”I’m sorry but we don’t take High School students” that was the only thing people had told me these past two days. I didn’t think that getting a job could be this hard. I where running out of ideas of what I could do. I’d been to every possible shop, but no one wanted to take me in.

*How the hell did MyungSoo manage to get a job, when I can’t?*

Such a failure I am, I can’t find a job, my parents are dead and I have no relatives either. What was I going to do when February ended and the bills started to arrive again? I sighed and began to walk towards the subway. It was no use to continue with this.

“Yo! Little girl”

I turned my head around and right in front of me it was a well dressed man in his late twenties, his clothes were all different kind of brands, Gucci, Lacoste and Dolce & Gabbana. I stared up from his clothes and glanced at his face. No wounds or scares, maybe he wasn’t what I thought he’d be, a member of the mafia.

A rush of relief ran through my body as I continued to stare at him, wondering what he wanted.

“I heard you’re looking for a job” he spoke with a light hint of a dialect, though I couldn’t remember where I had heard such a dialect before, I decided to push that matter away and ask him why he was curious about if I where looking for a job.

“I run a night club in Itaewon and I’m in need for a new waitress” what kind of person did he take me for, someone who gladly would accept any kind of job offer, no. I explained to him that I didn’t do that kind of stuff before I began walking again.

“You can earn up to 300 000₩ (300$) per night”

I stopped in my tracks, was he really telling the truth? Could I really make that much in one night? I turned my body around and walked up to him again. “What exactly is it I have to do? I’m not going to do any kind of that” mixed feelings wandered my mind as I waited for this man to answer my question, if I where to begin working there it would be without having to do anything dirty.

He started to tell me that serving drinks and only sitting together with those who drink was my job. Okay that didn’t sound too awful and besides, I needed the money.

“Okay, I’ll do it” I felt somewhat at ease that I finally had found a job, though it wasn’t maybe the first job I had imagined myself working at. “Great, come tomorrow at 9.00PM and we’ll discuss your working hours” he stated before handing over a business card with a logo of the night club and below it an address. At least he had told the truth about where it was located, since I noticed that the address was on Itaewon’s busiest nightlife street.

~~

I had spent the whole previous night thinking about if I had made the right decision, and what if the school found out? I’d be expelled immediately. I wonder what mom and dad would say if they knew I would start working at a club. I don’t think they’d be too happy. But then again, this is about me surviving. I’m not doing this because I think its fun.

The school day had went by quiet quickly, though I where cautious enough to not run into MyungSoo as he would probably only wonder who everything was, and if I where alright.

And now, now I where on my way to the club, the neon sign with the ridiculous name of the club soon became visibly, like who named a club; High Love? Such a cheesy name; did the ones that come here really believe that they would find love.

*Hah, what a joke*

The smell that met me inside the doors was sweet mixture with something sour, either were the girls working here using too much perfume or it was something else that was lingering the air and making it hard to breath.
“You came” the same man as yesterday appeared out of nowhere and clapped his hands together as he began to speak.

“Fallow after me” he hushed me to step inside a small room that was located right next to the entrance as he introduced himself as Jinho. Though he didn’t include any last name to his introduction, well it wasn’t like I cared either.

“You’ll be working from 9.00PM to 2.00AM and you can’t have any boyfriend when working here” he was more than clear on that rule, more like, it was the only rule besides that I needed to get here in time for my shift. But that I already knew.

After going through some small things such as who you should be extra careful around and to who you can’t talk to with some things. Apparently any kind of person could enter this club, either it be a mafia member, an old man or a University student. The only exception was no High School students, since they caused too much trouble.

“Well then, the lockers are upstairs and I’ve put some clothes in there for you. Remember to lock it after yourself so your things don’t disappear” he was holding onto a key, which he handed over to me and told me that I where free to go.

*At least he seems nice, and what did he mean with ‘lock after you?’ was people stealing things here?*
I went up the stairs that were located a few meters inside the building before I stepped inside the changing room; it was already filled with a couple of girls. Some of them shifted their gaze from what they where doing to me. I bowed and said a simple ‘Annyeong’; a low scoff could be heard as I straightened my back and glanced around on all the girls, it didn’t take many seconds before I noticed that I was the youngest one and one girl weren’t late to point that out.

“Yah! What are you doing here? Aren’t you attending High School” a woman pointed out that I shouldn’t be here. But what did she know, if it weren’t for what had happened then I wouldn’t be here at all. I decided that the best would be to just shut up and focus on work; I didn’t want any enemies here, as it would only make everything worse.

“Se Yoo let her be” a girl not much older than me stepped forward and whispered into this ‘Se Yoo’s’ ear before she came to my side and introduced herself as Yang In Ae before she asked why I needed to work at such a place.

“I need money” my answer was simple and direct as I began to strip myself out of my own clothes before I put on the dress I had been given. To my fear It only reached down to my upper thigh and it showed a bit too much of my body for me to feel at ease.

“Relax; they’re not going to do anything to you” In Ae spoke up and smiled warmheartedly, just like my mother used to when I was afraid for something. I heaved a sigh and proceeded out and down to the club itself. I had to turn my own emotions off I wanted this to work.

“Shows on”