Chapter 3: The First Part-Timer’s Special Condition

The moment Hyejin looked at the résumé, she realized once again that this man lived in a completely different world from hers.

Well, she already knew that.  

After all, not just anyone becomes an SS-rank hunter.  

Even so, the résumé was so far beyond imagination that she was freshly stunned.

Name: Lee Suho  

Hunter Rank: SS  

Age: 26  

Strength: MAX Level  

Stamina: MAX Level  

Agility: MAX Level  

Reason for Applying:  

Proficient in promotion and sales, confident in convenience-store work, and believes this job allows him to save hunters in danger.

Special Traits:  

Highly skilled with swords. Awakened as Sword Master using kendo techniques learned from elementary through high school.

Education:  

Valedictorian admission to Yeser University, Department of Business Administration; maintained straight A+ for all four years.  

Graduated from AMUT Graduate School of Business (USA).

Certificates & Special Skills:  

Five-time national kendo champion; 7th-dan kendo holder.

Top-tier education, top-tier abilities. Why on earth would someone like this work at a convenience store?

She wanted to think about it longer, but she couldn’t keep him standing forever.  

Hyejin stepped out of the staff room and faced Suho again.

“Y-Your specs are… incredible. With qualifications like these, any top company—or any guild—would be dying to have you… And AMUT Graduate School is world-famous.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

Hyejin felt faint.  

Even while talking about his own résumé, Suho’s face remained expressionless, as if he were discussing someone else entirely.

Top of Yeser University’s business department—somewhere she couldn’t even dream of applying through public education.  

She didn’t need to ask; he was obviously from one of Gangnam’s famous foreign-language high schools.

Why would a talent like this want to work at a convenience store? 

Every guild in the country must have tried to scout him.

Just then, a customer walked in.  

Hyejin quickly signaled to Suho.

“There’s a staff room over there with chairs. Standing here might bother the customers, so please wait on a chair inside.”

“Yes, understood.”

Suho strode into the staff room with his long legs and sat down.  

From behind the counter, Hyejin stole another glance at him and marveled again—this time at his outfit.

He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit.  

It was clearly not the kind of clothes one wore to a convenience-store interview.  

Hyejin had never worn a suit to any part-time job interview in her life.

Yet here he was, sitting ramrod straight in a fitted suit that made his handsome face and black hair stand out even more.

“He looks exactly like a chaebol heir from a drama.”

Hyejin muttered softly and smiled to herself.  

It wasn’t a joke—if he really worked here, she’d probably have to call him “Part-timer-nim” out of sheer awe.

“Customer, that’ll be 5,000 gold.”

“Here you go.”

After quickly ringing up the customer, Hyejin leaned toward Asha and whispered.

“This is too much, Asha. You want me to work alongside someone like him? I feel like I should be the one begging him to let me serve him.”

At that exact moment, a system window appeared before her eyes.

Quest “Hire a Part-Timer!” (NEW!)  

Begin the interview and hire a part-timer.  

Time Limit: 5 minutes  

Reward: Business Ability Level UP!

“Now the real quests will start coming. The past week was just a trial period.”

“What? A trial? I barely slept for a whole week working here—and that was just a trial?”

“Anyone can scan items and stock shelves. From now on, you’ll have to do more than that. You didn’t actually think you could become SS-rank just by ringing up purchases, did you?”

Hyejin was flustered by Asha’s sudden words, but she couldn’t argue.

She still couldn’t fully believe that this easy method would really turn her into an SS-rank.

Even though she looked like a cat, Asha was no ordinary feline.  

Over the past week of running the store together, Asha had helped Hyejin in countless ways:  

a vest item that let her lift ten times her strength, an artifact ring that teleported her straight from home to the store, potions that kept her from tiring even after 24-hour shifts.

Most importantly, she couldn’t back out now.

She was already used to the job—there was no way she could quit.

“…Fine. I got it.”

“Pardon? Did you say something?”

Hyejin had been answering Asha when Suho, having noticed the customer leave, stepped out of the staff room and spoke.

“Oh, n-nothing! I was just talking to the cat for a second.”

“By the way, what exactly is that talking cat? I thought it was fascinating the last time I saw her.”

Suho looked curiously at Asha. Hyejin hurriedly answered.

“Haha, she’s a spirit! A spirit. We have dungeons in the 21st century, so why not spirits? She just looks like a cat, but she can talk because she’s a spirit.”

“I see.”

Suho nodded, accepting it without protest.  

Taking the chance, Hyejin carefully asked him.

“But Suho-ssi… with specs like yours, why come to a convenience store? There must be countless places that want you.”

After hunters began awakening in Korea, guilds had sprung up like mushrooms after rain.  

Among them, the top three were widely known: Blake Guild, Ismel Guild, and Zion Guild.

Even Hyejin had heard rumors.  

The movements of the country’s few SS-rank hunters were always big news.  

She was pretty sure Suho had been recruited by Blake Guild.

She hadn’t heard anything after that—she’d been too busy working at the store to check the community forums.

“For example… guilds?”

“Ah, guilds. I was in one.”

She had pretended not to know out of courtesy, but from the way he said he “was” in one, it seemed he had left Blake Guild.

“So you’re currently unaffiliated with any guild?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“This might be rude to ask, but… may I know why?”

“It wasn’t anything dramatic. I simply didn’t mesh with a group that moved only for personal profit.”

Hyejin slowly nodded.  

She had never been in a guild herself, but she could guess how power-focused they were.  

It didn’t feel right to pry further.

“Even so… working at this convenience store would mean much less income than working for a guild…”

“I don’t need money.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

In response, Suho opened his stat window and showed her his current gold.

It had already surpassed tens of millions.

“Money I earned while at Blake Guild. I hunted all over the country with my team and sold monsters from hidden dungeons. I have more than enough—I don’t need to earn any more.”

That only made Hyejin more curious about his true motives.

“You don’t need money… yet you still want to work at this convenience store? Then perhaps…”

Hyejin stared intently at him.  

When she looked straight into his eyes with full suspicion, he averted his gaze.

Then, as if deciding to speak, he opened his mouth.

“I don’t mind receiving whatever salary you wish to pay. Instead, I have one special condition. May I tell you?”

The words I haven’t decided to hire you yet rose to her throat, but Hyejin swallowed them with all her might.  

Fine—if he was okay with any salary, he could set a condition too.

“Ah, yes. What is it?”

“Since this convenience store is inside a dungeon, please allow me to enter the dungeon whenever I wish.”

“Whenever? Even if you suddenly run out in the middle of work?”

“Yes. If that condition is acceptable, I’ll work here even without pay.”

Hyejin didn’t understand.  

If that was all he wanted, couldn’t he just stay in the dungeon without working?

Reading the question on her face, Suho added,

“I want to help people. Working at this convenience store lets me help both you, Manager, and the customers who come here. Asha told me—this store is protected by a special power against monsters, but outside isn’t. I want to work somewhere I can immediately find and save people who need help.”

“So to sum up Suho-ssi’s words… while working here, you’ll help me and the customers, and if someone outside the protected area needs help, you want to go save them?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Hyejin tilted her head.  

She could tell he was a good person, but wasn’t this a bit too much?

Once again, Suho answered the unspoken question rising on her face.

“People only cheer for the glamorous side of hunters, but behind it lies gruesome death. No matter how strong a hunter is, one mistake can mean dying to a monster. I don’t want to watch people keep dying.”

“I understand everything you’re saying, but I’m still curious why you feel you have to go that far.”

After a brief hesitation, Suho slowly continued.

“This is personal family history, but… my father was a firefighter.”

Hyejin nodded to show she was listening.

“After dungeon gates appeared, he wanted to help those injured inside dungeons. He died tragically at a fire scene, but until his very last moment, he tried to save even one more person. I want to be like my father…”

“Wait, Suho-ssi. I understand you want to carry on your father’s will. But even so, this is too reckless. You could get hurt, even if you’re SS-rank.”

“An SS-rank hunter must fulfill his duty. If my father had been SS-rank, he definitely would have saved people. I want to become a son who won’t feel ashamed when I meet him again someday.”

“Suho-ssi.”

“I have no other conditions. Of course, I will make sure it doesn’t harm the store.”

Interview time has ended.  

Will you hire Hunter Lee Suho?  

YES / NO

The system window appeared before her eyes.  

Hyejin hesitated for a moment, then spoke to Suho.

Truthfully, she still didn’t fully understand him.  

But she wasn’t heartless enough to turn him away.

“Alright. I will hire you, Suho-ssi.”