Of course, that was only when she had time to spare.
“Do you have time to think leisurely? If it gets busy, it’ll be hard to organize.”
Asha, who had appeared again at some point, sprawled out on the counter and spoke, her voice pulling Hyejin back to reality.
“Ah, right. Organizing the goods.”
Hyejin looked at the plastic box in front of her and started organizing the checked items one by one.
Suho and Eunwoo had finished checking the quantity of the items in the first box and the ordered goods, but when Hyejin saw the contents inside the box, she couldn’t help but be a bit surprised.
“Does a convenience store sell this too?”
When Hyejin reached in and pulled out an item, it was a fishing rod.
A fishing rod.
At a convenience store.
Hyejin let out a hollow laugh and looked at Asha, who rubbed her eyes with her front paw and hopped down from the counter to approach her. Then, she whispered in her ear.
“Looks like the convenience store owner ordered that. For a while, the items the owner ordered will come to the convenience store.”
At Asha’s words, Hyejin asked.
“Is that owner old?”
“Age-wise, similar to me.”
“What? 500 years old? No, that doesn’t make sense. And when is this owner who made the convenience store coming? Lee Seungseok ahjussi said he saw them last time. As the manager, I haven’t seen them once. At least let me greet them.”
She couldn’t help but be curious. About the owner’s identity.
If she could meet them face to face, she could ask why they made a convenience store in the dungeon and get advice on future operations.
She thought she could handle it alone just fine, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.
“There are various types of fishing rods too.”
Eunwoo said as he lifted one fishing rod.
“Lure fishing, float fishing, yeah. A variety of products came in. Though I wonder if they’ll sell at this convenience store.”
At Eunwoo’s words, Hyejin pondered for a moment before speaking.
“I heard before that there’s an ice lake in the dungeon. Hunters tired from hunting monsters often fish there sometimes. I think I heard rare items come out a lot? Well, it does seem odd to fish in a dungeon, but……. There might be hunters who think of entering the dungeon itself as a trip.”
“A trip, yeah, you could think of it that way. There are a lot of easy hidden dungeons for high-level hunters.”
As the quiet Suho nodded in agreement to Hyejin’s words, another new item caught Hyejin’s eye.
Portable fans, hot packs, hand fans, earplugs, winter hats—seasonal products like that.
They were items easily seen in regular convenience stores too, but these were a bit special.
Items that protected the user from heat or cold to prevent HP from decreasing.
In other words, hunter-exclusive seasonal products.
They have these too.
While admiring, Hyejin newly wondered what exactly Induk Trading was.
Seungseok was definitely a non-awakened, not a hunter. Unless you were a hunter, you couldn’t properly know what was needed in a dungeon.
So how was Seungseok so spot-on with delivering products needed in the dungeon?
Even if he had factories supplying to various convenience stores, that was before the dungeon gates appeared, right?
Did that mean there were hunters in Seungseok’s factories?
I’ll have to ask when he contacts me in two days.
If there were hunters in the factory, she wanted to talk a bit more with the hunters developing products.
Having finished organizing the first box, Hyejin immediately opened the second plastic box.
Suho and Eunwoo—one handling the goods, the other checking the order list—were nearing the end of checking the third plastic box.
Suho aside, even Eunwoo’s work speed was exceptional.
Maybe he had a knack for it.
Inwardly surprised by their speed, when Hyejin looked inside the second box, it contained food items.
Instant rice for the microwave, meatballs, kimbap types.
Since delivery was only once a week, the foods filled the plastic box to the brim.
There were over 20 of each, and if this were a convenience store outside the dungeon, this volume would be a loss for the store.
Normally, kimbap types have a shelf life of only two days.
With such short shelf lives, they had to sell quickly to avoid disposals.
From a manager’s standpoint, there should be almost no disposed food. Disposals meant losses.
Disposed food, it’s been a while.
There was a time when she survived solely on disposed bentos and triangle kimbap.
That was probably the darkest period in Hyejin’s life.
Filling daily meals with disposed food, her situation with no guaranteed future felt bleak.
Some places paid wages well, but that was when she did night shifts, and otherwise, she barely got minimum wage or didn’t get it at all.
On days when she got cursed out by customers, she had to struggle to hold back from quitting on the spot.
I’m different from those people.
She would be a manager who paid wages properly and provided meal allowances.
Newly resolving herself, Hyejin stood up with an “oosh.”
To do that, she had to work hard at business too. Sell good quality but cheap products.
Thinking it would be nice if she could cast magic or something, she let out a hollow laugh, when Seojun spoke to her.
“Alright, starting omelet sales now.”
“Ah, yes.”
Without realizing, Hyejin looked out the window. The sun had risen at some point. Time really flew.
Answering Seojun, before going to help him, Hyejin said to Suho and Eunwoo.
“For the checked products, please organize them by expiration date. I’ll help Seojun and then double-check the ordered goods.”
***
Hyejin went into the staff room. A savory butter aroma filled the room.
On one side, tasting omelets were placed.
Seojun put the tasting omelets on a tray, then set up a simple table in the space next to the convenience store counter and placed the tasting omelets on it.
Hyejin deliberately cracked open the closed convenience store door.
Leaving it like this, hunters drawn by the omelet smell would come in.
Between 8:30 and 9 AM.
The hungriest time slot.
And during this time, many hunters entered the dungeon.
After selling omelets for a few days, they sold out without ingredients left over.
Omelets were perfect for busy hunters in the dungeon to eat instead of rice.
“I think customers will come now.”
As soon as Hyejin’s words ended, hunters running from afar were visible.
They were rushing competitively, bags on their backs.
Watching contentedly the hunters who had learned it was limited to 20 and were competing, Hyejin pondered deeply.
Maybe it was time to sell other foods too.
Omelets were good, but what about something else?
Something warm that you could slurp with a spoon.
Then, Hyejin recalled the corn soup Seojun had mentioned.
Corn soup could be eaten with omelets, and if boiled in large quantities, unlike omelets, it could be sold for at least half a day without limiting quantity.
Thinking she should discuss it again with Seojun after today’s omelet sales, as Hyejin prepared paper cups, disposable spoons, and forks to greet the hunters, one hunter who had run up to the convenience store said.
“O-omelet, you’re still before selling, right?”
Breathless, barely getting out the words, toward the hunter, Hyejin replied with a smile.
“Yes, hunter. We’re starting sales now.”
“Whew, good. I really wanted to try it. Heard it’s really delicious. Give me one for now.”
“Here you go. Price is 3,000 gold.”
“Here.”
“Thank you. Please have this tasting omelet while you wait a bit.”
A long line formed instantly behind the hunter holding out the money.
“Seojun. Please hurry.”
“Yes, I’ll make it right away.”
Since she couldn’t help with cooking, Hyejin had set up dishes and such in advance to save even a little time, and it was then as she looked at the line stretching far.
A somewhat familiar face was standing at the very end of the line.
“Manager. First omelet complete.”
Hyejin tilted her head, then nodded at Seojun’s words and handed the appetizing omelet on a plate to the customer.
“Enjoy, customer!”
How many times did she repeat the same hectic process?
Before she knew it, it was the turn of the person she had noticed earlier.
“Welcome to the 24-hour convenience store in the dungeon. Would you like to order…….”
The moment she tried to take the order, Hyejin recalled who he was.
SS-rank Summoner, Kim Isang.
“Kim I…….”
“Whoa, it’s Kim Isang? I’m a huge fan!”
Eunwoo suddenly inserted himself between Hyejin and Isang.
“Haha, you know me.”
“Of course. Famous fortune teller! Before awakening, I went to Hongdae to get my fortune from hyung. The line was too long, so I gave up though.”
So excited, Eunwoo started rattling off about Isang.
“You’re not just good at fortunes. Ah, can I call you hyung? I’m still young. Anyway, after awakening, not just fortunes, but you’re famous for soothing the souls of people or animals who died in dungeons. What was it. If Kim Isang commemorates the soul, they go to heaven?”
Hyejin knew about Isang too. During her unemployed days, she frequented hunter communities.
Of course, it was to see if there were guilds that would take even an F-rank into dungeons, checking job postings, but anyway, thanks to that, she knew just as much as Eunwoo about various news and people.
“Then, is it okay to order now?”
“Ah, of course. Customer. Please order.”
Toward Eunwoo, who was still staring at Isang in front of the counter with sparkling eyes, Hyejin made a small but quick hand gesture.
Go inside quickly.
With desperate intent.
Then, she smiled kindly and attended to Isang.
“One omelet, quick and fast please. I have urgent business.”
“Yes, right away! One omelet, 3,000 gold.”
Hyejin calmly looked at Seojun to place the order and watched Isang pulling out gold with curious eyes.
He had never come to buy anything at the convenience store until now, yet here he was.
“I’m a fan of Kim Isang too, honored to meet you like this.”
At Hyejin’s cautious confession, Isang seemed flustered, briefly meeting her eyes before slowly replying.
“Thanks for calling me a fan.”
As Hyejin put the freshly made omelet in a paper cup and was about to reply something, the puppy that had been sleeping in the staff room for a while suddenly ran out and stood in front of the counter, tongue out, panting.
Right at Isang’s feet.
As the puppy wagged its tail, Isang looked at the puppy and said.
“You barely survived. Luckily, your lifeline still continues. You’ll live without issues for another 7 years.”
Surprised at his words, Hyejin looked at him and asked.
“H-how did you know? That the puppy almost died and survived?”
“Well, I always see things. Anyway, thanks. I heard this omelet is so famous, I really wanted to try it.”
As Isang turned with a smile, he murmured, Oh, forgot this, and looked back at Hyejin.
“You let me try delicious food that’s hard to get inside, so I’ll give you a special dungeon gift. Good news will come soon.”
“Huh?”
“Think of it as encouragement to hold on a bit more and stay strong, even if it takes time.”
With those words, Isang turned away and disappeared into the distance, scooping a full spoonful of omelet into his mouth.
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