5 THOUSAND

Still dazed, Ayana finished her shower and slipped back into the tight black dress Danni had lent her. It clung to her body even more now.

Trying to walk as normally as possible, Ayana made her way downstairs to the back room on the first floor.

It was empty.

She went to the locker Danni used to keep their things. Danni's thing was gone.

Ayana quietly put on her cardigan and clutched her bag close, tucking the tip money inside like it was made of glass.

Without looking back, she walked out of the bar and called an online taxi.

She remembered what Danni told her the night before.

"You get to keep the tips the customers give you. The ones who call the flowers in? They've already been charged by Madam. What they give after, it's yours."

So this money… this was hers now. Her first tip.

When Ayana arrived at her rundown apartment, she glanced at the clock on her phone. Thankfully, she only had one class today, starting at ten.

She changed into something more casual, then carefully folded Danni's black dress and brought it to a nearby specialty laundry. It was just a loan, after all—Ayana felt she needed to treat it with respect.

On her way back, she stopped to buy breakfast from a street stall. But as she turned the corner near her apartment, she spotted a familiar figure.

"Danni!"

The woman was standing in front of the building, tapping away at her phone.

Ayana jogged up to her. "Your dress—I brought it to the laundry. I'll return it to you after it's done, okay?"

Danni turned, eyeing her with a half-smile. "That dress is probably stretched out already. You can keep it."

"What? No, I'll pay you for it then. How much?"

"You serious?" Danni raised a brow. "I bought it for three thousand. Secondhand, maybe it's worth a thousand or so."

Without hesitating, Ayana dashed upstairs to her room. She unlocked her drawer, pulled out a crisp one-thousand DNR, and rushed back to Danni.

Danni's eyes widened. "Whoa, I was joking! That dress is old. Haven't worn it in ages. Just take it."

"You sure?"

"Totally. But damn, Ayana, you handed over that thousand like it was pocket change. How much tip did you get last night?"

"Five thousand."

Danni blinked. "What?! That much?"

Ayana tilted her head. "Is that… a lot?"

It wasn't that Ayana didn't value the money—she had stared at those bills with trembling hands. But she had no idea what a normal tip looked like.

Danni chuckled, folding her arms. "Most of us get around one to three thousand, depending on how close the guy is with you. If it's a first meeting, usually just a thousand. So five thousand? Girl, that's huge."

Ayana finally understood. It hadn't been a regular night. No wonder that man's presence felt so overpowering.

Danni went on, "Mr. Wilson—the one I was with—he said that guy you were with is some bigshot CEO from the capital. The other men were there because of him. Apparently, he's loaded."

No wonder. His aura had dominated the entire room. There was something about him that made Ayana forget to feel ashamed and regret.

They chatted a little longer before Ayana excused herself and headed back to her room. She ate the still-warm breakfast she'd bought, then started getting ready for her class.

Usually, she would walk or catch a ride with a coworker. But today… her body still felt sore. And she had money now.

So she took the bus.

Before boarding, she stopped by the nearest ATM. With careful hands, she inserted every last bill from last night into her account. Digital was safer, and these days, nearly everything could be paid online anyway.

As the bus pulled out of the terminal, Ayana called home.

"Mom, I just sent you three thousand," she said softly.

"What? That much?" her mother gasped from the other end. "Where'd you get that kind of money?"

Ayana smiled faintly. "I borrowed it from my new boss. I've taken on another job."

"Oh, sweetheart… You should be focusing on your studies, not running around like this."

There was silence on the line for a moment. Ayana didn't know how to answer.

After chatting briefly about her father's medicine and her sister Zanna's care, Ayana ended the call.

She stared at her reflection in the window of the bus. Her own eyes stared back—tired, quiet, but steady.

Ever since she was young, Ayana had taken on whatever work she could manage. Cleaning houses, helping neighbors, even folding laundry at the local hotel. Half her earnings always went to her parents. The other half, she used for school supplies.

Responsibility wasn't something new to her.

...

Getting off the bus, Ayana walked toward her campus. She passed by a young man riding a bicycle.

The young man approached Ayana with a surprised look. This was the first time he had seen Ayana coming to campus by bus. Usually, she would either walk or hitch a ride with someone else.

"Where are you coming from, Ayana?"

"From the apartement."

Ayana and the young man, named Harry, walked side by side until they reached the front of the faculty building. Harry parked his bike, then walked back to accompany Ayana inside the campus building.

"Strange to see you on the bus."

"Had a bit of luck today."

"Where'd you get the money?"

Ayana stopped in her tracks and turned to the nosy young man beside her, frowning. "I don't think you need to know."

Harry coughed awkwardly. "Ah, right. Sorry."

Ayana continued walking, unfazed. Harry hurried to keep up with her pace.

"I'm heading to Alex's apartement after this—you know, that senior in his seventh semester. Need to pick up a report book for Professor Smith. You should come with me, we can ride my bike together."

The report book he mentioned was the one Ayana had been planning to buy. Some students who couldn't afford new ones, like Ayana, usually asked for used books from seniors. But because those books already had answers written in them, they had to work hard to erase all the previous content.

It wasn't the erasing part that made Ayana reluctant to ask for secondhand books—it was the way those seniors treated her. Some acted annoyingly arrogant, scolding juniors for no apparent reason.

As one of the most attractive students in her department, Ayana often received inappropriate offers from seniors—just for a book—when others didn't have to go through the same ordeal. She would avoided those situations whenever possible.

...