HPK 76

As soon as I sent the text to Mr. Kim Jungoh, a call came through.

“Hello?”

—Hey, what’s with the text?

Thankfully, his voice was clear, so it seemed I hadn’t woken him up.

“Ah, that……. It’s a guest I knew from my time at the main building, and she said she wanted to make a reservation after finding out I moved to the annex.”

—No, haah……. Not that.

Mr. Kim Jungoh kept sighing at the end of his sentences as if he was frustrated. Then, he suddenly brought up something unexpected.

—The President knows about this too, right?

Why was he asking if Taejung knew?

“Uh… why do you ask?”

When Wooseung couldn’t answer properly and just mumbled, a heavier sigh than before came from over the phone. Even without seeing him, I could clearly picture Mr. Kim Jungoh’s expression.

—Hah, fuck.

The sigh ended with a curse. The hand holding the phone began to tighten gradually. My head ached as I tried to figure out what to say to get out of this situation in the face of such an unexpected reaction.

—You and the President are a thing, aren’t you?

“……”

—Wow, you’re not even denying it?

After sneering, he quickly returned to the main point and asked again if the President knew about this.

“……The President doesn’t care.”

—What?

“It’s true. He told me I don’t have to ask him about every little thing like this.”

—……Really?

“Yes.”

Mr. Kim Jungoh repeatedly asked if it was true, then fell silent for a while as if lost in thought. The silence gradually brought a wave of anxiety. My palm started sweating, so I switched the phone to my other hand.

—I’ll book the reservation for now……. but if any problems arise later, you’re really dead.

“There won’t be any problems.”

—It’s for two people, right?

“Yes, two people, at 8 o’clock.”

The call ended with his acknowledgment. Wooseung pressed his palm against his wildly beating heart and let out the breath he had been holding.

Surely Mr. Kim Jungoh won’t tell Taejung, will he?

“……”

An unsettling feeling continued to stir his mind, leaving him in disarray. Taejung had certainly told him he didn’t need to ask about every little thing, but he was such a moody person that he could easily go back on his own words without a second thought. He was more than capable of doing something like that.

But Wooseung decided not to think any more deeply about it. Let’s focus on the immediate reality, that’s what’s most important.

Next week, he had to deposit another 1.5 million won. But the money he had on hand was far from enough. If Taejung didn’t give it to him, the only way for Wooseung to earn that money was to go to work at Kirin. As he gave himself the excuse that he had no other choice, his turbulent heart began to calm down a little. Of course, a part of him still held an unresolved feeling of unease.

♡

Taejung doesn’t usually go to the club unless it’s a Friday or Saturday. But as if the heavens were helping me, Taejung was out of the house starting Thursday afternoon.

‘Where are you going?’

Just in case, I scurried after him to the entrance and asked where he was going. I waited for his answer, earnestly hoping it wasn’t Kirin.

‘What are you going to do with that information.’

Taejung, who was checking his reflection in the mirror, poked Wooseung’s cheek with his index finger. He didn’t use any force, so it didn’t hurt, but making eye contact with Junseok, who was standing beyond the front door, didn’t feel particularly good.

‘……I was just wondering where you were going.’

‘Permit.’

‘Ah…….’

‘You want to come too?’

Permit was an entertainment establishment on Dosan-daero. Wooseung meekly shook his head and said, “Have a good time.”

‘…….’

I thought Taejung would just go on his way after hearing my farewell, but he just stood there, looking down at Wooseung with an unreadable expression. Soon, I realized his gaze had fallen on the hem of his clothes, which I was holding, and I quickly let go.

When I smiled awkwardly, his expression suddenly hardened. Then he spun around and slammed the door with a ‘Bang!’, like a child having a full-blown tantrum.

I just figured he was upset about something on his own again. He was always so back and forth that a tantrum of that level was no longer a big deal. All I could think was, I’ll be able to go to work safely.

With that, Wooseung went to work at Kirin.

“Huh? You’re working?”

Chanil, who I ran into while changing in the waiting room, had a surprised look on his face.

“Yeah, I was requested.”

“Aah.”

He plopped down in the seat next to me and nodded his head nonchalantly. Then, he just slid his eyes up to look at Wooseung and asked again, “How did a hyung like you get a request?”

“A guest I knew from the main building……”

“Ooh. Must be a woman, then?”

“Yeah, a woman.”

Chanil took his phone out of his back pocket and was quickly engrossed in a game. Wooseung straightened his clothes and then checked the time. It was about five minutes to 8 o’clock. His heart pounded as if he had already had a few drinks.

About ten minutes later, Mr. Kim Jungoh entered the waiting room with an uneasy expression. He singled out Wooseung and called for him, and the other hosts, who didn’t know it was a request, once again glared daggers at him.

As I stood in front of Room 2, pressing down the back of my hair with my palm, Mr. Kim Jungoh stood with his hands on his hips and scratched his eyebrow.

“Hey, are you sure he really doesn’t care?”

“……Yes, it’s fine. Really.”

“Haah……”

He knocked on the door with a look of reluctance. Inside the room, two women with slightly different vibes were waiting for them. A middle-aged woman with a shoulder-length bob that suited her well, and a woman with a short cut who appeared to be of a similar age.

“Wooseung-ah.”

And the woman with the bob, Seohyun, smiled brightly at Wooseung.

♡

Mr. Kim Jungoh raised and lowered his phone, seriously contemplating whether or not to make the call. His left foot, propped akimbo, tapped the floor irregularly, and sighs escaped him ceaselessly. It was safe to say he had been like this almost all day.

“Just call and tell him.”

Manager Park, who came over to the counter during a brief lull, clicked his tongue, asking if he was still at it.

“Fuck, if I get an earful for no reason, are you going to take responsibility?”

“Then don’t do it.”

“But if I don’t and then……!”

Mr. Kim Jungoh cut himself off, placed both hands on the counter, and sighed. His index finger tapped nervously on the tabletop.

‘……The President doesn’t care.’

Wooseung had said that Taejung wouldn’t care……. but the big problem was that the Eom Taejung Mr. Kim Jungoh had experienced was not someone to be taken so lightly as to believe that at face value.

If Taejung really was keeping Wooseung by his side, the mere fact that Wooseung was at work and serving a room would be enough to get him killed. On the other hand, what if he called Taejung to report that Wooseung was at work, only to get a “So what?” in response? That wouldn’t be a great outcome either.

“If it were me, I’d just call. If he throws a fit, you can just grovel and say you were just checking, just in case.”

“……Fuck, if this was something that could be solved by groveling, I would have done it ages ago, argh.”

Taejung’s attitude towards Wooseung was definitely strange. He could dare to assert that it was a side of him he had never seen before. He was so shocked when he saw him accepting a cherry tomato from Wooseung’s mouth like a couple in their honeymoon phase.

In the first place, Taejung didn’t treat hosts like human beings. He wouldn’t exchange a single word with them unless he was calling them into a separate room to run an errand.

But since he kept only Wooseung by his side, it was natural to wonder, Is he a little different? He had put Wooseung in as a fill-in because, being human, he had a hunch, just in case.

‘President, I’m truly sorry. This friend had a reservation, but it seems there was a misunderstanding.’

But how had it been that day? He had put Wooseung in as a fill-in as was standard, only to suddenly receive every curse imaginable from Taejung. He was bewildered by the message to get the kid and come out immediately, but worried the situation would escalate, he first asked the client for her understanding and pulled Wooseung out. And just as he had feared, the next day, Taejung beat him so hard his molars felt loose.

“I can’t do this. I’m calling. Don’t stop me.”

Mr. Kim Jungoh snapped his head up. As he recalled the lingering toothache, it seemed right to inform Taejung first, even if he might hear a “So what?” in return.

“Stop you? You idiot.”

Ignoring Manager Park’s taunts, he immediately called Taejung. His heart was racing so much that he didn’t even think to ask for permission via text first.

—What.

A low voice came from over the phone. Mr. Kim Jungoh swallowed hard and carefully began to speak.

“Uh, President. It’s about Yoon Wooseung.”

He had gotten lucky. Seohyun’s companion chose Chanil. Since it wasn’t one of the other hosts who found him awkward, Wooseung also felt much more at ease.

“So, are you two colleagues?”

“No, she’s just a close younger friend.”

Seeing Seohyun put down her whiskey glass, Wooseung quickly speared a piece of melon with a fork. As he brought it towards her mouth, cupping it with his hand, Seohyun naturally accepted it.

“Wooseung, haven’t I seen you at the main building? I used to come often with Yoonjung.”

“I think this is the first time we’ve met.”

“Really? I guess we didn’t have you sit with us back then.”

Seohyun smiled, her lips stretching wide. She was in her mid-forties, but thanks to meticulous care, she didn’t have a single wrinkle that would naturally form with age.

“Yoonjung runs an online shopping mall.”

“Wow, that suits you so well. Do you model for it too?”

“What is this kid saying.”

Seohyun laughed out loud and gently rubbed the back of Wooseung’s neck. Perhaps because it wasn’t an unpleasant thing to hear, Yoonjung also wore a smooth smile while nestled in Chanil’s arms.