HPK 4

“Ugh!”

The water, sloshing against his throat, felt like it would spill out at any moment. He rushed headlong into the bathroom inside the room. As soon as he opened the door, he collapsed and grabbed the toilet. He did not even have the presence of mind to lift the lid.

“Keck, ugh!”

Perhaps because he had not eaten anything all day, the only thing that came out was the barley tea he had been forced to drink. A pale yellow liquid surged up his throat like a flooding river.

His hand gripping the toilet trembled uncontrollably. Nausea made the corners of his eyes burn hot, and tears welled up. His head grew hot, and it felt like his eyeballs were going to fall out.

“Heuk, heu-eu…….”

A long, sticky string of saliva hung down. Wooseung tore off a few pieces of toilet paper and roughly wiped his mouth. After flushing the toilet and coming out to stand in front of the mirror, he saw a deathly pale face with reddened, raw-looking eyes.

He washed his hands and rinsed his mouth. A stuffy taste lingered on the tip of his tongue, and he thought it would probably be better to brush his teeth. He walked out of the bathroom with his shoulders slumped, and found someone in the room.

“Hey.”

It was Kim Jungoh.

“……Yes, Manager-nim.”

Wooseung wiped his lips alternately with the palm and back of his hand. Kim Jungoh’s gaze fell on his lower face, which was still damp.

“Did you puke?”

He asked, looking at the box of Sky Barley Tea on the table.

“……Yes.”

“Your name is Wooseung, right?”

“Yes. Yoon Wooseung.”

The un-wiped moisture pooled between his clasped hands. Unable to do anything about his damp palms, he stood quietly and waited for the words that would follow. Kim Jungoh rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

“I get that you came to the annex and thought you’d try this and that.”

“……”

“Don’t do things like that. The Boss is a gentleman, so it ended at this level. What do you have to gain by getting on his bad side. Do you get anything other than a loss?”

“I am sorry.”

“If you’re a host, you should be working in the room. How embarrassing……”

Kim Jungoh clicked his tongue, his words trailing off. Wooseung kept his gaze fixed on the floor at his feet and remained silent. Other than saying he was sorry, there was nothing else to say.

“Get out. And be careful from now on.”

“Yes, I am sorry.”

The air was a little less stale out in the hallway. He took a deep breath and returned to the waiting room. The hosts who had not been chosen were still there. Unlike the first time when they had quickly lost interest, several of them were now staring intently at Wooseung.

“Hyung. Over here!”

Hyojun patted the sofa, beckoning him over. Since he was the only familiar face, Wooseung did not refuse and went over.

“How was it?”

A sweet soy sauce smell came from his mouth, as if he had eaten something again in the meantime.

“The money? Hyung, how much money did you get?”

“……I didn’t get any money.”

“Huh? Really?”

Hyojun’s eyes widened as he repeatedly asked if it was true.

“We just talked for a bit, then he said he had something to do and left.”

“Was there nothing else?”

“……No.”

Was there supposed to be something else? Wooseung reflexively studied the other’s expression. Hyojun sat cross-legged and turned his body completely in his direction.

“I haven’t been here long either, so I don’t know for sure. Ah, I came from Nonhyeon Tri. Anyway, the customer from the room you were just in. He’s the boss here.”

“Ah…….”

Since the title ‘Boss’ was used for most customers, he had not thought much of it when Kim Jungoh had called the man “Boss-nim.” But to think he was the actual boss of ‘Girin’. Considering the man’s age, it was a little surprising.

“You know this place and Crown, right? That place is a regular-only bar like the main building, but anyway, he runs that place too, and also on Dosan-daero……”

Famous establishments in Gangnam, from host bars to ten-pros and ten-cafes, poured out of his mouth one after another. Wooseung let it all in one ear and out the other, as he did not think he would see the man again, but they were all places he had heard of while working.

Perhaps because of Hyojun’s fuss, the gazes of those gathered in the waiting room landed on them more often than before, then fell away. It made Wooseung uncomfortable, and he hoped Hyojun would stop talking about the ‘boss’ soon.

“They say he doesn’t have the best manners, but he’s generous with money.”

“Ah…….”

“That’s why I asked if you got anything, hyung.”

Wooseung, for whom the only thing he had received was the Sky Barley Tea he was forced to drink, could only nod his head slowly. The man had left in the middle of the session, but since he was the boss, his only thought was that he would not have to worry about his time charge being deducted.

He could not refuse Hyojun’s suggestion to go get something for his stomach, so they had a late meal together at a restaurant. It was the hour when the faint light of dawn was breaking, but all the tables were full except for a few.

Most of them were girls or hosts working nearby, so everyone had thick makeup on and was groomed down to every single strand of hair. On a street lined with lounge bars and entertainment establishments, the 24-hour hangover soup restaurant was always busiest at dawn like this.

“Ma’am. Two large hangover soups over here!”

“No, no. For me, large is too much. Ma’am, please make one of them a regular.”

A woman who appeared to be the owner shouted loudly towards the kitchen. The heavy-looking gold necklace around her neck was impressive.

“One large, one regular!”

Hyojun asked if he had eaten anything in the room. He was referring to the fact that some customers would occasionally order in outside food. Wooseung shook his head.

“Is a regular size okay?”

“I’m a light eater……”

“Is that why you’re so skinny, hyung?”

A hand reached out and squeezed Wooseung’s thin arm, then let go. It was a familiarity unbefitting of two people who had just met today. He had declined when asked to drop the formalities, finding it burdensome, but he ended up doing so reluctantly after repeated, almost forceful, suggestions.

To put it nicely, Hyojun was sociable; to put it badly, he had a tendency to treat people too casually. He adjusted his distance appropriately while observing the other person’s reaction. Some might find it unpleasant, but Wooseung did not. In the annex where he had just arrived, he preferred having someone who, even if they treated him a bit too casually, kept talking to him.

Observing him in the waiting room, he seemed to be on friendly terms with all the hosts, and it was not as if he was being particularly casual only with him. Unless they were under the same madam, relationships were mostly distant, so it seemed his naturally affable personality was just the way he was.

“A large hangover soup and a regular hangover soup are here. The cola is on the house!”

“Wow, thank you!”

Hyojun grinned and popped open the can of cola. Soon, cola was being poured into a beer glass with a glug glug glug. The glass was placed in front of Wooseung along with the sound of bubbles popping.

“You know Taper across the street, right? They say the owner here used to be the madam there.”

Hyojun said, subtly gesturing with his eyes toward the back diagonal area. His voice, saying, “Over there, the one with the gold necklace,” was full of envy.

“I heard she got this restaurant by hitting the jackpot with a client. Fucking amazing.”

Wooseung deliberately did not turn to look. Whether she got the restaurant by hitting the jackpot with a client or whatever, it was none of his business.

He stirred the red broth in the earthenware pot with a spoon. He pushed the cabbage to the side and took a spoonful of the broth.

“It’s good.”

“Right? This place is delicious. Even if it’s a bit of a walk.”

Hyojun scooped some rice and mixed it into his soup. It seemed it was true that he was hungry, as the earthenware pot was empty after just a few spoonfuls. Unlike Wooseung, who had barely eaten a few bites.

“Hyung, you really are a light eater.”

Hyojun looked at Wooseung’s pot, which looked almost the same as when it started, with surprised eyes. There was radish kimchi juice on the corner of his mouth. Wooseung handed him a napkin.

“The water…… filled me up.”

As he said that, he was about to drink the cola, but a face suddenly came to mind, and he put the glass back down. As soon as he thought of it, he felt nauseous.

“Water? Ah. Hyung, so you dump your drinks too.”

Hyojun giggled with the spoon still in his mouth. It was a smile that seemed to say he knew exactly what he meant.

“I always start by drinking a whole can of Sky Barley Tea too.”

Just as there were people who could hold their liquor well, there were those who were weak. That was no exception even for hosts.

The trick was to drink a whole can of Sky Barley Tea beforehand and keep it empty. Then, pretending to drink whiskey, you would hold it in your mouth and spit it back into the empty can. Drunk customers would have no way of knowing. Hyojun laughed, saying he had probably drunk hundreds of cans of Sky Barley Tea that way.

Wooseung nodded as if in agreement. That was not the reason why he was full from water, but there was no need to tell the truth.

“Hyung, if you’re not going to eat any more of that, can I have it?”

“Uh……. It’s something I was eating, is that okay?”

“Aw, you barely ate any of it. Give it here.”

Wooseung lifted the earthenware pot and placed it in front of Hyojun. As if he had been waiting, he plunged his spoon in. It was amazing how he devoured it in an instant, as if a crab were hiding its eyes.

“Hyung, you said you live in Hwagok, right? I’m in Daerim, so drop me off on your way. I’ll give you half the taxi fare.”

The time had just passed the late-night surcharge period. Still, considering the increased taxi fares, it was right to wait for the first train as usual. In truth, he had not planned on leaving work so early, but he had come out because he could not refuse Hyojun’s suggestion. He had only been in a few rooms, so he could not afford any more expenses. But, as always, Wooseung could not refuse.

“Okay. I’ll call a Kakao.”

The taxi, which was caught quickly, sped down the empty dawn roads. Hyojun got off at Daerim Station. After waving his hand, he disappeared into an alley filled with Chinese signs.

He opened the window and breathed in the dawn air deeply. He let his body lean into the cool wind, hoping the damp smell of alcohol and cigarettes accumulated in his system would leave. In truth, he felt so nauseous he could not stand it. The cool air made him feel a little better, but he really should not have forced himself to eat the hangover soup.

“Sir. Would you like to get off here? The road is narrow, so it’s a bit hard to turn around and get out. I just got a ride request……”

“What? Ah, yes. I’ll get out.”

He had no choice but to get out at the entrance of the alley, as the driver said it would be difficult to turn the car around if he went further in. The taxi had to repeat going forward and backward three or four times before it could get out of the street. He stared blankly at the taillights of the car as it drove away, then turned around.

The area below the first wall upon entering the alley was full of trash bags that had been put out on time. He walked silently between the darkened houses and turned the corner to the left, and the villa where he lived appeared.

On the front door keypad, the numbers 2, 5, 6, and 9 were particularly faded. It was because the front door password had not been changed for several years.

Screeeak, leaving the unpleasant sound of scraping against the floor behind him, he went down half a flight of stairs. Wooseung’s home was at the very bottom of the villa, a semi-basement.

As he opened the door, damp air greeted him. He turned on the dehumidifier and went straight to the bathroom to shower. The sound of dripping water and the whirring of the dehumidifier mixed and echoed in the dark house.

He lay down on the bed without even drying his hair. He did not even have the strength to hold a hairdryer. He turned on his side and turned on his phone. An unread message was waiting for him.

[KEPCO Mobile Bill [Web Transmission] [KEPCO] April 20XX Electricity Bill Information]

[Hongdae, let’s go?]

Wooseung only replied to Jaemin’s text, with whom he had arranged to meet next week, and turned off his phone. Five days had passed since the mobile bill had arrived, but he still had not checked it. It was because he could keenly feel summer approaching. He could delay the payment until this month, but he absolutely had to pay it next month.

He lay facing the ceiling and listened to the sound of his heart beating. He still felt nauseous. He thought about throwing up one more time but gave up, thinking there was nothing left to come out. The truth was, he did not have the energy to get up and go to the bathroom.

He looked at the corner of the ceiling where mold stains had been clumsily wiped away, then slowly closed his eyes. It was a small mercy that in his luckless life, he did not have insomnia.