Inspired by True Events


Life was never kind to begin with, if you make a mistake, either you can correct it or live with it. No one ever asked for the ‘short straw’ in life, but in hindsight, some of our decisions lead to that whether we foresaw or not. At the age of 18, you got your girlfriend pregnant after a night of drunken mess, and now you had to drop out of College to support your new family. Armed with nothing but a High School diploma, how does one make ends meet in the capitalistic Korean society?

It was either an arrant pity, or for the sake of family, but it was better than earning nothing. What was the worst that could happen? You’re just gonna be your father-in-law’s personal driver. Not concerned with the fact you don’t even have a driver’s licence, it was maybe because he was an upstanding lawyer and no cop would ever be smart enough to challenge a man who memorised the constitution for a living.

The time was 7:25 PM when you got a call from your in-law that he and his brother wanted to go on a night out in Hongdae. Hurrying to put on some decent clothes for a night out, you were venting out your frustrations on your now wife about her dad’s shortcomings - one of them is getting too hammered to the point you couldn’t leave the place earlier than you’d like to because no one is going to pay the bill.

Walking out the door, your wife gave you a kiss by the doorstep, and she smiled. Being young, dumb, and having a kid on the way is difficult, and it was those moments that made you think no one ever told me to be a husband and a father now, but the luxury of having those titles taken away and be replaced with responsibilities instead. You gave her a kiss in return, and started walking down the road to your in-law’s place, which was half a kilometre away. No money for transport, and wearing rubber shoes that were barely hanging together in one piece, you try your best to earn that honest living.

Arriving at the place, your in-law and his brother were already waiting outside the house in the car. They were blasting Korean oldies music on the stereo, and once they saw you closing in, your in-law unlocked the door, and you took over the driver’s seat. The night was young, and Hongdae was always buzzing, so it was time to drive to the first bar of their choice.

-

“8:00 PM” the clock says, and cruising around Hongdae was getting tougher with an increasing number of cars coming into the area. Your in-law and his brother were still choosing which establishment to go to, and it was getting frustrating because if one suggested a place, the other would disagree, coming up with excuses like unpaid tabs or past altercations with the bouncer. Ultimately in the end, the two agreed on a small bar named “Luscious” with young ladies upfront waving the car hello. You parked the car at the otherside of the road, and the three of you got out.
Entering inside, your in-law went up first, followed by his brother, then you at the very back. The head waiter led you three to your table, and it seemed like there was no one else in the bar at the moment so until then, your in-law and his brother are the kings of the place. Relying on the graces of your boss, you don’t really get to order anything or have a say in it, and it would be very kind of him to give you a bottle of beer during these night outs.

Wanting to take your attention elsewhere as one of the young girls in the bar approached your table with a gesture of a hand from your in-law, you gandered at the bartender and his gleaming collection of liquor displayed behind the bartop, then inexorably meeting eyes with this girl dressed up in extravagance.



She was rather enticing, she knew how to play with her eyes, and she knew how to play with a thousand year old evolutionary trait of humans - attraction towards the opposite . The momentary glimpse inside her universe became a stare down, and before you knew it neither of you two were blinking nor disconnecting the building tension. Your attentiveness had to be resuscitated back to the table by your in-law tapping your forehead. Apologising for your arrogance, your in-law and his brother grew curious as to what were you looking at by the barman.

They both turned around and also got mesmerised with the lady you saw. She was fascinating from a distance, her appeal was apparent, and no doubt she was there for a reason. Your in-law quickly called over the overseer of the girls, and asked for that lavish lady to be tabled by your group. She was summoned and she rushed over from the counter, then after a short introduction between her and your in-law, she sat beside you.

Over the boisterous music, the girl was the first to break her masquerade, she suddenly leaned over and started the conversation.

“My name is Hyebin!” She said over your right ear.

“Nice to meet you! You look lovely!” You replied.

“Thank you! Is he your father?!” Hyebin pointed over to your in-law.

“No! He’s my father-in-law!” You answered.

“Father-in-law? You’re married?!” Hyebin asked further.

“Yes! Wait, you speak great English!” You complimented.

“Thanks! I’ve been doing this for a long time!” She brought up.

“Really? How long?!” You furthered.

“Five years!”  She answered.

You were surprised with this newly-found information from Hyebin. She looked quite young like you, evidently a tad older, but to be doing this nightly work in a world revolving around the nightlife was discernibly tiring. How much more alcoholic drinks must one drink not to drown? How many more inessential confabs must one do with an ocean of endless faces just to earn money at the end of the morning?

The server finally brought over everyone’s first round of beverages at the table, and your in-law felt generous, so you can’t ever deny the fact you had a pint this evening. With the two brothers busy with the other girl they chose to table for entertainment, you and Hyebin continued getting to know each other. Of course, Hyebin would choose a ‘ladies drink’ that will make the bar earn the most money with the least effort for the bartender to make - thus a Tequila Sunrise.

You and Hyebin gestured ‘cheers’ with each other by raising your glasses to one another, and then you both took a sip. Putting down your drinks on the table, you continued the conversation.

“I don’t see a ring!.” Hyebin dove straight.

“Pardon?!” You were unclear.

“You’re not wearing your wedding ring! Are you really married?!” Hyebin wanted to confirm.

“Yes, I’m married! You see, I’m only 18! I couldn’t even afford to buy my girlfriend, now-wife, a wedding ring. We’re tied through the paper though!” You revealed it to Hyebin.

“Oh … That’s a shame! I thought you were just playing hard to get.” Hyebin said with a wink.

You immediately looked away and faced your in-law to see what else was happening around. It seems like he’s having fun caressing his fingers all over the other girl’s thigh, and his brother is enjoying playing with her hair. In the back of your mind, you felt this was wrong, you might have made colossal blunders in your life, and there was no need to mount them anymore by cheating on your pregnant wife.

You’ve troubled her life, you’ve made yours more arduous than it needed to be - but maybe that was a decision you two were willing to make even though unprepared. The best you can do now as an incoming parent is to give your kid a better life than what you can surely achieve in your lifetime. The kid doesn’t have to grow up in a broken family, with less loving parental figures because that wasn’t her fault to begin with.

You took the biggest swig of your life, and you finished the pint in two goes. After that remarkable feat, you stood up from your chair as Hyebin clapped her hands for you. Your in-law asked what was up, and you said you’re finished with your drink so you thanked him and said you’ll be waiting in the car. Hyebin sprouted worry from her eyes, and she was showing body language that she wanted to make you stay.

-

Five hours passed, it was now 1 AM, and when you thought the lights and roaring tunes were starting to die down, the influx of even more indulgers of the celebrations flooded the streets coming in and out of establishments. When all you can do was listen to the radio and you would barely understand what the DJs were saying, come some songs that you’d also barely recognise - the night was confirmed to be a ghastly bore even after Hyebin.

Maybe to be proven wrong by someone above, your waiting was finally over and it was replaced with sollicitude when you saw your in-law and his brother getting kicked out by the bouncer yet again. You dashed out of the car to start mitigating any physical altercations that might proceed, but it seems like the two geezers were too inebriated to even throw a punch. Out came the manager of the bar, followed by Hyebin.

Your in-law and his brother started cursing the manager whilst sauntering towards the car. You were completely lost to what was going on, but this wasn’t the first time the two got into trouble whilst having a night out so it didn’t surprise you.

Being the clueless and sober one, Hyebin voluntarily crept to your side to explain what happened.

“They were accusing us of adding unordered menu items in the total bill.” Hyebin disclosed to you.

“How much did they order in total anyway?” You inquired.

“500,000 KRW.” The manager answered.

“My god …” You muttered out.

“They paid for it at first, agreeing to the chit. But then they got angry, refusing to pay, but the card transaction was already done.” The manager expounded.

“I see. I’m sorry for the trouble they’ve caused, I’ll explain to them in the morning about it, they’re just very intoxicated.” You apologised to the manager in-behalf of the two.

“It’s okay, no damage was done or anything. Have a goodnight, sir.” The manager bid you farewell.

You then turned to Hyebin who bowed to you before returning inside. A short while of savouring probably the last interaction you had with the lady, your in-law and his brother called for your attention once more. They were already inside the car with the windows down, waiting for you to drive them home. You hurried to the driver seat for one last time in the night, and accelerated away from Hongdae.

-

The next day ensues, with 8:45 AM on the wall clock, you get woken up by your wife. Getting home around 2 AM last night after everything that happened was demanding, and with something on the line, your wife hands you over your ringing phone. You answered it, and it’s your in-law raising you two topics of discussion.

The first matter was that he spoke to someone that might be willing to take you in as their full-time driver for a stable amount of pay, and word says that they might even help with you getting your Korean driver’s licence. The second matter was that your in-law forgot his credit card in the bar last night, so he’s asking you for a favour to get it back for him. Feeling a wee bit indebted to your in-law, you agreed to get his card back for him, so you put on some trousers and a hoodie, told your wife what was going on, and left as soon as possible with money for the bus.

With a newfound, irrevocable motivation to carry on, you ran to the nearest bus stop and set off to Hongdae in the daytime. Whilst on the way to the area, you were heavily wishing that someone from the staff would be there, at least one of the servers or the back office - all if not the place was closed for the morning already. The trip is going to take some time, so you decided to nap and just wake up once you’re already at the stop.

Waking up at the pristine moment, you looked at your phone’s time and it said 9:30 AM, and the next stop was your stop. You gathered your composure and readied to deport the bus. By a click of a button, the driver pulls over at the waiting shed, and you got off. Since the stop was at the otherside of Hongdae, and the bar was in the middle part, you’ll have to walk for a bit.

10 minutes more, and with a sweaty back, you made it to Luscious. It looked so different during the day, and it felt different - devoid of the irksome lights and deafening music. The front door was locked, and when you tried knocking, no one was answering. It went on for a couple of minutes, then you decided to just return later once it’s open. You were about to walk away, but you noticed a car coming down the street to pull over in front of the bar.

Outcame Hyebin, who was still wearing her dress from last night. She waved the bloke goodbye as he sped off, and then she noticed you watching the entire scene unfold. She was indifferent with her mood, but she was a little angst with your presence. Wanting to break the tension, you went up to her and treated her like an old friend.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Hyebin-ssi.” You greeted.

“Hello, what are you doing here?” Hyebin wondered.

“Apparently, my father-in-law left his credit card here by mistake. I was knocking and no one answered. I’ll just return later once the place is open.” You told Hyebin.

“Yes! He did leave it. But don’t worry, I have a key with me. I don’t think the management will mind.” Hyebin invited you to go with her.

You were on the verge of tears by the time you’ve opted to leave Luscious, since you were positive your intention was deferred. But Hyebin arrived and provided a solution, and relief washed over you in an awesome wave.

Hyebin led the way to the door, and brought her key out of her bag. In one go, she unlocked the front door, and she held it for you. You thanked her before stepping inside, then she led the way to the office.

“So, who was that in the car? A friend of yours?” You decided to plead ignorance.

“A customer. He brought me to his house last night, he’s a rich man. No kids, a wife who only nags him to death, he was looking for someone younger.” Hyebin explained.

“You have a thing for married men? Or is it just part of the job?” You asked.

“It was only part of the job. But then I met you last night.” Hyebin answered as she unlocked the office door.

Hyebin pushed the door open, and she went directly behind the manager’s desk. You followed her in, and once you got in the room, she was already handing out the credit card.

“Oh, gomawoyo.” You said to Hyebin before claiming the card.

Unexpectedly, Hyebin instantly withdrew her arm away, and she hid the card behind her back. You were utterly nonplussed, but then you gave her the benefit of the doubt, and you thought maybe she just likes to jest around - you played along.
You went up to Hyebin to reach behind her back for the card. Without really predicting her next course of actions, she grabbed you by the cheek and kissed you on the lips. This jolted you, and it made you bounce back from where you stood.

“Hyebin-ssi! Mwoya?!” You exclaimed.

“Don’t tell me you weren’t wanting it. I saw the way you looked at me last night.” Hyebin explained.

“Doesn’t really give me the excuse to kiss someone I just met. Not to mention the fact I’m married, and I have no plans to cheat on my wife.” You said.

“Lighten up! We’re just having fun! No one else will have to know.” Hyebin said as she ped her dress.

“Hyebin-ssi, please stop. Give me the card.” You begged.

“You’re no fun at all.” Hyebin said with a disappointed tone.

Hyebin budged already, it seemed like she wasn’t exactly keen on forcing herself unto you. She zipped her dress back up again, and she handed over the credit card. It was like in a blink of an eye her demeanour changed. The provocatrix pretense melted away, and now it was just Hyebin who was starting to embrace herself from shame in your presence.

Feeling a little sympathetic, you embraced Hyebin, and she couldn’t help but bawl on your shoulder. In that second you realised that nothing in life came free. We were all just trying to keep our heads above the water, and everything that we did to keep floating was fair game, no matter what we used. Like you, Hyebin just wants to survive, she has no luxury of living for tomorrow when today will always be ambiguous. How does one live when they themselves don’t know when is the end, but they don’t have the privilege to sit and just wait for it?

Walking back to the bus stop, you couldn’t help but feel burdened by an inexplicable entity. Will you ever see Hyebin again? Can it still be the same after what happened? Looking around Hongdae, you felt repulsed, that everything that around us was only built for those that can afford it. Society and businesses have raised the volume and need for materialistic satisfactions beyond what man can discern to need. Hyebin is just another pawn in that society, whilst she knew how to manipulate the essence of man, she was manipulated by the essence of her humanity - like you were.