Ahh…
So tired..
I'm tired of my job, I'm tired of being alive,
My feet hurt.. my feet are so sore
Why does the bus have to be so early, why do I have to stay late at work, why did that gross bastard have to steal my bike—
Why!
It's not fair. 'Work hard and get a good job so mom and dad can praise you'
bullshit.
Stupid! So dumb and stupid! Working in the office is so horrible!
There's only one consolation in my pitiful life!
Which is Ghost Stories, it seems so sad and pitiful but I truly enjoy reading them, I even had home-made merch of my favorite recurring characters,
Which isn't a flex now that I think about it, it probably seems odd for a man my age..
After all, I should be grateful that I gave up my dream of being an artist early on in my life before I ended up as some parasite living in my parents' house trying to build a failing career,
It feels pretty well known that only the wealthy get to have careers in things like art.
Not that me and my parent's were on good terms anyways,
I still remember my mom's birthday and send an envelope of cash, and my dad texts me every now and then, but that's it.
I'm fine with that, I didn't need a relationship with them when I can go to my apartment after work and just.. read, horror stories.
There were different kinds of forces that existed which were probably better than my job, like corporations, governments, and clans trying to destroy the abnormal phenomena, I mean at least the compensation is more than generous for how much the characters risk their lives to kill Ghost Stories
HONK
The car horn scared me, oh, haha! That was close, if this were a ghost story I'd probably die via being hit by a car driving through the crosswalk and be sent spiraling into a Ghost Story or something!
It's not, sadly.
…
Why is my apartment so far away? Did I always live so far from the office? I feel like I've been walking forever..
I wanna die,
wanna die,
wanna die,
Wanna diieeeeeeeee—
Haha.
[6:23 PM]
My phone screen lit up, an unpleasant feeling swirling in my chest again,
Oh, it was late, I guess I should keep heading home,
I've been doing this for so long. Why can't my insurance cover theft? That's so stupid. I would've been home earlier if that slimey pig hadn't stolen my bike, I can't prove it by I know it was Han Joowon.'
'Hoo.. I've been a bit depressed these days, I should get some sleep.. everything is so annoying lately'
Oh? This store,
[SUGAR—SHERBET STORE]
..?
I haven't seen it before, maybe I just didn't notice because it was always dark whenever I went this route, it sounds pretty cute anyway, it almost felt like the universe had picked out the least popular parts to put such an interesting shop,
It's already late but everyone deserves a treat every once in a while.
The tune dinged pleasantly in my ears as I stepped through the automatic doors, The inside of the store smelled of antiseptic, and it was accompanied by a faint chill, it was bearable, intricately designed interior like a pop-up store,
The themes seemed very thoughtfully organized: narrow shelves lined the walls like a maze, each one packed with various snacks and treats, a large display rack at the center, however..
Weren't the items a bit strange?
The brightly colored labels had bizarre names I'd never heard of before,
Lie-denying Gum
Heavy Hard candy
Sleep-Sleep-Gum [SOLD OUT]
Upsidedown-Cakes [SOLD OUT]
Roulette-Sour Candy [SOLD OUT]
Open-up chocolate [LAST IN STOCK]
It was kind of cute, like little themed items, it reminded me of those themed cafés I went to when I was still 17~
..
Men aren't supposed to be cute.
It's fine, it's just candy
After grabbing whatever random candy that caught my eye, which happened to be a bag of cranberry cheesecake hard candies.
It was a bit interesting that the popular items were already sold out,
'Did people still come to this store despite its unconventional placement?'
I was curious but I couldn't bring myself to ask..
'I'll just look it up at home later'
placed it on the counter for the cashier to scan, who smiled lightly at me, her green cap looked nice-
"That's a great choice! This one is our most popular flavor! Will this be all?"
So much for being original, though, if it was popular why is it completely stocked unlike the other completely full shelves?
Ah, this girl was so sweet, she must be a first-year right? She reminds me of if I had a younger sister she'd probably grow up pretty like this wouldn't she? Even in a uniform she's cute,
"Sir?"
"o…oh.. yes…"
I probably look like such a creep, I look a mess, I haven't been sleeping well lately, ahh I hate being outside like this..
"…that will be all.."
My lips felt chapped and my mouth dry, God I feel so awkward right now, even if I'm good at being in the office it's still hard talking to other people.
"Would you like to purchase an M-sized eco-friendly bag to carry your items? It's 10,000 won."
"..Yes, thank you.."
Why did I say that? It's just a bag of candy I don't need a bag, much less one for 10,000 won, I wasn't cheap, it just felt wasteful, but I had half a mind, moving on autopilot as I handed over the amount,
But instead of the predicted bag the cashier slid a card across the counter, a bit confused I picked up the familiar-looking item, so familiar I thought I'd handed her my Work Badge by accident for a moment instead of cash,
an employee ID card.
[Nightmare Guide Inc.]
Employee Kim Hyunjin
Scene Operating Team
"..What..?"
———————
Maybe if I hadn't spent so much time avoiding her eyes, staring at her brown hair and green hat, I would've noticed the blank name tag, or instead of staring at the counter I would've noticed the fact that she didn't have a face.
Maybe if I hadn't entered that store at all I wouldn't have ended up like this
No…
Maybe if I had just quit my job I wouldn't have come across the store at all, let alone everything that came after it.