Mastore 73 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 73

Convenience Store Clerk and Mystical Counseling (2)

Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, there was a ridiculous amount of discarded hamburgers. They can only be sold if customers show up, after all.

What was definitely unfortunate was that most of the discarded hamburgers contained onions.

Onions and most types of the allium family are toxic to dog and if they enter a dog's body, they dissolve the red blood cells. The poisoning takes effect more quickly in small dogs.

This little dog has a regenerative ability, so I thought maybe his red blood cells would recover quickly—but then again, how would that be any different from testing a bungee jump on a pig out of curiosity? So I removed them one by one.

The doggy, watching my handiwork, said:

"Boss-nim. I know that I must eat a balanced diet to grow big. So it's quite alright."

“If you eat this, you won’t grow but die, this guy....”

Strictly speaking, he won't die, but he'll get a combo package of anemia, seizures, vomiting, and diarrhea. It’s mild in toxicity, sure. So, as long as he’s not out raiding an onion farm, it’s not exactly a death sentence…

“Heavens, are you saying it’s like cyanide?”

“Kinda.”

I said it that way to keep him from even thinking of eating it. I flipped the patty and lettuce to check for any more onions, then set the burger in front of him.

“Go ahead and eat. I need to wash my hands real quick."

The doggy hesitated again this time, but after a moment he shut his eyes tight and took a tiny bite of the hamburger bun.

With him nibbling away, I went about my business. First off, washed my hands…

Next was doggy's sleeping spot. Can't let him sleep on the bare floor.

One cushion would fit him just right, but the only ones we have here are the ones for sale. After some thought, I brought out the jacket I wore to work from the office.

I laid it out on the counter, bundled it up, and shaped it into a stuffed donut of sorts. Then I took out a doggy pad, put it on the counter, and placed it in a good spot.

When I looked at the dog after finishing, it was still half-eaten. There were no pedestrians or cars on the street. There would be no reason for a complaint to be made about a dog in the store.

"Doggy, I'm going to make a phone call real quick."

"Mayking a kal?"

“Uhuh.”

I figured I should at least get permission. This little dog calls me owner-nim, but I'm not the actual owner here.

I went outside, took in a breath of pollen, and sent a quick message to Manager.

[Are you available for a call?]

I was going to give up if there was no reply after a minute, but the call came right away. As soon as I answered, I apologized first.

“I’m sorry for calling so late, Manager.”

“No worries, Chan. I couldn’t sleep anyway and was just lying around.”

“You couldn’t sleep?”

“Whenever I close my eyes, I keep thinking about the sales receipts.”

I had checked the sales figures right when I started my shift, too. Today’s business was a complete flop. With people avoiding the streets like there was a curfew, it wasn’t surprising.

“I brought a can of beer, figuring this might happen... should've brought two."

"If I were in your position, Manager, I think I would have gone straight for the bottle.”

“Haha…”

That weary laugh held the sorrow of a small business owner. When Manager let out a faint sigh, I held my tongue for a moment. After a while, Manager asked:

"Is this call about that mystical doggy?"

“Yes. I thought you might be curious.”

Manager had wanted to see his face.

After first mentioning that I met him at the front door, I laid out the doggy's adventures as faithfully as I could. After a pause, Manager’s comment was,

"Sounds like a really depressing documentary..."

"Well. At least documentaries pay appearance fees when filming ends."

Minimum 50 per episode, maximum 80. If that doggy was getting paid that much, he would probably be eating all the hamburgers he wanted by now.

"And this is just my personal thought... but I think he's showing slight signs of depression."

"Depression?"

Manager asked back, but I couldn't help but think this way. Among all the things the doggy told me, was there even one hopeful piece of news...?

There wasn't. It bothered me that this little dog who's so extremely reluctant to be indebted to me didn't consider at all how I would feel when he was telling his stories.

So I thought about it and quickly found the answer. It's not that he didn't consider it - he couldn't. He has no mental space to spare.

"Before, when I gave him kimbap, he refused twice before eating, but this time he just ate right away when I gave it to him. I might be overreacting but..."

It’s a tricky situation to be sure.

Treating someone as depressed when they aren’t can be as dangerous as leaving real depression unaddressed. If things go wrong, he might even think, ‘Oh, I really am depressed case’, and end up with actual depression.

"Still, isn't depression hard to realize on your own?"

"That's what I'm saying."

He's showing at least early symptoms. Low self-esteem.

When he talked about getting stepped on while trying to help the old sapsali dog, he said something like, ‘I doubt it would’ve made a difference if I hadn’t been there’. You can't say something like that unless you truly believe it.

“That kept nagging at me, so I wanted to ask Manager something.”

"What is it?"

“That’s... Since he's a mystical creature. Is there a way to make him recognize his abilities on his own, or maybe if someone could directly tell him…?”

If it really is low self-esteem, the cause is clear. It's because he has nothing to feel proud of as a stray dog.

Two years old and small-sized, only 3 weeks into living as a stray. Combat ability is next to nothing. Sure, he can talk and heal quickly, which seems unusual to me, but that’s just because I’m human…

These aren't useful talents for living as a stray dog. If he could develop talents he could actually use in that life, it might help his self-esteem a bit.

That's what I'm thinking, but I don't actually know anything.

“Manager were the one who told me about my constitution, Manager, so… that… yeah.”

As I was asking, I felt a bit ridiculous myself and trailed off.

If I have no real ability to help, it’s better to stay out of it, so what am I doing calling someone who pay my salary in the middle of the night with questions?

After a moment of silence, Manager spoke slowly,

"...First off, I don't think my opinion would be much help to him..."

Still, Manager took my question seriously.

"It might be more helpful to look into cases of other mystical animals rather than asking me."

“Uh… like, a phoenix or something?”

"Yeah. Strictly speaking, the talents that mystical creatures have aren't magic. Even if the results look similar."

“If it’s not magic, then what is it?”

"It does use mana, but it's something that's not magic."

So it's more in the field of mystical creature scholars rather than magicians, but it's such an abstruse area that even those scholars haven't produced any significant results for decades. I guess it’s treated like a platypus in scientific terms.

So, the store manager's opinion was that going to a spiritualist wouldn't be of much help, and it would be much better to ask someone in the same industry.

"I could tell him about how to use mana... but even that wouldn't be much help."

“Is that so?”

“Yep. Seems like he’s already using it well enough. The way he talks and his ability to heal—those aren’t things he learned from anyone.”

So that's not an option, and teaching basic magic is tricky too... since you need to be able to draw magic circles. In other words, you need hands.

But this little dog only has two front paws. And it’s not like he can dip them in ink and press them on the ground either.

So, in short, Manager didn’t think there was much she could do to help directly.

"They might not be able to communicate with each other, but just seeing might give him something to learn from― that's what I think..."

Manager added apologetically after finishing.

“I’m sorry, Chan. It seems like I can’t be much help….”

“Not at all.”

Looking into cases of other mystical creatures. I hadn't thought of this approach until hearing it from Manager.

I remembered something Manager had said before, that there was a phoenix at a zoo about ten bus stops away. I could suggest going there, at least.

Even without money, he could find a hole in the fence and sneak in without paying admission. Even if caught by staff, maybe they would let him off if he rolled over on his back being cute.

"I'll try suggesting what Manager mentioned."

"Okay. And anything else? Anything else you're curious about?"

"Uh... not curious exactly, but there was one thing I wanted to ask."

This was actually why I called. I let that doggy into the store, and since he has nowhere to go, I'm planning to let him sleep here for the night. Would that be okay?

“Is that doggy shedding?”

"He says he's not right now."

"Then it's fine. If that doggy leaves, I would probably be the one having trouble sleeping."

She says it's fine. Now that the immediate business is done, I should end the call, but...

It always feels awkward to hang up right after finishing business. While I was thinking of how to wrap things up, Manager spoke first, quietly.

“Chan.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“I’m starting to get sleepy. Is it okay if I go to bed now?”

“Uh... yes. Of course.”

"Then I'm going to sleep. Good work. Have a good shift.”

And with that, the call ended. For some reason, the back of my head felt itchy.

I scratched as I went back into the store and found the doggy sitting there with a burger wrapper clamped in his mouth.

“What’re you holding that for?”

"This humble dog could not locate the waste bin anywhere. I merely wished to tidy the place where I partook of the meal..."

“Give it to me.”

The trash bin's hidden behind the partition. Even if he knew where it was, his short legs wouldn't let him reach it anyway.

I took the wrapper from him and threw it away, then picked him up and placed him in the spot I had set up for him earlier.

"Hey. Got permission now, so let's watch the news."

"Permission? Was Owner-nim not truly the owner?"

"There's a big owner above me, and even your hamburger had to get their permission. I even told her you can talk.”

"...I- Is that truly so?"

I can see he’s worried. After sitting him down, I turned on the tablet and quickly added,

"Sorry for telling after the fact... but nothing bad's happened so far, right? And she’s not the type to cause trouble."

“Is that so…?”

"Yeah. They're also the one who told me you're a mystical creature... they're good people, so show your face during the day. It’s not like you plan on living alone forever.”

I’m not here half of the day, which means I can only look after him so much.

If more people who can look after him when I'm not around show up, I'll probably sleep easier too.

"Boss-nim, you seems to place great trust in this grand owner."

(Back to Boss-nim since now he doggy know Chan isn’t the owner. Honestly, the word is still the same.)

"Pretty much. Now quiet down a bit so we can hear the news."

I tapped on the most recent news recording from two hours ago, the 10 p.m. broadcast. The first report went like this,

[We bring you breaking news regarding the pollen situation. While most establishments have closed due to this pollen proliferation incident, the grand park and zoo were no exception―]

What’s this now?

Looking at it, here's what they're saying. The pollen's spreading a bit, though not heavily, to places tens of kilometers from the park, and even that little bit's supposedly fatal to infants' respiratory systems or something.

Then the screen showed the empty zoo and grand park, and when I paused it, there was this huge wooden perch thing. The perch was all charred in spots.

That must be where the phoenix eats and lives, but why is it so empty? Did he bail because he hates pollen too?

“Boss-nim. Is something wrong?”

“No, not for me….”

With that, there went the idea of suggesting he visit the zoo. It would be a wasted trip.

The doggy looked puzzled, but we continued watching the news. Anyway, most places are closed and won’t reopen until the disinfection is over.

[Disinfection began tonight at 9 p.m. As of one hour in, only the southern parts of the park have been disinfectioned―]

"They're saying disinfection's already started?"

"This most fortunate indeed. Might I inquire when it will conclude?"

[...City hall officials have stated that this disinfection operation is expected to require a minimum of 5 days, potentially extending to approximately one week]

“It’ll take five to seven days….”

Isn't that too long?

The reporter and news anchor must've thought the same thing, 'cause the screen split in half and they started talking.

[...Reporter, could you elaborate on exactly how the quarantine process is being implemented?]

[...Yes. The disinfection will be conducted over the coming days during nighttime hours when foot traffic is minimal and temperatures are low. Additionally, due to concerns regarding side effects from potent disinfectants, they will proceed in an environmentally conscious manner, avoiding the use of magic where possible―]

Night's good, I guess. Just don't go out and that's that. But what's with this eco-friendly stuff?

It's not like disinfection's gonna be anything more than sending out a few bug spray trucks to drive around. It’s not like they’re going to hand-wash building exteriors or go around scraping gum and pollen off the streets with chisels.

The white gas from bug spray trucks is harmful sure, but not that harmful. I know 'cause I used to chase those trucks every summer break in elementary school.

"Fart truck? Good heavens, such vehicles exist?"

(방구차/disinfectant truck also called as fart truck in Korean, Because, well, they fart keke. And elementary kids like to chase after them.)

“I guess. Why wouldn’t there be?”

I don't know how disinfection works in this world, but at least all the cars I've seen so far don't look much different from the ones in my world. There were even one-ton trucks among them too.

So there should be fart trucks too, right? While I was thinking that, the news was wrapping up.

[―Therefore, as disinfection is scheduled throughout the streets, we advise avoiding going outside until further notice. That is all.]

The replay icon appeared after that. I turned off the tablet screen and said to the doggy:

"That's what they say."

"...Mm, how unfortunate..."

The doggy mumbled, drooping his ears. He must have felt like they had just told him to keep living as a beggar for the next five days.

Plus, I'm starting to feel a little down too. I was gonna suggest meeting other mystical creatures might help, but the one guy whose location I knew just happens to have run away.

I could still tell him, but besides the zoo, I can't think of where else they might be. What, like the aquarium? Botanical garden?

"Hmm..."

― Vrooom....

A low, rumbling noise drifted in from outside the store. Isn't this the sound of a fart truck?

― Vrooom....

"Boss-nim, did you hear that sound just now?"

“I heard it. It’s exactly the sound of a fart truck.”

Only a fart truck makes this distinct sound. Must really be fart (truck) going around.

(I’m sorry, I just need to do this…)

"Doggy. Let's go out for some fresh air real quick."

Might as well check it out. I’m curious about what they mean by eco-friendly disinfection, and this little dog was curious about fart trucks, so I’ll consider it an answer to his question.

Plus, it’s a bit nostalgic. I haven’t seen a fart truck since I was a kid.

I picked him up and put him down outside, and the doggy quietly followed behind. I opened the door and stepped outside…

Forget fart trucks, there wasn't even a single car.

Instead, there was something strange. Up there in the sky.

After staring at it for a good while, I finally managed to figure out what that strange thing was.

“B- Boss-nim.”

"What."

"What in heavens is that enormous thing? Is that, uh, what you call a fart truck?"

"No, that's not it..."

A whale. A whale is flying in the sky.




|Note

This actually giving me I'm Really Not The Demon God's Lackey vibe. Of course, Chan is not some alien or powerful person. It’s like, “If you go to that convenience store, you’ll see something amazing,”. It’s as if some people go there just to meet Chan hahahha. It might later be like that…


I changed puppy to doggy since now I know his age. Or I might just forget his age…

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