One and a half hours were up and it was time to reconvene with everyone else at the food court. Frankly, Sun-young felt annoyed. There was so much to explore in the mall and she and Marta barely managed to scratch the surface.

In her arms, she was carrying several bags of food. Guilds replaced companies in every sense, including markets and food. For Sun-young, she took a liking to a small-time guild that specialized in Southeast Asian food, her hand occupied one such food. Hotteok, a sweet pancake filled with honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts—folded and wrapped in paper, making it convenient to carry on the go.

Marta blinked and eyed her from the corner of her eye. A question that had been brewing since forever was finally coming to the front of her voice. “I-is it offensive to ask how you never get fat?”

A big bite later, Sun-young replied, “I walk a lot. Before, it was my campus. Here, it's the Nebulous Bazaar.”

“Is that really why?”

“Yes.”

‘I mean, it’s either that or I say good genetics, and that’s the worst possible answer.’

“Eh, you said sashimi was overrated and that came out not to be true.”

“Agree to disagree,” Sun-young said.

Finding Kazi in the food court was very easy. Probably too easy and not for the reasons you might think. Kazi might have been nice and open-minded, but upon retrospect, he was very calm. Very…regal.

Yeah, that was the way to put it: elbow on the table, hand cupping his face, he was simply regal.

The reality was that Kazi was absurdly good-looking. A perfect male specimen that was taken from a television series and plastered into reality. Clean shaven, hazel eyes full of love and admiration, and hair that seemed unruly yet unwaveringly attractive. The kind of beauty that made heads turn and women smile and giggle to one another. There was a degree of discomfort because it made everyone else seem so plain in comparison. Sitting at a table, minding his own business, Kazi brightened and waved at them.

Yeah, it wasn’t fun. Sun-young didn’t consider herself ugly. During her very first shopping session, she bought numerous kits of make-up and skincare products and did her best to copy her old morning routine. Cleanser, refiner, emulsion, and essence—Sun-young was quite picky with her skin. However, due to the lack of facilities and modern day products in the White Abyss, she couldn’t wholeheartedly replicate what she did before.

Luckily, she had met a woman from the late Josean era that took a liking to her and understood her concerns. She gave sound recommendations that came close to her modern tastes. While it was uncomfortable to have to go to public, guild-sponsored restrooms to freshen herself up, at the end of the day, Sun-young went outside with pride.

But Kazi? Everyday, he looked the same. Everyday, he wore the same black garbs that had been bestowed to the players by the Angel of Death and he wore them proudly. Even if Sun-young had her old stuff, she still wouldn't compare to Kazi's effortless magnetism. Which especially sucked for Marta who was even more self-conscious than Sun-young.

Coincidentally, Elena arrived at the table at the same moment Sun-young and Marta did. Shopping bags hung from her arms and she had changed into a dark blue floral dress. As usual, the brunette got to talking with Marta.

“Oh, you got your eyebrows done! You should have invited me,” Elena said.

“S-sorry.” Marta's lips were in a flat smile. “Next time?”

“Next time,” Elena affirmed. “But how was it? I’ve never done eyebrow stuff before. Call me old-fashioned.”

“Oh, well, usually, it’s great.” Marta stopped right there, her face scrunching up. “But the salons here are…”

As if reading their minds, Kazi chuckled.

“It was…” Sun-young trailed off, struggling to explain. “The weirdest experience of my life.”

Elena glanced between them, intrigued. “Oh?”

Most salons were run by the Greeks. Issue was that the Greeks believed that unibrows were the epitome of beauty. Okay, maybe for them, sure, but not for Sun-young and Marta. They liked their disconnected eyebrows, thank you very much.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“We ended up going to a salon owned by the Alhambra Guardians. There was a lady there that really knew her stuff. The line-up was super long but I think it was worth it,” Marta explained.

“Sounds fun! Is it painful?”

“You get used to it,” Marta replied.

“Oh, it is painful! I knew it! That’s why I’ve never done threading! It reminds me of needles!” Elena shuddered. “Sharp objects are so…ugh!”

A few minutes later, after some back and forth where Marta assured Elena it was safe, William returned. Following him was David, then Aisha. Sun-young, who had long since devoured the hotteok (in reality, it had been seven minutes), suggested dinner, to which Kazi said he would pay for everything. After some hoorays, careful analysis of the food court, banter between William and David, and the final selection, the food arrived on a magical silver platter.

Sushi, shawarma, Thai tango, tender and smoky BBQ ribs, and Baklava made straight from the Ottomans. Sun-young’s eyes sparkled as she surveyed the spread laid out before them and she promptly dug in.

“Aisha, I still want to know how you got that VIP card,” William said. “Seriously, that shit sounds expensive.”

“I…know someone rich.” Aisha’s response gave away nothing. “It’s…um…complicated.”

William’s curiosity was too strong and he opened his mouth for another question. Kazi didn’t let him. “Don’t worry, when you’re ready to tell us, then tell us. Unless it’s illegal.” Kazi jokingly gave her a look. “Is it illegal?”

Aisha shook her head and grabbed a tender rib. In her head, since everybody had taken one rib each, Sun-young calculated that four remained. At the very least, she could take two, even though she wanted three—

“Let’s get some more ribs,” Kazi suggested.

Sun-young didn’t consider the suspicious timing. She just nodded along.

“Oh, by the way, there’s a concert coming up soon,” David said. “Guess who is singing?”

Kazi blinked. “Ari?”

“Woah! How did you know that?”

“We met her at the previous Gate,” Kazi replied. “She seemed nice.”

“She’s a nicer singer,” David said, voice rising eagerly. “I’ve been a fan of hers for a couple years but I’ve never been able to go to a concert of hers. Actually, I’ve never got to a concert, period.”

“Might as well do it now,” William joked, “since we're dead.”

David laughed. “Tickets cost a thousand points each. You guys in?”

“I’ll go,” Sun-young said. Ari wasn’t an idol, per say. She wasn’t a part of a group nor did she was a K-pop star: she was an idol because she revitalized ballads. Traditional music that the country’s upper echelon was so desperately trying to revive, and succeeded in due to Ari’s talents. The older generation were ecstatic and the younger generation were swept up. Ari was crazy famous. There were others that were famous within the context of their industry, but Ari was famous within the context of Korea itself. The type of fame that spread to even rural parts of the country.

Admittedly, it was one of three reasons why she hid her injury during the trial. One, she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of Ari. Two, she didn’t want to be a suspect; and three, she hated showing weakness.

“I’ll go too, I guess,” said William. “Is she really that famous though?”

“She is,” David replied sharply. “Trust me. You agree, right Sun-young?”

“Sure.”

While Sun-young was a fan, she wasn’t a super fan. In her old life, she lacked interest in celebrities and gossip, partially because she was too wrapped up in her own life.

“The offer sounds fun but I will have to pass,” Elena said.

“It’s no big deal. What about you two?” David gestured at Kazi and Aisha.

“I’ll pass.”

An unexpected response. Half the reason why Sun-young and William were going was because they half-expected Kazi to as well.

“Really?” David asked, also surprised. “Are you sure?”

“Yea, yeah, go ahead, have fun.” Kazi wore a motherly smile as he leaned back and crossed his arms. “I’ll be fine. It’s nothing serious.”

“If you say so…”

Was it just her or was there always a distance between them and Kazi? He wasn’t cold. In fact, he was the opposite. There was something else between them, something that Sun-young was unable to see.

“Well, thank you everything, Kazi,” Elena said. “Really, today was amazing, but I think it’s time I had back.”

“Me too,” Aisha said. “I have somewhere to be after this.”

“More illegal activity?” Kazi teased.

Aisha cracked a smile. “Obviously.”

“These old bones aren’t why they used to be.” Getting up and picking up her shopping bags, Elena gave a goofy, two-handed thumbs-up.

“You know you can put that stuff in your inventory,” David pointed out.

“Oh, yeah. Whoops. Open inventory.”

After some laughter around the table, it was time for them to split.

Elena gave a little wave. “Bye-bye!”

Aisha gave a smaller, quieter goodbye. By opening the map and selecting their spawn point, the two women disappeared.

“David,” Kazi called out suddenly, “remember what we talked about before?”

“Oh, yes." David grinned. "I'm talking to people about it. Lots of interest involved, especially from the people of the Golden Generation. They'er super into it.”

“About what?” William asked.

Kazi slowly smiled. “As you know, David is a bit of a tech guy. I'm also pretty invested in tech. I've built phones and things of that nature in factories. However, in this world, technology hasn't experienced the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The White Abyss generally uses magic as a power source for energy, yet what comes out of that energy is primitive by our standards. Black and white portal televisions are the best they have for the average consumer." He snickered to himself. "I remember going to a store and the clerk saying that CT-100s are luxury. As in, CT-100s are seen as a sign of wealth even though it's a half-baked coloured television from the 1950s."

“There's so much potential to be had,” David explained, his voice in a low hush. “Televisions, smartphones, and most of all…washing machines. There's a huge demand for this stuff, and because of what I did on Earth, I've already become a floor supervisor at the factory I work at. I might be able to convince the Unorthodox Sect to give me a place and some people to work with.”

Kazi grinned. “Nobody until now has had the knowledge or resources for a technological revolution. Until us.”