The Commons felt unusually quiet after the Mini Market weekend. With most people gone and the late sun sliding behind the shops, Ju Won sat on a bench and opened her mobile banking app for her regular end-of-week check.

Sotos hadn’t slept well. He kept waking up thinking about varnish receipts and tiny small-print fees that seemed to multiply when he wasn’t looking. By the time Sunday morning arrived, he was pacing beside his upcycling stall...

I shook the few coins I had. “This… isn’t even half of what the cookie pack costs,” I whispered. Archie nudged me playfully. “Do you really want a cookie that badly?” I forced a smile. Inside, I felt disappointed. Everyone else was paying and helping the food bank. I wanted to too.