” Hey!! Jack, are you going home?” A middle-aged person who was cooking with gloves on asked very kindly.
“Yes, chef, I’ll see you tomorrow,” a not-so-remarkable-looking young man replied.
“Mm,” the middle-aged man replied with a nod and busied himself with the cooking.
It was a small diner in an alleyway in Munich, and Jack, who was the part-time employee here, was going home.
18-year-old Jack was not from around here; he came from Australia, where his father was Australian and his mother was German. Both of his parents died in a car crash in Australia.
Jack, who was the holder of dual citizenship, applied to many universities and got in to TUM (Technical University of Munich), which doesn’t require him to pay any tuition fees and gives him 400€ per month on a scholarship.
Still, he needed money for food, accommodations, books, clothing, and all the basic needs.
He didn’t change the clothes from last year because of the money crisis.Rent fee alone was 800€ per month.
He does one part-time job as his schedule allows him one; he has to attend the classes in the mean time. Classes start at 7 AM and, with many breaks throughout the day, end at 6 PM. Afterward, Jack begins his part-time job, which is six days a week with 5-hour shifts.
As usual, Jack was returning to his small apartment that he has rented; it was closer to the university and costs around 800€ per month.
After opening his apartment door with a key, he got inside and locked the door. The first thing he did was sit on the floor with both hands clutching his head. He doesn’t understand what to do next; he doesn’t have enough money to eat.
Jack makes about 500-550€ per month from his part-time job, and his scholarship at the university gets him 400€ per month.
This month he used all his money to buy books. Usually he just borrows books from the library, but this time around, the library was out of that specific book, so he had to purchase it.
With nothing to eat in his home, Jack, who was clutching his head, felt despair.
Jack, who was a brilliant student and a hardworking person, lost his parents a few years ago and didn’t inherit anything from them. He was on the verge of collapse after not eating anything for 2 days straight.
[Ding !! Euro Breather System Unlocked]
[One breath = 1 euro]
[Level 1: Please use 100,000 euros to level up]
[Balance: 1€]
Jack was scared witless by a panel appearing out of nowhere in front of him. On the verge of collapse, Jack didn’t believe it at first; he thought he was hallucinating.
“What’s this? Is it that easy?” Jack was questioning life; he took rapid breaths.
[Balance: 17€]
” So? What is this? Can I use it to get food?” Jack was bewildered.
“But where is the money going?” Jack, whose heart was beating as fast as it could, was breathing also very fast.
*Beep*
His phone rang; it was a message. Nothing to do except look at the panel; Jack checked what’s the message on his cheap Android phone.
‘100€ deposited into your account. Thank you.’
“What?” Jack, who saw the message, was shocked to his core.
“This, this thing is real?” Jack still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After watching the panel for 20 more minutes and seeing the balance from 0€ to 600€ rise, he returned to his senses.
*Beep*
‘600€ deposited into your account. Thank you.’
Jack this time was intrigued; if he breathes, he gets money? Wtf.
Well whatever, let’s eat first. Jack, who was in despair before, enthusiastically opened the door, checking his debit with him, and went out.
After reaching the street, he stopped a cab and went inside.
“You take the card, mister?” Jack, who was now inside a cab, asked the driver.
“Ja… yes.” The driver was also polite and smiled.
“Take me to a restaurant. I want to eat something good. Can you recommend me?” Jack, who was very happy inside, spoke while smiling ear to ear.
“Laddie, you’re very happy, I see.” The driver first checked Jack’s clothing; it was although clean, but you can see it was old—too old for a teenage boy.
“I’ll take you to a place where I eat regularly.” The driver kindly took a U-turn and drove the car.
“So, are you a student?” The driver, who was a black person, inquired; he was very understanding of the situation Jack was in.
“Yes, I am a student at TUM; I study Environmental Engineering,” Jack, whose face was all smily, replied.
“I see. Study hard. This is the place.” The driver stopped the cab in front of a small restaurant.
Jack, who was looking at the panel and smiling ear to ear, didn’t notice the cab had stopped.
‘ 200€ deposited into your account. Thank you.’
After seeing this massage, Jack returned to his senses, and with a thought of closing the panel, it closed. Then it was time to face reality. It was time to pay the cab driver.
Jack with his heart beating faster and faster took out his card to pay.
“Laddie, you don’t need to pay; just eat more.” The driver was very kind and smiling.
“No, I’ll pay; I have money,” Jack, who was sweating profusely, said almost firmly.
“Alright, here.” Driver then pulled out the card receiver and took the card from Jack’s hand and swiped it.
Jack, eager to know if his card worked, instinctively entered his pin.
*Ting*
“Okay, we’re done; remember to eat well.” Driver returned the card to Jack, who was shocked as fuck.
“It…it worked.” Jack, who was now standing in front of the restaurant gate on the sidewalk; the cab he was in just drove past him on the road, and he was standing like a stupid. Slowly, a smile crept up in his when he saw the sign, ‘We accept debit/credit cards.’
Jack entered the restaurant with a belly full of hunger and excitement on his face.
He sat on an empty table near the edge of the restaurant, then opened his phone to use the banking app.
Balance: 890€
“Hehe, so cab fare was 10€.” Jack was grinning; his balance was 890€, which was a lot for him.
“Excuse me, sir. What would you like to order?” A young woman who was similar to Jack’s age wearing the waitress dress asked.
Jack closed his phone and intended to say, “The best dish you’ve got, mofos.” However, upon recognizing the girl, his eyes lit up; it was his friend from university. “Oh! Emma? You work here?”
“Ah! Jack, yes, I work here till midnight,” Emma smilingly said.
” Oh! I want to eat something good. Can you recommend something?” Jack immediately was in a good mood seeing his friend at work.
” Yeah? You seem happy; I can get you a 20% discount on your order as an employee, so just you can have the beef roast and a beer ?. Emma was unsure if her friend could afford it even with the discount.
Jack leaned on the table a little and smiled at how considerate she is. “Don’t worry about the money; just bring me that beef roast and french fries and a beef burger as well, and oh, and a big mug of beer.”
After hearing the order, Emma smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“You want to eat something? It’s on me, don’t worry,” Jack asked, seeing his friend late at work. He had to ask now that he has money.
“No, it’s alright.” Emma refused his offer because she knows how difficult it is to earn money while studying. She herself worked until late at night to cover her expenses, and her family also provided financial support, which is why her burdens were significantly lighter than Jack’s.
Emma went to the kitchen with the order and busied herself with the work and couldn’t actively look for Jack.
Jack didn’t mind. He was using his phone in the meantime. His phone was an old Android phone—slow, and the latest games won’t run on it. So he just uses it as a music player sometimes.
‘ 100€ deposited into your account. Thank you.’
“Here you go, sir.” A different person served the order; Emma was busy taking the order.
“Thank you,” Jack said as he calmly took the first bite of the food.
After finishing the meal, Jack was waiting for the bill. Emma came with the bill, and with a smile on her face, she sat down in front of Jack.
“My shift just ended; do you want my old phone jack? Yours seems too old ” Emma offered, as her face was nice, so was her personality. Seeing Jack’s phone on the table, she wanted to give Jack her old phone.
“Which phone are you using, Emma?” Jack wanted to get a phone too now that he can afford it.
“I use the iPhone 14 Pro Max; I have an older model, the iPhone XS Max, which is also in good condition; feel free to take it.” Emma was a tech enthusiast, and she was ready to give her old phone to Jack.
“No, Emma. I have money. What I want to know is the 14-version of this device new model on the market?.” Jack was adamant about acquiring the best available model.
“Nope. Last year, my father gifted me the 14-pro Max. There’s a new 15-pro max. I wanted to get it, but it’s too expensive for me.” Emma explained to Jack.
“I understand; I’ll pay with a card. Thank you for your offer, but I’ve saved up a little bit of money to buy a phone,” Jack said with an apologetic tone.
“I understand. Please swipe it and enter your pin. Emma smiled and gave him the card receiver.
*Ting*
“Thank you, come again,” Emma waived her hands at Jack, who was leaving the restaurant.
Next day early in the morning.
With a dark circle in his eyes, Jack was standing in front of the official Apple store Munich.
