Having experienced that hell, my mood had never been worse.
"I haven't been able to record a single proper thing. What the hell was that?!" I shouted while walking home.
Then suddenly, someone placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump in fear.
"Fuck!" I yelled as I turned around angrily to look for the culprit.
Then I saw my father holding a bottle of soft drink.
"Mind your language, kid. Someone might hear you and think you're disrespectful," he said while looking at me curiously.
"Nah, you just scared the shit out of me. Why did you suddenly appear like that? Are you a ninja or something?" I replied while continuing to walk home.
Well, people already thought I was disrespectful anyway because of how casually I treated my family.
"Okay, tell me during dinner what happened today that ruined your mood this badly," he said while placing his arm around my shoulder and walking beside me.
This kind of atmosphere…
It was something I missed a lot in my previous life.
Living alone in a small apartment far away from my parents.
Eating alone.
Waking up alone.
Cooking for yourself.
Sleeping alone while knowing you'd still wake up alone the next day.
Back then, I thought independence was freedom.
Now I realized it was also loneliness.
Returning to the present….
We all sat down at the dinner table.
Earlier, I told myself I had no appetite because of my horrible mood.
Turns out that was a complete lie.
Most of the dishes on the table were my favorites.
We even had soft drinks, which was rare during dinner because my parents were always worried about diabetes.
I immediately grabbed a fried chicken leg.
Only then did I realize how hungry I actually was.
I had eaten a lot during merienda earlier, so I thought I wouldn't be hungry anymore.
Maybe the stress from the internet café burned through all of it.
"Hmmm! So delicious!!" I said while chomping on the chicken like Pac-Man.
The outside was crispy while the inside stayed juicy.
Crispy Fry really made the best breading mix.
"So, what happened?" my father asked while eating.
Whenever we ate together, there was always time for conversations like this.
We shared stories about our day, laughed together, and sometimes even discussed problems.
"Huh? Well, you se-...."
I explained everything that happened at the internet café.
The noise.
The interruptions.
How I failed to finish my work because the environment completely destroyed my focus.
"So… can you-...."
"Nope. Not gonna happen," my father interrupted before I could even finish.
"No! You haven't even heard my request yet!!" I shouted back.
"Okay then. What is it?" he asked seriously.
"So can you buy me a-...."
"Nope. Not gonna happen."
I glared at him resentfully.
I was about to ask him to buy me a computer.
I knew they were expensive, but I fully intended to pay him back in the future.
Even a secondhand one would be enough.
As long as it could handle video editing, I'd take it.
I immediately looked at my mother for support.
Unfortunately, she was too busy trying not to laugh while watching us argue.
"Mom-..."
"Nope. Not gonna happen."
I gave up and focused on eating instead.
While eating, I suddenly remembered something.
Back when I got hospitalized, my parents borrowed a huge amount of money from my father's friends.
I wondered if they had already managed to pay it back.
I wanted to ask.
However, I felt like this wasn't the right time or place for that conversation.
So I kept quiet.
After finishing my meal, I went upstairs to sleep.
I mean, I had already done a lot of productive things today.
I think I have already done enough.
As I lay down on the bed, my thoughts slowly drifted toward the future.
How could I improve our lifestyle?
How could I become rich?
Well… maybe not rich.
Just comfortable enough to stop worrying about debt, bills, and food.
Honestly, I didn't really need a luxurious lifestyle.
Cars.
Mansions.
Fancy things.
Still…
Dreaming was free.
And if I somehow managed to reach that level someday, then why not?
Those thoughts continued circling inside my mind until I eventually fell asleep.
---
At the same time, downstairs in the kitchen, Brier's parents quietly talked while washing the dishes.
"The deadline for our payment to Jonathan already passed a month ago. What are we going to do?" Brier's mother asked worriedly while cleaning the plates.
She already knew Brier was asleep from how exhausted he looked earlier.
"Don't worry about it. I already have a plan," Marcus. (Brier's father) answered calmly.
He already had an agreement with Jonathan and was simply waiting for the man to contact him again.
At this point, Marcus had already accepted reality.
There was no way he could save enough money to repay the debt within a year.
The interest kept increasing every month.
He no longer had any choice except to agree to Jonathan's suggestion.
Marcus had already prepared himself mentally.
He even gathered all the remaining savings they had and hid them inside a drawer in case something happened to him.
That money would be enough to feed his family for around two months.
He had even prepared a letter beforehand… just in case he never came back alive.
"I don't know what kind of perfect plan you're imagining while acting so relaxed," Lisa (Brier's mother) said while trying to hide her anxiety.
"But promise me you won't do anything dangerous."
Marcus smiled gently.
"I promise."
Then he suddenly changed the topic.
"What do you think about Brier? Don't you think he's overworking himself? Honestly, I'm more worried about him than myself."
Lisa sighed softly.
"Well… I think he's having fun."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"But lately, it feels like he's rushing through life. Like he doesn't even give himself time to breathe."
She looked toward the stairs leading to Brier's room.
"Still… seeing him smile and enjoy himself makes it hard for me to stop him."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"I think we should remind him to take care of himself more. He was hospitalized not that long ago after all."
Even though Brier looked healthier and more energetic lately, seeing his thirteen-year-old son constantly stressed and exhausted still bothered him deeply.
"I'm proud of him," Marcus admitted with a smile.
"He became more mature. More cheerful too."
"He even earns his own money now and managed to buy a camera by himself. I don't even need to give him an allowance anymore."
Marcus chuckled quietly.
"I brag about him to almost everyone I meet."
Then his smile slowly softened.
"But honestly… I still wish he would slow down a little."
He leaned back slightly.
"Maybe a few years from now, he'll leave this house and find himself a wife."
Lisa burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Then I'll judge her very strictly, so he better choose someone good."
The dark atmosphere from earlier slowly disappeared as their conversation shifted toward their son.
Both of them already knew their future wasn't looking good.
A lot of hardships still waited ahead.
But for the sake of their child.
They were willing to do anything.
Even if it meant dirtying their own hands.