Women Liking Me Is an Anomaly
Women Liking Me Is an Anomaly
"Mister, you can't sleep here. Your mouth will get twisted."
"Ugh? Wha, wha's that? Who are you??"
I sighed, tapping the shoulder of the middle-aged man who had passed out face-down on the table.
Kang Jinwoo, 25 years old.
I went to a crappy local university, then went to the army.
I tried to return to school, but my department got shut down, so I became a student on an indefinite leave of absence.
Since filling my empty bank account was more important than worrying about my future, I was currently stuck working a convenience store part-time job.
The job involves managing the convenience store at night.
I'm working under a good boss who pays minimum wage, gives me decent night shift premiums, and never skimps on my paycheck, but.
"Come on, you need to sleep at home. I'll call you a taxi, so let's get going."
"Hey~ you lit~tle punk... Do you know who I am~?"
"Yes, yes, so please go. This isn't a bar."
"You in~solent punk... This world is just... crazy~, it's going weirdly~, that's what I'm saying!"
'Going weirdly, my ass. You're the anomaly yourself....'
The problem was these drunks who always showed up every night.
I sighed as I looked at the typical uninvited guest of the night shift, reeking of alcohol, who had come by again today.
The person currently struggling on the bench right in front of the convenience store was a balding man who looked to be in his 50s.
If that were the weight of a breadwinner, I'd have to be solemn, but if that's the case, go home. Who told you to sleep in front of someone else's business?
The man waved his hands while making mysterious "ugh-uh" sounds, but since I was already used to it, I naturally put my hands under his armpits and hauled him up.
"Alright, alright, go home~."
"Ugh.... World, why are you so... messed up~."
"You're the one who's messed up. Ugh, fuck...."
Still, I managed to cajole and soothe the heavily intoxicated man and successfully pushed him out.
Only after confirming the man was staggering off into the darkness did I let out a short sigh.
Convenience store night shift.
Honestly, I just want to quit.
But for 25-year-old Kang Jinwoo, who had been discharged from the military and effectively quit his crappy local university, this was the easiest yet dirtiest job I could do.
The day-night reversed lifestyle was tiring, but it was a huge stroke of luck to be able to work part-time at a convenience store where I could get paid regularly and the work wasn't too exhausting.
And as for the jerks showing up like that, once you get the hang of it, it's manageable.
"Ah, isn't there some job where I can just slack off and make a lot of money without actually working?"
With the wish to hit the jackpot again today, I went onto a job search site and looked around.
Naturally, there was no such job that had better conditions and was easier than the one I currently had.
Just as I was about to turn off my phone with a sigh, a strange app I hadn't seen before caught my eye.
An application with an icon that had a black background and no pictures or text on it.
I tilted my head at the nameless, unfamiliar app.
What is this, did I ever install something like this?
Thinking I might have been hacked, I pressed down on the icon to delete it, but the app launched on its own.
[Report the anomaly you have confirmed.]
Crude white text on a black background.
A chat message with that sentence was at the top of the screen, and there was a box at the bottom to enter text.
Just by the looks of it, it seemed like a chatbot app like ChatGPT or Gemini.
"What is this. Did I install this while drunk?"
I sighed deeply and turned off the app.
Maybe I should cut back on drinking, installing weird apps like this.
I got goosebumps all over remembering the huge disaster last time where I clicked something wrong and 50,000 won vanished.
"Ah, whatever. I'll just eat some expired food and get ready to go home."
As soon as it hit 12, I grabbed the pork stir-fry lunch box that had been marked for disposal and opened the package.
After microwaving it for 2 minutes, it smelled pretty decent.
I shoveled rice into my mouth with a plastic spoon and checked the time on my smartphone.
5:45 AM. Just 15 minutes left until shift change and my time to go home.
"Welcome...."
"Hello, Jinwoo-ssi."
"Ah, yes.... Hello."
The greeting that had been about to pop out reflexively stopped once I saw the face of the person entering through the door.
It was the next shift part-timer I had been waiting for so desperately.
Was her name Kwon Yuri?
She's a female college student three years younger than me who attends a well-known university nearby, but other than that, I don't know any detailed information.
She's incredibly blunt and cold, so she never makes small talk when we switch shifts.
I couldn't even expect small talk, and it was a relief if she just greeted me properly like today.
"Let's balance the register and switch immediately."
"Ah, yes. Then...."
"Um, wait. Jinwoo-ssi...?"
Just as I was about to do what I needed to do for the shift change like any other day, she stepped right up to me.
Wearing her usual neat makeup and a thin, tight-fitting knit sweater, she was staring intently at me as I stood at the counter.
'Ugh.... What is she trying to pick a fight about this time.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly and shoved the finished lunch box container into a plastic bag.
But her vibe as she approached was a little, no, a lot different from usual.
Usually, she would walk in, furrow her brows, and scan the counter with cold eyes.
Today, her eyes were strangely trembling.
I don't know if it's my imagination, but it felt like there was some unknown goodwill in them.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
"...Ah, no. Do you have any plans after work today?"
"Plans? No, I don't have any."
Plans? What kind of nonsense is that?
I'm just thinking about switching shifts quickly and going home to sleep.
I wondered why she came in early today, but seeing her spout such nonsense, it seemed like she wasn't in a good state.
Whatever. I shouldn't pay attention to that.
Just as I was about to brush off her words and leave the counter without much thought.
"Ah, it's just.... You look really cool today."
"...What?"
"Come to think of it, you said you were older than me, right, Jinwoo-ssi? Then... can I call you oppa?"
...Can she call me oppa?
Hearing words I never thought I'd hear, I froze in place.
What is this, she's not the type of person to say that to me.
Only then did I examine Kwon Yuri's state.
Strangely unfocused eyes, slightly flushed cheeks, and a hazy smile on her lips.
Ah, this crazy bitch. She finally came to work at the convenience store after having a drink.
First a drunk complaining about the world, and now a shift worker who came in after a drink.
This isn't even some anomaly from Exit 7 or 8.
Just as I was sighing inwardly, thinking today was going to be tough, Yuri stepped right up to me.
Then, out of the blue, she leaned her upper body over the counter.
"It's okay, right? Calling you oppa."
"...What?? Ah, yes. Well.... Go ahead."
"Great. I just realized, oppa.... You were a really sweet person."
No, what is this situation, seriously.
Thanks to her leaning over, the cleavage rising plumply above her thin knit sweater came into full view.
What was even more embarrassing was her title and tone.
For the past 3 months of shift changes, I hadn't even heard her call me oppa, let alone speak so sweetly.
You're telling me she changed this drastically all of a sudden?
"Uh... Kwon Yuri-ssi? Are you sick?"
I was so flustered that a stupid sound popped out.
But instead of answering me, Yuri reached out and stroked my hair.
"Look at your messy bedhead, it's cute. It was hard working all night, right?"
"Ah, uh.... No. It wasn't really that hard...."
"Ah, sorry. We should switch shifts. I'll go change into my uniform quickly."
She took her hand off my hair and slipped into the storage room.
Left alone at the counter, I stared blankly at the storage room she had entered, feeling dazed.
I can still feel it.
The sensation of her fingers digging into my hair and gently scratching my scalp.
At the same time, the sensation of the sweet perfume scent brushing against the tip of my nose.
A woman who would usually freak out if even my fingertip touched her like she was avoiding a bug, is now stroking my hair and giving me such a sweet, smiling look.
'Crazy, did the sun rise in the west? Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?'
This was seriously, something was weird.
Kwon Yuri isn't the type of person to treat me like that even if she drank.
The thought that something was seriously going wrong sent a strange sense of unease down my spine.
"Ha, fuck. What the hell is going on."
I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to clear my confused head.
Do I look particularly handsome today?
Or did my face change overnight to look like a lottery winner?
If not that....
[Report the anomaly you have confirmed.]
No way?
I immediately turned on my phone and accessed the app I had turned off earlier.
The screen appeared, just like the first time, with only the words telling me to report an anomaly in white text on a black background.
I pressed the chat input box at the bottom, brought up the keyboard, and started moving my fingers busily.
[Women are showing excessive affection toward me]
"...Is this right."
I finished writing and even sent it, but once I did, a wave of reality hit me.
I mean, is it right to consider this an anomaly.
Of course, if my looks were on the level of Cha Eun-woo, it would be natural for women to act like that.
But for someone with average, or even slightly lower-level looks like me, that reaction was an anomaly in itself.
Just as I was waiting for an answer, a new message appeared on the screen.
[Confirmed. Number of anomalies confirmed: 1]
[Anomaly: Activation of blind affection from the opposite sex toward the investigator]
"Ha, yeah. There's no way women would like me in a normal situation...."
I let out a hollow laugh and stared at the chat window.
No, but now that it's confirmed, it's so frustrating.
It's not like I didn't want to have a face like a model or an idol.
My situation where I have to accept even such mundane goodwill as an anomaly is just....
[Remaining number of anomalies: 99]
"...What?"
What, why is the remaining number of anomalies...?
In my panic, I unknowingly typed just a single '?' into the chat window.
Then, an icon with rotating dots, like what a chatbot shows before answering, appeared at the top of the screen, and the chat continued.
[Nice to meet you. User Kang Jinwoo has been registered as an anomaly investigator as of today.]
[From now on, please find and report the anomalies that appear in the world.]
[If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.]
"What is this...?"
It seems like something seriously strange is going on.