Several hours had passed; the young man managed to clear the game in one sitting.
He stood up and stretched his limbs. It's about lunchtime right now and the rice's already cooked.
He defrosted the pack of chicken nuggets and french fries, dipping the meal onto a pan of hot oil. The sizzling sounds had a nice reverb.
Turning up the gas switch, steam emanated from the corn soup pot.
It didn't take long before the youth was able to put the fried meals atop the pile of rice, while he separated the soup in a porcelain bowl.
The meal truly hits the spot; especially since he was able to bide his time and savor each bite.
Knowing he had to work the next day, his colors turned grey.
I knew that feeling indeed--a lot of jobs suck.
He finally turned on his phone, just to make sure. There were several missed calls and abusive messages from his boss.
The young man thought, "It's probably time to quit," when the Boss ordered him to get in right now and punished him with unpaid overtime.
I was like--who would want to work like that?
A lot of people had no choice. Since it's hard to land a job, many employers would exploit their workers and treat them like shit.
The young man knew he was an office worker—not a corporate slave.
Despite that, he had no idea about his future.
His biggest passion was gaming, but he couldn't think about making a living from it.
He became stressed out, as he pondered further.
...and to make matters worse, his mother came back.
Despite living together, their relationship was superficial.
His mother was the reason he got the job, and she kept urging him to work.
They fought several times; he felt he's wasting his youth by working a shit job when he just wanted to have fun and discover his passion.
He was jealous of everyone with talent and an environment that supported them, so they could easily achieve their dreams.
"Why is the world so unfair?"
Some said it was due to your previous life's karma.
If you accomplished great things in your past life, you would have a higher starting point in the next life.
He thought that as well, and it just made things even more unfair to him.
The rich would just get richer, and the poor get poorer.
Like hell was it easy to temper your determination, when daily happenings made you wanted to commit suicide, and no matter how hard you tried, no one would give you a damn chance.
The worst of all—you're all alone. If you open up, you would only get people who judge you and force their biased standards!
"You are weak! You are a whiny bitch!"
"Hahaha, just kill yourself, you fag."
...but to be honest, he was a damn lazy person and it's not his fault. It's the world's fault for glorifying hard work when it's actually not for everyone. They painted the paradigm that everything required hard work and struggle.
Why couldn't I be a lazy person and succeed?
Does life really have to be that hard? Fuck no.
If I wanted my life to be easy, I can just go and do it.
They don't have any right to dictate what life is. At least, not my life, or his life.
Before I realized it, he's already explained things to his mother.
That he didn't want to slave away at this company. It was just inhumane.
Rather than understanding her son's complaint, she started raising her voice and pointed at him.
"That's enough."
My voice sent time freezing, except for the young man.
Different from the others, he didn't seem surprised when we met.
"It's you," he teared up, "Have you come to take me away, so I could live my deepest fantasies?"
"Yes, but I'm not giving things for free."
"Take me away first," his agitation rose, "Your worst demand will be much better than anything this life gives."
"Calm down and hear me out."
He pulled a chair and sat down.
"What I'm giving you is not a one-way ticket. You will eventually return here and resolve each of your regrets.
...but first, I need your talent.
You have something no one else in this world has, and it's crucial for saving me."
"Someone as powerful as you?"
"I am but a stage. My life is meaningless unless someone special stood atop it.
You are far more than that."
The young man rubbed his hair and put a bashful expression.
"I appreciate the praise, but how can I help?"
"It is something you can do very well. Remember when you cheated on that game?"
"Ah well, it's a hassle to go through it normally."
"I'm not saying it's wrong or right—it's something I need the most.
Transmigrate to this world and do whatever you want. I will grant you the cheats you need."
"Sweet."
I teleported him first and scanned my surroundings.
I saw his mother with mouth agape—stuck there for the whole conversation.
Don't worry about your son.
Unlike you, I actually believe in his potential.
...and I'm going to lead him to the life he actually deserved.
