Chapter 10: Crime City (5)

‘Tomorrow’s sun will rise tomorrow,’ someone once said.

And just like that, even after getting caught up in something unexpected, my daily life continued as usual.

An accident was an accident, but reality was still reality.

I still had things to take care of.

Because I needed money—money to buy food, something to drink, and to pay the utility bills.

So, as always, I showed up for my part-time job today.

“Hello, boss.”

“Hey, Eve! Welcome!”

My boss greeted me with the same bright smile as always.

We hadn’t known each other long, but in a city this cold and lifeless, her warmth felt almost unreal.

She treated me like a human being, never scolding me even when I made mistakes.

Instead, she would kindly teach me what to do, one step at a time.

She was thoughtful in so many ways.

One time, I mentioned I didn’t have anything to eat at home after work, and she actually made a fresh pizza for me to take home.

‘She’s such a good person.’

Thanks to her, adjusting to life in this city was so much easier.

Coming in for work even felt like a form of therapy.

Honestly, today was no different.

After the recent incident, a part of me wanted to rest a bit.

And with the boss being so understanding, she probably would’ve given me a few days off if I asked.

But that was exactly why I felt reluctant.

I didn’t want to disappoint someone so kind, and it hadn’t been that long since I started working here.

I couldn’t just take a break already.

‘It’s not like I’m physically injured or anything.’

More than that, I didn’t want to tell anyone about what happened.

It left a bad taste in my mouth.

A broad daylight shootout between a security company and a gang was bound to have some messy backstory.

In the original game, events like that often led to branching quests.

They were always more complicated than they looked.

If word got out—even by accident—that I was somehow involved, things could spiral out of control.

So I figured it was best to keep quiet about being there at all.

That’s why I showed up to my part-time job at the pizza place like nothing happened.

I stood behind the counter, staring blankly out the glass window.

“…….”

The pedestrians outside, walking in twos and threes, looked too peaceful to believe that just a few blocks away, dozens of people had been gunned down in a shootout.

If something like that happened in Korea, the area would’ve emptied out immediately.

It’d be a ghost town for months.

But right now, what I saw was completely normal people and a perfectly mundane atmosphere.

That disconnect kept reminding me: I really was in another world.

“Sigh…”

A sigh slipped out before I knew it.

‘This place isn’t where I belong.’

Living here day to day was nothing like playing a game for fun.

In this city, even the smallest decision could save or kill someone.

That someone included me.

Just a few days ago, I learned that the hard way.

Which only made me want to return to my original world even more.

Lost in thought, I heard a voice from the kitchen.

“Eve~ Order 268, two Supremes and one Cheese are up! Delivery!”

“Got it! I’ll send it out right away!”

Regardless of how I felt, I had work to do.

I grabbed the pizza boxes and stepped outside.

I opened the lid of a nearby delivery drone and entered the order number.

With a quiet bzzzz, the drone took off and flew toward its destination.

I watched it buzz away into the sky, then went back inside.

As you can see, I’d gotten pretty used to the job by now.

It wasn’t particularly difficult to begin with.

The boss handled most of the cooking.

I only helped in the kitchen during busy hours; otherwise, I mostly worked at the counter.

But even that didn’t involve much customer interaction.

Not because business was bad—but because most orders were for delivery, and handled by drones.

So my job was mostly just putting pizzas into drones and tapping in numbers. At first, I fumbled with the sudden rush of orders, but now it was basically just a series of button presses.

‘All thanks to Kyla for introducing me to this cushy job—and to the boss for hiring me right away. I owe them a prayer.’

Really, I was lucky to meet such good people.

Amid all the chaos since falling into this world, this part felt like a blessing.

Like that, the job was usually easy.

But occasionally… annoying things happened.

And I had a bad feeling now.

I’d seen something outside the window that gave me a bad vibe—and sure enough.

Creak—the door opened. Ugh. That guy again.

I frowned without thinking. Let out a deep sigh.

“Welcome.”

“Ooh, look at my cutie working hard again today.”

That sleazy tone, the tight t-shirt and torn jeans.

The artificial muscles puffed up with cheap implants, the garish tattoos on his arms, his hair dyed in wild colors… He was the textbook definition of a street punk from the back alleys of Omega Detroit.

He leaned on the counter, eyes raking up and down my body.

That greasy gaze made my stomach turn.

The old me would’ve just brushed him off like ‘what a creep,’ but now I knew how this body looked to others.

Which meant I knew exactly what that look in his eyes meant.

Please, just say your piece and go.

“Welcome. May I take your order?”

I kept my voice as neutral and businesslike as I could, pointing to the menu and avoiding his eyes.

But he just smirked and kept talking.

“Order? Sure. But hey, Eve, you look extra cute today. You don’t have a boyfriend, do you? Wanna hang out after your shift…?”

“Large Pepperoni Pizza, to-go.”

I cut him off immediately.

I didn’t want to hear another word—calling me by name just because he saw my badge, that slimy tone—enough.

Even if my appearance had changed, I was still me.

Being flirted with by some creepy dude made my skin crawl.

Especially this type—I couldn’t even stand them as acquaintances, let alone something more.

I straight-up hated people like him.

He probably noticed the clear disgust on my face, but just grinned wider.

“Feisty, huh? That’s hot too.”

Even after ordering, he didn’t leave.

He loitered near the counter, staring at me as I worked.

Whether I was folding boxes or grabbing drinks, his eyes stuck to me like glue.

It was a kind of discomfort I’d never felt before—enough to choke me.

My skin crawled from the weight of his stare.

“You’ve got such pretty hands. I bet pizza handed over by those hands tastes amazing.”

I wasn’t even the one cooking.

I said nothing and just waited for the pizza to come out.

“…Your order’s ready. That’ll be 28 credit dollars.”

I held out the box, avoiding eye contact as much as possible.

But then he reached out—not for the pizza, but to grab my wrist.

Startled, I yanked my hand back.

My heart pounded in my chest.

“Jeez, don’t be so uptight. You really hate me that much?”

“Sir, please don’t do that. And please pay for your order.”

He stared at my stern face for a second, then smirked and threw some bills on the counter.

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave for today. But don’t miss me too much—I’ll be back tomorrow, cutie.”

With a wink, he took the pizza and walked out.

Ding-ling—

As the door shut behind him, I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

“…Ugh.”

Drooling over my appearance without knowing the first thing about who I really was.

It wasn’t fear or helplessness, really… more like—yeah, rage.

‘If only he wasn’t a customer.’

Just then, the boss came out from the kitchen.

“Eve, something happen?”

She was wiping her hands on her apron, concern written all over her face.

I must’ve looked pretty rattled.

“That customer was weird, right? If he comes back and starts being a creep again, just call me, okay? I’ll give him a piece of my mind!”

She raised a tiny fist, looking both fierce and adorably worried.

“No, it’s okay. Really. It wasn’t a big deal.”

I waved her off with a forced smile.

Truthfully, she didn’t have the kind of scary aura to drive off creeps like him.

She looked more like a soft, fluffy puppy.

If he had seen her instead of me, he probably would’ve targeted her instead—and that thought alone made my skin crawl.

‘Honestly, it wasn’t even that bad.’

If I really was a fragile little girl like I looked, maybe I would’ve clung to the boss in fear. But I wasn’t.

His behavior was gross and disgusting—but not traumatic.

It just pissed me off.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You still look a little pale…”

“Yes, really! I think I’m just a bit tired.”

I forced another bright smile.

She studied me for a bit longer but eventually nodded and went back to the kitchen.

---

Finally, the end of my shift.

The once-bustling streets were now quiet, neon signs glowing softly in the evening dusk.

As I walked home, the tension slowly drained out of me—and fatigue set in.

At least tomorrow was the weekend.

The thought of resting in my room lifted my spirits a bit.

That was when I heard it—that familiar, unpleasant voice behind me.

“Well well, cutie! Fancy seeing you here. It must be fate, don’t you think?”

…Perfect. Of course I had to walk into a quiet alley right now.

I turned around. Yep—there he was again, same sleazy grin as earlier.

“What a coincidence. I was just getting off work. You too, huh? Wanna hang out?”

“I don’t need anything from you.”

I replied coldly and firmly.

This wasn’t the shop anymore.

I didn’t have to treat him like a customer.

His expression stiffened.

The smirk vanished, replaced by a face full of hostility and anger.

“…F***, acting like you’re too good for me.”

His tone was laced with naked malice.

“Acting all stuck-up like you’re some kind of princess from the top of a skyscraper?”

He stepped closer, spitting on the ground.

The reek of cheap cologne and alcohol hit me like a wave.

“You know where you are, right? There aren’t even any CCTVs here, b***h.”

His eyes gleamed.

“Scream all you want—no one’s coming. Doesn’t matter what I do to you. No one’s gonna stop me.”

With that, he reached forward, trying to block my path with his arm.

Only a step or two away now.

There was nowhere left to run.

Looking him in the eyes, I whispered calmly.

“Please… don’t kill him.”

“What?”

At that moment, a hand emerged from the shadows—grabbing the thug’s shoulder and crushing it.

Crunch—!