“Um… what drink should I make for you?”
“Tomato juice and… u-um… hot chocolate… no no, um… u-uh… green tea latte…?”
“Tomato juice, green tea latte, and cookies… right?”
At my question, the large snake fidgeted restlessly, then soon nodded their head greatly.
Unlike their frightening appearance, their taste is sweeter than expected.
“Y-yes, yes! Green tea latte and cookies please…! Ah, right! Cookies… do you have them…? Earlier when my son came, he said there didn’t seem to be any…”
“Ah, I just baked them not long ago. I’ll give them to you.”
Could that man whose lower body was a snake earlier be her son?
When I nodded, the large snake lowered their head toward me, swoosh.
Kyaaaaa. When the giant red eyes came close, it was really scary, but I only screamed in my heart while outwardly laughing awkwardly, ahahaha.
Lick. They gave me the card with their tongue. I received it and pointed inside the door. The card was very damp.
“I’ll make it quickly and bring it to you. Both iced, right? That’s 6,500 won.”
“Huh…? What about the cookie price…”
“It’s not on the display yet. I’ll give it as a service.”
Actually, I was also bothered that that snake son earlier left without being able to get cookies.
When I spoke with a smile, the large snake’s eyes widened in surprise, then soon smiled and nodded. I went inside with the card. Phew, I took a deep breath and when I raised my head, my eyes met with Bihyeon who had his arms crossed.
“Just a moment. I’ll quickly make the snake-nim’s and come back.”
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. He seemed like it didn’t matter much.
But what does this man do 24 hours? He always seems to be in a suit. It suits him, but he also gives off a strong feeling of being an underworld boss.
…Don’t tell me it’s true? Looking at how the customers and boss are scared of him. Plus the boss said this place is this man’s jurisdiction area.
‘Nah, but I don’t think so.’
Although the man’s cold atmosphere suits him incredibly well, it was a complex feeling that he surprisingly didn’t seem to go with blood. And all those coming to the café seemed scared of Bihyeon but didn’t seem to dislike him. It looked closer to respect.
After finishing the payment, I quickly made the drinks. I felt eyes watching me but deliberately didn’t turn around. Not just Bihyeon, but those red eyes watching me from outside were extremely scary.
I carefully packaged the cookies, gathered the drinks I made, and approached outside the door. Uh… did I bring packaging that’s too small? How do they take this?
The large snake who had been looking at me with expectant eyes lowered their head.
“U-um… th-that… do you see the bag hanging on my neck?”
The person who came close to right in front of my eyes turned their head to the side, swoosh. There was a very small bag and cup holder on the neck, unlike the body size. I nodded, put the processed card and cookies in the bag, and even put the drinks in the cup holder.
“Done. I put the card in the bag too.”
“Y-yes, yes! Thank you.”
The large snake who bowed their head, raised the corners of their mouth, and made a hiss sound soon turned their body and went on their way. I felt drained and like I’d collapse on the floor again.
I wobbled as I turned around and entered the store again. Bihyeon, who was sitting at the table right in front of the counter, looked up from his phone.
The person who was looking at me with a smiling face tilted their head diagonally.
“Our world has many such beings.”
“…Pardon?”
When I stood in front of the counter and looked at Bihyeon, he slowly stood up from his seat.
“Beings that look scary to humans, beings that are actually scary to humans. And beings that hate humans.”
So? I blinked to interpret the meaning.
“…Ah, so you came because you’re worried?”
Of course that’s not it. It seemed like he was saying to quit the job on my own because it’s this scary, but I deliberately said the wrong answer while smiling, pretending to be clueless. I don’t know if it works in another world, but you can’t spit on a smiling face.
“You could say that, or you could say not.”
Bihyeon shrugged and smirked.
Huh? He’s not completely denying it?
“I don’t know if you have no fear… or if you have to have no fear because of money.”
Both were correct. I was somewhat fearless, but my eyes were rolling from the hourly wage, so I was also pretending to be more fearless. And… to be honest, perhaps because only good people kept coming to the café, I might have been mistakenly thinking on my own that all otherworlders were like that. And it’s too late to quit now—not just the hourly wage, but I’ve grown too attached to the boss and regular customers.
When I didn’t answer, Bihyeon smiled languidly.
“Iced Americano.”
“Yes.”
…Ah. What he said before, ‘be careful so nothing happens,’ really meant to be careful of accidents that would actually happen.
He’s such a cold yet kind being. His tone and atmosphere are perfect for being misunderstood—actually, isn’t the coldness only toward me because I’m human?
I made the drink and carefully packaged cookies beside it, then held them out to Bihyeon.
He seemed to ponder slightly, then soon received everything including the drink and cookies, and looked at me.
“Be especially careful today. Because it’s a day when the moonlight is weak.”
The boss said the same thing.
Why are you making me worry like this, really? I have to go to my morning shift later too…
I watched the back of the person leaving the store after taking what I gave them, then pressed the corners of my eyes. I sat in the chair at the counter, sighed, and tapped my coffee cup lightly.
‘I don’t even have the capacity to worry about other things.’
Life is too busy right now to have the mind or strength to worry about such threats and dangers.
Sigh. I sighed once more, then soon chewed on the coffee straw.
Suddenly time seemed to pass too slowly.
***
Really… I’m going crazy from worrying so much.
Even when going to the convenience store shift, I paid as much attention as possible and took alleyways, but the place I work during the day was unfortunately in the middle of a large road where cars actively travel. I guess I won’t get hit by a car while inside the building though.
Even while tearing open snack boxes inside the convenience store and sighing, I checked outside the door.
Nah. A car driving on the road won’t suddenly come flying here.
I couldn’t sleep at all because I kept worrying about what Bihyeon said and that talisman thing. Thanks to that, my eyes were gritty, so when I rubbed them with the back of my hand, they started stinging and hurting… When I closed my eyes, I suddenly felt sleepy. This is why people must live while sleeping.
Ugh… I should do the rest later and sit for a bit.
I organized the snacks on the display and entered the counter. I felt like I’d really fall asleep if I sat down, so I gripped my phone tightly and pinched my thigh with one hand.
Can I sleep for about two hours after the convenience store ends?
As soon as I became an adult, my aunt took out loans everywhere in my name, so I was paying them back—no matter how good the café’s hourly wage is, I couldn’t quit the afternoon shift.
But after seeing only non-human people at the café, it feels strange to see only people with proper eyes, nose, and mouth here.
“Huh?”
Even after seeing off all the customers, I didn’t sit down and was blankly looking outside the door while pinching my thigh when I saw a familiar back and unconsciously made a sound, opened the convenience store door, and went out.
Wasn’t that just that person? Bihyeon-nim.
Not just his height, but he’s absolutely not a face you’d mistake, right? His hair color seemed completely black though. I thought I saw that man walking near the convenience store, so I held the door and looked around.
Wait, hold on. I’m glad to see him, but even if it is him, is it okay for me to acknowledge him? This is even the world where humans live.
Hmm…
After pondering for a moment, I thought I should just go back inside and lowered my hand. I saw Bihyeon stop walking, turn his head, and look back.
Our eyes met directly, so I raised my hand again and waved slightly.
He slowly tilted his head. Can black hair and black eyes be this cool? It was as if black jewels were embedded in his pupils.
Ugh, but my nose stings because of someone smoking in front of the convenience store.
Thinking whether it’s okay for a non-human man to be here so openly, I kept waving my hand, then when I thought I should go inside soon, I grabbed the door handle. I was about to open it and go in, but I saw him striding over here.
What, why does it seem like he’s coming to me? Oh, he is.
“Hel…lo? Bihyeon-nim, you’re scary. Why, why?”
Wh-why is he coming while making such a face?
I stared at him blankly with surprised eyes, then reflexively bowed my head in greeting. Bihyeon, who approached close to me, grabbed my wrist and pulled slightly.
It was a completely unexpected action, so my body staggered. Even while being dragged along as Bihyeon led, I hit his arm, tap tap, not painfully.
“Ow, it hurts. Are you angry because I greeted you?”
Geez. Being petty about me calling your name…
“Ah, Bihyeon-nim? Excuse me? I said it hurts!”
Thinking this man was that displeased that I greeted him, I shouted while being dragged along when suddenly CRASH—! a sound came from behind.
“Just what kind of human cursed you for this level of curse to be placed?”
The sound was so loud like an explosion had happened that my ears were ringing, so I covered one ear for a moment and stood blankly, then turned around. I saw a truck ramming into that narrow convenience store door. To be exact, it was crushing the counter where I had been standing just moments ago.
“Wha…”
Without realizing it, I covered my mouth and stepped back. That man grabbed my arm again as I was about to collapse with strength leaving my legs for a moment.
Wh-what…?
No, did being careful of cars include inside buildings too? In the first place, this wasn’t an accident you could avoid by being careful.
If I hadn’t seen this man, I would definitely have been crushed by that car and been seeing the afterlife.
Huh…? There was definitely a man smoking in front of the convenience store. I couldn’t see him, wondering if he was caught up in the accident. Looking to the side, there were also people collapsed holding their arms injured by glass shards. I stared blankly below. The floor was a mess with blood and debris.
Wh-what is this…
It was hard to breathe. Even while staring blankly at the floor, my vision became blurry.
Get it together. I need to get it together and report to 119, and contact the convenience store boss…
Perhaps because fatigue, surprise, and fear all overlapped, my eyes completely closed and the world swayed.
