Chapter 160.


    <strong>Chapter 160. An Assassin’s and Friend’s First Day of Work (6/9)</strong>


    <span style="font-weight:400">The front entrance door suddenly opened up and someone entered. Since we were near it, Alicia immediately greeted the customer on their way in.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Good evening,” Alicia greeted with a smile.


    <span style="font-weight:400">When I turned and saw who it was I frowned. It wasn’t because it was a customer I’d had before. It wasn’t anyone I personally knew. Rather, it was something else entirely.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ah! Aren’t you that famous vocalist Jae-Sun Yang?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Who? I wish I could say that, but I couldn’t as he was the target of Operation Supernova.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It seems the police hadn’t made their move yet. But… this was another giant deviation from my original timeline. He never visited this store before when it was Yuna and me. It was definitely a result of Alicia’s presence. This change resulted in this encounter.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was a huge miscalction on my part. There really hadn’t been anything I could have done to stop it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">The only way I could have done anything was if we were behind the counter when he entered. I would have seen him entering and I could have had Alicia duck behind the counter to keep her hidden.


    <span style="font-weight:400">This was a worst-case scenario. That was what my danger instincts told me. Not because I was jealous of this man, afraid Alicia would hit it off with him and forget about me, but because I didn’t want Alicia''s safety to be endangered.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I didn’t show a single reaction to her words and pretended to be clueless. There wasn’t a single crack in the mask I had on.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? You recognize me even though I’m in disguise? Are you a fan of mine, beautiful?” He wore a cocky smile on his face as he brushed his hand through his hair confidently.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh my god, you weren’t kidding when you said you’d meet all kinds of different people while working. Even a celebrity like this?” Alicia pped her hands together and turned to me with a surprised smile.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A celebrity you say? Sorry, I don’t know many celebrities, Alicia. I don’t pay attention to that sort of thing.” I had to act like I didn’t know or recognize him. I wanted there to be no sort of link between me and him.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. Right, right. I forgot. You aren’t that type after all. It makes sense why you wouldn’t.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? This gloomy loser doesn’t recognize someone as famous as me? Well, it can’t be helped being a bottom feeder with no future. Girl, why are you working at such a ce when you’re so beautiful? If you like I can hook you up with a much higher paying job so you can ditch this ce. With your looks, you could easily be a good secretary.” He licked his lips as his eyes scanned her from the bottom up.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Uwah, gross. Seriously, is this not the most standard base small-time viin action ever?


    <span style="font-weight:400">Alicia felt ufortable with the way he was looking at her and she instinctively hid behind me.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I couldn’t help but think that her unconscious action was all too typical for this situation as well.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Wee, I hope your shopping experience is a pleasant one. The two of us will be waiting at the counter for when you’re done.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? What do you mean? Shouldn’t you give a famous customer like me the VIP treatment? Let this girl apany me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry, she’s still in training and learning. It’s her first day on the job and she won’t be able to meet your needs. If you like I can show you around.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You? Fuck off. I don’t want such an ugly peasant near me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I do apologize if my appearance does not meet your standards, sir.” I didn’t let a single word phase me and maintained utmost respect. Alicia was ready to say something but I held her hand tight behind my back to signal for her to keep her mouth shut.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Just quit this ce ande with me. You can forget about what this loser tells you to do. Ditch the zero and get with the hero.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m very sorry, however, I have to listen to him. He is my senior here at work.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Like I said, I can get you a much better job.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’m content with this job. It’s my first job. I don’t have the education to handle a secretary position since I’m still in high school.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Tch. Not 18 yet, huh? That was close. This really isn’t good, girls are ripening too fast these days. Best avoid any trouble with the feds for no reason.” He said that quietly. Alicia didn’t seem to hear him, but I still did because of how high my guard was up.


    <span style="font-weight:400">But tell me about it. What the hell is with Alicia?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I’ll just grab what I came for and be on my way then.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">I pulled Alicia along by the hand until we were behind the counter.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What the hell is with this jerk? He’s nothing like how he acts on TV. Disgusting.” Alicia disgruntledly whispered quietly to my side.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Alicia, you are not to say a single word to him. Do not interact at all. Do not look him in the eye. Do not smile at him. Do not draw his attention in any way at all. Do not get involved with him. Keep your distance and your guard up.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Are you… worried I might be into him?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No. I’m worried about your safety. This person… he’s not who you or the public thinks he is. That’s all I can say. Don’t ask me any questions. I can’t answer them.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Alicia’s eyes opened wide in shock at my bold ims.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t look surprised. Keep your head low. I will cash him out.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“O… kay.” Alicia sounded worried.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It will be fine. Just rx. Don’t make him suspicious of you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“He is one of the people I told you about. Bad ones. On the surface, people think he’s good, but what’s hidden behind the scenes when he’s not on camera is the true him.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Mmm.” Alicia nodded.


    <span style="font-weight:400">When Jae-Sun got everything he wanted he approached the counter and I greeted him.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Did you find everything you were looking for today, sir?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">He didn’t even look at me. He treated me as air and looked at Alicia ogling her chest. He opened his mouth and asked, “Hey, babe, check me out.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">She didn’t look up, she kept her eyes glued to the ground.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Sir, she is still new here and doesn’t know how to operate the register.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then teach her, dumbass. Are you that useless you can’t even teach a new employee how to do something so simple? A peasant job like this can be learned in as little as five minutes.” Alicia gripped her left wrist tightly with her right arm. She was trembling in rage.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Though you may be correct that it can be learned in a very short span of time there are other things that need to be learned first.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t give a shit fuck for brains. Teach her now. The customer is always right. Even more so when they’re someone famous like me.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll do it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">Alicia, who couldn’t take him insulting me any further, said that in frustration.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You don’t know how, stop it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ve been watching you the entire time throughout my shift. I can do it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Hah. See? It’s so easy she learned it just by watching you even without you teaching her. You must be the type of dumbass who doesn’t learn no matter how many times you’re shown and your pathetic little pride won’t allow you to teach her. You want to feel a sense of superiority. How distasteful. Trash will always be trash.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Certainly, you are correct, sir. It is as you say about me, trash will <i><span style="font-weight:400">always </i><span style="font-weight:400">be trash. Sorry, Alicia, you can ring him up.” At this point, I had no choice but to let her do it. Resisting anymore than this would look strange.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Suddenly, the door of the store opened and two customers entered together. They started walking through the aisles as they looked around.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Alicia was too busy with Jae-Sun to even notice their presence in the shop.


    <span style="font-weight:400">After a minute she finished scanning all his items. Her head was low and downcast. Her hair obstructed her eyes. She wasn’t smiling. It was a rare sight to see.


    <span style="font-weight:400">It was her first experience of this side of the not so pretty world. It was one that left a very bitter taste in her mouth no doubt.


    <span style="font-weight:400">But it was something I was long used to. His words didn’t even phase me in the slightest.


    <span style="font-weight:400">I was and still am an author at the end of the day. You want to try and hurt me with words? You’re barking up the wrong tree dumbass. Eat some scathing one-star reviews for breakfast when you wake up in the morning then try insulting me again. I’ve been barraged with more than my fair share of insults in my time as an author. Bite me, pussy.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Your insults can’t even fill the gaps between my teeth. Come up with something original you little bitch. Or is your brain too tiny to think of something yourself?


    <span style="font-weight:400">I’ll go find your family graves then take a shit and piss all over them if I have to. I’ll fuck your mother in front of your big shot father in the afterlife while I’m at it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Seriously, I’ve read too many crappy wuxia and xianxia stories in my life.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Well, whatever. His words just went in one ear and out the other, I didn’t give a damn what he really thought. I only wanted to ensure Alicia didn’t get caught up with anything because of him. That was all.