By Zephyria Ryu Jeong, squatting on the floor, replaced the name tag on the bottom shelf of the display. He checked the item and the name tag several times, just in case he made a mistake. Only after completing several checks was Ryu Jeong able to unfold his knees with relief.
“Ugh… my legs.”
He couldn’t help but groan after squatting for so long. Ryu Jeong thumped his tingling legs with his fists. Not satisfied, he stretched, twisting his waist in all directions. A gruesome cracking sound came from his waist. Only then did he feel a little better.
The last day of the month was the busiest day for convenience store part-timers. Since a new promotion would start from the 1st of the next month, the meticulousness of the night shift worker had to shine in order to avoid confusing customers.
Ryu Jeong checked again carefully as he walked, even though he had already checked several times. If he missed anything, he would surely get an earful from the Shop Owner or Noh Hee-cheol. Once, he was so tired that he missed just one thing, and fortunately, he didn’t have to have it deducted from his paycheck, but he had to listen to nagging for days.
After changing the name tags, filling the stock, serving the occasional customer, and even cleaning the store neatly, Ryu Jeong briefly locked the convenience store door and headed to the bathroom. Since he was the only one enthusiastic about cleaning the store, he had to wash the used mop in a timely manner. Otherwise, it would obviously be left unattended for days.
The bathroom was on the second floor of the building where the convenience store was located. He would have hurried in the past, but these days Ryu Jeong was going out without worry. It was because the students who had asked for credit last time hadn’t been seen since that day. They were the type to sit there until three in the morning once they came, so he couldn’t even go to the bathroom even if he wanted to before then. So he deliberately didn’t drink water and endured it.
Even though the kids were a bit hyper and messy, they always just giggled among themselves and left, so he only thought it was a bit annoying to clean up, but it seemed he had been thinking of them as troublemakers inside. It was nice and quiet, even though it was just one group that stopped coming.
It was all thanks to that customer from back then. Ryu Jeong recalled the male customer who had appeared at a movie-like timing and resolved the situation in one fell swoop. He didn’t seem to think he had helped him, which made him seem even cooler. He wanted to become an adult like him, relaxed and humble.
I hope he comes again. Just thinking about the customer made him hum. As he leisurely descended the stairs, there was a shadow lingering in front of the convenience store. Ryu Jeong, who had a hunch just by looking at the tall shadow, rushed over. The person who turned around at the sound of footsteps was someone else, unlike what he had hoped for. Without even having time to feel embarrassed, Ryu Jeong bowed his head.
“Ah, I, I’m sorry. Just a moment.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It happens. Take your time.”
His hands didn’t move as he wished because he was in a hurry. Fortunately, the customer seemed to be moderately drunk, so he waited without getting annoyed. After a few fumbles, Ryu Jeong finally took out the key he had put in his convenience store vest and opened the door.
He returned to the counter and rubbed his wet hands on his pants. The customer, staggering through the aisles, stopped in front of the liquor refrigerator as expected. Most customers who came to the convenience store drunk always bought alcohol. Was it not enough even after drinking that much? He was reminded of his father, who had constantly made him run errands for alcohol when he was young. Looking at customers like that, he unwillingly saw his father overlapping with them.
While Ryu Jeong was lost in thought, the customer who had approached the counter placed bottles of soju he had in both hands. Ryu Jeong mechanically scanned the barcodes and asked.
“Do you need a bag?”
“Hey, student.”
“…Yes?”
At the sudden call, Ryu Jeong widened his eyes and looked up. He smiled when their eyes met. The smile that had seemed so kind when he had told him to take his time earlier now felt unpleasant for some reason.
“Ah, you’re a student? No wonder, you look young.”
“Is there… anything you need?”
He was flustered, but he tried to keep his voice calm. He forced a smile on his uncooperative lips, and now the man was leaning halfway over the counter with his elbows on it. Ryu Jeong flinched back at the rush of alcohol smell.
“No, I just… you have a pretty smile. I was curious, so I asked.”
Sss, ha……. The man took a deep breath in and out. It was suspicious that he closed his eyes tightly, saying it was because he was drunk. Ryu Jeong pressed his back against the cigarette display and swallowed hard. Why is he doing that? He looks like he’s smelling a flower……. The moment he realized, a siren went off in his head. The man opened his closed eyes wide. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with greasy desire.
“I’ve been wondering since earlier… you’re an Omega.”
Ryu Jeong’s heart plummeted at the expression of finally realizing. His heart, which had hit rock bottom in an instant, began to beat loudly.
“Well, what else would such a pretty kid be if not an Omega?”
Was he an Alpha? He belatedly tried to sense the man’s pheromone, but it was barely noticeable, as if he was a recessive like him. But even a weak pheromone was still a pheromone. The smell that was slowly spreading contained a foul lust. He knew that holding his breath wouldn’t solve the problem, but Ryu Jeong instinctively held his breath and bit his lip. He shouldn’t have been happy that the students weren’t coming.
Ryu Jeong glanced at the emergency bell button, intending to press it if necessary. Since the convenience store was located in a sparsely populated area where the police would neglect even patrolling at this late hour, he had no choice but to press that to ask for help. He could only hope that it would work properly. Ryu Jeong calmed his breathing and boldly looked at the man, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.
“I, I’m going to report you.”
Nevertheless, the man didn’t budge. Instead, he chuckled and leaned his head further forward. Every time he opened his mouth, a foul smell of alcohol and pheromones mixed together wafted out.
“Report? Go ahead. What did I do? Did I even touch you, strip you? Even if you report me now, they’ll just let me go anyway, right?”
The man’s tongue was already very loose. He slurred on and on, saying things that were hard to understand. But judging from the explicit words he was saying, such as touching and stripping, it was clear that his antics wouldn’t end with just drinking together.
The man, grinning and showing his yellow teeth, suddenly lifted one of his legs. He put his leg on the counter as if he was about to climb over it, and then he panted heavily. When he inadvertently looked down, he saw that he had his crotch pressed against the counter and was shaking his hips as if he was having sex.
“You said you’re a student, right? How old are you? About twenty? There aren’t any customers anyway, so how about having a drink with me? I’ll buy it for you.”
“N, no, please stop.”
The counter in between was low and flimsy enough for the man to climb over if he wanted to. The distance was also narrow, making it difficult to avoid him. Trembling, he reached under the POS. He was about to press the emergency bell when his wrist was grabbed roughly. Heeik. A shrill scream escaped from Ryu Jeong’s mouth.
It was then. Ting-a-ling. The door opened just as a feverish breath was about to hit his face. Ryu Jeong, who had reflexively closed his eyes, thought this was his chance and pushed the man away. The man, drunk and staggering, stuck to him like a leech and wouldn’t let go. His grabbed wrist was screaming in pain.
“H, help me!”
In the current situation, it didn’t matter who came in. Ryu Jeong squeezed out a voice that wouldn’t come out. Afraid that they might panic and leave, he barely took his eyes off the excited man and looked at the entrance. Ryu Jeong’s eyes widened in an instant.
It was that man again. The man who had barged in for the third time was wearing a black suit as always.
“…….”
The man, who was about to step inside, frowned and stopped abruptly. The man’s gaze passed over Ryu Jeong’s terrified face and slowly turned to the side. The drunkard, who was flailing around as if he was about to climb over the counter, didn’t seem to know what was happening, and he was panting and reaching out to Ryu Jeong. The man, who had been quietly watching the scene, tilted his head crookedly.
“What is this.”
The man spoke of the drunkard, who was clearly a person, as if he were an object. As the low, ominous voice cut in, the drunkard finally realized that a disturber had appeared and groaned as he lowered his legs. He forced his body, which he couldn’t even control properly, to turn around and scanned the man standing in front of the door from head to toe.
The opponent seemed to be obviously different in physique at a glance, but the confidence and self-esteem that alcohol instilled in him seemed to pierce the sky. He snorted loudly, raised his chin arrogantly, and waved his hand, telling him not to interfere.
“Hey, mister. I’m sorry, but can’t you just go on your way without coming in?”
“Why should I?”
His voice asking back was mixed with annoyance and disgust. But it wouldn’t reach the drunkard’s ears.
“Aish, do I really have to say it for you to understand? You know, this, this.”
The drunkard made a circle with the tips of his index finger and thumb, then repeatedly put one finger from the other hand in and out of the circle. Ryu Jeong’s face turned blue. The meaning of that gesture was clear. It was the gesture his father had made to a certain woman at the gambling house.
The drunkard, who even twisted his waist in the air once, giggled happily even as he did such a vulgar thing. His hand movements to unbuckle his pants were so precise that it was only a moment before his outwardly neat clothes were disheveled. Underwear was briefly visible between the pants. The drunkard, who stretched the waistband and shoved his hand inside, fondled his lower body and let out a disgusting groan. It wasn’t just Ryu Jeong who felt disgusted, but also the man, Do Hwon.
“Hah…….”
Do Hwon sighed in annoyance and turned his gaze away. His jaw twisted slightly, making his angular jawbone stand out. The drunkard didn’t care at all about such a reaction. Rather, he poured out explicit words as if he was getting excited.
“Aish, okay. I’ll concede. Let’s do it with the three of us. How about it? I’m fine with it. I’m an Alpha, but what about you…….”
But the words didn’t continue to the end. It was because a sharp Alpha Pheromone with aggression was spreading towards him. Feeling the alcohol wear off in an instant, the drunkard looked at Do Hwon with surprised eyes. He, who had been looking elsewhere just a moment ago, was now staring straight at him with eyes full of contempt.