Volume 2

Chapter 16

The cafeteria at Miryeong Institute of the Arts was loud with the afternoon rush. Trays clattered against the plastic tables, and the smell of fried pork cutlets filled the air.

Shin Ho-jin sat in a corner booth with three guys from his photography major. Open laptops took up most of their table. Empty coffee cups and crumpled napkins sat next to messy piles of printed notes.

Ho-jin rubbed his eyes and looked at the bright screen. He had not slept much over the last few days.

"We need something that actually stands out," he said. "Taking pictures of neon signs in Itaewon is just lazy. Everyone else in the class is gonna do exactly that."

Tae-min pushed his glasses up his nose.

"So we're really doing the 'Dark Streets of Seoul' concept?" he asked.

"It fits the assignment perfectly," Ho-jin said. "We want raw urban life, and Nonhyeon has those back alleys where things get weird after midnight. That's exactly what the professor is looking for."

Joon rested his chin on his hand.

"Ya, you already hang out with fashion photographers at your part-time job," he said. "Why do you care so much about this project? You could probably just give the professor some leftover studio shots and get an easy A."

Ho-jin looked right at him.

"Because I work my ass off to pay for this school, and I wanna submit the best assignment," he said. "I'm not gonna half-ass a major grade just because I know some people in the industry."

Sang-woo closed his laptop and leaned back.

"Okay," he said. "We go to Nonhyeon tonight. We shoot the alleys, and maybe we check out one of those underground bars to get some interior shots. But I'm not staying out until dawn."

"Nobody is asking you to," Ho-jin said. "We go in, we get the shots, and we get out."

—

The air in Nonhyeon felt completely different at ten in the evening. The main roads were still full of luxury cars and loud business people, but the back alleys were totally different. Garbage bags piled up next to the back doors of expensive restaurants. The streetlights flickered constantly and cast long shadows on the wet pavement.

Ho-jin walked ahead of the group. He held his camera close to his chest and checked his light meter. The other three dragged their feet behind him. They looked nervous and kept checking their phones instead of looking for good angles.

"This place is really depressing," Tae-min said.

"Just keep your cameras ready and look for interesting subjects," Ho-jin said. He was completely sick of listening to them complain.

He stopped near a narrow entrance to take a picture of a stray cat. The cat sat under a broken neon sign. The shutter clicked loudly in the alley. He lowered the camera and noticed a heavy metal door a few steps away. A dim purple light glowed above the entrance, and a bass beat vibrated through the concrete wall.

"Let's check inside there," he said.

Joon shook his head.

"Ya, that looks like a private club," he said. "They're not gonna let a bunch of college students walk around taking pictures."

"We'll just buy a round of drinks and sit in the back," Ho-jin said. "Keep your cameras in your bags until we see the layout of the room."

They went down a steep set of stairs and pushed through a heavy velvet curtain. The inside of the bar was very dark, and it smelled like cologne mixed with stale cigarette smoke. Thick red carpets covered the floor, and leather booths lined the walls.

Ho-jin realized right away that this was not a normal college bar. Older men in tailored suits sat in the booths and drank expensive whiskey. They sat very close to young guys. Some of those boys looked like they were barely out of high school. The young guys poured drinks and laughed loudly at jokes.

It was a host bar, and the whole place felt dirty.

Some of the older guys in the booths stopped talking when Ho-jin's group walked in. They just sat there and watched the four college kids walk past. Ho-jin really hated the way they were looking at them. He wanted to turn around and leave right away, but he knew exactly what kind of photos he needed for the assignment. He already realized the perfect shots were right here in this room.

A waiter in a tight black shirt walked over and guided them to a small table near the back corner. Ho-jin told everyone to order the cheapest beer on the menu. They sat quietly for a few minutes.

Tae-min watched a booth across the room without turning his head. He leaned forward over the table.

"This place is completely messed up," he said.

"Don't stare at anyone," Ho-jin said.

Sang-woo kept his head down.

"Did you see the kid sitting with that old guy in the corner?" he asked. "I'm sure he's still in high school. Is he even old enough to be in here?"

Joon looked really nervous.

"They're literally paying those boys to sit next to them," he said. "We need to leave right now. This is a terrible idea."

"Aishh…" Ho-jin said, "Just act normal and stay quiet." 

He took his camera out of his bag and rested it on his lap. He waited for the right moment to take a photo of the room without drawing too much attention.

The waiter came back before he could even adjust his settings. He placed a small black leather tray on the table.

"That's your table charge," the waiter said.

Tae-min picked up the receipt, and he looked terrified. He showed the piece of paper to the others. The number printed at the bottom was completely ridiculous. It was much more money than Ho-jin made in a whole month of hard part-time work.

Sang-woo sounded nervous.

"We only ordered four beers," he said. "We're not paying this."

Ho-jin reached across the table and grabbed his arm.

"Just keep your voice down," he said. "I'll pay for it. Don't make a scene in a place like this."

Sang-woo pulled his arm away and shook his head. He was not listening at all.

"Are you crazy?" he asked. "That's a total scam. We didn't ask for any special service, and I'm not giving them a single won. I'm calling the police right now."

The loud voices made people at the nearby tables turn their heads. The older men in the leather booths looked very annoyed because Sang-woo was ruining the private mood. One of the young host boys rolled his eyes and whispered something to his wealthy client.

Joon noticed them and tried to pull Sang-woo down by his shirt.

"Sang-woo, please shut up," he said.

Sang-woo ignored him and looked right at the waiter. He raised his voice even more.

"Ya, you wanna die?" he asked.

Ho-jin covered his face with his hand.

"Shit..." he said.

"The table charge is standard for this establishment," the waiter said, but he did not look polite anymore. He did not argue with Sang-woo. He just looked across the dark room and made eye contact with the bartender. The bartender nodded once and motioned with his hand. Two very large men stepped away from the main bar and walked straight toward their table.

Panic took over the group immediately. Joon stood up so fast his chair tipped backward and hit the carpet. Tae-min and Sang-woo did not hesitate for a second. They shoved past the waiter and ran straight for the exit. Joon followed them right away, and he left his jacket behind on the seat.

Ho-jin tried to grab his camera and stand up, but one of the men grabbed his shoulder and pushed him hard against the table. The edge of the wood hit his ribs.

He struggled to stay on his feet. He shoved the man away and tried to move toward the stairs to follow his friends. A fist hit him right in the jaw before he could even take three steps. He crashed into a nearby table, and empty glasses shattered across the floor.

He tried to protect his face with his arms, but a heavy boot kicked him right in the stomach. All the air left his lungs, and he fell to his knees on the sticky carpet.

One of the men grabbed his camera by the strap. He ripped it from Ho-jin's hands and smashed it hard against the floor. The lens cracked, and the plastic body broke into pieces.

Another hit caught Ho-jin behind the ear, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He felt completely dizzy.

The bouncers did not drag the fight out. They hit him a few more times, and then they dragged him through a dark hallway toward the back exit. They threw him out the back door and into an empty street.

His body hit the pavement hard.

Ho-jin lay there for a minute because his whole body hurt. His vision was blurry. He forced himself to roll over, and he looked at the ruined camera. He slowly pulled himself up using the wall. His legs felt incredibly heavy, and every breath hurt his ribs. He just wanted to get away from that door.

He stumbled down the empty street alone. The brick walls gave him some support while he walked. The streetlights overhead seemed too bright, and they made his headache worse. He finally made it to a quiet street corner, but his knees gave out. His back slid down the brick wall until he hit the ground.

He rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He felt totally exhausted, and he could barely stay awake.

He heard footsteps on the pavement. The sound was steady. A pair of expensive leather shoes stopped right in front of his legs.

Ho-jin forced his eyes open a little bit. A tall, well-dressed figure stood over him, and the guy completely blocked the light from the streetlamp.

"Well, well," the stranger said.