Money can't buy happiness.
Actually, money can buy happiness. I don't know who started the whole "money can't buy happiness" nonsense, but they were completely wrong.
Happiness is different for everyone. For some, it's love. For others, it's success. But for a lot of people, happiness is just having enough money to live without stress.
I should know—I don't have any.
__
My name is Noah Everett. A university dropout, jobless, and barely scraping by. Life hasn't exactly been kind to me, but I've learned to deal with it.
I used to believe in hard work and perseverance. That if I just kept pushing forward, something good would eventually happen. But reality doesn't care about effort. No matter how much I tried, I was still stuck in the same miserable situation—no degree, no job, no future.
My story isn't special. I wasn't some genius who got screwed over, nor was I a reckless idiot who ruined his own life. I was just… unlucky.
I tried university, but tuition fees drained me faster than I could keep up. My part-time jobs barely covered rent, let alone food or books. I juggled three jobs at one point, working myself to exhaustion, but it wasn't enough. Eventually, I had to make a choice—continue drowning in student debt or cut my losses. I chose the latter.
Dropping out was supposed to make things easier. Less stress, fewer responsibilities. Instead, it made things worse. Without a degree, decent jobs wouldn't even look at my resume. I ended up working in retail, customer service, and delivery—anything that would keep me afloat.
Every day was the same. Wake up, go to work, deal with rude customers, come home exhausted, repeat. I wasn't living. I was surviving.
My apartment? A tiny, one-room dump where the walls were so thin I could hear my neighbors arguing every night. My meals? Instant noodles and discount supermarket food. My savings? Nonexistent.
It wasn't like I had big dreams, either. I didn't want to be a millionaire. I didn't need luxury. All I wanted was to be comfortable—to not stress over rent, to eat decent food, to maybe take a day off without worrying about losing money.
But even that was impossible.
Then, today, something strange happened.
I woke up to find a glowing screen floating in front of me.
[Congratulations! You have been chosen for the Happiness System!]
I stared at it for a solid ten seconds.
Then I rubbed my eyes.
Still there.
I sat up in bed. The screen moved with my vision, hovering calmly in front of me like it had all the time in the world.
"…Yup I'm finally gone crazy," I muttered.
Sleep deprivation. Stress. Malnutrition. Take your pick.
I reached out.
My finger passed through it and the screen rippled like disturbed water.
[Host Confirmed: Noah Everett]
[Current Happiness Level: 4/100]
[Status: Financial Stress — Severe]
[Emotional Stability — Low]
[Physical Condition — Suboptimal]
"…Wow. Rude."
My chest tightened.
Four out of a hundred?
That low?
I didn't think I was that miserable.
…Okay. Maybe I did.
Another line appeared.
[You have been selected due to prolonged exposure to dissatisfaction and unrealized potential.]
[The Happiness System exists to increase your Happiness Level.]
[Happiness can be converted into tangible rewards.]
That last line made me freeze.
Tangible rewards?
"Like what?" I asked the empty room.
The screen flickered.
[Starter Objective Available.]
[Objective: Raise your Happiness Level to 10.]
[Reward: $100 Equivalent (Direct Transfer)]
My heart skipped.
One hundred dollars.
Not life-changing.
But groceries for the week.
Rent can be paid.
I would at least get a breathing room.
I swallowed. "And how exactly am I supposed to raise it?"
Another ripple.
[Happiness increases when you experience genuine satisfaction.]
[Sources include but are not limited to: financial gain, emotional validation, physical pleasure, achievement, intimacy.]
My eyes lingered on the last word.
Intimacy.
"…You're kidding."
[Clarification: The system does not judge the source of happiness. Only the result matter.]
That line sat heavy in the air.
It didn't care how.
Just that the number went up.
I swung my legs off the bed, heart beating faster now — not from fear, but from possibility.
This had to be a dream.
But if it wasn't…
If it wasn't—
I glanced around my apartment. The peeling paint. The stack of overdue bills on the desk. The cheap instant noodle cups on the counter.
Four out of a hundred.
I looked back at the screen.
"Fine," I said quietly. "Let's test it."
I picked up my phone and checked my bank balance.
$23.17.
Pathetic.
A strange determination settled in my chest.
If happiness could be converted into money…
Then maybe money really could buy happiness.
And if this system was real—
I'd use it.
No matter what it took.
The screen shimmered again.
[Objective Activated.]
[Raise Happiness Level to 10.]
[Current Level: 4/100]
Somewhere deep inside me, something stirred.