Ever since hiring Lee Suho and Cha Seojun, work at the convenience store had become a little easier.
Having coworkers made the anxious, nervous feelings gradually settle into comfort.
She still couldn’t afford the Pot That Can Cook Anything for Seojun yet, but after hiring them the store level had risen, and thanks to the new part-timer management windows she could now easily track their stamina recovery times, wages, and more.
Everything was going far too smoothly.
[Nice to meet you, I’m Lee Suho.]
[Ah, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Cha Seojun, started working here yesterday.]
Seojun and Suho exchanged simple greetings on Seojun’s second day.
They still looked a bit awkward, but they occasionally chatted and seemed to be getting along just fine.
That, too, was going smoothly.
“It’s so smooth that I almost wish something would happen.”
2 p.m. on a slow afternoon with no customers.
Hyejin had no idea how much chaos those careless words would bring.
***
“You both worked hard today. The omurice is still super popular. Especially the tomato-topped version—it’s a hit. Thanks to that, sales are even better. Thank you, Seojun-ssi.”
“Not at all.”
At that moment, Asha suddenly poked her face between them and narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth.
“You’re still so stiff with each other.”
Asha grumbled discontentedly.
She always complained no matter how close they got.
Instead of scolding her, Hyejin just grinned widely at the cat.
“Still, there are lines we have to keep. I may be the manager, but I can’t treat part-timers carelessly.”
“You’re not that much older, yet it feels so uncomfortable.”
“I’m totally fine with being casual, Manager.”
“Later! This feels more comfortable for now. Ah, Seojun-ssi, you can head home now. There’s no need to stay until evening. Fewer hunters enter the dungeon at night, and drinks sell better than food then, so I think fixing your shift from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. would be good.”
“Drinks?”
“Yes. In a normal convenience store, alcohol would sell well at night, but here it’s energy drinks that get great reactions. There’s no alcohol. If someone drank and caused an accident in the dungeon, it’d be a disaster, so it seems alcohol orders are completely blocked. Right, Asha?”
“Correct.”
Asha didn’t say it outright, but Hyejin understood.
This wasn’t a place to sell liquor.
Selling it inside the dungeon would obviously lead to headaches.
And the convenience store wouldn’t escape responsibility either.
“Then it might be good to sell drinks that restore depleted stamina and mana in the evenings.”
“There are mana recovery potions for addiction and infection prevention.”
Seojun waved his hands at Hyejin’s words and clarified.
“No, not those. I mean drinks like the ones we actually drink—something that quenches thirst, tastes good, and restores stamina. Normal potions taste worse than you’d think.”
“If it’s that kind of potion… I think we’d have to order it separately from the Manager-Exclusive Shop.”
Asha, who had been listening silently, spoke calmly.
“Idiot, that kind of potion has to be made through a healer.”
“A healer?”
“I’ve only heard rumors, but apparently SS-rank healers can even turn water into holy water. That’s why people hire several healers for dungeon raids. Only with them can you continuously take on hidden dungeons or SS-rank monsters. A skilled healer should be able to infuse normal drinks with potion effects, right?”
It was a brilliant idea that made Hyejin instantly want to sell it, but she drooped her shoulders.
“But… I don’t know any healers…”
“If you ever hire a healer, I think I could make drinks together with them. We could sell them as a set with the omurice. It would help sales a lot.”
“It’s a great idea, but I don’t think someone like that would come work part-time at a convenience store…”
Saying that, Hyejin briefly imagined a healer.
Dressed like a mage, supporting party members from behind—noble and almost sacred.
Most people who became healers came from religious or medical backgrounds.
“It would be nice if someone actually wanted to come.”
Tsk. Hyejin smacked her lips and shook her head.
Hiring a healer was practically impossible.
Healers were already working at hunter-only hospitals, employed as exclusive guild healers, or remained in regular hospitals for civilians.
Hardly any were left.
She had no desire to poach one who was already hired.
“That really would be nice. Well then, I’ll head out now.”
Seojun neatly folded his apron and cap, put them in his locker, and bowed again to Hyejin and Asha.
“See you tomorrow.”
How much time had passed after he left?
A leisurely afternoon spent tidying items.
Chalang.
A female hunter who looked to be in her fifties hurriedly entered the store.
Middle-aged female hunters were rare in the dungeon.
Hyejin, who had been organizing products, quickly stood and greeted her.
“Hello, dear customer.”
The hunter didn’t return the greeting or even glance at Hyejin.
Wearing her cap pulled low, she wandered around the store as though frantically searching for something.
Hyejin watched her circle the store for a long while from behind the counter, then gathered her courage and softly spoke.
“May I help you find something?”
Only then did the hunter stop, glare fiercely at Hyejin, and march over with angry steps.
“So you’re the part-timer here? Where’s the café? How am I supposed to find anything? Why is the display like this? Are you telling older customers like me to find things or not?”
It had been a long time since she’d met someone like this.
Thinking about it, customers who spoke so rudely right from the start were rare in the dungeon convenience store.
Just as Hyejin was about to answer calmly, the customer slammed the counter with her palm—tang tang—and continued.
“Hey, stop staring and bring me the coffee I asked for. The customer is walking circles around the store and you’re just standing there blabbing. You don’t think to move quickly. How does a slowpoke like you even work, ugh. Tch.”
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”
Stay calm, stay calm.
Hyejin took a short breath inwardly, then stepped out from behind the counter with a bright smile.
“Excuse me, but may I ask what exactly you’re looking for?”
“Coffee.”
“Yes?”
“How many times do I have to say it? Coffee, coffee. I became a hunter at this age and I’m already exhausted, and now even the part-timer is tiring me out.”
“The coffees are in the fridge at the back—were you perhaps looking for a different kind?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying! The kind you pour hot water into!”
Keeping the twitching corners of her mouth lifted, Hyejin found the instant hot-water coffee and handed it to her.
The moment she did, the hunter threw the paper cup onto the floor.
“No, why can’t you understand! Not this crap—mocha, mocha! Don’t you have mix coffee?”
“Ah, I’ll get it for you right away.”
“And don’t just bring it—brew it for me.”
“Um, I’m sorry, but for products sold here, you have to pay first before consuming them.”
“Ha! This is ridiculous, part-timer. You think I’m going to walk out without paying? How much could this possibly be?”
“No, customer, that’s not—”
“You’re looking down on me because I’m an old hunter, aren’t you?”
“No, ma’am. I’ll bring it right away.”
Before the hunter could explode again, Hyejin quickly handed her mocha mix coffee and a paper cup.
The hunter immediately tried to tear open the packet, so Hyejin spoke again.
“Please pay first…”
“Oh for—fine, I’ll pay, so get me some hot water.”
Hyejin scanned the barcode and told her.
“It’s 2,500 gold.”
The hunter tossed the gold onto the counter as if throwing it.
Coins clattered noisily to the floor.
Hyejin bent down, picked them up, and let out a faint sigh.
The moment the hunter heard that sigh and scowled furiously,
“You!!!”
The hunter’s ear-splitting shout and the store system’s mechanical voice rang out at the same time.
Ultra-Powerful Convenience Store Guardian Security Device activated.
Problem customer detected, problem customer detected.
Hyejin’s eyes widened in shock.
She wasn’t the only one surprised—the red emergency lights flashing throughout the store made the hunter’s face even more menacing.
“What? Problem customer? Problem customer?! Are you calling me that right now? Hey, part-timer! Say it—am I the problem customer? Never mind. Get the manager out here. Where’s the manager!”
Do you consent to forced ejection?
Upon consent, the hunter will be automatically ejected, their memories of this location erased, and the store will become permanently invisible to them.
YES/NO
Hyejin listened silently to both the system and the hunter’s yelling, then the corners of her mouth lifted.
So that’s how it works.
Simple ejection would cause issues—if she posted on the community about being forcibly removed, it would be troublesome.
But if the memory was erased and the store became completely invisible so she could never return, that was different.
Without hesitation, Hyejin pressed YES.
“Consent. Kick her out.”
Then, with her customer-service smile, she continued toward the hunter.
“Customer, I am the manager here. And this store’s system prioritizes the manager’s convenience above all else. I can only do what the machine tells me to. I’m sorry, customer. Ah, right—since you won’t remember anyway, let me say one last thing. I’m someone’s precious daughter too. Please don’t speak like that.”
Hyejin flashed a sweet eye-smile.
The moment her words ended, the hunter was forcibly ejected without even pouring hot water into the coffee she had paid for.
“They say words become seeds.”
Hyejin slumped over the counter.
Dealing with a problem customer after so long felt like it had drained all her energy.
She wanted to go home right now.
“Having you beside me at times like this would be nice… Where on earth did Asha go?”
As her sulky, resentful mouth kept complaining, the store door opened again.
Chalang.
A man wearing a neat suit yet somehow giving off a rough vibe strolled in leisurely with his hands in his pockets.