Gala feels like he's cursed beyond belief. He's been very cautious riding his old bike. Occasionally, he gives way because other vehicles cut in abruptly, making the road a bit wobbly. His mind is solely focused on the paper bag and Marta's order: don't spill Mrs. Weird Old Lady's tomato soup.
But unfortunately, when he was about to turn into Lot 5, where Mrs. Gennie lives, a car suddenly slammed on its brakes. It made Gala's bike behind it veer off. He had tried to be careful, but because of the sudden movement earlier, Gala lost his balance.
Or was it because he was daydreaming all along?
Gala deliberately passes through the main door of Mr. Kim's restaurant for the first time in the afternoon. This chance is rare, right? Besides, if he takes the main road, he can get there faster and the order will arrive on time.
As he passed earlier, what Luke often says is true. The restaurant is never empty. There's Mr. Kim near Marta's station. Sitting near the cashier's table, Gala can see his head popping up a bit, his eyes sparkling, probably because of the influx of customers.
Gala is sure that Mr. Kim's peculiar smile indicates many benefits from this always bustling turnover. There's also Daniel jotting down many orders at the table near the stairs. Daniel's face isn't as relaxed as when Gala greeted him this morning. He's quieter compared to Luke, who's chatty and often speaks in a derogatory manner.
It's different with Daniel, who just smiles and pats Gala's shoulder gently, as if encouraging him. Daniel seems a bit weary every time he notes down a new menu. It seems like he's struggling, but what for?
Because of this, Gala stops. He observes what's happening in the service area, where Lisa looks genuinely happy serving dishes coming out of the kitchen. Mr. Kim has a few other staff members Gala rarely even greets. Even when they make eye contact, Gala often throws a small smile, trying to be friendly to his coworkers, but they ignore him.
They either avoid eye contact or, worse, display a frown because Gala acknowledged them.
But still, his desire to be like Daniel or Lisa is strong. At the very least, in terms of salary, it's bound to be different. Gala needs a lot of money but doesn't know what else to do for work except rely on Mr. Kim's kindness.
"You... alright?"
Gala is stunned by the person who just spoke. They seem like an angel descending upon South Metro, or standing right in front of him. His eyes blink repeatedly in disbelief.
"You... able to get up?"
Gala quickly gets up, only to realize that Mrs. Gennie's order is a mess on the sidewalk. "Oh my gosh!" he shouts without thinking. Hurriedly, he tidies up the chaos he caused. He suddenly feels uneasy, with his cheeks growing redder and a voice as loud as thunder that he's about to hear.
"Oh my," he says again. His hands busy picking up the remaining food mixed with dust and dirt on the asphalt. Not to mention his bike, which fell in a disastrous manner with the handlebar slightly bent.
"Hey!" the girl from earlier calls out a bit loudly. She knows that a guy who just fell and experienced such bad luck probably isn't fully aware of his surroundings. "Need a hand?" She doesn't hesitate to crouch down near him.
"No need," Gala glances briefly at the girl who is now half-crouched beside him. "Don't want your hands dirty, Miss."
The girl chuckles softly. "It's fine."
Gala quickly glances, the peachy smile on the nameless girl's lips blooming like a flower in spring. Beautiful. Gala feels like asking God for something, if God still exists, because he feels cast out from the realm of beings created by the powerful hand named God. Oh my, why does Gala think so much about God? Why doesn't he believe in God?
Despite his continuous streak of bad luck, God is still there. Even if just a little bit, through the compassion that God has, he wants to enjoy this sweet smile he's experiencing. For as long as possible. Because Gala feels like this girl's smile is too sweet to be pushed away from his life.
"Oh!"
Gala quickly turns at the loud voice.
"So, this is what you do when you're supposed to deliver my lunch, Gala Fool?!"
The end of Gala's saga.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
DICE [3] a
"What are you doing, Gala?!"Gala doesn't dare to lift his face. Trembles run through his entire body, he can't contain it. It's the first time Mr. Kim has been this angry, using such a high tone. He knows he's returning with a messed-up bag and appearance. Gala is sure Mrs. Gennie has already contacted the restaurant, complaining about her lunch being a mess on the asphalt.The strange woman's cane hits Gala's back twice. It stings a bit, but he ignores it. Gala apologizes repeatedly, but Mrs. Gennie's anger cannot be contained. Whether out of fear or unwillingness to engage further with the strange woman, the girl who had helped Gala earlier is already gone. She didn't even say goodbye or tell her name. Good Lord, Gala meant himself, who hadn't said thank you for the help given.Gala returns, struggling, pushing his half-broken bike to his workplace. Apologizing to the angry woman feels pointless. Curses echo along the street, making Gala a free spectacle. His face is lowered betwee
DICE [3] b
Gala chooses to ignore her, grabbing the apron he had taken off before delivering that cursed order. He goes back to cleaning his area, now filled with dirty dishes.Today he's starving, while at the same time, people at Mr. Kim's restaurant waste food at their leisure. Some barely touch their food, some refuse to eat their toast. Gala, feeling the pain in his stomach, quickly grabs the toast and half a portion of the grilled chicken from the stack of dirty plates. He eats it hastily.Then... Gala chokes violently."Are you out of your mind, Gala?!"Hanry, hearing Gala's disturbing choking sound, quickly turns towards him. He holds a leftover piece of chicken, unsure whether Gala had bitten into it or if it's about to be thrown away. He thumps on Gala's chest firmly. Hastily, Hanry grabs some water for Gala, offering it with a puzzled furrow in his brow."What are you doing, you silly kid?"Gala, seeing the glass of water, immediately gulps it down, trying to catch his breath and rega
DICE [4]
Gala wraps himself in a thick blanket, shivering in fear, his breath heavy. He vividly recalls how it all unfolded. Why does he have to face such a fate? He feels like cursing, but he's just too exhausted. Gala, driven by curiosity, finally dares to approach the voice. The orange glow begins to dim slowly. It leads him to a spot where the orange light seems hidden behind one of the stacks of old cardboard boxes. Gala slowly moves the pile. The sound of chirping rats and scurrying cockroaches doesn't stop him from getting a closer look."Dice?" Gala asks, astonished by what he finds. A die as big as his fist, orange in color, which was shining brightly before. And... talking? He cautiously picks up the black die with colorful dots on each side. The orange glow starts to fade completely, leaving Gala staring at it in bewilderment. He picks up the die slowly, dusting it off with the edge of his old shirt sleeve, trying to see it clearly.The die moves! It seems to split on its own, altho
DICE [5] a
During the so-called lunch break, which wasn’t much of a break considering the short time given, Gala still felt grateful for the chance to fill his stomach. Though this time, his stomach, which normally held hunger well, wasn’t as painful as usual. Whether Gala should be thankful or not, one thing's for sure, today Gala feels like he's been hit with more than just bad luck.Or could it be the opposite?Lucky?Gala doesn't know whether to call it luck or misfortune wrapped in joy earlier in the morning. Where he was having the available food on the table. Later. Later, he would think about where all of this came from. None of his neighbors in the flat are too good. They're all just okay, or more often than not, adding to Gala's list of misfortunes.But...Gala chokes as he chews a piece of chicken without caring where all the food in the fridge and on the dining table came from. Hunger shrinks his brain. Especially since yesterday, he's eaten so little. He quickly drinks the water on
DICE [5] b
"Ms. Bellamie won't be able to hear you, sir."His chest rumbles intensely, his breath becomes ragged due to the overwhelming emotions. His mind is constantly filled with the image of his mother. The one he misses deeply but is also angry at simultaneously."Where's my mother?" Gala asks impatiently, wiping the tears off his nose."North Metro."Gala is astonished. His body is slightly rigid after the hologram girl's recent statement. "How could she?" He shakes his head quickly. "What is she doing there now?""That information cannot be accessed, sir. There's a system blocking the location of that person in North Metro."Gala shakes his head softly. It all still doesn't make sense to him. How could his mother be in North Metro? For what reason? And earlier, her face seemed burdened. What really happened? Does it have anything to do with the reason she left?"Then... Xavier? The man you said was my father?" Gala is quite curious about this. "Where is he?""Sir Xavier closed all access
DICE [6] a
"You okay, Gala?" Mr. Richard asks as he sees Gala climbing the stairs. Last night, he caught Gala running, looking pale. He even parked his bike roughly, acting like a madman. Not to mention the loud slamming of Gala's flat door. Mr. Richard wanted to ask for help, but seeing Gala in that state made him hold back."Nah, Mr. Richard." Gala is a bit surprised as the old man greets him. "Thanks though. Is your day tough?"For Gala, that question holds a lot of care. In this flat, only Mr. Richard asks him about simple things like this. Meanwhile, the other residents seem to wish he'd just leave. Gala descends the stairs again, trying not to reach his flat right away. His body feels almost wrecked from the overwhelming tasks at Mr. Jian's house."Nah, Mr. Richard." Gala tries to put on a small smile. But he doesn't know that his face looks dreadful if seen through the mirror. His hair's a mess, his shirt's worn-out, and he's damp with sweat. Not to mention the mix of Gala's body odor wit
DICE [6] b
"All the food I eat will only dirty the floor later."Gala chokes. "So you're transparent?""Correct. But I can hold solid objects. Like when I was cooking earlier. Didn't you see it?"Reminded of the earlier incident, Gala feels embarrassed. "So, what do you eat every day?""Inside the dice, I recharge energy.""Electricity?"Dice shakes her head. "Solar."Gala doesn't understand Dice's meaning; he just gives the hologram girl a clueless look. "Can I touch you?""Yes. Only the owner of the Dice can do that. If the owner allows someone else to introduce me, then I can be touched."Gala is very curious about this. "Will I get an electric shock?"Dice laughs awkwardly. "No. Feel free to touch me." She stands up, approaching him slightly bowed. After all, the awkward young man in front of her is her master. Her owner.Slowly, Gala's hand moves closer to the hand Dice extends. He's actually scared but also curious. But every time Dice does something, it's like a human who can touch many t
DICE [7] a
A blonde woman shivers in one corner of the alley. Her hands repeatedly rub together for warmth, but it's futile. The air around her isn't friendly anymore. Plus, the clothes she's been wearing since last night are damp, maybe drying against her increasingly slender frame.Her eyes start to wander around, not many people passing through. She doesn't care. All she's thinking about is getting further away, avoiding those who might be after her. She looks back several times, making sure she's truly managed to escape. She's stopped for almost ten minutes now. Her head feels like it's been pricked by thousands of needles. Not to mention, her feet, clad only in shoes with holes at the tips, have become stiff and hard to move.She tries to remember if it's already winter now. "Damn. I forgot North Metro is a cold country," she curses. She hugs herself again. Her breath starts to smoke, and her walk becomes even more painful. She winces but tries to ignore it. Her head remembers the warmth of