or something, resonated even to the point of making the ground shake. Zzzrrkk zzzrrkk zzzrrkk. Zuko immediately gripped onto the cashier counter. Greph. Meanwhile, Lucien fell, his body thrown against the wall, getting splashed with hot instant noodle broth. Bruaaakh cpyaash.
"Aaaaaaakh, f*ck, sh*t!!!"
In panic, Zuko quickly approached the teenager who was groaning in pain. "Lu, Luci..." He was worried that something might happen to the wealthy teenager, and he could be asked to pay for damages.
DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK!!!
"OPEN UP!!!"
"OPEN THE DOOR!!!"
"LET US IN!!!"
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKHHH!!!"
DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK DDOKK!!!
The banging on the door became even more brutal. Zuko, unsure of what was happening, was torn between wanting to save his friend or opening the door to find out what was going on outside.
"Aaaakkhh," Lucien groaned in increasing pain. His skin reddened, blistering, and felt like it was burning. However, the situation seemed to have turned dire for reasons they didn't yet understand. Lucien stood up, trying to endure the pain, and approached Zuko, who was anxiously standing in front of the door.
"I don't know what's happening," Zuko said softly. He was confused and scared, and all the negative emotions were haunting him. He couldn't even muster the strength to unlock the door because his entire body was trembling with worry.
What was happening outside?
"The game I played today has become reality, or reality has become the game I played today, or perhaps there's another reality within the game I played today?"