Luke's excitement about his new body had dimmed only a little bit slightly once he acknowledged that the coin was responsible for everything.
To go from average-looking to breathtaking overnight, it was not even overnight, just a few hours— simply by taking a nap — was unheard of. It wasn't just unlikely; it was not even humanly possible.
So this is what Lilith was talking about, he thought, running a hand over his now sharply defined jawline. This is the power of the coin.
"I feel… incredible," Luke murmured to himself, almost afraid that saying it out loud would break the spell.
His reflection didn't feel real. Every detail — the sculpted angles of his face, the refined symmetry, the kind of beauty people compared to myths and greek gods — looked as if it had been carved with divine precision.
But it wasn't only his appearance that had changed. There was something deeper humming beneath his skin.
He felt in control. Steady. Centered. So much confidence radiated from him so naturally it was as if it had always been part of him.
Maybe it came from seeing a stranger in the mirror who somehow felt more like him than he ever had. Maybe it was the power thrumming through his veins, subtle but undeniable — a quiet reminder that he was no longer just ordinary Luke.
He straightened, taking a slow breath. Whatever the coin had awakened, whatever Lilith had told him… this was only the beginning
Although she wasn't exactly forthcoming about the specifics of this power—maybe even she didn't know the full extent of what it could do—Luke could only shake his head at the mystery of it all.
That is a thought for another day, he told himself. Right now I need to figure out how to use this power to get a new job and pay my rent…
But then another thought struck him. Wait… how does this even work? I don't have the slightest clue.
Maybe it triggered at random? Maybe chance decided everything?
It certainly seemed that way, considering his inhuman growth spurt.
Luke kept replaying possibilities in his mind, trying to piece together the logic of his ability as he dried his still-damp body with a towel, as he prepared to leave the bathroom.
As he pushed open the bathroom door, he barely expected anything more than the usual burst of fluorescent light and the faint echo of running water. It was, after all, a communal public bathroom—one used by every resident in the old apartment complex—so it wasn't unusual to bump into a neighbor from time to time.
Most encounters were brief, forgettable, the kind where two people muttered a polite greeting and slipped past each other without much thought.
But today was different.
The moment the door swung inward, he froze. Standing on the other side, her hand poised to reach for the handle from the outside, was a woman whose presence seemed to still the humid air around them.
Light from the hallway framed her figure, softening the edges of her black, silky hair as it spilled down her shoulders. Her skin caught the dim light in a way that made it look warm, almost glowing.
Full lips, delicate jawline, slim curves outlined beneath a casually fitted top—she looked like she had been carved straight out of the quiet fantasies he'd tried so hard to ignore.
It was her.
His longtime crush Trish.
The same woman whose breathy sex echoes and unmistakable bedroom moans with her boyfriend had jolted him awake earlier that morning—sounds he tried not to think about, sounds he absolutely failed to ignore. He could still feel the heat creeping up his neck at the memory.
He'd liked her ever since the day he moved in. She'd been the first person to help him—lifting one end of a heavy box and carrying it with an easy smile that made him forget every word of the introduction he'd rehearsed.
Since then, he'd never managed more than a timid "thank you" or "good morning." No matter how many times he promised himself he'd speak to her like a normal human being, the moment he saw her, his courage evaporated.
And for her… he might as well have been part of the wallpaper. Ordinary. Forgettable. Quiet enough to disappear into a room without anyone noticing he was there.
Now, inches away from him, she blinked in mild surprise, her lips parting as if to speak. A faint whiff of floral shampoo drifted toward him, mingling with the cool hallway air.
The world seemed to shrink to the narrow space between them—the threshold of a public bathroom that had suddenly become the most private, nerve-wracking place on earth.
For a second, she didn't recognize him.
She had swung the bathroom door open expecting the usual empty space—or maybe one of the older residents shuffling out in slippers. Instead, she found herself face-to-face with him.
The quiet neighbor.
The one who always ducked his head when she greeted him. The one who had barely managed more than a soft "good morning" since the day she helped him carry that oversized box up the stairs. Back then he had seemed… well, sweet, but forgettable. Not in a cruel way—just in the way someone blends into the background of your everyday routine.
But now?
Her eyes lingered before she could stop them.
He looked different. Very different.
His posture was straighter, almost confident, though the surprise on his face made him look endearingly unsure.
Has he always been this tall?
Has his jaw always been that sharp?
She inhaled without meaning to. There was a faint scent of soap and something warm—clean, subtle—that tugged at her senses far more than she expected in a communal hallway.
When did he change like this?
And why had she not noticed?
Of course she would not notice, he was just a below average guy afterall.
Her heartbeat stuttered, a small, involuntary reaction she hoped didn't show on her face. She felt a flicker of embarrassment at the thought that he probably caught her staring—but it was hard not to.
The boyish, nearly invisible neighbor she'd grown used to seeing had been replaced by someone she suddenly found herself… curious about.
Unexpectedly curious.
She opened her mouth to say something—anything—but the words got tangled in the surprise, the sudden awareness, and the way he was looking at her like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing, either.
For the first time since he'd moved in, she felt herself noticing him—not as the quiet guy who blended into the hallways, but as a man standing inches away from her in the soft glow of the shared bathroom entrance.
And she was not sure she wanted to look away.