Chapter 2

The two women soon entered a convenience store halfway up the hill at the alley’s three-way intersection, called ‘Alley 25 O’Clock.’  

Eunwoo looked up at the building.  

It was an old two-story brick building, probably thirty or forty years old.  

“Alley 25 O’Clock…”  

A faint nostalgia hovered at the edge of his lips as he murmured.  

–Hey, Go Eunwoo! If you lived in Switzerland, you probably never ate Korean junk food, right? This alley store has everything. Want to try some? Jjondeugi, Apollo, Batdureong, Jjonjjyoni, Kkoeddori…  

–Ah, you little rascals, if you’re not going to buy anything, just leave it alone! Stop messing with everything! Who’s going to eat it if you ruin it like that?  

As he was choosing what to try, an old lady with a bent back came out and started cursing at them.  

Then his friend Hajin, who had brought him there, grinned slyly and bought everything Eunwoo had touched, adding,  

–Come on, Grandma. We’ll buy them all. Don’t worry. Hey, Go Eunwoo! I forgot to tell you. The grandma here swears like a pro. You’ll get addicted if you listen long enough. You might even want to learn from her.  

–You little brat, of all the things to learn in this world, why would you choose swearing?  

Memories from fourteen years ago flashed vividly in his mind.  

Eunwoo stepped back and looked up at the ‘Alley 25 O’Clock’ sign again.  

Back then, it was a yellowed sign with faded letters, an old mom-and-pop store. Now, it had a sleek black background with neat, bold white letters.  

The tailor shop that used to be next to the grocery store was now part of this café-style convenience store.  

Eunwoo glanced at the rooftop room visible above the ‘English Art Class’ sign on the second floor, then looked back at the convenience store.  

Through the window, he saw the woman who had been so fiery earlier now smiling, and the scene from before replayed in his mind.  

–That’s right! You piece of sh*t! A married man pretending to be single and seducing a young woman—if that’s not a piece of sh*t, what is! 

She didn’t seem young, yet she’d used such childish language as ‘pile of sh*t.’  

Of course, it was a perfect metaphor for that married man.  

He felt a sudden urge to introduce her to the old lady from the alley store who was famous for her swearing, and the thought made him smile involuntarily.  

He then touched his lips, wondering how long it had been since he’d smiled so freely.  

His eyes fell on a white paper posted on the convenience store window.  

It was a part-time job notice.  

A part-time job…  

–It’s been two months since you quit, and you still haven’t recovered? Do you think burnout just goes away if you rest for a set time?  

–I hoped it would.  

–If it were that easy, why would people need psychiatrists like me? Don’t rush it. While you’re resting, try to find something fun. Something that makes you laugh, something interesting, something you enjoy, something exciting. It’s okay to let loose for once.  

–What do you mean?  

–I mean, instead of doing what you have to do, try doing what you want.  

A recent conversation with his cousin Jaehyung flashed through Eunwoo’s mind.  

It had already been two months since he quit his job.  

He had traveled for a month and then slept like the dead.

He caught up on movies and dramas he hadn’t seen, and even tried cooking dishes he’d never made before.  

Nevertheless, life still felt dull and tedious.  

“Something interesting, something I’m drawn to, something that makes me laugh……”  

Eunwoo once again scanned the part-time job notice.  

Then, he touched the slightly raised corner of his mouth with his fingertip.  

He was definitely interested.  

Since he was just idling about anyway, maybe he ought to try something.  

It might be the breakthrough he needed to escape this stagnant state.  

***

“So, you’re saying you were impressed after witnessing that… incident yesterday?”  

“Yes. You were really cool.”  

After hearing the full story of why Eunwoo said he was ‘impressed,’ Yujin felt a bit embarrassed.  

What he meant by ‘impressed’ wasn’t romantic; he’d simply been positively struck by her feisty attitude as a person, not as a potential partner.  

She almost misunderstood.  

Yujin chuckled awkwardly and glanced over Eunwoo’s resume again.  

“But why are you looking for a part-time job instead of changing careers?”  

“I quit my job a while ago. I felt I needed some time off for myself. Someone told me I should try doing what I want while I’m resting. That’s why I applied. For a part-time job.”  

Yujin nodded slowly.  

Honestly, the answer wasn’t entirely convincing.  

At a time when he needed a break, he wanted to work at a convenience store?  

She couldn’t quite understand, but she sensed there was more to his story left unsaid, and probing further didn’t seem mature.  

Besides, what mattered to her was whether this man could work diligently.  

“So, if you do start working, how long are you planning to stay?”  

“To be honest, I can’t give a definite answer. But if you take the time to train me, it wouldn’t be right to quit right away, would it?”  

Eunwoo smiled faintly.  

His tone was direct yet considerate, so Yujin responded openly as well.  

“You can tell you’ve worked in society before. You know how things go.”  

In truth, as the manager, Yujin preferred part-timers who were students in their early twenties.  

Given her own age of thirty-two, it was easier to manage younger workers, who had less experience and therefore fewer bad habits, making them easier to train.  

Plus, their youthful energy had a positive effect on her.  

On the other hand, Eunwoo’s resume listed his age as twenty-nine.  

From his work history, she could guess how capable he must have been, whether academically or professionally.  

And the way he sat across from her—relaxed and comfortable, with no sign of nervousness or trying to read her mood.  

All these thoughts flashed through Yujin’s mind.  

Meanwhile, Eunwoo spoke up.  

“There’s one thing I can promise about the duration. If it’s a month, it’ll be a month. If it’s two, then two. I’ll complete the period. And I’ll let you know at least two weeks before I leave.”  

Yujin, who had unconsciously wrinkled her nose, blinked at Eunwoo’s calm but oddly trustworthy tone.  

“I’ve never worked at a convenience store before, but I really want to. Here.”  

Eunwoo met her eyes and gently smiled.  

It sounded like it had to be here, and just as Yujin was about to ask why, the convenience store door opened and girls in Banho High School uniforms walked in.  

“Oh, excuse me for a moment.”  

Yujin got up from the café table where she’d been sitting with Eunwoo and walked to the counter.  

Meanwhile, one of the girls, who was picking out snacks and sports drinks, glanced over with sparkling eyes.  

“Hey, hey, look at the guy sitting at that table—he’s super handsome! Look!”  

“Where?”  

“…Wow, amazing! Is he a celebrity or something?”  

“Maybe a model? Wow… seriously, so cool!”  

Yujin, who was scanning barcodes at the POS terminal, couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at the excited conversation among the girls, even though they tried to keep their voices low.  

She glanced sideways at Eunwoo’s picture-perfect profile at the café table.  

“Should we go ask what he does?”  

“Huh? Me too? No way, I’d die of embarrassment. You ask.”  

“Isn’t he better looking than Kang Youngho from Class 2?”  

“Are you kidding? No comparison. That guy is way more handsome. He’s super tall too. Look at those legs.”  

Yujin overheard the high schoolers’ chat and barely managed to suppress a smile.  

‘Oppa,’ they said.  

He’s twenty-nine.  

‘Ajusshi’ would be more fitting.  

Soon, the girls paid and left, and Yujin squinted at Eunwoo’s clean-cut profile.  

If that man worked here, the convenience store would probably get a lot of regular customers.  

Even if he might be a handful as a part-timer, if it led to more business, maybe she should reconsider?  

But hiring someone with that face could also cause trouble.  

Not only with customers, but among the young female part-timers working here.  

What if a romance or scandal broke out?