Rabbit Hole Chapter 29

The employee who, just before his high school graduation, had pulled a ton of money from some non-existent 3rd or 4th financial sector, splurged on a used foreign car, and then became a credit defaulter, now rooming and boarding here, tapped Geumseo on the head. It was an employee clearly younger than Geumseo.

“Hopped up on money like that, if they told you to do a second round, you’d strip right down too, huh?”

“So did you strip because of the 4th financial sector too?”

Geumseo asked back in his characteristic blank tone. At that, after a long pause, the employee’s face flushed red and he raged, “Wh-what did you say?” If the manager hadn’t called for assembly, Geumseo would have been hit.

“You, fuck, just wait till next time.”

Still, as if holding a grudge, the guy ground his teeth and threw out a remark on his way out, just like a villain from the cartoons he watched as a kid.

Geumseo went out last and stood at the end of the line. The boss, unlike usual, wasn’t wearing sunglasses, and in contrast to his sturdy lower jaw, his eyes were excessively sparkling. His eyelashes were long too; if you just looked at his eyes alone, he was the picture of innocence.

“Guess that’s why he wore sunglasses.”

A few employees standing at the tail end of the line like Geumseo snickered and whispered. Geumseo agreed with that too.

“You, you, you. Serving.”

The last ‘you’ gesture was directed at Geumseo. Just like yesterday, it was only three people. The guy who had been whining about how hard it was yesterday raised his hand.

“Yeah. Not interested in your opinions. Manager, brief on today’s reservation guests.”

The boss shot down the raised hand in an instant. The manager, in his characteristic slurred pronunciation, listed off the room numbers and how many people. The boss, who had been listening quietly, gathered the servers after the briefing as if something had belatedly occurred to him.

“Who was the one who raised his hand earlier.”

“That was me.”

“Why did you raise it.”

“Boss, it was way too busy yesterday! Three isn’t enough!”

The boss rubbed his temple and then told the manager to fill two more. It was back to the original number. Geumseo was inwardly relieved too. But only for a moment.

“Yang Geumseo.”

Yang Geumseo? Is that me? Geumseo lifted his head.

“When the reservation guest for Room 3 arrives, take care of that one first.”

“Boss!”

The employee who had courageously raised his hand shouted in a whine. The boss ignored the protest this time too.

It meant that with one server dedicated to a single room, they were effectively being told to operate with four people.

“Figure it out among yourselves. Do it right with no mistakes.”

Even if they cursed at the boss’s back as he waved his hand, looking annoyed, they wouldn’t be able to stop him. If the manager came and threw a fit, then they would have.

When the manager also disappeared to pull two more people, two of the remaining three servers came up to Geumseo and glared.

“Do you really do second rounds?”

“I don’t.”

He barely maintained his bank account as it was, but anyway, after what happened with his father, Geumseo was even scared of the 2nd financial sector. Now, he hated all numbers except 1.

“Really? Bet everything on it?”

What’s with the way you talk…? Like a middle schooler. Geumseo muttered only to himself. There was nothing to bet, so what would he bet? Anyway, he nodded. Because he truly had never once laid stripped down on a leather sofa to do a second round.

“There’s… nothing to bet.”

“This bastard’s running a scam.”

Suspecting on their own and drawing conclusions on their own. In truth, Geumseo didn’t even know that employee’s name. Someone whose name he didn’t know was suspecting him, but there was no reason for that to be scary or sad. It was only after the guy smacked his shoulder and walked past that he thought, Go San told him to say if anyone was bothering him, but since he didn’t know his name, he couldn’t tell him.

Haeju hyung was standing at his spot again today without fail. Since yesterday, Geumseo had found Haeju awkward and uncomfortable for no reason. There really shouldn’t have been anything to be disappointed about, but having opened up and thought they’d gotten friendly, it seemed he had unknowingly believed Haeju’s bold claims that he’d been making all along—to tell him if anyone bothered him, that he was standing there to protect the employees.

Maybe to Haeju too, Heo Sangmuk’s actions hadn’t looked like harassment.

Yeah. That must be it. Geumseo decided not to dwell on it for long.

And business began. The customers acted as if the employees standing plainly in the hallway were something like potted plants. No, a potted plant would probably get more devoted treatment. The boss went around saying if you killed even a single plant, you’d be dead too. The customers, who just blurted out even the things they should probably hide, regardless of whether employees were there or not, today again said whatever they wanted as if Geumseo was invisible.

“What’s the new drug like? No, I asked Hammer to get it for me, but he says he can’t sell it because he doesn’t have any. But that guy’s always inflating the price like that. So, fuck, how can I trust him.”

“Saying there’s no product is bullshit. What do you mean, no goods. Want me to get you some? Wanna go to Yangpyeong next time and do it?”

“You have it? Then let’s meet up with that and the Clara I like, once.”

“But did you really bleach your hair because of the prosecution?”

“I don’t know, fuck. It was about time to do it anyway, so I did.”

Amid the conversation flying back and forth with him in the middle, Geumseo quietly placed the wet towels, and when they wiped their hands and tossed them, collected them and refilled the water. Were drugs that good. When you have a lot of money, it seemed most things just weren’t fun. Geumseo thought that no matter how curious or rich he was, he didn’t want to do drugs, and hypothesized about something that would never happen.

“Has Room 3 come?”

“Not yet.”

Simultaneously with the answer, Haeju tapped Geumseo on the back. It meant Room 6 was blinking, so go. The soles of Geumseo’s feet were scheduled to swell up plump again today.

∞ ∞ ∞

Room 3 came during peak time. Geumseo was confused whether he should be thankful for this or not.

“You’re in charge of that room today, right? It’s the busiest time, so you’re lucky.”

Since Haeju arbitrarily concluded it was lucky, Geumseo just figured, I guess so.

But the moment he entered Room 3 and saw the customer’s face, that thought changed completely.

“Pretty thing. Been a while?”

“…”

It had been one day, what did he mean been a while…. Geumseo bowed his head in greeting to Heo Sangmuk. Heo Sangmuk was dressed more greasily than yesterday. Whether it was sweat or something he’d applied, his open, glistening chest looked like a baked egg.

“I came alone today. Will pretty thing keep me company?”

“I’m an employee, so…. Serving… I have to do.”

“Yeah. That’s what I mean. Since you’re an employee.”

“…Shall I bring you the menu?”

“Is pretty thing shy? Even after seeing me yesterday, still? A day should be enough to get over shyness and get friendly. Ah, have you gotten over other things?”

Gotten over what?

Heo Sangmuk glanced between Geumseo’s crotch. That gaze was oily.

“Ah, I came alone, so what to do about being bored.”

“Shall I turn on the TV for you…?”

Heo Sangmuk laughed loudly at Geumseo’s words. He was beside himself, laughing while pounding on the table. Geumseo flinched and trembled at the bang, bang sounds.

One bang, your father; two bangs, where did he go. It was inevitable that those sounds came to mind. Because it wasn’t that long ago.

“No, never mind. Just our pretty thing coming by often will do.”

“Pretty thing…”

“What. You like me calling you that?”

“No. I think a name would be better. Or ‘hey,’ you can just say ‘hey.'”

“Eh. ‘Hey, hey’ is just too cold.”

They weren’t on terms to care about warmth, but Heo Sangmuk said as he pleased. It seemed that you could only become rich if you just helped yourself to things like that, even when no one was giving.

“And a name is fine, forget it. What’s important about a name. With just pretty thing’s face, I could polish off three bowls of rice, just like that.”

Heo Sangmuk abruptly stood, came over to Geumseo, and snatched the menu away. Then he pulled Geumseo’s arm. The touch stroking the soft skin of his inner arm felt unpleasant, like a spider crawling.

“From here to here, bring it all. Got it? Oh, and bring it one at a time. Don’t bring everything all at once.”

“Yes….”

“Because oppa absolutely hates cold food and lukewarm alcohol.”

Oppa…. I want to hit him with a motorcycle. Geumseo unknowingly made such a wish.

“Bring it quickly. Got it? I don’t like push-and-pull games, so just push.”

When he said that, Heo Sangmuk came so close that Geumseo could feel his breath on his ear. In that instant, Geumseo wanted to push him, just as Heo Sangmuk had requested.

When he went to the manager and recited Heo Sangmuk’s ordered menu, the manager, who had been entering them one by one, asked back to confirm.

“Isn’t there just one guest in that room?”

“Right. One person.”

“Really…?”