Nan and Mae, befitting their upbringing, had impeccable table manners.
Even with me holding my breath under the table, I could barely hear the clinking of silverware or the smacking of lips. Na-kyung suddenly recalled her early days at the hostel, before she distanced herself from her fellow call girls, when she ate with Ming and several others.
Back then, Na-kyung hadn't fully adapted as a prostitute from a developing country.
It was just a simple lunch-and-dinner gathering. Na-kyung was surprised by many things: the meager food, the unhygienic utensils, and the impolite chatter with saliva flying everywhere. Everything was a mess.
She distinctly remembered being appalled back then, but not so much anymore.
She no longer had the opportunity to eat with the hostel chain's call girls, and besides, her own table manners had become similar. In a place where the dregs of society gathered, no one pointed such things out.
"Jenny. We're done eating."
"Ah, yes."
Na-kyung quickly crawled out from under the table.
She glanced at the table. There were hardly any spills. Even in that moment, Na-kyung felt relieved that the amount of work was less than expected.
"Clean up and do the dishes."
"Oh, come on. You should eat first. Jenny, clean up later, eat first."
"Ah... yes."
While answering Mae, Na-kyung subtly glanced at Nan.
Despite their ages, it was clear to anyone that the younger sister held the upper hand. If Nan strongly demanded or insisted on something, Mae, the older sister, never went against it. Fortunately, the impetuous younger sister seemed willing to tolerate that much kindness.
"Yeah, well, no need to rush too much."
Thanks to Mae's kindness, Na-kyung could at least eat her meal in peace.
The dishes were the same. Since Na-kyung had cooked everything herself, there was no need to make a separate menu just for her.
However, Na-kyung still had to be careful.
It was a bit strange for the cook to eat the same meal as the guests. She was nervous about being criticized, but this time, Nan didn't point anything out. In fact, she didn't seem to care what Na-kyung ate.
"Sister. Don't go there right away..."
Leaving Na-kyung to eat, she whispered her plans for the day with her sister.
Only then could Na-kyung completely relax—it was around the time she had emptied more than half of her rice bowl.
"Jenny. You're good at making Korean food. Did you learn it somewhere?"
Had they finished their discussion? Nan, who had already brushed her teeth and changed her clothes, strode over and asked.
"Ah... well..."
Na-kyung's heart sank at the sudden question.
Ah, the dish Na-kyung had served just now was none other than Korean food. Yesterday, she had made a decent Vietnamese dish, but because she was disoriented after waking up, she had unconsciously made the Korean dish she was most familiar with.
Don't panic. Don't panic.
Na-kyung's grip on the spoon tightened. Fortunately, Nan didn't seem suspicious. The Korean-style Bulgogi, which she was naturally picking up with her chopsticks and bringing to her mouth, felt very awkward. Na-kyung forced a calm smile and said,
"Yes... actually, I've always been interested in Korean culture. And since special guests from Korea were coming... I did some studying in advance."
"Really? For someone who just studied, it's really perfect Korean style. You're much more sincere about Korea than I thought?"
"Y-yes, of course."
Na-kyung quickly agreed as Nan readily accepted her explanation. Surely, few people would dislike a foreigner's interest in their country, even if the foreigner was a prostitute from a developing country.
"I took some pictures earlier. It was too good to just eat. I was going to post them on social media, but then I realized that if I just posted the food photos, no one would know who the cook was, right? Jenny, so I want to post your picture too. What do you think?"
"A picture?"
Na-kyung couldn't hide her embarrassment at Nan's request.
Taking pictures, and even posting them on social media, was something Na-kyung couldn't help but be reluctant to do—especially since Nan and Mae were her university juniors. No matter how much her appearance had changed, what if someone recognized her...?
"Ah, don't worry too much. My social media is a private account. Only a few acquaintances can see it..."
"Even so..."
"If you're really worried, I'll black out your eyes before posting it. How about that? Is that okay?"
"...Yes. I understand."
It was a persistent and tenacious request. If she didn't grant it after being asked this much, she would surely retaliate in some way. On the premise that her eyes would be covered, Na-kyung nodded, unable to hide her unease.
"Good thinking. I'll take a picture with the food right now, so strike a pose. V~ you know?"
"V, V."
Na-kyung gave an awkward smile and made a 'V' sign with her fingers.
Click—Nan immediately took a picture. Then, she came back to Na-kyung's side and showed her the photo editing process in real time, blacking out her eyes with a black line, and then posting it on her social media.
As Nan said, she had very few followers on her social media.
"How is it? Do you like the picture?"
"Ah... yes. It turned out well."
As she said, it was a pretty good picture, except for the awkward black line. Thanks to Nan handing over her smartphone so that she could see it in detail, Na-kyung was able to properly observe the awkward photo taken by her Korean university junior.
"..."
In the picture, Na-kyung was making a strange expression, as if she was forcing the corners of her mouth to lift.
It seemed like they had applied various filters in addition to the black line covering her eyes. Her skin was excessively bright. Nevertheless, Na-kyung's skin tone was still on the darker side.
After looking closely at the picture, Na-kyung felt a strange sensation.
It was a fresh reminder that her appearance had really changed beyond recognition. The first thing that caught her eye was her short bob, which reached just below her ears. She had never had her hair this short since elementary school, and what about the platinum blonde color that screamed cheap dye? It was a color that no normal person could pull off, let alone make a woman look cheap.
The flashy earrings and necklaces, the caterpillar eyebrows that were faintly visible above the black line, and even the lips that were deliberately painted a light brown color.
She couldn't help but think that she didn't even need to cover her eyes. Anyone who knew the former Korean chaebol heiress 'Lee Na-kyung' would not think of her when looking at the current 'Jenny'.
"Why were you so against it? Jenny, would there be a problem if someone saw you? My social media is only seen by Koreans anyway. Do you know anyone in Korea? Ah, or are you planning to marry a Korean man in the future?"
"N-no, it's not like that."
Na-kyung jumped up almost reflexively as Nan asked with a sly smile.
It wasn't an unfounded story. For a Vietnamese woman, marrying a Korean man, that is, acquiring Korean citizenship, could be an opportunity to turn her life around. Among the women from developing countries she met at the hostel, there were several who expressed their desire to marry men from 'developed countries' such as Japan, Korea, or Taiwan.
But Na-kyung was Korean. Her nationality was Korean, so the question of whether she was planning to marry a Korean man to regain Korean citizenship brought her an unbearable sense of shame.
"What's wrong? Why are you overreacting so much? Don't you like Korea?"
"Ah... I-I do like it. But I don't want to become Korean..."
Na-kyung, her face flushed red, desperately retorted.
Despite Na-kyung's excuses, Nan narrowed her eyes suspiciously and glared at her. Na-kyung swallowed hard. The girl named Nan that she had experienced so far was really quick-witted, and she had surprised Na-kyung time and time again.
"Well... even if you have a plan, it won't be easy anyway."
"Pardon?"
"Marrying a Korean man. Korean men like women with fair skin. But Jenny... you're not like that."
"What..."
"Your skin tone. Isn't it quite dark even among Southeast Asians?"
Nan openly pointed out her skin tone.
Na-kyung's shoulders flinched. Nan's point was true. The original plan was to maintain her skin tone by consistently tanning, but even though there were no signs of Na-kyung's brown skin returning to its original color, she frequented the tanning salon out of habit.
As a result, Na-kyung's skin tone had become even darker than when she first started working at the hostel... and it was far from the universally preferred fair skin. Conversely, it was in stark contrast to the sisters, who had particularly fair skin even among young women in East Asia.
"I'm just saying. Don't take it too hard."
When Na-kyung bit her lip and remained silent, Nan smiled slightly and patted her shoulder.
"Ah, Jenny. Come to think of it, do they prefer fair skin in your country too?"
"Yes... well, I guess so."
Whether it was Vietnam or Korea, it was the same in both countries.
Na-kyung nodded slowly. Watching Nan blatantly flaunt her superiority, Na-kyung had to feel a defeat that was hard to describe.
Height, figure, and even skin. Na-kyung inwardly thought that she had the upper hand over Nan in every other aspect as a woman... but when it came to skin tone, it was a 100% defeat. Especially if the other party was an Asian, especially a Korean man.
Na-kyung, who used to boast skin as fair as the sisters, was no longer the same.
"I've been talking too much nonsense. Eat quickly and clean up. We have to go out."
Nan finally let Na-kyung eat after subtly scratching at her nerves until the very end.
"...Yes."
Na-kyung's eyes, as she picked up her spoon again, were strangely moist.
**
Having completed all the preparations, all that was left was to get dressed.
Na-kyung excused herself and went to the bathroom. She was still naked, and she gathered her belongings and clothes.
The sisters probably thought that Na-kyung was getting dressed and putting on makeup. That wasn't entirely wrong, but there was one secret that she hadn't revealed to the VVIP guests.
"...Haa..."
A strange-looking piece of machinery was placed on the sink. It was a 'fingerprint erasing machine'.
Na-kyung hesitated for a moment, then connected the power to the bathroom. As befitting one of the best rooms in the hostel, there was a separate outlet with a cover. Na-kyung turned on the power, inserted her fingers into the slot, and activated it.
"Ugh... Haa..."
Hot, dry heat seared the skin on her fingers.
It was probably one of the most painful procedures to undergo without anesthesia. Nevertheless, Na-kyung couldn't help but moan with excitement instead of a painful scream.
"Ah... Heuht..."
Her idle hand was already squeezing her breasts.
Na-kyung looked up as she simultaneously performed self-pleasure and fingerprint erasing. She stared straight at herself in the mirror. Her appearance had changed into someone completely different. She remembered what Nan had said. Dark skin tone. The words that were close to a conviction that no matter how outstanding her appearance was, it wouldn't work for Korean men.
"Heuung... Aah..."
The hand that had been stimulating her breasts naturally moved between her legs.
The aftereffects of the 'chemotherapy disinfection' had not completely healed. A stinging pain rose as her fingers touched her. Even that came as a thrilling stimulation to Na-kyung now.