Hourly Wage 30,000 Won
Let me sort this out.
I saw a part-time job ad and came here, only for the world to suddenly change.
Then I met the manager, who claims she's a vampire—a True Ancestor named Jinjo.
The moment I got hired, a translucent window popped up in front of me.
It looked just like an internet gallery or community forum, full of users posting, commenting, and messing around.
It was exactly like the Convenience Store Gallery I knew.
Convenience Store Gallery.
Yeah.
I get it. It's the Convenience Store Gallery.
I get that it's floating in mid-air because I got hired at this store.
For a fantasy novel fan, this is the dream, right?
Sudden possession, reincarnation, awakening.
The status window appears, and boom—you're the protagonist.
I know the trope well.
Of course, it's hilarious that the "power" is just peeking at the Convenience Store Gallery.
But here's the thing.
Elf? Orc? What's this... Lamia?
Why the hell is this showing up?
In a world overrun by AI-generated crap, I wouldn't trust photos alone anyway.
But what the fuck is this full fantasy race assortment?
The gallery was packed with posts of kanfren causing chaos.
Drunk lamia throwing tantrums.
Skeletons chugging nutritional tonics out of exhaustion.
And even orcs buying protein shakes.
Photos of non-humans everywhere.
I recalled what I'd seen on my way to the store.
Goblins, orcs, people with beast-like body parts, slimes, and things that looked like centaurs.
The streets heading to work were crawling with non-humans.
At first, I thought I was hallucinating from fatigue.
Figured the job loss shock had me seeing things.
I looked out the window.
Even now, non-humans walking around.
And.
"Ahem. 'Tis been ages since Jinjo met a human, and she showed such unbecoming behavior. Jinjo shall inform thee of thy shifts herself."
The silver-haired, red-eyed woman calling herself Jinjo tilted her head at me.
"Thou art no resident of Taepyeong City, art thou."
"That's right."
"Most peculiar. Non-residents cannot possibly see Jinjo's ad, yet thou didst... How?"
"No idea."
"Well, a Taepyeong City resident would've fled at the sight of Jinjo. Thou art but the second human unafraid of her."
She's trying to scare me all of a sudden.
I looked at the manager.
Run from a woman this beautiful?
They say true beauty is unapproachable.
Maybe that's why.
"Jinjo knows not how thou saw her ad, but no matter. If thou didst see it, all is well. 'Tis merely a city teeming with peculiar folk—naught much different from whence thou came, save that."
Lots of problems, though.
I glanced out the window.
First time seeing these heteromorphs, or whatever.
Hell, first time even knowing they exist.
Whatever. The manager pressed on.
"Thou shalt handle daytime shifts henceforth. Jinjo guards this domain when night falls, but otherwise, thou—Jinjo's trusted servant—shalt watch over it. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Luncheon and supper allowances provided—handle thy meals thyself. Lodgings after today's shift!"
I asked the Jinjo manager.
"Excuse me. I don't quite get this."
"Speak."
"Manager, you're not human, right?"
"Is that not obvious? Where in the world exists a human so exquisite? Jinjo is Jinjo!"
"……."
Vampire confirmed.
Yeah.
Otherwise, no way that silver hair exists.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
At first, I thought she was a Halloween party nutjob.
But apparently not.
Yeah.
Who holds a city-wide Halloween party in midsummer?
This wasn't a place where my old common sense applied.
And ironically, the window popping up proved it.
Acceptance stage reached.
A city full of all sorts of races.
That's Taepyeong City.
Got it.
Perfectly understood.
Time to head home.
Better than getting drained dry by a vampire.
Oh, right. No home anymore.
Evicted for back rent anyway.
I came here because I had nowhere else to go.
Going back just means landlord harassment.
Couldn't pass up a gig paying 30,000 won an hour with room and board, no matter how weird the people.
The crazies I met at the factory were worse, if anything.
I'm battle-hardened by society.
This is nothing.
"I'll work hard!"
"Ahem, splendid. Jinjo approves of her servant's zeal."
She nodded, arms crossed.
"By the way, what's your name, Manager?"
"Insolent! To seek Jinjo's true name? Call her Lady Jinjo. Or Manager is fine."
"...Got it."
"Hehe, then Jinjo shall teach thee the ropes. Follow closely!"
She quickly showed me the POS system and item locations.
"Sealed blood packs in this fridge. Sometimes centaurs or hoofed beastkin want horseshoes—5th aisle. 1st aisle has most foodstuffs. But skip anything marked with a cross for undead or demons. Sell it wrong, and we get shut down for hygiene violations."
Hm.
Definitely different vibe from the convenience stores I knew.
Items were overwhelmingly varied from a normal store.
2nd aisle: magic supplies.
3rd: hunting gear.
4th: daily goods.
Fridges crammed with every drink imaginable.
Looked like a regular store size from outside, but inside? Bigger than a massive mart.
Listening to her list what to sell or avoid per race, I wondered if one person could handle it.
But 30K an hour shimmered in my mind. Steady.
"In front of Hunter Tower, so expect rowdy customers. Bear with it."
"Hunter Tower?"
"...Thou keep forgetting thou art no Taepyeong City folk. Look yonder."
She pointed outside.
A massive tower piercing the city skyline.
"That is the Hunter Tower. Heart of this city's economy. Twenty percent of Taepyeong City's folk work there. Monster hunts, base building, mining... All sorts. Grueling work makes 'em rough, hence the entertainment districts nearby."
"Rowdy customers, got it."
"Aye. So..."
She gave me desperate puppy eyes.
"Never quit, no matter a few assholes. If thou leavest, Jinjo mans the store alone. Even Jinjo craves daytime rest now."
"Understood. No big deal."
Karens? Piece of cake for a society veteran like me.
"Ah, one more heads-up."
She added belatedly.
"Watch out for kanfren—no, elves."
"Elves?"
"Aye. Those ignorant old-timers. Ignore the boomers who won't listen. Even Jinjo tips her hat to their stubbornness."
Elves in fantasy novels: beautiful guardians of the forest?
Stubborn, species-supremacist—sure, flaws, but that's it?
Yeah, I'd thought that naively once.
Ah.
Now I got why gallery folks ragged on elves as ultimate boomers.
"Come ooon~!"
"……."
"Why won't you trade~!!! Know what this is? World Tree Branch! World Tree Branch! Picked personally by this body, Priella, Queen of the High Elves! Eat one, and your stamina shoots up—elf, dwarf, human, even zombie! Makes you go whoa, bam! Great for guys! This queen's giving it special to a young human like you? I'm the one losing out! Trading for honey butter elven chips? World Tree root for that? You're ripping me off!"
"……."
"Please trade! Trade with meee!"
Fuck.
First customer, and she's a mega Karen.