Chapter 8: Part-time jobs with a surprisingly high hourly wages (2)

“Um, excuse me… I’m just gonna go home…!”

I squeezed out every ounce of courage I had.
But the man in the suit didn’t seem inclined to let me go.

“Come on, don’t be like that. You came all this way, so just work one day. I’ll throw in a big bonus, okay? I’m not usually this pushy, but you’re just too pretty to let go.”

I clamped my trembling lips shut and shook my head vigorously.

“…Sigh, fine. If it really doesn’t feel right, I’ll send you home right away. Just do one shift. Deal? Think of it as a rare experience.”

The manager guy nodded toward the tattooed man, and just like that, I was dragged by him into a narrow room.

The first thing that greeted me in that room was soundproofed walls on all sides.

‘Oh no. I’m really screwed.’

A basement with soundproof walls.

No matter how loud I screamed, no one outside would hear.
Even if a murder happened here, no one would know.

My vision darkened.
I was desperate. Time to beg.

“I-I’m really bad at talking… I’m totally useless! I don’t know how to do anything, uh… nothing at all! Please, can you just let me go home?”

But the tattooed guy just pointed at a pile of sleazy clothes, hands behind his back.

“Pick something to wear.”

It wasn’t working at all.

‘Hoo.’

It’s okay. Stay sharp.
There’s an old saying: even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits, you can make it out alive.

Clinging to my fading resolve, I scanned the room.

Various sizes of shoes were scattered on the floor, and one wall was lined with women’s clothes, suggesting this was a storage or waiting room.

In the center was a long table with a basket of tempting red bean buns.

Growl…
Grrr, grrr…

No way. My stomach churned at the sight of the buns.

‘Seriously, I’m hungry again?’

I haven’t eaten all day, but does my stomach have no sense of timing?

Stunned by my own absurdity, the manager burst in, asking if I was ready.

I tried to buy time with a quick idea.

“Um, excuse me… I haven’t eaten all day, and I’m really hungry… Can I just eat one of these… before I go?”

“Huh? The red bean bun? Go ahead! It’s fine, we’ve got time.”

The manager agreed more readily than expected, then lit a cigarette with a sly grin.

“How about it? If you’re really hungry, should I order delivery?”

“No! I-I’m fine… One bun is enough.”

Oh no.

In my panic, I broke Life’s Easy Mode Rule #1: Always accept what’s offered.

‘Stay calm, stay calm,’ I told myself, taking a big bite of the bun.

Chomp.

The soft crumbs and sweet red bean cream blended perfectly.
The cozy texture melted my tension, warming my frozen body.

“Nom nom…”

It wasn’t fancy, not melting on my tongue or anything, but it had its own charm.

‘This rustic, comforting feeling… I’ve felt it before.’

It reminded me of faint childhood memories, holding my mother’s hand at a market.

‘…’

Then I thought of the lady from earlier, who gave me the sweatpants.
The one who scolded me, a stranger, to take care of myself.

– Wear them warmly, okay? The world’s rough, so take care.

Ironically, this bun in this strange place felt as warm and comforting as her scolding.

Drip.

A tear rolled down my left cheek.

‘No. I can’t look weak.’

Showing weakness here could lead to who-knows-what.
I tried to act normal, taking another slow bite.

The bun, filling my mouth, was so warm and cozy.

I miss that lady.
I want to get out of here.

Sniff, sob.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.
A whimper escaped as I chewed.

“Huh? What?”

Startled by my tears, the manager rushed out and returned with tissues.

“What’s wrong? Did this pig hit you while I was gone?”

The tattooed guy shook his head vehemently, denying it.
With the bun still in my mouth, I answered.

“No… It’s just… chomp chomp… too scary…”

Chomp chomp.

Chomp chomp chomp.

Answering diligently while chewing, the manager stifled a laugh and asked,

“You’re crying your eyes out from fear, but the bun goes down just fine?”

“Waaah… chomp chomp…”

He watched me sob and eat for a while, then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha… Wow, you’re a riot. Never seen anyone like you.”

Laughing until tears formed, he then stared at me silently, his expression complex.

“What to do with a red bean bun girl like you?”

Suddenly, I felt his gaze shift.

At first, it was like he saw me as a loaf of bread on display, but now it was different.
A warm look, seeing me as a person.

“…Wanna go home?”

A ray of light shone into this hopeless basement.

I shoved the rest of the bun in my mouth and nodded vigorously.
My tears of sorrow turned to tears of relief, streaming down my cheeks.

“You could make over 100,000 won an hour here, and you still want to go home?”

Do you even need to ask?

I clasped my hands, pleading to leave, and the manager ruffled my hair roughly before guiding me to the stairs.

I bolted out of the building without looking back.
The manager’s sly voice followed me.

“Come back, and I’ll buy you every kind of bun! Think about it!”

“No way!”

Even as I ran, I didn’t forget to use my ‘killer, cold rejection’ move.

It was the best revenge I could manage.

“Hey, you waiting for someone?”
“Wanna grab a drink if you’re free?”

Sitting dazed at a crowded downtown bus stop, legs weak, random guys kept hitting on me.

I just looked up silently.

“S-Sorry…!”

Seeing my hollow face, they apologized and backed off, and I returned to staring into space, lost in thought.

‘Now that I think about it, that basement job matched what I wanted.’

I wanted to be a tragic beauty.
I wanted an easy life.

Earning 100,000 won an hour? That’s the definition of easy mode.

Plus, working in a shady basement would naturally wear me down physically and mentally, making me the tragic beauty I always dreamed of.

‘So why did I run?’

I’m not exactly dying to live a hardworking life.

‘…’

Or am I? Maybe deep down, I want to live earnestly like everyone else.

Work hard, earn fair rewards, get praised for a job well done.
Make lots of friends, laugh happily among them…

Facing my buried feelings was harder than I expected.

But I decided to accept it.

Forget easy mode. I just want to live well.
Do what I’m good at, what I love, and live passionately.

But that’s not easy.

‘Because I’m not good at anything.’

Even using my pretty face for modeling or streaming is held back by my dead social skills.

“Sigh…”

Lost in thought, staring blankly, a bus with a huge ad pulled up.

[Creator App ‘TokTok!’ Launched]

[App Launch Contest]
[Prizes: 1st – 5M, 2nd – 2M, 3rd – 1M]
[Anyone with a 1-minute video can enter!]

‘What a weird app name.’

Next to the flashy text, a female celebrity grinned with a speech bubble: ‘Tastier than gopchang, TokTok!’

I knew her well.

– Celebrity A’s gopchang mukbang hits 20M views on YouTube!
– ‘Gopchang craze’ means long lines everywhere…

She got famous for eating gopchang deliciously, becoming one of the hottest celebrities.
Recently, she even bought a high-rise apartment.

It seems like you can make money eating delicious food now.

A thought struck me.

‘How nice must it be to eat tasty food and earn money?’

Then another.

‘How great would it be if I could do that?’

And finally.

‘…Should I give it a shot?’