“Will you prep these girls up? I’m going to go back downstairs.”

The woman sitting by the largest mirror with a heavily done face put her hand up in reply. She didn’t even bother to look their way. As the woman in the flowery top walked away Chorong suddenly became immensely worried about what they could do there. Women, in her book, were a lot scarier than men.

“Well…what are you waiting for? Come here,” the skinny woman gestured her head toward the empty seat beside her.

Chorong glanced over at the clump of girls who were preparing themselves for the night to come. They had thick lipstick on, thick eyeshadows over the lids of their eyes; everything seemed thick on their faces minus their clothes. She couldn’t bear the thought of how these girls lived their daily lives like this. Being human during the day and getting used at night like animals. If this was the fate thrown upon her, she would have chosen to kill herself already.

“Is…the excessive makeup really required?” Victoria asked.

“Well you have to look attractive,” the woman nodded her head. “Your faces would look good with some makeup. Why don’t you try it? Don’t be so innocent.”

Chorong glanced at Victoria and wondered what she would say next.

The skinny woman sighed and set down the large brush in her hand, “It’s up to you then.” The second she turned away Victoria backed up and closed the door. A huge wave of relief washed over Chorong and she was finally able to breathe again.

“Ah…that was scary,” she muttered with a hand over her chest.

Victoria nodded empathically, “Alright, now to relay the message to Lay and Kris. Can you do it Chorong?”

“Oh…yea,” Chorong lifted her head up with a nod.

Victoria glanced at her watch, “Business starts at 7, which means we only have a good three hours to waste. Don’t waste time and if you run into anyone, interrogate them.”

“We better not leave empty handed,” Namjoo said.

“That’s why we have to work hard,” Victoria stated. “We can do this.” Chorong and Namjoo both nodded. “Call if there’s anything.”

That was where they split up.

Chorong first escaped to her room. It had nothing but a desk and a mattress. There were a few stains on the carpet, but she didn’t want to know what they were or where they had come from. The room didn’t smell physically, but it smelled mentally. It disgusted her and made her uncomfortable. Turning to face the window she spotted the pub across from the street and could imagine customers flocking in from there. Feeling even dirtier for having stepped into such a building she swerved around to face the desk and pulled out her phone.

~_____~

Lay was quietly composed and staring at his phone. Suho seemed calm, but slightly worried. Kris, on the other hand, was the most agitated out of the three.

It was an interesting sight for Tao, but he chose not to say anything. Another long minute passed by before all their eyes shot toward the phone.

Lay picked it up, “Oh, Chorong. How is it there?”

Tao watched him nod, speak into the phone, and nod again before he hung up.

“What did she say?” Kris asked.

“They got into the brothel and are starting to search,” Lay explained. “Kris and I are to go keep watch outside for anything suspicious. Suho, Victoria wants you and Tao to go to the Yeongwol police station to round up the officers. Victoria wants you on site the second anything goes wrong.”

“How do I do that?” Suho asked. “I can’t just walk in there and ask for men.”

“I’ll deal with that,” Lay promised then glanced around. “What about Donghae?”

Suho glanced at his watch, “He should have returned an hour ago. He may have gone somewhere else.”

“Do we leave him out of this?” Lay asked. “Would that be ok?”

Suho slightly knit his brows together then stood, “It’ll be fine. He should have returned earlier if he was going to take a part in this.”

As soon as he spoke the door opened and Donghae walked in. There was this murky expression on his face as he glanced at them one by one.

~_____~

“So…you’ve been here a year?” Namjoo asked.

After randomly walking around a young girl had invited Namjoo into her room for some extra stew she’d bought a street down from them. She had claimed that she didn’t want to eat alone and figuring she was harmless, Namjoo joined her. Namjoo had been told that every room of the brothel was alike as well as all the woman who acted at night. Very few, she said, actually enjoyed their work, but hey, they all needed to live.

The young woman who went by the name, Win, nodded. “Stepmother kicked me out of the house.”

“But…why here?”

The girl shrugged and turned to glance out of her window, “A lot of money a night.”

“Just the money?” Namjoo repeated appalled.

“Where else can I make two hundred a night?” the girl questioned. “No one survives with just a high school diploma these days. Pumping oil doesn’t gain me much, I’d rather do it here. Let those men do you good, you return the favor, and they pay you. Isn’t money everything nowadays?”

Namjoo was going to open to retort, but nothing came out. It was the function of society they were talking about. Money was everything.

“Cat got your tongue?” the girl was sarcastic. “Then why the hell did you come here too? You want the money too, don’t you? Looking at you,” she ran her eyes up and down, “you’ve already done someone in, haven’t you?”

Her hands immediately twisted up into a fist, “I’m not that low.”

“Say that again, honey,” the girl raised her eyebrows and stirred whatever was left of the stew in her pot. “That band-aid on your neck won’t hide your innocence.” She then raised an eyebrow, “If you’ve already got a man, why come here? Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You get into a fight or something?”

Namjoo gritted her teeth more than annoyed now. This girl was picking at her self-esteem.

“Men, I tell you, only want to get into your pants,” the girl shook her head, “there’s no such thing as love. Fantasies are too widespread and that’s why our hearts always get hurt. Women are always the victim. Once you step out of that cave, you can never to back in. I die here every night, so if you’re not up for this , I’d recommend you to leave as soon as possible.”

The anger that earlier pricked her slowly subsided, “Then why…don’t you leave here?”

Win shrugged, “How do I live if I leave here?”

Namjoo stared at the woman for a long time, “You might think you’re worse off, but compared to the helpless women or little girls who get picked off the street, you’re living the hell they never wanted. And you’re doing it optimistically. Using fantasies that aren’t real as a reason to reject love, I think that’s lame. You just haven’t given anyone a chance. And I think that’s lame.”

As soon as Namjoo stood up she asked, “Who is he?” The girl tilted her head up to look at Namjoo. “The man who left you that mark, would you give him a chance?”

“Aren’t you going off topic?”

Win turned away and crossed her arms, “If you answer, maybe I’ll give you a little hint about the little girls I know of.”

Namjoo’s eyes grew wide, her eyebrows stitched themselves to the center of her forehead, and she asked, “What are you talking about?”

Win raised an eyebrow, “I’d like to know your answer first.”

She bit her lower lip and tightened her hand into a fist. Why was she being pushed into this? Why did she have to talk to this woman about her privacy? The mere thought of it was driving Namjoo crazy.

“Fine, I would.”

A smirk caused her lips to curve, “Nice to see you’re not a hypocrite.” Then she turned her head, “If you check the rooms, you might find a little note asking for help.”

“Why would it be here?” Namjoo questioned. “Have they…already been brought here?”

“I can’t tell you about that now, can I?”

Whether this woman was good or bad, Namjoo couldn’t decide. She seemed sincere one moment and hideous the next. Having enough of her games Namjoo walked out of the room.

~_____~

About an hour and a half to go and Chorong hadn’t yet found anything. There were no secret passageways, no closets to hide children. She would head back down to the first floor and see if there was a basement, but she was too afraid to go down there alone. It would be the last thing on her mind to want to be the object of attention that woman who wore the flowery top.

Chorong had debated about talking with the other girls, but she was afraid. What if she gave them away while talking? She was too nervous. Why had she agreed to come along in the first place?

~_____~

“This is the place?” Kris looked around in the van they’d come in.

He nearly pressed his forehead against the window and glanced around.

“This street looks like trouble,” Kris muttered.

“Well all we have to do now is wait,” Lay turned the engine off and glanced toward the back where Kris was. “Do you think Donghae is planning something?”

Kris turned around to look at him.

“I actually thought he’d put up a fight and try to change the plan,” Lay admitted.

“Maybe he does have something up his back,” Kris agreed and turned around to stare out the window. His eyes immediately landed on the brothel at the corner of the street. “How do you think they’re doing in there?”

“Doesn’t look like it’s business hours yet,” Lay glanced at his watch.

“That’s not the point,” Kris muttered.

“You look uneasy,” Lay commented a second later. “I’m sure they can take care of themselves.”

Kris pursed his lips together and burned the building with his eyes. The second men started flocking toward the building; the more he wanted to jump out.

~_____~

Victoria was frustrated. The brothel was as clean as Lay had told her. She was worried now if she would receive another lashing from Donghae. There was a chance he might really pull her out. Nothing she was doing so far turned out the way she had imagined them to.

It was almost opening hours now. The floors had been vacuumed, swept, and the girls had dolled themselves up for their customers. Victoria backed against the window to make room for them and they slightly nodded toward each other in greeting. Behind those hidden glares Victoria read competition. For the first time she really did feel like an innocent girl. What these girls did, she’d never be able to do.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you getting to your room?” one of the managers stopped in the middle of the hallway.

“Oh…yes,” Victoria nodded toward her and watched her walk down the hallway then down the stairs.

How was she going to do this? Time was nearly up.

~_____~

Suho stole a quick glance at Donghae and quickly turned back to face the front. They were waiting inside the police department of Yeongwol ready to go any minute now. Tao was sleeping in one of the chairs at the back of the room with his arms crossed. Whether he was faking it or not Suho couldn’t really decide.

“What?” Donghae questioned his eyes were perfectly still on the pastel blue wall.

Suho darted his eyes down toward the table in front of them, “Are you…really doing this? I mean...I would think you had another plan in mind.”

“Lets first see how capable she really is,” Donghae muttered.

Suho slowly took another glimpse of him through the corner of his eyes.

~_____~

Namjoo slammed a drawer and turned to look around the small room. There didn’t seem to be any other good place to hide a note. She was running out of patience. Time was almost up and business hours would begin. She didn’t want to be here when business started. Just the thought of it disturbed her restless.

She ran out of the room and into the next. She checked under the bed, lifted the mattress up, and opened the drawers. Nothing. No note. Namjoo had to wonder for a moment if she’d been lied to, but then on the other hand, she had traded one thing for another. There had to be a note hidden somewhere on those four floors.

~_____~

Chorong crept out of her room and looked down both sides of the hallway before starting for the stairs. She wanted to find Victoria. She was becoming uneasy. Chorong didn’t want to have to spend a night there. It would be the last thing in the world to entertain a man in bed. Her parents didn’t raise her to be lowly. She would be ashamed if she had to spend a night there.

It was only then when she paused by the second floor window that she saw the men lining up outside anxiously for their early evening entertainment. Her heart pounded and the reality of the situation fluxed through her like fear. Men were going to be coming in and those downstairs were going to make sure she was locked in her room to do business. Chorong gulped and easily rushed toward the stairs.

~_____~

Victoria rushed down to the first floor and was just down the hallway when the door opened. A man loudly laughed in greeting when Victoria paused in her steps.

“I’m so glad to see you’re back,” the manager cooed flirtatiously and shook the man’s hand very lightly before pulling it out with a sly smile. “Number 14 is waiting for you upstairs. Do enjoy yourself.”

There was no time. If it was found that she was missing from her room trouble would break out. Namjoo and Chorong would in trouble as well. Donghae would never end it with her if anything happened to Namjoo.

Victoria rushed down the hallway and impulsively pulled a door open desperate for anything. She immediately stopped when it was a crack open. A woman and a man were currently talking very quietly about something. She had to inch her ear in through the crack and concentrated really hard as if she were trying to lift a chair up with her eyes. Then she heard it.

“Don’t you think this is a rather bold move, Hyukjae?” the voice belonged to a woman. “When are you going to stop? I can’t cover those girls for you anymore. Do you know how many cops come down this street a night? What are you going to do if you destroy my business? These girls need to live too, you know?” Then she sighed frustrated. “Tonight’s the last night…”

Victoria’s heart was pounding really hard. This was crucial information. Luck was on her side after all.

“What are you doing here!?” a loud voice questioned her from behind.

The woman who had been talking to Hyukjae immediately silenced. Her shoes thudded against the floor loudly as she stood from her seat. The atmosphere immediately silenced. Victoria froze.

“Who’s there!?” the woman demanded.

Victoria’s eyes widened and she quickly spun around to see the manager in the flowery top. A movement from behind the manager caught her attention and she spotted Chorong.

“Get Namjoo and get out of here!” Victoria shouted before she pulled the door open and spotted a man getting ready to escape out of the window.

“Hold on a minute! Who are you!” the middle aged woman stopped Victoria when she ran into the office.

A coffee table sat on her left and a couch before her. The petty office had been glazed in a white color and Victoria had to think about whether the brothel was really as clean as the color white itself or not before turning to the situation. The woman had grabbed her arm to prohibit her from following Hyukjae. With a strong pull Victoria escaped out of her grip and ran after Hyukjae. 

***Looks like Chorong and Namjoo are in for trouble next chapter.