Convenience Store Worker From Another World Chapter 105

Episode 105. Chihuahua in a Pure Meeting (4)

I tried not to cause any harm to the Chihuahua while we were talking, and I think I did a good job. If our voices were louder, he would have told me to shut my mouth, and if we had touched his body, he would have tried to bite me right away.

Because of that, I couldn’t understand at all why this Chihuahua was so angry that he was shaking all over. I just answered.

“I told you earlier, we’re talking about work―”

“Hey, you punk, did the work just fall from the sky? How did you guys end up doing it together?”

“I have a quota that I need to fill, but why do you keep asking about it?”

“f*ck, why are you wondering why I’m asking this?”

Is this a conversation? Is this a conversation?

I feel like I’m going to turn around. But as I keep looking into the Chihuahua’s eyes, I see that this guy is glaring with bloodshot eyes and not moving at all.

It means that the look in his eyes was purposeful. If you don’t answer this question, then I’ll make you a target for a real rabies vaccination.

This guy is really like that. He thought about it deeply and then reinterpreted it and said it again.

“What happened between us… It just happened like this.”

“What the hell, did you just slap me with kimchi the moment we made eye contact?”

“It wasn’t that fateful of a meeting, it was just… uh…”

It was because I cleaned up after Miss Elena vomited after drinking, but I don’t want to talk about this for our own sake. I beat around the bush.

“You came here often at night to talk, and then we got a job and this is how it turned out.”

“Why are you talking about this, you idiot?”

“Why did you do that, sir? I’m just curious, but why are you curious about this?”

Now listen up, Inma. I told you I don’t want to talk.

I tried to change the subject again, but the Chihuahua didn’t answer my question and instead glanced behind me. For some reason, I think it was trying to look at Miss Elena.

After a while, a short voice said, “Ah.” Then, Miss Elena spoke carefully.

“I… Mr. Chan.”

“Wait a minute. No, sir, tell me why you’re curious—”

“Okay, you piece of shit.”

After saying “okay,” he put his teeth back in, turned around, opened up his laptop, and started typing. Okay, do what you have to do.

“Please speak.”

“Hey, this is something I’ve been wondering about before too…”

“When were we talking about the past?”

“The second time we met.”

The second time was when a succubus came to the convenience store and asked for my resignation letter. This was also something that happened very early on in my career, and it’s still vivid in my mind.

“I clearly remember that you were unconscious back then.”

“That… That time! Things were a bit tough, anyway! That time!”

“Yes, at that time. You said things were hard.”

“…yes.”

He said that he came to work at a pharmaceutical company that makes love potions, but the work was a bit different from what he had expected. He said that it didn’t seem like the true love he was looking for.

“I wanted to vent my frustrations somewhere. But I don’t have many friends, and I’m a bit introverted, so…”

“There was no one to talk to.”

“Yes. So that day too, I was just about to go home… but Chan-i came to mind.”

“…yes.”

“To be exact, that’s what you said when you gave me a taxi. You told me then. Love is fun when you do it as a hobby, but it’s not fun when it becomes your job.”

I remember. That I wasn’t serious back then. That I talked about love. The next day, I’d kick the blanket a few times and forget about it, thinking, ‘Why did I say that to a picky eater?’

“You were the first person who ever said that to me.”

“It’s me.”

“Yes. You can’t just say something like that. Everyone just ignored me, saying that succubi have really strange thoughts. But, Chan-i listened to me…”

The feeling I had when I came to see you was half fear, half anticipation. Fear. I gathered my courage and went to see you, but what if you ignored me like you always do?

Expectation. Still, just in case, you won’t listen to my story again.

“So― this is getting a bit long. Anyway, I’m curious about something.”

“yes.”

“Why did you listen to my story back then?”

True love story. Why did you take it so seriously?

It was because of work. I’m a pickpocket. Dealing with rude customers is part of a pickpocket’s job, and honestly, finding a resignation letter at a convenience store is a rude thing to do.

I can’t answer that now because I’m going to get drunk. I answered by organizing in my head the things I felt while giving love counseling at that time.

“Because it seemed sincere. You were talking about love.”

“Well, that’s what I’m really curious about―”

“You’re twenty-four this year, right?”

“Age… yes.”

“At that age, I was never serious about anything.”

My first job after graduating from high school was as a gunman at a gas station.

I didn’t have any grand ambitions like becoming a national gunman. I had to make money. That was all. Then I got kicked out because there were too many part-time workers…

I went to another place and started working again. Maybe it was because I was young, but it worked out well back then. It took six months at the longest, or three months at the shortest.

While working mechanically, I was treated as an unnecessary part and was thrown away. When I was thrown away, I went to find another machine on my own and inserted myself into it.

I’ve been living like that for almost 10 years. I don’t think I lived wrongly. Like everyone else, I needed money, so I just earned it. That’s all.

But, even if that’s all there is to life, if you live for 10 years, you’ll look back once. How have I lived? If you look back dozens of times, sometimes, very occasionally, there will come a time when you feel like something is missing.

“That was the time. Have I ever truly desired and sought to obtain something like this succubus in my life?”

“It’s… not to that extent…”

“Then Miss Elena, you acted really well. You were so appealing. I was taken in by that.”

It seemed real to me, so I was envious, and I thought it was amazing deep down… .

At the same time, I was worried. Even if this was true, the world is not so easygoing as to accept an individual’s true feelings.

“Finding true love is, frankly, a very absurd story, isn’t it? You’ve probably been treated like that in real life.”

“That’s… yes. I received it.”

“I thought it would be hard. If that happened repeatedly and Miss Elena’s heart gave out, that… uh… sense of loss? I thought that would be just as big…”

Then I think it would be a shame. For both Elena and me.

“I couldn’t live like that, so I hope that at least Miss Elena can find the answer she wants. I want to help her a little. That’s why.”

“… … .”

“That’s why.”

That’s right. That’s what I thought at the time.

I don’t even feel drunk. I guess I didn’t lie.

After finishing speaking, I was embarrassed and avoided eye contact, but Miss Elena suddenly raised her voice.

“Excuse me, Mr. Chan!”

“Oh, that’s a surprise. Please call me softly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. That, uh… How was your work day yesterday?”

“yes?”

“Yes! I’ll listen to it too!”

I don’t know why, but I feel overflowing with motivation. Anyway, how was work yesterday? Um…

“Yesterday, nothing much happened… Ugh.”

“oh.”

I’m getting drunk again. What the hell, do I have to say this?

“… Yesterday, we had some serious customers come and gave us a hard time.”

“Huh? Are you regular customers?”

“Yes. That was twelve orcs―”

“Hey, you piece of shit.”

This guy keeps interrupting me when I’m trying to have a conversation. When I look back, the laptop on the Chihuahua table is gone. He’s still carrying a bag on his shoulder.

“Are you leaving work?”

“You said you were leaving work earlier, kid. Are you kidding me with Cobalt?”

“Yes, yes. Are you going home?”

“Okay. Can you recommend some coffee? Two.”

“Can’t you just eat what you just ate?”

“That’s why I wrote it, you piece of shit.”

Then, what does Black eat with bitterness? Before we talk about it, I think I should calculate this guy’s expenses first.

“Miss Elena. I’ll go and do the math for a moment.”

“yes.”

After asking for understanding, I thoughtlessly grabbed two from the coffee pack display case. Since he was the type of guy who would curse no matter what I gave him, I grabbed the two that Elena and I had eaten earlier.

Let’s bring it, the Chihuahua held out his card and even asked for service.

“Put it in an ice cup.”

“I said it’s self-service. And if you put it in an ice cup in advance, how are you going to take it with you?”

“Hey, what’s the envelope?”

Okay, I’ll do whatever you want. Open two ice cups, fill them with coffee, and put them in the bag.

I grabbed two straws and gave them to the Chihuahua. The Chihuahua turned around and walked away. Not to the front door, but to the table where I was sitting.

When I put the coffee on it, Miss Elena tilted her head and looked up at the Chihuahua.

“uh?”

“What? You pink-haired bitch.”

“…Stop saying bad things… .”

The Chihuahua ignored Elena’s objections and left. After throwing away the remaining packaging on the counter, he returned to the table and explained.

“That guy keeps giving me all sorts of things. If I don’t eat them, he’ll curse me and ask why I didn’t eat them.”

“Uh… So, did you give this to us to eat too?”

“I think so, but I don’t know. He’s a strange man. If you really appreciate it, you can at least say thank you when you meet him later.”

I said that since I come here quite often, we’ll probably run into each other again, but Miss Elena shook her head very actively.

“I have a hair allergy.”

“Then I guess there’s nothing I can do. I’ll just accept the coffee.”

“yes.”

“Then… earlier, you said that twelve orcs had come.”

* * *

From then on, we only talked about my work.

“Wow, that werewolf old man must be really amazing.”

“It’s just a guess, but yes. It seems like he was a bit of a fist fighter when he was younger.”

He said that starting yesterday, he had stolen 2 million won from a gift card, that a lot of people from the military came and stole all the cigarettes, and that there was a kid who was a regular.

“Oh my, how cute… .”

“Then you’ll have to go back and see it for yourself. He’s a walking cotton candy.”

I talked about myself for about an hour like this, but I started to worry, ‘Is the story about working at a convenience store really that interesting?’

I asked him directly, but no matter how many times I asked, the answer was always the same.

“No? It’s so much fun.”

I didn’t get drunk. Yes, working here is a bit comical from a distance. Anyway, when a customer comes in, I go to pay, and Ms. Elena writes down the items on her tablet PC… .

“Oh my goodness, this is the first time I’ve heard of a fairy working at a tobacco company.”

“Me too. But, Miss Elena, I think it’s almost time.”

“Already? Ah… ah.”

He looked at the clock on the wall and was startled. It seemed like he hadn’t even looked at the time. He checked his tablet PC with a puzzled expression, and then his expression relaxed as if he was relieved.

“Thank goodness. I think I’ve almost reached my goal.”

“I guess I lied a lot. I’m sorry.”

“No. We need to check not only for lies, but also for side effects when we are honest with each other.”

After thinking about it for a moment, I agreed. Even if we were talking honestly to each other, side effects would start to appear, and I would start to suspect him, thinking, ‘Does this guy always lie?’

“Today was our first meeting, so we only checked the conversation time briefly, but there were no abnormalities at all.”

“I’ll understand that you paid for the meal. It was like that at first, but then… .”

Next meeting. We discussed it and I said I would call first. This meeting was also hastily scheduled because I didn’t answer the phone.

“Okay, I’ll wait for your call, Chan-i. And, I…”

“yes.”

“You can call me anytime, even if it’s not necessarily about work. So―”

What we’re doing now is pretending to be in a relationship. The logic is that if you’re pretending to be in a relationship, shouldn’t you be calling each other even if it’s not work?

Well? I thought so, but it seemed like it took a lot of courage for her to say everything she wanted to say while blushing. It also sounded logical to my ears.

“I’ll try my best. I have to sleep after work during the day, so at night.”

“I sleep very late at night, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out. Then, Miss Elena. Uh…”

“yes?”

“It was fun. See you again later.”

It was sincere. He laughed and nodded a lot while listening to my story. It was to the point where I even thought that the hardships I had while working weren’t all that hard.

“No, what! I liked it too! Then―”

See you later. After accepting, he leaves in a hurry.

After that, I sat on the counter chair and stayed up until dawn, and while I was up, something strange happened. Almost every 30 minutes, a certain word kept playing in my head?

With tears in her eyes and her hands clasped together, Miss Elena said the words to me.

[ Do you hate doing that with me? ]

I felt it every time it was played. It was definitely a succubus, and it was like that―