Hayeop listened to the Lee Moon Sae tape over and over again.
"When the scent of lilacs reaches me, I’m carried back to memories I can never forget, holding a dazzling sorrow filled with sunlight…."
Sitting by the window, listening to such a lyrical song, why did the Young Master’s face keep coming to mind?
I really can’t figure the Young Master out. He had even found out today that Hayeop was working, yet his reaction had been rather strange.
"Where on earth do you keep going every night?"
"Young Master, I’ve been working at night."
"At night?"
He had looked extremely displeased. His lips had twitched, and Hayeop could sense the irritation in his voice. He had expected Yoonwon to ask what sort of work he did, but Yoonwon had stopped there.
You might fathom water ten fathoms deep, but the depths of the Young Master’s heart were truly beyond him.
Juliet Nightclub in Apgujeong. Apparently, every fashionable person in Gangnam gathered here.
The lighting was risqué, the music deafening. Hayeop was darting between tables like a flying squirrel when someone seized his wrist.
"Hey, you!"
Startled, Hayeop’s eyes went round.
"Yes?"
"Can you hold your liquor?"
Her shoes were sharp as needles, and the revealing red dress she wore left Hayeop at a loss for where to look.
"No, ma’am. I can’t really drink."
"Oh my, listen to him. You work at a place like this and can’t drink?"
Hayeop floundered. It was no lie. A single glass made his face turn crimson and everything before his eyes go yellow.
"You aren’t lying with that innocent face of yours, are you?"
Hayeop’s expression fell, his cheeks flushing pink. He worried she might be angry with him, but the customer merely laughed in delight.
"How about this, ma’am? We’ve got a great crowd tonight. I’ll find you someone."
Taehee was adored by the customers and earned plenty of tips. Hayeop, on the other hand, was shy and could not even drink properly. He was a complete loser.
Wherever he went, people called him an ace, but working at a nightclub was no easy task.
"I don’t want someone else. I mean you. You."
"Look at that face. You think I’m going to eat you?" she said, cackling. She had never seen anyone like him at a nightclub in Apgujeong.
"…I’m sorry."
Hayeop bowed his head guilelessly. Then, for lack of anything better to do, he hurriedly replaced her ashtray. If he could not charm her with conversation, he could at least do a good job clearing away her cigarette ash.
"You’re hilarious. I’ve never seen a green little chili like you in a place like this."
The woman hummed and bit into one of the cucumber slices on the table. Face bright red, Hayeop’s eyes darted about.
"We don’t have any green chilies, but there’s more cucumber…."
The table erupted in laughter.
"Hey, drink this and I’ll give you a tip."
The customer held out a glass of something. The glass was tiny, and the drink inside was the color of cola. No, it was a little lighter than cola.
"All right…. I’ll drink it!"
Hayeop squeezed his eyes shut and downed it. The alcohol was incredibly bitter. He flinched when something slipped between his lips, only to discover it was melon. It was so sweet and soft that it practically melted in his mouth. It was a little like watermelon, yet somehow tasted entirely different.
"Wow, so this is what melon tastes like."
"You’ve never had melon before?"
She stared at him as though she could hardly believe someone like him existed. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Is it good?"
"Yes. It’s really sweet…."
She asked whether he had a girlfriend, told him to sit down and drink with them, and promised to give him plenty of spending money. Hayeop hesitated. If he stayed here with them, the master of the house would scold him.
"Oh, ladies!"
Taehee, who had been entertaining the customers at table one, hurried over and stepped in. He must have been blowing up balloons for them, because he was clutching a wrinkled one in his hand.
"You ladies are going to get yourselves into serious trouble."
"Can’t you tell from all that peach fuzz? He might still be underage."
Taehee pressed a finger to his lips and warned them that teasing the boy could land them in trouble. The customers burst into peals of laughter and applause. Whenever Taehee joked around, he made the customers laugh without fail. That was quite a talent in itself. And just like that, he smoothly extricated Hayeop.
"Hayeop, are you all right?"
Hayeop felt as though his head were spinning in circles. He hiccupped softly and rubbed his eyes with his fists. There were two Taehees standing in front of him.
"My head hurts a little. And I need to pee."
"Come on. Let’s get you to the bathroom."
As Hayeop followed Taehee to the bathroom, the corridor’s peculiar sticky, humid air clung thickly to his face.
"Ugh, I’m drunk…."
"Did you even know what you were drinking? That was Jack and Coke. It’s damn strong."
"What’s that? I don’t know. But I got a tip."
Taehee let out a deep sigh. He was watching Hayeop like a parent who had left a child by the water’s edge when one of the senior waiters called for him, sending him running.
"I’m coming!"
He left grumbling about the man nagging him to death. Hayeop relieved himself and emerged alone to find a group of frightening men smoking outside.
"Ugh, cigarette smoke…."
Emboldened by the alcohol, Hayeop pinched his nose shut and staggered past them. He did not notice one of the men glaring holes into him. A hulking gangster the size of a mountain shot to his feet and deliberately rammed his shoulder into Hayeop.
"Well, look at this little fucker."
For a moment, Hayeop thought he had collided with a boulder. He wobbled like overcooked instant noodles.
"I-I’m sorry, sir…."
His vision was blurry. The customer had letters printed all over his clothes, and his belly was impressively thick.
Good grief. Could this be the infamous "Tin Can"?
Supposedly, he went around swathed head to toe in Louis Vuitton, and since he was the biggest idiot of them all, he picked a fight with anyone who caught his eye. Oh no. I’ve run into the wrong man. Deciding his best chance was to grovel, Hayeop quickly clasped his hands and begged for forgiveness.
"I’m sorry, sir. I’m so drunk I couldn’t tell shit from soybean paste…."
A huge fist thumped Hayeop squarely on the forehead. Stars flashed before his eyes.
"You little fucker. Are you sure you’re a man with balls?"
His skin was so soft and his waist so scrawny—why did he look so weak? Wasn’t he actually a girl? The men snickered at the vulgar suggestion that they ought to pull down his trousers and check whether he had a cock.
"You popped your cherry yet?"
What did that mean now? He had heard so many unfamiliar words since coming here that his head was spinning.
"I’m asking if you’ve ever used that cock on a girl, you fucker."
What do I do? This is terrible. How am I supposed to get out of this?
"Hey, Tin Can. What the hell do you think you’re doing?"
Just then, another enormous man appeared. He pushed everyone out of his way as he approached. He was exceptionally tall, almost as tall as the Young Master.
"Picking on some poor kid again?"
Tin Can’s bluster instantly vanished. He had raged at Hayeop like an angry tiger, but now he abruptly turned servile and began to grovel.
"Uh, w-well, Yang Chul…."
Hayeop wondered who this man could possibly be to make Tin Can behave like that. He soon had his answer.
"Asshole, didn’t I tell you your cock was going to fall off if you kept this up?"
The man lifted his black cap. Hayeop’s eyes immediately widened.
"Oh…!"
Without thinking, Hayeop pointed at him.
"I-I know you! Yang Chul, the basketball player!"
He had seen him during the Basketball Festival. He had played for Hayeop’s team. Every three-pointer he shot had dropped so beautifully through the hoop. It had been absolutely marvelous.
"Oh, are you a fan of mine?"
Strictly speaking, Hayeop was not quite a fan, but he had certainly cheered for the man in secret. His daring and charisma always left Hayeop in awe.
"You made that free throw at the Basketball Festival! It gave me chills."
"Good, good. What a remarkably clever boy."
Yang Chul listened to Hayeop with great satisfaction. Then he whipped his head around and clicked his tongue.
"Why are you hitting such a sweet, smart, innocent kid? He’s adorable. You’re a real piece of work. Hand over your wallet."
"W-what?"
"I said, give me your wallet."
And so Yang Chul extorted Tin Can. He pulled a wad of cash from the wallet and handed the bills to Hayeop.
"Buy yourself some fried chicken and cola with this."
"Thank you, sir."
What an incredible windfall! Hayeop promptly accepted the money with both hands.
"Study hard. Otherwise, you’ll end up an idiot like this guy. He only graduated from high school."
"Well… I only finished middle school."
Hayeop added the confession cautiously.
"What? What happened to you?"
Yang Chul looked deeply shocked. Exclaiming that he could not believe Tin Can had picked on such a pitiful kid, he smacked the man over the head once more. Tin Can looked ready to die of injustice, yet the fact that he did not dare utter a peep suggested that Yang Chul had him firmly under his thumb.
"Stop bullying kids and get out of here!"
Yang Chul waved him away, ordering him to fuck off. Clutching his now considerably thinner wallet, Tin Can retreated with an aggrieved expression. Hayeop bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you so much, sir."
"Don’t call me sir. Call me big brother."
"Yes, big brother!" Hayeop replied brightly.
Yang Chul vigorously ruffled Hayeop’s hair, then waved him away, telling him to get back inside. Delighted, Hayeop hurried back into the nightclub.
"What a windfall!"
At the sight of him, Taehee hastily wound up some tissue and plugged his nose with it.
"Your nose is bleeding, Hayeop."
"I only got hit once, but I saw stars," Hayeop said with a faint smile.
Taehee rolled up the tissue and carefully tucked it into his nostril.
"That fucking bastard. Of all the people he could hit, he chose you?"
Taehee declared that he would go give Tin Can a piece of his mind, but Hayeop quickly stopped him. What if he ended up getting fired by the master of the house? Besides, Yang Chul had already given Tin Can a thorough scolding.
"Taehee, I got a huge tip."
"Hayeop, do you really like money that much?"
"Yeah. I really love money."
Taehee, I really do love money.
I want to save up enough to find a home where Mom and I can live happily together. I want to let her rest, try studying English, and maybe even treat the Young Master to a delicious meal.
That was something he could do right away.
I’ll buy the Young Master a meal.
Hee-hee. When Hayeop grinned, showing his front teeth, Taehee blushed and scratched the back of his head.
"What on earth are you so happy about…?"