A delivery worker at a restaurant was strapping food to the back of his bicycle, his body sagging with exhaustion. The deep circles under his eyes and his pale lips showed just how drained he was. How many deliveries had he made already? Behind his back, unnoticed by anyone, a black shadow was quietly siphoning away his life energy.
As the deliveryman pushed off on his flying bicycle with trembling legs, a sudden dizziness washed over him. He soon lost his balance and collapsed to the ground, drawing gasps from the surrounding people who rushed toward him. The shadow slipped out of his body and melted into the crowd without a trace.
Ali watched the entire scene in silence, seemingly the only one who sensed the presence of the shadow.
"Ali~~!!"
Curio threw an arm around Ali's shoulder, shouting excitedly.
"Let's eat over there! Aren't those lights gorgeous? And do you smell that steak? Amazing!"
Curio was completely absorbed in the street's glamour and the tempting smell of food, utterly unaware of what had just happened. Ali took a slow breath, eyes following the direction where the shadow had disappeared.
Soon, a landscape very different from the tightly packed grocery street unfolded. The restaurant district was wide and open, each place boasting its own distinct charm. In the central plaza, a fountain sent water arching into the air, and gentle violin music drifted around them. The dazzling lights and delicious aromas washed over the street, almost enough to make one forget the ominous moment from earlier.
They chose a restaurant with red brick walls and a painted sign of a juicy steak. Curio ordered a medium-rare sirloin steak, and Ali ordered a mushroom salad. When the food arrived, Curio began devouring his steak like someone who hadn't eaten in days.
As Ali lifted his salad with a fork, he suddenly asked,
"How can you be so curious about everything? Why do you want to try anything and everything?"
At first, Curio didn't answer—too absorbed in his food—but soon he felt Ali's gaze and looked up.
"Mm? What did you say?"
"Why are you curious about everything?"
In that moment, Ali was startled that he was even asking such a question. He had never once in his life wondered about anything or wanted to know what someone was thinking. In the cold, indifferent world he lived in, people were nothing more than passing silhouettes.
But Curio was different.
His laughter and boundless curiosity were stirring something buried deep inside Ali—something like a feeling.
Ali still didn't understand why he wanted to hear the answer. He only knew that the desire to hear it was growing stronger.
At the same time, one of the glass vials hanging in the shell necklace around his neck glimmered faintly, slowly filling with a droplet of emotion.
Curio put down his fork and began speaking slowly.
"Well, the thing is…"