Chapter 4. Selena's fear

“Can you see?” the mafia boss asked.

Selena furrowed her brow in confusion as the mafia boss said that to her. Selena nodded in response.

“Why do you wear glasses?” the mafia boss asked further.

Selena became even more puzzled by the mafia boss’s question. “I’m used to it,” Selena replied with an innocent expression.

The mafia boss released the grip on Selena’s chin.

“You’re quite beautiful—one pack. You pay for it,” the mafia boss spoke, pointing to a pack of expensive cigarettes for Selena, who stood there silently with her innocent face.

After saying that, the mafia boss left the convenience store. Selena was perplexed by what had just happened.

“Stupid girl, you’re safe!” said one of the thugs whom Selena was familiar with.

“Oh,” Selena responded with just that.

But Selena’s eyes were still fixed on the group of criminals who had left the area outside the convenience store. At that moment, Selena’s body, which had previously been uncontrollable, began to move again under her control.

Selena sat on a chair, gently rubbing her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart. “Calm down, Selena. The mafia boss promised not to kill you.”

That day, Selena continued to reassure herself until it was time to go home after seeing her boss, who would be on guard until 7 in the morning.

“Selena, what’s wrong with your face? Why do you look so pale?” Lim, her boss, asked.

Selena always told her boss about what happened, but today, she didn’t say anything, especially about the frightening incident. She had promised herself not to tell anyone.

“I’m fine, boss. Well, I’ll go home now, okay?”

The boss just nodded and started taking over Selena’s duties.

At 8 p.m., Selena finally left the convenience store where she worked and walked towards the bus stop with mixed feelings due to the previous afternoon’s events. Even on the bus, Selena could only contemplate and say prayers to keep herself alive because her grandmother, whom she guarded too much, was still in this world.

“If my grandmother weren’t in this world, it wouldn’t matter if they killed me. But my grandmother is still here, and I’m caring for her. I hope the mafia boss really won’t kill me.”

The following day, as usual, at 10 a.m., Selena was already at the convenience store that had been open for 21 hours. Selena finished cleaning the big convenience store and stood behind the cashier’s counter, waiting for customers.

Selena also tried to forget about the incident from yesterday afternoon, which had disturbed her sleep because it was the first time Selena had encountered the mafia boss. Selena read some articles about the mafia boss that had been bothering her mind.

“Everything will be fine! Stay motivated!” Selena exclaimed with enthusiasm and optimism in facing her challenging days.

“Welcome!” Selena greeted the customers at the convenience store with friendliness and enthusiasm, even when they called her names.

“Hello, loser!”

Selena smiled when people called her names.

The time passed quickly. It was already 4 p.m. The convenience store was very crowded this time, making it impossible for Selena to sit for just 5 minutes. The customers kept coming, causing the queue at the cashier’s counter to grow longer.

Bang!

Suddenly, a man who appeared to be her boss slammed his purchases onto the cashier counter. Selena was startled by his sudden action.

“Took you so long!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry, and thank you,” Selena replied.

“Boss,” the man who had argued with Selena earlier said.

Selena looked at the man holding the red basket filled with unpaid items.

“I’ll pay for just the coffee as compensation. I can’t afford to pay for all those items,” Selena said.

“That’s your problem, not mine. Who asked you to be incompetent at your job?” he retorted.

As Selena was about to respond to the man, the handsome and charismatic man who was the mafia boss approached the older man who had been talking to Selena. The two men stood face to face.

“What’s the total?” the mafia boss asked.

Selena’s eyebrows raised as the mafia boss turned his gaze toward her.

“The total is everything!” the mafia boss said firmly.

“Oh, umm, it seems to be around 340. But I haven’t calculated it with the cash register because that man took it,” Selena said.

“Pay!”

Selena was genuinely startled by the mafia boss’s command. Even the older man wore a fearful expression when the mafia boss uttered a single sentence.

“I-i-ni!” the older man said as he handed money to Selena.

Selena took the money from the older man’s hand. “It seems to be 500,000. This is too much,” Selena replied.

“Just take it. Excuse me, boss, I have something I need to attend to. Goodbye!” the older man said as he quickly left the minimarket.

“The basket!” Selena exclaimed as she remembered the store’s property.

“Never mind, consider the remaining change as payment for the basket,” Selena murmured.

“Cigarettes!”

Selena was taken aback when she realized the mafia boss was still in the minimarket. Quickly, she returned to the cashier and retrieved the requested cigarettes for the mafia boss.

“This brand, right?” Selena asked.

“Hm,” was the mafia boss’s only response as he handed her a black card.

“No need. I’ll pay for it,” Selena replied, refusing the black card given by the mafia boss.

Selena’s beautiful eyes once again locked with the sharp gaze of the mafia boss, whose name she didn’t know yet.

“Do you behave like this towards other men?” he asked.

“Ha?”

Selena didn’t understand the man’s words at all.

“Pretending to be innocent, huh?”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, sir,” Selena replied.

“Quickly!”

Selena quickly took the debit card from the man’s hand. She was startled to see a dragon tattoo on the man’s arm.

“Why does this man have such a frightening aura?!”