KTSR | Chapter 15

“……”

“Is it big?”

“……”

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“Do you think the executive director will protect you forever? He’ll leave, and you’ll stay. You’ve got some kids with ripped cheeks because of you. The trip to Seoul is canceled, by the way. Got beaten by a jockey with a dick-sized ego. That kid’s got it out for you. Watch your back. Got it?”

He was just… tired. The warmth of spending time with his grandmother earlier that day felt like it happened ages ago.

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“Ugh. Idiot. If I were you, I’d go to the team leader and beg for protection.”

The last guy to hit Ijin’s head stood up. Ijin glanced down, glaring at the face marked with pockmarks.

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The guy, irritated by that glare, raised his foot to kick again but then lowered it.

“We made a bet, you see? Whether you’ll die here within three years or still be rolling around here in three years.”

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In this place where they make money from illegal gambling, even the smallest details were turned into bets among themselves.

“So, I bet 50 on you dying. So, please do well?”

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Ijin’s odds were the highest in the history of this Colosseum. That meant the betting odds were high too. Seon Ijin was competitive, but he didn’t want to let that bastard win.

Ijin also placed a bet. On getting out of here within three years.

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He’d likely be the only one betting on that, so the payout would be incredible.

After the guy left and the door closed, plunging the room into darkness, Ijin let out a small sob.

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The next morning, forbidden from breakfast and lunch, Ijin was outside alone, basking in the sunlight.

The early winter sun was as dim as if covered by translucent plastic. Still, just standing there blankly seemed to warm him from the inside.

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“No, hyung, no. Director, this can’t be done that quickly. We need to apply for the domain.”

“What’s a domain or a whatever, are you doing legal work?”

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Amidst the chatter that reached Ijin’s half-dozing ears, a man’s voice followed. Turning his head slowly, he saw the executive director walking with a cigarette between his middle and ring fingers, followed by a man in a checked shirt and glasses, bustling around him.

“Still, we need to apply. And to do it the way you described, hyung, no, director, it’ll take some time. Please give us more time.”

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“If that’s the case, spit out the money, you bastard.”

The executive director, laughing in a way that made him look like a normal person, unlike his usual laughter. It was as if he was just another person living a normal life in the sunlight…

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Lost in that surreal scene, Ijin caught the attention of the guy in glasses, who glanced at him with a surprised “Oh.” Then, the executive director also turned his head towards Ijin.

Ijin looked at the head of the villains, the executive director, and gave a slight nod in greeting. It was the kind of bow you’d do if your back broke without even hitting a rice cake, as the team leader would sometimes say.

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He could feel the man slowly scanning him. Pretending not to notice, he turned back to stare into space, and their conversation became much quieter.

Kwon Hyeongdo chuckled at Seon Ijin’s attitude of treating people like air. Did he really just live on horseback, not knowing that such behavior would draw more attention? Indeed, for this reason, Ijin had been getting little hits from head to toe whenever he acted this way.

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“Cute bastard.”

“What? Me? Fuck no.”

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Kim Jaeman replied with disgust. Kwon Hyeongdo, instead of hitting Ijin, smacked Kim Jaeman’s head.

“Stop blowing hot air and say something useful. I’m sick of your whining.”

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Kwon Hyeongdo’s gaze finally left Ijin. Kim Jaeman grumbled again.

“No, even if we do this immediately, the utility won’t match the effort.”

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“Do it anyway. Who would come to this backwater? Later, they’ll just bet money from their rooms with their phones.”

“Hey, that’s too much. Later, they’ll be shopping and watching movies on their phones?”

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Movies… Ijin remembered the talk about going to watch movies in a place where there wasn’t even a cinema. It must be a lie. He wasn’t the type for such refined hobbies.

But if he had seen one… what and where would he have watched?

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Ijin once loved movies, but now he didn’t even know what was in theaters. The bustling cinemas and even video rental shops had become distant memories.

“Seon Ijin!”

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The team leader’s voice woke up the dazed Ijin, who had been fasting since last night.

“Come to the dining hall.”

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The team leader motioned like calling a dog. As Ijin slowly got up, the team leader, seemingly impatient, moved towards him. Then, spotting his superior, he stood upright and bowed 90 degrees.

“Director! Good morning! Did you have a good night?”

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Ijin had never seen the team leader this servile before. Not even to the boss he seemed this respectful.

And didn’t he know his subordinates got beaten by that man last night? A good night?

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“I told Seon Ijin not to eat. Why are you calling him?”

The man asked leisurely, smoking the last of his cigarette. The team leader looked troubled.

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“There’s… no one here who knows how to do the ward or ad stuff, so I was about to gather all the jockeys. Just in case…”

“Even if it’s peak season for thuggery, let’s be selective. All we’ve got here are husks.”

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Laughing, the man began walking towards Ijin, and the team leader followed.

From the look of the team leader, it seemed he didn’t know Ijin was late yesterday. Had the man not mentioned it? Or maybe he didn’t see or care about his beaten subordinates. Ijin was tense, worrying the man might bring up his story to the team leader like a snitch, making his stomach churn.

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“Does this kid know how to do Word?”

Before he knew it, the man was right in front of Ijin, sneering. He grabbed Ijin’s cheek with his cigarette-holding hand and turned it left and right. It felt like his neck might snap.

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“Aside from being pretty and riding well, I doubt he knows anything else.”

“……”

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“But those two things are enough, aren’t they?”

Was he asking me? Ijin didn’t respond.

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Instead, the team leader laughed ‘hehe’ and rubbed his hands together.

“Yes, those two are enough. He hasn’t earned his face value though…”

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“That’s for me to handle, so it’s fine.”

Ijin shot a glare at the man. Even through the ragged, uneven bangs, the man seemed unconcerned. Well, why would he be scared of someone’s glare when he beats up gangsters?

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“Can you do it?”

The man asked, still holding Ijin’s face, moving the cigarette to his other hand.

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“…I can do it.”

Ironically, Ijin had worked with Word before.

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It was at his former stable, whose whereabouts were now unknown, where they taught him to do this to check his odds and others’ more easily. Ijin had quickly found fun in puzzle-like tasks and basic formatting.

Now just a rotten memory from a bygone era.

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“But I’m not good at it.”

“Not good at it?”

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The man smiled broadly, looking down at Ijin. It was a smile that seemed to mock him.

“If we had met in Seoul, you would have caught the boss’s eye. Such a waste of your face and mind. The ten percent proposal is off the table now. Next time, it’s nine percent. Not tempting? Your belly might be full.”

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The team leader looked back and forth between them, puzzled about what ten or nine percent meant.

Meanwhile, Ijin felt genuinely relieved that they hadn’t met in Seoul.

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“He says he can do it. If we’re desperate, we can use him.”

“But he won’t listen well… If he acts up, send him to me, Director. He listens to me.”

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The team leader pounded his chest proudly, but the man didn’t even look at him.

Instead, he slowly traced from Ijin’s jawline down to his neck before pulling at the round neckline of his t-shirt.

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“You got hit?”

There were bruises on his chest where kicks meant for his face had slid down after being blocked by his arms.

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“Looks like it wasn’t long ago.”

“Ugh…!”

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Ijin winced as the man pressed on the bruise. It hurt terribly.

“How did you get hit? I let you go last night.”

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“…Not because of that, right? Because you let me go?”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

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The man laughed as if it was the funniest thing. He didn’t seem surprised, meaning he anticipated this. He knew all along.

“Then get hit by me next time.”

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“I… don’t want to get hit.”

“If you do well, you won’t. What did we say would happen if you don’t get into the top three within two weeks, Team Leader Jeong?”

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Team Leader Jeong shouted like a new recruit with strict discipline.

“You said you’d let him ride something other than a horse!”

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The man still didn’t spare Team Leader Jeong a glance.

Ijin now stared at the man openly, his fist clenched.

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Kwon Hyeongdo found Ijin fascinating. If he were just another dragged-in punk, the smart move would be to lay low and endure quietly, but even if Ijin was a bit off, he stood out too much. Even in the photos of jockeys that were discreetly spread among the VVIP targets, Seon Ijin had overwhelmingly more people marking him.

“Ijin.”

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The man spoke in a very gentle voice.

“I hope you come last next time.”

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