UR Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Phew.

I-bom let out a sigh and placed the convenience store’s order terminal on the approval tray.

After sending Weoong off like that, he walked into the convenience store feeling all muddled, only to be hit with a wave of work right away. The manager dumped it all on him the moment he walked in. As soon as I-bom greeted him with a polite “Hello,” the manager shoved the terminal at him and said,

“I-bom, from this month on, you’ll be handling the orders. I warned you about keeping the loss rate low, didn’t I? To lower the loss rate, you need to know what kind of stock is coming into the store. Don’t you agree? I’m giving you this chance—that’s why I’m letting you handle the orders!”

“Huh?”

There was a reason the manager suddenly started ranting about the loss rate. It was just an excuse. He probably just didn’t want to bother with ordering himself and dumped the task on I-bom instead. Now that he thought about it, the night-shift guy before him had made a bitter face and mumbled something like a complaint about the manager before quitting. He hadn’t understood what that meant back then…

“I don’t mind doing the orders, but… what does that have to do with the loss rate?”

I-bom looked confused. If the manager had just said, “You’re on the day shift longer, so you’re more familiar with the inventory. That’s why you should handle the ordering,” he could’ve accepted that.

I-bom hadn’t exactly been a model student, but throughout his school years, he’d been taught that honesty and integrity were virtues. And in a high school class called “Aptitude and Assessment,” he’d learned that it’s wrong to fire a worker without valid cause or to unfairly increase their workload with ridiculous excuses.

When I-bom gave him a dumbfounded look and questioned him, the manager gave him a once-over with a sneer, then twisted his lips and muttered,

“This is what’s wrong with brats who’ve never had a real job…”

“…What did you just say?”

I-bom immediately asked back. He hadn’t misheard. He was raised to be respectful to elders and not to talk back, but the manager had never acted his age. On top of that, he never listened to any complaints from the staff. If anyone tried to point out an issue and suggested a sit-down conversation, he’d just pretend he didn’t hear and bolt.

“Just do what you’re told. Why are you talking back so much?”

Phew. Here we go again.

“People like you need to serve in the military to learn some discipline. Tsk. Maybe you don’t get it ‘cause you’re a dropout who didn’t even make it in? If I tell you to do something, you should just say, ‘Yes, Manager.’ You think I’m gonna put up with a disrespectful part-timer forever?”

“Huh?”

Wait, when did he ask him to put up with anything? I-bom looked baffled. Who’s talking like they’re doing someone a favor here?

He’d been working various part-time jobs since before he was even an adult. He’d met good people, bad people—most were more or less the same. There were always people like the manager, who’d pick on him just because he was from Aji Village. But running away from situations like that didn’t solve anything, so I-bom always chose to stick it out and do his job as best he could. That’s why he just grimaced at the manager’s words.

“Ten of the Everyday Milk… Four packs of the strawberry yogurt…”

I-bom muttered as he meticulously checked the fresh food section. He’d never stolen anything or done anything suspicious, but the manager’s comment—“It’s because you’re from Aji Village”—lingered in his mind and soured his mood.

He hadn’t wanted the responsibility, but checking the neatly arranged stock and figuring out what items to reorder was actually kind of fun—like playing Tetris or running a pretend market.

“If I could learn more about store management… I wonder if that’s something you can study in college?”

I-bom murmured to himself as he keyed numbers into the terminal.

“…Huh?”

Just as he was scrolling down the terminal and entering numbers, he paused in the “Pet Food & Snacks” section. His eyes stopped at the “Cat” category.

“There’s all kinds of stuff…”

He muttered as he glanced through the pet food section. In the small images and names listed, a sparkling star mark labeled “Popular Product” caught his eye.

*Product Name: Squeeze Cat Treat Churu (This Month’s Popular Item) 2+1

*Description: For cats (kitten, adult, senior)

*Manufacturer/Country of Origin: Korea

*Quantity: 10g / 50 pieces

*Flavors: Tuna / Chicken Breast

[Available in units of 10]

Come to think of it, the name rang a bell. Churu. He remembered Somi, who owned cats, casually complaining, “My cats don’t eat their food—they just want to eat Churu. It’s just a treat, but they act like it’s all they want.”

So this was it.

I-bom cautiously opened the tab and pressed “Order 10.” Since the neighborhood was mostly full of dogs, there was a chance no one would buy cat treats—but even if no one did, he could just buy it himself. He hadn’t known where or how to get treats before, even if food was one thing, but now he had a solid solution nearby.

‘Next time Weoong comes to visit, I’ll give him one each time.’

I-bom smiled with satisfaction.

---

“Um, could you ring this up for me?”

“Yes, of course!”

I-bom wiped his hands on his apron and set down the box of alcohol he was holding. With a clattering sound, the heavy box of beer hit the floor.

Although Manwol Mountain was considered one of the rougher rocky mountains in Seoul, the beginner’s trailhead attached to the public parking lot and the gentle incline made it a great route for people new to hiking. In recent years, it had become a popular spot for beginners to challenge themselves.

With the chilly wind blowing and the autumn leaves starting to change color, the convenience store had entered full peak season. But this year, the busy season had arrived even faster than the changing leaves.

It would’ve been nice to have another worker, but the store manager had no intention of hiring anyone new. His logic was that it only got busy occasionally, and when it wasn’t, he could enjoy his break alone—so why waste money on extra labor?

“Do you have any cold bottled water?”

“Just a moment, please.”

The already narrow aisle became impossible to squeeze through as more people with backpacks crowded in. In no time, the path was blocked and the area in front of the counter was swarming. The store wasn’t even properly organized yet, but they couldn’t exactly ask the incoming customers to leave. I-bom shoved the box of alcohol he had set down earlier behind the counter.

“Do you not have bottled water from ‘Samho’? I don’t like the taste of the one from ‘Damsu.’ Maybe it’s because it’s too cheap.”

A customer in a red hiking jacket came up, holding two bottles of water, and asked the question.

When it’s not too busy, you can respond to these kinds of questions with a smile. But when it’s this crowded, answering inventory questions only makes the customers waiting behind start to frown. I-bom quickly plastered on his business smile and scanned the barcodes.

“Ah, the Samho distribution line is currently delayed. It probably won’t be restocked until the weekend.”

Looking at the line of backpacked group hikers starting to form, it was clear today wouldn’t be one of those laid-back shifts.

Ding-ling.

With a cheerful bell chime, the door burst open. Even while busy, I-bom instinctively turned his head and greeted them.

“Welcome!”

At the sound of I-bom’s bright and energetic voice, the person walking in flinched.

“Whoa, what the—so many customers today?”

The guy seemed to hesitate and step back for a moment, but it wasn’t a regular customer. It was Kang Soo-hyun, the convenience store owner’s son.