All day long, the room salon atmosphere was on thin ice. Because Han wasn’t there, Jiwon had to personally take second-round customers from the room to the motel, and each time, the Madam poured complaints on him. Even though he was just doing what he normally did, she found fault with every little thing.
Then around 3 AM, when he came back from being sent to buy cigarettes, the Manager told him to go to the president’s office. In other words, the Madam had called for him separately.
It was his first time visiting the private space where the Madam stayed. He’d expected something like a break room, but unexpectedly it had a strong office atmosphere. To be precise, it felt like a pawnshop office. The cheap desk and bookshelf looked obviously old at a glance, and only the sofa was the newest thing.
The Madam sat in the head seat of the sofa, waiting for Jiwon. The office was thick with cigarette smoke from what the Madam had smoked. Han had often run cigarette errands for her, the only person at Hwangje Room Salon who smoked tobacco. Today Jiwon was in charge.
“Honey, you know something, don’t you?”
She asked point-blank before he even closed the door.
“Pardon?”
“Don’t you know what that bastard Han Seoho’s been up to these days?”
The Madam looked up at Jiwon and asked again in a shrill voice.
“Ah, no. I don’t….”
He shook his head.
“As if you don’t.”
The Madam bit her lip. Lipstick smeared on her white teeth.
“Sit. Don’t stand.”
Jiwon sat on the sofa to her left, and also put down the two packs of cigarettes he’d bought at the convenience store on the table.
The Madam, who he’d heard was thirty-seven this year, looked older than that when seen in bright light.
“What did you two talk about so much at the convenience store? He kept running over there whenever he had a chance to be with you.”
She interrogated him.
“Well. We didn’t talk about much….”
Having said this much, Jiwon babbled whatever came to mind since the Madam kept glaring at him.
“We mainly talked about customers. You know, complaining about how there’s too many or too few?… And then… he asked me if I had substitute driving customers, if there were any problem customers, if the logistics center work was manageable…. These days I think we only talked about the weather.”
“Really?”
Her questioning voice was full of doubt.
“The convenience store part-timer said you talked about all sorts of things?”
“Ah… well, sometimes we… talked about guys too. And, um, new establishments or incidents and accidents we’d heard about around the area.”
They’d never once talked about guys, but he deliberately made it up to gain the Madam’s trust. Since she was a woman who knew Han was gay, she’d probably believe this.
“Are you one of them too?”
Pff. The Madam let out a deflating laugh.
“You don’t look it. Really. Can’t trust anyone in this world.”
She looked Jiwon up and down, then raised one corner of her mouth.
“Was there any talk about President Gwak?”
After a brief silence, the Madam asked.
“President Gwak? Who’s that….”
Jiwon raised his eyebrows as if he genuinely didn’t know who that was.
“You don’t know?”
“No. Is he a customer? Or the owner of another establishment….”
“You really don’t know?”
“…Is he someone I should know?”
The Madam’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Jiwon.
Gauging the truth, she soon said,
“If you don’t know, that’s fine. You can go.”
She gestured toward the door with her chin.
Passed.
Jiwon stood up from his seat with a puzzled expression. He bowed his head lightly toward the Madam and was about to leave the office when she called him.
“Wait.”
He froze for a moment.
‘She’s no ordinary fox. She’s a step above that bastard Han Seoho, so be careful.’
Of all things, why did that warning have to come to mind?
He tried his best to turn around naturally.
“Honey, what time can you come by today?”
“…Pardon?”
“The MT.”
Phew. That took ten years off my life.
He stroked his heart.
After the final interview, every time he came to the room salon, it was nothing but continuous tension. Because this place was both the starting point and the destination. Moreover, because not a single person had passed the final hurdle, it was even more so.
“It was canceled….”
“Who decided to cancel it? We’re going today. What time?”
She pressed him.
Even though she’d canceled twice saying Han wasn’t there, she suddenly changed her mind and said she was going.
“Recently I finish between 8 and 9 PM.”
“So you can come by 11. Right?”
“…Yes. That’s definitely possible.”
“Okay. Tell the Manager to give you the Gapyeong Pension address. And get your transportation money while you’re at it.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Make sure you come. Whether that bastard Seoho comes or not, I’m definitely going!”
Her expression suggested that if he didn’t come, she’d think they were in it together. No, she already seemed convinced of that. Maybe that was actually better.
The Manager, who was busy greeting customers, asked with an obviously annoyed face, ‘Are you really going?’
“Yes. She says she’s definitely going.”
“Ugh, if she’s going, she should’ve just gone yesterday.”
He blatantly showed his irritation and sent the Gapyeong Pension address by text. Then he handed over 150,000 won for transportation.
“You drive the minibus back. That’s what the money’s for.”
He spoke as if doing a favor.
“You have a Class 1 license, right?”
He’s asking so quickly.
“Yes. I do.”
The Manager didn’t even listen to Jiwon’s answer and rushed off to greet customers who were just entering.
The room salon was busy for the first time in a while. They’d been flying flies all last weekend—Saturday and Sunday, the golden weekend—which had been inwardly uncomfortable, so this seemed fortunate. Of course, because of that, Jiwon felt like his arm would fall off and his back pain worsened.
Chewing painkillers while carrying customers to the motel, it was soon time to get off work.
The whole way to the lodging, the Madam was on the phone with someone. He could hear her say “Seoho” several times in between. He couldn’t tell if she was badmouthing Han or searching for his whereabouts, but he could fully tell that the Madam was quite angry.
Contrary to his worries, she paid no attention to Jiwon at all.
After dropping them off at the lodging like that and walking to the bus stop, he felt someone following from behind. When he turned around, it was a man wearing a ball cap.
It was Han.
“Oh!”
“Shh.”
Han put his index finger to his lips. He gestured with his eyes for him to keep going.
Jiwon walked briskly to his original destination, the bus stop, conscious of Han following behind. Just then, a bus heading to the goshiwon arrived. He turned around, wondering if Han would follow if he got on this bus, but Han shook his head.
After letting several more buses pass like that, Han finally got on a bus. He was slightly uneasy, but thinking nothing much could happen on public transportation, he followed him onto the bus.
Han sat in the very back seat, and Jiwon took the spot next to him.
The smell of alcohol wafted strongly.
“Did your interview go well?”
Han asked quietly, staring ahead.
When they’d met last Friday, he hadn’t said a word about the interview, but it seemed he was curious now.
“Yeah, well…. How about you, Seoho?”
“I’m fucked.”
Han let out a deep sigh.
“Why?”
His voice got louder involuntarily. Then Han hushed him with a “shh.”
Jiwon lowered his voice again and asked.
“Why, what happened?”
“I came while inserting it.”
Han confessed that he’d ejaculated in that uncomfortable position.
It wasn’t like residue had come out, so he couldn’t understand why that was being fucked.
Anyway, it was a position to select men to attend a sex party as partners. Naturally, getting hard well, feeling it well, and cumming well would be even better, wouldn’t it? Moreover, if they were on their side, there was no reason to deliberately fail him.
“I don’t understand why that’s a reason for failure either. They just said sorry, but it won’t work out with you.”
“They said that?”
He barely collected his mind that kept trying to become indifferent and asked seriously.
Han sighed and nodded.
“Yeah. What about you, hyung?”
His eyes were red as he turned to ask.
What? This is confusing.
“Well. They didn’t say much.”
“Did you fail too, hyung?”
Han seemed somehow happy saying this.
It rubbed him the wrong way.
“You heard about the 700 million too, right?”
Han lowered his voice.
Jiwon nodded while gauging Han’s intentions.
No matter how much he was on their side, they wouldn’t give that much money to a mere broker. Then Han must have genuinely wanted to be selected for that party too. It was work he enjoyed while getting easy money worth 700 million, so maybe he was as desperate as Jiwon.
Thinking that way, Han’s current reaction made some sense.
At least under the assumption that Jiwon’s speculation was true.
“Fuck, I’m going crazy it’s so frustrating. I thought I’d definitely make it. The atmosphere was fucking great until the practical.”
Han covered his ball cap with both hands.
“Maybe my mom was right that I’m really unlucky. I always mess up important things.”
Han said that because of the fact that he’d failed the final interview, he couldn’t focus on work. He was angry at himself for missing this golden opportunity to leave that scene, and everything was bothersome. He added that he just wanted to throw it all away. After that, he closed his mouth.
Jiwon, in his own way, reviewed the time of the final interview and trembled with anxiety.
It wasn’t like his usual self, but after the accident—no, after hearing the full story of the accident—he’d never once been like himself.
It definitely seemed like I passed, but what if I didn’t?
This is driving me crazy.
The two fell into their respective hells in silence.
How long had they been like that?
When the bus seats were full and people standing began to increase one by one, Han spoke. It was a somewhat lighter voice.
“Hyung, let’s go get hangover soup. I know a really delicious hangover soup place.”
Han didn’t even wait for Jiwon’s answer and pressed the stop button.
It had only been 20 minutes since they’d gotten on the bus.
