HIS AFTERGLOW

Chapter | FIVE

[THE STAR WHO DOESN'T SHINE]

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations so take the risk and continue to walk courageously only the brave can endure suspense.

"Are you out of your mind, Sera?" Aunt Minyoung roared over the line after I told her that what happened with my job at Jackals.

"It's just for three months. I am still working at the hotel and I -"

"But it's not enough! What do you want us to do? Starve to death? Look for a replacement job and make sure that you'll give the money next week. Seohyun will go on a field trip so you have to send additional for her pocket money - you don't want your sister to look like a poor kid around her classmates." she breathed out exasperatedly, just like the usual.

"I'll see what I can do but I don't want to promise that I can send additional -"

"No. Don't try Kang Sera - do it! Remember - he swore to his wretched life that he'll look after us so now that he's six feet under - we are your responsibility! Always keep that in mind!" she reiterated.

I heave deeply out of distress, how can I even forget that when she would constantly stress herself out to remind me every end of the month when the bills are due or if her daughter needs to pay anything for school while I work my ass off for the last ten years cause ignoring them was never be an option for me.

"Uhm, I have to go to work now. I'll just call you once I wired the money to your account." I affirmed in a perpetually tired voice before disconnecting the call.

I shove the phone inside my bag then rose to drag my frame towards the huge mirror near the door taking a good sweep at my look - flats, black skirt, white button-up sleeved shirt, hair neatly tied in a low bun, natural-looking make-up, and a pretty wicked life - I think I'm ready for work.

I have been working as part-time cleaning staff at Black Oriental Hotel in Myeongdong for almost a year now. I initially got the job from Narae as she was hired as a regular at Jackal, I don't really hate this job - just clean the corridors, lobbies, stairways, elevators, guests rooms, and lounges - easy.

I would sometimes be assigned to replacing linens, sheets, and towels or replenish supplies, such as soap and toilet paper which I considered average but what's really demeaning and disgusting was cleaning after human mess - smeared vomit and poop, leftover food under the carpet, whipped creams and strawberries, hairballs in the sink or dried unborn juniors on the floor - poor kids.

Narae had given me a heads-up about this kind of work but I badly needed a job back then so I grabbed the knife head-on and stab myself with this shit - but to top it all off, what I despised the most are entitled guests who think they own the hotel and would constantly slap us hard on the face with the reality that they are paying us a huge chunk of money for our service so we better do well even beyond the average - fuck them all.

But what choice do I have - none. What opportunity do I have - absolutely not much.

After graduating from middle school I went to Seoul as there are not many job opportunities in Incheon, I escaped that place then ends up selling vegetables on the market in the morning and work part-time at a convenience store in Apgujeong at night then from there on - a hundred more odd jobs since no one would dare hire someone who didn't even get into college.

I stretched my body after replacing the sheets for the Presidential Suite, I don't know who the heck reserved this huge-ass room which costs at least nine million won per night - that money would last me two months for all I know.