Chapter 9
Chaotic Mass
"Oh! That must be our online taxi. Let's go — I'm starving after everything that just happened."
Lucia stepped forward toward the car that had stopped in front of the salon.
Sophia glanced at the license plate to double-check. Her eyes widened — it didn't match the one they ordered.
"Luc—!!" she tried to warn, but it was too late.
Lucia was already standing beside the left rear passenger door, just about to reach for the handle.
Before she could touch it, the door suddenly swung open. A teenage girl — around Eve's age — stepped out from the backseat, and from the other side, a familiar face exited.
Lucia froze. Her heart skipped a beat.
Her coworkers.
He was right in front of her.
Trying not to panic, she instinctively turned slightly as if she were just walking past, hoping to avoid attention.
But the teen girl had already noticed her.
Eyes wide in shock, the girl gasped and immediately nudged her brother, who was already staring. Both of them looked at Lucia like she was some mythical creature.
Lucia, struggling to remain composed, turned her head and started walking away — only to stop briefly and glance toward Eve and Sophia.
Just then, Eve called out to her, voice bright and perfectly timed.
"Sister! Wait for me! Let's go — our car is over there!"
She ran up, grabbed Lucia by the hand, and guided her away, offering the perfect excuse to leave the scene.
Behind them, the teenage girl whispered to her brother.
"Who was that beautiful older sister...? She looked like an actress."
The brother narrowed his eyes. Something about the younger one looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.
"Yeah… She's even prettier than the actress from that movie we saw last week. Maybe she is an actress? Who knows.
"Anyway, stop staring. You remember why we're here, right?"
Still watching Lucia's retreating figure, the sister answered vaguely, "Yeah…"
Seeing her absent-minded, the brother scolded her.
"Then move! Seriously — you're the one getting starstruck? What happened to me being the hopeless one here?"
Flinching, the sister glared back, flustered.
"Don't yell at me! This is exactly why you don't have a girlfriend, you know! Hmph!"
Meanwhile, Sophia passed by them without sparing a glance, calmly catching up to Eve and Lucia.
Their actual ride arrived shortly after. The three entered the vehicle, settling into the same seat arrangement as before.
Unlike the previous driver who kept to himself, this one was incredibly chatty. He made small talk almost the entire time.
Lucia, as usual, remained quiet, focusing on her thoughts — planning, anticipating.
'Stay sharp. We're heading to a city mall. That means more crowds... and more types of people.'
'At least I've learned a few things from Sister Sophia. I can handle this… I have to.'
'I hate lying. I hate pretending. But I don't have the luxury of choice — not until I understand what's happening to me. Not until I know how to control this power.
'So for now… I keep a low profile. No attention. No mistakes.'
She sighed inwardly.
'This life is so exhausting…'
Lost in her thoughts, Lucia didn't even realize the car had already pulled into the mall's front lobby.
They stepped out, paid the driver, and made their way inside, heading straight for the food court.
Being a national holiday, the mall was packed. Lucia could already feel the stares increasing in number. But no one dared to approach — at least, not yet.
When they reached the food court, Eve immediately led the way.
"Let's eat udon! I've always wanted to try this place!"
She pointed to a popular chain restaurant. The sisters agreed and walked in.
Luckily, there were still some empty seats — though only two-person tables were available. They would have to split.
Lucia offered to sit alone, but Sophia quickly stopped her.
"Better stay with one of us. If someone else takes the seat next to you, it could get awkward."
'Sister Sophia is right... I'm not ready to have a stranger staring at me while I eat.
And besides, she's just as eye-catching — we'd be a magnet for weird stares no matter what.
Please let it be a woman, if someone has to sit next to us…'
In the end, Sophia and Lucia sat at one table, Eve at the one beside them. Thankfully, no stranger joined them.
They placed their orders, and soon the food arrived.
Even while eating, the siblings still drew attention — though none of it turned into open conversation.
After their meal, they paid the bill and headed toward the escalator. Their next destination: the clothing store on the third floor.
As they ascended, Lucia felt the weight of countless eyes on her again. She tried her best to maintain a calm, unapproachable aura — the kind that discouraged small talk or eye contact.
It worked. Mostly.
Unfortunately, a "bug" managed to break through her defenses.
No — a whole group of bugs.
A bunch of teenage boys, flanked by a few girls, had noticed her. While the girls kept their distance, whispering to one another, some of the boys weren't so reserved.
One of them stepped forward, his fake curiosity poorly hiding his true intentions. He gave Lucia a casual wave.
"Excuse me!"
Lucia had already noticed the approaching group of teenagers. With reluctance, she stopped and turned to face them. Judging from their expressions, they were just curious — not dangerous — so she decided to give them a chance.
"Pardon me, I only speak in English."
One of the boys nodded, clearly having expected that response. He switched to English without hesitation.
"Miss… are you perhaps an actress? Or an idol?"
'As expected… this question again. I guess it's because of my appearance. Ugh, let's wrap this up quickly.'
"Actually, no. I'm not in any entertainment industry," Lucia answered calmly. "Is there anything else? It seems your friends have something to ask too."
Sure enough, a few girls approached, phones already in hand — followed by the boys doing the same. Some had their cameras raised, already recording.
Sophia and Eve immediately stepped forward.
"Excuse me, please don't take pictures or videos without permission," Sophia said, voice firm.
"Hey! No recording! That's rude!" Eve snapped.
But their efforts did little to stop the growing crowd. The presence of cameras only made things worse — whispers turned to chatter, and before long, an entire crowd had gathered.
'Damn it. This is spiraling out of control. We're drawing way too much attention!'
Lucia took a deep breath and raised her voice.
"I'm sorry, I have to go now. Eve! Sister Sophia! Let's move!"
They turned to leave, trying to push through the crowd, but it was too late. Misinformation had already spread like wildfire.
"She's a foreign actress!"
"No, she's a K-pop trainee!"
"I heard she's an influencer with millions of followers!"
The rumors fed the frenzy. More phones came out. More people closed in. And worse — some individuals started reaching out toward her.
Seeing the rising tension, mall security was dispatched. But their sudden arrival only fanned the flames — to the crowd, this confirmed Lucia's supposed celebrity status.
Lucia's heart pounded. The panic and pressure were mounting. She felt her control slipping.
'I… I can't think. This is too much—'
If Eve and Sophia hadn't been there, she might've done something drastic. Something she'd regret.
The sisters rallied around her, shielding her as best they could while trying to reach the security team. After struggling through the sea of onlookers, the guards finally created a protective perimeter around them and led the trio away.
They were escorted through the employee-only hallway and into a quiet VIP lounge behind the scenes — finally, they could breathe.
Lucia collapsed onto a sofa, fuming. Her mood had darkened considerably. She felt disgusted — not only by the false rumors or the attention but by the fact that someone had touched her inappropriately during the chaos.
Across the room, Eve clenched her fists and burst out first.
"Ugh! What were they even thinking?! Mobbing us like that, snapping photos without asking — and even touching us?! Wait— Sisters, did they touch you too?"
Both Sophia and Lucia flinched at the word touch.
Lucia's expression twisted in rage. Her voice trembled.
"They touched you too?!" she shouted. "God—! I swear if I had just— Ughhh!! What do we do now?! How do we even leave this place?! What about our plans?!"
Sophia, though visibly upset, forced herself to stay calm. She took a breath, then lowered her head.
"I'm sorry… I should've known this might happen. I was hoping for the best, but… I ignored the risk. This is my fault."
Lucia and Eve both turned toward her, shocked.
"No! No no no, Sister!" Eve said, shaking her head. "It's my fault! I'm the one who wanted to come to the mall. We could've just bought clothes online… I'm sorry!"
Lucia, feeling the guilt suffocating the room, clenched her fists.
"Stop. Neither of you should be apologizing.
"This is on me. It's my fault for drawing so much attention. If you two had come here alone, none of this would've happened. I should've worn a disguise… anything would've been better."
Eve quickly disagreed.
"No, Sister Lucy… I don't think any disguise would've helped. Your aura and face are just… too noticeable. It might've made things worse — people might've thought you were some undercover celebrity."
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
A well-dressed man entered, accompanied by a serious-looking security officer.
"Good afternoon. I'm the mall's head manager," the man said. "I want to sincerely apologize for the incident. Please — have a seat.
"May I ask for your identities?"
The siblings exchanged glances. After a brief pause, Sophia stood and gave a carefully measured response.
"We're just regular citizens, sir. Maybe we have some foreign ancestry, but we were born and raised here.
"My name is Sophia, and this is my younger sister, Eve. The one you're asking about is our cousin, Lucia. She's visiting from Europe for personal reasons.
"I'm very sorry, but we can't share more than that. I assure you, she's not a celebrity — just a private citizen."
The manager frowned slightly, unsure whether to believe her. Still, deep down, he understood. He had seen their entrance on the cameras — the girls were visually striking enough to cause a scene anywhere, bodyguards or not.
"Alright… I'll take your word for it," he said after a moment. "We won't press for any further personal information. However, I ask that you allow our security team to escort you out later, for safety."
Before they could respond, Eve raised her hand hesitantly.
"Um… Manager, may I ask something?"
"Yes?"
"Is it possible for us to buy clothes first? We didn't even get to shop because of what happened… please?"
The manager hesitated. Letting them walk around the mall again was a security risk — but he understood the situation.
After a thoughtful pause, he nodded.
"It may not be safe to return to the main floor. But how about this:
"We'll arrange a personal shopping experience here. We can contact a store of your choice and have them bring items to this room.
"Also, as an apology for the trouble caused, we'll request that the store offer you a discount."
The siblings were genuinely grateful for the manager's offer. After thanking him and sharing the name of the store they wanted to shop from, the manager stepped out to contact the store's team and explain the situation.
Eve, unable to hold her thoughts in, sighed as she slumped into the sofa.
"Huft… A private shopping session sounds great and all, but I'd be a lot happier if it didn't come after that disaster earlier..."
Lucia wasn't in the mood to joke, so she just responded with a weak smile and a small nod.
About thirty minutes later, the manager returned — this time accompanied by a sharply dressed woman holding a large tablet. Her blouse and pencil skirt gave away her high position.
"Hello, ladies. I'm here to assist you with your shopping," the woman said politely. "I'm afraid we can't bring the entire inventory here, but you may use this tablet to browse our catalog. Let me know which items interest you, and I'll have our team bring samples for you to try."
She handed the tablet to Sophia, then stepped back to give them space.
The private shopping session lasted nearly two hours. It wasn't easy — coordinating deliveries from the main store and then going through the fitting process took time.
Eve picked out a lovely one-piece dress in a soft blush pink. It was cute and matched her energetic personality perfectly.
Sophia opted for a more modest brown cardigan — simple, but warm and classy.
Lucia, meanwhile, ended up with a full collection. She bought:
A five-piece set of women's underwear
A dark purple one-piece dress
Three gender-neutral shirts
A pair of chino pants
Low-rise jeans
Two formal white shirts
Two pairs of formal trousers
A matching blouse
Altogether, the total came out to over 2 million rupiah (roughly $200 USD) — even after the discount. It was a hefty amount, but none of them complained. They thanked both the mall manager and the store representative for their patience and generosity, also apologizing again for the trouble they had caused.
As they were getting ready to leave, Sophia reached for her phone to order a taxi — but the store manager quickly stopped her with a warm smile.
"Hey, how about hitching a ride with me?" the woman said. "I'm heading home anyway, and we're all ladies here — might as well stay safe and comfortable, right?
"Oh! I'm also a little curious about your story, so think of it as 'payment' for the ride. Deal?"
Sophia hesitated. They had already caused enough trouble today… But remembering what had happened with the online taxi earlier, she turned to her sisters.
"What do you two think?"
Both nodded in agreement.
"Thank you for the kind offer," Sophia said, bowing politely. "We'd be glad to accept. I'm Sophia, by the way — nice to meet you."
The store manager smiled back.
"Helen. Nice to meet you too. And you two?"
"Eve!" the youngest said with a bright grin and a small bow. "Thanks for the ride, Lady Helen!"
Lucia, not wanting to seem rude, finally spoke in Bahasa Indonesia, switching from English as a show of respect.
With a soft, polite smile, she offered her hand.
"Lucia. Nice to meet you, Lady Helen. And… sorry for all the trouble."
Helen accepted the handshake with a friendly nod.
"No trouble at all. Just give me a minute — I'll grab my things from the store and we can head out."
A few minutes later, Helen returned. They were escorted by security through the staff-only corridor to the basement parking lot, away from the public eye. Luckily, it was quiet — no crowds in sight.
Helen's car was parked near the staff entrance. After thanking the guards, the siblings climbed into the car.
Not long after pulling out of the parking lot, they were cruising down a city street — just past the mall intersection — when a sudden explosion erupted nearby.
A flash of fire and smoke burst from a government building only a few blocks away.
BOOM!
Helen instinctively swerved, avoiding debris as she hit the gas. The car sped away from the chaos, tense silence gripping everyone inside.
She quickly turned on the car radio, hoping for updates.
Lucia, pale-faced, gripped her phone tightly and began scanning news sources online.
Tense minutes passed.
Then the radio finally spoke.
> _"An explosion has just occurred at a government facility on XXXX Road, near the city mall.
The suspected cause is the use of supernatural powers by an awakened individual.
A standoff is currently underway. The suspect remains inside the building and refuses to surrender.
Authorities have dispatched a Special Terror Unit.
Just moments ago, another explosion rocked the area. Our reporters are currently being evacuated within a 300-meter radius.
We will continue updating you as the situation unfolds. Please stay tuned."_
The four women gasped audibly as the report finished. The air inside the car felt heavy.
It was Helen who broke the silence.
"What a tragedy… We were lucky to get away safely. I hope no civilians were hurt in that attack…"
She exhaled deeply.
"I'll need to check on my coworkers once we drop you off. But first — are you all okay?"
Despite being the youngest, Eve answered first — composed, yet visibly concerned.
"Yeah… we're fine. Just shaken. But we're okay."
They had survived — again. But the tension in the car hinted at a deeper realization: things were changing.
Lucia finally spoke.
"Yeah… it really is a tragedy. And I think… this might be the start of something bigger. Something dangerous.
"Humanity just received strange new powers from an unknown source. What each person chooses to do with that power… is terrifying.
"I don't have much faith in the government, but I think they'll be forced to act. New laws. New control. Maybe new fear."
Meanwhile, in Lucia's mind—
'Sigh… what a curse.
'I was just starting to get used to being a woman, and now—bam, another disaster.
'Damn it! If the government starts implementing identity registration for the Awakened—or worse, for the whole population—I'm screwed!'
Lucia said nothing aloud. Her silence wasn't lost on the others, but Sophia seemed far too focused on her phone to comment. Her expression had turned tense, eyes scanning whatever news or updates were coming in.
The earlier conversation had drifted from light talk between the siblings to uneasy thoughts about what might lie ahead.
After about an hour, they finally arrived near their neighborhood.
Once again, the sisters expressed their gratitude to Helen before parting ways.
As they entered the familiar streets, Lucia walked ahead in silence, eyes low, ignoring the curious stares from neighbors. Her grim expression was enough to stop anyone from approaching. Eve and Sophia, however, were caught by a few neighbors who couldn't help but ask questions once they recognized them.
Lucia didn't stop. She just kept walking, letting her sisters handle the chatter. Her mind was too clouded for social niceties.
Finally standing in front of their house, she let out a long sigh before unlocking the door and stepping inside.
She wanted nothing more than to throw herself onto the mattress and disappear for a while—but instead, she headed to her room to change clothes first.
"Finally home… Now I can stop pretending."
...Fck! Why does something always go wrong!? Can't I just catch a damn break!? What is this, divine punishment!?"
Back in her safe space, Lucia let the facade fall. Her thoughts returned to their true core.
'Right. Don't forget who you really are.
'Yes… I'm Lucius. I'm a man.
'Learning all this girl stuff, doing all this… It's only a means to an end. I need to adapt so I can survive—and eventually, find a way to return to normal. I will get my body back. I just need to remember who I am so I don't lose myself in the process.'
The quiet helped.
After a moment of self-reflection, Lucius felt himself regaining composure. He pulled out a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.
He noticed his body was sticky with sweat—probably from all the stress and commotion—so he decided to take a shower. By now, he was mostly used to seeing his new form in the mirror. There was still a lingering discomfort, but he was learning to shove it aside, at least for practical purposes.
As he finished drying off with a towel, he suddenly remembered something Sophia had told him:
> "Make sure to wear proper underwear from now on. Not wearing a bra can mess with your posture and even hurt your back—especially at your size. Trust me, it's for your own good."
With a reluctant groan, Lucius wrapped the towel tightly around himself and made a quick dash into the living room to grab one of the newly bought underwear sets. He clutched the package like it was radioactive and ran back to the bathroom.
Thanks to Sophia's detailed explanation earlier, he managed to wear it properly after some trial and error. Once it was on, he understood what she meant.
'Ugh... I get it now. It really does help support my back. I hate to admit it, but... it's more comfortable.
'Damn it. Why does something practical have to feel... good?'
Shaking off the thoughts, he quickly finished dressing.
'Alright, enough drama. Let's focus. I bet Sister Sophia and Eve are done talking with the neighbors by now. I'm still tired, but I'll cook dinner today. After everything, the least I can do is give Sister Sophia a break.'
Dinner was simple: a warm stew, some battered fried tofu, and a fried fish dish with a light egg coating. It wasn't fancy, but it was the kind of home-cooked meal that filled you up and calmed the soul.
After taking their showers, Sophia and Eve joined Lucius at the table. No one spoke much. They were all too drained from the events at the mall.
Still, even in silence, there was comfort. The smell of dinner, the warmth of shared space—this was their everyday life. Sometimes, that was enough.
After the meal, everyone went off to their own space to unwind.
Now alone, Lucius sat cross-legged on his mattress, lost in thought.
'Alright… what's next?'