HELP WANTED — URGENT!
Hiring a night-shift part-timer for a café.
Hourly wage: ₩12,900 :₩&/
If you’re a human who can see this post, you’re even more than welcome!
Oh, this is a goldmine of a job.
I’d been lying on my bed scrolling on my phone when I, Yoon Hansol, saw the newest job post and shot upright.
Finals were over, and I’d been hunting for a decent part-time gig—when I found one with a surprisingly good location.
It was in the back alley right behind my place.
I checked the distance. If I walked fast, it was only five to ten minutes from home.
The timing was perfect too. I could swing by right after my afternoon convenience store shift. Without hesitating, I hit Apply and flopped back onto the bed.
I blinked slowly, then tilted my head.
Wait—what are those symbols after the wage? A typo? And why is the scroll bar so long?
Skip.
Whatever.
Close to home and good pay was all I needed. And if there weren’t many customers—and absolutely no violent ones—how could it get any better?
I read the listing again. No matter how many times I looked, I still couldn’t tell what those symbols meant. It didn’t look like a botched dollar sign, either.
Ding!
010-XXXX-XXXX
Nice to meet you! Can you come in for an interview today?
Not only was the reply insanely fast, it was a same-day interview.
The problem was… there weren’t many hours left in the day.
What time should I come by?
010-XXXX-XXXX
Any time before today ends is fine! ^0^
I checked the time and dragged myself up, hair a mess. If I got ready now, I could be there within thirty minutes. An interview this late at night—were they that desperate?
Well, they had writ
“Mmm. So you’re a college kid on break?”
Swish. Swish.
I looked at the owner’s face, then dropped my gaze—tracking something that was moving along the floor.
Is something wrong with my eyes? That thing moving like they’re sweeping…
“Awkward! We’re looking for someone who’ll stick around long-term. But… you are a mortal, right?”
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
Long nails drumming on the table. Thin fingers. And wedged between the joints—
“Y-Yeah… a human… I’m human… right?”
Webbed fingers.
And a long tail jutting out near their hips.
Their face was close to a person’s, but scales were embedded naturally along their cheekbones.
…I’d already felt uneasy coming here. There hadn’t been a single streetlight, and I hadn’t seen so much as one house that looked lived in. Still, when I stepped into the café, I’d spotted a sign that read “Bulk sale of products popular with humans!” and I’d thought, What the…?
Ah. Maybe I wasn’t fully awake yet?
“No, you idiot human! Why are you suddenly hurting yourself?!”
Thinking it might still be a dream, I pinched my cheek hard—only for the lizard—no, a mermaid? Not that. Anyway, the one who looked like the owner grabbed my wrist.
Squelch.
The moment their skin touched mine, a viscous, mucous-like slickness clung to my fingers. My whole body jolted.
Truthfully, I was too stunned to do anything but shiver.
“So, young human. How long can you work?”
“Uh… if possible, I’d like to keep working….”
Because I still needed to earn tuition and living expenses…
But that’s hardly the problem right now, is it? Even if I’m human, is that… fine? Am I allowed to be here?
I darted my eyes around and smiled awkwardly. The owner returned a kindly smile.
…If the corners of their mouth lifted, that counts as smiling, right?
“Mmm. A year or more? Can you do that?”
“I can, but… sir? That’s not really the—”
“Is that so? Then start tomorrow! Let’s see. Since you’re human, I should pay you extra. How about ₩22,900 an hour?”
Th-That might actually not be the problem.
Even if there was a problem, it wasn’t one anymore. Where else would I find wages like that?
Let’s just assume there are reasons an owner might not be human. It might not be just me. Maybe meeting inhuman entities is totally normal for everyone else. Who knows?
Right.
Everyone has private secrets.
Or maybe I’m just behind the trend. Hahaha. I flashed my best customer-service smile and squeezed the owner’s hand back.
“Welcome aboard! Just call me Boss Bbiik.”
…Yeah. Shaking hands with a fish that has hands—or a giant frog—would probably feel like this.
Boss Bbiik… So maybe it’s not that they aren’t human—maybe their last name is just Bbiik…!
ten URGENT in huge letters. Works for me.
Around here, it was ridiculously hard to find a part-time job nearby. Even the closest convenience store was over a thirty-minute walk. There was basically nothing around.
Hope I get it.
Muttering to myself, I grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.
*****
“Mmm. So you’re a college kid on break?”
Swish. Swish.
I looked at the owner’s face, then dropped my gaze—tracking something that was moving along the floor.
Is something wrong with my eyes? That thing moving like they’re sweeping…
“Awkward! We’re looking for someone who’ll stick around long-term. But… you are a mortal, right?”
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
Long nails drumming on the table. Thin fingers. And wedged between the joints—
“Y-Yeah… a human… I’m human… right?”
Webbed fingers.
And a long tail jutting out near their hips.
Their face was close to a person’s, but scales were embedded naturally along their cheekbones.
…I’d already felt uneasy coming here. There hadn’t been a single streetlight, and I hadn’t seen so much as one house that looked lived in. Still, when I stepped into the café, I’d spotted a sign that read “Bulk sale of products popular with humans!” and I’d thought, What the…?
Ah. Maybe I wasn’t fully awake yet?
“No, you idiot human! Why are you suddenly hurting yourself?!”
Thinking it might still be a dream, I pinched my cheek hard—only for the lizard—no, a mermaid? Not that. Anyway, the one who looked like the owner grabbed my wrist.
Squelch.
The moment their skin touched mine, a viscous, mucous-like slickness clung to my fingers. My whole body jolted.
Truthfully, I was too stunned to do anything but shiver.
“So, young human. How long can you work?”
“Uh… if possible, I’d like to keep working….”
Because I still needed to earn tuition and living expenses…
But that’s hardly the problem right now, is it? Even if I’m human, is that… fine? Am I allowed to be here?
I darted my eyes around and smiled awkwardly. The owner returned a kindly smile.
…If the corners of their mouth lifted, that counts as smiling, right?
“Mmm. A year or more? Can you do that?”
“I can, but… sir? That’s not really the—”
“Is that so? Then start tomorrow! Let’s see. Since you’re human, I should pay you extra. How about ₩22,900 an hour?”
Th-That might actually not be the problem.
Even if there was a problem, it wasn’t one anymore. Where else would I find wages like that?
Let’s just assume there are reasons an owner might not be human. It might not be just me. Maybe meeting inhuman entities is totally normal for everyone else. Who knows?
Right.
Everyone has private secrets.
Or maybe I’m just behind the trend. Hahaha. I flashed my best customer-service smile and squeezed the owner’s hand back.
“Welcome aboard! Just call me Boss Bbiik.”
…Yeah. Shaking hands with a fish that has hands—or a giant frog—would probably feel like this.
Boss Bbiik… So maybe it’s not that they aren’t human—maybe their last name is just Bbiik…!
*****
First day on the job.
Normally it would be 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but for the first week—while I learned the ropes—we agreed I’d work from 11 to 4.
Since I’d worked cafés before, it didn’t feel like “getting used to the job” so much as giving a human part-timer time to steel himself for the customers.
The menu and service mattered, but there were also rules I absolutely had to follow.
First: Don’t even think about filming customers. They said they wouldn’t show up on camera anyway.
Second: The closer someone looks to a person, the higher they are—VIP—so give them the best service.
Third: Only humans with spiritual ability and a clean soul can even see this café, so don’t go around telling other humans about it.
So the owner’s post could only be seen by a tiny handful of people.
And by sheer coincidence, I was one of them.
Apparently they’d even written that near the bottom…
So that’s why the scroll bar was so long.
Spiritual ability… me…
Ah. I guess I have seen ghosts once in a while.
Not that I only saw them, but…
Ding-a-ling—
“Welco—…?”
I greeted with a smile—and then stopped.
From the toes to the neck, the customer was basically human.
But the head… the head was a fish.
A fish wearing what looked like a bluish-glowing aquarium over its face…
I didn’t know enough fish to name the species, but it was absolutely a fish head.
Uh… how is that person going to drink? Do they pour it into the tank?
My mind was chaos, but with the owner’s fervent stare on me, I couldn’t exactly freeze. I went behind the counter, snapped on my service smile, and got ready to take the order.
The first customer stepped closer and stared at the menu for a long time.
The one saving grace was there weren’t many items—so I’d memorized them fast.
“Iced Americano. Add three extra shots! By the way, Boss Bbiik—how’d you even find a human part-timer?”
Boss Bbiik…
So Bbiik really is a name. I’d wondered if it was just a nickname.
“I just got lucky! I really like his gentle energy. Look at that smile—so soft.”
As the owner beamed, I laughed along too—awkwardly. Haha. Haha.
They say praise makes part-timers dance, but it hit different coming from someone who didn’t have a human face.
“Yeah, you can tell at a glance!”
Maybe they were a regular. The fish chuckled and stared straight through my face while talking to the owner behind them, who was basically cheering me on.
Fish face, human body… so they’re high-ranking… right? Boss…?
They handed me a strange-looking card. I bowed slightly and held out my palm. At first glance the hand was human, but like the owner’s, there was webbing at every joint.
Our hands barely brushed, but that slick, scale-like feel lingered.
I didn’t show it. I clenched the card, processed the payment, returned it, and immediately turned around.
Three shots. Three shots…
My hands trembled as I pulled espresso and made the iced Americano. The fish accepted the cup with a wide grin.
…Fish can smile, huh.
Then they pulled an absurdly long straw from their pocket and brought it to their mouth, waving as they went to sit down.
So those straws really exist.
They said this place wasn’t quite the human world, so… sure. That could happen.
I gave up on thinking and smiled like I’d reached enlightenment.
According to the owner, this café sat on the boundary between the human world and another world. So very occasionally, for a strange human like me, the shop might become visible.
They said it had never happened before—yet here I was.
Hearing that, my first thought was…
So the other world is real.
I’d only ever seen it in comics. I never thought it would actually exist.
“You’re doing great for a first timer! See? I’ve got an eye for people.”
“Of course, Boss. I’m the part-timer you hired.”
Squelch.
The owner slung an arm around my shoulders. I laughed—ha ha ha—while one hand trembled.
Then, once again, ding-a-ling, and the door opened.
I’d been told over and over that nights had no customers, but maybe word had spread that a human part-timer was here, because more customers came than I expected. The fish was still close enough to “human,” but after that, what walked in barely qualified as human at all—so every time I saw one, I pinched my cheek, convinced I had to be dreaming.
*****
Second day on the job.
I got comfortable with café work fast, but I still couldn’t get used to the customers, so whenever I heard the door chime, my hand would shake for a second.
Don’t judge by appearances. Don’t discriminate.
To them, I might look even weirder.
Even while repeating that to myself, having a praying mantis-faced customer right in front of me was too much—so I focused on the mole on their face and kept my service smile glued on.
I’d never thought insects were scary, but when it’s as big as a person…
Third day on the job.
The fish customer came again. I was honestly happy to see them, and when I greeted them with a bright smile, they chuckled and even bought a drink for me too.
Dealing with all kinds of inhuman entities, I’d noticed something: most of them were slower-paced and kinder than humans—and even a single line came out in pretty words and gentle phrasing that made your chest itch in a strange way.
The owner said that unless they were truly high-ranking, they might be “a little less intelligent than humans, so you should understand and let it slide,” but…
Honestly, it felt more like dealing with pure, clear little kids, and the feeling was complicated.
And on the seventh day—
The owner seemed to decide I’d adapted faster than expected and that there wouldn’t be any problems, so they left for the first time, saying they were going to check on the beans.
It had been a week since I started, but customers still came in—maybe because they were curious about the human part-timer.
Ding-a-ling—
“Welco—…”
I’d been organizing the display shelf stacked with trendy gummies and chocolates the owner had stocked—stuff they said was “hot among humans.”
At the chime, I stood and greeted brightly out of reflex.
“…me?”
A human? Like me?
For a second, my brain stopped when a man who looked perfectly human walked in.
Then I saw lustrous gold hair, eyes to match, and a beauty that didn’t feel human at all—and I quickly calmed down, exhaling.
Whew. Not human.
And wow… when inhuman entities look close to human, they’re ridiculously handsome.
Even my eyes, which never cared much about celebrities, felt like light was pouring down around him.
He was tall—close to 190 cm—and wearing a suit that wrapped around a solid frame.
Hair swept neatly to the side, gold with streaks of black.
Sharp, slanted eyes. Irises mixed with gold, black, and a strange hint of green.
Pupils slit vertically, like a snake’s.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were blank—so his whole vibe was cold and intimidating, the kind that made it scary to speak to him at all. Under that pressure, my head dipped on its own.
But… I still had to work.
Oh. This must be the VIP the owner kept emphasizing!
…But Boss? You never told me how to greet a VIP.
My brain shorted out for a moment, but I headed to the counter anyway.
A sophisticated fragrance drifted toward me—cool and sweet, reminiscent of a mountain forest at night.
Is perfume popular with them too? Smells expensive.
“Hm? Is this… a human? Where’s the owner?”
This…?
“They went to check on the beans. Should I contact them?”
Even at being called “this,” I kept my service smile and tilted my head.
“No. I’m just buying coffee and leaving.”
He smiled, but his eyes stayed blank—like the warmth never reached them.
S-Scary…
Does he hate me? Cold sweat prickled down my back, but I forced my smile wider so it wouldn’t show.
“Yes. Um… then what would you like to order?”
His lips stayed curved, but his eyes were cold.
He didn’t answer—he just stared at my face. I tried to read the room and let out an awkward, “Haha…”
That uncomfortable silence didn’t last long.
Ding-a-ling—
The owner came in—maybe they’d checked on the beans quickly—and the moment they saw the man, they screamed loud enough for the café to shake and rushed over.
The owner’s eyes were so wide they looked ready to pop out.
“…G-Gah! Lord Bihyeon, I thought you were coming tomorrow…! Oh my goodness! Welcome! Please come in!”
Mm. So he really is high-ranking.
I didn’t mess up, did I? Was I supposed to bow at a full ninety degrees?
In dramas, when a big VIP walks into a department store or hotel, everyone does that.
How did I greet him again? I couldn’t even remember—his presence had pressed down so hard on me.
I glanced around, debating whether I should greet him again even now.
“Boss Bbiik. Why did you go out of your way to hire a human?”
He asked with a laugh—ha ha—but the air stayed cold. His eyes weren’t smiling at all.
Damn… why is he so scary?
“Hahaha, doesn’t he have a warm energy? Well… there were several reasons I passed him. Our world has become pretty friendly to humans these days. And also—!”
“My recollection is…”
Bihyeon’s gaze slid off the owner and landed on me.
“Only a very small handful.”
Mm…
This vibe is definitely that, right? Am I getting fired after a week?
Judging by the owner’s reaction, Bihyeon seemed high enough to cut me loose whenever he felt like it.
If their policy was that a higher-up shows up and pulls this kind of territorial hazing… then what can I do?
But the pay was too good to just let go.
Watching the owner’s troubled face, I reached out and pointed at the menu, lifting my voice and smiling brightly.