David, a 27-year-old man, is straight up stuck in a serious existential crisis situation. His days are nothing but a list of stiff, boring routines: wake up, work, go home, sleep. His digs are a gloomy, empty, cramped apartment room, devoid of any human noises or even the presence of anything living that could add a hint of color. All you hear in that joint is the hum of the AC and the ticking of the wall clock—constant reminders of time moving forward, with nothing really changing.

David feels super isolated from the world. The family he used to consider home is now a source of harsh neglect. Since the incident eight years ago, they cut him off. That night still haunts David's mind like gaping fragments of a never-ending nightmare, never really healing.

Flashback: The Night that Changed Everything

David was just 19 when it all went down. At a big family bash at his cousin's place, he was just chilling by himself in a corner, being all introspective. That's when a distant relative's daughter came up with an innocent curiosity. She asked something that made him pause. Her question was so innocent yet hit a sensitive nerve.

"Is it true that man have snakes in their pants?" she asked, squinting her eyes, curious.

Not wanting to crush the kid's curiosity, David just smiled and cracked a joke without overthinking.

"Totally, kiddo. If you touch it, the snake might go wild, spewing its poison at you, whoa!"

The girl, so innocent and carefree, actually reached out and touched David's leg. His body froze, his face flushed feeling the unexpected touch on such a sensitive spot. At once, a loud, angry voice echoed through the room.

"Son of a bitch!" That man, Johan, the girl's dad, saw what happened and straight up smacked David's face without mercy. It all went down so fast. Other men in the room jumped in, cursing and laying into David like he was some heinous criminal. David couldn't even explain anything, and when he tried to speak up, the girl's sobs drowned him out.

"He made me play 'that' with him, said if I didn't, I'd get poisoned!" the kid yelled amid tears, throwing a cruel accusation that David never saw coming. David's vision started to blur, his body getting pummeled by punches, kicks, and words full of scorn from people he once called family. Through the pain, David saw the girl grinning, seemingly reveling in the suffering he endured.

That incident made David lose everything: family, friends, even his respect. He got kicked out, deemed a disgrace. His life turned into lonely nights burdened with pain that never healed. But, one person who stuck by him is Erika. His high school friend, a noble-hearted soul, she help David got a job as a Customer Service. Erika is married with her own life, but she still shows compassion for David.