A man entered the room and placed a stack of papers and photographs on the table in front of Yohan.
"They lied to you... @#$€£#%.... but he's dying, Yohan..."
"Come with me, I'll take you to... %$@#&€¥...."
In a flash, the mysterious man whisked Yohan away to an enormous mansion. One of the servants guided him through winding hallways until he found himself face-to-face with another man seated cross-legged in a dimly-lit room.
As soon as the stranger lifted his head and looked at Yohan, everything around Yohan seemed to spiral out of control - even the stranger's features appeared distorted and blurry. He struggled to focus on what was happening until he finally managed to meet the stranger's kind gaze.
"#$%#@&&#... is true... You..."
The next thing he knew, blinding white light had enveloped his senses and sent him tumbling into darkness once more.
And then reality pulled him back with a jolt, bringing him fully awake.
Yohan stretched and yawned as he opened his eyes. He felt like he had just woken up from a strange dream but couldn't remember it clearly. Shaking off the grogginess, he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up for the day ahead.
*
*
*
Yohan and Landon were completely absorbed in their shopping for household appliances at the department store. After taking a tour of the apartment that Landon had shown him, Yohan found himself eager to fill it with everything he would need. As they strolled through the aisles, Landon was practically throwing items into their cart while exclaiming excitedly.
"Shop all you want Yohan! You have plenty of money now."
Earlier that day, while inspecting the apartment's rooms together, Yohan had taken out a handkerchief containing an exquisite jade bangle and shown it to Landon. The sight of such precious gemstone caused Landon's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Yohan..." he said slowly as if contemplating something important. "If this is real jade... you could use it to buy this entire apartment instead of just renting it! Well done on snagging such a valuable item, I'm sure your uncle must be furious to find out it's gone!" Landon exclaimed, his voice full of laughter and good cheer. "But in order to avoid getting caught, let me sell it for you... unless you don't trust me?"
Landon held the bangle with sparkling eyes as he imagined the possibilities of its value. Yohan couldn't help but chuckle at Landon's excitement and was relieved that his friend didn't mind when he revealed how he had obtained it.
"I trust you completely, Landon." Yohan said sincerely. "And if possible, I'd even like to offer you 20% of the sales as a token of my appreciation."
Landon's eyes gleamed with excitement at the prospect of such a generous commission. "Deal!" he exclaimed, flashing Yohan a broad smile.
As they continued their shopping spree through the store, Landon offered Yohan helpful advice on which appliances were worth buying and which ones to avoid. They had soon gathered everything they needed for the new apartment and headed to the checkout counter.
Not long after, Yohan and Landon finished paying for their household appliances, pushing two trollies brimming with gadgets. However, the heat and exertion seemed to have sapped all energy from Landon's limbs, as he pushed his trolley like a robotic machine running low on battery.
"Ah... I'm famished..." Landon groaned.
"Why don't we grab lunch before heading back to apartment?" Yohan suggested after they exited the store.
Instantly perking up at the mention of food, Landon steered his trolley towards a nearby restaurant without any hesitation.
"Cool! Let's hurry!" he exclaimed in excitement while leading them there.
They soon found themselves seated inside a pizzeria munching on some delicious pizza pies. After devouring their meals with relish, Yohan told Landon that he needed to use the restroom before they returned to their apartment.
Once inside the toilet cubicle, Yohan quickly finished his business and emerged from the stall. However, when he approached the sink to wash his hands, he was met with an unexpected sight.
A man was already standing at one of the sinks, also washing his hands. The two men locked eyes in mutual surprise as they caught each other's reflection in the mirror. Both men stood there silently, staring at each other without any words to say. It wasn't the first time they had run into each other like this over these past few days, yet every encounter seemed to leave them both stunned and speechless.
As the man finally finished washing his hands and began to dried them, Yohan remembered what the man had said about him being a pervert yesterday, and he felt compelled to ask for an explanation. But just as he was about to speak up, the man turned around and started walking away. Yohan became nervous at the sight of him leaving.
"Wait! I have something to say! I-"
Yohan called out, but it was too late. The man continued walking away from him. Determined not to let this opportunity slip away again, Yohan took off after him, only to slip on some water on the floor and lose his footing completely.
His hands flailed wildly trying to find something solid to hold onto until they finally latched onto something supple and firm...
"I... AM A... PERVERT!!!"
He screamed at top of his lungs in sheer panic.
He desperately wanted to clarify that he wasn't a pervert - but in his panic and confusion as he slipped, Yohan forgot the crucial word 'not'.
Even the janitor who had just entered the restroom couldn't help but stared at Yohan with wide eyes, as he declared himself a pervert and grabbed onto the ass of the handsome man standing before him. He covered his mouth with one hand as he watched Yohan holding onto the man's buttocks for dear life.
Yohan's hands felt numb holding onto that solid yet supple thing, until he finally realized what he was gripping so tightly. For the first time in both of his lives, he wished to bury himself alive and dissapear from this world forever.
Goodbye cruel world... thank you for these three days of my second chance at life...
Yohan thought despairingly to himself before letting out a scream of frustration and self-loathing that echoed throughout the restroom.