Ethan spent the first hour back in his own body just standing in the shower.
The water was hot. His apartment had endless hot water. He'd never thought about that before—never considered that Jamie had to limit showers to five minutes because her building's ancient heater couldn't sustain more.
He stood there for twenty minutes, watching the steam rise, feeling guilty about the privilege.
Everything looked different now.
His apartment was massive for one person. Hardwood floors that someone had installed, someone had cleaned, someone had maintained. The leather couch had been delivered by workers he'd barely acknowledged. The coffee maker on his counter was more expensive than Jamie's entire month of groceries.
He'd lived here for three years and never once thought about the invisible labor that made his comfort possible.
His phone buzzed. A text from Marcus:
I got your email. I don't know what to say. Tom confirmed you contacted him about the patents. Why now?
Ethan typed back immediately:
Because I was wrong. Because you deserved credit. Because I'm trying to be better than who I was.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Marcus: I don't forgive you. Not yet. But this is a start.
That was fair. More than fair.
Another text came through, this one from Jamie:
The money showed up. I cried for an hour. You bought me time to breathe. To interview properly. To not choose between food and insulin. Thank you.
Then:
But like I said before—we're not even. You have work to do.
Ethan smiled sadly. She was right.
His wrist tingled. He looked down at the mark: 1/59
As he watched, the numbers began to shift. The infinity symbol faded, replaced by a specific count. The system was updating.
1/59 became 1/58
Wait. Fifty-eight?
His phone screen lit up with the system interface:
[TRANSGRESSION LIST UPDATED]
Previous count: 59
Current count: 58
NOTE: Jamie Rodriguez has been removed from your assignment list. Through genuine understanding, monetary amends, and her acceptance of your apology, this debt is resolved.
However, 58 transgressions remain.
Your second career assignment will begin in 72 hours.
Prepare accordingly.
Ethan felt a weight lift. One down. One person whose life he'd genuinely tried to repair.
Fifty-eight to go.
The interface shifted, displaying new information:
[CAREER 2 PREVIEW]
Subject: Chen Wei, 67
Transgression: Disrespect, caused physical injury through negligence, chronic mistreatment
Role: Building Custodian/Janitor
Severity: High
Status: Subject currently unemployed due to injury you caused
Time Until Assignment: 71:42:18
Ethan's stomach dropped.
Chen Wei. The elderly janitor from Meridian Tech. The one he'd nearly knocked down the stairs on his last day. But the transgression log said chronic mistreatment, which meant it wasn't just that one incident.
He pulled out his laptop and searched for Chen Wei.
Finding him took two hours. No social media presence. No digital footprint. Finally, Ethan called Meridian Tech's HR department.
I'm trying to reach Chen Wei, he said. He used to work in facilities maintenance.
Mr. Wei is no longer employed here, the HR representative said carefully. I can't provide personal information.
I need to contact him. It's important.
A long pause. Then: Mr. Wei was injured on company property three months ago. He's currently on medical leave. That's all I can tell you.
Three months ago. Right around the time Ethan had shoved past him on the stairs.
Can you at least tell me if he's okay?
He's recovering. But he's sixty-seven years old, Mr. Monroe. Falls at that age don't heal quickly.
The call ended.
Ethan sat with the realization: he'd put an elderly man in the hospital and never once followed up. Never checked if Chen was okay. Never apologized.
Just moved on with his life like it never happened.
***
The system's preparation suggestions appeared:
[PREPARATION RECOMMENDATIONS]
- Research the physical demands of janitorial work
- Understand the challenges faced by elderly workers
- Investigate Chen Wei's current situation and needs
- Reflect on every interaction you had with custodial staff
- Consider visiting Chen Wei before assignment begins
BONUS OBJECTIVE: Locate Chen Wei and offer genuine amends before forced perspective begins. This will increase readiness and may reduce assignment severity.
Current Readiness: 0/100
Ethan didn't hesitate. He grabbed his jacket.
Finding Chen Wei's address took another hour of searching public records. He lived in a small house in the industrial district. The neighborhood was run-down but not dangerous—working-class families, chain-link fences, cars that had seen better decades.
Ethan parked and stared at the house. A small ranch-style building with peeling paint and an overgrown lawn. A ramp had been recently installed at the front door—the wood was newer than the rest of the structure.
He knocked.
Shuffling footsteps. The door opened to reveal Chen Wei leaning heavily on a walker.
The man looked older than Ethan remembered. Frailer. His right leg was in a brace. His face showed surprise, then suspicion.
Mr. Monroe? What are you doing here?
Mr. Wei. I came to apologize. And to see if you're okay.
Chen's expression hardened. Little late for that, don't you think?
I know. I'm sorry. The day I knocked into you on the stairs—
Knocked into me? Chen's voice shook. You shoved me out of your way like I was garbage. I fell twelve steps. Broke my hip. Spent two weeks in the hospital. Lost my job because I couldn't work. Lost my health insurance with the job. Now I'm drowning in medical bills I can't pay.
Each word hit like a hammer.
Mr. Wei, I didn't know—
You didn't care to know, Chen interrupted. You never knew my name in five years. Never said good morning. Never treated me like I was human. That day on the stairs was just the final insult.
Chen gripped the walker tighter.
You know what the worst part is? It wasn't just you. Every day, people like you walked past me. Ignored me. Made messes they knew I'd clean. Complained when bathrooms weren't spotless but never thought about who cleaned them. I was invisible.
I'm sorry, Ethan said quietly. You're right. About all of it. I treated you horribly. I was arrogant and blind and cruel.
Chen studied him. Something in Ethan's voice must have registered because the anger faded slightly.
Why are you really here?
Because I'm trying to make things right. Because you deserve better than what I gave you. Because I want to help, if you'll let me.
Help? Chen laughed bitterly. What can you do? Un-break my hip? Give me back my job? Make me twenty years younger so I can find new work?
I can pay your medical bills. All of them. And I can help you find new employment if you want it. Or support you if you want to retire.
Chen's eyes narrowed. Why? Guilt?
Yes, Ethan admitted. And because it's the right thing to do. Because I caused this and I need to fix it.
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Chen spoke. You really mean that, don't you? You've changed somehow. I can see it.
I'm trying to.
Chen gestured inside. Come in. We should talk properly.
The house was small but meticulously clean. Photos covered every surface—children, grandchildren, a woman who must have been Chen's late wife.
They sat at a small kitchen table. Chen made tea with slow, careful movements.
My wife died eight years ago, Chen said softly. Cancer. The medical bills bankrupted us. I took the job at Meridian to rebuild savings, to leave something for my grandchildren. Now I'm back where I started.
He poured tea into chipped mugs.
I came to America forty-three years ago. Worked construction, then maintenance, then custodial services. Honest work. Dignified work. But people like you never saw the dignity. Just saw the uniform.
Ethan felt shame burn through him.
You're right. I never saw you as a person. Just as someone who existed to make my life easier. I'm sorry, Mr. Wei. Genuinely, deeply sorry.
Chen sipped his tea. What changed you? People don't usually transform overnight.
Ethan hesitated. Then told the truth. Something happened to me. I experienced what it's like to be invisible. To work hard and be treated as less than human. It broke something in me. Or maybe fixed something.
Chen watched him carefully. And now you're trying to make amends.
I have fifty-eight people to apologize to. You're number two.
A faint smile crossed Chen's face. Fifty-eight? You were a real piece of work, weren't you?
I was, Ethan admitted. I am. But I'm trying to be better.
Chen set down his mug. Alright. I'll accept your help. The medical bills are seventy-three thousand dollars. If you can pay that, I can survive. Maybe even retire with some dignity.
Ethan pulled out his phone and opened his banking app. What's your account number?
Chen blinked. Right now?
Right now.
Ten minutes later, seventy-three thousand dollars had transferred. Chen stared at his phone screen with tears in his eyes.
I didn't think anyone cared, he whispered. I've been so afraid. Thought I'd lose the house, lose everything.
You won't. I promise.
The system interface pulsed:
[OPTIONAL PREPARATION TASK COMPLETED]
Located and made amends with Chen Wei: +40 Readiness Points
Monetary compensation with genuine remorse: +25 Points
Emotional connection established: +20 Points
Current Readiness: 85/100
Note: Chen Wei's circumstances have improved due to your actions. Career assignment difficulty significantly reduced. However, you will still experience his former reality to understand the full scope of what you caused.
Ethan and Chen talked for two more hours. About Chen's life, his late wife, his grandchildren who visited every Sunday. About the indignities of custodial work. The invisibility. The casual cruelty of white-collar workers who never considered the people who kept their buildings functional.
When Ethan finally left, Chen walked him to the door.
Thank you, Mr. Monroe. This is more than I expected. More than I thought possible.
Call me Ethan. And thank you for giving me a chance to try to make this right.
Chen nodded. You're not the same man who knocked me down those stairs. I can see that now.
I'm trying not to be.
Driving home, Ethan felt the weight of fifty-seven more names pressing on him. Fifty-seven more Chen Weis and Jamie Rodriguezes. Fifty-seven more lives he'd damaged.
His phone buzzed. The previous user again:
I saw the readiness notification. 85 points already. You're learning faster than I did.
Ethan typed back: It hurts less when you go to them first. When you try to fix it before being forced.
The response came quickly: Exactly. That's the real lesson. The system doesn't want to punish you. It wants to teach you to recognize harm and repair it voluntarily.
Then: Career 2 will still be hard. You'll experience Chen's daily reality at its worst. But knowing you helped him will make it bearable.
Another message: How many more careers do you think you'll complete before you start seeking them out on your own? Before you become the person who prevents the harm instead of causing it?
Ethan stared at the question.
That was the goal, wasn't it? Not just to undo fifty-eight transgressions, but to become someone who wouldn't commit them in the first place.
I don't know, he typed. But I want to find out.
***
That night, Ethan visited his mother at Shady Pines.
She was working on a jigsaw puzzle in the common room. He sat beside her and helped sort edge pieces.
You came back, Margaret said softly. You kept your promise.
I'll keep coming back. Every day if you want.
I'd like that.
They worked in comfortable silence. Around them, other residents watched TV or dozed or stared at nothing. Ethan wondered how many had children who'd forgotten them. How many Margarets existed in facilities across the world, slowly fading from their families' lives.
Mom, he said carefully. I want to move you out of here. Find a better facility. Or maybe get you in-home care. Whatever you want.
Margaret looked up, surprised. That's expensive, sweetheart.
I can afford it. And you deserve better than this place.
Her eyes filled with tears. Why now? What changed?
I learned what it feels like to be invisible, Ethan said. To be treated like you don't matter. I never want you to feel that way again.
Margaret squeezed his hand. I missed you so much.
I missed you too, Mom. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it.
They finished the puzzle together. When visiting hours ended, Ethan kissed her forehead and promised to return tomorrow.
The system pulsed:
[OPTIONAL PREPARATION TASK COMPLETED]
Strengthening relationship with Margaret Monroe: +15 Readiness Points
Current Readiness: 100/100
MAXIMUM READINESS ACHIEVED
Career 2 difficulty minimized. You are prepared.
Time remaining: 43:17:09
***
Ethan spent the next two days researching custodial work.
He read testimonials from janitors about the physical toll. The back pain. The chemical burns. The repetitive stress injuries. The constant exposure to bodily fluids and hazardous materials.
He read about elderly workers forced to continue working past retirement age because Social Security wasn't enough to live on.
He read about the invisibility of essential workers. The people who kept society functioning while being treated as disposable.
By the time the countdown hit zero, Ethan understood what he was about to experience.
And he was ready.
His phone's final notification came at 11:58 PM:
[CAREER 2: CHEN WEI BEGINNING IN 2 MINUTES]
You will experience one week of his life at age 67, before you injured him, during his employment at Meridian Tech.
You will understand the daily toll of aging, labor, and invisibility.
You will feel what you made him feel.
Sleep now, Ethan Monroe.
When you wake, you will be Chen Wei.
Ethan lay down and closed his eyes.
His last thought before sleep took him: I'm ready to learn.
The countdown hit zero.
The world shifted.
And Ethan Monroe ceased to exist.