[Earlier That Week – At the Workshop]

He had marched into the estate’s engineering workshop on the second day, head held high, tools strapped to his belt, chest puffed out with pride. Suddenly, he bumped into an old woman. “Hey, watch where you’re going, granny. You look so fragile, I’m afraid I’ll accidentally break your arm,” as he ignored the old woman and went to the workshop.

"I’m Eugene Robert," he had said confidently. "Magic engineer. Got any work for someone brilliant guy?"

An older man at the counter had sized him up with a smirk.

“Plenty. Start by helping Rorik over there with the iron plates.”

Easy, Eugene thought. Finally, a real job. Time to show them what I'm made of.

Rorik, a skinny man with a thick beard and arms like tree twigs, greeted him with a grin.

“Glad to have an extra hand,” he said. “We got four buckets of iron plates. Help me carry them to the back.”

Eugene had watched as Rorik casually picked up two heavy buckets. One in each hand, like they were filled with feathers instead of an iron plate. “Two at once, well, the job here might be too easy for me.”

Eugene stepped up to the table, grabbed a bucket, and…

Nothing.

He tugged harder.

Still nothing.

“Is it... nailed down?” he mumbled.

He braced his legs, used both hands,

His arms trembled. But the bucket didn’t budge.
Rorik tilted his head, watching curiously. “Having trouble?” giggling as he looks at Eugene trying so hard.

Eugene’s pride whimpered in a corner of his soul. “N-No! Just... checking the grip!”

Rorik chuckled and walked over. “Here. Try wearing these gloves from the storage. It might help with grip. I keep an extra pair.” As both of them came back from the storage, she appeared. A little girl, barely seven. She gently wraps her small arms around both buckets... and effortlessly lifts the buckets, her grin wide as if she is mocking Eugene.

Eugene stood frozen, mouth half open, astonished by her effortless display. “That's my daughter, she's only seven but helpful.” Rorik smiles as if he is saying that the girl is much more helpful than Eugene. Eugene burned with humiliation. 

Since that day, a creeping thought had wormed its way into Eugene’s brain.

Or more accurately... a voice.

Late at night, in the silence of his rented room at the inn, as he slept, he kept getting the same nightmare.

“An old woman whom I bumped recently warned me. ” Maybe it's just a coincidence. “You have been cursed,” mimicking what his nightmare was. "The granny keeps repeating the same things in all of my dreams."

It wasn’t loud. It was angry and yet felt like a cold whisper.

“You have been cursed. Misfortune will keep coming your way.”

It echoed behind his ears every time he fell asleep.

This morning, I just received my payment.
It had started as a good day.
The sun was bright, the air crisp. His assigned task paid better than expected. He hadn’t even needed to touch anything heavier than a clipboard.

Feeling optimistic, he decided to count some of the money he hadn’t yet converted into won notes. Just a few coins left in his old pouch for emergencies.

He stood by the central fountain, letting its misty spray cool his cheeks.

“Maybe things are turning around,” he thought. If I can save enough, maybe I can rent my workshop. Something modest.

That’s when it happened.

First came the sound, a loud cheer, followed by whistles. Then music burst from the town square, and a parade of dancers and jugglers appeared, weaving through the crowd.

Ribbons flew, confetti fluttered. Children screamed with delight.

"Huh. Festival? Didn’t see that on the announcement board." Angry, as the lack of sleep almost made him miss the festival.

He found himself clapping absently, drawn in by the music.

Cling…

A sound of a coin can be heard, suddenly…

A stranger bumped into him lightly. “Apologies,” the man said smoothly, with a bow.

He was dressed in a neat black suit with white gloves and wore a smiling white mask that covered his whole face.

Street performer? Odd fashion choice.

Before Eugene could respond, the man added with a chuckle, “Seems fortune favors you today. Here is a little discount coupon for you, good sir.”

Then he was gone, swallowed by the crowd.

Eugene blinked. As he glanced down, looking for the coin just now, he spotted a coin spinning on the cobblestones near his boot. Reflexively, he picked it up.

When he reached for his pouch to store it…

His fingers froze.

The pouch was gone.

It was cut clean.

His belt sagged slightly where it should’ve been taut.

“No... no no no” Eugene spun, checking his coat, the ground, the crowd, everywhere.

“Dammit, when did it disappear?” His emergency coins. His backup silver. Everything.

He slumped against the fountain, dazed. “I should have changed all my money for won.” regret on his careless self.

Return to present. The sunset by the lake. "Huh..." Eugene gave a long sigh.

As he tried to close his eyes for a quick nap…, He overheard the conversation from the bench next to him.

A guy and his girlfriend are talking about something that piques his interest.

“Hey, did you know one of my relatives has been cursed before?” Said the lady. Both the guy's and the lady's faces can’t be seen due to the sunset reflecting on the lake's surface.

“Then what happened to your relative?” The guy next to him was curious about the story. 

“She kept having a nightmare, worrying because her daughter had just died recently. She is afraid that she will never have a child anymore.” The lady told a tragic story about her relative. 

“That's sad, how was she now?” The guy felt pity for her girlfriend's relative. 

“Apparently, I heard that she is expecting a new baby last week. There is a shrine near the lake that sells some good luck charms. It's good for sleep, and also the hot spring there helps improve her body health.” The lady sounded excited and continued.

“Hey, how about we try it. Besides, the hot spring nearby is good for more than just sleeping… ” Her tone turned flirtatious.

Eugene groaned and stood up, walking away before both of them got too intense.

“Maybe, I shall check it out. Could use some good luck, maybe I can get rid of this annoying curse.” As he walked, his eyes stared at the discount flyer that the street performer gave him this morning.

It was for the hot spring. “…Huh, coincidence? Or maybe I'm just lucky.”

“Alright, Waisz’s Estate... let’s see what you’ve got.” A slow smile crept back onto his face.

Back on the bench…

The lake shimmered beneath the dying light, streaks of orange and deep rose bleeding across the sky and reflecting on the water’s surface like a fading secret. The air was still, save for the quiet rustle of leaves and the occasional ripple of water on the lake. On a wooden bench near the edge, two figures sat side by side. A lady with one leg draped over the other, and a guy lounging with the lazy ease of someone who had nothing left to worry about. 

The man let out a soft breath, almost a sigh, then chuckled under it. Not loud, just enough to break the quiet with a ripple of amusement.

The woman turned to him, eyebrow raised. “What?”

The guy and the lady look at Eugene. “That seems like a good reaction,” said the guy while smiling and chuckling a bit. “Indeed, that is one of the best specimens we can find.” She laughed, low and smooth, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as the last light caught in her eyes.

It wasn’t the laughter of people who had merely succeeded.
It was the laughter of people who had orchestrated every twist, watched every piece
fall perfectly into place, and enjoyed every second of it.

He leaned forward, wiping a mock tear from the corner of his eye. “Did you see his face?”

She was still laughing, head tilted back, voice echoing like a siren call. “Utterly priceless.”

They didn’t bother to hide it now. The amusement, the pride, the absolute thrill of it all. Their laughter rang out over the lake, loud and echoing, cutting through the golden hush of sunset like a slash of red ink across a clean page.


END ~