“Warm and cozy flavor……. If there was a side dish shop with this taste, I could go every day.”
It was an amazingly excellent flavor for something made on the spot.
The combination was well-balanced too.
Of course, you couldn’t ignore that it was ordinary, but having this ordinary lunch box made the special ones shine even more.
After diligently jotting down her opinions in the notebook, Hyejin finally pressed the OFF button on the time machine and immediately called Seungseok.
After a few rings, Seungseok answered.
“Hello, Uncle Seungseok?”
– Oh, it’s the dungeon convenience store manager. Is something wrong?
“It’s not that—the lunch box taste-testing is done, so I’m calling! It was really, really delicious?”
Soon, a rough laugh came from the other end of the phone at Hyejin’s slightly excited voice.
– I told you I guarantee the taste. Glad you like it. Then, want to try test-selling with this setup? I’ll send a few more!
“That sounds great? It’s like a lunch box you’d find in an ordinary convenience store, but by shortening the shelf life drastically to keep it fresh, it could appeal as something special in here. First, after selling these lunch boxes, can we discuss other special lunch box menus next time?”
– Sure, why not! Got it. Then, I’ll send a few more right away, so sell them and contact me again.
“Thank you! Then, after selling and compiling customer feedback, let’s have a meeting!”
– Hahaha, alright. I’ll send them by delivery as soon as they’re made.
Hyejin ended the call with an energetic response.
Phew, now the urgent stuff is really done.
Now, I need to let Suho and Seojun clock out, so let’s head out.
Hyejin energetically stood up, cleaned up the tasted lunch box, and was about to open the staff room door when, at that very moment.
A system window appeared before Hyejin’s eyes with a NEW indicator.
It was a notification for a new quest.
Quest ‘Show Off the Manager’s Cool Abilities!’ (NEW!)
The cool you who’s safely hired part-timers and is running the convenience store!
Show off your cool abilities as a manager to the part-timers.
You must safely satisfy the five customers scheduled to visit from now on.
However, if even one is not satisfied with the convenience store’s service, the quest fails at that moment!
Time limit: None
Quest reward: Convenience store counter renewal
“Huh? Show off? What?”
When Hyejin tilted her head, as if waiting, the status window filled the square frame with question marks.
As if entranced, Hyejin selected the large question mark, and another window popped up.
<HINT TIME!>
Nitpick, Decision, Peculiar, Speed, Anger
“No, I don’t understand any of it. What kind of hint is that!”
Hyejin raised her voice momentarily.
It wasn’t because she didn’t understand, but because the moment she saw the hint, she immediately realized what the system wanted.
So, you’re saying you’ll send five problem customers, and I have to satisfy them in front of the part-timers?
“No, there are plenty of problem customers already—do you have to give them in a quest too?”
The timing was especially bad. She’d briefly forgotten due to the lunch box issue, but she still hadn’t sorted out her cluttered mind from the encounter with Yurim.
But the quest reward of ‘counter renewal’ was tempting.
Five problem customers, huh.
Still, the good thing was that unlike last time, she didn’t have to send the part-timers out.
She could just proceed with the quest while normally serving customers.
Of course, she had to show her abilities as a manager.
At the same time, that meant Hyejin had to be the main one for this quest.
She had to handle the counter’s barcode scanner, and the one providing service to satisfy the customers had to be the manager, Hyejin.
There was no way to refuse the quest anyway. It had already started, so she had no choice but to face it.
With firm resolve, Hyejin opened the staff room door rather roughly.
Then, the part-timers, who were each cleaning or standing at the counter, looked at Hyejin with surprised faces.
“Manager?”
It was Suho. At his flustered, raised tone, Hyejin felt a bit embarrassed and cleared her throat with a hem, hem.
“I-I’m fine. I just wanted to boost my energy a bit!”
“Ah, so that’s it. You look full of energy—good.”
“Yes, thanks. Suho. And Seojun, you can clock out now. I’ll watch the convenience store with Eunwoo.”
At Hyejin’s words, Suho glanced at the clock and nodded. Suho’s shift had ended long ago. In the meantime, Seojun’s work time had ended too.
“Then, I’ll clock out before it gets any later. See you tomorrow, Manager.”
“Yes, get home safe!”
Seojun, who had been saying it felt like there were too many people in the convenience store anyway and it was time to thin out, grabbed his things and left.
Hyejin saw him off to the door, then looked at Suho.
For some reason, Suho was organizing the shelves.
“Suho? Aren’t you clocking out?”
“I’ll finish organizing this shelf and then go.”
“I can do that later!”
“It’s something I was doing, and it won’t take long. I’ll just finish this quickly and leave.”
Hyejin, who had been debating whether to insist, reluctantly nodded.
Arguing with Suho was worrying with the problem group that could barge in at any time.
Eunwoo, standing indifferently at the counter, looked through the open door at the puppy in the staff room constantly following Asha around and said,
“Does he think Asha is his mom?”
“Probably? They look similar, so maybe that’s why. Asha’s ears are a bit pointy, so they kind of resemble each other oddly.”
“Asha’s a guy, but getting mistaken for a mom is hilarious.”
“If you have time to tease me, why not find some work to do.”
Asha, with his sharp ears, nagged Eunwoo, who scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
“Asha talks like that, but he’s really good to the puppy.”
“Ah, should we name the puppy? The cat has the name Asha, but the puppy doesn’t. It’s already been a day since he came to our convenience store…….”
At Eunwoo’s words, Hyejin’s tense heart from the quest softened a bit. Looking at the puppy, Hyejin said,
“Pointy ears, small mouth, dainty steps, slim body.”
“Slimmy?”
Eunwoo interjected.
“That’s the lamest name I’ve ever heard.”
Suho, who had been quiet, laughed as if in disbelief at Eunwoo’s words, and Eunwoo spoke again.
“Then, foreign-style—Leberto?”
Leberto?
Hyejin also let out a laugh.
It was quite an attractive name, but the heavy feel didn’t suit the cute puppy.
“Don’t just laugh—each of you suggest one. If you say something ridiculous, I’ll laugh at you too!”
At Eunwoo’s seemingly annoyed words, Hyejin said with a smile,
“Seriously. What should we name this cute little puppy?”
As if muttering to herself, Suho answered.
“How about Bailey?”
“Bailey? You laughed when I said Leberto!”
Eunwoo cried out as if wronged, but Hyejin thought while barely listening.
Bailey?
Bailey, not bad.
Soon, Hyejin nodded and said,
“I like it, Suho.”
“Honestly, I want to oppose it unconditionally because you laughed at the name I came up with! But Bailey’s cute—damn! The puppy’s a male too, and I heard in foreign countries, Bailey’s a common dog name. Before coming to the convenience store, it was Tol, but no need to live with the name that irresponsible owner gave anymore.”
Eunwoo spoke as if recalling when he first saw the puppy. Thinking of the owner who abandoned the puppy, Eunwoo’s face twisted slightly.
“Then, I’ll remove the collar that says Tol. It bothered me a bit every time I saw it.”
“Yes, do that.”
When Hyejin said while looking at Suho, Eunwoo opened his mouth.
“What’s Tol? So tacky. If it wasn’t for me, that cute Bailey would’ve died, right? Life is so precious!”
“You seem to like Bailey?”
“Well, yeah……. Ah, he’s cute. I admitted it earlier!”
As Suho and Eunwoo bickered, the convenience store door opened.
Chime.
“Welcome. This is the 24-hour convenience store inside the dungeon.”
Hyejin greeted brightly, and Suho, who had just finished organizing the shelves, came out of the staff room after taking off his uniform. Hyejin looked at Suho and whispered softly.
“Good work. Suho.”
After watching him leave, she calmly looked back at the customer who was picking out items.
A customer coming in at this timing must be one of the five mentioned in the quest.
After a short deep breath, Hyejin watched the customer leisurely wandering around the convenience store with clear eyes.
So, what type of person is this customer, anyway?