Chapter 78: The VIP Has Arrived

Lee Jaehyun leisurely swayed his body in rhythm with the music, glancing around naturally.

The way his gaze wandered here and there wasn’t obvious, and even if it was, no one would find it strange.

After all, most of the men here were busy scanning the room, searching for their targets.

“Are all the Rooms on the second floor?”

If Park Man-seok was coming to this club, he would definitely book a Room.

They’d probably leave a Room empty for him, or even make one available if none were open when he arrived.

He was a construction company Owner who liked to party so much that he visited clubs two or three times a week.

Of course, he would spend money like water.

From the club’s perspective, he’d be a VVIP.

Lee Jaehyun made his way toward the bar, ordered a drink, then shifted his gaze toward the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Oh Seohyun reappeared and approached him.

“Why are you looking around like that?”

“No reason, just wondering if we should’ve gotten a Room too.”

Lee Jaehyun glanced around once more.

According to the information Oh Seohyun gave him, Park Man-seok was a frequent guest at the club.

Would Park Man-seok really just hang out on the floor?

Of course not.

There must be a reason he came to the club so often, and while part of it was probably for fun… it was highly likely there were more discreet deals happening.

He wouldn’t be out in the open on the floor.

With the amount of money he had, he’d be in a Room.

At Lee Jaehyun’s words, Oh Seohyun looked at him with a curious expression.

“How much is a Room, anyway?”

“If it’s expensive, maybe 100 to 200, but… here it’s probably just 50 or so?”

“Two hundred? People spend a whole month’s salary on a single Room…?”

Sergeant Oh Seohyun muttered in disbelief, shaking her head.

Leaving Oh Seohyun behind, Lee Jaehyun glanced at the hulking figures standing in front of the stairs to the second floor.

“The atmosphere’s a little strange.”

“What? Other than being noisy, I don’t really notice anything.”

“No, the security by the Rooms is a lot tighter than I expected.”

“…Ah.”

Following Lee Jaehyun’s gaze, Sergeant Oh Seohyun looked at the stairs and let out a small sound.

She nodded in agreement.

“It’s definitely a bit much.”

Even if Sergeant Oh Seohyun didn’t have much club experience, she wasn’t an idiot.

There’s no way it’s normal for a couple of big guys to be blocking a single staircase in just an ordinary club.

Lee Jaehyun watched the club Guards from a blind spot, where their eyes couldn’t reach.

“It’s not even the club entrance. Why are there two guys guarding just the stairs to the Rooms?”

Lee Jaehyun studied them sharply.

Even in much bigger Gangnam Clubs, there was only ever one Guard on the stairs.

It wasn’t because Gangnam Clubs lacked manpower, but because having too many Guards inside would make guests uncomfortable.

And yet, here there were two posted at the stairs. It could only mean one of two things.

“Does that mean someone really important is here?”

Oh Seohyun, experienced as she was, picked up on the same thing and asked.

A natural deduction.

The role of a Guard is to protect someone.

Whether that’s a guest or information, the point is to keep something secure.

If they’re putting this much effort into security, there must be a reason.

“That’s possible.”

“Is Park Man-seok up there right now?”

Oh Seohyun frowned slightly as she asked.

From the club’s point of view, Park Man-seok was a VVIP.

That could definitely be the case.

But it was too soon to jump to conclusions.

That would be investigating with a preconceived outcome, something Senior Police Officer Kim Junho had warned them about before they came here.

Focusing too much on Park Man-seok would only narrow their field of view.

“Maybe there’s something else they’re trying to hide.”

“Ah.”

When Lee Jaehyun brought up the last possibility, Oh Seohyun’s face finally showed understanding.

Sex crimes, drugs…

Rooms were more secretive than most people realized.

They were closed off from sight, and any conversations or noises inside were drowned out by the loud music outside.

That’s why, for generations, club Rooms had been breeding grounds for all kinds of crimes.

In fact, in his previous life, the majority of arrests in club-related cases had happened in Rooms.

It wouldn’t be wise to dismiss the possibility.

“Or maybe, it’s both.”

Oh Seohyun nodded, her gaze lingering on the Guards.

Staring too hard might make the Guards suspicious.

After watching for a bit, Oh Seohyun turned away casually.

Lee Jaehyun did the same.

Still, both of them kept all their attention focused on the Guards.

“There’s definitely something going on.”

There was a smell in the air.

Familiar, yet foul.

The stench of criminals and their evil deeds—impossible to describe in words.

Lee Jaehyun surveyed his surroundings with a strange expression for a moment.

The guests seemed the same as before, but the staff’s demeanor was starting to change.

The staff’s footsteps became hurried, and they began to bustle around.

“Jaehyun-hyung.”

“Yeah, from here on out, keep your eyes open.”

Lee Jaehyun took a sip of his drink as he watched the staff, now busier than ever.

It was obvious at a glance—someone important was arriving.

And whether that someone was President Park Man-seok, he’d soon find out.

He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp and tapped the empty glass lightly with his finger.

***

Club ‘Daepo’s number 10, Gu Chan-hyuk.

Known as ‘Pigeon’, he looked around the club.

The thumping music and strobe lights.

Men and women moving their bodies in the midst of it all.

Gu Chan-hyuk watched the scene with a satisfied smile, nodding to himself.

“I should just lay my bones here for good.”

Originally, he’d worked at another club, but it had been three months since he transferred to Daepo, and his wallet had been getting thicker and thicker lately.

Coming to work every day was a joy.

He could earn several hundred thousand won on a regular day, and if he was lucky, even one to two million won.

Not to mention, sometimes he got to meet women.

Where else in the world was there a place like this?

“Let’s give it my all today, too.”

Work like a dog, spend like a butterfly.

That was Gu Chan-hyuk’s motto.

What did that mean?

It simply meant to work hard, and spend elegantly.

That was all.

While he was strutting around thinking so, a man approached his side.

The man spoke in a light tone.

“Hyung, looks like the crowd’s good today, huh?”

“Yeah, there are some fun ones and even some cute ones around.”

Gu Chan-hyuk nodded and answered Yu Hodong, his coworker.

As a club MD, the more effort you put in, the more money you made, but… luck played a part too.

On nights with a good crowd like this, Tips tended to pour in.

Thanks to that, Gu Chan-hyuk could work even more enthusiastically than usual.

And then—

“Hyung, hyung! That guy’s coming!”

“That guy? Who?”

“The VVIP ajusshi!”

“Ajusshi? Ah, Manseokkun?”

At Gu Chan-hyuk’s words, his junior nodded.

The guy known among the MDs as ‘Manseokkun’ was notorious for breaking at least one or two glasses every time he showed up, but…

He was a VIP among VIPs, spending so much money that the club staff couldn’t help but smile even if he broke a few glasses.

No matter how much of a pain a guest was, as long as they dropped enough cash, this place would smile for them.

That was the club.

And Gu Chan-hyuk, too, made his living off the Tips the guests gave.

“Yeah, he said he’d arrive in ten minutes.”

“That guy’s got some luck. How does he always show up on nights with the best crowd?”

Gu Chan-hyuk let out a short laugh.

He wasn’t really curious, though.

He knew well enough it wasn’t just luck.

“Probably some staff member he contacts directly gave him the heads up. Told him to come since the crowd’s good.”

It was obvious.

There were plenty of MDs who got Tips from Manseokkun—of course some of them were close to him.

If you had that kind of relationship, calling him when the crowd was good wasn’t strange at all.

What Gu Chan-hyuk was really curious about…

Was just how much in Tips the staff who got close to ‘Manseokkun’ received.

He’d gotten a Tip from Manseokkun once, too.

That time, he’d gotten three crisp bills.

Three million won, just for handling some basics when the guy showed up.

How much did those who were actually close to him get?

At least one or two more, probably.

“If I play my cards right, I could take that role over.”

Gu Chan-hyuk was sure that if he just exchanged a few words with Manseokkun, he could take over as his main contact.

But to do that, he needed an opening.

He was confident that if he nailed today’s Booking, he’d get his chance to strike up a conversation.

Once the ice was broken, becoming the go-to guy was easy for him…

And the Tips those pigeons got would fall to him too.

Having made up his mind, Gu Chan-hyuk set straight to work.

“Okay, go double-check the VIP Room setup. I’ll go find a girl to seat next to him.”

Saying so, he began scanning the club’s interior.

Manseokkun’s taste was simple, but harder to find than expected.

Basically, as long as they were pretty, he liked them.

But, it couldn’t be someone who seemed too experienced, or a girl who looked like she came to the club a lot.

“Even that old guy has his preferences, huh.”

Gu Chan-hyuk muttered to himself.

Finding a girl that matched Manseokkun’s taste wasn’t easy.

If a girl failed at Booking for not being pretty enough, she’d come to the club less and less.

If she succeeded, she’d start coming more often.

Only the survivors kept returning.

Gu Chan-hyuk, understanding this ecology, looked around the club with sharp eyes.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any girls who fit the bill, just that they were hard to find.

Besides, just bringing a girl who fit his taste meant a generous Tip.

That kind of effort hardly felt like work at all.

Gu Chan-hyuk quickly scanned the women having fun inside the club.

Then, he spotted a woman with long hair, sipping a drink at the bar.

She had a pure vibe, and though he wasn’t sure of her actual age, she looked like she’d just graduated college.

On top of that, her awkward demeanor made it clear she didn’t have much club experience.

“Oh, I’ll be getting a nice Tip tonight.”

She was perfect for Manseokkun’s taste, and her looks were more than enough.

This was it.

With a satisfied smile, Gu Chan-hyuk hurried his steps.

Of course, there was no way he could know.

Who that woman he was approaching really was.