By Zephyria Ryu Jeong was originally a child who shouldn’t have existed in this world.
His father was said to be the biggest thug in a rural area where the only store was a small corner shop. He was talented at fighting, so much so that senior members of gangs, known for their fists, would suggest he join their organization. Ryu Jeong’s Grandmother, whom he didn’t even know, knelt before his father, begging him not to go, but his father, in his own words, was a ‘son of a bitch’ and pushed his old mother aside to become a gangster.
In those days when fists were believed to be power, his father, who was doing trivial condom errands at a nightclub, met Ryu Jeong’s mother, a runaway teenager, and they got married. But it was only in name; there was no wedding ceremony, nor was their marriage ever registered, so their relationship could only be defined as cohabitation.
The root of their marital strife was poverty. They started living together with a love that burned like a flame, but they fought, breaking their household items every time they opened their eyes. They hurled curses at each other daily, but apparently not in bed.
His father, unaware that his wife was pregnant, suggested they take a plane. He had heard something somewhere and coaxed her for days about starting a big business, eventually moving to the Philippines. But life abroad was not as smooth as they had hoped. They were scammed by another Korean, making their already meager living even more impoverished, and the shocked father frequented gambling dens. Meanwhile, his mother’s belly grew bigger day by day, and on a humid and hot summer day, a baby was born. That baby was Ryu Jeong.
Whether it was due to postpartum depression and homesickness from giving birth in a foreign country, his mother hanged herself. Of course, that wouldn’t have been the only reason. Her husband must have been a factor too.
Anyway, for various reasons, Ryu Jeong spent his infancy in a foreign country as a ‘child who didn’t exist’ because his birth wasn’t properly registered. But his father was always drunk, so even though it was a story he heard often enough to forget, the details changed every time, so nothing was certain. As a result, even now, well past his twenties, Ryu Jeong didn’t even know the name of the place where he was born.
Around the age of seven, when other kids would have been preparing to enter elementary school, Ryu Jeong finally wrapped up his life abroad and returned home. Since he was just a clump of cells when he came to the Philippines, it would be more accurate to say he entered the country rather than returned, but it was a long time ago, so he didn’t dwell on it. That’s how Ryu Jeong became a citizen of South Korea on paper, a whopping seven years after he was born.
“Thank you. Goodbye.”
He mechanically greeted the customer who was leaving after buying something. He didn’t expect them to say thank you or good work, but it felt empty when they just walked out without a word.
Ryu Jeong looked out at the bright outside and suddenly checked the time. 8:22 AM. The night shift was originally supposed to end at 8:00 AM.
Working at a convenience store was the first part-time job Ryu Jeong had started when he was a high school student. But he wasn’t really a high school student, since he didn’t go to high school after graduating from middle school, so it would be more accurate to call him a teenager. The small convenience store, which was a long walk from the Moon Village where Ryu Jeong lived with his father, was exactly that place, a truly exploitative Shop Owner’s store that didn’t even pay the minimum wage under the pretext of having few customers.
“He’s late again…”
Ryu Jeong peeked his head out of the convenience store door, but the alleyway was empty. Muttering softly, Ryu Jeong went back inside and sighed deeply at the sight of the delivery he had just received.
The morning shift worker, who was supposed to start at 8:00 AM, was the Shop Owner’s own son. He had started working part-time to help his father, which might sound like he was a filial son, but that wasn’t the case. The Shop Owner had fired the existing part-timer under the pretext that money kept disappearing and put his son in that position. He seemed to feel more comfortable giving the money to his son than paying a part-timer he didn’t even know well.
Since he had come in with impure intentions from the start, his work ethic was bound to be poor. The Shop Owner’s son, Noh Hee-cheol, was always late. As a result, Ryu Jeong’s departure was delayed. He was angry because he wasn’t getting paid extra, but he couldn’t complain. If he did, he would surely be fired without even getting his wages, let alone overtime pay.
Ting-a-ling. Ryu Jeong, who was filling the shelves with goods, peeked his head out at the sound. When Ryu Jeong first started working at this convenience store, there was no doorbell at the entrance. The Shop Owner had installed it himself because he said the employees weren’t greeting customers politely.
“Welcome…”
Scratch that. Ryu Jeong, who was about to greet the customer with a slightly raised tone, stopped abruptly at the sight of the bleached yellow hair.
“Haaah, good morning, Hyung.”
It was Hee-cheol. Dressed in stretched-out sweatpants with protruding knees and dragging his slippers, Hee-cheol greeted him with a yawn, as if he had just woken up. Come to think of it, his face was swollen. Ryu Jeong continued to fill the ramen on the shelf and asked.
“Did you drink last night?”
“Yeah. One of my friends is enlisting in the army today. I had to play along with him.”
Sure enough, he reeked of alcohol. He must have come to work without even washing. Even though the warm water doesn’t work, I still wash my face with cold water before coming. Seeing that he was late and hadn’t even washed, he must have really fallen asleep drunk and reluctantly come to work.
It was delayed by a whole 30 minutes, but at least he could finally go home. Ryu Jeong squatted down and cleaned up the messy floor. But Hee-cheol, who he thought would just pass by, suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Ryu Jeong. The way he was looking down at Ryu Jeong askew was a sign that he didn’t like something. Ryu Jeong hesitated and got up, watching Hee-cheol’s expression.
“Why…? Do you need something?”
“No.”
“But why…”
“No, Hyung should accept a greeting as a greeting. Why are you nagging from the morning?”
Ryu Jeong’s eyes widened at the sudden scolding. He hadn’t even nagged, he had only asked if he had been drinking, but it was quite a talent to take it so askew. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
“Ah… sorry. Good morning.”
“Whatever.”
Hee-cheol went inside sullenly and quickly put on his uniform. Then he took out a bottle of hangover cure and drank it down in one go.
He should pay for that first. His mouth was itching to say it, but he held back. He knew that he would only get a reaction like, ‘My dad’s the Shop Owner, would his son steal?’ or ‘Who do you think I am, an idiot? I know that too?’ Ryu Jeong hesitated, conscious of the CCTV hanging from the ceiling, and took out a crumpled five-thousand-won bill and put it in the cash register.
There were many things he could do with five thousand won. He could have a meal, even if it wasn’t a lavish one, take the bus, or buy a genuine cycle suppressant. He had to buy the suppressant no matter what.
“What are you doing?”
Ryu Jeong, who couldn’t close the cash register right away and was looking down at it with lingering eyes, was startled and looked up. Hee-cheol, who had quickly come right in front of the counter, was staring down at him. He wasn’t trying to do anything bad, but standing in front of the cash register and facing the Shop Owner’s son made Ryu Jeong feel guilty. He quickly closed the cash register without saying a word, and Hee-cheol gestured for him to move aside.
Ryu Jeong hesitated and went into the storage room to change his clothes. Since he didn’t have money for the bus, he would have to walk diligently to get at least two hours of sleep. I wonder if there’s anything to eat at home. It would be nice if I could eat the expired food. The Shop Owner was the kind of person who begrudged even expired food to the part-timers, so he couldn’t dare to touch it even though it was going to be thrown away anyway.
“I’m going to…”
“Hyung.”
He was thinking of just eating ramen when Hee-cheol suddenly stopped him. What’s he going to pick on this time? Ryu Jeong stopped and looked at him.
“Have you been to the army, Hyung?”
“…Huh?”
An unexpected question flew at him. Ryu Jeong momentarily forgot to manage his expression and replied blankly. Hee-cheol, as if he didn’t think much of it, tilted his head with a tsk.
“No, right. Didn’t you work here since you were in high school, Hyung? When are you going to the army? How old are you now, Hyung… twenty-three? Twenty-four?”
“Ah… well, I’m twenty-three.”
Ryu Jeong bit his lip, not knowing what to do. That’s because the army was a place that wouldn’t be related to him, just as it had always been.
Alphas and Omegas were exempt from military service for trait protection. It was something that Betas, who had the duty of national defense, envied. But that was it. Revealing that you were a trait person wasn’t a pleasant thing. Especially for Omegas, it was even more disadvantageous. No matter how much you revealed your trait, it was obvious that people would immediately think of sex. Ryu Jeong just smiled awkwardly and avoided answering.
“I guess so. They say it’s a loss if you go to the army late.”
“If you go late, there will be guys younger than you as your superiors, Hyung. I can’t stand that, so I’m going to look into it soon.”
“Look into what…?”
“What else? Enlistment. Ha, shit. I think it would be so unfair if I get assigned to the front lines. There’s only one thing I envy about Alphas and Omegas? It’s that they don’t go to the army.”
Hee-cheol ruffled his hair irritably, as if he really didn’t want to go. Ryu Jeong just stared at him, not knowing how to react, and Hee-cheol, who was muttering curses into the air, stopped abruptly. The way he turned around with a grumpy look was as if he was asking, ‘Are you still there?’
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”
“Ah, uh…”
He called me himself… Ryu Jeong grumbled inwardly about the dissatisfaction that was swirling inside his mouth.
“Then I’ll go now… Good work.”
“Yeah.”
Ryu Jeong was about to leave but glanced back. He was about to volunteer for the army, but Hee-cheol was already engrossed in a game, sitting cross-legged inside the counter. Ryu Jeong quickly left the convenience store, afraid that Hee-cheol might stop him again.