Laras's legs trembled, barely able to support her weight. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she could no longer hold back the fear and nausea churning in her stomach.
“Laras!” Arumi called softly. Laras ran out of the room. This was Laras’s second week, and she had to start helping the second-tier entertainers when they received guests in private.
“I thought second-tier entertainers who used board games only had to play.” Laras muttered.
Tonight was the second night. Just like the night before, Laras had run away and left Arumi to help the second-tier entertainer by herself.
Laras crouched in front of Intan’s room. Intan’s clothes were still complete and neat, but the way her guest had tried to touch her was disgusting enough. When Intan answered every one of her guest’s whimpers with a kiss, it made Laras nauseous. The problem was, Laras often imagined herself in Intan’s position.
“Laras, you’re out again.” Laras raised her head. Kirana stood before her, her face expressionless. Laras couldn’t tell whether she was angry about Laras’s behavior or not.
Laras immediately stood. “Forgive me, ma’am,” she said, lowering her head.
Kirana sighed. Ever since she’d met Laras, she’d expected something like this to happen.
“Think about what you can do here. Luckily, you sold enough drinks and snacks last week that you can still eat. Once you know what you want, come see me after all the guests have left,” Kirana said, as firm as ever.
“Yes, ma’am,” Laras replied quietly. Kirana then walked away.
“Whew, thank you, Arya,” Laras said, leaning against the wall as she remembered that most of her earnings last week had come from Arya, who had willingly accepted every drink she offered him without complaint.
As soon as Intan’s last guest left, Laras hurried into Intan’s room.
“Intan, Arumi, I’m sorry. Let me clean the room,” Laras said as she began putting away the game board on the floor.
“Let me help, Laras,” Arumi offered.
“No, I’ll do it. I haven’t done anything since earlier—just hidden,” Laras said, bowing her head deeply.
Intan watched as Laras continued tidying the room without lifting her head. “Laras!” Intan called.
Laras turned toward her. Intan patted the sofa beside her, asking Laras to sit. Laras was reluctant at first, but eventually obeyed and sat beside Intan.
“Arumi, you come here too!” Intan said, and Arumi immediately obeyed.
Once the two girls were seated on either side of her, Intan was silent for a moment. “You know this is the entertainment district. The shawls we wear aren’t only meant to protect our identities. They’re also a sign of who we are,” Intan said gently.
“Protect our identities?” Laras murmured, voicing her thoughts without meaning to.
“You didn’t know, Laras?” Arumi asked, tilting her head so she could see Laras more clearly around Intan.
Laras shook her head. She didn’t remember reading any special description of the shawls used in entertainment establishments, except that they identified the entertainers in the novel she’d read.
“It works like this: the shawl makes guests who leave this place forget our faces and names, but they still remember that we were there and everything they did with us,” Intan explained.
Laras’s eyes widened. She truly hadn’t known. “So if we leave and run into a guest who’s been here before, they won’t know it’s us?” Laras asked, growing excited.
Intan smiled. At least Laras was beginning to regain her spirit. “That’s right. It can also make us more alluring,” Intan said with a wink.
“More alluring?” Arumi repeated, confused by Intan’s statement.
“Yes, exactly. If we manage to become someone memorable to them, then when they leave this place, they’ll forget who we are and remember only those sweet memories. Of course they’ll come back, curious about who that fascinating person was.” Intan paused, lowering her head. She looked from Laras to Arumi and back again, then smiled bitterly. “But sometimes it can create an obsession. Those who fear they won’t be able to remember us may develop a fear of losing us. Then a dark obsession can emerge—one that might destroy us,” Intan continued.
Laras watched Intan. Intan was one of the three second-tier entertainers with the most guests in the establishment. She was known for her gentle personality and her ability to control any situation. But Laras had her own assessment of Intan. In Laras’s eyes, Intan seemed more like a woman whose emotions were always close to overflowing. Laras didn’t think that without reason. Intan’s smile always looked the same to her—a faint smile that seemed to be held in place rather than one that appeared because she truly wanted to smile.
“What kind of dark obsession?” Laras asked, trying to draw Intan out.
Intan looked at Laras as if she knew what Laras was trying to do. She smiled—the same smile she always showed. “Men will do anything to get what they want, especially men with power.” Intan paused, then lifted Laras’s hand. “Remember this: physically, men are stronger than women. If you face one of them one-on-one, you’ll definitely lose if you play fair. So you have to play dirty.”
“Play dirty?” Arumi asked, just as confused. Intan turned to Arumi and gently stroked the crown of her head.
“Yes, play dirty. Men are easy to deceive, especially when they’re blinded by desire. Use your soft voices, your charm, and your beauty to escape their threats,” Intan explained.
Laras listened seriously to every word Intan said. She still couldn’t understand the reason behind Intan’s attitude, but at least she had learned something from her.
“Remember this, Laras, Arumi. Our work is difficult. If you aren’t mentally prepared and can’t endure the insults people outside throw at you, I suggest you strengthen your resolve first—or reconsider while you haven’t fallen too deeply. But if you want my honest opinion, you should reconsider,” Intan said sharply, staring at Laras. Laras nodded. She understood exactly what Intan meant.
After their brief conversation, Laras tidied Intan’s room with Arumi’s constant prodding. When Laras and Arumi were about to say goodbye, Intan caught Laras by the hand.
“Remember this, Laras: you have talent. Use it to choose which guests you take. Don’t you enjoy learning something new?” Intan asked with a smile. Laras nodded in response. As far as Laras was concerned, enjoying the discovery of new things was only natural for everyone.
“Remember, no matter what you choose, keep being friendly—the kind of person everyone feels comfortable approaching. But don’t get close to everyone too easily,” Intan added before releasing Laras’s hand.
Laras stared at Intan in confusion. But she didn’t continue the conversation and chose to say goodbye instead, since she’d promised to meet Kirana. Every step she took was accompanied by more thoughts. She knew what she wanted to choose, but she was uncertain about her future. There was no guarantee she could return to her original world, so she had to think carefully about every step she would take from now on.
Knock! Knock! Knock! The sound of knocking followed the movement of Laras’s hand against the door.
“Come in!” Kirana’s voice came from the other side.
With her resolve firm, Laras walked decisively toward Kirana, who was focused on the papers spread across her desk.
“Javanese script.” Laras thought to herself. Kirana was translating the Javanese script in a large, brown-covered book that looked like something from ancient times onto sheets of paper.
“Laras, sit down for now. I’ll finish this first,” Kirana said, and Laras immediately sat.
Laras watched Kirana in awe. She’d heard that the administrators of major entertainment establishments were people whose skills had been certified by the kingdom’s education authorities. Now she was seeing it firsthand. Kirana wasn’t only fast and accurate at writing and interpreting Javanese script; she could also calculate the finances for the third-tier entertainers quickly and accurately.
“So, Laras, what’s your answer?” Kirana asked after organizing all her papers and removing the chain spectacles she’d been wearing.
Laras straightened her back and looked Kirana directly in the eye. “I don’t want to become an entertainer. I’ve decided to work as a servant here instead,” Laras answered firmly.
Kirana gave a small smile. It was an answer she’d already expected, but Laras’s manner of delivering it made it interesting.
“All right,” Kirana replied briefly. Hearing such a short answer, Laras was unsure what she was supposed to do next—or whether she’d already been dismissed.
“You can start tomorrow or the day after. It’s up to you, but your pay will, of course, match the work you do,” Kirana explained.
Laras nodded firmly. She was happy that everything had gone so smoothly.
“Yosh, time to work while looking for info on other job openings. Come on, keep it up, fellow money warrior,” Laras thought enthusiastically, her spirits soaring.
At the time, Laras didn’t realize that this path would lead her into something complicated—something she had never imagined.