章 10: Chapter 10: Private room
Once they arrived at the restaurant, Yohan and Landon were led to a private room. The room was decorated with elegant furniture and had a calming atmosphere.
"I didn't expect you to reserve a private room." Yohan said as he took his seat.
Landon grinned mischievously as he picked up the menu. "If I'm going to eat good food, I don't want any disturbances or distractions."
Nodding in agreement, Yohan flipped through the menu himself, marveling at the plethora of dishes available. Eventually, they both decided on ordering seafood specialties that looked incredibly appetizing. When the waiter arrived carrying multiple plates piled high with delicacies from land and sea, filling every inch of their table space - Yohan's eyes widened in amazement.
"Are you going to eat all this yourself?" Yohan asked with a chuckle.
Landon laughed heartily and shook his head. "Of course not! I got all this for us to share," he said, gesturing towards Yohan. "Think of it as your coming-out party into our town."
Yohan felt touched by Landon's gesture and overwhelmed at the same time. He couldn't believe he was lucky enough to have such a good friend in his second life.
"Thank you.."
Yohan smiled gratefully at Landon. They ate their meal, savoring the delicious seafood dishes while chatting amicably. Though he wanted to confide in Landon about his past and identity, Yohan was hesitant as they had only met the day before. He decided to share brief story without delving into too many details until they were better friends.
"Landon, do you have any suggestions for jobs that don't require an ID card? I'm not familiar with this system but from what I've read online, it's necessary to have one."
"Do you want to find work here?" Landon asked curiously. "What happened with your ID card? Do you not have one?"
"My uncle's family kept me locked up for almost 20 years," he said in a hushed tone, dropping a bombshell on Landon. "I never got out of the house unless they needed me to do something. So... I never had an opportunity to get my own identification card or any official documents."
Landon's mouth dropped open, causing a shrimp meatball to fall off his spoon. He slammed the table in anger, causing plates and cutlery to rattle.
"What?! Your own family locked you up for years? Isn't that abuse?!" he exclaimed angrily. "Why didn't you go to the police? Were you physically hurt?" His eyes widened with concern before another thought struck him, "Wait a minute, did you come here because you managed to escape from your uncle's house?"
Landon continued bombarding Yohan with questions while looking visibly upset at what he had just learned.
Yohan nodded, a wry smile twisting his lips. "I managed to escape yesterday," he said, the lightness in his voice doing little to mask the underlying bitterness. "So we met after I slipped out from under my uncle's roof. I guess you could say I was lucky to have gotten away when I did..."
He let out a humorless laugh, the sound echoing hollowly in the quiet space between them, and Landon could feel the pain behind it.
"My uncle's family... they can be considered cruel, shall we say? From the time I lived with them as a toddler, it was one torment after another." He paused for a moment, letting silence hang heavy before continuing in a softer tone.
"They never went so far as to almost kill me though," Yohan continued with a hint of sarcasm. "Not that they care about being merciful; no, it's just their twisted way of keeping their toy alive."
Landon felt a pang in his heart at Yohan's words and the sad laughter that followed them. He knew this must be just a small fraction of all the suffering Yohan had endured.
"You..." Landon struggled to find the right words, feeling confused by the mix of shock and sadness that filled him. It felt strange - they had only met yesterday but Landon already felt fiercely protective of Yohan and an inexplicable affection for him like someone he'd known for years.
"And I can't go to the police," Yohan continued softly, almost like a whisper. "It seems my uncle has connections there."
Yohan's mind raced as he recalled some of the things Yoh did. Besides the accident that happened a few months later, it seemed that all of Yoh's other crimes were ignored by the police. Suddenly, Yohan became curious about who was backing his uncle and if that person was so powerful, wouldn't it only be a matter of time before he would be found? The thought sent shivers down his spine.
"Landon..." Yohan whispered hoarsely, "I'm so scared that my uncle will find me... I don't want to go back there..."
Landon quickly reached out and squeezed Yohan's shoulder reassuringly.
"Calm down, Yohan." Landon said firmly. "As long as you're in this city, you'll be safe. I promise I'll help you."
Landon then asked Yohan about how he came to this city, the time of his arrival, and other details. After listening intently, Landon made a long phone call outside the private room.
***
Yohan drummed his fingers impatiently against the table as he waited for Landon's return. Despite the luxurious surroundings of their private room in this high-end restaurant, Yohan couldn't shake off a growing sense of unease. His friend had been gone too long, and something just didn't feel right. Unable to sit still any longer, Yohan rose from his seat and left the room in search of Landon.
The bustling restaurant made it difficult to navigate, but he scoured every nook and cranny until there was nowhere else to look. But despite his best efforts, there was no sign of Landon anywhere. With growing concern eating away at him like acid, Yohan realized that perhaps Landon had already gone back to their private room while he was searching around the restaurant.
As he walked down the hallway filled with ornate doors adorned with intricate decorations, it suddenly dawned on him that he couldn't remember which door led to their private room. Yohan felt a sudden wave of panic wash over him. How could he have forgotten which door led to their private room? He had been so focused on finding Landon that he hadn't paid attention to the surroundings.
He racked his brain trying to recall any details about their door when suddenly it hit him, there was a purple flower decoration on it! Feeling relieved at finally remembering something concrete, Yohan opened what he thought was their door without hesitation.
But as soon as he stepped inside the dimly lit room filled with an elegant ambiance, Yohan froze in shock. There, he only to find himself face-to-face with the handsome and cold man sitting alone at a table full of food. The man looked up at Yohan in surprise before setting down his utensils and giving him an intense stare.
Yohan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did it seem like ever since he came back to this time period, he kept running into this man?
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