✽002

Two small puncture wounds marked the exact spot where Kang Ju-wan’s fangs had bitten into the woman’s neck. Blood, vibrant and red like rubies, kept welling up from the holes despite his licking. He lapped it up like a puppy cleaning its plate, ensuring not a single drop was wasted before pulling away. Then, as always, he swiftly pulled out a bandage he kept on hand and carefully pressed it over the wounds.

For the time being, the marks would look like faint purple bruises. Kang Ju-wan gently laid the unconscious woman down, wrapping her arm around him as if they were lovers. The sound of her heartbeat echoed in his ears. A woman’s body was always soft and warm—five minutes like this was enough.

He pressed the button on his wristwatch again to time himself.

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‘What a shame.’

The host bar where Ju-wan worked often saw the occasional appearance of a customer’s husband, usually leading to smashed furniture or a call to the police. In such cases, Ju-wan would discreetly use his abilities to resolve the situation quietly. Thanks to his efforts, the small host bar Eden continued to operate smoothly without major issues.

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Exactly five minutes later, his watch buzzed again. Without hesitation, Ju-wan got up from the bed, picked up his clothes that lay discarded like a snake’s shed skin, and dressed himself. He headed down to the glittering hotel lobby. Despite it being six in the evening, the summer sun was still blazing outside. Without a backward glance, he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for B2.

The cool, dim parking lot felt instantly more comfortable. He climbed into a 20-year-old red Matiz he had purchased for cheap not long ago. In another hour or two, the sun would finally set.

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“…I actually kind of liked her this time.”

But it couldn’t be helped. Kang Ju-wan quickly decided to let it go. He could barely remember the woman’s name now anyway.

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* * *

Kang Ju-wan returned to work at Eden three days later, around 9 PM. For those three days, he had completely shut himself away, turning off his phone and binge-watching all 16 episodes of last year’s smash-hit romance drama by writer Kim Ji-sook.

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Crying and laughing along with the drama’s twists and turns, he realized an entire day had passed in no time. Then, as he scoured YouTube for behind-the-scenes footage and production stills of the lead couple, another day disappeared. Still unsatisfied, he devoured fan-made crossover videos created by international viewers. By the time YouTube’s algorithm started recommending new dramas, Ju-wan finally decided to tear his eyes away from the 64-inch TV. In the process, he had emptied eight blood packs from his fridge without realizing it.

Having successfully nursed his heartbreak with a solo healing session, Ju-wan found himself with nothing left to do. Like a sewer rat instinctively seeking out the sewers, he returned to the host bar.

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Eden was located in the basement of an old five-story building tucked away in a corner of Bangbae-dong. The further one descended toward the entrance, the darker and cooler the air became, as if the place itself exuded an eerie chill.

However, upon opening the iron doors of Eden, visitors were greeted by bright white marble floors and gleaming lights that radiated a welcoming warmth. Every time Ju-wan stepped inside, he couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of modern renovation technology. No matter how filthy or decrepit something was, it could be restored to look brand new. Truly remarkable, wasn’t it?

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Kang Ju-wan headed straight to the kitchen area at the far end of the entrance. Near the kitchen door, he opened a small adjoining room. As soon as he did, the overly pungent scent of Febreze hit his nose.

The room was a medium-sized space that had been converted into a waiting area. Two racks filled with various clothing items, including waiter uniforms, lined one wall, while a massive vanity mirror dominated the opposite side. In the middle of the room stood an old, oversized leather sofa arranged in an L-shape with its back to the door.

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On the sofa lay someone with curly black hair, sprawled out in an odd position, playing a game on their phone. Even at a glance, it was clearly Park Ki-chul. As Ki-chul continued gaming, the sound of someone entering the room made him jolt upright to see who it was. Upon realizing it was Kang Ju-wan, his face openly fell in disappointment.

“Oh, it’s just you?”

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“…Why’s the place so dead today? Not a single soul around.”

“Didn’t you hear? Two days ago, Namhae took all the aces and ran off to Gentlemen. The madam was pissed. For a second, I thought you were Namhae coming back.”

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“Really?”

Ju-wan’s face twisted in surprise. Namhae was the second-in-command at Eden, right after Ju-wan himself. His expression grew complicated. He had told Choi Gyu-hyuk, the bar owner, not to contact him for a while, but he hadn’t expected complete silence even in the face of something this big.

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Ki-chul scowled as he looked Ju-wan up and down.

“And what were you up to, huh? I thought you’d bailed to ‘Gentlemen’ too.”

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“I was watching dramas,” Kang Ju-wan replied nonchalantly.

Ki-chul froze mid-game, staring at him as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

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“The boss didn’t contact you?”

“Nope.”

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“Unbelievable. The favoritism is insane.”

Ki-chul muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

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Ju-wan chuckled and flopped down onto the worn-out sofa, making the leather squeak under him.

‘Gentlemen’ was a large-scale host bar that had recently opened in the Nonhyeon area. Rumors had been circulating for a while that they were snatching up every host worth their salt in the Seoul area. But no one had expected them to set their sights on a smaller place like ‘Eden’.

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“That’s some dirty business,” Ju-wan muttered.

“Yeah. The madam’s been rushing to hold interviews, but all the faces she’s seen so far? Total train wrecks.”

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“That bad?”

“Honestly, if they had any shame, they’d just work as waiters,” Ki-chul said with a grimace.

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Suddenly, Ki-chul burst out with a string of curses.

“…Those bastards, running off without a shred of loyalty.”

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He abruptly turned to Ju-wan and asked, “Hey, didn’t they contact you? Did you turn them down? How much were they offering?”

“I don’t know. I told you, I’ve been watching dramas. What about you? Why are you still here?”

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“I’m three thousand in debt right now. If I run, the madam’s brother would kill me. Check your phone. How many calls from numbers starting with 02 do you have?”

Ki-chul reached out to snatch Ju-wan’s phone, but Ju-wan dodged with ease.

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“Don’t know. Probably loan ads. And whether they made me an offer or not, I’m not interested.”

Ki-chul gave him a strange look.

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“…Even if there’s no commission deduction?”

“Like that place exists,” Ju-wan replied with a shrug.

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“Still. What if they offered you, like, triple the pay?”

“I still wouldn’t go,” Ju-wan said calmly.

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Ki-chul clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if Ju-wan were hopeless.

“Hey, if they’re offering triple, just go. Honestly, Namhae isn’t even that good-looking; he just has a silver tongue. But he still pulls women better than you and earns more.”

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“…”

“How long do you think we’ll stay young? This is just something you do for a bit while you’re young. Me? I’m planning to make my money and get out fast.”

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Ju-wan gave a silent laugh at that. After all, he wasn’t doing this job to make money, and he had no reason to worry about “staying young”—he could stay that way indefinitely.

Ki-chul, with his thick eyebrows and prominent nose, had a ruggedly masculine face, but his shorter height had always been a sore point for him. To compensate, he had bulked up by building muscle, but it didn’t exactly work wonders for his looks. Despite being only twenty-seven, people often mistook him for someone in his late thirties or early forties. Naturally, his main clients were wealthy women in their forties and fifties, and he had an uncanny knack for finding those “golden geese.”

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Judging by his words, it seemed Ki-chul hadn’t received a scouting offer from Gentlemen, and his pride was clearly bruised. Suddenly, he let out an ah, as if something had just occurred to him.

“By the way, what happened to that woman you were seeing? The one you’ve been meeting lately?”

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“Who?”

“Wow, look at this guy, forgetting because he has so many. Wasn’t it Seo-Yeon noona or something? The one who drops six figures in one go.”

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“Ah…”

Seo-Yeon noona. That was the woman Ju-wan had hypnotized, drained blood from, and left asleep three days ago. After a brief pause, he replied in a casual tone.

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“We broke up.”

“Wow.”

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Ki-chul tossed his phone aside and sat up straight, suddenly looking very interested.

“Why? Did she get sick of you? Said you were a pain in the ass?”

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It was almost as if he wanted that to be the reason.

“…No, she said she was getting married, so I told her we should break up.”

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“Yeah, right. She probably dumped you,” Ki-chul scoffed.

“…Sure, let’s say that,” Ju-wan replied, his tone indifferent.

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Since he had hypnotized Seo-Yeon to believe she had ended things with him, Ki-chul’s assumption wasn’t entirely wrong. Ki-chul, satisfied with the idea that Ju-wan had been dumped, seemed in much better spirits now. Clicking his tongue in mock concern, he added,

“Hey, you should focus on securing something solid.”

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“Take your own advice,” Ju-wan replied flatly.

“I already do. Just yesterday, I got a new bag. You know how the madam’s brother is about money, right? Even you won’t get a free pass if your sales drop.”

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For a moment, Ju-wan imagined how Ki-chul’s face would twist if he told him that Seo-Yeon had offered him a luxury apartment in Yangjae and even a café. But he decided to keep quiet—it wasn’t worth the trouble since he had turned it all down anyway. Seeing Ju-wan remain silent, Ki-chul seemed to think he’d won and puffed himself up even more.

“So, is the madam still holding interviews?” Ju-wan asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

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“Dunno. She went out earlier. Probably off trying to secure a loan or something,” Ki-chul replied, clearly clueless.

Ju-wan quickly lost interest in the conversation and pulled out his phone. Opening the NetPlus app, he tapped on the account labeled “Choi Gyu-hyuk” and randomly clicked on one of the AI-recommended dramas.

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The preview began playing, accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack. The female lead, dressed in a flowing white dress, cried out with tears streaming down her large, expressive eyes.

“I love you!”

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