Longing for Childhood

"Ah, finally home."

Entering his room, a man immediately flopped onto the bed.

"Back then, I used to look forward to every family gathering, but as I grew up, it became painful moments."

"What's your job?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"When are you getting married?"

"To hell with all that!"

He buried his face in the pillow and vented his frustration so his parents wouldn't hear his complaints.

After calming down, he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling with complex feelings.

"Why don't I have any talent... If I had drawing skills like Dimas, money wouldn't be a problem. Look at him, just one drawing commission can exceed my monthly salary."

Regretting his mediocrity, the man couldn't help but feel envious of his friend who now works as a comic artist on a famous manga platform.

The man's name is Raka Maharaja, 26 years old, a freelance with unstable income, and has never had a girlfriend.

After graduating from college, he was immediately hired at the city's largest health laboratory.

However, after working for two years, his contract was not renewed by the institution. This was all because the head of the laboratory was transferred to a hospital, and replaced by a new head.

The head of the laboratory wanted to bring in his own people, so he deliberately did not renew the contracts of the old contract workers.

As a result, Raka and the other contract workers could no longer work at the laboratory. In other words, they were sidelined so that others could come in.

Reluctantly, there was nothing they could do. Raka was just an ordinary person, he could only accept the unfair treatment fate dealt him.

After that, he applied for jobs at two hospitals that happened to have job openings, but the intense competition among job seekers prevented him from being accepted.

In Indonesia, job vacancies have very demanding requirements. For example, the maximum age limit is usually 24 years old, attractive appearance, minimum one year of experience, etc.

Unable to find a job, Raka made a living by writing fanfiction novels after he found out that one of the fanfiction novels he read on a web novel was written by an Indonesian.

Time passed and, without realizing it, he had been working as a writer for almost two years. Although Raka made money as a freelancer, in the eyes of outsiders, he was just an unemployed person who stayed at home.

"Sigh... Most of my friends are married and even have babies, while I'm still single and don't have a normal job."

"Why is my life so difficult..."

Raka sighed tiredly.

#*Onii-chan, there's a message*#

The notification sound from his phone snapped him out of his reverie.

Opening WhatsApp, he read the message in the college alumni group.

One member invited everyone for a reunion at a cafe. Then, many group members agreed.

Seeing this, Raka sent a message saying he couldn't attend because he was busy.

"A reunion? It's just a show-off event! If I attend, I'll just be a clown there, making you all feel proud!"

At a glance, Raka immediately understood the true motive behind the reunion event.

After entering society, they were no longer naive youths like before. Now they had been contaminated with the dark nature of humans.

"Never mind, don't care about them. There's no point in comparing my life to others', it will only make me unhappy."

Raka decided to take a shower to refresh his mind.

❀❀❀

10 minutes later.

Standing in front of the mirror, Raka looked at his reflection.

"No wonder no woman likes me. What woman would like an introverted guy like me? According to Dimas, some junior girls are interested in me and want to get to know me, but I'm not used to interacting with women so I come off as cold."

He suddenly remembered his conversation with Dimas. According to others, Raka actually caught the attention of some women on campus, but his quiet demeanor made those women lose interest in him.

It's been a common secret that women like bad boys, only after they're damaged, do they seek out men who will accept them as they are.

Unfortunately, Raka was a good guy despite being quiet. So, after women found out what kind of guy he was, they no longer paid attention to him.

"The me now is not the me from before. Unless I'm wealthy, it's hard to find a woman who will marry me."

Pinching the fat on his stomach, Raka smiled bitterly.

Because he wrote novels, he often lay down while working. This made him lazy to exercise, and turned his slim figure into a bit overweight.

"Plus, I'm 26 years old, looking for a job at this age is like playing a hell mode game. Unless someone helps me, it's almost impossible for me to get a job."

"If only there were no corruptors in Indonesia, then the people of this country would prosper with abundant natural resources. What a shame..."

As a commoner, Raka could only curse and lament how much money was corrupted by the corruptors.

He believed that if all the money from corruption were distributed to the common people, poverty would vanish from this country. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as 'if' in this world.

"Ah, damn it! It's all because of that family gathering earlier! It makes me think pessimistically."

Ruffling his black hair, Raka pressed his forehead against the mirror.

When a man is alone, he won't hold back and show the childish side hidden in his heart.

"What I'm most worried about is not being able to get a wife, leaving my parents to die without seeing their grandchildren..."

In front of the mirror, Raka carefully observed his reflection.

He looked ordinary. His face wasn't ugly, but it wasn't handsome either.

No one would glance at him in the busy street.

He looked completely unremarkable.

"I hope World War III starts. When war happens, this boring daily life will end, and that's when the strong will rule."

"Hahaha... What nonsense am I talking about. Even if war really breaks out, I'm still just an ordinary person, on the contrary, war will only disrupt my peace."

Raka shook his head, rational thoughts had returned.

During childhood, he wanted to grow up quickly so he could earn money to buy whatever he wanted. But now that he's grown up, he longs for the childhood where he could play freely without the burden of adult life.

Next, he stopped ranting and started dressing casually. Then, he picked up his phone from the table, lay on the bed, and spent most of his time playing on his phone.

He had written the latest chapter and would upload it to the internet tonight.

As Raka was surfing the internet, a pop-up suddenly appeared on the screen.

{Ding}

{Tired of monotonous life?}

{Want to turn your mundane life into something more exciting, thrilling, tense, and filled with joy?}

{Paradise invites you to join!}

{Paradise was created by high existences as entertainment to dispel boredom}

{There are no limits to space, but it is connected to all worlds that exist in human memory in the form of illusions and unreality}

{There, you can obtain the power you dream of}

{There, you can obtain endless wealth}

{There, you can get the ideal woman that only human beings dream of}

{However, you must compete for these things through your abilities. What Paradise offers you is only an opportunity}

{Accept / Reject}