Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Peaceful Day
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Since I skipped breakfast, I had a hearty lunch.
After last night's intense workout, I decided to take a break from the gym today.
While working on assignments before heading to my part-time job, my phone buzzed.
KakaoTalk.
I checked it right away and saw a message in the group chat for our group project.
Thinking it might be a question, I opened it.
Saturday was completely off the table.
Since everyone was online, I asked right away.
Saturday or Sunday—either way, it was the weekend, so no one seemed to mind much.
I set my phone down and got back to studying.
Taking breaks as needed, before I knew it, it was 40 minutes before my shift.
I ate dinner early, and since I wanted to see Han Chae-a, I decided to head out a bit earlier.
Ding dong.
"Hello. I'm here."
"Oh!? Come on in. It's great that you're early, Woojin."
"It's nothing. I just came early to see our pretty store manager."
"Oh, come on. Flattery won't get you a raise."
Han Chae-a, even prettier than the bare-faced glimpse I'd caught earlier in voyeur mode, greeted me.
I bowed slightly in greeting, my eyes flicking to her prominent chest.
The fact that those massive breasts were protected by a triple layer of short sleeves, bra, and nipple patches was a secret known only to two people in the world.
Thinking back to that scene made my dick twitch for a moment.
I stepped behind the counter and greeted Han Hee-jin as well.
As I finished changing into my uniform, Han Chae-a, handbag in hand, spoke up.
"I'm heading over to the main store now. Call if anything comes up, and take care of things like yesterday."
"No worries."
With a bright smile, Han Chae-a left.
Back to just the two of us in the convenience store.
I took my position to handle the rush of customers, just like yesterday.
"Should I ring this up?"
"No, I'll do it. I need to get used to this too."
Han Hee-jin, sounding commendably diligent.
Of course, I'd be faster, but I decided to assist from the side, appreciating her enthusiasm.
A nonstop stream of customers kept us busy, and finally, things quieted down.
I plopped into the chair and started stretching.
"Does it always get this busy here?"
"This is standard every day. The main store where my sister is now gets even more."
"Didn't you say you handled it alone for a bit before I came?"
"Yeah."
"All by yourself? Wasn't that tough? The customers must've gotten mad..."
"They were all nice, though? They even showed me where the cigarettes were and gave me snacks... It was manageable."
She looked at me like she couldn't relate to what I was saying.
I felt the same, but one look at her face and it all made sense.
Appearance creates plausibility, as they say.
How many people could stay mad at that face?
"I'll go stock the shelves."
"Sure, I'll help when I get a moment."
Drinks had sold well during the evening rush, so I headed to the back to grab extras.
I filled baskets by type, then started restocking the store fridges.
Some might find it tedious, but I actually enjoyed it.
Watching the fridges fill up neatly and the storeroom empty out felt satisfying.
Whatever.
As I stocked them one by one, someone reached past me and grabbed two ion drinks.
They were ones I'd just put in, and taking them right away felt oddly satisfying.
"Excuse me, these aren't cold yet—I'll grab some from the back."
"Yeah. Huh?"
I turned at the familiar voice.
There was Yoon Hye-yoon, smiling brightly and shaking a drink.
"You're working hard. Have one of these. My treat."
"Oh, thanks. I'll enjoy it."
She must've just come from the gym—gym clothes and crossbody bag.
I was genuinely impressed.
I had help from stamina pills and supplements, but hers was pure physical prowess, which made it even more amazing.
I took the drink she'd handed me and headed to the counter with her.
Han Hee-jin watched us with a strange expression.
I ignored it as best I could and chatted with Yoon Hye-yoon while ringing her up.
"No way—you just came from the gym?"
"Yeah. I was studying but couldn't focus, so I went to sweat it out a bit."
"You've got stamina to spare. You went hard yesterday too."
Her face flushed slightly at my words.
But Yoon Hye-yoon fired right back.
"You too, Woojin. You're here working your shift just fine."
"Part-time work and gym are different levels of exertion."
"Same difference. Anyway, I'm off. Good luck!"
After paying, Yoon Hye-yoon waved and headed out.
I waited until her back vanished from sight, then sat down.
Good—she wasn't avoiding me anymore.
I cracked open the drink she'd bought and took a few sips. Han Hee-jin was staring at me intently.
Her face screamed, I have so many questions.
Her gaze felt a bit heavy, so I spoke first.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"I'm really curious... Are you dating that sister?"
"No. Just gym friends."
"...Really? You didn't seem like it. Then you're like, in the talking stage?"
"Really, nothing like that. Don't overthink it."
"Hmm..."
We'd had sex all night, so yeah, the vibe had changed.
But I didn't think it was that obvious for Han Hee-jin to pick up on it right away.
Was she observant, or just that interested?
"It's just your imagination. Imagination."
"The condom and beer yesterday... the changed vibe..."
I caught her muttering softly but pretended not to hear and changed the subject.
"Speaking of dating, you don't have a boyfriend, Hee-jin?"
"With how busy I am every day, where's the time? And there aren't even any good guys around."
"Bet you've gotten tons of confessions and numbers, though."
"Yeah... But I don't like it."
Her expression was firm.
There was something I didn't know about.
Seemed like a sensitive topic, so I let it drop.
"Fair enough if you're busy."
The mood got awkward again, so I stood up.
To kill time, I headed to the back while saying,
"I'll do some cleaning."
"Thanks."
I went into the bathroom, wrung out the mop, and as I came out, I heard music playing in the store.
Han Hee-jin must've put on some tunes.
Better than silence, so I mopped to the beat.
As I polished the floor diligently, she came over with a rag.
She started wiping down the front shelves.
Glancing over, I caught her blonde hair swaying with her movements.
Not just yellow— a glowing, radiant gold.
I'd heard from Han Chae-a already, but I wanted to say something, so I asked,
"That blonde... It's not dyed, right?"
"Huh? Oh... this. It's natural."
"Can blonde be natural? Mixed race?"
"Yep. I'm mixed. The blonde really stands out, huh? Everyone's always curious."
"I figured with the blonde, but your blue eyes sealed it."
"Weird, right? Speaking fluent Korean with this look?"
She twirled her hair around her finger, eyes cast down a bit.
Her confidence dipped slightly.
I could sense some trauma there.
I didn't pry deeper and pivoted to endless compliments.
"Nah, it suits you perfectly. And speaking Korean well is a plus."
"Oh..."
Ding dong.
Han Hee-jin was about to reply when a customer came in.
I was closer to the counter, so I leaned the mop against the wall and stepped over.
The male customer took one look at me and openly looked disappointed.
"One Gold, please."
"4,500 won."
As I waited for payment, he asked slyly,
"Uh... did the original part-timer quit? The blonde one."
"She's cleaning right now. Back there."
"Oh, really? One sec."
He left his card in the reader and headed where I pointed.
Checking the CCTV, he was browsing nearby, stealing glances at Han Hee-jin.
He soon picked a drink, handed me one, and asked,
"Give this to that part-timer for me. Say a customer bought it."
"Got it. Thanks."
I replied flatly.
He left immediately, and I took the drink to her.
"Here, have this. The customer from earlier bought it for you."
"Oh, thanks. Let me finish this spot first."
She dusted off her hands, took the drink, and started sipping right away.
Her head tilted back, revealing her pretty throat bobbing.
"You're popular. Didn't expect gift attacks on day two."
"Hmph... Free is nice, but it's too much."
"Good things are good. In six months, I've only gotten three."
"I've gotten three in a single day before."
She grinned proudly all of a sudden.
The area around us seemed to brighten.
Glowing blonde, pale skin, teeth gleaming in the light.
And separately, it was my first time seeing her smile, so I was a bit stunned.
I wanted to see more of that face—and ruin it.
Both thoughts hit me at once.
I spaced out for a moment, then the store bell rang again.
"Oh? Where's everyone? No one's at the counter."
It was Han Chae-a.
Time had flown by already?
We hadn't finished everything yet.
Glancing at the clock, it was only 9:30.
Wondering what was up, I went to greet her.
"Welcome. We were cleaning while it was slow."
"Ah, got it. Work wrapped up early over there today, so I came sooner. Hee-jin doing okay?"
"Yeah, sis! She's been great!"
Her tone was definitely different when talking to her sister.
Made sense.
After greetings, we finished cleaning and stocking, then sat side by side at the counter.
Being sandwiched between two beauties was nice, but kinda awkward.
As I stared blankly at the shelves, Han Chae-a spoke up.
"What do you usually do for fun, Woojin?"