Convenience Store Food

The convenience store was three bus stops away from school by bus. A small shop nestled between the studio apartment area and an apartment complex. I'd been working here for six months now.

The bell chimed as I opened the door. Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~

"Welcome... Oh, Hayan! You're here?"

"Yes. Hello."

The name Hayan already felt natural on me.

"You're here a little early today, aren't you?"

"School let out sooner than usual, and I wanted to get the new product orders checked off quickly."

"As expected of our store's ace. Oh, right. The deep fryer needs cleaning this evening..."

"...Yes. I'll take care of it."

"I'm sorry, Hayan. I know you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠covering a shift, but I'm really working you too hard..."

"It's fine. I'm getting paid for it, after all. You always make sure the hourly wage is fair."

"That's because you do such a great job. Go change into your uniform!"

"Okay."

I stepped into the staff area. My eyes lingered for a moment on the name tag that read Kim Hayan before I slipped on the vest. The uniform itself hadn't changed, but the way it sat on my body felt completely different. Loose across the shoulders, tighter at the waist. Most of all, the chest area felt constricting.

When I came back out wearing the vest, the store manager was sorting through paperwork. She glanced at my face and spoke with a worried expression.

"Hayan, you don't look so well today. Are you feeling okay?"

"Hm? I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep."

Minji had said the same thing. Did I really look that bad? I'd thought the fried rice helped me feel a bit better.

"Don't push yourself too hard. There's been a lot of talk lately about awakenings."

I flinched.

"Awakenings?"

"Haven't you seen the news? The number of new Awakeners has jumped in the last few days. Something about fluctuations in the towers."

The store manager spoke casually, as if it were nothing important.

"Ah... I haven't been paying much attention. If someone does awaken, they have to register right away, right?"

"That's what I hear. You have to register within a month or you'll get fined. Why? Do you know someone who awakened?"

"No, just curious... Haha..."

"Hmm... You wouldn't abandon us if you awakened, would you? You'd probably quit and go earn a fortune somewhere. I don't want to lose my ace!"

The store manager laughed as if it were a joke.

"Haha... Maybe..."

I couldn't exactly tell her I'd already done it. I still needed time to sort through everything myself.

The part-time shift went on like always. Organizing incoming orders, restocking drinks, ringing up customers.

"This one?"

"No, that one's picture looks weird! Something else!"

...Finding cigarettes for people too.

"Would you like a bag?"

"No thanks."

"Would you like a receipt?"

"It's okay."

Even after becoming a woman, the work itself felt familiar. The only differences were how hard it was to reach the top shelves, or how my hair kept tickling me so I had to tie it back. The physical changes were a bit annoying. Still, maybe because I'd awakened, lifting drink cases actually felt lighter despite my smaller frame. Was this what twelve strength felt like?

I sat at the register, lost in thought, when the door opened again.

Ding-dong~

"Welcome~"

I greeted them reflexively. Two boys who looked like high school students from the nearby school walked in. One of them froze when he saw me.

"Uh..."

I smiled from behind the counter. My usual customer-service smile. When he stayed frozen in a daze, I spoke up.

"Are you looking for something?"

"Ah, no."

The student's face turned bright red.

"Um... where are the triangle kimbap?"

"They're on the refrigerated shelves over there."

"Th-thank you!"

The two students headed for the refrigerator. Then they started whispering to each other.

"Dude. She's insane."

"So pretty..."

"Was there always a noona like that here?"

"No idea. I'm only coming to this store from now on."

I clenched my fist tightly under the counter. Guys... I can hear every word... Ugh, this is so embarrassing.

I'd dealt with all kinds of customers before, but this was a first. The students picked out triangle kimbap and drinks and brought them to the counter. Beep. Beep. I did my best to ignore their constant sideways glances as I rang them up.

"Would you like a bag?"

"Ah, yes. I mean, no. It's fine."

I'd started to grab a bag but stopped. These kids were clearly not thinking straight.

"Are you okay?"

"!! S-sorry!!"

The students clutched their drinks and kimbap and practically bolted out of the store. I let out a deep sigh.

"Haa..."

Just then the store manager tapped my shoulder from behind.

"Hayan."

"Yes?"

"You seem even kinder to the customers today."

"Do I?"

"Yeah. Sales might go up. I'm heading out now~ Good luck!"

"Okay. Have a good evening."

I quietly put on my mask.

As evening came, the number of customers increased. Office workers on their way home, students heading to academies, people who lived alone buying dinner, and middle-aged men grabbing drinks and snacks. I rang them up nonstop. Even in the middle of it all, my eyes kept drifting to the food. Lunch boxes nearing their expiration, sandwiches with slightly dry bread, chicken that had been fried quite a while ago. Before, I would have simply sold them or thrown them away. Now it felt like a waste to leave them as they were. I could make them taste so much better.

Gurgle...

I'd hold off for now.

Around nine, customers finally slowed down. The store manager had already left, so I was alone in the convenience store. I processed the items for disposal and picked out one bulgogi lunch box for myself. Normally I would have just heated it in the microwave, but today I wanted to make it taste better.

I opened the lid. Ingredient information floated up.

It seemed even convenience store lunch boxes counted as ingredients. "Nice."

I sprinkled the rice with just a tiny bit of water before microwaving it. Too much would make it soggy, so only a few drops. I set the bulgogi aside and put the rice in the microwave for one minute and twenty seconds. Ding. I took out the warmed lunch box. The rice grains now had a nice sheen.

I opened the small bottle of sesame oil and the spicy chicken sauce I'd bought from the shelves. I mixed a little of the spicy sauce into the bulgogi, then microwaved it for another minute. Ding. I drizzled sesame oil over the warmed bulgogi and mixed it in. Done!

The presentation looked decent. It wasn't a huge change, but everything had a bit more gloss. I took a spoonful.

"Mm...?"

It was good. No, it was actually ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠delicious. Much better than the original lunch box. The rice had a slight chewiness, the sweetness of the bulgogi was balanced by the spicy sauce and kimchi, and the sesame oil tied all the flavors together. It wasn't exactly gourmet cooking, but with a few personal touches it had become a genuinely tasty meal.

That's when the notification appeared.

...So even something like this triggered a skill. Did anything I touched count? My body felt a little lighter. The stiffness in my shoulders seemed to melt away.

"Not bad at all."

This ability was better than I'd expected. For someone like me who had zero interest in fighting monsters, this kind of power felt perfect. If the skill grew later, maybe I could even apply buffs to others? There were quite a few cooking-related Awakeners besides me, so it seemed likely.

I chewed the rest of the lunch box thoroughly.

After ten o'clock the store grew quiet. Customers only came in occasionally to buy cigarettes or drinks. Finally it was time to clean the deep fryer. I'd never liked cleaning it. It was difficult, the oil smelled strong, and even after washing my hands they still felt slippery. Now that my senses were enhanced, it was even worse. The stench of old oil stabbed straight into my nose.

"Ugh."

I felt like I might throw up. Still, it had to be done. I drained the oil, checked the filter, and wiped down the inside. My hands were smaller now, but my movements were more precise. The cleaning itself felt easier. It seemed that maintaining cooking equipment fell under Cooking Mastery.

After finishing with the fryer, the air in the store felt a little fresher. But seriously, wasn't there a way to control these senses? I opened my status window.

I'd finally found it. I'd been suffering for half my life. But it said I could turn it on and off at will. Why hadn't it worked until now? I immediately switched it to OFF, and the smell seemed to vanish so suddenly it felt strange.

I washed my hands and returned to the counter. When I checked my phone, there was a message from Minji.

Did Minji want me to start streaming...? Maybe once... Maybe I could try it once. I'd keep my face hidden and only show my hands. The feeling of doing what I wanted regardless of who was watching.

I opened the memo app on my phone.

Writing down what I wanted to eat looked a little silly. It felt like I was getting ahead of myself. If it didn't work out, I'd just keep working part-time. That was fine too.

The next part-timer arrived and I handed over the shift.

"I finished cleaning the deep fryer and processing the disposals. We're only short on cigarettes on that side."

"Okay, thanks for your hard work."

"No problem."

After finishing the POS system handover, I took off the vest and put it in the locker. The name tag for Kim Hayan caught my eye again. It really was a pretty name.

When I left the convenience store, the night air was cold. I zipped up my hoodie and walked home slowly. It had been an ordinary day like any other, yet today that ordinary day had felt incredibly long.

"Huu..."

I put in my earphones and played some music. As I listened, I thought about what I needed to do going forward. Register as an Awakener, visit the hospital just in case, keep attending school, and keep working part-time. It was all the same as before. There wasn't actually that much to change. Even after awakening, even after becoming a woman, I was still me.

I chuckled softly to myself.

"Haa... Let's just go home."

My softly murmured voice still sounded unfamiliar, but it was starting to feel like my own.