Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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“So I told you to dress neatly.”
“Those guys earlier got in wearing sweatpants just fine.”
“Why do you think that is? Why do you think the bouncers bowed so politely to them?”
“Ugh!”
Im Sang-min, who had been grumbling, shut his mouth.
Even a simple glance made the answer obvious.
“Count yourself lucky there’s no dress code. If there was, we’d be out of luck.”
“If we get bounced, let’s just hit up a bar.”
“We should be fine. As long as you’re not wearing slippers.”
Woo Ji-hyun quickly scanned the people getting rejected.
Most were guys, but there were a few women too.
And the women who got bounced vanished from the club in a flash.
“So money’s the top priority, huh.”
“Obviously. Clubs are in it to make money. And guys are the ones who spend the most. That’s why they manage the crowd so ruthlessly. Women spend money too, but same deal.”
“This filthy, unfair world.”
“The world’s always been unfair. The only equal thing is death.”
Woo Ji-hyun muttered bitterly.
Having lived forty years, he’d felt the world’s unfairness most acutely.
Those who had more found it easy to get even more, while those without struggled for the smallest gains.
It was like rolling a snowball.
A small one barely gathered anything, but a big one amassed a mountain.
“You’re sounding extra cynical today.”
“Just reminiscing about the old days.”
“What bullshit. You’re twenty-three, man.”
“That’s why we can even get in this line now. At twenty-six, unless you look super young, you’re out. You’d have to try Itaewon or Gangnam.”
Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min’s faces darkened instantly.
The brutal facts hit them like a punch.
“So if it sucks, go make money?”
“If you’re jealous, succeed. This country’s all about money talks.”
“Add looks on top of that. Oh, and you take point.”
Im Sang-min, standing in the middle of the three, pulled Woo Ji-hyun from the back to the front.
Woo Ji-hyun’s brown long coat, black slacks, and loafers looked the sharpest of the trio.
“Admitting this body’s the best, huh?”
“Nah. If we get bounced, it’s on you.”
“You little shit.”
Woo Ji-hyun scowled.
Im Sang-min’s scheming pissed him off.
As they bickered, it was suddenly their turn. Thankfully, after checking IDs, they entered ND2 without issue.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
The pounding beat shook his heart, and Woo Ji-hyun smiled.
Cigarette smoke mixed with cologne created a weird stench, but he was thrilled anyway.
Just feeling this vibe proved he’d grown younger, regressed.
Savoring his twenty-three-year-old youth made him overjoyed.
“Whoa.”
“What? Don’t act like a country bumpkin. Like it’s your first time at a club.”
“It is my first. But it’s definitely different from a nightclub.”
“What are you even comparing it to?”
Kim In-hu edged away from Im Sang-min like he was tacky.
But with the crowd, he couldn’t get far.
“Let’s stash our stuff in the lockers first. Just wallet and phone.”
“Yeah, gotta put these clothes away. Freezing outside, but it’s sweltering in here.”
Under Kim In-hu’s lead—he’d been before—Im Sang-min and Woo Ji-hyun crammed their coats into lockers.
Winter gear without bags, but one locker did the trick.
“Let’s grab some beers.”
“More if we run out.”
“Hope there’s space to drink.”
Kim In-hu shook his head at the stage.
It looked packed like a sardine can.
But in a flash, he grinned and charged ahead.
The electric vibe had swept him up.
“Feels good.”
Woo Ji-hyun felt it too.
The bass rattled his whole body, but the sight of guys and girls reveling in youth made his heart race.
“Let’s go nuts tonight!”
“Let’s die trying!”
“Kuhahaha!”
Woo Ji-hyun led the cheer, Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min followed.
The club was so loud, their yells barely stood out.
“Man, it’s been ages since I lost myself like this.”
Woo Ji-hyun went wild to Kesha, Jay-Z, LMFAO, David Guetta, Flo Rida—tracks from his memories.
He lost track of Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min.
“Eh, they can handle themselves.”
Im Sang-min was a newbie, but Woo Ji-hyun wasn’t worried.
They’d be off doing their thing.
Kim In-hu especially—no contest there.
He was the club vet of the three.
“But this mix of cigs and cologne is annoying as hell.”
Smoke hung thick overhead from smokers everywhere.
Add perfume, sweat from guys and girls, and it turned into a nauseating funk.
Yet people danced like mad, drunk on music and bodies.
“Let’s see... time...”
Leaning against the wall for a break, Woo Ji-hyun checked his phone and gaped.
Felt like barely an hour, but it was nearly midnight.
“Time flies here. Club magic—straight-up time killer.”
He could catch the last train to Incheon now.
But he didn’t.
Friends were lost in the crowd, and they’d agreed to party till dawn in Hongdae.
“Hm?”
Sweaty from dancing, he undid another button on his thin dress shirt, shaking it out.
Then he frowned.
A scuffle nearby.
One guy looked like Im Sang-min.
“That idiot again...”
Seeing Im Sang-min start trouble in Seoul soured Woo Ji-hyun’s mood.
He’d hoped not, but no such luck.
“You piece of shit, who the hell are you? Butt out!”
“Mister, you’re old enough—act like it. This ain’t a dive bar. What’s your deal?”
Woo Ji-hyun hurried over, ears perked.
The situation wasn’t what he’d expected.
Kim In-hu was with Im Sang-min too.
“What’d you say, punk? Look at this brat mouthing off?”
“You started the cursing, asshole.”
“Unbelievable. This giant fucker...”
The drunk late-twenties guy grimaced and closed in on Im Sang-min.
Towering over him.
But Im Sang-min glared back and stepped forward.
Refusing to lose the staredown.
“Whoa, whoa, break it up.”
“What the—? And who’re you?”
Kim In-hu wedged between them right before collision.
If not, fists would fly.
Im Sang-min wasn’t hotheaded, but he’d swing first if pushed.
So Kim In-hu mediated.
“No cursing. Age doesn’t make you king.”
“You little...!”
The guy’s eyes bulged red.
These young punks bantering casually fired him up.
And now it was 2:1, but backup arrived.
“What’s up?”
“Trouble?”
His friends sensed it and approached.
Glared at Kim In-hu and Im Sang-min.
“These fuckers started it.”
“Started what? You groped that girl first—said no, and you kept at it. Saw you grab her tits and ass.”
“Bullshit. Brushed her, that’s all.”
The guy and Im Sang-min clashed again.
That’s when Woo Ji-hyun pushed through.
“What’s going on?”
“Well...”
Even on the brink, Kim In-hu explained fast.
Woo Ji-hyun looked surprised.
He figured drunk Im Sang-min picked the fight.
Nope.
Bonus: the groped girl and her friends were still nearby.
“Damn, Im Sang-min playing hero? What’s gotten into you?”
“And who’re you?”
“Watch your mouth. We’re not buddies—show some manners?”
“What?”
The guy bared teeth, eyes wide.
But Woo Ji-hyun just smirked.
Real fighters lead with fists, not words.
“Drunk’s no excuse for bullshit. Don’t ruin it for others, pollute the club. You look old enough—didn’t they teach manners?”
“You fucking...!”
“Hit me then. But brace for settlement cash. I’ll lawyer up. Or slink out quiet.”
Woo Ji-hyun leaned in, voice icy.
That gaze froze the guy.
Eyes of one who’d faced death stiffened his body instinctively.
“What’re you?”
“You swingin’?”
“Wanna go?”
Another guy shoved his buddy’s shoulder to pull him off Woo Ji-hyun.
Im Sang-min’s eyes rolled white.
Seeing Woo Ji-hyun pushed ignited him.
“Tch! Let’s go! Ruined the buzz. Seeing morons sobered me up.”
“Count yourselves lucky, assholes.”
The instigator—the main guy—turned away after Woo Ji-hyun’s jab.
Some ominous vibe made him bail.
Far from scared, these three pushed back hard.
Guys tucked tail.
Crowd vibe turned too.
“Whew, scared me. Thought fists would fly.”
“They couldn’t throw down anyway. Real thugs talk with fists, not mouths.”
“What if you got hit?”
“Take a few, cash in on settlement. Oh wait, no insurance yet.”
“Crazy bastard.”
Kim In-hu chuckled.
Im Sang-min, cooling off, let out a disbelieving laugh.
Friend or not, the guy wasn’t right in the head.
“But they’re broke anyway.”
“That’s not what spooked me. Thought Gu-ddo and Jang-ddo showed up.”
Kim In-hu eyed Im Sang-min, then Woo Ji-hyun.
Guwol-dong Madman, Jangsudong Madman—shortened to Gu-ddo and Jang-ddo.
That’s what they called those two.
“Who’s Man-ddo gonna call out?”
“Hey, I’m still a dog till next year. No biggie.”
“Um...”