It was a day like any other.
"What is life about?"
Lee Ji-yeon pondered as she headed to her shift at the convenience store.
It had been six months already. Depending on how you see it, it could be a long or short time, but six months in a convenience store was plenty long enough to encounter a wide range of troublesome customers.
Especially since she worked from 5 PM to midnight.
Thanks to such an extensive time frame, she met all sorts of difficult customers.
From school kids coming in groups with their friends and causing a ruckus, to drunk middle-aged women after company dinners.
Today was no different.
"Please, kids~"
She cleaned up the ramen noodles spilled by the kids once again.
Perhaps the spicy fire chicken ramen was too much, as the juices were sloshed around the cup noodles.
If they were going to drink, couldn't they drink cleanly? They created a flood on the table.
"Wow, what is this now."
A mix of a pale yellow liquid and a bright red something.
It was a concoction of buldak sauce and some juice. Ji-yeon couldn't even begin to fathom what they intended to achieve by mixing those two together.
"Wow..."
She wanted to run away immediately, but she was a convenience store part-timer. She couldn't just run away. Ji-yeon sighed deeply and started to clean up, hoping those kids would suffer from stomach trouble tomorrow morning.
······.
Time flew as she served customers, organized the display shelves, and checked the inventory in the storeroom. Before she knew it, it was 10:30 PM.
Only about an hour and a half left until closing time.
"······."
For newcomers, this remaining hour before closing might have been when their attitude would start to slack. However, as a seasoned part-timer, Ji-yeon knew that the real challenge began now.
What time was it now?
It was the time when drunken middle-aged women who had just ended their company dinners would show up. The time when those with ties in their hair would stagger in.
While she could just let the kids go after a moment, dealing with the drunk women wasn't always so easy.
There were times when she faced verbal abuse or harassment, and occasionally, the police had to be called.
So she had to be extra cautious.
Fortunately, with her experience, she knew how to handle them without making them upset.
First, the most important rule:
'A smiling face.'
They say, "You can't spit on a smiling face." Just by smiling sweetly, you could avoid some situations.
And secondly:
'Cheerfully greet them.'
It seemed 'they' liked people who had good manners. Even if a difficult situation arose, their thought of "How annoying" could evolve into "Well, they're a polite young person, so I'll let it slide." The development from just one greeting was significant. Truly, it was an excellent survival tactic.
Alright. Ji-yeon prepared to greet any customer with a cheerful smile.
Bring it on, any customer.
I'll kindly "entertain" you.
──Ding.
The first customer to come in after 10:30 PM entered the store.
Ji-yeon greeted the incoming customer brightly.
"Welcome······ oh?"
She couldn't help but stop in her tracks after seeing the customer's appearance.
A sharp and distinct facial structure. A high nose and pointed jawline. Flawless skin that gleamed white under the convenience store's lighting.
A remarkably handsome face. She could believe he was an unknown actor.
However, his protruding messy hair and the cynical look in his eyes, enhanced by dark circles, created a unique atmosphere.
And then there was his outfit…
'Oh my, that's quite risqué...'
A sleeveless shirt, shorts, and a carelessly thrown-on tracksuit. Incredibly comfortable for wearing at home, but challenging as an outside attire. The tracksuit was half-worn, leaving one shoulder entirely exposed. Even knowing she shouldn't, her eyes naturally darted to his collarbone.
A collarbone that seemed like it could pool water if poured over it...
"Hello."
Her gaze traveled with him to the counter as he brought over his items. Thud, and he placed them on the counter.
Only then did Ji-yeon realize she had made a big mistake.
'! Damn, you idiot!!'
Why was she staring at a man's body so openly, as if she were some kind of pervert! She had no excuse if he decided to report her.
So Ji-yeon quickly bowed her head.
"I-I apologize!"
She almost knocked her head on the counter while profusely apologizing to the man in front of her. She felt like a lamb being led to slaughter.
His reaction would now determine her fate... would it end with a red mark on her record, or would it pass without incident?
Anyone else would probably scowl and confront her. Ji-yeon sensed she was in big trouble.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I shouldn't have come out looking so shabby."
But the man in front of her forgave her easily. As if it was nothing serious. Even making a joke intentionally.
Ji-yeon looked up at him.
"······."
'···Is he a saint?'
To be so easily forgiven like this, Ji-yeon felt as if she could see wings behind the man.
Pure, holy wings.
"Could you please ring these up?"
After gazing up at him briefly, he spoke. Only then did Ji-yeon remember she was a part-timer.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll ring them up right away."
She had made a lot of mistakes today. Stammering over words, spacing out.
It was all because a handsome man showed up when she expected troublesome customers. Still, she felt good about it.
"Hehe, here you go."
Ji-yeon passed the items to him with a sunny smile. Two cans of beer, butter squid, and a bag of snacks transferred from hand to hand.
"But aren't you cold? It's been chilly outside lately."
She slipped the question in casually. To be honest, she wanted to continue the conversation. Though she had initially made a fool of herself, Ji-yeon was naturally sociable. A handsome face with an unfamiliar aura. She wanted to know more about him.
And she was a bit concerned, too.
"And it's kind of risky for a guy to be out alone at night..."
She initially asked about the weather but slipped in the main question afterward. It was a conversational tactic she often used.
With such looks and such clothing. Even though South Korea was generally safe, you never knew what kind of crazy person might appear. Lately, there had been a lot of talk about random assaults and sexual offenders.
"?"
The man tilted his head at the question. It wasn't like he didn't hear; rather, he seemed to not understand the question at all.
After a brief silence, his answer was:
"Oh, I'm a tough guy, so I'm fine. Not cold at all."
A tough guy. His slightly offbeat, absurd answer made Ji-yeon smirk.
"Pfft, you're quite amusing."
"I like to think I'm quite amusing."
It was easier to talk to him than she expected. He was indeed like an angel.
That made her even more worried. He seemed to have come out comfortably because it was a short distance.
As she had said earlier, you never knew what kind of crazy person might pop up. Ji-yeon continued the conversation for a while before offering advice again.
"Still, be careful when you're out at night. Weird women could appear out of nowhere, you know."
"... Yes?"
And then, the silence. The man tilted his head again as if asking, "What are you talking about?"
"Pardon?"
"No, just... because there are many strange women... be cautious..."
And silence fell again.
"······."
"······."
Back to the silence.
Suddenly, Ji-yeon realized she'd made a mistake.
'Oh? Did I get too nosy...?'
Yeah, thinking about it, hadn't she also blatantly stared at the man's body? Coming from someone like that, any advice would easily sound condescending and could be annoying.
'Ji-yeon, you idiot...'
Silence continued as the man kept his head slightly tilted, considering, then seemed to decide it was nothing, saying:
"Anyway, how much is it?"
It seemed the conversation was over.
With a slightly crestfallen voice, Ji-yeon replied:
"It's... 7,050 won."
The man, having heard the amount, began searching his pockets.
Right pocket, then left pocket.
Yet, unable to find what he was looking for, his expression grew slightly furrowed, even that furrowed expression somehow retained its charm.
"Darn... Why isn't it here? Is it in my inner pocket? Just a moment."
Then he reached inside his tracksuit, and Ji-yeon was suddenly flustered.
'!!'
The tracksuit flapped open, revealing the inside of his tank top. A prominently outlined collarbone, subtly broad shoulders.
You could almost catch a glimpse of his chest through the thin tank top.
"Ah, what's going on? I definitely brought it."
"Um, ah..."
Ji-yeon had nowhere to look. Her face flushed, she tried averting her gaze upwards.
Yet, she couldn't entirely keep her glances from slipping downward. It's said that something subtly sexy is more tantalizing than something overtly so... this was exactly that moment.
The angelic wings behind him seemed to transform into bat wings.
The angel had become an incubus.
'Isn't he a bit too unguarded?'
Perhaps he worked in that field?
It was suspicious enough to think so.
After what felt like a long strip show...
"Oh, here it is."
He handed over exactly 7,050 won and left the convenience store. His departure was so cool Ji-yeon didn't even think to stop him.
"Oh..."
Ji-yeon stared at the door for a while.
It felt like waking from a dream.