Gangnam
Kim Min-jae.
A host who had bounced around several host bars, always delivering more than his fair share of sales no matter where he went.
Despite his nature of disliking being tied down to one place, he wasn’t particularly abrasive, and had gotten along with Kim Namhu just fine.
While wandering around, he spotted Jo Su-hwan.
A host from Gangnam’s Main Stage who had risen through the industry solely on the strength of his face.
Now younger than Kim Namhu remembered, radiating idol-like beauty.
That guy’s got a nasty personality, but I can’t deny his face is exceptional.
Back in his youth he looked like an idol; as he grew older he developed the kind of visual that would fit a leading actor.
With so many female clients rushing over just to see his face, he was a lucky bastard whose sales kept climbing even when he sat still.
That explains why he always ignored the other hosts. I bet he’s still doing it.
And Jo Su-hwan had been like that from the very beginning.
Kim Namhu gave the three hosts from The Queen who had come to help a casual wave.
As if dismissing subordinates.
Kim Namhu brushed it off lightly.
They’re from a different shop anyway. In the military it’d be like dealing with the uncle from the adjacent company.
No need to get his hands dirty by picking a fight with trash.
Best to just avoid them until they made the first move.
And Cha Ji-hoon, who hadn’t served in the military, clearly lacked that kind of common sense.
Just like when a senior host at The Queen called someone over, Cha Ji-hoon rose from his seat and answered, “Yes.”
Jo Su-hwan laughed as Cha Ji-hoon showed proper respect. “Newbie, huh? Then you’d better introduce yourself.”
“What?”
“Introduce. We’re going to work together—aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”
Introducing himself properly wasn’t necessary for an individual host like Jo Su-hwan.
The Main at Main Stage would handle that.
Jo Su-hwan simply wanted to mock the other hosts who had come for help.
And the Main Stage hosts, aware of what he was doing, didn’t stop him.
Instead, they watched with the calm satisfaction of people enjoying free entertainment.
Their faces stayed blank, but their eyes burned with the low-grade joy of tormenting the weak.
Cha Ji-hoon hesitated, wondering if he really had to do it.
Shin Yong-geom followed along.
They weren’t normally this stupid, but the atmosphere had turned them into idiots.
Sigh.
Kim Namhu finally stood up.
If Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom gave awkward introductions, their pride would take a massive hit.
But they were colleagues who shared the same pot.
Kim Namhu couldn’t let colleagues suffer that kind of humiliation.
He lowered his voice and spoke coldly. “What are you doing?”
Kim Namhu had only been a host for less than a year, but inside him lived the soul of the number-one host Korea had ever known.
The pressure he exuded was anything but soft.
Even Cha Ji-hoon, who had been lightly teasing Jo Su-hwan, flinched.
Before Cha Ji-hoon could say anything else, Kim Namhu spoke up.
“We’re the hosts who came to help. And you’re talking to us like we’re newbies, using rude informal speech. Is that how you treat someone who came to assist? Are we supposed to just leave? Or should we let the Main know what’s happening here?”
They had come to Main Stage to provide support for The Queen.
Even if Main Stage paid better and ranked higher, the hierarchy was clear: The Queen was superior.
Jo Su-hwan immediately switched to fox-like cunning.
His personality was bad, but he wasn’t stupid.
“Ah, sorry. I thought you were just some newbies. You’ve got that fresh-newbie vibe.”
That was a prepared excuse, just in case.
Yeah, he’s always been unlucky.
Kim Namhu had already decided he wouldn’t bother provoking Jo Su-hwan further, or he’d only damage his own reputation.
He sat back down.
Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom followed, sitting too.
They shot Kim Namhu grateful looks with their eyes.
Cha Ji-hoon whispered, “This place has no chill at all.”
Kim Namhu answered quietly, “Just a pissing contest. The more useless someone is, the more they obsess over it. If we play along, we’ll only tire ourselves out. Just do our jobs properly and we’re done.”
Kim Namhu didn’t enjoy seeing the dirty side of the host industry again.
He knew it was the industry of bottom-feeders, but since The Queen still maintained standards, the reality hit harder.
Those bastards talk about fighting for their lives over nothing.
To Kim Namhu, the only thing that mattered for a host was making female clients satisfied, earning money, and enjoying sex.
Everything else was pointless, and the most useless thing of all was the petty arguments among the hosts themselves.
After a short while, the Main of the box at Main Stage walked into the waiting room.
He scanned the room and checked the hosts who had arrived for work.
“So you’re the ones from The Queen?”
At least this Main seemed to have a bit of common sense.
He didn’t treat the new arrivals from other shops with disrespect.
“Here are the three of them. They’re the hosts who came to help today. Just for one day, but since they came to assist, don’t be rude to them.”
“Yes.”
The Main Stage hosts answered as if they had completely forgotten about the earlier incident.
The Main respectfully asked the three of them to introduce themselves.
Kim Namhu stepped forward lightly. “Kim Namhu. Please take care of me today.”
He didn’t need to reveal his age or how long he had been working.
Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom saw what he did and followed suit.
The Main instinctively recognized Kim Namhu as the strongest of the three and addressed him. “Then please work hard today.”
The Main hadn’t expected much.
They had only expanded the roster through connections because of the many hosts who had called in sick.
As long as the three from The Queen didn’t cause any trouble, that was all that mattered.
They were assigned to a box with a relatively small number of members.
Business hours began.
Main Stage operated on the same system.
When a client without a specific host arrived, a box would swarm them. If the client wanted to choose, the host would give a short self-introduction.
The welcoming line for introducing Kim Namhu, Cha Ji-hoon, and Shin Yong-geom was simple. “Today we have specially brought hosts from the north.”
Female clients coming to the host bar were always hungry for new faces.
They naturally showed interest in the three hosts.
While Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom stayed timid, Kim Namhu handled the female clients with natural ease.
The original Main Stage hosts watching muttered to themselves.
“What? They said they sent newbies. At least they should be five years in.”
When they returned to the waiting room, the way the hosts looked at Kim Namhu had changed.
Even Jo Su-hwan, who had only planned to mock the “stupid newbie,” was stunned.
Kim Namhu could easily read the envy in Jo Su-hwan’s eyes.
Jo Su-hwan approached Kim Namhu casually and asked, “You seem pretty familiar with the work. How long have you been doing this? Are you naturally young-looking?”
“No. I’m just young. I’ve only been working as a host for less than a year.”
Kim Namhu didn’t like to boast about how skilled he was compared to his experience.
Since he had reached the peak of Korean host ability, flaunting it felt ridiculous.
But in front of Jo Su-hwan, things were different.
Before this arrogant bastard who relied only on his looks, a little bragging felt acceptable.
Jo Su-hwan’s expression immediately soured.
Earlier, both Kim Namhu and Jo Su-hwan had been chosen together in the same box.
Just as always, Jo Su-hwan smiled and gazed at the female client from an attractive angle.
That had usually been enough to satisfy her.
But Kim Namhu began speaking one by one and quickly took control of the room’s atmosphere.
By the time Jo Su-hwan came to his senses, every female client in the room was waiting for nothing but Kim Namhu’s words.
It was more than enough to wound Jo Su-hwan’s pride.
“Wow. Less than a year? That’s impressive. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if he can do it again when he gets chosen next time.”
Kim Namhu wasn’t expected to keep it up; it was just a quick flash.
The real reason Jo Su-hwan hoped for it was to watch Kim Namhu fail with a Main Stage client and get ruined.
“Just do what you always do. Why would anyone expect more?”
Kim Namhu simply worked honestly at what he did best.
He had no intention of caring about the disappointment or frustration Jo Su-hwan was feeling.