Although Sung-il had risen before even the sun that morning, he showed practically no sign of fatigue, even without consuming a preposterous amount of caffeine as he normally did. Excitement was enough to keep him awake. In fact, Sung-il was as cheerful as ever as he flitted from person to person, working his way around the crowded room. As soon as he'd arrived at the twins' estate, he'd wasted no time in introducing himself to other guests, taking it upon himself to try and meet as many other Fragmented people as possible. Even if none of them turned out to be his soulmate, the party was a rare opportunity to befriend those who'd been born with the same mark on their right wrist and he was most definitely not going to walk away having made no new contacts.
Within a short amount of time, Sung-il had engaged in conversations with various people who'd flown in from all over the globe and walked away with several new contacts in his phone. Now, however, he'd decided to sit at the bar, ordering and promptly receiving a gin and tonic, which he barely took a sip out of. He was not normally one to shy away from alcohol, especially at social events, but today was not like any other day and this party was not like any other party. He thought it would be best if he remained as clear headed as possible. Besides, lack of sleep coupled with alcohol would likely end in disaster. Thus, his drink remained mainly ignored as he checked his phone, reading through various messages and emails. There had been a few texts from friends, one from his manager updating him on future bookings, and none from his parents, who were most likely on vacation as well. Making a note to reply to the numerous work emails he'd received later, Sung-il instead responded to the texts from his friends, reassuring them that he'd made it to the estate perfectly intact despite their jokes that the party was simply a ruse and he'd be murdered somewhere secluded in the mountains.
The idea of traveling somewhere or going on a vacation with essentially all expenses paid and the promise of no strings attached was certainly something Sung-il couldn't help but be wary of. The Google search that Sung-il had done on the twins shortly after reading the letter resulting in almost no information did nothing to ease his worries. And yet he had seen the invitation as an once-in-a-lifetime chance and had ultimately decided that he would go regardless of the chances of being murdered. Upon actually arriving at the estate, any remaining worries that Sung-il might've had disappeared. He'd known that the twins were wealthy enough to sponsor an entire event with dozens of guests, but he'd clearly underestimated the full extent of their affluence, especially if they were able to attract a crowd filled with well-known names.
Glancing around, Sung-il recognized guests wearing necklaces or watches that seemed simple but had to have cost a fortune, perhaps even more so than his own attire. After much deliberation, he'd bought an entire set of new clothes despite already having several suits, choosing to wear a thin black turtleneck shirt underneath a gray blazer with skinny light blue vertical stripes and matching trousers along with black shoes. It'd cost even more than he normally spent on clothes, but judging from what the other guests wore, they'd also spared no expense in dressing for the vacation.
Returning his attention back to his phone, Sung-il sent out one last text to his manager before slipping it back into his pocket. Drink in hand, Sung-il stood from his seat and, intending to head back into the crowd, turned around only to be startled into nearly dropping his drink. Standing almost directly in front of him was a man with dark hair who appeared no older than Sung-il and looked just as shocked.
"Oh! Pardon me, I am so incredibly sorry!" Hastily stepping back, the man added, “I didn’t mean to surprise you."
Recovering quickly, Sung-il readjusted his hold on his drink. As the man spoke, Sung-il listened to the electronic voice of the AI system in his earpiece translate his sentences to French, before shaking his head and replying in English, ”Don't be sorry. There was no harm done.” He gave the man a reassuring smile and moved aside for the man to pass.
However, rather than taking a seat and ordering a drink as Sung-il had expected, the man remained standing. A bit sheepishly, the man chuckled and said, “Ah, woe is me. I’d only meant to strike up a conversation, but I’m afraid I’ve made a bad first impression.”
Surprised once more, but pleasantly so this time, Sung-il let out a quiet laugh. Shaking his head, he replied, “No, you haven't! My name is Sung-il. And yours?”
“Really? Then I’m relieved,” responded the man, grinning. “It’s Theo.”
Admittedly, Sung-il hadn't expected to make someone's acquaintance by having a near fright, but turning down a chance for conversation was something Sung-il rarely did. They'd moved a bit further away from the bar once Theo had ordered a drink of his own. Sung-il mainly stuck to small talk, such as asking whether the man had been to a party of this grandeur before.
Theo shook his head. He'd never seen something like this before. The twins' mansion was enormous. Even the mansions of the richest of his friends paled in comparison to their mansion. It was a wonder how he hadn't heard even the slightest mention of the twins.
"I hadn't either. They're a mysterious pair," agreed Sung-il, remembering how he'd asked around in search of information to no avail.
Just as they spoke of the twins, the lights dimmed, and their conversation came to an end as they both turned towards the staircase. The twins' entrance was dramatic and magnificent, as befitting of this whole event. Sung-il watched the paper birds move about with great interest as the twins walked towards the center of the staircase from either sides. Listening intently to the twins, Sung-il realized he'd been holding his breath only when they'd finished their speech.
