Magic Store 32


When I came home after work, there was an envelope in the mailbox.

The words on the envelope read something like...

A delinquency notice?

Why is this addressed to me?

I opened it and read it, and it turned out to be a very threatening letter saying that since I had been behind on my air conditioner payments for five months, they would soon turn me into a credit delinquent.

The overdue amount was roughly 160,000 won.

Since the contact number listed was a cell phone number, I called it right away.

They answered, even though it was the weekend.

The person on the other end explained that my air conditioner payments weren’t being processed because the card I used to purchase it had been canceled.

After hearing that, I finally understood what had happened.

A few months ago, I had canceled all my unused cards to declutter, and it turned out that one of those cards was being used to rent the air conditioner.

Seriously, past me, why did you even get this thing if you weren't going to use it during the summer to save on electricity bills?

But there was nothing I could do about what had already happened.

After ending the call, I thought about what I should do.

What would happen if I became a credit delinquent?

I didn't know about the credit rating, but if my smartphone service got cut off, I wouldn’t be able to make calls.

It would be like becoming socially mute.

I wouldn’t be able to use mobile data either, but I could still use Wi-Fi.

I could make calls through a messaging app using the store's Wi-Fi, but then I would have to explain why I was using internet calls instead of regular ones...

I didn’t like the idea of that either.

Even though I got myself into this mess, I still wanted to keep my foolishness to myself.

Luckily, there was still quite some time left before the payment deadline, so I decided to just sleep on it.

I woke up around 9:30 PM, got ready, and went to work right away, only to find that the convenience store was in no state for me to worry about the air conditioner rental fees or anything else.

“You’re here early, Chan.”

“Yes… Wait, Manager, did a fire break out or something?”

As soon as I walked in, I could smell something burning.

When I asked the manager, she answered with a very calm expression.

“Yes, a customer put batteries in the microwave.”

“What did they put in and microwave?”

“Batteries.”

Why?

Unable to comprehend, I asked again.

The manager speculated that a drunken customer bought some batteries and a meal, then put the whole bag in the microwave and turned it on.

I glanced over to where the microwave used to be.

Sure enough, evidence of the explosion was scattered everywhere.

There were shards all over the place, the power cord was completely ripped out and lying around...

The charred black objects on the floor could either be Vienna sausages or something else.

Entering the area behind the counter to inspect, I found the microwave completely split in half, lying there in a pitiful state.

I gathered myself and asked the most important question.

“Are you hurt anywhere, Manager?”

“I’m fine, but the customer was taken to the hospital.”

“Thank goodness.”

I didn’t care about how many weeks the customer would need for recovery.

At least they learned that microwaving batteries results in an explosion, which could be a valuable lesson for them in the long run.

“And everything else seems to be okay.”

“That’s because I fixed everything. I cleaned the soot, restored the snack bags that got torn, patched up the hole in the hot water dispenser…”

“Wow, you’ve been through a lot.”

“I even shed a few tears while doing it.”

“But why did you leave the microwave as it is?”

“Well, I thought you might want to try fixing it.”

Thinking about fixing it, the cost estimate naturally popped into my head.

The repair cost would likely be higher than buying a new one.

There were the costs for the dial parts, the internal circuit components—

Then I remembered that yesterday morning, I had become an apprentice wizard.

Still, it would be much more efficient for the max-level manager to fix this than for me, a mere level 1, so I asked her about it.

The manager replied,

“You get better at magic the more you use it. You need to get used to it, too, Chan.”

It felt like only my thumb muscles were getting stronger, rather than my magic skills.

But since following orders is the fate of a part-timer, I decided to comply with my fate.

I took out my smartphone, aimed it at the broken microwave, and tapped the restoration app.

Then, I swiped to the left to restore the microwave to its original state.

The microwave trembled for a while in sync with my thumb’s movements, and then, with a pop, it returned to normal.

I squatted down and opened and closed the microwave door.

It worked fine, though it squeaked a bit.

“How old is this microwave?”

“I don’t know. We got it second-hand... Oh, should we just get a new one while we’re at it?”

“Is there really a need for that? It’s just going to explode again anyway.”

“True.”

Judging by the ease with which these words came out, I must be getting quite used to this world.

It’s a place with an absurd amount of accidents and incidents.

I moved the fixed microwave back to its original spot, and with that, the mishap was over.

Next, the manager handed over some instructions, and there was something different this time.

“Chan, here.”

She showed me a product tag for the May event items.

In just two hours, it would be May.

On the first of each month at midnight, the night shift worker has to remove all the previous month’s product tags and replace them with new ones.

It takes about two hours.

It’s not a big task, but if you do it half-heartedly out of laziness, customers might get confused, thinking the items from the ended event are still part of the current event.

I could just endure a bit of scolding and replace the tags, but imagining customers confronting the manager during his shift, saying, ‘This says it’s an event item; are you trying to fool us?’ is a bit...

Maybe I’m overthinking things, but...

"Can you take care of this at midnight?"

"I’ll make sure it’s done properly so you don’t have to worry about it."

"I’m not worried at all. I know you’ll handle it well, Chan. Also... Oh. Yoon-Ha sent the money, so I’ll deposit it for you when I go home."

Oh... Ah, woohoo!

Now I won’t have to become a credit delinquent!

The impact of the microwave explosion had made me forget.

Other than that, there was nothing else to pass on, and while the manager was packing up, we had a brief chat.

"Did you get a lot of customers today?"

"So-so? There were a lot during the day, but it dropped off after 8 PM."

"Got it."

"Yep. Take care."

After the manager left, I sat on the cashier's chair and crossed my legs leisurely.

Well, it’s Sunday at 10 PM, so all the good office workers should be falling into dreamland.

Friends, it’s time for us to part.

You have to go to work tomorrow, right?

There wouldn’t be many drunk pedestrians, and even though there were quite a few centaurs, they’d be busy delivering chicken.

If this atmosphere continued, tonight could be a pretty decent end to the week....

"Hey, young man. I need to ask you for something."

Oh, come on, can’t I even think for a moment?

I had only been sitting for about 30 seconds when a customer came in.

It was a toad-like lady.

I definitely remembered her face; she had tried to cut in line a few days ago when it was really busy.

"Hey, young man?"

There was no queue to cut this time, so that wouldn’t be an issue, but the toad-lady had brought something that any cashier could tell would cause a big problem soon.

And what was that...?

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"Could you help me send this package?"

It was kimchi.

I felt like I had met an old friend from my hometown.

It was a nostalgic feeling, but first, I had to give her the answer.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Oh, why not? Isn't this place open 24 hours?"

"There are certain procedures to follow."

Firstly, the kimchi shouldn't be alive.

I wasn’t metaphorically speaking about the freshness of the newly made kimchi; the kimchi was literally alive!

It looked like napa cabbage kimchi, but the ends of the leaves were wriggling strangely like a live octopus inside the wrap.

It would probably make a very rich broth if added to a stew.

When I pointed this out, the toad-lady waved her hand dismissively as if it was no big deal.

"It's okay, my kimchi doesn't bite."

Then at least put a leash on it....

But thinking about it, if that kimchi was the type that bit people, her hands would have been shredded long ago.

So I decided to move past that issue and pointed out another problem instead.

"And, you need to properly package it for us to accept it."

"I was about to ask you about that, young man. Could you help me with the packaging?"

This was something I didn't want to do at all.

Why should I, a convenience store clerk, help package kimchi?

Still, if I left it as it was, the tiled floor would soon be covered in kimchi juice, so I decided to finish it quickly and complain later.

The method I came up with was to wrap it tightly with dozens of eco-friendly bags, as there wasn’t any plastic wrap available.

I tore off a bunch of bags and showed one to the toad-lady.

"Let's start by putting it in here."

The toad-lady silently placed the kimchi into the bag.

The kimchi, not pleased at all, started writhing violently, quickly soaking the inside of the bag with kimchi juice.

Wrapping it tightly with a feeling of "What else can I do?" and encasing it in multiple layers of bags like a Matryoshka doll, I finally created a very heavy white bundle.

Now, I needed a box to put this bag in....

Of course, there were no spare boxes in the store.

Checking the pavement and the area around the utility pole outside, the only thing I found was a damp Bacchus box.

Why is it always missing when you need it the most?

After a brief moment of contemplation, I went into the stockroom where ramen boxes were stored and opened one.

I shook out the ramen, took the empty box, shoved the kimchi bag inside, and sealed it with store tape. I could hear the kimchi bumping against the inner walls of the box.

"Thank you so much, young man."

Of course, you should be grateful.

Where else in the world would you find a convenience store clerk who goes this far?

With the packaging finished, it was time to print the address label.

I had no idea how the addresses in this world worked.

When I told her to handle this part herself, the toad-lady waved her hand dismissively and replied.

"I'll do that myself. But, young man, when will this package arrive if I send it?"

"Well, it'll be picked up tomorrow, so it should arrive the day after."

Although convenience store parcel services accept packages 24 hours a day, pickups only happen on weekdays.

I assumed it wouldn't be any different in this world and answered accordingly.

She covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"Then what should I do, young man?"

"What do you mean?"

"It'll go bad. The kimchi."

Well, of course, it will.

It's kimchi, after all.

But what was I supposed to do?

I'm just the guy who takes the packages.

Unless a miracle happens and a courier shows up out of nowhere….

As I was thinking this, the bell at the front door rang, and someone walked in.

"Hey, Lee Chan! Noona’s here!"

"Wait, really?"

"?"

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