Long before the crack of dawn, Jun was already awake, scrolling through his phone as he read articles discussing the nature of molecular states needed for certain everyday occurrences. He had stumbled on basic concepts such as, heat was when molecules of an object, for whatever reason, vibrated at an accelerated state and cold was the reverse situation.
He hadn't found any kind of science that described the shield effect, so he had spent most of his night reading and learning concepts he hoped might be applicable in the use of his powers. His roommate remained glued to the desktop monitor, thankfully he used head phones so Jun didn't have to spend all night listening to his gameplay.
Jun glanced at the time; 05:40am. The sun still wasn't up. Mei Mei had promised him that they would meet up at the crack of dawn, 06:15, and he would be taken to the sewer city, as Shu'er called it, where Xia, the thief was staying.
Apparently the sewer city had a strict curfew in place so he had to wait till the gates were open again in the morning.
The whole thing began to feel more and more like a distraction to Jun. He was in this neighborhood to find Yang Rin not recover his cell-phone or wallet. After all, he believed banking services were still operational so he could easily replace his lost card and get a new, albeit cheaper phone.
Even though he had severe reservations about Howlang, Jun was still able to fall asleep the previous night. A part of him hoped he would sleep through the night and not have to watch Howlang play the same game over and over throughout the night. Barely two hours after he slept, Jun woke to see Howlang still replaying his game again and again, thus for several more hours, Jun read on the internet.
At 06:00am, Jun jumped out of the mattress, wearing the same outfit as yesterday. As he grabbed his work backpack, he said nothing to his roommate before leaving. He checked the fridge and helped himself to a canned drink before he left. He nodded to the two security guards as he left and they waved him out. Jun had been able to hunt more rats yesterday night, he noticed that Ahnjong and Long worked well past midnight selling their wares; he respected that they could find a way to provide a service even as the world became unrecognizable.
The streets were empty, but filthy. Social Services such as environmental maintenance had all but ceased; there were all sorts of food wrappings, empty cans and bottles, fruit rinds, crumpled oiled up newspapers etc. He could also spot softly heaving piles of trash, it surprised him at first, until he realized these were displaced people who heaped trash on themselves to avoid the cold. Even the windows he could see, appeared somehow, dirtier.
Jun crossed the street and leaned against a wall, waiting for the sisters. Fortunately, he didn't wait long. He quickly spotted Mei Mei dragging a sleepy looking Shu'er along.
"Aww come on!" exclaimed Shu'er when she spotted Jun waiting. "Who gets up this early in the day!?" she demanded.
"We can go now, the Sewer should have opened its gates by now." Said Mei Mei, ignoring Shu'er's complaints. "Did you bring it?" she asked.
Jun nodded. He opened his backpack and showed several wrapped pieces of raw and roasted meat. Since he had no cash, he intended to barter his way inside the unknown place, considering rat meat had rapidly gained in popularity recently.
"Oh breakfast!" smiled Shu'er reaching for the bag. "You're a great fellow after all."
Jun closed the bag, pulling it away.
"Come on Shu'er! We talked about this yesterday. We are using the meat to pay for stuff."
"But, breakfast Mei Mei. I'm starving, I know you are too. We barely got to eat anything yesterday." She stomped her foot, "I'M HUNGRY!"
"We have a job to do sis. Yeah, we're hungry, but once we get paid, we'll be able to get something to eat okay." The little sister consoled the elder.
Shu'er calmed down a little, but she still turned her back to Jun and stifled back her tears. She hated how suddenly their lives had changed. Their parents were still missing, which she hated to think about. They'd lost their, family, home, friends. Shu'er hated having to struggle so much just to have a decent breakfast. Her mind flashed back to Mr. Wen and his indecent offer; Shu'er considered going back to him, if only so Mei Mei wouldn't have to live like this any longer.
Jun pulled something out of his backpack and offered it to the two.
"If you haven't eaten yet. Have this then." He said.
Both girls eyed it suspiciously.
"Look, just eat something. I can't have you falling behind today okay."
Mei Mei took it gingerly, unfurling the newspaper wrapping. The feel and aroma told her what it was. Who in the neighborhood didn't know of Mrs. Ahnjong's special roasted rat skewers, kebabs or just cut plain. They had acted cool, but last night when Jun offered it to them was the first time either had ever eaten it, they couldn't afford such delicacies. Mei Mei actually dreamed of it overnight. Shu'er hadn't stopped talking about it, despite how little they had had.
The girls immediately lost all semblance of their cool. They dug in showing how truly hungry they were. In moments, it was all gone.
"So good." Mei Mei sighed, smiling ear to ear.
"Come on! Let's go get that Xia chick right away." She thrust her fist into the air, clearly rejuvenated. "There'll be more meat after right?"
Jun shook his head smiling softly as he walked away. He didn't actually know where he was going, so he hoped the girls would catch up quickly to show him the way.
Jun was taken to a building beside a temple. The temple was already halfway filled with a few more people trickling in and out. As they passed the front of the temple, Jun spied inside. He was shocked to see a woman, sat in the lotus position, floating peacefully at the head of the temple before the stone Buddha statue. Many were bowed in prayer, an assortment of morning gifts arranged before her feet.
Jun leaning in and whispered to Mei Mei.
"Who are those people? It's like they're worshiping that person."
She shrugged, "better to stay away from them if you can. They call themselves the Blessed of Mireuk. They believe it is the will of the gods that humans now have superpowers. So those with powers they call Children of Mireuk. They evangelize quite a lot in this neighborhood and their numbers are growing too."
"Seriously?" Jun asked, "it hasn't even been a month. Why are things changing so fast?" he muttered quietly to himself.
They passed the temple, their actual destination was a small government building beside it. Mei Mei led them to a Civil Sanitation Sewer Control Unit. As Jun observed, he spotted four guards; two on the ground by the entrance, two on the roofs, watching out for trouble.
Jun spotted one of the guards had a holstered pistol. His old world worries flared;
Was this place dangerous? Are they leading me into a trap?
They slowed by the entrance as there was already a queue formed from people who were entering and those who were leaving.
Jun noticed people paid a few coins to enter; he spotted 500 won coins being used. He began to open his bag to pull out some meat for trade when Mei Mei stopped him. She shook her head and rattled her pocket causing it to jingle. She smiled knowingly at Jun allowing him to relax. They entered the queue and waited their turn.