"Yah, do you think that's how you're supposed to make the beds ? If you climb on the bed, you'll crumple the sheets, so get down and do it properly ! Not that I care anyway, as you're the one who will iron it again afterwards." She screamed from the door and left.

   Just another day like the others. I've been a house maid for 7 months now. Daddy, I miss you.

   Right now I should be at school, but my mom, or whatever you want to call her, sometimes decides not to let me go, as there are plenty of house chores to do. Every time I try to go against her and go to school, even though she says I can't, she adds a new house chore for me to do, but not things like doing the dishes or vacuuming the house, these I do on a daily basis. She'll usually tell me to do things like looking for cockroaches' nests or organizing her underwear according to its colors.

   I wake up every morning at 5, so that I can prepare breakfast and still have plenty of time to get ready for school. The problem is that Hee Yeon never tells me beforehand that I won't go to school the next day and that really pisses me off. On days like today, I make breakfast for the three of us and go to my room to get ready for school. Then I go down to eat and sometimes find Il Hoon already sitting there, but never that lady. Lady.. Yeah, sure. So we eat together and that big fat lazy woman will make her way downstairs leisurely. In fact, she's not fat, she's actually gorgeous phisically. Even though she's over 50 years old, I would believe if someone told me she was in her late thirties. But still, I hate to admit it, so yeah. Actually worse than leisurely. I just feel like going behind her and pushing her down, so that she'll roll downstairs and get to the kitchen in a blink of an eye. But no. I'm not that kind of girl, not even to her. After she gets to the kitchen she tells me to go eat in the living room, as she doesn't like seeing her son and I together, but most of the times I have already finished eating by the time she comes. Then she simply tells me something like "You didn't finish ironing the clothes yesterday" and no other words or actions are needed. I get the message. No school for today. So I go back to my room, change my clothes again in less than 30 minutes and my routine repeats itself.

   8 a.m.: Time to clean the bathrooms.

   My bathroom and Il Hoon's are always clean, but that woman.. I really don't know what's her problem. There's always shampoo on the box glass, hair stuck to the walls, used cotton swabs and dental floss around the trash bin, soap on the faucet, toothpaste stains on the sink and a lot more. I'll be honest, I don't even clean her bathroom anymore, I just get rid of the visible evidence, but you will never see me scrubbing the floor or getting a staircase to reach the shower and clean every little hole of it, so that the water will come out nicely from every one of them. But I do it in my bathroom and in my brother's too. Judge me if you want to. Hee Yeon never notices anyways, so I'm good.

   11 a.m.: Time to start preparing lunch.

   That woman is a vegetarian. Too bad for her, I'm the one cooking and I love eating any kind of meat. Il Hoon likes it too, and that's the only reason why she still buys steaks and stuff.

   I remember she was a pretty good cook. Damn, I really hate to admit it. I don't really get why she always tells me to do the cooking, if she's always complaining that my food tastes bad. Then just do it yourself, mom ! I don't know if it really tastes bad or if she just likes seeing me mad, but still.. Il Hoon doesn't help much either, because he says my food is actually really good, but he's always saying nice things about me, so I don't know who is being honest.

   Finally the time I waited for all day has come. Il Hoon is coming back home ! Our school is just around the corner, literally, so he comes back to lunch when I have to stay at home. I don't really know why he comes back, as we always eat at school. Probably he doesn't want to leave me alone with his mom all day long. Thank you, Il Hoonnie.

   Just like every time, my mom and brother eat in the kitchen and I go to the living room or to my bedroom. Usually, moms would tell their kids not to eat anywhere that is not the kitchen, because then they would probably drop something that would become a feast for ants, but this mom was different. This woman doesn't even care if I drop food on the carpet. In fact, she might even hope for me to drop stuff, so that I'll have to clean it afterwards. More work for the house maid.

   Il Hoon always finishes his lunch as fast as he can and tells his mom that he's going to take a nap before going back to school. Actually, he cleans his bedroom. He always helps me secretly when he can and I'm thankful to him.

   1:30 p.m.: Time to tidy up the bedrooms, living room and kitchen.

  Thank you for helping me, oppa.

   As you can imagine, Hee Yeon's room is always a mess. Everyday, I really mean everyday, half of her wardrobe is on the floor. She hardly ever leaves the house, as she has already retired and barely has a couple of friends to go out with, so tell me why are her clothes on the floor ? She wouldn't even need to change clothes, but she does so 4 to 5 times a day just to make everything harder for me. Oh, and also her underwear, which I organized some days ago are all mixed up again. Just great. Besides, there are always crumbs on the carpet and sheets of paper waiting to be organized on the table. I usually take more time just to pick up her clothes than to tidy up both my room and Il Hoon's. Time to be honest again. I tend to leave some crumbs under her bed hoping that some cockroaches will show up and walk on her while she's asleep. Maybe even visiting . That would be just awesome. Evil laugh right here.

  I could make the beds while tidying up the rooms, which would make a lot more sense, but Hee Yeon forces me to make the beds right after breakfast. The reason ? I have no idea. She's probably just trying to make me take longer to finish the chores.

  4 p.m.: Time to do the laundry

  This seems easy right ? Well, it is. But not as easy as you think. I could easily finish washing all the clothes at once, using the washing machine, but Hee Yeon tells me to wash all the clothes that she threw on the floor, as they probably got dust on them, because of the time I took to pick them up. I usually have to program the washing machine 3 or 4 times a day. She's the one paying for the water and electricity bills, so I don't really care.

  5 p.m.: Time to hang the washed clothes

  My stepmother refuses to buy a drying machine, so I have to hang all the clothes in the backyard. While I wait for the second bunch of clothes to be washed, I hang the clean ones. In fact, there's not enough room for all the clothes to be hung at the same time, so the third pile of clothes will have to wait.

   6:05 p.m.: Il Hoon comes back home

  Hee Yeon thinks Il Hoon only comes back home at 6:40, but it's because he always comes in through the back door first and helps me hanging the clothes in places where I can't reach because of my height. Thanks again, oppa.

  7 p.m.: Il Hoon and Hee Yeon go out for dinner

  My dad was pretty wealthy, and I don't know what Hee Yeon did, but she got to receive 20% of my dad's inheritance, so she never has dinner at home. She takes Il Hoon to eat out and, obviously, I'm left alone. Yes, I do have a lot of money, and yes, I could also eat out if I wanted to, but I'm not willing to waste my money like that. I still have things I want to buy and I still have to go to university. I will usually get me some rice and a steak or, when I'm not in the mood to cook, I'll just have instant noodles.

  8 p.m.: Time to do anything

   I'm not kidding. As soon as I finish eating I watch TV, surf the internet, call my friends, read a book, anything. It's the only free time I have all day. Hee Yeon and Il Hoon are probably coming back at 9, so I don't have time to think about what to do, I just do what first pops up in my mind. Today I felt like calling Zelo.

  "Hello ?"

  "Ma baby, what are you doing ?"

  "Rika yah, I am the one who should be calling you a baby, you know ?"

  "I'm still six months older than you, remember ?"

  "But I'm taller."

   "So what ?"

   "I look older."

   "You really think so ? With that baby face of yours ?"

   "Yes, I do. Don't argue with me. But anyways, why did you call ?"

   "It's my free time, and I just felt like talking to you, as I didn't get to see you at school today."

   "I still can't understand why you are still living there, Rika yah. They treat you like a slave there."

   "Not 'they', Zelo yah. 'She' treats me like a slave."

   "Yeah, but still, why don't you leave ? You know, you can stay at my place if you want to."

   "I still have Il Hoon here, you know that. I don't want to just leave him like that."

   "You would still see him at school everyday, what difference would it make ?"

   "Honestly, I don't know, but I don't want to leave him. Anyways, how was school today ? You have to tell me our homeworks"

   And like that, 50 minutes went by.

  "They are coming back anytime soon, Zelo. I have to hang up."

  "Ok, see you tomorrow, baby."

  "See, it's so unnatural for you to call me 'baby'"

  "I'll get used to it, don't worry."

  "If you say so. Bye, Zelo."

  "Bye, Rika."

   Now back to reality.

   9 p.m.: Time for my family to get back home

  As always, I wait for them at the door. As soon as I hear the car parking, I open the door and hold it open for them. Il Hoon comes in and smiles to me. Cutie. Hee Yeon gets to the door and throws her heavy fur coat on my face. B*tch.

  9:10 p.m.: Time to hang the remaining clothes up

  Most of the times, the clothes are not completely dry yet, but I don't really care. I just throw some of them, usually Hee Yeon's, in the basket and leave the rest hanging there until they are thoroughly dry. 

  10 p.m.: Time to iron the clothes

  I'll be honest again. I never iron Hee Yeon's clothes properly.They are always slightly crumpled, but she never notices. Well, I have my own stuff to do too, right ? My day only lasts for 24 hours, just like everybody else's. 

  11 p.m.: Il Hoon and Homework

  By this time, Hee Yeon is already asleep, so I go to Il Hoon's room and just stay there. He's usually immersed in his own world with his headphones on, sitting on his bed and leaning on the wall. When he sees me coming he doesn't say anything. He just smiles and pats his legs. I lie on his lap and close my eyes. He plays with my hair while singing to whichever song he's listening to. I have to say he's not the best singer out there, but I don't care. His voice is just so soothing to me. After about 20 minutes only enjoying his presence, I leave to my room, but never before getting my kiss goodnight. Don't misunderstand. He kisses my forehead. 

  In my room I start doing my homework as fast as I can, but, honestly speaking, I skip some questions just to finish earlier. Come on, I still have to sleep, you know ? By 12:30 my brain doesn't work anymore, so I head to the bathroom to take a shower.

   12:50 p.m.: Time to sleep

   Bed, you don't know how much I missed you. In a couple of minutes I'm off to dreamland. Finally I get to rest my body. I don't know how I can survive only sleeping 4 hours every night and then working all day non stop. I must be some kind of super hero. The Super Maid ! Yeah, sounds good. Super Maid has to go now. Good night, ordinary people.