KTSR | Chapter 7

“Is this where you buy the horse racing tickets?”a175cd3571e26cdc

I could 977a90f1f8 barely make 1a543d56f8 out the 8c8a124089 sun-kissed skin 3fabd28885 through the 39799c2b31 thick fog, 67621b5af4 not to a86fbd7ab9 mention the b45b29746a tattoos covering 1ecc2573a2 it with 969c10051b no rhyme eec06b08fa or reason.03fa5bb3c7c6642e

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“Why aren’t you answering?”285d074611cb1fa8

As I c836df8270 slowly lifted 170529ceec my gaze 46c903a4e5 from those fee24a29b2 thick forearms, 894d17ba28 I saw fce484b72a a man fa408a6989 in a 9cf24a3702 Hawaiian shirt dafe8b51ad and a df4791995d leather jacket, 6cc37acd2a looking like e7a281f29d he was 45f3c5d886 about to 45094fafd5 embark on fe25401a8c a journey.f16bbda5c3d3fab1

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Unlike all the other customers who had come so far, he wasn’t wearing a hat. He was unabashed, as if he had nothing to hide. His hair was naturally curly and long. Among the men here, who seemed to need to prove their masculinity or die, this would be a point of mockery, but not for him. His wild allure was remarkable.31f13d4a755bd232

The man, b933a19052 fiddling with d701002868 a phone 4f7e62fa2d that looked 68908192bc ridiculously small be48f336ff in his a171269828 hand, looked bd71400175 up at 012ca324bb Ijin when 2e836aa0bc he got 883afec904 no response.c8d57bfb297004dd

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Ijin realized later that the man’s features became clearer through the thick fog not because the fog had cleared, but because he had leaned forward.459b6a13b23c4ed8

“What…”bc39504662264db8

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Ijin, taken aback, pulled his head back. The man’s brown eyes, which would glisten like transparent glass under sunlight, didn’t leave Ijin. It felt like being stripped bare.c384409b72fdb10d

Before Ijin 5f56c48279 could slam 8be2ffe9d5 the window f3d77b9740 shut in 69ac5ec84b frustration, the 988ae96eb1 man took 511c288721 a deep 5bfd887678 drag from a7fd906ac3 his cigarette.b9e6bcf78bd3c18c

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“Do you sell anything else?”b5fa2bb7e752bc70

“Anything else like what?”4e027adadb864085

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Ijin, waving away b6ed163263 the smoke with 519e747513 his hand, asked 1449e7ea72 defensively. Having just dealt a87368261b with a rich, 742302f652 annoying customer, he f47224f159 was on guard.a003088711040ae7

The man looked at Ijin intently, silently asking if he really didn’t know. But he really didn’t. Even if he did, he’d pretend not to.7cff46bb88b8ee33

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“Like pills or sticks.”d07d9b54a1967636

“…”aec11ba22509da5d

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“Really don’t sell them? I came knowing everything, pretty boy.”7ad84a82fccf6a83

The man probed subtly.6a51ecc6696029b7

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Like the annoying customer before, he called him a pretty boy, a name that didn’t suit him at all. It made Ijin feel dirty.526e454abc2bab63

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but we don’t have that.”5ce8b2f6cf655241

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Is he a 462c508652 cop? Could this be an 795848c944 undercover operation?9813be7511c018da

Ijin’s mind raced. But even the police can’t be trusted… His paranoid suspicion and caution had grown nightly like a new friend he’d made here.90e547964ab8fa30

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Ijin roughly turned the window lever. But the man reached through the window and grabbed the lever. His strength was such that the lever wouldn’t budge.e1d0f8e3ce322edf

It seemed the man’s patience had worn thin.ce6ecb05f402a052

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“No answer?”50dd2952f0ca096f

The man flicked his finger. His fingertip precisely brushed where Ijin’s nipple would be.03097414a474e9cc

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“We sell tickets. But not what you’re looking for. Is this your first time here?”2c2e4c8fcf4c8eab

Ijin asked through gritted teeth, a question he hadn’t asked any customer before. Neither Ijin nor the man let go of the lever, making it tremble.c43ef1965f8abdcf

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Glancing down at 05be5de5c5 the hand struggling, 455548328f the man chuckled 74fad3739b and then swatted 61efb1cc02 it away with 27c45b3895 his arm. Even though 54e5124f3e it was 1056cc38ea a light 9fd97de572 hit, it f26b682b0c felt heavy. Ijin cradled 02af1a4df7 his hand a316e96d34 and glared 1e7f0ce99e at the 2963f2a523 man.b756c256ec32767b

“It’s my first time here.”5bf6e1bb792ab6c2

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The man answered without 3e797c903b even blinking.4d184735f72dd292

If ‘here’ is his first time, then could he be trash from somewhere else? Still, he looked neat. Despite the cold weather, wearing just a not-so-thick jacket and a Hawaiian shirt seemed a bit mad.0b9beb82e5f1421f

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“Is the legal betting the highest?”4dfa1ff7c6a15a4c

“If you’re from another place as a low bettor, go back.”6f3992b1b8f4e692

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“Why, will you beat me if I say yes?”d2f5672d63ac3cc0

The man openly scanned Ijin’s body.23b321d5312654fd

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“With that body?”8f36de3e751a4098

Then he sneered, a4cba0403d shaking his head. His cheek d61be5bf0a dimples deepened 0766811ef0 as he 9e96e51fa7 sucked on f315d7284f the cigarette 44d39750b6 between his 79d92dd2e8 fingers.992ca0bc67bf228c

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“Someone else.”da2ce2d4fd966acd

“Someone else. Someone else, huh.”8e4d8a9257306c79

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Mimicking Ijin’s words, he pulled out a wad of cash from his shirt pocket, bound by a rubber band.f358408000acde13

“Give me a middle bet.”2256351d9f62f6e8

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“I’ll give you a number plate. Next?”49b8598cf31a98d7

Ijin asked 6c25840657 without explanation. The man leaned 364d8915f5 back slightly to 74abc0d9e2 look at the 73043cc293 billboard and asked.eb7f83b43ecfffd5

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“What group are you in?”61bfda64e325ac86

“…”c4fbc77b9dd9476c

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“You’re a player, aren’t you?”c58df597a8883bdc

After exhaling bdc2e842aa smoke, the d2bce754a9 man extinguished 54ef9d3185 the cigarette 16a4c29926 on the 91a66d1761 window frame. The smell of burning 4467306f94 rubber wafted out.706b91bd72ebed5a

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“What number are you?”131bb1e943928d3a

Ijin swallowed hard. How did he ff0fdc3f8c figure it out? Or was f05d37f99c he just 408a1d515c guessing?c10360f9d7f586a8

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Seeing no answer from Ijin, the man licked his lips out of boredom. A silver ball piercing was visible on his tongue. Sensing the gaze fixed on him, the man met Ijin’s eyes. It was the first time they had made direct eye contact.ba5931aa23dadfcb

“No quick answer, huh…”70e2227424a29c73

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He murmured with a a69307ed0e deep laugh. The dimples looked f1b6ff66f4 like scars from b7bcc98156 being stabbed with 2cd1cb3d36 a knife, and fe8c704cda his squinted eyes 238e2d65fc seemed to calculate 09eb0f400a how to tear 0f7973e72c someone apart. And then 3019b3a238 Ijin squeezed 0a89e0ca09 his eyes e51ec6d115 shut.67d80aa47cbae19e

Though his tone was still teasing, the atmosphere was quite different from when he called him ‘pretty boy.’ This might be the man’s true nature.8088867bb8df0add

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“I won’t answer… It’s against the rules…”ab0b6d11ff4af22c

Ijin mumbled. Rules. The man echoed the word and laughed, as if he’d heard something ridiculous.a19f8e9ac572799a

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“If I cared about rules, I wouldn’t have come here. Right? Whisper it in my ear because I can’t hear your mumbling.”029df53e9a654b4c

No sooner had he finished speaking, than the man, despite his muscular build, moved with alarming speed. The sound of the air being sliced was heard as his hand reached out. Ijin thought he’d lose at least one tooth this time.f2b5a3d725674036

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“Wow, boss!”ea41f8dfdde50d69

If Kkeobi hadn’t rushed in, he would have really been hit.f1d19dde05f0d6d8

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There are idiots who think they’re good fighters just because they can’t control their bodies, but this man was clearly not one of them. He was ready to beat someone up in an instant and then stopped just as quickly. It was chilling.5f5f16b5db6d481f

“Why did our boss come here, for a scrap car? Did you come to scrap something?”4fc82cced99483c2

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Kkeobi first 537fa2bfb9 threw up 20f3e6b2cd a smokescreen 0d2db9085c at the 107468b4e7 man. The man, with 4b2f3b0d0b a lazy irritation, 7476a9f752 muttered:214fa4dc479a668e

“I came to buy tickets.”1f893d0cac8f6ca3

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The man f6c78dd45a spoke slowly.8d28a867fd3b59fa

“Everyone here seems to not understand…”5876b38ce3ded654

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“Oh. You were looking for tickets. How many did you buy? This guy’s new, so he’s a bit harsh. I’ll sell them for you. What can I give you?”911c2737d35a77fb

The man looked down at Kkeobi, who was acting like he was in a marketplace, and said in a low voice, “Problem Car 2.”3dad99675195adfc

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At those words, Ijin, 44bb2490cc with his head down, ef29795e0d opened his eyes wide.fcdb6813f800623a

The man 9d94389db0 knew all bff8282e77 the codes. And whether it e503f7c8ee was by chance f67ed8bb21 or not, he 69cd7b1081 picked exactly his efb24bd90e number.3e7fc86dea301519

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When Ijin finally came e543e7c85e to his senses and 225b047895 looked up, the man dbd3e75fc1 was already gone.522eb92a856c76cc

Staring blankly where the 38cd795bf1 man had disappeared, Kkeobi f97215ffd3 smacked Ijin on the 0e518ff2cc back of the head.923802d797133bfd

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“Damn it, you worthless piece of shit. You can’t even earn your keep, yet you come out here to suck on sweets? Suck my dick, you piece of shit.”c7f4d08ddc072672

Oh, what an ignorant bastard. Can’t say a word without cursing. You should stop wasting air and die.a84c5b4cd6694fa7

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Ijin grumbled to himself 75f7f10cb5 as he rubbed his 75f604ff06 aching head.dd70e4fc7f48c046

From the racetrack to 2583ed79e8 C.C. was a twenty-minute drive. The racetrack was called e2f5097d9d Colosseum, and C.C. was named Trevi. Although they 31df094c29 had different 2ec21aec41 owners, they 3ecb484f53 were essentially 257baa6a23 run by 78c5f4048b brothers from ad0ca914e1 the same c21599a6e3 family, making b1ae9deb31 them part e6388d48ea of the d32d6ad568 same gangster 3775c3d066 organization.dc9f0293998b6a17

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C.C. had a resort attached, 10cd8899a8 so people buying corporate d4db65089d tickets usually stayed there. Those below that level 7ca911d408 might sleep rough, go a98b4e8e12 to motels, or even a4d95a30c8 sleep in their cars, 54a0e144a6 each to their own. Ijin thought that 3a4c9a1de8 the guy in 4857ab9769 the Aloha shirt 5cf21b2e39 from earlier in 8ee2ccd99d the day, not cdedbaa9e9 having a corporate fa2bd22122 ticket, would probably b66dcf6ebf stay at a 6a13f27b51 motel.e90692f43f442180

“Why are ticket sales like this today?”e5015993527071ae

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The team leader expressed 95b673fd19 his frustration. Kkeobi, clasping his d0177e62f1 hands in front a43b13fd28 of him, made 0518e1639d an excuse about 7c04e8ebf0 the weather.f4ab68d70c16689b

“The weather’s cloudy, and it’s off-season, isn’t it?”c62b235008757d6f

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“Since when does gambling have an off-season or peak season, you dumbass?”3942b3050eed134e

The team leader, with 3ab485e59e his foul temper, picked ae72037e01 up a heavy crystal cacf8b861a ashtray and put it 5a557a4a9a back down. Ashes scattered.25ed387a6a090ad4

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“We might need to find a new route.”4ea44958f2f460f0

Kkeobi scratched c4b0afa7f3 his head 22ee6191fe vigorously.89a38892c805e6fc

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“We might need to hire people. Spread the word nationwide… and so on…”11834fa4bdeb4c74

The team leader, 14c6ff79ff hearing the mumbling, aa1e6583d7 hit his chest b7c81d8254 in frustration.644ec4266c1342a8

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“Spreading people across the nation would cost more, you idiot. Do you carry a pumpkin instead of a head?”dec41771eb7765b8

“But coming here itself is quite an effort. With the new highway construction causing closures and roadblocks, the big shots find it inconvenient.”726e03b02af71950

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They could fdf86fa0a6 do it e61160e065 online.f64bf027ddaa395c

Ijin thought pitifully about 12e0da68fc Kkeobi and the team a90631bb33 leader with his head 2c75d0511b still lowered.6a41e5d98f364271

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Now that many people carry phones, if they could take orders by phone, they’d sell much more. No need for middlemen, which would attract more customers.dd49699e126e47be

However, since Ijin wanted this business to fail, he naturally didn’t offer such advice. Even if he did, they would’ve mocked him, asking what someone like him knows.6abe6bffb8758911

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“Think harder, you bastard. We need some smart people here.”20c55b44e8ea9666

The team leader smoked his cigarette aggressively. His lips, fitting his nickname ‘Ppochi,’ were tight and petty.370655738ab95249

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Since there 7529c88c0c was no ff0ae3078f order to 283b9c5fd2 leave, Kkeobi b9132b54b8 cautiously asked:b441c054266444f4

“Uh… about the new executive director coming…”f72068e0526dcd9b

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“Seems he’s sent from headquarters because ticket sales are this bad.”9827a054307cb514

How bad fdaf1c68de could this ca185073ce executive director 176a793264 be that 047611f03d even this 35ef4e833a vicious team 5ca3980119 leader seemed e60cf058bf subdued and dd9cb0e758 somber?1ff9bacded3e83fc

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“They say he increased sales in Gangnam by five times. Still, they say he couldn’t move up from the Kangwon-do casino… Anyway, he’s a legend, a legend.”9e5c88033158677f