"What do you mean ?" Asher asked .

The cashier stopped for a moment. Maybe she noticed her words were a bit much, but she decided to stick with it.

"You're a good-looking boy, and I bet you can make some cash with your looks. Beside, you're in legal age already , right? " she added.

Asher was a little bit stunned by what she said, but he didn't rush to decide.

This wasn't the first time an older woman had offered him money

However, he'd always turned those offers down because he hated the thought of being used. His body was the only thing he took pride in, and selling it for money felt really insulting.

"I'm sorry , but I don't do things like that ," he shook his head .

"Suit yourself , but if you ever change your mind , go this place . It's called Gentlemen's lounge, you're in legal age already so you can work there partime. I know someone who work there that could earn up to 100k credits per month," she added.

"Thank you," Asher simply nodded; he understood that when she mentioned knowing someone there, she was a regular customer.

"For now, I'll give you another month. This is going to be a hassle for me, so I hope you manage to get the money," she sighed, pretending as if this could cast her in a negative light with the administrative office.

With a heavy sigh, he parted with 20K credits, and the reality hit him – he was back to being broke.

In this city, currency wasn't made of paper; it was plastic, about a quarter of the size of traditional paper money but much sturdier.

Each card's color represented its denomination – red for 10 credits, blue for 100 credits, and green for 1000 credits, and there's this rare black one for 10,000 credits, but he's never actually seen it.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Additionally, he had some plastic coins ranging from 1 credit to 10 credits.

Seeing his remaining money reflected the harsh reality of his circumstances.

Other boys his age might have splurged on shoes or enjoyed time with friends, but he didn't mind. For him, spending that much on the woman who had taken care of him was more than worth it.

He left the hospital and decided to catch the train back to his apartment. The hospital was quite far, but it was the cheaper option, among other medical institution.

Boarding the train, the sound of it moving on the tracks made the journey feel slower. Looking out the window, the passing scenes became a blur of moments.

Other people on the train were wrapped up in their own stories, and the city's everyday sounds filled the air.

By the time he got near his apartment, it was already 7:00 pm. In the distance, he spotted a pretty run-down two-story building. It had 10 rooms, looked quite old and moldy, but the rent was affordable. He had been living there since he was a kid.

The funny thing was, he remembered that almost all his neighbors left this place after just a couple of months, saying it brought them misfortunes.

However, since Asher's family was already very poor, they never really encountered such a thing. It was amusing now that he thought about it.

They were so unlucky that they didn't even realize if this place was cursed or not.

As he got closer, the entire structure became clear for his eyes to see.

The apartment's design was quite basic. The lobby, leading to the rooms, was an open space with concrete railings. From the outside, he could spot five doors on the first floor and another five on the top floor.

The straightforward layout of the building spoke to its simplicity, offering a practical and functional living space despite its worn appearance.

He walked into his room, situated at the far right of the second floor.

Unlocking the creaky door with a familiar turn of the key, he stepped inside.

The air seemed to carry the scent of age and memories. The worn-out wooden floor groaned beneath each step, and the faded wallpaper hinted at it's old age.

The room was quite small, consisting of just one tiny bedroom and a living room that shared the space with the kitchen.

He went to the kitchen and started making his dinner. He picked plastic-pack noodles instead of the cup ones because they were cheaper. After boiling them for a few minutes, he got them ready on his plate.

He noticed an egg on the table and wondered if he should be a bit more indulgent tonight and boil it. But after a few seconds, he figured one boiled egg was a bit too much. He decided to save it for breakfast and stuck to just eating his noodles.

He scooped up the noodles with the fork, twirling them around before taking a bite.

Chewing slowly, he savored each simple flavor, fully immersed in the act of eating.

Being really poor allowed him to appreciate this type of stuff.

SLURP

He gulped the noodle soup in one go, making sure that none was wasted.