ALL NOVEL Chapter 3.1 - An Unexpected Offer
Anna left the hostel with Lucino.
The streets were full of tourists and people enjoying the Friday night.
When she was in the hostel, she vaguely thought it would be dark outside, but it was unexpectedly bright and full of people. It was less cold than Korea, so there seemed to be a lot of people.
Since the hostel was close to Sol Square, which was a downtown area, there were many stores that were open until late.
After walking for about 10 minutes, a police station with ‘POLICIA’ written on it came into view. It was closer to the hostel than she thought.
Even though it was late, the person who came before Anna was waiting in front. Anna said she had come to report a theft to a police officer in a dark navy blue police uniform at the entrance of the police station.
“Wait.”
The burly policeman spoke to Anna in poor English pronunciation and entered the office. The two sat on wooden benches in the police station, killing time and waiting for the police officer to come out.
Lucino spoke to Anna, who looked blankly into the air, without a word.
“Anna.”
“Yes?”
“The only thing you lost is your suitcase?”
“Yes. That’s… I think so.”
Anna tried hard to roll her head, which was not working well due to shock.
All that was missing was her suitcase. She also took her passport and purse to the shower room. Her cell phone was also in the bag that she wore.
“Have you checked everything? Passport and money.”
“No.”
“Where is it? You didn’t put it in the dormitory, did you?”
“No, it’s not. I have it on.”
Anna unintentionally unzipped the small bag she was wearing and checked inside. She could see her cell phone and passport inside.
But it was weird.
Even when she ate dinner, the wallet she had safely had was not visible in her bag.
It was a brown wallet with euros and cards in it. It was a wallet that was used well in Korea because it was small and light. But she didn’t have the wallet.
It was a wallet containing all of Anna’s travel expenses.
“Uh! Eh?”
“What’s wrong?”
Anna broke out in a cold sweat and emptied the inside of her bag. She then noticed that the side of her bag had been torn in a straight line. It was the first hole she had ever seen.
Anna’s eyes darkened as she felt as if all the blood drained from her body.
“Wallet, wallet… It isn’t here.”
“Are you sure it was in this bag? It’s either in the suitcase or in the locker.”
“I put it here. I had a meal at the restaurant and paid for it earlier… Why, where on earth …”
In Anna’s teary eyes, filled with sadness, tears welled up. Realizing that she not only lacked a suitcase but also had no money left, she felt like she was going crazy. With only two weeks left to return to Korea, she couldn’t think of any solution at the moment.
She couldn’t tell when she was pickpocketed. After leaving the restaurant, she was only guessing where it must have happened.
“Do you have any other bags? Maybe there’s a wallet in it.”
“This is… all, what I’ve been carrying all along…”
Her tears came pouring out. Even in Korea, she cut off ties with her family, but now she has become a duck egg in the Nakdong River until she goes abroad. As she thought so, her sorrow came like a tidal wave.
T/N : A duck egg in the Nakdong River means a desolate state, isolated from or left a group of people.Lucino handed Anna a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping her wet cheeks with tears with his hands.
“Use this. It’s clean.”
“Thank you, thank you… Hiks.”
Anna willingly accepted his kindness and wiped away her tears with a square checkered handkerchief. The handkerchief, neatly folded, was warm as it had been kept in his pocket.
“Today was the first day of my trip. What should I do without any money?”
“Oh, poor thing… Do you happen to have a credit card?”
“It was in that wallet.”
Anna had now begun to weep.
“Oh, my… Anna! It’s not the time to just cry. Hurry up and call the credit card company. You have to report the loss first.”
“Oh my!”
Realizing the reality of Lucino’s words, Anna hurriedly began calling her credit card company to report her loss. Listening to Anna speaking Korean on the phone in a teary voice, Lucino looked inside the police station.
He looked at his watch and it was already almost midnight.
It’s not something that requires waiting this long…
Lucino rose from his seat and looked inside the police station. And he asked the policeman in the small office in Spanish.
Spanish is similar to Italian, so he could speak Spanish to some extent.
“How long do I have to wait?”
“Wait a little longer.”
Even at Lucino’s prompting, the policeman made an annoyed expression. He wasn’t too busy, and he was doing his business slowly. Due to the nature of the Spanish, everything was originally slow.
Moreover, people come to the police station every day due to such theft, so it was not a big deal for the police.
Back on the bench, Lucino waited for her credit card loss report to finish. Judging by the airline baggage stickers on Anna’s suitcase yesterday, it seemed that Anna had just arrived in Madrid from Korea.
He had been looking at her since he met her for the first time. Strangely, he did. Opening the door for a woman was a routine, but opening the door for Anna, who looked tired, was strangely different.
And when the elevator door opened and Anna appeared, Lucino was captivated by her. Everything seemed to be in slow motion like a scene in the movie.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He had no taste. Whether it was purple eyes or ginger hair, there was nothing he preferred in terms of appearance.
But the moment he saw Anna standing under the light, he realized his taste.
His type was a moderately tall woman with ebony-black hair and snow-white skin. It wasn’t that he had never seen an Asian before, but it wasn’t until he met Anna that he realized it.
The moment he saw Anna, who couldn’t open the dormitory door, his body moved on its own.
When their eyes met, his heart skipped a beat.
The eyes he looked closely at were a beautiful black. It was like a star in the night sky without a single light and a shining black pearl. It sucked him in like a black hole sucking everything up.
Her pupils, dark as ripe grapes, were deep as well, so the depth could not be measured just by looking at them.
Although her expression was bright, her eyes seemed deeply immersed in thoughts.
They were the most fascinating eyes he had ever met. It was different from simply having big eyes or pretty eyes. The dazzling ecstasy and brilliant eyes harbored moisture.
The moist eyes touched the hearts of the beholders.
When he mixed his words, it seemed like the sadness was just a momentary feeling. Anna was bright and cheerful. Her smiling face was enchanting and joyful, making even his mood enjoyable as well.
It was pitiful to see the excited expression breaking down in front of the reception.
As soon as she started her trip, the woman who lost both her luggage and money was concerned. When Lucino saw the misfortune that befell her, he wanted to help her because she encountered a kind and honest person who picked up a stranger’s passport and returned it to them.
It made him feel uneasy to send it alone. So he offered to accompany her to the police station.
A heavy sigh came from beside him. The conversation in Korean seemed to have finally ended.
“Did you report everything?”
“What? Oh, yes.”
“I asked the policemen and they told me to wait a little longer.”
“Really?”
And she didn’t say anything for a while. Lucino wanted to console Anna, but he couldn’t think of anything to say.
There seemed to be nothing he could do to help her but sit next to her.
“Thank you.”
At her words, Lucino looked at her. Her eyes were flushed red from crying, and her pale skin looked paler for some reason.
“Cheer up.”
He didn’t think that saying this would cheer her up, but he said it anyway.
“Fortunately, I don’t think they’ve used the card yet. Thanks to Lucino, I came to my senses and reported it as lost. Thank you for letting me know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know…”
Anna murmured with a long sigh. Then the policemen came out and handed over the papers and pens.
“Write down the list of stolen goods here.”
Anna began to write down each item in English, including the suitcase.
After filling up the paper and handing it to the policeman, the policeman copied the document and returned it to Anna. It was a document to submit to the insurance company after returning to Korea.
She doesn’t know how much compensation she could get, but Anna’s ruined feeling will never be rewarded for anything.
For what, why am I doing this here, spending money…
Taste was bitter.
Anna made a mockery of the reviews of pickpockets and theft on the Internet. She thought it happened to people who weren’t careful, who were stupid.
And the idiot was her.
“Here. It’s all over.”
Policeman didn’t even mention going to Anna’s hostel and watching the CCTV. He had an attitude that he would not be able to find the criminal in other people’s affairs anyway.
Anna also emptied her mind by filling in the stolen items list.
“Thank you, Lucino. Now I’m going back to the hostel.”
“Yes.”
Lucino asked Anna when she was walking down the road that she had come from powerlessly. When Anna found out that she had lost both money and her suitcase, she had no energy.
“You arrived from Korea yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
“How long did you plan to travel?”
“Two weeks.”
“Oh, two weeks… It’s the same as me.”
“…”
Anna didn’t even answer. Because she had nothing to say.
“What are you going to do now?”
“… I have to go back to Korea.”
“Are you going to change your plane ticket?”
“Yes, I should.”
She answered in a heavy tone, like a sigh, and Anna walked, looking only at the floor. She would have to pay an extra fee to change the ticket, but since she had a cell phone, she figured she could pay online.
“Anna.”
“…”
There was no answer from her as she walked only looking at the floor.
“Anna.”
Lucino called her name one more time.
“…Yes.”
After a while, she answered in a weak voice.
“Would you like a drink or something? It’s on me.”
She didn’t think she could sleep right away even if she went in. So she answered yes to Lucino’s question.
The two entered the bar, which was still open. It was late, but it was noisy and filled with customers.
Loud sounds of music and people’s chatter were ringing loudly. Anna didn’t know what it meant, but a rhythmic Spanish song was playing.
The fast beat and Spanish accent were strangely exciting.
Guided by the server, the two sat at the farthest corner of the bar. The table was small in size. Otherwise, there were only seats to eat standing without a chair, but Anna, who had no energy to stand, wanted to sit down and drink beer.
It was warm inside. She didn’t have a place to put her coat off, so she hung it on the back of her sitting chair.
Anna clasped the bag on her lap. She didn’t want to lose her passport and cell phone when she had lost her money and luggage.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Yes?”
The music sounded so loud inside the bar that she couldn’t hear what Lucino was saying. When Anna, who did not understand, asked again, Lucino leaned his head and spoke loudly to her ear.
Anna’s body trembled reflexively as the warm breath tickled her earlobe.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Beer for me.”
Anna, who finally understood Lucino’s question, answered without even looking at the menu. Anna also had to lean towards Lucino and put her lips to his ear and speak in a loud voice.
She wanted to drink a cold beer, even if it was just to cool down her insides.
“Do you want tapas?”
“Beer is enough.”
All the way out of the police station, Anna was crying with a sullen face. It was quite different from her, who smiled brightly saying she would go to the club a while ago.
It was nice to see a bright smile, but when the situation became like this, Lucino felt sorry for her.
The beer she ordered came out quickly.
She didn’t know that the long-planned trip would go to waste because of a moment’s inattention. She was excited about going to a 7-story club with a guy she likes, and her suitcase was stolen. Anna let out her sigh with an involuntary laugh. She was too much of a retard herself.
Her stomach was stuffy, so she drank the beer at once.
“I didn’t expect this to happen…”
Anna muttered to herself.
“I can’t hear you well because it’s noisy.”
To listen to what she was saying, Lucino pulled his chair close to Anna’s side. And tilted his head more towards her.
“It’s so absurd. I don’t know when I lost my money… I didn’t expect the trip to be a mess from the start. I have to go back as soon as I get here. This is the reality, right? I am so stupid.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. In life, there are times when you make mistakes.”
Except for her passport and phone, all she had left was a suit of clothes, a sleeping bag and shower supplies. She heard that pickpockets are rampant in Madrid, but I didn’t know it would be ruined from the start of the trip.
“What’s the route you planned?”
“Whew, what’s the point of talking now? I can’t even go.”
Anna pursed her lips. She was sullen, and her pursed lips looked strangely cute in Lucino’s eyes.
Sitting close, he noticed that she smelled like flowers. Even in the middle of winter, the sweet smell of flowers seemed to paralyze the sense of smell.
His lower body was on edge at this flower scent that attract butterflies and bees. On the hardened lower leg, Lucino straightened his hips and sat down.
This scent seemed to come from her long, drooping hair. The black hair hanging below her shoulder was shining brightly in the light.
“Tell me anyway. Where were you going?”
He kept asking where she was going. Why does he keep asking when it’s useless now…
“After going to Segovia, Toledo and Seville…”
Anna, who recalled Seville, struggled with endless depression. She wanted to see Flamenco in Seville, but now she can’t. She thought she’d hate Madrid as of today.
“Are you going to Barcelona?”
“How did you know?”
“I thought maybe because you went to Madrid for two weeks, you might be going out to Barcelona. I’m also going out to Barcelona.”
Lucino gazed at her over a beer. His blue eyes were strangely shining as to what he was thinking.
“Did you reserve the accommodation and transportation?”
“No. I didn’t make a reservation because I wanted to go around freely.”
Reservations were a way to save money, but she didn’t want to. When she had a place she liked, she wanted to relax for a few days and watch people’s lives.
“That’s great. I can’t believe you didn’t make a reservation.”
At the strange remark Anna stared at Lucino with a questioning look.
He was looking at her with the eyes of a beast on the verge of snatching its prey.
“What’s good about it?”
“I’ve been thinking, how about this?”
“What?”
“To travel with me for the rest of the time.”
“What?”
“I don’t mean anything strange.”
He raised his hands up as if to mean surrender. He looked as if he were harmless. His mouth was also curved and loosened gently.
“I will lend you the insufficient travel expenses. When you go back to Korea, please send it to me as much as you used. Why don’t you hang out with me for two weeks instead? Traveling alone can be boring, so Anna can be my companion.”
Something was out of the ordinary.
Why does Lucino say he’s traveling alone? She saw him clearly with friends…