They Became the Big Players Among the Hako VTubers - Chapter 19
Rainy Day, Crazy People - 1“!”
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Aki woke up dazedly in bed.
The convenience store break room was utterly silent.
The TV left on was quietly broadcasting the early morning Saturday news.
– Good morning, viewers. It’s 6 AM on Saturday, and here’s the news…
Her dazed mind slowly cleared.
Chirp chirp
An unidentified bird flew past outside the window.
The dim sky was quietly brightening.
Someone jogging along the Han River came into view.
“…”
‘I must’ve fallen asleep right after the meeting ended on Friday, since I was broadcasting until 1 AM… And even though the bell rings if a customer comes in here, not a single one showed up, huh?’
Well,
this place was always like this.
It just felt comfortable now.
Aki stretched.
“Mmm…”
She rubbed her face vigorously against the bed.
It didn’t sting since she wasn’t wearing any makeup.
Then, she tossed aside the blanket and got up.
“Gotta wash my face…”
As she stood,
The baseball cap she’d left beside the bed fell with a thud.
“!”
She hurriedly picked it up and dusted it off.
Then, she rummaged through her backpack for her toiletries while checking the charging status of her electronics on the desk.
‘Phone’s fully charged, and no messages… Everyone must still be asleep.’
She pulled out her toiletries and headed to the bathroom inside the break room.
The walls and floor were neatly tiled in white.
The bidet-equipped toilet was incomparable to what she’d used before.
‘…It’s so convenient not having to go to the public restroom outside. The old bathroom was so awful I didn’t even want to go in.’
Taking off her outerwear,
She closed the bathroom door.
A short while later,
Aki emerged looking much fresher.
With a relieved sigh, she pressed the button on the coffee pot.
A fragrant brew filled her mug.
Rustle—
A leftover sandwich.
The perfect breakfast for a convenience store part-timer.
“Mmm…”
Aki began her meal in the quiet break room.
The tuna salad sandwich paired well with the warm coffee.
“…”
It was quiet.
A peaceful silence that felt almost too comforting.
In this tranquility, she felt herself recovering.
‘This feeling is so unfamiliar—I’ve never experienced anything like it.’
The orphanage in Japan,
Her brief trainee days,
And even the ABCD dorm…
None of those places had silence just for her.
Everywhere, she had to live alongside others.
…Until the store manager prepared this place for her.
‘Who would’ve thought a money-making convenience store would turn into a space like this?’
She glanced around.
Like a business hotel, everything she needed was neatly arranged.
The bathroom and sink completed the space.
The amenities were incredibly convenient.
‘The soundproofing’s amazing, I can see outside through the CCTV, and the door locks securely…’
Here, Aki felt whole.
She could maintain her solitude in any part of the room.
And the manager had given his permission.
-Just come in and use the break room whenever you want to relax alone. I’ll keep it open for you. Feel free to lock the door and make yourself comfortable.
“I really do want to come here often to unwind.”
A space where she could truly rest alone.
Honestly, how much would it cost to rent a place like this elsewhere?
50,000 won a day? 100,000 won?
Aki was practically getting paid to use it while working part-time.
‘My income from ABCD activities isn’t stable yet… and I don’t want to spend the money Big Man gave me right away…’
The more she thought about it,
The more she wanted to stay here on weekends.
“…”
Somewhere in Seoul,
There was a space just for her.
She wanted to savor that.
‘Come to think of it, the manager hasn’t come in here even once since the first day. Whenever he comes back from somewhere, he just goes straight up to the rooftop room.’
Just as that thought crossed her mind,
A strange sound came from outside the window.
Boing
Boing
Boing
“!”
Aki hurried to the window.
Peering down from the second floor,
she saw exactly who she expected.
Manager Seonwoo Taek was enthusiastically bouncing on a Sky Kong Kong.
With an indifferent expression, he gazed at the sky while riding the strange vehicle around in front of the store.
Boing
Boing
Boing
Aki burst out laughing at the sight.
“Pfft—ahahaha!”
Such a weird guy.
He did the strangest things with a completely serious face.
Yet he was always sincere and polite.
His consideration for her was evident in every breath he took.
Relax, stay here as long as you like.
His entire being seemed to say it.
“…”
Part of what made this space so comforting
was his attitude.
“…Hehe.”
Aki slid the second-floor window open with a clatter and waved, calling out to him.
He never looked her way unless she called first.
“Manager—!”
“!”
Seonwoo Taek, mid-bounce, swiftly turned his head.
He nodded indifferently.
Aki spoke to him.
“I’m heading home for a bit! See you tonight—!”
“…”
Home and work.
Main job and side job.
Manager and part-timer.
That wasn’t the vibe, though.
She just wanted to say she’d see him again.
That was all.
“…”
Seonwoo Taek replied nonchalantly.
“Take an umbrella when you go out tonight. It’s going to rain. I left one by the front door on the first floor.”
“Huh? But it’s so clear right now?”
“Just… take it. You’ll catch a cold.”
“…?”
And with that, he embarked on a distant journey atop his Sky Kong Kong.
He blended indifferently into the crowd of joggers.
Boing
Boing
Boing
“?”
Aki tilted her head as she watched his retreating figure.
‘Wait, is he not running the store…? Where exactly is he going?’
“…”
Still…
she should take the umbrella just in case.
*
After returning from his distant journey,
When he was back at the convenience store,
The rain began to fall.
Swoosh—
The evening sunset vanished,
Replaced by dark storm clouds ruthlessly ushering in the night.
“…”
I sat blankly outside.
Since I’d already opened the parasol over the outdoor table, the rain didn’t reach me.
The sudden downpour was just another ordinary occurrence in my life.
Swoosh—
The scent of rain-soaked grass filled the air.
The first Saturday evening of June.
This day always ended with unexpected rain.
In one regression, I’d even become an umbrella seller—today was one of those especially profitable days.
“…”
Truthfully,
The bigger question was whether Ayoung would believe me.
Who else but a regressor would know the sunny weather would turn like this?
‘Even if I tell her the truth, believing it is up to her.’
I could predict sudden rain,
but human hearts were beyond me.
Ayoung might impulsively toss the umbrella aside on her way here.
Or she might be sulking, reluctant to come to work.
‘…Should I just text her to take the day off because of the rain?’
Maybe.
Let her quit the part-time job and focus on her main career…
“…”
I quietly pulled out my phone.
Just as I was about to send the message—
“Manager!”
“!”
I turned toward the voice.
A-young was walking toward me, holding the yellow umbrella I’d given her earlier.
Even in the darkness, her blonde hair shimmered brightly.
As she adjusted her backpack, she said,
“It really started raining all of a sudden? How did you know? The forecast said it’d be sunny all day.”
“Just a hunch. It felt like it would. I just got back myself.”
“That’s amazing. Were you bouncing around on that thing all evening…?”
“You brought the umbrella, I see.”
“Huh? Of course. You gave it to me.”
“…”
I replied,
“…I see.”
“Yeah.”
Ayoung nodded.
Then, she folded the yellow umbrella and went inside.
Moments later, she reappeared wearing her convenience store vest.
“…”
She stood in front of the counter, smoothing out her vest before giving it a few pats.
She examined it carefully.
‘It’s just a part-time job vest, but she’s so meticulous.’
Finally satisfied with her outfit, she approached me.
“Manager.”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“…?”
“Riding that… Kong Kong thing all day…”
“Oh, I’m fine. I’m a seasoned pro.”
“There are pros at Kong Kong?”
“Of course. I learned from a hermit master for a while.”
“A her…mit?”
“A hermit—someone who lives in seclusion. It means an extraordinary person who stays hidden.”
“Ohh… Like you, Manager?”
“…”
A hermit, huh.
Maybe she was right.
‘…I’m hiding because of the regression, so I guess that counts as seclusion. And I’m living under the weight of strange thoughts, so I’m definitely an odd person.’
Ayoung’s insight was sharper than I expected.
“Manager.”
“Yeah?”
“…”
After calling out to me,
A-young hesitated beside the outdoor table.
“…”
“…”
Swoosh—
The sound of rain filled the air.
Plip plop.
Raindrops fell from the store’s awning.
For a while,
We just listened to the sound.
Finally, A-young spoke.
“Aren’t you going to take a break?”
“…?”
Hmm.
This felt like asking someone already standing, ‘Aren’t you going to get up?’
But Ayoung wasn’t the type to be difficult, so she must’ve had something else in mind.
“…”
I thought for a moment.
“…Ah.”
I think I got it.
‘Well, if the manager just sits here blankly, it probably feels like surveillance. The Big Plan starts next week, so she needs time to recover mentally too.’
Oops.
I’d been inconsiderate.
I quietly got up.
“Then I’ll head home. Ayoung, just lock up and relax in the second-floor break room. No customers are coming in this rain anyway.”
“Huh? Oh, well…”
“?”
Ayoung seemed flustered—apparently not the answer she wanted.
“Um, well. It’s just…”
“…”
“Manager, aren’t you going to rest in the break room?”
“…?”
I shook my head.
“I already have a home. The rooftop room.”
“Then…”
“?”
“Then why is the second-floor break room…?”
“It was here before I became manager, and you were here first. That’s your space.”
“…”
Ayoung crossed her arms behind her back and lightly kicked the ground.
Tiny droplets splashed from the puddle, scattering like distant lights.
Hesitantly, she said,
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I brushed off my pants.
They’d gotten slightly damp without me noticing.
“I’ll head up now.”
“W-wait!”
“?”
“Um.”
“…”
“Umm…”
“Want to… take a break together?”
“Huh?”
“Ah, no, I mean…”
Ayoung fidgeted with her baseball cap, adjusting it unnecessarily.
Then, rolling her eyes, she cautiously added,
“It’s just… using it all by myself is nice, but…”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be better if… you rested too, Manager?”
“…”
Hmm.
“…”
“…”
Swoosh—
I said,
“Since it’s raining, want to eat some pajeon?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s take a break and eat together.”
“!”
Ayoung nodded eagerly.
A short while later,
We sat side by side at the outdoor table.
With the rain as our background music,
We began cooking our late-night snack.
Sizzle—
On the portable gas burner,
A crispy, golden pajeon came to life.
Ayoung took a bite and was surprised.
“Wow… this is really, really good.”
“Yeah? Well, I used to run a restaurant.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, back in Jeju.”
“Whoa. That’s so cool.”
“It was nice. The breeze was refreshing, and the people who passed by were unexpectedly kind. They’d sit at a struggling restaurant and order just one pajeon before leaving.”
“But…”
“?”
“Why… didn’t you keep doing it?”
“…”
I quietly flipped the pajeon.
“…Circumstances.”
“Ah.”
A-young quickly bowed her head.
“Sorry.”
“No, I opened another one soon after.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I remembered the location, the techniques, and I was confident I could do even better this time.”
“Wow.”
“But…”
“?”
“It didn’t feel the same.”
“The same?”
That first freshness.
The joy of unexpected encounters.
The slow growth of familiarity.
“…That feeling. It just wasn’t there anymore. Same place, same restaurant, same people.”
“…”
“So I closed it.”
“I see.”
We ate the pajeon.
Since we weren’t drinking, it disappeared quickly.
Ayoung and I sat blankly at the outdoor table.
The sound of rain was familiar,
And the pajeon tasted the same.
But.
Somehow, this scene felt new.
“…”
“…”
Suddenly, I spoke.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Setting up a tent here would be fun.”
“…?”
“Let’s go camping.”
“Camp…ing?”