The Princess and the Host
She’s acting like a total princess now.
She demands things of me.
No, she orders me.
I was currently bound to Yuna in a relationship of master and servant.
I held the strawberry I’d been clutching toward her mouth.
“Go on, take a bite.”
Her eyes glared at me, but I didn’t feel offended.
Even though I was technically working, the fact that she was taking care of her employee made my heart ache with a lingering sense of affection.
“You’re supposed to take the stem off first.”
Ha, that fucking bitch.
Scratch that feeling of affection.
It had only been two days since she was waiting for calls under my management.
And now, she’d turned into a princess.
“S-sorry...”
“And from now on, use formal language. Got it?”
“...”
Fuck.
This was definitely a blow to my pride.
But my mouth began to open of its own accord.
“Yes...”
“What was that~? I can’t hear you~”
“Yes, Noona!”
“Good, good. Leon, you have to listen well, okay?”
I’d never bowed down to a woman in my life.
What a miserable life this is.
I could feel myself being slowly eroded by this world.
The customer on the right opened her mouth.
“How is everyone? Do you like them? If not, we can ask for a re-choice. There are plenty of hosts here~”
“Noona, are you going to dump me?”
“Depends on how you do.”
“I think this guy is fine...”
“...”
It was Yuna’s turn to answer.
But she remained silent.
Instead, she leaned in close to my ear and whispered.
“...What are you going to do? Our Leon, are you going to do a good job?”
“...”
“It hasn’t been 15 minutes yet. You’re going to leave without even getting your half-pay?”
Her whisper sounded like a death sentence to me.
And so...
I decided to postpone my execution date.
“Noona. I’ll do a good job.”
“Really? How are you going to do that?”
Stop. Just stop, you fucking bitch.
“...”
As I hesitated, trying to suppress my anger, Yuna shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Our Leon~ says he doesn’t want to work?”
“Then I’ll call the waiter.”
“Wait! Wait a second!”
I cut the conversation short.
I cleared my throat unnecessarily, trying to buy some time.
And then, a brilliant idea popped into my head.
“...I’ll put the cigarette I’m smoking into a glass filled with alcohol and down it in one shot!”
“...That’s not very fun.”
“I’m sorry! I’ll work hard! I’ll give it my all!”
I begged them with all the desperation I could muster.
The other hosts sitting on either side of me shook their heads.
‘That’s not it. Don’t fall for their tricks.’
Seeing their faces, I could feel their advice.
But... if I didn’t do something like this...
I didn’t really have anything else to offer.
“Oppa, alright. If you do that, I’ll give you a 200,000 gold tip.”
200,000 gold.
It wasn’t a small amount, but it felt small.
“Thank you. I’ll do it right away!”
“But there’s a condition.”
She stopped me from moving.
After locking eyes with Yuna, they both started to laugh.
Then she laid out the condition.
“Don’t use your own cigarette. Put the one Yuna smoked in there.”
“...!”
These women, for sure.
They were determined to completely dismantle my personality.
Yuna placed her hand over mine and opened her mouth.
“...How about this?”
“Cigarette... do you need it...?”
“Yeah. Put it in my mouth.”
I placed the cigarette in her mouth.
And I began to pour the alcohol into the glass.
“But... aren’t you going to light it for me?”
Haa...
I wanted to run away right now more than anything.
But I kept my mouth shut and lit the end of the cigarette.
“Sluuurp... Phew... A cigarette rolled by Leon. It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
Thanks for the compliment, you fucking bitch.
I finished pouring the drink and waited for her to put the cigarette in.
Then, like a relief pitcher, the host on my left spoke up.
“Hey, everyone~ honestly, that’s not fun~ You’re just ruining your body. How about we play a drinking game instead?”
“I’m fine with both... hehe...”
“The host oppa says he’ll do it himself, is there any reason to stop him?”
“Hey, but it’s not fun if you just drink it like that. Why don’t you make him drink that only when he gets a penalty?”
“Haha! That’s fun! But there’s an even more fun way.”
“What way?”
“It’s unfair if only that oppa drinks it. How about the first host who gets caught drinks it?”
At that suggestion, the other hosts went silent.
“Looks like not everyone agrees. Can’t be helped then~”
Fucking bitch. That woman is a devil.
If only that guy—no, if only *she* wasn’t here, things would be fine.
“Drink that, and let’s start the game.”
“Yes, Noona.”
“Understood.”
And then Yuna opened her mouth.
“I’m done smoking. I’ll put it in the glass.”
The cigarette puffed smoke inside the glass, slowly dissolving.
And my execution date became D-Day.
The devil woman on the right pulled out four 50,000 gold bills and shoved them into the empty glass.
Then she slid the glass toward me.
“Alright~ drink that, and take it yourself~”
Seeing that money, my profound worries vanished like bubbles.
What would happen if I drank just one of these?
Everyone has tried eating tissue or paper when they were kids, right?
I was already out of my mind.
“Here it goes!!”
Gulp, gulp.
Ah, ah...
The alcohol tasted like pure rot.
It felt like I’d swallowed a fragrant ashtray.
The feeling was enough to change the ranking of the shittiest moments in my life.
More than the taste of the alcohol, it was the shittiness of not being able to avoid this situation.
Little by little, my self-esteem was crumbling.
“Haa... haa... I... drank it all...”
As soon as I put the glass down, I grabbed the 200,000 gold.
“Haha! He really drank it! Oppa, you’re amazing~”
“Haha... thank y—kehek...”
I think I need... a moment to rest.
But they didn’t show me any mercy.
“We have to play our drinking game~ What should we play?”
When the devil woman asked for opinions, Yuna spoke up.
“...Last Call.”
“Haha! Alright, then the order is counter-clockwise from me!”
And so, the drinking game began.
But... what the hell is Last Call...?
Since it would take three people before it was my turn, I decided to just watch the situation for now.
“Should I play some music? Are we starting right away?”
She poured alcohol into the glass and turned on the music.
Boom-chak, boom-chak.
Cheap, trot-like music blared out.
“Who was the person you had the best first impression of today!”
She passed the glass to the side.
“The Noona sitting in the seat of honor!”
If it’s the seat of honor... Yuna?
“Bis oppa, why not me?”
“Sorry, sorry. But this is a game~”
“Haha! Oppa, if you’d apologized sincerely just now, it would’ve been a ting! I like the vibe~”
“Thank you, Noona.”
They were laughing and talking, but the content was brutal.
And the glass kept moving without rest.
“Who were you most attracted to today!”
Ah, I get it now.
The person before you asks a question, and if the person who gets the glass can’t answer, they drink.
Then... it was Yuna’s turn to answer.
“...Siwon oppa.”
She answered shortly.
There seemed to be no thought behind the answer.
Rather than the answer, she seemed to be thinking about the next question.
Yuna pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“...Who looked the prettiest today.”
It was my turn to answer next.
I didn’t know who I should say.
If I had to say someone, wouldn’t Yuna be the best choice?
“Yu...”
Bzzzt!
The music made a cheerful sound and cut off.
“Winner, winner!!”
“That’s what you get for being slow~”
In this atmosphere, you have to drink to get the mood going.
Gulp, gulp.
“Kehek!! Keh!!”
“Hey oppa, what are you doing? We haven’t even started, and you’ve already had how many glasses? Haha!!”
The devil woman laughed, but I couldn’t hear her at all.
A headache was rushing in.
“Pfft! You’re drooling. Yuna, wipe your boyfriend’s drool.”
“Who’s my boyfriend! I’m not!”
“Uh... ugh...”
While I was stammering, I felt the touch of a tissue on my lips.
The touch was incredibly delicate and kind.
I don’t know who it was... but thank you.
“Again! Start from that oppa!”
My head felt like it was going to split open, but the game resumed.
Noise-like music filled the air.
I grabbed onto my fading consciousness and forced my mouth open.
“...Who is the most handsome person here.”
“For me, it’s Siwon oppa!”
Before passing the glass, the answer came.
Of course, I didn’t care what the answer was.
“Then... is it me? Who do you want to hold hands with here!!”
“That’s gotta be you, Noona~”
“Aww... what is that~”
The host skill hit her right in the heart.
That woman is a lost cause.
It felt like she was already completely cemented.
“Who do you think can drink the best here!”
“Ha, what is that. Not fun. Bis oppa.”
“Haha! Sorry, sorry!”
And then, the shitty devil woman’s second turn arrived.
She made a crazy expression, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
“But... since we’ve done a warm-up round~ shall I raise the stakes a bit?”
Gulp.
This time, the drool that had been leaking out was swallowed back in.
And her question began.
“Who do you want to kiss here──”
Bzzzt!
Serves you right, you dog-like bitch.
Go drink your alcohol.
“Ah, what!! It ends here?”
“Drink, drink~!”
“...I don’t want to drink. Drink it for me.”
“Huh? I don’t want to drink either?”
“Theeen~”
Bis passed the glass to Yuna.
What? You could pass the drink───
Suddenly, the two of them started kissing.
Heeup... smacking sounds.
The rest of us, including me, watched them and turned bright red.
And my cock, which had gone limp, stood up stiffly again.
“Noona, you’re so good at kissing? It’s my first time having a kiss like this in my life.”
“Was it? You were better, oppa~ Shall we start again?”
Boom-chak, boom-chak.
“Who do you want to hug for 10 seconds here!”
“What, why did the stakes get lower?”
“No, no. You have to hug them tight. So you’re rubbing against each other.”
“...”
The glass returned to Yuna, but she didn’t answer.
“Yuna, you’re going to have to drink if you keep that up~”
“Hurry up and drink~!”
The people’s urging pressured her.
Maybe that was why.
Yuna opened her mouth.
“...I don’t want to drink either.”