The Dangerous Convenience Store
Writer/Artist: 945
Letterer: Karis Page
Translator: Su-a Min
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Publication Date: November 14, 2023
Rating: Mature
Genre: Webtoon (S. Korea), Boys’ Love, Color, Comedy, Manhwa, Romance
If you’re ready to dive into your next favorite romantic comedy with gangsters and a little bit of spice, this love story is a great choice.
As a long-time reader, I’m always hoping to find the next series that has me hooked from start to finish. I’m not going to lie, but when I started reading The Dangerous Convenience Store, I told myself I would take a break to work on something else, but I returned to it right away. The story and art in this sweet and spicy series are by 945.
The story revolves around a college student, Yeo Eui-joon, who works the graveyard shift at a convenience store. After working for a month, he learns that the convenience store is one that gangsters like to frequent. While getting yelled at by a customer, he wishes someone would give him a taste of their medicine. Thankfully for him, Beom Gunwoo, a tall, hunky gangster steps in. Gunwoo purchases alcohol and cigarettes, and then he’s on his way, but not before Eui-joon embarrasses himself.
We get scenes of Eui-joon going to his classes and talking to his friends. In one of these scenes, we learn that Eui-joon has a crush on his handsome and easygoing classmate, Yoon Hyunwoo. He doesn’t think anything will ever happen between them, but one day, he sees Hyunwoo getting close to another guy, and Eui-joon starts getting his hopes up that Hyunwoo might also be interested in men.
After Eui-joon finds out that Hyunwoo is in a relationship, he tries to distance himself from Hyunwoo. However, when Eui-joon sees Hyunwoo the next day, Hyunwoo follows him all day, trying to get his attention. In their conversation, Hyunwoo asks him what’s wrong with liking two people simultaneously. After a bad day at the convenience store, Eui-joon runs into Gunwoo and starts getting emotional.
When it comes to romance, I know I’m enjoying a series when I can’t stop smiling and am blushing along with the characters. The Dangerous Convenience Store leans into the gangster trope, portraying Gunwoo as this scary-looking guy who likely does shady things — and his being drawn as such a beefy guy makes it so much funnier to see him flustered when he’s jealous. The series builds up to an intimate moment between them, and Gunwoo performs how I imagined he would (wink). Gunwoo also made a comment after the fact that makes me think they may be exploring the topic of sexuality more in future volumes.
VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars (Highly Recommend). This was one of those series that caught my attention from the very beginning, and I didn’t want to stop reading until I finished it. The only parts that weren’t my favorite were when the story wasn’t focusing on Eui-joon and Gunwoo, not because those parts weren’t well written but because I couldn’t wait for more interactions between Eui-joon and Gunwoo. This series may not be for everyone, as it does have mature content, but I can’t wait to get a physical copy and to continue the series with future releases.
Will you add The Dangerous Convenience Store by 945 to your to-be-read list? Leave a comment below! Seven Seas Entertainment released the popular webtoon in print on November 14, 2023, and retails for $21.99.
