Finally, Ernest arrived at the Central Business District while holding his stomach.

As he walked and took breaks frequently to eat, he arrived in the Central Business District about three hours later.

Perhaps because he had been deprived of Earth's food for too long, he ended up spending a lot of money just to buy various foods, ranging from street food to some restaurants's food. Strangely, his stomach managed to accommodate all that food.

Unbeknownst to him, the money given by Olivia was running out. Ernest now planned to only use Olivia's money if he really had no other choice or must.

Since it was already nighttime, he intended to find a place to sleep first. Although he couldn't afford a hotel, he couldn't possibly sleep on the streets either.

Even though it was almost spring, the weather was still frigid outside. Just to walk, Ernest had to hug his own body. Not because he didn't have a partner—that was also true, but because of his tattered clothes, which allowed the cold air to freely touch his skin without any barriers.

The place he was looking for was a homeless shelter.

When he entered a building resembling a neglected gymnasium, a homeless shelter, he received strange looks because he was the youngest person there. The average homeless person was elderly and unable to work.

“Use this to reduce the cold air you feel!”

One of the homeless gave Ernest a few sheets of newspaper.

Ernest took the newspapers given by the homeless to use as a blanket.

Although Ernest appreciated their kindness, he remained cautious. To prevent anyone from trying to steal his sling bag, Ernest turned the sling bag upside down, letting all its contents fall to the floor, making it clear to all the homeless in the shelter that he didn't have anything valuable.

As the items inside his sling bag—actually not many—had all fallen, he suddenly found a small piece of paper. The paper contained a note that looked freshly written.

It wasn't hard to guess that this was a note left by Olivia.

What he didn't expect was the content of the note, which turned out to be a warning.

[Use the money to stay in a hotel. At least you'll be safe during the lunar eclipse tomorrow. That's all.]

Ernest read the warning while scratching his head.

‘A lunar eclipse, huh. Uhh. Isn't it too late?!’

***

When morning came, Ernest set out to look for a job.

He chose the Central Business District because he thought finding a job or information there would be easier. However, reality didn't match his expectations.

“We don't hire beggar employees like you!”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“What do you want? Do you want to steal something from our store?! Get out now!”

“...Ah! We're not hiring employees anymore. I will speak honestly to you. Please stay away from our business; I'm afraid customers will run away if they see someone like you.”

All the people, when seeing Ernest's appearance, immediately chased him away without waiting for Ernest to explain his purpose. On the other hand, there were also some bastards people who thought Ernest was a thief.

But, among these types of people, what he found most unbearable were those who pretended to be kind but were actually hypocrites. They talked very softly and kindly, but their words were hurtful. He preferred to be kicked out roughly rather than face their hypocrisy.

If the people who had dealt with Ernest in the past heard what Ernest was grumbling about in his heart, they would indeed rise from the grave and call Ernest an ungrateful person.

Even though he received various insolent treatments, Ernest showed his smile again not too long after without being overly annoyed.

When the day was almost over, Ernest stopped looking for a job and entered a narrow alley. He saw a restaurant employee about to dispose of various leftover foods there. He approached and asked for the food.

Even though he was looked down upon and pitied, he didn't care.

Why be ashamed if you can eat delicious food for free?

A study mentioned that if someone is accustomed to living in a dirty environment, they would adapt to it and not easily get sick. Whether it's called human adaptability or the hygiene hypothesis, he forgot.

While he focused on eating next to the trash like a wild animal, he started to furrow his brows. Not because the food tasted bad but because he saw something outside the alley.

He automatically gathered the leftover food he hadn't eaten, stood up, and ran out of the alley with his mouth full of food. He almost choked, but luckily, there was a water bottle with plenty of water still lying at the top of the trash can.

Although there was sauce sticking to his cheeks, he kept running. It was as if he was possessed, ignoring his appearance.

When he reached the end of the alley, he crossed the street and stood in front of a giant billboard screen. At first, a large crowd gathered in front of the billboard screen, but as soon as Ernest arrived, everyone instinctively avoided him and covered their noses.

Ernest didn't notice the reactions of the people around him because his gaze from start to finish never left the billboard screen. He even rubbed his eyes several times as if wondering if he was hallucinating or not.

Ernest's surprised reaction was expected because he saw someone he knew inside the billboard screen. Yet he didn't have a single acquaintance who was a celebrity. So he couldn't believe what he saw at first.

Some things that made him sure that the person on the billboard was someone he knew were her characteristic features: a girl with golden hair, the same age as him, and her facial structure.

Even though he hadn't seen her in two years, so there might have been many changes to her face, Ernest was sure he hadn't mistaken her.

Moreover, her first name was written on the billboard screen.

[Stella L. D'Estra. The newcomer actress and singer.]

Even with the addition of the family name, the girl's first name was the same as the girl he knew.

As if his head was beginning to fill with memories of her, he began to smile. However, when he saw a male celebrity beside her, Ernest's face began to look gloomy.

The billboard image showed that the two of them were holding hands and slightly bowed their heads, as if giving the impression that they were expressing gratitude, with the background of a grand stage image.

A few seconds later, large letters filled the billboard screen and made Stella's image the background.

[Get your tickets ready; a grand concert will begin this summer!]

“Time has really passed.”

He sighed and pushed away all the useless emotions that had surfaced earlier.

How pathetic.

He realized all those emotions had made him look like a jealous child.

Although, it wouldn't be strange if she had become someone else's girlfriend or even had a family?

“Hahaha.”

This time, he laughed and raised the corners of his lips as usual.

“I'm genuinely happy for you for having a family.”

Ernest gently touched the billboard screen. He spoke sincerely because he knew Stella was an orphan who lived in an orphanage.

So, Ernest was genuinely happy thinking that in the two years he was absent, she had become a famous celebrity and had a family name behind her name.

Unfortunately, the moment of his contemplation couldn't last long. A sudden disturbance occurred.