The New Host is Too Good
Kim Namhu replied immediately.
“Whatever request you have, I’ll handle it.”
Kim Namhu was a host, and he always said yes whenever a regular customer asked for something.
That kind of reply made regulars happy, and if the request went too far, he would simply terminate the relationship.
Continuing with a client who made unreasonable demands only brought long-term losses.
Meanwhile, reasonable requests earned bigger payoffs later.
Jang Sun-young called him right away.
“Are you very busy? Is the phone okay?”
“No. Business has been a bit slow lately. What’s the request?”
Kim Namhu had no idea what kind of request Jang Sun-young might have for him.
She had topped out at Ten-Pro and retired, yet she still maintained connections with politicians and chaebols.
In South Korea, if Jang Sun-young asked for something, it was almost never impossible.
And now she was going to ask a host for help.
“Would you be willing to spend time with a woman?”
“A woman?”
That was exactly the kind of request Kim Namhu specialized in.
His job was to entertain women, and he had the highest level of skill in doing so.
Any request to play with a woman could be accepted without hesitation.
“Are you going to introduce me to a new client?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Jang Sun-young hesitated for a moment on the phone.
Kim Namhu picked up on the subtle pause and spoke softly.
“If you’d rather not say, it’s fine. So that means you don’t want to treat me as a client?”
“I just want you to act like an older brother next door.”
“Understood. Then tell me only where and when I should meet you.”
“Alright. Thanks. In return, I’ll make sure to tip you generously later.”
“Come by the shop and have me pour you drinks. Business has been slow and I don’t want to look suspicious.”
“Got it. I’ll bring all my siblings at once and make it a big night.”
After hanging up, Jang Sun-young texted Kim Namhu the exact date and location for Wednesday, his day off.
Wednesday arrived.
Kim Namhu dressed in a look that still carried the charm of a university student—slim-fit jeans and a shirt with a defined waistline—according to Jang Sun-young’s instructions.
His muscles had been filling out lately, so even that casual outfit looked decent enough.
Young and fresh. Nice.
Most of the regular customers Kim Namhu entertained now were in their thirties, so he avoided looking too youthful around them.
Too youthful and a woman might feel hurt.
But she said to dress like a college student today. Who exactly is she introducing me to?
In his previous life Kim Namhu had been a regular customer of Jang Sun-young’s.
But that was back when he was at the peak of his career.
Jang Sun-young only wanted to enjoy a rising host like him; she never introduced anyone.
Even without an introduction, Kim Namhu had already been doing very well.
At Exit 4 he watched passersby for a while and noticed two women walking toward him.
One was Jang Sun-young, the other a woman he had never seen before.
Jang Sun-young carried the unmistakable presence of a wealthy woman, and the two appeared to be sisters of a similar age.
The unfamiliar woman had the clean, innocent look of someone who would star in a Pocari Sweat advertisement—long dark hair, fair skin, delicate features.
She looks to be in her early twenties.
Kim Namhu greeted them first.
“Hello. It must be tough to be off work after such a long time.”
“It’s not that bad. I’m just keeping the seat warm because I was asked. How about we head to a cafe instead? I haven’t slept all night last night—I’m tired.”
The three walked into the nearby café.
Coffee and snacks were ordered, and they settled into a seat.
Jang Sun-young smiled and said, “This is the girl I wanted you to play with. Isn’t she pretty?”
“Yes. She’s lovely.”
Kim Namhu almost asked whether she was a former Ten-Pro junior, but something felt strangely intense, so he stayed silent.
He had been right to remain quiet.
Strange to say, Jang Sun-young and the woman looked strikingly alike.
“Introduce yourself. You said you were curious about him.”
“Jang Su-young. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Kim Namhu. Pleasure.”
Jang Sun-young watched their exchange with clear amusement in her eyes.
Kim Namhu was curious about what she was really doing, but he could not ask directly.
She was his regular customer and the client; he had the duty not to spoil her mood.
“Su-young said she wanted to meet you because she was curious. So I invited you to play with her.”
Kim Namhu sensed one clear fact.
The thing that interested Jang Sun-young most was how quickly he could read what a woman wanted and then fulfill it.
It was his greatest strength as a host.
To him it was careful observation and logical deduction.
To the woman it felt like magic.
Right now Jang Sun-young clearly expected him to demonstrate that ability once more.
Then let’s see what happens.
Kim Namhu turned all his focus to Jang Su-young.
Jang Sun-young was a good regular—generous with money, never rude, and she knew the host industry well enough not to demand anything unreasonable.
More importantly, her nights with him were always enjoyable.
He did not want to lose such a customer.
Kim Namhu gathered what he could see and said, “You seem to study quite a bit.”
“Excuse me?”
Jang Su-young looked surprised.
She had revealed nothing except her name, yet he had already guessed one fact.
She glanced at Jang Sun-young as if checking whether she had said anything about herself.
Jang Sun-young simply smiled playfully, eyes sparkling.
“How did you know?”
“These days not many people do, but back when I was younger, everyone wrote with a pen. We took notes a lot. The ink stays in your hand. Especially the left middle fingertip—where you rest the pen. People who press down hard while writing leave a slight dent there.”
Jang Su-young unconsciously touched her own right hand.
She had always written with force, one character at a time, and the indent remained.
Kim Namhu also noticed that after surprising her the first time, the conversation had grown difficult to continue.
Jang Su-young clearly had not come to the host bar for fun with him.
She seemed unfamiliar with this kind of nightlife.
He tried asking what she wanted to do, what she wanted to eat, but she answered in short, forced replies as if she had been dragged to a blind date.
Jang Sun-young did not help much.
She simply watched the two young people struggle with stiff conversation.
What the hell is going on here?
Kim Namhu sensed that Jang Su-young was deliberately keeping her distance from him.
Winning the affection of a woman like this was never easy.
So he tried a different approach.
“If you don’t like going on dates and don’t feel like eating, how about heading to a bookstore?”
“A bookstore?”
Jang Su-young showed her second spark of interest.
That’s it. This is definitely what she wanted.
Korea was a country with extremely limited hobbies.
The only leisure activities a person in Seoul could have were movies, dramas, food, sports, or nightlife.
Anyone who didn’t enjoy those was left with music or reading.
From their earlier conversation Kim Namhu had guessed Jang Su-young had little interest in movies, dramas, food, or nightlife.
Her slender figure also suggested she did not exercise much beyond normal breathing.
A bookstore let you browse books and CDs at the same time.
If the taste matched, it could become a perfect date spot.
“You like bookstores?”
“Yes. I do. Just browsing is already fun.”
“There’s a Kyobo Bookstore nearby. Want to go?”
Jang Su-young hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was appropriate to go to a bookstore with a man she had just met, then nodded.
The three finished their snacks and stepped outside.
They headed to the bookstore.
Once inside, Jang Su-young’s expression changed completely.
She looked as though she had entered a comfortable place.
“You can wander freely. I’ll just stay with Sun-young for a bit.”
Jang Su-young nodded and walked toward the new arrivals section.
Jang Sun-young, who clearly had no familiarity with bookstores, soon started yawning.
The two women looked alike, yet their actions were completely opposite.
Jang Sun-young wandered the stationery aisle until she could no longer hold back her boredom and finally spoke to Kim Namhu.
“Isn’t she weird?”
“Definitely not ordinary.”
Beautiful women had been pursued by men since childhood, so they grew used to playing around.
Almost like a living national treasure, a woman who could comfortably think about books more than men.
“Can you guess who she is?”
“I think I can get an idea.”
“Guess, then. I’ll reward you with whatever you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Jang Sun-young stepped closer to Kim Namhu with a bright smile.
The rich, seductive scent of an adult woman who knew how to seduce men made him dizzy.