KTSR | Chapter 33

“…I saw it happen. Some of the bettors living here also seemed to have their eyes turned.”

“Hmm. I’m more concerned about what’s happening inside than what’s already out there.”

“Inside… I don’t really know about the ones here now, but back when I was driving a van for a demolition job, I remember something.”

The guy who was supposed to drive got too drunk the night before and couldn’t make it. So Bbang had to step in, and since they were a bit short on people, they picked up some folks at Trevi C.C.

Even at Trevi, once you went out for a job, there were those who never came back—and others who weren’t originally part of the team but somehow got mixed in.

You couldn’t tell just by looking at their faces which group they belonged to.

But one thing was certain: the day after the job ended, while waiting for the guys to come down to the Colosseum, some men stumbled out of the inn looking completely out of it.

“I dropped them off here in the van, but they quickly changed again, so I don’t know where they went. But since it happened outside, you can’t say the drugs are circulating inside….”

Kwon Hyeongdo listened intently to Bbang’s words.

If Trevi is involved, things get a bit more complicated. It’s run by Chairman Choi’s sister, and while the siblings cooperate in business, they don’t get along in other matters.

“So you don’t know now, and you didn’t know back then either?”

“……”

“You’re tight-lipped, ajusshi….”

Kwon Hyeongdo crossed his arms and stretched his back.

Even Bbang, who had been around the block a few times, held his breath for a moment.

But soon the atmosphere relaxed.

“I’m not saying anything bad. Yeah. That’s how you live long. Good.”

Kwon Hyeongdo patted Bbang, who was about twenty years older than him, on the shoulder.

“Then… can I go now?”

“No. Just a moment.”

Kwon Hyeongdo went and sat in the computer chair. Then he gestured for Bbang to come over.

Bbang glanced at the monitor Kwon Hyeongdo was showing and bit his tongue. It was a ledger. Top secret among top secrets, showing it to him was like a warning of what might happen if he didn’t keep his mouth shut.

“Hey. Don’t turn your head, look straight.”

Kwon Hyeongdo urged Bbang, who was trying to turn his head. Reluctantly, he focused on the blue-lit screen.

“I have a separate ticket ledger, but there’s a bit of a discrepancy between that ledger and the actual payout. But it’s mostly with the VIPs, and there’s almost no difference with the ticket touts. So is the chief executive officer and the team leader taking extra money, making the VIPs pay twice like suckers, or are they buying something other than tickets?”

“……”

“Look into it. I can’t stand being curious. Okay?”

Kwon Hyeongdo smiled brightly. Bbang felt like a knife was pressed against his neck, and sweat trickled down his back.

Bbang nodded ever so slightly.

That was enough. As if to say well done, Kwon Hyeongdo firmly massaged Bbang’s shoulder.

“Alright. You can go now.”

Kwon Hyeongdo tossed the ledger onto the desk and reopened the card game window, which was his basic game. Just as Bbang was about to leave, he suddenly remembered Seon Ijin, who had returned limping three days after Kwon Hyeongdo had taken him away.

― They say that bastard got busted.

― That bastard? Oh… the one with rabies?

― Rabies, my ass.

The guy with a scar on his cheek from being bitten by Ijin glared with resentment.

― Once you’re busted, it’s over. Isn’t it usually the boss who gets the first bite, and the rest is ours? That damn Seon Ijin. He’s done for. I’m going to make sure he can’t even walk.

Since the rumor that Ijin had been busted spread, moving to another establishment was out of the question, and the guy seemed to hold a grudge against Ijin. Bbang vividly remembered the vicious look in that guy’s eyes as he ground his teeth.

If Kwon Hyeongdo left Ijin as he was, Ijin would become like a public road or a communal tunnel, just as they had planned.

Bbang turned around and mustered the courage.

“About Seon Ijin the jockey.”

“Yeah. What about him?”

Kwon Hyeongdo clicked the mouse as he answered. He didn’t even turn around. Would someone like him take care of Ijin? It wasn’t certain, but he couldn’t go to the team leader or the chief executive officer to ask for help either. Especially since Ppochi, despite being the team leader, didn’t manage things properly and had a fit when the executive director publicly took Seon Ijin as a player.

“Seon Ijin the jockey is a bit… hot-tempered.”

Kwon Hyeongdo chuckled at Bbang’s words.

“Yeah. I know.”

“It might be because he’s a player, but he can’t stand it. It’s like a disease. A chronic one. Thanks to that, it’s a headache.”

Bbang tried his best to act nonchalant. Fortunately, Kwon Hyeongdo nodded along without showing any signs of annoyance.

“It’s a headache. If you can’t tell heaven from earth in a place where gangsters live, you’ll end up dead.”

Bbang licked his lips.

“Yes. I think he’s a bit out of his mind. He can tell right from wrong and think straight, so he’s not completely gone, but….”

To protect Ijin, Bbang didn’t hesitate to label him as a madman.

In fact, even from his perspective, Ijin had definitely changed since he first came here. No one here keeps their sanity. Unless they came in with malicious intent from the start, no one kept their original nature.

“Is he on the verge of going bad? Like a side dish that doesn’t smell bad but tastes a bit sour when you eat it?”

Kwon Hyeongdo won the game.

As the next round began and the cards were dealt, he spun his chair around to face Bbang.

Bbang swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Kwon Hyeongdo’s left hand, which tapped rhythmically against the armrest.

It was because of the tattoo that nearly covered the back of his hand—an eyeball, staring right at him.

“Yes…. So, about the time Pyeon Yonggwang bit his cheek, could you take a good look at it…. The kid’s pitiful, isn’t he?”

Bbang added a comment about how pitiful he was, almost as an excuse. But Kwon Hyeongdo’s interest was elsewhere.

“What? Bit his cheek?”

Kwon Hyeongdo straightened up. His eyes sparkled with amusement.

Bbang wondered if he was doing the right thing. It might be foolish meddling.

Maybe he was just fascinated by how that reckless kid kept surviving by sheer luck—unable to shake off his gambler’s nature and betting on a losing hand…

But the die was already cast. Bbang rubbed his fingers together behind his back and continued speaking.

“They say he bit him. Not with his hand, but with his teeth. Oh, the flesh wasn’t torn off, just left a bite mark.”

Kwon Hyeongdo burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, then chuckled and shook his head.

“Oh. His name is Pyeon Yonggwang? I didn’t know his name until now.”

“……”

“Got it. You can go now.”

“What?”

“I said you can go.”

Still chuckling, he waved his hand and turned back to the monitor. Shaking his head, he immersed himself in the game again. Yet, as if he couldn’t easily forget, he occasionally chuckled to himself.

Thinking he wouldn’t respond even if called, Bbang smacked his lips and left the office.

The cold wind blew fiercely, making him shiver instantly. He hunched his body and lowered his head, braving the wind as he headed to the staff inn.

As he passed through the musty corridor, he heard the sound of playing cards from a half-open room. The sharp slap of cards against the table made Bbang unconsciously rub his fingers together.

The sound made his heart race, and his pores opened in response, like the fate of a gambler who couldn’t escape, even after losing his fingers.

But Bbang gritted his teeth and entered his room. He locked the door and fled under the covers. It was a brave escape.

***

Ijin noticed that among the gangsters giving him blatant stares, the one whose cheek he had bitten stood at the forefront. He was a despicable man.

Ijin had a legitimate reason for biting that guy’s cheek. To him, his horse was like family—and no matter who they were, even gangsters, if someone threatened to gouge out his family’s eyes in front of him, he would do whatever it took.

“Pathetic and cowardly bastard.”

Ijin muttered as he wrung out a rag.

There was no one to clean the office. Kim Jaeman was so oblivious to his surroundings that it was a wonder he even managed to wash himself, and Kwon Hyeongdo didn’t seem to care.

Lately, he barely spent any time in the office—coming in only to sit for a moment before leaving. While that was a good thing, Ijin couldn’t just ignore the accumulating soda cans and cigarette butts overflowing in the ashtray.

“Hey? Hyung. Can I open the window? It’s cold!”

Kim Jaeman whined, but Ijin was firm. Anyway, he was hot because he had to endure the gangsters behind him snickering, “The rag is wringing out the rag,” while he was wringing out the rag.

“I can’t live with the cigarette smell. Kim Jaeman, either help out or go outside and light a fire, do whatever you want.”

At those words, Kim Jaeman grabbed the ashtray and cigarette pack and dashed out.

Ijin took the vividly embroidered microfiber blanket with tigers and mountains and draped it over the sofa. He thought he should either dust it or wash it.

He roughly wiped the window, emptied the ashtray into the trash bag, and pushed the cans in with a clatter. As he wiped the desk like a madman, Ijin felt not out of breath but rather relieved.

He glared at the desk, which Kwon Hyeongdo often propped his feet on, wondering if it was a desk or a footrest, and wiped it down for the satisfaction it brought.

“Why do you keep putting your shoes up? Uneducated bastard.”

Ijin muttered as he scrubbed Kwon Hyeongdo’s desk. The modular metal drawer beneath it was also covered in dust on the top and sides, and just looking at it made Ijin’s nose itch, so after some thought, he decided to pull it out.

It was so poorly assembled that it creaked, and one of the drawers slightly opened. As he was about to close it, Ijin inadvertently looked inside.

“This is…”