The nightclub hit its peak after one in the morning on Saturdays. It was the hottest place in Apgujeong, with the best-looking crowd, so it was packed. It sold the most alcohol and made the most matches between customers.
That kept Hayeop running from one table to another. Customers called him over, saying they wanted a look at Jung Yoonwon’s cousin and that famously handsome face, then stuffed him with tips.
“Is he still seeing Hana? What kind of woman does he like?”
“How old is your information? Those two broke up ages ago.”
“What? Then the girlfriend spot is vacant?”
The more eager they were to win the Young Master’s favor, the heavier Hayeop’s pockets grew. And once those pockets had grown that heavy, there was no possible way he could confess the truth.
The torment continued until dawn.
“God, I’m dying….”
Work had ended later than usual, and it looked as though day might break at any moment. Afraid he might run into Madam leaving the house, Hayeop went to a nearby bathhouse.
“Ma’am, could I have an exfoliating mitt and some lotion?”
“Here.”
Hayeop was returning from the counter when Taehee called him over. His hands were laden with snacks.
“Hayeop.”
He had bought plenty of everything: smoked eggs, sweet rice punch, and even lemon-lime soda. Taehee rapped an egg against his own head until the shell cracked, then peeled it for him.
“That must hurt your head.”
“Hah! This is nothing. My skull’s made of rock.”
He laughed cheerfully, claiming that if someone hit him over the head with a brick, the brick would shatter. Hayeop found it so funny that he clutched his stomach and giggled.
“Hayeop, you’re not even going to deny it?”
Hayeop dodged the question and popped the round egg whole into his mouth. It was deliciously rich and sweet. He chewed with his cheeks twitching, then thought he caught a foul smell and began sniffing.
“Ugh, something stinks.”
His body reeked of perfume, cigarettes, and cosmetics. This must be why the Young Master suspected me. Has this sleazy atmosphere rubbed off on me?
“What smell? You only smell good.”
Scratching the back of his head, Taehee told him he smelled like flowers. It was probably the scent of his soap.
“Taehee, do I seem a little…?”
Hayeop hesitated before timidly asking,
“Do I look like that? Like some kind of playboy?”
“What?”
Taehee boomed. He raked his fingers through the hair he had stiffened with gel and sprang to his feet with his mouth crammed full of egg.
“Why are you suddenly asking that? What bastard’s been bothering you again?”
“No, Taehee. It’s nothing like that.”
Hayeop hurried to calm him. An old man lying nearby glared at Taehee. He seemed to have a few words he wanted to say, but Taehee’s size appeared to have frightened him into silence.
“It’s just that I’ve never worked at a place like this before.”
Hayeop assured him it was nothing serious and soothed him. Once he had eaten his fill of snacks, Hayeop’s mood improved, and he started taking off his shirt. He had to wash up quickly if he wanted to get any sleep.
“Hey! Hey!”
But Taehee suddenly grabbed Hayeop’s upper arm, looking startled. His hand was as hot as a steamed sweet potato.
“You’re a grown man. You can’t just strip wherever you please.”
Hayeop stared at him in bewilderment. What is he talking about? Is he still drunk?
“But this is a bathhouse….”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
Taehee fidgeted uneasily. What’s wrong with him? He looks like a puppy desperate to take a dump.
Hayeop blinked at him. His shirt had ridden up, revealing a glimpse of his softly indented navel.
“What’s wrong, Taehee? Do you need the bathroom?”
“Y-yeah. The bathroom. I should go.”
As if the thought had only just occurred to him, Taehee shot to his feet. Clutching the exfoliating mitt, Hayeop asked,
“Aren’t you going to wash?”
They said this thing was from Italy and scrubbed off grime really well.
“N-no. I’m fine.”
With that, Taehee hurried toward the bathroom. Left alone, Hayeop watched him with a grave expression.
Taehee…
Is he naturally a little dirty? I suppose he just doesn’t like washing.
In the end, Hayeop bathed alone, firmly wrung out his underwear and socks, and carried them out in his bath basket. As he set them aside to dry, Taehee exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, Hayeop. You’re really capable. You look neat and capable, and everything you do is even neater.”
As Hayeop carefully spread out his underwear and socks and hung them on the drying rack, Taehee showered him with praise.
“You even wash your socks by hand. You’re just like a mother.”
“Once you’re an adult, you should at least wash your own socks and underwear, Taehee….”
That was true, Taehee agreed, nodding several times.
“I’ve wanted to marry young ever since I was a kid.”
Instead of answering, Hayeop smiled faintly. Right now, he was desperately hungry for sleep. It was almost five in the morning. After warming himself in the hot water, his eyelids kept drooping shut.
“I like someone capable and obedient who speaks sweetly.”
“I see…. I’m a little sleepy.”
Hayeop brought over two blankets, handed one to Taehee, and covered himself with the other. A yawn escaped him. As his body went soft and languid, sleep washed over him.
“It would feel so safe. I’d be so happy.”
“Mmm.”
At that moment, the lights in the bathhouse sleeping room clicked off. Just as Hayeop’s eyes began drifting closed, Taehee asked, “Hayeop, what’s your dream?”
“My dream is….”
Hayeop found himself at a loss for words. I’m sorry, Taehee, but right now I just want to sleep.
“When I wake up, I’m going to eat some warm seaweed soup.”
Adding that this was his dream, Hayeop fell sound asleep.
When he awoke a few hours later, both blankets were draped over him, while Taehee lay bare-chested, embracing nothing but a wooden pillow.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. You’re going to catch a cold.”
“No, I don’t get cold easily.”
He wrinkled his slightly hooked nose, its tip bent down a little, then sneezed explosively.
“Taehee….”
Feeling sorry for him, Hayeop bought him some warm barley tea. He also took good care of him by buying him a hearty bowl of seaweed soup for breakfast. Taehee beamed and said this was nothing, that he always caught a cold in the summer anyway.
After eating well, Hayeop left the bathhouse and spent some time with Taehee. They went to an arcade, then to Lotteria, and Taehee took him for a ride on his motorcycle, letting him savor the cool breeze to his heart’s content. It felt as though all his stress were blowing away.
Once midnight passed, the nightclub began to swarm with people.
Yang Cheol kept calling Hayeop over and ordering huge quantities of bomb drinks. His bill came to nearly four hundred thousand won a day. Thanks to all the women doting on him, Hayeop received enough tips to fill both pockets.
“Dried snacks over here!”
Hayeop was weaving between drunken customers when someone yanked his arm, sending him tumbling backward. He landed on a pair of thick thighs. Damn it. It was Tin Can, whom he had not seen in a while.
“Well, look who it is.”
Tin Can peered at Hayeop’s name tag.
“Sex and Zen?”
“You don’t even have tits, you little shit.”
Shouldn’t someone with that name have curves in all the right places? As Tin Can spewed vulgar remarks, Hayeop felt a truly violent urge welling up inside him. When the bastard said he would pay to see Hayeop’s tits, Hayeop stared at him with frigid contempt.
“Hey, Tin Can. You sure this is a good idea?”
One of Tin Can’s friends cut in. He had recognized Hayeop’s face.
“Isn’t that the kid? Jung Yoonwon’s relative.”
Tin Can’s broad shoulders, thick as slabs of pork belly, twitched. The instant the three syllables of Jung Yoonwon’s name came up, he looked startled.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Then, apparently finding his courage again, the bastard resumed sneering.
“Why would someone related to him work in a place like this?”
Even a broken clock was right twice a day. Tin Can had managed to say something remarkably intelligent. Hayeop swallowed hard.
“I hear men with cocks have started pounding rice cakes with each other these days. Hey, you.”
His eyes, glistening like sausages fried in oil, fixed on Hayeop.
“What exactly is going on between you and Jung Yoonwon?”
Hayeop clamped his mouth shut like a clam. Tin Can kept babbling at his lips, which had shriveled as tight as the meat inside one.
“Is Jung Yoonwon eating this guy’s ass or something?”
What the hell is he talking about? I’m not a frozen yogurt tube. How could anyone bite open my ass end and eat it?
Hayeop was busy enough without getting caught by the wrong person.
And of all times, Cheol was not here. Tin Can usually kept a wary eye on everyone and made himself small, only tormenting Hayeop when an opportunity arose. Now he was taunting him as if he had been waiting for this chance. In front of Cheol, he groveled around like a total idiot. Stupid, pathetic bastard.
“Try on my watch.”
Now the man was thrusting a silver watch at him. He claimed it cost two million won and insisted that Hayeop would never get another chance to wear one. The pressure was unbearable.
“I’m feeling generous. Put this on, and I’ll let you go!”
It sounded as though he had no intention of releasing Hayeop before then. With no real choice, Hayeop fastened the heavy watch around his wrist. It made him feel trapped, as if someone had locked a handcuff around him.
“Are we done now?”
He demanded to be released. But Tin Can merely gave him a sly, sinister grin.
Hayeop was wondering what the bastard was up to when Tin Can brought his glass crashing straight down on Hayeop’s wrist. With a sharp crunch, the watch shattered. The sight of a two-million-won watch breaking right in front of him made Hayeop feel as if his head might explode.
“You fucking bastard! You broke my watch!”
Tin Can was laughing. His face shone with delight.
Hayeop had fallen into a trap. He forced himself to stay alert. Don’t be ridiculous. They say that even if you enter a tiger’s den, you’ll survive as long as you keep your wits about you.
“Excuse me.”
“What, punk?”
“I wasn’t the one who did this.”
Hayeop enunciated every word. Cheol had given him a useful piece of advice. If that Tin Can bastard ever bullied him again when Cheol was not around, Hayeop should use Jung Yoonwon’s name against him.
“If you keep doing this, I’ll tell him everything.”
“What? Tell who? What are you, Admiral Yi Sunshin?”
Tin Can snorted as though the idea were too pathetic even to be funny. But from this close, Hayeop could see it clearly: the terror in the bastard’s wavering eyes.
“Yoonwon.”