Guests lean down or squat to pass money or keys through the registration window. Because of the window's position, Park said, she doesn't remember people's faces. Nickleby's, a popular bar for expatriates, was full that holiday evening, said part-owner Detlev Hatterscheid. Green beer flowed from the taps. People danced and laughed.
Dark wood offsets the shiny hardwood floors in the clean establishment.
It was a busy night, she said, because only she and three other waitresses were working. Penich and four friends got to the bar around 10 p.m., Korean police say. Shin recalled it being earlier. Penich spent some of her time dancing and hanging out with U.S. soldiers in the bar, a police official said. Around 2 a.m., three of Penich's friends returned to the motel, Korean police say.