On weekends, the clientele switches to U.S. soldiers accompanied by women, Park's husband said. He declined to give his name. They don't remember who registered when Penich arrived, they said. Park registers guests from a small office window about two feet off the ground. She and her husband sit on the floor as they work, typical of small convenient shops and other businesses in Korea.
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.