Chapter 1
At one morning, at traffic signal, I saw him with his bike, and when reaching to near him I stopped even though there is still space to go ahead, he also saw me. I felt something weird and then go ahead and stand beside him but have no courage to see him. He may also felt it weird. That is i thought first time he noticed me."
In 2021, the first wave of the pandemic had passed. It had affected almost everyone’s life—physically, mentally, or financially. I was among those affected both mentally and financially. I returned to my parents' house and started a new job. Every morning, I woke up with the hope of making my mark in this new field, spending the whole day tackling tasks, learning new things, and interacting with my new colleagues.
In the evening, I would head home. The roads were full of traffic, with horns buzzing all around; everyone wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I had bought a new electric bike, and on my way back, I kept my speed under 45 km/h. I rode along the edge of the road in fear while bikes and cars zoomed past me.
Halfway home, I stopped at a red light amidst a crowd. Suddenly, my eyes locked onto a man who was tall and slim. He was wearing a red medical mask and had a fair complexion. On his right hand, I saw a tattoo of three horizontal lines. My eyes remained fixed on him for a few moments.
