Collection Bonus: A Sweet Moment

Amidst the backdrop of Suyin's captivity under Wansun's care, Areum embarked on a quest for employment to support them both, her determination etched into every line of her weary expression. "I'm looking for a job to do. Do you guys, by chance, have someone who needs work?" Areum's voice, tinged with desperation, reached the ears of the innkeeper.

His response, a regretful shake of the head, cast a shadow over her hopes. "Ah, I'm sorry but... we have enough workers here already," the innkeeper lamented, folding his arms in finality. But Areum refused to yield. "Please. I'm in need of income! I'm willing to wash dishes even for little pay!" Her plea hung in the air, a fragile lifeline amidst her mounting worries. With each rejection, the weight of responsibility pressed heavier upon her shoulders, a relentless burden she bore for Suyin's sake. "I'm sorry, Miss. You will have to find somewhere else that is accepting workers at the moment," the shopkeeper's gentle refusal echoed through the dimly lit space, leaving Areum to navigate the labyrinth of her own anxieties.

Then, a disruption, crude and unwelcome, staggered into her world in the form of a drunken interloper.

"I-hic-got a job-hic-for you."

His slurred words cut through the air like a rusty blade, his intentions as murky as the contents of the jar he brandished. "Mind your own business!" Areum's retort crackled with defiance, her gaze ablaze with a fire fueled by indignation. But the drunkard's advances only grew bolder, his leering proposition a venomous echo of entitlement. "You think that you're some kind of woman who even has a reputation?! Just come be my concubine and you will live forever in pleasure," his words dripped with contempt, staining the air with their toxic presence. Faced with such brazen insolence, Areum's resolve hardened, her trembling fingers seizing the jar of wine with a trembling grip.

In that tense moment, poised on the precipice of confrontation, she sought to shatter the confines of her own fear. With a fierce determination, she raised the jar aloft, intent on meting out justice with a swift, decisive blow. But fate, ever capricious, intervened, guiding her aim astray as the vessel slipped from her grasp, its contents spilling uselessly onto the floor. Enraged by her defiance, the drunkard's temper flared, his staggering steps carrying him closer to the precipice of violence. Yet, before his fury could reach its zenith, a sudden impact sent him reeling, a cry of pain tearing from his lips as a rock found its mark. "Ow!! What the hell?!" His protestations dissolved into a chorus of agony, his gaze swiveling to meet the eyes of his assailant.

And there, standing like a sentinel on the threshold, was a figure cloaked in regal disdain. "Y-Your highness!" Areum's voice quivered with reverence, her head bowed low in deference to the unexpected presence of Zhang Weizhe, the enigmatic right hand of Qin Fuhua. But Weizhe's response was far from the expected censure, his lips twisting into a sardonic grin as he surveyed the scene before him.

With a casual command, he dispatched the drunken interloper, his authority unchallenged amidst the chaos. "I apologize for the disturbance, but this man here had provoked me enough to cause a scene," Areum's admission hung heavy in the air, a testament to the mounting challenges she faced alongside Suyin. With a bow steeped in embarrassment, she sought to temper the chaos that had erupted in her wake.

"Take this man out of the inn before I spill some blood in this inn," Weizhe's command sliced through the air like a blade, his words laden with a promise of swift retribution.

And as the bag of coins fell with a soft thud upon the counter, the innkeeper's resolve crumbled beneath the weight of his authority. With a nod of acquiescence, he signaled to his workers, their swift actions a testament to their obedience as they banished the drunken interloper from their midst. Gratitude welled within Areum's heart, a torrent of emotion that spilled forth in a torrent of thanks.

In the presence of this unexpected savior, she found solace amidst the chaos, a beacon of hope in an otherwise darkened world. And as she pledged her assistance, her words a humble offering in return for his intervention, she glimpsed a flicker of recognition in Weizhe's eyes, a silent acknowledgment of her worth in a world that had long overlooked her. With a heart uplifted by newfound purpose, Areum embarked on her journey homeward, her steps buoyed by the knowledge that justice had prevailed.

Yet, as she neared the sanctuary of the inn, her jubilant mood waned, replaced by a sense of foreboding at the owner's grim countenance. Arriving at last, she was greeted not by warmth and welcome, but by the specter of uncertainty looming over their future.

As Areum stepped through the threshold of the inn, the weight of her earlier triumph evaporated like morning mist beneath the harsh light of reality. Instead of the warm embrace of familiarity, she was met with the frosty reception of the innkeeper, his furrowed brow a harbinger of impending doom. With each word, a dagger plunged deeper into her heart, each syllable a reminder of their precarious situation. "We can't afford to keep you here any longer. You've overstayed your welcome," his words were like a death knell, tolling the end of their respite in this fleeting sanctuary. And as he spoke of dwindling funds and mounting debts, Areum felt the icy fingers of despair tighten their grip around her heart. The tears that welled in her eyes were not born of sorrow but of frustration and bitter disappointment.

"I'm so sorry Suyiiinnn~" Her whispered lament hung heavy in the air, a solemn vow to persevere in the face of adversity.