"S-Sir... Are you really serious?"
Luis smiled. "Why would I waste my time joking with you?"
Minas hesitated for a moment before asking the question that bothered him.
"But... am I really worthy? I was born in the slums."
"And... I'm a thief."
Luis shook his head. "A person's birth is only the starting point of their life."
"Where you reach in the future depends on the choices you make, not your humble birth."
He looked directly at Minas.
"As for whether you're worthy or not, that depends on your own hard work."
"I'm only giving you a chance and a place where you can put in that effort."
"For now, you'll only be a trainee."
"So... Do you accept?"
Those simple words struck Minas harder than anything else.
'One's humble birth doesn't decide one's future.'
Ever since he could remember, people had looked down on children from the slums. Many believed they would never amount to anything.
This was the first time someone had told him that his birth doesn't decide his future.
