The winter weeks flew by so quick that you were already heading back towards Pledis University. Not to mention your new phone finally came in after waiting for so long. Their excuse? The snow storm stopped the delivery services.

That morning you had received a phone call from the principle. And according to him, the spring semester had already started; two weeks ago to be exact.

It was only 1pm and you were set to meet up with Mr. Kwon at 1:30. You arrived early for one reason, and one reason only. The snowdrops were the first thing that you had to see after such a long break. On your way inside the main building, you realized the Christmas banner that Vernon had put up was now replaced with a new banner. It screamed ‘New Year, New Me’ and was decorated with books and music notes.

You quickly made your way towards the doors that led out to the courtyard. However, before you could exit, a few classroom doors down the hall opened, and at the sight of students exiting the rooms, you severed your plan. Hiding your identity was more important.

“You can close the door,” Mr. Kwon directed, and you shut the sound of walking students out by clicking his office door shut.

You sat down across from him and realized the suits sitting on his desk were no longer the ones from before. Placed beside them though, were the pack of keys that reminded you of your memories from last semester.

“You should still have your name badge from before so just make sure you wear it. These are the day janitor suits, so they are grey. They are also smaller in size so they should fit you better as well. Instead of afterhours, I’ll have you come from 3pm to 7pm this semester. That way you’re not going home too late. I spoke to your Grandfather and we both agreed that it is better for you to come during those hours,”

You nodded, but in your head you contemplated on how these hours were going to help you. Now that your hours had changed, you weren’t sure if this was a good or bad thing; because it felt nothing, but bad. You tried to keep a straight face in front of Mr. Kwon. After all, there was really nothing you could do.

You left Mr. Kwon’s office and headed over to the restroom. Inside, a few girls dressed in their uniforms looked at you. You greeted them with a slight smile and made your way to the furthest stall in the corner.

Mr. Kwon had asked you change so you could start your shift early. He also explained that there was a break room for day janitors beside the cafeteria; a place you never knew existed.

You struggled to get your key into the doorknob, but before you could even get it unlocked, the door swung open. The lady inside was clearly a janitor too. Her outfit looked exactly like yours, maybe even better.

The day janitor preferred to go by the name Chohee but you called her Mrs. Chohee. She was much older and could have been your mother. It just didn’t feel right speaking her name without using honorifics.

Her dark short hair had a few strands of white and her eyes were lined with faint wrinkles. Her face was round, and her fair skin had an odd tinge of orange which made her lips appear slightly pale.

“Hi, you must be our new coworker,” she stated with a smile.

“Yes…”

“Come inside,” she suggested and held the door open for you. “Are you familiar with this room?” She asked, and you shook your head in response.

She welcomingly proceeded to explain that the room was for day janitors. It was a break room and a place for them to store their belongings. She walked you over to the cubbies and you placed your satchel, your regular clothes, and the rest of your janitor suits in a small cubby beside hers. Afterwards, you followed her over to a large white board that was placed on the wall adjacent to the door.

“This is the board that tells us our duties. You’ve already been assigned an area.” She pointed to your name and proceeded to explain that every week they were assigned to specific parts of the school. Sometimes it was one area and other times it was more than one. “You’re very young and you may feel awkward. But all the students here are very nice. They know we are here to keep the school clean, so they are very cooperative and respectful,” she stated and walked back over to her cubby.

Her comment left you baffled. Was she sure about them being nice?? Some of the girls you had met last semester didn’t seem so friendly. Maybe it was her age that gave her seniority.

“I have been here since early this morning, so I will be leaving. If you need anything all our phone numbers are here,” Mrs. Chohee announced as she pointed to a white paper that was taped crooked on the wall. The list of phone numbers looked as if they were 6-point font. They were so small that you almost had to squint to make sure your eyes weren’t going bad.

There you were, at the very bottom. Now you were really, finally and officially a part of Pledis University…. their janitor team, that is.

Mrs. Chohee swung her dark grey pea-coat over her shoulders, “We are all aware that you are new here so don’t hesitate to ask us questions ok?”

You nodded and bade her a goodbye as she walked out of the room. Without Mrs. Chohee’s presence, you suddenly felt alone. Now what were you supposed to do? You took a deep breath in and glanced over to the board to stare at your name. You pressed your lips together while reading the area assigned to you: cafeteria.

You opened the break room door and peered out into the hallway; glancing left and right. Students were still walking through the halls while others were exiting out of the cafeteria with soda cans and coffee.

With slight fear, you retreated into the breakroom and closed the door to shield you from what felt like danger. For preparation, you patted your overgrown bangs before brushing your long hair to cover your shoulders. You fixed the metal headband that fit snuggly on your head and touched the pearl beads that decorated it; checking to make sure you hadn’t lost a bead.

You found yourself nervous, and unsure. But was it because you were worried you’d see someone you knew? No, it was because you were afraid that students would ask you who you were. That question was always the worst.

After a long pause you stepped out of the break room with your name badge in place and the loop of keys clipped, hanging heavy by your hip. Your phone was warm in your left pocket and you touched it to make sure it didn’t unknowingly vanish.

These gray suits, unlike the ones from before were much thicker and warmer on the inside. They were also definitely more comfortable as well. Although you still had to roll the legs and sleeves once, overall it was definitely a better fit. You smiled at a student that passed by and she smiled back before entering the cafeteria.