The Convenience Store Clerk and the Killer
Two in the morning. The fluorescent lights are too bright. Beyond the glass, there is only an ink-black darkness. The parking lot, revealed by the flickering streetlamp, looks strangely hollow. I rested my chin on the counter, staring blankly out the window. Once I finish organizing the expired goods, cleaning the shelves, and mopping the floor, there’s nothing left to do. That’s usually how the night shift at a convenience store goes. From ten at night until six in the morning. A job spent guarding the post while everyone else is asleep. I quite like this isolation. This silence, where no one comes by, is the best kind of welfare.
I sneak my phone out of my pocket. I open the romance webtoon I left off at yesterday. ‘Did it cut off right when the male lead was about to hold the female lead’s hand?’
“What are you hesitating for? Just grab it already!”
Giving unsolicited advice on other people’s love lives is the joy of my life. In reality, I’m not holding hands with anyone; I’m stuck holding onto a convenience store counter. ‘Well, whatever. I need this kind of vicarious satisfaction to get through these long nights.’
The moment I move my finger to swipe the screen—
— *Jingle*
At the sound of the door opening, I reflexively shove my phone away. I didn’t even turn off the screen before stuffing it into my pocket, so the battery is bound to drain. ‘My precious battery…’
I grumble inwardly and lift my head. As soon as I see the customer, a short sigh escapes my lips.
‘Ah, it’s the Chicken Breast Man.’
A nickname I gave him in secret. Actually, it’s closer to a classification than a nickname. There are categories for the customers who visit the convenience store at night. The Soju Old Man, the Ramen Couple, the Cigarette Brother. And the Chicken Breast Man. He appears at the same time every day, pays for two packs of chicken breast and one protein drink, and disappears. At first, I thought of nicknames like Protein Bird, Gym Rat, or Muscle Guy, but they were all lackluster, so I decided to just call him the Chicken Breast Man.
Today, he’s wearing his usual black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. It’s as if he just finished working out; his bulging biceps look like they’re about to burst through his short sleeves. The beads of sweat on his forehead prove he just returned from the gym. He’s at least 180 centimeters tall, right? His face—well, I’ve never really looked at it closely. He’s just a customer, after all.
‘Wait… I’ve never looked closely, so why did I notice the sweat?’ Seo Ihyeon narrowed her brows, pondering the reason, but soon stopped thinking. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t find an answer.
The man headed straight for the refrigerated section and snatched two packs of chicken breast and one protein drink without hesitation. I’ve never seen him look indecisive in front of the shelves. Soon, heavy footsteps approached the counter. Ihyeon straightened her hunched back and immediately switched into part-timer mode.
“Hello.”
“Yes.”
Ihyeon scanned the barcodes.
— *Beep, beep, beep.*
The machine’s sound echoed through the quiet store.
“That will be 7,800 won.”
“Card, please.”
The man held out his card. His fingers are long. The way he holds the card also looks somehow neat. ‘Why am I even noticing things like this…’
— *Beep-beep.*
“Thank you.”
“Yes.”
Every night, this conversation was all there was. A total of six phrases. Hello, Yes, That will be 7,800 won, Card please, Thank you, Yes. Sometimes, if he skips the “Card please,” it’s five phrases. I steal a glance at the man’s back as he leaves the store, then look away. His broad back slowly disappeared into the darkness. The night air that pushed through the gap brushed against my ankles, but as soon as the door closed, even that was cut off.
‘The customer’s gone, so should I finish my webtoon?’
I pull my phone out of my pocket. The screen was indeed still on. Battery: 34 percent. A sigh escaped me.
Yoon Taegon held the plastic bag in one hand as he stepped out of the convenience store. The dawn air was cold, but to a body heated by exercise, it felt pleasantly refreshing. He rolled his shoulders once. ‘Did I overdo it on back day today?’ His traps felt a bit stiff. The chicken breast packs inside the bag clattered against each other. The gym, convenience store chicken breast, and sleep. This is his usual routine.
Taegon was crossing the street to go home when a thought suddenly crossed his mind. ‘I always feel this, but that clerk… she has such a gloomy impression.’ A girl with shadows under her eyes, long bangs covering half her face, and a slightly hunched posture as her default setting. Her voice was so quiet that I almost didn’t understand her the first time. I go there almost every day, but I’ve never once made eye contact with her. ‘Now I’m even noticing her patterns automatically. Is this an occupational hazard?’
He tore open a chicken breast pack and took a bite. The dry texture spread through his mouth. ‘Tastes like nothing…’ It didn’t really matter since he wasn’t eating it for the taste. He checked his phone while stepping into the alleyway.
‘No additional requests? I’ll stop by home and get it done quickly.’ He shoved his phone into his pocket and headed home. His footsteps looked a little lighter.
Six in the morning, shift change. The sky outside the window is changing from gray to a pale blue. Birds have started chirping. Inside the convenience store, freshly delivered food was stacked up.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Ihyeon, hi! Good morning~ Were there many customers at night?” Minji, the day-shift worker, asked as she put on her vest. Short bobbed hair, always a smiling face. She’s the exact opposite of Ihyeon.
“No, not really.”
“As expected, it’s always quiet at dawn. Did that chicken breast guy come by?”
Ihyeon’s hands faltered.
“…Yes?”
“You know, the customer who comes every day. I’ve seen him a few times when I covered the evening shift. He really only buys chicken breast, right?”
“…Yes, he came.”
“Did you see his face? He’s pretty handsome, isn’t he?”
Ihyeon shook her head and replied, “I didn’t see it.”
Leaving Minji’s one-sided chatter behind, she took off her vest. As she grabbed her bag and stepped out of the store, the dawn air brushed against her face. Even though it was May, the dawn was still chilly. She pulled her hood down and put her hands in her pockets. She took out her earphones and put them in, but didn’t play any music. She just didn’t want to hear the sounds of the outside world.
A fifteen-minute walk to her studio apartment. If she followed the main road, it would take twenty minutes, but if she took the alleyway, it would take fifteen. A path she walks every day, one she could walk with her eyes closed. Every time she steps into this alley, the same thought occurs.
‘…It’s scary.’
High walls on both sides. There are a few pieces of graffiti left on the peeling concrete, and ivy covers half the fence. There is one streetlamp, but it’s turned off, creating a dark section in the middle. ‘It’ll be bright again once I pass that section, so it’s fine.’
Her footsteps sound unusually loud today. Even though she knows they’re her own, she keeps looking back, feeling like someone is following her. All she sees is her own long shadow. There was nothing there. ‘It’s a path I walk every day. Nothing has ever happened before, it’s fine.’ Despite her words, her pace quickens. She clenches her hands inside her pockets into tight fists. She can hear her own ragged breathing through the earphones.
Just then, something moved inside the dark section.
“……?”
She stopped in her tracks, startled. Her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach. A man who had been leaning against the wall slowly stood up and approached. With a knife in his hand!
A weapon much wider and more hideous than a kitchen knife was targeting her. Her breath hitched. Fear rose to her throat, and she couldn’t even scream.
“If you scream, you die.”
The man, wearing a hat pulled low, staggered a step closer. A faint smell of alcohol. The man looked drunk. Her mind went blank. ‘I, I have to run. If I turn around and run, I can make it. It’s not even thirty meters to the main road.’
Her legs felt weak. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. She knew she had to run, but her body wouldn’t move. Ihyeon didn’t even notice that one of her earphones had fallen out.
“Put your bag on the ground. Hurry!”
The assailant took another step. The tip of the knife aimed at Ihyeon’s heart. She stepped back, but her back hit the wall. Her path was blocked. Ihyeon’s hands were trembling uncontrollably. She couldn’t even tell if she was gripping the bag strap tightly or if she had let go. She opened her mouth to ask for help, but no sound came out.
‘H, help me… Anyone, please…! Someone, please help me…’
Just as the tears were about to burst forth, a shadow appeared behind the assailant. Not even the sound of footsteps or breathing could be heard. A silhouette that seemed to have seeped out of the darkness. The shadow’s arm wrapped around the assailant’s neck.
“Gk, ugh——”
The assailant swung his arms, as if in pain. Even as the blade slashed through the air, the shadow remained unmoved. He focused solely on strangling the neck.
— *Flailing, flailing*
The assailant’s complexion turned pale. He was clearly flustered by the sudden situation. Ihyeon couldn’t move. She wanted to scream, but her voice still wouldn’t come out. She just stood there, frozen, eyes wide open.
The assailant’s arms went limp. Then, he lost consciousness. — *Clatter*
The weapon fell from his hand. The knife hit the ground, ringing out with a sharp sound. The assailant’s head tilted to the side, and his legs buckled. Even so, the shadow didn’t release his arm. It looked like he was tightening his grip even more.
Ihyeon watched the scene without even being able to breathe. After quite a long time had passed, the gasping breaths grew quieter. Finally, with one last breath, all movement stopped. Only then did the shadow release his hand and crouch down in front of the limp corpse. There was no hesitation or guilt in the movement of him placing his hand on the assailant’s nose. After staying still for a few seconds as if checking something, his hand dropped away indifferently. The shadow rummaged through the pockets and took something out. The light from a phone illuminated the face of the shadow that had been buried in the darkness.
‘…Chicken Breast Man?’
Ihyeon stared at him with a bewildered face. The man who bought chicken breast at the convenience store every dawn. The man in the black T-shirt drenched in sweat. The man who only ever said “Yes” and “Card, please.” That man had just killed the assailant.
Taegon turned his head after checking something on his phone. At the end of that motion, his eyes met Ihyeon’s gaze directly.
“……”
It’s the first time. The first time we’ve truly made eye contact. We met at the same time every day, but this is the first time we’ve looked properly into each other’s eyes. Taegon was calmer than expected. His face, which had been scanning her up and down as if checking her condition, twisted slightly.
“This is troublesome…”
At that ominous mutter, directed at no one in particular, Ihyeon’s heart began to race again. Taegon quickly racked his brain to organize the situation. ‘This is the worst. At this timing, in this alleyway… why is that clerk here?’ It would have been much simpler to handle if it had been a stranger. But it had to be someone he ran into every day. This woman already knows my face. She knows what I buy, when, and where. My face must be clearly recorded on the convenience store CCTV, too.
‘She’s a civilian, so I can’t just touch her, damn it…’
Taegon approached Ihyeon and held out his right hand. Seeing the hand reaching toward her, her body froze. She was terrified that the hand that had just killed a man would now target her own neck. She squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Am I going to die here too…!’
Ihyeon’s life was about to end in a dark alleyway. Countless words she hadn’t been able to say caught in her throat. ‘Mom, Dad, I’m sorry…’ Just as she swallowed her farewell, anticipating the end:
“Excuse me, what are you doing right now?”
An absurd question, completely out of place for the situation, flew at her. Ihyeon, unable to overcome her curiosity, slowly opened one eye. Taegon’s hand was still suspended in mid-air, palm upward. He looked a bit troubled by this situation.
“Are… are you not going to kill me?”
She regretted the words that had slipped out without a filter immediately. ‘I’ve lost my mind! What kind of question is that to ask someone who might do anything to me??’ She bit her lip and watched Taegon’s reaction. His eyebrows twitched.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“But just now, that person…”
“Ah, that…”
Taegon glanced at the assailant lying behind him and opened his mouth again. “Don’t worry about that.”
A man is dead, and he tells me not to worry. What is this? Ignoring Ihyeon’s suspicious gaze, Taegon asked, “More than that, could you show me your ID?”
“Yes?”
“Your ID.”
“Why…?”
“I have something to verify for a moment.”
The request was so natural that it was even more terrifying. As if bewitched, she took her ID out of her bag and handed it to Taegon. He held his phone up to the ID he had received.
— *Click!*
After finishing the photo, he returned the ID. He internalized the new information as quickly as possible. Seo Ihyeon, born in 2001, address in Mapo-gu. Night shift convenience store clerk. Since she was walking home, it seemed her house was nearby. Likely lives around here.
“Seo Ihyeon-ssi?”
Ihyeon squeezed her throat and managed to answer. “…Yes?”
“Please keep what you just saw a secret.”
She hurriedly nodded. Taegon, seemingly unsatisfied, stepped one pace closer.
“I’m telling you this sincerely…”
As he came closer, she caught a glimpse of a wound on his neck.
“Police, family, friends. Don’t tell anyone.”
“…Yes.”
“If you tell them, something big will happen.”
“Something… big?”
When Ihyeon asked back in a trembling voice, Taegon carefully examined her face. Her pale face and severely trembling lips caught his eye at once. ‘Right, she must have been very shocked…’ Guilt pressed down on a corner of his heart.
“Ah, my name is Yoon Taegon.”
Ihyeon wore a dazed expression at the sudden self-introduction. “Yes, yes…”
“You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you? If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, I’ll come to the convenience store, so please tell me then.”
She blinked blankly at Taegon’s sudden politeness.
“I’m… fine right now.”
“Then that’s good. Now, go back via the main road, not the alley.”
Ihyeon nodded, saying she understood, and hurriedly backed away. “Absolutely! I won’t tell anyone!”
“Yes, get home safely.”
Taegon turned around after finishing his farewell. He grabbed the assailant’s ankle with one hand and dragged him into the darkness as if he were clearing out trash.
— *Swoosh, swoosh*
The sound of clothes dragging on the floor grew distant and soon became quiet. Only the knife, having lost its owner, remained in the spot where Taegon had left. Ihyeon ended up sitting down, leaning her back against the wall. Her legs had lost their strength, and she couldn’t stand. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and her clothes were damp from the cold sweat flowing down her spine.
‘What on earth is this…’
She calmed her trembling heart and hurriedly escaped the alleyway. As per Taegon’s advice, she quickened her pace toward the main road. It would take five more minutes to get home, but that didn’t matter. She had no intention of ever going near that alley again.
Once she reached the main road, she could see passing taxis and people jogging. Only then did it feel like she had returned to her daily life. Only then could she finally exhale the breath she had been holding.
After disposing of the assailant, Taegon sent a message to the designated contact.
REPORT:Target variable occurred. Civilian witness. Cleanup complete.
Twenty seconds until a reply. [Identity of the witness?]
[Seo Ihyeon. Born in 2001. Mapo-gu. Night shift convenience store clerk.]
Thirty more seconds. [No surveillance needed. Manage it on your end.]
Taegon put his phone in his pocket and looked up at the sky. “Manage it on my end… that’s a bit awkward… what should I do?” As he started walking, he added, “For now, I’ll have to keep an eye on her.”