Gigolo Hunting

"Your basics are excellent."

Mo Pilsang, who was watching his juniors' steps, gestured to Director Choi of the dance academy.

"Turn off the music and gather around."

The young men, who had been dancing social dances in pairs, gathered in a tight group in front of Mo Pilsang.

"Have a seat. I've been watching, and your dancing is good enough."

"Thank you, senior!"

"By the way, you all know who I am, right?"

"Aren't you the 'Gangnam Swift,' the legend of the social ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scene?"

"You know your stuff. Anyway, good to meet you all."

"It's an honor to meet you, senior."

The young gigolo standing in the front row, his eyes sparkling particularly bright, answered promptly.

Mo Pilsang asked the name of this promising young chick.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Gangbuk Jordan."

"Jordan? Isn't that name a bit old-school?"

"I didn't choose it. A friend gave it to me because my scoring rate is pretty high."

"Looking at your face, I can see why. You used to be a club waiter, didn't you?"

"Oh? How did you know?"

"Your mouth hasn't stopped flapping for a second."

"……I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You're a bit exhausting, but some women like that type. Though you won't make much money."

"Huh? You're exactly right."

"Do you live in Seoul?"

"Yes. I rent a single semi-basement room."

"Must be tight just paying rent."

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"……Yes, senior."

Mo Pilsang clicked his tongue and stood up.

"Appealing with a pretty face and a young body is a seasonal business. When you get older, you have to give up your spot to younger gigolos. You'll become a has-been in no time."

"Then what should we do?"

"Let me share an easy method. Have any of you ever uploaded a video to Dalegram?"

"Ah, we haven't gone that far yet……."

"I'm not telling you to upload it. Just close your eyes and record about ten videos. Film them when things are good with your mark, then quietly pull them out when the passion starts to cool."

"Ah! You mean blackmail them with that to squeeze out money?"

Mo Pilsang nodded instead of answering.

"With that, you can secure your retirement in one shot."

"But senior, these days it's not even easy to get them into bed. The moment you try to make a move, they sense it like a ghost and push you away."

"You've only worked in Seoul, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Seoul women are just sly, they don't have real money."

"Exactly. They always complain about their backs breaking from paying off bank loans, and their hands literally shake when they hand over a fifty-thousand-won bill for taxi fare. These days, it's hard to even cover labor costs."

"The world is wide, and there are plenty of brainless women. If you look elsewhere, there are countless unscratched lottery tickets."

"Where are those lottery tickets?"

"Ah, I really didn't want to share this……."

The young gigolos swallowed hard, their mouths dry with anticipation, staring intently at their senior's lips.

Director Choi, who had arranged this special lecture, hyped up the atmosphere even more.

"Come on, let's hear some noise to thank our great senior in advance!"

"Whoo! *Clap clap clap.*"

"Alright, that's enough. You guys have such a great attitude, I was planning to share it anyway."

"Thank you, senior!"

A one-point lesson packed with the experience of an old gigolo.

Aspiring gigolos from all over the country had gathered just to hear this.

"Pioneer the countryside or small provincial cities. Look for women whose husbands died when their deep-sea fishing boats capsized, or who kicked the bucket in a car accident, leaving them with massive insurance payouts. Or rich widows who own huge farms."

"You want us to go after farming women too?"

"Your goal is money anyway. Who told you to fall in love?"

"Ha, I guess that's true."

"You have a higher chance of touching serious cash with livestock farmers rather than rice or crop farmers."

"But if they raise livestock, the smell……."

"Hey! You're not going to live with them for the rest of your life, so what does it matter? And you. What have you been writing down so diligently this whole time? Tsk, tsk. You should've studied that hard back in school."

Gangbuk Jordan, who was busy scribbling down the Gangnam Swift's precious words on the palm of his hand, had so many questions.

"Sorry. I'm a bit slow. But how do we know who has money?"

"Go to a local teahouse and chat with the madam for an hour. When you get your hair cut at a salon, don't just sleep—listen to what the neighborhood ladies are gossiping about."

"Ah!"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you don't put in the effort, you'll be weeded out in no time in our industry. Since you paid a hefty tuition fee to come all this way, put that same effort into digging up information."

"As long as I can learn from you, senior, three hundred thousand won is nothing!"

Mo Pilsang was genuinely touched by Gangbuk Jordan's enthusiastic attitude.

"Here! I'm in a good mood. Today, I'm clearing out the vault."

"Wow! Thank you, senior."

"Once you identify who the rich bitch is, the next step is to grasp the customer's needs."

"Ne-what?"

"Needs. What the woman craves. Find out what that is."

"Do we really need to know all that?"

"Of course. You are professionals. You're not just dogs in heat approaching women for a one-night stand. Am I wrong?"

"Y-you're right."

"What is a successful gigolo? Isn't it getting sponsored by a rich older woman, or becoming the heir to a wealthy woman with a short lifespan to completely turn your life around? Am I wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right!"

"Of course, some guys learn to dance just because they like women. Be honest. How many of you have dragged a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠woman to a motel room on the very first day you held her hand?"

Five junior gigolos silently scratched their heads.

"No need to be ashamed. When you become a slave to your hormones, you completely forget you're a gigolo. It happens. But you won't last long that way. I'm speaking from experience."

"Then, senior, did you also……."

"Yes. I was like that when I was young too. But not anymore. I gather thorough information to find out their void first. Is she at the cabaret because she misses a man, or is she there to relieve stress after a fight with her husband? Or is she just bored with life and needs a different kind of thrill?"

"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll be…… Invincible East?"

"Bingo. And how do you find that information?"

"By going to teahouses and salons and keeping our ears open."

"Correct. You have to capture a woman's heart, not her body, first. That's how the relationship lasts. And if it lasts, what happens?"

"We can stick a straw in them and drain them dry for a long time!"

"You bastards really are wicked. You'll manage to make a living even if you go back right now."

"Thank you, senior!"

As the excitement built, Director Choi, who ran the academy, made an announcement to everyone.

"Alright, that's it for the first session. In a few minutes, we will have the Gangnam Swift's lecture on '31 Ways to Crack an Iron-Clad Woman.' Ten-minute break!"

The secret methods of the Swift that couldn't even be published in a book.

The real deal started in the second session.

A few went to the restroom, while the rest gathered around Mo Pilsang.

They looked ready to learn even how to take a shit if it was a tip from a legendary senior.

Meanwhile, Mo Pilsang was busy counting heads.

He had agreed to split the earnings 60-40 with Director Choi.

At 300,000 won per person, he would make at least two million won.

During his prime, that wouldn't even cover the cost of a single bottle of alcohol, but since he was currently on the run, he was more than grateful for even this.

It was then.

One of the junior gigolos heading to the restroom froze at the door and called out to Director Choi.

"D-Director, I think someone is looking for you outside."

"Huh? No one else is supposed to come today."

Director Choi's steps toward the door were quite cautious.

It might be the police.

If not the police, it could be random customers who mistook the place for a billiard hall because of the sign.

Director Choi assumed it was the latter.

Finally, the door swung open, and three rough-looking men stepped into the academy.

They looked so menacing that Director Choi instinctively took a step back the moment he saw them.

"H-how can I help you?"

Without answering, the uninvited guests scanned the interior. Their eyes were anything but ordinary.

"It says billiard hall, but where are the tables? Hey, what is this place?"

Speaking informally right off the bat...?

"Look at what these bastards are wearing. Not a single billiard table, just a shiny wooden floor and mirrors on the walls? Is this some kind of dance academy?"

"Boss. Didn't you hear the music earlier? These punks are learning social dance."

"Social dance, but why are there no women? Ah, is this like a gigolo academy training dance instructors? Am I right?"

The joke hit the nail right on the head, piercing Director Choi's composure.

Who on earth were these guys?

They definitely weren't police. Could they be local gangsters?

It was just as Cha Donbaek entered the room with Geum and Eun.

"Did the bosses already go in?"

Seo Gidong, the youngest of the trio, asked me as he climbed the stairs.

"Yes, just now. But if you come up too, Gidong..."

There would be no one to watch the fugitives locked in the car.

They were handcuffed and their feet were bound with duct tape, so they couldn't easily escape, but what if someone passing by saw them?

They might mistake it for human trafficking and report it to the police.

Explaining the situation wouldn't be hard, but it would be a waste of time. Besides...

"I really hate dealing with annoying hassles."

"You don't have to worry. I took care of it so they won't catch anyone's eye."

"How did you handle it?"

"Come on, trust me a little."

Yesterday he got stabbed, and today he acted on his own.

What exactly did I see in him to trust him?

"I'm Seo Gidong, the former number four of the Shark Gang. You might not know, Detective, but I'm famous for wrapping things up cleanly. I tied up the loose ends perfectly, so you can really rest easy."

That made me even more anxious.

"Tied up the loose ends"? He didn't kill them, did he?

Seo Gidong repeatedly told me to rest easy with a good-natured face.

Asking again would only show distrust.

I was the one who chose to use them as helpers.

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If any responsibility arose, it was entirely mine to bear.

I couldn't micromanage everything from start to finish, so I had to trust them.

If I couldn't trust them, I couldn't receive their help.

"Whoa! Look at that, Detective. It looks like our big boss is going to resolve this completely peacefully."

"Peacefully?"

"Yes. He's usually a guy whose fists speak louder than his words, but today, for some reason, he's just keeping his hands in his pockets."

Is it peaceful just because he isn't using his fists?

It looked a bit different to my eyes.

"You motherfuckers never seen a handsome man before? Keep your eyes down! I'll gouge your eyes out with chopsticks and suck the ink right out of 'em! Bow your heads, you bastards!"

A non-violent conflict resolution that would make Gandhi weep.

If it was so peaceful, why did I suddenly crave a cigarette so badly?

"Listen up, boys. If you try to run without permission, I'll smash both your ankles so you'll be crawling for the rest of your lives. You want that to happen to you?"

"N-No, sir!"

"If you want to keep walking on two feet, get back to your spots, quick!"

"Back to your spots!"

The junior gigolos, who had been slowly backing away, scrambled back to their places.

If those guys were swallows, these men were eagles ruling the sky.

The gigolos instinctively realized that staying as quiet as the dead was the only way to survive.

"Good, good. Just tuck your tails and stay quiet like that. You gotta listen to what your big bro has to say if you want to keep dancing."

Geum and Eun loitered around Cha Donbaek's left and right, dialing the atmosphere of terror up to the max.

Seeing this, I asked Seo Gidong.

"Did he always speak in dialect?"

"Ah, he only does that when he's working. You could call it his business language."

I thought it was just the crude behavior of an ignorant thug, but it was a calculated act, right down to the accent.

Maybe that was why.

Even in front of an overwhelming majority, the trio of gangsters didn't seem intimidated at all. At least on the outside, they looked perfectly composed.

Their relaxed gestures, arrogant gazes, and the thick dialect that suited them perfectly.

They were in perfect sync, like actors who had rehearsed a play dozens of times.

"Impressive. But……."

They say even a cornered rat will bite a cat.

Someone might get the idea that they could win if they all rushed them at once.

After all, numbers usually win, right?

"I might have to step in if that happens."

But since Cha Donbaek had asked me to leave it to him, I decided to watch a bit longer.

Once the room was quieted down by Geum and Eun's performance, Cha Donbaek, who still had his hands in his pockets, stepped forward.

"Mo Pilsang, the Gangnam Swift. We know you're here. We only need to take him."

Kim Jungeum took over Cha Donbaek's declaration.

"Everyone, right hands up."

Lee Bongeun pressured the hesitating gigolos in a metallic voice.

"Put your hands up, you bastards! The last one to raise his hand loses his wrist, got it?"

Suddenly, a high-stakes game of speed began.

How could a gigolo work without ankles or wrists?

Before Lee Bongeun could even finish his threat, hands shot up like bamboo shoots after rain.

Kim Jungeum delivered the final blow.

"Point your fingers and show me who Mo Pilsang is. Do it!"

"……."

"Do it!"

The legendary figure of the gigolo industry, the Gangnam Swift.

Without a doubt, there wasn't a single gigolo who didn't admire him.

But that admiration was strictly limited to the legendary fortunes he had plundered.

As an individual, Mo Pilsang was merely a powerful competitor sharing the same hunting grounds.

There was no reason to hesitate when a formidable rival might disappear forever.

*Point, point, point, point, point!*

There wasn't even a shred of hesitation in the fingers pointing at Mo Pilsang.

But not everyone was like that.

"You motherfuckers! Just try to hurt our teacher. I'll carve you all up with this knife."

Gangbuk Jordan, who desperately needed Mo Pilsang's '31 Ways to Crack an Iron-Clad Woman,' drew a knife from his chest.

If one person resists, the rest are bound to waver.

The very thing I feared had happened.

Now it was my turn to step in.

"Detective."

Seo Gidong held me back as I tried to enter the room.

"Let's watch a bit longer. It's almost over."

"Almost over? It looks like it's just starting."

"No. It's over. Look over there."

Where Seo Gidong was pointing, the three former gangsters, led by Cha Donbaek, were taking off their shirts one by one.