Beep beep beep beep!!!

I growled at my incessant alarm clock. I wasn’t really looking forward to another long day of the misery that is my life. The little device was still sounding, so I punched all the buttons on top and then knocked it to the floor. Sadly, I didn’t hear it shatter.

I somehow managed to drag myself upwards before puttering out my bedroom and down the hall to shower. The sun was shining too brightly through my window on what feels like to me a very sullen day. As every day does, actually.

I knocked my toe on a side table near my bathroom door. Dammit, I’ve lived in this house for how many years, and I still can’t remember that’s there?? Well, the day’s starting accordingly.

Here’s a perk of living alone: I never have to beat anyone up to get to the shower every morning. I thought about this as I turned the nozzle to the warmest setting possible and stripped down. I stepped into the tub about ten seconds later and froze my nuts off.  Here’s a downside to living alone: paying all your bills by yourself is hard.

Once I was as clean as I could possibly get without needing any of my limbs amputated, I returned to my room to find some appropriate work clothes. I hummed to myself as I stood in my underwear debating with a blue or white button down. I eventually tossed the white aside and put on a pair of khakis with the first shirt.

I hadn’t even checked the time when I woke up. It was usually about 7:30 by now, so I didn’t bother. I found a bagel and some instant coffee in my kitchen for breakfast, prepared it, and then took it out the door. I never really sat down and ate because if I was even forty seconds late for work, my boss would penalize me for it. I grumbled as I tried to hold the bagel in my mouth and tie my shoe at the same time. With all my hopping, I dropped the bagel. Aww, that was the last one! I think I have enough time to stop somewhere and get a muffin…

Though I had my own decently-sized house, I didn’t have my own car. I took the subway downtown every morning to my workplace. This, I’m not really complaining about since it’s virtually hell to drive in all that traffic. I thought about this as I made my way to the station whilst sipping my coffee.

The train was delayed which was an extremely rare occurrence. On the one day I seriously needed it to be on time, too! I swallowed my complaint with another sweetened mouthful of coffee. Twenty minutes later than usual I took my favored seat near the doors. I relaxed a bit into it as I let the subway do its job.

A station later a couple boarded the train. There were hardly any seats left, let alone any next to each other, so the guy invited his girlfriend to sit on his lap for the ride. The stranger of a guy made eye contact with me and made a subtle thumbs-up motion his girl didn’t notice. I scoffed and glowered at him for taunting me. Even though he didn’t know he did. His smile fell and he turned back around. Yeah, by now I’ve kinda realized I’m almost the equivalent to Ebenezer Scrooge year-round. I’ve taken the nickname by my coworkers to heart over the years.

At the next station I got off. I usually got off at the next one after, but I had to hunt for a certain cafe for my replacement breakfast. I dropped the empty coffee cup in a trash can I passed as I made my way down the sidewalk. I didn’t look directly at anyone from the numerous joggers, high-class business men, and homeless guys who always appear to be totally capable of obtaining a piece of cardboard and a black marker.

After I pushed my way through the crowd in front of the door I stepped into Crown’s Coffee. My best and only friend worked as a barista this shift. Eunhyuk always gave me a discount. Said man flashed me his gums as he noticed my arrival. Surprisingly, mornings here weren’t all that busy, so Eunhyuk had simply occupied himself with sitting and chatting with his coworker, Sungmin. Eunhyuk stood up and made his way behind the counter and greeted me, awaiting my order.

“Hey, Donghae, you’re never really here this early. What’s up?”

“Not much actually,” I pointed to the glass window, “Just a muffin please.”

He reached downwards to obtain one, “what kind do you want?”

“Doesn’t really matter,” he shrugged at my indifference and plopped a cranberry one into a paper bag. It actually looked pretty scrumptious. I’m glad my friend knows me so well.

I handed him the four dollars which was the price of the gourmet treat and he dropped two of them into the register. The other two found a home in his pocket.

“Thanks for the tip, bro,” he smiled again and I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“Like you deserve it, you lazy- ,” I could hear Sungmin snicker from his place on the sofa behind us.

“So, did you finally quit that job or something?” I gave Eunhyuk a questioning look at what seemed to be a casual inquiry.

“No, why?”

“’Cause you’re like,” he checked his wristwatch, “forty minutes late, dude,”  

“OH !” Eunhyuk laughed at my thoughtlessness as I ran out the store.

I stood outside on the pavement for a split second before turning and darting back into the store for my muffin. Eunhyuk was a step ahead of me as he stood directly on the other side of it extending the white bag to me. I snatched it and sped off again.

“Thanks, Hyuk, I’ll talk to you later!” I called over my shoulder earning a wave from my friend and a pissed-off look from some old guy in a suit.

I sprinted down sidewalks and across streets; I never even waited for the crossing signal because if the traffic didn’t kill me my boss certainly would. I stuffed my face with the muffin as best I could as I maneuvered through the ever-growing pack of bodies that was the pedestrians of downtown.

About fifteen minutes of running later I arrived at my workplace. I heaved from the unusual amount of exercise as I slammed the glass doors of Premiere Cinema open. I made my way straight to the employee sign-in place before hopefully my boss could see me. 

He was standing there waiting for me.

“Donghae, you’re an hour late for your shift!” he angrily spat at me.

“No,” I puffed a bit between my words, “only… fifty… seven minutes,”

Mr. Kim didn’t seem too fond of my smartass correction. His entire face turned red before he dragged me by my arm to his office, away from the on-looking movie-goers.

He jabbed his finger at the chair in front of his desk signaling me to sit as he took his place behind it. I immediately started sputtering apologies.

“Sir, I’m so sorry, this will never happen again! M-my train was late and I dropped my bagel, and—and I ran here—”

“You’re fired, Donghae,” his face was still as he cut me off.

“I—I’m… what?” I can’t be jobless! I’m kinda struggling as I am!

“You’re terrible with punctuality, plus do you know how many complaints I’ve gotten from customers about the ‘gloomy guy at the snack counter that always gets orders wrong’? I’m sorry Donghae, but I cannot allow you to keep working here.”

I started begging, “Please Mr. Kim, I need this job so badly! I’ll do better, I promise!”

“Donghae—”

“I’ll clean out the popcorn makers and actually clean the theaters after shows instead of shoving everything further under the seats!”

“Donghae, stop it—”

“I’ll even clean out the women’s toilets! Even the ones that still have tampons floating in the bowls!”

“DONGHAE!” I shut up and accepted my fate, “Get out. Now.”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It’s been two weeks since I lost my job at the cinema. I’ve managed to get a y job working at some fast-food place in the last week, but I hate every second I’m there. I finally got kicked out of my house because of the loss of the best-paying job I’ve ever had, but with all the money I saved and my new mediocre income, I bought myself a small apartment in a kind of okay neighborhood.

My shift was almost over at the Fry Palace, and I was handling my last bunch of customers: Some lady with about five kids. The little gremlins were grabbing for their desired toys that were trapped behind the kid’s meal prizes display case.

When the huge order was finally ready, I handed each child a small bag containing their food and cheap play things. They all immediately tore them open and whined loudly when they didn’t get the pink pony or the little motorcycle. One of them looked quite pissed as he stepped up to the counter and glared at me. The boy’s head could barely be seen over it.

“Look, kid, I’ll get you another toy, oka—” I was cut off by the plastic pony colliding with my forehead. I stood silent and glared at the smiling French fry cartoon poster on the opposite wall.

If I thought I hated my life before, I’d rather be dead now.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Donghae! You can't mope around forever, you're coming with me to the strip club!" Not again. I walked faster down the pavement.

Ugh, why can't Eunhyuk understand I don't want to be happy anymore! I heard him running up behind me and he caught my shoulder.

"Hyuk, I've got no reason to celebrate, and you know that," I just wanna go home and marinate in my failure.

"Hae oppa, please go. We don't like seeing you so upset," Great. Now he's got Hyoyeon in on it, too. I turned around and spoke to her.

"Hyoyeon, aren't you the least bit concerned about your boyfriend going to a strip club?" I questioned, genuinely surprised at how nonchalant she was about it.

"She knows I love her and her only," he spoke for his girl who simply nodded in agreement. “I’m doing this for my best friend, man.”

I sighed. If I don't go now, I know he'll just break into my apartment and drag me there in my sleep.

"Fine, Eunhyuk. You win. I'll go," anything to shut him up.

A/N: Four months later, I come to you good people with an update :D Feel free to kick my if this is a disappointment =\ (not really, please! I bruise easily!) I will begin working on the second and last chapter to this soon~ Please, feel free to comment :)