The Aftermath of the After
“Leon... please, wash my body for me...”
[Ace Karaoke]
The Troll slammed his hand against the counter.
“I’m with the organization that backs this place. Don’t get cocky and get lost, you idiots.”
“Oh, so you’re the ‘backing’ we heard about? This is our turf, you moron.”
The three of them burst into mocking laughter.
Juyeon, who had been sitting at the counter, spoke up cautiously.
“...Um, excuse me, but please... if you fight in here...”
“And who are you?”
“I’m the main waiter for this establishment...”
“Hey, call the manager out here.”
“The manager is off today, so...”
“I said call the manager, you little shit!”
Before they could finish, the Troll cut them off.
“Why the hell would you call the manager, you idiots?”
No sooner had he spoken than the Troll shrugged his shoulders and threw a punch.
“Argh!”
The fist connected squarely with a jaw, and one of them went down, unconscious.
“You pathetic losers, know your place.”
The Troll puffed out his chest, posturing aggressively. In contrast, Juyeon’s face drained of color. She mustered the courage to voice her desperate hope.
“I’m sorry, but... please... just don’t touch the showcase or the liquor...”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to lay all these bastards out.”
The two remaining men launched an attack on the Troll. But the Troll was taller and had a longer reach, so he simply backed away slowly, refusing to let them close the distance. Frustrated, they stopped attacking and began grabbing bottles from the showcase to throw at him.
“You fucking bastard, die!”
Crash! Bang!
Thankfully, there were no glass bottles, but they were still heavy enough to serve as projectiles. The Troll began throwing them back. The air was filled with a deadly dance of flying bottles.
“Please... stop...”
Juyeon’s desperate wailing was nothing more than a silent cry to them. The expensive tiles were already beginning to crack under the impact of the bottles. Shards of debris flew like dust, and their blood began to stain the room.
Just then, Do-jin’s voice echoed from afar.
“I’m done cleaning the rooms! Is something going on in there!?”
Do-jin’s question was answered by a chorus of profanity. Juyeon, however, gathered her courage and screamed.
“Do-jin, stay inside! Don’t come out! And call the manager and tell him to get here!”
“Okay! Are you okay, Juyeon?”
“I’m fine, just don’t come out, you idiot!”
“Got it!”
Do-jin retreated and immediately contacted the manager. The man who had been knocked unconscious earlier began to stir.
“Ugh... fuck. That was a nice nap, you prick.”
He muttered to himself, dusting off his clothes as he stood up. He rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a sharp dagger, and charged at the Troll like a rabid dog.
“I’m gonna put a hole in your gut!!”
The dagger pierced the Troll right below his right ribcage.
“Ugh!”
With a small groan, the Troll grabbed the attacker by the neck. Even as this happened, bottles and other debris were being hurled from the front. The Troll decided to defend himself rather than take the hits. He held the man he had grabbed up like a human shield and spat out a single line:
“Go ahead, keep throwing if you want to──”
Before he could even finish, the barrage didn’t stop.
“You crazy bastards.”
Thud! Thud!
The sounds were relatively small compared to the impact against the tiles. Instead, a different sound filled the space.
“Argh!”
“Aaaargh!!”
The sight was so brutal that even the experienced Juyeon couldn’t bear to watch. She curled up on the floor behind the counter, covering her ears and trembling. She wanted to call the military police, but the fact that they were providing *After* services kept her hands tied. To her, the Troll was her only hope.
How much time had passed? Heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs outside. The door swung open, and a voice shouted:
“What the hell are you doing!!!”
A brief silence fell over the room. It was a familiar voice to Juyeon. Her savior had arrived. She stopped curling up and stood to greet him.
“Manager, you’re here?”
The shop manager only nodded.
“Are you the manager here?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Fuck... this would’ve been solved easily if you’d just come from the start instead of bullshitting about your day off, you prick.”
“I apologize, I was sleeping.”
“We’re with the Melon box’s backing, and since your shop guard was acting up against our manager, we came to clean house.”
“Hmm...”
The manager fell into deep thought. Then, as if resigned, he apologized to them.
“I’m sorry. If I had known the situation, I would’ve rushed over... I had no idea something like this would happen. Why don’t we just call it even and pretend this never happened?”
The Troll didn’t look like he agreed, but he kept his mouth shut.
“Fine. Let’s do better next time. You’re the number one box in this neighborhood. We should be working well together, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. If you come by the shop later, I’ll give you plenty of service.”
“Sure. From today on, we’re brothers. Good work.”
With that, they hoisted up their bloodied human shield and vanished. Once they were out of sight, the manager immediately lit a cigarette.
*Ssssss... Phew...*
“Ah, fuck. Seriously... ha...”
He grumbled to himself, chain-smoking. The Troll spoke up with an expression of pure exhaustion.
“Looks like I’m not having any fun today. Clean the shop well. I’m heading out.”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work. Get home safe.”
The Troll grumbled as he headed toward another shop.
“Manager, I’m sorry. I should have tried to mediate somehow.”
“Forget it. As long as you aren’t hurt, that’s all that matters. But did that Troll guy start the fight first?”
“Yes. The Melon manager was taking a girl, and he caused a scene because he wanted her to sit with him.”
“Ugh. Fucking asshole.”
“By the way, where did Do-jin go?”
“Oh, I told him to stay in Room 4. I’ll tell him to come out.”
“And those bastards... that’s it. Don’t call Melon anymore, damn it.”
“But the Melon kids have the best sizes...”
“I said don’t do it, you fucker.”
“Yes, sir.”
[Inside the SUV]
“Wow, those crazy bastards. If I’d been in there, I would’ve been totally fucked.”
I couldn’t help but marvel as I watched the fight unfold. I turned to look at Line, who was lying in the back seat. She was asleep, so she probably couldn’t hear me.
“Line, we almost died back there. You know that? I’m the one who saved you, kid.”
“...”
Cute brat. She must be exhausted. That’s what happens when you decide to do an *After* service in the first place.
“Manager...”
“Yeah?”
“...”
“What? Are you talking in your sleep?”
“Hehe... did I do a good job...?”
“Hahaha! Yeah, you did great. You cute little thing.”
I drove without noticing the time passing, lost in Line’s sleep-talking, and soon enough, I was near where Bom was waiting.
“Already here. Where is this girl~”
I saw her in the distance, waving her arms. I turned the wheel and headed toward her.
“Leon, you’re so late! I didn’t get to do a single job today!”
“Alright, alright. Bom, I’ll feed you some big spenders tomorrow. Just trust me.”
“Feeding me is nice, but don’t you have anything for me?”
“Haha! I said I’d buy you something delicious. Or are you flirting with me right now?”
“What are you talking about? You know I have a boyfriend.”
Bom opened the car door and tried to get in.
“What the hell is this!”
She must have been surprised to see Line lying in the back seat.
“Line worked really hard today. Give her some praise.”
“It’s not easy for a kid to do this kind of work...”
That was the highest praise she could give.
“Come to think of it, there were only two customers, so how did six people get chosen?”
“Oh, that? They were sitting with the wings, and they said a friend was coming, so they sat her early.”
“Oh, that’s what it was? I thought you were trying to play harem with six people.”
“It’s a public room, you think that’d work?”
“Just because it’s public, does that mean it won’t work?”
“Ugh, men. Any more calls today?”
“None right now. You want to go until morning? I can help you out personally if you want.”
“Isn’t that why you came to Melon?”
At her firm response, I nodded immediately and typed Bom’s home address into the navigation. I left her grumbling behind and sped down the road.
When we arrived near Bom’s house, she said:
“Here! Drop me off here!”
“You usually have me drop you off right in front of your house.”
“My boyfriend is coming over to my place today.”
“Are you embarrassed of your boyfriend?”
“... No, I just don’t like you.”
“... You little shit.”
“Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding~”
Bom laughed as she opened the door and got out. I wasn’t really offended. It was just a normal day.
“Now... I have to send Line home...”
“Line? Where do you live?”
“...”
What do I do? I don’t know Line’s home address...?
I took out my phone and called the boss.
“Boss? I need to send Line home, but I don’t know her address.”
“I don’t know it either?”
“... What!?”
“I didn’t ask for the details. You should have checked.”
“Yes, I understand~”
Click.
He was right. I should have checked. I sighed.
“Line, just sleep at my place for now.”
“...”
“I’ll take your silence as consent.”
“...”
I headed straight for my place. Lost in thought, I arrived before I knew it. I was about to help Line out and open the door to my house when she, who had been dozing, whispered into my ear:
“Manager... please, wash my body for me...”