Business block, Zithen family complex, State Zhyphrese, Draconian continent Voldage, and the Year 2041, Planet Grimoire.
Tae-Jun doodled pictures on a pad. He was trying to remember what the brothers looked like, but these were clownish interpretations. So, he no longer could draw? Irritating and aggravating, this was going downhill fast. He waited patiently, though, because that's what was required of him right now.
*...* an annoyed sigh. *Do I really have to do this?* Clearly, the guide was displeased that he even wanted to know about his brothers.
Tae-Jun wasn't in the mood for the attitude she had toward his query. *Hey, I want to be prepared for anything that might happen in the future.*
The guide snorted. *Oh yes, you're doing a wonderful job of that. How many rules of this society have you managed to break so far?*
Rules within the society? Hell, he hadn't even had the chance to learn any of that. I've not had the time for some deep discussions on that type of thing.* Tae-Jun was exasperated. *Just when is that supposed to happen?*
The guide said rudely. *Make time for it, or you may be executed within the next four weeks* She was serious. *You need to have a serious conversation with Cilin. He will explain everything to you in great detail.* She paused. *I recommend that you make time before something else happens.*
huh, so he had done something terminally stupid, hmm? Tae-Jun was rattled. *That opportunity to dive deep into this culture has yet to happen.* He sighed. *Yes, I'm going to do my best to survive.*
When the guide remained skeptically silent, Tae-Jun rolled his eyes. *No, I don't intend to trust the brothers since they'd evidently betrayed me in the past.*
The guide grunted. *Fine, just finish your current thought, and then I'll give you the basics.* Her reluctant agreement made Tae-Jun sigh in relief.
*Thank you.* Though why they'd done that to him, he didn't know. Maybe he'd been too naive and stupid to live in that past life.
The guide was silent.
*I'd rather know what the four men look like now.* Tae-Jun really hadn't wanted to go to her for this information, but he didn't have a choice with his memory, so he was out of whack. *So that I can avoid trouble in the future.*
She sighed heavily. *All right, now that you've gotten that off your mind,* Her grudging acceptance of his request made Tae-Jun relax. *Make sure you've got something handy to write with. I'm not doing this again since it's technically not allowed.* Her warning made him wince.
Tae-Jun found a pad of paper and a pen. *Okay, I'm ready for you to begin.*
The guide sighed wearily. *The oldest was Thera Beom-Su, 23; he had shoulder-length brownish blond streaked hair, rounded hazel-green eyes, and tanned skin. He goes by Tygris Montmartres with the same appearance but is only 16. He's a young master and worse than immature. He will be part of the round of recruited talent to make up the numbers.*
Tae-Jun winced as he listened.
She sounded revolted as she spoke. *Next was Thera Woo-Sung, 22, with white-blond hair, black eyes, and pale complexion. Again, it has the same appearance but goes by the name Lakatos Tang-Rha, 19, and is part of a fairly ancient lineage. Not a spoiled young master, but not poor either. He's one of the support staff to the incoming talents. Though he might get recruited from sheer dumb luck.*
There was a moment of silence before she asked. *Are You getting all of this down?*
Tae-Jun just finished writing the last bit. *Yes, I just didn't want to break your concentration.* He informed her with a small smile. *I also didn't want to be too distracted by other activities.* Soon, he would have to stop so that he could eat since Cilin was going through so much trouble making such a delicious meal.
The guide laughed softly. *Unlike before, at least you have your priorities in order.* The guide commented with approval. *All right, here are the last two.* She exhaled wearily. *Thera Han-Gyeol, 18, had black hair with crimson highlights, dark green eyes, and a tanned complexion. He retained his appearance as well but has the name of Donner Atkins; he's 23 years old and is already one of the producers of songs for the program. Coming up last is Thera Ji-Ha, who was 15 years old. He had black hair, light green eyes, and an ashen complexion. Now, he's completely different. Long green hair and scarlet eyes and is a reptilian water dracaena from Conifer state. He's 18 and goes by the name of Silas Lassiter. He's from an elite family but isn't a snob. He'll be joining the recruits.* She sighed. *I hope you got all of that down. Unlike you five, I have to deal with some other charges regarding who transmigrated rather than reincarnated.* Silence followed her last statement.
Now, Tae-Jun had to buckle down and accomplish something worthy of repute. He couldn't just pretend to do work; he had to make a success of this latest opportunity for a new life. He sighed with relief. *Thank you for being patient with me. I shall do my utmost to accomplish the final goal of making a debut.* Even as he said it, Tae-Jun knew she'd already left. The vibrant energy emitted whenever she was around gone. It reminded him of someone who'd been very precious but lost her life when still a young child, not even three years of age.
His chest tightened with grief he could not express even after all those years passed. Bah, who would even care anymore? Tae-Jun shook his head wearily. His earlier energy faded as he realized the enormous, seemingly futile task before him.
Tae-Jun glanced over his scrawled notes. He rewrote the information more legibly on a separate piece of paper since most people couldn't read his chicken scratch of a scrawled character used for his initials. "I have a list of what the four will be appearing as. Evidently, at least one might already be on the premises."
Well, at least he knew what he was facing in the future. Tae-Jun stared at what he'd written in silence. Of all of them, only Ji-Ha remained the same age as he. This was going to be very worrisome indeed. He hoped that Cilin could shed some light on these families or the countries they hailed from.