Just like all mornings, the relentless aggression of the alarm clock was always the first thing she heard at 6AM. Groaning, she contemplated on ignoring the siren and usual wakeup time, along with the risk of being late for her morning workout. Last time dealing with her boss wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, but that was the least of her worries for now. Right before she could shift around in the bed, her phone abruptly became the new alarm, a series of messages spamming her inbox. To no one’s surprise, it was the boss...in all caps. So now, not wanting to get fired again, she sighed before getting ready for the gym. Like her usual drives there, the roads were jam packed, especially on busy mornings such as this: no one wanted to be late for work. Couldn’t be Karina. On these types of days, who wouldn’t want to just stay home and sleep all day? If the industry wanted to flourish, why not let workers rest? Karina asked this question every day, but here she was, on her way to work her off from morning to midnight. At this point, Karina hoped today would just be a good one. Around halfway there she got a call from her coworker and close friend, Heejin.

    She picked it up just as the traffic light turned green, hearing the girl chuckling on the other side. “What’s up?” 

    “Dude, boss is mad mad.” Karina stayed unsurprised. “Wow, shocker. I’m assuming it’s crowded in the gym today?” 

    “Yeah. Is the traffic holding you up or did you ‘encounter a wild deer’ again?” Heejin teased, earning a scoff in return. “What the hell was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell her I was in the middle of buying donuts.” 

    “You know she almost called that animal control department or whatever?” 

    That was true. While it was nice that their boss genuinely cared about her workers’ safety, she could be really cranky. Karina slightly shuddered upon remembering how she had to deal with that for the first time. “I still snuck her favorite donut on her desk.” As their conversation continued, time was running out. “Anyways, what’s boss doing now?”

    “Taking out her frustrations on another punching bag.”

    “What do you mean ‘another’?” 

    “She kicked the other one in half.”

    Karina immediately slumped, knowing what that meant. “She’s gonna make me replace it, isn’t she…?” Heejin giggled at her misery. “You know her.” Yep, this day just got worse. “ing great. First the traffic and now this.”

    “If it helps make you feel better, the others and I are planning a night out later today. Wanna come?” 

    “Thanks, but I’m good. Not in the mood to get wasted.” She could just feel Heejin roll her eyes, “when are you ever in the mood to be wasted? You’re the designated driver after all.”

    “That’s because Hyunjin nearly flattened some pedestrians on the curb.” Karina said. Now That was an event to remember. “Thank god we weren’t caught on camera….”

    She chuckled before continuing. “Hey, I’m almost there so I’ll hang up now.” 

    “Alright. See ya.”

    As Karina pulled up into the parking lot, she stayed in her car for a little while, nervous to go inside. Despite looking calm, absolute hell was waiting behind those doors. Karina just continued hoping she’ll still keep her job after today. In her dreams, maybe. Taking deep breaths, Karina finally entered and wow, Heejin wasn’t lying: it was so crowded, she didn’t recognize anyone. Within ten minutes of sneaking into the locker room and hastily changing, Karina wasted no time trying to find her coworkers, while also avoiding the boss…which failed miserably.

    “Yoo Jimin!” She heard Sooyoung shout in the distance and instantly froze. “It’s about time you showed up.” 

    “U-unnie…I was um, looking for you.” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Good. Because I need to speak to you.” Shortly after, Sooyoung hopped onto the boxing ring as Karina stayed still in her spot. “What are you waiting for? Get up here.” Did she…want to spar?? Not looking forward to getting yelled at, Karina followed as Sooyoung tossed her some gloves. “Since being late to work and pissing me off has been your daily routine lately, let’s make this a regular thing for the next few weeks. For every 10 minutes that you missed, we will spar here.” 

    “Wait, in front of everyone??” There was no way, but Sooyoung spared her from the silence. “Yep. Why? You scared of getting your kicked in public?” She teased, which was enough to convince Karina, though still reluctant.

    “Fine….” 

    A match began once they were geared up, constantly exchanging jabs and kicks. This definitely caught the attention of coworkers and customers, who gazed in awe at their morning tussle. Even hours later into the afternoon, Karina and Sooyoung didn’t hold back despite both sweating bullets. She’d never (literally) fought her boss before, so this was kinda new. Just with extra violence and bruises thrown in the mix. When things seemed to be going in Sooyoung’s favor, Karina would catch her off guard with a roundhouse kick to the face. Surprise attacks came and went but neither would relent. However, once blood had finally made its grand appearance into the bout, the employees had to step in and call the match. Sooyoung sustained lots of bruises while Karina got a small, deep cut on her eyebrow. Luckily for them, nothing was serious enough for an emergency room visit. No one had the time to pay for medical bills. On that note, the two were now resting in the locker room after Heejin and the other coworkers made sure to take thorough care of their wounds. What a day this was.

    “Is that my punishment now?” Karina frowned while lightly tapping her bandaged injury. Sooyoung simply kept her eyes closed and answered. “It helps us blow off some steam. Also gives me a free pass to beat you up.” They both chuckled as Karina agreed. “What’s been making you so late to work lately? I know that deer doesn’t block the road everyday.”

    She almost rolled her eyes at the teasing. “It’s just…I don’t know. My mood really dropped one day and…I didn’t want to do anything but stay in bed 24/7. Before I knew it, I started overthinking about a lot of things, which made me even more stressed and bummed out.” Sooyoung frowned the more Karina described this troubling feeling. “It kinda came out of nowhere? I used to keep up with my daily routine: get up early, work out, eat healthy food, etc etc., but now I’m just very lazy.

    “Hm…look, I may not be an expert or have a doctorate’s degree, but do you think maybe you’re going through depression right now? Only saying that because I’ve dealt with it as well.” 

    “Oh, you may be on to something.” Karina felt thankful there was someone who understood her struggles. “Does it…get any better?” 

    “Depression isn’t easy the first few weeks, but as long as you have people who care about you and wish the best, it’ll just feel like a phase. Although, I still recommend seeing a therapist, just in case it gets worse somehow.” 

    “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see if I can make an appointment soon.” Sooyoung smiled softly and nodded. “That’s the spirit. I’m glad you were able to learn your lesson today, so prepare for next week.” 

    “F-for more?” Karina nervously stuttered. 

    “Mhm. And depending on what happens in the future, I won’t go too hard like today.” She smirked at her junior’s dismayed reaction before getting up and leaving. “Can I at least be paid extra then??”

    “Don’t push it, Yoo Jimin.” 

    Sooyoung called in the distance while shoving some clothes in her bag. Karina quietly groaned and slumped. Just great, she thought. Pretty soon, many of their coworkers called it a day and went home, leaving just her, Sooyoung and Heejin in the gym. They cleaned the equipment, set items back in place, reorganized shelves, the usual. Once in a while, Heejin would playfully throw a dirty sock at Karina, which led to some wrestling until Sooyoung forced them apart. An hour later the girls decided to chill in the locker room while their boss was doing paperwork. Heejin had asked her again about the night out at some bar, which Karina took some time to consider, especially when they weren’t planning on going to the club again. She could never forget when Hyunjin and Hyejoo danced on the tables and beat the living out of some dudes for trying to talk to them. 

    “Are you sure you still don’t wanna go?” The question in itself was tempting. “I guess…I have nothing to do at home anyways.”

    “Great! The girls will be happy.” That made Karina feel slightly better for the first time today. It’d actually been weeks since the last time she actually hung out with her friends, so hopefully, this would lift the mood for once. After a while, Heejin checked the time as Karina layed down on the bench. Suddenly, lights flickered and caught their attention. At first, they both dismissed it, thinking the electricity was just being annoying…until it went out completely. 

    “What the hell?” Heejin looked around, confused while using her phone’s flashlight. 

    “When was the last time Sooyoung unnie paid the electrical bill?” She slightly teased. 

    “Yesterday.” Karina froze. That was a red flag. Before anyone realized, the room began shaking. “Earthquake!” Immediately, they both panicked before ducking under benches. Heejin yelped when a locker tipped over, just barely missing her feet. She closed her eyes shut, hoping for this to end soon. On the other hand, Karina kept an eye out, only to hear Sooyoung seemingly crying out in pain just outside. When the violent shock finally stopped, she ushered Heejin from under the bench and headed outside. To say they were shocked was an absolute understatement. The mess in the gym was mocking them, all the hours spent cleaning this place had been futile. The earthquake wasn’t their fault though. Quickly regaining her composure, Karina told Heejin to go look around for Sooyoung, which soon led to digging through piles of equipment. It didn’t take long for her to realize they’d made a mistake of buying so many barbells. She wasn’t ready to even think about the worst possible scenario. That was when Karina saw something move under a fallen shelf before rushing towards it and moved a mat out of the way, gasping in horror. “Sooyoung unnie!”