The breaking point

Lui sat on the edge of his futon, staring at the floor.

He had barely slept. His body was exhausted, but his mind refused to shut down, replaying yesterday's events like a broken record.

The laughter. The humiliation. The look on Kenji's face.

It made his skin crawl.

Outside, the city was already wide awake. The sound of distant traffic, the hum of conversations, the occasional chime of a bicycle bell—it all blended into an endless noise that felt so far away from him.

He rubbed his temples, sighing. He had to get up.

Dragging himself to his feet, he went through the motions—washing up, throwing on his uniform, sipping on the last bit of instant coffee in his cupboard. His stomach ached from hunger, but there was nothing left to eat.

Nothing but another long day ahead.

The train ride was the same as always. Crowded. Silent. Suffocating.

Lui stood near the doors, staring at his reflection in the glass. His face looked hollow, dark circles under his eyes making him look older than he was.

He barely recognized himself anymore.

When he arrived at the store, Kenji was already at the counter, as usual.

"Yo," Kenji muttered, not bothering to look up from his phone.

Lui tied his apron in silence and went straight to work.

For the first few hours, everything was routine. Customers came and went, shelves needed restocking, the register beeped endlessly.

Then lunchtime arrived.

The moment the door opened and 'they'walked in, Lui felt his entire body tense.

Not today. Please, not today.

The same high school boys. The same smirks.

They strolled in casually, grabbing snacks and drinks, making a show of taking their time.

Lui braced himself.

As they reached the counter, the tall one grinned. "Miss us?"

Lui said nothing, just scanned their items as quickly as possible.

But the tall one wasn't done.

"You seem tired, China boy. Rough night?" He leaned in, voice dripping with mock concern. "Maybe you should go back home. Japan's not treating you too well, huh?"

Lui's hands tightened around the register.

'ignore it. Just finish the transaction.'

The boy chuckled. "Man, you're no fun. Maybe you'd talk more if I—"

And then, before Lui could react, the boy reached out,and flicked him in the forehead.

It was small. Just a little tap.

But something inside Lui snapped.

Before he could stop himself, his hand shot out,grabbing the boy's wrist.

The store went dead silent.

For the first time, the smirk on the boy's face wavered.

Lui's grip was tight, his fingers digging into the boy's skin. His heart pounded in his ears, every fiber of his being screaming "enough".

He could feel the tension crackling in the air. Kenji had finally looked up from his phone, eyes wide with shock. The other customers were frozen, watching.

The boy yanked his arm back, laughing, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Annoyance? Surprise?

"Whoa," he muttered. "Didn't think you had it in you."

Lui said nothing. His blood was boiling. His breath was shaky.

The boy scoffed. "Let's go."

As they walked out, Lui didn't move. His hands were still clenched into fists, his entire body trembling.

Kenji let out a low whistle. "Damn, man."

Lui exhaled slowly, his heartbeat still racing.

For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like a doormat.

But he also had a feeling this wasn't over.

Lui knew something was wrong the moment he stepped into the store the next morning.

The usual hum of fluorescent lights felt colder. The air was heavier. Kenji wasn't slouched behind the counter on his phone. Instead, he was standing stiffly beside the manager's office, avoiding Lui's gaze.

Lui's stomach sank.

Then the manager's voice rang out. "Feng. In my office."

Lui hesitated for half a second before forcing himself forward.

Inside, the tiny office smelled of stale coffee and cigarette smoke. The manager,a balding man in his late forties sat behind his desk, arms crossed, jaw clenched.

Lui stayed standing. He already knew where this was going.

The manager let out a slow, exaggerated sigh. "Do you know why you're here?"

Lui nodded. "The guys from yesterday."

The manager clicked his tongue. "Bingo. One of their parents called. Said you 'assaulted' their kid."

Lui's fingers curled into fists. "That's not what happened."

The manager held up a hand. "I don't care. I don't care what they did. I don't care if they deserved it. This isn't your home country, Feng. You don't get to pick fights with customers."

Lui bit the inside of his cheek. He wasn't picking a fight. He was defending himself. But it didn't matter, did it?

It never did.

"I can't have trouble in my store," the manager continued. "And I can't have customers complaining to corporate. So, effective immediately" He slid a paper across the desk. "you're done."

Lui stared at it. His termination form.

Just like that.

Four years of dealing with rude customers, of working overtime without pay, of cleaning up messes he didn't make. Four years of swallowing his pride.

And it all ended because he finally stood up for himself.

Lui swallowed the lump in his throat and grabbed the pen.

His signature looked foreign on the paper. Like it didn't even belong to him.

Walking out of that store for the last time should have felt freeing. But all Lui felt was heavy.

Kenji was behind the counter, watching him with an unreadable expression.

"That's it, huh?" Kenji muttered.

Lui nodded.

Kenji scratched his cheek. "Damn." A pause. Then, a half-hearted smirk. "Guess you really should've just let them push you around."

Lui didn't answer. He just walked out the door.

The cold air hit him like a slap. He stood there for a second, staring at the ground.

Then he laughed.

A bitter, empty laugh that no one was around to hear.

Four years in this country, and this is what I've got to show for it?

A cramped apartment. An empty fridge. No friends. No job.

Lui let out a breath, shaking his head. He didn't have time to feel sorry for himself.

He needed to find another job.

---

The next few days were brutal.

Lui spent hours wandering the city, scanning "help wanted" posters, checking online job listings on his near-broken phone.

But it was the same everywhere.

"Sorry, we're not hiring."

"We need someone with more experience."

"You're Chinese? Ah… we'll call you if anything opens up."*(They never called.)

By the end of the week, he had barely enough money left for one more meal.

Sitting on a bench in a quiet alley, Lui stared at his phone, scrolling through more job listings. His fingers felt numb from the cold.

His stomach growled.

"I can't keep living like this".

He needed a job. Any job.

Then, just as he was about to close the app, something caught his eye.

A small listing buried beneath all the others.

"Part-time kitchen assistant wanted. No experience needed. Immediate hire."

A restaurant. Not far from where he was.

Lui hesitated only a second before standing up.

This was it. His last chance.

And he wasn't going to waste it.