Chapter 2: Lucky Flower

Mamasan parked her car in front of a strip of businesses between a dry cleaner and a liquor store, located on a busy intersection. The door was painted with a white sign which read: Lucky Flower Healing Massage. Ju-Won couldn’t see inside the front windows. They were painted black.

It was very late when they arrived. Mamasan put down her purse at a counter near the front. A few scantily-dressed women were still awake, sitting on small couches in what looked to Ju-Won like a waiting room area. Mamasan didn’t introduce the ladies to her. The women were staring blankly up at the TV bolted to the wall. It was strange to Ju-Won to see their breasts and nipples completely exposed through their sheer, revealing clothes. Despite how they looked Ju-Won bowed out of respect, but they didn’t acknowledge her greeting. Mamasan ushered Ju-Won to a small upstairs room and Ju-Won set down her suitcase in the corner.

“There is a clean towel on your dresser and a shower down the hall. Get some rest, Ju-Won. Tomorrow is your first day.”

Mamasan left. Ju-Won parted the blinds and looked out the window at the traffic below. She laid down on the bed and fell asleep to the sound of traffic without unpacking, exhausted from her long trip.

The next morning after her shower, Ju-Won had tea with a few of the other employees of the massage parlor, all dressed in lingerie. The women seemed rather unfriendly. The TV droned on. No one spoke. After tea, Mamasan took Ju-Won to her room and gave her the same kind of see-through underclothes the other women were wearing: white lingerie that barely covered her body, small, pencil-thin G-String panties, nude stockings that only went up to her thighs and heels only an indecent woman would wear. She was ashamed that the customers would be able to see her exposed breasts, nipples and ass through the sheer material and she asked Mamasan why she must wear such clothes.

“It is the uniform all girls wear,” Mamasan said. “Don’t be shy.”

Mamasan handed her some make-up, a hair brush and lipstick.

“Clients like you to look pretty when you give massage. Give bigger tip to you. More money to send home. There is a mirror in the hallway bathroom. And brush your hair, Ju-Won. It’s a mess.”

Ju-Won held her lingerie and makeup in a state of disbelief. Mamasan clapped her hands twice.

“We open in five minutes. Hurry.”

Ju-Won went into the bathroom and applied the makeup. The lipstick was a deep red and the eyeshadow a light blue. After she changed into the lingerie, she stared at herself in the mirror.

I look like a whore.

Mamasan unlocked the front doors and Lucky Flower was open for business. Ju-Won was told to stand next to her at the counter near the entrance and wait for customers to arrive. The other women were sitting on the couches and chairs in the waiting room, reading old magazines or watching TV. Everyone looked bored. No one spoke. Ju-Won waited. Later in the morning, a hard-looking man in a tight jacket showed up.

“Hello. Welcome to Lucky Flower,” Mamasan said in a sing-song voice, smiling.

The man nodded, completely ignoring Mamasan and looking at Ju-Won with the eyes of a hungry beast. He stared at her breasts which made Ju-Won cast her eyes downward in shame.

“You ever been here? I never see you before,” Mamasan said, suddenly suspicious.

“First time here,” the man said.

“Are you a cop?”

“Hell, no. Do I look like a cop?”

“How’d you find Lucky Flower?”

“I saw the ad on Backpage.”

Mamasan nodded. The listing was bringing in new clients.

“You ever had massage?”

“Not here.”

“Where?”

“Back in LA…”

“OK,” Mamasan said, after a pause. “Only massage here. No funny business.”

“Sure. No funny business.”

“You want 30 minute or 1-hour massage?”

“One hour,” he said.

“$60 dollar. Cash only. Table shower included.”

“That’s what the ad said.”

“Tip separate.”

The man paid Mamasan and told him to pick the woman he wanted. He nodded to Ju-Won.

“I want her. What’s your name, darling?”

“Maybe next time,” Mamasan said. “It’s her first day. Pick another girl.”

The man nodded and walked over to the waiting room, ogling the women. He picked out a pretty masseuse with a hard face and cold eyes. The woman put down her magazine, stood up without a word and joined the man. Mamasan whispered in Ju-Won’s ear to follow along to watch. When the man saw Ju-Won approaching, he turned to Mamasan.

“I’m not paying for two girls,” he said.

“No,” Mamasan said. “She’s in training. She just watch.”

The man gave Ju-Won a crooked smile.

“OK, then let’s give you something to watch, honey,” the man said.

He put his hand on the woman’s ass and she escorted him to one of the small private rooms in the back of the parlor, followed by Ju-Won. There was a massage table, a chair and a small table with some creams, oils and towels on top of it. The woman asked the man if he was a cop and he said no again. Ju-Won had no idea why they kept asking such a question. The woman handed the man a towel and he started to remove his clothes in front of them. Shocked by his sudden nakedness, Ju-Won’s heart started pounding and she immediately stepped out of the room to give the man privacy. When Ju-Won returned, the man was naked except for a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. The woman asked the man if he wanted a table shower and he said yes.

Ju-Won followed them down a side hallway to the shower area. The woman casually removed the towel and the man laid down on the table, as naked as a new born baby. Ju-Won looked away, disturbed by the sight of the man’s body. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead from the steam of the shower. Suddenly, Ju-Won felt very light-headed. She watched as the woman sprayed the man with water and rubbed soap on his back, arms, legs and feet, even upon his ass. He laid there while the soap was washed off and then he turned over on his back. The man’s penis now was now in full view. Ju-Won had never seen a man’s private part before and was the only one in the room that seemed embarrassed. Though she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was hard for her not to look at it, hard, wet and quivering in the woman’s hands. Before casting her eyes downward, Ju-Won caught a last glimpse of the woman washing the man’s private area, sliding her hands up and down his penis and under his scrotum area as if it were nothing but a child’s toy, his shaft growing longer and firmer in her hands as she washed the soap away. When Ju-Won found the courage to look back, the man was standing and the woman was patting him dry. After wrapping the towel around his waist, the woman escorted the man out of the shower. Ju-Won followed behind, with a growing feeling of anxiety.

Back in the massage room, the man casually handed the towel to the woman. Ju-Won cast her eyes downward again to avoid seeing his erect penis. The man seemed amused by this. He took a step toward Ju-Won and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“You’re very pretty, honey. Next time I’m in Portland I’ll be sure to choose you,” he said, placing his other hand on the thin material barely covering her ass and giving it a squeeze.

Feeling the tip of his penis brush against the bare skin of her upper thigh, Ju-Won took a step away from the man to avoid further contact.

“You’re a shy one, aren’t you?” he said.

“She’s new,” the woman replied.

“What’s her name? Does she speak English?”

“Do you want to talk or do you want a massage?”

“Massage…”

The man laid face down on the table and the woman placed the towel over his backside. Squeezing a generous amount of almond-scented massage oil out of a small plastic bottle into her palms, she began the massage. She rubbed his shoulders and neck and down his arms and back, kneading the muscles with slippery fingers. Her hands slid under the towel and moved it aside. Paying close attention to his ass, she rubbed the sides of his cheeks and hips and slid her thumb through the crease of his flesh. When the man turned over onto his back, Ju-Won could plainly see he was much more aroused than before. His penis was fully erect, standing stiffly over his belly. Ju-Won’s trainer continued her massage, rubbing up and down the front of his body, his arms, torso and legs, occasionally brushing up against the large rod of hard flesh. To Ju-Won, it looked like some kind of alien creature, attached to his body but somehow living apart from it, with thick bluish-green veins running up the sides, engorged with blood. Ju-Won was both fascinated and repulsed by it.

“You like?” the masseuse asked.

“Shit yeah,” the man replied. “How much for a happy ending?”

“How much you want to spend?”

The man reached over to the side table, took a 20 dollar bill out of his wallet and laid it down on a side table.

“Extra service just $40 more,” she said.

The man shook his head no.

“That’s all I got,” he said.

The man laid back down on the table and shut his eyes. The trainer squeezed more lotion into the palm of her hand and began pulling and tugging on the man’s penis, slow and soft at first and then hard and fast. Although she knew it was indecent to stare at such a thing, Ju-Won could not look away. After vigorously rubbing up and down on the man’s flesh, it was over rather quickly. The man moaned and shot his semen out from the tip of his penis like a fountain, in several bursts. The masseuse used the towel to catch the fluid as it spurted out so it did not make a mess in the room or stain the sheets.

Ju-Won could hardly breathe after it was over. Her parents had never talked to her about sex. She had only read about the male sexual response in her health education classes in school but had never seen it happen, especially from just a few feet away. Afterwards, her trainer went about her business, casually wiping the man’s semen from her hands and throwing the soiled towel in the laundry bin. The intimate act between them was forgotten the moment after it occurred. Ju-Won left the room with her trainer while the man dressed.

Ju-Won wondered about the masseuse and wanted to know how long she’d been at Lucky Flower and whether she’d been tricked into working there like her, but was too afraid to ask the young woman such personal questions. Ju-Won thought her trainer was very pretty, but seemed hardened by life with lines beginning to be etched into her face.

If I stay here, I’ll be just like her.

On the way back to the lobby, the trainer finally spoke to Ju-Won.

“What’s your name, honey?”

“Ju-Won.”

“You ever work in a massage parlor?”

Ju-Won shook her head no.

“Mamasan charge $60 an hour for room, $40 for half hour. Other parlors charge more, but Mamasan wants customers, so she charges less. If client is cheap, he gives $20 for rub and tug, but $40 is fair price. $80 is for sucking, but only with condom. Ask for $80, they usually give $60. They want you to swallow without a condom for $80, do not let them. Always use condom, never swallow. You should charge at least $100 for full service, but ask for $150, then bargain down price.”

“What is full service?” Ju-Won asked.

“Sucking and fucking. Remember most important thing. Protect yourself. Always use condom with full service, no matter what they pay. Most times they just want hand-job for $20. They all cheap in this town,” she says. “Never take less than $20 and don’t ever let them kiss you.”

Ju-Won nodded, shocked by her harsh words.

“Don’t worry. You’re new. You will learn.”

After dispensing her advice, the trainer handed over her tip money to Mamasan, sat back down on the couch and picked up a magazine as if nothing had happened. Ju-Won took her place next to Mamasan at the front counter. A moment later the client walked through the lobby and exited the parlor without a word. The TV on the wall droned on, selling product after product that promised an easier and happier life in America. Everyone stared up at the TV screen or down at the old magazines.

Soon, other clients arrived and were led into the back rooms by the woman of their choice. Ju-Won watched until she became numb to what she saw. All the men looked at Ju-Won with lust in their eyes and now she knew what they wanted from her. The rest of the afternoon and evening unfolded in a repetitious manner, with client after client receiving their massage and being brought to a happy ending by the masseuse’s hands or, if they could afford it, by her mouth. Later in the evening the women shared their meal together and then went off into separate rooms. A few stayed in the lobby to work the night shift. Mamasan escorted Ju-Won to her room.

“So, Ju-Won. How was first day?”

Ju-Won did not respond.

“You make good money here, you’ll see. Send home to parents.”

Ju-Won nodded, went into her room and got into bed. Mamasan stood at the door and turned the lights off.

“You are a virgin, Ju-Won, no?”

Deeply ashamed, Ju-Won turned on her side.

“Well, no worry. Mamasan will protect you. Get some sleep, beauty.”

Before she fell asleep, Ju-Won laid in bed thinking about what she had witnessed. Part of her wanted to pack her bags and run away, but she spent almost all she had at the airport gift shop. She pictured herself begging for money in the cold rain like the poor people she saw on the streets of Seoul. At least at the massage parlor she was warm and dry.

I will make the best of this bad situation.

Ju-Won shut her eyes but it took a long time for her to fall into a restless sleep. On the morning of her second day Ju-Won’s training period was over. She sat in a chair in the lobby with the other women and waited. Looking around, Ju-Won realized she was younger and prettier than the rest, with a leaner body and a slightly larger bosom. The first client who came in and looked around at the group. When she was the first one picked, her heart began pounding in her chest. Ju-Won took a deep breath and stood up, imagining how happy her family would be when they received the check she would send at the end of the week. Ju-Won took the man’s hand and, without looking him in the eyes, escorted him into one of the rooms. She shut the door and was alone with her first client. The man stood there, staring at her breasts. Ju-Won was very nervous inside and tried to hide it the best she could. She began the questioning.

“Are you a cop?”

“No.”

“Have you been here before?”

“Yes.”

“Would you like a table shower?”

“Sure.”

Ju-Won handed him a towel and left the room. When she came back in a moment later, the man had undressed and the towel was wrapped around his waist. She took him to shower area. He took off the towel and laid down on the table.

Like giving a bath to a baby.

After washing the back of his body the man turned over and Ju-Won washed and rinsed the front. Even though she avoided touching his private areas, Ju-Won saw he was aroused. She patted him dry, put the towel around his waist and escorted him out of the shower. Back to massage room, the man took off the towel and laid face down on the table. Ju-Won did what she was taught, rubbing his back and legs with oil. They did not speak, other than the occasional moan from the man. Ju-Won took her time, hoping to use up the entire hour with the back massage.

Suddenly, the man turned around on the table and looked Ju-Won in the eyes. His penis was still erect and pointing upward in her direction, as if beckoning her to touch it.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“It is hard to pronounce,” she said.

“Can I call you Sugar-Tits because you’re so sweet?”

Ju-Won nodded, her face blushing.

Sugar-Tits.

“So, how much for a Happy Ending, Sugar-Tits?”

Ju-Won took a breath and answered in a quiet voice.

“$40 for a hand-job.”

“How about $20? Will you do it for $20?”

Ju-Won nodded again, looking down to hide her shame. The man sat up, took a bill out of the pocket of his trousers and placed it on the table, then laid back down. Ju-Won did what she had to do, squeezing lotion into her palms and lightly sliding her fingers up and down the man’s stiff penis. The flesh was hard and yet warm, soft and smooth at the same time. She wasn’t as upset about touching a man in his private place as she thought she would be. In fact, Ju-Won liked the feeling of it in her hands, even though the act was without meaning for her. She had secretly fantasized about having a sexual experience with a man for so long, but the moment had lost its allure, reduced as it was to a business transaction. She tried to think of all the poor farmer’s sons back in Korea who had liked her and wanted to steal a kiss, but were never allowed to be alone with her. Their faces began to fade from her memory.

What would they think of me now?

To avoid becoming sad, Ju-Won focused on stroking the man’s penis. After seeing the bodies of so many men, it no longer bothered or shocked her to look at it.

“You’re new here, aren’t you?” he said.

“Yes,” Ju-Won replied.

“Mamasan says you’re a virgin. Is that true?”

She nodded, embarrassed. Ju-Won was angry at Mamasan for telling her secrets to the client. After another moment of sliding her hand up and down the man’s penis, the hour was almost up. The man smiled at her.

“You’re very cute, Sugar-Tits, do you know that?”

Ju-Won stayed silent.

“Have you ever given a man a hand-job?” he asked.

Ju-Won shook her head no.

“Do you want me to show you how it’s done? I have a lot of practice.”

Ju-Won saw the man smile at his own joke and she nodded yes. The man put more lotion into Ju-Won’s palm and pressed her fingers firmly around his flesh in a tighter grip. He began guiding her hand more forcefully, pumping it very fast up and down his penis. Ju-Won was shocked at how hard he squeezed her fingers around his penis, as if he was trying to strangle the life out it.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” she asked.

He laughed.

“Not at all. The harder the better. It feels great. Just keep doing what you’re doing, Sugar-Tits. Oh my God, you are so fucking sexy...”

The man let go of Ju-Won’s hand and she tried to maintain the tight pressure on the sides of his penis. He took her breasts in his palms and fondled them as she continued the rapid up and down movements with both of her small hands. The man brushed the lace away and completely exposed her breasts. Pulling downward on her breasts, he took her nipples between his lips and sucked them deep into his mouth, one after the other, until they became thick and hard. Ju-Won closed her eyes and felt the pleasure of his lips on her nipples. She continued to tug up and down as hard and as fast as she could until the man moaned out, shooting his semen shot in a wide arch above the bed. It made a mess, landing everywhere, on the side of her face, her arm, her lingerie and all over the sheets and towels. The man fell backward onto the bed afterwards, the fluid still dripping out of the slit at the tip of his penis. Ju-Won let go of his pulsing flesh, her hands sticky and wet. She felt ashamed at how easy it was for her to give pleasure to a man and doubly ashamed at how she secretly liked doing it. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by what she had done, Ju-Won abruptly turned away from the man, slipping her breasts back into her camisole.

Everything is different now. I will never be the same…

She picked up one of the towels and wiped the semen off her arm and hands. The man sat up, got off the table and began dressing. Ju-Won changed the sheets and put the soiled linen in the laundry basket. Then she felt the man’s hands come from behind her to fondle her breasts once more.

“Sugar-Tits, that was great. Thank you”

He turned her around to face him and wiped the side of her cheek with his thumb.

“Missed a spot…”

Ju-Won stood absolutely still as the man slowly and sensuously painted Ju-Won’s mouth with his semen, creating a thin, slippery coating over her red lips.

“I’ll bring more money next time, baby, I promise.”

The man left the room. Unable to resist, Ju-Won shut her eyes and touched her lips with the tip of her tongue, tasting the man’s semen. It had a smooth texture and a somewhat pleasant, salty taste. She thought of the girl she once was, back in Korea, trying to remember.

I will never be the same…

In the hallway bathroom, Ju-Won tried to wash the semen stains off her lingerie as best she could. She looked into the mirror. Her nipples were still quite pink and enlarged and her cheeks flushed. Ju-Won returned to the lobby as clients continued to arrive. Ju-Won was chosen again and again throughout the day. After each massage, Ju-Won gave her tips to Mamasan, who recorded the amount in a large book on the front counter.

During dinner break everyone helped prepare the food and set the table. The women talked and laughed with each other in various languages and dialects. Ju-Won sat quietly and kept to herself. After the plates were cleared, Mamasan took Ju-Won aside to chat. She seemed in a very good mood.

“You did very well on your first day. Make good money. Very good. Clients like you. They pick you many times. They call you Sugar-Tits, no? Some of the girls here have nicknames. You like that name? It’s a good name for you. Very sexy. Easy to remember and good for clients. You want to be called that name from now on, Sugar-Tits?”

Ju-Won shrugged her shoulders, not really caring.

“OK, from now on we will call you by your pet name. You will do well here, I think. The clients are happy with you. You make Mamasan very proud. Are you happy with the job?”

Ju-Won nodded, not really listening.

“Very good. Before you start the night shift, there is something I need to discuss with you. The clients I send you so far cannot afford more than basic services, but at night our richer clients come. In your training did you see one of the girls perform oral sex on a man?”

Embarrassed, Ju-Won nodded.

“You are a very pretty girl, Sugar-Tits. You have full breasts and soft lips. Men like that. They will want you to give them sex with your mouth. Have you ever done that before?”

Ju-Won shook her head no, her head lowered.

“Don’t worry. It’s easy, with a condom. You will be able to do it, no problem, no mess. Mamasan will show you.”

Mamasan opened a condom and held it between her fingers in front of her lips to demonstrate.

“When a man asks for happy ending with your mouth, don’t be afraid. Just hold the condom in your mouth and place it directly over the top of the man’s penis with your lips. Then suck on the tip while stretching the condom down over the rest of his penis with your hand, like so. You kneel in front of the man and suck and rub on him until he comes. Your lips never touch his skin and the semen goes directly into the condom. It is safe for you and no bad taste. And he likes it just the same. You must always do it just like that, Sugar-Tits. You see? No mess, no fuss. And bigger tip for you.”

Mamasan tossed the condom in the trash.

“If a client wants to do something nasty, like anal sex, tell them it is forbidden here, no matter what they pay. One last thing, Sugar-Tits, and listen carefully. This is very important. You work here now and should know that what we do is against the law. You must tell no one about what goes on at Lucky Flower, other than massage. If someone finds out, we could be shut down. No more money. You would be arrested. Have you heard about ICE?”

Ju-Won shook her head no.

“They are mean men from the government. Oh, Sugar-Tits. You don’t ever want to meet those guys. They don’t mess around. Once they find you, they arrest and deport you. You would be sent back home to Korea as a whore with a criminal record. Everyone would find out about how you dishonored your family. They would be ashamed of you for the rest of their lives and no one would ever speak to you again or marry you. Do you want everyone in Korea to know what you do here for money, Sugar-Tits?”

Ju-Won bowed her head and put her hand over her eyes. The possibility of her family finding out about what she did made her heart sick.

She’s right. I can never go back now.

“Tell no one, absolutely no one, about what we do here. Do you promise, Sugar-Tits?”

“I promise,” Ju-Won whispered.

The days and nights passed. Throughout Ju-Won’s first week, clients began asking for happy endings in the manner Mamasan described. Other than the unpleasant taste of rubber, she found it very easy to give an orgasm to a man in this way. She lost count of the men she pleasured with her hands and mouth. After the first week, giving erotic massages became routine. It no longer bothered or upset her to give happy endings to her clients. The fact that she was earning money for her parents and her trip back home gave her the courage to go on.

During her second week at Lucky Flower Ju-Won gave full service to an older wealthy client. He was told by Mamasan to be gentle with her and paid extra for the privilege. After the massage, the client helped Ju-Won to take her panties off and lay down on the massage table. A lubricant was used to make it easier. Wearing a condom, the man entered her. It felt strange to have a man’s penis inside her and was over rather quickly. Ju-Won experienced very little blood or discomfort. She knew it was something she had to do and was glad to put it behind her and go on to the next client. A few hours and several happy endings later, she couldn’t recall what the man who took her virginity even looked like. While lying in bed that night, she felt sad at how little the experience meant to her.

Later in the week a photographer came to take pictures of a few of the women in seductive poses. Mamasan explained the pictures would be uploaded on a website called Backpages where Lucky Flower advertised. Of course, Ju-Won was by far the prettiest girl, but Ju-Won didn’t want her picture to be taken. Mamasan insisted the company had the right to use her image, according to the contract she signed. Reluctantly, Ju-Won agreed to stand before the camera in her sheer lingerie. The photographer took several indecent shots of Ju-Won, tilting her head to the side with pouting lips and bending forward to show off the abundant flesh of her cleavage. She could only hope and pray no one from her family would ever see the pictures. The other women in the parlor were jealous so many pictures were taken of the new girl they called Sugar-Tits.

At the end of the second week Ju-Won asked Mamasan when she could start sending the money she was earning back home. Then she learned the bitter truth.

“No money yet. You must pay back owner of parlor,” Mamasan said.

“Pay him back? For what?” Ju-Won asked, upset.

“For everything. It is in the contract you signed. You must pay for your plane fare, as well as the food and hotel expenses in Korea. What about your room and board here? Did you think everything in America is free? Everything has cost, Sugar-Tits. You must work hard to pay back what you owe and then you can send extra money back home. OK?”

Deeply disappointed, Ju-Won looked out toward the darkened windows of the lobby. Though she could not see the rain falling, she heard the patter of it against the windows.

“How long will it take to pay back the money I owe?” she asked.

“Depends on how many clients you see and tips,” Mamasan answered.

“What about the classes I was promised?”

“Classes? Sure. Later maybe. After you pay back what you owe, then we pay for classes. You work hard, we have money to pay for classes and you have money to send home. That’s fair, no?”

“But… I have to go to class to keep my student Visa active.”

“It’s OK,” Mamasan said, smiling. “We pay a secretary at school to keep your Visa current. Do not worry, Sugar-Tits. You are very pretty and make good money here. Very good money in your first week, more than most. The pictures they put of you on the website are very sexy. In fact, the company will use them to advertise other parlors around the country.”

Ju-Won thought of her image on the website and felt humiliated.

“Your famous now, Sugar-Tits. My prettiest girl. Customers like you. They ask for you personally. Don’t worry. You will take classes soon after you send money home. It won’t take long to pay back debt, I promise.”

That night Ju-Won quietly cried in her small room. After her cry, she fell asleep. The next day Ju-Won put aside her embarrassment and shame and decided to accept the circumstances of her life. The new pictures posted on the website brought in many new clients. She quickly became the most popular masseuse of Lucky Flower, working steadily throughout her shift, while many of the other women were passed over. Often, clients would ask for Sugar-Tits by name when they arrived, or ask to see the girl they saw on the website. Others would call to try to make an appointment with her. The other employees became quite jealous. They said mean, offensive things to her and made obscene gestures behind her back. Ju-Won didn’t care since they were never very friendly to her anyway. The only thought on her mind was to earn enough money to pay back her debt and then save enough to buy a plane ticket back home. She wanted to put what she was forced to do in America behind her.

In time, Ju-Won got to know her regular clients. Some were single and some had wedding rings on their fingers, while others took their rings off when they came for their massage. Some told her their troubles, how they had a fight with their wife or lost their job or had various body aches and pains. Ju-Won listened to all of their stories with a sympathetic ear. If they could afford it, they paid extra for a happy ending. Some were sweet and said they loved her, some considered her their friend. Some came regularly; some once a week and some never came again. Ju-Won wished the ones hiding their wedding rings would keep their money and go home to be with their wives, but she was in no position to say this. After her shift each night, she laid in bed trying not to think about all the men she had given an erotic massage to that day. She closed her eyes but was unable to block out the faces of the men. In just the first few days working at Lucky Flower, Ju-Won had been intimate with more men than most women were in a lifetime. She was deeply ashamed of this, telling herself over and over she had no other choice, and continued to try to make the best of her situation.