Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 003
Chapter Title: Conquering the Convenience Store Part-Timer with an SSR Card
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I shook off any lingering attachment to the married woman next door and hurried out of the house toward college, making a detour to the neighborhood convenience store I'd occasionally passed by.
As I pondered who would make a good test subject for this app, one person immediately popped into my head.
I arrived at the small convenience store tucked away in a residential alley and pushed open the door.
"Welcome!"
A cheerful voice rang in my ears the moment I stepped inside. She was the main reason this store—which usually had no more than three customers including me—had felt a bit livelier over the past month.
With her fresh-faced look that screamed just barely twenty, shoulder-length bob haircut, and cute see-through bangs, the part-timer exuded an adorably petite vibe, especially since she was on the short side, like a small animal.
On top of that, her bright and friendly personality gave people a reason to choose this store over the other convenience stores nearby.
My reasons for picking her were simple.
1. She was a total stranger—not even on a first-name basis.
2. She was pretty.
I came here fairly often, but if my memory served right, I'd never seen her more than twice a week. There was no way she'd remember me.
Sure, it wasn't a busy place, so she might recall me as just one regular customer at best.
That made her perfect for testing baseline favorability with someone I had zero personal connection to, and observing how she'd react to a sudden spike.
And the second reason?
'She's pretty.'
If I could secure genuine affection for sure, naturally I'd prefer someone attractive over average.
Until now, I'd thought she was cute but knew my place and never dared entertain any fantasies.
But things were different now.
If.
If this app was the real deal.
By this point, I was about 99% convinced, but fully accepting something this supernatural after just one day wasn't easy.
So I wanted to nail down that last 1% here.
'First, let's check her info.'
The moment I saw that, I decided to drop any remaining forced skepticism.
'This is real.'
There was no way they were putting me through some Truman Show nonsense. If they were, I'd go demand a fat appearance fee from the PD.
My heart, which had quieted down while picking up trash, started pounding fiercely again.
"Hm, hmm~"
A quick glance at the counter showed her humming a tune while flipping through what looked like a workbook.
She was pretty all over again. Cute, too. Perfectly balanced between adorable and beautiful.
Her big eyes, small but perfectly upturned nose, tiny lips with a rosy tint. And those perpetually uplifted mouth corners.
Doubt, longing, excitement—could I really win over a girl like that? It all washed over me.
I tapped the SSR card glowing with its purple presence in the [Held Cards] section.
Please designate a target.
[Lee Eun-chae]
[Ryu Seol]
Careful not to tap the wrong one, I selected Ryu Seol. Another message appeared.
[Ryu Seol] has been selected.
Please designate the target whose favorability toward [Ryu Seol] will increase. If not designated, it defaults to the user.
[Lee Eun-chae]
"!!"
'It can even apply to third parties?'
An unexpected but incredibly welcome system feature. I didn't know what other cards lay ahead, but this would make things way more 'fun' for sure.
The list showed it was only selectable for people whose info I'd checked.
Feeling that game-like thrill, I hit [Confirm] without designating a target.
The card has been applied.
The instant I saw the message, I sneaked another peek at the counter. Her eyes were still glued to her book, so no visible changes yet.
I checked her info again before approaching.
My heart hammered like twin drums. Overwhelmed by uncontrollable excitement and anticipation, I grabbed a banana milk and slowly approached the counter.
'How will she react? What will she do?'
-Gulp
I swallowed hard from the tension, then approached her with the most casual face I could muster.
She sensed me coming near and lifted her head slightly.
"Ah, checking out…"
Her bright greeting, just like when I'd entered, trailed off abruptly.
-Thud
The book slipped from her hands onto the counter, and she stared at me in a daze.
Her eyes widened a bit more, her mouth parted slightly.
Seeing that blatant reaction, I fought back a grin and held out the banana milk.
"I'll take this."
"……."
"Hey?"
"...Ah! Y-Yes! Let me ring you up!!"
At my prompting tone, she fumbled with the register in a panic. But even as she did, her eyes kept darting over me, my face—her ears turning bright red.
I'd heard something like this before.
Women can feel it when someone's looking at them, no matter how sneakily they try to check.
Slightly different situation, but I got the idea now.
I could clearly see her eyes rolling around in front of me. Her posture had grown more demure, and she kept brushing her hair behind her ear.
It was just one banana milk—normally a quick scan and tap your card. But all I heard were those 'beep, beep' sounds.
"Everything okay?"
"N-No, it's fine! Sorry! I keep messing up…"
"Ah~ Take your time."
"Thank you…"
The lively energy I'd seen when I entered was gone. She looked utterly flustered and shy to anyone watching, as she slowly tried again.
And as I watched her…
'Holy shit, it's insane.'
I was mentally setting off fireworks in celebration. Even without any dating experience, I knew the card had worked.
But a favorability boost didn't lead to some absurd "Go out with me!" development—it just left her visibly confused by her own sudden feelings.
This was more than enough for now.
I had a rough idea of how it played out.
"Payment complete…"
"Thanks, have a good one."
"W-Wait, do you need a straw?!"
As I turned to leave post-checkout, she called out desperately. I chuckled softly and held out my hand.
"Could I get one?"
"Here you go!"
"Thanks."
"~~!! Y-Yes!"
One simple "thanks" and she beamed like it was the best thing ever, filling me with a ticklish sense of satisfaction.
And like a puppy, her sparkling eyes seemed to beg for more from me.
"Hey."
"Yes! Do you need anything?!"
Suppressing the urge to burst out laughing, I casually asked for one more thing that came to mind.
"Got any big plastic bags?"
"Uh, um… W-We have volume-based bags…"
"What sizes?"
"I'll show you all of them! One sec!"
She quickly pulled out various sizes from under the counter. I bought a 5L one for grocery use.
After paying for that too, I tossed out a casual line.
"Always thought you were super friendly."
"Th-Thank you!"
She squirmed happily at the compliment. No need for more proof now.
"Alright, see ya."
"Ah… Um… G-Goodbye…"
A voice thick with regret trailed after me as I turned away without hesitation.
I felt it too. I wanted to test this amazing reality more.
She seemed like she'd hand over her number if I just asked outright, but with no experience, the words wouldn't come.
No need to rush, though.
The app was real.
So the SSR card's effect was too.
Plenty of time and chances.
Right now, I had two things to do: call back the orphanage director from this morning, and fill this 5L bag with neighborhood trash.
Lost in those thoughts, I'd taken maybe ten steps from the store when—
"Hey!"
A loud voice from behind stopped me. I turned around.
"Yes?"
"Um… I-I've never done this before, but… you know…"
Ryu Seol, who'd rushed out after me, blushed furiously, hesitating mightily before squeezing her eyes shut and thrusting her phone at me.
"C-Could you… g-give me your number… Ugh! P-Please!"
"……."
Luckily, her embarrassment kept her from looking up—my grin was probably lopsided and huge.
This year, twenty-year-old Ryu Seol couldn't make sense of her own heart.
Her retake year had started with bombing the college entrance exam due to a stomachache. With family unable to help much, she'd taken this convenience store gig—afternoons to evenings in a quiet residential area—since it wouldn't interfere with studying.
No lunch rushes or anything taxing.
'They said studying's fine when it's slow.'
Her cheerfulness was always her strong suit. As a first-timer, she put her all into the work and greeted customers as kindly as possible.
The manager liked her for it, and two months in, everything was smooth.
A slight uptick in customers, but nothing disruptive.
The job had settled into her routine, and she'd even chat with visiting friends now and then. Until one day—
-Ding!
"Welcome!"
She'd just finished restocking and was studying at the counter when a customer walked in.
A face that always wore a soft smile, with slender eyes that made him seem amiable. That's all he was.
In her mind, anyway.
Just a regular with a good impression.
But today?
Different.
"Ah, checking out…"
-Boom!
The moment that customer approached for checkout, the sight of his face set off fireworks in her head.
Everything went blank.
She couldn't think straight, like an idiot.
All that filled her mind was the softly smiling customer right in front of her.
He wasn't drop-dead handsome.
Not her type at all.
His small, shrimp-like eyes were distinctive, but she'd never thought much of it before.
-Thump! Thump!
Yet her heart pounded wildly. For a split second, she wondered if she was sick.
How else could her chest race like this out of nowhere, her whole body burning like fire?
'What's going on? Why am I like this all of a sudden?!'
Stunned by the inexplicable, she dazedly questioned herself for a moment.
"Hey?"
"...Ah! Y-Yes! Let me ring you up!!"
His puzzled prompting snapped her back.
But her heart still raced, her hands trembling like they were broken.
'Why is even that little head tilt cute? Am I going crazy?!'
That tiny gesture set her heart ablaze.
It felt shyer than when she'd spotted her favorite idol at a concert two years back with friends.
She straightened her posture while fumbling with the register.
Ryu Seol had lived twenty years without ever feeling this.
But she wasn't stupid.
She knew what this was.
Which made it even more baffling.
Why now, for a customer she'd seen a few times?
She'd gotten numbers from and confessions by way hotter guys, never feeling this.
But logic couldn't fight it—this mild-faced guy had burrowed deep into her heart.
Without warning, in a blink.
"W-Wait, do you need a straw?!"
Her heart accepted this unfamiliar thing called love before her head did, desperate to eke out one more word.
'L-Looking again… he's kinda cute… handsome even… No, cool!'
Her lovestruck eyes kept stealing glances at his face.
Love and curiosity took root fast, confusion barely contained until checkout ended.
"Alright, see ya."
"Ah… Um… G-Goodbye…"
As he turned to leave, watching his back felt like her heart was crumbling.
She only worked two days a week—might not see him again.
No telling when she'd get another chat if they parted like this.
She already wanted to see his face again. So she bolted out of the store.
Grabbed him, and despite the bewilderment on his face, mustered her courage for a near-confession.
"C-Could you… g-give me your number… Ugh! P-Please!"
She wanted to crawl into a hole from the tongue-tied embarrassment, but relief at catching him dwarfed it.
His single "thanks" made her whole body flutter.
How had she not noticed his coolness before?
The thought of not seeing him for a while tore at her.
So Ryu Seol clung to that feeling.
Like first love from some romance novel she'd read once.
Believing that's what had finally come.