Even though it wasn’t the first time he’d heard my voice, Ahn Jong-hwa looked like he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. Jong-hwa’s face contorted.
“Yo… Yo… you, you fuck… Don’t startle people. Thought my heart was gonna drop.”
Clutching his soccer ball-like closely shaved head, he flailed around, then spoke as if letting out a blocked breath.
“Why… why are you crying and shit. People are gonna think I hit you.”
I ended up laughing loudly. From that moment on, I came to think of Jong-hwa as my blood relative.
***
The night shift at a convenience store starts with inventory management. You remove triangle kimbap, lunch boxes, sandwiches, etc. that have passed their expiration dates from the display. So-called disposal products are the convenience store part-timer’s only welfare.
As Jun-il said he’d generously ordered triangle kimbap and lunch boxes, a lot of food was left over. Ham and cheese sandwiches or lunch boxes with rolled omelets rarely had any left. Because there’s a unit price, usually you only order as much as sells.
After learning that I had dinner with convenience store disposal products, Jun-il deliberately increased the order quantity. Banana milk, which I liked, was left over too. I stuck a straw in the banana milk and tore open the tuna mayo wrapper. When the greasy taste of tuna mayo combined with the sweet taste of banana milk, I felt good. Jun-il called my food combination disgusting.
Growing up in an orphanage, I lost the concept of preferences. Clothes someone donated, clothes with identical designs that came in bulk, the always-repeating menu, food that was always insufficient despite that. Set bedtime and lights-out time. I spent five years in a place where you could only be praised if you followed the set rules well.
Jong-hwa, who wanted to wear something flashy even for the T-shirt under his school uniform, especially couldn’t stand those kinds of rules. On the other hand, I ate what I was given and wore what I was given. If there was only bread and kimchi, I ate that, and if there were no side dishes, I’d rummage through the fridge and eat leftover milk poured over rice.
With clothes too, what was left after everyone chose became mine. Naturally, I couldn’t care about the shape and color of clothes like Ahn Jong-hwa did. He terribly hated that habit of mine and urged me to fix it. Said it was obvious I was from an orphanage, that I had nothing.
So now I knew how to avoid disgusting food combinations that would shock others, and I unified my clothes in black.
Come to think of it, thanks to Ahn Jong-hwa, I seemed to be living like a proper human being. Sucking on my straw, I scrolled through my phone. It was the job posting section on the school bulletin board. They were all filled positions. The convenience store night shift part-time job was perfect for my aptitude, but I needed more money. Tutoring posts were popular and filled up quickly. I let out a small sigh.
Actually, I was doubtful whether I could even do tutoring. Studying was fine, but speaking was the problem. Honestly, I wasn’t confident. But I couldn’t just leave Jong-hwa overworking himself like this. Even if I got fired, I had to try. Now I really had to break free from the past.
Heave-ho— I mustered up energy and stood in front of the counter. 11 PM was the convenience store’s busiest time. Because products came in. I took out triangle kimbap from the stacked boxes and arranged them in a row.
“Don’t you have buldak flavor triangle kimbap?”
A female customer waiting for the triangle kimbap display asked. When I shook my head, disappointment filled her face. She was a regular who came around this time every day to buy triangle kimbap.
Her favorite spicy bulgogi flavor was now discontinued. It changed to cheese bulgogi instead. Instead of placing the last triangle kimbap on the display, I handed it to the female customer. Color returned to her face as she’d been searching for a replacement for spicy bulgogi flavor with a pouty expression.
“You’re recommending this? Since it’s chosen by a convenience store part-timer, it’s got credibility. Cheese bulgogi? So is this less spicy then? Spicy bulgogi is fucking delicious but fucking spicy.”
Working the convenience store part-time, I’d sampled all the triangle kimbap. According to the triangle kimbap data achieved through natural customer purchase analysis, she would adopt this cheese bulgogi as her new favorite.
She picked out soy milk as well and put it on the counter. Beep! When I pressed the button, the cash drawer opened. You can’t start the transaction without pressing this customer button. It’s a button you press by gauging the customer’s age and gender. Every convenience store nationwide displays and sells products based on this customer data. But whether it’s valid information isn’t certain. Jun-il, who did my handover, advised me to just press the young male button every time because it was bothersome.
I held out a bag to her while handing her one more triangle kimbap. I showed her the expiration date that had passed exactly 5 minutes ago right before her eyes. She must have realized it was a disposal product. It was triangle kimbap with soy-braised beef, and since it was new, two were left over. People mainly make familiar choices. According to my customer data, this product would sell out early in just a few weeks too.
“You’re giving this to me? Thank you.”
She smiled sincerely. I just bowed my head once and walked to the beverage section where boxes were stacked. I felt a strange sense of kinship with a youth having a meal with triangle kimbap at 11 PM.
When I finished organizing all the incoming products, it was already well past midnight. In the early morning hours, customers become a bit sparse. Now, as long as no drunk troublemaker customers appeared, I could have time to myself. I opened my liberal arts class textbook. That’s when a customer came in.
“One Dunhill Light.”
The customer who brought in cold wind with him said. My body automatically tensed. I knew everything from the products in the most secluded corner of the display to the beverage inventory in the storage, but memorizing cigarette names alone was still difficult.
I had to pull out Dunhill Light in one go from the display packed with over 100 cigarettes of various colors and place it in front of the customer.
Fortunately, when I turned around, Dunhill Light caught my eye immediately. I gained confidence. Today, even if a cigarette customer came, I wouldn’t be scared.
Before I knew it, it was 3 AM. I was so focused on my textbook I didn’t even notice a customer had come in. Instead of the bell sound that rings when the door opens, I sensed a distinctive scent first.
It wasn’t perfume, but it was an impressive scent. The fishy smell of water mixed with a person’s warm body odor. Was it a medicinal smell? It seemed like disinfectant. Ah! It was the smell of bleach.
“Marlboro Red, please.”
There are two types of customers at a convenience store at dawn. Drunk people and laborers doing early morning work. This person was probably someone who did early morning cleaning. But somehow, the voice was familiar. I raised my head.
As usual today, he was wearing athletic wear and a cap. He was a head taller than me, who was fairly tall myself, with an athlete’s physique. From head to toe covered in jet black, he was imposing.
“Marlboro Red.”
When I stood there stupidly, he said it once more. I quickly turned around. Really, such a different voice from his appearance, I thought. Jung Hyun-wook’s voice reciting the freshman oath was low and gentle. It contrasted with his large build that could be mistaken for a physical education student and his sharp features. Listening to that trustworthy voice read the oath made even the future of my university life feel rosy.
I forgot to take out the cigarette and stood there blankly lost in thought. Tap tap. The sound of fingers drumming on the counter rang out. Feeling impatient, I frantically searched for the cigarette. Of all times, even what I could see well couldn’t be seen. Just when I was anxiously running my fingertips along the cigarette display—
A hand with thick knuckles suddenly jutted out from the side. The hand that precisely grazed my right ear smoothly pulled out a cigarette. A thousand-won bill and coins were already placed on top of the counter. It came out exactly, with no need to give change. I heard the sound of the convenience store door closing.
I collapsed into the chair just like that. I couldn’t even greet him. Words wouldn’t come out. That fleeting moment felt surreal. Only the faint smell of water remaining at my nose proved Jung Hyun-wook’s existence. He naturally didn’t recognize me.
***
“Criminal law is the law that stipulates crimes and punishments. However, people made criminal law, and people judge that criminal law. In the end, it’s not the law that solves everything, but the perspective of the legal professional looking at it that’s important.”
Jung Hyun-wook sat in the very front seat of the lecture hall and attended class today as well. The jet-black cap he always wore was a common design, yet it stood out as if his name were engraved on it. His hand taking notes was busy. His thick-knuckled hand moved neatly across the textbook. He’s really diligent, contrary to his appearance, I thought, then suddenly let out a laugh.
He entered the best university in South Korea at the top of his class. It wasn’t strange at all. Rather, everyone except me was focused on the professor’s explanation. I shook my head once. It was different from high school. To even receive a scholarship here, I had to get my head on straight.
But the stray thoughts about Jung Hyun-wook continued all day. They kept popping up at the convenience store too. Does he work somewhere around here? People who cleaned office buildings would sometimes come to the convenience store. They usually had a meal of cup ramen on their way home after finishing work.
Whenever that happened, I shared triangle kimbap or sandwiches that were being discarded. It was because of an unnecessary sense of camaraderie. Could it be that I think of Jung Hyun-wook as the same type as me? Is that why I keep thinking of him?
Just then, like a lie, the fishy smell of water reached my nose. Cold water should come to mind, but strangely it was warm. No, it was hot. I immediately glanced at the corner where Jung Hyun-wook stayed. Usually, I didn’t care what customers did. I only looked at customers when items were placed on the convenience store counter. It was the only useful advice among the tips Jun-il passed on to me.
I quickly checked the time. It was 10 o’clock. A much earlier time than yesterday. Is he coming before going to work today? Or is he not going to work?
Jung Hyun-wook didn’t take much time and picked up something from the corner and walked straight over. I placed my hand over the counter button. It was my turn to gauge and input his age range and gender.
But I stopped short because of what he placed on the counter. It was the largest size ultra-thin condom. So… he’s buying condoms. I was someone who wouldn’t bat an eye even if someone swept all the condoms from the display. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Women were dying to give him their numbers every class, so naturally he’d have a girlfriend.
“Marlboro Red too, please.”
