While a live-action K-drama of the supernatural world was unfolding at the edge of the luxury complex, a fate far more tragic and absurd was befalling Hasna in another part of town.
After being kicked off the back of Xavier's sport bike because she was supposedly making the ride too heavy, Hasna was forced to walk to her new home's address in this world. As the original author who created this novel's world, she knew she had transmigrated into the body of a pathetic girl from a completely broken home. Her father was a heavy alcoholic, while her mother worked as a lady of the night.
"Damn it... why did I have to think about such a depressing season two plot while I was in the bathroom? And why was I cursed with a life like this? Although, I should be grateful that Luca, Raffa, and Xavier don't know I'm their creator yet... if they did, I'd be dead on the spot. But seriously, who even pulled me here?! I would've preferred being pulled into a manhwa world as a female lead destined to marry a handsome, kind, and wealthy Duke. Instead, here I am—forget about marrying a Duke, I'm lucky to even be alive," Hasna muttered, lamenting her fate as she trudged weakly down the dimly lit, deserted sidewalk.
"If I had known this, I would've rewritten the novel and made my background that of a billionaire's daughter like Luca!"
Just as Hasna finished cursing her luck, two burly men in black leather jackets and face masks suddenly jumped out from a narrow alley, blocking her path.
SREEEET!
A small pocket knife flicked open in front of Hasna's face.
"Hey, girl! Hand over all your valuables if you want to stay safe! Wallet and phone, hurry up!" threatened Robber A in a voice he tried to make sound terrifying.
Hasna blinked blankly. She stared at the pocket knife, then at the two robbers in front of her with a hollow, resigned look. Her soul was just too tired to deal with the reality of this isekai.
'His voice is so annoying... it's making my ears hurt... but whatever... I can't do anything about it. I know Taekwondo, but for some reason, looking at these two petty thieves, I feel sorry for them. Their lives must be even more miserable than mine.'
Without a fight, Hasna took off her worn-out backpack and handed it over.
"Here. Just take it all, guys. Take it," Hasna said weakly, sounding incredibly sincere.
Robber A and Robber B looked at each other, confused because their victim hadn't screamed or cried at all. In a rush, Robber A unzipped Hasna's bag and rummaged through it.
"Zonk, dammit!" Robber A cursed after checking the bag's contents.
"It's just a tattered notebook, a dry pen, and a thin wallet!"
Robber B snatched the cheap fabric wallet and opened it under the dim streetlights. Once opened, the wallet was completely empty. There wasn't a single cent inside. There wasn't even an ATM card; the only things left were a community health center card and a receipt for instant noodles from three weeks ago, the ink almost faded away.
Robber B paused. He stared at the empty wallet, then at Hasna's appearance, noting her school uniform and shoes that were already coming apart at the toes.
Robber B's conscience, though small as dust, suddenly vibrated violently. His sympathy was triggered in full force.
"Hey... you... do you really not have any money at all?" Robber B asked, his voice softening completely, all the "tough guy" act gone.
"You saw it yourself, didn't you? Forget money, I don't even have any hope left in life," Hasna replied as she leaned passively against an electric pole, staring at the night sky with a vacant gaze.
Robber B sighed heavily. He reached into his own pocket, took out a fifty-thousand-rupiah note from their previous robbery, and hurriedly slipped it into Hasna's fabric wallet.
"Hey, what are you doing, you idiot?!" Robber A exclaimed in shock, trying to snatch the money back. "We're out here robbing to make money, why are you donating?!"
"I can't help it, Jon! Look at her face, it's so pitiful! We're criminals, sure, but we've still got empathy!" Robber B retorted, swatting his friend's hand away and returning the wallet to Hasna. "Here, Kid. Take it. Use it to catch a ride tomorrow morning. Don't be sad anymore."
Hasna took her wallet back. Seeing such unexpected kindness from a criminal, Hasna's mental defense collapsed.
"Thank you, Mr. Thief, with the face of a monkey and the manners of an ape, but the heart of a marshmallow... Honestly, my life is so heavy," Hasna sobbed, tears beginning to flow. "I just got home from school this late. At home, my old man is probably drunk, breaking bottles. My mom is never home because she's busy working as a lady of the night. I don't know where else to go..."
Robber A, who had been fierce moments ago, lowered his knife. His mouth fell open, stunned to hear the suffering of the girl in front of him. His mind drifted back to his own past.
"Hiks..."
A heavy sobbing sound was heard. It turned out Robber A had started to tear up.
"G-Gosh... your story is so similar to my childhood, Kid..." Robber A whispered, crouching down on the sidewalk while holding his head. "Back then, my old man was an alcoholic too... every day his job was beating me with his belt. That's why I ran away from home and ended up as an amateur robber like this! HUWAAAA! IT HURTS SO MUCH TO REMEMBER!"
Robber B crouched down next to his friend, tears streaming down his face, soaking his mask.
"You had it better, Jon! What about me? My mom ran off with a boy-toy from a social gathering, and my dad remarried a dangdut singer! We both became criminals because we're victims of a broken home, Kid! HUWAAAAA!"
Finally, on that quiet, dimly lit street, the most absurd scene in the history of criminality was born: Two burly robbers and a young woman teacher sat in a circle on the sidewalk, sobbing their hearts out together while trading stories of their respective family miseries.
"It's okay, guys... it's okay... stop crying," said Hasna, who was now busy patting Robber A's shoulder to calm him down. "Let the past be the past..."
"We can't, Kid! We're honestly so moved by your resilience! From tonight on, you are not allowed to walk down quiet streets alone! Let us two be your bodyguards until your front door!" Robber B wailed, sniffling.
In the end, the quiet street witnessed it all. Hasna walked in the middle, escorted by two burly robbers on her right and left, both walking while sniffling. Instead of being traumatized by a robbery, Hasna felt like she was conducting a free mobile counseling session.
"Besides, guys... it's better for you two, you only have to worry about robbery targets," Hasna vented, adjusting her backpack. "What about me? My side job... I mean, my job at school is being a Guidance Counselor. Do you know what it's like to deal with students these days? The mental burden is sky-high!"
Robber A wiped his runny nose with the sleeve of his leather jacket.
"Why, what's wrong with your students? Are they fighting with holy ta'aruf sickles?"
"It's not even just fighting, guys! I have one student, his name is Xavier. His face is as flat as a plywood wall, but when he talks, his words are spicier than level 30 seblak! And his brain is super sharp, but he uses his functionality for inefficient supernatural stuff! Yesterday, he destroyed the lock of an old school building just because his hat was stolen by a kuntilanak, and then he turned around and hazed the kuntilanak until she had a mental breakdown! And I'm the one who had to deal with the report to the principal!" Hasna ranted enthusiastically, pouring out all her emotions as an author overwhelmed by her own plot.
"Wow, that's terrible. Your student lacks proper moral upbringing," Robber B replied, shaking his head in sympathy. He sighed deeply, taking his turn to complain about his professional struggles. "But Kid, being a robber isn't easy either. The competition is tight, and the victims are often uncooperative."
"How are they uncooperative, Bang?" Hasna asked curiously.
Robber B snorted with annoyance.
"Last week, I intercepted a wealthy old man in the alley ahead. When I threatened him with a knife, he asked, 'Sir, does this knife meet the Indonesian National Standard (SNI)? Is it sterile? If my skin gets infected, will you take responsibility for my health insurance?' Is he crazy?! I started overthinking! My intention was to get quick dirty money, but instead, I got lectured on the hygiene of sharp weapons! In the end, I put the knife away and went home crying!"
"Yeah, Kid! What Jon said is so true!" Robber A added, feeling emotional. "Two days ago, I got a mother as a victim. When I asked for her wallet, she yelled back at me. I was lectured for an hour, called a lazy man with no capital, reminded why I'm still single, and in the end, I was told to help her carry a gallon of water to the third floor of her house! And she didn't even give me cigarette money! We're robbers, Kid, we have dignity, not a moving and delivery service!"
Hasna immediately covered her mouth, stifling laughter mixed with pity for these two amateur criminals, her stomach cramping from hearing the professional grievances of the two men beside her.
"Be patient, guys, be patient... Making money in this world is never easy."
Without them realizing it, in the middle of their soul-searching session, their steps slowed down as they passed a cheap roadside motel.
From the exit, a middle-aged woman appeared wearing super tight clothes, her hair teased high, and heavy makeup that had already started to run. She was walking, clinging spoiledly to the arm of a middle-aged man in a crumpled shirt who appeared to be her client for the night.
Hasna froze instantly. Based on the transmigration memories in her brain and her first meeting since she woke up, the heavy-makeup woman was none other than her own mother.
Seeing her mother walking towards them, Hasna reflexively took a deep breath, preparing for a moving family drama moment on the side of the road. She prepared herself to greet her with a trembling voice, "Mama..."
However, before the word could come out of Hasna's throat, the heavy-makeup mother glanced at Hasna. Her eyes stared flatly at Hasna's teacher uniform, then glanced at the two criminal-looking robbers on her right and left.
"Monkey child," she muttered softly, but still audible to her daughter.
'If I'm a monkey child, then that means you're a monkey mama...', Hasna thought, trying to maintain her pitiful face.
As if knowing what her daughter was thinking, without a care in the world, the mother looked away, speeding up her pace while whispering flirtatiously to her client, "Oh Yang, come on, let's get in the car. The streets are full of young jamet teachers who hang out with market thugs, it's so scary... let's go, let's go..."
Wuuush...
The woman got into the client's old sedan and sped away, leaving a puff of exhaust smoke in Hasna's face. She really pretended not to recognize her own biological daughter to maintain the professionalism of her night job.
Hasna stood paralyzed on the sidewalk, staring at the remaining exhaust smoke with a deeply hollow look. The pain wasn't that bad, but the embarrassment in front of these two robbers was truly unbearable.
Robber A and Robber B slowly turned, looking at Hasna with eyes that were teary once again, far more dramatic than before.
"D-Dek... was that..." Robber A covered his mouth, holding back tears.
"Yeah, Bang... that was my mom," Hasna replied in a voice as flat as Xavier's robot persona.
"HUWAAAAAA! HOW CRUEL! CONSIDERING HER OWN CHILD A MARKET JAMET!" Robber B burst into tears, hugging Robber A while wailing on the side of the highway. "Kid, you are so strong! If I were you, I would've signed up for a cult tonight! You're so pitiful, Kid! HUWAAAAA!"
Hasna could only let out a long sigh, patting the shoulders of the two burly robbers with resignation under the streetlight.
'So embarrassing, dammit!!!!'
While Luca's team was busy watching supernatural K-drama and Hasna was being comforted by two robbers, the atmosphere in another part of the world was feeling tense and filled with mystery.
Inside a pitch-black room isolated from the outside world, there was only a faint light reflecting from the holographic system screens floating in the air. The screens displayed data on Luca's school, complete with a map of the empty house being visited by Luca's team tonight.
A young man with a physique as proportional as a star stood stiffly in front of the main screen.
Yes... He was Albiru.
The young man stared at Luca's photo displayed on the holographic screen with eyes filled with a mixture of emotions—between deep longing, guilt, and dark ambition. His heart beat fast every time he saw that face.
The face of his beloved younger sibling in his first life who died tragically and ridiculously because of a neighbor's laundry rack at the boarding house, which made Albiru's sanity crumble until he followed him to death.
Albiru clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white. He breathed heavily, holding the burden of past memories that had tortured him while trapped inside this system.
"Zenra..." Albiru whispered, his voice hoarse and trembling violently. "Finally... I can find you again in this world."
Albiru stepped forward, his cold fingers touching the surface of the holographic screen, right on Luca's face. A thin, mysterious, and dangerous smile etched itself onto his handsome face. A thick aura of dominance instantly radiated from his body, as if he were the absolute ruler who created all the supernatural anomalies and controlled the fate of this new world from behind the screen.
"Wait for me, Zenra. Big brother will make this world kneel under our control," Albiru muttered with a cold voice that echoed in the empty room. "You promised me before, didn't you, that you'd be the grass if I were the sky..."
"Anyone who dares to separate us again... I will make sure they vanish from this universe."
With a wave of his hand, all the system's holographic screens suddenly died, plunging the room into total darkness that hid his grand plans for tomorrow.