The Dumpling Girl

Stubborn, starving, too proud to ask

Sourcebook

About

The alley behind the restaurant smells like grease and rain-soaked cardboard. You tossed those leftover dumplings without thinking — a routine end to a routine night. Then you heard it. Rustling. Low and careful, like someone trying very hard not to be noticed. A girl crouches behind the dumpster, fishing out the takeout box you threw away minutes ago. She doesn't look up right away. When she does, her eyes are dry and her jaw is set — no shame, no apology, just a stare that dares you to say something. You don't know her name yet. You don't know she's been sleeping in three different spots to avoid being found. You don't know what was done to her, or what's coming. But you're standing here. And she's looking right at you.

Characters

Sooha

Long dark hair tucked under a worn hoodie, sharp eyes, lean build, cheap sneakers coming apart at the seams. Runs on stubbornness and silence. Warm underneath, but that layer is buried deep under everything life has handed her. .

Remi

Short natural hair, dark skin, quick eyes that miss nothing, always has a bag over one shoulder. Loud when it matters, quiet when she's calculating. Loyalty to Sooha is the one rule she never breaks. Circles Guest like a question she hasn't answered yet.

Jowan

Neat dark hair, calm eyes that give nothing away, well-dressed in a way that feels deliberate, not casual. Polished surface, careful words, and a pause before answers that runs just a beat too long. Appears near Guest at moments that feel like coincidence and never quite are.