Appropriately enough, the Crew 1 members dressed in police uniforms who’d finished their meal came to the lobby holding coffee cups.
“Those guys are scary.”
Park Geonwu glanced at them and said indifferently.
“They should’ve made them wear prisoner uniforms instead of police uniforms.”
At those words, Lee Woojoo went, “What prisoner uniforms?”
“Why do you think? Because there’s an ex-con.”
“Really? For real?”
Lee Woojoo’s eyes widened as he made a fuss.
“Yeah. I know one of them.”
“Really? Why did that person go to prison?”
Two people in police uniforms sat nearby, so Lee Woojoo lowered his voice considerably.
“Why else? He went because he committed a crime.”
“No, I mean what crime did he commit? There must be a charge.”
“Murder.”
Park Geonwu brought it up casually as if mentioning a lunch menu.
Lee Woojoo went “Huh” and covered his mouth with both hands.
“When he was fifteen or sixteen, he killed his old man. He was a juvenile offender but got transferred to prison, though he probably didn’t serve many years. That guy’s family is pretty well-off too.”
Park Geonwu waved familiarly at the murderer as if to show off.
Jiwon and Lee Woojoo looked at him almost simultaneously. The guy wearing the uniform with the name tag reading 44ga0826-2 did look rough, but didn’t seem like a violent criminal.
Above all, he was noticeably handsome.
“Wow, he’s handsome.”
Lee Woojoo admired, then,
“No wait, that’s not it. By ‘old man’ do you mean a gangster?”
He asked in a lowered voice.
“Bastard, what gangster? He killed his own father.”
“Ah…, his dad.”
Patricide.
Jiwon looked at the guy in the police uniform once more.
To think I’d be in a training camp with a murderer.
He couldn’t tell whether there was such a shortage of people to attend the sex party that they had to embrace even murderers, or whether they deliberately selected such guys—he couldn’t understand their criteria. Same with himself being selected.
Surely he wouldn’t kill someone even after coming all the way here, but there was no harm in being careful.
Before long, most of the Crew had gathered in the lobby. Among them, the guys with muzzles were all tall with good physiques, and their clothes were so perverted that they drew everyone’s attention. When those in police uniforms stood nearby, they even looked like military dogs.
On the other hand, the sailor uniforms seemed like children’s games. Needless to say, they looked the weakest.
“You guys are cute.”
Someone wearing leather pants shouted loudly toward the group in sailor uniforms. Then laughter erupted—wahaha. The sailor uniforms became targets of teasing and jokes from other Crews.
“Wanna sit on oppa’s lap?”
A burly man grabbed Sailor 6’s wrist and pulled. Then Sailor 6 jumped into his arms without showing any reluctance. Seeing that, laughter erupted again.
Fuck, what are they doing?
Jiwon and Park Geonwu frowned simultaneously. Their eyes met and they felt a sense of kinship.
“Bastard, I kinda like you.”
Park Geonwu gave Jiwon a thumbs up.
In the meantime, Lee Woojoo had left Jiwon and Park Geonwu and was conversing with that dog bastard he’d made eye contact with in the cafeteria.
“You’re not interested in that kind of thing?”
Park Geonwu asked, gesturing with his chin toward Lee Woojoo and the dog bastard.
“Well, not really.”
“Straight?”
“Huh?”
“Are you hetero?”
“Ah, no. I’m bisexual.”
“You look it.”
Park Geonwu said this and stood up from his seat.
Lee Woojoo is gone too, so his business must be finished, Jiwon was gauging the timing to say goodbye. But that wasn’t it.
“Hey, Killer. Long time no see.”
The police uniform was right in front of him—he didn’t know when he’d arrived.
It was the guy who’d killed his father that Park Geonwu mentioned earlier. The one with the ending number 2 clasped hands with Park Geonwu, touched shoulders, and greeted him in a hip way.
“I heard your cafe went under?”
The murderer said.
“News travels fast.”
“So what are you doing now?”
“Just playing around.”
“Lucky bastard.”
When the murderer smiled, it felt like the surroundings brightened.
The police uniform suited him well, but up close his handsomeness became even more real. Especially the large eyes with double eyelids that had been hidden under the police cap were truly attractive.
“Say hello. This is Kim Jiwon. Twenty-eight.”
Suddenly having his name called, Jiwon awkwardly stood up and looked up at the murderer, saying “Hello.” Then the murderer extended his right hand.
“I’m Son Geonwoo. Twenty-five. You’re older than me, so speak comfortably.”
“His name and mine are the same, so between us we call each other Park Geon and Son Geon.”
Park Geonwu added in a cheerful voice.
Park Geon and Son Geon.
Standing side by side, they looked like they were in a handsome man competition. If Park Geonwu was closer to a pretty boy, Son Geonwoo was manly.
“This one’s a bisexual who seems definitely straight. Same as me.”
Park Geonwu even blabbed about Jiwon’s sexual orientation. Then Son Geonwoo said “I’m a gay who seems straight” and winked.
“Bastard, anyone can tell you’re gay—where are you bullshitting?”
Park Geonwu playfully scolded him.
As he said himself, Son Geonwoo didn’t give off a gay feeling unlike Lee Woojoo.
That kid was like that too. Even if he’d been alive, Jiwon probably wouldn’t have known that kid was gay until the very end unless he’d said it directly. Even if he had shown signs, not only himself but those around him were the epitome of normalcy, so he wouldn’t have dared imagine it.
Maybe because it was a special place, everyone stated their sexual orientation and preferences after their name and age. He thought it wasn’t that important. It was a sex party with only men anyway, and the Crew gathered here would have their asses penetrated regardless of who the partner was.
Whether large or small in build, they were all comrades in the same boat anyway.
Comrades wearing T-panties like himself.
Thinking of the T-panties, the vague fear that remained completely disappeared, and instead he felt like laughing.
“But you guys are too intact?”
Park Geonwu asked in a confrontational tone.
“You’re the one. No exposure at all.”
Son Geonwoo said this while scanning Jiwon with his eyes.
“Well, as you can see.”
Park Geonwu playfully spun around once in front of Son Geonwoo to show him.
Beeeep—
An ear-piercing electronic sound rang out. The lobby instantly became quiet.
[Break time over. Break time over. All Crew assemble in the great auditorium. I repeat. All Crew assemble in the great auditorium within 10 minutes.]
They’d only sipped coffee and chatted a bit, but 30 minutes had already passed. It felt like only about 15 minutes had passed, but the Crew without watches had no choice but to believe what the broadcast said.
Each stood up from their seats. Since the given time was 10 minutes, they didn’t hurry. Everyone finished drinking their coffee and still chatted with their conversation partners.
Jiwon unintentionally moved together with the two Geonwoos.
Park Geonwu and Son Geonwoo said they didn’t know they’d meet here and started talking about very old stories.
The two who became close after living next door to each other as children separated when Son Geonwoo was imprisoned after killing his father at the age of fifteen. After that, Park Geonwu’s family immigrated to America.
Then it seemed Park Geonwu failed at immigration and returned alone, reuniting with Son Geonwoo who had just been released from prison, but that was already two years ago. They playfully blamed each other for nearly two years of lost contact.
“Oh, the guys on our team are dangerous, so don’t mess around for no reason.”
Son Geonwoo gave what passed for advice.
He also warned Jiwon, “Hyung, you should listen too.”
“Why, is there another murderer besides you?”
Park Geonwu asked like a joke.
“I think so. That bastard over there is supposedly a guy who beat someone to death?”
Son Geonwoo gestured with his chin at the hulking figure walking right in front.
He was an especially large guy even among those wearing police uniforms.
“Really? Is his dick fucking tiny?”
When Park Geonwu made a lame joke while raising his pinky finger, Son Geonwoo snickered.
“You’re still the same. Be careful. You might get beaten to death.”
Son Geonwoo sneered, and Park Geonwu gave Son Geonwoo the middle finger. Then he moved to where his team members were.
Inside the great auditorium, they gathered by team again.
After that, boring etiquette education continued for nearly three hours. The education content mainly consisted of bullshit about attitudes and mindsets for welcoming Guests. They said starting tomorrow they’d learn basic serving methods and etiquette like table setting, and gave a taste by teaching a few things, but that content was also extremely old-fashioned.
Everyone yawned repeatedly and even nodded off from food coma.
The morning education, which was no different from torture, finally ended.
Having sat all day right after eating breakfast, he wasn’t even hungry. But he couldn’t skip the meal either.
That was the rule. Unless they had an upset stomach, they had to eat all three meals. It was to prevent muscle loss—what could they do? They had no choice but to do as told.
Jiwon walked to the cafeteria side by side with Park Geonwu and Lee Woojoo. Park Geonwu and Lee Woojoo were fuming about the boring education, venting their indignation about having to study even after coming all the way here.
“Surely they won’t do education in the afternoon too, right?”
Lee Woojoo asked with an anxious face.
“In the afternoon, they said we’ll check our bank balances first.”
When Jiwon told them what the instructor had said, Lee Woojoo was greatly relieved. Park Geonwu’s mouth reached his ears as he sneered, saying they make all sorts of things.
“What is this? I dropped out of high school because I hated attending classes. There’s a reason they pay a lot of money. Ugh.”
Lee Woojoo whined like a child.
“Fuck, I wouldn’t say anything if it were at least fun. They’ll still get paid for doing that?”
Park Geonwu also clicked his tongue.
Honestly, it was pretty boring. Jiwon also had to attend several such useless educations every year due to his job, so he more than understood their feelings. Still, it wasn’t entirely boring as the two said.
If I take the instructor’s side for no reason, they won’t even leave my bones behind, so he just smiled.
He thought he wasn’t hungry at all, but as soon as he entered the cafeteria, the smell of rice stimulated his stomach.
This time too, the electronic sound rang on time, and after all the Team Leaders entered, the door locked. Then the meal began with team members gathered together.
Korean, Western, Japanese, Chinese, and even snack foods—pretty much all menus were available. It was generally protein-focused, but they also generously provided refined carbohydrates. The guys who’d been managing their physiques from the start only chose protein foods on their own, but Jiwon filled his tray with his favorite menu items without being self-conscious. Having barely staved off hunger for nearly 8 months with convenience store triangle kimbap and goshiwon meals, the food provided at the cafeteria looked like a feast. Honestly, the food tasted amazing too.
The Crew Zero members, including Jiwon, had become acquainted yesterday and today, and they’d all exchanged names during the education, so the atmosphere was much more comfortable. Even if not deep conversations, they exchanged various stories. Mainly reviews about the food, and the atmosphere was generally moderate.
Park Geonwu was the only one who spoke to Captain. Park Geonwu was unexpectedly sociable. Captain wasn’t someone who only acted dignified either, so when Park Geonwu asked, he answered readily and even threw questions back.
If Crew Zero ate their meal in a harmonious atmosphere, Team 2 with muzzles was no different from the military. No one picked up their spoon until the Team Leader’s order. They didn’t even drink water without the Team Leader’s command. It’s not that they didn’t talk at all, but even that required the Team Leader’s permission to open their mouths.
Only Team 1 wearing police officer clothes was utterly silent. Not only with the Team Leader but even among team members, they didn’t exchange words. It wasn’t because they were watching the Team Leader’s mood—they acted as if they had no interest in each other at all.
If what Son Geonwoo said was true, there would be more than one ex-con among them, but usually when ex-cons gathered, they first talked about what crime they committed and how many years they served, and people with worse offenses tended to show off.
Not that I know, but now is probably the timing to test the waters.
Jiwon chewed his food slowly and tried hard to capture the Team Leaders’ characteristics. He looked carefully and repeatedly, attentively enough to be able to draw a composite sketch if he was lucky enough to get out of here.
Without showing it, as carefully as possible.
