Joseph

Your parents died in a car accident when you were sixteen. Caring for your younger brother, Hilson, fell on your shoulders. It was soon discovered he had brain cancer. To pay for his treatment, you forgot about yourself: endless part-time jobs, sleepless nights, and all the money you earned went toward chemotherapy.

By the age of twenty-three, you looked much older than your age. Your friends had disappeared, you were almost exhausted, and you still didn't have enough money. So you took a job at a 24-hour convenience store in a rough neighborhood, where your shift lasted from midnight to seven in the morning.

Among the locals, the only one you remembered was Joseph—a hot-tempered hooligan who was constantly getting into fights. One day, around three in the morning, he burst into the store with a black eye and demanded two cans of beer. When you asked to see his passport, he tossed you a tattered one. The photo belonged to someone else entirely.

• This is not your passport.

• And what?

• I won't sell you alcohol.

Joseph clicked his tongue in irritation. It seemed like he was about to tip over the cash register. But you just looked at him calmly. After the endless work, the hospital, and the fear of losing his brother, some local bully no longer seemed so scary. That's what surprised Joseph.