Paying Off the Debt First (2)
The moment I opened the door, there she was—the woman they called Eomo. I'd naturally pictured a plump auntie in her late fifties from the word "auntie," but Eomo was astonishingly beautiful and young.
"Um... are you Eomo, by any chance?"
"Hmm... nice size on the new girl, huh? No surgery, no enhancements, and still packing like that... Hey, girl, how old are you? What's your spec?"
The woman calling me "girl" wrinkled her nose slightly, clearly unimpressed. From the natural aura radiating off her, this Eomo was no doubt a formidable hunter herself.
"I'm 22 this year! My spec... I graduated from the Hunter Academy!"
"What? Ha, so this really is your first rodeo. You think a place like this wants girls with specs like that? Height and weight, girl. And what is this, boot camp? Your attitude's a mess... Whatever, our lounge doesn't play talent scout for showbiz. If you're here to break into entertainment, turn right back around."
Entertainment? Yeah, makes sense—with no second rounds, plenty of girls probably charm the bosses here to launch into celebrity life.
"Nothing like that at all. Once I pay off my debt, I'm done with this line of work for good."
"Fair enough. Sis probably vetted you enough. Debt like yours ain't pocket change anyway. Since you're a total newbie, start by taking this sheet."
Eomo handed me a single A4 page crammed with lounge jargon.
Girlfriend mode, doubles, rentals, setups, long games... so much lingo...
She waited patiently while I scanned it, then continued.
"No need to memorize every term right now. Unless you're a total airhead, you'll pick it up in a week. Review it alone at home. Today, we fix that mouth of yours first. Talk like that with customers, and you'll be besties instead of eye candy."
Twenty-plus years as a guy—can I really tweak my speech that fast? No choice. If I don't, my life's over. Gotta commit.
"Yes! I can do this. Teach me anything."
"That eager-beaver tone's the problem. We don't do cheap here. Make 'em desperate for you—like you're just one tease away from being theirs. Who'd crave a girl reporting for duty?"
Right. Pretend there's a boyfriend right in front of me.
I channeled the smitten girls from TV, tucking my hair behind my ear casually.
"I'll do my best from now on, Eomo. Turn me into a real woman today."
"Ha... you're stuck with me for at least a week."
Looked like I'd rubbed her the wrong way proper.
3.
The next four days were pure hell, one grueling hour after another. Days at the Coupang Warehouse, incentivizing hunters; evenings at First for Eomo's training once she clocked in. At first, her face iced over the second I opened my mouth, shaving years off my life. Now, things flowed smoother—no blowups.
Not like twenty years as a guy vanished overnight into ladylike grace, but at least when imagining a customer in front of me, the demure girl-speak came naturally. Stake your life on it, and shame evaporates.
Three more days of training, then it's go time for real...
I shoved aside the unease, prepping for shift: hair and makeup per Eomo's lessons, slipping into rented clothes.
Blessedly, First hooked us up with free rentals from partner shops. Word was, VIPs dropped stacks to stock specific outfits on demand. No catfights over closets—everyone grabbed what they wanted. Overly sexy stuff saved for VIP requests; otherwise, we stuck to First's classy picks that didn't scream desperate.
Dressed like this, even I look like a celeb...
Cliché, sure, but "a woman's transformation is blameless" rang true. Day shifts at Coupang drew stares from uncles, no big approaches. Evenings heading to First? Factored in time to dodge guys hitting on me en route.
Not dressed like bar trash... No wonder Eomo grilled me on showbiz dreams. Was Jeong Ga-eun always this stunning?
She only paled next to the main heroines post-Awakening, but as the protagonist's childhood friend, she had her spot. Awakened hunters manifested mana in their looks, hitting peak physical perfection—high baseline charmers became untouchable.
Awakening shattered innate limits for S-rank potentials only. True to its growth-munchkin style, the hero's harem all sparked by second year. Fans in the "Jeong Ga-eun faction" hung on for her glow-up... which never came. She flunked potential from the jump.
Childhood friend or not, endless Ls were brutal. But dolled up like this, doubts crept back.
Shoulda aimed for showbiz... Nah, how's a newbie pulling two mil this month?
Only Hail Mary: iron-face-beg the protagonist's parents for cash. But any path, solo-raising a sub-one-year-old was impossible. They saw her as daughter-in-law material; she dumped another guy's kid on them with a "please care for her" and vanished. Asking for money on top? Even saints might snap. I got her lingering attachment to them and baby Seo-yeon—the one soft spot she never ditched. No way I'd burden them more.
Before Seoyeon's first birthday, scrape enough to visit and settle fires.
Sorted. Will to survive surged. Joy sans hope kills; sorrow with it endures.
4.
"Oppa, you came again today? That suit's hitting different~ Wife's touch got you jealous-making."
"No, too on-the-nose. I'm sneaking from the wife to see you—don't blurt it like that. Not praising her; make me regret you're taken."
"Got it, Eomo. One more."
Tuck chin, cleavage peek... Fix collar pretense, thigh nudge...
"Oppa, that suit's so sharp I almost didn't recognize you... Not usually my type, but you being married stings extra today?"
"Better start, but end's too clingy—near confession. Tease 'em to the brink."
"Yes, Eomo. Again."
Standard drill. Eomo critiqued fixes over scolds now—progress. Relief.
Knock knock—
"Eomo, Madam calls for the newbie."
What? Three days left, right?
"Tell her we're coming. Ga-eun, probably a VIP named you. Rare, but you must've clicked. You good?"
"Yes, Eomo. Don't worry."
"Good. They want raw charm, so play innocent today. No time—let's go."
First ran endless doubles for all girls. Everyone's a knockout; no tabling picky. Lingering too long bred stalkers. Only high-rank hunters or execs—VIPs—locked girls down. Madam Heo Eun-seo, Korea's top hunter's sister and A-rank herself, catered to nation-shakers.
Sponsorships—girl skips shifts, waits at your pad—only for aging-out girls or S-ranks. Otherwise, post-sponsor, she's blacklisted from First.
VIP-tier at First... Nail today, half the battle's won.
Excitement bubbling after ages, I trailed Eomo to the Madam.