episode_0019

… … … … …

Yes, I could live off my savings, the extremely cheap rent, and the few groceries left in the new house’s refrigerator, but I couldn’t live off that forever. I was still unemployed, so I had to find a job.

I sat up in bed with a sigh, took out my phone, and opened up a job search app. I scrolled through the screen with my finger, looking at various companies.

I tried to find a regular job, thinking that a stable job would be good, but the reality was harsh. As an orphan with a lack of education, there were almost no regular jobs that I could apply for, let alone pass.

“I guess it won’t work if I just graduated from high school… … ?”

After searching for a while, I finally turned my attention to part-time job postings. I needed to make a little extra money into my meager savings as soon as possible.

But there was a problem here too. Most part-time jobs required physical labor, and it wasn’t easy for me, who was shorter than the average height for a woman and had a thin figure, to find such a job.

… … Well, come to think of it, I barely managed to find a part-time job at a mart.

Thinking back to the past made me even more depressed. I also remembered the manager’s bewildered face when he said, “We’ve already hired all the female part-timers…” during the interview.

As expected, finding a job isn’t easy. A sigh naturally escaped my lips.

“Haa, what on earth can I do… … ?”

At that moment, something like someone’s hand stroked my head. Perhaps it was Mr. Ghost comforting me.

After receiving a brief moment of comfort from Mr. Ghost, I looked at my phone again. My eyes started to hurt after checking dozens of part-time job postings.

At that moment, what suddenly caught my eye was a job posting for assistants working on dimensional gates.

“6 hours a day, 250,000 won a day… … ?!

Oh, insurance payment upon death… … .”

I’ve seen it on the internet. People are dying at the rate of one a week.

I had heard all along that it was very dangerous, but my finger unconsciously moved towards the support button. I felt like I had lost my senses, blinded by the ridiculously high hourly wage.

But at that moment something tapped my phone, and it fell onto the bed.

“Ah… …!?”

I looked around in surprise, but as expected, there was nothing.

I thought for a moment. This must be Ghost-san’s behavior. Ghost-san was against me working part-time as an assistant at the dimensional gate.

“Ahahaha… … I guess this kind of part-time job is a bit like that, right?

My older sister or teacher would probably get angry if they found out… … .”

In the end, I decided to give up on that dangerous part-time job. When I picked up my phone again, I couldn’t see any advertisements related to dimensional gates.

I tilted my head, but for now, finding a job was the most important thing. However, no matter how much I looked, there was no progress in finding a job, and eventually, unable to overcome my frustration, I collapsed on the bed and stared at the light on the ceiling.

“Is there anything I can do… …? I have no stamina, and I’m stupid. I’m always mistaken for a woman—Huh?!”

As I was sinking into a whirlpool of self-deprecation, something like hot breath suddenly blew into my ear. My back arched like a bow in surprise.

“Ahaha, okay, okay. Stop being negative, right? Mr. Ghost is being mean too――

Well, still… …thank you.”

I thanked Ghost for keeping me from sinking into depression, then picked up my phone again and started scrolling through job sites.

But even though I had changed my mind to be positive, reality did not change. I couldn’t find any suitable job openings and I didn’t get much out of it until I went to sleep.

… … … … …

Seo Yu-ryeong released her powers and sat quietly on the edge of the bed. Ga-eul was already in a deep sleep.

She carefully reached out and stroked Autumn’s soft hair.

“Soft and fragrant… … .”

Seo Yu-ryeong was also slightly surprised to hear her own voice after such a long time, but quickly calmed down. The results of the test conducted over the past few days showed that Ga-eul never wakes up when she falls asleep. Perhaps Lee Seo-yeon did something.

Thinking about it made my teeth grind with rising anger, but now, Lee Seo-yeon’s tricks were actually helping Seo Yu-ryeong.

That fact sent a chill down Seo Yu-ryeong’s spine, giving her a sense of superiority.

… … No, now is not the time to think about that. I should focus on Gaeul. Seo Yu-ryeong looked at Gaeul once more.

“Hee, heehee… … .”

Seo Yu-ryeong, who had been watching Autumn Seed every minute and every second, now knew everything about him. Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Seo Yu-ryeong quietly took out her cell phone. It was time to log into the SNS account she had created with a tin can account and write a diary.

[The kid was so cute today too. He was especially cute when he was sleeping.

[I have a habit of kicking off the blanket and sleeping… … Oh, I kicked it off again. Every time that happens, I gently cover myself with the blanket again.]

[Whenever that kid sleepily says things like “Sister… … ” or “Teacher… … ”, I get a really strange feeling.

I get angry, and I feel ashamed of myself for getting angry… … .

Thanks to that, I’ve been biting my nails a lot at night lately, but now I’m feeling a little better because I often sleep talk like “Ghost-ssi… … .”.]

[When he wakes up in the morning, he opens one eye slightly and rubs it. When I see him doing that, I can’t help but smile. In particular, when he scratches his head and yawns, his fangs are so cute.]

[That child’s food intake is a bit too much for his size. No matter how cute he is like a girl, is that because he is a boy?

When eating, it puffs out its cheeks like a hamster and eats. When I first saw it, it was so cute that I forgot to breathe.]

[And the most recent special event was… …I gave her a fruit basket. She was so happy, she even came home and told me how much she enjoyed it.

This is clear evidence that there is a fateful bond between us.]

[I shower thoroughly. Actually, I like the smell of that child, so it’s a bit disappointing… … But it’s good to be clean.

But sometimes I think, what if I just forget to shower and fall asleep… … .]

[It’s admirable how hard you’re trying to find a job. But, the truth is… … I wish I could just live in this house for the rest of my life without doing anything.

But when I see that child trying so hard, I feel ashamed of myself for thinking such things. I guess it would be better to cheer him on… … .]

[Before going to bed today, I was stroking his head, and he unconsciously rubbed his cheek against my hand. It really felt like my heart was going to burst.]

Seo Yu-ryeong wrote for a long time. She recorded every single thing she did with Ga-eul, who was practically her live-in partner. Her habits, her facial expressions, her speech, and even the order in which she dressed.

After finishing writing, she began to feel tired. Observing and protecting someone 24 hours a day was much harder than she had thought.

“Just a little bit… …Should I close my eyes for a bit?”

Seo Yu-ryeong rubbed her tired eyes and carefully laid down next to Ga-eul. Listening to her roommate’s breathing, she slowly closed her eyes.

And, at the same time, in the office of the president of the Awakened Ones Association.

“… … In the end, this woman is really crazy.

What on earth should I do… … .”

The president of the association, who had read all the new posts on Seo Yu-ryeong’s anonymous SNS account, which was filled with gloom and gloomyness, pressed his fingers against his throbbing head.

… … … … …

A few days passed, but my situation did not improve at all.

My job search was still unsuccessful, and although I occasionally asked the association president, all I got was the reply that it would take more time for Seoyeon to return.

As I became more and more anxious, I started looking at notices that I would have passed over before.

Then, I discovered one notice that particularly stood out among the recommended notices.

I looked into it because it didn’t look like the kind of job posting that would be recommended, and the hourly wage, working hours, and salary system were all strange. The store’s name was ‘After Thinking About It’.

“… … … It’s just a hole-in-the-wall store, right?”

I searched the Internet, but there wasn’t much information. I didn’t really feel like it, but I couldn’t just stay at home like that.

“Okay, let’s go and try it.

… … Mr. Ghost, I’ll be back! ”

I left the house, seeing off Mr. Ghost – although it was actually a little strange that there was no response today.

When I arrived at the store about an hour later, I was greeted by a woman wearing a bear hoodie.

“Welcome――Hey, what brings a cute girl to a place like this?”

She was incredibly impressive from the moment I first saw her.

First of all, her height stood out. She was a head taller than me. She seemed taller than Teacher Wol-hee, and even Seo-yeon. However, her height did not seem intimidating. If anything, it gave her a warm feeling.

And her ample breasts, clearly visible even under her baggy clothes, caught my eye. Next, I noticed her cute bear hoodie. It matched well with her kind and comfortable smile.

Her brown eyes were charming, though hidden behind her squint, and her brown hair, the same as her eyes, was barely visible under her hood.

“Oh, I… …I’m a man, and I came for an interview after seeing the job posting.”

“Oh my, is that so――?

So… … how does a bear eat an apple?”