Aftermath in the Host Bar
“Even if you smeared gold on this alcohol, I can’t pay the bill, so don’t get any ideas!”
“And what the hell are you doing treating us like that here? Got some place where you charge extra for that?”
The two pigs looked as if they had no intention of paying and were simply planning to walk out.
Their eyes scanned Jang Sun-young’s body with undisguised lust.
Even though she had aged, her charm remained undiminished, and it clearly stirred the filthy intentions of the two drunk swine.
They gradually began uttering nonsense that made no sense at all.
“But charging for the alcohol like this is fraud, isn’t it?”
“Should we call the police?”
They didn’t seem like people who lived by honest means either, and calling the police was nothing more than a crude threat.
“If you’re not happy with that…”
Just as the two pigs were about to make some absurd demand with wicked smiles on their faces, Kim Namhu stepped in.
His voice rose sharply.
“Who the hell are you two?!”
Kim Namhu showed zero fear when facing the two pigs.
They were dressed in the kind of trashy fashion and covered in tattoos that marked them as bottom-tier punks, but Kim Namhu knew from his past-life experience that such lowlifes were nothing to worry about.
Even if a fight broke out, he had no concern.
‘All the boxing I learned in my previous life paid off.’
During his days as a host in the previous life, he would sometimes get into fights after dating a woman outside the bar.
Host bars were often located in the nightlife district, so clashes with rowdy clients were common.
He would usually avoid fights, but there were times when it simply wasn’t possible.
After getting beaten up, even the best host at seducing women would have his pride wounded.
‘Avoiding fights is best when you can, but if you can’t, it’s more important to keep a man’s dignity.’
The two pigs hesitated when they saw that Kim Namhu, despite appearing no match for them physically, didn’t flinch at all.
They paused for a moment, then, noticing his lean build, sneered.
“Who are you?”
“Me? I’m the boss’s boyfriend here.”
It was just a host and client relationship, but in this situation it was important to be more assertive and claim the boyfriend role with a little white lie.
When Kim Namhu casually said he was the boss’s boyfriend, Jang Sun-young relaxed visibly, while the two pigs looked visibly flustered.
They probably knew that it was embarrassing to mess with a woman who already had a boyfriend, even if they were punks.
But they didn’t back down.
They simply stopped speaking and acting.
Kim Namhu spoke again.
“So who are you people? Do you know what kind of trashy punks you are around here?”
Looking at their appearance, they seemed like low-level members of some organization at best.
The best way to deal with such bastards was not through violence.
If you used force, the organizations they belonged to would happily charge in and try to extort money.
‘Brother Sang-soo would have connections in that world. I need his help.’
Hosts were a profession tied to the underworld.
In this industry, you inevitably built connections with thugs and gangsters.
Especially when a violent client appeared, it was difficult for a host to intervene.
If he stepped in and ended up hitting a client, he could end up in police custody.
In such cases, it was the simplest to ask an acquaintance gangster for a little pocket money and have him handle the problem.
With Sang-soo’s level of experience, he would know such people, and by offering money and requesting help, he could settle such messy matters cleanly.
Kim Namhu immediately picked up his phone and called Sang-soo.
“Brother.”
“Yeah, got it. I heard roughly from Hyowoon. A regular customer is in trouble?”
“Some thugs came in and caused a commotion. Is there any way I could ask your protection for our shop?”
“Is it an important regular?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll help. Send me the address if you need to.”
And the moment the two men realized that Kim Namhu was connected to the gangster world, their attitude changed instantly.
“Ah, is this person from another faction? It seems there was a misunderstanding.”
“I’m not from any gang. I just know a brother here who protects me.”
The two pigs were now trying to back down.
Acting tough against ordinary people who knew nothing had big results, but they realized it didn’t work at all with someone who even knew a little about the rules of this world.
“The alcohol here is too expensive, so I got a little excited. Look, this is almost twice as much as other places.”
They spoke as if they had been wronged.
But it had zero effect on Kim Namhu.
“Sun-young, did you explain the price to these two?”
“I did.”
The two pigs insisted there had been no such thing.
“No. We didn’t hear anything like that at all?”
“We ordered the drink the moment we walked in and started drinking. We didn’t know it was this expensive.”
There was no way a small place like this had hidden CCTV with audio recording.
With both sides claiming different versions, it was impossible to know whose words were true.
Kim Namhu raised his phone again.
“Then I’ll call one more brother. Go ahead and say that in front of him.”
They seemed like they weren’t connected to any big organization.
“Ah, no. We were mistaken, so it’s our fault. We’ll pay in cash today.”
“Card?”
They didn’t even seem to have cash.
Kim Namhu took the cards they offered and handed them to Jang Sun-young.
While she was calculating, he told them.
“Don’t get any ideas about causing trouble later. I’ve looked at every name on these cards. Mr. Lee Dae-hoon.”
The man whose name was Lee Dae-hoon couldn’t hide his surprise at hearing his real name.
“You know how narrow this world is? If I mention a name and face, I’ll find you in no time. If you cause any problem later, I’ll come looking.”
“Yes, yes. Nothing like that will happen.”
The two pigs bowed and left the bar.
Only then did Jang Sun-young relax, her racing heart finally calming as she walked over and hugged Kim Namhu.
Kim Namhu held her warmly.
“Thank you. Among the regulars I knew, there were people who could handle this kind of situation. They’re all in Gangnam, so it would take a long time to come. That’s why you were the first one that came to mind.”
“You did well.”
“Thank you, my boyfriend.”
Jang Sun-young buried her face in Kim Namhu’s chest while laughing.
**
After Kim Namhu left, Jang Sun-young closed the bar early.
She sat alone, drank a little, and called her daughter.
It seemed Jang Su-young had been studying even late into the night.
Jang Sun-young told her what had happened.
“Really? I didn’t expect that.”
Jang Su-young already knew Kim Namhu was a decent guy for a host.
But she hadn’t thought he would be able to handle this kind of situation.
A gang causing trouble.
Even an ordinary man would have run away.
“You’re right? I was surprised too. I didn’t think he could handle it so well.”
“He’s better than an ordinary guy. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not injured.”
“Just in case, close the shop today and come home early.”
Jang Sun-young let out a small laugh.
She had retired early because she had saved a lot of money, but after retirement it seemed their relationship with her daughter had reversed.
Her daughter was treating her like a child.
“I closed early anyway.”
At that, Jang Su-young asked another question, as if all her worries had been cleared.
“It would be nice if Mr. Namhu was next to Mom on a day like today.”
“That would be nice. But that person has work too. I sent him away. And because he hugged me, my trembling heart settled quickly.”
“What? Are you two dating?”
Jang Sun-young found it a little difficult to hear her daughter speak like a woman.
From her daughter’s perspective, such talk would naturally be awkward.
At the same time, she felt her chest flutter slightly.
It was the same feeling she got when watching a good romance drama.
“Dating? That’s impossible. You’re a host and a customer. The age difference is huge.”
Jang Sun-young said it bitterly.
She had enjoyed the moment when Kim Namhu rescued her.
But she wasn’t a naïve girl.
She had tasted every flavor this world had to offer, and she knew their relationship had reached its limit.
Jang Sun-young noticed that her daughter’s voice had risen slightly on the phone.
She wasn’t the kind of mother who meddled too much in her daughter’s life.
When she was younger, she had worked nights and was busy during the day, so she simply supported whatever her daughter wanted to do with money.
But she was also a mother, and she could read her daughter’s changes faster than anyone.
‘If I can’t meet decent men, maybe it’s better for my daughter to meet Namhu.’
Jang Sun-young knew there weren’t many decent men in this world.
And sometimes she realized that the few good ones had even better character than those in the light side.
Even in the Ten-Pro, there were cases where good women with a dark past still found a good man, got married, and lived happily.
Kim Namhu was a good man.
Otherwise, Jang Sun-young wouldn’t have been seeing him regularly.
Since she knew she couldn’t connect with him herself, she thought it would be good if her daughter could pair with him.