Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2

The woman laughed disbelievingly at Hongju’s response. She seemed to be carrying the plates away, but then she stopped and set them down with an “Ah.”

“Keep the daily wage the same, but clean the store after closing. You can sleep inside the room where I occasionally stay, 24-year-old Hongju. And it’s unlikely, but if someone comes to collect the money while I’m with a customer…”

“Noona!*”

*An honorific used by younger men to address older women.

Suddenly, the door burst open as if it would be torn off its hinges.

“Whoa, fu.ck, it was open!”

A man burst in, making the small bell on the door jingle frantically. He approached, sweating profusely, as if he had been running. Breathing heavily, he wiped the beads of sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.

His red, flushed face sharply contrasted with his entirely black outfit. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he grabbed one of the beer bottles on the table, poured the remaining beer into a glass, and gulped it down.

Like Hongju, he seemed unable to avoid the rain. However, unlike Hongju, he showed no signs of being cowed by it despite his soaked state.

The man slammed the glass down so hard it almost broke, looking nervously at the entrance. The woman swiftly grabbed the glass from him.

“Why are you causing trouble at this hour? Crazy.”

“No, I was playing cards when that da.mn Eunsan suddenly showed up, so I had to run like hell.”

“Did you mess up paying again? After getting beaten by Eunsan so many times, you still don’t learn. Go! Don’t let Eunsan barge in here and wreck the place again.”

“Come on, don’t be so harsh, Madam Jang! But who’s this? A new girl? Wow…”

The man scrutinized Hongju. Since her face was obscured by her deeply pulled-down hat, he bent over to meet her eyes.

Hongju’s gaze was drawn to the elaborate tattoos peeking out from under his short-sleeved shirt. Unable to meet his eyes, she shrank back, feeling sweat gather on her palms.

The woman, who had started walking toward the door, stopped and calmly warned the man.

“Don’t touch her. She’s not a hostess, just kitchen help.”

“Kitchen help? Why? She could work as a hostess. Hey, baby, how about watching a movie with oppa downtown on your day off? Do you like caramel popcorn? Wouldn’t it be nice to watch a movie, drive to the harbor at night, and have some fun after?”

Even though Hongju remained silent, the man kept flirting with her several times. His incessant chatter only ceased when the woman returned after removing the help wanted sign from the window.

The woman hurried over, waving her hands frantically. Her face was pale with fear.

“Hey! Eunsan’s car is here! You need to leave now! Get out!”

“Fu.ck, that persistent bastard! Madam, if I leave now, he’ll definitely catch me. Noona, Madam Jang, please, help me just this once, okay? Starting from tonight’s business, if I get called to Rose Beer, I’ll send the top girls, okay? The best ones right away.”

“Hey…!”

Stumbling and bumping into tables as he retreated, the man eventually disappeared into the back of the store, vanishing into the room the woman had emerged from earlier.

Hongju was curious about who Eunsan was and why just mentioning his name made everyone so anxious. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask. Seeing the woman nervously biting her lips, she remained silent.

The woman who had been wandering around holding the paper went back to the entrance. As if she was about to lock the door, she stood on her tiptoes and reached out with her arm.

Unfortunately, the door opened first.

Without warning, the door suddenly swung open, and the woman, unable to resist, was thrown outside, still holding the handle. She was dragged out into the rain, into the heavy, pouring raindrops.

“Ah!”

Hongju, her mouth unintentionally agape, locked eyes with the man who was shaking off the rain from his shoulders.

The sound of the rain, which had seemed to recede, suddenly became clear again through the open door. The smell of damp grass hit her.

Hongju instinctively knew that this man was Eunsan.

Surprisingly, he didn’t look as bad as she imagined. His slightly drooping eyes briefly scanned her, then quickly lost interest.

His short hair became fluffy quickly as he ran his hands through it.

Eunsan wore a colorful silk shirt, almost undone to the point it barely hung on him, leaving Hongju unsure where to look.

“Hmm.”

He didn’t even bother with a greeting. With one hand deep in his pocket, he strolled in as if he owned the place. After scratching his chin for a few steps, he turned to look at the woman still outside in the rain.

“Have you seen Giseong Hyung*?”

*Hyung is an honorific used by younger males to address older males.

Even after his short question, silence filled the room. He didn’t repeat himself or move. The sound of the rain hitting the ground became louder in the stillness.

“……”

Hongju looked out the window in silence.

While the inside of the shop remained hidden from the outside, the view from inside was clear.

The neighborhood was shrouded in darkness, and only raindrops were falling. The trees standing in the street, completely exposed to the rain and wind, shook their branches fearfully. The street cried bitterly.

The sky, which had been silent until now, flashed with light. It seemed as if the whole place became bright blue, and then suddenly, a roar of thunder sounded.