Alright, it's time to go home now.
But there are two problems.
One is that I don't know the way home, and the other is that the manager doesn't seem to know the exact method either.
It's driving me crazy.
Because of this, the only way for me to get home would be through guesswork, but luckily the manager said she had something in mind.
She said she's been thinking about how to send me home ever since she hung up the phone in the morning.
"I'm deeply moved that you've been pondering this for nearly half a day, Manager."
"I have to let you clock out. Or do you want to keep staying here?"
I don't want to keep staying, and I can't either.
How am I supposed to manage in this alien world without a home?
Apart from that, I need to erase the internet search history on my laptop.
I really have to go home, or else it's going to be a big problem...
"But what do I need to do to help?"
"First, can you write down your home address here?"
As she said that, the manager handed me a small notebook.
The black notebook cover had a small pattern on it, which was the same as the pattern I had suspected was a magic circle near the office CCTV.
This must be something like a magic scroll.
After I wrote down the address and handed it back to her, the manager looked puzzled.
"This is an address I've never seen before... is this really correct?"
"Should I write it down by building number instead of street name?"
"Building number?"
"I was just joking. That's my real home address."
"Don't confuse me, Chan. I'm being serious here."
The manager had a sulky expression on her face.
Watching her, I couldn't help but feel even more tense.
Grumbling, the manager tore off the paper with my address and held it against his forehead, closing her eyes for a moment.
Then, when she opened her eyes and spread out her hand, the paper had disappeared.
"Whoa..."
"The coordinate registration is done now, and just pressing the button should teleport you... but I don't think it'll work properly even if I press it."
"So, there's a principle to it, huh?"
"Spatial movement requires three elements: coordinates, calculation formula, and the caster. If the coordinates match your home address, it should work properly. The calculation formula is one I've used thousands of times, so that's not an issue..."
It seemed the problem must be with the caster.
"For spatial movement, the caster needs clear information about the destination and the will to move there. And who knows your home world the best?"
"It would be me."
"So, it makes sense for you, Chan, to be the one pressing the button."
The manager seems to have concluded that since I know my own world the best, I should be the caster. I understood that much.
"But this is magic, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"And I'm the type who can't use magic properly..."
"I've speculated about that too, remember when you purified the dragon scale?"
"Yes."
"If you were truly incapable of magic, the purification wouldn't have just worked - the magical power stored in the scale would have evaporated completely."
After listening, I was momentarily dazed, and then a chill ran down my spine.
Could it be that I've ended up making that scale completely useless?
"Manager, did you have some kind of conviction back then?"
"A little, yes."
"Goodness. How could you burn hundreds of thousands of won based on just a little conviction?"
"I didn't care much at the time. After all, we wouldn't have been able to use it if you hadn't purified it."
"That's true."
"What I felt then was that your condition might be more complex than you or I thought. And when I connected that to you coming here for a part-time job, I..."
The manager paused for a moment, then looked up at me and asked.
"By the way, what were you thinking when you came here for the part-time job?"
What was I thinking? I was just desperate.
With the company destroyed by COVID, other companies also falling apart, and all the part-time jobs disappearing, I was at my wit's end, worried that I wouldn't even be able to pay the rent and insurance premiums.
I had tried to find a part-time job near my home to save on transportation costs, and my mind was filled with the sole thought that I had to work, no matter the work hours or conditions.
If that could be considered "thinking", then that's what it was.
I summarized it briefly.
"I was desperate."
"Sorry for asking something strange, but your will must have been involved in you coming here, one way or another. Even with the scale purification, right? What do you think about that?"
"I just hoped that anything would work out."
"Right. Based on that, I've speculated that your condition can be adjusted according to your own will. If you're really thinking of going home, your condition might behave a bit more obediently, you know."
Honestly, I was skeptical.
It's not like suppressing someone's nature is that simple, is it?
"What happens if it doesn't behave obediently?"
"Then the device won't work properly. In the worst case, it might become completely unusable, and the magical power would disappear."
"Do you really think this is going to work out?"
"That's what I think."
I was uncertain.
I don't want to end up destroying the manager's livelihood while trying to get home.
"...Okay, I'll give it a try. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes."
Since the owner of the device has given the go-ahead, I'll give it a shot. It's not like I have any other way to get home.
"But how should I manifest my 'will'?"
"You must have some reason for wanting to go home, like good memories or something."
"Is that enough?"
"Well... you don't really need a special reason to want to go home, do you?"
That's true.
But I'm not even sure what my world is like. At least, it's not a place that a rookie who hasn't even been here for thirty minutes can easily define.
So, I decided to think my own way.
For a 29-year-old unemployed youth, the world right now...
It was a miserable place.
My workplace had long since gone bankrupt, and I had become a poor devil working 84 hours a week without a job.
Because this damn world doesn't even bother to stop trying to stab people to death, the place is full of jagged thorns, leaving no room to even step.
Since becoming an adult, I've had far more hard times than good ones, and the sandcastle I've built with difficulty has been blown away.
Instead of welcoming me home on the days I've worked hard, it just stuffs me into a 6-pyeong single room.
That's how I feel the world is.
But, but still.
There were definitely moments of happiness in this world.
When I was a child, on the last day of summer vacation in elementary school.
After the closing ceremony, I went to the stationery store with my friends and bought a 200-won ice cream.
The medal vending machine in the back of the stationery store hit the jackpot, and I became a hero.
Holding the ice cream, we walked on the unpaved road, and one of my friends asked me to come play at his house, so I went without a second thought.
The friend's mother served us watermelon, and as we ate the watermelon, we argued about whether we should eat the seeds or not, and got annoyed about having to spit them out, but quickly made up and started playing ball.
Apart from the sound of cicadas, the sound of the fan running, and the sound of the friend's mother doing the dishes, there was nothing else to be heard, and I simply took a nap in the bedroom without any sense of purpose or meaning.
That short day is really, terribly missed by me.
I might be forcibly attributing meaning to it.
Some of those friends have already gotten married and contact with others has been lost for a long time.
Or maybe it's just me.
Because I didn't think much of that moment back then, it has now become such a precious moment that I long for.
But that day has engraved one thing in me.
I did have moments of happiness, moments that I can long for.
There definitely were.
So, I'll go back.
Since there were definitely moments of happiness, I believe that if I persevere, I will surely find happiness again.
That's why I'm going back now.
It's not that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel right now... but you know, people usually say this kind of thing at times like this.
Life is long, and so on.
I agree.
Life is long.
So, as I live, I'm sure there will be good days again...
"... Is that it?"
"More or less."
Thinking that was enough, I pressed the button.
There was no sound or light, so I looked at the manager, but there was no expression of a problem.
After another ten seconds or so, the manager slowly opened the blinds of the front door.
And the scene that unfolded outside the front door... was the intersection near my house.
Finally.
"How was it?"
"It seems to have worked well."
"That's two things we've learned now. That Chan's physiology can be controlled by Chan's own will."
"And the other one?"
"That I won't become a kidnapper."
She laughed brightly, so I laughed along.
As I was about to go out through the door the manager had unlocked and opened, a pretty good idea occurred to me, and I voiced it.
"Would you like to take a look around? I think it's the first time for you to see a different world as well."
"Later. It's been more than 30 minutes, and if I'm away from my post too long, my credibility will suffer."
"That's true. Oh, and one more thing..."
"Yes?"
"Can I come back here later?"
The manager tilted his head.
"You can't come?"
"Of course I'll come. I worked a day, and I'm not so shameless as to not come back for my daily wage."
"I thought so too."
"I just wonder how I can come back, that's all."
"Well, I don't know. I didn't summon Channie; Channie came to me."
After that, the manager suddenly went to the counter and brought something back.
A small glass bottle, the color of the contents a bit brighter.
"I almost forgot to give you the potion."
"Wow, did you really make this yourself?"
"Of course I made it, not some fake. I made it so that you'll wake up when the alarm goes off, so set an alarm and drink it before you go to sleep. It'll make you feel really refreshed."
"What's the principle behind it?"
"Do you think you'd understand if I explain it?"
"No, I probably wouldn't. But I hope it works, at least."
"Well... At the very least, it'll taste good. I put in some sugar, too."
I see. I thanked the manager one last time.
"I'll come in the evening."
I bowed my head to the manager, who was still smiling, and went outside.
When I got home, I immediately took a shower and lay down on the bed.
I had set the alarm for 9 p.m., but I couldn't fall asleep right away.
I just couldn't sleep at all.
Sleepy as hell, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my mind would become even more alert.
I thought about at least browsing some job sites, but I didn't.
With my current mood, I probably couldn't even bring myself to submit a resume even if a good job came up.
This part-time job has good pay, after all.
Most of the customers who come are basically beasts, but the manager is a nice person.
I won't be doing this delivery job forever, but for now, it's not so bad...
My head wasn't working well.
When the time came, I opened the cap of the potion bottle the manager had given me.
This was also made with magic, so it probably won't work on my body originally.
But the manager said it would, and I've experienced it, too.
My physiology can be controlled by my own will to some extent.
Looking at the potion bottle, I thought:
I'm so damn sleepy right now and I really want to sleep like a baby.
And the manager said this would let me sleep like a baby, so come on, body of mine, listen to me this time, will you?
Thinking that, I gulped it down, and for the first minute, I didn't feel anything.
"What the hell am I doing?"
But of course, it wouldn't be that easy...
.
.
.
.
.
[Ding-dong~ Good morning~ Ding-dong―]
What... what's this?
[Bam-pa-pa bam, bam, bam-bam-bam-pa―]
No, why is it already 9 o'clock?
TL Note: Channie is his nickname or affectionate nickname used by the manager.