The Opening Round
Lee Sang-soo had stepped in the moment he sensed the fight was about to get ugly.
“Boss, I’ll have one too.”
“You too, Main? Sure.”
The instant Sang-soo took his seat, the pace of the drinking slowed a notch.
The strange drinking party of boss, main, and newbie hurtled toward its finish line.
No matter how strong a drinker, there was always a limit, and Han Ki-ju had clearly found her match after a long while.
Kim Namhu had been young, worked out steadily, and had always been able to hold his liquor.
On top of that, he was standing in front of the boss, so he didn’t feel any pressure, and the alcohol slid down even more smoothly.
“Ugh.”
Han Ki-ju’s hand slowed on the glass.
She realized her body was swaying and felt a flush of embarrassment.
Being shown weak in front of someone who had supposedly been born with a silver spoon was somehow more shameful than the spoon itself.
Kim Namhu emptied his own glass, refilled it, and pushed it toward her.
It was a silent command: drink fast and fill my glass again.
Sang-soo stood frozen, unsure whether to intervene or not.
The other ace hosts looked equally confused.
Why would they want to out-drink the boss? It made no sense.
And Kim Namhu, for his part, wasn’t even thinking about it.
*Even with two lives, I don’t need to bow my head to just anyone, do I?*
He had already done all the groveling required to become a host in his previous life; this time he would only lower his head when seducing a woman.
He had made his decision.
*Besides, I still have the confidence to live well.*
In the end, Han Ki-ju passed out.
It had been ages since she’d drunk herself unconscious.
When she woke, her head throbbed as if it might split open.
“Where am I?”
She forced her eyes open.
It was the hotel suite she used instead of her own home.
Sang-soo had brought her here.
She poured a glass of water, drank it, then lay back down.
“Hmph.”
Her whole body ached from the liquor, yet she smiled.
She felt good.
She had no idea how long it had been since she’d met someone who didn’t flinch in the face of her power.
*He’s the one the newbie said was the best. There must be a reason.*
The memory of last night’s drinking party still burned clearly in her mind.
She had always been a drinker, and sharing a table with a host who matched her energy had been fun.
She was a rich girl’s daughter.
The types of men she met in her circle were only three.
Adults from the same family or those who were better off than her.
Friends who pretended to be friendly but constantly compared their status.
People who submitted the moment her money came into play.
The kind of man who drank pure liquor, man to man, like Kim Namhu—those were rare.
It reminded her of the nights at university when she first arrived and still hadn’t told anyone how rich she was.
*People don’t exist who hate money. But how far will this one go?*
Even at university the same thing had happened.
At first everyone wanted to get along.
Then someone found out the price of the bag she carried everywhere.
The rumor that she was a mega-rich heiress spread fast.
Some men flirted from the start; others pretended to have pride but eventually gave in to the money.
Kim Namhu was different.
He clearly understood that her money could never become his.
He knew exactly where greed began and where it turned into pain.
And he carried himself with absolute self-confidence.
*If anyone could do self-made success, it would be him.*
Han Ki-ju had two thoughts fighting inside her.
One was genuine affection.
She had liked him the moment she met him; it had happened naturally.
The other was a desire to torment him about how long he could keep that arrogant act.
She was a silver-spoon princess who had always ruled from above.
Sometimes she got annoyed with people who refused to acknowledge her.
Then she wondered if she was paying too much attention to a single newbie host.
*What am I even thinking?*
But she was a silver-spoon heiress; time and money were hers for the taking.
Curiosity was born, and she couldn’t ignore it.
She checked the clock.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon.
*If I have a hangover cure and rest for a bit, The Queen will open.*
She ordered tomato soup from room service and ate it.
Then she summoned the masseuse for a full-body treatment to chase away the fatigue.
By six o’clock she had showered, applied minimal makeup, and stepped out.
She took a taxi to The Queen.
At the bar, the staff were startled when the boss appeared at opening time.
Han Ki-ju was not the type who managed the place herself.
“Today I’m just a guest, so don’t worry about me.”
“Eh? Eh.”
The staff had never heard of the boss coming as a customer before, but if he said so, they had no choice but to obey.
“Kim Namhu host. Jimyung?”
“I’ll check right away.”
The receptionist hurried to the host waiting room and returned.
“He’s on break today. The boss approved it.”
“Ah.”
Han Ki-ju finally remembered last night.
She had even given him a million won just to drink as much as she wanted.
“Oh, then you’ll be working tomorrow?”
“Yes. Kim Namhu host gets off Wednesday only; the rest of the week he works every day.”
“I see.”
She had no choice but to endure one more day.
She thought about asking Sang-soo to bring in someone who was resting, but he was no trash.
The next day she showed up at The Queen’s opening time again.
“Kim Namhu Jimyung.”
“Understood.”
She took her usual spot in the best private room.
Moments later a knock sounded at the door and Kim Namhu entered.
He looked bewildered by the rumor that the boss had come as a guest.
Even counting his two lives, this was his first time drinking with anyone who held so much power.
“What are you doing? Sit down. Order whatever you want.”
Kim Namhu simply did as she said.
He set the table with the highest-grade liquor and side dishes.
Then he waited for her to speak.
Han Ki-ju smirked.
“People really act like that?”
“Hm?”
“Hosts are supposed to be gentle, right? They start the conversation first.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever been a guest to the boss. I’ve been thinking about how to behave.”
“Then think and tell me.”
Kim Namhu thought for a moment.
“Still, I don’t think it’s easy to serve the boss as a guest.”
“Why? You’re not refusing to take money.”
“The host’s ultimate goal is to seduce one woman and turn her into a regular. But the boss already employs dozens of hosts. It would be hard to make someone like that a regular.”
Han Ki-ju had the money and authority to summon any host she wanted, even while the ace host was meeting her regular client.
Turning one of those powerful women into her regular would not be worth the effort.
Kim Namhu’s answer made her burst out laughing.
“So you turn away women you think won’t become regulars?”
“No. I just don’t try my best.”
“Then just play around with me. If you don’t give your best, it’s still fun. Drink like you’re at a company outing—easily.”
“Do you know what that means, boss?”
“What?”
“Hosts don’t drink with the client every day. They’d burn out and their livers would shatter in a few years. The host’s job is to make the client drink.”
He meant he had no intention of pouring liquor for her like last night.
Han Ki-ju found it strangely amusing to hear Kim Namhu speak his mind so plainly in front of her.
“You’re not scared?”
“Scared of what?”
“If I wanted to, I could fire you right now.”
“Then the boss would lose a good host.”
She had watched countless men while growing up as a silver-spoon princess.
She believed she had a decent sense of character.
Right now Kim Namhu possessed talent that even The Queen, Gangbuk’s top host bar, couldn’t handle.
And no matter how great Han Ki-ju was, no one in Seoul could stop him from working as a host.
She filled three large glasses with wine and gulped them all down by herself.