A sudden onslaught of dizziness hit him. He clutched the duster in his hand tightly. The next thing he knew, he was resting against the shelf that held an array of perfume bottles. The scent wafting from them only served to worsen the throbbing of his head.

His stomach rumbled at the lack of food. Usually, he wouldn't be skipping any meals. He had at least two a day with some snacks in the evening if he could afford it. However, he was reaching the last of his savings he earned from all the other odd jobs he did. He wasn't particularly worried though. Today was his payday from his highest-paying job as a sales clerk in the city's most popular perfumery where he currently was. He counted his stars lucky that his manager found his pale complexion something worthy of snagging clients.

A glance at his watch told him he only had to suffer an hour more after which he could happily skip home(not) with his paycheck to grab some good ol' rice and curry.

He stood up when he felt well enough to and hastily yet carefully finished dusting off the shelves.

He was in the section of the store that no one really ventured into. According to his manager, the scents were out of trend but were still kept due to the owner being oddly fond of them.

It was when he was trying particularly hard to read the name of one of the bottles when the tinkling of glass breaking reached his ears. Startled, he turned around only to see a woman staring wide-eyed at him. At her feet, rose-scented liquid pooled, glass shards scattered everywhere.

Since when had she been there? How could he be so careless-

He noticed how her eyes scanned the ceilings, possibly for any CCTV cameras. His heart dropped.

The sound of clicking heels broke them from their trance. The woman hurried forward and before he could even utter a single word, pushed him to the mess to replace her.

"Min Yoongi!", came the shrill voice of his manager. He knew today had been going too well.

"Ah! Mana-"

"Thank god someone responsible has arrived!" The woman cut in, "I don't know how you hired such a careless employee." She pointedly looked at the duster in his hands.

"Manager-nim, I swear it wasn't-"

The woman spoke louder now, "Shame, I was thinking of recommending this store to my friends."

"Please! Manager, I didn't break-"

"Quiet!" His manager's voice left no room for arguments. The woman smirked victoriously.

"Pleas-", Yoongi despaired.

"Ma'am, why don't we get you a free sample of the newest scent to forget this experience?"

Yoongi wanted to scream at the injustice. At how he was being cut off again and again. First by the client and now by his manager who whispered angrily at him to stay put while she escorted the client away.

He was tired of being the scapegoat every damn time. Frustrated tears gathered in his eyes. He really was running low on money and after this incident, there was no way they would let him keep the job. He couldn't even imagine how much the whole thing costed.

It also seemed like his manager had made up her mind on who to side with. After all, who would ever believe a man over a woman?

He pulled at his hair in despair. His throat closed in at the oncoming feeling of fresh tears.

I don't have enough money, what do I do, what do I do-

"You!"

He looked up to find one of the employees sneering at him, "The manager wants you at the front."

Through wet eyes, he could see the employees who had just clocked out leaving the store. The man glared at him before joining them.

Trying his best to look composed and not give up on himself he walked to the front. His manager was standing near the checkout, tapping her feet impatiently. As soon as she spotted him, she began striding towards him.

"Only three months in!" His manager roared, "Did you seriously believe you were all that or something just because I said you looked good? I get that cleaning the shelves wasn't part of your job but you could've denied it if you didn't want to!! Do you have any idea how badly our reputation might've been damaged had it not been for me?!"

He hated how clogged up his throat felt as he tried to speak up. Perhaps, it was because of his pathetic state, but his manager's eyes softened slightly, "Alright, what?"

"Manager-nim, I had already finished dusting and was about to go to the front when that lady, the customer broke the bottle!" Yoongi stammered, "I-I know there's no footage to prove-"

His manager pinched her nose. "Okay, fine, if I say I believe you, give me one good reason why she would blame it on you." At his silence, she continued, "She is one of our VIP customers and could very well afford not only the bottle she supposedly broke, but the whole store as well."

Yoongi couldn't understand. If she was rich, then why screw him over? Why make such a scene at all? Was this simply just a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time?

His manager typed out a message on her phone before turning to him. "There's only so much I can do but... I won't report you to the management. You very well know that you're fired, am I right?

He nodded grimly, picking at his nails as anxiety gnawed at him.

There has to be a catch, he wouldn't be let off this easily. And he was proven correct as she spoke what was inevitable.

"Along with this month's pay being cut, you're to return the full pay of the two months of your service within a day."

Yoongi stared at her.

"End of discussion."