DICE

[2] b

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.