“Ugh…” Da Eun groaned. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, blearily looking around at the bare bedroom of her tiny flat. She picked her alarm clock up from the floor beside her bed and stared blankly at it for a few moments. Suddenly, she shrieked.

“Oh my gosh! I’m late again!” She whipped aside her bedcovers, sending an old stuffed panda flying.

“Omo! Sorry, baby,” Da Eun retrieved the panda she’d had since her sixteenth birthday, setting it gently on her pillow. She burst into a whirlwind of action. A minute in the bathroom concluded her daily routine, the counter beside her sink virtually empty but for a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a cheap cleanser. Dressing took close to no time. The freestanding clothes rack that served as her entire closet consisted of a few shirts, two pairs of jeans, a skirt, and a worn black hoodie which she wore to work at the radio station every day.

“I can’t believe I slept through my alarm again,” she muttered as she pulled out a box from under her bed. “Aish… the boss is gonna be so mad…” Despite her anxiety about the reaction of her supervisor, she smiled as she lifted the lid of the shoebox. Her two pairs of shoes were the most expensive things she owned, and were her pride and joy.

“Hmm… I’ll have to do some running to get to work. I think I’ll wear you guys today,” she the pair of dark grey Converse, taking a moment to admire them. She slipped them on, then grabbed her bag and rushed to the door.

As she locked the door of her flat, Da Eun heard someone call a greeting from downstairs.

“Annyeong, Da Eun-ah!”

“Oh! Annyeonghaseyo, Tony!” Da Eun greeted her landlord cheerfully as she hurried down the stairs.

“Ahh… I’m sorry for troubling you with this so early, but if you don’t pay your rent by Friday I’ll have to rent out your flat to someone else,” Tony lowered his voice as Da Eun reached his floor.

“Don’t worry, Tony, I promise I’ll have it,” Da Eun gave the landlord a fleeting smile as she ran past him and out the door.

***

It took Da Eun fifteen minutes to reach the workplace. Her over the shoulder bag thumped against her legs as she ran, panting. When she finally reached the building from which the station was broadcasted, it was to find that she had forgotten the security code.

“Where is it?” Da Eun mumbled as she flipped through the pages of a little black book.

“Ah! Found it!” She exclaimed, pleased. She punched the numbers into the keypad and rushed through the door, taking the stairs two at a time as she hastily shoved the book back into her bag.

Out of breath, she pushed open the door of the workplace, heading straight for her desk. Except… it wasn’t there. Or it was, but there was somebody else in her chair.

Oh no, Da Eun thought. How will I get him to move? But before she could utter a word, someone spoke from behind her.

“Da Eun.”

She turned around and immediately bowed. It was her boss, and she knew something was wrong as soon as she saw the look on his face. “Annyeonghaseyo,” she greeted him cautiously.

“You’re late again,” he stated.

“Yes, I’m sorry, but-“ Da Eun tried to explain, but was cut off by her boss’ hard words.

“No excuses. As of today, you are no longer a part of this radio station.” His tone offered no redemption.

“Please, my rent-“ Da Eun was close to tears now, and the whole room was silent, watching the spectacle.

“You’re fired.” He repeated flatly and walked away, leaving Da Eun rooted to the spot. She was crying silently and inconsolably now, and feeling the stares of the other interns, she wanted nothing more than to stop existing.

In a vain attempt to shield herself, Da Eun shook her long hair down around her face as she started to make for the exit. Her footsteps gradually sped up until she was almost sprinting for the door, until suddenly her foot smacked into something and she went tumbling down, the contents of her bag spilling everywhere. Red with shame and now crying even harder, she hurriedly gathered everything up and ran out of the door to the sound of jeering laughter.