004.
I froze on the spot.
Could this be what the system wanted me to see?
‘Of course!’
If I had just gone to look for cheap inns on the outskirts, I wouldn’t have noticed this sign.
Then I would’ve missed this jackpot of a job!
Ding-a-ling!
“Welcome~ to Toto’s Hammer!”
As I pushed open the door with energy, a friendly-looking clerk greeted me with a bright smile.
I walked up to her and asked shyly.
“Um… I saw the job notice outside.”
“Oh? Ah, the part-time job?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm, that’s tricky. Another applicant just came in and is talking with the boss right now.”
She leaned in and whispered to me.
“The boss seemed to like him, though.”
“Ah…”
“But would you like to wait anyway?”
After thinking for a second, I nodded eagerly.
“Yes! Can I maybe meet the boss directly?”
If the boss decided during the interview, I’d never even get a chance to be seen!
That would be a loss for both of us. After all, I had good hands from all my labor jobs—and a decent face too.
I gave her my best pleading look.
After a moment of thought, she nodded.
“You might get rejected, but I’ll tell him.”
“Thank you!”
She led me upstairs.
We walked past a few rooms to the end of the hallway, where a large door stood.
She knocked lightly.
“Boss, it’s Jane. There’s another applicant here for the job.”
There was silence for a moment, then a rough male voice answered.
“Come in!”
Jane turned to me and whispered, “You’re in luck. Looks like he hasn’t decided yet.”
“Thank goodness.”
I smiled gratefully, and she went back downstairs to work.
I took a deep breath, fixed my clothes, and entered the room.
Inside was a large office with a fancy interior, a huge desk, and a tall bookshelf stuffed with books.
In the middle of the room sat a middle-aged man—clearly the boss—and a young man who looked a bit older than me. Probably my rival.
“Hello.”
“So, you’re here for the job notice?”
The boss looked unimpressed at first but then showed a flicker of interest.
Well, I can’t blame him. I know I look decent.
“Yes! This job is exactly what I was looking for.”
“Oh? Got any experience?”
“I’ve been working since I was ten! I’ve helped with inns, farms, building fences—anything you can think of.
If you want, you can even send a message to my village to confirm!”
I added more confidently, “And I grew up in a monastery, so I’m very hardworking.
I’ve also taken care of kids before, so I can handle young guests easily.”
“Hmm…”
The boss stroked his beard thoughtfully, then turned to the young man beside him.
“So, what do you think?”
‘Wait, he’s asking him?’
My heart sank. Did he already like that guy more?
“…Who knows,” the man said, his tone flat.
Unlike the boss’s amused voice, his was serious and cold.
I understood—it must be nerves because of new competition.
But when I raised my head to look at him, the system window suddenly popped up.
‘Huh? Why now…?’
[You have encountered a character related to the main story.]
My heart jumped.
The man, however, looked calm and indifferent as he spoke.
“The choice is yours, Boss. I won’t mind if you hire the girl instead.
It’s not like competing with a kid feels right anyway.”
“Hoho~ is that so?”
The man had black hair and red eyes—
the perfect look for a male lead in a fantasy romance game.
‘…Wait, isn’t that Jairen?’
If I was right, this was Jairen Ketron, the future Duke of the North—
and one of the heroines (well, technically, male love interests) who could lead the player to a bad—or even dead—ending.
And as if to confirm my suspicion, the system chimed again.
[You’ve had your first encounter with a Heroine! Affection window unlocked.]
[Reward: Melancholy +10]
Jairen Ketron.
One of the game’s “three top lunatics.”
Always ranked in the top three most popular characters.
A classic yandere type—violent and obsessive, with just a touch of perversion.
He was practically the face of the game, with a huge fanbase.
But me? I wasn’t one of those fans.
If you chose the “Assassin” job right before becoming a “Battle Dancer,” you’d meet Jairen and trigger his bad ending.
And by bad, I mean both “bad” and “bed.”
(Yeah… the R-rated version got a little too detailed, so let’s skip that.)
Jairen’s past wasn’t well known, since he was an 18+ character who appeared only when the player turned 18 in-game.
When you met him, he was 21.
I was 15 now—so he’d be around 18.
And his defining keyword?
“Why not hire both? Competing with a child feels wrong, and it wouldn’t feel good to crush her either.
She’s had a hard life, growing up in a monastery and working since ten, hasn’t she?”
…Sadism.
At the time, I didn’t even know why I disliked Jairen.
I just thought, not my type.
But thinking about his keyword reminded me of something.
‘Wait, was it self-hate?’
The system had once listed one of my traits as “Abnormal Desire.”
That could mean a lot of things, but… it made me uneasy that Jairen’s trait was labeled the same.
Even if the meanings were different, it still felt unpleasant to share it.
On the surface, Jairen’s words sounded kind.
But the meaning underneath was—
“That poor girl lived a pitiful life. But not me.”
‘Well… maybe I’m overthinking it.’
Still, I remembered all the fan discussions that popped up without me even searching for him.
Jairen’s sadistic tendencies always came out the strongest when facing weaker or humbler people.
‘Seriously, how is this guy always in the top three?!
What’s so great about a walking pile of superiority complex?!’
The boss laughed heartily.
“Haha! Maybe you’re right. We could use more hands anyway—school season’s starting soon.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Alright then,” the boss said, turning to me. “What’s your name, miss?”
Huh? You’re just agreeing with him like that?
Something feels off…
But no matter. I had a 1-billion-debt legendary quest to survive.
There was no time to get anxious.
“Oh, my name’s Lana! I don’t have a last name. I’m fifteen.”
“Ho~ I see. When can you start working?”
“I can start right away!”
The boss nodded and gestured toward Jairen.
“Perfect. This young man is also starting today. You two can work together.”
“Haha… yes, sir…”
Between Jairen’s cold face and the boss’s cheerful grin, all I could do was smile awkwardly.
From the boss’s attitude, I could tell he already knew Jairen.
Otherwise, why would he so easily agree to hire both of us?
Maybe… Jairen was secretly funding this inn.
Maybe this whole place was his front business.
Maybe the job posting was just a secret code for one of his shady meetings.
‘So I just barged into his private rendezvous without realizing it?!’
