He barely came to his senses and managed to get back to the goshiwon, where he collapsed as if fainting. Even though he’d set alarms every 5 minutes, he didn’t hear them at all. If there hadn’t been a commotion at the goshiwon, he would have missed the final interview.
Fortunately, rooms 302 and 307 got into a fight. There was even a stabbing. He felt sorry for room 302, who was injured badly enough for the police to come, but thanks to them, Jiwon survived.
Even though it was only about two hours, his fever went down after sleeping and waking up. That didn’t mean the pain was gone, though. Not only his right arm, but even his twisted back hurt so much he thought he’d die.
But Jiwon reached out and checked his phone first.
There had been no texts or calls since “later.”
He popped a painkiller into his empty stomach first and took out the enema medicine. He didn’t finish with just one. Since it was the day of the interview, he took his time and did it two more times. Surely I won’t die from doing enemas, he thought, and sure enough, perhaps because he was still young, nothing like what was written in the warnings happened. He finished up with the rectal cleaner as usual.
It took exactly an hour and a half.
If only it weren’t the goshiwon, he could have tried insertion with the prostate massage device he’d hidden in the drawer under his bed, which was a shame. It was called a prostate massager, but it was basically a rectal masturbation device for men. Vibration was standard, and products with semen lock rings were common too. Every instruction manual used the term ‘G-spot,’ which men don’t even have.
Last fall—that is, before living in the goshiwon—Jiwon had steeled himself and bought the three most plausible products, and tested the devices on himself 2-3 times a week while enduring the pain. He had to feel it properly no matter what, so he really tried hard, and as a result, within two months he found his so-called ‘G-spot.’
Not only did he enjoy the excitement he’d believed was impossible and thought he’d never taste again, but he got erect and even ejaculated, making his worries about never getting hard again seem foolish.
He more than understood why that person had become addicted to anal sex. After that, he fell into the pleasure he’d attained with difficulty and was consistently masturbating anally when he accepted another man’s cock. That was when he first received oral sex from the same gender and gave it himself for the first time.
Honestly, oral sex wasn’t bad. But penetration was a completely different matter. Masturbation and the real thing were entirely different. The result of forgetting that he was heterosexual—a heterosexual to the bone—was only unpleasant memories. But he didn’t stop.
It was thanks to his inflexible personality, and finally the time had come for that experience to shine.
After cleaning his body in the goshiwon shower, Jiwon packed a suit to change into and headed to the sauna he always went to. Even if there was no physical contact, he had to insert a dildo in front of someone watching—even if it was just a camera. And naked at that.
It hadn’t even been a month since his last full body scrub, but he got a full body scrub again this time. They said for just 5,000 won more they’d give a massage with aromatic oil, so he did that. Whether it was thanks to the massage or not, his fatigue seemed to have disappeared, and his body smelled good, so even his mood was refreshed.
Standing in front of the full-length mirror with his lower body covered with a towel, Jiwon looked closely at his face.
What exactly is so good about this face that they’re searching for it while spending such expensive costs?
Honestly, he was handsome. But that was it. It wasn’t so outstanding that people would go “wow” at first sight. If anything, it was closer to plain.
No, that’s how I look.
He chuckled, thinking of Han and that person.
‘Like a wife, I guess.’
Jiwon rubbed his face with his palm.
Honestly, looking for someone who resembled someone was instinct. Jiwon had always preferred women with similar appearances and styles too. He was just curious about the reason for specifically holding interviews. And spending large sums at that.
He reflected on the first interview. Except for his face, they photographed his entire body, then his cock and balls, from his perineum to his anus—all the private places. The fact that they excluded his face meant they weren’t simply looking for someone who just resembled him facially.
Setting aside the first round, was the second interview to see his eating habits, or to check how he ate? Maybe it was both.
The man in the photo would be around 180cm tall. Han and that person were 178, and Jiwon was slightly under 182, so that would be the average.
As a result of synthesizing his experiences and information so far, the answer came out that the customer was looking for ‘a gay youth in his 20s who’s crazy about premium desserts.’
And including Han Seoho, there were four people who had interviewed so far.
Even if Jiwon, worn down by his hard life, didn’t know, Han didn’t have such a common face. Even though they resembled each other, they were on different levels. The person Jiwon had encountered during the second interview was exactly like the current Jiwon. The young man Han had encountered probably had a flashy, eye-catching appearance like Han.
Jiwon thought about the appearance gap between himself and Han and tried to find commonalities.
How many people could resemble both Han and me by half?
He was curious.
***
Manjo Building was a 12-story building located at the edge of Sagye-dong in Yongnam-si. Old congratulatory banners declaring it a redevelopment zone hung here and there, but it was practically ruins. Of all places, a location without even a single ant—truly, people could die here and no one would know.
Having received both an enema and a full body scrub, Jiwon felt like he’d groomed himself before death. He quickly shook his head to shake off the bad thoughts.
He only thought about after completing the interview. He was determined not to give up halfway no matter what. Then he planned to proudly receive the trophy along with the ten million won prize money.
Jiwon absolutely needed that trophy. He wanted to prove that what he was doing wasn’t just a waste of time chasing clouds.
Today will be that day.
The building showed traces of time. Indeed, the year from 42 years ago was written on the marker stone next to the main entrance.
The fairly large cement building had preserved those 42 years intact—needless to say, cracks and splits were everywhere, and it had that characteristic musty smell and cement odor. Spiderwebs hung in every corner of the high ceiling.
The information desk looked like a guard post in the form of a checkpoint you’d see in old apartments. The guard wearing a navy blue security uniform who was sitting in the checkpoint watching TV must have sensed someone’s presence and turned his head.
As soon as he saw Jiwon, he opened the small window.
“Here for an interview?”
“Yes. 10 o’clock interview.”
“Hold on, let me see.”
The elderly guard put on reading glasses, moistened his thumb and index finger with saliva, and flipped through a notebook that Jiwon couldn’t see.
“Today’s July 9th, so… 10 o’clock, 10 o’clock. Here it is. Kim Jiwon-ssi?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“ID.”
Jiwon took out his ID from his wallet and handed it over.
The guard took the ID with wrinkled hands. He scribbled something in the notebook, perhaps writing down the resident registration number, then held out a card key to Jiwon. The card key had a label attached that said ‘Temporary Access Pass.’
“Wear it around your neck and go up to the 13th floor.”
“The 13th floor?”
When Jiwon made a puzzled face, the guard clicked his tongue and said, “We don’t have a 4th floor.”
“When you get off the elevator, there’ll be an iron door. Below the door handle, there’s a place to scan the card, so put that there. Then the door will open. Don’t push, pull.”
The old man made a hand shape as if holding a card in the air and demonstrated scanning the card key. He pointed to a phone number posted on the window, saying to call if he didn’t understand.
Jiwon bowed in greeting, then walked toward the elevator while hanging the card key around his neck.
The elevator was an old model without even a mirror. It creaked as if it might plummet at any moment and went up very slowly, floor by floor. After the 3rd floor came the 5th floor, and there were no missing numbers after that.
Arriving at the 13th floor, Jiwon got off the elevator and immediately faced a heavy iron door. It felt similar to a door he’d seen at a certain prison famous for tight security, which made him feel strange. Just like then, it was somehow eerie.
Jiwon took a deep breath, then scanned the card key. With a loud click, the door opened. As the guard had said, he gripped the handle and pulled it forward. He could feel the full weight of the iron door on his pulling hand.
As he stepped inside the door, a narrow, dark corridor appeared. At the end of the corridor, at roughly 3 meters distance, he could see an automatic door made of opaque glass. Someone wearing a black suit was standing inside the door.
Having heard the iron door opening, the suited man came out in front of the automatic door like a guide and waited for Jiwon to enter.
Jiwon let go of the iron door handle and walked toward the suited man. Behind him, the iron door closed with a loud sound.
He was rather relieved by that sound. Since there was nowhere left to retreat, his mindset changed.
The suited man greeted him politely and let Jiwon inside the glass door. A small space like a waiting room appeared. He had Jiwon stand there and searched his body. He transferred Jiwon’s personal belongings—his phone, wallet, and such—into a basket.
“Let’s go in.”
Again, he guided him to a room with a sign that said ‘Large Conference Room.’ The suited man didn’t follow him in.
Jiwon, stepping into the large conference room, was bewildered. Contrary to his expectation that it would be the same as the 1st and 2nd interviews, or conducted even more secretly, an ordinary interview room unfolded right before his eyes.
