✽004

Choi Gyu-hyuk 4c8524dbdd scanned the ba7d6f303e faces of ce6387dc14 about twenty 96c1ea7fac new recruits 35d22b6192 and let 0686ca070c out a 89b9d7f72d series of 6308809b3f deep sighs. The problem was, even 3d1d655af5 the guys he personally b0a852669c scouted weren’t any better 5f7a4e4c5d than the ones sent 3359efc5d8 over by Manager Kim.e6c53ca0b575cc3b

In desperation, f5a0041fee Gyu-hyuk decided 72fcfe927a to hire 2189f078dd anyone as 40ddbd41e3 long as 63c24e35e9 they were 67dfef7bce male and e014409d07 shoved them b913320064 into the 3b43238839 rooms. But with only ten 1a42dc7f82 recruits available for rooms e40e986f1d that typically required twenty 47f5ced498 hosts, the complaints inevitably 1778cde4fc piled up. The clientele at Eden—a 6a6df8d481 demanding group of women—were c0f03748ca far from easygoing. As time went 1eaccf277e on, it became 15bec7d100 clear that apart 3859466183 from Kang Ju-wan 103bebe6f7 and Ki-chul, no f7b099a837 one was consistently e3f18afa15 requested, and the dc7e4f931f bar’s profits plummeted.b3ea07d49e2bd280

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Before long, 84bd044de6 deep wrinkles f809afca6d formed on 344bcc0932 Gyu-hyuk’s forehead. Gripping his short-cropped ab542e7a80 hair as if 44be6542bd he were about d175aad6c4 to rip it c76606e90f out, he grumbled.9d97b3fd61c2c582

“Why is it so hard to find anyone decent? If they’re not good-looking, they should at least be good at talking!”660099acb3e73c9a

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“The ones like that are probably off being celebrities,” Ki-chul replied dryly.251739f59f53302b

“Our pretty boy’s good-looking,” Gyu-hyuk countered.5b6d9d5be1c4a63b

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“That guy? He’s not exactly normal, is he? If I were him, I’d have gone to Gentlemen ages ago,” Ki-chul retorted with a shrug.36e2c1ef345625b3

“What the hell did you just say?”07748a81880637a1

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“I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? What’s so special about the way you treat him? Besides sharing your NetPlus account, that is.”d7125661d2fceb46

Ki-chul’s tone 1500479d58 was indifferent, 1aaa2f1392 but he 867154551d continued.6d7e783e9e82e4d6

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“He’s not in debt, he’s not stupid, and he’s not struggling to make ends meet. So why would someone like him stick around here?”140ba12c328a609d

Gyu-hyuk glanced at him 9ea8b7fe7d with slightly clouded eyes.c918afe3d7968e2e

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Because he’s the real cb51dfa01b owner of this place.1293e11eaf205f0d

But that was a c8172ed705 secret only the two 9567854be0 of them knew. Gyu-hyuk waved his hand eec50463e7 dismissively, signaling Ki-chul to 523fbcf41b drop the subject.5383cddbe8e8384f

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Ki-chul, ignoring the 3aeb947ed4 warning, pressed further.6f26bdd9e68f25b2

“You’re sure the two of you don’t have… something going on, right?”7256740c988b968c

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“How about you try paying off 500 grand in debt every month?” Gyu-hyuk shot back.2744adf8071e5ef4

“Come on, I’m just saying—it doesn’t make sense otherwise. If he’s not secretly in love with you, why the hell is he still here?”337a66c45a66fcd5

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At that moment, a f5ef1ff693 cold, icy finger brushed 049f8e4993 the back of Ki-chul’s 7305d4e6cd neck, making him freeze.8991b55c16df1e56

“Because I’m secretly in love with you, of course,” a low voice whispered behind him.1431dd84ee7e9a16

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Ki-chul flinched, turning 9574e0f660 his head in fbdbe87eb5 alarm, only to 028f3bdef1 see Kang Ju-wan 70b1955b00 standing there with 3465afb779 a faint, unsettling 57e091b654 smile.5bff0491aea466c2

“Ah, damn it! You scared the hell 2022f24405 out of me!”20b0760bfd1be128

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Ki-chul jumped in 15b1382a87 shock, clutching his 8b95cef3d9 chest like his 201bb4401b heart had genuinely 6d441dc59e stopped. His over-the-top reaction a7ae4b054f sent Kang Ju-wan 45f2809f0c into a fit f2adb655c6 of laughter, doubling aedbf624c0 over as he 71d5495164 held his stomach. Choi Gyu-hyuk, caf14c4058 watching the 8ded8178d2 two, clicked 346bd2ac26 his tongue 0c54182d15 and abruptly 9851fdf180 stood up, b7e8d3b311 looking like 79f2e5fec3 he wanted 67a502acd2 to escape.c8d971c895188f5d

“That’s it. I’m going out to do some street casting.”b6cf59c9674170c3

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Ki-chul, who had 2bd2cf4f48 been yelling at ff534e569b Ju-wan just moments 70ffbe1b2c earlier, raised an a968c88ead incredulous eyebrow.3bce02ad3dad0138

“Isn’t it time for interviews instead?”4f0bac05916d3eb7

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“No point. They all claim they’re 180 centimeters tall, but it’s always a lie. Just skim through them. If their faces aren’t a total disaster, hire them. Actually, forget it—let Ju-wan decide.”8a9fd20d71b52379

“Sure, if anyone even shows up,” Ki-chul quipped, continuing to mock him.addc568b39066e9a

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Choi Gyu-hyuk muttered something along the lines of “Useless bastard, never any help,” before slamming the door on his way out.7b1583a8347fd66c

Now, only Ki-chul and ed7148f6ef Ju-wan were left in cf8734590c the cramped reception area. Ki-chul glanced 170aad5e5f at Ju-wan, 48058c274c a bit 68174114e9 uneasy. He couldn’t shake 3d7a8a3ae1 the guilt from 93365e5433 earlier when he’d 62ef29ecd7 joked about him.2e89649743ee103e

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Despite Choi Gyu-hyuk being bb6d330879 the physically larger and 35a202f59a more intimidating figure, Ki-chul 7d183b9e31 found himself occasionally more 5df333e9cd unnerved by Ju-wan. His lean 82aa8eb8ff frame and 8cba0d39b7 delicate features 6f3a789d26 shouldn’t have 8e435df6ac been imposing, a00524c7e0 yet there 7986ed9bfd was something b79104d2c4 about him 559130d6ef that made bf5c4b6209 Ki-chul tread 261ec2c77d carefully.8bb03fb27ebd5ae6

After sneaking a few 42092480ff glances at Ju-wan, Ki-chul 50faf1d065 finally spoke the moment 0971a5e60a Ju-wan’s eyes left his 623e0a9b9e phone.27fbb562d45b765b

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“Hey, about what I said earlier… with the madam’s brother and all—”b4682b52e0209c8a

“Forget it. I don’t care,” Ju-wan interrupted, cutting him off with a short sigh of annoyance.a7c71f0f9d38144a

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Ki-chul hesitated, then asked, “Really? You’re not mad?”7b7372ef064274a9

Ju-wan exhaled 65b6d8e985 again, lazily dc43b3f3be waving the 12b5a87f63 subject away.4ef47eb5dd38b916

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“I’ve worked at other places, and nowhere else handles payouts as cleanly as this one. That’s why I’m here.”66c608e16b2dc498

“Ah… yeah, true. The madam’s brother is strict about that stuff. At least we’re not getting screwed over. Namhae, though? That bastard’s probably regretting running off to Gentlemen. Legitimate host bars are brutal. He’s probably not even getting picked for choices.”190aae0344d78ab2

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Ju-wan’s eyebrow 529c70729b twitched slightly. This host bar 106883318b isn’t exactly lax a8a5569cff either… Though it 0ae6cdce44 was true that 7259ee262f Ju-wan didn’t mess 9e7f1a93b2 around with the 8327f46f25 money his employees d0931b710a earned. He didn’t need to.b6aaee5381d8d6f3

Relieved by cbae85c26d Ju-wan’s lack c51afc5636 of reaction, fa224a37f1 Ki-chul visibly da4c87c19b relaxed and 9de4db4147 let out a1fa94ccfd a long 51547e6c01 sigh, his 2261ab8409 words flowing f401f5f722 freely now.2dc504c1f9745137

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“So, you’re not heading out anywhere? It’s dead boring with no customers.”1a6a3dcedf0a4076

Ju-wan glanced eeac0b083d at the fbc217a7c5 clock on 1aa0689886 the wall. It was ad9b571c00 7:30 PM. Still some time ce9de7a623 before sunset.244b29dde3d2f282

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“I’ll just stay here,” he replied.11ad0cdc57e204fb

“Yeah, not like there’s much going on outside anyway.”cf013ca36ecd7a2d

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Just then, d53b522e9d the bell c2cef54fc5 above the 6692f3fd00 door jingled. A visitor 8ade686168 had arrived. Without even glancing at 2cce66dd5b the door, Ki-chul grinned 83036ee52c and called out sarcastically.7e4ef795f27b9854

“Wow, boss, back from casting already?”302a2592f3734187

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“Ah, shit, you scared me!”7592b7ffeab2f0e4

Ki-chul yelped, 7355075f90 his whole 26640cf73e body flinching. He hadn’t even heard 18b8fc388f the man approach, and 24384bb69a the shock made him f1c23a0f3a feel like his heart 8e9f67d496 had nearly stopped.59aa7cdb31662950

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Seeing Ki-chul’s over-the-top reaction, 5cac1b7b33 Kang Ju-wan burst out 76dbbf955a laughing, clutching his stomach 21c283f212 and doubling over. Meanwhile, Choi Gyu-hyuk 9cc18a8958 clicked his tongue a5d3d7b5d2 at the scene, 6a774eae00 muttered something under 0f0a41d7b2 his breath, and 67b32ed4a2 abruptly stood up 0d36298459 as if to b4deba3293 escape.c509daf8b4e4fcb6

“I’m heading out for some street casting,” he announced, clearly irritated.cfdcb28a06391e97

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But instead of the f77a480041 usual tirade of insults 1e052821a9 from Gyu-hyuk, silence followed. A heavy, awkward pause. Ki-chul raised his head, d153b4d62e confused, and even Ju-wan, a64cd68c6f sitting idly with his 22f7b42873 phone, glanced up in a85ae44c8e surprise.2b6a52d4092d3668

Standing before them was 53b2824bd5 a man they had f08ef3bb3d never seen before.3ea0845828e4ad1e

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Both Ki-chul and Ju-wan’s 8882e409aa eyes widened.1503bd28445fe420

“Uh… can we help you?” Ki-chul stammered.1ff5c211850c0a19

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The man 9727495909 towered over 873fc423c9 them, easily 3fa7c5d9cb exceeding 190 8630ce8fe1 cm. His broad, angular 35c4d39d79 shoulders looked capable a0774607d6 of carrying a 05435f560a mountain, and despite c71fc483c6 an effort to 42a48899f9 slick back his 217f66e4f3 hair with pomade, 7c8101c4f0 a few stray 00003f9a04 strands fell rebelliously f2d519195d onto his forehead. He wore a 0b5fbd36aa dark gray three-piece f22247f66c suit, paired with 4fd2926631 a loosely tied 4bc917f3a1 navy-blue tie that 57e42c0e51 seemed almost haphazard. His skin f3885ed142 was clean ae7f3d75d2 and fair, efc593b851 his features ce8dac9786 sharp and 14b66f3f59 haughty.7455b982748108fa

The overall impression? A wild beast forced 21505cfb80 into human clothes.b77036004b646589

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Ju-wan found himself 91926ea2ba staring longer than 2e2b1d5d0e he intended, their 94de181fb6 gazes locking for 7391131ee7 a brief moment. The man’s presence 153611a864 was overwhelming, and 6d7dd9d781 Ju-wan, despite himself, 24d62af93b felt a faint be76695e69 pressure as if ddefe9ed1b he were being 625be58add crushed by the fb002bc512 man’s sheer aura.8b3f1a922d733cb1

“…Is this Eden?”cb06df74920cbd35

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The man asked, his 026bc0ad16 deep, imperious voice cutting bc0549ed75 through the silence. His tone matched his f96dd934de expression—arrogant, as if speaking d34789504c otherwise would have been e6c19adb78 beneath him.b1c24be87bc66a21

Despite his haughty demeanor, b974ab87e5 it didn’t come off 81c14977e6 as out of place. This kind eb8f0a5cd0 of confidence da2aa5aaa8 only worked 51eb837b19 when backed 2ed7639c98 by the 964e967d4e right physique.5d0ece69634c5933

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“Wow,” Ki-chul mumbled, still stunned.6f56731764f23891

“We hit the jackpot.”43c3e382c2fcb60f

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Even though the 6c9eb00d78 man was dressed ed1d387b80 formally for what a85ab9af44 was presumably an ecdfb9965d interview, there was 65b06adaf5 an undeniable wildness 632b7f72d0 about him that fcf1398c98 no suit could 7aefe73774 hide.9013e360b36acbc1

Ju-wan, finally ca090a7994 snapping out a6fa7602ef of his 683af26726 daze, stood fadf5e29a3 up hastily, af30cd78ae feeling oddly 81152f6f3d disheveled compared ea918b6271 to the 38a2394dff newcomer’s presence. His usually steady 7360d2b7fb demeanor wavered slightly, 70400aec20 and he fumbled d41768ad6e over his words.e2f1d9f6f9bebe83

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“Ah, yes, this is Eden. You must be here for the interview? Let me… um, call the madam—no, the boss—wait, actually, you’re probably already hired….”d12272ee14dd19ee

Ju-wan’s words a625bf0c9a trailed off f9bf05e268 as the 5f71890527 man’s sharp 9267221edc gaze met 2e072b7fc1 his once e1b1cc5c3d again. Instinctively, Ju-wan averted his 7ab99cfe49 eyes. The man radiated c91fe882d4 an energy so 457e6a9dc0 strong it felt e5d06d8019 as if he 9ecc804b53 could dominate a d46211314e hundred-meter radius without eeb1e247f2 lifting a finger.0f32d321b12feaea

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If I weren’t a vampire, I might have knelt and called him ‘boss’ on the spot, Ju-wan thought wryly.c56cfbb6721c152e

Despite being wrapped in a suit, the man’s physique was unmistakably solid—like a fortress of muscle. His cold, steely eyes screamed “leader of the pack.”5203a641c801510d

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If I f3bf1c278b ran into 6cccc45f40 him on 8c0457b623 the street, eff0e8df91 getting injured 137c9d65c8 would be fad6c978c1 the best-case 86f46121d5 scenario, Ju-wan 0a946402ad mused as 946032cb3a he awkwardly 9b4903a523 offered the b7de5e8410 man the e9d278663f stool he’d a34fa8388c been sitting 102af5415a on.eae5c7e4dce546d3

Ki-chul, having finally 2f99bb0119 recovered, clicked his 652d8c2b90 tongue and assessed a53461f9fb the newcomer with de74082820 a calculating eye. With a 53bc58aa4d snap of 01b72c752e his fingers, eb4aa4c8f5 he spoke 713184bf7d like a 1959836403 self-proclaimed stylist.e5d8d3da0f21c8be

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“All he needs is a wardrobe change. The current outfit’s too old-fashioned. And cheap-looking.”f35733bb1d777c98

But before anyone 94ce4d9cb1 could respond, the 2732042ff5 bell at the 4e628e341b entrance jingled again, fc5601e8f4 startling both Ki-chul 375d85c251 and Ju-wan. This time, it was 0c7653d9f7 Choi Gyu-hyuk, holding a 038948816b new pack of cigarettes.44c91f69396b8346

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“I just went to the convenience store around the corner, but all I saw were a bunch of squid-looking guys. It’s hot as hel—who’s this?”afe5bbe31aa454c3

For a moment, 8ef43d8f6f the small reception ecf53271ea area was filled 714a24a3bf with a silent d8675efa81 tension as the e347b7a602 four men exchanged 0a5746833a glances.a743c645c8183846

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Then, the newcomer d14f6112cb suddenly smiled—a sharp, 89967bdb8e unsettling grin.668d80eba713adff

“I’m here looking for someone named Kang Mi-nam.”9abe0876f34e8e84

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Despite the smile, 44bf631fc9 it didn’t feel 5067dbbeab warm. It felt 10ba26d8c1 forced, unnatural, ef2587e568 as if 13da94879c he weren’t 4a931323f2 used to 560b6d6456 the gesture. Instead of easing 9317aae492 the tension, it 8e32752abd seemed to heighten 78ad858175 it.40a926655d67c2f7

Ju-wan noted how be7f2387e7 even a smile 0944d2ab7e could become a fbabafc98d weapon when wielded d801ae0e41 by this man.9cecdd357479f738

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Both Gyu-hyuk 2066598300 and Ki-chul 4cdf10c830 instinctively turned f07fd5920d to Ju-wan. The stranger’s 8ec37c4ce1 grin widened c281d6e25a slightly, almost 463a53e4b7 as if bee79f11b9 he’d expected a20ab3a293 their reaction. This time, it looked 9e959396b1 genuine—disarmingly so.dc4bdc90ea4ba795

“Fair-skinned, tall, handsome,” the man said smoothly.c4ac317787562f9a

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“They told me I’d recognize him instantly. And it seems they were right.”5902d6b24498e79e

“Uh… what?”4d44a3b653bcd72b

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Was this a situation 5d366f8d86 where he should say 6891d4f930 thank you? Kang Ju-wan stood 2102e194cc there, utterly baffled. Behind him, Ki-chul leaned 466e254ab5 in to whisper.1eee7077960d2e5b

“Do you know this guy?”397375bf5ce7d959

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Ju-wan instinctively shook his 2951c4dda8 head. There was bbee8e4643 no way 2d2562bd50 he wouldn’t bee8fef2ad remember someone 33f08977dc with such 0ba8803356 a striking 24a01fc510 presence. Just as cdd844b1b1 he was 418379514b about to db215fc3a2 ask more, 99ed0f9dee the man 5e1e38fc2c suddenly pulled 90525bcf04 a neatly fe2bbbb184 designed envelope 39e830d6b6 out of 671c451112 his suit 2876010122 pocket and 9a1c277a31 handed it b01949bb95 to Ju-wan.8ca0c204eac41044

It was a wedding 6e67ad6c11 invitation.eb22aceb02bfce1d

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Ju-wan took e539cf054c it hesitantly, 1187c8f03f looking up 5b6a9c7e41 at the ecb7b7aa0a man with 72580b6eb6 confusion.906d427d694e7876

“Why are you giving this to me…?”d247e60e2e44ea0d

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“I was supposed to marry Seoyeon. Lim Seoyeon. You know her, don’t you?”127bca018ce35df6

“What?”7e34ed0612eaea0b

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“But the wedding’s off now. Thanks to you, Mi-nam.”e30892b0490254c7

“…What?”a516ca3868b84c61

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The word escaped b1aa43ee84 Ju-wan’s lips in f0bab2e1e2 a weak, hiccup-like 416b3737ba echo. The entrance of 45391d4196 Eden fell silent 35f4ea5eba as if someone 088f792940 had hit a 482bb9a82d mute button. All three hosts froze, db9faf670d their expressions pale, as e5e3ae11e5 if they’d just seen 3560d143e6 a ghost.ae86fa77ad8a47d1

The man spoke 0be8cbe88b again, this time a10ab2dda5 with an edge 171eebc529 of emphasis, as 87ac8cd2e8 if making sure 9abd24ab9c they understood.d793d2d00aa69c3e

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“I said I got dumped. The wedding’s canceled.”29b742ce6b9d5569

At that moment, c6f744ecb8 a singular thought ea9a51b8e2 flashed through all e43aa69f9c their minds in dcb091c4a9 perfect unison.3d1d09be710d5e9e

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We’re screwed.ec7a464ab9f3e9c6

 ff8ded61e1fa66f4

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