Chapter 67: ?

「Hello, Manager. I’m here.」

「Ah! Welcome, Woo-jin. I was worried you might not show up, but here you are.」

「How could I run away? I get to work with such a beautiful co-worker.」

「Oh really, starting with the sweet talk right away.」

She waved her hands as if to dismiss the compliment, but her expression wasn’t displeased.

It was a cheesy line, but lately, flattery just comes naturally to me.

Han Chaea smiled briefly at my words, then her expression turned serious again.

She quickly began to point out things to be cautious about as if she was about to move on to the first store.

「You said you’re experienced, so I won’t go on too long. You probably know this already, but today just take care of cleaning, stocking, and the register.」

「That’s easy. Don’t worry.」

「Heejin will show you the details on the side. If you don’t know something, just call.」

She walked around the store to check everything, and when she moved away from the counter, she spoke softly.

「And our Heejin has only been learning for three weeks, so she might be a bit confused. Please keep a close eye on her.」

「Understood.」

Caring for your sister is great, but I’m not sure this is something to say to a first-day part-timer.

Though there’s a seven-year age difference, so I guess it’s somewhat understandable.

Is this a sitcom?

As I was pondering, Han Chaea added.

「I’ll stop by when you’re closing later. I’ll put in today’s wages then. And if the store is in good shape, there might even be a bonus?」

「I’ll do my best. Don’t worry.」

「Then I’ll trust you. See you later~」

After the manager left, it was just me and Han Hee-jin in this large convenience store.

I approached her to ask about the schedule.

「Hello. Can I know the order of tasks or when the deliveries are?」

「Ah… yes… it’s 6 o’clock, so it’s going to be busy… just help me with the register here. And someone else will take care of the deliveries in the early morning.」

「Understood.」

Ding-dong.

Just as she finished speaking, a customer entered.

They came straight to the counter and pointed behind me.

「Please give me a pack of Asse 1 millimeter.」

She immediately scanned the barcode and announced the price.

「4500 won.」

After the customer left, Han Hee-jin looked at me.

Then she started explaining as she pressed the Point-Of-Sales machine.

「Did you see how I did the transaction? If it’s a card, you press this button and… it calculates exactly, and for cash…」

I had mastered this a long time ago, so I was about to say it was okay, but her hesitant, cute way of explaining made me just watch.

It was amusing to see her repeatedly pressing to make sure her explanation was correct.

Usually, it takes about two weeks to learn the job, but that didn’t apply to me.

I had worked at a store of the same brand before, so I knew the POS system and the procedure.

I listened with one ear and finally, her explanation ended.

「You got the basics, right? I’ll keep doing the transactions, so make sure you learn what to press.」

「Understood.」

For the next two hours, quite a few customers came in.

People buying bento boxes, daily necessities, cigarettes, etc.

Since the area is near university dorms, college students were the main customers.

As night fell and the foot traffic lessened, she finally let me handle the register.

We switched places and waited for a moment.

Ding-dong.

「Welcome.」

A customer entered, and both Han Hee-jin and I greeted them.

Honestly, I wasn’t really pleased, but it was a reflexive, automatic response.

I zoned out when the customer who had just entered brought their items to the counter.

My hand automatically found the barcode, and my mouth read the numbers appearing on the screen.

「1900 won.」

After the transaction, my mouth moved on its own again.

「Have a nice day.」

After the customer left, Han Hee-jin, who had been watching, spoke with a curious expression.

「Hey, you seem to be better at this than me.」

「I’ve done part-time work for six months before, so it’s completely ingrained in me.」

「I heard from my sister… I guess I have more to learn from you…」

About 2 years ago, during the 6 months before I went to the army, my experience shone through.

She seemed embarrassed by her earlier enthusiastic explanation and shyly pointed towards the storage room.

「Now that some items are running low, could you help restock? I’ll take care of the register and help out in between.」

「Understood.」

I started at the front of the display shelves, checking the items that were low in stock before heading into the storage room.

The storage was surprisingly spacious, about 10 square meters, fitting for the large store. Half of it was filled with alcohol and beverages, neatly organized by category, making it easy to find items.

I filled a basket with items I remembered were low and headed back to the store.

As I began restocking, Han Hee-jin cautiously spoke up.

「You know about ‘First In, First Out’, right?」

「Of course. Don’t worry.」

「Ah.. ah, okay.」

She quietly went back to her work, and soon joined me in the storage room to help bring out items for restocking.

Rustling sounds filled the silent convenience store as we worked without speaking.

I kept quiet too, just getting a feel for the atmosphere on my first day.

「I’m going to clean up a bit now.」

「Ah, yes. The mop is in the bathroom inside the storage room.」

I entered the storage again and noticed a small bathroom I hadn’t seen earlier.

Inside was a mop sink, a washbasin, and a toilet stall, all surprisingly clean considering the recent remodeling.

I soaked the mop and returned to the store floor.

As I mopped, Han Hee-jin was squatting down, organizing items. As I passed by her, I glanced down.

The gap in her jeans revealed her lower back.

The contrast against her pale skin made it appear even deeper.

Pretending to clean around, I paused and rubbed the mop while my gaze stayed fixed on her.

The unusual texture was definitely due to mixed ancestry.

Suppressing the urge to reach out, I slowly finished cleaning.

By the time I returned to the counter, Han Hee-jin had finished her tasks and joined me.

We sat together, killing time, and soon it was 10 PM.

Just one more hour until closing time.

The thought of leaving work sparked a question, and I asked Han Hee-jin.

「I have a question. When do you usually finish work?」

「She… my sister picks me up, so we go home together.」

「She picks you up? Around 11 PM then?」

「Yes. We both start at 2 PM and work for exactly 9 hours before heading home.」

「Do you work every day of the week?」

「No, we’re off on Sundays and Mondays. The rest of the week, it’s the same routine.」

「So, you do keep to a 5-day work week.」

It seemed she had a systematic schedule laid out.

As the conversation dropped again, I just stared blankly around the store.

Tick-tock.

The hour before closing always dragged on painfully.

It felt as though someone had intentionally stopped the clock.

Han Hee-jin was on her phone, but since it was my first day, I was too self-conscious to use mine.

Instead, I memorized the position of the cigarettes as the door chimed again.

Ding-dong.

A woman in fluttery black track pants, a gray t-shirt, and a black hat pushed down low entered, looking like some sort of secret agent.

Out of boredom, I started watching her as she immediately went to a specific corner and stood there for a while.

From the counter, I couldn’t see her, so I turned to the CCTV.

On the screen, her brown wavy hair and moderately large chest were clearly visible.

A familiar, recognizable look.

As I watched the CCTV, Han Hee-jin, who had been busy with her phone, looked up as if sensing something.

She muttered to herself upon seeing the woman on the screen.

「That girl is back again. Is it the same thing today?」

Seemingly remembering a peculiar customer.

I asked in a low voice.

「Do you know her?」

「Not personally, but… um… she’s just someone who sticks in your mind? She’s very pretty. And interesting in what she buys.」

Considering she called this woman pretty, she must be quite a beauty.

My curiosity deepened.

As I eagerly awaited, the woman approached the counter with an item.

She bent further down as she quietly took out her card and inserted it into the reader.

I grabbed the barcode scanner and looked at the item she placed on the counter.

Instantly, I understood.

Condoms.

Two boxes of them.

I had seen women buy condoms before during my time as a part-timer, so it was familiar.

But this time, it was different.

One box of regular XL-sized condoms and one box of textured condoms.

I scanned the barcode and then said,

「Ma’am, I need to check your ID, please.」

「What!? But… you didn’t ask last time.」

Her voice gave her away immediately.

I never expected to run into her like this.

「Regular condoms are available to anyone, but these textured ones are for adults only. I need to see your ID.」

「Ah… okay.」

I deliberately emphasized the words ‘textured’ and ‘adult’ as I spoke.

The customer quickly pulled out her wallet and handed over her ID.

Looking at the photo, I recognized the face I had expected.

I managed to keep a straight face as I continued.

「Could you please take off your hat too? Just to make sure it’s really you.」

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly lifted her hand to remove the hat and raised her head.

Our eyes met, and I could see the surprise widening in hers.

「Ah.. ah! What… why are you here!?」

「Hello. It’s been a while.」

「Why are you here? You weren’t here last week…?」

「I just started my shift today. I wasn’t here last week.」

Yoon Hye-yoon, clearly flustered, pointed accusingly at me.

Seeing her after such a long time, she seemed even prettier than I remembered.

And last week? She’s a regular then.

And XL size? Maybe she bought a new dildo?

「Starting from today… you’re working here?」

She ducked her head again, avoiding eye contact, and I smiled enjoyably.

Han Hee-jin, who I had forgotten was beside me, was caught in the strange tension between us.