Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.1

The woman finally opened her eyes after being firmly massaged on the back of her neck. Her drowsy face sharpened into clarity, staring directly at Hongju with an intense gaze. Feeling somewhat intimidated by the fierce eyes, Hongju’s lips moved wordlessly.

The woman waited silently. She watched Hongju hesitate before looking away and taking a bite of a browned apple slice from the leftover fruit platter.

“Pretty girls will come in the evening, you know? They’ll sit here, sell smiles, and if they feel like it, sell other things too.”

“……”

“Do you understand what I’m saying? Can you work while watching such dirty scenes? It might be fun collecting tips from pretty girls and men with potruding bellies.”

“……”

“What will you do?”

The woman asked indifferently as if she already knew Hongju’s answer. It seemed to Hongju that the woman was trying to scare her away. After finishing the apple, the woman ate a few wrinkled cherry tomatoes and then suddenly stood up.

“Wait a moment. I’ll give you some taxi fare, so go near Seomgyeong Station instead. Hmm… did I settle the accounts yesterday…?”

Seomgyeong Station was the place Hongju had left behind.

It seemed like it had been less than two hours since she ran away from there. Hongju didn’t want to go back. At least not for now. She wanted to stay in this quiet town that took several bus transfers to reach.

Without repeating herself, Hongju urgently spoke as if to stop the woman from turning away.

“I can do it! I’m not in a position to be picky. I’ll learn well.”

The woman, who had half turned away, hesitated. She scratched her neck, leaving red marks from her nails, and looked down at Hongju for a long while. Hongju also didn’t avert her eyes and looked up at her. Their gazes tangled in midair.

Unexpectedly, the woman broke the silence first with a sigh. She plopped back down on the sofa, and this time, she really lit her cigarette.

“…. Did you go to loan sharks? Did I get it right?”

With the cigarette between her fingers, she took a deep drag. Soon, a straight line of smoke streamed from her lips. Clicking the capsule in the cigarette filter, she asked again.

“You’re being chased, aren’t you? How did you end up in this town?”

At those words, Hongju’s heart sank.

Her face turned pale, and her eyes glistened. Her throat tightened, feeling as if her deeply buried secret had been discovered.

“… How… did you…”

“What do you mean ‘how’? Look at your condition. Who wouldn’t know? Do you think I haven’t seen kids like you before?”

The woman, who had given a scolding, squinted her eyes to avoid the acrid smoke.

Oddly, Hongju felt a sense of relief and looked around the spot she was sitting in.

She took in the ‘real bar’ with red floral wallpaper all around, the black leather sofa that pressed against her damp body, and the smell of strong liquor mingling with the gray smoke drifting in the air. The hand clutched the bag strap tightly as if trying to avoid being intoxicated by any of it.

Only then did Hongju feel the chill. The cool leather of the sofa touched her damp clothes directly.

The woman, who had been watching quietly, stubbed out her cigarette in the glass ashtray. With a face showing frustration, she got up and brought a blanket from somewhere, covering Hongju with it. Then, instead of sitting back down, she started clearing the plates on the table.

“The work isn’t hard. Just peel fruits, grill squid, or dried fish. Wash dishes. And sometimes, if it’s busy, you might have to serve…”

Instead of prying into her situation or blindly doubting her, the woman accepted Hongju with a single sigh. Overwhelmed with relief, Hongju couldn’t even muster a thank you and just sat there.

While stacking the plates, the woman glanced at Hongju. Only then did Hongju, trying to help with the cleaning, shyly stand up, but the woman pressed her back down with a single finger.

“Well… I’ll make sure you don’t have to do the hall work as much as possible, so that’s that. Salary… no, weekly pay will be in cash every Saturday. I’ll tell you where to find the envelope later. Just take it yourself. The daily wage is 100,000… no, 150,000 won. We close on Sundays and Mondays. What else? Ah, dinner. You have to eat dinner as soon as you start work. We’re too busy at night to make you anything. Anything else?”

Listening carefully to each rapidly passing word, Hongju fiddled with the blanket’s edge. She cautiously helped with the dishes and whispered.

“Can I… instead of reducing the daily wage… stay at the store while I work…? I’ll sleep on the sofa. I won’t touch anything else.”

“… Why, you might as well say you don’t want the weekly pay at all.”

“That would be exploitation…”