The village gate came into view just as the sun dipped below the horizon. My legs burned, my arm throbbed, and the weight of the silver pouch seemed heavier with every step. Yoon-Hee followed closely behind, quiet but steady, her eyes flicking warily at every sound.
I understood that fear. I'd felt it too — but fear didn't feed families. Fear didn't change your fate.
We passed the wooden gate, barely more than splintered logs tied together, and the eyes of the villagers followed us. Their stares burned into my back — but I didn't slow down. Not until I reached my home.
It wasn't much. A small, crooked house with a patched roof and cracked walls. But it was ours.
"Seol-Yeong!" My mother's voice broke as she ran toward me, eyes wide with worry. "You're hurt!"
"It's nothing," I said, even as the pain spiked through my arm. "I'm fine."
"Fine?! You're bleeding—"
"I brought food." I pulled the pouch of dried meat from my belt, and my mother froze. My little sister, Jae-Ha, peeked from behind the door, eyes growing huge at the sight of it.
"Food…" my mother whispered, taking the pouch with trembling hands. She didn't ask how I got it. She never did.
My father sat inside, his leg twisted uselessly beneath him, his eyes heavy with guilt. He watched me, his face tight. He knew.
But he said nothing.
"Who's that?" Jae-Ha asked, staring at Yoon-Hee.
Before I could answer, Yoon-Hee bowed low. "My name is Seo Yoon-Hee. I… I have nowhere to go. Please, let me serve you. I'll cook, clean—whatever you need."
My mother's face softened immediately. "You don't need to do that, child."
"I want to."
And just like that, she became part of us.
Later, after they ate — after I forced myself to wait and watch while my family filled their empty stomachs — I stepped outside. The night air was cold, but my mind burned with everything that had happened.
I opened the leather pouch. The silver coins gleamed, more wealth than I'd ever touched. But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
I needed more.
Because power didn't come cheap.
And I would pay any price to make sure my family never went hungry again.