Escape The Villain (Overhaul x Reader)

Chapter 3: Night Shift

"What's that?" I crouched beside Eri who was drawing on sand with a stick.

"It's a drawing of grandpa's office building, Mother brought me there this morning. There were lots of bonsai trees and pretty flowers at his courtyard!" she beamed, clearly charmed by the place.

"It looks very traditional. I didn't know you visit your grandpa often."

"Oh, it was actually my first time meeting him. I think they were discussing some important matters so I went to play at grandpa's yard."

I hummed, deep in thought. I wondered why her mother brought Eri along all of a sudden and specifically to her grandfather's office. It didn't sound like it was a normal visit because she could've surely done it when he was back at home. Even so, I pushed that thought to the back of my head. Maybe I was just overthinking.

My eyes glanced over to my watch that read 5:00 pm, then went back to Eri. "We should get going. I have my overnight shift later,"

"I hope you're not overworking yourself, y/n. I don't want you to get sick."

My face softened at her words but I could only smile in reply—which didn't seem at all convincing. All this pressure of juggling work, school and personal matters were taking a toll on me mentally and it felt like I was just a step away from death.

"Don't worry. I'm not," the lie rolled off my tongue.

Doubt was written all over her face but she didn't say a word, only stared. She knew that there was nothing she could do to convince me because I was just as stubborn as a rock. It rooted me like a mantra that if I slacked even for a second, I would be bound to meet failure at the bottom of the mountain I've worked my way up to.

We both stood up and walked back home, her hand in mine, as the sky began to set. We walked past every mother with their child. Some came back from the grocery store and others had just retrieved their children from the playground with sand grains stuck to the base of their pants. We exchanged a nod of acknowledgement—a language shared between mothers—before continuing with our journey. There was an invisible bond tied between us caregivers which felt really comforting. It served as a reminder that I wasn't carrying this heavy responsibility alone.

————
That night, I reached the convenience store at 9pm sharp for my night shift. I gave a contrived "hello" to Nanami before clocking in.

"You look tired. Are you sure you have enough energy to survive overnight?" she asked while packing her things.

"I'll get through it with the help of coffee. Don't worry."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Don't rely on coffee too much. It dehydrates your body and dulls your skin! You don't want to look worn out before you get a boyfriend, do you?"

Nanami nagged like a 40-year-old mother who wants her daughter to be wedded at 19. Except I was 21 and she was older than me by a year. She liked to use this age gap as an advantage for her to play the "responsible older sister" role which she never had the chance since she was an only child. And in return, I'd tease her by calling her "auntie".

"Okay okay, thanks for the reminder, Aunt Nanami. I will keep that in mind," I waved her off.

"Good..." then she paused. "W-wait what did you just call me?!"

Before she could nag further, I made my escape to the washroom and changed into my uniform. I twisted my hair into a small bun and put on a black cap which was part of the uniform, even though it made me look like a pizza delivery girl.

When I left the washroom, Nanami was already gone. Probably off to meet her third date of the week from Tinder. She changes boyfriend every day like she changes clothes—swift and unhesitant. One time, she pestered me to go on a blind date she had arranged but I backed out last minute only because the manager called me in. Ever since then, she was desperate to hook me up with every guy she knew. But fate always had my back and I'd slipped out of every predicament by a hair's breadth.

An hour passed, followed by the second and before I knew it, the clock struck 12, transforming the store into an "alternate dimension" where fluorescent lights flickered every minute and strange humans come by. An example would be the drunk man head banging against the lamp post outside the store.

"Oh god, I don't get paid enough for this," I pinched the bridge of my nose until the entrance bell chimed. 

Automatically, I switched to my customer service voice and greeted, "Welcome!-" but halted immediately after.

I didn't even bother closing my mouth because I was just too distracted by the man who just entered the store. Long eyelashes, beautiful golden eyes, fluffy auburn hair. It was the same masked man I encountered a few nights ago. My head turned in synchronisation to his speed as he walked past me and over to the drinks section. So slender and tall in his black shirt and grey tie. From what I could deduce, he was probably in his mid 20s and an office worker. But what was he doing here at this hour? Maybe he was working overtime? Then did that mean his office was nearby?

Millions of questions bounced in my head and for someone who had no interest in men, I sure couldn't stop gawking at him. Distracted by those thoughts, the man hemmed me back to my senses and that was when I jerked back, craning my neck up to look at him.

"Is the pomegranate juice out of stock?" he asked with a tone so soothing it could lull me to sleep.

"Let me check the back..." I replied knowing damn well there was no stock.

The door to the stockroom slowly closed behind me as I crouched over in the corner, pretending to rummage through when really I was having a mental breakdown. I had no idea why I was so nervous. Was it because he was very attractive or maybe because my gut feeling was telling me that if I didn't walk out there with a pomegranate juice in my hand, he'd slice my head off?

My mind rehearsed the line "sorry! we're out of stock" over and over again until it embedded deep in my forebrain. If i messed this up, I'd be in the morgue for sure.

I crept out of the room with nothing but cold air hovering above my shaky palms.

"Sorry, we're stock of out–" at the very last moment, my lips decided to fuck things up.

"What..?" he cocked a brow.

'Way to go Y/N!! You dumbass'

Embarrassment began fizzing within me like a volcano ready to erupt.

"I'm sorry. I meant to say that they're out of stock."

The auburn male stared daggers at me with his forehead creased into a frown. Slowly, he inched forward, his body slightly bridging over the counter as his arms stretched out aiming straight for my head.

Years of Taekwondo had prepared me for this day yet my body froze as if in a stupor and I could only helplessly brace for the beating I was going to get. At least my head was tough enough to withstand, I thought.

All of a sudden, there was a soft bump on my head, almost like a leave landing on it then blown away the next second. But it was actually his fingers grazing my cap.

The man retracted his hand and apologised, "Excuse my rudeness. There was a strand of hair stuck to your cap."

My eyes dilated in shock. It definitely shaved 10 years off my life. I couldn't understand how a man could render me immobile by one harmless move. Even though I'd defeat countless of men in martial arts, why did this particular one shook me so much? What did this man possess for me to be sweating cobs?

"I see.. Th-thanks." I exhaled deeply.

He glanced at my name badge then back to my face. "Did you think I was going to kill you, Y/N?"

My body reared back. "Well, for all I know you could be a pomegranate enthusiast wanting to kill me if I told you it was out of stock. So, yes."

For a fleeting moment, I heard a small chuckle under his black mask, though his expression didn't change one bit.

"I could say the same for you."

With that, he left the store without a purchase, leaving me baffled.

'Oh god I really don't get paid enough for this.'