Chapter: Night Shift
The apartment remained silent after Noah left the guest room.
Fang stared at the ceiling for a long time.
"...Goodnight."
The words still felt strange in his ears.
In his previous life, nights only carried gunshots, blood, and betrayal.
Nobody ever wished him peaceful sleep.
Fang closed his eyes again.
But before sleep fully came
Buzz.
His phone vibrated beside him.
A message from the department store manager.
Don't be late for your first shift.
Below it was the address again.
Fang checked the time.
8:12 PM.
He silently stood up from the sofa.
The weak body immediately complained again.
Muscles stiff.
Head heavy.
Annoying.
Fang grabbed the black hoodie hanging nearby and walked out of the guest room.
The apartment lights were dim.
Seo Yuna had fallen asleep beside Noah while leaning against the wall.
Even during sleep, her brows remained tense.
Like her body never truly relaxed anymore.
Fang quietly looked at both of them.
Noah hugged Seo Yuna tightly even while sleeping.
For some reason,
that small scene felt strangely warm.
"..."
Fang clicked his tongue softly and looked away.
Troublesome emotions.
He moved toward the entrance quietly and started putting on his shoes.
But the moment the door clicked
Seo Yuna suddenly woke up.
Her eyes instantly filled with panic before slowly calming after seeing Fang near the entrance.
"...You're leaving?"
Fang nodded once.
"Work."
Seo Yuna slowly looked at the clock.
"At this hour?"
"Night shift."
Her eyes stayed on him silently.
Still suspicious.
Still cautious.
Fang noticed immediately.
"What?"
Seo Yuna hesitated for a moment before speaking quietly.
"...Will you drink again?"
The apartment became still.
Fang looked at her blankly.
Then calmly replied
"No."
Simple answer.
No explanation.
Yet Seo Yuna kept staring at him for a few more seconds.
As if trying to decide whether those words were real or not.
Fang opened the door halfway.
"If anything happens, call the police."
Seo Yuna froze slightly.
Call the police?
Hearing those words from Chung Soo himself felt unreal.
Fang stepped outside.
Then, after a brief pause
"Lock properly."
Click.
The door closed.
Seo Yuna remained sitting silently for a long time afterward.
The apartment suddenly felt emptier.
Strangely enough—
This was the first night in years when Chung Soo left for work instead of alcohol.
That realization made her chest feel complicated again.
Meanwhile—
Fang walked through the crowded Seoul streets under neon lights.
The city felt completely different at night.
Bright signs.
Delivery bikes.
Convenience stores.
Drunk office workers are laughing loudly.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Fang kept both hands inside his hoodie pockets while walking calmly.
Humans truly lived strange lives.
Working every day.
Getting exhausted.
Then, repeating everything tomorrow.
In his previous life, weak people died quickly.
But here
Society itself protected weakness.
Annoying system.
Yet somehow... stable.
Fang soon arrived outside the department store.
A massive, brightly lit building stood before him.
People continuously entered and exited through automatic glass doors.
Fang stared upward silently.
"...Too big."
Everything in South Korea still felt unfamiliar.
Especially civilian jobs.
He entered the building.
Warm air immediately hit his face.
Employees moved around busily.
Customers everywhere.
Bright music echoed overhead.
Fang already felt irritated.
Too noisy.
A young male employee noticed him standing still.
"Uh... excuse me?"
Fang looked at him.
The employee flinched slightly.
This man's eyes looked terrifying for some reason.
"A-Are you lost?"
"New worker."
"Oh!"
The employee quickly relaxed.
"You're the night shift replacement?"
"Hm."
"Manager is upstairs."
Fang walked away without another word.
The employee awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"...Scary guy."
Third floor.
Storage management office.
A fat middle-aged manager sat behind a desk while drinking coffee.
The moment Fang entered,
the manager looked up.
"You, Chung Soo?"
"Hm."
The manager checked some papers.
"Park Hyun recommended you."
Fang remembered the convenience store owner.
"Your record isn't great."
Fang stayed silent.
The manager continued bluntly.
"Drinking problems. Complaints. Missing previous jobs."
Seo Yuna's exhausted face suddenly flashed through Fang's mind.
Then Noah's voice.
Dad got a job!
Annoying memories.
The manager sighed heavily.
"Honestly, I don't like hiring people like you."
Fang looked at him calmly.
"Then don't."
The manager froze slightly.
Most desperate workers usually begged.
This man sounded like he genuinely did not care.
Strange.
The manager rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"...Whatever. Your job is simple."
He pointed toward the monitor showing the storage floor.
"Night inventory."
"Moving boxes."
"Cleaning."
"No sleeping."
"Hm."
"And no fighting customers."
Fang looked genuinely confused.
"...Why would I fight customers?"
The manager stared at him for a second.
"...Just saying."
Something about this guy gave dangerous vibes.
Fang received work gloves and an employee card.
Then he was sent toward the storage section downstairs.
The storage floor was huge.
Tall shelves are stacked everywhere.
Boxes.
Supplies.
Electronics.
Food products.
Several other night workers were already busy.
Most ignored Fang immediately.
Except one.
A tall blond-haired young man approached casually.
"New guy?"
"Hm."
"My name's Min Jae."
Fang nodded once.
The guy smiled awkwardly.
"...You don't talk much, huh?"
"Talking wastes energy."
Min Jae laughed slightly.
"What kind of answer is that?"
Fang had already started moving boxes before the conversation could continue.
Min Jae watched silently.
Then his expression slowly changed.
Fast.
Too fast.
Fang carried heavy boxes with almost no wasted movement.
Even his posture looked strangely disciplined.
Min Jae blinked blankly.
"...Is this guy secretly military?"
Meanwhile
Fang internally felt annoyed again.
Weak body.
These boxes should feel weightless.
Yet his muscles already burned slightly.
Pathetic.
Suddenly
Crash!
A loud sound echoed nearby.
One female employee lost her balance while carrying a stack of boxes.
The heavy boxes started falling directly toward her.
Several workers shouted.
"Watch out!"
But before anyone could react
Thud.
The falling boxes stopped midair.
Everyone froze.
Fang stood there holding the entire stack alone with one arm.
The female employee stared at him blankly.
"...T-Thank you."
Fang calmly placed the boxes down.
Then looked at her trembling arms.
"Weak."
The girl became speechless.
Min Jae almost laughed.
Even helping people, this guy sounded insulting somehow.
Fang returned to work immediately.
Meanwhile, whispers slowly spread among the workers.
"Who's that new guy?"
"He looks terrifying."
"But kinda reliable..."
"Did you see how fast he moved?"
Fang ignored all of it completely.
Normal humans truly talked too much.
Hours passed.
11:47 PM.
The storage floor gradually became quieter.
Most workers already looked exhausted.
Except Fang.
His face remained cold and steady.
Only the light sweat on his neck showed that the physical effort had affected him at all.
Min Jae suddenly approached again, holding a canned coffee.
"Here."
Fang looked at it.
"What?"
"Caffeine. Night shift survival item."
Fang stared for a moment before taking it.
"...Thanks."
Min Jae smiled.
"There we go. You can speak normally."
Fang opened the can quietly.
The bitter taste spread across his tongue.
Strange.
Not alcohol.
Not poison.
Just simple coffee.
Civilian life truly was boring.
Then suddenly
his instincts sharpened.
Fang's eyes moved instantly toward the far corner of the storage floor.
Darkness.
Emergency stairway.
Someone was there.
Watching.
The feeling disappeared quickly.
But Fang had already noticed.
His gaze slowly narrowed.
Min Jae noticed immediately.
"...What's wrong?"
Fang kept looking toward the dark stairway for a brief moment.
Maybe a worker had passed there earlier.
Or maybe nobody was there at all.
His instincts had become too sensitive after years of assassination work.
Even shadows made him alert automatically now.
"...Nothing."
Crack.
The empty coffee can is slightly bent inside Fang's grip.
Min Jae stared blankly.
"...How strong are you exactly?"
Fang looked at the crushed can silently.
Then casually threw it into the nearby trash bin.
"Weak body."
"...What?"
Fang ignored him completely and walked back toward the storage shelves.
Min Jae stood there speechless.
For some reason
The new guy felt less like a department store employee...
and more like someone trying very hard to pretend to be normal.