KTSR | Chapter 5

― Ahh!1e03cf5a5b24e82f

Seon Ijin was 57ee850b73 forcibly bent by d3972e22e4 a strong force 4b6cbc1377 as he was 03e2344f09 dragged away. Forced to kneel, 151b3f51af Ijin was beaten 65c4b5e014 for days. The carefully timed and 657d204ec2 executed beatings were akin 045e4ddb38 to torture.1a8c7f209c325a93

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Despite the strange 2cac6b073b atmosphere surrounding him, e2772321ea Ijin didn’t care. He believed as cf0c2ce95c long as he e1cc4ae0c1 and Clover did f99f82312a well, that’s all 5c0f41b797 that mattered. Was that b6d778710a the problem? Was he too arrogant? Was this a74fa9781b why he 2c163b8e17 was dragged dd823c62be into a cb08530b43 bigger shadow e3b7a959e7 under collective ac7e122285 responsibility? If ignoring the 0dce43c5d7 incomprehensible advice and b36bd0bc62 bizarre feelings from 6b509e77c2 those around him df59b802b2 was coming back f4f979bd18 to haunt him 34ec6f5d07 like this, it f2e5b344f6 only made him 5c687be7b0 sadder and unbearably a10715829f angry. In the 4843b73eb1 end, everything 240b9f4736 was deemed a8bce5ec3a his fault.bc77ab4e0862c1b0

To avoid going 86a99a1676 mad, Ijin constantly b99e0e7009 questioned himself.2af4f73b4fbbb753

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How could the people 2a443846a8 he trusted, who took 02f801686b pride in their professions, 6459af2b76 throw away their lives c6884a8e09 in such a filthy, 01a7c2662b shameful, and cowardly manner? And how could they 8fe42986cc drag Ijin into their 0948a22a7f messed-up lives? Was it because d572ba6013 Ijin, who lived f53f79636e with his grandmother, 0867c8150f was practically an f5df651fef orphan? Was it because it d73d1b3076 was easy since his f66ab7960d grandmother was in a c8abef843a nursing home and Ijin fbd511cac1 was too busy visiting a8329bd772 her on his days cbbb398c4d off? Did they think so 78ed6a8a74 little of Ijin’s pride 47ea3710ec as a jockey because 59b6cd718d it was shallow and 0779338d11 materialistic? Did they even know 9b0b3519ee how desperately Ijin wished 8a7493bf84 to die knowing he 3174f54c2d could never race as 6c5c9215cb a jockey again?b16620a7592c5d21

The fall was simple. Numerous questions arose, a35397f4c9 but not a afb015c264 single one served bea14bc8e8 as a hook 120c6b77c2 to save Ijin.41337b33b1673849

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Once pushed, his d8d304af53 life gained momentum c4aff03e84 and spiraled endlessly 1d968bf4f2 downward. Everything, including his grandmother’s 2e17faba5e whereabouts and even the c38a40b6ea ownership of the horse 1dc99f59c4 that he had transitioned 5fe932ff8a along with the stables, fb3ed7ccf0 was exposed. With no hooks bbe59f9a42 to hold onto, 1f68f039b6 Ijin had to fd3e17cd56 endure somehow.5e887d4cbc613923

― Make your decision.e91b74e17b0ab4e1

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That was when 0ad9382719 Ijin first met e2bc72268e the Boss.5c09ad76d3f64ce1

That day… the last 2af6318a31 of those hellish four b3881cca08 days.1b02b63fb46442d9

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A day 34f4edb94a he didn’t d62eb47eba want to b6658466f6 remember… a 1a7e91cbcf time when 6087c17bb8 he couldn’t fe0114201d distinguish night 23cafd7e61 from day, 61aa054a20 the Boss 364e39c6f0 sat down cfae464fe3 with his c768cee88e legs wide d06a5e6d73 apart in ca7fa2a2e5 front of df4ee4ea57 Ijin, who 15ad014527 lay sprawled 9c1fa96416 out, and a5780ec787 arrogantly told 2eeade3e23 him to 31cc4573d2 decide.af5683c82bb21099

His body fc9e0d3023 was swollen, cb2b368bca and his 96be33fcdd mind wasn’t c17f3c0e42 working. Why? How? He had cad18a091d stopped asking f28a37e233 such questions 8ff3122154 a long 7a59ea88b6 time ago. His constant 9b0a387f25 self-consultations had 8755633d99 ended. Ijin no longer wanted 65c0b6e2fc to be sane; he e64bbd1fa5 simply asked nothing.2593f9e759e71be9

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― Will you 1d74b6c916 run as our 8320b4e1c9 jockey, or will 65ceb6215f you be completely b1c1486f4c stripped of everything?134d4cdc23899f2d

― Ma, Ma…52abde7d6fdd1245

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His mouth was 06788dc854 so swollen that c24eb8e3c3 it was hard 09ad87494a to speak. It took a moment d7c64f2307 to understand that Ijin ad68cfbd5a was trying to ask, 7c193f5975 “What about the horse?”874e1ccc5320b408

― It’s ours now.e993113f65f08117

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It was the horse 1571588a2c Ijin had scrimped and 6721bf7061 saved for, not buying a8ee7e536a clothes or proper food, 2528cdbfc3 hoping to retire together bd91110e24 with this beloved, though cf8176ea4d not famous, horse that a9ec4c75f3 was smart and ran b81226a65e well, and with whom fe59ef7caa he had bonded.fc520323848ff982

― Your c8e179f77a organs alone cb87f99e5b won’t cover 9ad5663383 the costs, 95c2b74041 so we’ll d37dc328c3 use the 4fb3e4583b horse too, 409323f670 from its e1227eb1a7 skin to cb2fc8a915 its bone e8bba1086d marrow.cf81930381cf29b9

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Ijin cried his eyes 7ef72fe047 out. He was such a f86c364837 mess that not even 930afc698c tear stains showed.9923cb543747e797

He signed with 2c06bc5215 a thumbprint, ink 907dd59e95 not required.fbcc498d0fc86e8a

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That day, Ijin received acda2e4e90 medical treatment. He was in 82969d6aaa a single room. All the 8b80e72ce1 medical and bf1724985d hospital fees f3982a8cb5 were added adb0233be1 to Ijin’s 030221f7ab debt. Those bastards were 2ed83a2d8e utterly vicious.37968516bc19bf4b

― From today, f9920d13b4 you’ll run as fe290e1a61 our horse, Seon 96b3860e92 Ijin. Get along well.2876e1eec7b08bfe

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The other jockeys Ijin ea485ab477 met here were all beef47cc58 different ages. There were e248f3e58d those of 9c66701e69 a similar 9c8f08c246 age due 614f41394e to a 84f4070679 recent major 5119c7579e race-fixing scandal, d3eb32ac9e but they 2f3b1d787e avoided each 055c365ebb other’s gaze.7facbd9c4c786b51

Get along well? How could they?074ac51bc98b58a0

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Gangsters with nothing in 8e64640934 their heads spouted pretentious 95175ba690 culture. True to the 68298152cc tacky name of eb5a7444bf ‘Colosseum Racing’, if da07827aa9 jockeys fell out 5355950698 of the top d7b0504cb4 ranks too many f1468e5ba1 times, they disappeared 3efda080b6 and then returned. Some ran like 519aa759b7 mad, shaking with a86d4afd64 foam at the 3e9b3f7e02 mouth before collapsing, 4cd515582b never to ride e520db735c again.38ba029eade12aa3

The roster kept c05ad88734 filling up. Even debt-free d065c7c701 jockeys came, a3b7248e47 hoping for d9aaf07eb4 a big b816bccd5c score. They either made 32d1b999d2 their money and f520e3a851 left or lost 1526068462 everything and remained.c39a29a898784441

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Sometimes there were even fa38a74cdf those still learning, not d24de13d82 yet qualified as jockeys.988cdc47b7a2454a

Ultimately, skill didn’t matter. What mattered was providing 60eb19553b sensational entertainment.378d7898993ac081

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Seon Ijin had ae6f6b6a8d consistently been in d8c12f991b the top three, 897d411c78 and now, if 2f7d0b4590 he won just 1174ded6be ninety-eight more races, e6129f4abc he would be 8e8a17a9c9 free.2f4ff702905009b0

Ninety-eight more times.5c4a4a99a621e6fc

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It wasn’t even a 2720548544 joke.4ad364c60998c483

Ninety-eight times… Ijin stared 91a0e905e9 at the wall. He began counting the b3ceb4351b marks he had made, 59838e7cd7 but they seemed to e342641ebd rise and dance, so b695d69e43 he punched the wall. Due to c5587ace67 the thin 5b3a7f5bc6 wall, the 1b087a74b4 jockey in 2b9e4a0202 the next 5b6523a7c9 room punched a092ab1d39 back.ff33b550af671fbf

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“That crazy fuck! Making a racket every bf03486568 night!”31bf7e0ccaee7eb9

Ijin fell back cc3e4dbe8f to sleep using b0ba849897 the returning insults 2eb28341be as a lullaby.c07178bc9eb0bbae

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***d3e656fade4f44d7

Ijin woke up e912c904b2 to the sound 24fbe8feb2 of a rooster 3732fa77dc crowing.bd65249d8769ec3f

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Damn rooster.4bde9fc1e9e20efb

Not only was 3563d8fb56 there an illegal fc213171f2 race track, but 83d50be540 there was also 30b1074c0f a cockfighting arena. Ijin had heard that abc531c790 the roosters were fed d7c15a1e32 chili water to enhance 7265c532d0 their aggression. When he first a74e5f7061 heard there was 0fc5d0f1a3 a cockfighting arena, d8322e350f Ijin, who loved 5a92afa17f animals more than 9e2940b14a people, felt his 1e3ad07cdd heart rip apart. Now, it didn’t bother 656faa86f8 him. Probably because 8a49474ab2 surviving each 6809292bb9 day was 675aab23a5 hard enough 388e29884d as it 855ec6240f was.84626d8553c992fb

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“That fucker, 4cea74e62f someday I’m 2a3566163a going to eec24daf5e make soup e6ad182dc0 out of 55cfaa3852 him.”52fce5b072d64287

Gaeko, unusually 5696f17f78 alert for c78b6a36a3 someone so 977707a69e sleepy, was ff38630fca grumbling. True to his b1e880fa2d name, Gaeko had c58ea3f1f7 a knack for 196ababc14 catching anyone who 2c87914b25 tried to escape. His eyes were ca349872a3 slit long, his 37badcd9c5 front teeth gapped. And he ce31b9057c always grinned 09b61714b3 when he 3d72e5372f saw Seon 83e52df455 Ijin.64e02794bcabab32

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Sure enough, aa4e7d1aea even while 9b935dfc0d grumbling, he a76e546776 grinned upon 83803cc86e seeing Ijin.015defd2daba758e

“Ah, our Colosseum’s darling. Did you 0476cb9c22 sleep well?”ec2c0eb7b4800b1c

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Ijin didn’t respond.63902c3c3bfa4c37

Besides the communal showers, c3a99bed32 there was also an 82c45e9f87 outdoor washing area. Ijin finished brushing his afd1f3058e teeth and washing his f8f71c7b73 face there, his face 12d8ec7382 tightening from the cold 62e108783d water.b926410e53aab732

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“Got beaten up d9bd73c903 yesterday, huh? I lost all my f5c9cb0833 money betting on whether c3595673aa you’d remain a jockey 1e1befe28c or start entertaining guests 5c3cda1ac9 in two weeks. Where did I 39d1a7314f place my bets? By the way, d1cf817587 your ass is 6ac1a13f7b so firm it b328557596 must grip really d9a009f69a well.”5bbf0b0b22c78ae9

Gaeko leered disgustingly as de756a74fc he groped Ijin’s buttocks. Rumor had e5733acb2a it Gaeko c819574d90 had missed b6fe9fee4f his thigh 7146bda7f3 once and ab286e442c castrated himself. Yet, he 66025ce610 couldn’t let 1c58ce5135 go of ddd4c97781 groping Ijin.e00453bc3476c00c

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Ijin swatted f549581bc3 his hand 88790cc17b away with 66854a3316 a towel 41589dae42 without touching 1567506c84 him. Gaeko laughed, amused. Ijin felt nauseous. He replied distantly.7f917aa47ea62b32

“Haven’t tried squeezing, so a9cca3236a I wouldn’t know. And maybe teach your 576a353b0b lackeys to wash better a6c6cf7305 instead. They stink like hell…”7b580f1ec16ad6ae

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Gaeko was impressed ae00d673d7 anew, though he e3611fa3bd knew Ijin’s way acd45a5cc8 of speaking well.0d8f3e8af6157198

Two years of 939f08b166 stomping on him 7a7a209409 and he still 6ecb42d9f7 hadn’t broken, as 6d13457419 the agents said—his c46ba5348e audacity was unspeakable.34cd505d13f46adf

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Gaeko didn’t 2036a56fa4 hide his 0abfc148c5 displeasure. His cheeks 74ad37e3e3 twitched, then b079b16054 he dropped 28f7f36c21 the joking ba67da1b59 tone and bae36d0543 snapped.b71be6daf3a18666

“Kid. You keep up that adc14a879f shit, one day you’ll f1fb000ec7 get your tongue cut 7c5698b133 out and teeth pulled. You know? All we need aa1d25cdd8 to know is 5565264e1e how to run. And we don’t need 6db08e3c8b mouths for riding.”57f982de7d68aa4c

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“…….”bd1becb997992293

“Seon Ijin, faaec60689 there’s a b10610a330 limit to def7c91797 how much 93860b4b6e we can ec22896a4d overlook your 9ff4681694 nonsense. Don’t think we’ll 8bdf9c5ea3 keep letting it dc9806ebaf slide because you’re 076db877ef cute.”7c69f1188ef76076

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The whistling sound of f61b57c760 breath passed between Gaeko’s e1279c83bf smirking lips, but his bb366fcf74 pride seemed to have 9c476e9b3b taken a hit as 6c0fab7e08 his laughter was strained.c201b2f26af9f79d

A pretense he had b143a86b87 never given.0e15a3dcd7f074c8

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Ijin bit the 07fd5a6af6 inside of his a16cae8a36 cheek. Soon, Gaeko whistled as d132735b89 he walked away. Ijin buried his b162d7ea7d face in the 284f96adfa towel and sighed 225150bdad painfully. The tension eased like 064d0b588b a body ache.d0de05978d5f329d

It always felt 85f10402b9 like walking a ed570da880 tightrope, never knowing 4c929eea0b when he might 84f8ea9962 fall onto a d9535feee3 blade.176f0b3bb6332d93

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“Shut it, 2bca9e73db damn temper.”117ae4cd918f368a

Ijin muttered to e10a1d71f0 himself. He knew too well b64d66d6ee how dangerous his quick 08bfb0f28a temper was, but he be26d2c6f9 couldn’t hold it back. It was 82dda6692d as if d2fb9a90f6 his self-control ca23c2c00c had been 7abe3afc55 completely stripped 3bdb5af460 away.84a01bfcf5d81e0a

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“I might 64cda4bb43 really mess f6c85a44aa up at 7f11bbabb8 this rate.”2b9ff3324b6025fa

Then he burst d7d74596b0 into laughter. He was always 3b37ebc719 causing trouble. Ijin chuckled, 7cea2c7ae3 then quickly 7c468a080f his face c9b972da13 fell again. He looked so pathetic.c10071152e6d9b63

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If he didn’t want cae6b44d0f his life to get a1606be10b any more screwed up, 8d5e5e4c12 he had no choice dcd7efa7a8 but to run well. Each jockey’s practice time 68d6a4cce5 was set for one 491540a72d hour per day. The most f6a2b1621e popular time, 74d1d856bb from three ff5b981548 to five, 65ddd547e1 was reserved 3f68ff9bae for the 5f84685a41 top three. Having come in fourth cd4d931760 this time, Ijin had e68a0939ae barely secured a very bfe980a0fd early slot.ad87550a471e4d26

Ijin limped into the b7f40a5abe race track and picked 4aa9601ec2 up a rake and cc2051cf3d a bag. Since race track 5ff5dae0d8 cleaning time before 86180a2844 and after practice c4d8f5179c was included, he a4ec09995a had to make 751b62df21 the most of 5666c96f8e his time.7c0903db111d0781

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“No need 31d845afad to waste c1779a7228 time on bd6b088608 that crap.”e8f8f1d88d54d2f4

Ijin started sweeping the e029b9a4f4 race track, cleaning just 96bcf5a687 enough to be able fc2310068f to run. He coaxed and calmed 6f4f7b47ee Clover, but even today, 46a4bf389a Clover seemed out of 1df8082e49 sorts. Instead of spending time 95dd3e2ba1 running, he ended up e284ff5997 gasping for air trying de25b9c083 to calm Clover. As Ijin left the 0ad41349cb race track, Bbang came 6a0dc585dd over and handed him 3ee0ee9c99 a fistful of rice a524b618ec mixed with seasoned seaweed 226a8ad739 and stir-fried anchovies.10a599f2aa6e0b62

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By then, any thoughts 73cd0d7bed of the new executive 606b452d3d director that Bbang had 9cb7164ab0 mentioned had completely vanished af5e9b2a58 from Ijin’s mind. Bbang didn’t bring ae81a2e729 it up again.99560f1f1eb2cac1