episode_0020

… … … … …

“… … … Yes?”

How does a bear eat an apple? Even the most mischievous interviewer has never asked such an absurd question. I had no idea what the question was.

“Uh, um. I, that’s… … .

Wow wow… … … Is that right?”

“Yeah, I see――”

She nodded slightly as she answered, and seemed lost in thought as she watched me hesitantly answer.

After a while, she nodded slowly and spoke to me.

“Come in first. Shall we talk slowly―?”

“Oh, yes!”

A woman wearing a bear hoodie smiled softly and guided me into the store.

As we entered the room with the small round table and chairs, she poured something from the kettle. The table was small, so it almost felt like she was sitting next to me.

“It’s honey tea――. It makes me feel at ease.”

“, thank you… … .”

As I accepted the warm tea she had recommended, I felt a sense of relaxation. She handed me the tea and slowly sat down, saying:

“My name is Yoon Ha-neul. So, what brought you here?

If you have time, I’d be happy to talk to you leisurely――”

“… … I recently lost my job, so I started looking for another job… … .”

“I see. Since you said you lost your job, I guess it was an unwanted unemployment―?”

“Ah, yes. That, that was on the news. The supermarket terrorist incident. I got caught up in that… … .

The contract was unilaterally terminated between my hospitalization and discharge.”

“Ah, that job… … must have been really hard.”

Sky… … The CEO’s voice was filled with genuine concern.

“Ahaha, yes. But I’m all better now.”

As I answered with a smile, the Sky President nodded quietly. Her… … her, large breasts rose and fell greatly under her hoodie due to her nod.

“That’s fortunate. But… …How were you doing before that incident?”

She gently led the conversation. Guided by her clear voice, I noticed that she was naturally talking about the past.

“Before I got cut, I worked part-time at a mart. I wasn’t very good at it, and it wasn’t something I liked, but… … .”

“I see. Was there a reason you started working at the mart―?”

The Sky CEO slowly took a sip of honey tea and looked at me.

“Um… …Actually, I’m an orphan, so I’m not very educated. So my options were limited. I applied to any mart part-time job I could find and got it.”

“Ah… …So you lived alone since you were young?”

“No. I lived with my sister. Recently… … .”

Thinking of my sister who was struggling beyond the dimensional gate, I suddenly had no words. Then, President Sky patted my shoulder. I could feel her affectionate feelings through her touch.

“It’s okay. If it’s hard to say, you don’t have to.”

There was a moment of silence, and then the Sky President opened her mouth again. The faint smile on her lips deepened.

“How are you doing now―?”

“… … I live alone. So I really need a job.”

As for the ghost story… … I guess it’s better not to tell it. After hearing what I said, the Sky President became lost in thought.

“Then how about working at our store?”

At her words, I looked up in surprise. The gentle yet beautiful face of the Heavenly President filled my vision.

“Me, really?!”

“Of course. I think you are the person we need for our store.”

The Sky Boss answered with a smile, a smile that looked even cuter when paired with her bear hoodie.

“Thank you! I will work hard!”

“Okay. Then let’s start from today.”

“Oh, yes!”

Looking at the very kind Sky CEO, I felt a strange sense of relief. It seemed like it would be a really good choice to take the hand that this big, warm woman offered.

… … … … …

“Okay, let me tell you about the working conditions―”

The Sky CEO opened his mouth with a smile.

“Working days are flexible, and the pay is daily. Hourly wages――What is the minimum wage now?

Oh, it’s around ten thousand won. Then I’ll pay you 50% more than the minimum wage in cash.

Working hours are from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but if necessary, you can come a little later. ”

“Yes, yes… … ?!”

When I heard her ridiculously generous terms, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Really… …Can you do it to this extent… …?!”

The Sky President nodded, smiling brightly, just like her name.

“Of course. I’m the boss, and I felt like you deserved to be treated that way.”

“… … thank you!”

I bowed to the Sky Boss with gratitude for his hospitality, but I was actually a little skeptical that I was worth it. Could I really get my money’s worth at this store?

“No need to thank me――Anyway, shall we get started now?”

The Sky Boss slowly got up and led me towards the stall.

“Your job is simple. Guard this stand… …and when a customer comes, let me know.”

This time, I was once again taken aback by the words of the Sky CEO. The content of the instructions was so vague.

“I… …Boss, is there anything else I can do? Like cleaning, or organizing things… … .”

But the Sky President just shook his head slightly.

“It’s okay――. Just do that for now. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Ah, yes… … .”

As she said, I decided to stay in front of the stall for a while. But after about two hours, I started to notice something strange.

First of all, the only customers were the occasional people who came to buy cigarettes, and even those were few and far between.

And, except for a small quantity of cigarettes, the other items in the store seemed to have been brought in just to fill out the assortment.

How on earth does a store like this survive, and where does it get the money to pay my daily wages?

I had my doubts, but of course I couldn’t ask him directly about such a sensitive issue. In the end, all I could do was sit blankly in front of the stall.

At that moment, I felt something warm, heavy, and soft pressing against my head from behind.

“If you’re bored, you can look at your phone, right――?

You still haven’t seen it? You’re really sincere, aren’t you? ”

The identity of the round sphere pressing on my head was the Sky President. And since I could naturally guess what body part that round sphere was, I opened my mouth and couldn’t answer properly.

“Wow, wow, waaa… … … .”

Seeing me like that, President Sky smiled warmly. Her warm breath tickled my ear.

“Oh my――Are you embarrassed? Come on, let’s just relax together. It doesn’t look like there will be any more guests today――”

“Ah, uh, uh… … Yeah, yeah… … .”

I was carried into the hole-in-the-wall store by the scary-soft body of the Sky CEO.

Beyond the sliding door there was a room that seemed to belong to the CEO, with a wall-mounted TV and an enormous bear-shaped cushion in the corner.

“Spending time here――”

The Sky Boss sat down on the bear cushion first, and then gently pulled me into her arms. I was held in her soft embrace, nestled like a little teddy bear.

“Okay, here’s a snack――”

The table she had prepared in advance contained pancakes and warm tea that looked like something you would find in an old-fashioned confectionery shop.

“Oh, thank you… … .”

The fragrant aroma of the pancake and the subtle scent of the tea tickled my nose. The Heavenly President personally put the pancake in my mouth, and although I was embarrassed, I had no choice but to carefully take it.

“It’s delicious.”

The CEO nodded with a satisfied expression and turned on the TV.

I wondered if this was okay since I was getting paid to do this, but I couldn’t go against my boss. In the end, I was completely wrapped in her arms, leaning against the giant bear cushion and starting to watch TV.

It’s like being hugged by a bear doll.

As I was enveloped in her sweet scent and had strange thoughts, I began to feel more and more drowsy. The sound of her heartbeat sounded like a lullaby, and soon my eyelids began to grow heavy.

It was a peaceful moment, as if time had stopped. The sound coming from the TV was getting farther and farther away, and I was completely falling asleep, embraced in this warm embrace.

Then, suddenly, a loud noise was heard.

“Hello! I’m here for an interview!”

I opened my eyes in surprise at the sound. For a moment, I was confused as to where I was.

“Uh, yeah… … ?”

After seeing the giant bear cushion, I realized that this was ‘Thinking Hard’ and tried to escape from the arms of the Sky Boss, but she was already gone.

Looking outside through the glass of the sliding door – it seemed to be a special type of glass that did not allow the inside of the room to be seen from the outside – I saw three men standing at the entrance of the store.

They were very tall and thin, one of them had scales that shone in the light, and they all had sharp eyes looking around.

Even though they were the kind of customers who would make your stomach churn if you just ran into them on the street at night, President Haneul was chatting with them peacefully.