The whirlwind dropped Hyejin exactly where she had activated the artifact.
She was about to open the door and step inside the convenience store when she paused, peering through the window at Asha and Suho.
Should I watch them for a bit and see how they’re doing?
Asha was sitting beside Suho, helping him out.
Whenever another hunter entered while Suho was at the register, she would circle the newcomer, making sure they didn’t try anything suspicious.
It was the same thing she did when working with Hyejin.
Most hunters probably thought the store just kept a cute cat around, but the truth was completely different.
Asha was constantly monitoring every customer who walked in, acting like a living surveillance camera.
Right now, she was perched next to the register like an assistant, helping the still-inexperienced Suho.
“Oh my gosh, so cute! This cat!”
“It’s my first time seeing a cat inside a dungeon, right? The pattern looks just like a leopard. So adorable!”
Asha was undeniably cute to anyone looking, yet she herself hated being called cute.
She stretched dramatically, then haughtily walked away.
Seeing that, Hyejin couldn’t hold back a pfft laughter.
“So typical of Asha.”
In that moment, their eyes met.
Asha raised a front paw in greeting—her way of asking if the trip went well.
Hyejin nodded, opened the door, and stepped inside.
She went straight to the staff room, put on her uniform vest, then approached Suho.
“How was it? Were you okay handling things alone for three hours?”
“Yes, no problems. Though there were a few annoying hunters.”
“Huh? Did something happen?”
“It wasn’t anything worth mentioning…”
“Obvious. Lee Suho is kind of a famous hunter, after all. People asking for autographs, why he’s working here, asking for his contact info, even scout offers from various guilds. Thanks to that, the night shift was pretty lively.”
At Asha’s bored tone, Suho awkwardly avoided Hyejin’s gaze.
Hyejin let out a short sigh.
She had expected this.
From the beginning, she had worried about hiring a famous hunter as a part-timer.
This was exactly one of the reasons—his fame and the ripples it would cause.
If word got out that a famous idol was working at some convenience store, everyone would flock there just to see.
People would naturally be curious why an SS-rank hunter like Suho was working at a convenience store.
The community boards are probably exploding already.
Muttering softly, Hyejin looked at Suho with a slightly gloomy expression.
“That must have been uncomfortable.”
“Not at all. I was only worried it might interfere with store work. However…”
“However?”
“If this keeps happening every shift, it will get annoying. I should probably cover my face. I’ll need to buy a mask.”
“A mask?”
“If I hide my face, no one will recognize me, right?”
“Haha, Suho-ssi…”
He was surprisingly innocent.
Even if he wore a mask, the rumors had already spread far and wide, and more hunters would come just to confirm his presence.
Hyejin fell into thought for a moment.
“I need to find a way for you to work more comfortably.”
“Please don’t worry too much on my account. This is the job I chose. For now, I only ask to stay until I resolve the suspicious incidents happening inside the dungeon. If the trouble continues after that, I’ll quit on my own.”
“If that’s how you feel…”
She had never intended to fire Suho from the start, but thinking about it, yes—he had originally taken this job to help other hunters who needed it inside the dungeon.
If he wanted to leave, Hyejin had no right to stop him.
He was just a part-timer, after all.
“Let’s switch then. You have somewhere to go, right?”
“Yes, I’m heading deeper into the dungeon now. I’ll see you tonight at midnight.”
“You worked hard today. Ah, if you’re thirsty or hungry, feel free to take something from the store.”
“I can’t take things for free.”
“It’s fine since you’re a part-timer. Drinks are okay, and food too—both are fine. Hurry and pick something.”
“…Then.”
The corners of Suho’s usually expressionless mouth lifted ever so slightly.
He stepped out from behind the counter and strode toward the refrigerated section.
He picked up one banana milk, one black barley tea, and a red bean bread packed with filling.
Seeing that, Hyejin grinned and spoke again.
“You can take more if you want.”
Suho had said during the interview that he didn’t need a salary.
Still, Hyejin intended to pay him for the work he did.
No matter how rich he was, she couldn’t make him work for free.
Even if it was far less than the tens of millions of gold he earned as an active SS-rank hunter.
And beyond salary, she wanted to do something extra for him.
From her years working part-time at countless stores, she had learned one thing: never be stingy with part-timers.
Treat them well.
They’re the ones doing the work, after all.
There had been stores that didn’t raise meal allowances even when prices rose, or didn’t give any meal allowance at all.
Hyejin wanted to be different from those petty managers.
“This is enough for me.”
“Really? You can take more… From now on, whenever you’re working, feel free to eat whatever you want. As long as it’s not excessive, okay?”
Adding the last part playfully, Hyejin scanned the items Suho had picked, then handed them back to him.
“Anyway, thank you. Let’s keep doing well together.”
“Yes, thank you. See you later.”
Suho gave a light bow and walked toward the exit.
Hyejin watched him until he completely disappeared before returning to store duties.
Since Suho had already cleaned thoroughly, the place was spotless, so she looked around for something else to do.
Then a low, gentle voice came from somewhere.
“Hello. I’m the hunter here for today’s interview.”
Interview?! This early?! Hyejin’s eyes widened in surprise. She glanced at Asha, who also looked flustered and hopped down from the counter.
“I definitely said the interview was at 9 a.m. I didn’t expect him to come this early.”
Asha muttered in a bewildered voice and walked toward the source of the sound first.
Hyejin lightly clenched her fists and turned her gaze to the owner of the voice.
“Wow.”
The moment she saw the interviewee, an exclamation escaped her lips.
He was easily over 180 cm tall.
Dressed in a white shirt, brown cotton pants, and a thin beige cardigan, he looked strikingly refined.
Warm light shone from his monolid eyes.
“I’m Cooking Master Cha Seojun, here for the interview at this convenience store today.”
“Ah, yes. Seojun-ssi.”
The instant Hyejin answered, a translucent system window appeared before her eyes.
『Quest “Hire a Part-Timer!” (NEW!)
Conduct the interview and hire a part-timer.
Time limit: 5 minutes
Reward: Business Ability level UP!』
“What the—again only 5 minutes?”
She had hoped this time they’d give her a little more leeway!
As Hyejin pouted, another window popped up as if to tease her.
『Notice: No excuses accepted for the quest. Failure if 5 minutes pass.』
“I didn’t even say anything, ugh.”
Hyejin closed the rude system windows and greeted Seojun again.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Manager Cha Hyejin. Thank you so much for coming to the interview. Shall we start? Please come sit this way. Asha, watch the counter for me.”
“Making a cat handle the register now.”
“Please, just this once! Seojun-ssi, this way, quickly.”
“Ah, yes.”
Hyejin led Seojun into the staff room and sat across the table from him.
I have to finish this in 5 minutes—what should I ask first? Hm, hm.
“But are you really okay working at a small place like this?”
The question that slipped out was the one she was most curious about.
Someone who worked at fancy hotels and won awards—really at a convenience store?
At Hyejin’s cautious question, Seojun smiled brightly and answered.
“Of course. That cat over there said she’d help me cook here. And I’m not that impressive, honestly. To confess something embarrassing, I’m a non-combat hunter, so no guild wants to recruit me right now.”
Even so, a chef like Cha Seojun-ssi… wouldn’t he be fine even without hunter work?
“No. I want to start over as a hunter and work with that mindset.”
“I see.”
Hyejin slowly nodded at his firm answer, straightened her posture, and began asking serious questions.
If that’s the case…
The real interview began.
“What kind of work would you like to do at this convenience store, Seojun-ssi?”
“I’d like to make simple finger foods that customers inside the dungeon can easily eat.”
“Finger food?”
“It’s hard to eat formal dishes with fork and knife inside a dungeon, so I’d love to make things like sandwiches, soups, gimbap—simple meals. And if we have time, things like bruschetta would be nice too. Made fresh and eaten fresh.”
Hyejin stared blankly at Seojun and slowly blinked. Bru… bru… bruschetta?
Seeing her expression, Seojun let out a small laugh, and Hyejin coughed awkwardly as her face heated up.
“It’s baguette topped with cheese, fruit, vegetables, sauce—very easy to eat. It’s one of my personal favorites too.”
“Ah, I see.”
Though it was her first time hearing the name, Hyejin nodded vigorously, pretending to understand.
“Hm, could I see your résumé?”
“Here it is.”
Seojun handed over the résumé. Hyejin reached for it—would have taken it—if her hands hadn’t suddenly started shaking.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, totally fine. I’m fine.”
Truthfully, after Suho, this was the résumé of her second SS-rank hunter; she couldn’t bring herself to open it calmly.
His specs were obviously going to be insane even without looking.
Still, she couldn’t interview without seeing it, and time was ticking, so Hyejin squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, and unfolded the paper.
Name: Cha Seojun
Hunter Rank: SS
Age: 27
Occupation: Former head chef of Korea’s 5-star SATURN Hotel, current non-combat Cooking Master
Strength: MAX level
Stamina: MAX level
Agility: MAX level
Special traits:
Outstanding in all cuisines—Korean, Japanese, Western, Chinese.
Worked 3 years as exclusive chef at Korea’s SATURN Hotel.
Education:
Graduated Han Yul University, Department of Hotel & Food Service
Graduated V.O.M. Graduate School (Australia), Hotel Management
Licenses & Special Skills:
Licensed in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine
Brief self-introduction:
A chef is someone who makes flowers bloom on a plate.
Giving joy to those who eat my food is now my only happiness.
If I work at this convenience store, I want to develop foods that are easy and convenient to eat.
Hyejin’s mouth fell open as she read Cha Seojun’s résumé.
She had expected it to be impressive, but—this was just ridiculous.
At the same time, she realized something crucial she had forgotten: salary.
The most she could offer was minimum wage.
Would someone who probably earned hundreds of millions a year at SATURN Hotel be satisfied with that?
“I have no convenience-store part-time experience, but I really want to work here.”
Seeing Hyejin frozen, Seojun added with a pure smile.
Her mind went completely blank.
After struggling to find words, Hyejin finally asked the same question she had asked Suho.
“Why on earth…”
“Ah, sorry. I feel bad repeating myself, but I truly don’t understand why someone like you would want to work at a convenience store.”
The words came out a bit rough, but it was what she genuinely wanted to know—even if she hadn’t meant to be quite that blunt.
Unlike Hyejin, who worried she might have offended him, Seojun simply smiled warmly again and answered.
“Does wanting to do something need a reason? And I like this convenience store inside the dungeon. Cooking here feels like it’ll be a completely new experience.”
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