Kind of out there Inhun idea I had
Listening to Moulin Rouge and watching a video essay on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and justā
Hwang In-ho is one of the most feared mob bosses in Seoul. He inherited the title from Oh Il-nam, his mentor and one of the cruelest men to ever roam the streets. But, Il-nam was a business man first and foremost, so he had many operations throughout the city. Most were fronts for more nefarious businessesālaundromats, cafes and restaurants, a copy store. But one of his more well-known businesses in the underworld was a rather ritzy burlesque show. People from all over the country would come to see the people who performed their.
And the main star of this burlesque? None other than Seong Gi-hun. A man with soft, curly locks and the biggest brown doe eyes anyone had ever seen. Heād have all types of fans and callers every night. Il-nam seemed to favor the boy, but that didnāt make him any less cruel to him. But, even bald in the day, In-ho was fascinated by the star of the show. How kind he was to his other workers (dancers, bartenders, bouncers, you name it). Heād take on extra shifts of someone was tired to work, no matter how tired or worn out he was. And he was always protective of his fellow performers and if a particularly mean client came in, heād shield them. Often ending up taking a few hits for them as well. In a world where it was better to look out only for yourself, Gi-hun wore his heart on his sleeve. In-ho was fascinated.
As it goes, In-ho would often pay to spend time with Gi-hun after some shifts. But he would insist the two just talk, give Gi-hun something of a break. Gi-hun was confused at first but grew to enjoy just spending time and talking to In-ho. In-ho would try and have a night alone with Gi-hun once or twice a week, just to see the star, talk to him, let him know he could rest. And slowly, Gi-hun began to fall for In-ho as much as In-ho fell for Gi-hun. But Gi-hun was up for the grabs, and an old friend of his, Cho Sang-woo, also bought some of Gi-hunās time.
Eventually, Sang-woo offered to buy out Gi-hunās contract and āset him free. And in a jealous fit, In-ho picked a fight with Gi-hun, and Gi-hun said that if thatās what ended up happening, In-ho would have to except it. Heartbroken, In-ho said he didnāt care what a ācommon whoreā did with his time, and left. He didnāt go back to the burlesque again after that. But he heard through the grapevine that Sang-wooās offer fell flat because turns out he was broke. But In-ho was to embarrassed to go back, thinking Gi-hun would want nothing to do with him after their fight.
Fast forward to after Il-nam dies, In-ho is going around to all the businesses he now owns. Making sure theyāre running smoothly, fixing up those that arenāt, and cutting any loose ends he has to. He saves the burlesque for last, mostly because itās become one of the most reputable places on Il-namās list. Thatās because toward the end of his life, Il-nam made Gi-hun the manager and āMadameā of the house and Gi-hun has made the place not only profitable but safe for his employees.
Customers are actually screened before entering (a ridiculous notion when Il-nam ran the place), bouncers actually protect the performers instead of the customer, and any one (performers, bartenders, you name it) is allowed to say no to anything. Not to mention Gi-hun pays pretty well. In-ho is impressed when he finally makes his way there. The new performances are modern, but tasteful. Fresh blood for a dying medium, but always entertaining. The performers look up to Gi-hun like heās the mother hen of the house, and he wears it like a badge of honor.
Eventually, Gi-hun and In-ho meet face-to-face after years of not seeing each other. Itās cordial at first, strictly business. About career advancements, life, the weather. But Gi-hun has always been curious and In-ho could never deny him anything, so the talks get more personal. They talk about their days, the performances, In-hoās private investigator brother who wonāt leave well enough alone and Gi-hun insists that In-ho should just talk to the kid already, they talk about some of the younger girls who came to work for Gi-hun, like the North Korean defector working to support her and her little brother or the young girl who was dumped by her trashy boyfriend and now works there to support her newborn baby, and how Gi-hun just adores them all. In-ho remembers all to quickly why he fell for Gi-hun way back when.
It just happens that In-ho usually spends his evenings there, at the bar, unwinding. Even when thereās not really a show there, he still shows up to the bar, still shows up to talk to Gi-hun, is just there. Gi-hun finds himself just as easily charmed as back then, but remembers that In-ho has bigger responsibilities now as head of the mob and what would he want with an old washed up performer like Gi-hun anyway? But one day, In-ho enters Gi-hunās office and asks about purchasing someoneās time for the evening and, heart dying a little inside but knowing itās just business and itās about time In-ho buy sometime with a performer, heās been coming here for six months now and just drinking whiskey at the bar, Gi-hun ask who he wants and how much heās willing to pay.
Then In-ho asks for a night with Gi-hun. Gi-hun thinks he misheard, but In-ho just locks the office door and walks over to Gi-hun and asks āHow much for a night with you?ā Gi-hun blushes and says heās not really available anymore, heās not as spry as he once was, not as pretty, not as talented, and surely In-ho would want someone younger, who could satisfy him better. But In-ho says he doesnāt want another performer, he wants Gi-hun. Gi-hun just starts spitting out names of performers he thinks are In-hoās ātypeā and In-ho just counters by saying heāll pay a ridiculously higher and higher amount of money for Gi-hun with each name that he offers.
Until finally In-ho canāt take it anymore and just grabs Gi-hun by the chin and kisses him. When he pulls back he offers millions upon millions of won, just for the honor and privilege of having Gi-hun for just one night. When his brain reloads and heās finally able to comprehend that In-ho is being genuine, Gi-hun tells In-ho that if he asks nicely enough, he wonāt have to pay for his time at all, heāll just have Gi-hun whenever he wants. And how could In-ho ever resist an offer like that?