Can I help you?

Chapter 75

The next day Jhope gets up early. He has heard enough through the thin walls. They meet at the entrance of the hotel. He looks at V, who sorta seems different today. As if he has even more sexappeal now. Mary cheerfully greets him. "So first things first, let's set up base." She walks out and guides them to the right station and on the right trains to their hotel. They leave the luggage and go out for breakfast together. After breakfast, Mary grabs the card and gives in the address in her google maps. "It's located in Shinjuku. We are now staying in Ikebukuro so it's not that far. Yamanote line only about 15 minutes." She walks to the station and gets on the train again. They are not noticeable and keep their hat on all the time. "So, what does it mean to work in a hostess club?" Jhope asks. Mary shows them some buildings. "Mary. What does it entrail?" Mary wiggles slightly uncomfortable. "it's a place man go to, for the company of ladies." "Just company? I know what it means, but for real, what happens in a hostess club to the ladies. Do they have to sleep with the men too?" Mary hesitantly starts to talk. "Originally it is just gross guys touching you and talking to you and the girl just nods and laughs and talks too. That is the surface." "But...? I can feel a but coming." "But sometimes girls invite the men for extra money into love hotels. And do 'that' with them. They don't just do it for the money, but also to catch the guy as their regular and the more they are requested, the more they rise in ranking and become more rich." "But why? Why would Sarah work here of all places?" "Maybe because she is now entering Japan in the illegal circuit. The underground Japan. She can't easily get a visa here. It is only if you are in despair you would rely on a job like that." Jhope and V bite their lip in agony. Did we drive her to do this? Is it my fault? Is my love at fault?

They arrive at the bar and knock on the door. No one opens. "Of course. It is daytime now. They are night people. They are probably now asleep and getting ready for this night's shift." Mary slaps herself for her head. "What now?" "We should come back tonight. There is nothing we can do now. Hoseok, what are you planning to do or say if you see her? Maybe use this time to think about possible scenarios." Jhope nods. "Okay." They go and eat in Sweet Paradise where you can eat all kinds of sweets non stop for an hour. "If I just take her brutally with me, that won't work, right?" Mary shakes her head. "If she is in the circuit, her pimp might trash you up and not let her go. They could recognise you and you could end up in tabloids. Also she might not want to go with you. Remember the hotel?" Jhope frowns at that painful memory. V suggest something too "What if you talk to her in the bar and try to convince her?" Jhope looks up. "That might work." Mary confirms. "But I can't go in the club. And no way in hell I am letting V go into a place like that." She grabs V's hand. "You're on your own." Jhope slightly panics. "But if you go with me, you might be able to talk in on her too. She might not talk with me, but maybe with you?" Mary thinks about it. I mean, he does have point. It could be like this. "Very well, but since I can't get in the club, I'll need you to find out how to contact her outside the club." Jhope nods.

They go out for dinner and soon evening falls. Jhope's stomach is a mess. He is feeling very queasy and is nervous. V notices and pats him on the back. "Don't worry, you'll be great. In worst case and Japanese is too hard, call Mary, she can talk to them. We'll be in an izakaya nearby. Good luck, you got this, hyung." There are few japanese girls calling out to Jhope and inviting him in. He gets pulled in after looking at the happy couple one more time. Show time. He enters a room with kitschy decorations. There are booths with champagne and fruit. The girls talk Japanese with him and guide him to a counter. The man smiles friendly and talks english. "Korean?" He asks but the man shakes his head. Jhope quickly looks around the club and sees no one like Sarah. "Western woman. Sarah." He manages to bring out in English. He gestures Sarah's curves with his hands. The man looks confused. Jhope shows him a picture of Sarah on his phone. The man seems to raise his eyebrow. "Not here." Jhope is confused. Not here as in they don't know her, or because tonight is her night off, or because she is already in a hotel with a man? "Where?" The man is annoyed by the communication difference. There are girls pulling on Jhope's mask and he respectfully pushes them away. "No, important business." He calls Mary. He hands the phone to the man. Mary talks in Japanese with the man, who seems to be more relaxed now. He is explaining a bunch and Jhope is uncomfortably in the bar. The man hands him the phone again. Mary tells Jhope in short what it's about. "She is also manager of the bar. She organises the appointments. Tonight is her night off since she worked all day to do the books." "Did you ask when she works?" "He says she will come on in a few hours. And if you want you can wait for her and make a reservation." "Yes, reservation please." The man nods and writes down. He points with his fingers to a booth. "2 hours." "Hey Mary, thanks. Tell him I don't need company in mean time." He hands the phone to the man, and the man nods. "Only Sarah. Ryoukaishimaimashita." Jhope hangs up and walks to the pointed booth. He orders something to drink. He can see man groping the girls, touching under their skirts, and the girls are laughing, but somehow they feel awkward. Pff they are skinny, no boobs, no curves or shape, asian... so boring.... He sips his glass. He is still nervous.

After a few hours Sarah enters from behind the counter. She hands a bunch of documents to the man and they are having a conversation. Suddenly the man points her to a booth. Sarah looks and sees a man dressed in black, glasses, mouth mask in black, black cap. She nods and comes to the booth. "Thank you for your patronage. Can I help you?" She asks friendly. She takes a seat close to the man, who looks up and into her eyes. Sarah's breath hitches. "Hoseok?" She slightly shoves back. "What? Are you going to faint again?" Sarah is in a panic. "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to get you. Take you back to my side." He grabs Sarah's hand. "No, please don't... Let me be." Jhope closes the curtain a bit from the booth and takes off his mask, glasses and lifts up his cap. Sarah sees his face and her heart skips a beat. He looks tired and worn out. "There are no words to how much I miss you. I love you, I told you before. It won't end just like this. When I love someone, I make the long term commitment." "No, please go and forget me..." "SARAH!" He shouts and the club falls quiet. Sarah gets up and tells others in Japanese to just continue. "Lower your voice!" "Only if you listen to me!" The man behind the counter walks to the booth and asks Sarah if everything is okay. She nods. "How long did you order me for?" "I can order you all night if needed to. I want you, Sarah. It can not be anyone else. It needs to be you. It has all this time been you."

Sarah is emotional at those words. "Hobi..." "I know about the contract. But I don't care. The others don't care either, and RM is looking for a solution. So please, just come back." The guy comes back and coughs. "That means your time is up. Please go now." "You said you love me." He grabs his mask and glasses and pulls his cap back down when the man opens the curtain. Sarah looks away. He walks away with the guy to the counter. He pays. Sarah is sitting in the booth. Why did he come here? How did he find me? Sarah cleans off the table and brings everything to the back. The man comes to her and says something in Japanese. "But you said I never had to do that much?" The man shakes his head. "Really? For once. But my original objective here stands. Don't make it into a habit, you got it?" The man nods.

Sarah walks to the counter. "Did you really just buy me for tonight?" Jhope's eyes look serious. "I don't do this kind of thing. Never." Somewhere inside Jhope sighs relieved. "But since you paid even more than the initial price, my boss doesn't want to hear my excuses. Let's go." She grabs Jhope's arm and walks out. "I have a hotel room in Ikebukuro." Jhope says while he texts Mary but she is too busy with V. "Well, I have all night... let's go." She dryly says. Jhope looks at her. I hate seeing you like this... He holds Sarah's hand as they take the train.

In the hotel she undresses and lays on the bed in her underwear. Just limp. Jhope sits on the bed and rolls his eyes. "I don't mind talking to you all night, my love, so are you really that desperate for my body?" He smirks. Sarah sits up and pulls her knees to her. "Didn't you pay for this?" "I paid to have some alone time with you." He is taking off his mask and had and cap. He ruffles through his soft hairs and sits on the bed next to Sarah. He lays his hand on hers. "My love, you said you loved me. In Italy, that last night, before your boyfriend came. I knew it already but leaving after dropping it like that, isn't really kind of you." "I know but I had no other choice, you know that. And somewhere I'm in love with Ji Hoon." "No, you are not. That night you slept with him, you felt so alone and empty. I know. You desperately clung unto me. You slept with me that night. And you slept well." Sarah is quiet and remembers it. "You knew deep down that you didn't love him. With all of your heart. You just loved the Ji Hoon as a concept. What he represents. He was just a means to an end. To run away." Sarah is trying to hold back the tears. "Yoongs told something about a fake love. I want to love you and give you the world. A real love." Sarah holds her hand on her chest. Jhope spots the necklace from under her clothes, now that they are removed. She is wearing it! Tears drop on it. "What is love then? If what I had with Ji Hoon is fake love, while I thought it was real, what is real love then?" Jhope turns to her and sits in front of her, holding her shoulders. She lifts up her face, tears dropping over her cheeks. "Love is us. What we have." He closes his eyes and leans in to gently kiss her.