After receiving my pay, I looked down at the money in my hand. Fifteen dollars. A small amount to most—but to me, it was a new beginning. A step forward in this strange world.
My thoughts were cut short by the low growl of my stomach, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since that first meal in this world. Exhaustion weighed on me, seeping from my feet all the way to my head, and soon, only one thought remained… food.
I returned to the same place where I'd had my first meal. A simple wooden restaurant with a rustic charm. The air was thick with the scent of spices and the smoke drifting from the open kitchen. Small tables were scattered around without any real order, and the sound of chatter and laughter filled the room. Still, the atmosphere was oddly warm—like being surrounded by a family you didn't know, but who welcomed you all the same.
I sat at the same table as before. The same waiter approached me, as if time hadn't moved at all.
With a slight smile, he asked,
"Regular meal?"
I nodded, barely able to speak from the hunger clawing at me.
A few minutes later, a warm plate was placed before me—steamed rice topped with slices of spiced meat, sprinkled with unfamiliar herbs that I couldn't name but looked delicious nonetheless. Beside it, a small bowl of light soup gave off a strange yet pleasant aroma. On the edge of the tray sat a piece of toasted bread, glistening with melted butter.
I didn't waste a second. I dug in, eating with a hunger that made every bite feel like it was restoring a piece of my strength.
But in the middle of the warmth and the noise, I felt utterly alone.
Everyone in the restaurant was talking to someone—laughing, sharing stories…
And I was just a stranger among strangers.
Somewhere else, maybe I would've been having dinner with my mother, laughing with my brother, or arguing with my father over something silly.
But here… no one even knew my name.
When I finished, I paid five dollars and stepped outside. I looked at what was left in my hand—ten dollars.
Not much. But enough for another day. I was still at the start of the road.
I walked away from the crowded street, heading toward the edge of the city—toward the forest, my only refuge in this new world.
My steps were slow from exhaustion, but my heart felt lighter than ever before.
When I reached the same patch of ground between the trees, it was just as I left it—quiet and cool, as if it had been waiting for me. I sat down and leaned my back against the trunk of an old tree.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
The scent of earth.
The sound of insects.
The moonlight slipping through the leaves.
Everything was strange… and somehow familiar.
Despite the fatigue, the pain, the earlier hunger—I felt something different tonight.
I was still alone. Still far from my family. Still clueless about how this world worked.
But… I had taken a step forward.
Just one step. But it was a big one.
I smiled quietly and whispered to myself,
"I'll make it… someday."
Then I drifted to sleep, as a new night settled over this new world.