Think Mr. Incredible...you know what, actually think Bob Parr. I don’t have bulging muscles like he does but at least my desk and my chair are not too small for me. Also I’m not as generous as the guy. So maybe our only similarity is we hate our day job so much that if someone had asked me to become a superhero and save the world, I’d probably take the offer. Regardless of whether I have super powers or not. Obviously, I don’t.

I went through the files on my desk, making sure I don’t do it too quickly because I finish it all, the goddamn supervisor would come in here and add more files for me to work on. Not too slowly either because then he’d think I’m slacking.

When it was finally time to go home, I didn’t even bother cleaning up my desk. I walked out of that godforsaken building looking like a zombie. That is if zombies had fabulous hair and a great sense of fashion.

I was walking towards the bus stop and saw most of the people that came out of these tall buildings looking the same way I did. Probably thinking the same thing I was.

I can’t believe we all spend at least two decades of our lives trying to learn things that are supposedly going to help us find stable jobs and live comfortably. I don’t know about other people but my supervisor has never quizzed us about the rate at which the earth is spinning or what the capital of Canada is.

The answer to the second one is Ottawa, the first one I have absolutely no idea because really, do I even need to know?

We could’ve skipped the irrelevant things and immediately learn the stuff that we’re actually going to be using. If we had done that then we would be able to start working early and retired in our 30s or early 40s because then we’d actually enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Not when we’re too old to do the fun things and certainly not when we can’t even remember the date or if we had put enough glue on our dentures to last the whole day.

Before I knew it, I was right in front of my apartment building...that probably made it sound so shabby and the place is anything but so let me rephrase that. Before I knew it, I was right in front of a high-rise condominium wherein each unit cost more than half a year’s worth of salary for a person with a job like mine.

Well, I was able to afford it when I still had my previous job at this bank. That was until I was “let go.” I wasn’t a bad employee, that year they just needed to fire lots of people and I was one of the unlucky ones. I ended up in insurance because the banking industry turned out to be highly competitive.

Everyone was smart and sometimes you just got to have what they need. Clearly they weren’t in dire need of someone who smells like the first day of spring. They’d much rather prefer a hardworking employee. Well, forgive me for not killing myself to get the job done.

I got to my floor and entered the code to unlock the door. I’d describe how big and wonderful my couch is, it’s the first thing you’re supposed to see once you come in, but that couch was a thing of the past. Sold it so I could pay for the bills, along with the dining table because who needs those when you could sit on a bean bag and eat your meals on the floor.

The only stuff I haven’t sold yet are the ones I treasure deeply and that’s my TV and my bed. If I had to sell one of them, I might actually start crying like a little .

I plopped down on one of the three bean bags and stared at the wall clock. Any second now. 5...4...3...2...1. Then I heard it.

“Sica, let us in.”

Just in time.

These Neanderthals don’t even know how to knock. I got up to get the door and let those stinkin’ stoners in. They are the ones who occupy my other two comfy bean bags.

“Hyo, you smell like you washed yourself in white wine.”

“Please, I’m not that fancy. This dummy just spilled her drink on my shirt,” she said, pointing to the lanky short-haired girl beside her.

Choi Sooyoung and Kim Hyoyeon. My two best friends from high school. Most people would try to call their clique a cool name or even refer to themselves as some famous character on TV like...the powerpuff girls or the three musketeers but the three of us don’t have time for that sort of bull. If we had to call ourselves something then it would be the three stooges with me being the smartest one out of the three dumb-dumbs.

Unlike me, these two didn’t exactly have the patience to finish school, getting stoned every other day also wasn’t a big help. So now they’re settling for jobs that don’t require much...jobs that don’t require anything but their presence.

Sooyoung works at the library, occasionally returning books back to their shelves but mostly just reading to her heart’s content. Hyoyeon works at a record shop but like Soo, she mostly does nothing but listen to music all day. She does snarl at the people who go there to essentially do what she does instead of purchasing something which makes her the most valuable employee. I’m not even kidding. Their manager and the owner of the shop treasure her like a gem.

Okay so when I kind of said they were stupid, I didn’t really mean they were morons. They’re just not what most people would define as intelligent but they do have their talents.

Soo, for instance, knows a thing or two about assembling and disassembling a gun or maybe she could even be capable of building some sort of engine from scratch. That’s what the books she reads are about. She’s always been fascinated with how stuff works and how they’re built.

Hyo, on the other hand, could open locks that need code, much like mine that’s why I make sure she’s far away from me when I’m entering my code, or even crack a vault by using her sharpened auditory skills.

These two could accomplish more things in life if they’d put down their bongs and let go of their stash of weeds but who am I to dictate what they have to do with their life? At least they don’t look suicidal coming home from work every day and they seem to enjoy what they’re doing. Not like me.

I went to my room to change to more comfortable clothing and when I got back to the living room, the two have already laid out all the food that they’ve brought. I make a quick stop to the fridge to grab whatever drink was available. Unfortunately it was just half a pitcher of iced tea and two bottled water. Grabbed it all and sat on my usual spot.

“Dad sent me his homemade kimchi again,” Soo said, picking up a fried chicken with her chopsticks.

We all started digging in while the two talked about what they did at their respective workplace that day. As per usual, I had absolutely nothing to say because nothing interesting ever happens at my workplace.

“I’m full!” Hyoyeon groaned and that only means one thing. For some reason, this friend of mine has to have a hit once she feels full. I don’t know what her logic behind that is but I just let her be. It wasn’t long before Sooyoung swallowed her last kimbap and the two were now trying to get baked.

At first I got mad at them for choosing my place to hold their pot session but I figured getting mad was a waste of time and energy. They bring dinner and I think that’s enough compensation.

“Sica, you want a hit?”

I looked at her and shrugged but when I was about to grab it from her, she pulled her hand back. “Goddammit, Sica, I only offered because I thought you were going to decline!”

I shook my head and forcefully took it from her. “You’re such a nice friend, Hyo.”

“You know it.”

So this isn’t one of my proudest moments. This along with shamelessly stuffing my face with their hash brownies on my first week of college. I was stressed then and I am stressed now. I have smoked weed but I was never like these two but like I said, still not something I could be proud of.

“I couldn’t believe we finished eating all of that.”

“Sica ate like a dude. She even finished my dad’s kimchi.”

I looked at the tupperware that contained said kimchi and it was empty. That’s when I remembered that I forgot to eat lunch today. Yuri, a co-worker of mine, asked me to eat lunch with her but I said no. I had no particular reason why I did that. Maybe I just didn’t want to deal with a chirpy co-worker. That girl seems to be the only one who enjoys our job and come to think of it she wasn’t that bright before she dated Tiffany. Tiffany’s a girl I “knew” from high school.

I’m kind of surprised they’re together. See, Tiffany was very...ambitious. She was also very fond of expensive things. She liked it when people gave her branded things so Hyo, Soo and I were shocked to know that she’s dating Kwon Yuri. I’m not saying she’s broke but she’s definitely someone who could afford a high maintenance Tiffany either. Must be true love. Never thought Tiffany was capable of that.

“Are you high already?” I felt Sooyoung nudging me.

I rolled my eyes and raised my feet up, trying to squeeze my tiny self in this bean bag.

“Have you ever thought of moving to a cheaper place, Sica?”

I have. Plenty of times but I didn’t want to give up this place. This serves as my first accomplishment when I was done with school and I started earning my own money.

“Yeah but as long as I still have money to pay for this place, I’m not gonna leave.”

Half an hour later, I could already feel the munchies creeping up on me. I looked at my best friends to see what they were doing and Hyo was giggling like a total idiot while Soo tried to animatedly tell her a story.  I stood up and walked over to the fridge. It’s a good thing I still have half a bucket of ice cream left. I ripped the paper stuck to it with the words “For Emergency Only” written on it.

This is an emergency. I grabbed a spoon and got back to my chair.

“You got the munchies again?”

I looked at Sooyoung who has given up on telling a giggling Hyoyeon her story. I nodded my head while I ate a spoonful of this cookie dough ice cream.

“Are you hungry?” Hyo asked. I stared hard at her before I nodded. She’s so high. “Do you wanna rob a bank?”

“Whfjdfh?” I spoke, my mouth still filled with the cold treat.

She scoot next to me and held my cheeks, making me drop that spoon that I was holding. “We could rob a bank and we’d be able to buy all the junk food you want.”

“Hyo, you’re an idiot.”

“I’m serious. Soo and I have been thinking about it.”

“Were you thinking about it during your free time?” I asked, knowing that every free time they get is spent on having a hit or two.

“Yes. Think about it. You could get a new couch.”

“We could also go to jail for that. It is a crime and all.” Thank goodness I’m still sensible enough even though I just smoked that much pot.

“That’s a small risk that we could definitely take.”

Yup, that’s the cannabis plus her idiocy talking but for the heck of it, I tried to humor her. “I’m not gonna rob a bank unless I’m given enough motivation to do so.”

Just then the power went out.

“What the ?”

“There’s your motivation, Sica,” I heard Soo saying.

“No way, I remember paying the bill this month!”

“Was that the time we passed by this newly opened restaurant and we coaxed you intro treating us dinner?”

Goddammit, it was!

“We could stay here for the night if you’re too afraid to be alone in the dark.”

 I wasn’t sure if Soo was just trying to be nice or if it’s her way of saying that she was too damn lazy to go home now. “Fine but please stop yourself from kicking me off of my own bed.”

“Sica, you know I don’t have control over what I do in my sleep and I did that one time. Let it go.”

“Soo’s right. You’re so sensitive. I accidentally punched your left once while I was sleeping and suddenly I’m not allowed to sleep beside you anymore.”

I could still remember how painful that was.

“Ugh! Whatever. If we’re all gonna sleep on my bed tonight then Soo has to be in the middle and I get half of my bed!”

_____

first chapter. i hope the length of this chapter's fine

so yeah i don't smoke or do drugs. i don't really have a vice so i'm not sure if my description of things is close to what it actually is

i'm trying to wing it lol