Thankfully, the sewer didn’t clog.
Looking at the now-spotless mascot head, I felt a deep sense of relief.
It was only then that I realized the head I’d assumed was a calico cat was actually just yellow and white. All this time, the black I’d seen had just been grime. Even with my nose pressed right up against it, there was no rotten smell left now, only a sweet scent. All that was left was to carry it out and toss it in the coin dryer.
I was just getting up, feeling good about not having to suffer through the smell starting tomorrow, when it happened.
Thud.
I sensed someone’s presence.
“…!!”
I froze in place, mascot head still in my hands, halfway to standing. In that instant, I heard the sound of a door opening.
Damn it, he said the room was empty…!
A cold sweat broke out even though I wasn’t moving.
I held my breath, staying perfectly still, and thankfully, the presence didn’t seem to notice me in the bathroom — it gradually moved further away. There was no time to relax. I had to get out.
If a VIP guest caught me like this and filed a complaint, I’d take the full blame before anyone even bothered to sort out who was actually at fault.
Getting fired would honestly be the lucky outcome, they said.
No escort involved in anything related to a VIP had ever come out of it unscathed, which only made me more tense. I thought of all the escorts who’d vanished without a trace or a word, and focused entirely on figuring out how to slip away.
Get out as quietly as possible.
I slowly opened the door to check the situation outside. Even though I was careful not to let any sound escape, the anxiety from the noise alone was enough to drive me half out of my mind. My heart felt like it would burst, and the humidity in the bathroom made it hard to even breathe properly. I peered out through the narrow gap I’d opened, just wide enough to fit my face through.
No one.
There wasn’t a single human shape in sight.
Where’d he go?
I’d definitely felt someone come in, but now there wasn’t even a sense that anyone was there at all.
What…?
Was I imagining it?
No, that couldn’t be. I’d definitely heard it.
I leaned my head and body out a little further. That’s when I finally saw him — a figure standing with his back turned, near the window. Even though I could see with my own eyes that someone was there, I found myself doubting whether that was even a person. That was how little presence he gave off.
Even from behind, he was clearly no ordinary person…
For one, he was tall. Just from his build alone, he made even West Hollywood’s top-billing escort look unremarkable by comparison. For a moment, I wondered, hopefully, if this man might just be an escort himself. West Hollywood had no shortage of unrealistically good-looking escorts, after all.
But I gave up on that hope immediately.
Escorts, by nature of their job, didn’t give off an intimidating air — they were the ones doing the entertaining. But this man, just standing there doing nothing at all, somehow had the air around him bending to fit him instead. He was clearly the type others fawned over with money and power, not the other way around.
And yet, for someone like that, it was strange how little presence he gave off…
That was the moment I should have realized something was off.
I should have realized he was deliberately, intentionally hiding his presence. But, foolish as I was, too consumed with getting out of a situation that might get me chewed out by the owner, I moved carelessly.
I threw my wet clothes back on haphazardly and picked up the mascot head.
I hadn’t wrung it out properly, so water dripped steadily from it. If I carried it in my hands, I’d surely be spotted. I decided to put it on my head instead. That way, it would buy time before the water soaked through my shirt and started dripping onto the floor.
It was also a precaution in case I got caught.
Plenty of escorts worked while wearing mascot heads, so I could just deny everything. Even if I got caught right then, all I needed was to get out without my face being seen. And I was confident I could. There was no way some escort or VIP guest, who never had to use any real physical strength, could overpower me — someone hardened by day-labor construction work.
Of course, getting out without being noticed at all would have been best.
I pulled the mascot head down over my own. It was damp, but compared to how it used to be, soaked through with sweat and filth, this was nothing short of pleasant. My visibility wasn’t great, but as long as I could see something, it wasn’t a real problem. I lifted onto my toes and crept out carefully. Then, holding my breath, I edged toward the front door.
Unlike the bathroom door, the front door would inevitably give me away with noise. So my plan was to bolt the moment I opened it.
I tensed my thighs, ready to bolt. I steadied my breathing and slowly checked the front door handle. Just a little further now.
Just a little… just a little more.
Two steps left.
And finally, I reached out to grab the handle.
Now!
Before my fingertips even reached the door handle, a powerful force wrapped around my waist.
“…!!”
In an instant, both feet lifted off the ground, then—
Thud.
I was slammed against the door as if crushed into it.
Gah—!
The brutal force knocked the breath right out of me. My arm was wrenched back, and my shoulder, waist, and legs were all pinned down completely. I struggled to break free with sheer force, but I was held down by something unyieldingly strong. Inside the mascot head, my ragged breathing sloshed and echoed, as agonizing as drowning. But if I hadn’t been wearing it, I would have badly hurt my head.
I felt an undeniable presence at my back. I’d been caught. I’d been seized.
Fuck.
I had to get out of this.
I put everything I had into my body.
I shoved back hard with my shoulder, resisting with all my strength. With a twisted shoulder and bent knee, I tried at least to pull my head away from him. For just a brief moment, I felt the weight pressing down on me waver, and I thought that was my chance.
But I was wrong.
He gripped my throat and slammed me into the door again, with even more force.
Thud.
This time my arm was properly wrenched, and my shoulder joint screamed in protest. I choked back a cry and trembled all over. Maddening pain devoured my entire body.
“Ugh.”
Unable to bear the pain, I let out a sound for the first time. Something — water or sweat, I couldn’t tell — ran down my spine. Pressed flush against the door, the cold, hard feel of the steel door against my wet shirt sent chills through me. The more I tried to break free, the rougher and harder the man pressed down on me.
Out of breath, my body pinned, and feeling the man’s body heat against my back, I had to admit it.
I couldn’t get away from this man.
Damn it… was he some kind of athlete?
There was no other way to explain strength like this.
I stayed calm. First, I had to apologize to this thoroughly furious customer.
“I’m sorry, sir. I must have the wrong room—”
I needed to explain that I’d come to the wrong room by mistake, but before I could even finish, the man spoke as well.
“A stray dog earlier, and now a sneak thief?”
“…….”
The VIP, who had me pinned down like he was restraining a child, muttered in a chillingly low voice.
Danger.
I felt it on instinct. I needed to grovel, now.
“I’m sorry, I came to the wrong room.”
“…….”
“I only meant to use the shower and leave. I thought it was an empty room — I made a mistake. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll leave right away. This is my fault.”
“…….”
Fuck, why isn’t he saying anything.
“What is this?”
“…Sir?”
“Why is this here.”
What was he talking about?
Was he asking why I was here?
“I came to the wrong room.”
I repeated the same excuse I’d just given moments ago, like a broken record. I really hadn’t meant to intrude — I’d only used the room because the owner told me it was fine to…
Even I wouldn’t believe that.
Who was there even to blame.
It was my own fault, for stupidly trusting the owner and coming up here.
I had to get out of this somehow.
But then—
The man had been fiddling with the back of my neck for a while now, and an inexplicable unease crept over me. Was it the feel of leather gloves against my skin? Every hair on my body stood on end, and my whole body went rigid.
That’s when it happened. Something suddenly touched the back of my neck. A faint, warm breath brushing against my skin.
“…Sir?”
I didn’t have eyes in the back of my head, so I couldn’t check, and just as I was thinking how awful this feeling was—
Crunch.
“Ugh.”
He bit down on the back of my neck.
