CH 11.3

The low voice. The smooth flowing tone without any sharpness. The breathless laughter. I calmed down as I thought about him one by one.

It was a wonder. That thinking of someone could make me like this. If only I had met Yeon Woojeong a little bit earlier, wouldn’t I be able to endure a lot of things?

Let’s do the work now. I have to leave this place asap.

While I was making such a resolve, the door opened and Han Juhyeok came in.

“Oh? You’re taking a break. How is it? Did you make any money?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? You don’t look good, though.”

The button in Han Juhyeok’s shirt was loosened. Something red seemed to have been smeared on his neck. Han Juhyeok glanced down as if he noticed my gaze.

“Ahh, this.”

He shrugged as if it was nothing and then buttoned up his shirt. Something came to mind as I looked at him.

“By the way.”

“Huh?”

“Are those things in the rooms drugs?”

Han Juhyeok blinked his eyes slowly. He stared as if examining my face before nodding.

“You know, right? It’s a secret.”

“…”

“Why are you making that face? Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

I didn’t think that there would be drugs, but it would be a lie to say that I didn’t expect anything. There’s no way this kind of place would be decent. It wouldn’t be a surprise to find anything here.

“Are you feeling guilty? Don’t. This is how everyone makes money. Don’t you agree?”

Han Juhyeok leaned against the dressing table and ate the snack on top of it. I didn’t feel guilty. I had prepared for this anyway. I wouldn’t have come this far if I nitpicked too much.

“Honestly, I’m not proud to do a job like this. But what can I do? Do people like us have any other choice?”

“…”

“What, should I do labor work? Be zealous and earnest? Dude. Such a thing is for kids with parents and home. We won’t even have a place to lie down if we don’t do this.”

I didn’t say anything, but Han Juhyeok hastily excused himself. He must be living like that because he thought like that. But I was living like that even though I didn’t have the same thought. I knew that living by working in a place like this or pickpocketing isn’t that different.

“You, why are you so uptight? You’re like a kid who grew up finely.”

“So what?”

“Haha! I’m just saying because you look like you’re in a bad mood. You also came this far because you had no choice, no? Do you think there would be any other path? Even if it looks like a path, you’ll fall once you walk on it.”

He swallowed the snacks and touched his earring. I didn’t really want to listen to him. I thought there was nothing different about him or me making a fuss for one reason or another. Han Juhyeok’s words cemented the idea that Yeon Woojeong must not find out about this. Most of the things that need to be kept secret are just plain wrong, and the excuses given by those with no integrity are pathetic.  

I got up. The sight of Han Juhyeok brushing off crumbs made me want to wash my hands. This space didn’t look clean even though it was cleaned.

“Smile.”

Han Juhyeok blabbered with a smile when I grabbed the doorknob. I ignored him and entered the restroom. A man was urinating. I could feel his eyes as I went to the sink and washed my hands. When I looked up, I made eye contact with the man.

The man moved his legs up and down, shaking them filthy. When I was about to look away, the man walked over.

“You’re the one from before, right?”

“What?”

“Woof, woof.”

A disgusting odor emanated from the man who grinned as he bared his teeth. Upon further thought, I realized he was a member of the people in that room earlier. The one who looked me up and down.

I ignored him and shook my wet hands, but the man grabbed my shoulder. Dirty.

“Do you want to do something good with me?”

“…”

“How old are you? How much do you need?”

Let’s not make any scene. It took quite a lot of effort to calm myself. I clenched and unclenched my fists.

“I’m sorry, but it’s all right, sir.”

But no matter how much I held back, I wanted to quickly remove the dirty hand on my shoulder. The man’s hand fell down as I stepped back slightly. He took a glance at my shoulder.

“What do you mean by all right? I can tell just by looking at how you bit the money. Is your mouth also good at taking dick?”

“… No.”

“You never take a dick? But you look like you’re good at it.”

Hah. I had to stop my imagination of shoving this bastard’s head to the sink. My goal was to get out of here quickly, and it was clear that if I made a scene in such a closed place, it would be all my fault. I had to think rationally. I had to quickly leave this place and meet Yeon Woojeong tomorrow. 

“Forgive me, sir. Due to the shop policy, that is not possible.”

I clasped my hands and bowed my head. That’s what Han Juhyeok told me. I should say it if I can’t stand someone asking for something strange. He also said that the guests would have a hard time visiting this place if they caused problems. So most of them would just back away.

I turned around. The moment I grabbed the doorknob, the man muttered.

“Hah, fuck. Acting all mighty, huh?”

The hand on the nape of my neck creeped me out. The restroom turned quiet as I shook it off roughly. The man blinked heavily and gave a wry smile.

“Hey. Do you think I’m funny?”

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“What? Sorry?”

The man’s wrath didn’t seem to dissipate even though I kept apologizing. He was like an idiot for making a fuss over something like this. As I raised my downcast eyes, I met with the man’s eyes. His look suddenly changed, and he raised his hand.

“How dare, you, ignore me?”

My face was slapped in an instant. The palm was raised and slammed down. My eyes glazed over. My head rang from the successive blows. Slap, slap, slap. The sounds ringing inside the restroom were unrealistic. My entire cheek was tingling, and I came to my senses at the sensation of something sharp grazing my cheek. I pushed the man in front of me with all my might.

“Ack!”

The man fell down easily. While the man, who was drunk with either alcohol or drugs, stumbled down, I opened the restroom door and left. My heart pounded loudly in my ears. There was no one around, fortunately. I ran out into the hallway, resisting the urge to go back and do the same to him. I entered a room that I recalled to be empty.

The breath I held burst out as I became alone. My cheek throbbed. I closed my eyes tightly, holding back the curse that was ready to jump out.

Feeling a sensation of something flowing down, I touched my cheek. There was a little blood on it. It seemed like it was scratched with something like a ring. Hah. What do I do if Yeon Woojeong sees this?

I bit my lips, sighed, and when I was about to walk to the sofa, I stopped. A man was lying face down. Is he sleeping here? I thought of leaving, but I couldn’t readily move because I worried if I would run into that bastard.

Sitting on the edge of the sofa, I rummaged through my pockets and counted the money. Then I recalled the amount of money in the house and in my bank account. I guess… It was enough. My head couldn’t run well because I was hit. I only wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. I put back the money and let out a long breath.

I put my cold hand on my cheek. It was already swollen. That filthy bastard… I had to apply an ice pack when I got home without delay. If Yeon Woojeong asks, should I say I got into a fight? That it’s nothing new to me?

Thinking of him made me miss him. It felt cowardly to think of his face while doing something like this in a place like this. I have to just go home right away. I’ll go home and collect all the money, and even if it lacks, it won’t be too much, so if I just add it up no matter how…

Suddenly, I heard footsteps. It didn’t sound like it was only one or two people. My gaze went to the door. It was somewhat noisy, and there were also grumbling. What happens? Did someone cause a scene? Can’t I go now? My head ran slowly. Come to think of it, I didn’t have dinner. Let’s go home quickly, eat, take a shower, apply the ice pack, and then…

The door suddenly opened. Two men in dark attire came in and looked around the room. They didn’t look like guests. I blankly stared up at them.

“We are from Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.”