It Can't Get Worse

*DING*

A phone notification.

A pair of lifeless eyes peered down at a bright screen in the middle of the night.

[Oi, Tear! You were not able to get the promotion this time. Your shift starts at 1:00 AM again today. Make sure you show up like always, we are running low on staff!]

Those void pupils compressed in size as this middle-aged man's eyebrows furrowed inwards.

"Fuck this... there's no way." Tear Shosha said under his breath as he quickly stuffed his phone back into his old cargo pants.

His struts through the empty and pitch-black metropolitan streets became faster and faster as he gritted his teeth.

"He didn't pay me for working extra hours last week and now... he cancels the promotion that I've been waiting on for 2 years!?" Tear almost couldn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

'I've worked far too hard to let him just snatch this away from me. I've cleaned those disgusting toilets too many times for him to just fuck me over like this!'

Tear's mind filled with so many negative thoughts that he arrived at his workplace before he even knew it.

It was an old gas station on the edge of a large city. Half the sign was missing, and the other half had graffiti all over it.

[Dude working here has a 3-incher... he's also 34 years old!] The graffiti read.

Tear glanced at these letters and quickly shrugged it off, heading straight to the entrance.

He had read the graffiti way too many times by now to give a dam.

With a loud slam, Tear pushed the gas station door open.

Inside; a stubby and chubby 55-year-old-man with a black mustache, and a young kid with shit posture and painted black nails both stared at Tear with bewildered expressions.

"Two years. I've been waiting for that promotion for two--" Tear's tone was getting increasingly irritated as he spoke, but he was abruptly interrupted before he could finish.

"So what?" The older man replied, his eyes squinting as he walked around the cash register and toward the middle of the store. "And since when did you start to raise your voice against me? Huh? Last time you did that, I cut your pay for a week. Did you already forget?" The old man smirked with a smug expression cast all over his face.

Tear's eyes danced with frustration, but it seemed in the end, he made a decision.

"Shut... the fuck up!" He suddenly blurted.

Even the round man was taken aback, his smug expression suddenly erased from his face. The teen in the back frowned, but he seemed to be too stoned to care.

"Fuck this..." Tear said under his breath, and then raised his voice: "Fuck you!" He shouted to the short elder. 

His eyes, seething with hatred, quickly darted to the youngster in the back, "And fuck you too!"

The teen's chin tucked into his neck, a puzzled look on his face.

Tear continued: "So you're the reason why my promotion got delayed huh?" He looked back at the old man, "All the shit I've done for your business over the years and this is what I get? A damn junkie to take my earned pay!?"

The large man had been silent this entire time. But now, he decided to finally speak up. He stepped forward, a look of pure disdain on his face.

"Earned? Earned by doing what?" He said in a low tone. "All you've done here is make a mockery of my store, ever since the beginning! Your very presence makes people trash this place and speak badly about it. I mean seriously, what is a 34-year-old man doing working in a gas station!? Are you mad that I gave your pay to someone else? I gave it to them because you are a dog who will work under me under any circumstances. You are a curse to my business, but just good enough to keep with a few treats tossed to you every once in a while. Any more invested in you... is not worth it."

On hearing this, a blistering build-up of rage erupted within Tear. He gritted his teeth as hard as he could and lunged forward without any thoughts in his head.

"I'll kill you! I have nothing left to live for! Even if I go to jail for the rest of my life, I swear you will die by my hands, you motherfucker!"

...

After a minute or so, Tear was thrown out of the gas station right onto his bum. The old man dusted his hands and looked down at Tear before saying: "You're fired." And slamming the door shut.

Tear stood up. He had a black eye and his nose was busted up. He turned around, as tears swelled up in his eyes.

"My life can't possibly get any worse than this..." He said, as he abruptly heard thunder in the distance.

A few trickling droplets turned into light streams, and streams into a full-on downpour. Mere seconds passed by as Tear was entirely drenched in the rain.

I guess his life could get worse after all...

His first instinct was to run, but he had no energy for that. Neither did he have anywhere to run to. So, he began to walk slowly through the rain.

This walk was dreadful. He was cold and had no umbrella or anything to shield himself. Cars passed by at high speeds, sometimes even splashing water on him.

Many memories passed through his head during this walk. Memories of his recent past. His years of solitude and emptiness. 

No matter what he thought about, the dull color in his eyes still remained vigorously. He was undoubtedly depressed. In the eyes of most, Tear Shosha was nothing more than a pathetic bum.

Finally, in the distance, he saw a car resembling a taxi begin to get closer. He stood to the edge of the road holding his thumb out.

As it neared him, however, it showered him in a bunch of mud water and sped on by. The mud water even entered his mouth, making him take multiple steps back as he choked on the disgusting shit in his mouth.

The back of his head hit a stone wall, sending a stinging buzz through his brain as he turned around.

"Fuck! Couldn't he slow down a bit, even if he wasn't going to pick me up?" He clutched the back of his head as he stared at the wall behind him.

He planned to use his pent-up anger and punch this wall as hard as possible, not caring about the repercussions at this point.

However, right before he did this, a colorful poster on the wall stopped him. Out of the dozens of old posters, this one was in pristine condition. It was clearly new.

Tear furrowed his brows, leaning closer to read it as he took out his phone and shined a flashlight on it.

[There isn't much time left to apply! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress the entire world with your... magic tricks! Do you have what it takes to get all 3 yesses, and maybe even the golden yes!? Then apply for it right now! Let's see what kind of magicians are in your city!]

At that moment, Tear's lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with a hint of light. His fist lowered as a memory sharply reentered his mind.

"Magic... wasn't that my passion?" He looked down at the deadline for applications.

[June 1st]. Only one day left.

A memory resurfaced: "Grandpa's magic book... I used it after he died a few times, but... it never worked. Magic isn't real. But..."

He trailed off, the thought lingering. It seemed foolish, chasing a childhood dream. But with nothing left to lose, a spark of hope ignited within him.

"Maybe this time... maybe in a place where magic is supposed to be performed. Maybe here, it will work."