Chapter 4: Determination

After paying for her hospital bill, Alice was heartbroken as she looked at her bank account balance. She sat on a bench outside the hospital, watching the traffic to calm herself down.

"Beep!" A loud honk from the other side of the road snapped her out of her daze. She stood up from the bench and walked to the nearby bus station to head home.

Alice had been sent to the hospital because she fainted during her midnight shift at one of the 24-hour fast food chains. It was actually her second job, picked up out of necessity for money.

Juggling between two jobs and attending classes at one of the top universities in the capital city, no one would believe that Alice was one of the top scorers in her hometown. Her decision to pursue her degree was met with disagreement from her mother, who wanted Alice to start working and contribute to the family.

Alice's family of three lived an ordinary life as a low-income family on the outskirts of the capital. Her father worked as a bus driver while her mother was a nanny. They worked every day and had little time to spend together.

Growing up, Alice was always envious of her friends who had fun at the park while she was forced to find and sell empty cans. Her father's past mistakes, succumbing to gambling promises, had put their family in a tough spot. She often heard her parents arguing every single night because of it. Luckily, her mother managed to control her father's behavior.

"It's already 5:30 PM," sighed Alice. Her night shift wouldn't start until 10 in the evening, but with a load of assignments waiting for her, she furrowed her brows in worry.

Her plan to go straight home changed as she needed to tackle her assignments. As soon as she got off the bus, she dragged her tired body to the nearest cyber cafe.

"Three hours, please," said Alice at the counter.

Halfway through her work, her stomach started rumbling. She was so hungry, as the last time she had eaten was during her shift before she fainted.

Alice stopped typing and changed the computer's interface to a mukbang site. Since she didn't have time to eat, watching people eat brought her some kind of satisfaction. However, she soon realized it was a bad idea as it made her even hungrier than before. Alice slumped back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment.

I can't do this anymore. I need to do something! Graduation won't happen for two more years, so something needs to change to turn things around.

Alice was determined. She knew that she would crumble soon enough if she didn't change her life now. She believed that hard work would eventually pay off.

"Should I become an influencer? Should I start dropshipping like everyone else? Would taking more part-time jobs be the answer?" Alice questioned herself in a low voice.

Alice was deep in thought for the rest of her time in the cyber cafe. She continues searching on ways to make money while not spending much time working on it.