One Sundae Gukbap and a Bottle of Soju

"One sundae gukbap and a bottle of soju, please."

As men ascended to the upper echelons of society, their culture had grown more refined. But with their numbers dwindling, some cultures inevitably crumbled. Fields that stimulated sexual desire or could naturally integrate into high society survived; everything else faded away due to lack of users.

Working-class foods like gukbap fell into the latter category. Sure, there were still enthusiasts, but for men accustomed to daily fine dining and exotic delicacies, the rough, cheap, convenient gukbap couldn't hold its former appeal. And that void was filled by other working women.

Just ordinary people getting by on a day's labor filled those seats.

The girl in the server apron darted to the POS system and punched in the order. "Boss! One sundae gukbap!"

The elderly woman in the kitchen nodded with a smile. The server girl grinned back, then swiftly grabbed a bottle of soju from the fridge and brought it to the customer.

Moments later, the sundae gukbap arrived with its milky broth. The customer let out a deep sigh, poured in some pickled radish juice, added chopped green onions, and sprinkled on a generous heap of perilla powder.

The government hammered home messages about provocative outfits and seductive postures until people's ears bled. But despite those efforts, more women were starting to think it pointless to worry about how men saw them.

For ordinary women, men felt too distant. Winning a man's love was a life-changing jackpot, of course, but plenty just gave up and focused on work.

The server girl watched blankly as the customer ate her sundae gukbap. Soon, the customer's phone rang.

It was the conversation of an ordinary office worker. The customer's shoulders slumped, but for a moment, the girl envied her.

Until the office worker finished her meal, the girl stared off, lost in thoughts of that kind of life.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

The girl bowed briskly and politely.

"Oh. Hyun-ah. Today's your last day, right?"

"Yes! Thank you for everything!"

In the now-empty restaurant after the customer left, the girl bid farewell to the boss.

"You sure you'll be okay? I'm sorry I couldn't look after you more."

"Nah, I'll meet a good person! What could go wrong?"

Even facing the girl's bright smile, the elderly boss couldn't hide her worry.

"Men are all wolves. Back in the day, there were so many perverts, and pretty young things like you..."

"B-Boss! It's just because there aren't many—no one gets away with talk like that these days; you'd get arrested!"

"Anyway, no matter how much money they offer, if anything feels even a little off, say no right away. Got it?"

The boss clasped Hyun-ah's hands tightly, her worry pouring through the warm touch.

"The other class is still studying, so no chatting until the bell. Better yet, do some self-study."

Despite the teacher's plea, the students erupted into chatter.

The blonde girl in the short skirt dashed over, slapping the back of the girl with straight black hair.

"Hey! It's your last class, Hyun-ah—you should've asked for a farewell party or something! This is it..."

"Class is class, though. Nothing to brag about. Se-eun, don't get too loud either."

Se-eun's face darkened. She'd tried forcing a bright take on reality, but it wasn't easy.

Hyun-ah hurriedly reassured her. "No need to worry so much. When else would a girl like me get a shot at meeting a man?"

Hyun-ah's casual smile didn't ease Se-eun's fears.

"You're smart. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You could get into a good college and..."

"A salary won't cover it. You know what my mom's going through."

Se-eun fell silent at that. Hyun-ah's family of five had only one breadwinner left.

"Don't you feel bad? All the work you've put in at school... it's all going to waste."

"They say you learn on-the-job anywhere. If I work hard and stay diligent, I'll get recognized."

"Still... school life's ending. You're leaving us—doesn't that make you sad?"

"It does."

Like Se-eun, Hyun-ah was sad too. She was just smiling harder to hold back the tears.

"I'm sad, but you can't stay in school forever. Farewells come to us all. I'm just graduating a little early."

Hyun-ah's warm smile wasn't convincing. There were no words that could make Se-eun understand.

Intellectually, Se-eun got it. Hyun-ah needed the money too desperately, and opportunities were too scarce. Becoming a slave was her only shot.

"Can't you hold out just a bit longer? Take out a loan or..."

Her friend, whom she'd imagined hanging out with after graduation, was quitting school tomorrow to prepare as a slave. Stripped of freedom, rights, everything human—reduced to a mere sex toy. It was impossible to accept from the heart.

Helplessness and guilt filled Se-eun's chest.

"You know that's not possible."

"Yeah..."

"This might be my last chance. What if the laws change next year, or I fail the review?"

By ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠principle, Koreans couldn't become slaves. But the recently enacted "Voluntary Sexual Service 4th Amendment" allowed it for those who'd "contributed significantly to the nation, had dependents, and other valid reasons"—after review.

"Mom's been down for three months already. If we wait and miss the surgery window, I might never see her again."

For Hyun-ah, it was do or die.

Rare disease treatments cost a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fortune, and restaurant part-time pay barely covered living expenses.

"Right now, Korean slaves are rare, so there's a premium. Who knows next year? The path might close, or too many slaves could tank my value. This is my last chance."

Se-eun had no reply to Hyun-ah's firm words.

"Homeroom's starting. Sit down quick!"

The teacher entered, but Se-eun couldn't dash to her seat like usual. Her feet felt glued to the floor; she shuffled and collapsed into her chair.

Homeroom was the same as always. It ended in minutes, and students bolted out.

"Hey, why didn't you sit when the teacher came in? You made us late for dismissal."

A dissatisfied voice came from behind the weakly rising Se-eun. Rage boiled up; she kicked her chair and stood.

"What did you say?"

"Did I say something wrong? Everyone wanted to leave fast, but you dawdled to your seat, wasting our time. Wrong?"

The class president, with her sharp, venomous eyes. Her friend chimed in from behind: "Yeah, yeah."

"How can you... when your friend—Hyun-ah—is becoming a slave, act like everything's fine and tell her to hurry..."

"My friend?"

"What?"

"No, what. She and I aren't friends like you and me. Just same-class kids. No big personal attachment."

The cold words and sneer kept prodding Se-eun.

"Did you pity those Japs when they became slaves? Shake with rage like they were your sisters?"

Se-eun had nothing to say to that. Just months ago, seeing other slaves, she'd just thought "pretty big sis"—no pity.

"Right? We're the same. Strangers. Why force the sadness?"

"You bitch..."

"So don't mope over nothing and drag everyone down. Hyun-ah's chill—why are you making a scene?"

Se-eun swallowed her fury. Realizing she could never understand this girl made the insults sting less.

"Whatever."

With those two words, Se-eun walked to Hyun-ah.

"Hey, I'm here! Super late, huh!"

On the way home, Hyun-ah, Se-eun, and their classmate Eun-ha met up. Hyun-ah tried cheering up Se-eun, who kept frowning.

"Why so gloomy when your friend's off to snag a man? Just say you're jealous."

Se-eun thought Hyun-ah's embracing smile resembled her own mother's. She wanted to ask God why the kindest, gentlest people suffered most.

"Hey, is banging a hot guy the same as getting sold to some stranger and used?"

The money she and Eun-ha had scraped together for Hyun-ah was a drop in the bucket against hospital bills. Hyun-ah hadn't even wanted to take it, so all Se-eun could do was buy street tteokbokki like this.

"So, slave academy starting tomorrow?"

Eun-ha asked carefully. She'd tried to act upbeat and happy for Hyun-ah, but Se-eun's grim face made it impossible.

"Yeah. Met them yesterday—they all seemed really nice. A few months of training, then actual sales."

"Couldn't you go straight as a private slave?"

Se-eun asked.

"I could, but... how would I even promote myself? At least auctions guarantee the payout..."

"Wait, hold on..."

If Hyun-ah couldn't avoid slavery, Se-eun at least wanted her matched with someone kind and handsome. Steeling herself, she dialed a number she hadn't erased.

'That slave next to the guy... she didn't look unhappy, at least...'

Se-eun raised her phone and called the number that had threatened her never to contact again.