* * *

During the car ride, Beomhyeon wore a dissatisfied expression, but Jungin pretended not to notice, focusing instead on the scenery outside the window.

When the car finally stopped, Jungin turned to him with a bright smile.

“Alright, I’ll be off now!”

“Lee Jungin.”

“Hm?”

Though there were still 15 minutes before his shift started, Jungin was so eager he kept glancing between the clock and the exit.

Letting out a deep sigh, Beomhyeon locked eyes with him and spoke earnestly.

“Be careful. And if anything happens, you know what to do?”

“Of course! I’ll contact you right away. Thanks for the ride. See you later!”

With a quick wave, Jungin turned and walked off.

Beomhyeon leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. It felt like leaving a child by the water’s edge.

“Haa…”

Even though Jungin was out of sight, his figure lingered in Beomhyeon’s mind.

A faint smile crossed his lips as he drove off, calculating how long it would take for Jungin’s shift to end.

---

Thanks to Beomhyeon’s ride, Jungin arrived right on time and took a deep breath.

“You can do this.”

It had been a while since he last worked a part-time job.

Maybe because of that, nerves tingled in his chest.

Lifting his head, Jungin gazed in awe at the fancy exterior of the building.

Wow, so this is where I’ll be working. No wonder they pay so much.

Congratulating himself on landing such a great gig, he chuckled quietly and stepped forward.

Just then, a man holding a file folder in one hand and a coffee in the other called out to him.

“Hey, are you here for the clothing packaging job?”

Realizing he was being addressed, Jungin quickly responded, “Ah, yes! I’m Lee Jungin, starting today!”

He nearly introduced himself by his original name but managed to catch himself in time.

Smiling awkwardly, he was relieved that the man didn’t seem suspicious.

“Think you can handle the work? You look a bit frail.”

The man’s skeptical gaze swept over him, and Jungin inwardly cursed the weak frame of Lee Jungin’s body.

But instead of faltering, he clenched his fists and exclaimed, “I can do it! Just give me a chance!”

“Well, your voice is decent. Alright, follow me.”

---

It turned out the actual workplace was in a separate building around the back.

Unlike the glitzy exterior of the main building, this one looked… unimpressive.

Jungin coughed as dust filled the air the moment he stepped inside.

Covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, he followed the man’s lead into a storage area piled high with clothes.

“These are outfits from shoots. We’ll repackage them for discounted sales,” the man explained.

Jungin stared at the mountain of garments in disbelief. It was going to be a long day.

“Check the tags on the back of the clothes, input the product numbers into the laptop, print new labels, and stick them on. Got it?”

I understood what he meant, but… why had they left it in such a mess?

That’s what I was most curious about.

“When does this need to be finished…?”

Still, as a mere part-timer, stepping out of line on my first day could get me fired.

Deciding to keep quiet, I glanced at the mountain of clothes again and asked the team leader.

“Huh? Isn’t your shift until 12 today?”

“Oh… so, does that mean I need to finish all this by then—”

“Hey, part-timer? When did we hire one? Weren’t we saying no one applied?”

“Hanju, shut up.”

A man wearing a black cap pressed low over his face appeared.

Judging by the way he spoke to the team leader, he must’ve been a regular employee.

Bowing my head slightly in acknowledgment, I watched the team leader hastily silence him and pretended not to notice, quickly turning away.

“Um, I’ll start working now.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Let me know when you’re done.”

“Yes, sir…”

Of course, there had to be a reason why they hired a minor without even bothering with an interview.

I was thrilled about the high hourly wage, but if I really had to finish all this within four hours, the pay seemed justifiable.

Sigh.

Resolving to get it done quickly, I rolled up my sleeves and began sorting through the scattered clothes and plastic.

I threw trash into garbage bags, separated clothes with missing tags from those with intact ones, and my hands started moving faster.

“No wonder none of the clothes are in decent shape, piled up like this…”

Muttering to myself, I coughed lightly despite wearing a mask as fine dust from the clothes reached my nose.

I divided the clothes further into tops, bottoms, and jackets.

“Team leader, this one seems to have better work sense than the previous part-timers.”

“Didn’t he say he’s 19? Apparently, he’s already had a lot of part-time jobs.”

“19? A high school senior? He’s working part-time? Is his family struggling?”

I can hear you. I can hear everything.

Even though they were whispering, their conversation carried clearly to my ears.

Straightening my bent back, I quickly returned to sorting.

Beads of sweat were forming on my forehead before I knew it as I leaned back over the pile of clothes.

Huff. “This is tough.”

It seemed I had underestimated my stamina.

Imagining how my muscles would scream tomorrow, I winced preemptively.

“You’re working hard?”

At that moment, a man walked into the room and spoke to me.

“If it’s too much, want to step out for a smoke break?”

Smoke?

Did I hear that right?

The man was holding a cigarette pack, the kind I often saw when working at a convenience store.

“Ah, I’m a student, so…”

The man chuckled at my response, lighting a cigarette with a casual slouch.

“Come on, these days, all students smoke. If you’re just being polite because of me, don’t worry about it. I started back in middle school.”

“No, really… I’m fine.”

He stared at me for a moment before speaking again, as if curious about my face hidden behind the mask.

“You’ve got really pretty eyes. I bet the rest of your face is good-looking too. Doesn’t the mask bother you? You can take it off if you want.”

His tone had grown more casual.

With a click, the lighter lit his cigarette, and the room filled with smoke.

Indoor smoking—one of the things I despised the most.

His complete lack of consideration made my brows furrow.

On top of that, there were clothes meant for sale here…

“Hm? Not taking the mask off?”

When his hand moved closer to my face, I instinctively took a step back, biting my lip.

Bang!

“Ah, shit, what the hell!”

A loud noise startled both of us, and my eyes widened.

Scowling, the man turned to glare at the tightly shut door, muttering curses under his breath.

“Damn it, this door again.”

Kicking the bent hinge of the stubborn door, he stomped out the cigarette butt on the floor and grumbled.

“I’ve been telling them to fix this piece of crap forever.”

So, the door doesn’t open well?

That must’ve been why they left it propped open.

I’d noticed a brick by the door earlier, wondering what it was for—turns out it was to keep the door ajar.

The man made a phone call, and shortly after, the team leader’s voice echoed from outside the door.

Frustrated, the man banged on the door a few times before walking out, muttering loudly for everyone to hear.

“Damn it. How much longer does Dad expect me to work in this dump?”

Dad?

So, he’s the owner’s son?

No wonder he acted so entitled.

When the team leader asked me to bring the brick back, I quickly grabbed it and watched the man’s retreating figure.

“Be careful with the door, it’s hard to open once it closes.”

“Got it.”

Glancing at the rusty hinges, I turned back toward the room and resumed working.

Once the man was gone, I lost track of time as I focused on the task.

Physical labor had no shortcuts.

I couldn’t remember how many times I bent and straightened my back, but my body was a mess of dust and sweat by the end.

Thud, thud. I gave my aching lower back a couple of pats.

* * *