Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Part-timer Heo Jun-tae
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Heo Jun-tae.
MMA career: 4 years.
Runner-up in the Junior Martial Arts Selection Tournament.
Advanced to the main bracket of the Youth Comprehensive Combat Tournament.
Though he had no major awards to his name, he ruled at the top of the food chain among boys his age, with nothing in life to fear.
That is, until he received his enlistment notice.
Any guy would get it.
That feeling when you get that devil's invitation.
After that, Heo Jun-tae's days grew listless one by one.
Sure, he still had a few months' deferment left, but to a condemned prisoner, a death sentence handed down meant no real comfort.
It wasn't just a few months left.
It was only a few months left.
Even when he got KO'd by a smaller, younger fighter, he hadn't felt this level of reality crash down on him.
How many days had he spent holed up at home, even quitting the gym he loved?
In the end, he couldn't hold out against his parents' nagging and started a part-time job.
And today.
He sent infinite gratitude to his parents who had suggested the gig.
'How can a person even look like that?'
This wasn't a question born of mere curiosity.
It slipped out as pure admiration.
Heo Jun-tae had actually seen celebrities before.
An idol.
Not just any—a visual from a top idol group whose name anyone would recognize, wildly popular for her looks.
He'd spotted her by chance at Ice Park once.
Her face was so small it could've fit in one hand, yet her features were perfectly compact in a way that amazed him.
He felt something similar to what he'd felt then.
No, perhaps even deeper admiration.
Unlike back then, when he'd barely glimpsed her from afar through crowds and security, now she was right in front of him.
He glanced sideways and saw his fellow part-timer staring too, mouth agape.
Wondering if he looked just as dumb, Jun-tae touched his lips.
Sure enough. He felt his mouth grinning ear to ear.
She said she'd be filling in for the regular part-timer for a while.
The original part-timer.
A newbie who'd only started a month ago.
'Tch. What a flake.'
How long had the guy even worked before flaking out?
The dude already rubbed him the wrong way with his parasite-host vibe.
So every little thing he did just annoyed him more.
What? Got some "situation" and can't come?
Sending a sub?
Man, what a total fuck-up life that guy's living.
That's what had burst out when he first got the call.
Probably got wasted with some girl the night before and broke a bottle or something.
Obvious. He knew the guy's patterns like the back of his hand.
Grinding his teeth inwardly at the idiot's irresponsibility, he waited for this sub.
This damn PC bang was packed even on a weekday afternoon, and with just two part-timers, they were short-staffed.
Soon, someone walked in.
And when he finally saw who the sub was.
The grudge against the original guy melted away like snow, and he felt like the Virgin Mary herself had descended.
'Jackpot. Perfect.'
The sub introduced herself as Han Hyo-jeong.
Han Hyo-jeong.
Even her name was pretty, matching her face.
Now he finally got what "living off your looks" meant.
Just looking at her filled your belly.
Life with a beauty like that would surely be happy every day.
Cooking? No need. Plain rice and kimchi would be a feast.
The mere fact she'd made it for him would turn it into steak from a fancy restaurant,
and just smiling at each other would beat any ocean view.
But his sweet fantasies ended there.
He had a pretty objective view of himself.
He knew he didn't match up to the beauty before him.
Imagining himself standing next to her.
It'd be Beauty and the Beast all over again.
In movies, the Beast takes the Beauty by force, but he was a true romantic of this era—gentle above all to his woman.
A man who could let her go with tears in his eyes for her happiness.
His mind had already reached the climax of a breakup movie.
Her leaving his side.
Meeting someone new, flashing the happy smile she'd once given him.
And the guy she's beaming at is...
The shadows on his neck vanish, revealing the face.
And who is it? None other than the original part-timer.
That parasite-looking face from before.
'Fuck. They match perfectly.'
A picture-perfect couple.
Birds of a feather, huh.
For the first time, Jun-tae felt envy toward that part-timer.
Or jealousy, if you put it harshly.
'Ugh, what the hell. Not like me.'
Yeah. He'd just be content admiring from afar.
Heo Jun-tae shook his head and corrected his thoughts.
Gratitude instead of jealousy.
That the sub was none other than Hyo-jeong herself.
Whatever her deal was, he hoped it all worked out—generous altruism kicking in.
No, better yet, he wished it'd take a nice, long time to resolve.
That way, Hyo-jeong could keep subbing in.
Some crazy boss had once griped that no sane PC bang owner would staff three dudes.
Said it showed no business sense.
He got steady paychecks, sure, but the drab work environment stressed him out big time.
That was the hidden reason behind Han Jeong-ho's unusually high sensitivity around him.
But now?
One holy stunner's arrival had flipped the PC bang's vibe 180 degrees.
Bright, lively, even refreshing.
He even imagined a sweet scent wafting through the air.
Like cinnamon blooming amid stuffy flour.
"Honey churros are up!"
"Coming right up!"
Ah, churros. That was the smell.
Hyo-jeong grabbing them and trotting off evoked a fresh college girl at an amusement park.
This PC bang, once rife with curses and keyboard shotgun blasts, had become a Notte World where young folks laughed and spread happiness.
Notte World part-timer Heo Jun-tae.
Job satisfaction: Top-tier.
The more he watched Hyo-jeong, the more she shone.
Girls he knew who were even kinda cute usually slacked off, but she worked harder than anyone here.
Pretty and diligent. Meticulous and passionate.
The epitome of wife material.
'Bet she'd be great at supporting her man.'
He couldn't tear his eyes from her bustling around.
Lost in a dopey dad smile, forgetting his work.
Their eyes met by chance.
Something mysteriously captivating drew his gaze.
Her sparkling eyes under the lights, like a galaxy strewn across them.
Pulled into those deep stars, Jun-tae whipped his head away.
Glancing aside, the other part-timer did the same.
Hyo-jeong soon excused herself to tidy seats.
He felt a pang of regret, but orders piled up, so he shook it off and headed to the kitchen.
Cooking. Serving.
Then collecting empty dishes, tackling the mountain of dishwashing.
"Excuse me?"
"What's up?"
"You need to check over there."
"Pardon?"
A customer at the counter beckoned him, pointing to a spot.
Wondering what it was, he went over to find three people in a heated argument.
Especially the guy with one hand raised like he was about to swing—Heo Jun-tae was floored.
Hyo-jeong had her arms crossed in an X over her face, clearly terrified.
'That crazy bastard!'
Where on her slender frame was there even a spot to hit?
His body moved before his mind—gotta stop this.
No words needed.
In seconds, the guy was down and pinned.
*
A brief lull.
They cleared up the not-misunderstanding misunderstanding and got back to the point.
"So, you play for three hours straight and now want a refund?"
Heo Jun-tae scoffed mockingly.
"Mister, speak properly so us part-timers can understand. How are we supposed to get it when you're barking nonsense like a pro?"
There it was.
That signature cocky smirk.
No tats on his arms, but he looked every bit the thug.
"You enjoyed it all, so why pull this now."
His intangible pressure hit, and the troublemaker flinched, trembling.
His gaze dropped like he'd bumped into his high school bully, slinking to the floor. Jun-tae landed the finishing blow.
"Let's just end this quietly."
"Y-yes. Of course."
And I, watching the whole thing.
'What the fuck.'
I was dumbfounded.
When I'd tried talking nice, he wouldn't listen for shit, but one glare from Heo Jun-tae and he tucked tail like the classic bully-bullied type.
If Jun-tae had handled it from the start, would the jerk have ranted about women like that?
No way.
He'd have packed up and slunk out quietly.
The sheer size difference was too overwhelming—no liquid courage could've helped.
Guess you gotta bulk up first in life, huh.
The troublemaker was pretty big for a guy, but Jun-tae towered a head above.
Before that massive build, anger issues turn into anger management pros.
Realizing law's far and fists are close, the jerk got booted without a peep.
Today's got me missing my old body.
Not as jacked as Jun-tae, but mine had that sculpted, practical muscle look.
Part of me wondered if I just looked that much like a pushover.
Bitter taste in my mouth.
"Hyo-jeong, you okay?"
Jun-tae, man, I'm hurting bad right now.
Getting dismissed by that asshole, worrying over something this minor.
This shit just doesn't add up, right?
"You must've been shocked. Take a break in the staff lounge."
Saying that, Jun-tae's eyes drifted to my chest.
What, side-eyeing even now?
Gross.
The bear who faced down the troublemaker was now a cuddly teddy.
From a gritty 19+ noir flick to a kids' movie for 7-year-olds—incredible.
This heartbreak needs Ye-eun's aegyo to heal even a bit.
Sadly, quitting time was still hours away.