Suran woke up with difficulty. Her legs under the blanket pushed all the catalogs off the bed. She slept last night while she was working and didn’t get the chance to clean up and put everything back. 

Her grandmother entered her room without knocking the door as usual, which made Suran already give up. ‘Wake up, isn’t it time for your work already?’

Suran closed her eyes shut and held her head. Part of every morning routine is when her grandmother give her the long known lecture of how to live life. ‘You should’ve been up 2 hours ago to make breakfast and to clean the house—‘ She did not stop to take a breathe. ‘When will your sleeping pattern get into order?’ She scoffed and answered herself. ‘Never, right?’ 

‘Grandma, leave right now.’ Suran said with a monotonous tone and she pointed at the door. ‘I should’ve locked it.’

‘If you did, you wouldn’t have anyone to wake you up for your work. Then you’d lose the job and stay home, useless.’ Suran heard her grandmother say something. She looked at where her grandmother headed. It was the magazines and catalogs on the floor. From her position in the bed, she can see Ong Seongwoo’s face in one of the magazines. Even her grandmother now recognizes him. 

‘Of course, you will wake up late everyday if that’s what keeps you up all night—‘ 

‘Grandma!’ Suran groaned and stood on the cold floor. She took the magazine that was in her hand and put it on the desk along wit the other magazines. ‘Don’t spread rumors. This is not what kept me up all night.’ 

She liked the guy. His face was just her type of men, his speciality resembles hers, his interest and family business is her dream job, but that doesn’t mean she drool about him late at night. 

She works hard so she can go somewhere and become someone, but clearly her family will never see this. She will work hard to make them see her efforts. 

‘Like I care what did.’ 

Eventually, her grandmother had to get her out of her room to help her around in the house. They prepared the food together, although her grandmother did not actually need her help. 

Once Suran was done, she went to dress up. A black crop top with a pair of jeans. But that brought some little comments from her grandmother, father, uncle, and grandfather. They didn’t just comment on her clothes, but also on her job she’s going to. It was also part of the morning routine to always say negative feedback about her job, and how it would be better if she’s worked in the family shop down the street. 

Suffocated, she finally left along with her camera bags and headed along with her friend to their work-place. 

————————

She always brings her cameras with her in case a place was vacant to show off her skills at her work-place. However, all she’s ever done was clean things up, return pieces of clothes back, get the models ready and so on. 

She works more than ten hours a day. Sometimes she will stay a few more hours because she might snatch a chance of proving to others what she actually can do. 

That day, Suran lied on the leather sofa exhausted. Her sneakers were next to her on the floor to let her feet breathe a little. She remembers when she first started working here and how she never took off her high heels until one day she sprained her ankle. 

It was 30 minutes for the clock to announce that it is the middle of the night. 

Suran’s ears eavesdropped to two people talking a few meters away. She couldn’t help but smile. She’s always believed that staying this late at her work-place has its perks. 

She stood on her feet as if she didn’t wince in pain the previous minutes. She approached her boss as she spoke to a senior. She was pissed that her husband’s mother just got admitted to the hospital and she has to fly to Daegu first thing in the morning. This will prevent her from going to the celebration of the 12th anniversary of Q magazine that’s held tomorrow night. 

‘They’ve sent the invitation for me and my husband and I have already agreed that I can go there—‘ 

She’s pissed because she will have to go to Daegu when her mother-in-law is not even in a serious situation. It’s always the case. 

Suran smiled and waved a hand as she offered. ‘My partner Hyejin can go to represent the company, how about that?’