TMYLI Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2: What happened in Madrid

 ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ: ʙʀᴇᴇ

A while later, white wine was served first, followed by a paella with jamón and seafood. Setting her regrets aside, Anna picked up her fork.

The thinly sliced jamón that had a slight salty and savory taste, and the seafood paella had a rich flavor that intensified as she chewed. The fragrant and fruity wine paired wonderfully with the food.

Although she wasn’t very hungry, Anna enjoyed her meal and sipped her wine as if she hadn’t eaten anything at all.

After emptying her plate, Anna remembered the churros and wine that the hostel offered for free at 8 PM. However, she was too full to consider eating more.

After settling the bill and descending to the first floor, Anna unconsciously looked around, but she couldn’t spot Luciano or his group.

Sol Square, shrouded in darkness, was bustling with people in the evening. Being a vibrant area with a high transient population, Anna thought about exploring the various shops and establishments around Sol Square. However, after a long day of walking since early morning, fatigue had caught up with her.

Feeling sluggish after just one glass of wine, Anna made her way back to her accommodation. An elderly man with white hair was seen alone, opening the door. The man, slightly ahead of Anna, entered the hostel where she was staying.

It was curious to Anna that even older individuals seemed to prefer staying in budget-oriented hostels with predominantly dormitory-style accommodations. While she had seen reports about older Koreans choosing to stay in dormitories when traveling abroad, witnessing it in person felt different. The atmosphere seemed liberating.

Strolling through Madrid’s lively streets at a leisurely pace, Anna opened the glass door of her hostel. As she stepped inside, she heard a faint sound beneath her foot.

Startled, she lowered her head, and her gaze fixed on something square. Anna picked up a thin notebook. Upon a quick glance, she recognized what it was—her passport. Flipping through the pages, she saw the photo of the white-haired man who had entered the hostel a step ahead of her. His nationality was listed as Canadian.

‘Oh no, I should return this.’

In her mind, she envisioned the image of the elderly man with white hair who had entered the hostel before her.

‘Maybe?’

As she walked further into the building, she saw numerous tables inside the lobby where people had breakfast. Among them, the elderly white foreigner was sitting in a chair, taking something out of his bag.

Anna unfolded her passport and compared the photo to the grandfather’s face. They looked similar. Anna approached him.

“Excuse me, but are you Mr. Christian Legrotaillier?”

The white-haired grandfather looked at Anna with squinted eyes.

“How do you know my name?”

“Excuse me, do you have your passport?”

“Of course.”

“Could you please check it?”

The grandfather, looking flustered at her request, reached into his outer pocket and searched through every corner of his bag. However, the passport was nowhere to be found.

“Oh? Where could it have gone?”

“I just picked up this passport right in front of that door.”

Anna showed the black passport with elaborate gold embossed patterns to the elderly man. Taking the passport she offered, Christian hastily opened the first page where personal information including his photo and name were written.

“Oh, I almost had a mishap. Thank you so much for finding it.”

“No problem. I just picked it up from the floor.”

“How can I repay you for this?”

“It’s okay. Have a good trip.”

“You too, have a pleasant journey. May luck be with you.”

After bidding farewell to the grateful grandfather, Anna turned around and found Luciano, Marco, and Fabio standing in front of her. Startled by the unexpected encounter, Anna was taken aback.

“Ciao. Nice to see you again, Anna.”

Luciano spoke with a charming smile. The three of them looked just as they did in the restaurant a while ago. Fabio and Marco went to sit at one of the tables in the lobby.

“Oh, yes.”

“Did you enjoy your dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Anna, we’re planning to go to a seven-story club at midnight. Would you like to join us?”

“A seven-story club? The club has seven floors?”

“Yes, it’s famous in Madrid.”

“Oh my, it’s my first time.”

“It’ll be fun. Let’s go together, Anna.”

Fabio, sitting in a chair, urged her. Marco also nodded in agreement.

Anna was curious about how large a club with seven floors could be. She was hesitant to go to a club alone abroad, but if she went with others, it seemed fine. Above all, she thought it would be enjoyable to go with Luciano. She had never been to a club before, but this seemed like a good opportunity.

“Sure, I’d like to go too.”

“Then meet us here by 11:50 PM.”

“Okay, see you in a little while.”

Anna smiled brightly and headed up to her dormitory. The thought of going to the club with Luciano made her fatigue disappear. It was still only 10:30 PM, so she had enough time to shower and get ready. It was winter, so she wasn’t sweating, but she felt sticky from walking around all day.

Perhaps because it was Friday night, there was no one in the dormitory. Anna took out clothes to change into from her suitcase and placed them on the bed. She grabbed her shower essentials and headed to the shower room with quick steps.

She thought she wouldn’t take long in the shower, so there was no need to store her suitcase in the locker. After all, important items like her passport were always in a small bag hanging around her neck.

Anna’s steps toward the shower room were filled with cheerfulness.

* * *

After cleaning up and feeling refreshed, Anna returned to her dormitory and picked up the clothes she had placed on the bed. The dormitory, devoid of anyone, was unusually quiet.

Suddenly, Anna realized that something had changed. Her whole body shivered. It was a fear that couldn’t be put into words. The room she had entered was undoubtedly Room 302, and the bed in front of her and the belongings on it were all hers.

However… her suitcase, which had been placed beside the bed, had vanished as if it were an illusion. A feeling of drowsiness crept over her, and her entire body grew chillingly cold.

It was unbelievable. The smile vanished from Anna’s face. She froze as if turned into a statue, standing still and blinking her eyes several times in that spot. Her once fresh and radiant face lost its color.

‘What on earth is this?’

It was as if a ghost had moaned. Just moments ago, her belongings that had been here had disappeared within a mere 15 minutes.

With a rigid expression, she rushed to the reception on the ground floor. She didn’t have time to wait for the elevator to come down from the 5th floor. She descended the stairs with a clatter and a loud noise, her big and heavy suitcase in tow.

If she had dragged her suitcase outside, it would have undoubtedly caught someone’s attention. What about the receptionist? Wouldn’t they have witnessed it?

At the reception, a different woman from yesterday sat emotionlessly, engrossed in her phone. Luciano and his friends, who had been engaged in conversation in the lobby chairs, turned their gaze abruptly towards Anna, who was rushing to the reception.

“I need help. My suitcase is gone! It was here just a little while ago…”

Anna’s voice trembled as she urgently spoke in English. Her heart felt like it had turned pitch black. Her mouth was so dry that words were hard to form.

The staff responded kindly, “What room number?”

“Room 302.”

“Did you store your suitcase in the locker, and now it’s missing?”

“Oh, no. I left it by the bed, and it disappeared while I was taking a shower.”

“Oh, I see… In that case, there’s not much we can do to help. Unless it was placed in a locker… It’s not our responsibility.”

The woman with wine-colored hair expressed a displeased look.

“It’s a large yellow suitcase. Has anyone been seen carrying it away?”

“No, nobody checked out with it.”

“I see…”

The staff couldn’t offer much assistance, and Anna’s frustration grew.

At that moment, Anna’s gaze fell upon a large monitor at the reception. The monitor displayed four CCTV screens, showing the entrance of the hostel.

“Is there any way to review the CCTV footage?”

“Unfortunately, we can only access the CCTV footage if the police are involved. I’m sorry.”

Anna stood there, not knowing what to do, feeling bewildered and helpless. Her mind felt blank, and she didn’t know where to start. It was as if her thoughts had come to a standstill.

Then, Luciano , who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, stepped forward.

“Why don’t we call the police now?”

“Well…”

The staff knew. The police wouldn’t come to the hostel for such incidents. Incidents like thefts were common among tourists, almost like a daily occurrence. The police didn’t actively pursue such cases. Even if a report was filed, that was often the end of it.

“So, where is the police station?”

“There’s a police station where they speak English. It’s nearby.”

She provided Luciano with the address of the police station. The reception staff spoke to Luciano with a tone that was both courteous and disinterested. Strangely, her voice had a more feminine and sticky quality when speaking to Luciano . Anna listened to their conversation with a vacant expression.

“Anna.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have travel insurance?”

“Yes…”

“Do you think you can go to the police station now?”

“The police station?”

Looking at Anna’s bewildered expression, Luciano spoke kindly. He looked at Anna with a compassionate expression as she seemed lost.

“We need to go and report this. You should list the lost items. That way, you can submit it to the insurance company and claim compensation.”

“Oh… Yes, you’re right. Compensation… I need to go and report it…”

“Are you going to the police station tomorrow?”

“No, I think I should go now.”

Despite the bustling nightlife and bright lights of the city, this was a foreign country. The thought of walking alone on dark streets at night sent shivers down Anna’s spine, making her nervous. It seemed like her fear was evident on her face because Luciano kindly made a suggestion.

“Well then, how about I go with you, Anna?”

“Oh… Weren’t you planning to go to the club a bit later?”

Even in her confused state, she remembered that he was planning to go to the club.

“That can wait. Clubs are all pretty much the same anyway.”

Luciano said to Anna and gestured to Fabio and Marco that they would go to the police station instead of the club.

“…Thank you.”

In a place where no one helped her, where communication was difficult, only one person had shown kindness to her. Anna decided to eagerly hold onto the only lifeline she had been given.