KTSR | Chapter 4

In Korea, the Horse f859fa2f2f Racing Association limits bets 5e8b0c5e9e to no more than 87e501b997 100,000 won per game. Naturally, for those looking 03cfb42108 to make a bigger e2b47c9696 score, underground horse races, 90baefa4a4 known colloquially as “muzzle dc892329c0 matches,” spring up in 5f1f061f19 the shadows.770d03712a10d728

Among these, 0cc17e66ff the Colosseum cd5682b017 stood out 5a01ebd673 most prominently. It took on c27b57d868 the significant financial a9fe5b3529 risks involved in de4f246f93 managing and running 79f7335877 actual races. Consequently, the 4a168a7ce1 rules here 7b560f08f7 were essentially e2e42af06a non-existent, dictated d9792696f7 solely by d1558c61c0 the whims 09c72cb3a3 of those d5291fc269 in charge. The typical betting strategies cc67ae83a8 like exacta or double efcc82f90e wins based on source 9cd6f7e85d information were pointless here. It was almost like 4215bd7427 drawing blindly, and people 5ffa81245d thrived on the thrill 78d250bdd1 found in this information f39418041d desert.1cf0455355c68195

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Thrill is 9661d1fc9e one thing, 5633860408 but what c7df70b52d happens beneath cbba391c37 the surface ef93b9c21b at the 995185c20a Colosseum was fc60f920f7 something even b920d06f0d Seon Ijin bc19cbd89f didn’t know, fecf6b6f1a much like 4584bf8efb the fate 0435885d96 of the d24966c199 jockeys who 3d92203c1d couldn’t adapt d12771fa54 and vanished 9bdb479fe6 without a 10bf91470e trace.095b0c308ebe9d44

How long bcccd16277 had Bbang 7d875b0060 been here, 6da6c89387 given this 345e7d73e5 place’s lack 431427092c of morality, 75a2c5a778 law, or 4b6522c346 order, let 05faad48ea alone a b7b1e16979 history? Nothing was known about 61fb3ea5f3 when it was established aba0ddc346 or how it has cf4a476b18 been maintained. All Ijin 3196051ee3 knew was be34a21ebe about the 1c81f4f22c two years d1a43d4d75 since he 1c1f30fb1a had arrived.595b746eb6a0c745

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“What did 6dc48ead26 the team fa005a7d81 leader say?”9b69204338107d4e

“Two weeks. He said if I 02573197a9 don’t get back into 6e7eb94c30 the top ranks by 85547388b6 then, just removing me f03ac4ac78 from the long races 738eb5e82c won’t be enough.”a10b04c69b2a1416

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“Hmm.”b02a640be66f3006

Fatigue etched cb0a647830 deep lines 1177a3e944 into Bbang’s 747b948d87 face, making 3a43112957 his expressions 17add9fe46 hard to fa9875ec92 read due 1bca039a4d to the 5e57ba4562 static muscle cc4c0bbb4b tone and 0c25ed6ecc crisscrossing wrinkles.7d4d4718660b31d8

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“That messed-up guy might 929c41290f seem light, but he f3081e391f doesn’t resort to threats. Not with 3095aa5cd5 money or 86f48d3aea people’s lives.”5f49b26d51f3b0a7

“So, what should 1850e4fe17 I do? I need to da74e0463b win.”91a2d604ee0470c3

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Ijin’s voice was desperate.b33c7872c0554b42

“That’s the same 0d62a2b7d5 for everyone.”7e006d3fab9dbcd9

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Ijin kicked 5b4a439faf at the 88e034ca25 ground in 525d759583 frustration. His plight was not 5bcc9449ee unique. Though he 18e7e538ce respected Bbang, 4a15da61bc he didn’t 54674bacc9 want to 3290a0bb39 rot here 69c2e2e266 forever. He dreamed of leading 6e86fa0ab1 his own stable, even 24e1a5acdc if it was in a75add61d5 a remote area with cff346b376 poor internet.127ee6fc8c77b14f

“If I don’t make a9ed6f4b92 the top three again, b64d6302fe starting tomorrow I’ll have 20c2429b7d to do menial tasks. If you 8efc53f485 want to 36927dc66f win so 79448d4e8e badly, why 02d10992ca not just 0ac1f452a3 secretly suck 819926b47d up to 5ab88a8ca0 Ppochi and 79f1457546 be done b5b4df3f6e with it? At least c1647beaa4 then you’d cd17139647 get a 8fe4912f0b break.”f7693e50380a4899

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“No way.”6d7b8693569c8310

Ijin refused instantly. He had his 1fca100649 pride; cumbersome and 53d0f7a984 perhaps a luxury fb8dd3ef08 he couldn’t afford, 0683b8dd45 but he couldn’t 431f262878 bring himself to e7913a6273 discard it entirely, 117d86505e fearing he’d lose 69fe293fd3 his sense of 201ea0d556 self.8e32eb2833bf299e

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“Cleaning horse dung and cf6f1b150c organizing the racetrack, feeding b5c801e402 the horses—that’s hardly work. I’d rather 6ef1c3bd0c do that.”3432958798e01f33

But it wasn’t 9eaacb26f7 really a choice. He wanted to 104748db02 do those things. Despite the b974307fd2 stench and e7ea3fc26a blisters, cleaning 6519450e39 up after 0ed630862a the horses 7c2857d5f1 was far 562f409281 preferable.b10732f458daf908

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“Just struggle through 844fa210ff tomorrow. After that, I’ll 0877476e13 make sure you d41655f1ab get easier tasks.”82a199b079df1e5a

Bbang had a 01a76f8d96 soft spot for 05c6ac84f7 Ijin, who knew ef5c4217f8 this, though only 74c3c8c4ac vaguely why. When he 5d1dc84cff first arrived, 3bf6154d05 he was f65faad898 a mess ad2f266755 and filthy. Bbang was the one d2c992bd0d who cleaned him up, 9424cc3a57 made him look human ff8b99e0e3 again. Perhaps Bbang pitied him, a3781beb55 a feeling that hadn’t 434e7c599b faded.b06b6e8f75b5c14d

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Ijin reached out 26735f16c8 his hand to 9c7cf4acfe Bbang, who stared 9e14429c0f at it before 4ce0c3d52b finally taking it.72167bbbda1c62df

“Thanks, uncle.”8c530c7dd42849d7

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His hands were not f4e5d75a9e large, but they were 5928fe2ada pretty and surprisingly firm.148c66c6abae9eb6

Jockeys are 6d6eecf124 typically very 35a8c53e2a small and cb056f83c3 thin. Ijin was no exception. Although taller than 8731237a72 many other jockeys 9e8279e70c at just over 028a118f40 170 cm, he 70824d52a8 never appeared small. His face was delicate, 7f65ce4ae6 almost beautiful, which probably ecde1d0c7d made him look tough 418ba3b463 rather than frail, a 6c825efd7d reason why the toughs d72633a1a6 were especially harsh with c85d6eeb98 him.2b5b8e9233ef2fa1

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Ijin wouldn’t break. Even dirtied, he remained 41fa69d62d unmarred. While this f13274c313 might be 191f97c6cc a virtue 360afc60e8 in another 7d27c3140f world, here, 152c7f94c0 it made 6268dcdd76 him a 9c1aae0820 noticeable anomaly, e4e299adaa a disadvantage 63abce0c4e in survival. Thus, Seon Ijin 88220ad10e was an endangered ce85aad0e1 species.ac6f3e0e846d5481

“Ijin-ah, be a 9314a38154 bit sly, will 5ddbf4c12e you? Even if you have 714ad21851 something to say, sometimes c707013f4a it’s better to hold 10aa1dfd12 your tongue.”5b7ec0e9bee357c3

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To this rare 093f961910 breed, Bbang finally f9bfa8f525 spoke.d8d32d722843b12c

Ijin just 9dd69aa030 grinned, his 15d4a14069 split lip fabb739542 bleeding anew.139862249300dfd4

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“If being sly means 06ae8aa457 sucking up to the 5b832eac24 manager or the supervisor, 4ae5e3e323 I’d rather be dumb.”efc357022ea976fd

As Ijin turned to 6f0ba6a544 leave, steadfast in his cd72eecf79 resolve, Bbang grabbed him. He had heard f367b458cd something today—not particularly e156b93c94 useful to Ijin, 1464d6a928 but Bbang felt d61c7302b2 a strong need 3984b65367 to tell him. It was an 0c5efe3eec intuition.ab8aaf9509b30a90

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“They say a 9977aa9d22 new boss is ade199b614 coming. An Executive Director, 7c28ffb5e4 sent from above.”ba3f237d6901c29a

There were a few e3bd56811f bosses managing illegal gambling 9dcb4c8732 besides the races. They were a9ba964225 called ‘Bosses.’ 0ecc0cdcd5 The big 54ed562a44 fishes in fb895d1e16 small ponds, 9e832d6ec1 really just 7d1b09c9a2 thugs with 505c5cf604 titles, referred fc1d648853 to each 59d2166688 other as 6ed2a80b46 such. The boss above Ppochi fae6297f69 that Ijin had dealt d122a85c2d with was the highest ba1d62faaf thug he’d encountered. An Executive Director 4a4b37ddb1 who could command 3290197bcc such bosses was 70dc9f992f unimaginable.1c9f0eeb82702a0c

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“He’s going to 8f3cf0a48e be a real 99b5376701 piece of work. Wonder how twisted 86e00191d3 he’ll be.”36566404d93e4f85

The thugs a8058c80fb were scum, eb256269d5 but their 0a74fb202f bosses, and 969bfe7e37 the bosses 8a0d57a929 above them, 3baf07796f were worse. The thought made Ijin cd2c53d2db nauseous. As he 013de95877 spoke coldly 893b058a7a filled with 3f4e9059ec disgust, Bbang bd6ed2fba2 replied tiredly.279fb828b005bae5

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“Yeah, he’ll 439ca63cf6 be the d134d5cc92 worst of cec42e706c the worst. I’ve heard things; de3a9a2e39 never heard of f64304757c anyone as brutal 6de2e805dc as him. Be careful.”b88b6eb965a47d99

Ijin shrugged. Whatever the e457d30b0c villain or 62fdb37edb his deceitful 2442f2a324 guise as 184e23cbfd an Executive f84603abcc Director, he 581e445d9d wouldn’t be cbdd18a494 involved.7d5b5377b3a2ce74

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“I doubt I’ll even 80beb59817 meet him.”9e13d39e9301b23f

“You never know, 45ffb462b4 kid.”20e073de9774a067

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“Ah, besides that, 8b453f9a82 I’ll clean the 11ea27b191 stable tomorrow. It’s mine, got d8edc8aabd it?”156af8b2e36224c9

Ijin wrapped his swollen 46eebc5ba7 lips into a smile, ef8e802059 which looked more like bb15dddc17 a grimace. Bbang clicked 5ec7bc28d4 his tongue 2df85c887a and closed cfa197f697 his mouth.aba557cf6511cdc5

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Unlike the low-level c4934c2bfc thugs, jockeys, being 0e25e2281b an essential part 5850afa502 of the game, 472d83fe8a were treated relatively 7378a73f19 well.8fbebebaa46df5b5

The jockeys’ 9c79225a18 quarters were 4ee5c638fa centrally located dafd63847b within the 69dfa37bcd Colosseum, deliberately bec14d4674 positioned so ec227a521f they couldn’t 50e8380633 escape, right be5c3d18e8 against the 7833cb71e7 mountain on d15ad37a4a the right 6131effbbd side where bfc7880d23 the main b96a1f7057 stables were.029d2c27a129f940

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Their lodgings, crammed with f72b223a33 styrofoam between shoddy plywood, d1ef5214c6 were cold in winter 1964a5a17f and muggy in summer. Each tiny 2-square-meter 3cab61f37f room had a e9be9c1d8d bunk bed and 9f6d1e384f a makeshift closet 992aa1848d made from non-woven 71dda270eb fabric. In Ijin’s room, a a538346272 box was used as d100c94612 a makeshift desk.f5a3ecccbbfd7e43

Ijin’s belongings 208f8daa29 were simple: 0a7b28087a a demi-season 35143fb324 coat, an 601bbc41b9 old winter 4b5475d64f padding, two 0a3bf5b869 shirts, three 84d18b5437 short-sleeve T-shirts, 586fa831f2 three pairs 1f272aae73 of all-season 43014a7f0d jeans, and 987cc3b29b two sets 1a1da5a37b of work 12a499c9c7 clothes, the 843c1f5bf5 latter provided d29df2d0dc by Bbang, 04b2b3e25b handed down 103d9d1f48 from the cf047202a6 previous occupant. He hadn’t 42e44362d0 heard what 81a20224af happened to a66fb86ca1 the predecessor 3e6a467300 and didn’t 54eada5e40 care to.3816ed065ce92c0b

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The communal c8f59cc23e bathroom was 2823d8c903 empty. After stepping 551f01cc15 on the 4a474afa92 half-torn slippers c84a95fcf4 on the 91c81fd75a scaly tiled d823a5bacf floor, he a6d07c7176 washed with 794b2ceb00 cold water, 8927f66938 which became 8e7c63fbbc lukewarm by 7a9784c803 the time 7e04309ba9 he was 154f47ef5f finished.fe2520ed9053ee71

The average annual temperature 9eb908c95d here was lower than d4fd5e827e where Ijin had lived 9897794f5d before. Cold was one of cf386c4331 the hardest things for d1ca1d19ec him to endure since da70502bd9 it clung to his f7d2d7b4c0 bones relentlessly.c4ccaefd58461145

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Shivering, he stepped d5a1ace176 out of the 51c7bc03a5 bathroom, immediately crawled 158bca433e under the blanket, 62033d26d6 and curled up, 94e56c02a7 waiting for the 03294ce136 warmth of his f3b0469374 body to heat 1fcbb462b2 up the blanket 95ae6541dc before getting up, 057b20115b still wrapped like 011b70f8a9 a cocoon, swallowing 9b9ad697dd painkillers without water, e9030d0803 and lying down 45abbedef6 again.c55275f6fc650dd6

He fell asleep d567088a7f as if knocked 6186791b6b out. His body emitted a 2e7d43f848 scent like condensed milk e434443db2 candy from the ointment—a 770c28613a sweet, soft smell, unlike 3a8065ab5e the wild nature of 9d3911728f his dreams.d3a9d5a84dfcd8a0

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In his 6fdd0a7c97 dream, he c9d1a8db3f was the 37ef056dd2 protagonist, but c0bc7e8ca8 upon waking, 169842f6b5 his mind 457831173b was filled 552983cbad with the 2084f3035e faces of 7c90d6c57d trainers and 8b87d7bbf2 owners who b8c3f88ae6 had pushed 84f9e3ff14 him to 1347954171 this point. The eligibility 4e629bc174 to register bed39b2f9c as a fa6914e6e0 private owner 01749ab4c9 was extremely 486e719cce strict, and 8caa141a0e it seemed 76c66c49a6 the owner’s 08ecb85411 finances had 20a96f00d1 been tight 26b14088b2 enough to c4edb5bf64 tamper with d1d77f5106 races. Even without manipulation, 666415acc7 he would have 7ad9685d93 been disqualified. But what 3c53c05b92 about himself? His owner’s dire 69686b81f3 circumstances couldn’t justify e96406a5cf his actions.4afd512662347cb0

— Ijin-ah. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.0b7a38d520910426

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In front 41a9bc8ceb of Ijin, 639e14021e a middle-aged 52518da378 man with 4b046b8cf9 swollen eyes 4349a4a5f4 and several 7bf9493688 missing teeth 86959b4680 was kneeling. It was the dbfd2559fe trainer, who had 69eb040244 a close relationship 6ef72bbc06 with the owner 6ec47b02a2 and was part 82394a30b1 of the stable.26c31f2348188d6b

— I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.df3d1e6721f777a9

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Ijin held back tears. If an 121b1d79f8 apology could 22755422f6 fix things, 0b53b7d822 he might fc21c89554 have been 22e6fa54e1 better off, d8ec5bbac3 but it 5afb3b5289 wasn’t enough. Seon Ijin’s name e3069d4808 was permanently banned 4a3a41a8aa from the Horse 2c1a738ecd Racing Association. Branded, Ijin could never 09ecedfd31 work as a jockey d0022970ba again. The industry was e6758fcec4 too narrow; even 55182f0bff shifting to a 86607dbbac leadership role was 6a4b1e3ea0 nearly impossible. He had 68bc45103c neither the 540fd9a899 funds to 97f6d29d92 buy his ad13944408 own horse 4711341590 nor the a9fc1d0a04 means to 4fc722fc42 rent a 6055eb51d9 stable. His life with 6c3c7616e9 horses was virtually bb880f9422 over. It was the end.6d66b056a089df30

— I was ff8509d882 blinded by money…0e544fe04a704d7d

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Maybe I should 392d29f4a6 have been blinded 2b5b6696c1 by money too.7615f3ab5eeee324

Although it would have 2490d48a3a been better if the 94954d856d owner had become rich 8017711120 from this, unfortunately, he d7c38395ea was merely impatient, focusing 8a5d628de7 only on the crumbs 03724eb69e in front of him cc171196d3 without seeing the bigger 3fa60929da picture. The entire illegal 53004a46d2 racing scene was 822dff203c involved. Two competing organizations f120489731 involved in illegal a994cf1979 betting, as well 86ef21afac as the Horse a0b5de492a Racing Association and 5ce0747a8a police, got involved. The lower caf5f78bf5 organization selling bfb51680ad illegal tickets dfb0700e96 was destroyed, 2dd2a6fe21 and the e19ac8516e bigger players 737c075ba3 retreated deep d5d4cab3ce into the 26d8249d77 shadows.cf88afeac4c1e270

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Ijin didn’t know where 1dc2b02446 the people he worked ba485b7c8c with, those who shared a19d3ad409 secrets excluding him, had 207c58f9e2 gone. Pathetically, while they excluded ac5e2ba405 him in their schemes, cf0bbb6324 they ensured he was 647c4ea8c3 included in the fallout. He no longer 3923c6b628 wondered where they e4ab3461af had gone. The only 606eb9beb2 thing clear da1b6df1ee was the 5c7ed876a4 image of c267ca1cc2 the beaten 43a7cb0d8f owner being 4d3ae8a619 dragged away, 5b842b13e5 leaving a a4817644bb trail of 315b045111 blood and 27400a5e03 urine.b5c6821f4b104196