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Chapter 2 - Chapter 1 – Cold Beginnings

The streetlight buzzed above him like it was tired of being alive.

Jun sat on a crate behind the convenience store, back hunched, breath curling visibly in the cold. His hood was up, shielding nothing. The wind still found its way in—through the seams of his sleeves, the thinning patches of his coat, the quiet places where the night touched skin and didn't leave.

His hands were wrapped tight around a takeaway cup.

Not coffee.

Just hot water.

The kind that steamed for a moment and then gave up.

Even that had cost him a coin he almost didn't have.

One of the last ones.

---

It wasn't raining, but the pavement glistened.

That strange, heavy kind of damp that seeped upward—into socks, into soles—like the world wanted to make sure you noticed the cold in stages.

He didn't shiver anymore.

That had stopped three nights ago. Maybe four.

The cold had moved past his skin, deep into the marrow.

It lived there now.

Familiar.

Permanent.

---

Behind him, a delivery truck clanked and hissed, metal scraping metal as boxes were unloaded onto worn pavement.

Somewhere in the alley, someone cursed.

A dog barked twice, then gave up.

A couple laughed as they passed on the main road, boots slapping through shallow puddles that didn't reflect anything clearly.

Jun didn't look.

Didn't move.

He blew on the cup and took a sip.

It did nothing.

The heat faded too fast, like everything else lately.

---

> [No New Messages]

[Battery: 4%]

[Service Unavailable]

His phone screen dimmed, then faded completely.

Cold, like his fingertips.

He slid it back into his pocket.

Didn't matter.

No one was texting.

No calls to miss.

The last person who'd messaged had been asking for rent.

---

Across the street, the café windows glowed gold—soft and clean, the kind of light that invited breath. Inside, people were laughing. Leaning close. Sharing warmth.

Steam curled above ceramic cups.

Voices rose and fell like waves on wood and glass.

Jun stared at the movement behind the windows, not jealous—just quiet.

He used to stand on the other side of that counter.

Not as a barista.

Not even close.

Cleanup.

Dishes.

Grind, wipe, nod. Repeat.

But he watched.

Watched the way the older guy leveled the grounds, flicked his wrist just right before the pour.

How he paused—just briefly—before the bloom.

Like it meant something.

Jun remembered thinking:

> There's an art to that.

Now he just thought about how long he could sit here before security made their rounds again.

They usually waited until midnight.

Didn't yell. Just gave him the look.

A soft nod toward the street. Move along.

---

He reached into the front pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a scratched plastic keychain.

KONO COFFEE.

Faded.

The letters barely legible under the grime and wear.

One of the baristas had slipped it to him once—quietly—after a long closing shift.

Jun had stayed behind, cleaned more than he needed to.

Didn't ask.

Didn't expect anything.

The guy had said nothing. Just handed him the keychain, then walked away.

Jun turned it over in his fingers now.

It didn't unlock anything.

But he still kept it.

He let it fall back into his pocket.

Took another sip.

The water was already lukewarm.

---

Then—

The air shifted.

Not colder.

Not warmer.

Just... sharper.

Like something had sliced clean through the silence.

---

> [Initializing…]

System Boot Complete.

Welcome, User.

[Barista System Activated]

Starter Task Available.

---

The cup slipped slightly in Jun's hands.

He caught it without spilling.

His fingers tightened around the warmth, faint as it was.

He looked around.

No one.

Nothing had changed.

Same street.

Same buzz overhead.

Same silence curling under the awning.

But something was here.

Something real.

And for the first time in weeks—

Jun didn't feel completely alone.

---

Heat.

Hands.

Focus.

Maybe that was enough to begin.

---

> [System Record – Storyline ID: S08-Origin]

Logged User: Stylsite08

Path: Stillness to Mastery

Unauthorized copies may trigger system disruption.

Original work by Stylsite08. Do not repost or distribute without permission.

All rights reserved.

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