On a bright day, in a farmland owned by an old grandmother. A bowl of warm soup was extended by hands wrinkled from a lifetime of experience.
Alif was already holding the bowl with both hands, gently blowing over its still-hot surface.
"Hmm… it smells like… water, but more serious," he commented, sniffing the soup.
Iyas immediately grabbed a spoon without permission. "Let me test it first, who knows if this is just 8 kg of vegetables liquefied."
"There's no such thing as liquefied vegetab—" Icam hadn't finished speaking when Iyas slurped.
Sluuurp. The sound of sipping syrup.
Silence.
The two of them stared at Iyas full of hope.
"So?" Icam asked.
Iyas stared straight ahead. "…Wet."
"OF COURSE IT'S WET, IT'S SOUP!!" Icam snapped.
Alif took a sip too.
Sluuurp.
"…It's good though."
Icam immediately joined in, snatching the spoon from Alif.
Sluuurp.
"…Yeah, true."
Three seconds later...
The three of them sat in a circle, empty soup bowls in front of them.
The grandmother was still standing, holding a spare spoon.
Silence.
"…Grandma's soup…," Icam said softly, in a mysterious tone.
Icam suddenly stood up quickly. "WE NEED THAT ENERGY, GRANDMA!"
Alif stood up too. "Yes, Grandma, this is for the nation's mission!"
Iyas raised his hand. "And for the 8 kg."
The grandmother only smiled weakly. "Yes… yes, my children…"
From afar, the granddaughter simply stared. "Why did they eat everything…?"
A few moments later.
The trio had already returned to the market, leaving the grandmother's farm without saying anything.
Their steps were firmer now. More confident.
Icam walked in front like a leader. "Alright, we now know our mistake."
Alif nodded seriously. "Earlier, we picked the ones that were still in elementary school."
Iyas added, "Now we look for the older ones."
Icam pointed forward. "Target: mature vegetables, mission deployed!"
They stopped in front of a stall.
A vendor looked at them suspiciously. "You guys are…,"
Icam immediately cut him off. "We're looking for vegetables that are emotionally mature."
The vendor fell silent.
Alif added, "The ones ready to be harvested without drama."
The vendor became even more silent, his expression growing more tired.
Iyas stepped forward. "Minimum total weight 8 kg, preferably in one unit for practicality."
The vendor took a deep breath.
"I sell souvenirs, you blockheads. I'm not a vegetable seller!"
Then he pointed at a pile of vegetables, with a different vendor.
"There." he said firmly.
The trio stared.
Silence. They rushed to the next stall.
Icam approached, crouched down, then patted one of the vegetables.
"…Are you already an adult?"
The vegetable seller: "..."
Alif crouched as well. "Try asking about its past first."
Iyas picked one up. "If it stays silent, it means it's wise."
"THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S A VEGETABLE!!" the seller finally shouted.
Alif stood up, about to respond to the vendor's outburst. "Don't get mad, bro! The vegetables will get embarrassed!"
Iyas looked at Alif, agreeing. "Yeah, the vendor is really mean," he added.
The vendor glanced at the souvenir seller, exhaled patiently, closed his eyes, then looked back at the trio and opened them again.
"What vegetables do you even want to buy?" he asked, trying to stay patient.
Icam stared suspiciously at the vendor, replying to his patience with negativity.
"Your vegetables don't look fresh. I'm not in the mood to buy them."
"Next time you sell something, be more honest."
The vendor tried to reassure himself, clutching his chest, regulating his breathing.
"Just leave, alright? Problem solved?" he said quickly, still glaring at Icam.
"Tch, bossy," Icam shot back.
The trio quickly left, whispering complaints about the vendor's rudeness—especially Alif and Icam.
Iyas looked at the spot where the robber had fainted earlier. Apparently, the robber was no longer there. His gaze dimmed, as if feeling longing or guilt.
Iyas stopped.
Icam and Alif stopped too, looking at him.
Iyas crouched down, gently touching the ground where the robber had been, full of affection.
"Such a shame, he decomposed so quickly," Iyas muttered softly.
Icam approached, smiling kindly. Standing right behind Iyas, he tapped his shoulder.
Iyas reflexively turned toward Icam quickly, wearing a caring expression.
Icam smiled even more.
Then he said, "I forgot what I was going to say."
Alif suddenly became energetic, jumping in front of Iyas.
"It's okay, next time we'll meet another robber!"
An adult man watched the trio without ill intent and approached.
He stopped right at the spot where the robber had fainted.
"The robber was taken by the townspeople to a detention place," he said clearly.
Unexpectedly, the trio immediately stood up and walked away without any reaction.
The kind man got annoyed. "Hey! Where are you going?!"
Walking...
Still walking...
On the same path back to the grandmother's house.
When the trio stood right in front of her house.
They saw the grandmother in her garden. Even though it was behind the house, the garden was visible from the front due to its size.
She seemed to be looking around for the trio, her face filled with worry.
She stood slightly hunched due to her age—she shouldn't be standing for too long.
Iyas quickly ran toward her.
He gracefully jumped over the garden fence.
Standing straight in front of her without even heavy breathing.
Iyas's face was firm, smiling.
"Hello, Grandma," Iyas greeted.
The grandmother slowly turned.
Then looked at Iyas with her tired eyes.
"Ahh, so you're here…" she said softly.
She added, "About the vegetables, a kind vendor gave them to me for free…"
Iyas looked up happily.
He said enthusiastically, "8 kg of vegetables, right Grandma?"
"Yes, 10 kg," she replied quickly.
Alif stood beside the garden fence without crossing it, watching curiously.
Meanwhile, Icam observed carefully, squinting his eyes.
Both of them didn't cross the fence, like cows curiously staring at the field next door.
10 minutes after finding the vegetables.
A sack, full of vegetables—the same ones Kirios showed.
Leaning neatly against the wall of the grandmother's storage shed near the garden.
Iyas looked at the sack. "This is a sack."
The granddaughter looked at him. "The sack contains your vegetables, you know!" she replied firmly.
Icam slowly approached the child, extending his hand.
"How do you know?" Icam asked seriously.
Of course, the child just stared in confusion.
Silence.
Or awkwardness.
"Just take it and leave already," the child said.
Alif ran over and lifted the sack enthusiastically. "Okay!"
"Let's go back to the base and get praised by Lord Kirios!" Alif said excitedly, lifting the sack onto his back.
The child looked surprised hearing the name Kirios, but said nothing.
Icam stopped extending his hand and replied, "Nice. Where's the villa again? I forgot."
He complimented first but questioned at the end.
The three of them fell silent, unable to remember the way.
Even though they managed to reach the market and the grandmother's house without any memory issues.
…..
It was already late afternoon, the sun about to set, bringing darkness.
After wandering for so long, the trio finally found the way to their boss's villa.
Even though it took time, many steps, and countless wrong turns, they still pushed through to complete the mission.
Long blonde hair, a firm face—Kirios was now relaxing on his lounge chair outside, waiting for his subordinates.
A gentle breeze.
His face seemed to store energy for anger.
The sound of fast footsteps approached.
Getting closer to Kirios's ears.
He even lifted himself into a sitting position.
Making sure who was coming.
There were many footsteps—it was indeed the trio.
They ran like children returning to their parents, smiling with excitement.
They stopped.
Right in front of Kirios.
Iyas smiled. "Lord Kirios kindly waited for us."
Kirios grew irritated, standing up.
"YOU! TOOK SO LONG!!" he shouted.
Alif quickly replied with a sad face, "Sorry, ma'am."
Kirios choked, staring at Alif.
"Why 'ma'am'!?"
"Well, the way you get angry is like a mom scolding kids for playing too long," Alif explained quickly, his fingers fidgeting 👉👈
Alif added softly, "It slipped out."
The sack fell from his hands.
Kirios looked at it sharply.
"You got the vegetables?" he asked.
"Of course we did, can't you see, Lord Kirios?" Icam replied bluntly.
Kirios glared at Icam.
Icam showed no pressure at all.
Iyas approached the sack, rummaging through it.
He walked toward Kirios.
Kirios watched him.
Iyas held a vegetable with both hands and offered it with a smile.
Kirios looked at it, then at Iyas.
"Hah!? Just one?" he snapped.
"No, the rest are in the sack," Iyas replied quickly.
Kirios got angry. "Then where's the sack!? Why give me only one!?"
"Cam, bring the sack," Iyas said.
"No, do it yourself. I'm tired," Icam replied.
Kirios grew even more irritated, muttering about punishment.
Suddenly, Icam brought the sack and dropped it right in front of Kirios.
THUD.
Kirios stopped muttering.
He stared silently.
"…Oh? The sack, right?" Icam said, confused.
Kirios opened it and checked inside.
A satisfied smile appeared.
"Good! My subordinates! You are honored for making me pleased!" he said excitedly.
"You are forgiven!"
The trio smiled in relief.
END
Somewhere else, in front of a small detention facility.
Two guards stood there, along with three townsmen and a tied-up robber.
It was still bright daylight.
"Yeah, yeah… don't rob again next time," one guard said casually.
"Hah!? What do you mean!?" one citizen protested.
"This robber almost killed a child!" another added.
The second guard chuckled and approached them.
"Listen, sir. We're poor. This prison isn't for local crimes," he explained irresponsibly.
The citizens stared in disbelief.
"You know this place is full. Even if there's space, it's reserved for other matters," the first guard added.
"So what are we supposed to do!?" one citizen asked.
"Just keep him yourselves or release him. Take his weapons," the guard replied lightly.
It seemed the prison was used for those who offended high-status individuals.
Like the trio's ridiculous behavior.
One citizen almost questioned the prison's purpose loudly, but another calmed him down.
They took the robber away.
Once out of sight—
They began speculating.
"This must be Kirios's doing. He paid them and controls the prison quota," said Citizen 1.
Citizen 2 shook his head. "No. Kirios is in conflict with Ramirez. It must be Ramirez manipulating it."
They sighed heavily.
Citizen 3 added, "Yes, it's Ramirez. This morning he took food from my house, calling it tax."
Citizen 1 suddenly raised his hand slightly, his index finger pressed in front of his lips.
"Shhh."
His eyes darted around, scanning the area cautiously. His shoulders stiffened, and he leaned in closer to the others, lowering his voice.
"Not so loud."
Citizen 2 paused, glancing over his shoulder.
Citizen 3 swallowed, his posture tightening as if the air itself had become heavier.
Citizen 1 slowly lowered his hand, but his expression remained tense.
"…We don't know who might be listening."
Silence fell between them.
Even their footsteps became quieter as they walked away.