Deceptive

I rose to my feet, still overwhelmed with gratitude, and uttered a heartfelt, "Thank you." She then motioned for me to follow her to the back of the store. "Please come with me, young man," she said, opening the door to a room, and together, we stepped inside.

Chapter 4 : Deceptive

The room I had entered turned out to be a storage room, where various materials and items were neatly stacked. Water continued to drip from my soaked body, and the room was dimly lit, filled with the scent of sealed items. The counter girl handed me a towel to dry off.

"Here, take this to dry yourself," she said kindly.

She was staring at me Sfx Stare Stare Stare

I began to dry my face and hands, and as I did, she noticed the state of my clothes. "Your clothes are completely soaked. Let me find you something to wear." With purpose, she moved to a corner of the room, while I watched the water drip onto the floor. She returned with a set of clothes.

"There you go. Wear these. I'll be waiting outside," she instructed.

The Store name was , Q. 24/7 it was a big shop , and has a lot of regular customer and a variety of daily life products 

As she left, I exchanged my wet garments for the ones she had provided. "Aren't they a bit too big?" I mused, but I felt grateful for her generosity. The clothes were loose-fitting, and the T-shirt had a badge with the name "Q." on it, but the rest of the name was faded or erased. I emerged from the room and called out, "Hello, miss. I'm finished."

She was engrossed in her smartphone, but upon hearing my voice, she swiftly turned her head toward me, her hair flowing. Moving closer, she said, "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't have a smaller size available."

I replied, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "It's fine." However, my gaze couldn't help but drift to her chest, where her name badge was pinned. I finally spoke, "Thanks for helping me, Miss Rahi."

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, but her expression remained kind. "What's your name?" she asked.

I regained my composure and replied, "I'm Yash, a high schooler. I live alone and lost my job today. I really need a job, Miss Rahi."

Her eyes filled with sadness as she looked at me. "You live all alone... I see. I'll hire you, but will you be able to handle it? I mean, balancing work and your studies."

I raised a determined smile and nodded. "Yes, I will."

I was overwhelmed with happiness, but my stomach betrayed me with a loud growl in front of her. I blushed and stammered, "Ahm, you see, I'm a bit hungry..."

She interrupted me with a giggle, "You can't even lie, funny boy. Don't worry; I won't ask you to pay for it."

I insisted, my eyes wide open with gratitude, "No, I will pay."

She approached with a basket of food and said, "Now, now, you don't need to." She extended the basket towards me.

Inside, I found a 300 ml carton of milk, two packets of cookies, and a bottle of orange juice. "Thanks a lot, Miss Rahi," I expressed my gratitude.

She responded, "I told you it's my gift. Do you say thanks when someone gives you a gift?"

She seemed to ponder for a moment and then playfully bonked her head, saying, "Yeah, they do. How silly of me." Then, she added, "Go to the counter and eat. I'll arrange the new stock, and you don't need to help until your tummy is filled."

I couldn't help but ask, "Will I ever be able to repay you?" However, she remained silent, and I made my way to the counter, eagerly indulging in the milk and cookies she had provided.

After I had finished eating, I tossed the wrappers into the dustbin. Unbeknownst to me, Miss Rahi had quietly approached from behind. As I turned around, unaware of her presence, I trembled in shock. Startled, she stumbled and fell to the ground, and I tumbled over her in a sudden, unexpected collision.

Her chest and my face were uncomfortably close, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I managed to speak in a trembling and broken voice, "Ahh, I... I didn't mean to. Please forgive me."

She began to laugh heartily. "Ha ha ha ha, Yash, you are like a little kid, aren't you?"

Suddenly, the shop's gate swung open. To my surprise, standing there was Seon, staring at me with a disdainful expression. Then, he spotted Miss Rahi and shouted, "Sister, what are you doing?"

I scrambled to my feet in an instant, and Seon glared at me with anger. "Yash! You... you bastard! What were you doing with my sister?" Before I could react, we exchanged heated words and started to warm up our shoulders with our fists.

Miss Rahi intervened by bonking Seon on the head. "No fights in my shop!" She then stepped on his back, effectively ending our scuffle.

I couldn't help but grin at Seon as I stood there. Miss Rahi then asked, "Are you guys friends?"

I replied, "Yes, Seon is my only friend." Seon protested angrily, "I am not a friend of yours, you pig!"

Miss Rahi chastised Seon, saying, "Seon! Why do you call him such absurd names?"

I then explained to her, "I actually asked Seon to call me that, Miss Rahi." She smiled and released her hold on Seon's neck. Moving closer to me, she patted my head gently and said, "Call me 'Sister' instead of 'Miss Rahi'; after all, you are Seon's friend."

My face flushed red, and I noticed a fleeting smile on Seon's face. However, when I blinked, he had already left, but not without leaving me some parting words. "You really are a fool, asshole. And get clothes that fit your pants are going to fall."

Sister sighed, "What an annoying brother I have. You better not turn out like him." I remained silent as she started pinching my cheeks.

"Ah, Sister, what's happening?" I asked, bewildered.

"Nothing. It's time to work. Didn't you want a job?" She asked with a playful grin. I quickly nodded in agreement.

Then Sister told me what to do , Which item to place where and which one to remove when , how to greet people , and to manage the cash and payments . After that , I thanked Her , and she told me that she will come back at night 9 : 00 Pm She need to go . Then she changed her clothes in the backroom and went , Now i was alone to manage the shop " I ,Better not make things for Miss Rahi " . 

Somehow, everything went smoothly, and it was 8:51 when Miss Rahi approached me. "Yooshi, Boyaa, how was your first day?" she inquired.

I replied, "Nice, all thanks to a great teacher like you." She came closer and patted my hair, saying, "Now, you can go home." I nodded in acknowledgment and left the shop. As I walked down the road, I whispered to myself while my hands were in my pockets, "Really, what a nice day."

Upon arriving at my apartment, I turned on the lights and took a look at myself. "Ahh, I left my clothes in the shop, and my payment too. AHHHH, well, I'll get them tomorrow." 

My stomach began to growl, and I thought, "Ahhh, I guess today I have enough food." I headed to the kitchen, and you might be wondering how I had food when I hadn't bought anything. I hadn't forgotten just how tight my budget was. I reached for the cup noodles I had saved from the previous night. Yes, I had left it for today's dinner after eating it, even though . Slowly I took and deep breath , and try to convince my self , see you met such a nice sister today , and she was no other then you friend sister , There are things are still good in this world . I had to force myself to sleep afterward.

I stomach was growling , Then i started to punch my stomach " Damn it , Stop making noise " I have already eaten so much i can't eat another bite , after sometime i fall asleep.

Time passed, and it was 1:00 AM when the bell of my apartment rang continuously. I woke up in a daze, muttering, "Who could be here at this time? What time is it? 1:00 AM, huh?" I stumbled to the door, my eyes wide in shock as I saw Sister and Seon standing behind her.

"Sister and Seon," she greeted. "How are you doing? Will you let me in?" I was about to say yes but stood there in silence. She whispered, "Yashh!" I finally replied, "Please, come in."

They entered, removed their shoes, and Seon spotted a photo in the hallway drawer. He commented, "Huh? Who is this sexy young lady? Your real sister?"

I told her, "That is my mother, the last memory I have of her." Her eyes widened, and she began to speak in a weirdly funny manner. "Mother? No way! She looks younger than me. What an amazing woman she must have been."

We continued to move around the apartment, 

To be continued in Chapter 5.