"The exhibition is now over for today. We welcome you all back next time!"
Angelila sent off the last group of visitors with a somewhat stiff smile. At last, she let out a long breath and patted her cheeks, muttering to herself, "Damn it... I'm so sick of this stupid job, and those damn rules. What do you mean, a smile showing eight teeth is the most proper and friendly? To hell with that... Those tourists' questions are so stupid and ignorant, and I can only lie to them. If it weren't for the pay of one Silver Sael every seven days, I'd have quit long ago..."
Still grumbling, she changed out of her work uniform and left the exhibition hall. She made her way to a coffee shop she knew well, and a short while later came out carrying a paper bag. Inside were two long loaves of bread, fragrant with butter.
Back at her apartment, Angelila hummed a little tune as she lit the stove and started brewing coffee. She also fried a couple of slices of bacon. Golden and crisp, the bacon smelled rich and delicious. Stuffed into bread, it was sheer bliss.
If she added a plate of vegetable salad, it would probably be no different from heaven itself, wouldn't it?
No! Angelila, you still have thirty Gold Punks' worth of mortgage to pay off. You can't be so extravagant...
Angelila suppressed the urge to make another dish, quickly finished her dinner, then carried her coffee into the bedroom.
The room was furnished very simply. The only thing hanging on the wall was an oil painting. Vividly colored lines formed an abstract, twisted eye, and the dark hues around it made the eye stand out all the more.
In the lower-right corner of the painting was