Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - The Oddball in This World (1/331)

Chapter 1. The Adapting Oddball (1)

The reason I started being an oddball is simple: the damn coronavirus had destroyed the company I worked for.

I joined the company in 2019, and this year marks exactly two years. Throughout these two years, the workload was so irregular that when the work started to decrease, I still remained optimistic, thinking it was just temporary. But one day, when I arrived at the office, I found the door locked. The inside looked as if it had been hit by a typhoon.

At first, I was just flabbergasted. Which of the overturned desks was mine?

Confused, I called my boss, but of course, there was no answer. Out of frustration, I even called the clients I was in charge of, only to get this response.

That's right. I had become a fool asking someone else why my company had gone bankrupt.

It took me three whole days to understand and accept that my company had completely fallen apart. After accepting it, the emotion that welled up was an infinite affection for China. I love China so much that I wish there were more, maybe about 80?

Anyway, I had to find a way to make a living.

For the first month, I tried to look for another job. But, of course, it was impossible to get hired. Not only had the coronavirus affected my company, but the work I did at my company was also... a bit all over the place.

First, I installed the games developed by the company in contracted stores.

Then, if someone asked for help with installing a CCTV, I would help. If a store owner asked for help with operating a new machine, I would read the manual and explain it, even though it wasn't our company's machine. After installation, I handled all the after-sales service...

In short, I did whatever I was told to do.

Because I didn't specialize in one task but handled various tasks, it didn't help my job portfolio at all, and there was nothing else to write about. I couldn't even write about my perfect attendance in high school, and I didn't even graduate from college.

After failing to find a job for a month, the next best option was part-time work.

Of course, it wasn't easy to find part-time work either. Factory jobs were all taken as soon as I contacted them, and cafes or bookstores said I was too old at 29.

Sometimes, I would get calls through the resume I had registered on an app, but answering them just made me angry. How could I possibly work a second shift at a sock factory in Jeolla when I live in Gyeonggi? At the very least, they should read the resume before calling, right?

After receiving dozens of such calls over two weeks, I was exhausted and went out for some fresh air this morning.

During the two weeks I hadn't left the house, the scenery near my home had changed a bit. One of the changes was a new convenience store that had opened nearby. A piece of A4 paper with "Hiring Part-time Workers" was posted on the front door.

Are they still hiring?

I went in on a whim. As soon as I entered, I saw a girl who looked like a high school student standing at the counter. Assuming she was a part-time worker, I asked:

"Excuse me, I came in after seeing the notice on the door. Is the manager still hiring part-time workers?"

"Uh, yes, yes! I am the manager."

"Really?"

I was taken aback. The girl who declared herself the manager looked so young that it was hard to believe.

However, her subsequent actions confirmed she was indeed the manager. She pulled out a piece of paper, called me to a seat by the window, sat opposite me, and asked:

"What's your name?"

"Lee Chan."

"Have you ever worked part-time at a convenience store before?"

"Yes."

I had done it occasionally before getting a job. In total, it was about a year. The manager, looking pleased, wrote my name on the first line of the paper and continued:

"You'll adapt quickly. How old are you?"

"I'm 29."

"Perfect. I'm... um..."

The manager suddenly seemed to be thinking hard about her age. Why would she need to think about her age?

"...Anyway, I'm a bit older than you. Can we speak informally?"

"Sure, no problem."

I don't really care about age. From her still pleased expression, it seemed I would be hired, and as long as they paid me, I would call them seniors, brothers, or sisters.

"Okay, got it. So, the pay is... "

I wondered how much they would pay, but the manager's subsequent words were all unexpected.

"The hourly wage is a clean 10,000 won."

"Really? Isn't that above the minimum wage?"

"How much is the minimum wage?"

I wondered if it was right for me, the employee, to answer, but since the manager had asked, I did. It was 2021...

"8,720 won, I think."

"Per hour?"

"Yes."

"How do you live on that?"

"That's why they pay more to get people to work quickly."

I came to look for part-time work because I couldn't do that. The manager, looking somewhat convinced, continued:

"Anyway, I'll pay 10,000 won. I'll raise it later. But, you'll have to work on weekends too..."

"That's fine."

I had no hobbies other than games, and once I got hooked, I would spend tens of thousands of won on PC room fees. I thought it would be better to earn money while not thinking about games.

"And... the working hours are 12 hours a day, from 10 PM to 10 AM the next day..."

"12 hours at night?"

"Yes. I'll take the other 12 hours."

What kind of working hours are these? Maybe it's because the store just opened and they haven't hired enough part-time workers...

"...I think I can manage."

I said I could manage.

The convenience store job wasn't physically demanding. After inventory management and shift handover, I could just look at my smartphone. I could even look for other jobs during my free time.

Besides, I wasn't in a position to be picky about working hours. I couldn't pay next month's rent, so what could I do?

Still, I had a backup plan.

"If it gets too hard, I'll let you know."

"I'll cover for you then."

"Cover for me? You won't hire another part-time worker?"

"What can I do if I can't hire one?"

I don't understand why they can't hire one. In this situation, if they offer 10,000 won per hour, there would be plenty of job seekers willing to quit their factory jobs.

"Anyway, Chan. Do you want to work part-time?"

"I have to. It's hard to find a job these days."

"That's true. How long do you plan to work?"

"I guess about a year."

Actually, I would work for as long as it took for the coronavirus to end. Then I could find a proper job...

"Okay, I'll write that down. Let me show you the cash register for a moment."

After that, it was simple.

I watched the shift handover at the cash register, and the manager said she would handle most of the logistics, but in special cases, they might come in the middle of the night.

This part seemed odd, so I asked:

"Logistics come in the middle of the night?"

"Yes, but not often unless it's really urgent."

I wondered what urgent logistics a convenience store could have, but I kept quiet.

"And at 2 AM, you'll take out the trash, and... um... and..."

"Yes."

"Handle difficult customers appropriately."

"Don't worry about that. I'm used to dealing with difficult people."

I was confident. One of the tasks I handled at my company was dealing with difficult customers.

For example, because our company's products were installed all over the country, I received calls from everywhere with the same request: "Can you provide same-day after-sales service?"

Since I didn't have a spare body, when I received calls from Jeju and Sokcho at the same time, I had to choose which one to visit and explain to the other that it was difficult today due to various circumstances.

Over time, I got used to it. Dealing with convenience store customers wouldn't be much different.

"Good. I think I've told you everything. Do you have any other questions?"

"I don't know what to ask."

"Don't worry too much. I've set everything up to run smoothly."

What does "run smoothly" mean?

I was curious about this but didn't ask and went home. I needed to rest early since I would start working the night shift today.

As I lay in bed after setting the alarm, questions I hadn't thought of during the training started to arise.

First, the manager didn't seem like a typical person.

How old is she? Even if I give her the benefit of the doubt, she's probably around my age, not much older.

Moreover, from her tone, it seemed she had no intention of making money from the convenience store. She didn't even know the minimum wage. Maybe she's a rich kid running it as a hobby?

Also, why did no one else get this high-paying part-time job before me, and why was the manager so pleased to have one part-time worker?

I didn't know that I would find the answer as soon as I got my first customer. A vampire came to the convenience store. I was going to go crazy.

And this was just the beginning.

"Manager, you said difficult customers would come, but you meant this—"

I tried to ask over the phone, but I couldn't speak after seeing the customer who just came in.

Next, a green creature, less than a meter tall, with a hunched back and a pockmarked face, came in.

The most distinctive feature was its huge nose, which made me think, "I know what this is." So, is this a goblin?

The goblin's voice was a high-pitched squeak.

"Where are the beers?"

Why is this thing speaking so rudely?

I swallowed my frustration and pointed to the alcohol section, but the goblin frowned.

"Are you ignoring me because I'm short?"

"No, that's not it."

"Can you see where I'm pointing? Is being tall something to be proud of?"

The solution when dealing with such difficult customers is to give them what they want and send them off. Arguing won't help, so I went out from behind the counter and led the goblin to the alcohol section. After a while, the goblin brought four beers to the counter and asked:

"Four cans for 10,000 won, right?"

"Yes."

In response, the goblin placed a heavy black envelope on the counter. When I opened it, it was full of 100 won coins.

"There should be a bit more than 100. Count them."

Wow, all 100 won coins...

I grumbled to myself but started counting the 100 won coins in groups of ten. It was work, after all. I had the phone between my shoulder and ear, still on the call with the manager.

"Wait a moment, I'll count this..."

After counting 100 100 won coins and confirming it was correct, the goblin took out another envelope.

"Change this to 10,000 won."

"..."

"Two bills."

Oh, this guy is really a pain...

After giving the change, I sent the goblin off and asked the manager on the phone:

"Manager, a green little creature just came and went."

"Why do goblins or vampires come to a convenience store?"

"Is the convenience store looking for customers? Do they have legs?"

The conversation was getting off track. What did the manager just say? Magic?

"Wait, what? Magic?"

"Why is there magic in a convenience store?"

The manager answered casually:

"Heh... Heh heh..."

Heh, heh heh...