After dealing with the mustache guy, Kara planned to take a quick breather. But before Baskara could even stretch his legs, the clinic door was kicked open—softly (you know, for the aesthetic)—by a young guy in an oversized hoodie and cargo pants. His face was gloomy, looking like someone who just saw their ex upload a pre-wedding photo.
"Doc... help me, Doc. I'm hitting a massive burnout," the guy vented as he flopped onto the patient chair without being asked. Judging by his vibe, Kara could tell he was a Gen Z, just like him.
Baskara slowly adjusted his sunglasses.
"What's the damage? Need a 'healing' trip or just a low bank balance?"
"Look, Doc, I feel like a total failure at being a human. I'm only this age, but all my peers are getting married, having kids—some are even getting divorced already. Me? Forget marriage, the only 'Good Morning' text I get is from my SIM card operator. Why am I forever single, Doc?!"
Baskara nodded solemnly. Actually, this guy's fate was basically a mirror of his past life: a "professional loafer" (unemployed but busy with random nonsense). To make it worse, their romantic luck was identical. To Kara, modern marriage was a mess. When he was a kid, people married when they were old enough; now that he was old enough, it was the underage kids getting hitched. Truly, destiny was trolling him.
Kara started his move. This time, he didn't grab the patient's wrist; instead, he borrowed the guy's phone to check his dating profile. Kara pretended to think hard after reading the guy's messages to his crush.
"Mmm... my diagnosis is simple. You aren't sick, you're just 'Too High-Spec for a Low-End Server,'" Kara blurted out. "Young people nowadays love having high tastes but forget to check their own reflection. You're a 'High-Maintenance Vegetable'—High standards, no self-awareness. I suggest lowering those standards unless you want to fall and get hurt."
[Notification! Lie detected. Based on scans, this patient is single because he's too picky despite only showering once a day. Please give a diagnosis that inflicts more mental damage, You Burden!]
'Chill, Tem. I'm giving him some 'Pearls of Wisdom' from the depths of hell. I've been in this kid's shoes before.'
[Before? Aren't you still in them now?]
Baskara glared at the System. Could you at least not be so brutally honest? A second later, Kara snapped back to reality. He cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Look, Bro. Your friends having kids? That's normal. That's just them finishing their 'Final Project' early. You? You're being saved by God so you don't add to the world's overpopulation burden yet."
"But Doc, I want a partner..."
"Bro, listen to me carefully." Kara put on his most 'wise sage' face. "Don't be jealous of your friends holding babies. Because while they're busy changing diapers at 2 AM crying, you're busy gaming without anyone nagging you. Or while they're stressed about money for the kids, you can eat and work freely without demands. Marriage isn't a race where the winner rules the world. It's sacred—it needs awareness and maturity so it doesn't fall apart halfway. Freedom is expensive, Bro!"
The Gen Z guy was stunned. His eyes welled up. "You're right, Doc. I need to 'love myself' first, right?"
"Bingo! And to help you love yourself even more, here's a prescription: Special Anti-Heartbreak Mosquito Peyek. Eat this while listening to sad songs. Your heartbreak will vanish; only mouth ulcers will remain."
The guy immediately paid via digital wallet and took home three bags of peyek.
"Doc... are you married? Your lecture sounded very personal."
Baskara froze. Come on, he was only 18! He wasn't ready for marriage, especially with a System and a brother like Cruel who were basically devils—he'd die young again. "I'm Gen Z like you! Gen Z shouldn't marry young! We haven't traveled the world! Haven't become CEOs! Don't have a fleet of cars! Aren't rich! Gen Z marrying at 18? What even is that?"
"Doc, I gotta ask... you're so young, how are you already a Doctor of Medicine? Isn't med school super long? And you said you're 18, that's like... just graduated high school age."
[Hahahaha! Gotcha! Answer that one!!!]
'Damn it, Tem! Help me out here instead of cornering me!'
[Sorry, Burden. Can't help you this time. Enjoy answering! Hahahah!]
"Uhh... that's... uh..." Baskara thought hard. "You're unemployed, right? Instead of asking me random stuff, why don't you just go home! I don't take questions unrelated to the treatment."
"But Doc!!"
"Go home! Oh, but Bro, answer one health riddle before you leave to boost your mental health. Think of it as a consolation prize since I can't answer your question. Listen up, put on your nose."
"My nose is already on, Doc. You mean 'put on your ears.'"
"Whatever, just listen. I have a riddle for you."
"What is it, Doc?"
"Do you know why single people are way healthier than married people?"
"Because they don't have the stress of raising kids?"
"Wrong! Because if a single person gets sick, nobody is there to take care of them, so they're forced to stay healthy by their circumstances! Hahaha! Canda keadaan! (Just kidding about your situation!)"
Baskara's laughter boomed while the guy's soul practically left his body.
"Thanks for the words, Doc. They really pierced my heart," the guy smiled bitterly as he slumped out of the clinic.
[Good grief. Instead of being cured, that kid is even more depressed. Your Karma Balance: STUCK AT MAXIMUM LEVEL.]
Kara just laughed wickedly as he watched the guy leave. "As long as my peyek sells, Tem! Their mental health is the least of my concerns!" He sat back down casually.
A few days later, the "Khodam Clinic" sign was gone, replaced by a cardboard sign written in marker: "KHODAM DAYCARE - Cheap, Safe (Maybe), Rowdy Kids Guaranteed to Shut Up Instantly."
Kara loved hopping between jobs. To him, trying every job was fun as long as it wasn't life-threatening. He'd started saving too, but unfortunately, saving felt like it took forever, while spending was instant. As Kara put it: 'If only losing weight was as easy as losing my bank balance.'
Baskara sat in the middle of the room with hair as messy as a lunatic being chased by zombies. Honestly, he looked less like a caregiver and more like an escapee from a psych ward.
In front of him, three neighborhood kids were busy "reconstructing" his shack. One was pulling on his fake lab coat, another was drawing on the floor with charcoal, and the loudest one—a kid named Ucok—was rolling on the floor crying for "Mosquito Peyek flavored ice cream." Like, who would even sell that? The peyek was sold out anyway. And would that even taste good? Sweet, cold, and... savory? Gen Alpha kids were truly something else. No wonder their parents dumped them on Kara.
"WAAAAA! I WANT ICE CREAAAAM! I WANT MY MOMMY! I WANT TO GO HOMEEEEE!" Ucok screamed loud enough to pierce the roof.
Baskara grabbed his head, feeling a massive migraine. "Ucok, be quiet, sweetie... if you're quiet, Big Bro will show you the obese lizard collection. Don't cry, or your handsomeness will disappear just like Big Bro's future."
[Notification! Host's stress level increased by 400%. Detecting Host's desire to play dead to avoid babysitting. Karma Balance: Stable, since childcare is a good deed, though your persuasion methods are highly misleading.]
'Shut up, Tem! This kid is scarier than the 'Zipper Ghost' from yesterday!' Kara thought, frustrated. He missed being a fake doctor; he thought babysitting would be easy.
Just as he was reaching his breaking point, a cold shadow appeared from the kitchen. Cruel stepped in, holding a glass of ice-cold syrup. He saw his brother looking like a living zombie smothered by toddlers.
Cruel placed the syrup in front of Kara without expression. "Brother, drink. Let El handle these 'dwarf creatures'."
Without a word, Kara snatched the drink and gulped it down greedily like he hadn't seen water in a century. "Oh, El, thank you... I can't do this. Why do these kids have infinite batteries?" Kara leaned against the wall, focusing on his drink.
Meanwhile, Cruel turned around. The eyes that were soft for Kara suddenly became sharp and freezing as they landed on the kids. His aura shifted instantly into something terrifying. Ucok, who was about to scream again, shut up immediately. He held his breath like he was looking at the Grim Reaper—no, an actual demon.
"Sit. Be quiet. Or I'll turn you all into fertilizer," Cruel said softly, but his tone was full of supernatural threat.
In a heartbeat, the three kids were sitting perfectly still, like they were waiting for a charity handout. Not a single sound, they even breathed as quietly as possible.
Kara, mid-sip, was gawking. "El... what did you do to them? How are they so tame?"
Cruel sat beside Kara and leaned his head on his brother's shoulder. "El just gave them a little 'motivation,' Brother. El doesn't like seeing Brother tired just for them. Brother is only allowed to be tired if El says so."
Kara chuckled, ruffling Cruel's hair. His little brother was indeed clingy and the most understanding person (in Kara's eyes). "Yeah, yeah, thanks, Dek. El is always the most reliable."
The warm moment lasted for a bit until Ucok raised his hand tremblingly. "B-big Bro... I have a question..."
Kara looked over. "What is it, sweetie? Want a riddle?"
"No... just wondering. Why do kids have to close their eyes when they cry?" Ucok asked fearfully, eyeing Cruel. He was just making small talk to break the suffocating silence.
Baskara smirked, his 'troll' mode returning. "Because if their eyes were open, they'd see their mom in the kitchen eating bakso (meatballs) all by herself without sharing! Hahaha! Canda bakso!"
Silence followed. The kids didn't know whether to laugh or stay terrified of Cruel.
[Good grief. The sweet brotherhood moment is ruined again by your garbage jokes, You Burden.]
'Whatever! Why do you even care?' Kara thought snarkily.
Cruel just closed his eyes, tightening his hug on Kara's arm. 'Let Brother be weird. As long as Brother only belongs to El,' he thought possessively.