At ten o’clock five days after her interview Summer had returned the paperwork and was ready and waiting for Heejin to start her first shift.  It had happened as a kind of exchange, her documents for a uniform shirt which she had quickly changed into and returned to stand by the door to the office.  When the lady had appeared she merely beckoned the youngster with a wave of her hand and Summer followed as Heejin led them up a further two floors and stopped by a cupboard next to the stairs.

“Each floor has it’s own supply cupboard.  In it you will find everything you need,” she explained, pushing open the door and flicking on the light.  Stepping inside Summer ran her gaze over everything.  Bottles of numerous cleaning liquids were lined neatly across one shelf, cloths and sponges scattered around them.  The other shelves held various supplies such as paper towel and toilet paper for the bathrooms.  Then up against one wall stood multiple brooms, buckets and mops arranged by different colours and what Summer suspected was a waxing machine for the floors.  By the door stood a trolley that was clearly meant to transport everything she needed.

“Read the labels and everything will be clear enough.  The buckets and mops are specific to needs, don’t ever cross contaminate; yellow is for biohazards, red for anything potentially toxic, and blue is for general cleaning.  If you’re unsure of anything ask, don’t just guess,” Heejin instructed and Summer nodded in compliance.  “Alright then, load that trolley up with everything you think you need and I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Though Summer would never show it she was relatively pleased with herself for only forgetting one item and followed Heejin out of the room and down to the first door.  Behind it lay an abandoned practice room and the pair pulled up just inside.  Heejin gave a smile, the first one Summer had seen and she guessed why.  The room appeared chaotic; messy, but also orderly at the same time.  Everywhere her eyes moved there was something to put or throw away.

“Any rubbish is to be put in the bin, and even though they’ll have to drag everything else back out when they return you’ll have to move everything aside to clean the floors.  They are to be swept and mopped, and once a week the floors are to be waxed.  The mirrors also need to be cleaned, anything that needs to be dusted is dusted, and bins emptied,” Heejin explained and Summer once again nodded to show she had understood everything.  “Good, now leave the trolley here and I’ll show you what else you’re in charge of.”

The boss showed her to two more practice rooms, plus a pair of bathrooms to stock and maintain, and was finally instructed to clean and mop the hallways once all the idols had returned to their practice rooms.  Then she was left to her own devices, returning to the first room and moving to pick up the numerous chip packets and drink bottles lying discarded around the edges of it.  The entire time she couldn’t help but wonder who’s practice room this was, hoping that she would come across something that would give it away.  She could be standing in the very room Big Bang or 2NE1 practiced their forever famous dances.  Or perhaps it was one of the newer groups; Winner or iKON.  But just maybe it only belonged to one of the numerous trainees who were hoping to one day debut.

Trying not to grow too distracted she cleaned as quickly as she could while still doing a good job, remembering Heejin’s words that the dinner break for the users of the rooms was only an hour and she had to at least get the practice spaces cleaned before they returned.  Today she knew she was pushing it as her boss had spent a good ten minutes on the instructions.  Then again, if she managed it then it would give her a good idea of the pace she needed to work at from then onwards.  It was just approaching the half an hour mark when she finished up on the first room, quickly collecting the gear and moving onto the next one.  It was in this room that she made the first discovery as to whose space she was in as she bent to pick up an empty water bottle, finding the name Yunhyeong scrawled onto the side in marker.  With a broad grin she reached for another one, finding Hanbin on it.  She was in iKON’s practice room.

For a moment she wondered how much a fan would pay for a used water bottle, before she shook her head, chiding herself for even thinking about it.  That was sure to break one of the hundred clauses that she had signed her soul to on her contract.  But would anyone notice if she took Bobby’s for herself?  The image of the boy floated into her mind and she speculated whether she would see them or any of the other YG idols very often.  Yes she was to clean the rooms when they were absent, but surely they were to cross paths as they returned from breaks and she waited for the hallway to be free.  As she swept and mopped the floors she wondered whether Heejin would get mad at her for hanging around the corridors if she finished the rooms in time.  

Taking a duster to the equipment that lined the walls Summer reached a pile of discarded objects that teetered on a tower of boxes.  On closer inspection she discovered it to be a hoard of clothing items and shoes and she tutted softly, deciding to move them before the whole thing toppled over and either created a mess in the space she had just cleaned, or landed on someone.  Plucking a singlet off the top she paused with it hanging in the air, pinched between her fingers.  Whose was this?  Bobby’s?  B.I’s?  Someone else’s all together.   her lips she gingerly held it up to her nose, inhaling deeply.  A mixed scent of body spray and sweat met her nostrils and she imagined what it would be like to hug the boy while in it.  The sound of the door opening snapped her out of it and she quickly dropped her arm to find Heejin standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing with that?” she asked accusingly and Summer wondered how much she had seen.  Quickly folding it she placed it on the bench next to her with hands shaking from adrenaline.

“I’m just cleaning it up.  It’s all piled here like an accident waiting to happen,” she babbled back and the elder narrowed her eyes, before looking around the room.

“Are you done?”

“Almost, I just have to give the mirror a quick once over,” Summer answered and Heejin nodded after a moment, reaching to grab one of the bottles and cloths from the trolley.

“You have ten minutes until dinner is over.  Normally I wouldn’t do this, but seeing as I spent some of the time explaining things to you I’ll get started on the last room so it can be done in time,” the woman said and with that she disappeared out the door.  Letting out a relieved sigh Summer made quick work with the rest of the pile, folding everything as quickly as possible and placing the shoes under the bench.  Then she turned her attention to the mirror, promising herself that she would stop getting so distracted, determined to prove to Heejin that hiring her had been the right decision.