IOTF Ch 2

The guy they called “Moonzora” was nowhere to be seen, presumably having skipped out as planned. Regardless, business went on as usual. The sharply dressed hosts clocked in and began entertaining guests. Phones buzzed and rang incessantly, and the hosts lined up outside the rooms, waiting to be chosen.

Ji Yeonwoo led me into the designated room. The customer who’d requested him had brought three friends and ordered four bottles of whiskey. Ji Yeonwoo didn’t shy away from drinking, and neither did the other host in the room, seemingly ready for a good time.

I matched their pace, drinking straight without holding back. The karaoke music started, and Ji Yeonwoo unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his flat chest. My partner, taking the cue, slipped her hand inside my shirt.

I poured her another drink as she caressed my skin, playing along with the mood. She slipped me four 10,000 won bills.

“Thanks, noona. I’ll put this to good use.”

The scent of strong alcohol and perfume clung to me. We sang song after song until a lull in the revelry gave me a chance to grab the microphone again.

I cracked open a can of iced tea and belted out a tune. My singing hit the mark tonight, and my partner, apparently pleased, snuggled close, grinding against my crotch. After about two hours, a waiter entered the room and whispered something in my ear.

I gently detached myself from my partner.

“Noona, the manager is looking for me. I’ll be right back.”

She was about to glare at me, but Ji Yeonwoo quickly jumped in with a dramatic flourish.

“Noona, you have to understand! This hyung had a run-in with one of our hosts before we even opened. We were having dinner when a fight broke out, and he almost got his face smashed in.”

“Oh my, this handsome face?”

“Yeah. So just let him go for a second. I’ll cover for you.”

Thanks to Ji Yeonwoo, I was able to escape the room. Only then did the effects of the consecutive drinks hit me. I was about to head to the restroom to rinse my mouth when the young guy who drove the van zipped past me.

I wondered what he was doing here when Han Doopil, the same guy I saw in the manager’s office yesterday, stomped by with a furious expression.

Sensing something was wrong, I headed straight for the manager’s office. Before I even reached it, the manager grabbed me, shoved me against the wall, and demanded, “What the hell did you do?”

What did I do?

“The owner’s here!”

“What?”

“He’s got a room and asked for hosts!”

Confused, I furrowed my brow. “Explain it so I can understand…”

“He asked for the newest hosts. Who else is there besides you?”

The manager’s eyes suddenly widened. Han Doopil had looked the same. What had them so spooked? It was normal for the owner to visit, and it wasn’t unusual for him to call for hosts. Yet, both the manager and Han Doopil were acting strangely.

“Did you cause some trouble in Seoul?”

I felt a pang of guilt, but I wasn’t stupid enough to confess.

“Jaehoon recommended you, but be honest, are you hiding something?”

I pushed myself away from the wall, irritated. “Seriously. A customer was clinging to me, so I just stepped out for a bit. If I’d caused trouble, would I be here working like this?”

Host boys all had sob stories, and no one believed them anyway. The unspoken rule was that as long as you brought in customers and didn’t cause problems, the owners wouldn’t bother you.

The manager clicked his tongue and pushed me forward. “Just go in there. Be smart about it, understand?”

I walked toward the hosts waiting outside room number 8. As I took the third spot in line, the manager knocked and opened the door. I heard his ingratiating voice, and we entered the room one by one.

“Here are the new faces of Queens~!”

I scanned the room for a middle-aged man under the soft lighting. Instead, a young man sat in the center of the sofa. He flashed a grin, and I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. He had actually come looking for me.

“Choice time for the owner~!”

The moment the manager finished speaking, the hosts began introducing themselves. The two before me showed off their charms, but the young man’s gaze remained fixed on me.

Under his scrutiny, I felt, for the first time, a sense of luxury in this host club room. The cheap sofa, the worn table, the beer-branded glasses—I forgot all about their shabbiness because of this man.

“My name is Sunjung. I’m on my second day here, and I’m good at everything.”

I glanced at the manager, breaking eye contact with the man. Then, the man spoke.

“Everyone except Sunjung, leave.”

The manager didn’t even have time to react before he ushered the other two out of the room.

Silence fell as the door closed. I realized the room was unusually bright; he’d obviously turned up the lights to see my face.

“Come here.”

The man unfurled his long legs and beckoned me. Standing near the entrance of the room, which could hold up to twelve people, I swallowed hard.

The manager had said the owner was here and had requested the newest hosts. The young van driver had seemed in a hurry, and Han Doopil had been visibly agitated.

That meant this man was the owner of Queens, the owner of Versace in Namgu-dong.

Fuck. I had expected a middle-aged man with a beer belly, but this was unexpected. None of the club owners I’d encountered were this young and attractive. Not even the host who’d supposedly swindled a Gangnam club out of a fortune was this good-looking.

“Aren’t you coming when a customer calls you?”

I started toward him, grabbing a glass and a bottle of barley tea on my way. He watched as I sat beside him.

“Should I pour you a drink?”

“I don’t do on the rocks.”

“Ah, then a shot?”

I opened the whiskey bottle and filled the slim glass.

“How much can you drink?”

“Not much.”

“Smoke?”

“About a pack and a half a day.”

“Trying to die young, are you?”

“But I don’t drink to cure hangovers, and I try to work out.”

“Our Sunjung is a hard worker. How fucking cute.”

He grinned and clinked his glass against mine. I turned my head and downed the shot, the sound of his empty glass following mine. I refilled both glasses and picked out a piece of fruit for him. I carefully skewered a green grape on a toothpick and offered it to him, and he opened his mouth.

For the first time in my life, I fed a man. I even forced a flirtatious smile. I wanted to curse, but I needed to make a living.

“You said you came from Seoul?”

“Yes. I was in Gangnam and came here through a friend’s introduction.”

“Go on.”

“I’ve been a host for five years and worked as a madam in Marine City.”

I poured him another drink. I reached for a slice of mango, slightly lifting myself to get a better angle, when I felt a sudden warmth at my waist. I froze.

It was distinctly different from a woman’s touch. Large, firm, and covering a significant area of my lower back. He must have sensed my stiffness, because his hand slid to the side, caressing me. It felt like being pinned by a predator’s paw, sending a chill down my spine.

“Did you make some money as a madam?”

I couldn’t even turn my head. His large hand, no longer content with just caressing, began pulling me towards him.

I ended up pressed against his side. His heavy breathing and a sharp, masculine scent enveloped me. The mix of mouthwash and whiskey was intoxicating, and again, different from anything I’d experienced with women.

“You have a habit of making me ask twice, don’t you?”

“…Just… average…”

“Did you do some fucking?”

Again, I couldn’t answer. I stayed silent, pressed against him, my lips tightly sealed. He reached for the bottle himself. I quickly extended my hand, but he waved me off, filling both our glasses before asking, “I heard you don’t do seconds?”

I took the glass he offered. Some customers liked pouring drinks themselves. Some had even put food in my mouth, using it as an excuse to brush their lips against mine. But if this man was planning to do the same…

Fuck. This is why I’d insisted on only working at straight clubs.

I’d come to Versace in Namgu-dong because it was supposed to be a straight club…

“Yes. These days, most places don’t do seconds, and it’s more about the host’s willingness…”

“You sell your body while pouring drinks. Why use your upper mouth but not the lower one?”

“……”

“It’s all the same hole, whether you’re sticking it in or getting fucked. What’s the difference?”

Something was off. We were talking about the same topic, but the context felt strangely skewed.

We were talking about seconds with female customers, so why was he talking about a man’s hole? And what was with that intense, unsettling look in his eyes?

“…Isn’t it different? I mean, the… the usage is awkward… hahaha…”

Shit, I blurted out nonsense. My usual principle, even for a host boy, was never to sleep with a man.

“What’s awkward about it?”

“Well, you see…”

I gripped my glass so tightly that the tendons in my hand stood out. He leaned closer, his hand sliding up to my ribs. Just as I registered his smooth movement, his husky voice whispered right in front of my face.

“Want to play with me, even if you don’t do seconds?”

“What?”

“I have a thing for…innocence, snowflakes, you know.”

His slightly upturned eyes were incredibly sexy. If I were into men, if I had even the slightest inclination that way, I would have offered to sleep with him for free.

But I had absolutely no interest in sleeping with men. I hated even the idea of it. I hated being on the receiving end.

“Sir.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you the owner of Queens?”

I asked point-blank, choosing to confront the situation rather than push him away.

“Yeah. It’s mine. The previous owner was a mess, so I took over. Why?”

“And you own Versace too?”

“I swindled that one. Not in the way you guys do it, but it’s mine. So, what’s your point?”

I exhaled sharply. His warm hand had moved to my chest, circling my nipple through my shirt.

“If you’re interested in me…”

He burst out laughing, his face close to mine. It was a bright, refreshing laugh that made me dizzy, and my vision blurred for a moment.

“If I’m interested in you, you think you’ll whisper sweet nothings in my ear?”

His hand retreated from my chest. The heavy pressure lifted, leaving my body light, but his laughter abruptly ceased.

“You’re impertinent.”

He pressed the fingers that had been around my waist to his eyes. The corners of his eyes, framed by his flamboyant shirt, had sharpened.

“I asked if you’d done some fucking, and you just ramble on.”

“……”

“Ever since I first saw you, the look in your eyes has been so arrogant, so sweet.”

I heard him murmur, “It makes me want to kill you.” He then winked, as if to say, “Oops, I slipped.” A shiver ran down my spine, and I imagined my throat being slit.

The manager and Ji Yeonwoo hadn’t spoken highly of the owner. While most club owners were similar, this one was different. They said he’d gut you and sell you to an island, that your flesh would be sliced and fed to the fish.

I hadn’t fully believed them, but I wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss their warnings entirely. Moreover, the man now entering the room looked ominous.

He was a large, suited man with a scar near his mouth. He wore black leather gloves, and his aura was far more menacing than Han Doopil’s. I could guess what he did for a living.

“The smuggler called. He says the shipment’s delayed.”

The owner responded casually, unfazed by the man’s sudden, unannounced entry.

“What’s the departure time from Qingdao?”

“Four o’clock tomorrow night. He says there’s a hole in the container.”

“What do you think?”

“Seems like the same trick as putting lead in crab boxes.”

It was Korean, but I couldn’t understand. How could a massive metal container get a hole? And putting lead in crab boxes was a serious crime, something that happened 20 years ago.

These days, lead-filled crabs couldn’t even enter the country. What were they talking about?

“I was starting to feel better, but…”

The owner’s gaze shifted to me. His narrowed eyes studied my face before he suddenly grabbed my chin.

Holding my jaw in his large hand, he said with a disgruntled expression, “I really love flowers, you know. I go to see rare flowers in Yeonsan, I even like the flowers on wallpaper. Why don’t you understand that?”

Did he mean I was a flower?

But I was more like a weed.

At best, a nameless wildflower.

He turned my head towards the scarred man, my face still in his grip. His voice followed.

“Baegil, what do you think of his face?”

The intimidating man answered immediately, “Pretty.”

“Just pretty?”

“Well, he’s pale, like a Seoul boy.”

“Just pale?”

At the owner’s persistent questioning, Baegil grumbled, “What do you want to hear?”

“Don’t you want to fuck him?”

My jaw dropped.

“The moment I saw him, I wanted him.”

“……!”

“Don’t you think I’d cum buckets if I fucked him?”

A wave of terror washed over me, nearly paralyzing me. The man in leather gloves stepped closer, his long scar next to his lips sending a fresh wave of panic through me as he examined my face under the light.

“You weren’t interested in men’s holes.”

“Yeah, but this one’s different.”

The gloved man lightly pushed my forehead back. Startled, I flinched, and the owner tightened his hold, preventing me from moving.

His embrace, though seemingly light, felt like a restraint. My arms, face, and legs were frozen. The scarred man spoke.

“Should we try it out?”

As he finished his sentence, he unzipped his pants with his gloved hand. I could hardly believe it and started to struggle.

“Fu, fuck!!”

His penis sprung out, half-erect. The gloved hand grasped it, stroking the dark red flesh. The blatant, terrifying gesture made me scream, and the owner chuckled, whispering in my ear, “Do you know how to train a dog, Sunjung?”

“Fuck! Let go!”

I thrashed and yelled, my blood running cold as the dangling penis grew larger in the man’s grip.

“First, you grab the neck and face tightly like this, and give it food while you touch it.”

“Let go! Let go!”

“You have to get it used to being touched so it won’t bite.”

I was trapped, unable to move. My screams and struggles made my lips wet with saliva. The owner’s fingers slipped on my wet skin, but he immediately grabbed my hair.

“Ugh!”

“Sunjung, open your mouth.”

“Ugh! No…!”

“If you clench your teeth, you die. Got it?”

The gloved hand, holding the swaying penis, moved closer. The dark red flesh was inches from my face. Instead of spitting, I desperately cried out for mercy.

“Sir, I’m sorry.”

The gloved hand faltered as my body trembled.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pleaded again, “Sir, please forgive me just this once.”

My heart pounded. The owner’s grip on my hair loosened slightly, but the embrace remained firm.

“What are you sorry for?”

“For arguing with you, talking back… things like that.”

“And?”

What else could I say?

If I were to confess my sins that led me here, I’d have to delve into my very existence, and that was far too self-destructive.

“I’ll… I’ll take male customers. I’ll do seconds.”

I had never cried since starting this job. Not when I first sold my body, not even when I was slapped and kicked while servicing a married woman. My reason had never crumbled, even in the face of such degradation.

I used to watch the other hosts kissing and jerking each other off, thinking, “I’ll never stoop that low.” But in front of this man, I broke.

“That’s not right, Sunjung.”

The owner pulled me closer, his grip tightening on my hair.

“You should say, ‘I’ll open my mouth and suck your dick.’ I’m doing this because I want to see you suck a dick. What happens if you refuse?”

“…Ugh…!”

“I want to play with you. Why won’t you play with me?”

He looked at my saliva-slicked face, his eyebrows furrowing in what seemed like disappointment. In that instant, I pressed my lips against his smooth cheek. It was almost a headbutt, and his eyes snapped open.

“I’ll… I’ll play with you. I’ll play however you want. Just please don’t make me suck that!”

I desperately focused on his face, unable to bear the sight of that. He looked at my saliva-covered lips and face, then gave his characteristic grin.

“Then will you suck mine?”

Without a second’s hesitation, I answered, “Yes! I’ll suck your dick, sir!”

If I had to suck one, it might as well be the owner’s. If I started with his lackey, I might end up sucking other dicks in front of him. It was better to service the owner.

That way, even if I had to suck a dick, I’d be treated differently. Even if it meant getting my throat wrecked, it had to be by the owner’s dick.

The owner paused, seemingly lost in thought. In the silent room, with the karaoke music off, just before something irreversible could happen, he grinned and released my hair.

“You don’t want to be a dog, huh?”

He’d seen right through me. He nodded and let go of me, spreading his legs and stretching his arms along the back of the sofa.

“You’d rather suck the top dog’s dick. Fine by me.”

He gestured towards his crotch as if granting permission.

I quickly knelt on the floor in front of him.

“Do you give good head?”

“Yes! I’m a quick learner!”

Clenching my teeth, I placed my hand on his belt. Normally, I would have used mouth spray, but that wasn’t important now.

I undid his belt and lowered his zipper. I’d seen guys do this in the rooms before; it was just a matter of putting it in my mouth and sucking. If I thought of it as just another part of the job, it wouldn’t be so bad.

I took a breath as I felt his cock beneath his black briefs. Even before it was fully erect, the size was unbelievable. The length and girth were simply absurd. I’d seen plenty of cocks in this business, but nothing like this.

My eyes welled up, and I bit my lip hard. The gloved man must have left, because the owner, legs spread wide, said, “It’s just the two of us now.”

“…Yes…”

“I don’t mind if someone’s watching, but what about you?”

I nodded, stroking his growing erection. If I protested now, I might end up with the scarred man again.

“Really? That’s good. We have similar tastes. I’m fine with anything as long as it’s not a gangbang.”

Gangbang… fuck. That was a disgusting thought. While some guys had sex in the rooms, it wasn’t common at Marine City. It was a straight club, and most people discreetly went to hotels.

It had been a while since I’d knelt like this to give head, and of all things, it had to be to a man.

I swallowed my fear and gulped. As I pulled his cock out of his briefs, the smooth tip and thick shaft sprung free. It was a literal horse cock.

“Mine’s pretty big. Most women can’t even fit it all in their mouths.”

Not just women, most men couldn’t either. The fear I’d suppressed surged back. Just the sight of his large, twitching cock made my jaw clench.

“What, can’t you do it?”

He looked down at me, challenging me. I opened my mouth and placed my lips on the tip.

It didn’t taste as rank as I’d expected. It smelled like the whiskey I’d just drunk, the tip was smooth, and I could feel pre-cum leaking from the slit.

Under his intense gaze, I took the head into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the ridge and sucking gently. The slurping sound echoed as I grasped the shaft; it felt inhumanly large.

“Stick out your tongue.”

I did as he asked, sticking out my wet tongue.

“Just as I thought, you’re dirty.”

He looked down at me and thrust his hips once, hitting my lower lip and tongue with his tip. He repeated the motion, and I took it, tongue extended.

Saliva and pre-cum mixed as he rubbed his tip against my tongue. Suddenly, he grabbed my hair and shoved his cock deep into my throat. The violent, swift action left me speechless.

“Ugh!”

“Sweet? Tasty?”

“Ugh—Ugh!”

My jaw stretched to its limit, and tears welled up. Squishing and gagging sounds mixed as fluids erupted. The fire in my mouth was relentless, merciless. Like a brutal assault, he kept slamming my head down, thrusting his hips.

I braced myself, placing my hands on his rock-hard thighs. My vision blurred as he pressed down on my head.

“Ah, feels good.”

He moaned, seemingly satisfied with his relentless thrusting. He pushed deeper, grinding his hips slowly, rubbing his tip against my uvula. I could tell he was close, savoring the moment before climax. My warm, wet mouth must have felt so good that his balls were tingling.

“Just as I thought yesterday, your mouth-pussy must taste good.”

“…Gah…”

“A white snowflake with glistening lips, glaring at me. Fuck, it was so hot.”

He abruptly pulled out, then slammed back in before I could even breathe. He moaned again, thrusting his hips. I felt like I was suffocating, about to die.

Tears streamed down my face as I sucked him off. My jaw was stretched to its limit, and the inside of my mouth tasted of blood and something metallic.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, wondering about your mouth-pussy.”

“…Ugh…”

“If I’d known you’d show up, I would’ve come sooner.”

He prodded the inside of my cheek with his thick shaft, then pulled out. The pressure on my uvula released, and I gasped for air, unable to suppress the wave of nausea that followed. I gagged and retched, saliva dripping from my mouth. He looked down at me, his eyes piercing.

“Is this really your first time with a cock?”

“Cough… ugh… cough…”

“Haven’t you had any male customers who requested you?”

I nodded, my eyes bloodshot.

“I heard you worked as a madam with Jaehoon. Wasn’t Jaehoon originally from a gay club?”

Did he know Jaehoon? He slapped his wet cock against my cheek, demanding an answer.

“…I didn’t take men…”

“Why? It’s all the same, getting used.”

“I didn’t like it.”

He looked at me as if I were an idiot.

“They’d pay you good money to get fucked.”

“I didn’t want that either…”

“You hate getting topped even more?”

“Yes. Not at all… cough! Cough!”

I coughed, and he watched the saliva dribble down my chin before saying slowly, “Good. You’re new.”

He lowered his outstretched arm, as if to pull me up, and studied my face.

He was silent for a moment, and I panted, tears dripping down my chin. He clicked his tongue at the sight of my tears.

“Do you know why I came here today?”

He nudged my lips with the tip of his still-hard cock. When I didn’t answer, he slapped his pre-cum-covered shaft against my cheek again.

“To sign a contract.”

“Ugh…”

The pre-cum dripping down his shaft made a slapping sound. The obscene, disgusting noise made me cough, and he thrust back into my mouth. My jaw stretched open again, and he started thrusting.

His coarse pubic hair rubbed against my nose and philtrum as he pounded, his balls threatening to slam into my chin. He grabbed my hair and thrust even harder.

“Ugh!! Cough!!”

“I was thinking of binding you for a year if you sucked well, six months if you didn’t…”

He drew out his words, unlike his usual bluntness. He paused his brutal assault, and I realized he hadn’t cum yet. Before he could resume, I started sucking again, bobbing my head and licking his shaft. I looked up at him.

Just like I did with female customers, I used my tongue and lips skillfully, glancing up at him. He suddenly frowned.

“Fucking bastard.”

“……!”

“You’re doing the same tricks you used to do.”

I didn’t understand. Everyone loved it when I did this. He didn’t like it?

“Look up when I tell you to look up. Got it?”

I quickly lowered my gaze. His cock was fully engorged now, close to erupting. I gripped the shaft and sucked the tip fervently. He was leaking so much pre-cum that I kept swallowing the strange fluid.

Tears and snot streamed down my face as the metallic taste filled my mouth. His chest heaved as he neared his climax. I knew it was coming, so I focused on the tip, sucking with renewed intensity.

Being a man myself, I knew what to do. As I sucked with exaggerated sounds, he pulled out and came all over my face. His low, deep moan accompanied the warm splatter across the bridge of my nose. I felt it coat my eyes, lips, cheeks, and forehead as his hot breath washed over me.

“Sunjung.”

I answered in a hoarse voice, eyes still closed, “Yes.”

“Open your eyes and look at me, Sunjung.”

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He smiled languidly, just like the first day we met.

“How was it?”

“…Not bad.”

“Really? Now you ask me. You just fucked me.”

Anger flared, but I suppressed it.

“…How was it for you?”

“What?”

He hummed happily, looking at my cum-covered face.

“You should ask me what I liked.”

I asked again, as he wanted, “Did you like it when I sucked you off?”

He grinned at me, his handsome face looking down at my cum-smeared features.

“Yeah, I liked it. I was just going to watch Baegil suck it, but making you suck my dick isn’t bad either.”

“……”

“I’m not usually interested in hosts. Actually, I fucking hate them. But you’re so tempting, what can I do?”

He chuckled again and pressed his finger against my earlobe, flicking my cum-covered cheek and lips before inserting his finger into my ear.

“Sunjung, stop tempting me.”

He poked inside my ear as if his finger were his cock. The squelching sound echoed, and he whispered words that made him seem even lower than a worm.

“If you keep tempting me like this, I might not be able to live without you.”

“……!”

“What are you going to do if I cling to you, saying I can’t live without you, huh?”

A wave of terror washed over me, as if a worm had crawled into my ear and was now wriggling through my insides. I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer as he licked and prodded my ear, so I turned my head away.

He burst out laughing. The pride and shame I’d suppressed surged back, the defiance and hope I’d buried since starting this job rising up like a rebellion. I realized how much I’d endured.

I couldn’t bring myself to respond to his words, lowering my head in submission.

His laughter continued. The tip of his polished shoe tapped my thigh. A moment later, I heard him adjusting his clothes.

“Let’s sign the contract. And I’ll make a special exception for seconds.”

He placed something on the sofa. I thought it might be the contract, but then I realized it was a stack of yellow bills.

“Don’t get too excited.”

“……”

“The kind of seconds you’re thinking of might be different from what I mean.”

His footsteps echoed in the room. I clenched my fists as he opened the door. The yellow bills fluttered in the breeze from the air conditioner.

His payment was exactly 400,000 won.

˚｡⋆

After he left, I sat frozen in the room for a long time. The pain in my jaw started to set in, my uvula throbbed as if it had been ripped out, and my lips were bleeding. My face was covered in saliva and cum, and my shirt was stained. I couldn’t leave like this.

“…Fuck.”

The wave of self-pity subsided as reality set in. I picked up the intercom.

“Please send the manager.”

—The manager isn’t here. He left with the owner.

Fucking hell. I asked for a new shirt and a wet towel to be left outside the room. A knock came soon after, and I quickly changed.

I rolled up my cum-stained shirt and threw it in the trash before rushing to the bathroom. The mirror reflected my pale face, blood caked around my split lip. My eyes were bloodshot, making me look like I’d been crying.

Fuck…

It was the only word I could manage. I left the bathroom and went back to the room where I’d been chosen with Ji Yeonwoo. It was empty. A waiter was clearing the dirty table.

“Where did everyone go?”

“They left after settling the bill.”

“Ji Yeonwoo too? Everyone, including the customers?”

“He’s probably seeing them out.”

A curse rose in my throat. I hadn’t received much in tips, and I’d left the room early, so I’d lose out. The thought of losing two hours’ worth of pay infuriated me.

I ran down the hallway to the elevator, but it was too late; it had already reached the first floor.

I ran my hand through my hair and bumped into Han Doopil coming up the stairs. He opened his mouth to speak, then frowned at my bloody lip.

“Did you get hit?”

Hit? I’d been forced into oral sex. I’d willingly knelt down, thinking the owner’s dick was better than his lackey’s. That was only thirty minutes ago.

“He hits people sometimes, but be grateful it ended there. Your legs aren’t broken, so just suck it up.”

Han Doopil wasn’t stomping like before. The young van driver was nowhere to be seen either. I wanted to grab Han Doopil by the shoulder, where he’d tucked a loan shark’s bag, and ask him what the hell was wrong with their owner.

Did he have some weird fetish?

He didn’t seem to know what the owner had done, but if this happened again, word would spread quickly. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut. My throat hurt, and my lip was bleeding, but I didn’t want to be labeled as the guy who sucked dicks.

As I turned to go back to the waiting room, the elevator, which had been on the first floor, started moving.

It stopped on the second floor, and the doors opened, revealing Ji Yeonwoo and the other host who had been chosen with us.

“Hyung! What happened?!”

Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes widened when he saw me.

“Your… your mouth! What happened?!”

I glanced at the other host. He looked concerned as well. “Did the manager hit you?” he asked. It made sense, since I’d said the manager had called for me.

“No.”

“What! Then did Moonzora hyung do it again?!”

I was about to deny it, but then I remembered Moonzora’s face as he wielded the ashtray, so I mumbled a noncommittal, “No.”

“No? What do you mean no! The manager took your side earlier, so he hit you out of spite! Seriously, what’s wrong with that guy? He has no shame!”

Ji Yeonwoo fumed, looking ready to storm into the waiting room. Instead of stopping him, I asked, “By the way, did the customer just leave? Was my partner not angry?”

“She’s not the type to get angry easily. But she seemed disappointed. She liked you and said she’d request you next time. Send her a text later today. I’ll give you her number.”