Demon Bookshop - Chapter 7 - You Are Going Into the Boss's Room?
After sending Ia away, Paul returned to the bookshop alone and let out a short sigh. No matter how much Ia had helped him, there was not just a place or two that still needed Paul’s handiwork. First of all, the new books were all mixed up.
Well, new books looked all the same to those who did not know much about them. Paul took out a pair of work gloves from the counter drawer. The boss had bought it for him since his hands often got papercuts. After seeing that they fit his small hands perfectly, Paul chuckled lightly and started organizing the books.
"Why on earth does work seem to pile up the more I do it…"
How much time had passed? Instead of decreasing, it seemed like the places that needed Paul’s handiwork were only increasing. Paul took off his gloves and let out a sigh as he sat down on a chair. Then, he saw a female customer entering the bookshop.
"ยินดีต้อนรับ!" (‘Welcome!) Paul greeted clumsily in the demon language. Afterwards, the moment he casually looked at her, he felt his hair stand on end.
She was a stunning beauty, enough to make the other demons in the bookshop turn their heads to look at her. Although her skin was blue, it went well with her golden and wavy bob-cut hair. Her face was just the size of a fist, but there was a clear distinction between the eyes, nose, and mouth. On top of that, her curvaceous body exposed by a tight one-piece dress added the final touch.
However, her eyes lacked any vitality. They were without focus like those of a dead person.
Paul hurried up to the boss and whispered to him, "Boss, the customer who just came in, don't you think something seems off about her?"
"What?"
"I know I shouldn't say this to customers, but… her eyes are a bit strange."
However, the boss only looked into her eyes without giving any response to Paul’s words.
Paul thought to himself, 'Since the boss didn’t say anything, maybe her eyes are originally like this?'
In addition, she moved so unnaturally stiff that it seemed like she would definitely get a negative score on a flexibility test.
'I guess she’s a zombie or something similar. No, since her skin is blue, a Jiangshi would be more likely. No, there is no talisman attached to her forehead so a zombie would be more believable.'
So Paul, who had concluded that she was a zombie, decided not to care anymore.
"แนะนำหนังสือให้หน่อย"
But when she came straight to the boss, Paul could not help but pay attention to her as much as he wanted to. She smiled and said something to the boss in demon language. Even though her smile was awkwardly stiff, she was still as beautiful as if she had walked out of the magazine cover.
"What did the customer say, boss?"
"She’s asking for a recommendation for interesting books in demon language."
"Oh, shall I show her something popular?"
"No, I'll do it."
As the boss said, he began to introduce the books to her directly. However, as if there were no books that interested her, the two continued to converse back and forth. With handsome and pretty demons facing each other, they could only be described as a handsome and beautiful couple.
'What? Why do you two look so happy together? I'm working so hard, but the boss is just chatting ‘haha hehe’ with a pretty woman!'
Of course, the boss's expression was blunt as usual, but Paul was somehow upset. While calculating the total cost for other customers, Paul continued to keep an eye on them. She had been sticking close to the boss since earlier and did not seem to want to leave.
'No…!'
"Boss, this is the book you mentioned before. Where should I display it?"
"Boss, do you happen to know where this is in the stock? I put it somewhere, but I can't remember."
"Boss, I think it's about time to change the bestseller. What should we change it to?"
Paul, who somehow did not like the way the two were together, began to bother them on purpose. Although he was skilled in bookshop work, he tried to strike up a conversation with him and asked him about the work. Despite his barrage of questions, the boss only pointed in the direction of where the book was located with his finger or head without answering.
"Aaaaah!"
So Paul came up with a second plan. He pretended to take out a book from a high shelf and deliberately missed his footing and fell as he climbed up the ladder. Fortunately, the boss immediately lifted him in the air with his magic and slowly lowered him to the floor, ensuring that he was not hurt. However, his gaze was still fixed on her unfocused eyes.
"Excuse me, boss. Let me clean up where you are! Ugh, why are there so many footprints on the floor?"
"Paul, do it later. Can't you see I’m talking to a customer now?"
"Yes… I'm sorry."
Paul's ambitious third plan of cleaning also failed miserably. Should he try dropping a bunch of books on purpose this time? Then the boss surely would not be able to help but pay attention. But as a bookshop employee, he felt guilty about dropping pitiful books for no reason. What if the books got crumpled…? Paul was now considering a fourth way to attract the boss's attention.
"What have you been doing since earlier? Quickly calculate the amount."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
At that moment, the boss interrupted Paul’s thoughts. He looked up and saw the blue-skinned woman placing a book on the counter, looking down at him with a pathetic expression. Regardless of her expression, Paul felt relieved at the thought of her finally leaving.
'What? Why aren't you leaving yet? If you've finished your business, go away quickly!'
But Paul's mood sank again as the blue-skinned woman who bought the book did not leave the bookshop. Watching the two conversing in demon language like before, he felt like he was on a roller coaster.
Well, the boss is also in the prime of his life, so, of course, he would like young and pretty women. But how old is the boss anyway? Paul was now staring at the boss's face and trying to guess how old he was.
‘Around 32 or 33? The only thing I know is the name of the boss, Edmond Dantes. No, there are a few more things too. He is a rich and handsome Fomor.’
Continuously watching the boss, Paul finally dropped the books he was holding to the floor just like his fourth plan, but he swore it was never his intention.
'That blue woman is openly flirting with the boss now!!'
She smiled and quietly linked her arms with the boss. However, he did not react at all, so she took an even more explicit step. She took the boss's arm toward her plump chest. Paul thought the boss would raise his eyebrows while pulling his hand out.
'This is big trouble! What if the boss gets angry and cuts off her hand? Should I go and stop her now?'
Paul and the boss's eyes met for a moment. Contrary to Paul's expectation, rather than pushing her away, the boss smiled slightly, raising one corner of his mouth. Paul was so surprised by his reaction that his jaws dropped. At this moment, the boss came with the woman in Paul’s direction, his mouth still slightly upturned.
Paul's surprise did not seem to be over yet. The boss enjoyed seeing Paul’s flustered expression and said, "Paul, watch the bookshop. I'll be upstairs with this demon."
"Upstairs? Don’t tell me, are you going to your room, boss??"
"Yes."
Now the boss was thinking of taking her up to his room.
"B-but, boss. What should I do if a customer comes? I don't know much demon language yet?"
"Then we’ll call it a day."
"Really?! But there’s still plenty of time until closing?"
"Just handle it."
Without giving Paul a chance to ask more questions, the boss disappeared into his room with the demon whom he had met for the first time only today. This time, the boss seemed to smell like Cool Water perfume rather than clean soap.
"So self-centred. You think I won’t do it if you ask me to close all of a sudden?" Paul, who was left alone, grumbled.
There were not many customers in the bookshop at the time, so he even asked the ones who were there to leave and closed the shop. It was a behaviour that he could not even imagine having if he was his usual self.
"Hmph!"
During the closing time, Paul snorted as he found the gloves the boss had bought him and threw them onto the table. But exactly five seconds later, he carefully picked them up again and put them in the drawer.
"…Well, the gloves are innocent."
It was still early in the day and the sun had not set. Paul felt somewhat awkward. What should he do with this sudden free time?
'It’s just because there's nothing to do. It's not like I'm curious about what the boss is doing in his room.'
Paul rationalized to himself and quietly approached the boss's door. He was going to eavesdrop on what the boss was doing with her. He listened closely to the closed door as he had done on the day he first met the boss.
'…Sob.'
There was a sound coming from the other side.
'Ahh!'
Paul felt his face burning hot. It was definitely a woman's moan!
'What? Is that really a moaning sound?'
At that moment, the boss's door opened slightly. Paul did not know it, but the boss, who knew he was eavesdropping outside, had opened it with magic. Paul quickly peeked into the room through the door gap.
However, the door opened so little that all Paul could see was the boss doing something with her on the bed. She was lying down, and the boss was on top of her.
'W-what are they doing?'
But what else could a young man and woman be doing on a bed? Paul ran down to the bookshop as if he had seen something he should not have.
"Did something go wrong with the hot pot I had earlier? Why do I feel so frustrated?" Paul hit his chest with his fist. It was frustrating as if something was weighing on his chest. Just then, something came to his mind, and he quickly took a book out of the human bookcase. Fortunately, the book was still unsold and was guarding a corner of the bookcase.
<World Interspecies Encyclopedia>
"It's true that that female demon's pretty, but she has blue skin! Honestly, my skin isn’t inferior! I do have some freckles though."
Paul opened the book to learn more about the blue-skinned demon. He first read about zombies.
'Zombies are corpses that have been resurrected with magic. Because they are already dead once, their body movements are unnatural. Some emit a rotten smell. Since they are under the control of magic, they have no will and are mostly mobilized for unpaid labour.'
"Strange. I didn’t smell any decay from that woman, and she seemed to have a will…"
Paul flipped over the pages to find out about Jiangshi. As he did, he came across a cute drawing of a character with unfocused eyes and a small bug drawn next to it. Underneath them were the four characters of the demon’s name.
T/N: 기생 마족
"Parasite demon?"
"Parasite demons attach themselves to other hosts and suck up their magic. The main body appears as a very small bug, but once attached, it can control the host's body and move as it pleases. The host, having all their magical power sucked, wanders aimlessly in a dreamlike state before eventually losing their life. Parasite demons are constantly on the move in search of hosts with strong magic.'
"It wasn't a zombie but a parasite demon!" Paul yelled after reading the explanation. Her eyes were obviously out of focus as if she were looking into the air. A parasite demon had attached itself to her eyes, and was now targeting the next host with strong magical powers – the boss! Paul raced back upstairs with his heart pounding.
"Are you all right, boss?! I'm coming in!"
Without asking for permission, Paul flung open the boss's door.
"…Huh?!"
Paul, who forcibly opened the door, became speechless at the sight in front of him. Contrary to his expectation, the parasite demon was not attacking the boss. Rather, the boss had tied her arms and legs with magic and put her on the bed, flipping her eyes open and examining her. She was writhing in pain and making agonizing sounds. They were the same moans Paul had heard outside the door.
"What are you doing, boss?"
"It's dangerous, so don't come close."
Paul, who was trying to approach the boss, stopped in his tracks. At that moment, something small popped out of her eyes that the boss had opened, and darted around the room at a tremendous speed.
'Meow!'
It had gone to Lego at the corner of the room, but changed direction when Lego jumped in surprise. Now, it leapt towards Paul at lightning speed. It happened so quickly that Paul could not avoid it and had to close his eyes.
"Paul, it's okay. You can open your eyes."
Paul carefully opened one eye after hearing the boss's low voice. The parasite demon that had leapt high was frozen mid-air about 5 cm in front of Paul and fell to the ground because of the boss’s magic. Despite its small size, it had a creepy appearance with dozens of thin legs on a thin and long body like a centipede.
"Yuck!" Paul, who hated bugs, closed his eyes again in surprise.
The boss then lifted it up with magic. Soon after, the parasite demon burst out on the spot with a 'pop' sound. It was a light and pleasant sound like popping a packaging bubble wrap.
"B, Boss, what the hell was that just now?"
"A parasite demon."
"I knew it! But did you know everything from the beginning, boss?"
"Yes. Just like you said, I could feel a strange magic in her eyes."
Paul felt his energy being drained by the boss's answer.
"But why did you leave it alone? You even brought it to the room yourself."
"It was fun. I wanted to watch your reaction."
To be exact, the boss was having fun with both the parasite demon and Paul’s sulking reaction. It was so intriguing to see Paul unable to hide his expression of being jealous.
"But… you could have been in danger, right? What if the parasite demon attached itself to you, boss?"
But Paul immediately realized that there was an error in what he said. How could he suggest that a mere parasite demon could pose a threat to a Fomor like his boss? It was an absurd thought.
'I was just worried about the boss, and… and strangely… I was jealous.'
Paul finally realized the name to give to all these feelings. The reason why he wanted to interrupt the conversation between the boss and her. The reason why his chest felt so suffocated the moment he saw him smiling at others. The reason why his heart sank at the sound coming from the room. It was all because of Paul’s burning 'jealousy'.
'I'm jealous? But why? Because I can't go back home without the boss…? Or, could it be that to the boss, I’m…?'
"Paul."
The boss called out his name and approached Paul, who had collapsed on the floor. He lightly ruffled Paul's curly hair with his large hand.
"Paul, I will never let you get hurt."
Paul looked up at the boss upon hearing his words. Paul's warm chestnut-coloured eyes and the boss's cold black eyes met.
'Because you have to free me from my boredom.'
At this moment, the two were having completely different thoughts.
Fortunately, the parasite demon had not controlled the blue demon for long enough to take her life. Her eyes were now glimmering with vitality like the other living demons and she looked even more attractive now.
‘So it was the parasite demon that made her move like a puppet.’ Paul thought as he looked at her, who was moving flexibly unlike before.
"มันเหมือนฝันอันยาวนาน" (It feels like a long dream.)
She introduced herself as Arwindia. Paul did not know her, but she was an art model who was popular among the demons.
She said she was modelling in an unfamiliar place as usual. "But I suddenly felt a strange sensation in my eyes. It was stinging like I had been stung by a bug."
But she was a professional who would not budge until she was done modelling. Thanks to this, other demons did not notice that she was attacked by a parasite demon.
'No wonder she was pretty like she was coming out of a magazine cover,' Paul thought.
Finally, she thanked them for their help and gave Paul a gentle kiss on the cheek. Even Paul, who had been blinded by jealousy earlier, turned red when her soft lips touched him.
"Go back already."
She also approached the boss to thank him, but he raised his hand to stop her. The boss's reaction was definitely cold. As soon as the parasite demon disappeared, he seemed to have lost interest in her.
When the boss returned from seeing her off, he was brushing Lego’s hair to calm himself down. Lego was purring under his touch, apparently enjoying it.
"Boss, there's something on your pants."
There was a bunch of Lego’s cheese-coloured fur on the boss’s pants. Paul reached out to take it off because it was especially noticeable on the black pants, but the boss quickly avoided his hand and said, "It’s okay, so don't touch my pants."
"Sorry? I'm just removing the fur on them…"
"Anyway, you can’t."
What's wrong with him? Could it be because of his drunken behaviour back then? I'm even trying to take off his pants, he’s being overly sensitive. Feeling embarrassed by the boss's reaction, Paul withdrew his hand and brought up another topic.
"By the way, didn’t you like Arwindia-nim?"
"I did?"
"You were clearly smiling when you were looking at Arwindia-nim earlier?"
"I never did that."
The boss's words were not false. He enjoyed looking at Paul, not her.
"And since you're a man, I'm sure you must like pretty women, right? Besides, she’s a famous model."
"I’m not interested."
His response was blunt, but Paul felt satisfied.
"Why aren't you interested? Oh, I see! You’re not interested in romance, are you? You must have no experience in dating?"
Feeling that there was no value in responding to Paul’s questions, the boss remained silent. Paul did not want the conversation to end so he quickly threw out another topic.
"Then, how old are you?"
"I forgot since it's been a long time. I stopped counting since my 500th birthday."
"Pfft! 500 years old? What's that? I should have asked you how the past era was!"
T/N: Paul actually asked how old are you three times with informal (나이), honorific (연세), and archaic terms, respectively (춘추).
Paul laughed as he thought the boss's words were a joke. The boss shook his head and continued to brush Lego's fur again.
A few days later, a few new magazines arrived at the bookshop.
"That's weird. Why are there dozens of the same magazine?"
Paul thought there was a mistake in the orders, but found a note inside. The boss read the note to Paul.
"It says, 'They have been sent at the request of the cover model. All payments have been made.'"
Hence, Paul displayed the magazine in the most prominent place in the bookshop. Now, when customers opened the door to Kshatrit, the cover featuring a blue-skinned, blonde-haired woman immediately caught their eye. Arwindia, the model on the magazine cover, greeted the customers with a natural smile.