Mastore 66 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 66

Convenience Store Clerk and Pollen Warning (1)

After coming home from work, I took a shower, went to sleep, and woke up to see it was 9:30.

Once I got up, I spent about 20 minutes before heading back to work thinking about how to spend the 300,000 won (Around 200 USD) Manager sent to me. The first idea that popped into my head was to call up a few friends and buy them a drink.

Honestly, drinking was just an excuse; I just wanted to talk. Like, “Guys, I was just a part-timer at a convenience store, but somehow I became a full-time employee. Does this even sound realistic to you?”

I’ve personally never heard of anything like it. To make a part-timer a full-time employee, you have to take care of overtime pay, bonuses, the four major insurances, and even annual leave. Which neighborhood convenience store would be crazy enough to go that far?

(Sadaeboheom (四大保險)/Four Major Insurance. National Pension, Health Insurance, Employment Insurance, and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance.)

So, while searching through the group chats, I realized that this is also realistically impossible. I barely have any friends.

A few years back, I had a group chat with high school friends where we would chat about this and that. But now, no matter which chat I open, there are no recent messages.

The most recent message that popped up was from half a year ago, saying "I’m getting married"... No, married? The previous message was "I broke up with my girlfriend" and "I want to date a girl," and that guy is getting married?

But even that message got no replies, and when I checked the group, it had shrunk from around ten-something people to barely five. I guess everyone’s busy just trying to make a living. Just like I’ve been.

So, I have no friends to ask, and on second thought, I can't even drink in the first place due to the gathering ban. If not my friends, the only person I can spend money on is my mother, but she's the kind of person who would never accept it even if I offered her money....

By the time I finished thinking it over, it was 9:50. It’s not like the money’s going anywhere, so I decided to take my time figuring things out and headed to the convenience store.

The moment I opened the door and saw Manager’s face under the bright lights… I felt something was way off.

“Chan came early... What’s wrong? Did something get in your eye?”

“No, it’s just….”

It was because Manager was wearing a mask. No, why on earth she wear that here??

"Manager, did something happen?"

"What do you mean by something... Ah, customer. These masks are buy one get one, so feel free to take an extra one.”

Even Manager wasn’t the only one wearing a mask. There were two people lined up in front of the checkout counter, a dwarf and a goblin, wearing three masks each. The goblin at the back had one over his nose and another around his mouth.

As the dwarf went to get another mask, the goblin, his voice all nasal, asked Manager a question.

“Boss, you got any goblin-size masks?”

“We do carry them, but other goblins came by and bought them all out. We’re out for now.”

"Damned goblins."

He walked out with a bit of self-criticism, and I slipped into the counter with my uniform, feeling slightly guilty myself. As soon as I did, Manager handed me a mask.

“This is Chan’s.”

"It's okay. I have my own."

"Oh, how did you know you had to wear a mask?"

“I didn’t bring this knowingly....”

I just wear one from home to the front of the convenience store. When I came in and changed into my uniform, I put it in my jacket and didn't even look at it until my shift was over. There was no reason to wear it.

When I casually brought up the topic of Covid, the manager clapped her hands like she had just remembered something and asked in turn,

“So Chan wear a mask until you get to the front door, huh?”

“Yes. That’s… I wore one for my interview that first day, remember?Do you remember that?”

“Yeah, I think… I probably didn’t think much of it at the time…”

Apparently, Manager noticed, but wearing a mask around that time of year isn’t too out of the ordinary, so she didn’t think twice about it. What was I thinking when I looked at Manager's face then? Was it something like, “Please let me work before I go crazy from searching through job postings,”?

Ever since then, I’ve enjoyed the freedom of working without a mask. But what the heck happened overnight that Manager and even the other species are all wearing masks?

“It’s because of the pollen warning.”

“Pollen warning...?”

"Yeah. If you go a few stops from here, there's a park."

There are quite a few flowers in that park, and as the weather gets warmer, those flowers are in full bloom, scattering pollen all over the neighborhood. Even after hearing this, I still didn’t quite get it.

“Is the pollen around here that dangerous?”

Well, for those allergic to pollen, it can be. Some people need medication, and in extreme cases, they could go into anaphylactic shock. But such people aren't common, right?

But in this neighborhood, everyone without exception is wearing a mask. Just looking outside the window, there’s an orc in an extra-large mask, a goblin with masks that look like they stole from a medieval plague doctor’s mask, and an elf with a regular mask. Why do I feel like I’m the only one not wearing a mask?

“I doubt every one of those other species out there has pollen allergies.”

“So... Um....”

Manager trailed off, then reached under the counter to pull out a tablet just slightly bigger than her hand and set it on the counter. Maybe she had the news on just now, the video immediately popped up on the screen.

“Seeing it once is probably better than hearing about it a hundred times.”

"Uh..."

The first thing that hit me was a strong sense that I would rather hear it a hundred times instead.

[2 PM. Futaba Park was, as you can see, filled with so much pollen that it was difficult to even keep one’s eyes open while standing here….]

The entire screen was painted pink and I couldn’t tell anything. At first, I thought the video was lagging, but seeing the captions being outputted normally, that didn't seem to be the case either...

Staring at it long enough, I could just barely make out the silhouette of what I assumed was the reporter. Because they were wearing a gas mask. After seeing the gas mask and even the suit they were wearing turning pink, I could be sure that this was pollen.

“That’s… a ridiculous amount. At that level, you won't be able to breathe before worrying about allergies."

"Yeah. Last year it wasn't this much though."

[Experts analyze that in addition to the continued high-temperature environment due to climate change, the amount of pollen has rapidly increased due to contaminated magic power in the atmosphere―]

The screen switched to something else in sync with the news anchor’s explanation, showing… what do I even call this? A giant pink baobab tree?

So anyway, on the screen was this massive, pinkish tree, probably about 20 stories high, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be a cherry blossom tree.

The only resemblance it bore to any cherry tree I know is the color pink, but, well, if ninety-nine out of a hundred people call it a flower, I guess I’ll call it one too. What else can I do?

[Yes... According to the experts, it has been identified as a short-term abnormality... Yes... Only for those who usually have rhinitis symptoms, if you could refrain from going out...]

[You said it's a short-term abnormality, is there a precise deadline set for that? Any plans for quarantine?]

[Yes... about... 3 or 4 days... there are plans for quarantine... yes....]

With what felt like a back-and-forth interview with a local official, the video wrapped up, and I shared my thoughts with Manager.

"The flowers also seem a bit bigger than I thought. About 20 times."

"For something like that, Chan seems to have gotten used to it too."

It seemed like a matter unrelated to me except for wearing a mask.

Whether the city hall official bring a snow removal truck or burn it with a flamethrower, they'll figure it out themselves. They said it's a short-term abnormality for about 3 or 4 days, so it doesn't seem like I'll have to wear it for 2 years straight like back in my world.

After that, it was time for the handover shift.

"I did place a lot of mask orders after watching the news in the morning, but today we only have the usual amount."

“So should I just say we’re out?”

“Just until midnight. Yoonha will stop by the wholesalers and bring back more stock, so by then, you can start selling them as usual… Oh.”

As if suddenly remembering, she adds to the handover. For masks made for specific races, there may be customers who buy in bulk, but he says not to sell more than 2 per person.

There was a slight smell of trouble, but for now, I said I understood. After finishing the handover, Manager, who was changing out of her uniform, suddenly asked.

“And Chan-ah, is there anything you feel is lacking while working?”

“Uh... Sorry?”

"Why, there are things like that. Like welfare."

It was a question I hadn’t expected at all, and it wasn’t until I heard the examples Manager gave did my mind start to turn. I thought of a few things like a welfare card or paid leave… but I’ve already got both.

“Helping me get that license is already a welfare—what more are Manager trying to give me…?”

She even gave me a transport card loaded with money, so I wouldn’t have to walk to the exam site, plus paid leave. I couldn’t think of anything else. But Manager looked all motivated.

"That was because it was necessary to employ Chan, and this is separate."

Now that she puit it like that, I’m starting to wonder what her intentions are. If I had to guess, Manager did say this was her first business, and I’m her first part-timer, plus the first employee she’s ever hire...?

"That..."

“Hm? Did something come to mind?”

I wonder if she wanted to treat me better since I was her first full-time employee. That’s the impression I get, but if I said this out loud, I figured it’d probably make us both blush, so I held it in. Swallowing my words, something suddenly came to mind.

“...If....”

“Un, un.”

(‘Un’ It mean yes. But in a cute way, at least it is to me. It’s really cute okay.)

"...Is it okay to look at my smartphone every now and then during work?"

“Of course... Huh? A smartphone?”

Is it normal for a part-timers to look at their smartphone during work?

Turns out, this is a surprisingly tricky question. The answer really just depends on the store owner’s mood. Most places allow it to the extent of ‘don't get distracted too much and anger the customers’, but...

Sales have hit rock bottom, or a customer really got angry because they were only looking at their smartphone, or the owner got chewed out by his wife and was in a bad mood when the clerk got caught. There are quite a few places that don’t let you look at your smartphone for these reasons. In extreme cases, they even remove the chairs altogether.

In simple terms, it depends on the circumstances. If I add some of my own beliefs to this, I don't think banning smartphones is terribly wrong. After all, we came here to work, right? The employers don’t hire people to just sit and scroll.

Besides, I also didn’t want to start thinking of the manager’s generosity as an entitlement. I knew it would be unpleasant if it happened to me. Even this time, I thought I was being quite careful in my suggestion, but Manager had the most perplexed reaction I've ever seen.

"What did Chan do at night if Chan didn't look at your smartphone?"

“Stocking shelves, sweeping the floor, and if I had free time, I would step outside for some air.”

“That sounds like it’d get super boring after a while….”

For someone from another world, it can be both an advantage and a disadvantage that every day in this world looks like YouTube content. Whether it’s classified as comedy or thriller depends on the species of customers walking in, though.

“I guess you could… maybe?”

"It's died down a bit now, but that's not exactly why I'm asking this. I just... thought it would be nice to watch some news."

I am worried about my ignorance of the ways of the world, and there seems to be nothing better than this to solve it. Once I explained, Manager, still watching me with a slightly puzzled expression, picked up her tablet.

"Chan, use this pad for now."

“No, then what about Manager?”

“I have an old one at home. Don’t sweat it.”

Then can't you just lend me that used one?

However, perhaps blinded by the welfare of the first employee, Manager didn't seem to think that far ahead at the moment. Only after I accepted the tablet did she relax her subtle expression and show a smile.

“Other than this, if there’s something Chan wants to do, just do it without asking my permission. It's not like Chan is the type to do weird things."

"Then what about building a tower with cigarette packs or playing with a lighter?"

“Uh... Will Chan really do that?"

"I'm just kidding."

Why would I play around with the products we sell?

Manager gave a little pout, poked me in the side, then waved goodbye and left.

So now I was left alone, and before counting the cash in the register, I reviewed the handover details. Manager told me not to sell more than two masks for each customer.

No matter how I think about it, this seems like an impossible rule to enforce by willpower alone. Sure, I can try it with regular customers, but for tough ones? Not likely. But I did think of a plan earlier, so I was going to give it a shot. First, I went to the mask display stand.

"Fuck, hey!!"

Ha, fu....



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