Cash Between Her Legs. Take As Much As You Want.
"Number two."
"Number three."
The men standing in a row beside me called out their numbers, but the sound didn't even register. It was the same for her.
"W-wait a second!"
"Have you decided on the host you'd like to sit?"
"No..."
"Hmm... Then let's start from number four again~"
"..."
"Alright, that concludes Group 4~ Hosts, please step out for a moment~"
The nine of them swarmed out the door. I had to leave, too. But I couldn't bring myself to move my feet.
"Host number one~ Come on out~"
"..."
"Yuna, what's wrong? Do you know that guy?"
She couldn't open her mouth. A heavy silence filled the room.
"Haha! We have plenty of hosts on duty today, so take your time choosing! We can even do a re-choice if you'd like────"
"Number one."
"Pardon? I didn't quite catch that. Could you say it again?"
"Number one. I'll take him."
She spoke with a firm, clipped tone, as if she had steeled her resolve.
"Host~ Please head over to the seat of honor and sit next to the customer~"
"Ah... yes, yes..."
The path toward her felt incredibly long. Perhaps it was because the room was so large, or perhaps the distance between us was just that vast. I brainwashed myself into believing it was the former as I stepped forward.
"You decided already? There are so many hosts here. Wouldn't you rather look around a bit more before choosing?"
"...No, it's fine."
As I walked toward the seat of honor in the U-shaped room, the other women were busy evaluating me in real-time. Being a host—what a truly fucked-up profession. Having lived my whole life in management, their situation hit me harder than it would anyone else. The hostesses must have felt the same way. Yuna, too.
"...Hi."
"..."
I greeted her. The woman who had been talking about me just moments ago didn't open her mouth.
"Back then, I was sor────"
"How were the hosts from Group 4? Did you find anyone you liked?"
"No, none. Show me Group 5."
"Yes, understood~"
He opened the door and called out.
"Alright, Group 5, enter~! Starting from the inside, number one~"
Another procession of men lined up at the front of the room. Looking at them from the seat of honor, it felt exactly like when I used to go to these places as a customer.
"Number one."
"Number two."
They were all decent-looking, but their tone was devoid of personality. The guys who were outside acting like they couldn't wait to get rowdy didn't show even a grain of effort now.
"Number seven."
"..."
It was number eight's turn, but he stayed silent. Instead, he stared at the woman to my right. Seeing the look in their eyes, maybe it had been like that from the very beginning. The customer—not the host—let out a snicker and spoke up.
"I want him to sit!"
"Are you referring to number eight?"
"Yeah. Come here, cutie~"
He sat down next to her as if he’d been waiting for it.
"Alright, that concludes Group 5~"
All the hosts from Groups 6 and 7 came out next. But the seat on the left still hadn't been chosen.
"Did you find anyone to your liking?"
"I'll think about it a bit more. Just a moment."
"Haha! You're not looking for a husband here, you know~ If you're having trouble deciding, I'll send in our shop's ace~"
"..."
"I'll take that as a yes and send him in~!"
He opened the door and shouted.
"Si-won, let's go in!"
A handsome man walked in from outside and sat in the seat on the left.
"Have a good time~"
He dropped that one line and vanished. The work began on both sides.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Bis. But call me whatever makes you comfortable, Noona~"
"Oh my, you cutie. Let's have a drink."
"Hello... are you Si-won?"
"Yes, that's me. But I'm thinking of changing my name to 'Warm' for today."
"Pfft! What are you saying~"
Everyone was introducing themselves, putting ice and liquor into their on-the-rocks glasses. But for us, there was only an endless silence. So, I broke it first.
"How did you end up in a place like this?"
"..."
"You used to come play at the office whenever you were bored, didn't yo────"
"Shut up."
She wasn't the Yuna I knew. Or rather, she was pretending not to be.
Yuna spoke bluntly.
"Hurry up and fill the glass with ice, then pour the drink."
"..."
"Are you not going to answer?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
A reversal of roles. Honestly, my pride was wounded. But when I thought about my bank balance, my body moved on its own. I filled the glass halfway with liquor.
"Why are you only filling it this much? Fill it to the brim."
"Fill it to the brim?"
"Don't talk back, just fill it."
I followed her instructions and poured until it was right at the edge.
"Pick up your glass."
So, we're drinking now... with Yuna...
"Cheers!"
I clinked my glass against hers and hesitated for a moment.
"It's a one-shot. You know that, right?"
"We haven't even gotten our snacks yet, and you want a one-shot!?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she started gulping down the drink. Seeing that, I downed mine, too.
Ugh... it felt like my esophagus was burning. I'm getting a bit dizzy...?
"*Cough!* *Cough!*"
I coughed without meaning to. She was the same.
"Why are you like this..."
"Pour... the drink."
It looked like she was determined to get properly wasted today. I'd never been able to out-drink her... I muttered to myself and filled the glasses to the brim again.
"Cheers!"
Gulp, gulp.
On an empty stomach, I had downed two shots' worth. I already felt like throwing up. I heard laughter from the side.
"Yuna, isn't that too fast? Are you trying to make something happen today?"
"I don't know~ I have a high tolerance~"
"Careful, or you'll get played~"
"Hahahaha!"
They were all cackling, enjoying the atmosphere. I was gasping for air, but Yuna didn't stop.
"What are you doing? Pour the drink already."
"Wait... it's too fast... you know I have a weak tolerance..."
"I know. So what?"
She knew me well, and she was using it as a weakness. I knew my physical state should come before making money, but I started self-hypnosis, telling myself my body was fine.
Trickle.
Was that the sound of the liquor pouring, or my own saliva dripping? My head was filled with nothing but distracting thoughts.
"Come on, pick up your glass and cheers..."
"..."
Then, the guy on the left stopped us.
"Stop drinking! We haven't even played any drinking games yet. You're going too fast!"
"Okay..."
At his words, Yuna backed down. Phew, thank god. I was just happy to have a moment to breathe. Then, the door opened.
"Hello~ Here are your snacks~"
The waiter started moving the snacks from the cart to the table. Assorted fruits, soups, fried foods, and snacks. I wanted to reach out and grab them immediately.
"Alright, enjoy! If you need anything else, just call us with the bell!"
The waiter was about to leave.
"Waiter-oppa~ You're cute, what's your name?"
"I'm Gabi~!"
"Gabi-oppa? You could be a host~"
"Haha! Thank you."
"Sit here for a second."
The woman on the right swapped seats with the host and had the men sit on either side of her.
"I'm trying to give you a tip~ Is there anything you're good at?"
"I can sing a song for you."
"No~ Not singing."
She pulled out a stack of cash and tucked it between her legs—right into her crotch.
"Here's a tip. How much do you want?"
"...!?"
The bulge in the waiter's pants was visible even from here.
"Take as much as you want... but you have to pull them out one bill at a time, okay~?"
He hesitated for a moment before reaching his hand toward her crotch. As he pulled out a 50,000-gold bill, she started to moan.
"Haaah~ ♡"
That sound was enough to make every male in the room hard.
"Are you only going to take one bill~?"
"W-well, that is..."
His mouth hesitated, but his hand showed no signs of stopping.
"Haaah! ♡"
After her moans echoed a few times, another sound filled the room.
Crackle, crackle.
"Gabi, what are you doing? Is something wrong?"
"No... I was just getting a tip..."
"We're busy because there are a lot of customers right now, so hurry up and get back here."
"Yes, understood."
He looked disappointed. Seeing that, she encouraged him.
"I'll call for you a lot, so take one bill every time you come back~"
He gave an awkward smile and pulled the cart out.
"Are you only giving tips to the waiter? Can't I take some?"
"Haha! What are you saying~ You're *not yet*. You have to do something smart first~"
"Then how about I take it with my mouth?"
"Pfft! Go ahead~"
As the lewd conversation went back and forth, they literally put it into action. I was overwhelmed by the momentum, but I tried to act cool next to Yuna.
"Yuna... aren't you going to give me a tip?"
Fuck.
That really wasn't the right thing to say. Even as I said it, regret washed over me.
"..."
She didn't say a word. But her face was flushed a deep red.
A sound came from the left.
"Si-won oppa, is there anything you want to eat? You can eat anything."
"Anything? Does that include you?"
"Oh my...? You're too fast...♡"
They were all just a bunch of lewd bastards. I came here to make money, not to get laid. I was masturbating my ego by telling myself I was different from them, but then she, who hadn't opened her mouth, finally spoke.
"...Leon, is there anything you want to eat?"
"I... I want some fruit..."
"Fruit? Eat it."
I picked up a strawberry. And just as I was about to put it in my mouth:
"But... you have to feed me first."