Stranger

“Nice, nice. This is good enough. Come on! Let’s clean up. I’ll tell you a little know-how while cleaning.”

We took out cleaning equipment from the storage and then headed to the restroom. We showed up at 6, but the opening time was at 8.

“Phew. I don’t clean the restroom because I’m a veteran, but I’m doing this so that you don’t get in trouble.”

Han Juhyeok grumbled as he washed the mop. The restroom was already clean, and there was nothing left to clean. 

While cleaning, Han Juhyeok explained how to greet people and how to get attention politely. “Excuse me,” “Forgive me,” and “By any chance.” I kept muttering those words while cleaning so that I got used to it.

After cleaning the bathroom, Han Juhyeok explained the structure of this place to me. There were two corridors in the large hall that was visible from the entrance, and they were connected, so if I walked in one, I would walk out in the other. There were rooms all over the hall.

There was one big table and sofas against the wall surrounding it. As I looked around the room, I heard a loud noise from behind me. A group of women and men entered through the entrance. 

The clothes they wore and their atmosphere was… I ignored it and memorized the number attached to the door. 

Before I knew it, it was nearly 8 o’clock. There were six staff members wearing uniforms including me. They and I lined up at the entrance. This scenery of waiting for the guests with our hands clasped politely was funny.

When it became 8 o’clock, there were signs of movement and the guests entered one by one.

“Welcome.”

I bowed my head and waited until they entered the rooms. There were ten rooms and four of them were filled. I was pushed into room B102 by Han Juhyeok.

On the surface, they were normal, decent people. They ordered drinks and snacks. I delivered the order details to the kitchen and took the alcohol out of the storage.

I also accepted orders from the other rooms. Han Juhyeok stood near the entrance to guide the guests or entertain the guests who left the room.

There wasn’t as much to do as I thought. They would ring the bell inside the room if they needed anything, but maybe because it hadn’t been long since the drinks and snacks were delivered, there was no call. 6 out of 10 rooms were filled.

Other staff came out of the kitchen with a covered tray. They seemed a bit busy, and I was the only one relaxing. I organized around the counter because I had nothing to do, and then the bell rang, so I entered a room.

The quiet room had become lively. It was ugly to see men and women sticking together. The man sitting on the edge glanced at me and said.

“Get us some more drinks.”

“Yes.”

I scanned the drinks on the table. Here, unlike in the barbecue restaurants, they didn’t specify the drinks. If they said to bring in some drinks, I had to check what they had ordered and then bring the same things. Be smart, be savvy. That was what Han Juhyeok told me.

I took out some similar hard liquor and beer from the storage and came back. When I put them on the table, the man who ordered earlier glanced at me and then took out his wallet. He pulled out some 50,000 won bills and held them between his index and middle fingers. 

My heart raced. I bowed my head and accepted the money, then I left the room. I counted the money with my back to the door. 150,000 won. 150 thousand won for serving once. Ten more and it’s one and a half million. Swallowing my saliva, I put the money inside my pocket. After that, I was busy when the bell rang. I earned a total of 350,000 won in an hour.

“How is it? Not bad, right?”

I stood at the counter, waiting for the bell to ring, and a staff member wearing the same uniform as me came over and asked. He raised his hand and rubbed his fingers.

“Did you get a lot?”

“…”

“Try to touch a bit while smiling flirty. Some of those people have tasted anal, you see? You’ll make a lot even if you don’t go to the next round.”

“…”

“People like you don’t like women, right?”

He talked too much. I turned my eyes away because I didn’t want to see him leaning against the counter, shaking his legs frivolously. I didn’t want to cause any trouble, but it also didn’t mean I wanted to talk casually with this kind of bastard. Do I have to stay like this? The bell rang while I looked around.

I moved away immediately. I thought as I made my way to the room. I will never come to a place like this once I make 2 million.

As soon as I entered the room, I was hit with a disgusting smell. I quickly held my breath.

“Hahaha!”

“Quiet, quiet!”

“This bastard must be insane.”

Some of the people sitting on the sofa were smoking. An intangible, strange smell pierced my nose. They all giggled like crazy. What kind of smell is this? Looking at the people sitting around, I moved my heavy steps.

“Did you call for service, sir?”

“Ah, oh, oh! Look who’s here! I called you. Come over here.”

The man sitting in the middle, his arms wrapped around the others’ shoulders as if he was in command, beckoned with his fingers holding the cigarette. I could tell he was an asshole just by looking him in the eye. But I couldn’t ignore him, so I came near to the table.

A silver tray on the table caught my eye. There were cigarettes and pills scattered on top of it. As soon as I saw it, I instinctively knew what it was. 

My fingers stiffened. I pretended to not know a woman’s touch moving slowly between the man’s legs under the table. Suddenly, this dark red room felt very cramped. It was stifling.

“Earlier, my girl said she liked you.”

The woman sitting next to the man laughed out loud. The shrieking laughter was infectious, and I wondered if I was the only one who was bothered by the sound, but no one else was. 

“She said she wanted to see something. You’ll grant it, right?”

The gaze of the people sitting around the table were all focused on me. I wanted to shake off those gazes. I clasped my hands tightly.

“Excuse me, sir… May I ask what you are talking about…”

“Aha, it’s easy. My girl likes puppies.”

The man rummaged through his inner pocket and pulled out a check. The check was held out to me, held between his forefinger and middle finger. 

“Bite and take it.”

It was an unexpected request. It was so absurd that I couldn’t even get angry. But no one seemed to think it was a joke, and everyone was paying attention to me. 

Silence took over the room. Some looked at me curiously, some sneered, and some scanned me from head to toe with creepy eyes. 

I could just leave. It would be the end if I just apologized and refused. But the check had six zeros. That one, plus the tips I’ve collected, plus the paycheck from the convenience store…

It was nothing. Getting a million just by taking it with my mouth once. That one thing didn’t make me dirty or put me in danger.

Money has no emotions. It only has value. It’s always people who play with me, laugh at me, and crush me. So kneeling before money is nothing. It’s better than having my pride destroy my life.

Let’s take that, make up the shortfall, and leave. If I leave halfway through, I won’t get paid, but I’ve made up for it with tips. 

I gripped the table and leaned over. People around me cheered and clapped. The tip of my nose tingled. My sense of smell was numb, and my head was pounding. The man shook his hand holding the check. The check fluttered before my eyes. I crossed half the table and opened my mouth. The moment I closed my mouth and held the paper in, something stirred within me.

“Woof, woof.”

The man mimicked a dog, smirked, and released his hand. The woman next to the man laughed and whistled. I slowly pulled my body back.

I thought it would be nothing, but it felt like I was covered in dirt. Why is that? I couldn’t understand myself.

“Where’s your thanks?”

“… Thank you, sir.”

“Ok.”

Everyone in the room burst out laughing at the man’s casual response. I looked down and bowed my head. The man gestured with his hand as if telling me to get out. I was glad about that. I couldn’t be more lucky than to have this end here. With that thought, I left the room. 

The quiet dark corridor. I took the check off my mouth and looked over the amount.

Done. I’ll leave this shitty place once I get a tip once more. After wiping my lips roughly with the back of my hand, I shoved the check into my pocket. I wanted to leave immediately, but I didn’t feel like dealing with the guests right now. I dusted off my clothes and then walked into the staff lounge.

There was no one inside the lounge. I sat on the sofa and closed my eyes. What is Yeon Woojeong doing right now? He must be doing his work. Let’s call him first once I leave. I wanted to hear his voice. I felt like everything would be alright if I heard his voice.