Strip

One

I did one final spin around the pole as the music slowed before finally stopping. I smiled when I heard  the music finally stop and collected the rest of my earnings. It wasn't one of my best nights but it wasn't the worst either. "Big crowd tonight?" I shook my head as I counted my cash. "No, but your favorite is here in his usual spot." I smiled as Star groaned. "I don't know why he likes me so much. I don't know why anyone would want to properly date a stripper." I frowned a bit but quickly looked away to avoid the conversation. "You done for the night?" I gave her a quick nod as I finished changing. "Yeah I got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow." I helped her lace up one boot before grabbing my things to leave. "Be careful out there Trix." I waved one last goodbye as I headed out the back door. "Goodnight MAC." The bouncer nodded and watched me walk away. Once I was out of the alley I put in my headphones and let the music clear my head. It always helped me forget about all my troubles and worries. When I reached the bus stop I was surprised to see it was completely empty, it was usually buzzing with kids my age finishing up a night of partying. The bus ride home was peaceful and quick, before I knew it I was home. Since it was Wednesday I stopped by the local store to buy some juice for the kiddos and snacks for my grandma. "Hey Yuna! I see you have your usual. How's your grandma? Is she feeling better?" I gave a polite smile to Mr. Yoon who knew my family well. "Yes the doctor said she gets stronger every day." I lied knowing she was only getting worse. "Tell her I said when she feels better to come over and we'll have a nice dinner." "Of course! I'm sure she'd love that." I grabbed my bag and headed back home. On my way through the park I saw some of my classmates. I put my hood on hoping they wouldn't see me because they weren't exactly the nicest crowd to hang around. From the corner of my eye I saw Dean and prayed he didn't see me. Thankfully he didn't see me so I let out a sigh of relief. By the time I made it home it was super late and everyone was already sleeping. I washed myself up and changed into my pjs. I grabbed the clothes from the club and hid them in a basket under my bed. Since my mom didn't know about my job I had to do my best to hide all of my things. I laid in bed for a second before turning to my phone one last time. I was surprised when I saw a notification from Instagram. It was a message from Dean which surprised me more. Goodnight. Hope you made it home safe. Rather than reply I just locked my screen and turned away so I could finally drift off to sleep.

When morning came my lovely baby sister Hari was the one who woke me up by jumping on me. "Yuna I missed you yesterday! I stayed up all night waiting." I pinched her cheeks and cupped her beautiful face. "Sorry sweetie I had to work you know that." She jumped off and pulled me up to follow. "Good morning!" I gave everyone a hug and found my spot at the table. My mom had porridge and a few sides laid out. I helped myself to a bowl and conversed a bit with my family. After we all finished I cleared the table and hurried to my room to get ready. My curly hair was a mess as usual but it didn't look as bad as most days. Satisfied with my appearance I started getting ready to leave. The kids were outside waiting for me so I quickly found my mom. "Oh mom before I forget here." I pulled my cash from last night and handed it to her. "I went to a company dinner last night and they mistook me for the waiter so they paid me in tips." I gave her a big smile but I could tell she felt bad taking the money. "It's only 250 but it should cover some of the bills. I love you!" I gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran out the door. "What took you so long?" My sister Youngji tapped her foot impatiently. "My bad mom had to give me y'all a lunch money." I handed each of them a few dollars and put the rest in my pocket. After I put them on their bus I continued to my stop. My school was way further and I had a long train ride every morning. I didn't have very many friends but I loved the few I had. "Yuna!" I smiled when I saw Hyukwoo waiving bear the station entrance. "What took you so long we're gonna miss our train!" He grabbed my hand and started running for the train. I laughed the entire way knowing we had plenty of time til the train came. We shuffled into the train with the rest of the crowd and found one seat. "Just take it you know I won't make you stand." I gave him a hug and squeezed into the last available seat. He stood in front of me as usual and crouched down. "So remind me again why you couldn't hang out with me again last night?" I felt guilt in my stomach but I couldn't tell him the truth. "Hari and Haru needed help with a project and my mom was working late. I promise I'll hang out with you this weekend. What do you wanna do it's my treat?" I could tell he knew I'd probably cancel but this time I was really going to try to make it. "Bingsu and I'll come pick you up myself. We never hang out anymore. I miss you." I felt my face fall when he said the last part. I missed being a free teenager but with the debt piling up I had no choice but to work. I tried working normal jobs but the money was never enough. Because of the bills and debt I had no choice but to resort to stripping. My grandma was far to Ill and her medication was way too expensive and my mom could barely work due to her mental state. After my father died she was never the same. "Loco I promise Sunday I'll be all yours." He smiled when he heard the pet name I gave him. "I love it when you call me that." The nickname suited him well he was crazy and when he showed his rapping passion you'd go crazy just hearing him. I looked into his hopeful eyes and smiled hoping I could keep my promise.