The Actress
Kim Hye-ji was no ordinary woman. That much was certain.
Her presence was so overwhelming that drinking with her was harder work than with any of his other regulars. She was the most beautiful among them, and yet she drained him just as thoroughly. In exchange, she spent without the slightest hesitation.
After putting away a considerable amount of liquor, Kim Hye-ji spoke.
"There won't be a next time I come back here. You know that, right? Another scandal and I'm finished."
Even showing up at a host bar tonight in a mask and sunglasses had been a serious risk for her.
"But I'll still drop a full day's sales on you like last time, so when I call, you come meet me. Got it?"
With that promise that she would summon Kim Namhu again, she left the host bar. On her way out, she added one more thing.
"What if. Just what if."
"Yeah?"
"If this project you picked for me really blows up, I don't even know what I'll become. You know how it is? Even heavyweight politicians running for president shake in front of a shaman who predicted their future. And they throw money at that shaman just to hear one kind word. Maybe I'll end up the same way."
"Becoming a regular wouldn't be so bad."
"No. If it really hits big—I'll let you have me once. A chance to sleep with a top-tier Korean actress. Not exactly common, is it?"
Kim Hye-ji's eyes were smiling, but the look in them was completely serious.
When Kim Namhu returned to the host waiting room, several hosts drifted over with poorly concealed curiosity. They wanted to know whether the woman who had come looking for him tonight had really been a celebrity.
In a thriving Gangnam host bar it might have been different, but in Gangbuk, spotting an entertainer was vanishingly rare.
Cha Ji-hoon was the first to approach with a question.
"Namhu. Was that really her?"
Kim Namhu sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. He had just finished dealing with the exhausting Kim Hye-ji, and now this clueless senior was determined to make his night even harder. Hosts might live at the bottom of the social ladder, but they still needed basic discretion.
If word got out that a female celebrity was frequenting a host bar, it would do her no favors. A proper host knew how to keep his mouth shut even after an entertainer came through to play.
"Who?"
"Kim Hye-ji, right? The nation's first love! The staff are already talking."
"Ji-hoon hyung. Think about it. Why would a celebrity suddenly show up at The Queen?"
Kim Namhu lied with smooth, practiced ease. The fact that he had met Kim Hye-ji not long ago through Han Ki-ju's introduction was a secret. Aside from the people directly involved, only the Main, Lee Sang-soo, knew—and Lee Sang-soo was not the type to go around broadcasting something like that.
Namhu's lie was so reasonable that Cha Ji-hoon had no choice but to accept it.
"W-well, yeah? Ah, you're right. Why would Kim Hye-ji come all the way out here? If she wanted to go out, she'd hit a Gangnam club. Or a Gangnam host bar."
"Exactly. Just someone who looks like her. Another customer introduced her, and she said she gets mistaken for Kim Hye-ji all the time because of the resemblance. Apparently she's almost been sued over it."
"For real? Looking like Kim Hye-ji means she'd be insanely pretty. Guess that isn't always a good thing."
"Yeah. She said people who get the wrong idea cling to her constantly."
Once Namhu explained it that way, the other hosts' interest cooled almost immediately. Even they had to admit that a former top-star actress—scandal or no scandal—had no reason to turn up at The Queen. And the world was full of people who happened to resemble celebrities.
With that, Kim Hye-ji's visit to The Queen was quietly put to rest. A few days passed.
She must have moved fast. While Kim Namhu was checking the day's news in the host waiting room, an article about Kim Hye-ji appeared.
She had apparently succeeded in landing the lead in the drama she had originally planned to do. The scandal had forced her to halt her activities, but she was still a top star. The public was curious which project she would choose for her comeback—and once they saw she had picked something safe, they either cheered her on or piled on with hate comments.
All eyes were fixed on her drama, Office Seducer.
Kim Namhu pulled out his phone and searched for Octopus Game. Aside from a handful of minor articles noting that Webflix was investing in the production, there was almost nothing. For a work that would go on to spark a worldwide sensation after its release, the reaction was far too quiet.
It'll be interesting to see how people respond later.
While he was thinking that, a message from Kim Hye-ji arrived on his phone.
She had also sent a photo—herself at a table read with several other actors.
Kim Hye-ji had been appearing in projects since she was a child. She remembered exactly what the atmosphere at a first table read felt like for hits versus flops. Objectively, Octopus Game had plenty of reasons it shouldn't succeed—and yet the energy in that room had been good.
Kim Namhu took one look at the selfie that was unmistakably Kim Hye-ji herself and immediately shut off his phone. If any of the other hosts nearby caught a glimpse, the useless chatter would start all over again.
Pretending he needed the restroom, he waited until he was alone and then replied.
She still refused to surrender the upper hand. Seizing control was simply in her nature.
Is that what makes someone look like a lead even on camera?
There were actors people said "ate the screen." Even in supporting roles, they radiated more presence than the leads and stole the audience's attention. Kim Hye-ji had that gift.
And through their messages, Kim Namhu was coming to understand her a little better.
She's like a cat.
Show interest and she pushed you away. Ignore her and she came closer. Cut her off completely, though, and the whole relationship snapped. Complicated, exhausting—but entertaining in its own way.
Not the kind of woman you run into every day.
By now, Kim Namhu had three women he could truly call regulars.
Former Ten-Pro Ace Jang Sun-young.
The prosecutor's wife, Ha Ji-yeon.
And the actress Kim Hye-ji.
There were a few more with whom something was brewing, but only these three spent money on him with any consistency—and all three were premium regulars. Jang Sun-young brought her younger "sisters" and ran up massive tabs. Ha Ji-yeon dragged along other prosecutors' wives. Kim Hye-ji preferred outcall jimyung, but every time she summoned him she casually dropped what Namhu would normally earn in an entire night.
Naturally, his sales shot straight up. He had already surpassed the numbers of hosts with several years under their belts and was eyeing the Ace seat. This month, he sat at number two.
Number one was still Choi Moon-ho.
Lucky month.
You needed at least seven regulars to rotate through a week and keep sales stable. Factor in the chance that any given regular might have other plans, and ten was the real minimum for a packed schedule. To hit true Ace-level numbers, you wanted a base of at least twenty regulars—enough to pull two or three big sessions in a single night and post figures ordinary hosts couldn't touch.
Namhu was keeping pace with just three elite ones.
Luck like this won't last forever—but I might snatch the Ace seat sooner than I expected.
A quiet anticipation stirred in him. The streak would have to hold through the end of the month, but there was a world of difference in how people treated you once you had held the Ace title even once. Something that had taken him years in his previous life was within reach in less than one.
Of course he wanted it.
Jang Hyo-woon noticed Namhu studying the sales on the whiteboard and walked over with a grin.
"This month's ridiculous. We're only halfway through and you're already number two. Guess I'd better step it up myself."
Jang Hyo-woon didn't seem particularly jealous. Competition had never been his obsession. The only reason he fought for the Ace seat was to keep Choi Moon-ho in check so The Queen could run in peace. And as far as he could tell, Kim Namhu was nothing like Choi Moon-ho—not some insolent junior angling to devour the people above him. He was a junior who understood manners and hierarchy.
A junior like that could surpass him. Hyo-woon wouldn't mind.
"You already know this, but just keep doing what you're doing. Sales go up, sales go down—either way, nobody will have a reason to badmouth you."
"Yes, Hyo-woon hyung."
A rookie with less than a year of experience posting number-two sales was no small feat. Honestly, numbers like Namhu's would have made him an Ace overnight at almost any other host bar.
Choi Moon-ho really does have the skills.
Personality aside, his ability was the real thing. With hosts, if you performed in front of women, the sales proved it.
And Jang Hyo-woon seemed to be looking forward to the day Namhu claimed the Ace seat and crushed Choi Moon-ho underfoot.
"If our maknae snatches the Ace title, I can't wait to see the look on Choi Moon-ho's face. Haha. That's going to be fun."