Clank! The sound of a shattering mirror reverberated within the confines of a house.

"Ha! Hahahahahahahaha! You dumbass!" A man, barely twenty-five years old, stared at his pitiful reflection in the broken glass.

Alcohol, an unfamiliar companion, had clouded his mind today.

He saw no other option.

His bloodshot eyes, weary from tears and anger, scrutinized the disheveled figure before him.

For three consecutive days, he had drowned himself in alcohol from morning till... whenever it was now.

His mind swirled in turmoil, unable to perform even the simplest of tasks.

"What are you looking at, motherfucker?! What are you doing, you miserable excuse for an archaeologist?!" His tongue slurred as he addressed his reflection. The mimic on the other side looked with the same disdain as his own.

The broken mirror reflected more than a single mimic.

"Were you planning to shed tears over a mere heartbreak?! So what if she's older than you? So what if she is beautiful? You can find a woman even better than her!" He attempted to motivate himself, but his efforts fell flat.

"Look at your frail body! And you're not even that good-looking, let's be honest!" The more he spoke, the worse he felt.

His motivation soon transformed into self-deprecation. Initially criticizing her—her age, her body, her weight... but no matter what, he couldn't do it. After all, those were the very things he cherished the most.

That small, endearing beauty mark just below her left eye. Her hazel-brown flowing hair perfectly complemented her two brown eyes.

Her button-like nose, fit perfectly on her cute face. Miss Mira possessed a porcelain figure accentuated by her captivating gestures. The scent of mature jasmine lingered, making his heart flutter.

The way she casually tossed her hair over her right shoulder. Her sharp, elegant eyebrows tugged at the strings of his heart. Her ample bosom strained against her white shirt.

And the short black skirt that barely covered her thick thighs.

It wasn't just her physique that drew him in; it was her personality that captivated him from the start.

Soft-spoken, friendly, and charismatic.

Unlike his bumbling presence that merely occupied space in a room, she commanded attention effortlessly.

She was his senior in the archaeology department.

Miss Mira... his mesmerizing Miss Mira... was getting married.

To whom? He had no idea.

But one thing was certain—it wasn't him.

"You bastard Zypher... Motherfucker... how... hic How could you expect her to fall for a shithead like you?! Huh!" He hurled an empty beer bottle across the room, watching it shatter against the wall.

Despite having amassed a considerable fortune from his job, he chose to drown himself in alcohol—hoping to forget her memories rather than cherish them.

The painful memory of her rejection continued to haunt him.

...

"Oh, Zephyr... I never knew you had feelings for me... Your sudden confession..." 'What a liar...' she knew damn well. She had seen the affectionate glances he cast her way.

"But you see... I'm an older woman... considerably older, I must say..."

"N-No! Senpai, you're beautiful! Please don't dismiss my feelings because of that! Age is nothing—"

"Zephyr..." 'Zephyr, shut up...' was probably what she wanted to say.

"I'm sorry, Zephyr... but I... I... I'm getting married... soon." Lies... more lies...

Even though Zephyr despised it, he had done background research on Mira and found out she was not seeing anyone...

So was it someone in the office? An older colleague, perhaps? Or was it just an excuse to push Zephyr away?

...

"Haaa..." Zephyr let out a weary sigh.

He had accepted the rejection, or so he believed.

Maybe Miss Mira clung to outdated notions that women should be younger than men. That must have been the reason for her rejection.

Yeah... that must be it...

He had coped reasonably well until a message appeared on his smartphone. That's when everything went to hell... when he heard that single recording.

"Mira... Are you really getting married? I thought you were more focused on your career or something," someone from the office, someone Zephyr knew, spoke.

They were probably both drunk.

"Ah, I don't know," the familiar voice caught him off guard. Zephyr had expected a prank call, but this was different.

"You know, Natasha... that boy, Zephyr, he's just a child. I can't see him as a man yet," Mira's response was plain and simple.

"He's clumsy, cute, and annoying. Always staring at my breasts and whatnot." Zephyr wanted to retort, but he held back.

"He's like a rat chasing after cheese. The boss instructed me to keep him occupied, so that's why..." Zephyr heard it all.

Everything.

He couldn't fathom that the person he considered a goddess, someone who had left the best impression on him... was badmouthing him behind his back.

In the archaeology department, juniors were allowed to voice their opinions about their seniors. It helped the seniors get promoted faster and ensured better treatment for the juniors.

Zephyr had consistently voted for Miss Mira, even after they no longer worked on the same projects... Such was her influence over him.

But her opinion of him... it was... nauseating.

Zephyr vomited as the alcohol became too much to bear.

He had taken a week off from work, and yet Mira hadn't sent him a single message.

When he looked at her Instagram, he discovered that she was enjoying her life as usual.

Just how inconsequential was his existence in her life, while she had such an enormous impact on his?

This realization shattered his motivation to work.

His mind sank further into the abyss, descending into a never-ending spiral.

Zephyr was a solitary being; aside from Mira, he had no one in his life. And yet, all this time, it had been one-sided.

His feelings, his infatuation, his admiration... it was all one-sided.

He had been deceived by a mask.

A woman had used him and manipulated him to the core... and yet, he couldn't bring himself to hate her.

Why? Because it had all been one-sided.

"Haaa..." A person can live with a broken body, a broken mind, and a broken spirit...

But one cannot live without the will to live.

"What's the point of living?" he questioned himself.

He waited and waited... for a miracle to happen.

The suicidal thoughts overwhelmed him, but he managed to pull himself back.

His gaze fixated on the shards of the broken mirror strewn across the floor.

Should he do it? Should he not? That was the question.

"Hahaha! To be or not to be... that is the question!" He laughed like a madman.

Recalling the philosophy he studied in college, he tried to calm his mind.

"If I die... everything will end... But if I live... what will be the purpose of my life?" Zephyr pondered.

The TV in the living room blared an old comedy show that Mira had recommended long ago.

"Fuck..." Zephyr facepalmed. Just how deep was Mira's influence in his life?!

"Everything..." Hmm? Zephyr's attention shifted to the television as an unfamiliar advertisement suddenly caught his eye.

"I hate them all..." A character stood before an army of millions, declaring his disdain.

"That's why... I shall name this place after the hate within me... Sinland."

***

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