Vol 1 Chapter 1

The village bus stopped in front of the old bus stop, making a screeching sound. I woke up from a quick nap and looked around. As far as the eye could see, it was either a mountain or a rice field.

The bus driver glanced at me through the rear-view mirror and noticed me.

“Student, this is the final stop.”

I grabbed my simple luggage and hurriedly got off the bus. I stood at the stop and looked at the bus moving away like I was lost. The chunk of junk that exploded slowly soon turned into a dot and disappeared from sight. I trudged over to the crumbling chair, threw down my bag, and sat down.

A place with few people and almost no vehicles passing by. Beep, beep. Only the sound of grasshoppers rang in my ears. It’s a rural village.

“… Phew.”

I was skeptical about the ridiculously high salary, but ended up coming here because I had nowhere else to go. Well, should I go back now? What if I get kidnapped by an organ trafficking group in a place like this? F**k, that doesn’t totally s**k. It was a time when I was once again at a crossroads with my head in my hands.

♩♪♬

I heard music.

From a distance, a well-built car was rushing towards me. It darted forward like an eagle and stopped in front of me with a screeching sound. The front door creaked open and a young man got out. He was a tall and slender man who attracted everyone’s attention. The man pulled his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose, covering half of his face, and he waved at me.

“Seo Suwon!”

I was in a daze, then quickly got up from my seat. It was right that you came to see me. I held the thin bag tightly in my arms and walked towards the man.

“You arrived sooner than expected?”

“… Yes, a little.”

As I was just looking at him, he hit the top of the car with his palm.

“Let’s leave quickly.”

I adjusted my bag again and got into the passenger seat. A satisfied smile appeared on the man’s lips, and he followed behind and got into the driver’s seat.

The car began to drive smoothly on the dirt road. The man lightly shook his body to the rhythm of a pop song whose lyrics were unknown.

“… … .”

“… … .”

I looked around the inside of the car without being noticed. The interior of the foreign car I rode in for the first time was as fresh as the exterior. I swallowed my saliva. The man didn’t seem to care whether I looked at his car or not. He just took turns looking at the resume in his hand, then at my face.

“Why did you post a photo like this?”

It was taken in a hurry at a local photo studio, so it was a very embarrassing photo even to myself. I borrowed clothes from the photographer’s son, and my face was covered in fatigue because I hadn’t slept for several days.

The man crumpled up the resume and threw it out the window. Then he smiled and said, showing his white teeth.

“The real thing is much better.”

The man’s brightly dyed hair blew wildly in the wind blowing in through the open window. His soft eyes twinkled through his flowing hair.

“I’m Jinseok, Lee Jinseok.”

The man laughed happily and turned up the volume of the music. The loud singing sound rang brightly in his ears. Now, his voice, creeping in, was mixed in among the singing voice whose pitch I could not even guess.

“Thank you for coming to pick me up.”

I thought he might not hear it. The man raised his eyebrows once while keeping his eyes fixed on the front, then returned them to their original position. I added the title a little awkwardly.

“… president.”

“… Hmm?”

The man made a curious voice.

“What are you talking about? I’m not the boss.”

He looked a little shocked and asked me.

“Do I look that old?”

“No, that’s not it… .”

“Like Suwon, I’m just a working person.”

… Men are also caddies? I was shocked again. I can’t believe a Caddy is driving a foreign car like this in the middle of the day. Then, I remembered the salary stated in the recruitment notice and soon became convinced. With that kind of salary, a foreign car like this wasn’t unreasonable. It was written that if you do a good job, you will receive more incentives.

The man hummed and stomped on his accelerator harder. A well-built foreign car passed quickly across the winding road.

“This is your first time doing something like this, right?”

“Yes.”

Although there is no sport I haven’t tried, golf was unfamiliar to me. Golf is full of things that cost money, including equipment and rounding fees. Since it was the exclusive domain of the so-called rich, I didn’t know exactly what a caddy did.

“You can just think of it as the same as any other service industry. What sets it apart from other golf courses is that the caddies here have a variety of responsibilities.”

“… Ah yes.”

As I nodded slightly, the man continued talking.

“Because we only operate for those who are invited, the schedule is usually generous. There will be more days with chores than days with a schedule.”

The man who was rhythmically tapping the steering wheel with his hand changed the angle of the room mirror to check his beauty.

“It’s just a chore. If we just hire regular people to do it, labor costs will definitely go down.

Suddenly, his eyes were glued to my cheek. When I turned my head and looked into his eyes, the man continued talking as if he had been waiting.

“The boss pays a lot of attention to the appearance of his employees.”

His eyes slowly closed, then opened.

“Anyway, you won’t have much trouble working. The salary is high, and the salary is paid steadily even on days when the schedule is disrupted due to the weather. Except that the customers are a bit picky because they are the VIP of VIPs.”

The man smiled, raising the corners of his mouth gracefully.

Could it have been about two more hours like that? The road was still endless. Question marks passed through my mind constantly. Is there really a golf course in a place like this, and is this slick man really looking for my organs? Is this the road to death? The moment when doubts that had already sprouted were biting their tails.

A huge building in the distance caught my eye.

The closer the car got to the building, the more I was struck by its sheer size and capital-scented exterior. The car stopped in a parking lot as large as the building. The entrance to the beautifully laid out golf course caught my eye.

“You can get off now.”

I was watching in fascination with my mouth open stupidly. Lee Jinseok woke me up from my daze. I got out of the car after him, who got off first.

Jiing, jjiing. A vibration rang inside the jacket of Lee Jinseok, who was ahead. He took out his cell phone and answered the call.

“… Yes, ma’am. Just arrived.”

After entering the entrance, I looked around the inside of the golf course in earnest. The smell of money was everywhere I looked. The building was like that, and the people who occasionally passed by were like that.

Who would have imagined that a building like this would be built in such a corner? Jinseok hung up the phone while I was busy looking at people and buildings.

“I have a guest, so I’ll just say hello and leave right away.”

“… Ah yes.”

Jinseok quickly climbed the stairs and went upstairs. I started watching the fountain in the middle of the building.

The gorgeous fountain spewed out a variety of colors. In the middle, delicately crafted statues spouted streams of water. As I watched the fountain with all my concentration, I realized that there were patterns engraved on the ceiling as well.

I bent my neck back as far as I could and walked along the picture. Then, I ended up bumping shoulders with someone passing by. This was obviously my fault for being stupid. I quickly apologized and left.

“I’m sorry.”

“… what the h**l.”

The young woman passed by her, rolling her eyes. Then, with the sound of her heels clacking, she walked away. The following words were engraved on the back of the white uniform:

‘Royal Golf’

Lee Jinseok explained it to me on the way. He said that this golf course, which is said to be one of the top three in size in Korea, has a total of more than 30 employees. I heard that a year’s worth of membership alone costs hundreds of millions of dollars, and that customers are VIPs who knows everyone by name.

After taking a quick look inside the building, I stood still with my back to one wall. Like a sack of barley that has been rolled up. Occasionally, employees walking up and down the hallways would steal my attention. Most of them had good looks and bodies like Lee Jinseok. They were all wearing tight-fitting uniforms, as if to show off their appearance.

“Mr. Suwon.”

Lee Jinseok must have finished his business when he suddenly showed his face from the stairs upstairs. He came down the stairs and looked apologetic.

“You waited a long time, right? Come up with me, I’ll take you to the president’s office.”

We climbed the stairs together and got into the shiny elevator. Lee Jinseok pressed the button for the top floor, the 5th floor. I looked at the floors slowly rising. Lee Jinseok whispered in a low voice, as if he was telling a secret.

“The boss seems a little strong.”

Lee Jinseok added with a smile.

“Don’t be too scared.”

“… ah.”

I didn’t know how to answer, so I just let out a vague exclamation.

“Because he’s basically a good person.”

“All right.”

Ding. The elevator stopped on the 5th floor. After passing through a long hallway, I stopped in front of a door marked ‘CEO’s Office’. Lee Jinseok knocked on the door twice.

“Boss, Mr. Suwon is here.”

A middle-aged man’s sharp voice was heard from inside the door, saying, “Okay, come in.” Jinseok opened the door for me and he stepped aside.

“Go in first.”

I took a step into the president’s office.

One wall of the president’s office was entirely made of glass. Through that glass window, I could see the vast blue field at a glance. The president was sitting in a large dark chair with his back to the overwhelming view. Even though he knew I was there, he still sat back and held his cell phone. The watch around his thick wrist sparkled and shined.

“… Uh, well, something like that.”

A voice that smelled of old cigarettes chuckled. Perhaps out of habit, he turned the volume on so loudly that I could hear the other person’s voice.

“Those who wear suits are not elite for nothing. Even guys who acted stiff at a drinking party secretly slipped me some money behind their backs, and they got the job done without leaving a trace. Very capable. I want to applaud you.”

As the phone call continued, I gave Lee Jinseok a quick glance. Lee Jinseok, who had an expressionless expression, smiled. He had a face that asked him to wait a little longer.

“… Uh, what’s over there? I have a new employee joining us right now. I’ll call you back later.”

Finally the phone hung up. The president put down his phone and slowly turned his chair around. I quickly bowed.

“Hello.”

“Oh hey. Baby, come here.”

The boss had a good physique. His face was narrow. His complexion was red like that of a drunk person, and his nostrils were thick. Overall, he was someone who gave everyone the feeling of ‘Ah, I don’t know who this person is, but he must be in charge of a certain position.’

I took a step towards him. The boss lifted his gaze from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. His eyes, covered with a thick layer of eye fat, shone coldly. He was evaluating whether I was suitable as a business vehicle for him. The boss chattered, touching his nose.

“You look taller in person. How tall did you say you were?”

“181.”

“Well, not bad.”

The president nodded leisurely, looking satisfied.

“Thank you.”

I answered mechanically. The president authoritatively ordered Lee Jinseok.

“Show the baby where to sleep, and Jinseok, come back to my room.”

“Okay, boss.”

Jinseok quickly opened the door and glanced down the hallway at me. After giving his boss a final bow, he left the office. We got back into the elevator and I squeezed and unclenched my hand. The inside of my palm was damp with sweat from tension. Jinseok followed suit and pressed the button to go down to the lobby.

“He said he really likes it.”

I just sighed in relief. Fortunately, I seemed to have been graded not too badly.

“You will receive training for this week starting tomorrow. There’s nothing really difficult about it. The service manager is also a good person, so as long as you work hard, you will do well.”

“Yes.”

“Then, I have to see the boss now so I just need to show you where to stay.”

“All right.”

The accommodation I would be staying in was located slightly away from the hall. Jinseok stopped in front of the room marked ‘Room 304’ and opened the door lock. I was able to finish looking around the room in just one second. There was only one bed in a small capsule-shaped space. Jinseok, who gave me the room’s temporary password, spoke last.

“You can use the communal bathroom in the center here. You can eat at the employee cafeteria or the on-site convenience store.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll figure out everything else little by little, and take a break for today.”

“Thank you..”

Jinseok left the room, and silence came in an instant.

In the room where I was alone, I placed the bag on the shelf loudly. There was a dead silence in the small room. I felt a little suffocated because there wasn’t a single window attached. However, it was true that I felt a little relieved when I thought that for the first time in a long time I could spend time in a comfortable place with my legs stretched out.

I lay down on the bed and slowly closed and opened my eyes. The fatigue that had been accumulating for so long came all at once. My eyelids became increasingly heavy. The moment I closed my eyes again and opened them, I saw my legs wrapped in tattered pants through my side view. I was startled by the sudden appearance of two legs. I rubbed my eyes with my sleeve and looked in that direction again, and the illusion disappeared as if it had never happened before. … I never thought it would have followed me all the way here.

“… Phew.”

I let out a deep sigh and rolled my body over to my side. So I spent my first night at the golf course, sleeping and waking up over and over again.