I got hit by Truck-kun himself. What's worse? He was dirty. Like, full-on muddy, rusty, and gross. What a disgusting way to die. Not even a cool isekai start—just dirt, beer breath, and a stupid mop.
Everything went black after that, and I closed my eyes.
Okay, okay, before we continue, let me introduce myself properly. Name's Arlo Xander—but my two lovely stepbrothers (sarcasm intended) call me "Cinderello." Yeah. It's basically a Cinderella-type life, except there's no glass slipper, no fairy godmother, no royal ball, and definitely no Prince or Princess Charming. Just me, my mop, and misery.
My mom used to be the Chairwoman of XY Electronics, a big company with shiny buildings and expensive coffee machines. She was amazing—smart, strong, beautiful. But after my dad passed away when I was 12, she remarried. That's when the real crap started.
My new stepfather? A total jerk. He treats me like a servant. No—worse. Like a janitor. I mean, I am a janitor now, so I guess he got his way. He even hired me to work in my mom's company—not in an office, not even in the cafeteria. Nope. As a janitor. Just because he could.
But you know what? I made peace with it. Because even though it sucks, I've become a cleaning maniac. I'm talking pro-level. I beat every maid and servant in our mansion in a cleaning contest when I was thirteen. Sweeping? Easy. Mopping? Fun. Laundry? Bring it on. Organizing? I'm basically Marie Kondo with muscles.
I'm the buff Cinderello. The one who can scrub your floors, wash your dishes, and kick your ass in Taekwondo.
Yeah, that's right. My dream is to be a Taekwondo gold medalist. My late dad was the Director of the National Taekwondo Association. He trained me ever since I was five. It was brutal, but worth it. I made it to silver once—not gold—but hey, it's still something. I was proud. But I never got to tell him. He was killed. Shot by someone we still don't know. That still hurts.
Anyway, ever since Mom remarried, my stepfather turned my life into one long punishment. And don't get me started on my stepbrothers—Johnny and Kenny. The twins from hell. They're around my age, but they act like spoiled little brats. Mess makers. Drama kings. Always setting me up and making me look bad.
But I never let them win. Every mess they make, I clean it up better than before. Every insult, I ignore and shine the floor even brighter. I'm not just your average janitor—I'm a legend in the janitor world.
I even became weirdly famous among the female employees at my mom's company. I'd be mopping the floor and suddenly hear whispers like, "There he is!" or "Look at those arms!" or "He cleans like a dream!" Yeah. Cool, right?
Not really. Because no matter how much they admired me, I was still stuck being the janitor for 15 freaking years. They wouldn't even let me apply for any other job. But hey, they at least let me finish college. Big of them.
And okay, I'll admit—I got a little rizz. There was this one time when my mom had a business meeting with people from Cyan Group. Their chairman's daughter was there—perfect secretary vibes, classy, sharp, and beautiful. I was just doing my usual floor-mopping when she noticed me. We ended up talking... and boom. She fell for me.
We dated for two months. It was heaven. We'd eat lunch together, sing cheesy songs, and I even taught her some basic Taekwondo moves. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. I thought maybe, just maybe, my life was finally turning around.
But no. Johnny and Kenny just had to ruin it. They crashed one of our dates and embarrassed her so bad she broke up with me the next day. That night, I got drunk. Really drunk. Like "talking to my mop" drunk.
I still had my night shift. So there I was—walking toward the company building, wearing my janitor uniform, a beer bottle in my right hand, a mop in my left, swaying side to side like a sad, drunk penguin.
I didn't even notice the traffic lights. Didn't care either.
And then—bam.
Cinderello got hit by Truck-kun.
Not the glorious, clean, anime kind of Truck-kun either. This one was muddy, rusty, and full of garbage.
Just my luck.
To be continued...