“Nyam nyam…”
Bora was sitting and holding Hana. Hana loved taking naps in the sunlight during lunchtime. It was definitely peculiar how she could fall asleep in such bright sunlight.
Sometimes she would talk in her sleep, occasionally in some unknown language she used to speak.
“I want to go home…”
Bora’s hand, which had been stroking Hana’s head, paused. She didn’t know where Hana’s home was, but hearing her talk like this made her think it must have been a cozy and warm place.
She had no idea how Hana ended up falling through the gate, but thankfully, she was quickly found inside the gate and didn’t get hurt by any monsters. Hana’s physical abilities were so weak that even facing a simple goblin would have been life-threatening.
“I also want… to drink soju…”
Bora’s hand stopped again. She had never given Hana alcohol, so why was she talking about it? Could it be that the department head drank in front of her?
Considering Hana’s age, alcohol was way too early. She looked exactly like an elementary school student.
As Bora pondered who might have shown Hana alcohol, she continued to stroke Hana’s head. Holding Hana gave her a refreshing feeling, like the crisp scent of fresh air.
It felt like breathing after eating a hundred throat lozenges. Bora lost track of time as she held and stroked Hana.
———————————————
“Ugh…”
It seemed like she had a sweet dream. She had taken a nap and ended up sleeping a bit too long. Maybe because it was winter, the sun had already set outside.
“Ahhh!”
She stretched her whole body, her short legs shooting up into the air. She wished her legs would grow longer, but her height didn’t seem to care about her wishes.
“Ugh!”
She punched her innocent knees. Maybe stimulating her growth plates would make her taller?
She got up from the bed and turned on the computer, as usual. Her daily life was pretty repetitive. Wake up, study, and then relax by using the computer.
That was it. If she got hungry, she’d go to the restaurant. She figured she’d keep this routine until she entered elementary school next year. She was basically a jobless bum.
By the way, she had already been to the military, and now she was going back to elementary school? It felt like something out of a regression novel. It was like she was on her second round of elementary school. And that was the truth.
Every day, she struggled with what to do with the little kids. Even a 5-year age gap felt like a generation difference, but in her case, it was almost 15 years. To the kids, she was practically a grandpa.
So, today again, she had to do some adaptation training to survive elementary school. She turned on NewTube and played a video of the Little Magician Lumi. To get along with the kids, sharing hobbies was essential. It definitely wasn’t because she wanted to watch it herself.
As she watched the video, she went to her secret box to grab some snacks. This box, hidden in a corner, was filled with her favorite snacks.
But the snack box was empty.
“Ugh…”
Disappointed, she opened the small fridge next to her. She was hoping to drink some refreshing cola, but the fridge was empty too.
“Ugh…”
Now her perfect plan of watching Little Magician Lumi while munching on salty snacks and sipping sweet drinks was ruined. She stomped her feet and paced around the room.
Should she call Bora? But she was an adult now… She didn’t need to rely on another adult for help. Buying snacks and drinks was something she could do on her own.
She grabbed the check card Bora had given her and set off on an adventure. Bora had given her the card to buy whatever she wanted.
There was a convenience store inside the building, so that’s where she headed. She opened the door and looked around the hallway. The hallway was empty. Seeing the light seeping out from the offices, she felt drawn to it.
But when she peeked inside, everyone was focused on their work. It felt like she’d be bothering them over something trivial, so she just walked past and headed to the elevator.
She stood on her tiptoes to press the elevator’s down button. It was a relief she could reach it. If she couldn’t, her adventure would have ended before it even started.
When the elevator doors opened, a few people were inside. She quickly got in. It felt like people were staring at her, but she was too focused on the snacks and drinks she was going to buy at the convenience store.
Ding!
As the elevator doors opened, she swiftly moved. Her target was the convenience store inside the building.
The automatic doors of the convenience store opened, revealing a panorama of various items.
Usually, Bora or someone else would…
Since Boss Se-young and Boss Se-hee brought snacks, they haven’t been coming to the convenience store at all. Not that it mattered, since we were already overflowing with snacks.
The countless snacks displayed on the shelves caught my eye. And with all the various beverages, this place was heaven.
“Welcome~”
Ignoring the convenience store lady’s greeting, I grabbed a large basket. I headed straight to the snack aisle and literally swept the snacks into my basket.
For the snacks out of reach, I jumped to grab them.
“Oops!”
But I must’ve misjudged my strength because the snack bags from the higher shelves came tumbling down. I quickly glanced around and put them back in place. The contents inside were definitely crushed from the fall earlier.
I sneakily looked at the convenience store lady, but she was busy with something else and didn’t notice. I smirked, proud of my perfect cover-up.
With the snacks mostly picked out, it was time for drinks. Struggling to carry the heavy basket, I searched for cola. Since it was surprisingly heavy, I decided not to get too many beverages.
I grabbed a giant bottle of cola. It felt solid and satisfying in my hand.
‘Okay, this is it!’
I put the cola in the basket and headed to the counter. But then something caught my eye.
‘Beer…?’
It had been so long since I last drank that I couldn’t even remember. My mouth watered on its own.
The strong fizz that makes your face scrunch up.
The smooth foam that goes down your throat with every sip.
And the pleasant buzz that gets better the more you drink.
Feeling entranced, I shakily placed a beer can into the basket. One cool, refreshing beer would wash away all the stress I’d been feeling.
After adding the real, alcoholic beer to my basket, I headed to the counter to check out.
Dragging the basket to the counter, I struggled to lift it onto the counter due to my short stature.
“Can you ring all this up?”
The kind part-time worker at the counter noticed my struggle and lifted the basket for me. I thanked her and slapped my check card on the counter.
“I’ll pay with this.”
“Sure, sure.”
The part-timer scanned the snacks and drinks with the barcode scanner.
*Beep beep beep*
The cheerful machine sounds filled my ears. I couldn’t wait to grab my snacks and drinks and leave.
But suddenly, the regular beeping stopped. I checked the basket, but there were still plenty of items left to scan.
“Hey kid, didn’t you pick the wrong thing? This isn’t a beverage.”
The part-timer held up the beer can and spoke to me. It was an emergency. I desperately clung to the counter.
There was no way I was giving up the beer. I had to make the best decision to get out of this situation.
“It’s… it’s an errand!”
“An errand?”
“Y… yeah!”
I couldn’t help but admire my quick thinking. Luckily, since it was a convenience store inside a building, there was some flexibility.
The part-timer, looking unsure, glanced at Bora’s photo on the check card and nodded in understanding.
“Ah… Researcher Bora. Must be heading home after work.”
She then thankfully packed the beer into the bag. I almost cheered in joy. Once the beer passed, everything else was a breeze.
If it had been an outside convenience store, this wouldn’t have worked, but mentioning Bora made it easy.
I cradled the bag in my arms like a treasure. Inside were snacks, drinks, and the beer I’d drink today.
Having successfully hunted, I happily returned to my room. I hid the beer among the snacks, out of sight.
