by Alana Terry
She eventually stopped her pacing and sat on the bed, fidgeting with her sash and staring at the door. Would things be much different if Pang were still alive? Probably not. Her setting would change; she could go from place to place, but her work at the Round Robin was a lot like her life with the former National Security officer.
She jumped off the bed at the sound of the door’s soft creak and was halfway to Sun before the girl even entered the room. “What is it? What did Mr. Lee want?”
Sun’s lip quivered. Mee-Kyong shut the door behind her. When she brushed Sun’s shoulder, she felt the small shudder from the girl’s fragile figure.
Sun didn’t raise her eyes. “Mr. Lee says I’m to be married.”
Married. The word sat in Mee-Kyong’s gut like a rock. “What happened?” She took the girl by the shoulders and scanned her for signs of bruises or tears or trauma. Sun smelled of cheap perfume too liberally applied. Her hair had been done up already, and she had on more make-up than usual.
Sun’s right eye twitched. “There’s a rich businessman with a grown son. He came here tonight and made Mr. Lee an offer.”
“It must have been a pretty good offer.” Mee-Kyong hadn’t meant to speak the words out loud, but for a proprietor like Mr. Lee to even consider selling one of his star attractions would require an inconceivable amount of money. Sun had only been working in the Round Robin for two weeks, but she had already become the most sought-after of all the girls.
Sun bit her lip, but Mee-Kyong saw that it was still trembling. “I’m supposed to get myself ready.”
“You’re leaving tonight?” Mee-Kyong wanted to sweep aside the clump of overgrown black bangs that hung in front of Sun’s face, but she kept her hands on the girl’s shoulders as if she might hold her down indefinitely.
“Not yet. The father wants to make sure ... He wants proof that I’ll be ... adequate.”
Mee-Kyong bit the inside of her cheek to make sure her sense of repulsion didn’t creep into her expression. After a moment, Sun’s shoulders relaxed just a little. Mee-Kyong took a deep breath. “He must be very rich.”
Sun didn’t reply.
Mee-Kyong spoke slowly, examining the girl out of the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction. “And with all that money, he could probably do a better job than Mr. Lee taking care of you.” She waited for the girl’s muscles to ease up again before she continued. “A husband like that usually likes to buy his wife lots of pretty things. New clothes. Jewelry.”
“The son is already married,” Sun whined. “I would just be the little wife.”
Mee-Kyong made her voice sound as soothing as possible, the same tone she once used to assure Pang that she forgave him for his numerous outbursts. “Even so, it might be kind of nice to only have one man to entertain every night.”
Sun lowered her head. Cautiously, Mee-Kyong reached out and patted her back. She didn’t pull away. “I’m too young to marry.” Sun’s voice was choppy. “I’m too young to have a husband.”
You’re also too young to be working in the Round Robin. This time, Mee-Kyong kept the thought to herself. “What’s so bad about marrying, as long as he’s rich and can take care of you?” She crossed her arms. “It couldn’t be worse than it is here, could it?”
Sun’s shoulders shook. She didn’t look up. Mee-Kyong couldn’t understand what the girl was whispering. Sun had to repeat herself several times until finally Mee-Kyong made out the word baby.
“You don’t want to have a baby?” Mee-Kyong balked. “But you could already ...” She shut her mouth. Now it made sense. The poor girl didn’t even know. “You don’t want to get married because you don’t want to end up pregnant, is that it?”
Sun nodded. Mee-Kyong took a deep breath. “Listen, there’s something about what we’re doing here, about the work Mr. Lee has us do that you should know.” Sun wiped her tears with her tiny hand and blinked up at Mee-Kyong. “You say you don’t want to end up pregnant. But what you need to realize is that ...” She stopped herself once more. What could her words do besides pile yet another burden on Sun’s petite shoulders? Mee-Kyong stared past the girl’s ear. “You need to realize that marriage isn’t all that bad. Even if you end up having kids. When you’re with child, you know, your husband might not want you as often.”
“They say it hurts.”
Mee-Kyong shrugged. “What? Having babies? Old women just tell young girls that to scare them. It’s not actually true, you know.”
“Really?”
Mee-Kyong pretended to laugh. “Of course! Think about it. If delivering babies hurts so bad, why do so many women have more than one child?”
“But they say it’s worse than your introduction. And messier.”
“Who says that?” Mee-Kyong tossed her hair over her shoulder with the flick of her hand.
Sun hung her head. “Some of the other girls here.”
“Pffft.” Mee-Kyong forced a chuckle. “What do these silly inn workers know? They’ve probably lived in this hotel for years, most of them. They’ve never been married, have they? Have they ever had babies themselves?”
“No.” Sun looked up slowly, raising her eyes until they met Mee-Kyong’s. “Have you?”
Mee-Kyong tilted up her chin. When she noted how carefully Sun was studying her features, she made herself grin again and relaxed her posture. “I know enough to understand marriage isn’t all that bad. Especially if your husband is wealthy.”
“Mr. Lee said the father is very particular. He wants me to make sure he enjoys himself, no matter what he asks.” Mee-Kyong reached out to wipe a stray tear from Sun’s red-tinged cheek. “If I don’t do it right, Mr. Lee will take away all my pay, the money I was saving to send home to my family.”
Mee-Kyong took a deep breath. “If you do what Mr. Lee tells you, then you wouldn’t ever have to work at a place like this again.”
Sun hugged her arms around herself. “I’m not old enough to have children. I want to go home. I want my mother.”
Mee-Kyong tried to recall her own mother’s face, but it blended in her memory with all the other resigned and miserable middle-aged ghosts from Camp 22. She kept her hands on Sun’s shoulders until the girl met her gaze again. “Your life might be a lot better there than it is here, little cousin. You’re sure you don’t want to leave with this man? Get out of this place?”
“I saw him. He’s old. And fat. Almost as fat as Mr. Lee.”
Mee-Kyong tried one last time. “That probably means you’d be well fed.”
Sun tilted her chin up. The gesture reminded Mee-Kyong of herself. “I want to stay here. And when I’ve earned enough money to make Mr. Lee happy, I’m going back home to my family.”
“So you’re positive you don’t want to escape with him?”
“Yes.” Sun’s voice was so low, Mee-Kyong hardly heard her. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to leave you here by yourself.”
Mee-Kyong knew she should throw Sun out the door. She should tie her up and force her to marry the wealthy heir. But she looked at Sun trembling on the bed. The silly girl didn’t know what a good chance she was missing out on. She was probably so scared she’d mess things up with the potential father-in-law anyway. Mee-Kyong fingered Sun’s red dress, the same one she wore on the first night they arrived at the Round Robin. Only one man a night, and a rich man at that ... She held the dress up by one strap.
“If you really don’t want to go with him, I may be able to help you.”
***
Sun buttoned the top of her nightgown, her fingers trembling. She couldn’t believe this was really happening. “Are you sure this will work? What if someone notices you’re not me?” She turned to Mee-Kyong, who struggled to squeeze herself into the tiny red dress.
“If you want to get married, hurry up and get ready,” Mee-Kyong hissed as she zipped herself up in the back. Sun lowered her eyes. “If not, you’ll do as I say and sneak over to my room. Then wait there. No matter what happens. Just wait there.”
; Sun looked at Mee-Kyong. Her broad shoulders barely squeezed into the dress. She looked beautiful, so grown-up and mature, just the kind of girl Sun imagined her brother Jae would fall in love with. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
Mee-Kyong narrowed her eyes. “Get out of here.”
Sun tried to convince herself that Mee-Kyong was just feeling rushed; she wasn’t really angry. A knock sounded on the door. Sun froze and turned to Mee-Kyong. What should they do now? Without warning, Mee-Kyong shoved her down and pushed her under the bed. “Stay there. And don’t come out.” Sun had never seen anyone else when they were with a customer. She covered her face with her arms and wrapped her body into as small of a ball as she could.
She heard the door swing open and felt the small vibrations as the knob hit the adjoining wall. “And this must be the illustrious Sun. I’ve heard so much about you.” The voice came out in a strong baritone and reverberated against the walls. The rich inspector’s heavy footsteps caused the floor to tremble ominously. “My son is going to be so pleased to make your acquaintance, I have no doubt.”
CHAPTER 21
Mr. Lee bit into his bean-filled donut and then brought his napkin to his lips. Thanks to a very rich businessman looking for a young and delectable daughter-in-law, he could gorge himself on donuts every night for a year if he wanted to. He took a large swig of soju and laughed out loud.
That acne-faced broker from over the border had no idea how much his little find was worth. Mr. Lee got nearly tenfold his purchase price from Sun’s introduction alone. He knew by the increase in traffic to the Round Robin news of his humble inn’s little starlet had spread around Jilin Province. A dozen men or more came in every night requesting Sun by name. New customers Mr. Lee had never dreamed of attracting found their way to his establishment, asking for the new girl with bangs. If they had money and she wasn’t too busy, he sent them over to Sun’s room at the end of the hall. Otherwise, he just hustled them over to one of the other workers. He had one of the older girls give several of them the same hair style as Sun’s. Money flowed in, but he had no idea Sun’s fame had reached as far as Dashitou until Inspector Wong stopped by the Round Robin earlier that night.
Until then, he only knew of Inspector Wong by reputation. The government-official turned money-lender was the wealthiest man in the entire province, if rumors were to be trusted. The Round Robin usually catered to a much humbler clientele. Mr. Lee had worked himself into a cold sweat bustling around to make Inspector Wong as comfortable as possible. He ordered soju and fresh red-bean donuts, even though the bakeries were closing. He called two of his girls to massage the inspector’s shoulders and legs as the men negotiated.
“My son’s first wife is with child, which leaves him in search of a little bride. He heard of the girl Sun here and asked me to visit you.” As soon as the inspector mentioned how much he was offering — even before any real bidding got started — the inn proprietor swallowed down his curiosity. The son could be some drooling, immobile imbecile, but why should Mr. Lee care as long as the father was willing to pay such a large sum?
He haggled, enjoying the process immensely, and then the inspector stated his closing cost and stipulation. “I will spend half an hour with her before I go.” Mr. Lee nodded, as if his request was already anticipated. The inspector grunted. “I want to make sure she is appropriate for my son. If I find her satisfactory, you will have your pay.”
It was here that Mr. Lee had wavered. The inspector was welcome to spend half an hour with Sun, of course, but it was customary to pay first. The inspector, however, demonstrated little sympathy for Mr. Lee’s concerns. “The money will be yours, I assure you. If the girl is adequate.”
Mr. Lee hadn’t asked what kind of payment he might receive if the inspector didn’t find the girl “adequate.” Instead, he had begged for Inspector Wong’s patience and then bustled down the hall to tell Sun what was expected of her. Now, Mr. Lee looked at his watch. Their half an hour together was almost up. And Mr. Lee was about to double his fortune.
The door swung open without warning. Surprised, Mr. Lee fixed a smile onto his face, but it vanished as soon as the inspector stormed in with a curse. Mr. Lee jumped up and rushed to his guest. “Is something wrong?” he asked and felt his chest squeeze in on his palpitating heart.
“Wrong? I should make you pay my travel expenses. If I wanted a common whore, I would have stayed in Dashitou.”
“Common ...?” Mr. Lee began. The blood in his face burned hot enough to boil, the effects of the soju and also of his fear. “I’m telling you, she is my best worker. You must have heard the reports or you wouldn’t have traveled all this way to see her for yourself.” He wiped his brow, but the sweat immediately beaded on it again.
“A complete waste of time, I assure you, and an insult.” The inspector’s nose was only a few centimeters from Mr. Lee’s. Neither man was about to back up. Mr. Lee looked past the angry customer at his two bodyguards who stood in the doorway. One put his hand to his pocket and raised an eyebrow. Mr. Lee gave him a slight shake of his head.
“I just don’t understand how this could have happened,” he whined. “She’s still a little modest, but surely that’s not a detrimental quality in a daughter-in-law. Believe me when I tell you that I have never had a customer complain about Sun.”
“Allow me to be the first.”
Mr. Lee clasped his hands together in supplication. “Tell me what happened. Please. If one of my girls has done something to anger you, I guarantee that I will personally address the problem. That’s my job as the proprietor here.” Mr. Lee lowered his voice. “She didn’t refuse you, did she?”
The inspector snorted. “If she had, I would have paid you double my offer for the sake of her modesty.”
Mr. Lee wiped more sweat off his forehead. “So she didn’t deny you?”
“Quite the opposite.” Inspector Wong’s voice lowered to a quiet growl. “I was told that your girls here were discreet and tasteful. I was certainly misinformed. My son will be most displeased when I return home alone.”
Mr. Lee resisted the urge to drop to his knees, but his legs threatened to buckle under his weight at any moment. “Please, let me talk to her. This must all be some sort of misunderstanding. Perhaps she thought you would like ...”
The inspector snarled from the back of his throat and held up his hand. “Enough. I’ve already wasted two hours traveling. Now I’ve got to go back home without a wife for my son.” The inspector glared at Mr. Lee through narrow slits. “If you’re lucky, Mr. Proprietor, I might forget tonight ever happened. You’d be fortunate if I did.”
The inspector brushed past the two guards unhindered, leaving Mr. Lee alone with a platter of half-eaten pastries. Inspector Wong hadn’t even paid for his thirty minutes.
CHAPTER 22
“Get out of here fast.” Mee-Kyong reached under the bed and pulled Sun out, ignoring her shocked expression and scooting her up onto the mattress. The rich man wasn’t happy. Mee-Kyong had tried her best, but she had failed. She needed to get Sun out of the room, but the child was frozen in place, her unblinking eyes as wide as the nozzle on a National Security agent’s revolver.
Mee-Kyong gripped the girl by the shoulders and pushed her to the door. “Go to my room and get in bed. If anyone comes in, just pretend to be asleep. I’ll take care of everything.” Mee-Kyong swore under her breath. She hadn’t planned on making the inspector that angry. Mr. Lee would find out what happened right away, if he hadn’t already. He would be furious. Mee-Kyong braced herself, preparing to absorb as much of Mr. Lee’s rage as she could.
She went to open the door for Sun but heard heavy footsteps sounding down the hall. There was no time. She pushed the girl back toward the bed and shoved her down. “You’re asleep,” she hissed. The door flung open.
“Where is she?” Mr. Lee barged into the room and shoved Mee-Kyong aside. By the time she caught up with him, he was already at Sun’s bed. Mee-Kyong lunged for him as he grab
bed a handful of Sun’s hair and yanked her on to her feet. The child didn’t even cry out. Mee-Kyong threw her arms around Mr. Lee, grasping at his clammy neck and cheeks, and tried to tackle him from behind. The fat man didn’t lose his footing. While one hand still clutched Sun’s hair, he slapped the girl across the cheek with his other. “Do you know how much yuan you just lost me?” Sun brought her arms to her face but couldn’t block Mr. Lee’s fist in time. Blood spurted out from her nose.
Mee-Kyong grabbed as much of Mr. Lee’s wide frame as she could and scratched at his fleshy neck. “She’s only a child! Let her go!”
The proprietor ignored her. “Do you have any idea how long it will take you to work off that kind of a debt?” The sweat from Mr. Lee’s armpits leaked all the way through his collared shirt as well as his suit coat. Mee-Kyong felt his weight shift. His next punch came from below, collided with Sun’s chin, and snapped her head back. She dropped onto the bed. Why didn’t the child try to protect herself? If they were in Mee-Kyong’s room, it would only take a few seconds to yank the knife out of the nightstand drawer and end Mr. Lee’s brutality for good.
“I was the one who met with the inspector.” Mee-Kyong grabbed Mr. Lee by the hair and shouted in his ear. “I was with Inspector Wong this evening.”
A drop of sweat splashed onto Mee-Kyong’s forearm. She cringed involuntarily when Mr. Lee snarled, “This was never your business to sniff around in.”
“Sun told me about the inspector coming. I wanted out of here, so I made her give me her dress, and I pretended to be her.” Mee-Kyong backed up toward the door. She wanted to be as far away from Sun as she could when Mr. Lee grasped the severity of her transgression. “It was my idea. Sun went along with it because I roughed her up a little bit. You know she’s too scared to go against any of us. She’d never come up with something like this on her own.”