"Da In... Da Iiiiin... DA IN!!!"

Da In couldn't understand who was calling her name out and why everything was shaking. It was her friend Ha Neul trying to wake her up.

- Come on, wake up already!

- Ugh, what the hell?!

- It's Monday, we need to go to work!

Da In grabbed her phone, looked at the screen, and rounded her eyes - the clock showed 8:00.

- OH DAMN! I need to get dressed and run! God, I'm gonna be so late!

She started running around the apartment in a panic, trying to brush her teeth, comb her hair and dress up all at the same time. Ha Neul was watching all of it calmly for a while, then took out her phone and yelled:

- I'm gonna call Dong Hyun, he will take me from here, want us to drop you on the way?

- No time to wait, plus it's already the rush hour! Need to run, call you later! Close the door on your way out!

- Bye! Have a good day!

Da In dashed out of the apartment and rushed to the subway station. She couldn't calm herself down until the subway train finally arrived, promising her a timely arrival to the office.

"Damn, I should stop drinking like that, I'm not 18 anymore."

Yes, Da In is already 28. She didn't look 28, though. For some people, it's the age when life only starts to bloom, for her - it feels like it starts to wither. It felt more like so when she suddenly had an unstoppable urge to vomit right on the person standing in front of her, but that person was very lucky that day and the inevitable didn't happen.

"Phew, that was close. Need to grab some meds on the way."

When Da In arrived at the office, she was met by her work buddy Woo Jin. Bae Woo Jin was 30 years old, he was of average height, quite fit as he liked working out, was a regular to the hair salon, and smiled a lot. He was probably a morning person cause he always arrived first and greeted her with a bright smile.

- Hey, wild night yesterday?

- If only! Got trashed with my friend again. I need to stop this drinking habit, I'm not so good with booze anymore.

- Listen, I got us tickets for Saturday, "Lock and barrel", director's cut, you're in?

- Woo, you betcha!

- Ohh, here goes your favorite person in this establishment.

- Who-

Ah yes, Choi Dong Wook, Da In's boos. He was one of those super irritating people who liked to be passive-aggressive towards their employees, ordering them around and giving zero credit for any kind of hard work. He got promoted by stealing another employee's project and everybody knew it, however, since he was somehow related to one of the company's higher-ups, it was politely overlooked. Everybody knew he was a snake but they were helpless.

- Good morning, the queue for the approval is overwhelming today, please get back to work, everyone!

"Ugh, the most annoying person in this freaking company."

- Yeeees, we're coming...

Woo Jin looked at Da In with sad eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and left for his table.

- Alright, see you later!

Da In worked through the day almost without getting up - she was pretty nauseated the whole day anyway, and after the second cup of tea, the booze still being in her system hit her head again. When the clock stroke 6 PM, she couldn't believe how happy she was to leave for home.

"Aaaaah finally, time to go home and just sleep till the next morning. The only reason I'm still working here is a stable income. 5 more years and I can buy my own place!"

On this happy thought, she waved goodbye to Woo Jin and left the office as quickly as her alcoholic body allowed her.

When Da In got back to her apartment, she got instantly angry.

"Damn, how much trash did we leave last night? Couldn't Ha Neul at least take some of it?"

She started cleaning the mess and thought to herself - "Yeah, I've poured my heart into this apartment. Only God knows how many ideas I saved on peenterest and how many hours I spent searching here and there to buy similar decorations. I spent almost a year shopping-free to afford the furniture and electronics in this kitchen and bedroom - hopefully soon enough I'll be able to bring it over to my own place. Yes, my only goal now is to buy my own place, I'm so tired of having to waste my money like that for rent. Don't worry, Da In, just endure it for a little longer and you'll have your own place! Be strong!"

Having cleaned up the mess and cooked herself something resembling a decent dinner, she remembered that she didn't talk to Ha Neul the whole day.

"I need to check up on her, she is probably dying at home in the arms of her loving boyfriend."

Ha Neul was 26, she met Da In during her second year of college when they were both volunteering at the college fair. They both entered a female drinking contest and soon realized that they both were unbeatable. Their love for alcohol brought them together like destiny. They have been best friends ever since.

Da In grabbed her phone to give Ha Neul a call and suddenly noticed a pop-up notification on the screen.

"Park Seong Woo joined the messenger."

- WHAT?!