Chapter 1

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7 minutes and 26 seconds. That's what I have left before I am tagged late on my temporary job and it looks like I will be stuck on this traffic jam for another five minutes. Then,  I will need five more minutes to walk for me to reach the hotel that I am working at.

'I should've taken the train! Damn it, I should've have taken the train! But even taking the train is as risky as taking the bus here in Manila. It tends to stop and break down.' 

I peeked on my phone screen for the nth time.

The time seems to go faster now that I need it to slow down.

If only the Korean class I am attending ended as scheduled, I will have more than enough time to commute to work. However, it ended 30 minutes behind schedule and I had to stay for another 15 minutes as instructed so I can give my details to our seonsaeng-nim for my e-registration to be able to take an exam with POEA to work in Korea.

I took a deep breath and gave up cursing the traffic on my mind. I haven't had any late occurrence before and I am planning to keep it that way until my contract with the hotel is done but now, I can kiss that plan goodbye.

I groaned when I remembered that it is Miss Santiago who'll be supervising us today. 

Of all the days that I will be late, why now, dear God?

For some reason, Miss Santiago seemed to never like me. At all. She's always scowling when I am talking to her. She never called me by my name and she calls out every single mistake I make. 

I just wish she'll be busy at some other part of the hotel to even talk to me, it is a huge, well-known hotel, after all.

It took me 15 minutes to reach the hotel. I immediately rushed to our locker room and changed to my uniform. Making sure that I have all the things I need to start working, I took the elevator to the 31st floor.

You see, I am not actually a hotel staff before. I was supposed to work overseas as an English tutor so I resigned as a call center agent. But there have been some problem with the agency I signed up with. 

I got refunded with the placement fee I paid and was not able to completely work abroad. I took a risk and applied as a hotel staff on a job fair instead of going back to the BPO industry but I only have a year on my contract.

Five months ago, a friend of mine asked me to attend Korean class with her so she can work in Korea. Most jobs offered are factory jobs. But I am a bum with no concrete back up plan when I first failed so who am I to say no to an opportunity.

I enrolled to the class and I am two months away from taking an exam to work in Korea. I am working really hard and proud to say that I can now engage in a conversation in Korean.

I tapped the concert ticket that is tucked in my cardigan pocket. I am attending EXO's concert tomorrow. 

A group I have loved for a long time and I have saved almost my entire allowance to buy the VIP standing ticket that I want. 

I have to keep it with me for motivation. 

Also, I just got it this morning from the person who bought it for me as I was not able to stand in line for the ticket selling myself. I will never leave this on my locker knowing that one of my workmate got her phone stolen from her locker just a few days ago. It's still being investigated.

With the concert in mind, I took a deep breath when the elevator opened on the 31st floor. 

 Miss Santiago left a memo attached to my locker saying that I have to clean a room on this floor on a specific amount of time. The guest will be arriving an hour from now and I have to be out of the room before they arrive. 

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