The cars drove by, some quietly, some obnoxiously, revving their engines and roaring away. Jongup checked his watch and looked at the streets below. He waited for the familiar yellow taxi cab to pull up to the front of the building and for the familiar shapely legs to step out and walk onto the streets.

            It was nearly five o’clock and the sun was setting. He looked over at the skyline and watched the pink rays curve itself over the sharp steel and glass of the buildings. He glanced back down at the streets and then at his watch. It was exactly five. She had never been late before.

            He headed inside to look at the table he had set up and smiled. For the past week he had taken a chance and watched the cooking channel and practiced until he had mastered the steak and garlic bread that the woman had been teaching. The candles were still waiting to be lit and he decided to light them now. She should be here soon. He straightened the basket of bread and placed a stray rose by her plate. Then he walked back out to the porch to wait.

            The traffic was getting heavy and he wondered if for once she had been unable to get away in time and was stuck. That was okay. He had extra candle to spare. He leaned against the railings and waited again.

            It was unusual for a host to have such an intimate relationship with her client, but Jongup had insisted. He didn’t want to just be one of the men who used her and then left after paying. She was also charming, with a small chip in her front teeth that endeared her to him. She was good in bed, but given her profession that wasn’t a surprise. She was also funny once you got to coax the coldness from her.

            Jongup tapped his fingers on the railing and waited some more. The seconds were ticking away and he wanted to know if she would come. He wanted to call her but realized that one thing she had been adamant against was giving him her number.

            A taxi drove up to the curb and his heart lurched. But a heavyset man stepped out and he felt the disappointment rise in his throat. He glanced back at the candles. They were already halfway burnt out. He contemplated calling the agency and asking if she was still working there but decided that that was too much. He’ll call again on one of his regular days. He didn’t’ want to give her any unnecessary burden.
            When the sun finally set and an entire hour had passed, Jongup walked inside. He blew out the remainder of the candles and placed the food into the garbage. He wasn’t hungry enough to eat anyway. He sat on his bed and turned his phone in his hands. Had she forgotten? That was unusual.

            He usually booked her for Friday nights and so he called the agency to ask for her. There was a pause and the secretary had asked him to hold on for a moment. When she picked up the phone again, she told him that unfortunately she was no longer there.

            That was a lie and Jongup knew. He knew about their contracts and knew that hers was nowhere near up. So she was avoiding him. He couldn’t think of a reason why and so he waited for her to leave the high class hotel they normally operated in. He saw her come out in her heavy glasses and long coat.

            He wanted to walk up to her but something kept him away. He watched from his car as she got into a strange car parked in front. He caught a glimpse of a well-off looking man and saw her lean over to kiss him on the cheek and he knew.

            Jongup stared at the car and started his engine. He pulled out from his parking spot and followed them. He followed them to another hotel and he knew that their days were over. Jongup sat there, watching them go in and wondered if he was a client. But given the way she leaned into him and the way she held onto his arm, he knew that the man was his replacement.

            She always kept a professional distance and it had taken her a month before she would touch him in public. Who knew how long she had been with this one. Jongup bit his lip and wondered why he thought he could have had a relationship with her. He knew what she did with a living and she wouldn’t even give it up despite his insistence that he could provide for her. He didn’t’ mean enough to her.

            Jongup watched the hotel and saw lights flicker on and then off and wondered which one was hers. He shook his head and drove away, laughing at himself. When he got back, he threw out the flowers he had kept and the food he had made again. He wouldn’t be needing it anymore.

wrote this in a hurry sorry guys :/