[Hyde POV]
Victoria, Donna, and Jackie sat on the beat up chair in Forman's basement and were sharing the electric blanket.
"It's so warm…" Jackie muttered with bliss.
"Yeah, it's really warm." Donna muttered. "I feel so sleepy right now." She added.
I sat on my normal chair and looked at them with disbelief. "I bought that for Victoria, why are all of you using it?"
"Shut up, you love struck man." Jackie scolded me. I threw my hands out in disbelief.
Kelso laughed and said, "You studied a bible just to get her? Hyde, you're more romantic than you let on?"
Eric added with the teasing, "I think someone had gone to the wizard and finally got himself a heart."
He was referring to the Wizard of Oz.
Donna interjected, "Guys, don't tease him. He's already tired… from carrying all the love he has in his heart." Donna made kissing sounds.
Victoria blushed and said, "I- I don't think Steven loves me."
I rolled my eyes and replied to Victoria. "No, of course not. We have to go on a date first before that could happen."
I was stating facts, but everyone exclaimed in excitement.
"OOOOOoooo."
Fez laughed and said, "Hyde. You're going to get some."
"She's married you idiot." I scolded Fez. I yawned and said, "Alright. I'm going to nap."
"Hyde! I want the blanket too! Where did you buy it?" Jackie asked.
I smirked at her and said, "It's one of a kind, so I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."
Everyone exclaimed again.
"Victoria. You're bright red. Do you want me to turn down the heat?" Fez asked, which made her more embarrassed.
Jackie was so excited, then she got mad at Kelso.
"Micheal! You should be like Steven and get me one of a kind stuff too!" She scolded her boyfriend.
"Jackie. You already have me. And I'm one of the kind in this world." Micheal said dumbly.
I smiled as I saw her hang out with my friends.
When I returned home with Victoria, Mr and Mrs Forman grilled me about my intentions with her. It was a big deal to bring a married woman home.
As I told Red everything, he changed his target and called Victoria's husband immediately.
He berated him, calling him a dumbass. He also asked if he was gay– in his own words, more subtle than I could be, and told him to divorce Victoria once he got confirmation.
Red's words were, "You met at a camp where you're both the prisoner. But, you left her here all alone while you escaped on your own. Do the right thing and free her too."
Victoria cried after that. I didn't know whether it was from relief or sadness. But she got over it very quickly.
The plan was to find her an apartment nearby while she was going through her divorce, and Kitty would take her under her wings, also getting her into the church congregation.
When I entered my room with concrete walls, my mood worsened. "I'm pretty cold in here too." I muttered.
Even though Red had increased the heating because of the snow, it was still cold in the basement.
*Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding*
I was shocked when I saw the numbers of online deliveries coming in as I checked the system.
"Oh! It has arrived!" I muttered with excitement. I had put the bedframe I picked up before in the room, but not the mattress yet.
The small box appeared on the concrete wall. It was a foam mattress, so the bed was compressed and rolled in there. They also gave me two free pillows, which was awesome.
I carefully slid the compressed mattress onto the wooden slats. The plastic wrap crinkled loudly as I cut it open. Instantly, the foam began to expand, slowly filling the frame.
"A cheap one, barely 250 bucks." I sat on the bed and it was quite soft. It cost me 50 bucks in 1977 money.
I found cheaper options, but this one had great reviews. Also, it was a heaven-and-earth difference between the 1970s mattresses.
Mattresses in the 1970s were typically spring-based, often lumpy and uneven, prone to sagging in the middle, and offered inconsistent support. Rolling over or sitting on the edge could make one slide off.
The foam mattress from 2025, by contrast, provided uniform support, molded to the body, and maintained its shape over time. The surface was smooth and soft, yet firm enough to support shoulders, back, and hips evenly.
"Ahhhh~~~" I relaxed as I laid down on the bed. The Ikea bedsheet and the Ikea comforter were also here.
I took it all out of their packages and began building my bed. It was a black sheet and black comforter, with green checkered on it.
Amongst my delivery items, a few non drill blinds also arrived. It was a blackout blind with horizontal orange red stripes. I clicked them on the window edge easily and covered up all of my windows.
With the bed, the table and the windows covered up, I also put a rug on the floor. It was a bohemian rug, a fake rug at least.
"It needs a moisture cover…. Eh, it's cheap anyway."
As I contemplated just putting the rug as it was would cost it to be damp, it only cost me 10 dollars for the thing. The large 8x10 rug tied the room together, and I could take off my shoes now.
The room was only 10 feet by 10 feet, so having an 8 feet by 10 feet rug made changed the room instantly.
My Ikea wardrobe also arrived. It was a RAKKESTAD wardrobe, black color with 3 doors, 4 feet in width, 6 feet in height. It was good enough for the basement with the 8 feet ceiling.
"Should I test the build mode?" I said cheerfully. "System, enter build mode."
Ikea gave the tools for the closet, so the build took 5 seconds.
First, the box disappeared into the system. Next, it appeared again, fully built and the trash was put beside it.
"Nice." I ran my hand across the smooth Ikea doors and opened them.
Behind the two larger doors was a tall space for hanging clothes– shirts, jackets, and pants could all hang freely without touching the bottom. The smaller door revealed a set of shelves and racks, perfect for folded shirts, jeans, and smaller items like socks and boxers.
I started transferring my clothes into the wardrobe. My shirts hung neatly on the rail, my folded sweaters stacked on the shelves, and the socks and boxers slid perfectly into the smaller racks.
"Lastly." I smiled in excitement and took out two lamps. One small, one tall. It put the small one on the study table, and the tall one on the wall with the two windows.
As I turned it on, the warm lighting changed the room mood instantly. Before this, I only have one bulb on the exposed ceiling.
I collected all the trash from the deliveries into the wardrobe box and put it in the system.
The closet, 150 dollars, but I got for 30. In 1977 money, I spent around 153 dollars.
Bed– 50.
Rug–10.
Lamp-20.
Blinds- 10.
Sheets and Comforter –30.
Acrylic Mirror (150 cm)- 3 dollars.
I just stuck the mirror next to the closet, on the concrete wall with itself adhesive. The acrylic mirror was a thin, very durable mirror. I picked that instead of a real mirror since I had to deliver it online.
"Now, this feels like a room." I sat down on the bed and wanted to sleep, but I needed to clean myself up first. I still have a lot of stuff delivered that I needed to claim and check out.
I went to have a shower, and when I returned with fresh clothing– a tank top and a trouser, I found all of my friends inside my room.
My forehead vein throbbed and I snapped at them. "TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!"
Donna, who was the only one barefooted, said, "I told you guys!"
Everyone was taken aback. Kelso laughed and he was under my cover. "Hyde, I'm not wearing any pants down here."
"Alright then. So you're going to go home pantless." I said as I pulled the cover. Everyone yelped and covered their eyes. Fez was eating my candy. Kelso tried to fight me, but I punched him in the head.
"Oww my eyes!" He yelped in pain and then ran away without his pants since that was in my hand. Luckily he wasn't stark naked under there.
Jackie was posing in front of the mirror, fixing her hair and her leg pose.
"Jackie! Get out!" I snapped at her. "By the way, where is Victoria?" I asked Donna.
"She's tucking in early since she has work. And she usually slept at 6, so… This is already way past her bedtime."
She needed some time to adapt.
Eric was flabbergasted and stammered, "Hyde… How did… When did… How– When–"
I smirked at him as I knew what he wanted to ask. When did I put all the stuff into my room? Luckily, I locked my door from the outside with a padlock.
The door didn't have a handle so I had to drill some holes in it this morning to install the lock.
"Get out. We'll talk tomorrow." I yawned, my eyes slightly teary. Everyone left, except for Jackie.
Donna yelled at her, "Jackie! Out!"
"Wait. The lightning here is really good–"
Donna grabbed Jackie by her arm and dragged her out. I yawned, yet I didn't go straight to sleep.
I claimed everything that was delivered and unpacked them as I waited for the internet to return again.
It was so I could upload and put the order for the flyers. The longer I waited, the longer it would take for me to receive them.
The Pierre Cardin blazer finally arrived from the system. In 2025 it was just a budget-line piece—two hundred fifty bucks, nothing special—but here in 1977 it translated to about fifty dollars.
Pretty expensive, but honestly, I didn't really have a choice.
Modern cheap suits were useless in this decade. The cuts were too slim, the lapels were practically nonexistent, and the fabric had that future-smooth texture no one in '77 had ever seen.
If I walked into Point Place wearing some fast-fashion polyester with laser-straight stitching, everyone would know something was off.
Suits here cost around sixty bucks to get tailor-made anyway, so at least this one was still cheaper than ordering a local custom job.
And since I had a normal build, the blazer already fit me pretty well. Maybe I'd get the sleeves shortened a bit, but nothing major.
The material was a cotton-wool blend, thick enough to look authentic for the era, soft enough to move in. It had those wide, confident lapels Pierre Cardin was known for back then.
"It honestly feels better than Red's suit. This is more breathable." I muttered as I ran my hand on the soft cotton black sleeve.
I wore everything, the white Uniqlo button down, the slack trouser, the Clarks boots, and stood in front of the mirror to check my image.
"I look quite good. But the pork chop is lowering the classiness value. Eh, it doesn't matter. Everyone has sideburns here."
I even bought a watch. A 100 bucks Fossil watch. So it cost me 20 bucks. It has a leather strap and silver colored casing. The design was simple, only the clock and the small calendar there.
"Wait, is Fossil here yet?" I said as I strapped on the watch to take a look at the mirror.
I was quite vain, I know. A stark contrast to who I was before. But when one had experienced the life of luxury, it was hard to go back to having almost no material possession again.
Suits & Formal Clothing
Pierre Cardin blazer (modern budget line) –$50
Slack trousers (2 pairs, black/charcoal) – $20
White button-downs (3x Uniqlo) – $18
Black button-down (Uniqlo) – $6
Subtotal: $94
Casual Clothes
Uniqlo crew-neck tees (6 pcs) – $15
Tank undershirts (4 pcs) –$5
Uniqlo jeans (2 pairs) – $24
Underpants (10 pairs) – $10.
Subtotal: $54
All of the clothes were better than their 70s counterparts. It was softer, more breathable, less wrinkle prone.
Shoes
Clarks Desert Boots (Tan) – $30
Clarks Dress Shoes (Black) – $30
Basic sneakers (Adidas) – $10
Socks (10 pairs) – 2 dollars.
Gift shoes– 40 dollars.
In total for everything that was delivered today, I spent $383. Yesterday, I spent $862.
So I have spent 1245 dollars in just two days.
I had 1700 in the beginning. I have 455 bucks left. I kept that for the flyers.
"The flyers will cost me…" I checked the pricing since it was in Baht. It cost me 55 bucks in 2025 money to print all 5000 of the flyers and delivery cost to get it to my house directly after it was done.
"So I'd have to pay only 11 dollars? Damn." I muttered with shock.
In 1977, full-color offset printing was considered premium because color plates had to be made by hand and each color needed a separate metal plate. Precise alignment was labor-intensive and photographic half-tones required special screening.
It would cost Bob around 1000 dollars to get color flyers. Or at least 500 bucks for a low end one with minimal pictures.
Bob gave me 200 bucks. He thought I was going to do the black and white one, but to show the glow of the bulb, I went with the color printing.
"Bob's flyers look more high end than Sears flyers now." I muttered with a slight chuckle.
"Now, I can buy the car tires and the rust treatment." I muttered as I checked on the car materials next.
I asked Chatgpt about how I could upgrade my Chevy Nova, and it gave me a lot of suggestions without changing much of the car.
Modern synthetic oil, modern battery, oil filter, platinum spark plug, low-resistance silicone plug wires, modern air filter, modern fuel hose, modern coolant with anti-corrosion formula, serpentine style rubber compound belts, brake pads, new suspension, a used cassette deck, some speakers, and Continental tires.
For the engine, the AI suggested using an Aluminum radiator which would give massive reliability gains and make sure the car would never overheat.
With these upgrades, the car basically didn't have to have the same level of maintenance a 1970s car needed. No need to check the battery on a weekly basis, no need to change the belt every couple of months.
It would also add around 15 more horsepower to the car. Well, that's what the AI said, but I needed to install it first to make sure.
I could also re-jet the carburetor and tune it better with modern tools. Or I could buy a new carburetor that was already following the modern standard.
I chose the latter, but it would take me a week or longer since it has to be delivered from the US.
I also bought some rattle cans to paint. The rust treatment, the buffing compound, sander with different grits, and everything else I found from a youtube video.
I just need to follow this steps:
Sand down rust spots / old paint + treat rust with rust converterClean the surface thoroughly (degrease, wipe off dust)Apply primer (spray primer)Spray base paint (from 2025 aerosol cans) — thin coats, smooth passesLet dry, sand lightly if neededSpray a clear coat — for shine and protection.Buff and polish with buffing compound.
It cost me around 400 bucks for everything, which was around 2000 bucks in 2025 money. A huge cost for the car. It would cost more if I didn't buy it in Thailand. If it was in the US, it might cost triple that.
"I haven't bought the new carburetor yet. Maybe next time."
Then, I finally let myself go to sleep. As I laid down on the soft bed, it took me only a few minutes to drift off. When I opened my eyes again, it was already 7.45 in the morning.
The only reason I woke up was because Eric was calling me.
"Hyde! Wake up man! Are you dead in there?" He shouted urgently.
…
After taking another shower– and yes, it was my third shower in two days, I dressed up in last night's outfit– the formal look, and brought with me the Adidas sneaker's box and the Clark's tan boot box to the breakfast table.
I also bought another pair of shoes with me.
"Good morning class." I greeted.
Mrs Forman widened her eyes as she saw me. "Steven! You look so… rich and snazzy!" She touched the jacket to feel the material.
"This feels so soft. And new shoes too Steven?" She asked, smiling in elation, looking incredibly proud.
I nodded with a smile and said simply. "But these two are the wrong sizes, so, I have to let them go." I showed the sneakers and the boot.
Eric jumped out immediately from eating his bacon and rushed to grab the sneaker. "I'll take a look."
Red grimaced and said, "Why didn't you check it properly before buying it?"
"I bought it cheaply at the back of a truck going to New York. No refunds, so I have to sell them." I said simply and sat on the table to eat my breakfast.
Despite looking angry, Red was quite interested with the boots. Eric was mesmerized with the Adidas sneakers.
"It looks so cool!" Eric exclaimed. "Careful Forman. It's 50 bucks shoes." I said.
Everyone froze in shock. "50 BUCKS! Are you crazy!?" Red admonished me.
"Steven! You need to be more careful with your money!" Mrs Forman added.
I looked at them weirdly and said, "It's 50 in New York. I got it for 15."
"Oh." Both of them exclaimed flatly. Eric wore the shoes and walked around. "This is made for me. It's so light too. And cushioned so it doesn't hurt. I'll give you 15 bucks."
"Sure." I told him. "Want the boots too? This cost over 100 dollars–"
"Let me see that!" Red picked up the boots from my hand. He opened it and ran his hand on the leather.
"It does feel luxurious." Red said.
"Why don't you test it out?" I asked.
"How much did you buy it for?" He asked back, being careful.
"35 bucks." I said simply.
Red thought about it and said, "Alright. Let me test it first."
Both shoes were small for me, but they fit them perfectly. Red felt like he was walking on clouds with those boots. He decided to buy them.
As I got the money, I gave it the last pair to Mrs Forman.
"Steven, what's this for?" She asked.
"Well, I got you a gift." I gave her the shoes.
Mrs Forman gasped, feeling incredibly touched.
Red grimaced and said angrily, "Why would you buy my wife shoes?! That's really weird Steven!"
"Well," I turned to him and said, "When I was young, I promised myself that if I got my first paycheck, I would buy my mother a gift. But she's not here, so… I have to pick out the closest person that fits the bill."
Kitty gasped again, her chin quivered and her voice broke a little.
"Wait Hyde. You consider my mom your mom too? So, we're brothers now?" Eric asked teasingly.
"Oh Steven, you wonderful boy!" Mrs Forman rushed and hugged me tightly. I cringed as I wasn't comfortable with it, and said, "Okay Mrs Forman. That's enough. Why don't you test it out?"
She took out the Hoka Clifton shoes from the box and put them on. The shoes won the 2025 WomanHealth awards, so I knew it was good.
"Oh wow… Steven, these feel amazing!" She bounced lightly on her heels. "They're so cushioned and supportive—I could walk all day without my feet killing me."
I nodded. "Yeah, I figured you spend most of your day on your feet. I read it's good for nurses since you would need to run a lot."
Kitty gasped again. "Steven you wonderful boy! I LOVE You" She pulled my head in and kissed me on the cheek like a mother would.
"Stop it Mrs Forman.Stop– Alright fine, I love you too!"
She finally relented when I said it back. Eric laughed teasingly and said, "Who's a momma's boy now?"
"You are." I snapped back at him. "Eric, you should learn a thing or two from Steven." Mrs Forman patted Eric hintingly. "Red. You too." She added.
Red grimaced and scolded me, "Now you see what you have done?"
I just smiled and ate my breakfast.