Mastore 147 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 147

It's raining now, so let's all go together (2)

If you ask whether a convenience store clerk knows a lot about convenience store ramyun, the answer is case by case. There are just too many variables to consider.

For example, how much waste is generated each day at the store they work at, what's the clerk's lunch budget ceiling, how much does the clerk understand about the correlation between sodium intake and bone density, and so on.

In my case, when it comes to cup ramyun, I can confidently say I know enough to publish a Conveni-chelin Store Ramyun Guide. Honestly, who eats cup ramyun while worrying about their health? You just eat it.

Manager did say I could eat whatever I wanted as long as I kept the receipts, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, so I stubbornly paid for it with my own money. That's how I gained some expertise in this field.

"So where’s the damn ramyun, you shithead? The shelves are completely empty.”

“Hold on a sec. We’ve got some stashed in the basement.”

“The fuck, why does a convenience store have a basement?”

"Wow. Chan, you did that even while the store was being flooded?"

"Couldn’t do much. I’ll go alone, so please rest here for a bit. Manager-nim.”

I figured I should handle the office alone. Upon entering, I found Elena sprawled face-down on the CCTV monitor table.

“Ugh....”

"Your back okay? The officer mentioned you strained it earlier."

"Yes, I'm fine... huh?"

Elena looked back and forth between the CCTV screen and my face, as if she hadn't expected me to come in. I examined the screen and saw it was paused.

It seems like he pressed the wrong button. He looked at my face for a moment, then jumped up from his seat, groaned, and fell back down.

“Chan! ou're safe, unghh!"

"That’s what happens when you overuse muscles you’ve never used before. Here, take this and sit tight."

Of all the potions I received, there was only one I didn't use: a recovery potion.

I handed it to her, thinking it might answer her question about whether I was safe. Safe enough that I had no need to recover anything myself. Her tearful face changed to one full of concern as she looked at the recovery potion.

Then, after gauging my reaction, he asked cautiously.

“Chan, um…”

“Yes.”

“Did any of the potions I made help at all…?”

"Of course. Without them, I wouldn’t have even made it that far."

Underwater breathing potion, calming, solvent, freezing agent. Just counting those, that’s four different kinds of potion. If even one had been missing, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the core gate.

After explaining this as concisely as possible, she seemed somewhat relieved and muttered while lowering her head.

“Thank goodness. I think I, um..."

"You felt like you didn’t help much, so you pushed yourself to do something you normally wouldn’t?"

“...Yes.”

“Everyone said they’re hungry, so I was going to bring up some cup ramyun. Are you hungry too?”

If we continue talking, we will only end up going on parallel. When I changed the subject, Elena tilted her head as if she didn't understand for a moment.

Then, as if realizing something, she carefully sipped the recovery potion and said.

“Yes! I think I’m super hungry.”

“Then wait in the lobby, please. I’ll go grab the ramyun.”

"I’ll help too. Where should I go?"

"I've collected them in the basement storage, but it's restricted to authorized staff only. I'll go by myself."

I made up a reasonable excuse, but she tilted her head twice as far as before.

“There’s a basement storage room in the convenience store?”

Yeah, tell me about it.

After answering that it was Manager's preference, I went down alone and carried up boxes of ramyun. She must have been waiting for me the whole time, because as soon as our eyes met, she approached and helped hold the ramyun box from the opposite side.

They weren’t bulky enough to require two people, so carrying them together was more of a hassle. Swallowing my thoughts, I wobbled the ramyun box to the center of the lobby.

After that, I took orders.

“Manager-nim, what would you like to have? Seniors first.”

“Then shouldn’t I be the one choosing last?”

"As you prefer. Elder, what kind of ramyun do you like?"

When it comes to elderly folks’ tastes, people often assume they like beef bone or soybean paste flavored ramyun, but that's not really the case. Unless it's well-made ramyun, they often try it once out of curiosity and that's it.

And then they tend to return to the red-lid ramyun. Thinking that the Elder would have similar tastes, he looked at the ramyun box and picked up a yellow lid ramyun.

(D: Red lid ramyun refer to spicy ramyun. And yellow rid leans toward creamy and sweet, for example cheese. CMIIW)

I checked and it was cheese-flavored stir-fried ramyun. The sweet and salty taste was exquisite.

“My granddaughter recommended it once, and it just happened to be exactly my kind of flavor.”

“Hm…”

"I’m also not great with spicy food."

The Conveni-chelin Store Ramyun Guide is officially discontinued as of today...

If he wants to eat it, he should. Who am I to say otherwise? I handed him a pair of chopsticks, then looked up at the officer and asked.

“What would you like, Customer?”

“The cheapest ramyun....”

"Don't worry about that and just eat whatever you want. You used a lot of energy."

The anti-graft law threshold is under 30,000 won, so ramen definitely doesn't count. When I insisted again, the hesitant officer picked up a bone broth ramyun and asked me.

"Would this be okay?"

“It’s filling. Albeit a bit bland.”

"No. Rather than that..."

“All the ones here are more or less the same price, so just eat what you want. Here’s your chopsticks.”

Next customer. The Chihuahua.

“Which one tastes the best?”

“It depends on what kind of ramyun you prefer. What do you prefer?"

"The tasty one."

"Then I'll give you the best-selling one, here you go."

I handed over a red-lid ramyun with a pair of chopsticks placed on top. When his eyes started bulging as if to accuse me of half-assing customer service, I appeased him with a pouch of stir-fried kimchi. Next.

“What would you like to eat, Noona?”

“Anything’s fine. Ramyun’s ramyun.”

“There’s no ramyun actually named ‘Anything,’ though?”

“I’ll just pick one myself, you rascal.”

With that, she helped herself to a black bean sauce ramyun and some chopsticks. Now, two left.

"I find thin noodles easier to eat, Chan.”

“There’s the curly noodle type with thinner strands, thin noodles made from dried dough, and the soup-style ramyun. How about something less spicy with a clean broth?"

“Uh... That sounds good.”

I asked whatever came to mind, but her face lit up like she was intrigued. After handing her chopsticks, I crouched down next to Manager and continued our conversation.

"What would you like to have, Manager-nim?"

"The one with the big lid. It’s nice when you want to let it cool before eating. What about Chan?"

“Well, I’ve tried almost everything here....”

“Then how about this one?”

The ramyun that Manager personally selected was the Lightning Flavored Ramyun.

Our store carried quite a variety, including some with bizarre concepts I had never seen in my world. I'm talking about otherworldly ramyun.

Like, ramyun that actually gives you the slimy texture of eating a real slime, where the broth clings gooey to the noodles, or one that seems designed to trigger synesthesia.

And honestly, I never tried any of these.

There was no reason to eat lightning-flavored ramen when there were perfectly normal ones available, and I couldn't begin to imagine what ‘lightning flavor’ would taste like. What kind of taste is this? Does it mean you’ll get hit with a lightning-like realization of how precious your stomach’s health is?

"Is this one okay?"

"I haven't tried it, but it used to sell extremely well in the past. It's a bit less popular now."

It seems like a type of ramyun that goes viral through TV or SNS, but these types of ramyun don't last long. That's because the taste can't keep up with the inflated expectations created by media.

But is that my business? My superior says it's worth eating.

"Then I'll try it. But is our hot water dispenser working?"

"I checked while Chan were downstairs, and only the power was cut off. I turned it back on."

"Excellent work. Customers, you can get your water now."

So we've all selected our ramyun. We formed a line to get hot water, placed our cups on the table, and quickly wiped the chairs dirtied by floodwater with towels.

We sat in a row at the table waiting for the ramen to cook, and three minutes later the alarm rang.

—Ding.

Right on cue with the alarm Manager had set, the sound of peeling back ramen lids filled the store. After that, the sound of chopsticks being opened. I also unwrapped my chopsticks and tried a mouthful of the lightning-flavored ramen.

It had a slight hint of mustard, but it was decent. These bastards had just made it yellow like lightning without any actual flavor connection...

But it’s delicious, so that’s that. The customers must’ve been starving, as for a long time, only the slurping sound of ramyun noodles resonated throughout the store.

Only one stray comment in the midst of it all.

“Fuck, this is so fucking delicious.”

Everyone tacitly agreed. The peacefulness was nice.

* * *

As the sound of noodle slurping started to die down, I took out my phone and opened the notepad. Break time's over, so it's time to get back to work.

"Customers. Before we disperse, I'd like to wrap this up. Are there any personal expenses you've incurred or things you need separately?"

"When you say 'needs', what exactly do you mean, Chan?"

"The government says they'll reimburse money spent on this job. From the way it sounds, they’re ready to do just about anything we ask.”

Since I even got a round of applause over the phone, I figure I can be a bit bolder with my requests. Though what I've spent amounts to just a bit of my mental lifespan and a few types of magic potions... Ah.

"For example, the cost of materials for the magic potions you made. You must've ordered those ingredients online, right? Paid for them yourself."

"Ah... yes. But those were just hobby purchases..."

"Then consider it government funding for your hobby activities. How often do opportunities like this come along? How much did the materials cost?"

I asked with my finger resting on the notepad app. Elena hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“I think it was around 80…?”

“How much did you say?”

"I think it was 80. Interest-free installment over 6 months."

(D: I’m not sure about this. Elena only says around 80. Maybe it was supposed to be 8 mil won. That’s about 5.5k usd.)

It doesn't quite make me dizzy, but it's enough to make me wave from across the stream. Spending 80 to make five little potion bottles the size of a thumb joint?

Still, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t my place to be surprised. If anyone should be clutching their chest, it's the officials allocating the Magic Bureau budget.

“Alright, I’ll jot down 80 for now. Anything else?”

"Um... if it's not urgent, could I think about it more?"

"Then please text me your thoughts by tonight. Elder, what about you?"

"I'm not quite sure myself. Though my shoulders are somewhat stiff..."

“Then how about getting a health checkup?”

The gentleman Elder must have excavated dozens of rocks today, and probably used quite a lot of magic power. That should count as a legitimate reason.

When I asked, the Elder thought for a moment and replied.

"Would it be possible for my companion to receive one instead of me? My companion has been sneezing severely lately..."

“I’ll go ahead and ask. Nothing to lose, right?”

“Thank you, Boss. I’ll let you know if anything else comes to mind.”

I told him to do so. Next, I looked at the Chihuahua who was closest, but he looked down at me with an expression that said 'What crazy thing are you doing?'

“You crazy bastard, you’re saying you’ll give government money to the hacker who ripped off the Magic Bureau?”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to. It's not like you'll tell me your name anyway, so how could I ask for money..."

“Charlie.”

“What?”

What does he want me to sort?

"My name's Charlie, you shithead. Are you deaf?"

No, I heard it just fine with my ears. My brain just didn’t finish turning it into words.

The name Charlie is among the Top 3 most frequently used names when naming pet dogs in America. Bailey is first, Max is second.

I have no goddamn clue why a name that ranks third would pop out of this chihuahua’s mouth here in another world, of all places….

But I don't really mock people for their names. Even my own name earned me nicknames like ‘side dish in restaurants’ and ‘poop ball Chan’ in elementary school. I asked casually.

(D: Lee Chan = Banchan. Small side dishes that accompany cooked rice. Could be pickled radish, kimchi, or any side dishes. Lee Chan = ddongbolchan. Ddong means poop or crap.)

“Alright then, Charlie. What do you need?”

“You little shithead?”

“I’m joking. What do you need?”

"Ask for a box of Zero Cola, you bastard. Under your name, shithead."

Guess he didn’t want to risk being blacklisted by the Magic Bureau, but then why the hell did he tell me his name?

I'll just go with it. It's not like his flip-flopping is anything new. After writing down ‘a box of Zero Cola’, I continued asking.

"Anything else?"

"A chamber pot, you shithead. Express delivery."

“About that. The water’s pretty much all drained out now, so the toilets should be flushing fine again.”

I just said it because it suddenly came to mind. The Chihuahua stared at me blankly, then wrinkles formed all over his face and shouted with a voice full of resentment.

"You fucking bastard!! Why are you telling me this only now!!!"

With that, he shoulder-tackled the front door open and then ran like a bullet toward the back of the store building. When I looked up at Manager, she shrugged her shoulders and said.

“There haven’t been many customers lately, so I left the bathroom door unlocked. What about Chan?”

"I didn't lock it either. Anyway, that's done. Next customer."




|Note

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