By Zephyria “The CEO kept calling you, but you were on the phone, so he called me instead. Take it.”
“The CEO?”
Choi Hong-seo, who had taken the call absentmindedly, returned to his room.
“It’s me.”
[Were you talking with the Vice President?]
“…Yes.”Contrary to his expectation of a nervous outburst, the voice on the other end was as gentle as could be.”
It was true that CEO Myeong’s attitude towards Choi Hong-seo had changed drastically recently. In the early days of his relationship with Lee Hae-sung, CEO Myeong had still been boastful about the 5 billion won, but the reason he was now so submissive was obvious without asking. It was because Lee Hae-sung, unlike other VIPs before him, was doting on Choi Hong-seo and treating him with great affection.
However, there was something unsettling about it.
Even if Lee Hae-sung held VVIP status, CEO Myeong wouldn’t gain much unless he was paid for Choi Hong-seo, whom he saw only as a product for making money.
Was it to build connections now that he had a connection with a big shot like Lee Hae-sung? Was it because the small change earned from selling his body was too precious to just take and discard?
Indeed, UB was benefiting from Lee Hae-sung in various ways even now.
Thanks to the investment from
[You’re on a business trip, so the Vice President must miss you a lot, right?]
Choi Hong-seo didn’t want to hear such things from CEO Myeong about his relationship with Lee Hae-sung. Lost in thought for a moment, Choi Hong-seo snapped back to reality with a shiver and changed the subject.
“Why were you looking for me?”
[Ah, yes. That is…]
CEO Myeong, uncharacteristically, licked his lips, sighed, and hesitated. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out,
[That son of a bitch, he’s back.]
“What?”
That son of a bitch. Although he asked again, not specifying who it was, Choi Hong-seo’s instincts and subconscious had already grasped the answer.
[Ha… Fuck. I thought he was lying low in Shanghai for a while… Hanseo Group is acquiring some hotel in Bangkok, and he’s been coming to Seoul frequently to get a piece of that…]
“……”
[He was looking for you.]
He felt like he should sit down somewhere, or grab onto something. It was as if his feet were tied; he couldn’t move.
[He was rambling on about the food he ate, acting like a guardian who entrusted you to be raised well and sending large sums for your education… It made me want to puke.]
Choi Hong-seo barely heard CEO Myeong’s nonsensical ranting about Executive Director Lee Seo-kyung’s behavior.
[If that bastard paid more attention to management instead of monitoring celebrities, his Noona would have given him a subsidiary long ago. Just watch. He’ll be surpassed by his own brother soon.]
“S-so… So what did you say, CEO!”
Finally unable to bear CEO Myeong’s rambling, Choi Hong-seo shouted.
[Don’t be so scared. Are we the same as we were before? We have the Vice President, so what is there to be scared of?]
How could you and I be bound together as ‘we’?
How dare you think of hiding behind him to avoid Lee Seo-kyung?
He wanted to grab CEO Myeong by the collar and charge at him like a madman, but he didn’t even have the mental capacity to argue about such things.
[I said you’re very busy these days and hardly in the country, so I’d cover for you. We’ll manage it thoroughly so you don’t run into him, but I wanted you to know that he’s looking for you.]
“……”
[You know him, he’s a persistent pervert. You might have to focus on overseas schedules for a while… Will there be any problem with the Vice President?]
A servile voice, worried that the relationship between Choi Hong-seo and Lee Hae-sung might falter, that he might lose a big shot like Lee Hae-sung.
Choi Hong-seo hung up the phone. Standing still, he turned his head to look out the window.
It shouldn’t be snowing in Ho Chi Minh, but the sky was a hazy white, as if it were about to pour down heavy snow.
■
Right after graduating high school, Choi Hong-seo was working the night shift at a convenience store. It was in an entertainment district alley, so the night shift pay was higher than elsewhere. He wasn’t good at studying, nor did he have any hobbies, so he had no complaints about not being sent to college. Although he envied his friends who could get into college just by paying tuition, he knew his family’s financial situation and never voiced it.
It was only after graduating that he realized he had lived his life without any real thought.
Sitting in the back corner, out of the teachers’ attention, he killed time until he was pushed out of school and into the world. It was then he realized he had no weapons in his hands.
His parents, who had neglected him for 20 years without providing any education or teaching him any skills, were demanding he earn money as soon as he graduated. The only job he could start immediately without waiting was a convenience store part-time job.
“Hong!”
A young man in a sharp suit walked into the convenience store, greeting Choi Hong-seo. It was early March, and the temperature, still close to winter, chilled the air all the way to the counter.
“One pack of Marlboro Red.”
It was a classmate who worked at a host bar.
As the guy took out a card from his designer wallet and placed it on the counter, he asked,
“What are you doing after work today?”
They weren’t close friends, nor were they strangers; he was part of a group of friends who hung out together.
“What am I doing? I have to go home and sleep since I’m working all night.”
“You can’t waste your youth like that. Come hang out at my place.”
“Your place?”
“Our Madam Hyung is a really good guy. On days with few customers, he lets friends come over and drink at empty tables, sing, and hang out. A few of the other guys have already been a few times.”
“For free?”
The classmate chuckled at Choi Hong-seo’s question. How can you be so naive about the world? he seemed to think, laughing as if he were a great adult.
“We buy the drinks at the supermarket. But he provides the venue and the karaoke machine for free. The guys are going today, you in?”
There was no one to welcome him home. His younger brother, who shared a room with him, was a good student and would get irritable if Choi Hong-seo’s presence disturbed his studies. There was no reason he had to be home by a strict hour.
“Sure. Where do I go?”
That was the beginning.
The host bar he actually visited wasn’t as seedy or gloomy as he had imagined.
The interior was luxurious, and the players working there were all impeccably dressed in designer clothes and had good manners, like celebrities.
Moreover, the person called ‘Madam Hyung’ was truly a kind Hyung, just as his classmate had said.
Despite the significant age difference, he treated Choi Hong-seo casually, like a neighborhood Hyung, and mingled freely with the other players under him. The way he lectured the players about their habits and spending habits seemed genuinely caring to Choi Hong-seo.
Young men who lacked education, money, and only had time gravitated towards a Hyung who spent money well and took care of them.
‘You guys, never dabble in this world. And Min-jun, you too, once you save up the money you intend to, leave without regret. I’m already too old, but you guys still have hope.’
Madam Hyung always said that, whether they met at the bar or elsewhere. That’s why he never expected it. That all the words and actions of that kind Madam Hyung were a meticulously planned scheme to draw him deeper into the entertainment world.
One day, after they had become fast friends, Madam Hyung called. His voice sounded unusual.
[Hong-seo, are you free now? Isn’t today a day off from the convenience store?]
“Why?”
[What is it, but the customers are flooding in on a Wednesday, out of nowhere. We don’t use players from escort agencies, do we? Can you just come for a bit to fill the numbers? Please, Hyung, just this once. If not, the bar might get a bad reputation for operating without enough players. I’ll pay you really well.]
By then, his aversion to frequenting host bars had completely disappeared. It was just a bar run by a close Hyung, and he was friends with the players.
“Do I just have to stand there during the selection?”
[Ha… I can’t lie. You might get chosen by a customer. But even if that happens, I’ll talk to the customer nicely. Tell them to go easy on you since you’re new. If it’s a difficult customer, I’ll pull you out immediately. Please, Hong-seo, I’m begging you.]
“Okay. I’ll get ready and head out now.”
[Really? Really? Oh… I’m saved. Even as a temporary fill-in, having someone your size stand there will save my face. I’ll make sure you don’t feel shortchanged with your allowance!]
“Hyung, I’ve already had so much alcohol and food from you. I don’t need payment.”
[Look at this kid’s loyalty. I really have a good eye for people!]
The work that day was not difficult at all. He had almost lost any aversion to working as a host. He only realized later that it was a setup intentionally arranged by Madam Hyung.
After that, such requests became slightly more frequent, and Choi Hong-seo quickly gained regular customers.
Yet, he still didn’t realize he was a host. He just thought he was occasionally helping out a close Hyung in trouble.
When settling accounts, Madam Hyung always emphasized that Choi Hong-seo was not a formal player, differentiating him from the others, which further blurred Choi Hong-seo’s judgment.
He could earn as much in two days on the weekend as he did working at the convenience store for a whole month. And Choi Hong-seo was diligent. When he reduced his convenience store shifts to twice a week and started working at the host bar three or four times, Choi Hong-seo was able to bring home a considerable amount of money.
“W-where did all this money come from?”
His parents’ eyes widened.
It was too much money to have earned from a normal job. He knew trying to make excuses wouldn’t work.
“I’m working as a waiter at a host bar. The customers there give huge tips.”
“A host bar?”
His father, who was scooping soup at the dinner table, raised an eyebrow and asked.
“I’m not a host, just a waiter! I just change ashtrays, serve drinks, and occasionally deal with difficult customers. It’s not that hard! It’s absolutely not dirty work!”
His father put down his spoon, snatched the money envelope from his mother, and looked inside. Then, without batting an eye, he spoke without shame.
“What dirty work is there in the world besides harming others? What’s noble or base about a job? It’s much better than young, able-bodied people like you lazing around!”
“……”
He didn’t know what he had expected. Even if he was just a waiter, his parents didn’t even worry about their young child, fresh out of high school, working in the entertainment industry…
He lost his appetite and put down his spoon. His mother moved closer and glanced at Choi Hong-seo.
“If a waiter earns this much, then… how much would you earn working as a host? Much more than this, right?”
“……”
“You didn’t get an education, and your parents are like this… If you could save up a large sum quickly to start a business… wouldn’t that be your way out?”
Seeing Choi Hong-seo remain silent, his father, perhaps impatient, chimed in.
“Yeah, you know the Daejeon uncle and auntie who ran that pork rib restaurant? The one on the main road? They’re selling that successful business and moving to the countryside. If your mother and I could somehow take it over, our family would be able to breathe a sigh of relief…”
In the end, it wasn’t even about finding a way out for Choi Hong-seo.
“Even if I were a host, I couldn’t make that much money all at once.”
“Your father is close with that uncle. If our family were to take it over, he’d probably let us pay in installments. That family has plenty of money and good character.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to the restaurant about it.”
Still, they were his parents. Seeing their faces light up every time he brought money home made him feel good. While Choi Hong-seo was bringing in money, there were no loud arguments at home, and sometimes he could even hear sounds of laughter that seemed harmonious, like other families.
However, a deeper mire, a giant snare reeking of foul odor, was opening its maw towards Choi Hong-seo not far away.