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My biweekly part-time shift at the convenience store had come around again.
I was suffering considerably from the growing number of people who showed up every time my shift rolled around.
I had to work until I was on the verge of collapse,
then go over to the studio and appear on A-raTube...
Appearing on A-ra's Qtube was a lot of fun,
but working at the convenience store was incredibly exhausting.
It felt a little unfair that it only got so crowded during my shift...
I was starting to wonder if I should quit the convenience store.
But that would just be a burden on everyone else...
Ha... my head hurt...
"That'll be 15,800 won."
"That'll be 27,700 won."
"That'll be 1,400 won."
I finished ringing up three customers all at once,
took the items from the last customer standing in line,
and scanned them one by one.
"That'll be 21,400 won. Would you like a discount or to earn points?"
"No. Oh, right, give me a bag, please."
"That's 20 won."
I put the items in the bag and handed them to the customer.
They wore an expression that looked like they wanted to say something but found it a bit awkward.
It was remarkably similar to the face A-ra made when I came home exhausted and she pushed for some nighttime activity.
"Um... excuse me..."
"Yes, is there something else you need?"
Occasionally, when minors or guys fresh out of their teens came into the convenience store—fidgeting and rubbing their whole bodies in embarrassment—if they were looking for something, it was very likely cigarettes or condoms.
But the person in front of me didn't seem like a minor,
nor a guy fresh into his twenties.
They were in a suit with thick glasses on,
and they looked the part of an office worker no matter who saw them.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps Song A-ra's husband?"
"...Pardon?"
"You are, right? I really enjoy watching your Qtube videos."
That Qtube wasn't even my channel, it was A-ra's channel...
I couldn't even manage a bitter smile, so I answered with an awkward face.
"Ah... thank you...?"
"Here, have one of these while you work."
And with that, they handed me one of the coffees they had just finished paying for and walked out.
To be honest, I'd received coffee several times a day, so I was pretty used to it by now.
Even if I met someone who knew I was A-ra's husband, I wasn't flustered by this sort of thing anymore.
I let out a quiet laugh, opened the lid, and took a swig of the cool coffee.
"Drinking coffee makes it a little better."
After drinking that sweet stuff,
my fuzzy brain felt like it was finding its vigor again.
Come to think of it, when I collapsed,
it had been after doing some physical work.
Could it possibly be related to hypoglycemia?
But I didn't even have diabetes —
does blood sugar really drop low enough to cause hypoglycemia?
I'd have to ask the doctor about it next time I went to the hospital.
With those thoughts, I tipped the coffee in the can into my mouth.
"Ugh, sweet."
As expected, the expensive coffee was the good stuff.
Ever since I started the part-time job,
I hadn't touched cheap coffee like Le It Bee anymore.
***
I'd had my sweet coffee.
It had only been about two hours since I'd resolved to work hard again,
but it seemed like another incident had occurred.
Wait, I hadn't intended any of this, so maybe this didn't count as causing trouble?
To be honest, I didn't know how to explain
what was happening in front of me right now.
"I'm a fan, Seong-hwan-ssi!"
"An autograph! Could you please give me an autograph?"
"Oppa! Just let me take one picture!"
Suddenly, people of all ages and genders rushed in,
calling themselves fans and demanding handshakes, autographs, and selfies.
Of course, all of this was private business with absolutely nothing to do with the convenience store's services.
"E-excuse me, doing this at my workplace is a bit difficult..."
"It'll only take a second! Just let me take one picture!"
"Just one shot to post on Outstar! Please!"
Even when I said it was difficult and that I was working, they didn't listen.
I let out a deep sigh as I watched the people who'd barged inside the store and were causing a commotion without any regard.
Of course, these people looked like they had absolutely zero intention of listening, whether I sighed or asked them to be quiet.
This was a moment of revival for the 'Bbasooni' — the sort from the early idol days who followed groups like Steak and the Kids or Hot Sauce and crossed lines so far they left them in the dust.
What kind of lives had those individuals led...? My head spun.
"Just once! One photo is fine, isn't it!"
"I'm from Ppusyeong TV — would you be available for an interview?"
"Oppa! That Ppusyeong bastard's a total mosquito, so don't you ever do an interview with him!"
If it was Ppusyeong TV — was that the big channel that went around interviewing celebrities?
Why had someone like that come to interview me?
No, more importantly, where had these people heard about me, and what brought them here?
They might all know my name since it had been revealed on A-ra's channel,
but they shouldn't know where I lived.
And even less so where my part-time job was...
"Excuse me, how did you find out about this place?"
"It's plastered all over the online communities right now!"
A man from the back raised his hand high
and started chattering away.
Two hours ago, a post had gone up on a community board saying they'd seen Song A-ra's husband and even given him coffee.
And when they'd snapped a verification photo, it had coincidentally captured the store sign that revealed exactly which branch it was.
Everyone here had apparently come after seeing that post.
I pulled out my phone and searched for the post.
The post, sitting at #1 on Today's Best,
had only been up for two hours but its view count had already swelled past six figures.
[Went to the convenience store today and saw Song A-ra's husband lol]
I gave him coffee too, and even snapped a photo of him drinking it lol
Seeing him in person, he's fucking adorable.
I feel like I get why he ended up marrying Song A-ra.
ㅇㅇ: You crazy bitch, why'd you take his picture.
ㅇㅇ: Bet you're gonna get sued now.
Sure enough, the photo was a side profile of me drinking the coffee.
Wasn't this a violation of portrait rights?
First of all, I knew all too well that as a man, I had no way to de-escalate this situation on my own.
I ducked down behind the checkout counter and posted a photo of the inside of the store to the part-timer group chat.
Usually, that was a place for work talk,
but they'd told us to post here if an unexpected problem arose, so it was probably fine.
[Yoo Seong-hwan]: Manager-nim, a huge disaster happened ㅠㅠ
[Yoo Seong-hwan]: I sent the photo.
I typed the message in as manly a fashion as possible for a guy on this side.
The '6' that had been next to the message vanished in an instant.
The manager had definitely read it, but there was still no reply.
Was she perhaps angry...?
"Hikkup..."
Whether from tension or fear, a hiccup escaped me.
People were still flooding into the store even now,
carrying on with a racket demanding I come out for photos and handshakes.
What on earth was so great about a married man that they were kicking up this much of a fuss?
Just then, a chat notification chimed from my phone.
I quickly went into the group chat
and saw that the manager and a few other part-timers had left messages.
[Yu Hye-eun]: Are these crazy bastards?
[Yu Hye-eun]: Manager-nim, let's call the cops and sue every last one of these bastards for obstructing business?
[Manager]: Seong-hwan-ssi, I've already called the police and Secom, so please wait just a moment.
[Manager]: No, wait. First, just bluff your way out and come outside the convenience store.
[Manager]: I've thought of a good idea.
Taking the manager's further instructions, I came out of hiding.
In response, I shouted loudly to the 'intruders' who had started their bullshit rampage in unison.
"I need to step out and take a call, so please wait just a moment!"
"Will you take photos with us if we wait?"
"Yes, yes, I'll take them."
The 'intruders,' who had been acting entirely on their own accord just moments before,
suddenly went quiet when I said I'd take photos in a bit.
Was that it?
The psychology of submitting to someone you like?
I couldn't remember what that was technically called,
but that wasn't what mattered right now.
I was working my way through the crowd,
when someone suddenly groped my chest.
It was deliberate — they kneaded it.
Were they seriously insane?
Groping a married man's chest?
This was sexual assault by an unidentified person.
They'd see if I just let this slide.
I managed to slip out somehow and lightly closed the door.
The people inside just watched silently as I shut the door.
- Security mode activated. -
Along with the sound of the door clicking shut,
a crisp notification voice flowed from the security equipment.
The manager, who had been watching remotely via CCTV, confirmed I was outside and activated the Secom system.
"Huh?"
The 'intruders' who had been locked in seemed to realize instantly. They banged on the door
and yanked on it, trying to force it open, but it wouldn't budge at all.
For reference, our convenience store hadn't originally had Secom,
but the manager had installed it not long ago, saying she was worried about me.
It was basically a useless item for a 24-hour convenience store,
but it was usable for crime prevention, so it seemed quite a number of shops had put it in anyway.
"What the hell! Open the door!"
"Seong-hwan-ssi! Please open the door!"
"There are people locked in here!"
First, I moved out of their line of sight and hid.
Even calling it hiding was generous—all I did was crouch down right next to the door
and shove my earphones in to listen to music.
It was a little sad that Chris Martin had turned into a woman,
but the songs were exactly the same as the originals, which was all good.
As expected, music was the one and only drug permitted by the nation...
Huh?
While I was crouched down listening to music,
I heard someone calling my name loudly.
"Seong-hwan-ssi! Are you okay?"
"Hye-eun-noona?"
I looked that way and saw Hye-eun, who worked the evening shift, running over from a distance, waving her hand.
There were still more than two hours left before her evening shift started — what was this about?
I tilted my head and asked.
"What brings you here at this hour?"
"I saw what you posted in the group chat and came!"
It seemed she'd rushed over because she was worried about me.
I felt a little sorry...
This was peak nuisance behavior.
"For now, the manager-unnie said she called the police and Secom and they're on their way, so just wait a bit."
"Yep."
I put my earphones back in, crouched down, and listened to music until the police arrived.
Hye-eun went over toward the door and was yelling.
I couldn't quite make out what she was shouting, though.
Anyway, did I have to go to the police station again?
Even though there wasn't any physical threat this time,
what those people had done was obstruction of business and trespassing on private property,
so I'd probably have to go down to the station anyway.
"Sigh... I need to make sure that woman who posted on the online community gets caught too."
I'd have to warn her what happens when you post a picture of a regular person, not a public figure, online.
I was planning to keep doing Qtube activities, and if things like this kept happening,
I'd be the only one stressed out.
I needed to make an example of them.