the fallos ministry

fallos ministry was introduced as one of humanity’s most “important” innovations. in the past, people’s desires were uncontrollable; passion, chaos, and scandals were everywhere. society could no longer endure this, and great leaders sought a solution. the solution was simple: to bring desires completely under state control. thus, fallos ministry was established. the ministry developed an algorithm to regulate people’s desires. this algorithm determined when, with whom, and for how long individuals could engage in relationships. most people immediately accepted this system because the ministry convinced them that it eradicated chaos and disorder, making relationships more “efficient.” in reality, however, there was neither logic nor morality behind the system; everything operated entirely randomly. yet the public was too integrated into the system to question this absurdity. fallos ministry assigned every individual a “desire identity card.” with this card, people could access the ministry’s system and apply for a relationship. applications were reviewed, and the algorithm made completely arbitrary matches. sometimes people were matched within their age group, and sometimes with those much older or younger. sometimes you were matched with someone from the same city, sometimes with someone from another continent. the ministry claimed these decisions were made with “divine wisdom.” marta and tobias’ match the fallos ministry’s absurd algorithm matched two people one day: marta, a 50-year-old disillusioned poet. she had grown so accustomed to the absurdity of fallos ministry that she no longer took anything seriously. she spent most of her life sarcastically mocking others and had lost all faith in people and the system. tobias, a 25-year-old naive young man working diligently in a factory. he wholeheartedly believed in the ministry’s “maintenance of order” and never questioned the system’s authority. when marta received her match notification, she burst into laughter. who could have thought it was a good idea to match a 50-year-old woman with a 25-year-old man? but opposing fallos ministry was not an option. no matter how ridiculous, everyone had to comply with the system’s decisions. meanwhile, tobias treated this match with utmost seriousness. “if the ministry matched me with her, there must be a reason,” he thought. he had never experienced such a match before, but questioning the system never crossed his mind. the first meeting: a strange encounter marta and tobias met in fallos ministry’s gray meeting room. these rooms were sterile, cold, and entirely functional. there was a table, two chairs, and a surveillance device in the corner to “observe” the relationship. marta sat down, looked at tobias, and smiled sarcastically. “so, dear ministry, why do you think they matched us? a mother-son dynamic? or maybe they thought you could benefit from my old-age wisdom?” tobias blushed and lowered his head. “i think the ministry matched us because we can balance each other out. their decisions are always right.” marta burst into laughter. “the ministry is always right? dear boy, the algorithm works randomly. i’m sure you’re sitting here because of pure coincidence.” though shaken by her words, tobias defended himself. “i think age doesn’t matter. what’s important is compatibility.” “compatibility?” marta said, leaning back in her chair. “dear tobias, even that device in the corner knows we’re not compatible.” the contradictions of the first week the fallos ministry gave marta and tobias a three-week “compatibility trial period.” during this time, they were required to meet regularly and get to know each other. at the end of the trial, the system would determine whether they were “compatible” and decide whether their relationship should continue. the first week felt like a bizarre test for marta and tobias. at each meeting, marta mocked the system and made fun of tobias’ youth. “when i was your age, fallos ministry wasn’t this absurd,” she said one day, stirring her coffee. tobias looked at her in surprise. “what do you mean? was it more sensible back then?” “no,” marta replied with a sarcastic smile. “but at least they didn’t match me with someone 25 years younger than me. the system used to mess up more politely.” tobias blushed every time marta made such remarks, but he began to notice a certain wisdom beneath her sarcasm. when marta spoke about the ministry and society, he sensed there was truth in her words. yet tobias still tried to defend the ministry. “maybe age doesn’t matter,” he said one day, summoning his courage. “maybe we have things to teach each other.” “oh, of course,” marta said, barely holding back her laughter. “you’ll teach me tiktok dances, and i’ll teach you how to make a proper cup of coffee.” awkward moments caused by the age gap during their meetings, marta and tobias often found themselves in absurd situations due to their age difference. one day, tobias arrived at their meeting with a flower in hand. “this is for you,” he said, shyly extending the flower. marta looked at the flower and tried to smile. “that’s very sweet, tobias. but this flower should’ve gone to your grandmother. she would’ve appreciated it more.” tobias turned bright red. “i just… wanted to be nice.” “thank you for your kindness,” marta said, taking the flower. “but please, don’t start thinking this is a romance. this feels like a comedy film. you’re a young idealist, and i’m a woman escaping the seriousness of life.” efforts to understand each other by the end of the first week, marta and tobias began to understand each other better despite their differences. marta discovered that behind tobias’ naive gaze was a surprisingly deep person. his attempts to defend the system, though sometimes laughable, were also admirable. “why do you believe in the ministry so much?” marta asked one day. tobias shrugged. “because i don’t know anything else. without the ministry, everything would be so chaotic. people could hurt and harm each other.” marta became serious for a moment. “but people are still hurting each other, tobias. just in quieter ways.” tobias thought about her words but couldn’t respond. a budding closeness by the second week, their relationship had taken a turn toward a bizarre closeness. marta remained sarcastic, but tobias’ sincerity and good-heartedness began to soften her sharp edges. one day, marta confessed: “you know, my previous matches were all terrible. but talking to you is strangely comforting. you’re young, you believe in naive things… but you’re honest.” tobias smiled. “thank you. i think you’re kinder than you realize.” “oh, don’t tell anyone that,” marta said, laughing. “it would ruin my reputation.” the realization of incompatibility by the end of the second week, both marta and tobias fully realized how forced their relationship was. for marta, this match was just another proof of the fallos ministry’s absurdity. tobias, despite his good intentions, began to see that their age gap and personality differences created an unbridgeable chasm. one day, during a meeting, marta remarked: “you know, maybe the ministry matched us just to see how long it would take for us to drive each other crazy. maybe this is some kind of social experiment.” tobias replied earnestly: “no, i think there’s a real reason. maybe we just can’t see it yet.” marta rolled her eyes. “tobias, there is no reason. the ministry just pressed a random button, and here we are. accept it.” “but why are you so pessimistic?” tobias asked. marta smiled faintly. “because being pessimistic protects me from disappointment.” betrayal and intrigue by the third week, tensions between marta and tobias had reached their peak. while marta continued to mock the system, tobias clung to his faith in the ministry. however, rumors began to circulate that the fallos ministry closely monitored the outcomes of its matches and punished “incompatible” relationships. upon hearing this, tobias panicked.…