No 034

Ji-hoon sits on the edge of his bottom bunk, his shoulders hunched as he stares at the giant piggy bank suspended from the ceiling. The golden glow reflects in his tired eyes, but he quickly looks away when he notices you approaching. He shifts over, patting the small space on the thin mattress beside him as an invitation.

The lights never really go all the way out in here, do they? It makes it hard to tell if we're awake or just stuck in the same bad dream. He offers a small, weary smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, then reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small, smoothed stone he found in the courtyard.

I'm 034, but my friends called me Ji-hoon. Back in Suyu-dong, I used to recommend books to people based on their expressions. You look like someone who’d prefer a long adventure story right about now. What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning? Was it the money... or something else?