Today is a Joyful day.

The sound of someone knocking echoed through the hallway. A loud voice could be heard: "Max, get up, you'll be late for school!"

Max groggily opened his eyes and yawned. He noticed the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror while brushing his teeth. It was becoming normal for him lately. Mainly because of the hell life he has to face daily and the stress from it. After getting ready, he came to the dining table where his mom had prepared a hearty meal for him. Normally, he would only get one bowl of rice, two side dishes, and a glass of water. But today was different. Today, there were extra dishes and a glass of fruit juice.

Although his family was poor, his parents never neglected their only son, even if it meant they had to starve. Max knew the sacrifices his parents had made for him and was truly thankful. That's why he wanted to study hard and become a civil servant, to give them a worry-free life.

"Happy birthday, son. Here, this is for you," his mother said, handing him some money.

"Mom, I don't need this much. I don't have any expenses for now. You should keep this money."

"Don't worry about it. Use this money to buy some new clothes."

"But, Mom..."

"Just take it, you brat."

"Okay... Mom, where's Dad?"

"He had a job to do, so he had to leave early. Make sure to eat plenty of food."

"Mmm... ok"

Max's father worked as a laborer in a construction company. Realizing he was getting late, Max dashed through the door, saying "Mom, I'll be out. Bye!"

"Stay safe!"

After a long walk, he arrived at the train station and boarded a train to school.

"Hey bro, it seems like you're on time as always," a voice called out.

Max turned to see his friend Cedric. They were in the same class and best friends. Other than Cedric, Max didn't have any friends at school.

Upon arriving at school, Max saw Lilla, the class beauty.

"Ha... Why do I have to see these loser's faces early in the morning? Such bad luck," she sneered.

She always looked down on everyone and showed no respect to anyone, except for the 'community of rich people.' This group of wealthy and influential students bullied those they deemed weak. Lilla joined them due to her connections and looks; her father owned a small construction company named Vice Star Constructions, coincidently that is where Max's father also worked. Lilla was unaware of this.

Max knew her father—a greedy man who treated his workers like objects. Despite this, the pay was slightly better than in other places, which is why many chose to work there. There were also rumors about him being involved in illegal deals and murders, but he maintained his name through money and influence.

Max and Cedric entered their class, where he saw Gwen, his crush since kindergarten.

Seeing Max, Gwen said, "Hi, Max."

"Y-yeah... h-hi..." Max stuttered.

"Why are you stuttering?"

"Oh, ah... it's n-nothing."

"Hi, Cedric. Did you finish your homework?"

"Yeah, there's this new web series launching. Did you hear about it?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see it. It's really famous nowadays."

Max thought, 'Why don't I have the confidence to speak with her? One day, I'll definitely speak to her and impress her.' But deep down, he knew he didn't have the guts.

He thought. 'Today was really nice. I really hope that every day to be just like this.

"hmm… how about I go buy medicine for father's back pain. He works very hard every day. I can at least do this much".