| Chapter 5

While I was vaguely thinking this, I checked the time and quickly tidied up my appearance.

Thinking the night air might be a bit chilly, I wrapped myself in the shawl Mrs. Almon had made for me last winter. It was a simple purple fabric, a bit short as it was made from leftover cloth scraps, but it was still a useful shawl for me.

After checking the hallway, I carefully opened the window. I planned to go out through this large window in Mrs. Vino’s room. I left it slightly open for when I returned, thinking that even if I was caught, I could use airing as an excuse.

Once outside, I paused for a moment to gauge the atmosphere, but the house was quiet. I started walking along the moonlit mountain path.

My heart was pounding. The thought that I was doing something foolish kept trying to hold me back, but curiosity was fighting against it.

Moving my feet that felt as heavy as if I were crossing a muddy field, I finally emerged onto a lit street and caught my breath as I lifted my head.

Though not as lively as during the day, the night streets had their own kind of bustle. The sounds of drunks arguing loudly, singing, people causing trouble or barkers calling out to passersby all blended together at an appropriate level.

Feeling a bit tense at seeing a glimpse of this new world, I hunched my shoulders and looked for the theater.

The area around the theater was particularly crowded, presumably because everyone had come to see the same performance. I was amazed at the diversity. There were truly all kinds of people gathered there.

Ladies in elegant western dresses and gentlemen with stylishly groomed mustaches, old and wealthy men smoking pipes and women eyeing them, boisterous young men and excited girls playing pranks.

A gentleman who arrived in a carriage extended his hand to escort the lady out. She gracefully puffed out her skirt and greeted with a light smile. The theater usher naturally gave them a servile smile.

“I heard that person is performing today?”

“Of course, madam! It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? We barely managed to bring them back after they went to perform in another city and were planning to stay there.”

“This never gets old, no matter how many times I see it. I always get excited during the scene where they fight the pirate gang!”

“That’s when you grip my hand so tightly it might break. It’s here that I first learned how strong your hands are, my dear.”

The woman coyly rolled her eyes at the man’s gentle rebuke. As I watched them enter the theater, fanning themselves to cool down, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. Mark was smiling with a flushed face.

“You really came! I’ve been waiting for a while!”

“I said I would come. But can we really see such a crowded performance?”

“This way.”

Mark gestured to one side and led me. As we left the crowd and followed him into an alley, I saw a door leading underground open in the dim space.

There was a smell I had never encountered before. It was like a mix of acrid, strong tobacco and the musty scent of rotting fruit. The sharp smell of alcohol permeated the air between the dust and damp mold, making me feel like I might get drunk just from breathing deeply.

“If we go in here, we can watch from right below the stage. It’s not an official seat, so only special people can enter. We’ll have to crouch to watch, though. I’ve already told my friend, so we can go in now.”

I hesitated for a moment, looking down the stairs, but curiosity finally made me take a step. Hearing Mark following behind, I went down to the bas*ment and was overwhelmed by the scene that unfolded before me.

I had never seen so many people in one space before. The interior was humid and hot, and the air was so dense it was hard to breathe.

Everyone was talking loudly, raising their voices to be heard over each other, and occasionally discordant sounds, as if musicians were tuning their instruments, added to the confusion, making my head spin.

About half of the people there seemed to be out of their minds. There were men staggering, collapsing onto other people’s laps, then lying back on the floor, women laughing loudly with their chests almost fully exposed, men fondling those chests and stuffing bills into them, and women dancing and singing.

There was a red and yellow tent-like structure in what appeared to be the stage area. As I looked around this chaotic scene, I nearly screamed when a sudden burst of flame erupted next to me.

A large man with his hair tied up strangely was grinning while holding an oil-soaked club. He had only two or three visible teeth. I stared at him with tense eyes, feeling like he might breathe fire towards me next from that dark, cave-like mouth, when Mark lightly tapped my shoulder.

“Let’s sit here. It’s about to start.”

There was a small space in front of the seated people. I saw Mark take something out of his pocket and spread it on the dirty rug. It was a yellowed, faded handkerchief.

Glancing at him, I saw him sit down with a shy expression. As I arranged my skirt and sat down on the handkerchief, a drumbeat that seemed to pound my heart resonated.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Bodhrum, the space of romance and pleasure! Although our lives may be cursed and hard, isn’t it because of this Bodhrum that we can still breathe? Ow, Jackie, why are you throwing balls at me?”

A monkey riding a unicycle appeared and started throwing balls. I couldn’t even breathe, as it was my first time seeing a real monkey, and I was close enough to clearly see its fur and twitching pink nose.

As the host, who had been repeatedly hit by the thrown balls, disappeared behind the curtain with exaggerated reactions, the monkey skillfully started juggling while circling the stage.

The stage right in front of me was truly a different world. A clown with white and red makeup came out, telling jokes and raising the excitement, and soon, naked men and women appeared, dancing while intertwining their bodies like snakes.

Feeling a tingling sensation all over my body, I lowered my gaze. Throughout the performance, I could feel Mark’s gaze constantly stealing glances at me from the side.

Perhaps because of the torches lit here and there, it was so hot that sweat kept running down my back. The sticky air clung to my nostrils, gradually tightening my breath. The heat radiating from Mark’s body, pressed close to me, felt like it would swallow me whole at any moment.

“I’ll go get something to drink for a bit.”

“What? The performance is about to start.”

“I’ll be quick.”

Unable to bear it any longer, I stood up, and Mark looked flustered, saying “Hey,” as he started to get up. I pushed his shoulder down to keep him seated and hurried away from the stage.

The interior of the theater was like a maze, with small passages on both sides of the large stage and audience seats in the center. Wondering if I should go outside for some fresh air, I looked around and instinctively walked towards a relatively less crowded direction. Even if I could dilute this suffocating heat a little, that would be enough.

The dark passages sometimes led to other passages, sometimes to tightly closed wooden doors.

It wasn’t hard to guess the purpose of these rooms. Even standing in front of a door for a moment, you could hear the languid moans of women and the grunting, panting sounds of men.

After wandering through the passages in search of a quiet place, I finally found a particularly silent space. There was also a door in the corner of the passage, but it seemed no one was there.

As I moved away from the place that stimulated all my senses — eyes, nose, and ears — I could finally breathe easier. I leaned against the tightly closed door and took a breath. The languorous, stretching music could be heard from a distance.

I shouldn’t go back like this, right?

Although I was curious about the play, I already felt like I had used up all my energy. The shawl felt sticky against my sweaty skin, so I loosened it and wrapped it around my arm. As I wiped the sweat from the bridge of my nose with the back of my hand, the door behind me opened with a click. A deep voice flowed out.

“…so it means we don’t have much time. Someone from Freemont will be here soon.”

“Don’t just rely on the Viscount, pay more attention. The way he handles things is not trustworthy at all.”

I tried to turn around, but I couldn’t. Suddenly, a man with a flushed face approached from the front and roughly grabbed my arm.

“Hey, you. I haven’t seen your face before?”

“Wh-why are you, let go of me.”

“You still look young, but you might not be bad to taste. My preference is for fully bloomed flowers, but occasionally something with a fresh scent isn’t bad either.”

The man chuckled as he wrapped his arm around my waist. I felt like I might faint from the rotten smell coming from his mouth that was suddenly so close, but I desperately pushed him away.

“Don’t touch me carelessly! Help!”

“Pretending to be coy, are we? Is this about money upfront? Here, take this. 50 lebls should be enough, right?”

The man rummaged through his pocket and held out some bills. While I was too flustered to react, the man pushed his body against me.

“Come on, the night is long, so let’s go inside quickly. Why haven’t I noticed a pretty thing like you until now? Your skin is so smooth. It’s like it’s never been touched by a man before. If it’s your first time, I’ll add another 20 lebls.”

A man with a cigarette in his mouth passed by, but he only glanced sideways, casually ignoring my scream.

In the midst of the commotion, my scream was insignificant. No one would help me. The moment I saw the greasy eyes of the drunk man, my mind froze in fear.

Despite my struggles, the man’s hands were rummaging through my skirt. I struck his face with all my might against his unrestrained movements.

“Let go of me, I said!”

The man who took a direct hit to the face staggered, clutching his nose. I exhaled sharply, adjusting my clothes. No sooner had I stepped back than the man with rolled-back eyes approached with large strides.

“You crazy b*tch, how dare you lay a hand on my face, you, you, which group are you from? Come here right now!”

It was too late to regret Mark’s and my curiosity. Seeing the man’s large hand raised as if about to strike me, I instinctively curled up and covered my head.

If it just ended with a few hits and being trampled, that would be fortunate. Thinking this and bracing for impact, I let out a small cry as something suddenly fell on me, covering my body.