There was a survey conducted by some research institute.

The overwhelming first place was movie theaters.

No matter what part-time job it is, when young men and women are breathing in the same space, it implies that sparks can fly at any moment, but particularly, the rate was high for movie theater part-time jobs.

To the point that there was even a joke saying, "If you can't start dating within three months while working part-time at a movie theater, you're an idiot."

According to that, Im Ah-hee was indeed an idiot. She had been working at the movie theater for nine months and still didn't have a boyfriend.

But that was something Im Ah-hee had brought upon herself.

"Ah-hee, let me help you."

"Huh? Isn’t that heavy? Wait, I’ll help you."

"Hot, isn’t it? Drink this while you work."

Obvious attempts.

Im Ah-hee had experienced countless of them in her life. It wasn't anything new, and rather, it was incredibly burdensome.

Because unnecessary awkward situations could happen at the workplace.

And today, Im Ah-hee was once again going through something quite tiring.

"Unni, I'm begging you… please? Just save me this once."

The favor being asked here was a blind date. Her coworker unni was pleading with her to meet her friend just once.

"When did he even see me?"

"He said he saw you last time he came. That guy’s got an eye for people… huh? So just meet him once, okay?"

"You know me. I don’t accept blind dates."

"I know, unni knows that very well. You don’t accept blind dates."

"Then just make something up and say I have a boyfriend..."

"It felt too genuine to lie. I’m telling you, it looked like he totally fell for you at first sight! He said he might die if he doesn’t get introduced to you—got on his knees, caused a whole scene… Haah, why else would I be doing this?"

"How could someone feel that way after seeing me just once? It must be a misunderstanding."

Im Ah-hee didn’t believe in things like falling in love at first sight. How could someone fall in love after just one look?

That’s why she thought the very phrase "falling in love at first sight" was just another type of attempt.

People can’t fall in love after seeing someone once. You have to see them several times, over and over, to fall in love.

That was Im Ah-hee’s belief.

"Unni, please save me this one time. Hm? Ah-hee, just meet him once, lightly. Then... hmm. Ah! Every time I get floor duty, I’ll switch shifts with you. How about that?"

"Floor duty" referred to checking tickets when guests enter and exit, and cleaning up seats after the movie ends.

The duties rotated among staff, but this task was the easiest, so everyone waited eagerly for their turn to come around.

"...So I can just meet him without thinking too much about it, right?"

"Exactly! Just meet him. No need to stress or dress up. Just think of it like grabbing a coffee real quick."

"...Okay, then."

Her coworker unni smiled brightly and hugged Im Ah-hee.

"Thank you! I’ll treat you to something later!"

"That’s not necessary."

With a soft chuckle, Im Ah-hee returned to work. Coincidentally, the task she was in charge of now was ticket checking.

"Park Yeon?"

"......"

"Park Yeon, what are you doing? I said give me the ticket."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Here."

Ticket checking was a simple task. As she was checking the last customer’s ticket—

"Here you go."

Im Ah-hee felt as though her heart had stopped. It felt like time had stopped with it.

"......"

How could this happen?

Thump thump—!

Im Ah-hee felt a surge of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin being released like crazy.

She always thought falling in love at first sight was nonsense. Or something that only happened in movies.

But now—

'I was wrong.'

One time, an unni she knew had said this:

You can instantly tell when it’s love.

That’s what Im Ah-hee was experiencing now.

This wasn’t just interest.

She knew it instantly.

"Excuse me?"

The customer bent slightly and made eye contact with her. She could see his face more clearly. Clear, large eyes, a sharp nose, a slender jawline…

"Excuse me, are you okay?"

"Huh? Ah! Yes, yes! Sorry."

Im Ah-hee quickly checked the ticket.

Even after all the customers had entered, she couldn’t leave her spot.

"...So this is what it's like."

She waited for the movie to end. And finally, when it ended and she began cleaning the seats, she looked for that customer.

She spotted him. Her heart thumped wildly again.

"Ah-hee, are you okay?"

It was her coworker unni from earlier.

"Huh?"

"You don’t look well. Your face is red."

"Ah… I’m fine. But unni, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask two things."

"What does it feel like to fall in love at first sight?"

"Didn’t you say you didn’t believe in that?"

"...Please tell me."

The coworker unni explained. Everything matched her own symptoms exactly.

She couldn’t let him go. That customer… no, that man—she absolutely couldn’t let him go. If she did, she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

Having made up her mind, Im Ah-hee approached him nervously, yet cautiously.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you… Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not usually like this, but, um… would it be okay if I asked for your number?"

"You mean me?"

"Yes! I know it’s… really forward and, uh… it might sound strange, but I feel like if I don’t ask for your number now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."

The man—Seo-jun—looked awkwardly at Park Yeon. Park Yeon happened to be looking at him, too.

No… he was glaring at him with burning eyes.

If he gave his number here, he might end up being struck down by that warrior.

"Sorry."

"Ah…."

So this is how those guys who ask for phone numbers feel.

There really is no way to describe it.

As she was overwhelmed with complex emotions—

"The movie's over! Let’s go already!"

Park Yeon, who had been trembling, grabbed Seo-jun’s hand. Then he dragged him out.

At that sight, Im Ah-hee let out a sigh—but of a different kind than before.

“Ahhh……”

“Hyung.”

“Where were you?”

Yeon-jun held up a paper bag.

“My mouth felt lonely.”

“You could’ve called.”

“How would I know when you'd show up? Did you enjoy the movie?”

“The movie was good.”

The problem came after that...

Swallowing his words, Seo-jun gave a small laugh. Yeon-jun looked at him and asked,

“But what are you doing just standing around here instead of going inside?”

“House watching.”

“House watching? What do you mean, house watching?”

Yeon-jun asked with a puzzled expression. Understandably so, as Seo-jun was now inspecting the exterior of the house with renewed curiosity.

“Now that I look at it, it seems really old.”

“As if it was ever new. It’s a 40-year-old house, of course it’s old. Wouldn’t it be weirder if it were all shiny?”

Seo-jun chuckled. True enough. It was a 40-year-old building. So being in good condition would be the strange part.

Back when he had just returned, Seo-jun had only thought of it as a bit shabby.

Compared to the gloomy and dreary architecture of the demon realm, this house had seemed full of life.

But as he adapted to his current environment, his perception slowly shifted.

It was really run-down. And shabby. Moss filled the gaps between the red bricks, and one side of the wall looked like it could collapse at any moment.

The area around the second-floor entrance light was covered in cobwebs, and what was originally a red roof had faded into a dull reddish hue.

The interior wasn’t much better.

The wallpaper was peeling or yellowed with age, and mold had begun to creep up in the small room.

“Haven’t thought about moving?”

“Moving? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“It’s just too old.”

“Even if it’s old, it’s livable. The rent’s cheap… Especially the deposit’s only 3 million won.”

“Don’t you know the saying ‘you get what you pay for’? Even if it's rare nowadays, there used to be rats.”

“Oh? You’re right. Haven’t seen any rats lately.”

In truth, that was thanks to Seo-jun. When he first stepped into the house, a few rats had been hiding out.

“The store's doing well lately… Sales have gone up too, right? Couldn’t you move to a slightly better place?”

“Hmm.”

“It’s far from the store too.”

In terms of direct distance, it wasn’t far. But to avoid unsafe areas, the trip from the house to the store took about thirty minutes.

“Honestly, I do want to move. Like you said, sales have gone up, and the commute’s not great. Especially because of Seo-woo, I really want to move.”

“But?”

“But I bought a building recently, remember? Even though the building owner pretty much gave it to me, a million won is still a lot for me. I scraped together every last bit I had, so I don't have much saved up right now.”

“……”

“I also spent quite a bit getting new kitchenware and tools for the store. I do have a little extra left… but you know how it is. Running a business, you never know what might happen. I’ve got to keep something set aside no matter what.”

“So basically, you do want to move if the conditions are right?”

“If the price is right, I’ve got no reason to say no. Why? Have you seen a good place?”

“I’ll start looking now.”

Yeon-jun chuckled.

“As if a good listing just magically appears when you start looking.”

“Since I came back, the store’s doing well and everything’s been going smoothly, right? Who knows, maybe it’ll be the same with finding a new place.”

Yeon-jun scratched his nose.

“Well, that’d be nice. Especially for Seo-woo.”

Seo-jun let out a soft laugh. Seo-woo was afraid to go to the bathroom alone.

When the bathroom window was open, it looked right out at the neighbor’s wall. Occasionally, a cat would walk along it.

While just passing by wouldn’t be too scary, the real issue was the sound of its cries.

Anyone who’s heard it knows—cats in heat sound exactly like ghosts wailing.

‘Anyway, about a new place…’

What kind of house would be good?

A delivery man walked into a real estate office with his metal carrier box.

“Took your time.”

A balding middle-aged man greeted him.

“It’s peak delivery time right now.”

“Even if it is, you’re a regular. We’re practically next door. Would it kill you to bring it first?”

“I did bring it first.”

“You always say that.”

“It’s true.”

“Alright, alright.”

The grumbling delivery man took out a bowl of jajangmyeon. As the middle-aged man silently watched him, he suddenly shouted,

“Hey. I told you to bring lots of pickled radish, so why’d you only bring this much?”

“Huh?”

“I clearly said to bring a lot of pickled radish.”

“But this is a lot.”

“This?”

“I mean… how much pickled radish do you want with one bowl of noodles?”

“You punk, one piece of pickled radish per bite of noodles—don’t you know that’s written in the constitution?”

“…Seriously?”

“Of course not, you idiot.”

The delivery man frowned and held out his hand. The middle-aged man began unwrapping the noodles and said,

“Put it on my tab.”

“The boss said to collect payment today.”

“Do I order jajangmyeon here every day?”

“I don’t know. I’m just telling you what the boss told me.”

“Ha… damn it. How much is it?”

“Two hundred sixty.”

“Why’s it so much?”

“You’ve eaten a lot.”

“You sure?”

“Ha… I’m sure. Want me to bring you the receipt?”

“Yeah. Go get it.”

The delivery man looked dumbfounded, but the middle-aged man didn’t care.

“What are you doing? I said bring it.”

“I’m already dying from how busy I am…”

“You’re going to come back to pick up the bowl anyway. Bring every single one. If it’s not two sixty, I’ll order from somewhere else from now on. Make that clear to your boss. How insulting, treating people like this.”

The delivery man slammed the metal box shut and stormed out of the office. Watching his back, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue.

“Kids these days must learn manners off Entube. Not a shred of respect for their elders.”