Boundless Love

9.

Sitting limply and staring at the dirty ceiling, something suddenly came to mind. A person Haseo had encountered while looking for people to pickpocket—after watching what Haseo was doing, he had handed him a business card.

‘Rather than doing that, how about finding a proper job? It would be much safer. If you’d like, you could apply as a waiter.’

On the back of the card was the name of a fairly famous bar. It wasn’t just a place that sold alcohol, but one that sold everything that could provide pleasure. At the time, Haseo hadn’t gone there because of the many frightening rumors circulating about the place. But in his current situation, that gold-embossed business card felt like salvation.

Haseo’s hesitation was brief. He immediately found the card stuffed in his wallet and took out his phone to press the number written on it. Despite the situation, a cheerful girl group song played, and then someone answered the phone.

— Hello?

A deep man’s voice, incongruous with the connection tone, was heard.

“Hello.”

When Haseo greeted him, the man laughed and said:

— This voice is unfamiliar. Start with an introduction.

“I’m Lee Haseo… I’m the person who received your business card a year ago.”

— A year ago… Right, I remember. I only handed out about three cards back then. So the caller is the young man who resembled a puppy?

Yes, the man who had given him the business card had said that too. That he really liked Haseo’s puppy-like appearance.

“Yes. Is the job you mentioned back then still available?”

— Of course it is! So, would you like to come to the store? As it happens, I’m at the store today, so I think we could do an interview.

“I’ll come.”

The man told Haseo the location of the store and hung up. Only then did Haseo let out a deep sigh and bury his head between his knees. He wasn’t sure if what he was doing was the right thing.

Haseo already knew the place the man had mentioned. That’s because Eldorado, a place he occasionally visited, was nearby. Although not too far apart, the atmosphere between that place and this one was distinctly different.

There was no sign on the tightly closed door, and just looking at the building, it could be mistaken for any ordinary company. While wandering around, not knowing how to enter, the door opened and a man with a fierce appearance came out. Despite wearing a neat suit, he didn’t look like an office worker at all. If anything, he most closely resembled a security guard.

“Kid. What brings you here?”

Haseo hurriedly showed him the business card he was holding.

“This person called me for an interview.”

The man checked the card and even verified with the inside using a walkie-talkie he pulled from his chest.

“Follow me.”

After saying that, the man entered the door first. Through the open door gap, brilliant lights could be seen, but somehow it felt like walking into hell. But having come this far, he couldn’t stop. Haseo followed him and took a step forward.

The interior wasn’t simply designed. Looking at the long, winding corridors, it felt like a maze. The man guided Haseo to a particularly ornate door.

“It’s here. The boss will be inside when you enter. Good luck with the interview.”

The man who patted Haseo’s back turned around immediately. After standing in a daze, Haseo knocked on the door and heard a voice from inside.

“Come in!”

Cautiously opening the door and entering, Haseo was greeted by the man he had seen before. Dressed in a sophisticated suit, the man had a bright appearance. He had a light-hearted atmosphere, but on the other hand, there was also a strange feeling that one couldn’t let their guard down.

“Welcome! Your name is Haseo, right? Those droopy eyes are still cute. Just the face I want! So, Haseo, you know a bit about this industry, right?”

“What? Yes!”

“Then I don’t need to explain at length. Here, everyone starts as a waiter unconditionally. Occasionally, special individuals work higher up, but it doesn’t seem like that’s what you want, right?”

“Yes.”

With him rattling off words so rapidly, it wasn’t easy to follow.

“That’s right, you’re doing well. It’s better to take the difficult path for anything. Come to think of it, there was one thing you wanted? Let me see. I wrote it down. You wanted the daily wage paid on the same day. That’s not difficult.”

The man said this with a smile.

“It’s not difficult. Then shall we sign the contract and start work right away?”

He handed Haseo a paper he pulled from the desk drawer.

“It’s nothing special. Just says you can’t harm the store. If the store incurs losses because of you, you just need to cover those losses.”

The contract was different from what he usually received when doing part-time jobs. It was written simply, but it was obvious what would happen if such a situation arose. Suddenly, the uneasiness he had been suppressing raised its head again, but Haseo couldn’t back down. The daily wage written was high.

“Plus, there are tips for doing a good job. We don’t stingily take away tips received. We just give them to the employee.”

Haseo signed the contract as if entranced. And only then did he learn the name of the man who had been chattering all this time.

“My name is Pyo Sera. Funny, right? My parents wanted a daughter so badly that they named me first. But what was born was a son.”

Pyo Sera spoke as if it was amusing, but Haseo couldn’t laugh along.

“Good, then another senior employee will help with the rest of the guidance. Work hard, Haseo.”

Soon, he handed Haseo over to another waiter who had come running, waving his hand. After a confusing time had passed, when Haseo regained his senses, he was in the break room where waiters gathered.

“You can use this cabinet. Let’s see about clothes. This should fit roughly.”

After receiving the clothes, reality began to sink in.

“Have you decided on a pseudonym to use here?”

“A pseudonym?”

“Because you can’t use your real name here.”

The senior tapped the name tag on his chest with his fingertips. The name “Cheolsu” was written there. Haseo unconsciously tilted his head at the name that could only be found in children’s textbooks, causing the senior to sigh.

“Everyone was making pretty names, so I thought this might stand out.”

“And did it work?”

“A bit.”

After changing clothes and making a name tag, Haseo was immediately put to work. They didn’t entrust him with important tasks from the beginning.

“For now, just watch and learn.”

“But will I still get paid?”

“We pay even during the learning process.”

At Cheolsu’s words, Haseo swallowed a sigh of relief.

“Since people gathered here for money, they’re thorough about that one thing.”

There would be an uproar if they didn’t pay. Saying this, Cheolsu dragged Haseo around. In the process, Haseo saw quite a few things he wished he hadn’t. People vomiting from drunkenness or fondling waiters were minor issues. There were those who did drugs, and several who undressed waiters and thrust their lower parts into them.

“Don’t be scared. Those guys came in specifically for that kind of work. See, their clothes are a bit different?”

The waiter uniform had no special features except that it fit the body perfectly, but what others were wearing was subtly different. Still, he couldn’t be completely at ease. Because there were quite a few people living like kings who ignored the store’s distinctions. But Haseo, not knowing this, was reassured by Cheolsu’s words.

The night passed with Haseo frantically following Cheolsu. By the time all the work was finished, it was already dawn.

‘But that doesn’t mean the work is over.’

Haseo rubbed his tired face with his hands. When he finished the final cleaning at the store and stepped out, the sun was already rising. Now it was time to go to Choi Mujin’s house and prepare breakfast.

Fortunately, he was able to wash at the store, but his clothes were the same as the day before.

‘Should I go home and change?’

The truth was, he was too tired for that. On the other hand, he wondered if Choi Mujin would even care about a housekeeper’s attire. After all, he didn’t have many clothes and often wore them in rotation. After briefly contemplating, Haseo decided to go straight to Choi Mujin’s house.

Recalling the ingredients in the refrigerator, he had written down what needed to be bought. Usually, he would stop by the market the day before, but since he hadn’t done so yesterday, he decided to visit the supermarket. As the prices were still tremblingly high, he bought only the minimum necessary ingredients. With these groceries, he entered Choi Mujin’s house.

After organizing the refrigerator, Haseo sat at the dining table. His body felt heavy after staying up all night. He wanted to lay his head on the table and get even a moment’s rest, but he decided against it. It seemed better to quickly prepare the meal and then curl up and sleep in a corner of the utility room.

After preparing the meal as usual, Choi Mujin sat at the table right on time. Haseo also sat across from him and picked up his spoon. However, perhaps because he was sleepy, the rice felt gritty like sand. Still, determined to survive, he emptied one bowl with difficulty and headed to the utility room, using cleaning as an excuse.

The utility room, including the washing machine, was spacious and warm, more so than expected. Haseo leaned against the washing machine where the vacuum cleaner and various cleaning supplies were organized, closed his eyes, and felt inside his pants pocket. The daily wage he had received on his first day was intact inside.

Touching it finally brought peace to his mind. Haseo nodded while dozing off and soon fell into sleep.