Corrupted Innocence

The entire weekend passed with me doing nothing but reading various posts on social media and observing different reactions from people regarding the deaths of Joseph Trilan and Red Scaver. Some websites even emerged, showing their support for The Fool, whom everyone thinks is the mastermind behind the killings of abusive individuals.

Personally, I remain unaffected by these actions. I'm not too thrilled that many people are spreading claims that they know or have information about The Fool. As usual, influencers are gearing up to upload videos, thinking they know it all. They're YouTubers who believe they possess all the answers.

They even go as far as uploading so-called evidence, claiming that the crow seen in the CCTV footage is linked to the Illuminati. "Fools," I muttered to myself, dismissing these self-proclaimed knowledgeable YouTubers.

Honestly, I'm getting annoyed with these self-proclaimed influencers. They keep spreading and boasting that they're influencers, but if you look at the content on their channels, it's all about obscenity, pranks, showing off, and whatnot. "Stupid!"

Because of these people, the minds of the youth become even more corrupted. They influence them with negative things, making the youngsters think that what they see in those videos is normal behavior.

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And back to reality, here I am again, inside the office, a programmer with nothing else to do but fix the bugs in the code of my junior members. Sigh... Why is life so challenging? I still need to work to pay my rent and other expenses. Even though I have this unique ability, I don't want to exploit it for personal gain. So here I am, still enslaved to coding and required to clock in 8 hours every day.

"Dude, check out this wallpaper I have with a Tarot card, 'The Fool,'" I suddenly heard one of my colleagues say to his friend.

Intrigued, I approached them as they gathered around the desk of the guy who was talking. He was showing off various designs of Tarot cards on his computer, all of them featuring 'The Fool' card. It seems my colleague has become a fan of 'The Fool.'

As they marveled at their pictures, someone scolded them, reminding them that it's still work hours and they shouldn't be chatting. They quickly returned to their seats, and the one who scolded them turned out to be Lara.

She walked towards me, carrying a paper bag. "Daniel!" she called, handing me the bag. I peeked inside and saw my clothes that she had washed.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed as I suddenly remembered the clothes, I borrowed from her on my way home. I washed them but forgot to bring them back to return them today. I got too absorbed in reading things on social media, and it slipped my mind.

I thanked her for returning my clothes and apologized for not bringing back hers. She understood and mentioned that she wasn't in a hurry to get them back. She still had plenty of clothes to wear, she added.

But even though I had already thanked her and received my clothes, she still kept looking at me with a smile. I couldn't read her mind, so I asked, "Hmm, why? Did I forget something else?" She suddenly frowned, and I was puzzled about what to do. I tried to think of anything else I might have forgotten, aside from returning her clothes.

Suddenly, a familiar voice whispered to me – the crow! It reminded me why Lara was upset. "Your promise of lunch for her!" Oh right, I did promise to treat her to lunch today as a token of gratitude for her help the other day.

"Oh, right, Lara! Sorry, I almost forgot," I said to her, and she smiled again, the frown disappearing from her face. I handed her some money and said, "Here, this should be enough to buy whatever you want from the canteen." But as I reached out to give it to her, she suddenly slapped me hard.

"Are you crazy? You're going to give me money and let me eat alone?" she scolded angrily, seemingly irritated. It turns out she wanted us to have lunch together. Well, how was I supposed to know? I'm not familiar with these things. I quickly fixed my PC, stood up, and joined Lara for lunch.

"Ooh, are you two on a date?" teased one of our officemates who overheard our conversation. "Ah, no, sir," I replied, intending to explain further, but Lara pulled me away, telling our officemate to just leave it be.

When we entered the canteen, there were still many vacant seats. We had about 30 minutes left before our lunch break exactly at 12 PM. I didn't really know why Lara was in such a hurry. Maybe she preferred a less crowded place, so she chose to have her lunch break earlier. Well, that's fine with me. I also don't like seeing too many people around.

After buying our food (of course, I paid because it was my treat), we found a spot at the far end. This place was somewhat hidden, so our other officemates wouldn't easily spot us if they decided to go to the canteen too.

wearing just a tank top? Did you get up to some mischief?" Lara asked me with a serious tone.

She seemed to think that I probably came from a motel, hence my outfit. I corrected her and explained that when she first saw me at the motel, I was alone, and I usually go there alone. She might have this idea that I frequently visit motels every weekend. I clarified that I visited a relative last Saturday, and I just happened to get caught in the rain. Lara seemed convinced, and she didn't inquire further about it.

She also mentioned that she's relieved I'm not someone who frequents motels for illicit activities. She said she couldn't imagine me being that kind of person.

Now that Lara's doubt about me has been cleared, I feel more at ease, and I don't need to explain things further. While we were having lunch, I remembered that I left my phone at Lara's house last Saturday. I reminded her about it, and she just laughed. She mentioned that I'm quite forgetful, leaving things behind. She added that it's a good thing she's a good person; otherwise, she might have sold it to make some extra money.

She handed me my cellphone, and she asked why I didn't immediately retrieve it from her house. It's just a short walk to my apartment, and she wondered why I let it go until Monday. I explained that there was nothing important on my phone—just mobile games—and I wasn't expecting any important calls.

She told me to unlocked my phone and took it again. I was puzzled about why she did that, but then I saw her typing on it, saving her personal contact number.

"There you go! Now, I have your contact. So, don't forget your phone again because you can call me or I might call you anytime," she said.

I unintentionally grimaced at what she did, and Lara noticed it.

"There you go! You do know how to smile!" she teased.

I quickly tried to suppress my smile. Honestly, I enjoyed those moments. I realized that it's okay sometimes to socialize with other people. It was during that time that I also saw not everyone is corrupt, and there are still genuinely good people like Lara.

In my thoughts at that moment, I felt that these are the people I should protect because often, it's these kind-hearted individuals who are taken advantage of by the abusive and powerful persons.

While we were happily eating, Lara suddenly received a call on her cellphone. She checked who it was, and I noticed a change in her expression. She excused herself briefly and answered the call. I opted not to eavesdrop on their conversation as a sign of respect for Lara's privacy, especially since the call seemed serious. After a while, Lara returned to her seat, and a tinge of sadness was evident on her face.

Lara unexpectedly burst into tears, catching me off guard. I was greatly surprised and puzzled. The cheerful smile and laughter she had moments ago were suddenly replaced by a profound sadness after answering the call earlier.

I asked her what happened, or what transpired. She couldn't hold back her emotions any longer, and tears streamed down her face. She uttered words like, "I don't know what to do, Daniel."

"Why? What happened, Lara? Tell me," I expressed genuine concern for her during those moments, wanting to understand why she was crying. When she spoke, it felt like my world was collapsing due to what I learned.

It turns out, Lara's father is Officer Christian, the policeman I manipulated and ordered to shoot Red Scaver. Now, her father has been sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment, and the blame was laid on him by the police.

Overwhelmed with guilt, I felt a deep sense of anxiety, as if I couldn't breathe, and tears welled up in my eyes during those moments. It's my fault. I am the reason why Lara is crying and in pain. I involved an innocent person in seeking revenge against the corrupt system of our government.