Chapter 1

"How much?"

"That's eighteen dollars!" the cashier gave Melvis a stern look. Melvis reached into his jacket pocket and counted out some change, making the cashier's eyes glaze over impatiently.

"Hurry up, man! I gotta go, I'm not unemployed like you!" snorted the cashier with the red beard.

"I'm counting ...."

"Hey hurry up man! You think my sour grapes can put up with your poverty? Hurry up! I don't accept beggars pretending to be rich here!"

The blonde man in the black T-shirt pushed Melvis' body to the side. The blonde man and the cashier burst out laughing. Melvis was silent. He also wanted to finish this quickly and then go meet his girlfriend.

The blonde man looked impatient. He jumped the queue and stood next to Melvis. "Do you smell something?" he asked the cashier, who had been grunting impatiently.

"No." The cashier replied coldly.

"Don't you smell the scent of beggars wafting in here? This garbage smell will bankrupt the convenience store you work at, man!" He deliberately looked at Melvis, who was in front of him. The look in his eyes was cynical.

"Hey, please, I'm counting." Melvis complained when the annoying blond man deliberately pushed his arm and made all his coins scatter on the floor.

"If you don't have any money, you'd better go to your neighbor's garden and steal there. Who would want to queue up just to wait for a beggar? That little money of yours can't even match the money my dog has. You'd better go backwards. I'll pay." The blond man said in a mocking tone.

Melvis was about to protest. But the cashier's much more cruel gaze made him undo it. He didn't come here to fight but to buy his girlfriend some food. The blonde man came forward. He showed Melvis a platinum card.

"I pay with this. Do you have one? Oh of course someone who eats junk food every day like you doesn't have this. What the hell do you have?"

"I'm trying to be patient with you, man. You better shut up or ...."

"Or what? You want to kill me? Oh my. FRIENDS. THIS POOR GUY WANTS TO KILL ME!" The blonde man exclaimed mockingly, then laughed along with the rest of the people there. They were looking down on Melvis,

Melvis clenched his fists. People looked at him as if he was a criminal. Melvis held his breath and stepped back after picking up the money. He was not so tempted by the appearance of the shiny black card. He was also not such a difficult person in the past that he never held a card with the title of priority customer.

Melvis went back to counting the money in his pocket. He handed almost all of it to the cashier and left a few pieces for him.

Melvis tried to restrain himself when the cashier threw his groceries while giving an insulting sentence that he could have retaliated with one death blow. Melvis left the convenience store right after that.

"Next time before you come here to shop, make sure you count your begging money first." The blonde man teased out loud.  

*

"I told you I don't like this. Dog food is more expensive than you bought me!" snapped Liona. The girl was Melvis' girlfriend, who had been staying with him for the past few weeks. She lay on the sofa and casually threw the food Melvis had bought for her.

Liona had a pretty face. Her curves looked stunning. She had above-average-sized breasts. But the worst part was that she was a loud-mouthed, lazy person who could only order Melvis to do this and that.

"This is quite an expensive sandwich, dear. I went to a lot of trouble to buy it for you." Melvis' hand stretched forward. He felt heartbroken after struggling to withstand strangers' insults in the supermarket. Now his own girlfriend was belittling him.

"Going to all that trouble? What have you given me, Melvis? Nothing! You're just a poor, pathetic man. I shouldn't date a loser like you. My friends can get what they want. Vacations to tropical countries. Live in luxury apartments. They can also get the things they want. And what am I? What can you give me but trash and useless stuff?" Liona babbled in annoyance. She recalled the past few weeks in Melvis' flat with only claustrophobia and low-quality food she got from her boyfriend.

"I'll give you what you want. Eat this sandwich first. I spent all my money on this," Melvis said in a weak voice. He no longer knew how to deal with Liona.

In the past, the woman before him was not this stubborn. She was a kind and gentle woman. They first met when Melvis was still studying at the number one university in their city as one of the outstanding students who received a scholarship.

At that time, Melvis was in a group with Liona, one of the exchange students from another college. She approached him when they were in a certain class and started being nice to him. Melvis, who had never been in love before, fell for Liona's kindness and gentleness.

They were in a relationship until a few months later. Over time, Melvis' parents' business went bankrupt along with their failing health, and Melvis was forced to drop out of college to work due to a lot of debt.

But he was still in a relationship with Liona. They even agreed to start living together to save money after Melvis' father's death. But gradually, Melvis realized that Liona was changing. Her demeanor was getting colder and colder, and she sometimes spoke harshly.

"Maybe she's just tired of her college work," Melvis thought. His love for Liona had grown so much he had always forgiven Liona's anger over the past few months.

But again, the woman's anger peaked tonight for no reason,

"I SAID I DON'T LIKE IT!" Liona got up and shouted in front of Melvis. The woman looked sharply at Melvis, who was in front of her.

"I've tried for you, Liona. My money is not enough to buy the food you want. Just be patient, I'll try. I-I, I promised-"

"Forget all your promises to me, Melvis!" Liona interrupted. "Look, this is our last day together. Charles will be here soon and I'll go with him!"

Liona threw the sandwich in front of her right in Melvis' face. She walked into the room and dragged the suitcase she had prepared earlier. She was only here to belittle Melvis and looking at his pitiful face made her feel proud that there was someone she could trample on.

"Wh-what's the point of all this?!" The already tired Melvis needed to digest Liona's words better.

Liona sighed loudly. "Don't you understand? I'm breaking up with you. I'm going to live with Charles now. I'll live in a better apartment than this rat's nest of yours. I'm also tired of eating junk food!"

"What?! But I love you, Liona. Can't you see what I've been fighting for? I gave up everything for you and this is your payback?" Melvis grabbed Liona's shoulder. Liona immediately brushed him off.

"My parents didn't give birth to me to live in poverty!" Liona played with her long hair that she had just curled before Melvis came home. She was very confident in her own beauty.

"Liona, come on. I love you and I've always tried to make you happy."

"Where's the proof? You never made me happy. Every day this poverty makes me feel like I'm living in hell. Honestly Melvis, I don't love you. I just pity you and now I can't take it anymore. You should realize that you are completely useless and unworthy of love. What can make a woman happy other than money? Do you think your love makes me full? Of course not, you moron!" Liona grinned. She recalled Melvis's cheap goods that gave her goosebumps. She didn't want to live in poverty.

The sound of the bell at the door made Liona and Melvis stop their argument. "Charles has arrived. I'd better go now."

Charles walked into Melvis' apartment with a smile on his face. "This poor man has the nerve to grab my girlfriend!"

He rushed forward and punched Melvis in the face, knocking him to the ground with his head hitting the wall.

"You are already poor and stupid! Don't ever dare to touch Liona again!" Charles was thrilled to finally be able to take Liona from Melvis.

"I'm disgusted, it feels like I'm going to be unlucky because she touched me, dear Charles."

Liona immediately hugged Charles' arm, spoiling. She deliberately pressed her full chest to Charles' arm, making him even more tempted to her.

"...Your lover? She is my lover!" Melvis was angry. He stood up and ran straight at Charles. But Charles' body was better trained and bigger. With one kick, Melvis fell down again.

"It's disgusting to deal with poverty, you don't have money to buy decent food. You're so embarrassing and smell like trash!"

Charles looked at the sandwich on the floor. He grinned until the tip seemed to touch his ear.

"Liona doesn't deserve you, she's a beautiful woman and should be treated like a queen. You bought her dog food instead!"

"Yes, I'm so sick of her. Charles, why did I just meet you? I really regret having been with this hobo!" Liona spat.

"Liona! We promised to be together! You must be mine again!"

An angry Liona picked up a nearby flower vase and threw it at Melvis' head. "Stop talking trash like that! I don't want to live a miserable life like this continuously. Being with you is the stupidest thing in my life. Just watch. You'll die as a sewer rat, you poor man!"

Liona and Charles burst out laughing as Melvis experienced pain all over his body. He clenched his hands very tightly.

"Liona... you're too much."

Melvis never expected that the woman who made him do everything would now completely break his heart.

"Bastard! Shut your mouth before I rip it out! You should know that you don't deserve to have me! You're so pathetic, Melvis!"

Liona pulled Melvis' hair, staring at each other with different eyes.

"Remember, you won't be able to live like Charles and me forever. How sad." Liona smiled so sweetly that Melvis' heart ached even more.

"I have good news for you. I'm pregnant with Charles' child! Congratulate me!" Liona let go of her hair, clapped her hands, and laughed with Charles. And Melvis was just frozen in place.

An annoyed Melvis got up and started shaking Liona's body. "What the hell are you saying? Have you been having an affair with this bastard for a long time?"

Charles laughed, but his laughter was cut short when he heard the curse from Melvis' mouth. He then grabbed Melvis by the collar and punched him several times until Melvis collapsed on the floor.

Charles spat on Melvis' clothes, "Who are you calling an asshole? Poor fucking man!" Charles cursed. He turned around and pulled Liona's hand, "Come on. You'll get itchy if you stay in this shabby room for too long." Charles said with a grunt of annoyance.

Liona just obeyed. She again pressed her chest on Charles' arm, spoiling.

"...you two," Melvis said weakly. He looked at the backs of the two of them and couldn't move because of all the pain and shock she was experiencing.