Gyuri sighed as she hoisted the bucket of laundry down the stairs, grunting with effort and sweat beading on her forehead. "This is unfair" she muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something?" Madam Zhou queried.

"No," Gyuri was quick to reply. "Nothing."

It had been a few days since Gyuri started working as a maid and it was safe to say that she hated every moment of it. To her dismay, she was made to scrub floors; sweep the courtyard and wash the laundry. Gyuri huffed as she cast her memory back to her first day on the job.

When Gyuri first discovered what her 'reward' for saving Taehyung entailed, she was appalled. Never in her fifteen years of life had she ever done chores as intense as what she had to do in the past few days.

At first, she had an optimistic image of what life as a servant would be like. She imagined caring for her allocated master and re-enacting the romantic scenes she had watched in her K-dramas. Maybe, her master would fall in love with her and they'd engage in a romantic but forbidden romance? Gyuri had fangirled at the prospect of such things happening. It would be like an epic romance story, one that rivalled the likes of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.

But like most things, reality was a lot crueller than her quirky imaginations.

Gyuri tasted the familiar flavours of disappointment as the few days passed by. There were no romantic encounters or possibilities of love blossoming between Gyuri and her master. And how could there be when Gyuri didn't have a master, to begin with?

Contrary to what Pho speculated, neither Namjoon nor Taehyung became Gyuri's master, much to the relief of Kalyani and Mayu. When Madam Zhou came to collect her on her first day, she was immediately informed that she would work as a relief maid. At first, Gyuri thought her role was convenient: all she had to do was help the other maids whenever they needed her. But that was before she discovered that her new role was essentially to be everyone's lackey.

Gyuri believed that Madam Zhou was punishing her.

Ever since Gyuri had wrestled with Taehyung, Madam Zhou had never let Gyuri out of her sight, not to mention the fact that she had given her the worst job available. It was like she didn't quite trust Gyuri and she probably believed that making her everyone's gopher was one of the ways of keeping her out of trouble. While Gyuri felt it was unfair, she had to admit that she couldn't blame her. If she was ever left alone with Taehyung, she would probably end up strangling him.

Gyuri huffed as she trailed after Madam Zhou, carrying a bucket full of linen that needed washing. It was so heavy it felt like her arms were going to pop out of their sockets.

"When you are done with the sheets," Madam Zhou began, "I need you to sweep the courtyard."

"Yes, Madam Zhou" she murmured tiredly as she struggled with the heavy basket.

Madam Zhou walked briskly ahead and only stopped when she suddenly heard one of the other maids calling after her.

"Madam Zhou!" Gyuri heard someone say from afar.

Madam Zhou inclined her head slightly as the young maid approached her. "What is it, Ada?"

The young maid was flushed from running, "Pho was taken ill." She gasped for breath, "So now we are one person short of serving the Kims' tea later."

A worried expression crossed Madam Zhou's face for a brief second before it returned to its usual placid countenance. "What about Kalyani? Mayu?"

Ada shook her head. "They're already serving. Pho was meant to join them along with me."

Madam Zhou was quiet once more.

"If I may be so bold as to suggest something" Ada finally said after what seemed like ten minutes.

"Go on" Madam Zhou prompted.

Ada's eyes met with Gyuri's. "Might I suggest Gyuri serve tea with us?"

Madam Zhou stiffened.

"Me? Serve tea?" Gyuri sounded surprised at the suggestion.

For the past few days, Madam Zhou had meticulously ensured that Gyuri never got close to any of the Kims so to her, having Gyuri serve tea to them was like running a marathon despite avoiding exercise: it was both reckless and incredibly unpredictable.

Madam Zhou pursed her lips. "I do not think that is a good idea."

"Madam Zhou, we are understaffed" Ada pleaded. "Gyuri is able-bodied and she is a relief maid, after all."

Still, Madam Zhou was reluctant to budge. She eyed Gyuri from behind her and scrutinised her face as if calculating if she could trust Gyuri not to get into any trouble.

As much as I am against it, Madam Zhou pondered, it is far worse to provide poor service to the Kims as opposed to the probability of Gyuri making a mistake.

"Fine" Madam Zhou murmured finally as she turned to face Ada. "Since we have little choice."

Ada gave a sigh of relief.

"You're really gonna let me serve?" Gyuri was astounded.

"Yes," Madam Zhou answered hesitantly. "It shall be a trial run. Someday, you may have a master to serve so it will do you some good to acquaint yourself with the Kims as early as possible." She gave her a warning look, "Just ensure that you behave cordially towards all the Kims."

Gyuri already knew which of the Kims she was referring to. She nodded slowly. "I'll try my best."

~*~

With damp sleeves and aching arms, Gyuri heaved the basket of wet sheets from where she was sitting near the stream and started making her way back to the maids' quarters. Three or so hours had elapsed since Madam Zhou had left her and without a doubt, Gyuri knew it was almost time for her to help serve tea to the Kims for the first time.

"Damn it," she cursed as she set the basket down on the ground while she rotated her shoulders. She sighed as she looked up at the blue sky while breathing in the fresh air. "What the hell am I doing here?" she murmured to herself. "I should be back home studying for my GCSEs..."

Gyuri surveyed her surroundings and took in the fresh and vibrant greenery of the Kims' household grounds. Currently, she was outdoors near the stream where the laundry maids did their tasks. Normally, Gyuri would take her time to appreciate the natural scenery since, in London, all she ever saw were grey concrete walls. But, in her current situation, all she could appreciate was the few hours of rest after a long day's work.

"Man, I miss the internet" she contemplated as she lifted the basket again. "I miss Snapchat" she complained further. "And YouTube." She sighed dejectedly, "I miss listening to music and watching TV."

As Gyuri made her way back, her mind inadvertently began to think about all the things she missed from back home. She missed being in a familiar place; she missed her dad and brother and most of all, she missed just being a normal teenage girl.

"This is child labour" Gyuri grumbled while eyeing the basket and then inspecting her blistered hands. "I should report them to the authorities!"

But then Gyuri's usual playful behaviour faded as she was overcome by a wave of anxiety and sadness.

Gyuri swiftly wiped away the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. She didn't want anyone to witness her crying, not even the other maids.

Even though she had befriended Pho and was sort of in good terms with Mayu, she didn't feel comfortable sharing with them her woes especially when it might impact the future if she happened to reveal too much. And because of such reasons, Gyuri felt burdened and isolated by the secret she harboured.

"I can do this," she told herself resolutely. "I'm not a wuss" she added while hastily wiping her tears away. "I'll find a way back home somehow. Just like Marty and Doc did in 'Back to the Future'."

Gyuri continued down the path with her newfound optimism. With every step she took, she tried to keep the doubt that was nagging at the back of her mind, at bay as it threatened to taint what hope she had left with the