Martoons

Cast of characters

Miss No

Mr Go

*

No had to try hard to contain her excited giggle, and then slipped gracefully into the Royal Room.

Go was pre-occupied with pouring through the song book.

* Will Go recognize her? *

Putting on her best ditsy hostess routine, No slithered on to the couch and cuddled up close to him.

She could only get so close, though.

The man did smoke like a chimney (she knew that) yet perhaps without knowing it, he seemed to blow it in her face every exhale.

Other than that, all went well for the duration of the hour as Go didn’t clue in to what was going on.

“Cigarette!” he’d order and she’d produce one from the silver tray, hand it off to him, and then fire it up.

“Six-Seven-Three-Four,” he’d call out after looking his next sappy ballad up in the book.

She’d punch it into the keypad for him.

She was impressed that he never once tried to fondle her during the entire evening.

She even took his hand once but he recoiled uncomfortably.

He seemed to show so little personal interest in her, in fact, that she got to wondering.

For fun she asked, “You no likey the ladies?”

He waved her off vehemently and shook his head.

“Why would you want a strange man to violate your personal space? Don’t you have any character? Or self-esteem?

“Don’t you know that these days it’s a women’s world? You don’t have to put up with that kind of treatment, even in a low-level job like this.”

That endeared him to her.

He started to talk more though, and she was soon put off by his cockiness about his business success.

“I’m making so much money now,” he bragged, “I don’t know what to do with it. So I come here and throw it away. Oh well, it’s only money. Besides, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

“Don’t tell your wife that you spend all your money here,” she chuckled.

“Are you keeping her at home poor?”

Go waved her off again.

“Me no have wife. If I did, do you think I’d be in this kind of place?”

He sighed and looked down.

“Actually, I probably would.”

Go turned and looked at her.

“Are you married?”

“No, no, no!” she said, surprised and unprepared for the question.

“I mean, yes, yes, yes…I am married. I just got married as a matter of fact – to my job! Ha ha ha!”

She chuckled artificially.

“I’m a workaholic.”

“You remind me of one of my new staff – a girl I just hired recently.”

No started to get nervous and immediately looked away, yet could see out of the corner of her eye that Go was now closely studying her facial features.

Was he on to her?

* Was he? *

“By the way,” he asked, “if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

Her throat frogged-up and feigned a cough.

Go chuckled and somewhat out-of-character he clutched her and pulled her in for a closer look at her face.

“Wait a minute! Aren’t you…”

“I’m sorry,” she peeped, putting her hand up to fake a cough and cover her face.

“Me go washroom.”

She rushed out and was saved from having to return to the Royal Room because Go’s hour was up and the lights had come on.

With the newbie out of the room, the madam had joined the guest with the customary and complimentary shot of Chinese soju on the house and an extra ten minutes’ crooning time.

No peeked in and saw all this, and then seized the opportunity to make a quick escape.

She rushed outside and jumped in a cab.

“Where’s the hostess I had,” Go asked the madam.

“I liked her.”

He’d even been considering asking her out.

“Will she be here tomorrow night?”

Go thought about the newbie all day and by nightfall was itching to get down to Max’s Cupid club to schmooze with her.

That’s when the dream shattered.

He reached into the lower drawer but stubbed his finger tips on the bottom.

“What the…”

The treasure chest drawer was almost empty, with the exception of a couple of lousy, crumpled-up thousand won ($1) notes.

* Did Go spend everything? Or was some money stolen? *

*

Tomorrow: Max presses for Go to make a decision and Dame wants out of Korea.