Beggars Can't Be Choosers

In a loud and arrogant voice, the spider-tattooed customer spoke, "Dude, just pack up these shits and stop wasting my time."

'…Just great. A spoiled brat to ruin my day even further…' Lenny thought as he observed the obnoxious brat.

Maintaining his composure, he forced a smile, but his gaze remained deadpan as he swept his eyes across the entire group, even acknowledging the couple at the back. 

He calmly replied, "The legal drinking age here in Neapolis is 19, so, can I just see your ID and confirm? It's essential to follow protocol and avoid selling alcohol to minors; otherwise, I risk losing my job."

The edgy brat erupted in anger, disregarding Lenny's explanation. 

"Who gives a rat's ass if you fuckin' get fired?! Pack these shits up, now!" 

His companion, a light brown girl, nonchalantly texting away on her phone, glanced up at Lenny with a puzzled expression on her face. She couldn't understand why the below-average-looking cashier was being difficult for such a small thing.

Witnessing the brewing altercation, the other guy at the back came forward with his girl. He too, wore a black leather jacket but his outfit differed with a black vest, knee-torn crazy jeans, and suede Chelsea boots. 

His long jet-black hair was the typical pretty boy 'wolf cut' with choppy layers, shorter on top and longer on the sides and back. With bright skin, long eyebrows, a streamlined face, and pronounced jaws, he carried an air of maturity and masculinity compared to his friend—even compared to Lenny.

Standing at an impressive height of 6'2", he was over a head taller than Lenny, who was just 5'10".

'…Dammit. Now it's a tall, handsome, rich, and composed brat to show me everything I lack and give me another reason to hate myself. What do they even feed kids these days for crying out loud?' Lenny humored himself inwardly, briefly taking his mind off his frustrations to help him keep his emotions in check in front of a customer.

Appealing to Lenny's sympathy, the handsome brat, probably 18 years old or so, slid a $50 bill across the counter and implored with a charming smile, 

"Look, man, why don't you just help us this once?"

Suppressing a rising irritation, Lenny managed to keep his smile intact under the face mask and politely responded, "I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk. I could get fired."

His gaze casually hovered over the handsome brat's side, quickly observing the girl in his arms. 

'…The brat even has a girlfriend? Dammit Lenny, what're you doing with your life?' He lampooned.

Adorned with fair skin, her straight black—long—hair framed her heart-shaped face gracefully, which had a light touch of makeup. Thin eyebrows and long, dark lashes added depth to her striking slim, brown eyes. With high cheekbones, a delicate nose, and lips with a subtle pink hue, she had the typical prom queen look.

She wore a casual, flowery top with blue jeans and low-heeled sandals.

'…Hmm, I remember that face. But, I can't quite recall. I wonder if she knows me…' Lenny's mind briefly wandered, trying to recall where they might have crossed paths.

The handsome brat, having noticed Lenny's gaze, reduced his smile and read the latter's nametag. 

"Lennard, right? I'm Johan." He introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.

Slightly annoyed, Lenny accepted the handshake, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. Johan, however, seemed determined to establish a connection.

"We know each other's names. We're no more strangers now, are we?" he asked.

"I guess not," Lenny replied with a very noticeable undertone of indifference.

Johan, an unsettling glint in his eyes, then spoke, "Y'know, I don't condone stealing 'cause my dad's the deputy commissioner."

Lenny squinted his eyes, '…And what's my business with that? Does he think I'll care who he's the son of?'

"Good to know," he stated plainly, uncaring.

Johan maintained his smile, took out his wallet, and then slapped two hundred-dollar bills on the counter.

"Why don't we play a game?"

Lenny's eyes darted between Johan and $200, his brow knitted with suspicion and perplexion. "...What?"

Johan's smile remained, accompanied by a smug. 

"You heard me."

He glanced briefly at his companions before locking eyes with Lenny once more and continued, 

"The game is simple, actually. I add $200 for every piece of clothing you take off."

There was a brief moment of silence. It took Lenny a while to process what the handsome brat just said.

Appalled by the audacity of the proposition, he was finally fed up.

"I have to ask you to leave," he asserted firmly, his forehead wrinkling with vexation.

What nonsense was all this? After the ordeal he just suffered some hours ago, he was now going to be humiliated by some dumb brats for their amusement?!

Johan let out a long sigh, seemingly unfazed by Lenny's refusal. 

"Y'know, I can just take the beer and cigarettes and leave the money on the counter. When my dad finds out that you sold them to me, I don't have a clue what would happen to you and this store. It'll be rough for you, won't it? I can't imagine someone that's financially stable working as a cashier for a dead convenience store."

Lenny's face froze. The audacity of this bastard baffled him. 

'Ha, look at this nutjob…' In Lenny's eyes, he was already a walking dead and it was as though Johan was threatening a corpse that he would 'starve' it. A corpse. How absurd was that?

Scoffing inwardly about Johan's brazen tactics to the point of almost bursting out laughter, his lips under the mask stretched slightly as he voiced. 

"You can do your—"

Lenny's eyes widened and he suddenly froze.

A sudden stream of information stormed into his mind with its contents imprinted at the forefront of his memory!

[Task #4: Participate in Johan's game.]

Difficulty: Easy.

Reward: 3 VP.

Ending In: 9 mins 59 secs.

[Optional Task]:

~ Win the game (+5 VP).

Lenny's shock was evident and he remained frozen for a couple of seconds. His eyes dilated, expressing his deep shock.

Glancing down at his phone in the cupboard at the side, the lock screen showed he had gotten a notification from the Top Idol app titled "Task #4".

Immensely bewildered, he confirmed that the information he "remembered" was exactly what was displayed on his phone screen.

It took him a few seconds to take everything in and come to terms with it. He had finally received a task in the most unexpected way. 

"Why are you looking so bewildered? You realized I'm not joking, right?" Johan grinned.

Deciding to postpone the numerous questions plaguing his mind at the moment, Lenny raised his head and quickly studied each member of the group standing before him.

The brat with a spider tattoo on his neck looked upon the situation with a confused expression, but as Lenny's gaze met his, he laughed awkwardly and averted his gaze.

"Dammit. Give us a show already, you bastard," he said.

The brown-skinned girl displayed indifference, preoccupied with her appearance as she reapplied lipstick while echoing her companion's sentiment.

"I don't understand what's even wrong with him. Was his brain eaten by worms or something? He thinks we have all day."

Johan's mouth was curled up slightly, but his girl remained silent, her gaze averted and a hint of fright in her demeanor.

Lenny chuckled and inwardly remarked, 'A strip game? Well, beggars can't be choosers now, can they?'

With a click sound, he unbuckled his belt.