The details of the contract were simple: employment. If this was in the past, he would have already lashed out. But adulting has taught him a hard reality: he couldn't rely on his parents forever. He needed to make his own money.
And now, the opportunity has finally come.
On the bus ride home, Jack kept staring at the contract in his hands, smiling like an idiot.
"Why are you so happy, Sir?" Lucy who noticed his sudden brightness asked in curiosity.
"Just because. Also, just call me Jack from now on." Jack said with a smile.
Lucy cannot figure it out, after all. In her mind, the man sitting beside him in the bus was a former special rank employee. That meant the special forces of the military in the rules of the awakened society.
Jack was worried at first but now it was all worth it. He never felt very grateful and satisfied. The heavens literally granted him the things he wanted.
'50, 000 credits monthly along with some other benefits. What the hell is this blessing. I might die out of happiness!' Jack was on the verge of crying despite trying so hard not to cry. 'I finally became successful!'
'I can now do so many things. When I get home, I'll take a shower, play some video games, eat yummy foods, buy clothes, and give my parents' gifts. The baby too. Then I will sleep in my bed for twelve hours!'
Jack cannot wipe the smile from his face, as he watched the city view slide past through the bus windows.
It was the perfect plan and the perfect life!
"Lucy, you cannot imagine how happy I am today." He softly said, leaving her confused.
Inwardly, she sighed. 'They say all Special Ranks are strange. Guess he's no exception.'
The bus temporarily stopped at a small hill station, dropping them off in front of a subdivision. The air here was cooler, the sky clearer. And after a few minutes of walking, they soon reached a modest two-story home surrounded by a neat yard—the Crawluster Residence.
Before they even reached the porch, two dogs came barreling toward them, barking like alarms. A black rottweiler and a golden retriever skidded to a halt in front of Jack.
"Chris, Tony!" Jack laughed. "Easy! Sit!"
Both dogs immediately calmed, tails wagging. But when they saw Lucy, they stiffened and growled again.
Jack scratched his head. "This is Chris—he's the black one. Tony's the brown one. Don't worry, they're tamed… mostly."
Lucy nodded politely, stepping behind him just in case.
Then the door opened.
"Ma!" Jack called, smiling so wide his cheeks hurt.
His mother, Samantha, appeared—bright eyes, messy bun, holding a dish towel. She smiled but raised a finger to her lips. "Why are you shouting? You'll wake your brother!"
"Sorry," Jack whispered, grinning. "Mom, I have some good news—"
Before he could finish, Samantha swept past him, eyes lighting up as she noticed Lucy.
"Oh my goodness, you must be Lucy!" she exclaimed at the pretty girl hiding behind Jack, completely ignoring her son. "You poor thing, traveling with this one must've been exhausting."
Jack was left standing awkwardly in the doorway as his mother ushered Lucy inside with motherly enthusiasm.
Lucy blinked and panicked, overwhelmed by the sudden wave of hospitality.
"Ah… thank you, ma'am—"
"None of that 'ma'am' nonsense," Samantha instantly said warmly. "Call me Auntie or Mom, whichever feels right!"
But Jack just smiled and almost slapped himself.
His family structure was very simple. Besides close relatives, they were a simple family of five.
His father was a police officer who was also the breadwinner of the family. He wasn't of high rank, but it was enough for him to support them.
His family once worked for the government as a civil servant but stopped when he gave birth to him. His younger brother was currently studying medicine at another country. Then, there was his youngest brother who just born a year prior.
So he understood his mother's excitement even when they talked in the phone. His mother had always wanted a daughter. With three sons, she'd been the lone woman of the house for decades after all.
Thus, she always gets extra happy when a girl from he and his brothers' class or friends visited their house.
Jack clicked his tongue. It wasn't the case lately but he still remembered how his mom used to set him up with her friends' daughters as though she was running some matchmaking service.
Just remembering those made him shiver.
Dinner that night was livelier than usual. His father was still on duty, but Samantha more than made up for it with her energy.
"So," Samantha said, her tone suspiciously cheerful, handing Lucy another dish, "have you two properly introduced yourselves? You know Jack—he forgets people's names faster than his chores."
Jack shook his head.
"Ma…" Then he groaned and nodded, chewing quietly. "We have, yes."
Samantha squinted. "You're not lying, are you? You even forgot my birthday once. Actually, twice!"
Jack giggled, remembering. But then she glanced at Lucy. She hid it well behind polite smiles and short replies, but Jack could tell Samantha was taking a toll on her. Steering the conversation in a strange direction would only make her more uncomfortable.
"I'm telling the truth. I stayed in her apartment until her relative returned after all. Why would I lie?" Jack retorted.
"You have?" His mom narrowed her eyes, clearly amused about more than just a few things.
But Jack laughed, clearly in a better mood than usual. Then after straightening his posture as if giving a report, he drank a glass of water and began dramatically.
"Lucy Blaine," he began dramatically, "daughter of Father's third cousin aunt Teresa, who's lived in Oreong Province up in the mountains since she was a kid. She wants to study law and was recommended here by Father's other relatives. She's eighteen years old."
His mom blinked, surprised.
"Wow… that's a change?"
The expression on her mom's face showed she really was shocked, making Jack turn smug. Though he was cheating with the system literally floating in front of him. Jack continued talking but was cut off as Samantha and Lucy looked at him incredulously.
"Of course I did. I'm a changed man. I actually have another thing-"
"You got two things wrong," his mom explained between chuckles. "First her surname. Where did you even get Blaine from? You've always been terrible with names!"
Jack blinked. 'Wait, what?'
His mom grinned wider.
"Second, she's your little sister but she's not eighteen, she's twenty-three. Though honestly, she does look eighteen, so I'll give you half a point for that."
'Huh?' Jack froze, staring at Lucy. He could clearly see Lucy's information in front of his eyes.
However, Lucy didn't deny anything that was said and only smiled politely. After the dinner, Jack then learned why he was apparently wrong as he looked at her legal papers on the table that was said to have arrived yesterday.
'Her legal name is Lucy G. Lim, age twenty-three.' Jack read.
All of her legal papers were under the same identity. It wasn't the same with the one in the system which meant the system's version was her real information. And the identity she presented to everyone else… was a cover.
'I should've expected that,' Jack thought, drinking his last glass of water.
Soon, the clock struck ten.
The house had four rooms in total. The first was downstairs which was the largest one and was where Jack's parents and their baby brother slept
The remaining three were upstairs: Jack's room, his younger brother's room which was currently vacant since he was renting an apartment for school, and the guest room, all lined up next to each other.
Naturally, Lucy took the guest room.
Jack helped her unpack under his mother's strict orders. She had even insisted they'd go shopping tomorrow since Lucy "didn't have enough clothes."
By the time they finished, Jack was exhausted.
"Thank you so much, sir," Lucy said with a small bow.
Jack said and tried to look away, "I told you—just Jack."
She nodded, though her faint smile made it worse. This was because she was wearing one of his oversized sweaters and jogging pants. It wasn't the best outfit—but on her, it looked dangerously good.
Jack felt his ears burn.
'It's just clothes. Relax. She's literally your coworker.'
Lucy looked apologetic. "I… should've told you earlier. My identity here is a cover arranged by the company. I'm already embarrassed enough for living with your parents."
Jack chuckled softly. "Doesn't matter. I don't care. Mom, I can assure, would probably want you to live here forever."
Jack turned around without warning and waved it off, trying to seem casual—but his mind was a mess of exhaustion and thoughts he didn't dare entertain.
Entering his room, Jack soon slammed his body in the bed, feeling its warmth.
'So many things happened. I never got to tell mom. I just tell her tomorrow, I have to wake up early.' He thought with a soft smile as he sat in the bed and looked at the contract one last time before turning the lights off. The Orientation was scheduled tomorrow morning.