The dimly lit room is filled with cigarette smoke and stinks of whiskey and beer. While four women in their 20s hop around with a tambourine and sing some Korean songs from a Karaoke machine in front of a large screen television set, men in their late 40s and early 50s sit in the leather couch around a large, glossy table, watch them, and sip on their drink.
After the songs end, the girls, panting and sweating from the energetic show, find their seats next to the older gentlemen. As the men sit comfortably in the 200-square-foot VIP room with their arms around each girl, they talk about mundane things, ranging from their children, their new property to their business. Some even boast how successful their business is as if they are desperately trying to tell the girls, "I can be your next sugar daddy." These men, who could easily be as old as the girls' dads, stare at the girls' chests while some even attempt to grab them.
After two hours of meaningless conversations, singing, dancing or even inappropriate touching, one of the girls says "We've got to go now." Without even flinching, the guys take out their wallets and pay each of the girls $120 plus tips. The girls take the money and walk out of the private room of a Karaoke bar in Koreatown to a white van that awaits them outside. The van will take them to a next group of clients who requests the presence of these girls at another bar in Koreatown.
These girls, called "entertainment assistants" in Korean, provide a watered-down version of escort service, which is prevalent in Korea as well as in Koreatown in Los Angeles. These escorts entertain their clients in private rooms at Karaoke bars or clubs by dancing, singing, pouring drinks or even just giving men a sense of superiority at least for two hours.
