1. Arrival
There comes a moment in life when one realizes their place in society. For Benjy, a boy who had to mature mentally much faster despite his small stature, this moment came sooner than for most other children. Unfortunately, he wasn't born into a good position. At least he wasn't sick and didn't have a criminal family, so perhaps it was a small blessing.
Two things ruled the world in which Benjy lived: the military regime in power and money. These two were closely interconnected. Sadly, Benjy had no ties to either. Thus, he lived quietly in the slums where he was allowed to exist. For the poor, life meant surviving day by day, doing whatever work they could find.
The one person who loved Benjy, his mother Maria, had long since stopped working due to tuberculosis caused by the poor air quality in the slums. She spent her days lying in bed, struggling for breath and frequently coughing. Even the simple act of seeing Benjy off as he left the house was too much for her.
There was no father or other family members from the beginning. Benjy didn't particularly mind this; there were too many others around him in the same situation. The number of family members one had didn't matter much.
For Benjy, who lived among people constantly teetering between life and death due to poverty and military surveillance, feeling or thinking about something had little meaning. Here, one had to do their assigned tasks without thought to barely survive.
Every day, as per the military's guidelines, Benjy went to the factory near the western boundary of the lower-class D3 district where he lived. His job was to sit closely packed with others, less than 30cm apart, and inspect bullets coming down the conveyor belt, checking for any weight discrepancies.
From seven in the morning until six in the evening, he had to handle bullets and gauge their weight like a machine. It was truly grueling work. Even during lunchtime and after work, bullets floated before his eyes. No matter how many times he washed his hands, the smell of metal wouldn't go away.
There were hundreds, even thousands, of people like Benjy in the factory. Though they all looked different, they wore similar clothes, did the same work, and had similar expressions.
The name Benjy was one of the many common names given without much thought. The military had a set of names that could be given to children of the lower class. Boys could only use simple names like Jackson, Tom, Sam, Jack, John, or Benjy, and surnames were not allowed. The military claimed this was to ensure everyone lived equally without revealing their family's origins.
But everyone in the D3 district knew the real reason for this policy. It was meant to prevent families from knowing if their loved ones' names came up among the dead and to stop friends from questioning a death upon hearing a familiar name.
While handling bullets, Benjy often emptied his mind and imagined things. For instance, he thought there were many other 'Benjys' working hard in this factory. If someone upstairs shouted, "Benjy!" dozens of people would look up and respond, "Yes?" This thought made him smile.
Despite the monotony of his life, Benjy had a few small joys. One was watching TV, the other was solving cipher puzzles.
The military distributed old brown tube TVs to each household, airing repetitive news and educational programs aimed at the poor. One day, while fiddling with the antenna because the reception was poor, Benjy accidentally found the frequency for the Q1 district, where the upper echelons of society lived.
The world shown on that frequency was a new universe. Gleaming, clean people in well-fitted clothes laughed, danced, and sang. In a world where hunger wasn't an issue, people fought, loved, reconciled, and felt jealousy.
All those stories were beautiful. And Benjy loved beautiful things. Seeing beautiful things made his dark life feel brighter.
Benjy also enjoyed solving math-based cipher puzzles. During those moments, he could forget the complicated world and focus solely on the puzzles. The only building in the D3 district with non-flickering lights and no leaks was the library built by the military. Benjy visited it whenever he had time.
After excluding boring books like "Imperial Ethics Code," "Economic Studies of the Surcon Empire—Dedicated to the Great Three Monarchs," and "The Great Historical Records of the Immortal Three Monarchs," the only books worth reading were various math books. Initially, he read them out of necessity, but as he continued, he began to appreciate the peaceful, orderly world of mathematics. Eventually, he even found joy in solving the practice problems that appeared after each theory.
That day was no different from any other. He woke up at five in the morning, turned off his alarm, prepared porridge and medicine for his mother, and left for work.
On his way to the factory, he heard a
After working tirelessly all morning, Benjy stuffed the two eggs he was given for lunch into his mouth and ran to the library. He intended to find hints for a problem he couldn't solve the night before. The old crossbody bag, which always held his pen and notebook, brushed against his waist.
Just as he reached the library entrance and was about to go in, a large poster on the left wall caught his eye. On the white paper were seemingly random numbers arranged in eight rows and columns. Some numbers were in red, blue, or green.
Benjy stood there, staring intently at the numbers, forgetting about going into the reading room. It seemed like there was a pattern, but he wasn't entirely sure.
After pondering for a while, Benjy started adding and multiplying the rows and columns and connecting the resulting numbers to letters. Gradually, a path seemed to emerge. He took out his notebook and began jotting down what he discovered.
As he wrote, he realized that the combinations of letters formed a coherent word. When he finally solved it, the resulting sentence was so unexpected that he unconsciously read it aloud.
"W…E…L…COM…E… B…E…NJY… Welcome… Benjy…?"
As he finished the sentence, he felt something firmly grip his right shoulder. Startled, Benjy couldn't even scream and looked toward his shoulder. There, a pale hand, so white that the veins were visible, rested.
Upon seeing that hand, Benjy thought it was incredibly beautiful. The long, slender fingers exuded a strong, unwavering feeling. The thumb lightly pressed on his collarbone.
Benjy realized that someone was casting a large shadow over him, blocking the sunlight. He slowly turned his head to the left to see who was holding his shoulder.
"Correct."
A man was smiling as he acknowledged Benjy's deciphering.
Benjy was at a loss for words as he looked at the face of the hand's owner.
This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It's a work of art I'm seeing in person for the first time. Without the thin paper scraps or TV screens that obscure the aura, his silver-gold hair softly fell over his forehead.
His spotless white skin and the sharp lines of his jaw and face were as if carved by a sculptor. Even the prominent brow ridge above his deep eye sockets seemed perfectly molded. Between his long eyelashes, his deep blue eyes looked like a mix of the universe and the sea.
He was like a jewel that evoked deep emotions just by looking at him. His red lips, like dark strawberry syrup atop soft white cream, curved into a slight smile.
Benjy realized that he couldn't describe this man's beauty with anything he knew. There was no one among the people he had seen on TV from the Q1 district who matched this man's radiance. He stood out, shining brightly in this gloomy place. No, was he even human?
As Benjy stared at him for a moment, the man turned slightly to meet his gaze. Benjy saw his own reflection in those clear, deep eyes and felt a twinge of sadness. He didn't know why. He just thought perhaps his heart was overwhelmed by seeing someone so beautiful this close for the first time.
He was the most stunning person who would capture the attention of anyone around him. It wasn't just about his appearance. There was an untouchable, noble aura emanating from him.
So Benjy didn't notice the faint smell of blood coming from the man's slightly dirty navy uniform. Nor did he see the subtle glint in the man's eyes as he looked at Benjy.
"Even in a garbage dump, flowers can bloom."
The man sneered softly.
Benjy, who had been trembling with tension, didn't fully grasp what the man had said, but he started to come back to his senses.
The man was wearing a military uniform. Moreover, it wasn't the uniform of an ordinary soldier but that of the elite Imperial Guard of Surcon Empire's capital, Leon. He saw the Sun Badge, the symbol of the capital, pinned to the man's chest. Next to it, there were many star badges. A rifle was slung over his back.
The man still hadn't removed his hand from Benjy's shoulder. It dawned on him that something significant, not just an ordinary event, must be happening. Why else would such a high-ranking soldier come to this shabby neighborhood?
A chill ran down his spine. Benjy quickly reviewed his actions over the past week in his mind. But nothing out of the ordinary came to mind.
The military was the highest authority in the Empire. Benjy, a mere pauper, knew that any form of resistance would mean a quick death. He wasn't sure how strong his will to live was, but he definitely didn't want to die now.
"Um…"
As Benjy started to speak, the man interrupted him.
"Let's go. We don't have much time."
Even amidst all this, Benjy thought the man's low, resonant voice suited his face and was pleasant to hear. As Benjy babbled in confusion, the man almost dragged him along. The grip on his arm was so strong that Benjy couldn't help but groan.
"Aah…"
Hearing this, the man, who had been looking straight ahead, glanced back and loosened his grip slightly. The pain eased considerably. He gave Benjy a sideways glance and then continued to walk without saying anything.