Substitute-Chapter 5: Coincidence and Inevitability (4)

He shouldn’t have let the Seongbuk-dong client slip away.

But how could he not?

Unless he could fly from Gangnam to Seongbuk-dong, there was no way to make it in time.

Jiwon knew that perfectly well—and yet, he was sulking. It killed any motivation to work. Not that he could afford to skip a shift entirely.

He sat there, spaced out, for who knows how long before finally pulling himself together and taking a call. The client was piss-drunk and had the manners of a sewer rat. Even so, Jiwon kept a straight face, drove the car to the address the client gave him, and managed to park it safely.

His arm felt like it was about to fall off. He chewed on another painkiller and checked the time.

Already this late?

The drop-off was unfamiliar territory, so he opened the map app and started walking toward the nearest bus stop. He looked around for a scooter, but of course, there wasn’t a single one in sight. As a backup, he checked whether there were any designated driver shuttle buses or company vehicles nearby. On days like this, there never were.

With no choice left, he took a bus and transferred to the subway—twice—before finally arriving at the Emperor Room Salon.

He clocked in, then, as usual, headed toward the convenience store down the block.

“Hyung!”

Just as he was about to press the automatic door button, Han called out to him. He was out of breath, like he’d run all the way.

“Man, why do you walk so fast? I thought you were speed-walking or something.”

Han grumbled, but his face was lit up with a bright smile.

He gestured toward the door, telling Jiwon to hurry inside. Once they passed through the automatic door, Han made a beeline for the drinks section and grabbed three straw-topped iced coffees. As soon as he paid, he handed one to Jiwon.

“Two-plus-one.”

“Thanks.”

As Jiwon accepted the coffee, Han rolled his eyes. “Ah, there you go again.” But the pout on his face soon curved into a grin.

“Come on. Let’s talk while we drink.”

They sat side-by-side at the bar table inside the convenience store, overlooking the street. Without a word, they both stabbed the straws into the lids and took long sips. The sweet coffee chased away a bit of the gloom clouding Jiwon’s mind.

After a few more sips, Han pushed his phone in front of Jiwon. The screen showed a page titled Important Notes for Interview Participants.

Jiwon raised an eyebrow, and Han nudged him to hurry up and read it.

Jiwon lowered his eyes and began to read the text.

Please be extra cautious about confidentiality if you have received an acceptance message.

Interviews will be conducted in three rounds. Only those who pass the first interview will receive information about the second round.

※ You must sign a confidentiality agreement before the interview. If you do not sign, the interview will be canceled.

※ Regardless of acceptance, all first-round participants will receive a 3,000,000 KRW interview stipend in cash.

※ You must bring your ID and a certified resident registration transcript on the day of the interview.

Interview attire: White dress shirt, black suit (top and bottom), dress shoes. Necktie optional.

Location: Taeseong Building, 25th Floor, Sagye-dong, Yongnam City. Check in at the lobby for a temporary pass.

Date and Time: Friday, June 7th, 3:30 PM.

※ If you will be late, please contact us in advance. Depending on the reason, your interview may be canceled or postponed. Thank you for your understanding.

– SuperX Model Agency

There was no mention of what the job actually entailed, but Jiwon could guess. The phrase Model Agency gave it away.

In this industry, any company calling itself a model agency was usually a front for a host bar network. Either that, or they were shooting adult content, or brokering sex work.

But even putting all that aside, one part stood out—the interview stipend: 3 million won. And that was just for attending the first interview, regardless of whether or not you passed.

It piqued his curiosity.

Jiwon looked over at Han, who grinned back.

“You didn’t get the message yet, hyung?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, didn’t you get a call too?”

Jiwon blinked, not understanding. Han sighed in frustration, took his phone back, tapped the screen a few times, then handed it over again.

A bright, bold message lit up the screen.

[Han Seoho-nim, congratulations on passing. Please check the following link for details on your first interview. – SuperX Model Agency]

“You didn’t get this message? The Maybach guy didn’t tell you?”

“Maybach?”

They were talking about interviews, and now suddenly he was bringing up a Maybach? Jiwon couldn’t follow Han’s train of thought at all.

“Yeah, Maybach. That huge guy, remember?”

“...Why would that client...?”

Jiwon trailed off, then let out a sigh.

It hadn’t been a missed opportunity. There were thousands of designated drivers out there, but the client had called the dispatch center specifically to ask for him. Jiwon was the one who turned it down.

And yet the client had reached out again—through Han’s mouth this time.

Jiwon quickly took out his phone and checked his call history. Two missed calls from a number starting with 070, right above a missed call from “Fucking Bastard.” He’d ignored the number, thinking it was another insurance or loan spam call.

“Was it this number?”

He showed the 070 number to Han, who nodded emphatically.

“There you go. You did get the call. But, uh... who’s ‘Fucking Bastard’?”

Han asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

“Oh. That’s... my older brother.”

Jiwon replied hesitantly, and Han clicked his tongue.

“Damn. That nickname’s spot-on.”

Han got worked up on Jiwon’s behalf.

“If it were me, I would’ve killed the guy already. You’re a fucking saint, hyung.”

Jiwon could only offer a bitter smile.

“Anyway, what are you waiting for? Call them back already!”

Han nudged him, eager.

"Call where?"

"The missed call!"

"Right now?"

It was past midnight.

"It’s too late. They won’t pick up even if I try."

“Oh come on, hyung. Agencies don’t work like that. It’s all connected to personal phones.”

Han insisted.

“Still...”

“They said the interview stipend alone is three million won.”

He added, when else are we ever gonna get our hands on that kind of money?

Jiwon wanted to—desperately—but what if he made a bad impression by calling at this hour?

He didn’t want to ruin a shot by rushing in like an idiot.

“I’ll call in the morning—”

Before he could finish, Han reached over and snatched Jiwon’s phone. He winked like trust me, I got this.

Moments later, a triumphant grin spread across Han’s face.

“See? Told you they'd answer,” he mouthed silently.

“Sorry to call so late. I saw I had a missed call. Yes. Yes, I’m Kim Jiwon. Yes. One moment... Here, hyung. Take it.”

Before Jiwon could protest, the phone was handed off. He brought it to his ear.

— “Is this Kim Jiwon?”

The voice didn’t sound like someone who’d just woken up.

Jiwon said it was.

They asked for his phone number.

The tone was stiff, cold, and completely businesslike.

— “We sent a message. Did you get it?”

Jiwon quickly pulled the phone away from his ear and checked the screen. A message alert was there.

“Yes, I ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) got it.”

— “Just follow the instructions in the message and arrive on time.”

The call ended before he could say anything else.

“Did you get the message?” Han asked, practically bouncing with anticipation.

“Yeah. Here.”

“What would you have done if we hadn’t called?”

Han looked at him like well, aren’t I a hero, waiting for some praise. Jiwon just muttered, “Thanks,” and checked the message.

He tapped the link, and the same page Han had shown earlier appeared. But this time, the interview time was different.

10:00 AM. Jiwon blinked in confusion.

“Huh? Yours is at ten. Does that time work for you?”

“Yeah. That’s perfect.”

Not just “perfect”—it was the one time in his day that was actually free.

It almost felt like the agency already knew his schedule.

Did someone already tell them about me?

The thought left a strange taste in his mouth. Still, he didn’t show anything to Han—just played along like he was happy.

A little while later, Han headed off to greet a client at the room salon, and Jiwon was left alone in the convenience store. He made a phone call to somewhere. Two promotional texts came in soon after. He ignored the call from a man named President Choi, a loan shark.

Then, after stalling for another ten minutes, he sent a message to “Fucking Bastard.”

[Choi just called. What should I do?]

Ten minutes later, a reply came.

[Just say you’ll pay him back for now.]

After reading it, Jiwon found Choi in his contacts.

[I’ll pay back at least part. Please send me your account number.]

He texted it to Choi.

Phew, maybe that’s enough for now.

There was nothing wrong with being cautious. But being too cautious meant never doing anything at all.

There was no way to figure this out without jumping in headfirst.

Jiwon decided to focus on one thing: he’d gotten an opportunity.

Whether it was shit or soybean paste—he’d find out soon enough.