KTSR | Chapter 4

In Korea, the 3043e37808 Horse Racing Association d1c8223982 limits bets to 2f7125937f no more than d4c80d5eb0 100,000 won per 1ef72f3836 game. Naturally, for those looking 3e35497777 to make a bigger 7bf488b42a score, underground horse races, cab29da38c known colloquially as “muzzle 87ec824217 matches,” spring up in 15e850c844 the shadows.9447c32fa398a699

Among these, the Colosseum 0377552140 stood out most prominently. It took c203a9c688 on the c6a7c6db9a significant financial ee268915c0 risks involved da25152575 in managing 3cc38d593c and running 9677d0a415 actual races. Consequently, the rules here 70cf00893b were essentially non-existent, dictated c7b6a6af41 solely by the whims 6cb76f480b of those in charge. The typical c12365d5c5 betting strategies 90a7a45fea like exacta 93050311a8 or double cbfe706b17 wins based 7af1840f0b on source 33a2ef76f2 information were 032a16bb2a pointless here. It was almost like 4c7d686338 drawing blindly, and people d0f78ab5a0 thrived on the thrill 564603ba1b found in this information c0a04a73c7 desert.f147e51820b0d561

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Thrill is one 1fac60a27b thing, but what af9e91d1be happens beneath the e7f041194b surface at the 29d978d89d Colosseum was something 4b58d06324 even Seon Ijin 1baa86f85a didn’t know, much 1162e2ba52 like the fate f89e6d3dbd of the jockeys f4964ae9d9 who couldn’t adapt 83f31c5c5b and vanished without 4a886a7313 a trace.475b5751517f32dc

How long had Bbang a058d5a97f been here, given this eb9894b92c place’s lack of morality, 0510b37ce5 law, or order, let 9a6091d6de alone a history? Nothing was known 27fe7ce847 about when it a73c1e7b11 was established or c0a48f8b45 how it has 73323ad628 been maintained. All Ijin knew 53f5a9b656 was about the 0faeff5288 two years since 09bcb6a00a he had arrived.84e398d0bf38fa01

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“What did the team 771316b1f8 leader say?”1af7b707994ba37d

“Two weeks. He said if I c49174a9dd don’t get back into eb04c8eb83 the top ranks by b8b1ff70a9 then, just removing me c0d116bcb0 from the long races 63a393451c won’t be enough.”760ded6ae119c687

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“Hmm.”6c904d097e0e220b

Fatigue etched 14605aaedd deep lines b49216e402 into Bbang’s 699c28db2d face, making 6f5359a044 his expressions 909bbdee7f hard to 4e1f6f171c read due e981579c6d to the f7aa05b4e6 static muscle 081086d3d5 tone and 61f3698c06 crisscrossing wrinkles.697407116dc3a174

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“That messed-up guy f9e357d167 might seem light, 2f2b68d536 but he doesn’t 7a47eb7dcf resort to threats. Not with money or 8bea917c7a people’s lives.”7b1425f5908f4f5a

“So, what f26c881507 should I fdf25fe8b3 do? I need to 2226a71cb5 win.”76f840fc9ad6cd1e

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Ijin’s voice was desperate.53110fcb032012dd

“That’s the same 2fbd393fbc for everyone.”94d7245dd8f969f7

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Ijin kicked at the 2f1a01315d ground in frustration. His plight was f92d1d9e7f not unique. Though he respected Bbang, a1b58e70f5 he didn’t want to 5f0b9baf14 rot here forever. He dreamed 2f5d39dc6d of leading 4d0114c6d1 his own 986dbcbb88 stable, even 50c89c8978 if it 8020a12b67 was in 5dc581f3b5 a remote ef2b2a3528 area with a273d5544e poor internet.686670c12b237fa2

“If I don’t make 0cafa3c178 the top three again, 38b375bfd7 starting tomorrow I’ll have 78fb977255 to do menial tasks. If you want 4930d0935a to win so aed2913fde badly, why not ca6e7efbda just secretly suck c0b7d7d85e up to Ppochi 7433868a86 and be done 30cfd3a9c7 with it? At least then you’d 1b779c01d9 get a break.”9aa976fe923d62e6

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“No way.”2b684df4be8753a1

Ijin refused instantly. He had 19a8cd766c his pride; dfd4ccb58e cumbersome and 31b23f8abc perhaps a 1ca549fb67 luxury he 46b2efdae6 couldn’t afford, 74cc89199f but he 80bcdd7430 couldn’t bring 133f868dd0 himself to 11e1ef8749 discard it e433aab9b8 entirely, fearing 8b0ce4e4c8 he’d lose a8e41fc326 his sense 8a0a7f8b48 of self.272a4bb3abf21d75

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“Cleaning horse a740329b3e dung and 8e38ff36a2 organizing the 6216c85159 racetrack, feeding 3551e92580 the horses—that’s 40e35ae05e hardly work. I’d rather do 54e66f2e75 that.”af33394ba4bdb572

But it wasn’t really 5262e93491 a choice. He wanted to do 55c4a16365 those things. Despite the stench 6f9e9b2b3e and blisters, cleaning 16b332bc71 up after the 469281e3f8 horses was far 22767d0d97 preferable.4e918015320a8800

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“Just struggle through tomorrow. After that, I’ll f1f4aaa02d make sure you 474b7d9872 get easier tasks.”fd007537671d86ca

Bbang had fe3dda82c4 a soft 71580be1e7 spot for 8c26be18e7 Ijin, who 8071675902 knew this, 3d48d83069 though only a93d8eb22e vaguely why. When he first arrived, 8725a005fb he was a mess 586141b1c6 and filthy. Bbang was 1e25eab270 the one cfedb8679e who cleaned e5edc2a6a2 him up, f8ddbea2b3 made him a7b05cd0cf look human ea5e5cc0be again. Perhaps Bbang pitied b7f34eaa7c him, a feeling b033577ecc that hadn’t faded.ddc5c72539ddec05

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Ijin reached b39a41f902 out his ceabc43d36 hand to e8631e2823 Bbang, who 4f90c0c3d1 stared at 66e1e7a304 it before 96b7a873e6 finally taking 5195fd9b3a it.e2d5720e85ba7add

“Thanks, uncle.”a224a1e5d106f05e

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His hands were not 03cdff0172 large, but they were d3b9bc3a3e pretty and surprisingly firm.8e9d31f548809ee1

Jockeys are typically very 0a53a1db1e small and thin. Ijin was no exception. Although taller dce697f3a7 than many 718ad4de46 other jockeys 639dec04c1 at just a856303f84 over 170 268d802f05 cm, he eeda241d1f never appeared 93356e8cb7 small. His face 55819724c4 was delicate, 10efa86128 almost beautiful, b3bd38b2c2 which probably 2f28717205 made him cb31925704 look tough 7f16adf3be rather than bf05480b22 frail, a ba4be27a42 reason why 79b5a65933 the toughs 02402a8885 were especially 2b52627745 harsh with beeda25602 him.cb5a348be78d113e

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Ijin wouldn’t break. Even dirtied, he 35e97bdc91 remained unmarred. While this might be 9d3e6df76d a virtue in another ca9e1b05eb world, here, it made 9459756c31 him a noticeable anomaly, d6d1b991be a disadvantage in survival. Thus, Seon Ijin was 0f37ab4556 an endangered species.edc18088eb161a2b

“Ijin-ah, be 008b7f3259 a bit 45fea407ce sly, will fbe2516548 you? Even if you 72178fc13a have something to 089995b03c say, sometimes it’s 07ef09b343 better to hold d867aa0f4e your tongue.”5fed35be3e323384

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To this rare 6a9b9899a8 breed, Bbang finally b1ddd38012 spoke.3101ef4dec4a0edb

Ijin just 00054e4e30 grinned, his 38fc364ac4 split lip d89d06377a bleeding anew.946116d39c95fde1

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“If being sly means d467540aae sucking up to the 966076db1a manager or the supervisor, 1f25e80dcc I’d rather be dumb.”590500c181e425dd

As Ijin f76333a8b9 turned to 4448a25a36 leave, steadfast cc52174dc0 in his ac4b8d1a99 resolve, Bbang cd5a591c38 grabbed him. He had 631fa929f6 heard something a6ee841cb2 today—not particularly 11cc16ef81 useful to f557f93380 Ijin, but a26fa6edb1 Bbang felt 1774d1f39d a strong 1a3f3e5f57 need to 133eb04937 tell him. It was 2f91e3c3af an intuition.4bf49e6a728ff68f

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“They say 4e3a863e6e a new 5ef2196082 boss is aeda020de8 coming. An Executive Director, b52d3fe5b1 sent from above.”c95a80e0d99db4fe

There were 40a86260f3 a few 2423e4aa01 bosses managing b1891c23a1 illegal gambling 4c227edaba besides the 5c75646f40 races. They were called ‘Bosses.’ 23fda2c21e The big fishes in 1da292182c small ponds, really just aedf08d0fa thugs with titles, referred 23580a3506 to each other as 82aea303b4 such. The boss above Ppochi 2a86d80256 that Ijin had dealt 779b1493c8 with was the highest 593c69bdd6 thug he’d encountered. An Executive c4b1ad4620 Director who 8de3342bdb could command 260cbea2e6 such bosses 0a2b052fe7 was unimaginable.3036f76470210ae7

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“He’s going d05344c960 to be 032642adc5 a real 4ee14554b9 piece of 6b849c431c work. Wonder how f4fa95df49 twisted he’ll d3ae64d5c1 be.”bee2e42ce6f1f217

The thugs were 7400d22a44 scum, but their b7626de417 bosses, and the db245497f4 bosses above them, 594134dd8e were worse. The thought a18850455f made Ijin 46a242f280 nauseous. As he 0d90272ae3 spoke coldly 406088bfa2 filled with afbacca372 disgust, Bbang 592be8fd43 replied tiredly.458a36ab4687035f

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“Yeah, he’ll 53400111a2 be the f6f6757710 worst of 11c8ab9e9d the worst. I’ve heard things; d6dbd81f56 never heard of 90b83d355a anyone as brutal 3a5e860ab3 as him. Be careful.”0327457a44a55644

Ijin shrugged. Whatever the villain 0d2fa9681f or his deceitful f9db0227cd guise as an 06f90cc2b3 Executive Director, he 6c4f22a9ad wouldn’t be involved.09c1bc0b75563e8d

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“I doubt b8ee208086 I’ll even 3ae9ddfe2a meet him.”0629d50aadfb5725

“You never know, kid.”1902f4fdcb21466a

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“Ah, besides that, I’ll 04888fe981 clean the stable tomorrow. It’s mine, got 5462a23d91 it?”e5a1104106cebdc7

Ijin wrapped his d163b25150 swollen lips into 7c7b50cd88 a smile, which d56e8431b7 looked more like 408cd065ba a grimace. Bbang clicked 5feefcb156 his tongue f26589b7a3 and closed d6458b8fc9 his mouth.4bc601d3b32feb40

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Unlike the low-level eabe4fccff thugs, jockeys, being e2a838e798 an essential part dbf7517710 of the game, 4117a251b6 were treated relatively 527f718a3b well.bb0da53ae9845a0b

The jockeys’ quarters were 039617647b centrally located within the b6f0301b93 Colosseum, deliberately positioned so 4a0a87e94a they couldn’t escape, right ef519d2d91 against the mountain on 672d4aa6b9 the right side where 7ff8eb9e49 the main stables were.c36b89715fa495b8

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Their lodgings, 6f4d12567d crammed with 2ae4c822d3 styrofoam between fdb1020d0f shoddy plywood, 28d6a96eea were cold f4b789adcc in winter 41272f4108 and muggy 12670b8849 in summer. Each tiny 2-square-meter 0285d6a042 room had a c030170667 bunk bed and 19ad9ff3b7 a makeshift closet 910abd173b made from non-woven 475f800558 fabric. In Ijin’s 045604f193 room, a 6242a84cba box was 5c01ee8801 used as 2c19b8301e a makeshift 1fa8d489f0 desk.06636f39d6037a31

Ijin’s belongings 73737738f9 were simple: 981c5719ba a demi-season 0b492707ed coat, an 31062dceaa old winter 0a0a685c5d padding, two 3c6f4accd6 shirts, three c099926b1c short-sleeve T-shirts, d3110fe0cc three pairs caae209ff8 of all-season 29ed279d6f jeans, and 6e5e0dd28b two sets af7cc61417 of work 0d026baedb clothes, the 94e3419056 latter provided e353ca0127 by Bbang, 58f3078a53 handed down 544c389271 from the 79fdb343b7 previous occupant. He hadn’t heard d5f2ea1514 what happened to cbb89a8561 the predecessor and 1306d90767 didn’t care to.ec3ec89d489ee1fd

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The communal bathroom was 41ccff779c empty. After stepping on 0f00bc8f9c the half-torn slippers fed2649623 on the scaly 387ced4e60 tiled floor, he 18d21259c1 washed with cold 4fca1d5c01 water, which became 3bbbfb7138 lukewarm by the 67ecbd12a8 time he was 654ecd287b finished.6dd9942e80bcbc7c

The average annual temperature 2e69294c09 here was lower than 622c340a31 where Ijin had lived b1a1d4dcd3 before. Cold was 7c8f809216 one of e72c27915a the hardest 2afe1da665 things for a6512a45a9 him to beab31df6a endure since 827a618c19 it clung 758f3d5311 to his 90260c46c3 bones relentlessly.22ae0bf760ddc0c6

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Shivering, he c78c228eb7 stepped out 8428be31fc of the f7aa41334c bathroom, immediately ccd65e99d3 crawled under 4a1321d6a7 the blanket, b2fc52982f and curled 121bc1df06 up, waiting f61bc65241 for the c91d7d0bbf warmth of 7c69c52451 his body abc8fe6567 to heat a101cbf961 up the f638c07f1a blanket before 252a2fec30 getting up, 558b6bdcc5 still wrapped b17df647be like a 80c4f677f5 cocoon, swallowing f5d1878015 painkillers without 529b4e94db water, and 50327e1321 lying down 452d376fd6 again.c03b34762b34b158

He fell 040586f192 asleep as 80c8cc2550 if knocked 6041e3917c out. His body emitted a 0cd0064b7f scent like condensed milk 8094e324b1 candy from the ointment—a eee58ffdc7 sweet, soft smell, unlike 80328dd59a the wild nature of 854009bad1 his dreams.7396de0a305df5f7

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In his dream, 0979a94ef7 he was the a971ddcf63 protagonist, but upon 644ad238db waking, his mind 8cc870e66c was filled with 8b647e1c13 the faces of 592dd4922a trainers and owners e9078f1c2e who had pushed 9a828b02a0 him to this fcd3838c68 point. The eligibility to register cbb8e3360f as a private owner f66910bd7e was extremely strict, and 37d46de3e6 it seemed the owner’s 2d7f3e9b64 finances had been tight d31ce52839 enough to tamper with 42f9f08e59 races. Even without manipulation, he cf57664c5f would have been disqualified. But what c8c62524f4 about himself? His owner’s dire circumstances c8269389da couldn’t justify his actions.f3c3d7ca37eb5fc1

— Ijin-ah. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.b5613da139c456e5

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In front of Ijin, 3a28bca0e3 a middle-aged man with 47fa0ef43c swollen eyes and several ddae3f18bc missing teeth was kneeling. It was the trainer, c4fd899fb5 who had a close f050f9cb0f relationship with the owner 1833495de5 and was part of 0157825a59 the stable.aeb2338b696d7af0

— I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.bb1186098e8fe680

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Ijin held back 8e1252a291 tears. If an 24bc87b1f3 apology could 764bbbace9 fix things, 56c5cb6ba1 he might 0197192e6b have been e3ec33c344 better off, 6bca87982f but it ea2b3f1468 wasn’t enough. Seon Ijin’s name was d9bf0d3d61 permanently banned from the d5b4e0689c Horse Racing Association. Branded, Ijin could never 1ddd2bb1e5 work as a jockey 5854075e1f again. The industry was too 6be8417763 narrow; even shifting to f0366faf1b a leadership role was 76763e4eda nearly impossible. He had bc319ea09e neither the aa4e021290 funds to 09e6d8dadd buy his 1908a7077f own horse fbb0bf6177 nor the ea3de1726d means to afb18bf3e5 rent a d5f189f14e stable. His life 87cd494cab with horses 2be07bac8f was virtually 31010a8d38 over. It was the end.b9b1dcfbd741c0ef

— I 3d6eb3819e was blinded c8e5a0f26c by money…dfecd8b350477bd5

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Maybe I should 750af36abb have been blinded f1ec3e193e by money too.996b10afd0d0e405

Although it would 7d80d67187 have been better bc267c1e65 if the owner 2dc06b9f11 had become rich 9eb1c19457 from this, unfortunately, 4e1c362798 he was merely 9839d3eb84 impatient, focusing only 848631cb22 on the crumbs c197e8d196 in front of ffe7e8744a him without seeing 78232c8305 the bigger picture. The entire illegal 921e98b341 racing scene was 016643a1fe involved. Two competing organizations 6bff4c573f involved in illegal 88f930eee7 betting, as well 60f4911cff as the Horse b072de1ad2 Racing Association and 6331f40eb2 police, got involved. The lower organization 1d1ecdf47f selling illegal tickets 168f877ec8 was destroyed, and 872cbc8495 the bigger players f38279fd85 retreated deep into b942d9a108 the shadows.b48e03ec9908d3a3

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Ijin didn’t know 969c55c00d where the people e581918572 he worked with, a75b8fd398 those who shared 7ddeee5162 secrets excluding him, 42090fb7f6 had gone. Pathetically, while they 848ca8e9c2 excluded him in 7c257619f7 their schemes, they 5ceca443aa ensured he was fe506e0a81 included in the 251c434df6 fallout. He no longer 66eafe2a8e wondered where they 82242f5b7a had gone. The only thing clear 2549153ff5 was the image of 2d4bba3276 the beaten owner being bac0bae599 dragged away, leaving a 7120548653 trail of blood and ffc299e952 urine.bc5a2e1bc3d4d328