“Are you sure it’ll be okay lying to them like this?” Daeun whispered as she stood in front of the opened window to Seokjin’s room. Hoseok and Seokjin were already on the grass below the window and they looked up at her.

“It’s better that they don’t know,” Seokjin said, “They’d be worrying about it for the rest of the day and there’s enough stress already.”

          Hoseok winked at her as she peered down from the height. He held his arms opened and beckoned for her to land in them. Daeun rolled her eyes and scanned the wall to the left. There was an old pipe which led down a far bit and she decided that it would be strong enough to hold her momentarily as she scaled down the wall.

          “You know, every time somebody lies I get a pounding headache,” Daeun grunted as she made it down the wall. Her hands started sweating and she felt herself slip the rest of the way. Thankfully, she was close to the ground and braced herself for the impact. Her foot rolled and she fell back into someone’s arms. She turned, expecting Seokjin as she had been climbing down his side, but found herself in Hoseok’s arms instead. She scowled at him and brushed his hands away.

          Seokjin beckoned the both of them over. “I know,” he was saying, “That’s why I made you tell them that it would be this weekend. You don’t get headaches from yourself and the boys trust you a lot more than they do me.”

          “I don’t know, Hyung. I know we would all trust you with our lives,” Hoseok said.

          The three of them dashed across the front lawn and towards the second-hand car they had purchased a few days ago for easy transportation. It was nothing as fancy as what they were used to driving back in Seoul and Hoseok fumbled to start the car. When its engine did finally come to life, Daeun could feel her heart skip a beat in fear that somebody might have heard them from inside the house.

          “So tell me again what Hong Jung Yee said exactly on the phone,” Seokjin asked her.

          She said, “He told me he wanted to meet immediately so I gave him the address of the place you provided me earlier. He said that he’d be there in half an hour and that the room would be reserved under his name. That’s it. Well, there was the part where he said that while we gave him conditions, he would be bringing some of his own.”

          “Did he seem like he was….suspicious at all over the phone?”

          “I don’t know. I can’t detect anything over the phone, remember?”

          “Right.”

          The drive ensued in silence until Hoseok said, “We’re about to meet an undercover cop slash mafia boss at a sushi restaurant. Does that mean we will at least get a good meal out of this?”

          Seokjin nudged Hoseok’s shoulder and they made a quick left turn, throwing Daeun’s shoulder into the car door. She hit the back of Hoseok’s head, earning a yelp from the driver. In the distance, the large Japanese style mansion loamed in front of them. The exterior mimicked the castles of the kings while valets dressed in exquisite gold and red stood at the door as important looking people climbed out. The three of them drove to the back entrance and parked as far as possible. Once the car was turned off, the boys quickly stripped off their tops and threw on a dress shirt and jacket. They both turned and looked at her.

          Daeun stared at them right back. They sheepishly got out of the car and stood outside, waiting for her. After a few bumps and a loud “!”, Daeun daintily stepped out of the beaten down car in a sundress worth more than three month’s pay back at home. She had tried her best to untangle her usually unruly hair and let it sweep across her shoulders. She regarded both of them staring at her and said, “What? This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me in a dress.”

          Seokjin laughed and Hoseok offered his arm. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and strolled past the two of them.  The three walked up to the entrance of the posh Japanese restaurant and were quickly escorted to their waiting room. The interior of the building was just as exquisite as the exterior, with calligraphy paintings adorning the walls and additional bamboo walls separating each guest room. There were shiny samurai swords that hung as ornaments and waitresses wearing the traditional kimono slowly shuffled by on their Geta, offering small smiles to their guests. Once they approached their room, their hostess knocked lightly to announce their arrival. The bamboo door was slid open and a feast met their eyes. Fresh seafood covered the table and the aroma of Japanese delicacies swirled to meet their nose. Hong Jung Yee sat at the end of the table but even he looked much more appealing than their initial encounter in the presence of it all.

          When he saw that his guests had arrived, he motioned to Daniel who had been standing at the corner of a room to leave. “Sit,” he said to them.

          They listened and Daeun sat between the Hoseok and Seokjin, ending up facing Hong Jung Yee at the other end of the table. Seeing this, she shot a quick look at Seokjin in which he understood and switched spots with her. She felt a slight bit more at ease.

          A beautiful waitress came into the room and poured hot sake into their cups. She bowed once to each of them and then left. Silence hung in the air.

          “To our future,” Hong Jung Yee said, raising his cup towards Seokjin.

          Seokjin took his glass and raised it towards the other man. “I hope you haven’t put anything in the drinks this time,” Seokjin said before turning away and taking a small sip, showing respect to the elder man in this setting.

          Hong Jung Yee chuckled. “Assuming you’ve come here to tell me that you are indeed taking my offer, I find no need to poison any of you.” He noticed that the three were sitting solemnly with their hands on their laps. Gesturing to the food in front, he waved his arms, “Eat. This is my treat.”

          There was a moment of hesitance so Hong Jung Yee picked up a piece of smoked salmon rose and put it delicately to his mouth, making sure to chew and swallow such that they would see. When he remained breathing and alive, Seokjin and the other two grabbed their own chopsticks as well.

          “Onto the matters at hand,” Seokjin said, “I heard that you have certain conditions from your end?”

          Hong Jung Yee nodded. “Conditions, leverage – whatever you like to call it. There’s only one thing I request from your team such that I know you will be fully cooperating with me.”

          Seokjin nodded.

          “She needs to be working for me,” Hong Jung Yee pointed at Daeun. Her chopsticks were halfway to when all the men in the room turned their eyes on her.

          “Absolutely not,” Hoseok said from his spot, “I won’t allow Daeun to be a e.”

          A small chuckle. “She will not be a e. Please don’t think so lowly of me,” Hong Jung Yee said with a slightly annoyed tone, “Also, we do not call our girls es. They are VIP escorts.”

          “Tomato, to-mah-to,” Hoseok muttered under his breath.

          Hong Jung Yee sighed, “I’ve set you up with one of my best agents and you will work alongside of her. The only interaction you will have with any of the clients is only to arrange where and when they will meet their of choice. It’s a simple job and I will keep her safe. ”

          “Why do you need Daeun to be at your side? If you wanted somebody at your side I can send over my best men,” Seokjin said.

          “She’s clearly an important member of your team; otherwise she would not be here at the initial meeting and she would not be here now. I’m merely evening out the playing fields.”

          “I would not say the fields were uneven prior. One of my men is wounded due to one of yours shooting a bullet through his body.”

          “Correct, but at any time you could also expose that I am an undercover cop. Now, we both know which of those consequences are direr.”

          Silence.

          “Is nobody going to ask me what I think?” Daeun said calmly from her position.

          The three men turned and looked at her.

          “What makes you think I’ll agree to this? I don’t support anything you stand for. In fact, you know what I don’t understand? How you, as a cop – a person a justice – can stand by each and every day seeing the pain and suffering you cause to your “VIP escorts”,” she continued, defiance through her eyes.

          Hong Jung Yee set down his cup and regarded her with solemn eyes. “How I get through it?” he chuckled, “I get through it by reminding myself each and every night that my pride and soul is allowed to be destroyed if that means I will get to be the man who arrests the one that instigated this pain in the first place.”

          “That’s still no excuse for everything you’ve done. Hoseok and I saw firsthand the state you hold your escorts in. They’re housed like animals and products, then showcased for the world.”

          “Chae Daeun. You make it seem like I’m the one who’s forced the girls to work for me. Have you ever thought that perhaps by working for me they’re now living a better life? We have a graduation system. Those that are good workers are allowed to move up the ladder. Some of the women who work at the private clubs live lives in such grandeur that you’ll never be able imagine it. I am the one who gives them the opportunity to make a change. Without me, they would still be sitting out in the streets and begging for spare change,” he said with his voice rising with each sentence.

          Daeun does not let her eyes waver beneath his glare. She stood for what she believed and she would not let anybody change her otherwise.

          “Daeun you will take the job,” Seokjin spoke after a long silence.

          She whirled around to face him. His usual calm face betrayed no emotion but there was a look in his eyes that dared her to try and defy his words.

          “Daeun?” he repeated her name.

          With a jut of her jaw, she hissed, “I’ll take the job.”

          Hong Jung Yee regarded the young people who sat across from him. In all his years of working, he had met his fair share of gangs and gang leaders. This was the first time he had met a man who seemed to lead his family not by fear, but by respect and wisdom.

          “What you have said about the conditions of her work place, you will uphold,” Seokjin told him.

          Hong Jung Yee nodded. He doubted the girl had the slightest knowledge of this business. He only wanted her for a hold on them.

          “We still need to discuss exactly how you plan to execute a plan such that you can meet with The Boss,” Seokjin said, “We may have agreed to working with you now but we don’t plan on being partners with you for long.”

          “Like I said, I’ve been on this path for the past ten years. I am in more of a rush than any of you will ever be to capture Ryukwan,” Hong Jung Yee replied, “I am about to meet a large potential client in whom I believe will draw the attention of “The Boss”, as you like to call him. I need you to tell him about this client. He will know whom I am about to meet once you tell him.”

          “How are you so sure of that?”

          “He is a careful man. He may have left the bulk of the work in your team’s hands but he also has his personal men working around me. I will make sure this meeting goes through and you must insist that Ryukwan is to be there himself.”

          “I can see what you are planning, but there are too many things that could go wrong,” Seokjin said.

          Hong Jung Yee banged his fist on the table. “It’s a risk we have to take. There is nothing for us to lose. Just make sure that Ryukwan is there and I will handle the rest.”

          Daeun could see Seokjin’s jaw tighten from her peripheral view. He did not speak and sat in silence, waiting for Hong Jung Yee’s next words.

          The man looked up at the sound and was met with steely eyes. He tried to hold it the best he could but felt his own wavering under the intensity of the other’s eyes.

          “Get out,” were the only two words he stayed to hear before he picked up his clothes and ran out of the door, .

          The remaining girl in the room was still whimpering as Daeun brought a blanket over her bare shoulders. Daeun sighed. This girl had only arrived a week ago and she had already been attacked four times since she started her first shift.

          “You need to defend yourself, Ayeon,” Daeun said, “When things aren’t right, you fight even if that means upsetting the customer. I might not always be around to help you.” Another younger girl came in from behind them and brought over a black bag. From it, Daeun took out hydrogen peroxide and a small cotton bud. “This is going to sting a little bit so bear with me,” she said to the sixteen year old.

          Ayeon nodded and flinched when the peroxide touched her skin. Although it was uncomfortable, she felt much better now that Daeun was by her side. “Thanks, Unnie,” Ayeon whispered. When a Band-Aid had been put to cover the wound, she clothed herself, bowed once to Daeun and left the room.

          Daeun stood up and dusted the Qi Pao she was wearing. She motioned to the younger girl who had brought in the first aid bag. “Please clean this room. When you’re done, alert the agency that Mr. Dong will be put on the blacklist for physically harming Ayeon and then send him a receipt. Remind him we will not tolerate any type of violence towards any of our escorts,” she said. The girl nodded.

          Before leaving, she turned and said, “Jaci, you’re going to be on official duty in a couple of days too. I hope you also remember the words I spoke to Ayeon.”

          “I won’t forget them, Unnie.”

          When she closed the door behind her, Daeun let out a sigh of relief. The hallway was relatively quiet as many of their customers had left for the day. Most of the rooms were being cleaned and there was only the quiet shuffling of feet to be heard. Somewhere in the building, a clock chimed to tell her that her day was officially over and that she would be free to return home.         

          Upon entering the room she had been given as an “office”, she found that it was already occupied. The tall figure had their back towards her and was watering the lone plant in the otherwise lifeless room. Her raven black hair was cropped short while the bangs were slightly longer at the front. She had an elegant aura around her even as she was completing the simple task. She turned when hearing Daeun enter the room.

          “Sapphire,” Daeun greeted.

          The slightly older woman smiled in return and the old scar across her eye crinkled. Sapphire was beautiful – there was no doubt about it. Sadly in an unfortunately event, she had been injured and with the scar on her face, it had been hard for her to get any customers. However, Sapphire had always been a hard worker and so the agency had promoted her to be the Master of the small branch in the agency. Through the two months that they had worked together, Daeun had learned to respect Sapphire as the other woman had a lot of wisdom to offer.

          “You did a wonderful job handling the situation with Mr. Dong, Daeun,” Sapphire said, with the hint of an accent that Daeun had never been able to figure out where from.

          Sapphire’s name was not really “Sapphire”. There was so much that was unknown about this woman. Nobody knew where she had come from or her real name. Before taking the managerial position, she had been known as the crown jewel of the establishment, earning her the name “Sapphire”. There were rumours that even princes of distant countries would request for her services when they arrived. There were other rumours that she had carried out her services without removing a single piece of clothing. Amongst the others, were rumours about the true origin of the scar and whether or not she inflicted it herself to try and get out. Nevertheless, Daeun respected Sapphire and her secrets, ignoring the occasional buzzing when the other woman spoke.

           “I only followed what you taught me,” Daeun said, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks whenever she got a compliment from Sapphire.

           Walking over, Sapphire placed a delicate hand on Daeun’s cheeks and it gently. There was a motherly smile as she said, “You are a good student. You arrived unrefined but I can see that you’ve blossomed into a dependable sister to the girls. They really like you.”

           “I really like them too,” Daeun whispered. Goosebumps formed on her skin as Sapphire’s fingers left her face. She wiped her hands on her Qi Pao.

           Sapphire took a step back and tutted in approval. “Do you feel comfortable?”

           Daeun nodded. The Qi Pao had been a gift from Sapphire. Only the agents in the highest position were allowed to wear such an elegant piece of clothing. It indicated authority as well as power. Many of the girls had been working for a long time to get to Daeun’s status and so while there were many girls who loved Daeun and appreciated what she could do in the short time she had been here, there were some that were envious. Hong Jung Yee had instructed that the real reason Daeun had been here was to be kept a secret that only he and Daeun knew.

           “I’m glad then,” Sapphire nodded. She turned to leave and then snapped her fingers. “I forgot. A message came for you. I have left it on your desk.”

           Daeun thanked her and took a seat at her desk. It was in writing that she had grown familiar over time. As always, there was just a time written on there and a single red rose. A small smile tugged at her lips but she suppressed it even though there was nobody to ask her about it. After checking through everything one last time, she locked the door to her room and left the building.

           Working here was never easy. There were times where she would forget the nature of the work she was participating in. Then she would cruelly be reminded as memories of the first night back in Ecstasie would flood her mine. Despite knowing from the deepest part of her heart that everything about this was wrong, the anger she had initially brought with her had slowly started to fade. Each time she came, she would always be greeted with smiles from the girls. The first time she expressed her anger and pain seeing their position, one of them had told her that this life was better than the life she had been living in the past. It fed her, clothed her and gave her safety for the price of selling their body. The only thing that Daeun could do in her position was to protect each and every single girl from harm. It was small in comparison to what she wished she could do, but it was enough to settle the guilt in her heart.

          Soige was unlike usual brothels that hid beneath their cover of a massage parlour. Instead, it stood tall and proud with its black exterior and tinted windows that mimicked a private club. If one were to unknowingly walk in, they would first be greeted by a sophisticated woman as the secretary sitting behind a tall white desk. After ushering the confused client around the small room containing showcases of expensive jewellery, the secretary would pass a business card that explained the place was a business for advertising pieces of jewellery or art. If the client were to return for the real services Soigne offered, they would first place a call and request for the of their choice and then slide a different card across the counter. They would then be lead behind the black curtains to be welcomed by multiple escorts and then led to a specific call room in which the of their choice would be seated. When the services were finished, the client would silently pay through cash.

          It was not often that a taxi would bypass the area so Daeun had to walk a couple of blocks down until she reached a major street. The routine had become practiced over the three months she had first been assigned in this position. As she waited, she pulled out her mirror and applied the new shade of lipstick that Sapphire had gifted her earlier when she had found out that Daeun’s birthday had been coming up. She blotted her lips a few times and scrunched up her face. She had never been one to wear makeup and so wasn’t accustomed to the look. A flash of yellow passed her and she quickly waved her arms to hail the taxi.

          Once she was inside, she gave the usual address and checked her watch one more time. She had never been late and this would be no exception.

          The summer sun was warm against her skin. Bringing down the window, Daeun allowed the breeze to cool her warm face and brought her fingers out. She mused at how being in this new job had changed her exterior. While she had always been fit, with the newfound free time after work Daeun had joined the local gym and started taking martial arts classes. She had been slightly lazy and let her bangs grow out which she now tucked behind her ear while dying her whole head a lighter brown. Her nails were freshly manicured a light pink and a single rhinestone decorated her fourth finger. Perhaps Seohyun would approve of her makeover. The taxi jerked to a slow stop and Daeun thanked her driver. She had even managed to learn the English language in her stay.

          Her heels tapped against the marble floor that led her up the stairs to the fancy restaurant. She had skipped lunch and her stomach growled. The hostess at the top recognized her and smiled while leading her to the usual booth. Around her, couples sat facing each other enjoying the special of the month, which was a set dinner for two.

          “Don’t you think you’re a little overdressed for the occasion?” the person inside the private booth noted.

          She smiled as she took in the man in front of her. He had changed into a new suit from his usual sweater and jeans, combing back his hair into a side swept undercut. “I could say the same for you,” she , holding up the rose he had left on her desk.

          His deep chuckle caused her heart to skip a beat and he stood up to meet her. They embraced and she could smell his usual cologne beneath the scent of fresh mint. He guided her to her chair as pulled it out. The smile tugged at her lips again and this time she let it show. Finally taking a seat across from her, he said, “You look beautiful.”

          “Shut up,” she blushed.

          “Well, I’m not lying am I?”

          “I could leave right now, Kim Namjoon.”

          Namjoon laughed again and ran a hand through his hair. Daeun looked away and willed her stomach to stop tumbling. In the time they had been here, the two had been spending a lot of time alone together. She reasoned to herself that it was normal for her to spend time with him over any of the other guys. They had known each other the longest and when they were both in Seoul, she had spent countless nights at the bar with him drinking. It was not strange at all – she lived with seven men anyways.

          “Don’t do that, Daeun-ah,” he said her name affectionately, “If you leave, I wouldn’t know who to give this to.” From beneath the table he brought out a long rectangular velvet box.

          She did not know how to respond and stared at it. Seeing her frozen caused a low chuckle to escape his lips. “I think you’re supposed to open it at this point,” he pushed the box closer to her.

          Unconsciously nodding, she carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box. A necklace lay inside with a stone that changed from a deep blue to a bluish-green as she turned the gem in her hand.

          He nervously rubbed his hands on his thighs as he tried to read her reaction.

          “It’s beautiful,” she breathed. She unclipped the necklace and watched it spin in front of her in the light. The colours kept changing as the light reflected off the fine cuts. He stepped behind her as she swept her hair back. The necklace caused her to shiver as it touched her sternum but the back of her neck felt like it was on fire where Namjoon’s fingers had brushed her skin holding the clasp.

          When he sat back down in front of her, he flashed a full set of teeth and dimples then finished with, “Happy birthday, Chae Daeun.”

          Her fingers rubbed the alexandrite stone between them. She vaguely remembered mentioning once that she had always wanted to own something of her birth stone. She had not known that he had remembered her babbling while she was drunk and was extremely thankful as she knew how valuable the rare gemstone was.

          The two sat in silence and both stared at the waiter who latched onto the silence. He uncomfortably put down their appetizers in front of them. Daeun sipped her lobster bisque as Namjoon nibbled on a piece of bread. Unable to take the awkward silence any longer, Daeun let out a laugh.

          “Why are we so awkward? I’m here out for a surprise birthday dinner and we’re not even talking,” she remarked.

          He scratched his cleanly shaven face. His mind fumbled in trying to find a conversation starter. She beat him to it, “How’s work?”

          “Unbelievably stressful,” he sighed, glad to finally be talking like how they usually did. “Jason wants me to take on a couple more shifts down at the club which means more late nights.”

          In the time that Daeun had started working at Soigne, the rest of the boys had decided to take on jobs as well for a source of income. Namjoon had decided to try his luck at a few local clubs where he performed his music. Upon chance, a popular DJ had sat in on one of his performances and as a result hooked him up at his own club which wealthy socialites gathered. While this meant he was often away during the night, he brought in a hefty fraction of the total income amongst everybody.

          “How about you?” he asked in return.

          “The usual. Sapphire’s been letting me take on a lot more roles recently which I guess has been nice as it beats following her around continuously. But at the same time, I really wish she wouldn’t. I’m not going to be there forever and well… I don’t want to start forming bonds with the people there,” she picked at her lips in thought.

          He reached out a hand and stopped her nervous habit. “Don’t do that. You’ll ruin the pretty lipstick you’ve put on for tonight,” he continued holding her hand.

          She pulled away and covered the new nervousness with a cough.