Chapter 42 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon and the Convenience Store Girl (1)
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My name is Kim Hyewon.
I'm a high school sophomore, helping out at the convenience store my dad runs instead of doing a part-time job.
In our neighborhood, there's this scary-looking guy.
Not only does he look as fierce as a goblin from the monster manual, but he's also ridiculously tall and built.
He wears what looks like a dobok with his thick arms exposed, like it's the only outfit he owns.
If he didn't have a nanobot slung over his shoulder, people would've mistaken him for a goblin and called the Association or the cops.
Around 8 to 10 p.m. every night, that scary-looking guy comes into the store with a serious expression.
And the moment he opens the door, the nanobot on his shoulder starts chattering away.
* * *
[The item Heavenly Demon-nim is holding right now is a strawberry-flavored snack for kids. What I recommend is the 'Thumbs-Up Crunch' next to it. It's cheap and comes in a big pack.]
It's always like this.
Most nanobots give dungeon-related advice, from what I've heard...
But the one riding on that guy's shoulder just yaps nonstop and meddles in everything.
[Or how about 'Mount Gubong Delights'? It combines a fresh apple scent with a rich mackerel flavor. It's a new handmade snack that's already hit number three on the convenience store bestseller list since launch—a total hit.]
That's not it...
Sure, it's made by a master, but it got famous because the bizarre taste makes it perfect as a penalty snack.
Who in the world would eat a snack mixing apple and mackerel flavors...
"It's decent."
Without hesitation, the scary guy grabs the Mount Gubong Delights and heads to the counter.
Beep.
"That's six thousand won."
I mutter softly, avoiding his gaze.
"What was that?"
The scary guy suddenly glares at me, his eyes flashing.
"S-six... thousand won..."
"Is this tiny snack really that expensive?"
[I told you, it's handmade. The Mount Gubong master is world-famous...]
"Doesn't matter. Does this little snack have the same value as a full meal from Mom's Snacks—four side dishes and a bowl of soup?"
The scary guy stares me down over the counter.
"Girl."
"...Y-yes?"
"I am the Heavenly Demon. Restate the store's best possible price."
'Ugh, he's not just scary-looking.'
Now I see his personality matches his looks—total ultra-grade pain-in-the-ass customer.
I barely dodge his persistent stare and mumble like I'm talking to myself.
"Um, everything in our store is fixed price."
"Hmm."
The guy picks up the snack with a furious expression.
Is he gonna throw it? As I'm squinting in fear,
"An apple and mackerel combo... I have to buy it."
He stares at the apple and mackerel illustrations on the bag, then sighs.
"Ring it up."
"Huh?"
"Ring it up."
"Oh, right."
Ding-a-ling.
After paying, the guy opens the door and leaves.
Even as the door closes, the nanobot keeps yapping nonstop.
[Heavenly Demon-nim, do you have any idea how rude and uncouth that was? Demanding a discount from a convenience store clerk?]
"I am the Heavenly Demon. Haggling over price is only natural for someone in my position..."
I watch his back as he bickers endlessly with the nanobot and heads out, then let out a sigh.
"What the heck."
He was scary every time before, but today he seemed a tiny bit less so.
"Weird guy..."
From that day on, the scary guy became the weird guy.
* * *
Around 10 p.m.
Right when I'm about to finish my shift, the drunks always show up at the store.
And little disturbances like this happen.
"Hey, what's this? You messing with me?"
One of four drunk guys picks a fight with me at the counter.
"Why don't you have my favorite Mountain Sea Soju here?"
I can't tell if he's drunk from booze or just bloated—either way, he staggers, swinging his arms, and the stench of alcohol assaults my nose.
'Dad, why aren't you back yet?'
I glance at the clock and bow my head.
"I'm sorry."
"So sorry fixes everything? This is the only convenience store around. You gotta stock proper booze, right?"
"I'm sorry."
"Fine. Gimme a pack of smokes."
He slaps his card on the counter irritably.
"One White Mist."
"White Mist?"
"Yeah, smokes. White Mist."
"What kind? Please tell me the name of the cigarette."
"Hey, you kidding? White Mist only has Cloud Mountain."
Cloud Mountain? Is there such a thing?
I search the counter hard, but no such cigarette.
"We don't have that."
"Oh, sorry. This guy's confused."
Then, the guy next to him chuckles.
"Hey, that's from the Awakener shop. Not in regular convenience stores."
"Oh, right? Forgot."
Awakeners? These drunks are Awakeners?
Awakeners have special strong liquor just for them, sold only in strictly controlled places.
Drunk Awakeners causing trouble could turn the city into a wasteland.
"Ugh, what a drag today."
The guy who tossed the card grabs the candy box on the counter.
Crunch.
The box crumbles to powder with a grinding sound.
It's flimsy enough for any adult to smash. Yet the guy looks smug as he eyes me.
"Don't freak out. Not planning to use my strength."
Now I see their eyes are totally glazed—not drunk on booze, but on some drug.
'This is bad.'
As I reach for the emergency button under the counter,
"Whoa, relax."
One with yellow hair grabs my arm and narrows his eyes.
"We're Awakeners. We don't hurt normals."
His half-lidded eyes look sleazy somehow.
"Let go of my arm."
"How old are you?"
"I'm in high school."
"What?"
The yellow-haired guy holding my arm grins.
"Not buying it. High schoolers aren't this tall."
"Let go."
I knew there were thug Awakeners in this outskirts area away from downtown.
But meeting one as a part-timer?
I bite my lip watching the guys show no sign of leaving.
"Let go of my arm."
"Whoops, sorry, sorry."
He keeps grinning but doesn't let go.
Suddenly, irritation surges, and blue sparks erupt violently from my fingertips.
Zzzzt.
"Ow, hot! What the hell?"
The yellow-haired guy yanks his hand back, clutching his red-hot palm and yelling.
"What was that? What'd you do!"
"Nothing."
"You just used a stun gun or something!"
Of course they won't just leave after that.
I look down at my hands with a sad expression.
In this world, some Awakeners have powers that fizzled out midway.
And half-baked Awakeners whose botched abilities wreck their bodies.
Like me.
"Hey, you. Come out here."
The furious yellow-haired guy stomps right up to me.
"How dare you use a stun gun on a customer..."
He reaches to grab my collar.
Ding-a-ling.
The wind chime rings, and a dark shadow barges in.
[...So next time, why not take me to construction sites too? If you'd listened to me, this wouldn't have happened.]
With the nanobot's mechanical voice, that weird guy appears.
"W-welcome, sir!"
I greet him happily, and the guy holding my arm quickly lets go.
"Whoa, nanobot."
"That's a real Awakener."
What? These guys are fake Awakeners?
As I make a baffled face, the whispering guys glance at him nervously and quietly leave the store.
'I'm saved!'
Who knew the weird guy who comes every night would help like this.
Today, the guy standing blankly pondering at the snack aisle feels so reliable.
Ding!
Then the chime rings again as Dad comes in smiling.
"Good work. It's late, so head on in..."
Dad spots the guy glaring at the Mount Gubong Delights and whispers to me.
"Monster? Did the shield break?"
"Shh, what are you saying? He's a regular at this hour."
I quickly cover Dad's mouth and point at the nanobot on the guy's shoulder.
After that day, drunk troublemakers would show up now and then.
But thanks to the weird guy who always came late at night, they stopped coming to our store altogether.
Word spread in the neighborhood: 'That store has a terrifying Awakener coming and going.'
In reality, he just stood there forever pondering which snack to buy late at night.
"This won't do."
For some reason, today's visit ends with ten minutes of pondering before he puts the Mount Gubong Delights back on the shelf.
[Not buying today?]
"Feels too extravagant. At this rate, I'll be short on funds by month's end."
[Shall I suggest a raise to Manager Jang Chaewon?]
"No need. She chewed me out yesterday for breaking a door frame and causing losses. Store owners don't have money growing on trees."
He turns away without regret and heads out.
Ding-a-ling.
"Daughter, good work!"
At the same time, Dad bursts in beaming again.
"Go on in."
"Okay."
After a moment's thought, I grab a Mount Gubong Delights from the shelf and head out.
"Dad! I'll pay for this later."
He couldn't have gone far, but the guy's nowhere in sight.
Looking around, I spot a huge shadow climbing the hill far off.
"W-wait!"
I chase after him panting, but oddly, the distance doesn't close.
"What the. How far up is he going?"
At the top of that hill, you can see the shield boundary line. Yet he's still walking up.
"Maybe that building over there?"
They say there's a tall building at the edge of the boundary zone.
But it's the first target monsters smash if they break the shield, so no one lives there.
"W-wait!"
Before long, he's vanishing over the hilltop.
Out of breath and unable to run farther, I yell as loud as I can since I can't catch up.
"Mister!"
No response.
"Hah. Hah."
Panting hard, I chuckle wryly.
Duh, if he's a daily regular, he'll be back tomorrow. Why'd I chase him?
"What is it."
Then a low voice comes right in front of me.
In the darkness, glowing red eyes, a rock-like face, a giant blocking the sky. It's the guy.
"H-how."
"Did you call for me?"
"Uh, y-yeah."
Catching my breath, I hold out the Mount Gubong Delights.
"Here... eat this."
"Didn't buy it."
"I'm giving it to you."
"Why?"
I thought he'd be quietly pleased.
He just looks down at it with zero interest.
"Well..."
Feels like saying something lame will bring divine wrath.
For agonizing so long over snacks at the store?
For the rumor that a fierce Awakener guards the place?
Unlike his looks, he seems like a poor wage worker, and it bugged me that he skipped the snack today?
'No way I can say that.'
After agonizing, I stammer.
"Well... it's a buy ten get one free promo."
"What's that."
"Buy ten of the product... get one free."
He strokes his chin, eyes flashing.
"Why didn't you mention it before? I've bought over ten Mount Gubong Delights already."
"Th-that's... it's a new promotion."
"Pro-mo-tion?"
"Yeah. Like a sale."
Staring into those subtly intimidating eyes makes me feel tiny, like a dwarf.
All for one snack.
"Heh heh..."
Just smile. Smiling should work.
But the silent guy's eyes flash red. Suddenly, he thrusts out a pot-lid-sized hand toward my face.
Terrified, I squeeze my eyes shut—
"Excellent policy!"
He grabs the Mount Gubong Delights from my hand with his huge palm.
Take it already. Yep, weird guy's still weird.
"W-well, enjoy it."
My mouth twitches from forcing a smile.
I hand over the bag politely and bolt back the way I came.
After that day, the guy practically came to the store every day.
The change: he switched from pricey Mount Gubong Delights to cheap ice bars.
And I started chatting now and then with the weird guy—the Heavenly Demon mister—and his nanobot.
"You're not even an Awakener... but doing interior work, and the boss bought you a nanobot?"
So far, we'd only chatted about dramas.
Learning his job by chance, I'm newly surprised.
"Nanobots are super expensive, they say. Only rich Awakeners can afford them."
"Don't know the price. But the store owner just gave it."
What, an interior shop for chaebol mansions?
Giving a plain contractor—not even an Awakener—a high-end nanobot that chats too.
"The boss who bought it is amazing, but you're even more surprising for not being an Awakener."
Even rank-1 Awakeners on TV don't have muscles like that.
I figured he was high-rank... but just an interior guy.
[Heavenly Demon-nim. [My Inspector] episode 13 is airing soon.]
"Is that so."
Heading out, he points at the ice bar stick in his hand.
"Ninth one."
"Yes, take care."
At first, I wondered if I'd said too much.
But with Heavenly Demon mister visiting daily, not only drunks but even regular troublemakers vanished from our store.
"Rumors are scary."
Chuckling, I recall the gruff Heavenly Demon mister's gaze.
"He's not scary."
His face is a bit fierce, but up close, his eyes hold utter indifference to the world.
Almost like an enlightened monk. And I didn't mind that detached gaze of Heavenly Demon mister's.
Ding-a-ling.
Then the chime rings as Dad comes in.
"My girl. Good work."
"It's nothing."
Dad looks extra worn out today.
He works days, then mans the store after—always sleep-deprived with chronic fatigue.
"Dad, go home and sleep more. I'll cover a bit longer."
"Don't jinx it. Students can only work till 10."
"Then nap in the back room. No drunks lately anyway."
Despite my pleading, Dad shakes his head firmly.
"I'm fine. Go on in. Dad's not tired at all."
His under-eye shadows say otherwise, and his complexion's bad.
All my fault.
Moving here, making Dad work like this.
"Sorry, Dad. Always because of me."
"Hey now, Hyewon. What're you saying? You give Dad the strength to keep going."
His hand patting my shoulder feels warm.
"You'll feel better soon. Dad's working hard too, so no more of that. Got it?"
"Yeah."
I spread my arms and hug Dad tight.
If only we could keep living like this, trouble-free...
"Huh?"
Suddenly, my vision goes dark.
Hard to breathe, head spins, body melts like water onto the floor.
"Hyewon!"
Dad shakes me and grabs his phone.
"Not now. Ambulance, quick!"
Dad's panicked face keeps blackening.
Lights out? No, my vision's fading.
Ding-a-ling.
Then the door opens, a faint shadow approaches slowly.
A massive shadow blocking the ceiling light flashes red.
That's the last thing I see before blacking out.
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