The evening breeze carried the scent of grilled meat and warm rice as Noah wiped down the counter of his food stall. The glow of streetlights flickered against the pavement, casting long shadows as the last few customers strolled past.
It had been another good night.
He glanced at the handwritten notebook beside him, the numbers standing out under the soft glow of a nearby lamp.
Daily earnings: ₱2,750.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
A few months ago, this number would have seemed impossible. Every peso earned had been a struggle. Every sale, a battle. He had worked tirelessly, calculating his costs down to the last centavo, adjusting his recipes, and memorizing the names and preferences of returning customers.
Now, his small business was growing.
But there was no room for complacency.
Noah exhaled and stretched his arms, feeling the slight ache in his shoulders. The fatigue was there, but it was different from before. This was the kind of exhaustion that came with progress, not hopelessness.
Still, something weighed on his mind.
Lately, as things improved, his thoughts kept drifting backward, to a time when everything was falling apart.
Flashback - December 24, 2024 (Before Rebirth, Age 25)
The air was bitterly cold, and the streets were nearly empty, save for the occasional rush of cars heading toward their holiday destinations.
Noah stood outside the hospital entrance, his breath visible in the frigid air. His hands were buried deep in his jacket pockets, fingers curled tightly into fists.
Inside, in a stark white room filled with the hum of machines, his mother sat beside a hospital bed, unmoving. His siblings were scattered, some handling paperwork, others making calls to relatives who would soon gather, not for a celebration, but for a farewell.
And in that bed lay his father.
Noah's stomach twisted painfully, but he had no more tears left to shed. His father had always been a pillar of strength, a man who never faltered, never wavered, even when times were hard.
Now, he was gone.
The realization had sunk in hours ago, but it still didn't feel real.
Noah exhaled shakily, pulling out his phone from his pocket. Out of habit, he scrolled through job listings, but the words on the screen blurred together. Nothing paid enough. Nothing would ever be enough.
He had been working since he was a teenager, jumping from one dead-end job to another, desperately trying to support his family. But no matter how hard he worked, the bills kept piling up, and the pressure never eased.
The weight of responsibility had long crushed the dreams of his younger self.
His phone vibrated with a message. He glanced at the screen.
[Reminder: Rent due in 3 days.]
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. Even on the night of his father's death, reality refused to grant him a moment of peace.
In the distance, fireworks crackled in the sky, bursts of red and gold illuminating the city. People were celebrating Christmas Eve.
But for Noah, the holiday had lost all meaning.
If I could start over…
The thought came unbidden, sharp and painful.
If he had another chance, would he do things differently? Would he work harder? Be smarter? Build something before it was too late?
But second chances didn't exist.
At least, that's what he thought.
Until the world went dark.
Present – 2015 (Age 16, Before His Father's Death)
Noah blinked as the memory faded, the warm air of the present wrapping around him like a blanket. He let out a slow breath, grounding himself back in reality.
The past was gone.
But this? This was real.
He was sixteen again. The weight of adulthood had not yet crushed him. He was no longer a burned-out man, struggling to keep his family afloat.
His father was still alive.
Right now, at this very moment, he was probably sitting in their small living room, flipping through an old book, his reading glasses perched on the tip of his nose. His mother was likely cooking in the kitchen, humming softly under her breath.
Noah clenched his fists.
He had time now.
Time to build something before it was too late.
"Boss, you okay?"
Noah looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. Rina, his part-time helper, was watching him with a curious expression.
He forced a small smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."
She leaned against the counter, stretching her arms. "Thinking about what?"
Noah glanced at the food stall, the warm glow of the light above it casting soft shadows on the pavement.
"Expansion," he said after a moment.
Rina blinked. "Wait, already?"
He nodded, his expression serious. "We're making more than enough to sustain ourselves. If we push forward while momentum is on our side, we can grow faster."
She let out a low whistle. "That's ambitious."
Noah chuckled. "That's business."
Rina crossed her arms, tilting her head. "I mean, it makes sense. We've got regulars now. More and more people are talking about us." She paused, then smirked. "But if we expand, that means more work. You sure you can handle that?"
Noah met her gaze, determination burning in his eyes.
"I don't have a choice," he said quietly.
He refused to waste this second chance.
As the night deepened and the last of the lights flickered in the distance, Noah locked up the stall, his heart steady and his goal clear.
He had started with nothing but a simple food stall.
Now, he was building an empire.
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End of Chapter 17
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