1 A difficult life
At 5:00 Korean time, the alarm clock rang on time.
A pale, weak hand reached out from the bed and accurately turned off the alarm clock. However, due to the excessive movement, the phone fell to the ground with a "clatter".
The person on the bed woke up instantly, with messy long hair, and picked up the phone that had fallen on the ground with heartache.
"Ahhh——"
The good news is that it still works. The bad news is that two more bars have appeared on the screen, making it almost impossible to read the words.
Song Qixian was heartbroken. This was a precious mobile phone that he had searched for a long time in the second-hand market and spent a full 40,000 won on!
After waking up completely, Song Qixian rushed outside to wash up like a ghost, and took away the clothes and pants that were hung outside. Of course, they were not dry yet, so he had to put them in the room to dry.
He moved quickly and finally got out at 5:15. But somehow, his luck was really bad today. There was a car accident ahead, and the bus was stuck on the side of the road.
Helplessly, Song Qixian had to get off the car and ran to where he worked. No matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't reach his destination before six o'clock.
Panting, Song Qixian arrived outside the store. He took out a second-hand phone that was about to be scrapped from his trouser pocket and checked the time. It was five minutes past six.
He felt a chill in his heart, dusted himself off, and walked into the convenience store with a smile that habitually curled up on his lips.
He worked at a 24-hour convenience store, and he and the store manager took turns guarding the store from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The store manager was a fat man in his fifties with a bad temper. He usually worked the night shift and liked to drink a little.
As expected, as soon as Song Qixian entered, he was met with a violent "greeting".
"Ah, what's wrong with your brain? How dare you be late? How much salary do I pay you, you idiot, you mentally retarded kid? I really want to kiss your face with a soju bottle. Damn it, look into my eyes and kneel down to eat your dick!"
The store manager's red face, the reek of alcohol, and the unbearable words he uttered became an eternal memory in Song Qixian's heart that day.
Facing the finger that was about to reach his head, Song Qixian showed a flattering smile on his face. He seemed not to have heard the insulting words from the store manager. He half-bent over and apologized: "Nei, I'm sorry, store manager."
He skillfully cleaned up the clutter in the store and felt relieved when he saw some leftover seaweed rice rolls from last night in the freezer.
Song Qixian didn't respond. The store manager muttered a few more words and then staggered out of the store.
Song Qixian was wiping the glass. When he saw the store manager's back completely disappear, he eagerly took out the seaweed rice rolls from the freezer. He didn't even have time to drink water and swallowed the food in two or three mouthfuls. This relieved the hunger in his stomach.
For overnight meals like this, the store staff usually have to clean them up immediately, but for Song Qixian, these are the best meals.
The biggest advantage of working in a convenience store is that meals are provided. The unsold oden, rice packs and other items are Song Qixian's most delicious food.
Song Qixian began a busy day. There was a lot to do at the convenience store. He had to constantly clean the shelves, sort out shipment data, and prepare for the peak customer season. For a small convenience store, the turnover was considerable, so he had to constantly restock the shelves.
It wasn't until 9:30 that Song Qixian finally waited for the store manager, who slowly arrived to hand over his shift. By then, the bus had already run, so he had no choice but to walk home. The bus usually took half an hour, so even though he was eager, he still managed to get home before 11:00.
Unfortunately, the weather was not good. It started to drizzle when they were ten minutes away from home. The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Song Qixian protected his canvas backpack and his soon-to-be-retired mobile phone and trotted home.
His home is a self-built house outside the fifth ring road of Seoul - in the basement. Even so, the rent is not cheap, at least for Song Qixian, who is currently penniless.
After finally reaching the door, Song Qixian didn't know how to open it.
He saw that his quilt, the books on the table and the few remaining clothes in the cabinet were all lying on the wet ground in front of the house. The quilt in particular was completely soaked as it had been in the rain for who knew how long.
Song Qixian raised his head to prevent the tears from falling.
Then he recovered his mood and went to check if his belongings were missing. Fortunately, no one was interested in these junk and all his things were there.
But the most difficult problem now is not this. The lock of the door leading to the basement has been changed and he can't get in.
Song Qixian was mentally prepared. He gathered his composure and went to knock on the upstairs landlord's door. An angry curse was heard from inside the room, and then the door slammed open.
"Would you mind forgiving me the rent? I promise I'll pay you in three days' time when I get my paycheck. Please, have mercy on me."
Song Qixian bent his waist 90 degrees, as if, in his memory, his waist had never been straightened.
The landlady with red curly hair opened the door for him with the key, cursing at him, and warned him that unless he paid three months' rent, he would be kicked out in three days.
Song Qixian agreed with a humble smile on his face, and then entered the house without mentioning the things thrown out by the landlady.
The quilt was completely unusable. Just looking at the narrow, dark, damp floor in the house where there was no place to stand, he knew there was absolutely no place for him to dry the quilt. It was still raining outside, and Song Qixian didn't know what to do with the quilt.
He was reluctant to throw it away, knowing that it would start to stink after tonight and tomorrow morning, but it was one of the few valuable things he had.
The room contained only a small bed about 1.2 meters wide, a narrow table, and a slightly larger wooden box. Song Qixian took off his wet clothes and pants and put on a pair of clean pants he had finally found.
He sat on the edge of his bed, pondering his future. He had to go to the store manager tomorrow night to collect his unpaid wages. He could use that money to pay his rent, but he didn't know when his next paycheck would come. What would he do if he got asked to pay his rent then?
As soon as Song Qixian thought of leaving Seoul, he dismissed the idea and a picture emerged in his mind.
"Qixian brother is so awesome that he can live in Seoul. I wonder what Seoul is like. It must be better than here."
"Stupid, Seoul is the most prosperous capital of South Korea, so of course it's the best! It's the best and most amazing thing that Brother Qixian found a job there."
Song Qixian shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He suddenly remembered the message he received during the day.
Two female students were buying snacks while discussing the new monthly recruitment of the Big Four companies.
"I heard the Big Four are relaxing their requirements now. If you can pass the interview, they can offer very generous things. What do you think? Do you want to give it a try?"
"How can I be an idol when I'm so beautiful? Acting is my path. Idols nowadays are the lowest level, I don't want to be one."
Song Qixian's main purpose was not the four major monthly recruitments they mentioned, but a flyer they left behind before leaving.
It wasn't one of the Big Four, but a smaller company called Death, located a kilometer away from their convenience store. The company described a lot of things, but Song Qixian only saw the two points: "Free food and lodging" and "No restrictions on part-time work."
Although trainees are quite far away from Song Qixian's life, it is written on the flyer that they are willing to recruit amateur trainees with no foundation.
Song Qixian just wanted to solve his food and housing problems as soon as possible, and this flyer was a lifeline for him. The interview was three days away, so Song Qixian decided to give it a try.
On his phone was a short video of a trainee's basic exercises that he had downloaded at the store during the day. Song Qixian tried to practice in the room, but the place was too small and he was hesitant, so he had to go outside to find a place to hide from the rain.
The basement door was unlocked, and Song Qixian didn't have the key. He didn't dare wake up the landlady again. He figured there wouldn't be any thieves coming in.
They practiced until after two in the morning, and Song Qixian really couldn't bear it anymore.
At five o'clock the next day, Song Qixian almost couldn't get up. Fortunately, he didn't have a car accident today, and he arrived at the convenience store before six o'clock.
As expected, he received a scolding because he asked the store manager to pay his salary which was overdue for more than two months.
Luckily, despite the scolding, the store manager was still willing to help. Song Qixian, who was working today, had a strawberry Band-Aid on his forehead. But because his hair was so long, no one noticed.
Speaking of hair, Song Qixian also felt that his hair needed a trim. He couldn't see the road for a long time. But he didn't dare to go into a Korean barber shop, especially in Seoul, South Korea. He could only think of going home to cut his hair himself.
It was still a busy, dull and boring day. Today he caught the last bus and arrived home an hour earlier than usual, which also allowed him to practice for an extra hour than yesterday.
Although it's called practice, Song Qixian couldn't keep up with the teacher's speed in the video. He slowed it down to 0.5 times the speed and finally got it right. How well he danced depends on who is lucky enough to be the first to watch him perform.
The third day arrived, also the day of his interview. For three days, Song Qixian worked during the day and practiced at night, sleeping less than ten hours in total. But perhaps he had the energetic Korean gene and didn't feel tired at all.
At around ten o'clock in the afternoon, Song Qixian secretly closed the convenience store. He didn't dare do this in the afternoon because the store manager would sometimes come to check on him after waking up, so he had to choose the morning when there were fewer people. To save time, he ran over.
The Death Company before him was not only not luxurious, but its exterior couldn't even compare to the orphanage Song Qixian had lived in. It had only four floors, looked old, and was located deep in an alley near the Second Ring Road.
But since I'm here, what if I'm not a scammer?
Song Qixian walked into the door of the company. There was no one at the front desk. Song Qixian shouted several times before a middle-aged man with messy hair and unshaven beard came out from behind.
Choi Byung-hee looked up and down at the young man in front of him. He was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin. His medium-length hair covered the outline of his face, so he couldn't see his appearance clearly.
Another bored kid came to disturb his time.
"Interview?"
Song Qixian nodded, feeling nervous.
The middle-aged man took him to an office on the second floor and motioned for him to start.
There was only a table and a chair in the office, and the rest was an empty space where Song Qixian stood. It wasn't a big place, so dancing was barely possible.
Song Qixian took a deep breath, raised his head and chest, and said loudly, "Hello, teacher. My name is Song Qixian, and I am eighteen years old. Next, please enjoy my performance of the famous song "Miss Right."
He turned on the accompaniment on his phone and danced to the music.
Choi Byung-hee just looked at him casually at first, but when Song Qixian made the first move, he stood up straight with a look of half confusion and half thought on his face.
This... is he performing some shaman act?
【Author’s words】
Qixian is a very miserable child, a growing protagonist, I hope you like him.
I will update it every day before it is listed. [Spreading hands]
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