He muttered to himself, "C'mon, Derrick… where are you?" Hanging up, he clenched his phone with a made-up mind.
Since Derrick didn't show up today, he'd definitely go check on him after work and his scheduled meeting.
A coworker nearby, noticing his frustration, raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong, August?"
August sighed, shrugging it off. "Just worried about a friend. He's been out for a couple of days without a word."
The coworker nodded. "That's tough. Hopefully, he's alright. You know how things can get in this city."
August gave a small nod. "Yeah… thanks. I'll check in on him later." With that, he put his phone away, preparing to tackle the second half of the shift.
As they returned to work, his thoughts drifted back to the gold coin he had extracted.
It looked like he might take care of his pitiful financial situation faster than he anticipated.
"One step at a time," he reminded himself, focusing back on his tasks.