The Old Boss
Kim Namhu spoke each word with genuine sincerity.
“Even now, how about preparing for the civil service exams? You’ve got the money saved up. Even if you don’t, save a little each month and you could last through the study period. Or, why not reach out to an acquaintance and do some manual labor? They say the connections side pays well these days too.”
The words landed like a soft but heavy weight.
For a host who lacked talent and had grown old, shaking a butt for a gay client was far worse than working the labor market. Kim Namhu’s sincerity had struck deep.
Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom had unconsciously accepted that he was above them.
The advice he gave, cold and sharp yet impossible to shake from the chest, had real force.
“Hosts grow older, and the older you get the more disadvantageous it becomes. If your skill doesn’t keep improving, you’ll be pushed aside. If you give up now, there’s no chance for your skills to grow. Do you want that?”
Kim Namhu’s question hung in the air.
Both men paused, turning the question inward.
Do you want to keep doing this host job?
The answer was simple.
They wanted to keep going.
There were hard days, of course—forced smiles in front of ugly women, having to throw away every ounce of pride before a real client—but the joy that came from the job itself far outweighed it all.
They could earn money while having sex with the woman they desired.
And the money was multiples of what any regular office job paid.
That alone made the work worthwhile.
These three men all shared the same thought.
Otherwise they couldn’t endure the nights of work and the days of sleep, drinking together every single day.
Kim Namhu read their unspoken agreement.
“Then let’s give it our all. How about this month, if your income halves, we’ll try it anyway. The regular customers from last month could still come back strong next month.”
Cha Ji-hoon was convinced instantly.
“Last month I wasn’t quite as good as you, but I had my lucky days. Is there any reliable way to beat that?”
Shin Yong-geom’s expression mirrored his exactly, even though the words weren’t spoken. The new kid from the other line made him uneasy to ask for help, but his face said the same thing as Cha Ji-hoon’s.
Kim Namhu didn’t remember how those two had ended in his previous life.
‘They probably just drifted away as mediocre hosts, like so many others.’
Hosts who grew older without losing their top spot were rare. Those who did manage it quietly saved money and retired to enjoy the rest of their lives. Those who didn’t usually ended up in gay bars or trying to sleep with a female client and then spiraling into debt or worse.
‘If you just listen to me, you’ll at least avoid both gay bars and debt.’
He looked at the pair.
“I’ll help you. Since we’re doing this host job, let’s do exactly what we always wanted to do. You know how it is—hosts get better with skill. You can avoid ugly real clients and pick the pretty ones instead.”
The host industry had its own version of supply-and-demand.
When too many women chased hosts, the price didn’t just rise—it changed everything.
Hosts could choose the women with good personalities and looks. That was every host’s secret dream.
“Aigoo, I want that too.”
“But how exactly are you going to help?”
Kim Namhu decided to start with the basics.
“First, let’s train our choice skills. From now on the three of us will enter the room together and choose together. A woman might not pick all three at once, but with effort we’ll end up in the same room more often than not.”
Cha Ji-hoon thought he saw a clever trick coming, but when he heard the ordinary method he looked faintly disappointed.
“So can we really raise our sales above last month?”
“Just trust me for a month.”
The host waiting room had split into two clear groups.
It had nothing to do with factions.
One group was the ones still working hard this month. The other was the group that had already given up.
The ones who had quit were quietly looking down on the hosts still trying.
Especially on those who had average skill but refused to quit.
Seeing someone like that made them feel pathetic themselves.
They never said it out loud, but when they were alone they always found ways to tear the hardworking hosts down.
“Tch. Did these new kids take some kind of group medicine?”
“What?”
“They’re in the same line and they charge the room together without even resting in the waiting room.”
“They got lucky last month. This month won’t be the same.”
“That’s why they’re wasting their energy. I told them to take a break month, but they ignored me.”
“They don’t listen to seniors at all. Poor kids… but they’re only suffering. We’ll leave them alone.”
“And Namhu thinks he can beat last month’s first place? He’s always been on top; he’ll stay on top forever.”
“That’s just because he’s young. Young. He needs to get his nose broken once and learn his place.”
“Haha. We’ll just watch.”
The quitting hosts had plenty of time to bully the three new kids.
They only showed up for choice, got the job, and then disappeared back to the waiting room.
They rarely even spoke to the boss anymore.
One host was listening quietly to all of it.
Choi Moon-ho.
He had finished second last month, barely missing Kim Namhu, and that had driven him to work harder this month.
Even without the boss’s special order he would have done the same.
Seeing the three new kids gather together smelled suspicious to him.
‘If it were any other idiot, I’d ignore it… but with Kim Namhu involved, things change.’
He walked over to the group of quitting hosts and asked.
“What are those three new kids plotting this month?”
“Oh, Moon-ho hyung.”
“You know what they’re doing?”
“They’re in the same line as us. They’re charging the room hard and fighting to get the best choice together. Pushing, pulling, the whole thing. They’re crazy.”
Choi Moon-ho stroked his chin.
Since they weren’t focusing on the job this month, they probably didn’t even know what was happening in the room.
‘I should ask Yong-geom.’
But one of the three was his own line’s Shin Yong-geom.
He decided it would damage his pride to seem too curious about new kids’ work.
‘Tch. Better not think about it. Just focus on taking first place this month. A lucky streak with Namhu lasts only a month.’
What Kim Namhu had taught Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom was simple.
Just enter the room together, help each other pull and push.
The first move came from Namhu.
He slipped in light praise for Cha Ji-hoon and Shin Yong-geom.
Like magic, the mood in the room turned warm.
People usually appreciated their own bragging more than anyone else’s, but hearing others boast felt far better.
Even the men who tried to pick up women at the club didn’t bother doing it alone.
A good wingman made a huge difference.
‘But eventually every host has to play the individual game. Those who understand this still can’t pull it off perfectly.’
The incentive was the combination of table charge and liquor commission.
That incentive was personal.
Every host knew that even if they belonged to a faction, the money they earned at the very end was what mattered most.
So when several women showed up and multiple hosts entered the room, cooperation was almost impossible.
Once one host started to shine, the others naturally faded.
Women’s eyes locked only on the single best host.
That was the instinct of every female.
But Kim Namhu, Cha Ji-hoon, and Shin Yong-geom were helping each other.
That was possible because they were still new enough.
The three of them acted exactly like the friends they were in the club.
This kind of atmosphere was never seen inside a host bar.
The women forgot they were even in a host bar and treated them like they were just having fun at a club.
Seeing three young hosts happily playing together while the older ones fought for attention gave the women a refreshing change of pace.
Naturally, the news spread.
“If you go to The Queen and let three of them handle you, you’ll have a great time.”
Fewer and fewer women wanted to be handled by just one host.
They preferred to drink comfortably, tell meaningless jokes, sing, and dance.
Of course the table charges and commissions grew.