Chapter 71: Chapter 71

I skipped breakfast, so I had a hearty lunch.

Since I exercised vigorously last night, I decided to take a break from the gym today.

While working on an assignment before heading to my part-time job, my phone rang.

KakaoTalk.

Upon checking, there was a message in the group chat for a team project.

I thought it was a question and looked.

-Seo Arin: Team leader! I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can attend this week’s meeting. TT_TT

-Park Woo-jin: What happened?

-Seo Arin: I just found out there’s a family wedding on Saturday, so I must attend.

-Park Woo-jin: So, you can’t make it at all on Saturday? Even in the evening?

-Seo Arin: Yes.. There’s a separate gathering with relatives in the evening too..

It seemed Saturday was completely out.

-Park Woo-jin: Then when are you available?

-Seo Arin: I’m free on all days except Saturday.

-Park Woo-jin: How about everyone on Sunday? This meeting should be short, so can you spare some time?

I immediately asked since everyone was checking the chat.

-Jang Min-hyuk: I’m okay with it.

-Seo Arin: Sunday works for me!

-Shin Ah-young: I think I can make it on Sunday too.

-Park Woo-jin: Then let’s meet at 1 PM on Sunday at the same place.

It seemed like no one really minded whether it was Saturday or Sunday since it was the same weekend anyway.

I put down my phone and started studying again.

While taking breaks, I realized it was 40 minutes before I had to go to my part-time job.

I ate dinner early and decided to leave a bit earlier today because I wanted to see Han Chaea.

Ding-dong.

「Hello, I’m here.」

「Oh!? Welcome. It’s good you came early, Woo-jin.」

「It’s nothing. I just came early to see our pretty manager.」

「Oh really. Compliments like that won’t change your hourly wage, you know.」

Han Chaea, who looked prettier than the bare face I saw in surveillance mode, greeted me.

I slightly bowed my head and saw something protruding in front.

Only two people in the world might know that those large breasts are triple-protected with a short-sleeved shirt, a bra, and nipple patches.

Thinking about that scene, I momentarily felt a surge of energy down there.

I went behind the counter and greeted Han Hee-jin too.

After getting dressed in the uniform, Han Chaea, holding a handbag, spoke to me.

「I’ll be heading to the first store now. Call me if anything happens, and take care as you did yesterday.」

「Don’t worry.」

With a bright smile, Han Chaea left.

Back to being just the two of us inside the convenience store.

I settled in to handle the customers like yesterday.

「Shall I handle the checkout?」

「No, I’ll do it. I need to get used to it.」

Han Hee-jin’s commendable response.

Of course, I could do it faster, but I decided to assist her, seeing her enthusiasm.

After a busy period with many customers, a calm time finally arrived.

I sat down on a chair and began stretching.

「Is it always this crowded here?」

「It’s usually this much every day. The first store where sister is now is even busier.」

「Didn’t you say you were alone here before I came?」

「That’s right.」

「Handling this alone? Wasn’t it tough? Customers must have been upset…」

「They were all kind enough. They pointed out the location of cigarettes themselves, gave me food… It was quite manageable.」

Her face showed she couldn’t relate to what I said.

That was the case for me too, but seeing her face, I immediately understood.

Is it because of her looks?

How many people could get angry seeing her face?

「I’ll handle the stocking.」

「Okay, I’ll help out if I get a chance.」

During the evening, a lot of beverages were sold, so I went to the storeroom to get more stock.

I filled a basket with different types and started restocking the store’s refrigerator.

While some might find it annoying, I found this task surprisingly enjoyable.

It was satisfying to see the refrigerator nicely filled and the storeroom getting cleaned up.

Or so I thought.

While I was restocking, someone took two electrolyte drinks from beside me.

I had just stocked them, so it felt strange when they were taken right away.

「Hey, these aren’t cold. I’ll take the ones from the back.」

「Okay. Yes?」

I turned my head at the familiar voice.

There was Yoon Hye-yoon, smiling broadly while shaking a drink.

「You’re working hard. Have one of these on me.」

「Ah, thank you. I’ll enjoy it.」

She was wearing gym clothes and a crossbody bag, seemingly just back from a workout.

I was impressed by her appearance.

I had been relying on supplements and energy boosters, but her stamina was purely natural, which was even more astonishing.

I took the drink she offered and joined her at the counter.

Han Hee-jin looked at us with a peculiar expression.

I ignored it as I processed the checkout.

「Did you just come from the gym?」

「Yes. I needed to sweat a bit because I couldn’t concentrate on studying.」

「You seem to have plenty of energy. You were quite active yesterday too.」

Her face reddened slightly at my remark.

Yoon Hye-yoon shot back in the same vein.

「That’s the same for you, Woo-jin. You’re here working energetically after all.」

「Working and gym workouts are different in terms of energy use.」

「That’s just how it is. I’ll be going now. Keep up the good work!」

After finishing the checkout, Yoon Hye-yoon waved and walked out the door.

I watched her until she was completely out of sight and then sat down.

It was a relief that she wasn’t avoiding me anymore.

I cracked open the can of the drink she gave me and took a few sips.

Han Hee-jin was staring intently at me.

I felt curious.

「Why are you looking at me like that?」

「I’m just curious, are you dating that girl?」

「No, we’re just gym buddies.」

「Really? It didn’t seem like that. So, are you ‘seeing’ each other?」

「Really, there’s nothing between us. Don’t read too much into it.」

「Hmm…」

The atmosphere had indeed changed because of last night’s sex.

But it didn’t seem so different that Han Hee-jin could notice right away.

Was it her keen observation or just her curiosity?

「It’s all in your head. All in your head.」

「Yesterday’s condom, beer…the changed atmosphere…」

She muttered very softly, but I pretended not to hear and switched the topic.

「Speaking of dating, do you have a boyfriend, Heejin?」

「With how busy we are every day, when would I have the time to date? And there’s no one suitable anyway.」

「You must have been asked out a lot, or gotten many phone numbers.」

「That’s…true. But I don’t like it.」

Her expression was firm.

There seemed to be something I didn’t know about.

Since I seemed to have touched a sensitive topic, I decided to move on.

「Busy people have that issue, I guess.」

The atmosphere turned awkward again, so I stood up.

「To kill some time, I’ll go clean up a bit.」

「Okay, thanks.」

After washing the mop in the restroom, I came back to the store where music was playing.

Han Hee-jin had turned on some music.

It was better than silence, so I cleaned the floor to the beat.

As I was polishing the floor, she came next to me with a hand mop and started cleaning the display shelves from the front.

I glanced over, and her movements made her blonde hair sway noticeably.

It wasn’t just any yellow, but a shining, glowing golden color.

I already knew from Han Chaea, but I felt compelled to ask.

「That blonde hair, it’s not dyed, right?」

「No? Oh..this. It’s natural.」

「Can blonde hair be natural? Or are you mixed?」

「Right. I’m mixed. Blonde hair really stands out, right? Everyone’s always been curious about it.」

「I sort of guessed after seeing the blue eyes.」

「It’s surprising, isn’t it? To have this appearance and speak Korean fluently?」

She twirled a lock of her hair with her fingers, looking a bit less confident.

I sensed a possible trauma related to her appearance.

I decided not to delve deeper and moved on with endless compliments.

「No, it suits you well. And it’s good to be fluent in Korean.」

「Ah..」

Ding-dong.

Just as Han Hee-jin was about to say something, a customer entered.

Since I was closer to the counter, I leaned the mop against the wall and went to the checkout.

The customer, a man, looked disappointed as soon as he saw me.

「Could I get a Gold, please?」

「That’ll be 4500 won.」

While waiting for the payment, the customer casually asked.

「Did the previous worker quit? The blonde one.」

「She’s just cleaning in the back there.」

「Oh, is that so? Just a moment.」

He left his card in the reader and headed to where I had pointed.

From the CCTV, I saw him picking items while sneakily glancing at Han Hee-jin.

Soon after, he picked a drink and handed it to me.

「Please give this to that worker. Tell her a customer bought it for her.」

「Sure, I’ll let her know.」

I responded indifferently.

The customer left immediately, and I walked over to Han Hee-jin with the drink.

「Here, drink this. A customer just bought it for you.」

「Ah, thank you. I’ll just finish wiping this down.」

She quickly finished her task, took the drink, and started sipping it.

I noticed her pretty neck move as she drank.

「You’re quite popular. I didn’t expect to see gifts coming in on my second day.」

「Hmph… While freebies are nice, they’re a bit too much sometimes.」

「Well, it’s nice to be appreciated. I only got three gifts during my six months」

「I got three on my first day once.」

She suddenly grinned, proudly.

It felt as if the area brightened up.

Her glowing blonde hair, her fair skin, and even her teeth sparkled in the light.

Separately, seeing her smile for the first time was somewhat surprising.

I felt a dual impulse, wanting to see more of her smile and, in some ways, to disrupt it.

As I was lost in thought, the convenience store bell rang again.

「Hello? Where is everyone? No one’s at the counter.」

It was Han Chaea.

Had it already been that much time?

I hadn’t finished everything yet.

I hurriedly checked the time; it was still only 9:30 PM.

Wondering if there was an issue, but first, I went up front to greet her.

「Welcome. We were just cleaning a bit since there were no customers.」

「Ah! I see. I finished early over there today and came here earlier. Is Heejin doing well?」

「Yes, sister. I’ve been working hard!」

Her tone was definitely different when she spoke with me.

Was that to be expected?

After greeting her, and after finishing cleaning and restocking, we ended up sitting side by side at the counter.

It felt good to be between beauties, but it was also a bit awkward.

As I was just looking at the displays, Han Chaea started a conversation.

「What do you usually do in your free time, Woo-jin?」