Death terrifies me.
It always has.
Even when I had no one to live for, when I crawled on the streets, I did everything to survive.
If you ask me why death scares me so much, I can only say one thing.
After you die, people tell your story; they shape your image in the minds of others, and you aren't there to correct them. If they chose to stain your name or define who you were, you have no say in that.
That's what truly frightens me.
Death is stillness, a cold pause while the world keeps moving. Or at least, that's what I used to believe.
Perhaps the cruelest joke of existence is that after a lifetime of living, caring, loving, and growing. Fighting and nurturing, we are forced into oblivion.
And as for passing on to a 'better place'? Please, we all know how many good deeds you have done in your life. Not to mention… you already have a list of people you want to haunt after dying, don't you?
At some point, I even thought that I was undaunted by death.
What is so terrifying about death?
But now… now that I am lying in the pool of my own blood, a wooden stake jutting out of my stomach, and death staring me in the face, I once again realize
just how scared I am of death on the inside.
Now look at me, desperately clinging to my life in hopes that something or someone might save me.
And someone even offered to save me.
But sometimes there are certain things that make living more scary than dying.
A fate worse than death.
One of the reasons I refused to be saved by the beautiful-looking gentlewoman standing before me.
Was…
The thought of living without being able to eat bread scared me even more.
Not just any ordinary bread.
It was… the legendary stuffed garlic bread!
Enough about what happens after death. Let's focus on how I died.
———
Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, it's one of the busiest, most glamorous cities in the world. It is both a financial and a commercial titan.
Yet amidst all the neon glow, tall buildings, and nonstop moving crowd of the city, there exist quiet areas untainted by the darkness of society, far away from all the grind and glamor of city life.
A place where the rich indulge themselves in the night of luxury away, alone or with a special company.
One such place was Fugetsu!
In the remote corner of Hong Kong Island, a short ride away from the Happy Valley, was a restaurant renowned for its exquisite delicacies.
But while its food was divine, it wasn't a place for just anyone. Only a select few had the privilege to dine here, and even among them, some refused to set foot in the establishment—for reasons whispered but rarely spoken aloud.
Ting!
"Irasshaimase!"
"Hajimemashite."
"Here comes a family of three!" Seeing guests entering the grand-looking restaurant through the entrance, two young men sitting behind the reception desk, clad in crisp uniforms, passed some quirky remarks among themselves while trying to keep a straight face, appearing very serious.
"Welcome to Fugetsu!" Seeing the guests step inside, the two young men stood up and bowed politely.
Two elderly men and a woman, all around the same age, stood before the front desk. With narrowed, judging eyes, they scrutinized every detail about the two young men before them.
Not minding the scowl on the faces of the two old men, one of the receptionists asked softly, "If you have a reservation, can I get the names, please?"
None of the oldies gave an immediate response; they silently looked around the decorations of the restaurant with a hard-to-please look on their faces.
Their eyeballing and brush-off might have seemed odd to the staff of other Chinese restaurants, but the two young men appeared calm as if it was nothing new to them.
After they had their fill of the unique interior of the Japanese restaurant, the old lady shot one look at the two men beside her before giving her name.
One of the receptionists checked their database, and after confirming, the other one guided the three of them to their seats.
On their way, their eyes were attracted by a small koi pond, placed to the right of the reception desk between the lobby and the dining area.
The fish in the pond glimmered like jewels, and the sweet scent of Sakura petals floating on the surface of the pond elevated the entire vibe of the restaurant.
The receptionist smiled when he felt a splash of water falling on him as the mischievous fish jumped in and out of the water.
Even the women sitting inside the dining hall sat facing towards the pond just so they could look at these cute creatures moving around from one direction to another.
The architecture and decor of the restaurant was a masterpiece in itself. The high arched ceiling with slits that allowed the moonlight to fall around the hall was just nothing short of divine.
"This is your table."
Arriving at one of the empty tables in the center of the hall, the young man took the 'reserved tag' from the table and offered the three a warm smile.
"One of our waiting staff will be right with you."
Saying that, he turned around and left, leaving the group to themselves.
Every staff member in the hall moved flawlessly, with precision like seasoned warriors.
They took orders calmly, served the food to the diners once it was prepared, and took care of their needs if they had any.
No one felt the wait for their food to arrive because the soothing classic melodies playing in the background made them lose themselves in the feel of the moment.
But… How could there be such a thing as a perfect evening?
The sweet evening that everyone was enjoying turned sour in an instant when someone decided to stick their leg into calm pond water and stir it up.
Metaphorically!
Squeak!
Clatter!
A sharp sound tore through the tranquil mood. The scrape of shoes skidding. The utensils clatter against each other.
The motion in the dining hall stilled, the workers stopped moving, and the diners lowered their chopsticks and spoons; every head turned to look at the source of the sound.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
A young waiter, balancing a tray in one hand and standing in a weird position, tried his best to keep the tray in his hand filled with bowls of hot food stable. His other arm had stopped at a weird angle, trying to maintain his body balance.
"You dumb little sh*t! Watch where you are stepping!"
A furious shout cut through the air, drowning the peaceful music and making some of the people frown.
A step away from where the young man was balancing himself, a table for two was occupied by a young couple.
Dressed in designer clothing, both of them exuded an air of superiority.
The shouting man, dressed a bit over the top, was glaring daggers at the young waiter. His date watched the scene unfold with a startled look on her face.
From the angle she saw things, she realized something: had the waiter holding the tray slipped even a little bit, the tray would have fallen on her head.
Had it not been for the quick reflexes of the waiter, she would have become the laughingstock.
Realizing this, a sudden wave of resentment started to well up in her heart, but when she noticed the youthful face of the curly brown-haired young man, all of the negative emotions in her heart vanished without a trace.
For some reason, she stopped herself from lashing out at the young man; a thought flashed through her mind as she stared at him, 'This young man is quite cute…'
While the woman was lost in her musings, the atmosphere of the restaurant had shifted.
The music faded into the background; the conversations had long ceased. The staff members appeared tense and ready to intervene if needed.
Upstairs, the delicate silk-lace curtains of a private room were drawn back. A pair of reddish-brown eyes watched the scene with interest, glimmering with unknown intent.
"I apologize for the trouble, miss." With the tray stabilized, the waiter smoothly placed everything in his hands on an empty table nearby and apologized with a slight bow.
"I hope you are not hurt anywhere." He glanced at the woman's face, analyzing her reaction while totally ignoring the man beside her.
It was not that he was hitting on the woman, but he had already guessed what the man did and wanted to avoid any conflict with him, but his actions only had the opposite effect.
The man was now seething in anger, glaring at the two of them talking so calmly, acting as if he did not exist at all.
"No… no, I am fine. Please be careful from now on." The woman blinked, caught off guard by his polite smile; she shook her head with a slight blush on her face, showing she really did not mind.
"Thank—" Even though she did not mind, someone else was minding it very hard!
"Wait!"
The man's voice thundered twice at the previous volume, scaring the woman sitting across from him.
Not bothered by her reaction, the man stood up and grabbed the waiter by his collar.
He glanced at the tag on the waiter's chest pocket, which read the name Alvin in English, and asked, "Who do you think you are?!"
The tension in the air thickened while the worries of the rest of the staff members increased.
"Even if you did not injure her, what are you going to do about the damages you have done to me?"
Anyone in the hall could hear jealousy and rage in his voice as he spoke, but none of them showed any visible reaction; they faintly murmured among themselves.
"Damages?" Alvin's lips twitched, his hands clenched into a fist as he looked at the man with a sharp tone, his gentle appearance long gone.
He followed the direction the man was pointing at and saw the deep foot imprint on his light shoes.
Some of the guests who had been watching the scene calmly froze when they saw Alvin's face more clearly, a look of recognition flashing through their eyes.
The next moment they all shifted their gaze towards the man who initiated the conflict with a look that screamed that they were looking at an idiot.
The woman across from the man, wearing light makeup on her face, also frowned, sensing something off about the man she came on the date with.
She wanted to stop things from escalating, but upon seeing the ferocious look in the man's eyes, words could not come out of her mouth.
Feeling chained by her own fear, the woman leaned back in her chair, decided to not say anything, and cast a pitiful glance at the young man.
"Did that guy come here for the first time?"
"If he was a regular here, he'd know exactly who he just messed with." A few regulars sneered at the man openly; there was not a shred of pity in their eyes, only a look of sadistic amusement.
The man tightened the grip on Alvin's collar and sneered, "Of course, damages! Look at this; you ruined a good pair of shoes!"
He failed to notice the looks he was getting from the onlookers, but the attention made him more confident. "Do you even have any idea how much they cost?"
"They can buy someone like you hundreds of times." The uncouth words came out of the man, causing the rest of the people in the room to frown.
Coming from a high-class society, these people refrained from speaking such language in front of so many people.
"Where is the manager? Call him! I will show you what your place is." Without giving Alvin a chance to explain, the man looked around the room and shouted at other staff members.
'Control Alvin, you cannot create more trouble for the old man!' Alvin's eyes flashed with a cold light.
He was trying his best to restrain himself from taking action, but the trash in front of him was pushing his luck.
The next second, his anger almost vanished. He looked at the man as if he had heard things correctly. 'Did he really call for the manager?' Alvin's gaze flickered. 'Would you look at that? This bitch chose death.'
Satisfied with the commotion, the man leaned closer to Alvin's face and muttered in his ear, "You should have known your place, you lowly waiter. You are no longer in your country; this is my area, and you will be leaving soon, but not in one piece."
His voice was so low that only three people in the whole restaurant could hear those words; two of them were Alvin and the 'rich man' himself.
Right when Alvin was unable to bear the arrogance of the unruly man before him, three people entered the hall from the back of the house, drastically shifting the atmosphere of the dining hall.
A furious shout cut through the air, drowning the peaceful music and making some of the people frown.
A step away from where the young man was balancing himself, a table for two was occupied by a young couple.
Dressed in designer clothing, both of them exuded an air of superiority.
The shouting man, dressed a bit over the top, was glaring daggers at the young waiter. His date watched the scene unfold with a startled look on her face.
From the angle she saw things, she realized something: had the waiter holding the tray slipped even a little bit, the tray would have fallen on her head.
Had it not been for the quick reflexes of the waiter, she would have become the laughingstock.
Realizing this, a sudden wave of resentment started to well up in her heart, but when she noticed the youthful face of the curly brown-haired young man, all of the negative emotions in her heart vanished without a trace.
For some reason, she stopped herself from lashing out at the young man; a thought flashed through her mind as she stared at him, 'This young man is quite cute…'
While the woman was lost in her musings, the atmosphere of the restaurant had shifted.
The music faded into the background; the conversations had long ceased. The staff members appeared tense and ready to intervene if needed.
Upstairs, the delicate silk-lace curtains of a private room were drawn back. A pair of reddish-brown eyes watched the scene with interest, glimmering with unknown intent.
"I apologize for the trouble, miss." With the tray stabilized, the waiter smoothly placed everything in his hands on an empty table nearby and apologized with a slight bow.
"I hope you are not hurt anywhere." He glanced at the woman's face, analyzing her reaction while totally ignoring the man beside her.
It was not that he was hitting on the woman, but he had already guessed what the man did and wanted to avoid any conflict with him, but his actions only had the opposite effect.
The man was now seething in anger, glaring at the two of them talking so calmly, acting as if he did not exist at all.
"No… no, I am fine. Please be careful from now on." The woman blinked, caught off guard by his polite smile; she shook her head with a slight blush on her face, showing she really did not mind.
"Thank—" Even though she did not mind, someone else was minding it very hard!
"Wait!"
The man's voice thundered twice at the previous volume, scaring the woman sitting across from him.
Not bothered by her reaction, the man stood up and grabbed the waiter by his collar.
He glanced at the tag on the waiter's chest pocket, which read the name Alvin in English, and asked, "Who do you think you are?!"
The tension in the air thickened while the worries of the rest of the staff members increased.
"Even if you did not injure her, what are you going to do about the damages you have done to me?"
Anyone in the hall could hear jealousy and rage in his voice as he spoke, but none of them showed any visible reaction; they faintly murmured among themselves.
"Damages?" Alvin's lips twitched, his hands clenched into a fist as he looked at the man with a sharp tone, his gentle appearance long gone.
He followed the direction the man was pointing at and saw the deep foot imprint on his light shoes.
Some of the guests who had been watching the scene calmly froze when they saw Alvin's face more clearly, a look of recognition flashing through their eyes.
The next moment they all shifted their gaze towards the man who initiated the conflict with a look that screamed that they were looking at an idiot.
The woman across from the man, wearing light makeup on her face, also frowned, sensing something off about the man she came on the date with.
She wanted to stop things from escalating, but upon seeing the ferocious look in the man's eyes, words could not come out of her mouth.
Feeling chained by her own fear, the woman leaned back in her chair, decided to not say anything, and cast a pitiful glance at the young man.
"Did that guy come here for the first time?"
"If he was a regular here, he'd know exactly who he just messed with." A few regulars sneered at the man openly; there was not a shred of pity in their eyes, only a look of sadistic amusement.
The man tightened the grip on Alvin's collar and sneered, "Of course, damages! Look at this; you ruined a good pair of shoes!"
He failed to notice the looks he was getting from the onlookers, but the attention made him more confident. "Do you even have any idea how much they cost?"
"They can buy someone like you hundreds of times." The uncouth words came out of the man, causing the rest of the people in the room to frown.
Coming from a high-class society, these people refrained from speaking such language in front of so many people.
"Where is the manager? Call him! I will show you what your place is." Without giving Alvin a chance to explain, the man looked around the room and shouted at other staff members.
'Control Alvin, you cannot create more trouble for the old man!' Alvin's eyes flashed with a cold light.
He was trying his best to restrain himself from taking action, but the trash in front of him was pushing his luck.
The next second, his anger almost vanished. He looked at the man as if he had heard things correctly. 'Did he really call for the manager?' Alvin's gaze flickered. 'Would you look at that? This bitch chose death.'
Satisfied with the commotion, the man leaned closer to Alvin's face and muttered in his ear, "You should have known your place, you lowly waiter. You are no longer in your country; this is my area, and you will be leaving soon, but not in one piece."
His voice was so low that only three people in the whole restaurant could hear those words; two of them were Alvin and the 'rich man' himself.
Right when Alvin was unable to bear the arrogance of the unruly man before him, three people entered the hall from the back of the house, drastically shifting the atmosphere of the dining hall.
