The World They Live In

“Hello!”

“Oh, welcome.”

The woman who cheerfully opened the door and entered was Joo Mi-eun, the manager in charge of this convenience store branch.

She had come by to check on upcoming promotions, events, and store inspections.

“These days, this branch has the best sales in the area. It ranked first this month.”

“Oh! Really? I think it’s been that way since Jaekyung joined~!”

The store owner smiled brightly at the compliment.

Jaekyung felt shy.

He never got used to such praise.

“By the way, have you heard? I think they’ll be calling all the store owners to headquarters soon.”

“Ah, yes, I got the message. But what’s that about?”

It sounded like something Jaekyung either didn’t know about or wasn’t supposed to hear, so he quietly stepped aside and checked the stock levels again.

“It seems our convenience store chain is about to be acquired by another company.”

“What?”

“But the conditions don’t seem bad. No need to worry too much. I heard about it too, and it sounds fine. It’s just that the ownership will change, while everything else stays the same… Still, store owners must be anxious, so they’re probably holding a briefing or something.”

“Really? Nothing else will change, right?”

“From what I know, things might actually get better. The acquiring company owns supermarkets, so we won’t have to get food and products through multiple middlemen anymore. The cost will go down, and fees too… They said they’ll listen to store owners’ feedback before finalizing details. Honestly, our current headquarters felt unstable, so if we become part of a big company, that’s a good thing.”

“People with everything always want more. Don’t they ever have enough?”

“That’s just their world.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means, ‘The World They Live In.’ How could we ever understand them? Maybe they’re short on money in ways we can’t imagine.”

“…Then I must be totally bankrupt.”

Jaekyung chuckled at their friendly banter.

The world they live in…

It was a phrase he often saw online — such a clever abbreviation, and so fitting.

There was no better way to describe them.

Although Jaekyung had once belonged to that world himself, now, seeing it from the outside, he realized it was far beyond imagination.

Still, the news that this store would be taken over was surprising.

It might not affect him directly as a part-timer, but for the store owner, it was probably nerve-wracking.

Even after the manager reassured them, the owner continued to sigh in worry until the day of the meeting.

But when he returned from the two-day event, he looked completely radiant, a huge smile stretching from ear to ear.

As soon as he saw Jaekyung, he patted him on the shoulder.

He looked thoroughly satisfied.

“It went well, didn’t it?”

“Of course it did!”

“Tell me about it.”

Seeing that the owner was eager to talk, Jaekyung smiled and sat down at the counter, ready to listen.

It wasn’t a busy hour, so the owner also sat beside him and began chatting excitedly.

“You know, I didn’t really trust young people much before. They’d quit after ten days just to earn travel money, or say they just wanted to

‘experience working life’ and leave after a week.

But since you joined, Jaekyung, my faith in people has been slowly restored!

And get this—

the executive director of the company acquiring our chain is really young and so down-to-earth!

He listened to everything the store owners said!

He even removed all the unfair clauses in our contracts—without us asking!

Plus, they’ll be providing labor cost support, lowering commission rates, and even paying to renovate all the stores under the new brand!”

“That’s incredible. That must cost hundreds of billions of won.”

Even though this convenience store brand only ranked fourth nationally in store count, that was still a lot of locations.

To invest that much in all of them was astonishing.

“Right? They said stores should be bright, so they’re replacing all the lights with LEDs.

The owners were all stunned — they couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.”

“I believe it.

It sounds unreal. In times like these, such generous terms are rare.”

“Exactly.

They said this year would be lucky for me — and I guess it’s true!

Since you came, Jaekyung, everything’s been going well.

You’re our good-luck charm, so please stay with us for a long time.”

“Haha, I’ll try my best.”

He had no plans to quit, nor any desire to.

Even small steps forward helped keep him from sinking.

“By the way, did you enjoy the movie?”

“Oh, yes!”

The day after receiving his first paycheck, Jaekyung hadn’t actually gone to the movie theater.

Instead, he went to a bookstore, bought a novel, and spent the day reading at a café.

He chose a busy spot in Myeongdong, watching people come and go while enjoying music and coffee — a peaceful break.

Afterward, he returned to help the owner at the store.

He’d thought about depositing his pay right away but decided to keep the cash at home for now.

He felt no urge to spend it — he had no craving for clothes, gadgets, or luxuries.

A trip to Jeju sounded nice, but that would require at least four days off, which wasn’t possible right now.

Still, he planned to take one healing trip someday — maybe after leaving the job.

It didn’t have to be abroad.

The only thing he truly wanted was a car… but he didn’t even have a driver’s license yet.

Growing up, a chauffeur always drove him around, and even after marriage, that didn’t change.

He never thought he’d need one, but now, he was considering joining a driving school next month.

In the end, there was no real reason to spend the money, so he just kept it safely tucked away.

As the days went by, the money would eventually run out — and by then, he’d earn more.

That was life now.

A few days ago, another part-timer had asked to switch shifts for a trip, so Jaekyung agreed to cover for him and took a day off earlier instead.

He used that day to finally watch a movie.

He usually liked romance films, but lately, he’d gotten into action movies.

He watched the most popular superhero movie and finally understood the hype — he even ordered a bunch of related DVDs and was waiting for them to arrive.

He didn’t really have space for them, but… well, it was fine to clutter his home a little.

“So, what movie did you watch?”

“Ah, well…”

It was finally Jaekyung’s turn to talk — he was just about to start when the manager suddenly entered.

Her unexpected arrival made both Jaekyung and the owner stand up at once.

“Oh? Mi-eun.”

“Hello! Sorry to drop in suddenly, but… in about ten minutes, the company’s CEO and executive director will be here.”

“What?”

The owner gasped and rushed out from behind the counter.

“What do you mean?”

“They’re visiting stores today — starting with the ones with the best sales — and yours is on the list.”

“Oh no… What should I do?”

“Just a moment.”

Everything turned chaotic.

From their conversation, Jaekyung gathered that the CEO and executive director of the acquiring company were about to visit this very store.

That meant everything had to be spotless.

Mi-eun quickly surveyed the place and began pointing out things to clean and organize.

Jaekyung rolled up his sleeves and helped her tidy up.

Thankfully, both he and the owner hated clutter, so most of the shelves were already in perfect order.

After about ten minutes of fast-paced cleaning, the store looked pristine.

They all exhaled in relief just as Mi-eun checked her watch again.

“They should be arriving any minute now—oh, they’re here. Just greet them as usual.”

Her voice trembled slightly as she looked toward the door.

Jaekyung and the owner swallowed hard and followed her gaze.

About five people entered the small ten-pyeong store.

“Welcome to Happy Convenience!”

Then, slowly, the man who entered last caught Jaekyung’s eye — or rather, made his heart stop.

That stride…

That suit, hairstyle, the watch on his wrist, the tie…

He turned his head away quickly, afraid their eyes might meet.

No… it can’t be.

He didn’t even need to look.

That scent — the familiar pheromone — it was him.

Han Taeseok.

Jaekyung stumbled backward.

He didn’t have to think — he had to get out of there.

He didn’t know why Han Taeseok was here, but meeting him could only end badly.

A wave of nausea hit him as his head began to pound.

He could feel the man’s pheromones reaching for him, prickling every nerve in his body.

Instinctively, Jaekyung grabbed the owner’s arm for support.