December 20
The tenth year of the war:
At a family restaurant located on the outskirts of the city, overlooking a colossal tree whose shadow covered a large part of Oralia, and whose crimson autumn blossoms adorned the city skyline, a boy sat by the window, drawing curious glances.
His appearance was strange enough to make heads turn—his pale skin and stark white hair gave him the look of a mannequin rather than a living person. The boy held a cup of tea in his hand as he spoke.
Seated across from him on the opposite sofa was a young woman with piercing blue eyes, her right eye obscured by strands of golden hair. She wore a full black suit, stark and formal.
She had just finished the feast she had ordered and gestured to the waiter to clear the table. As she moved to order dessert, a large glass arrived filled with a fruit salad, topped generously with vanilla cream and crowned by a single strawberry. It looked like far too much for a girl her size—or so it seemed.
The boy spoke up, nausea clearly visible on his face.
"I can't believe you're still eating after all that. Just watching you makes me want to throw up."
She lifted a finger, as if offering sage advice.
"There's always room for dessert, as they say. Besides, one needs sugar to keep the brain sharp all day."
The boy placed his hand over his mouth, as though suppressing the urge to vomit.
"Is it possible you just don't like sweets, Mr. Yul?"
Yul let out a faint sigh, leaned on the table, and placed his fingers on his forehead, eyes closed, clearly exhausted.
"Let's drop that. There's something else I wanted to ask you that's been bothering me... Why are you dressed like that?"
Wendy pierced the strawberry with her fork and took a bite. While chewing, she replied,
"A proper gentleman doesn't question a lady about her attire. He simply says, 'You look lovely' or 'You look nice.'"
"I doubt any respectable lady would dress like that. You look more like a gangster—or a corporate executive."
She continued eating her fruit salad, cream sticking to her cheek, unfazed by his comment. Without opening her eyes or reacting at all, she replied,
"It's for protection. Wearing things like this—a hat, dark glasses—yes, it draws attention. But at the same time, people tend to avoid engaging with someone who looks odd. It's human nature to fear what they don't understand."
Yul stared at her, his expression filled with unspoken questions, as if to say, "What are you even talking about?"
"Anyway, you said you wanted to ask me something. You didn't bring me to this fancy place just out of pity, did you?"
He rubbed his head in frustration, as if she had hit a nerve.
"No need to be so blunt. My God, you're really not a people person, are you? I bet you don't have any friends because of that attitude."
She placed the spoon on her tongue and turned her eyes away like a guilty child. Her only reply:
"No comment…"
Yul let out a soft sigh and pulled a golden invitation from his pocket.
"Anyway... can you tell me what this ticket is? Is it really that important?"ذ