Non-Everyday Moments in a New Routine (5)
After spending a month like this, all these extraordinary moments had settled into my daily routine. 'Morning bento, sexual torment, Coupang, cleaning, sandbag, First... that's a lot, really.'
The more I adapted to this routine, the colder the days grew, and now Seo-yeon's first birthday was fast approaching. 'I should have at least called more often...'
It felt like I'd pulled off some massive screw-up and run away at twenty years old—well, that was pretty much exactly what had happened. But still, why was it so damn hard to just tap that phone button? Ever since possessing this body, I hadn't once called the protagonist's parents. Guilt sat heavily in one corner of my heart, but I was scared that even hearing Seo-yeon's voice would make it impossible to keep ignoring it. Whether they scolded me or comforted me, either way, it would hurt too much to bear...
'I always thought people who ran away were so immature...' But now that I was in that situation myself, all I could see was how selfish and immature I was.
Still, there was one hopeful note: I was adapting to daily life really well. The stares from the guys at Coupang had thankfully died down a lot over time. 'Guess it really was just the rumors that drew the crowd at first.' And now that it was truly winter weather, working in a coat wasn't uncomfortable at all—a real blessing.
Once, a body-enhancement hunter right in front of me showed off, working extra hard to flex, which threw me off a bit... but thanks to him, I just had to scan barcodes and coast. Coupang was structured so the more guys there were, the more it benefited the women... That hunter turned out to be just a young, innocent kid who never approached me, so I got to suck on the sweet honey for about a week.
'Do I look kinda scary?' Before heading to Coupang, Lee Seo-yoon always sprayed me with all sorts of fluids, so I probably went in with a sharp, edgy vibe every time...
But it was also thanks to Lee Seo-yoon that I'd decided to keep working at Coupang. 'Now she sees me as her complete attachment toy, so if I ever didn't come home even once, she'd definitely come looking.' If it was a request from her, the association would mobilize every available hunter, and no matter who had messed with me, I'd be rescued in five minutes flat. As long as I didn't die, she'd heal me too...
'Is this good or bad...' Positively, it meant having a solid backer in this brutal world. Negatively, it meant I probably couldn't quit being Lee Seo-yoon's sandbag on my own anymore.
'Actually, maybe it's good? This way, I can pick up Seo-yeon soon enough.' Once I brought Seo-yeon home, I wouldn't be able to take jobs that kept me out late, so I might even have to want to stay employed by Lee Seo-yoon...
'Just two years left at Coupang and First.'
At First, I was now treated like a total ace. The madam said I was already boosting sales just by showing up, so she decided to waive my commission entirely. 'No matter how I look at it, she seems to have some other agenda...' She seemed sincere about wanting to keep me at First, but I couldn't shake the feeling it wasn't just about the revenue.
'Well, of course you'd suspect someone as successful as the madam...'
That led to moments like this:
"Lately, the madam seems really interested in you, Ga-eun."
"N-nooo... it's not like that, Eomo. Haha... m-maybe 'cause I'm good at my job~?"
"How good at your job do you have to be to reel in the madam herself, who's not even a customer?"
"Ahaha... w-wellll... it's like a boss who loves her hardworking employee!"
"Ga-eun, be careful, okay?"
"Y-yes..."
Compared to Lee Seo-yoon, Eomo was practically an angel, so the vibe wasn't too serious.
'Wonder when the madam will finally accept Eomo's feelings.' She was past marriageable age by now... 'Let's see, for women it's... 31.5? Way past that.'
I'd gotten caught thinking that once and chewed out by the madam, but the closer we got, the kinder she proved to be.
"Ga-eun, do you know what happens when you talk age in front of a woman pushing forty?"
"H-hup... N-no, I-I d-didn't m-mean... Hngg... S-Su-jin unni!"
"Why drag me into this all of a sudden! I-I wasn't talking about the madam, it was that hunter from before... Ah! The guy who's been spo-"
"I've been here since Ga-eun asked, 'Unni, what year is the madam born?'"
"Uh..."
"Hehe... Ga-eun, Su-jin, get caught again and I'll dock your pay. Got it?"
"Y-yes..."
"Both of you, go prep for customers."
Places like First were my emotional sanctuary, filled with people who gave me peace of mind—but they also came with a horde of jerks, making it the source of my biggest stress.
Over the past month-plus, the worst offenders had been the "romance creeps." That's what I called the types who developed serious crushes on the girls and tried to woo us.
Most of the older guys wanted affairs, so at least they had some self-awareness of how shameful and immoral it was... The real problem for me was the young customers who fell for me.
'They act like they're some prince on a white horse...'
They saw themselves as the prince on a white steed, me as the poor captive princess... Caught in that delusion, they acted like rescuing me from First was their sacred mission.
Reality was just a guy lusting after an obedient, pretty girl and a woman working at a bar out of financial need... The absolute worst was this young guy who took out a loan just to come see me.
"Whoa, oppa! That's so touching... So you'll call me out today, right? Let's go to the department store together! I heard from unni last time, there's this hot new luxury brand trending!"
"How much? Hmm... It's hunter-made clothes, so yeah, kinda pricey... Th-this much? Ahaha, a bit steep, huh? But everyone who dates me buys stuff like this! Hehe..."
That snapped him out of it fast—he bolted from First without looking back, and thankfully, it didn't escalate.
One lesson from that: playing the "big sis showing a lovesick kid life's harsh realities" didn't suit a girl like me at all.
That day stuck in my memory as the one when I fully adapted to First.
In this chaotic routine, the one thing I still couldn't get used to was Lee Seo-yoon... When the hell would she grow up? She acted like a middle-schooler hitting puberty, getting all worked up over increasingly lewd stuff she couldn't do.
'Well, she does look like she's never jerked off in her life.'
I really needed to pin her to the bed someday and show her just how tough it was... My ability was perfect for that, too. The "plausibility" the author gave Jeong Ga-eun—a fairly common support-type power in this world called sensory sharing.
As an F-rank, I was pretty inept at handling vision, the most crucial sense, so it was useless... But higher-rank hunters could pull in or send out all five senses fully.
B-ranks and above could even transmit physical abilities, extending support beyond senses to the body itself. Hunters who wielded sensory sharing well might steal tactile feedback to reduce combat pain, amp up touch and hearing to boost reaction speed, or widen field of view via sight—versatile stuff.
That broad utility made it a popular support power, but handling vision required fine control over mana, which talentless folks like me couldn't manage. Fail that, and your value plummeted; without basic hunter physique, you were basically a civilian.
But Jeong Ga-eun had a world-top-tier sensitive body, so mastering just touch made this power "plausible."
Lee Seo-yoon, if you ever mess with me... you're dead.
'Hoo... She has no idea how hard my days are.' She probably didn't even feel the need to worry... Still, I was biding my time for revenge someday.
Honestly, seeing her morning and night every day, I was starting to feel a bit attached. 'A guy's ideal is a pretty mom who fucks, right?'
Lee Seo-yoon wasn't a guy, but I was pretty much a pretty mom who could fuck her.
'I clean, make sure she eats breakfast, wake her up, do laundry, sometimes cook dinner if she's late... relieve her stress daily...'
If I could make her feel sexual pleasure too... maybe she'd treat me better? The Non-Everyday Moments in a New Routine, End