The Red Room (2)

Thirty minutes went by too fast for her comfort as Kyunghee followed in Bongseok's steps up the stairs toward the Red Room. 

In front of the Red Room's door, there were two men dressed in black. They were muscular, dark and stoic, giving off an intimidating vibe. Kyunghee's stomach roiled at the sight of these men. For a split second, she questioned whether she had made the right decision to substitute for Jiwon. However, it was too late to regret the decision now. She could only fake it till she made it. 

"Hi fellas. I've brought service as requested," Bongseok said in an all-smiley, too friendly face, practically ingratiating himself in front of the two bodyguards. 

Their expressions remained unperturbed as one of them nodded ever so slightly, and then reached over to open the door to the Red Room. 

"Thank you, thank you. Come and have a drink downstairs on your break. It'll be on the house," Bongseok chuckled heartily, only to receive cold responses in the end. 

It wasn't the first time Kyunghee witnessed Bongseok crumbling under the power of the wealthy and affluent, but it was still a pathetic sight she could never get used to, although she has learned to keep mum. Then again, it was also a part of his survival tactics—his ability to kiss ass without shame. 

Before they stepped into the VIP room though, Bongseok turned toward Kyunghee and whispered sternly, "He's an important person, so do your best. He tips well too, if he's satisfied with you that is." 

Kyunghee nodded in understanding, keeping her true thoughts hidden. 

"Go on in then," Bongseok chirped as he ushered Kyunghee into the room with an eager push of her back. 

Her red, sparkling stiletto heels barely made it pass the threshold as the door immediately closed for privacy. It effectively shut out the dance music blaring through the club. Inside the private room, there was its own speaker system, with its own music playing. Unlike the raunchy, explicit music playing outside in the rest of the club, the music in the Red Room had a much more slow-tempo sound to it. 

The room had its own small stage completed with a stripper pole. Aside from having its own exclusive bar, there was also a private bathroom and bedroom. What happened in the private bedroom was a dark thought Kyunghee didn't want to entertain. The walls of the room were a blended mixture of burgundy and fuchsia. The lights were dim and deceivingly romantic. Strings of crystals hung from the ceiling. Right across from the small stage was a red lounge sofa and a matching coffee table. A red-and-black laced curtain acted as a divider between the lounge sofa and the stripper stage. 

Kyunghee noticed there was a man sitting on the lounge sofa with another male standing neatly by his side, at the beck-and-call. Due to the laced curtain's veil, she couldn't make out the sitting man's facial features. All she could tell from the sparse glimpses was the dominant male figure dressed in an expensive business suit. The curtain swayed lightly back and forth from the air circulation in the room, adding to the mysteriousness of the man sitting behind it as it played hide-and-seek with her curious eyes. She was intrigued but having been in this industry for a long time, she knew curiosity could also get you killed—or maimed—whatever the devil was feeling. 

The atmosphere inside the room was discomfiting and tinged with danger. Kyunghee stood there awkwardly. For the first time since working at Playlights, she didn't know what to do. Should she bring in the drinks? Should she start dancing? Should she start stripping? What did the VIP client wanted her to do anyway? He was unlike the rich, spoiled playboys or naïve third generations she entertained frequently. Most importantly, he was Jiwon's VIP client. How she serviced him tonight wasn't just going to be on her. It would affect Jiwon as well. So as much as Kyunghee didn't want to, she sure as hell couldn't afford to mess it up. 

Game face on, she mentally prepared. 

"Good-evening, gentlemen," Kyunghee said in her well-oiled customer service voice with a seductive smile to top it off. "How about we start off with a few drinks?" Kyunghee grabbed a bottle of expensive aged whisky from the bar then started towards the mysterious man behind the curtains. 

She was about to step past the curtains but was promptly stopped by the second man—the assistant. He was about the same height as her with the stilettos on. His features were nondescript, but the thing about the assistant that made her uneasy was the tattoo on his bald head. Needless to say, it was his most impressive feature. Their eyes leveled with one another. His wider frame stepped in front of her, blocking her path and view. His obstruction took her slightly off guard, but she retained her composure. 

Her smile didn't falter, keeping her cool, as she said in a playful manner, "Darling, how am I supposed to do my job if you're stopping me like this?" Her eyes flitted to the mystery figure sitting calmly in the background. "Your boss can't possibly be afraid of a harmless woman like me?" she asked, carefully testing the boundary. 

The assistant gave Kyunghee a cautious look-over, then he turned towards his boss and said a string of foreign sentences that Kyunghee couldn't understand. Even though she didn't know what he was saying, she recognized the language he was speaking. It was Japanese. 

Kyunghee couldn't see past the assistant's figure, but she could hear the mysterious man's voice as he responded to the assistant in fluent Japanese. His strong, low-pitched voice resonated with calm authority and finesse, demonstrating a man in constant control of his surroundings. Her ears perked up immediately at the sound of his voice, recognizing something familiar about it, but she couldn't be certain. She tried to peek over the assistant's shoulder for a better glimpse of the client, but the assistant suddenly turned to face her, causing her to falter slightly back a half step. 

The assistant said something in Japanese while Kyunghee looked at him blankly. The man's mouth twisted into a dissatisfied frown, realizing that she didn't understand his language. So instead, he grabbed the whisky bottle out of her grasp and jutted an irritated finger toward the stripper stage. 

Kyunghee picked up on his body language right away. "Really? You don't want to start with a drink?" 

The assistant's face was cold, unmoving. 

With one last hesitant look at the man behind the curtains, Kyunghee turned on her heels and headed to the all-too-familiar dance stage with its metal pole. She turned up the sensual, inviting music as she stepped up on to the dance platform. She could feel a pair of eyes watching her every movement from behind the curtain's veil. Why was she so nervous when she had done this a hundred times on repeat? She forced herself not to let her thoughts and emotions wandered too far off. She had a job to do, after all. 

She grabbed the metal pole as she allowed her alter ego, Stella, to take over this game of seduction. As she worked her expertise on the dance pole, a breeze came out of nowhere and caused the curtain to rise and fall. In the short moment when the curtain flew up, the man's golden eyes could be seen staring fixedly at the dancer's provocative and wildly intimate movements, but the moment was too short. The curtain fluttered down, obscuring him once more. 

Kyunghee was in tandem with the music, feeling its every beat and rhythm running through her bones, but out of the blue, the music was turned off, effectively putting an end to the solo performance. Confused, she looked around for the source of interruption. It was the VIP client who had turned off the music with the remote control. Then, he said something to the assistant in Japanese. The assistant bowed in respect and then made his way toward the door, out of the room, leaving the two of them behind. 

Meanwhile, the VIP client rose to his feet, one hand in his pocket, his movement languid and captivating. 

Her guards went up as she unknowingly took a step backwards. At the same time, the suited man stepped forward and pushed the curtains to the side with one hand. He came fully into view. 

Kyunghee's lips parted when she saw his face, but it was a soundless surprise. Her heart lurched to her throat as she stared with wide-eyed disbelief. 

It was him. 

Jang Woosuk.