The break began at 10:15 AM. Kai walked to the break room. The vending machine hummed with a broken compressor sound. It vibrated against the wall. The sound was low, but it filled the small space.

  Kai sat at the table. He took out his phone. It was an older model. The screen had a crack running from the top left corner to the center. The glass did not fall out. It stayed in place. He tapped the screen. It lit up. The battery was at forty percent.

  The phone vibrated in his hand. The name on the screen read Minji.

  Kai answered. He put the phone to his ear. The connection was poor. There was static in the background, like wind hitting a microphone.

  Kai said, "I am here."

  Minji said, "You sound tired."

  Kai said, "It is Tuesday."

  Minji said, "That is not an answer."

  Kai said, "It is the only one I have."

  Minji laughed. The sound was thin. It did not reach the end of the line. There was noise behind her. Voices. The sound of chairs scraping against floor. She was in the university library. Or the cafeteria. Somewhere public.

  Minji said, "I got the email today."

  Kai said, "About the scholarship."

  Minji said, "About the supplemental fee. They added it last week. It was not in the budget sheet."

  Kai said, "How much."

  Minji said, "Three hundred won. Per semester."

  Kai did the math. Three hundred won was two shifts at the warehouse. It was three weeks of groceries for his mother. It was the co pay for a specialist visit.

  Kai said, "Did they say why."

  Minji said, "Digital infrastructure maintenance. They said the servers need upgrading."

  Kai said, "The servers are ten years old."

  Minji said, "I know. I work in the lab. I see the computers. They freeze when you open two programs."

  Kai said, "It is not for servers."

  Minji said, "No. It is for the new administration building. The one with the glass front."

  Kai said, "I saw it on the train."

  Minji said, "It looks nice. From the outside."

  Kai said, "Everything does."

  There was a silence. The static on the line grew louder for a second, then faded. Kai could hear Minji breathing. She was holding the phone tight. He knew how she held things when she was angry. She gripped them until her knuckles turned white. She did not break them. She just held them.

  Kai said, "Do you have the money."

  Minji said, "I have half. I can work more hours at the cafe. They said they have shifts open on weekends."

  Kai said, "You have exams."

  Minji said, "I can study on the bus."

  Kai said, "The bus takes an hour."

  Minji said, "I know how long the bus takes, Kai."

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Kai said, "I am checking."

  Minji said, "Do not check. I cannot stop working. You cannot stop working. Mother cannot stop working. That is the equation."

  Kai looked at the table. There was a stain on the plastic surface. It was brown and circular. Someone had put a hot cup there weeks ago. The plastic had melted slightly. It was permanent.

  Kai said, "Did you ask Mother."

  Minji said, "No."

  Kai said, "Good."

  Minji said, "She sent rice last week. And dried fish. She said it was from a client who did not want it. It was not true."

  Kai said, "She buys it."

  Minji said, "She buys it. She sends it. She says she eats enough at work. She does not."

  Kai said, "I know."

  Minji said, "If I ask her for money, she will send it. She will not eat for three days to send it."

  Kai said, "Do not ask her."

  Minji said, "I will not. I am telling you. So you know. So you do not think I am failing because I am lazy."

  Kai said, "I do not think that."

  Minji said, "Sometimes you look at me like I am made of glass. Like I will break if the wind blows wrong."

  Kai said, "You are not glass."

  Minji said, "Then stop looking at me like I am."

  Kai said, "I am looking at you like you are my sister."

  Minji was quiet. The noise behind her changed. Someone walked past. A chair moved.

  Minji said, "The professor said the curriculum is changing again. Next year. They are removing the critical theory modules. They say they are not relevant to the job market."

  Kai said, "What is relevant."

  Minji said, "Compliance. Ethics modules that teach you how to sign forms without reading them. History modules that stop at 1990."

  Kai said, "1990 was before the contracts."

  Minji said, "Yes. Before the contracts. Before the privatization. Before the fees."

  Kai said, "They are erasing it."

  Minji said, "They are editing it. There is a difference. Erasing leaves a gap. Editing makes it look like it was always this way."

  Kai thought about the warehouse. He thought about the safety report Mr. Park had filed. Railings: Secure. The report edited the reality. It did not erase the loose bolt. It just called it something else.

  Kai said, "Keep the syllabus. The old one."

  Minji said, "I have it. I saved the PDF."

  Kai said, "Save the email about the fee."

  Minji said, "Why. It will not change anything."

  Kai said, "Save it."

  Minji said, "You sound like Father."

  Kai stopped breathing for a second. The air in the break room felt thick. The vending machine hummed.

  Kai said, "Which part."

  Minji said, "The part where you think if you keep the paper, the truth will stay true."

  Kai said, "Does it."

  Minji said, "No. But it helps you remember what the lie looked like."

  Kai said, "That is enough for now."

  Minji said, "Is it."

  Kai said, "It has to be."

  Minji said, "Okay. I have to go. My shift starts in twenty minutes. I have to walk to the cafe."

  Kai said, "Take the bus."

  Minji said, "Walking is free."

  Kai said, "Minji."

  Minji said, "Yes."

  Kai said, "I will see about the fee."

  Minji said, "You do not have the money."

  Kai said, "I will see."

  Minji said, "Do not do anything stupid. Do not borrow from the loan sharks. Do not sell anything you need."

  Kai said, "I am not stupid."

  Minji said, "You are stubborn. There is a difference."

  Kai said, "Go to work."

  Minji said, "You too."

  Kai said, "Yes."

  Minji said, "Kai."

  Kai said, "Yes."

  Minji said, "Tell Mother I ate the fish. It was good."

  Kai said, "I will tell her."

  Minji said, "Tell her I am studying hard."

  Kai said, "I will tell her."

  Minji said, "Goodbye."

  Kai said, "Goodbye."

  The line went dead. Kai lowered the phone. He looked at the screen. The call duration was four minutes. The battery was now at thirty eight percent.

  He put the phone in his pocket. He did not move for a moment. He looked at the stain on the table. He thought about the three hundred won. He did not have it. He had rent. He had food. He had the train fare. He had the gauze for his hand. He did not have three hundred won for a fee that should not exist.

  He thought about the loan sharks. Minji knew about them. Everyone knew about them. They stood near the university gates. They wore suits that were too shiny. They offered cash in envelopes. The interest was not written down. It was collected in person.

  Kai stood up. He pushed the chair in. The legs scraped against the floor. The sound was sharp.

  He walked to the sink. He washed his hands. The water was cold. He dried them on his pants. He did not use the paper towels. They were locked in the dispenser. You needed a code to get them. The code was given only to the shift leader.

  He walked out of the break room. He walked back to the line. The warehouse was louder now. The forklifts were moving faster. The deadline for the shipment was approaching. Mr. Park stood near the conveyor belt. He was talking on his phone. He was smiling.

  Kai took his station. He put on his gloves. He picked up the scanner.

  The worker next to him was a woman named Lee. She was fifty. She had gray hair pulled back in a tight bun. She did not look at Kai. She scanned her boxes.

  Lee said, "Your sister."

  Kai said, "Yes."

  Lee said, "She goes to the university."

  Kai said, "Yes."

  Lee said, "My son wanted to go. They said his grades were not high enough. They said the quota was full."

  Kai said, "He had the grades."

  Lee said, "He had the grades. The quota was full for people like us. It was open for people with donations."

  Kai said, "I know."

  Lee said, "He works in the port now. Sohan. He loads containers. His back is bad."

  Kai said, "I am sorry."

  Lee said, "Do not be sorry. Be angry. Or do not be anything. But do not be sorry. Sorry does not fix the back."

  Kai said, "No."

  Lee said, "You listen to me."

  Kai said, "I am listening."

  Lee said, "Good."

  She scanned a box. She placed it on the belt. She did not say anything else.

  Kai scanned his box. He placed it on the belt. He thought about Minji walking to the cafe. He thought about the wind on the bridge. He thought about the fee.

  He thought about the document. The email. The PDF. The paper trail.

  He realized that the money was not the only thing being taken. The future was being taken. The university was selling the future to pay for the glass building. The warehouse was selling safety to pay for the bonus that never came.

  It was the same transaction. Different counters.

  The shift ended at 5:00 PM. Kai clocked out. He walked home. The apartment was dark. He turned on the light. It flickered. He sat at the table.

  He opened the drawer. He took out the black notebook. He unlocked it with the key from his pocket.

  He turned to a new page. He wrote the date. He wrote the time.

  He wrote: University Supplemental Fee. 300 won. Unauthorized. Email sent 10:15 AM.

  He wrote: Scholarship Status: Active. Threatened.

  He wrote: Minji. Working weekends. Walking to work.

  He closed the notebook. He locked it. He put the key back in his pocket.

  He lay down on the bed. He looked at the ceiling. There was a water stain in the corner. It was growing slowly. Every month it was a little larger. He had reported it to the landlord. The landlord said he would send someone. No one came.

  Kai closed his eyes. He thought about the promise he had made. I will see.

  He did not know how. He did not know where the money would come from. He knew only that he could not let the fee stand. He could not let the edit become the truth.

  He slept. He dreamed of a university made of glass. It shattered when the wind blew. The students picked up the pieces. They cut their hands. They kept studying.

  In the morning, the train would be late again. In the morning, the fee would still be due. In the morning, Kai would wake up. He would go to the warehouse. He would listen. He would watch. He would count.

  And he would see.