UNEXCITING

Today is Tuesday, October 29, 2026.

Today marks the fifteenth anniversary of the day I was abandoned here. In other words, it's one of those days when people gather together to celebrate something utterly ridiculous.

Why do people even celebrate anything?

I've never understood it. After all, you grow older with each passing year, and... and eventually, you die.

Whatever. It's none of my business.

Today, I came to Wreen Caffe on 19th Street for another job. This is where I usually pick up my work.

From the outside, it looks like an ordinary café. And, for the most part, that's exactly what it is during the day. But once night falls, it becomes the place where I receive my assignments.

I stepped through the entrance.

It was a pretty nice place, actually. At least, it used to be. Now, nearly every wall was covered with all sorts of ridiculous pictures and advertisements related to sex, along with plenty of other nonsense.

I looked around for a moment before approaching the counter.

"Hey, boss. Is Dev here?"

Josef, who was standing behind the counter, raised his head.

"Yeah, he's here. Same place as always," he replied, keeping his voice low.

He reached for his phone and added, "Hold on. Let me give him a call. Just a second..."

While I waited for him to contact my boss, I sat down on the couch beside the counter. A moment later, Josef hung up.

"The boss isn't in a meeting right now. Apparently, it'll be over in ten to fifteen minutes. He said you could wait if you wanted."

Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to stay.

Josef and I struck up a brief conversation while I waited.

"So, Nal, what have you been up to lately?" he asked.

"You know... Just drawing blood."

He laughed.

"Hahaha! You're as cold as ever, Nas. Oh, hey, did you hear? A new family just moved into town."

"So what?"

"So what?! The whole family got kicked out of Nerland EX!"

I'll admit it. That caught my attention.

People didn't get kicked out of Nerland EX easily. Usually, the only ones who got expelled were people who had done something terrible or committed some kind of crime. It was a rare occurrence.

"So, do you know why they were kicked out?" I asked.

"Nope. All I know is that they were expelled from Nerland EX. That's it."

"Then how do you know all this?"

"Let's just say we have connections."

As we continued talking, time slipped by surprisingly quickly.

Then, I began hearing footsteps coming down the stairs from the upper floor.

Step by step.

"Well... Looks like the boss's meeting is over," Josef remarked.

A moment later, five people came downstairs—three men and two women.

Something seemed off about them. They looked furious, as though the boss had seriously pissed them off.

One of the women suddenly turned toward me. She shot me an angry look before speaking.

"Hey, brat! Do you work for that bastard Dev, too?"

I'll be honest. They scared me.

My instincts were screaming at me, warning me that these people were dangerous.

I need to be careful about what I say, I thought to myself.

I looked at her and replied, "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Her expression grew even angrier.

Then, all of a sudden, she relaxed her face as if nothing had happened. She slipped a hand into her jacket and pulled out a card, which she held out to me.

"Here. Take my card. If things ever go south between you and Dev, give me a call."

With that, they turned around and left.

Josef watched them go before bursting into laughter.

"Well, well, well! Look at you, Nal! You've got people handing you their business cards now!"

I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

I was just about to ask who that woman was when Josef's phone rang.

"Yeah, he's still here... All right. I'll send him up."

I immediately recognized who was calling.

The boss.

Before Josef could say anything else, I headed straight for the door to Dev's office. I knocked briefly and stepped inside.

Dev's face looked a little sour, as if he'd just had a fight with the people who'd gone downstairs.

But the moment he saw me, his entire expression changed. His displeasure vanished, replaced by a warm, almost sweet smile.

"Oh... Well, well, look who's here! Nal, come on in. Take a seat."

I walked farther into the room.

As always, the place was filled with luxurious furniture and expensive decorations. There were intricate gold-and-white patterns covering the walls, and an assortment of extravagant furnishings that made the entire office look ridiculously lavish. Even the floor had a bearskin rug, complete with a lion's head motif.

I took the seat he pointed out, and we got down to business.

"So, what kind of job should I give you today, my man?" Dev asked.

"Same as always," I replied.

"That's my guy! I've got a fantastic job lined up just for you."

Dev had always treated me kindly. I'd been working for him since I was almost six years old.

Naturally, I was curious about this supposedly fantastic job he had prepared for me.

"You've probably heard about the people who recently moved here," he began.

"Yeah. I heard they were kicked out of Nerland EX."

"That's right. And what I want you to do is..."

He opened a drawer and pulled out an envelope, which he handed to me.

"What is this? Is there money inside or something?" I asked.

"There's something far more valuable than money."

My eyes widened.

Now he had my attention.

I quickly took the envelope from him, eager to see what was inside.

"The address and personal information of the people I just told you about—the ones who were expelled from Nerland EX. It's all in there."

The moment I heard that, the smile disappeared from my face.

I'd been expecting something different.

Dev noticed my expression.

"Your face just fell. But don't worry. I'll pay you well for this job."

I'd already made up my mind.

"No, thanks. I'm not interested."

The moment those words left my mouth, his expression changed completely.

The warmth vanished from his face, and the atmosphere in the room shifted.

"What do you mean, 'No, thanks'?! Do you have any idea how much money and effort I spent getting this information, Nas?!"

He continued complaining for a while, but none of it mattered to me.

I wanted something more interesting.

This job wasn't for me.

And with that, I left the room.

I walked downstairs, one step at a time, my face twisted into a deep frown.

Josef noticed me immediately.

"Hey, buddy. You look like someone just ruined your entire day. Guess things didn't go too well with Dev, huh?"

He'd figured it out at a glance.

I simply nodded and headed for the exit.

Then, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind me.

Someone was running toward me.

It was Dev.

"GET HIM!"

Before I could even figure out what was happening, I bolted outside.

And the moment I stepped out of the building, I saw a car waiting nearby.

The driver honked the horn, clearly urging me to get in.

Who the hell was that?!

END OF CHAPTER 1

© SwachWya/ UNEXCITING