The Pandora App

The clock read three in the morning. In South Korea, convenience stores serve as sanctuaries for the defeated. Me? I was the king of that sanctuary. Pathetic. A third-year civil service exam candidate. My hobbies included watching anime, indulging in filthy fantasies, drinking alone, and singing alone in karaoke rooms. In other words, I was the gum stuck to the very bottom of this city. That kind of existence.

Ding-dong—.

"Welcome... to the store."

I had let my guard down after a long stretch without customers, and my pronunciation came out slurred like an idiot. Regardless of my embarrassment, the door opened. The thick scent of perfume mixed with the night air rushed in immediately. The ones who entered were a couple who looked to be in their early twenties.

"Babe, let's get this one. This."

"Ugh, seriously... can we just take it easy today?"

The man was tall and wore what was obviously an expensive linen shirt. The woman had on a tennis skirt that teasingly revealed the line beneath her hips. The couple browsed the store for a bit before stopping in front of the condom display, whispering and giggling to each other for a while.

At some point, the woman's hand slowly drifted toward the front of the man's pants. In response, the man's hand slipped under her skirt, teasing as if he might go further. As I stared blankly, the woman suddenly glanced toward the counter. Our eyes met awkwardly. I quickly lowered my head.

"......"

She shot me a quick, contempt-filled glare before turning back to her boyfriend and resuming their lovey-dovey behavior.

'Did she catch me?'

Her gaze was icy, like she was looking at someone who'd done something vile. It was unfair. I was just watching. Her thighs, which belonged to someone with above-average looks. Those smooth, pale legs with just the right amount of muscle. The shadowy flesh that peeked out from under the hem of her skirt with every step.

'I wonder what she'd look like if I stripped her naked and laid her down.'

I had simply imagined ripping that skirt off, throwing her onto the counter, and pounding into her until those annoying lips screamed and her arrogant face twisted in ecstasy. There was no reason for her to look at me with such disgust.

"We'll take this."

The man approached the counter and tossed a thin box onto it. Ultra-thin condoms. I see. I reached out to scan the barcode, trying to act indifferent. That's when it happened.

"Ah!"

My hand lightly brushed against the back of the woman's hand as she was picking out candy.

"...!"

She jerked her hand away as if she'd touched a hot grill. With a look of pure revulsion, she pulled out a wet wipe and began furiously cleaning the spot where we'd touched. Then she muttered loud enough for me to hear,

"Ugh, fuck..."

The man glanced back and forth between us with a slightly flustered expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... it's just so sticky and gross..."

Wait. No matter how much of a bottom-feeder I was, this was getting hard to swallow.

"Excuse me, but don't you think that's a bit harsh? It was just a light touch..."

The moment I spoke up, the man's previously calm demeanor turned vicious.

"What? Hey, part-timer."

"Uh...? Y-yes?"

He frowned down at me. He was well over six feet tall with broad, athletic shoulders. His solid chest and bulging forearms were impressive. In contrast, I barely scraped five-eight and had a body that had never seen exercise. My face was shiny with days of accumulated grease. From the look on his face, he seemed to instinctively sense the stark difference between us. As males.

With eyes full of superiority, he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist as if to show me.

"Manage your store better. The second we walk in, it reeks like something died. Did our Ye-jin say anything wrong? Huh?"

"I'm telling you... it really was sticky, oppa. ...Wait, maybe this bastard was doing something weird before we got here?"

"Something weird..."

I had no comeback. Because I really had been doing something weird. But setting that aside...

I decided to take the low road. Making a scene wouldn't help. They were the customers; I was the employee. The store owner definitely wouldn't take my side. After all, I seemed to have been branded as some perverted, disgusting pig.

"Whatever. Just ring us up already. You're making me sick."

He practically threw his card at me. I lowered my head like a criminal and processed the payment obediently.

Beep—.

Crash—.

The moment the couple left and the door slammed shut, I heard the woman clinging to the man's arm and laughing shrilly.

"Oppa, let's hurry up and wash. This place fucking stinks."

With trembling hands, I sniffed my own shirt. It smelled musty and sour. Sweat and sebum.

"Fuck..."

A sudden wave of nausea hit me. Was I angry at the human humiliation? Absolutely not. Was I upset about my pathetic state compared to that guy? Absolutely not.

I sat in the chair and slowly lowered my gaze. The front of my pants was bulging so hard it looked ready to burst.

"Fuck... Minu, please... get a grip!"

That bitch had looked at me like I was less than an insect. But it turned her on, didn't it?

I practically fled into the bathroom. Before the image could fade from my mind, I hurriedly undid my belt, yanked down my pants, and—

Slap. Slap-slap. Slap-slap-slap-slap—

Squirt♡

"Haaah..."

Dopamine flooded through me. Where the hell had I gone so wrong?

While cleaning up with toilet paper, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

"......"

Even I had to admit I was a mess. A loser barely scraping five-eight. Eighty kilos with an ET-shaped body and an M-shaped hairline. On top of that, my personality was gloomy. The moment I saw a slightly pretty girl, all I could think about was fucking her until she cried and begged.

A twisted libido, inferiority complex, and a lump of fat. Honestly, I was closer to a monkey wearing human skin.

"Fucking bitches... just wait until I pass the exam."

The renewed depression killed any desire to return to the counter. There was no way I could endure the rest of the night shift in this mood. I needed to go further. For the most perfect release, I turned on my smartphone. Since I'd already finished the appetizer, I needed a new side dish.

I accessed the usual site.

"Huh?"

But my favorite streaming site was inaccessible.

"Damn, this is completely ruined."

Even as I muttered that and tried to open my second-choice site, a bizarre banner suddenly filled the entire screen.

Black background with pink text. It wasn't the usual promise of meeting lonely neighborhood women or that these girls would do it for free. It wasn't even the typical warning about being careful because it could involve people you knew. This was completely new phrasing. Normally I would've clicked away immediately... but for some strange reason, those words pulled me in today.

"Rotten desires."

It felt like the message had been prepared specifically for me right now.

'Who cares if it's a hack? I have nothing to lose anyway. Right?'

Like I was possessed, I moved my thumb over the [Y] button and pressed it.

My smartphone grew hot like a hand warmer. At the same time, the screen flickered with noise. But the most ridiculous part was the voice that forced its way into my head.

"Hey, stop that."

Instinctively sensing danger, I pressed the power button hard, but the screen wouldn't turn off.

"What the... what the fuck is this?"

As I dropped my phone in panic, it happened.

"Ugh, seriously! Hey!"

The staff room door burst open and a sharp voice cut through the air. I froze in my half-crouched position, still trying to pick up the phone. Standing in front of the bathroom door was the morning-shift part-timer who was supposed to cover for me today. Kim Minji.

"The shift change time has already passed. What the hell are you doing in here... ugh, it smells...!"

The shift change time had passed? What was she talking about?

'It's already seven?'

I hurriedly checked the time. It read 7:10. As I stared blankly, she started scolding me again.

"What were you even doing hiding in the bathroom... never mind. Just go home. I don't want to look at you."

Kim Minji closed the staff room door. I was much older than her, yet she spoke casually to me? I set aside that minor complaint, quickly gathered my phone, and left. I cursed my own carelessness for not closing the bathroom door.

When I entered the store, Kim Minji had already finished counting the register. As I approached the counter, she pinched her nose and scrunched her face up in disgust. The look in her eyes was identical to the female customer's from earlier. No, because we worked at the same store in the same neighborhood and had no choice but to see each other often, her disgust was even more blatant.

"Ugh, I seriously feel like throwing up. Can't you at least wash before coming to work? How old are you to already smell like a lonely old widower?"

"Sorry..."

Despite my words, the moment I glanced at her, I felt my lower body growing heavy and swollen again.

Kim Minji. Twenty-one years old. Nursing student at a nearby university. A plain face without makeup. The mascot of our convenience store, beloved by both the owner and customers. She always wore baggy clothes, but I knew. I knew exactly how voluptuous her body was underneath those loose outfits.

"What are you staring at? I told you to go home."

"Yeah... okay..."

I obediently went into the back office behind the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠counter. Taking off my vest was all the preparation I needed for leaving. The moment I grabbed the doorknob to head back out to the counter—

Flash—!

The smartphone screen that had gone dead suddenly lit up. On the display was an image of Kim Minji sitting at the counter.

"Huh?"

Then, accompanied by a cheerful sound effect—

A red text box appeared above her head on the screen, like an NPC status window in a game.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things, but the text didn't disappear. Instead, the camera lens seemed to adjust its focus. It was a low-angle shot aligned with the chair. A red targeting mark appeared between Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Minji's slightly raised ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠skirt.

I stared blankly at the screen. I wondered what kind of nonsense this was, but then my mind suddenly snapped into focus. Only then did I notice the corner of the screen.

'Target. Desire. Unlock...'

I didn't know what any of it meant, but there was nothing to lose. Unlocking and checking tags each cost 500 DP, and I currently held 1000 DP. That was all that mattered. Half in doubt, I pressed the [Yes] button.

"...What?"

Was this some kind of joke?

Bang—.

At that moment, the office door opened.

"Ugh, seriously. You're still dawdling. Are you deaf? I told you to go home."

"......?"

"With zero social skills, how do you even plan to become a public servant? If I were you, I'd just start doing manual labor and save money."

"You were probably a loser back in school too, right? It's obvious. I bet you've never even held a girl's hand."

The verbal abuse continued without pause.

"Get out! I'm going to change!"

I stood there stupidly until her final shout snapped me out of it.

"S-sorry. I'm going!"

Hiding my excitement, I hurriedly closed the office door and left. I needed to get home and check this out immediately. But as I passed the counter—

Vibrate—.

Kim Minji's phone, left defenseless on the counter, began ringing. I swear I had no intention of looking. My eyes just unconsciously drifted that way. That's when I saw it. A Talnagram message popup with shocking content.

"......?"

Click—.

As I stared blankly at the screen, I heard the office door behind the counter open. I sprinted out of the convenience store like a hundred-meter sprinter. I ducked between the buildings next door, crouched down so no one would see me, and pulled out my phone. My heart was pounding. Too many things had happened at once and my head was spinning. Even so, I carefully examined the phone—specifically the Pandora App.

"Ohhh... ohhh?"

The puzzle pieces clicked together rapidly in my head. The baggy tops Kim Minji always wore. The occasional bold poses she showed. And the Talnagram message I'd just seen.

'So... those looks she gave me like I was an insect... they were all...?!'

Because it was her taste?

"You're mine now, you exhibitionist bitch."

A smile spread across my lips.