When I was a kid, I wanted to become a hero.

I won’t lie and say that maybe it was because I didn’t want to be popular.

But, It was more like I wanted to become a hero because interesting things happened to them.

The type that would fight things beyond humanity. Why would I call having to fight dangerous things everyday until I eventually get killed interesting is beyond me, but it did feel like it was more exciting than what I was doing at the time. To put my life on the line, the thrills you know? Maybe my anime and manga influences got to me, but it just seemed more fulfilling.

But like every dream, it got crushed by reality so easily. I always knew that there was no way that I could be something like that. The closest we had to those were soldiers, who actually usually turn up to be the real villains of the stories. Maybe I could join a NPO and save the world from there? Maybe I can study a course that would help me get a career that saved/helped lives?

Nothing seems to fit.

Maybe I am just a violent-prone person? Maybe I wanted to dominate the villains too? I don’t think that’s it either.

One thing’s for sure:

I was bored out of my balls.

I lived the following years with yearning in my heart, trying to get the boredom out of my system. To me, it seemed like I lacked adventure. So I saved up money and traveled to some countries. Sure they were very fun and fulfilling, but whenever I came back, I’d end up in the same rut.

It seems that travel really did alleviate my boredom, but it just isn’t sustainable.

In the meantime, I lived the following years not being a pest to my parents and peers: Always trying to be top of the class, trying to get a girlfriend, hanging out with friends, and spending time with my family.

They were fun moments and I cherished all of them, but

I still felt kind of empty

So like any sane person, I set out to leave my family and friends and came to this country. It may be selfish and without a proper reason, but I just felt that I should get out there.

Call me selfish or anything else, I believe this is what I had to do.

So here I am, trying to find something that would excite me!

Suddenly, a voice propped up outside my mind.

“Uhhhh, sure pal. ”

I open my eyes, and here I am at my workplace. I work at a bar that doubled as a restaurant called “BZK”. It was a modern shop with concrete flooring implemented brick walls to give it a minimalist, but homey vibe. The lights were dimmed down now, but in the day a warm orange hue gave the shop a welcoming atmosphere as if to say “you don’t have to drink to go here”. Currently, the bar had dimmed the lights down to encourage the drinkers to come in. In place of the orange lights brimming from the lamps at day, were streaks of light that came from the walls, bouncing off the ceiling and giving some “hippy” ambiance to the room. On the walls were neon lights with various motifs on them, encouraging people to drink more. The seats and tables all styled with the design of the shop. Complementing the homey feeling of the brick wall, varnished wooden seats and tables were scattered around the interior.

The main bar was styled a bit different. Lined up in front of it were black leather bar stools with backrests. Behind the bar was a sink and various ingredients and tools used to make the drinks. Underneath it was the refrigerator for some of the ingredients that needed cooling and the freezer where ice was kept. Like every bar, there was a collection of alcoholic bottles at the back, but the wall behind it had a glass motif that illuminated the platform the bottles were on. The bar was very popular in social media, so much so that it was named “the 7th best spot to get your food cravings, binge drink, and light up your wall”.

When I came to, I was in one of the bar seats. I had my shaker right next to me and in front of me was a beautiful young lady.

“Oh hello, good morning!” I said with the smile of a thousand suns.

“What the hell, I came here to get hammered and talk about my problems. Why did the bartender sit right next to me and monologue for about 30 mins instead?” the lady had an exasperated look and maybe was a bit angry?

“Well, well I think you got something way more interesting than your original plans. You’d probably think this was quite an interesting and refreshing sensation” Trying to weasel my way out of it, I try to put on the

a e s t h e t i c charm.

She looked at me with a puzzled look and before she could retort.

*bam*

A tray lightly hit my head. I look up and it’s my boss Maki, the manager-in-charge of the bar and the owner’s daughter.

“Have you finally come to? I left you alone because it was almost closing time and we didn’t have complicated drink orders, but it’s still kind of unprofessional you know?” pouting, Maki put her hands on her waist.

Ms. Maki wore our bar’s black standard uniform, except because she was higher up on the pecking order, she had a golden name tag and had longer sleeves. In front of her uniform was a beige apron with the “BZK” logo on it.

I got up and apologized to the young miss I generously dazzled with my life story, offered to pay for her drink which was a whooping 5x the amount I was willing to pay and prepared the bar for closing time. As I was down the bar, Ms. Maki approached me.

“Are you sure about paying for her bill? I know I shouldn’t be saying this but we don’t pay you that much you know?” she gave me a sorry expression.

“Well if I didn’t do that much then the reputation of the bar would plummet you know? It must be tough having an employee like me when you’re managing the bar right now. Try to be more selfish like me and just greedily take my money!” I gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and I twist the towel to let out the moisture stored in it.

“Besides...You guys are letting me stay in the backroom of the bar so this is effectively my home. And I sure as hell don’t want a lively home such as this becoming any quieter.”

Letting out a sigh, Ms. Maki gave me a guilty stare, but soon regained her composure. After cleaning up the bar I started helping Ms. Maki and the other employees with stacking the chairs, taking out the trash, and generally cleaning up the place. I took off my apron and jacket and proceed to go back to the backroom and wanted to prepare for bed.

“Wait! Dex would you like to get dinner with me?” pulling on my sleeveless shirt was Ms. Maki. She wasn’t wearing her uniform from the waist up and wore a hoodie with some of her makeup washed down. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail with a scrunchy.

Not letting this chance get away “OHHH have I finally peaked in life??? Is this a date?” my soul felt like I reached nirvana and my tired face lit up like a christmas tree.

“Of course noooot, there’s no way you’re ever gonna peak in life Deeex. I just want to talk about the logistics of you sleeping here. Besides you haven’t eaten yet right?” pinching my cheeks, Maki had a cheeky smile on her face.

“Ohh okay. Yeah I haven’t eaten yet.” giving her a sullen expression, her expression doesn’t budge.

What a shy woman I know she wants SOME. OF. THIS.

After parting ways with our coworkers and locking up the front door, we both headed south of the bar unto the red-light district’s main street.

“Knowing you..We’re probably gonna get either one of the two things: Chicken or Noodles. Chicken if we had a good day, noodles if we didn’t: And I’m kinda feeling like we’re gonna get noodles” I grumbingly said.

“Hmmm, nah we’re getting chicken cuz your little stunt earlier just paid us over the green” cheekily putting her finger over her nose and sheepishly smiling.

Sighing, I grab my wallet from my back pocket and check it’s contents and smile a bit as well.

“Don’t make it too expensive, how about some fried chicken?”

“So you only have that muuch huh” playfully peeking at my wallet she said “Don’t expect me to treat you today got it?” while sticking out her tongue for a bit.

Having destroyed my “make-her-feel-pity-for-me plan” I click my tongue “I get it, I get it!”

We walk across the main street and slip through three different side alleys. Main street features either restaurants that would make my wallet cry out in blood or cheap fast food options so it was in our best interest to find restaurants where the servings were good for a decent price and usually these were in the form of hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the alley ways a block or two away from main street. The food was usually cheaper here because restaurants were in closer proximity to the red-light district which was, in the words of a young poet a “pretty damn” sketch place. So they usually were offered lower rental rates than their restaurant counterparts just a few blocks from the main street.

“Hmm soy sauce chicken? Nah we had that two weeks ago with Dad. Hainanese Chicken rice? I’m not in the mood for steamed either” Pouting Miki was absorbed in her own food fantasies.

“Hey I told you, keep it cheap. And didn’t I say fried chicken” Sensing the danger of my wallet I quickly snorted out.

“Ohh shuddup I’m your boss remember? Just go along with my whims!” Looking at me with a nasty glare.

“You’re just my ACTING boss, it’s your dad that’s my real boss you know?” shrugging off her ploys to make me spend money I briskly walk past her.

Remembering the restaurant that was just a turn ahead.

“How about some Korean fried chicken? We’ll split the bill of course.”

Putting her pale hand on her chin as if she was debating in congress or whatever.

“Fine. But I get to choose the flavor.”

And with those conditions we were off to get fat.

The fried chicken restaurant that we were going to was a small establishment and looked more like a home than a restaurant, but at peak hours it was always packed. I happened to first run into the restaurant when I was jogging a month back and have occasionally passed by it after switching jogging routes or on walks during my breaks. It’s a good thing that they were a late-night restaurant because we closed the bar at 2AM and it still had people in it, though not as bad as when people in rush hour would come.

We were greeted by an old lady in a simple apron and were brought to a table with two seats. The restaurant had a faded wooden floor and had plastic and thin metal chairs for the interior. At the far back there was a counter where the orders would be placed by the waitresses or by people vying for take out. For some reason though, maybe because it was about 2:30AM and there were just a few people here and there the old lady shouted out our order instead of handing over the order slip to the cashier.

“One twelve piece snow cheese and two beers! You got that?”

She then proceeded to rip the order slip from the pad, put it on the small money tray that was on her apron and place it on our table with a small bang from the metal table as she walked away.

“I pass by this place from time to time so I was wondering how nice their food was.” I glanced at Miki who was on her phone.

“Mmmm this place is pretty far from the bar. How can you walk here and back during your breaks? That’s some surprising athletic ability.” without missing a beat, Miki was still punching away at her phone.

Not prepared for a compliment, I try to downplay what she said.

“Some good endurance is a requirement for a runaway you know?”

Giving me a deadpan stare, Miki chastises me:

“You’d probably be dead if my dad didn’t find you two months ago you know? This country may look relatively safe but it’s always had roots in crime.”

What she said was probably true. The city state of Arasia wasn’t a country that people would usually label register in their mind as a safe country. After a brutal civil war twenty years back, the country has finally started to bounce back with various developmental plans. They even encourage people to immigrate here to gain more power in their workforce and economy. But the fact remains that some of the anti-government remnants are still active and even manage some of the businesses in the city. They specialize in drug trafficking and smuggling, but thankfully they aren’t that into terrorism as they were years back. Though I do hear reports of them abducting people these past couple of years. If I were found in the streets by one of them instead of Mr. Ernesto, I might have actually either been part of their operation or been part of their merchandise right now.

Thinking about the possibility of me making and distributing drugs or me being trafficked made me shudder a bit but I chuckled it off.

“That reminds me, how long is Mr. Ernesto gonna be out? I know you have this bar manager shit down to a T, but you get pretty beat up out there.”

“That, I’m not so sure. He just told me he had to procure some permits for the bar and disappeared. Hopefully he comes back soon for my birthday in two days.” Scratching her head and giving an enthusiastic tone of voice, Miki folds her arms on the table and sinks her head on them.

“Go on, take a nap Ms. Assistant Manager, I’ll wake you up when the food gets here. No guarantees I won’t eat your share though” sticking out my tongue I give her an impish look.

Digging out of her arms’ embrace and turning her head at me.

“You better not or I’m docking your pay” she hissed back right before returning and falling asleep.

Discussion over I guess.

Sighing, I bring out my phone and turn on my cellular data. I open my messaging app and after double-checking that I appeared “offline” on my profile, I scanned my list of messages.

[Father: COME HOME NOW, YOU’RE BEING CHILD… 1 Month ago]

[Mother: WHERE ARE YOU? WE’VE FILLED POLICE RE.. 1 Month ago]

[Pat: Hey, your parents came here earlier..3 weeks ago]

After counting the total number of unread messages, I close the app with an even bigger sigh than earlier. I guess no matter the age, running away from home is still a pretty taboo thing to do huh? Maybe especially with social media where you’re expected to be constantly connected. To cut connections with your whole group of friends and family who basically raised you…

*Thunk*

Breaking me out of my thoughts was the old lady from earlier placing the mountain of fried chicken on the middle of the table and plopped down each of the two mugs in front of me and Miki. The sound was so loud, it broke Miki out of her mini-snores.

“One order of snow cheese chicken and two mugs of beer. Eat it while it’s hot. And young man, don’t make such a scary face in front of such a pretty girl and in front of good food.” The old woman gave me and a sleepy Miki a thumbs up and started to retreat coolly.

“Excuse me! We still don’t have our utensils and our own plates though!”

With these few words, the air around the old woman turned tense.

“Eh?”

The waitress turned around and confirmed the situation to her horror. She quickly runs back to the counter to get our plates, utensils, and more importantly, her honor back.

“You evil prick, you didn’t have to tell her that the moment she was about to leave you know?” shaking off her drowsiness and trying not to laugh out loud Miki chided in.

“Couldn’t have her get smug with me, can I?” winking back at her, I placed my phone back to my pocket.

Well, I guess things aren’t so bad right now, all things considered.

“My gooood, how fucking weak are you? I can’t believe dad made you an assistant bartender when you can’t hold your drink!”

Miki was waddling in the middle of an alleyway with her one arm wrapped around my waist and the other over my shoulder. After bumping into some businessmen (of course using me as a shield) we were already near main street.

“Izz not my fAulT thaD you *hic* 0000rdered a pUcKton of Shojuu a5 w3ll”

Struggling, I try to defend myself from her incessant trash talking, though the words aren’t really coming out right. I get a headbut to the face in response.

“Uch”

“Don’t move around you lousy assistant bartender! Or I will sooo dock your pay” Miki then swung me to the businessmen that were passing through the alley going the opposite direction.

“Shorry...0k 0k I get it..”

While giving a sincere apology to the tired businessmen, I quiet up knowing that this isn’t a battle I can win. It’s been two-months since I’ve met this girl, but I still don’t know a whole lot about her. I was just working just a few days after getting the assistant bartender job, but she immediately grabbed me and forced me with a “GAHH we’re going out today with Dad, get your shit together!”, then after, again and again, and all of the sudden all three of us would eat out together every once in a while.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen this girl’s face closely ever since I got here. Strands of her lustrous black hair were falling unto her forehead, because of her ruffled ponytail. Her skin had a fair complexion so fair that you think she was guzzling those drugs that celebrities use for fairer skin (they don’t work though). Her small nose and small mouth, both of which were gapping to get extra oxygen (am I really that heavy?) would make you think she was a quiet, soft-spoken girl, though the opposite is the case. Her deep, brown, beautiful eyes were just looking ahead with strands of the street lamps reflected on them. It may just be alcohol talking, and dear god I wish it was just the alcohol taking, but she really is a beautiful girl.

Suddenly, she glances at me.

“What’re you looking at? Falling for me are you? Sorry I don’t date runaways” letting go of my shoulder momentarily she brushes her shoulder-length ponytail in the wind like what you see in those shampoo commercials.

“Might be, Might just be the alcohol talking though”

“What the hell! Why can you talk normally when you’re rebuting me huh?” Miki then proceeds to pinch my nose.

Seriously this girl…