As I showered in his room, I thought, It’s been four days. It was funny to me that your scalp could get so itchy that it hurt.

Sex with him was neither good nor bad. The lights were down low, the room was bigger than I thought, and I could smell Tom Ford’s Leather on his neck. All I could think of was that my face felt dry since I’d applied nothing after coming out of the shower.

While he was in the shower, I looked through his Louis Vuitton wallet and took a photo of his ID, just in case. He was in his mid-forties and his name was Habibi. Of course his name was fake. Chinese money, Hong Kong dollars, Thai baht, and some unidentifiable denominations. His job must have involved a lot of travel. There were some 50,000-won bills, and I thought for a second of taking a couple but didn’t. I don’t know what came over me to even think that in that moment.

He came out with a bath towel around his waist. I’d done nothing wrong—well, I hadn’t stolen any money—but felt weirdly guilty and avoided his gaze. I was practically curled into myself like some cornered wild animal when he looked down at me and asked me a question.

—What does jeuk pay ching sai mean?

—What? What’s that?

—I hear it outside the hotel. Protestors shouting it.

—Uh . . . jeok-pye-cheong-san?

—Yes. I think that’s it.

I burst out laughing, much to my own embarrassment. I laughed until my belly ached, until realizing it had been a long time since I’d laughed so hard. If ever . . . When was the last time?

—Is it something funny?

—No, it’s just . . .

Jeok-pye-cheong-san. “Get rid of old, evil practices.” I didn’t know how to explain it in English, so I fell silent. An awkward pause.

Habibi looked as if he were thinking something over before asking me another question.

—Do you want to go to Bangkok together?

◊

The room I had booked with Gyu-ho had been a king.

The Park Hyatt at the time was in the last stages of remodeling and not all of the facilities were operational when we got there. Needless to say, there weren’t many people staying. Gyu-ho invariably got into a panic when it came to making choices, which is why I ended up choosing our flights, hotel, and even the length of our stay. Of the 1.58 million-won hotel bill, I paid 780,000 won and Gyu-ho 800,000. It was a splurge. I knew I was burning money when I confirmed the reservation, but I adamantly believed it was worth the sacrifice. We were desperate for rest and relaxation.