It’s 2:00 pm and my shift is about to end in an hour. I work here at the bakeshop from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm with an hour of lunch break from Monday to Friday. Afterwards, I’ll go to my part-time job at the flower shop from 4:00-7:00 on week days and 1:00-4:00 on Saturdays. My job at the tutorial center starts at 7:30 pm and ends at 10:30 pm on weekdays but it depends on the students, the tutorial class sometimes end before the time and sometimes we go beyond 11:00 especially a couple of weeks before the exams.

       I am a waitress here at the Sunny Bakeshop. We not only serve breads, cakes and pastries but also coffee, tea, milk and other drinks except for alcohol. I left my other job because it jot boring and the pay here is a bit better. This store is Sunny Bakeshop’s one of six branches and first in my area. It opened just a month ago. Since Sunny Bakeshop is already a known name, lots of people come here.  I was hired almost immediately because they needed more people.

       I thing I will like working here. Everyone is kind and helpful to the new employee. Miss Eun Kyung is very kind and amiable. Everyone is fun to work with except for the boss. Yang Seung Ho is the owner of Sunny Bakeshop chain store. He inherited this business from his parents when he was 25 and he’s been the owner of Sunny Bakeshop for 7 years now. From one store in Gangnam district, Sunny Bakeshop has now five branches around Seoul and one in Incheon. He’s been sticking around this fledgling branch to monitor it carefully.

       After my shift at the bakeshop I went to my job at the flower shop. We were not particularly busy at the flower shop because there were no events as of the moment so I got off early. The tutorial center called and asked if I can postpone today’s class for tomorrow because the students were asking extra lessons for math. After my work at the flower shop, I went to do some grocery shopping and then went home.

       Since I was home earlier than usual, I did my laundry and tried to clean my house. As I was about to make dinner, my doorbell rang. “Who would come here at this hour?” I asked myself. “Coming!”  I said, as the bell continued ringing. I opened the door and I was surprised to see my mother standing there. “Omma! What are doing here?” She just smiled and I motioned her to come inside. “Have you eaten yet?  I was just about to make dinner. What would you like to eat? Are you thirsty? I only have orange juice and water, though. But I can run down to the store if you want anything.” I fired at my mother as I was rummaging through my small kitchen. “Omma?” “It’s okay, honey. I’m not hungry or thirsty.” Mother said as she looked around my house. This visit sure was a surprise. This is the first time that my mother visited, ever. Not in my two years of staying here has any of my family come here.

       “Honey, we need to talk.” Mother said in a very serious tone. I swallowed hard. Here it comes.