Chapter 6: Convenience Store Red (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Convenience Store Red (5)
Overwork makes a person sensitive, and a sensitive person tends to direct that stress outward.
Humans have a limit to how many things they can handle at once, and once that limit is crossed, fatigue begins to pile up. Without even a moment to relieve that exhaustion, a person must keep working just to find a way to survive.
Red—Hong Yubin—couldn't even remember the last time she had properly rested. As a college freshman facing her first set of final exams, she was under an immense amount of stress.
One might think, How hard can first-year exams be? But for someone with no time to call their own, even the simplest task becomes a grueling burden.
“…….”
Standing behind the convenience store counter, Yubin used the rare moments when there were no customers to peer into her major textbooks. This was one of the few scraps of study time she could manage.
She had loved space science since she was a child, but in a world where invaders descended from the stars, space science had become a field in high demand. Consequently, the competition was fierce.
Years ago, even before becoming an adult, she had already been active as Red of Team Hunter Killer. She had narrowly managed to get into a prestigious university, but between attending weekly meetings to counter Spacetro and engaging in battles against them, her personal time remained non-existent.
It is a rule that remains unchanged regardless of the era: those with a better environment and more time to study will accumulate more knowledge. Though Yubin had made it to university, the gap between her grades and those of her peers was widening as her free time vanished.
“Ah… what is this?”
She couldn't even attend her lectures properly, leaving her GPA in a precarious state. Because she missed so much school, she hadn't been able to make friends with her classmates either. Her work with Hunter Killer kept her so busy that she hadn't attended a single drinking session with her peers.
Not that she particularly wanted to go. She was well aware of just how dire her situation was.
Time was running out. Whenever she encountered a formula she didn't recognize, her mind would stall, and her thoughts would grind to a halt, sending her mood plummeting in an instant.
*
Earth Defense Union, South Korea, Seoul Branch Headquarters, 3rd Floor. Team ‘Hunter Killer.’
While Team Hunter Killer moved busily across Seoul to deal with Spacetro—the invading force from deep space—Spacetro troops appeared sporadically everywhere. Thus, there were several other teams stationed at the Seoul Branch Headquarters as well.
Among them, Team Hunter Killer boasted the best results, earning the envy of other teams while also being the most overworked.
“Where are Blue and Yellow?”
“They left a bit ago.”
As soon as the meeting ended, Yubin looked for Blue and Yellow, who were nowhere to be seen. Green, who had seen them leave, answered her, and Yubin let out a sigh.
“It can’t be helped. Blue has to take care of her kid, and Yellow is… well, she’s always been a ‘my-pace’ type.”
Yubin tried her best to accept Pink’s explanation internally. She understood Blue’s circumstances and was well-acquainted with Yellow’s personality. However, she couldn't help but feel that leaving while there was still work to be done was poor form in a team environment.
“…You two go ahead, too. I’ll handle the performance report.”
After the weekly general meeting for the Seoul Branch, each team submitted their performance report for that week. While Team Hunter Killer’s results were excellent, the internal atmosphere was disjointed, and they rarely worked as a cohesive unit. As a result, Yubin ended up handling almost all the reporting by herself.
“Got it.”
Pink, already in her coat, waved and headed for the elevator. Green lingered for a moment, checking Yubin’s expression.
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. You go on ahead, Green.”
Green felt uneasy leaving Yubin to handle the remaining work alone, but she knew that even if she stayed, Yubin would insist on doing it herself and refuse help. She gathered her things and headed for the elevator.
Yubin arrived at the Branch Manager’s office and knocked. From inside, a heavy, middle-aged male voice answered, “Come in.”
When she opened the door, she saw a middle-aged man with pure white hair sitting at the desk. Yubin greeted him immediately.
“Hello, Branch Manager.”
“Let’s start with last week’s performance report.”
Yubin immediately began reporting, referencing the documents she had brought. Even though it was called a performance report, the contents didn't change much from week to week. It covered the strategies discussed in team meetings to counter Spacetro, details of the engagements, and the results.
Of course, they reported on the actual days of combat as well, but since battles often occurred two or three times a week, the weekly aggregate report was a mandatory routine.
The Branch Manager simply nodded as he listened. When she finished, he looked up slightly and stared at Yubin.
“Team Hunter Killer’s results are good, so you can keep doing what you’re doing, but…”
As his voice trailed off, Yubin felt a wave of anxiety.
“How about crediting some of your achievements to the other teams?”
There is a saying that a bad feeling is never wrong, and Yubin’s intuition was no exception.
It was common knowledge that internal politics were rampant not just in the Seoul Branch, but throughout the entire Union, though it hadn't leaked to the public yet. She had heard the argument many times before: to raise the overall standard of the Seoul Branch, they should increase the deployment frequency of lower-performing teams to boost their results.
Of course, Yubin’s response remained the same.
“These battles aren't child's play. It’s not a good idea to create even a small margin for failure just to pad someone's stats.”
“But the team you usually face loses to you every single time. In fact, there are rumors going around that the guys you’re fighting are the weakest ones in Seoul.”
Yubin understood what the Branch Manager was saying. There were several enemies Team Hunter Killer faced in Seoul, and the one they fought most frequently was their current rival team. The enemy executive’s name was ‘Luche.’ It was true that they won every time, but Yubin could feel that they were fighting more desperately than anyone else. She couldn't just hand that responsibility over to another team.
“It doesn't matter. Our team’s consensus is to maintain the current status quo.”
They might not meet up often outside of work, but the members of Team Hunter Killer weren't exactly strangers. They always voiced their desire to keep the team as it was.
The Branch Manager, who had tried every excuse to redistribute Team Hunter Killer’s achievements, realized it was impossible to persuade Yubin for now. However, Yubin also knew he wouldn't give up.
*
Once the meetings and reports were over, the day was technically done, but there was no rest for Yubin. With finals starting next week, she had a mountain of preparation to do.
The next day, what awaited her was a morning meeting and her afternoon part-time job at the convenience store. Only Green showed up for the meeting, so a proper team discussion was impossible. On top of that, she had stayed up all night doing research and had only managed about an hour of sleep. She found herself nodding off while working at the convenience store.
“I’d like to check out.”
As she scanned the barcode of a customer’s item, a sudden wave of drowsiness hit her, and she dropped a triangle kimbap onto the counter.
“!”
She forced her eyes open to wake herself up and re-scanned the kimbap.
“You look very tired today.”
“Yes… a little.”
She responded reflexively to the voice in front of her. As she scanned the items, she slowly lifted her hanging head.
“You look like a student.”
“Yes, a college student. I have a lot of assignments lately.”
The customer standing before her was someone who had come to the store at the same time every day for over a month. She only worked three days a week, but seeing the same face for several weeks made him familiar.
At first, she thought he was just a regular, but since his timing never changed and he appeared every single day she worked, she had wondered if he was suspicious. Eventually, she stopped caring and just recognized him as a frequent customer.
“That must be tough.”
She couldn't remember the last time someone had told her that. Even a stranger she’d never had a conversation with was worried about her state, while the people she worked closest with were a mess.
“I have to do it. It’s my job.”
The Earth Defense Union wasn't something she had joined because she wanted to. As Red of Team Hunter Killer, she had been forced into a sense of responsibility, and having been brainwashed by that pressure, she now felt it was entirely her duty to fulfill.
“Have a nice day.”
After finishing the transaction and bagging the items, the customer left. Yubin didn't even have the energy to look at her textbook, so she continued working while dozing off on her feet.
When her shift ended, she went home and opened her Deep Space Technology Theory book. It was filled with difficult terminology and formulas; she knew far less than she didn't know, which made her frown from the very first page.
Frustration surged at the reality of having no one to ask for help. To vent some of that irritation, she slammed her forehead against the desk—and fell fast asleep right there.
Perhaps she was catching up on all the sleep she’d missed from her all-nighter. When she opened her eyes, it was already time for her part-time job. She frantically stuffed her textbook into her bag and ran out the door.
“…….”
She sat at the counter, muttering formulas under her breath as she looked at the book, but the words wouldn't sink in.
The sound of the door opening signaled a customer. She put the book down and greeted them. “Welcome.” The person who entered was that same customer who came at the same time every week. She figured he would just pick out some food and leave as usual. Normally, she wouldn't have thought twice, but because her studying wasn't going well, all sorts of idle thoughts were popping into her head.
“!”
She was staring blankly at the customer in her frustration when their eyes suddenly met. He quickly looked away and began flusteredly picking up items to buy. He eventually came to the counter, and she began scanning them one by one.
“That looks like a difficult book.”
“It is. The older students said this is the hardest subject among the first-year courses.”
By "older students," she meant the ones she’d seen briefly on orientation day; that was when she’d heard that Deep Space Technology Theory was the toughest. They’d said something about how first-years find it hardest because they don't know anything yet.
“Deep space technology is difficult. The initial theories are quite brutal.”
She was genuinely surprised that he knew about the subject. Every time he came in, she had just thought of him as a regular customer.
“You seem to know a lot about it?”
“Yes… a little.”
Knowing that the initial theories were difficult meant he definitely knew more than that. At the very least, he surely knew the parts she was currently struggling with. Or at least, he’d know something.
The customer left the store after paying, but Yubin couldn't take her eyes off him.
She watched him through the glass window behind the counter. He was running away, but then he turned back, saw her, and ducked into the building right in front of the store.
Maybe he’s the solution to my major. Sometimes, it’s easier to ask a total stranger for a favor than someone you vaguely know. All she had to do was be a little thick-skinned.
*
Sunday came, and the customer visited the convenience store again. Even though she tried not to be conscious of it, she couldn't stop looking at him. The moment he picked his items and came to the counter, she asked him about a formula she hadn't been able to solve.
“Do you know the calculation for asteroid orbits during deep space exploration?”
“The distance between stars and the planet the asteroid is orbiting…”
As he answered her question immediately and then trailed off, Yubin couldn't contain her excitement.
“You really know it?!”
“Yes… a little.”
Even "a little" was fine. It was certain that he knew what she didn't.
In the end, she practically forced him to stay and begged him to tutor her. Fortunately, the customer agreed. She just had to ask what she needed and give him a small token of appreciation.
After her shift, they headed to a large cafe together. He walked quite slowly for a man, constantly falling behind, so she had to stop every now and then to make sure he was coming. If he disappeared, the thread of hope she’d finally found would vanish. Solving just this one final exam would take a massive weight off her shoulders, so she had to hold onto him.
At the cafe, she learned that he was a graduate of MAT. She had thought he was her age or slightly older, but he was a foreigner named ‘A,’ and he was five years older than her.
She had to think of a way to keep this man around. If he graduated from MAT, he must possess a level of knowledge she couldn't even imagine.
“Oppa.”
“Uwaah!!”
The most important thing was to close the distance. She didn't know if this would work, and if it went wrong, she might never see him again, but it was worth a shot. It was better than not trying at all.
She just had to act like her usual self.
“I know this is shameless, but could I ask you to help me study when you have time? I can’t do much, but I’ll make it worth your while.”
She mustered her courage and spoke through her nerves. Her hands felt like they were trembling from the tension, and her eyes were fixed on his lips.
“Yes. If you’re okay with it, Yubin-ssi.”
“Just call me Yubin.”
The moment he agreed, she wanted to jump for joy, but she suppressed her inner thoughts and kept a calm exterior.
She successfully exchanged numbers with him. She felt a bit guilty for treating someone like a tool, but she figured it wouldn't be bad to make a friend in the process. Between university and her activities with Team Hunter Killer, she didn't really have anyone she could call a friend.
She couldn't hide her joy on the way home. Once she was back, she punched her bed several times, ecstatic that she’d found someone who could teach her well.
Not only was he knowledgeable, but he also seemed patient enough to teach someone else. As long as she could understand his explanations, she’d be fine. She felt like she would never meet someone like this again if she missed this chance.
The image of him coughing in surprise when she called him “Oppa” at the cafe flashed through her mind, and she fell asleep in a blissful mood.
The next day, she agonized over how to contact him.
She needed reference books for the exam, and she thought it would be better to go with him than to go alone.
After worrying all day about what to say, a thought struck her the moment she hit another roadblock in her studies.
‘Our relationship started because I asked him to help me study, so I can just ask him about the material, right?’
Where had the Yubin from yesterday gone—the one who asked for his number specifically to ask questions? Had her brain reset from too much excitement?
First, she decided to ask a study-related question.
[I found something I don't know. Can I ask you about it?]
Even sending that one sentence took a lot of deliberation. She had never really texted a guy before, so she didn't know the proper etiquette.
[Yes. That’s fine.]
[Oppa. Use informal speech (banmal).]
[Ah;; My mistake. I’m not used to it. So, what are you curious about?]
She led him to use informal speech so he would feel more comfortable with her, then asked her question. While the question was important, it wasn't the main event today. She waited for the right timing to bring up her real point while receiving his detailed explanation.
Then, just as the topic was about to change:
[Oppa, can I ask you something?]
[Yeah. Go ahead.]
[Do you have time tomorrow?]
She waited for his reply, praying he would say yes. He was a fast texter. He had replied almost immediately to her first message and answered her questions right away.
[Yeah. I do.]
As expected, the reply came quickly. She immediately typed out the place and time. The location was Gwanghwamun. The time was 1:00 PM. It was the perfect time to go right after her morning meeting.
It was practically a one-sided notification, but as she sent the text, her tension vanished. she collapsed onto her bed, satisfied that she’d made good progress in her studies, and drifted off to sleep.