❛ SECRET DAY JOB STRUGGLE ❜→ ʰˣʰ ᶠᵃⁿᶠⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ

♔ Corona ♔

"OH MY DAYS DON'T GET ME STARTED WE'RE ALL GOING TO GET INFECTED AND DIE."

Stephanie, Kurapika's cranky and snotty co-worker, was screeching as she showed the rest of the staff the article on her phone she was reading before the store opened. Apparently, a man from Wuhan had eaten a bat, and now there's a mysterious disease circling around China and other parts of the world, titled the 'coronavirus'.

"Stephanie, I think we'll be fine, as long as we're sensible."  The bluenette Hyori reasoned, trying to calm down the panicked woman.

Her hand was shaking. "IT'S DEADLY!"

Kurapika, who expected there to be fake news circling the media, started curiously asking questions to confirm.

"Are you sure it's deadly? It could just be rumors."

"What if my kids get it?" she continued, muttering and ignoring the blonde's questions. "I'll have to take them out of school, it's not safe. And the germs the customers will bring in-"

"Alright, Steph!" Amane yelled, while Kurapika pulled out his own phone to confirm the facts. "How about you take the day off? Go mentally prepare yourself."

Wide-eyed and shaking, Stephanie slowly walked out of the breakroom, muttering again quietly before she left. "I have to stock up."

As the woman left the store, one thought ran through everyone's mind. 'Stephanie has kids? Who in their right mind would sleep with h e r?'

"Well, that was interesting," Itali commented sarcastically, not sure what else to do. "It's probably better that you let her take the day off."

"Yeah, it would've been way too chaotic if she worked," Kurapika remarked.

Amane sighed, fiddling with her iPad and adjusting her name badge. "Why do you think I let her go home? I mean, we're down one employee, and we'll probably have to call in Yuzu to cover her shift, but I think it'll be overall smoother if she's not here."

"Agreed." Everyone stated simultaneously.

"...Damn, I just checked, and apparently the virus has already killed thousands of people."  Informing the rest of the staff, Kurapika read the facts straight from his phone. "It's actually pretty dangerous."

"Let's just hope none of us get it." Hyori prayed.

+++

That day, Kurapika, as well as the others, noticed several customers wearing face masks. Eventually, it was a law that everyone in their country had to wear a face mask to wear in public. Thankfully, the virus didn't directly affect any of the staff, but Hyori was extremely concerned when she found out that her younger brother had caught the virus.

"Kurapika, holy shit," she muttered into the phone, panicking. She didn't usually curse, that was Stephanie's department. "My little brother, Rinta, caught the virus."

"He got corona?!" the grey-eyed male asked incredulously, not believing his ears.

"Yeah..."

"Holy shit..." he mimicked the previous words. Thankfully, Rinta survived with barely any harm done.

After quarantine started, and everyone was on lockdown, Kurapika stayed out of work for months. Although, isolating himself wasn't great for him, especially mentally. Worst of all, he almost lost his eyeliner skills. 

When Kurapika finally went back to work, he was a bit sloppy, which wasn't good for the loads of customers that rushed there the day the Sephora opened, even with the six-feet-apart rule, the store was packed. People of all ages, rushing for the make-up products that would make the  enormous eye bags that had built up over the months disappear, and the ones that will hopefully give them some confidence about going out in public again. The majority of these people had lost their social skills as well as their grip on reality.

Aside from Black Friday, it was the most horrifying thing Kurapika had ever witnessed.

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