Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: I Picked Up a Part-Timer (1)
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Shwaaa—
The day after delivering a certain famous hero—who was completely wasted on booze—safely back to his place, I woke up to the sound of rain tapping against the window.
"Ugh... what is it. Is it raining?"
How long did I sleep? I rubbed my bleary eyes and checked the clock.
'What? It's already one o'clock?'
I usually got up around ten in the morning. I'd slept longer than expected.
Well, with everything that happened yesterday, it made sense.
...But even though it was the middle of the day, it was dark outside.
Thick storm clouds had cast a deep, inky darkness over everything. It was the kind of gloom that could make you mistake it for having the blackout curtains drawn.
Come to think of it, the weather forecast had mentioned rain until evening...
"Ah, whatever."
I was planning to keep the bar closed today anyway, so maybe I'd catch a bit more sleep— I thought, pulling the covers back over me.
At that moment.
Ding.
My phone blared a cheap electronic chime and buzzed. A text message.
'This feels like déjà vu...'
Maybe I should set it to silent mode at night— I seriously pondered as I checked my phone. Surprisingly, it was from someone unexpected.
[Oppa. I'm on break ^_^. I'll swing by soon.]
The sender was Min-ah. My little sister.
Not my blood sister, but a girl five years younger I'd met at the orphanage.
"Do-han oppa. I ran away again."
"What?"
Unlike me, she had both parents alive... but due to various circumstances, she'd been left at the orphanage where I stayed.
"Why'd you run away this time? The teachers will worry."
"...It was suffocating."
Min-ah, who had always stuck close to me, would come to my place whenever she ran away from the orphanage.
I knew the orphanage's finances and living conditions weren't great, so letting her crash for a few days had become routine.
'Was it two years ago she started college?'
Unlike me, Min-ah was pretty smart and had managed to get into university despite the rough orphanage life.
After that, I'd been busy with my own life, and she'd been caught up in college, so we rarely met in person.
[My room's still the same, right? See you later 0_0]
'It's not your room.'
Still, we texted often, and we'd meet up during breaks like this.
I'd told her she didn't have to come. Every time we met, she'd ask if I had a girlfriend yet—probably worried I'd be lonely.
[Text me before you come]
'Perfect. Send.'
I replied to Min-ah and got out of bed. I was more awake now, and my stomach was starting to growl.
'Any ramen left?'
Scratching my head, I opened the cupboard. It was completely empty.
The fridge was the same. Bare as could be.
'Yeah... it's been a while since I went shopping.'
Of course this happens when it's pouring. I didn't feel like going out...
"Haa..."
I dragged my sluggish body up, grabbed an umbrella from the entryway, and headed to the convenience store down the street.
"Thank you! Come again!"
I grabbed some quick eats from the convenience store, plus a pack of ramen and a salad, then stepped out into rain that had picked up even more.
Shwaaa—
'It's coming down harder.'
It had been lighter when I went in.
"But with my partner here, no problem."
I pressed the button, and with a cheerful whoosh, the umbrella popped open. A blue one with a cute cat printed on it.
If anyone called a grown man creepy for carrying something like this, I'd have no comeback.
But it's cute. Cats are cute.
"...Now what."
I stood there blankly, listening to the rain pattering on the umbrella, pondering my next move.
I could head straight home, but...
'...Better stop by the bar.'
I'd cleaned up pretty sloppily yesterday.
Food scraps on the tables would stick if left too long, making them a pain to clean. Plus, bugs might show up.
And it was about a thirty-minute walk to the bar—perfect for a stroll.
Decision made, I turned toward the bar.
Splash, splash.
Walking through the rain, you naturally pass by all sorts of people.
"..."
One pair caught my eye: a father and daughter.
A girl about elementary school age, holding hands with a man.
"Daddy, let's hurry home. I miss Mommy."
The dad held a box of chicken in his other hand.
"Yeah. It's our Hye-rim's birthday, so let's stop by the bakery and get a cake."
"Yay! I love you, Daddy!"
"..."
I'm jealous.
'Maybe I should grab some chicken after a while... Huh?'
Before I knew it, I'd reached the alley near the bar.
Someone was sitting against the wall.
"What the."
A girl huddled with her head buried between her knees, getting soaked without an umbrella.
She screamed "I've got a story" from every angle.
Her uniform looked familiar—the high school not far from here.
...The weird part was wearing it during summer break, and a summer uniform sleeveless top at that.
Well, maybe makeup classes, and the days had big temperature swings, so not that strange.
The issue was why she was out there like that...
'Just keep walking.'
Maybe she just felt like getting wet today. Definitely not because I didn't want to get involved.
"..."
Half-expecting it, but luckily she didn't grab me as I passed, so I made it safely into the bar.
*
"Whoa... what a mess."
Maybe because I'd rushed the cleanup yesterday—chairs and tables everywhere, nothing in place.
And the window was slightly open, so everything around was drenched.
'Gotta wipe the tears before the floor...'
What if I hadn't come today? Curtains not drawn either—if a thief had shown up, disaster.
I set down my bags and was about to clean the window when.
"..."
Through the glass, I saw the girl's silhouette. Like an abandoned kitten.
I stopped wiping the water from the window and stared blankly at her outside.
Shwaaa—
If only the weather would clear up. But no, the rain was getting worse.
'Should I call the cops?'
Is that even worth reporting? What would I say?
"Sigh. Whatever."
This nosy side of me. Better just finish what I was doing.
I wiped the water from the window and floor with the rag,
straightened the crooked tables and chairs,
"Ugh."
...grabbed my precious umbrella, and stepped out of the bar.
Shwaaa.
Even now, with the rain pounding the ground harder, the girl was still huddled in the same spot.
'She's not dead, is she?'
The uneasy thought crossed my mind when,
"Achoo."
...a sneeze signaling she was alive reached my ears.
'Not dead, good.'
Maybe sensing me approach with the umbrella, she looked up.
Long, black hair cascading down.
Golden eyes that stood out in contrast—like staring at stars in the night sky. A striking girl.
"...What're you looking at, mister."
Never mind.
'Mister? I'm not that old...'
Twenty-eight's still young, right? Well, to her age, probably mister material.
Swallowing a bit of bitterness, I spoke to her.
"Hey, you'll catch a cold out here..."
"Buzz off. Not in the mood to talk to anyone."
Huh.
"Still, the rain..."
"I said buzz off. Before I call the cops."
...She had a sharp tongue. Real prickly type.
Well, my appearance was kinda shady.
Just popping out to the convenience store near home, so sloppy clothes, and after sleeping late yesterday, I looked rough overall.
Plus, approaching a girl in this situation? Normal to be wary.
'...Now what.'
I'd come out because it bugged me, but she was too stubborn. No way around it.
'Screw it.'
I held the umbrella over her to shield her from the rain and said,
"...Hey, I own that cocktail bar up ahead?"
"I said buzz o—"
"I'll leave the umbrella here. Take it home, or if you wanna return it, come by the bar."
That was enough.
I left those final words and hurried back to the bar to escape the rain.
.
.
.
After Do-han entered the bar.
Only the blue umbrella with the goofy cat drawing and the girl remained in the alley when,
"...Tch, what the hell."
The girl's irritated voice echoed faintly through the sound of the rain.