Brushing his bangs from his face, Sungmin lifted himself off the floor with a groan. His body had it rough, whether he stood to do the laundry or leisurely folded it while sitting on the floor. He was really too young to be this tired though – if he wasn’t careful, his day job would turn him into an ahjumma.

Gathering the towers of folded laundry, he distributed them throughout the bathrooms and closets in the house. The lady who owned the Cheondamdong villa was a widow who lived alone most of the year, but her children often dropped in unannounced and took over the guest rooms, which meant Sungmin had to keep every room clean and well-stocked. Admittedly, the only time he had ever seen anyone besides his employer in the house had been when he had walked in on a very hungover and very young man whose hair was even wilder than Sungmin’s platinum blond.

Sungmin scrubbed down all the bathrooms and then washed his hands well before heading to the kitchen, where he did the dishes and cleaned up the cluttered counters. Although sweet, the ahjumma was not the neatest person and tended to leave things where she last used them.

The last thing he had to do was take out the trash, and so he grabbed all his belongings and stuffed them in his pockets before collecting the trash and taking it outside, locking the door behind himself. A few dogs barked as he walked out into the streets of Cheondamdong, taking in the beautiful greenery and millionaire-worthy architecture. One day he would live in this neighborhood, with famous neighbors who would stop and chat with him about his latest novel as they walked their pampered toy dogs with the rhinestone leashes…

There was only one thing he had to do before going home – a quick pit stop at his editor’s office and then he’d be free to work on his latest manuscript for the rest of the night. The publication office was only a branch of the main company, a busy office squeezed into a line of high end boutiques and cafes. He left the place with the first run of his latest novel, several samples squeezed into a small box that he cradled under his arm.

He hailed a taxi to take him home, barely getting the address out of his mouth before his phone rang. It was Ryeowook, a friend and ex-roommate from college. “Hyung!” He chirped happily as soon as Sungmin answered. “Hyung, let me treat you to dinner tonight! I have something for you!”

“Ryeowook-ah, I need to work tonight,” Sungmin replied calmly, his thumb brushing the edge of the cardboard box. “I took on a technical job and I don’t want to –“

“Hyung, really! I’ll treat tonight, and then every time after that you’ll be able to treat me!”

Sungmin frowned. “Why?” he asked curiously. Actually, whenever the two got together they paid dutch, and Sungmin was starting to get suspicious. “Just because I took on an extra job—“

“Because if my offer for you works out, you’ll have plenty of money to treat! But you have to come to dinner to find out more~!”

Sighing, Sungmin fidgeted a little. “Ryeowook-ah, I’m almost home now. I’ve already crossed the bridge, so maybe another day?”

“It’s fine hyung, I’ll come to you and we can go to a restaurant near your apartment. You really should take this offer. I wish I could…”

Biting his lip, Sungmin groaned and acquiesced. “You better not be me out,” he threatened, and Ryeowook laughed before hanging up. Putting his phone away, Sungmin caught the driver’s glance in the rearview mirror and smiled awkwardly. It looked like he wouldn’t be getting the quiet night alone with his laptop that he had desperately wanted.

The first thing he did when he entered his apartment was to break his box of books open and admire each one. He slid across his floor in his slippers, stacking most of the books by his bed and taking one to read.

Knowing that Ryeowook would be unfashionably early for dinner, Sungmin decided to not even sit down at his desk, in case he was tempted to work.  Instead he headed towards his favorite armchair, settling into the deep cushions and diving into his own masterpiece. In all actuality it was a romance novel that he had written just to get something out on the market, and he had written it under an alias. Romance novels were so easy to get published, even if they were stereotypical and the characters were unlikeable. Sungmin hated putting out crap into the market, even under a fake name, so he had at least had the decency to give the storyline a few nice twists. Not to mention the book had given him just enough for his next rent payment.

He was just getting to the first plot twist when the bell to his apartment rang, shocking him out of his reading stupor. He closed the book without even noting the page number – he knew what happened next, he was pleased enough with the publication that he didn’t need to keep reading.

Ryeowook bounded into his apartment as soon as Sungmin opened the door for him, a twinkle in his eye. “Congratulations!” he sang, making himself at home immediately in Sungmin’s guest slippers. “I saw your newest release today in the bookstore. I honestly wouldn’t have known it was yours if I didn’t know what to look for.”

“Oh? Did they have it out on display?” Sungmin asked curiously. It was his first time using that alias, so he didn’t know why any store would put up a fuss.

“It was on a table with other new releases, right by the door.” Ryeowook seemed satisfied with his friend’s success and Sungmin smiled. “I bet it’ll sell quite a few copies, hyung.”

“Thanks, Ryeowook-ah. Do you want a copy?” He gestured to the stack by his bed and Ryeowook chuckled, shaking his head.

“When do I have time to read?” he asked. “I’m lucky I have time to eat and sleep! Which reminds me, I’m completely starving, let’s go somewhere that’ll serve us quickly.”

Sungmin grabbed his coat and they left the apartment building, Ryeowook chattering happily about the messes his clients made him clean up recently and about his second job as a bakery assistant. Apparently his second job could sometimes be synonymous with his first, the way his coworkers spilled bags of flour and trays of cookies.

They settled for a cheap family restaurant just down the street that didn’t look too busy. It was a little early for dinner in Sungmin’s opinion, but Ryeowook was passionate about food and made it his personal mission to see Sungmin eat every time they met, as if the starving writer stereotype was a real thing. Well, there were some nights that he just forgot to eat, but if he had enough to pay his rent then he always had a little extra for takeout or groceries.

Their food was served not too long after they ordered, and in that time Ryeowook had gotten Sungmin to talk about his week and his plans for his next novel as well as the extra work he had taken on to fill in some gaps in his budget. They dug in heartily, only talking to comment on how good the food was. Ryeowook waited until they had both slowed down and were just picking at their food to mention the reason he called Sungmin out.

“Hyung, you won’t believe the incredible offer I got the other day,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and playing with his drink. Sungmin raised his eyebrows to show that he was paying attention, his mouth full of food. “There’s a rich CEO in Apgujeong who needs a cleaner, only he’s really particular about the service. Like, he wants me to come every single day and clean, and because it’s so often he’s willing to pay a lot more than usual.”

He hesitated and Sungmin said, “That’s great, Wookie. It’s a good break, you should take it.”

“I…can’t, though.” Ryeowook’s mouth twisted into a grimace and he tested a few words before mumbling, “I don’t want to be a freaking maid anymore…I want to focus on the bakery, and maybe apply to a culinary school…”

Sungmin nodded slowly, understanding his friend. “I think you would make a great patissier,” he admitted, “but culinary school is an expensive venture. Doesn’t it make more sense to just do this one job to get the money, and then focus on your dream?”

“I’m sick of waiting!” Ryeowook hissed under his breath. “I’m tired of cleaning up after other people and doing the same things over and over again. Now that I finally know what I want, I want to be able to work towards my dream wholeheartedly, not a little at a time!”

Watching wordlessly, Sungmin felt a little sad. “Wookie…I really wish I could help you.”

Ryeowook shook his head as if it was nothing. “You got me the job at the cleaners’ in the first place, you basically gave me my savings until now. Anyways, I called you out here because I thought you should have the chance to grab this opportunity before anyone else. You want it, right?”

Sungmin hesitated. “I don’t know…I really wanted to spend more time on my writing, too…”

Ryeowook pulled out his aegyo-eyes, the ones that Sungmin could never win against. “Hyung…please take it…I mean, I was worried that someone else would take the opportunity if I said no, so I actually signed your name…”

“You what?!” Sungmin screeched. “Wookie, tell me you didn’t!”

“Hyung, it’s a great opportunity! Really, the amount he’s offering is great, even the time you’re taking out of writing will be completely worth it!” Ryeowook looked a little worried now, but he was still putting some effort into his aegyo. “At least try it, grab a few paychecks and then walk away if you have to. You said yourself that it’s good to save up first, since you have more patience than me and you should be able to reap the reward…”

Sungmin rubbed his temples agitatedly. “Wookie,” he whined, “why didn’t you just call me and ask before signing me up?”

“Besides the great paycheck? I thought maybe you could get in close with the CEO guy. Apgujeong is actually the richest neighborhood in Seoul at the moment – why are you trying to get into Cheongdamdong anyways? Apgujeong is just as good, and maybe this guy can inadvertently help you somehow!”

“You’re crazy, Ryeowook,” Sungmin growled. “Real life isn’t like those fairytales. But since it’s like this, I don’t suppose I have any other choice. You should at least give me the details so I know where the heck I’m going and when.”

“I’ll text the address and times to you later,” Ryeowook promised. “The paper is at home on my desk.”

“When does it start?” Sungmin asked wearily, tired and almost scared to know the answer.

The sheepish look Ryeowook was sporting was definitely a dead giveaway. “Tomorrow?” he sang, looking tense enough to bounce away from the table if Sungmin made a move to grab his throat. But Sungmin just let out his breath and stood from the table, gathering his coat.

“Thanks for the food, Wookie. Text me tonight, definitely before midnight. You’re taking a cab home, right?”

“Mhmm. Sorry, I thought you’d be more thrilled at the thought of some extra income,” Ryeowook apologized with a smile.

Sungmin returned the smile. “It’s fine, I’ll get over it. If the hours are reasonable it’ll be fine, and I’ll just stay up later to work on my books and make up the difference.”

“Don’t work too hard!” Ryeowook scolded as he went to pay the bill. “And I’ll see you later, hyung. Let me know how everything goes!”

Waving goodbye, Sungmin left the restaurant and headed towards his apartment building. He caught a whiff of cheap alcohol just as he heard a crunch of glass under his shoes, making him grimace. His neighborhood wasn’t the best, but there wasn’t too much crime and he didn’t have to worry about too many neighbors because his building was in the middle of a low end shopping district, not too far from the Han River. Usually people had to pay extra for apartments in that area, but because the skyscrapers and multi-level malls blocked any good views, his rent was considerably lower. And he didn’t really mind his view of the traffic, because on a bad day he could always sit near his windows and imagine each driver’s life – what their background might be, what they’re doing out on the road, what difficulties they might possibly be facing in their lives.

As soon as he let himself inside the apartment he headed for his closet, taking out his most comfortable sweats and changing into them. He never left the apartment in these clothes – they were strictly for the art of writing. Then, climbing into his cushy desk chair, he booted up his laptop and opened his word processor, smiling at the progress he had made the night before.

Writing was like his addiction – no matter what the subject was, fiction or nonfiction, Sungmin found it so easy to get immersed in the written language. He loved the research and the planning, the subtle foreshadowing and the best part of all – the creation. Sungmin loved the flow of words and how perfectly they formed in his brain and became truth through his fingers. He could sit at his computer for hours, writing any kind of scene imaginable. Once he started writing, it was just a little hard to stop.

Rereading his last few paragraphs, Sungmin smiled and began to write.