Convenience Store Worker From Another World Chapter 7

Episode 7. The Delivery Boy (1)

The woman’s eyes, when she took off her goggles, were brown. That meant she looked like a person. This morning, I had seen people as rotten things, but now I don’t know why I’m so happy to see people.

“So, are you resting now, Unnie?”

“I heard you got off work. I don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Wow… I can’t imagine you resting, unnie.”

As I watched the woman getting off the Pegasus while muttering, the question I had briefly wondered about earlier came to mind again.

This convenience store sells chocolate milk and cigarettes.

This would be the case no matter who carries it, but who on earth gets the abnormal logistics like blood packs, horse saddles, and corpses, where do they come from, and how do they move them?

I thought this woman might be part of the answer, if not the whole answer. Because she had a sword on her waist. I don’t know if there are sword-carrying permits in this world or not, but there’s no reason to carry around something you don’t use.

Another thing I noticed while looking at the woman was that no matter how I looked at her, she didn’t look like someone who transported goods.

She looked incredibly slender as she got off Pegasus and stretched. The leather jacket she was wearing and the jeans she was wearing were especially good. It seemed like a look that would suit her better as a model. It seemed right.

Plus, he seemed to have a good sense of humor. He smiled and asked me a question in a subtle way.

“How about working at a convenience store? Is it worth it?”

“So-so. I think I’ll have to try a little more to find out.”

Even as I answer, harpies are flying in the sky and centaurs are running down the street, but I don’t feel anything anymore. I don’t know if it’s because I’m used to it or because I’m out of my mind…

The woman sighed and shook her head, continuing to speak.

“I couldn’t possibly work at a convenience store. I tried it for a little while when I was helping my older sister.”

“I guess you worked here.”

“A few days. I quit because of the truth. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.”

Although convenience store work is easy to get into and the work is easy, there are some people who don’t fit in. Some people can’t stay in one place for a long time, some don’t like being looked down on, and some don’t like the pay.

Of course, the biggest reason is that those damn things are annoying. You can avoid the shit on the road by walking, but these pieces of shit come walking towards you. They’re dirty and you don’t want to step on them, but you can’t avoid them, so it’s driving people crazy.

“And what I’m doing now is better.”

“Logistics work?”

“No, Hunter.”

What about Hunter?

My curiosity was slowly rising, but I was in no position to continue the conversation. This was because pedestrians were avoiding the goods the woman had brought. Even in the midst of all this, Pegasus was waving his palm-sized feathers, which was causing even more trouble than this.

“I think we should put that inside first. Should I bring a cart?”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. What can I do with this?”

Actually, I wondered if it would work with a cart. There was a crack in the sidewalk where the logistics were unloaded. How many kilograms does that thing weigh?

“Shut up.”

But the woman lifted the cargo without a care, giving a shout. It was a sight that seemed to break the laws of physics. I unlocked the door and opened it, then asked.

“Is it really okay if I don’t help you?”

“It’s okay. It’ll be more troublesome if two people come in. Just open the office door.”

The door was left open earlier.

The reason the office door is open is because the convenience store warehouse is connected to the inside of the office. Most convenience stores are structured like this. The warehouse is usually filled with drinks that need to be refrigerated.

Why, there are times like that. When you go into a convenience store and there’s no clerk at the counter, and you go to the refrigerator to buy a cola, you hear something rustling behind you. That sound is the clerk at the back of the warehouse, quickly filling the shelves with the drinks in the warehouse.

To do that, of course, I have to leave my seat, but I can’t help it because the convenience store doesn’t give me separate time to fill up the logistics. How can I give them separate time in a place that’s open 24 hours?

So, when there are no employees, you don’t have to yell at them to ask where the boss is. The employees don’t intentionally not accept customers, but they do it when they feel there are fewer customers. This is a request. If you call them gently, they will come out on their own, and they usually check the CCTV to see if there are any customers.

But I don’t think this convenience store can do that.

When I opened the door to the beverage warehouse, there was a staircase that seemed to lead to the basement at the end of the warehouse. This was the first time in my life that I saw a convenience store with a basement.

The woman put down her luggage in front of the office and asked me.

“Oh, and. Um… Uh, boss?”

“This is Lee Chan.”

I just told him his name. Since he was a logistics person, I thought I would see him more often than my mother in the future.

“I’m sorry. It’s awkward to call someone else boss instead of you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“Yes. Then, Mr. Lee Chan, can I leave this in the fourth compartment inside the basement storage room?”

“I don’t know either. I haven’t been inside the warehouse yet.”

Honestly, I still can’t make up my mind. Isn’t that the place the store manager said the body was stored in? I really need to check what’s inside there sometime…

“Right, you said it’s been two hours. Then would you like to come in together?”

“How long will it take?”

“Well, if you think about the internal structure… maybe 5 minutes?”

“It’s a bit weird to clear the counter during that time.”

Five minutes is enough time for the truth to become a reality. I think I’ll be able to go in and see it during the day when I change shifts with the store manager.

The woman nodded, saying she understood, took out a piece of paper, handed it to me, and then, as if something suddenly occurred to her as she was about to lift the box, she turned to me and said.

“Excuse me, how old are you?”

“I’m 29 years old.”

“I’m one year older than you. My name is Seo Yoon-ha. You can call me by my name. You can also call me Noona.”

“Uh… I’ll try.”

I felt it earlier, but she is a very witty woman. I think it’s been about 20 years since I last used the word ‘sister’… .

While Seo Yoon-ha, or rather, older sister Yoon-ha, was putting the supplies into the warehouse, I took a look at the paper I had received. Normally, it should have been a list of all the supplies that had come in, but since only one item had come in, it was only one line long.

What’s written there? Uh… dragon scales?

I rubbed my eyes and checked again. The quantity was one, the specifications section that should have written the number of grams was blank, and there was no price written either.

Anyway, I received it, circled it with a pen, went to the counter, and called the store manager.

“Store manager. I received the item, but what do I do now?”

[ Just scan the barcode on the receipt you received and put the printed proof of attachment in the safe under the POS machine. ]

“I’ll do that. But, this… seems to be new. Where should I display it?”

It’s one of the most troublesome moments for part-time workers. When new products come in.

If you say that you can just fill it up, there’s something else to say. Usually, convenience store shelves are always full. It’s not easy to make room for display.

If you want to force space and display it, you can do it, but the balance will be broken and if the store manager doesn’t like it, you’ll get scolded. Most of the time, that’s the case.

The store manager won’t scold me for this, but this is, well, dragon scales. If you break it down into categories, it’s reptile skin. I can’t even think of where to display this, or what I can do with it.

[ You don’t have to display it. It won’t be sold this week. ]

“Oh, is that so?”

[ Oh, while I’m at it, I should say it now. Do you see the closed locker under the checkout counter? ]

After listening, I looked down and saw a long locker.

“yes.”

[Want to open it? Don’t press any buttons inside. Absolutely not.]

When I opened it, there were dozens of buttons lined up just as the store manager had said.

“I’m looking at the buttons right now. What are they? They’re not light switches, are they?”

[I’ve assigned coordinates to each of those buttons. When you press them, the convenience store moves to the point corresponding to those coordinates. The list of products on display also changes accordingly.]

“Just press it?”

[Press it right away. So don’t press it ever, okay?]

I told you not to press it, but somehow I feel like pressing it. Can’t you just press it once? Can’t you just press the button that goes somewhere and then comes back here?

Of course I didn’t press it. I guess he was telling me not to do it because I shouldn’t. Instead, I continued the thought I was having earlier and asked a question.

“The dragon scales that came in today… Which coordinates are the customers buying? No, are they buying them?”

[ You can’t sell it because it’s missing, Chan-ah. There’s an area where hundreds of workshops are gathered, and the dwarven blacksmiths who work there usually buy a lot of it. Other than that, they buy it as a sample from the academy district… ]

Where is the school district again?

“What is the purpose…?”

[Usually used as a substitute for hunter equipment or jewelry. Those bought as samples at the academy are for use by prospective students on field trips.]

“I see there’s no price written on it, so I guess it’s expensive.”

[ Yeah. If you sell it at once, it would be around tens of millions of won? ]

Oh my. I was thinking it would be something like Chivas Regal 17 Year Old. And if it’s something expensive like something sold at convenience stores, like an e-cigarette device?

[ Of course, we don’t sell them all at once. We cut them into small pieces and sell them individually. ]

“Listening to you, it feels more like a general store than a convenience store… ”

[ That’s something I’ve been thinking about too. But… I think convenience stores would do better than general stores. ]

If I had to choose between the two, I think I would choose the convenience store. I think only older people would come to the general store… Wait a minute.

As I listen to the story, a question comes to mind. The fact that the store manager was even worried about choosing between a convenience store and a general store means that there must have been a reason to do business in either one.

“Store Manager. Don’t misunderstand. I’m just asking this out of curiosity. Is there a special reason why you opened a convenience store?”

[ … Uh, why? ]

The response was a bit slow. I guess there really is a reason for that.

“No, I was just curious.”

[ I started it to make money. Why? ]

The store manager didn’t even know what the minimum wage was. He just mumbled because it seemed like the timing was right for him to be careful.

“It’s important. Money.”

[ Yeah. It’s important. Money. ]

The store manager’s voice was still soft, but it felt like it had calmed down a bit. Rather than wondering why he was asking such a question, it felt like he had been asked a question that was difficult to answer.

So I didn’t really dig too deep. In order to live in society, you have to be mindful of your boss at work. This is especially true if that person is the one who pays your salary directly.

It was a bit premature to ask such a question when we had only met for a day. I was afraid the atmosphere would get weird, so I brought it up first.

“Store manager. I printed out the receipt and put it away. Is there anything else I need to do?”

[ Yeah. Are there fewer guests coming now? ]

“Not yet. I think I’m starting to get used to it now…”

While I was answering, the office door opened. A woman, Yunha, had just come out.

But his expression wasn’t very good. He looked at me and spoke as if he was sorry.

“Ah… Mr. Lee Chan. Excuse me, are you talking to your sister?”

“Yes. Would you like me to change it for you?”

“No, you don’t need to change it… Could you please tell my sister that I’m bringing this logistics back?”

When asked why, this was the answer I got.

“That’s because it’s defective. It seems to be less refined.”