By Zephyria 
In truth, Haon hadn’t planned on living in this house for long at first.
Since there were no vacancies at the Omega-only gosiwon nearby, he had intended to stay for just a few months. However, after living there for a month or two, he found that there were no particular problems and was drawn by the advantage of the very cheap rent, leading him to stay for a year and a half.
A year and a half. It had already been well over a year since Haon came to Seoul. He had filled exactly half of the three-year deadline he had promised to Seong-gu and himself. During that not-so-short time, Haon did nothing but work.
Working, getting sick, working, and getting sick again. It was a succession of somewhat depressing days, but he wasn’t drowned in a gloomy mood. He hadn’t come to Seoul with grand expectations anyway; from the start, making money was his primary goal.
Working without rest throughout the weekdays and weekends, Haon lived by cutting all expenses as much as possible. Since he had almost no desire for material goods or food, frugality was ingrained in him. In some months, he spent a mere ten thousand won on food. Even that was spent on water, not food. He made do with meals provided at work or ate the ramen provided by the gosiwon.
For Haon, who had no interest in eating delicious food or buying clothes, his only pleasure was saving money.
Because he had to change workplaces every time his heat hit and occasionally spent large sums on hospital bills, he hadn’t been able to save much yet. Therefore, he intended to work even harder during the remaining time to save more money. As much as he possibly could.
* * *
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Haon went straight to find the manager. He thought about going to the locker room to find his phone first, but he felt it would be better to see the manager first.
In the staff-only passage, a truck driver was busily unloading fresh ingredients delivered that day.
“Oh, I thought you quit?”
The youngest kitchen hand, who was receiving a large piece of steak meat from the driver, recognized Haon and spoke to him. Since there were so many servers and they changed frequently, the staff didn’t memorize every new hire’s face, but everyone remembered Haon. Even if they didn’t know his name, they all knew his face. Of course, Haon was unaware of this.
Wondering if the kitchen hand was indeed speaking to him, Haon looked back and gave a vague nod. It wasn’t a confirmation, but a greeting, yet the youth continued by asking why he had come.
“Ah… I didn’t quit.”
But he omitted the part about likely being fired soon. Haon was already prepared to receive a notice of termination from the manager.
“I see. Well, good luck with work!”
Upon hearing Haon’s answer, the youth’s expression brightened, and he walked away with the heavy meat slung over his shoulder. Haon bowed his head again at the loud greeting.
“He’s so kind…”
Haon murmured softly as he watched the youth enter the kitchen. He was grateful that someone who had only worked there for a short time remembered him. He had been a bit intimidated because of the man’s large build, but seeing him up close, he had a very friendly impression. He felt that if he worked here longer, they might become close.
Sighing, Haon’s pace slowed with a hint of regret. He had drifted through various part-time jobs, but places where people were as kind and welcoming as this were very rare. His colleagues, in particular, were very friendly. It was also much more comfortable because the proportion of Omegas was high.
“Yes?”
Haon’s expression went blank as he approached the hall manager. He had been about to apologize and explain the reason for his unannounced absence. However, he missed his timing because the manager cut him off.
“Are you going to keep working or not?”
The manager, who was scanning today’s reservation list with a pen between her fingers, asked back. Without glancing at Haon, she simply told him to change into his uniform if he intended to keep working.
“…Can I keep working?”
Haon had naturally assumed he would be fired. The cold-looking manager had strictly warned him during the interview that he must never be late or absent. She had clearly stated she would fire him if he was late even once, yet he had been absent for three days without any contact. It was a situation where being fired was only natural.
“Are you not going to?”
“Ah, no. I will! I’ll do my best!”
As Haon clenched his fist, declaring he would work hard, the manager’s sharp gaze pierced through him. She stared intently at Haon’s face for a moment and then jerked her chin toward the hallway. It was a sign for him to leave.
Though the manager’s displeased expression weighed on his mind, Haon was first grateful that he hadn’t been fired and headed straight for the locker room. A deep sense of relief washed over him, as finding a job like this was not easy.
* * *
Ah, I’m saved.
A bright smile spread across Haon’s lips as he opened his personal locker and checked the inside. The phone and wallet, still sitting exactly where he left them, were more welcome than ever.
First, he checked if his ID and transportation card were still in his wallet, meticulously counted the thousand-won bills, and then picked up his phone. The only thought floating in his head right now was that he needed to save that man’s number. There was no reason for the number to disappear just because he checked it late, but he felt an unnecessary sense of urgency.
“What’s wrong. Why is it doing this?”
However, the phone did not respond to its owner’s urgency.
“Is it because of the battery?”
He spoke to the black screen, which had shut down due to a drained battery, touching it for a long while before finally changing his clothes. Since it had been left alone for over five days, it was only natural for the battery to be dead.
But do missed call notifications remain even if the phone is off?
A wrinkle formed between Haon’s brows as he grew serious over the sudden question. He worried that he might not be able to save the man’s number.
He should have just told me the number. Then I could have written it on my hand…
“What’s up? Is there a problem?”
Haon, who had been mumbling to himself, was startled by the sudden voice and dropped his phone. The kitchen youth, who quickly snatched the phone before it hit the floor, clutched his own chest.
“Whoa, that almost dropped! Here!”
With an equally surprised face, he handed the phone back to Haon. His voice was so powerful that it echoed throughout the spacious locker room. His voice was as large as his physique.
After returning the phone, the youth zipped away to his own locker on the opposite side. Haon called out to his back, thanking him for picking up the phone.
“For what? You dropped it because you were surprised by me.”
Scratching the back of his short hair, the youth entered his locker password. Haon watched the scene absentmindedly and ended up learning the password. It was a simple combination of the number ‘0’ repeated four times, so he couldn’t help but memorize it instantly. Though he would likely forget it if he didn’t make an effort to remember.
“But is there a problem with your phone?”
The youth, rummaging through his disorganized locker, glanced at Haon. Since it was still early, only the two of them were in the locker room.
“You were mumbling so seriously that I wondered if something was wrong.”
“No, it’s not a problem… the battery just ran out, so it turned off.”
“I have a power bank. Want to borrow it?”
Haon tilted his head as he watched the youth hurriedly pull a bag out of his locker. What was a power bank?
“Use it and give it back when you clock out.”
He thrust a silver power bank into Haon’s hand and hurried out of the locker room. Haon closed the locker door that the youth had left wide open and examined the power bank closely.
What is this used for?
Seeing the familiar cord attached to the heavy device, he thought he understood its purpose. Just in case, he plugged the charging port into his phone, and surprisingly, a charging symbol appeared on the black screen.
“Wow.”
Haon’s eyes sparkled, the kind of wonder he felt even when seeing a beautifully bloomed flower. He carefully placed the newly discovered piece of technology on his locker and waited for the phone to turn on. Because it was an old model, it took a while for the home screen to appear.
“It’s turning on. It’s turning on.”
He did a small shoulder dance as he watched the phone screen gradually brighten. Even though the booting speed was frustratingly slow to anyone else, Haon waited patiently, purely happy. Since he had always used it, he didn’t even realize it was slow.
As soon as the default wallpaper appeared, he immediately opened the call log. There were 13 missed calls from the weekend boss and 2 from the hall manager. The number of texts from both was similar.
Normally, he would have checked the texts from those two with narrowed eyes and intense nervousness, but right now, he was too busy checking the man’s number.
“Two-thirty in the morning…”
Seeing the man’s missed call record timestamped so late, his gratitude doubled. He felt sincerely thankful to the man who had driven him home at such a late hour without showing any sign of annoyance.
“Oh.”
His heart warmed, and as Haon tried to save the number, he accidentally placed a call. He hurriedly pressed the end button and tossed the phone back into the locker. While he was blinking in embarrassment, the phone vibrated—zzzzzt.
It was a call from the man.
Frozen for a few seconds, Haon quickly cleared his throat and pressed the call button. The moment his nervous thumb touched the screen—
“Hell—”
The phone abruptly shut off. Along with a small light indicating that the power bank’s life had come to an end.