Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

Hongju looked pitiful as she clutched the crossbody bag tightly with her cap pulled down. The leather bag her parents had given her as a congratulatory gift for entering university didn’t match at all with the cheap T-shirt and skirt she had bought at the subway station’s bargain clothes store.

When the faces of her parents, whom she had desperately buried, came to mind, Hongju’s face distorted without realizing it. Her face, marred by pain and anxiety, reflected in the clear glass. She turned her head away, avoiding that sight.

At the end of her gaze was a piece of paper. It was an A4 sheet stuck near the store entrance. Like the paper on the window, it was soaked and wrinkled from the rain.

She slowly read the smudged ink.

[Kitchen Part-time Help Wanted]

– From 6 PM to 2 AM
– Dinner provided
– Cash salary available
– Long-term workers welcome

More than anything else, the phrase ‘Dinner provided’ caught her eye. Since last night, all Hongju had eaten was a single triangle kimbap.

Her stomach growled sharply as if to remind her of her situation. Hongju took out a white paper bag from her bag and counted the remaining cash.

“120,000 won…”

She could manage to survive at a sauna for about a week with that.

But what about after that? Lost in thought, Hongju scrutinized the store’s exterior once again.

The store was covered with old-fashioned pink floral wallpaper covering half of the large window. The name ‘Rose Beer’ was prominently displayed in the middle of the tinted window.

“Rose Beer…”

Hongju, suspiciously eyeing the unfamiliar handwriting, took a step back. Unable to open the store directly, she hesitated and then turned away. She stared at the persistent rain brought on by the endless rainy season. She contemplated the ugly street beyond.

Stores lined up closely looked like pubs, just like Rose Beer. ‘Wildflower’, ‘Valentine’, ‘Heeya’. As she inspected the signs in order, Hongju turned away again.

About a week… Just like the two weeks of escaping, she could probably stay here for about a week, or maybe just a few days… If it was kitchen work, she wouldn’t have to face people. She pondered this for a long time.

Lost in her scattered thoughts, Hongju finally stepped into the shop.

She worried it might be closed, but it wasn’t. Just like the deserted street outside, the shop was empty.

The unlit interior was faintly illuminated by a scarlet light leaking from somewhere on the table.

“Hello…” she called out.

An unpleasant but familiar smell hit her nostrils. Holding her breath for a moment, Hongju cautiously stepped inside.

“Hello, I saw the help wanted sign…,” she said.

Crunch! Something cracked under her foot, startling her. Looking down, she saw popcorn—no, puffed corn—scattered across the floor.

Just as Hongju started to relax, the shop’s lights suddenly flickered on. A woman, her face still heavy with sleep, emerged from somewhere inside.

Yawning loudly, the woman ran her fingers through her messy hair, which was thick and tousled. Despite her groggy state, she quickly approached Hongju and waved her hands, signaling her to move aside.

“Ugh… help?”

“Ah, yes. I saw the sign out front…” Hongju replied.

The woman flopped onto the sofa beside a nearby table. Hongju finally realized the source of the unpleasant smell she had noticed earlier.

The table was a chaotic mess of bottles and leftover snacks.

Warm beer, spilled from an overturned glass, gave off a strong odor. The scent of alcohol emanating from the woman added to the mix.

The woman fumbled through the mess on the table and soon found a cigarette. With her eyes half closed, she put a cigarette in her mouth and struggled to look for a lighter.

“That crazy bi.tch didn’t lock the door again last night…” she muttered.

Despite her hangover-ridden face, she wasn’t unattractive. With no makeup and wearing a stretched-out short-sleeve dress, she still managed to look quite striking.

Without looking directly at Hongju, the woman gestured for her to sit.

“Sit down. I didn’t clean up yesterday, so it’s a bit messy… Do you smoke?”

“No… but I can handle the smell while working,” Hongju replied.

The woman, about to light her cigarette, finally looked at Hongju. She scrutinized her for a moment before chuckling and putting the lighter back on the table. Instead of lighting the cigarette, she rubbed her eyes and asked,

“How old?”

“24. If you hire me, I can bring my resume tomorrow…” Hongju began.

“Hmm. Do you know what kind of place this is?”

“Yes. It’s a bar… I’ve worked in a bar before.”

It was a lie. The only paid work Hongju had ever done was tutoring her cousin.

In the past, she couldn’t have imagined lying so easily. Her desperate survival instinct horrified even herself.

The woman gave a faint smile again. It wasn’t mocking, but it didn’t seem entirely genuine either.

As Hongju tried to interpret the smile, the woman put down her unlit cigarette.

“Cute. What’s your name?”

“Hongju… Shim Hongju.”

“Okay, Hongju. 24-year-old Hongju… Are you sure you can handle this? This is a real bar, you know.”

Straightening her back, the woman closed her eyes and cracked her neck, producing a chilling sound from her delicate, pale throat.