Song: Tomorrow by Chanyeol

(March)

“How’s your interview?” her Aunt asked her that same afternoon. “You were not picking up.”

“Omo, you called me 10 times the past thirty minutes. I’m driving, you want me to get into an accident?” Yuna said honestly.

“Put your phone in loudspeaker and talk to me,” she demanded, in disbelief as to how her niece is taking this lightly. Well that’s what she always does anyways when it comes to anything at all.

“It was…good. You didn’t tell me that the royal couple is that good-looking, auntie. The princess is so poised. Is there any way I can be like her and win my own modern-day prince too?”

“I am not asking about them. I am asking about how you did in the interview.”

“Hmmm…from 1 to 10 maybe…f-five?”

“Huh? Just five?”

“Or maybe four. Yeah, it’s a four.”

“Why are you so unbothered? How did you end up with a four?”

“They’re so uptight that I ended up lost for words, ‘kay?”

“Uptight? Dara is uptight?” she could not believe it.

“Woah, you address her with her first name? Woah auntie, you really made it big out there.”

She heard her father’s youngest sibling scoffing. They are closest in age with a 12-year gap so she had started confiding in her more. “I’ll just ask them since I’m not getting anything from you anyways. What are you doing later? I have another c-section then I’m free for dinner. You wanna grab something to eat?”

“Am good. Thanks for the offer, auntie.”

“You never agree to eat dinner with me. You’re always out with your friends.”

She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. “What can I say? I’m a social butterfly.” She proceeded on parking at her intended destination. “I gotta go. I’m at the salon.”

“You go to the salon everyday.”

“No way. It’s alternating between the salon and spa, then off to meet my friends.”

“You spend so much money pampering yourself and yet you don’t have a boyfriend, still. If you don’t get a decent job, at least marry someone responsible so you won’t completely go off track in life.”

“I don’t doll up for men. I do it for myself, auntie.”

“If you say so,” she won’t believe her, still. “When will you grow up, Yuna? You’re in your early thirties and you’re still acting like you’re in your teens. You have no direction in your life. Aren’t you panicking at all? I’m seriously concerned with you.”

“I am not acting like a teen. I’m as responsible as it can get, auntie.”

“My brother…your parents aren’t getting any younger. You know that when the time comes, it’ll only be the two of us. And by then I want you to be well-equipped to face the world.”

“Relax, auntie. I got this. I gotta go. If the interview doesn’t turn out well, we’ll get another opportunity. Let’s not stop hoping and believing.”

“I even don’t see you at the house anymore. It’s as if you’re only renting or something.”

Yuna was only silent. After a while, she heard her aunt sighing and ending the call.

“Ya, you’re late again!” the lady on the counter shouted when she entered this establishment. It was this beef place right outside of Itaewon. While it’s quiet most of the day, it gets crowded towards midnight and in the wee hours, where partygoers stop by and have a night cap.

“Sorry, Mrs. Won! You know, I’m a very busy woman!”

“Your shift is about to start. Go change!”

“Am on it, ma’am!” she took her apron from the employees’ quarters and wore it, together with her usual shirt that smells like oil and the rest of the items that they sell there. “Since when is this stain here?” she noticed her shirt which was dirty white, full of oil stains.

“We have two customers. Go to them, palli!” Mrs. Won exclaimed.

She walked fast to meet the two who entered. “Here’s your menu, please call me once you have decided on your orders,” she told the couple courteously.

From 5pm onwards she works at this small-time grill. It was the only job that accepted her application on such short notice as she got fired from her regular day job as a sampling sales staff at this beauty shop.

They said that while she is charming and competent enough, the company could not afford to make her a regular employee (benefits included) so they needed to let her go.

She thought it was unfair, but what can she do? As if she can stand up for herself and battle with the shop’s owner anyways.

It was always like that with the jobs she’s had. They were all short term and nothing lasted long.

She’s quite used to this setup in general, that nothing lasts for long so she’s bothered for some time, then lets it go easily.

What’s the point in dwelling on something you can’t change, anyways? The best thing to do is move forward. She’s not the type to sulk and overthink.

“We have a packed evening,” her fellow waitress, Seulgi, murmured while wiping the sweat on her brow.

“I know. Good for us as our workplace is getting more popular! Fighting!” she encouraged her grunting workmates.

She held her tummy and realized that she hasn’t had dinner yet. “Crap, it’s almost 9pm yet I haven’t had anything in my system.”

“Yuna, ya, table 6!” Mrs. Won was at it again.

“Yes, I’m on my way!” she almost choked on the first glass water she’s had and ran towards the impatient group of highschoolers.

It was like that everyday, and while it is very apparent that she is the most hardworking of the batch, she didn’t mind if extra load is given to her as she knew she needed to work harder than anyone.