Chapter Text
LOUD WAILS ECHOED FROM THE DIMLY LIT ALLEYWAY, THE CRIES OF A CHILD PERKING UP THE EARS OF MANY.
looks were shared, but none stopped.
none but one.
a woman, middle-aged with a brunette bob. she frowned at the onlookers as no other decided to stop for the poor child.
the woman entered the alleyway, glancing around, "child?" she calls softly, the cries slowly ceasing, though still audible.
the woman approaches the noise, spotting the child curled up on themselves.
she gasps in worry, hurrying over to crouch beside the small girl.
"oh dear, are you okay?"
the small girl sniffled, looking up.
"my m-ma and p-pa.. i don't know where they are" she wails, clinging onto the woman desperately.
the woman coos, rubbing the girls back, unaware of the hand reaching into her coat pocket, fishing for valuables.
"it's okay, hon. we'll find your parents, okay?"
the child bearing [hair colour] hair and wide [eye colour] eyes sniffs with a nod, pulling her hands away and discretely sliding her hand into her own pocket.
you let the woman slide her hand into your own, following her down the street as you acted sad, looking around desperately.
a gasp left your lips as you pointed over at an unsuspecting couple. "ma! pa!"
the woman sighed in relief, giving you a smile as you hurry over to the two, turning back to smile and wave at the woman as she turns away.
the innocent smile drops from your face as you duck behind a wall, hand dipping into your pocket.
you inspected the things you had stolen from the woman, feeling mildly guilty with how kind she had been, but you imagined your wellbeing was more important than her luxuries.
in your hand lay a pretty golden watch and 50,000 won. your eyes glimmer slightly, smile bursting.
that was the most you had pocketed in a while. it'd be enough for food and water. maybe even a room once you handed the watch to the pawn shop.
with a new-found pep in your step, you journeyed to the nearest store that'd give you money for the golden watch. presumably fake, but hopefully worth a pretty penny on looks alone.
you'd almost be tempted to keep it if the idea of a hotel room weren't far more appealing than a measly watch. you didn't need to know the time. if it was bright out, it was daytime. dark = night time. simple as that.
you strolled right up to the counter, looking the man lounging back in his seat and placing the golden watch down on the bench.
"how much?" you queried.
"hello to you too, miss [name]" the older man grunted, picking up the watch to inspect it.
he squints, twisting and turning the golden wrist-band before placing it back down. "16,000 won"
your jaw drops slightly, "16,000?! are you joking?" you ask incredulously. "that's nothing!"
he shrugs, "it's fake"
"well no shit! it still looks nice, doesn't it??" you question, holding the watch close to his face as if that would make him suddenly increase it's worth.
he doesn't budge.
you growl in annoyance, "just give me the cash"
he fishes through his register, slapping the 16,000 won into your hand.
you snatch it with a huff, "so much for knowing people"
he waves you off as you storm out of the store, good mood diminished.
66,000 won was a decent amount of cash. if you budgeted it'd last you the whole week with food and drink, but it'd have been nice to have a room for even just a night.
you grumble, stuffing the cash into your pocket before approaching tapgol park. you quite disliked the place. it was pretty but quite riddled with other homeless such as yourself. thankfully for you, though, the type that hung around the park weren't nasty and as long as you hid your cash well enough, it'd be there in the morning.
you found an empty bench, pulling your legs up to your chest. you weren't hungry and you didn't want to spend your money all at once as food was harder to hide than cash, so you just sat at the bench, staring into the sky.
your attention was captured, however, as a man in a nice, freshly pressed suit strolls into the park with two bags.
you watch curiously as the man walks up a homeless man laying on a bench, offering him up a bread roll and a lottery ticket.
you startle, however, as the homeless man reaches for the items, only for them to be retracted. your eyebrows twitch. he was only being allowed one or the other.
unsurprisingly, he picks the scratch card.
you frown deeply. it was the evidently stupid decision, and yet the chance of wealth always seemed to overweigh the guarantee of a fuller stomach.
you watched with a purse of your lips as only one homeless man took the offer of the bread, and finally the expensive man approached you.
you look up at him with a frown, he smiles charmingly. you might have blushed if the man wasn't so strange. he was incredibly handsome.
the man was wordless as he reached into his bags, taking out a scratch card and a bread roll.
without hesitation, you take the bread roll from his hand, raising an eyebrow as his smile stretched slightly.
he walked away without another word, approaching a few more scraggly park-layers until he stopped in the middle, smiling around at the crowd.
you jolt slightly as the man suddenly dumps all of the bread rolls on the ground, save one, which he tucked behind his back.
one of the homeless men who had taken a scratch card hurried up to the man, "why are you wasting perfectly good food like that?" he questions, dumbstruck. he attempts to reach for a roll, but the man's perfectly shined leather shoe stomps down on it first.
you give the man a questioning look, but roll your eyes at the homeless dude.
he accepted scratch card, he doesn't get to complain about what happens to the bread roll he could have eaten.
"i gave you a chance, and you made your choice" the rich man says, just about repeating your own thoughts.
"i'm not the one who threw these away" he says to the crowd, talking loudly. "it's you, ladies and gentleman"
everyone gasps in surprise as the man goes into a seeming fit of rage, stomping all over the perfectly good bread rolls.
you give the handsome male an incredulous look. what on earth was he doing?
the man kicks the loafs across the path, yelping and grunting loudly as he demolishes the poor rolls.
he takes a heavy breath, pushing his hair back with a manic grin.
he fixes his tie, smiling charmingly before approaching you yet again.
your eyebrows twitch slightly as he stands in front of you, smiling as he hands you the piece of bread he had saved earlier. you raise an eyebrow, questioning internally if the bread was poisoned.
well, at least then you'd be done with this fantastic life.
you take the bread with slight hesitation, giving the smallest nod in thanks.
he just nods back, exiting the park, briefcase in hand.
you look down at the bread roll, turning it over as your eyebrows raise.
on the bottom of the bun was a card presenting three shapes.
circle, triangle and square.