M 148

Sehwa, who had been walking down the corridor with quick steps, wrapped in a strange fervor that Ki Tae-jeong couldn’t even guess at, stopped in horror while casually looking around at the decorations.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I…”

His reflection in the mirror was a mess. A strand of hair sticking up like an apple stem, slightly flushed cheeks and puffy eyes, and a T-shirt with a stretched-out neckline… The reflection in the flashy furniture that seemed to scream ‘I’m expensive’ made his look even worse.

“I’ll just go to the restroom for a moment.”

What is this? He didn’t know much about restaurant etiquette, but he didn’t want to sit across from Ki Tae-jeong, who looked particularly elegant today, and eat while looking like this. Sehwa thought he should at least wet his hair and wash his face.

“Let’s go.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Let’s go? Did he mean let’s go together? What was he talking about? Sehwa waved his hands in horror.

“I can go by myself.”

“You don’t even know the way.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

Anyone listening would think this was the middle of a busy downtown area. Besides, Ki Tae-jeong was also visiting this restaurant for the first time. Sehwa waved his hands even more vigorously to dissuade him.

“How could someone get lost in a restaurant…”

“Shall I escort you?”

The owner, who had been watching their childish argument, smoothly interjected.

“I’ll seat the Major General and escort the master to the restroom. The restroom happens to be this way.”

Indeed, at the end of the corridor the owner pointed to, the restroom sign was visible.

“There are appearances one doesn’t want to show to a precious person. I will escort him right back so that he doesn’t get lost.”

Ki Tae-jeong, who had been twisting his lips as if about to say something, closed his mouth again. The “hmm” he made with a deep throat rumble even carried a hint of satisfaction. Precious person. He must have been caught by those words. Sehwa timidly marked an X on his initial uncomfortable impression of the owner. Though still uncomfortable, he could sense the inner strength characteristic of someone who had dealt with difficult 5-star residents for quite some time.

“It’s not a private room, but I’ll guide you to the table with the shortest walking distance from here.”

“I’ll be right back!”

Before Ki Tae-jeong could add anything more, Sehwa turned around and scurried down the corridor. That’s what he intended, but it was probably more like a slow jog.

The gleaming restaurant interior gave a similar impression to the mansion lobby where he lived now. Speakers whose location was impossible to determine played elegant classical music, and profound artworks decorated various spots. He could sense considerable effort had gone into creating an overwhelming atmosphere for visitors. Since he knew nothing about it, looking didn’t help him understand anything, but it was fun to observe.

And surprisingly, a few of the paintings hanging in between were familiar to Sehwa. They were the ones that the pimp used to hold as collateral, and the boss had yelled at him and the other young players to copy them exactly. Of course, the results were a mess.

“Could this be something I drew…”

He had heard that the boss, who had been racking his brains trying to make use of those terrible pieces somehow, had actually sold them somewhere. He had fallen asleep with his heart pounding, wondering if his debt might be reduced a little from the huge sum he’d overheard, but nothing fell into his hands. Because he overslept, he ended up losing a lot of money instead.

“…There was a time like that.”

Still, to think he could now recall events from the House without being bothered, he was having such peaceful thoughts when it happened.

“Oh, customer?”

Sehwa, who had been looking closely at a painting, was startled and stepped back. He raised both hands high to appeal his innocence, saying he hadn’t touched it, that he hadn’t dared to covet it. It was a habit from his days at the House as March that he didn’t even know still remained.

“I’m sorry…”

“Wait, could you be…”

A staff member holding an empty plate approached him with an uncertain expression.

“Ah, that’s right!”

It was a completely different, casual attitude from the staff who had been so deferential earlier. Sehwa stepped back a few more paces hesitantly. What? Did they know him? From how naturally they spoke down to him, they might be a customer who remembered him from the House days. No, it seemed like something else entirely. Otherwise, how could a staff member at a 5-star restaurant act so casually with a customer?

Star territory residents came to the 4-Hwan to buy the dirty pleasures that couldn’t be contained within the pretty stars, and Boss Son’s House was at the center of all kinds of prostitution. He had been one of the players with the most sordid reputation even within that House.

Cold sweat streamed down. Sehwa never thought he’d encounter someone who knew him in a place like this. What should he do? He had been momentarily flustered by past events that suddenly emerged and grabbed him by the hair, but then he remembered his companion who had tried to follow him to the restroom. This was terrible. He wasn’t the only one here.

His mind went completely white and red as if he were in a panic. His entire exposed skin stung. It felt like the scarlet letter he thought would never be revealed again had been exposed to the whole world. They’d gossip about how the guy who came with the Air Force Major General today used to be this and that, mixing in stories that weren’t even true. Since this was supposedly the most popular restaurant in 5-star territory, how quickly would the rumors spread… While he only went between home and the hospital, Ki Tae-jeong’s situation would be different. What about General Oh Seon-ran who would be dragged into it… The murmuring of the elders he’d heard in the courtroom gnawed at Sehwa’s ears with a long ringing sound.

Sehwa knew well that Ki Tae-jeong was the type not to care about what people said, but still, this was his fault. Thinking that this wouldn’t have happened if he had quietly listened to him made him feel even more sick, and he felt sorry for Ki Tae-jeong who would hear unnecessary talk because of him. He had brought him out for once, and he should have quietly followed and just eaten. If he was just going to wash his face, he should have quickly gone to the restroom, instead of inappropriately looking at paintings and getting absorbed in appreciation, letting things escalate like this…

“DOH Entertainment new celebrity, right?”

Sehwa had barely come to his senses and was about to open his mouth to say they had mistaken him for someone else. Honestly, even if he denied it, as long as he was a customer here, they couldn’t aggressively pursue it. But the staff member said something he’d never heard in his life.

What? Some entertainment company’s… what? They didn’t just call out randomly knowing who he was…?

“Why are you so late!”

The staff member scolded Sehwa in a low voice and even slapped him on the back.

“How can you make Representative Han wait, of all people?”

An attitude that didn’t consider him a customer at all. The overflowing disgust was too much to be simply a condescending look.

Sponsor.

Hostess.

Male prostitute.

Words that perfectly fit this situation suddenly flashed through his mind, but Sehwa blinked rapidly and drove away the bad premonition rising in his head. Surely they weren’t treating him like that? It couldn’t be. This wasn’t the House, nor was it a checkpoint. Could such a thing happen in the middle of a famous 5-star territory that even Ki Tae-jeong knew about?

“What are those clothes… ah, no. Representative Han’s orders, right? Anyway, let’s go.”

The staff member clicked their tongue saying it was troublesome and suddenly grabbed Sehwa’s wrist.

“No, wait… wait a moment!”

Sehwa shook his head firmly and resisted. Though he hadn’t been particularly strong before, he was now pathetically weak, and despite trying to resist, he was already being dragged along.

“Why are you doing this!”

“Huh? What, is he the newbie Representative Han called?”

Thanks to the carpet on the floor, even the sound of his feet slipping didn’t make noise. While he gaped in terror, another staff member suddenly popped out from a recessed groove in the corridor. He almost screamed in surprise, but the staff member dragging him covered his mouth, asking if he was crazy.

“Doesn’t Manager Lee even provide etiquette training? Where do you think this is, making pig-slaughtering sounds!”

The wall was so cleverly angled that one wouldn’t notice unless they looked carefully, and a sensor for a very small automatic door was visible. A hidden space so disconnected that no one would notice unless they knew about it. Even though there were clearly customers inside, no sound leaked out, what could that mean? Sehwa frantically twisted his held wrist. Once he was dragged in, it would be over. It would be much later before the misunderstanding that he wasn’t a new actress there for sponsorship was corrected.

“Is he the promised person? Even for a new celebrity, his appearance is too…”

The newly appeared staff member stroked his chin while looking Sehwa over. His name tag had “Manager” engraved in elegant cursive.

“That’s why I was uncertain too, but he was loitering in front of the painting Representative Han had hung.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Manager Lee said the new celebrity is standing in front of the painting and to bring him over.”

The staff member clicked his tongue and roughly pushed Sehwa’s shoulders. Though he called it pushing, it was almost like hitting. Even though he was struggling to escape, he felt strangely dazed. He was receiving baseless suspicions and getting hit several times by people he didn’t even know well. Maybe the luxurious mansion filled with the scent of formula and rich butter was all a dream. This might be reality…