Chapter Text
Jade reached for the faucet in her tiny shower and pushed it all the way towards the little red circle that indicated “hot”. “Hot”, was a misnomer, of course, because the water that came from the faucet was never very hot. Lukewarm, at best, even when she turned the lever as far as it would go. The shower was just one of many things that she hated about her apartment in Seoul.
Living in the city had been her dream since she was a teenager, and at thirty four, she thought that she was so lucky to finally have landed a job teaching English at a girls high school just outside of Seoul. The job had promised to be rewarding and well compensated, and though living accommodations were not included with the salary, the agent had promised that she’d be able to find a “nice” apartment with plenty of money left over for saving. Maybe Jade had different expectations of “nice”, but the only apartment in her price range that she’d been able to find was not only an hour on the metro from the university but the entire unit was also barely larger than her childhood bedroom back home in Vermont.
Still, she had given it her best shot. And well, by the end of the second semester, she was just grateful for summer break. It had been anything but easy. Before she started teaching, she’d hoped that on weekends, she’d be able to explore the city. After she started, however, she realized that she was so exhausted from teaching all week that she would need to use the weekends to recover, instead. The two days would be filled with rest, a quick run to the grocery store and plenty of lesson preparation for the week ahead. The days became a blur, one after another, week after week that amounted to lots of hard work and with the cost of living in Seoul, very little savings. It had been two weeks since school had ended and she was just starting to regain her energy. It had also been two weeks since the principal had reminded her that she needed to make a decision about the contract for the following year.
She had been pretty certain that even though the idea of teaching for another year daunted her, what choice did she really have? She was going to have to re-sign… That was, until she received a text message from Casey, one of the teachers that had left in the first semester. She wanted to let her know that her work had an opening and did she want more information? At first, Jade was going to say thanks anyway but it wasn’t for her… but then again. Was another year of teaching for her?
Another year of students who paid more attention to their phones than they did their lessons. Another year of parents and their desperation for their sons and daughters to get into the best North American Universities. Another year of late nights grading endless quizzes and checking to see if essays had been written by her students, or by ChatGPT.
She remembered how shocked she was when Casey had initially told her about her new job. She genuinely couldn’t believe it, but Casey assured her that it was entirely professional. She’d been hired by one of the largest K-Pop labels to work as part of a very special team. To help care for all of the needs of the male talent that was part of the label, a small and very selective team of women was hired to work for the men, to provide companionship. Simply put, she was a sex worker for the stars.
But it wasn’t as sleazy as it sounded, Casey told her, seemingly excited that she had been interested to learn more. Maybe she was used to hearing no, Jade mused. Casey patiently and meticulously explained everything; that the women were in charge of everything and that there were strict rules of conduct for the men that used their services. There was a long list of rules and a very short list of clientele, meaning the women had the chance to know who they were working with fairly intimately. Although details of her encounters were, of course, strictly confidential, Casey promised her that the men were very respectful and she should really think about it. So think about it, she did, and finally, she replied that yes, she’d like to schedule an interview.
Four days later, on the day of the interview, Jade thought about every possible reason to change her mind and not go through with it, but ultimately, didn’t have the heart to not show up. She at least owed it to Sunni, the girl she’d been emailing with, to have the thirty minute conversation she had committed to. Sunni seemed so nice and had been so friendly in their interactions that Jade felt more at ease than she’d expected when she scheduled the interview. But now that it was actually happening, she was pretty nervous. Her stomach felt like it was preparing for an Olympic gymnastics meet and she’d been sipping on a lukewarm can of Ginger Ale because she really didn’t want to be sick with just ten minutes until the zoom call.
Sunni had a wide smile and kind eyes when she greeted Jade on the call. Jade was immediately struck by how beautiful she looked, and how plain she felt herself. Why did Casey think that she was going to be good for this role? It wasn’t that she thought she was ugly, but, if all of the girls were as pretty as Sunni… would she fit in?
Jade did her best to push down her reservations and answer the questions confidently, or at least, as confidently as she could manage. Sunni wanted to know what her past job experiences had been, and of course, had she ever worked in a role anything like this.
“It’s actually better if you haven’t.” Sunni told her in response. “The guys like… a genuine experience. They don’t want this to feel like sex work any more than we want it to.”
Interesting. She supposed that it made sense.
“Actually.” Sunni continued. “Some of the encounters may not even be about sex. We offer compansionship…so this can be sex. But it can also be other things. Like just hanging out.” Sunni paused for a moment. “Does that make sense?”
“I think so.” Jade nodded.
“But, just like with sex, if you don’t feel comfortable with something, you can say no. For example. “ Sunni laughed and paused, reaching for her mauve coloured coffee travel mug. “One time, one of the guys wanted to take one of the girls sky diving… she was terrified of heights. That was a no.” She took a sip. “How about you. What would you say to that?” Another sip. “For me, a no.” Sunni grinned and set her coffee mug down again. Even though they’d just met, and there was a screen between them, something about her made Jade feel comfortable.
“That would definitely be a no.” Jade couldn’t help but laugh. Nothing about this experience was like what she had imagined - though she really hadn’t known what to expect, feeling this comfortable wasn’t one of the things she expected to feel this quickly after meeting her potential new boss. Although sky diving would be out of the question… getting paid to hang out seemed appealing after working so hard as a teacher all year. Not to say she expected it to be easy, but it would be different. And she was ready for different. She was definitely ready for different.
Between Sunni’s explanations and Jade’s questions (all of which Sunni answered with no shortage of patience), she felt quite informed about what the role was, and yet, she also felt as though she knew not much at all. She had learned that she would be able to refuse anything she wasn’t comfortable with, and that was one of the most important aspects, she could set the limits and boundaries at all times. Another key aspect was that all sessions were strictly by appointment only. No one would just show up at her apartment (which would be provided) and in fact, no one would attend her residence at all, unless she invited them, which was generally discouraged. Appointments usually took place at the residence of the client. Who the clients were, could not be disclosed until the contract was signed, but she was informed that there was a new group that was in need of services, and they were recruiting four girls for the roles. It was a relief to know that she wouldn’t be the only one responsible, and she was also surprised to know that she was only required to work three days a week. That was quite a difference from her five day schedule now, especially considering how limited her days off felt.
“And what if… I try it… and…” Jade paused. She felt unsure of how to word what she wanted to ask in the most professional way possible. “What if it’s not for me?”
“You can terminate your contract at any time. Or just pause.” Sunni re-assured her. “You would certainly not be bound to complete any work that you didn’t feel comfortable with. We want you to feel in control at all times.”
There was a pause, and Jade let what Sunni said sit for a moment. For as unsure as she felt about the actual work, she felt good about Sunni, there was something about her that felt trustworthy. “That’s good to know.” Jade replied, finally.
“How are you feeling? Do you feel interested?”
“I… I do feel interested.” Jade said, feeling her cheeks growing warm with a bit of a blush. “I didn’t expect to ever be talking about a job like this, if I’m honest.”
“Girl.” Sunni laughed quietly and then tucked a piece of her long, dark hair behind her ear and adjusted her glasses. “I felt the same way, a couple of years ago.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. I haven’t always worked in this… um, industry?” Another small laugh. “Before this, I was a software developer.”
“Oh” Jade felt surprised, and then a little bit guilty, having assumed that because of her role, she had worked a job like this for a very long time. Another layer of guilt for wondering if she would have judged her differently if she had been working in the industry for a long time. Perhaps not. How could she judge anyone in this line of work if she was considering it herself? It was a little bit humbling, if she thought too hard about it, she was starting to realize. “Do you miss your old job?” She asked, wanting to fill the silence that had begun to pool between them.
“Honestly? Not at all” Sunni replied. “It was so boring.”
Jade nodded. “I get that. I mean. I’m too busy during the day to be bored, when I’m actually in the classroom…” She mused. “But grading twenty eight papers on the same topic? That gets to be pretty mundane.”
“I can imagine.” Sunni nodded. “Well, I can promise you, that if you worked for us, you probably wouldn't find it … mundane.”
Jade smiled, but felt a bit unsure of what to say. Fortunately, after a moment, Sunni spoke again, so she didn’t have to.
“I would love to invite you to come by the main office and meet in person… you can talk to a couple of the girls, and if you feel good about things, we can discuss a trial?”
Jade felt her heartbeat quicken a little, surprised that she was actually being offered a job. But unsure of if she was ready to make a decision about something that would change her life so drastically.
“You don’t have to decide right now. Why don’t you think about it, and send me an email within the next week? If you decide it’s not for you. No problem. Just let me know, ok?”
“Of course. I’ll definitely let you know either way.” She promised. It felt incredibly generous of Sunni to give her so much time to consider, and the fact that she wasn’t being pressured made her feel at ease. Jade exhaled slowly, it felt like no matter what she decided, it was going to be okay.
“I appreciate you taking the time to talk, it was lovely meeting you. If you have any questions at all, please, email me or even call me, ok? I’m here for you if you need me.”
Sunni seemed so sweet. Jade thanked her again, and after another moment or two, the call was over, and she felt as though she’d been struck or shaken. Everything felt different, even though her surroundings were the same, and essentially, nothing had changed - yet. But there was something inside of her that felt new. Charged. Lit, with excitement, possibility, opportunity. Although she wasn’t ready to make a decision, for the first time in a while, she felt the tickle of hope and excitement about something new.