Jo Su-hwan
“Just try not to look bad for now. You understand what I mean?”
Kim Namhu already knew what Lee Sang-soo was worried about.
Being summoned by someone at this level meant the money would come in. They weren’t the type to scrimp on paying. But the risks were stacked high.
One slip-up in a minor matter could unravel everything.
It would have been simpler to just go to a sex party.
There, the women’s demands were straightforward, so the chance of being hated was slim.
“I know you’re good at being a host. But if word keeps spreading like this, it could backfire on you. This job might actually be a blessing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Act like you’re putting in effort, then disappear. There’s no need to win, is there? That way your rumors will die down and these incidents will stop.”
Kim Namhu figured Lee Sang-soo had figured out why he’d been working in Suyu.
If a host was confident in his skills, he wouldn’t be running a box in the outskirts of Gangnam.
Becoming South Korea’s best host meant far more than just making the most money in Gangnam.
It meant securing powerful female regulars who could never be touched by anyone.
To reach that position, he had to step into situations like this and give everything.
He had to endure a single night’s pain to build a future of glory.
If he quit, he’d just grow older, end up as a manager, or leave this world behind.
The main was the seat of leadership, but in the end the true protagonist in this industry was the host.
Everyone else was just there to support him.
“I’ll go and think it over.”
“Sure. You’ll handle it yourself.”
Lee Sang-soo had stopped giving advice because he trusted that Kim Namhu had always done well.
The rest was up to Namhu to judge and act on his own.
All Lee Sang-soo could do was hope Namhu made the right choice.
**
A large, black luxury car sat in front of the building where The Queen was located.
The driver opened the door for Kim Namhu.
Once he was seated in the back, someone else was already waiting beside him.
She wore an office look, her face stern and professional.
The woman asked, “Are you Mr. Kim Namhu?”
“Yes.”
“I’m the secretary looking after Madam Min Na-hee.”
She spoke as if she had no need to give her name. That was the attitude of someone who catered to the elite.
Kim Namhu had seen many like her in his previous life, so he accepted the situation naturally.
The car pulled away and raced through the dark night.
Kim Namhu turned to the secretary. “Should I be prepared for any explanations?”
People at this level often had quirks that made them difficult.
Everyone had some annoying habits, but ordinary people hid them to avoid standing out. People at his level, however, showed their true selves without restraint.
“Nothing in particular. I’ll just give you a heads-up. I don’t know if you’ve ever been called by a designated host before, but Madam is rather special.”
She sounded like a secretary who actually ran things well. Every word was polished.
“Today another host will also be coming to see Madam. Two hosts will be entertaining one lady. I know hosts usually don’t like this arrangement, but Madam’s tastes are what they are.”
“Yes, I’ve heard something about that.”
“But the pay will be fair. One host will receive ten million won for the night. The other will get thirty million.”
Ten million was more than enough to buy an ace host for a single night.
Kim Namhu had once received an amount that sounded like a hundred million, but that had been a special case.
This time, however, his eyes were on the thirty million. The difference between ten and thirty million was not money to be taken lightly.
For any host, it was the kind of sum worth fighting for.
“The host who gets ten million is decided by Madam. The one who gets thirty million is decided by her as well.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Kim Namhu could already guess how Min Na-hee liked to play.
She had summoned two hosts who were rumored to be popular and watched them compete for her money, then chose the better one while still enjoying the show.
“And she enjoys it until she picks the better man.”
‘Sick hobby.’
But Min Na-hee had the money and power to indulge in it.
And Kim Namhu had no choice but to follow her decision.
The car turned into a luxury apartment complex overlooking the Han River.
In the underground parking garage, the driver handed Namhu over to the secretary, who guided him inside.
Inside the elevator, Kim Namhu asked one more question. “Can you tell me who the other host is? The one besides me?”
For someone like Madam Min Na-hee, the kind of popular host from Gangnam that people would normally refuse might be off the table.
A conglomerator’s heir, a legal family that had produced the Prosecutor General, or a political dynasty that had served for decades—hosts of that caliber would never be summoned by someone at Madam’s level.
For her, the hosts who had begun to gain recognition in Seoul were probably the limit.
‘And there aren’t many who stand out like that. Most keep growing and eventually get their names out there.’
Kim Namhu had been the best host in the country in his previous life.
And beneath him were countless rivals.
He wondered whether one of them might be here tonight.
The secretary answered, “I’m not sure if you’ve heard. He’s Jo Su-hwan, working out of Main Stage in Gangnam.”
Kim Namhu had seen him a few times even in this life—when he’d come to support Main Stage and at a sex party hosted by the Ministry of Gender Equality.
‘Will he actually show up?’
From his memories, Jo Su-hwan had relied solely on his good looks and hadn’t quite reached the top tier.
Now, however, Kim Namhu was the one gaining attention from the upper classes.
‘Is he even my match? Last life it didn’t seem like he was. Has something changed this time?’
Kim Namhu was led to a guest room inside the apartment.
The building was so large that it had a separate suite for hosts to rest in.
Jo Su-hwan arrived a little late.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I’m not sure about the roads in the north, but even at night Gangnam is packed.”
He apologized, but the words carried an unspoken comparison between Suyu and Gangnam, deliberately irritating Kim Namhu.
‘I might be more skilled than before, but my fighting spirit hasn’t improved.’
Jo Su-hwan ignored Namhu’s reaction and continued.
“By the way, the world is really small. We’re in such different places and this is already our third meeting, isn’t it?”
“Hosts who do well naturally run into other successful hosts more often.”
Truly successful hosts moved through the whole of Seoul.
They charged thousands for conversation and sex, sometimes even over a hundred million won.
No matter how proud a host was, he couldn’t refuse that kind of money.
And once he started roaming, he inevitably ran into other top hosts.
In VIP rooms of clubs, lounges of luxury hotels, grand mansions in Gyeonggi, or overseas destinations.
Following the women who moved in those circles, he saw other top hosts.
“The rules are simple. If you please the lady, you get thirty million. If not, ten million. We shouldn’t be disappointed no matter who wins.”
Jo Su-hwan clearly thought he was the one who would win.
Of course Kim Namhu had no intention of starting with a loss.
“Fortunately.”
“What?”
“Su-hwan, every time we’ve met before, you’ve never once attacked me?”
At Main Stage and at the Ministry of Gender Equality parties, Kim Namhu had always drawn more attention and earned more money than Jo Su-hwan.
Jo Su-hwan’s handsome face hardened at the memory.
“So, let’s split the twenty million either way. I knew you’d say that. Su-hwan really is full of himself these days. It’s amusing. Hahaha.”
Former Jo Su-hwan would have exploded at those words, but the man in front of him had changed.
“I’ve changed too, seeing how you’ve become. I realized that a pretty face alone isn’t enough to reach the top. So I’ve learned a few things. This time I won’t lose easily.”
Kim Namhu showed interest.
Jo Su-hwan still lacked fighting spirit, yet he had clearly changed from the version in his previous life.
In the past, Jo Su-hwan had been content to live off his looks alone.
His face was so handsome that he could earn enough money that way, but he never reached the top.
‘Was he just too young?’
Young people have passion.
The young Jo Su-hwan had seen someone younger than him—Kim Namhu—dominating and had experienced things he never had in his previous life.
His passion had been ignited.