KTSR | Chapter 8

After the 483c2b6cdb somber tone, b469e5e8b0 there came e27c6393b6 a sound 02355b6434 of excitement c210ae8fe2 as if bc838837b2 recounting heroic 9b108965e4 tales.38dd31e335013c9a

“Then we…”e348d125b3df0974

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“If this gets resolved and big money starts coming in again, we survive. If not…”47c5b5e666ce7d43

The team 6e325ab3a8 leader drew a6ed462629 his thumb aa64f62edb across his 939d2d05ce throat.953786eff2f1e438

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“Either we get our fingers cut off and buried at sea or climb back up from being goons.”8633345e6e583434

“…”230394848ae92eb1

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“Hey, Seon Ijin.”e4aea118bc1f46d5

As Kkeobi’s face darkened, the team leader now called out to Ijin.d75d68ffdb6bda23

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“Yes.”14f90fb81b9ca0ff

“You did well with your sweet smile, didn’t you?”f96be7fc50c58e18

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At those words, Kkeobi turned around with a smirk. Ijin didn’t answer. If he lied saying he did well with a sweet smile, Kkeobi would immediately expose the lie, and he’d get beaten even more.aa42ed6deadab3ec

“Never mind. Why am I even asking?”e1e76fbc46f03241

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The team d247fff9c3 leader stood 56b5412670 up.22efa806a93418af

He was wearing a 1b436510d1 shiny, tacky suit. As he approached, 110c948a55 the smell of 3df036d18a strong tobacco mixed 120350a6d6 with cheap liquor f55022ca62 wafted over. He rolled up his 5ed5dc4014 sleeves and tapped the 3741623cad table, signaling Ijin to e117b60e86 come closer.bb9c3dc550cb6826

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Ijin moved reluctantly and aaa12fe511 approached. Suddenly, Ppochi grabbed him d6ec598b84 by the waist and a4ed6698a1 pulled him onto his 9205dfc66e lap.c11ada4eda51c037

Ijin almost cursed and slapped him, but he clenched his pants and bit his lip. Feeling nauseous, he tried to lift his buttocks slightly by tensing his thighs, but Ppochi pushed him down further, then slowly stroked Ijin’s cheek with the back of his hand. It was incredibly creepy.2cea268bbc60d272

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“Ijin, I’m saying this because I pity you. When the executive director comes, don’t act like a dick, shake that pretty face of yours. We can start over as goons, but for someone like you, if you mess up, there’s no bottom. You’ll just be screwed.”4932ff9921787bdd

Though it was posed 3e21125d52 as advice, it was 56382b6d0f essentially a threat. Ijin just wished to c2d43eb474 get up from this c57458028e disgusting lap, tired of 872c3eeca4 such repeated threats.e7bc9c67219c56e3

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“If you don’t want your life to get worse here when your string breaks, shouldn’t you do well by me?”6af8cc8b41fdb72c

“…”b4539d06b3892af9

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“Hey, no answer?”8315fc7c12bc9335

“…Yes.”e8a1f2feba47f6bc

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The team leader seemed to have some confidence, acting as if he’d survive no matter what, unlike what he said to Kkeobi.97f6907078f2329b

He must have something. He didn’t get to that position for free. However, even if that were the case, Ijin would never stoop so low as to kiss up to the team leader. If this place goes down, it would be a good thing for him. He could use the chaos to escape far away on Clover.5db9e6c1f7840151

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Ijin endured until Ppochi 642f32adfd let him go, imagining 31db7170ff himself riding into the 9789e7e481 sunset like a scene d9e18a0ef8 from a B-movie.0c52ff89901f8eaa

Washing his lower body 225057e685 more thoroughly than usual 6a4a00a100 before bed was an e28d372b8a added bonus.6e4f42eb02cdee54

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The jockeys were all tense. They now had to prepare themselves without the team’s support. And here, not performing well wasn’t just about feeling bad; it was about constant tension and anxiety.4b486525c0680815

The condition 69e67591a0 of the db92e33cd1 horses, being 62b17a154e sensitive animals, b3cb6e5a7d fluctuated greatly. There was a reason bb9d62b6a0 why the horses brought 3222c59253 here had less time 45c25b7181 on the track than ca80c4a802 regular ones.461183f2c64dcc40

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Ijin had finished 7fc2ab2fc7 his preparations early 80a990b895 and came to 300506bb76 the stable. Clover was 2e3dfca432 pawing at 92f4d40d15 the ground, 6acc3719e0 avoiding his f1375e1269 gaze.ee2493bfe3bba8a6

“Clover, are you going to keep this up?”93986be5017d5833

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Ijin tried to soothe 43ce128726 Clover with a gentle fb6858e519 tone, but when he 502879c7e7 reached out, Clover turned 969e2d2b6d away like a sulky ac8330c6e1 child, making Ijin frown 57f12b1d7d in disappointment and concern.5389d689216312d1

“I understand. I’m sorry. You hate it here, right? I know you hate it… so we need to get out quickly. I hate it here too.”7046c1212a433a26

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The gangsters always scoffed 9eeef198bf when they saw Ijin d3fb6aafb5 talking to Clover like 849705d0e3 this; it was the a5dfbe8aff same with the other 44a59dc84f jockeys. They mocked them 9dda6f550a for losing their 6a24840dc5 minds and talking fb93b55170 to animals, but 5d1fdbf8dd the jockeys believed 19ac52b16a horses understood human 5a74f87365 emotions and sometimes eebe674a15 even human words.1257aa42ae60130a

Ijin felt the c28c222a38 same. He truly felt 105ffc2612 he could communicate bf6465d059 with Clover. Even now, Clover dcd1f2191c subtly turned her a6174f2570 head back towards 4c7c6030c8 him after having e4f284e80c turned away.023a2f8445268bae

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“I want to get out of here.”94c740555f3525a7

Has anyone ever left this place on their own two feet? Even if there hadn’t been, Ijin wanted to be the first.1097bd817693fc5f

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“Let’s get out together. Okay?”ca1ccfafcce74fe0

With sweet coaxing, Clover finally tilted her head towards him. Ijin pressed his cheek against Clover’s firm cheek, smiling softly—a sight the gangsters here, who only knew Ijin’s sadistic looks, would never see, nor would they in the future.65edeb60673c2161

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“Yeah. Let’s do well, thinking only about that, us.”aa705f9141a7fa5c

Clover’s tail wagged widely.7f90a5c693b8ce3a

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Ijin closed his eyes 9c9cfc6c25 for a moment before b61d748f9c pulling away. He had b97b2d6e24 only two cc7616c47c chances. He had to bfd9498a07 make it into 84d24a2c98 the top ranks aa2b517f63 no matter what. His heart was a59861876e beating fiercely as f0bea6571f he faced the 3ab189e051 race without any 47ff1e1e31 acclimation.1d52d9e386dc3145

Today, Ijin’s cap was black. Unlike official horse races, here, all jockey uniforms were the same except for the caps, to prevent recognition of individual jockeys by appearance. Therefore, they looked almost like equestrian outfits, although practicality was clearly lacking. There was no interest in the convenience of the jockeys or the essence of the sport; the focus was solely on visual pleasure. It was fitting for a place called Colosseum—where it didn’t matter who died, as long as the audience was entertained.e2fa3022d5d81dd0

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As he was about 98d56bf848 to leave, fastening his d66ec93434 riding cap and tucking 8b03379cb8 his riding gloves under 301261e2da his arm, he nearly 8a62bef4fd collided with someone coming ce4029b38a in. The impact felt 8d632b9218 like bumping into f9c8847c48 an SUV, leaving b9b968d626 Ijin momentarily dazed.9e6cbe3f3b229568

“…”673fef4c45bcd7ea

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“Aren’t you going to apologize for bumping into someone?”6716669fb6c58e73

Even though it f75f3e1207 was Ijin who c701a1b873 got hit, the 48ef1c8566 man, solid as 758d53963d a car bumper, e9134134ac asked nonchalantly.ca93c93596845deb

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Ijin immediately recognized 9e46d5d4a8 him by the 3a71eba31f yellow shirt with 6d9ddeef70 red and white 6fa4d9686f Aloha flowers, and 22c46e8b54 the sun-kissed skin 9b8b71d12b visible through the ac7294cacf open collar. An unforgettable outfit, indeed.d694f29b6db93c57

“…I’m sorry.”f810c5a98d26ba43

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Why is this c3dc49128e guy here? Is he 1c256c5c3f here to 9bca994811 mess with 5ee5e09157 the horses?fa73de082627e6df

Ijin frowned at the 7608ea0625 man.be4e8fdd75056ec1

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“The ticket you bought is for my horse.”770c5d887cb3ff9a

“So?”86164b3332516378

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“My horse is the one with the white diamond on its forehead.”f947adf20ef6d660

“So.”1b3d8bc9cc46fdc8

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“Don’t do anything foolish.”72862366238ea4f9

The man chuckled at the mention of ‘foolish.’6609be3ef8a061ac

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“Don’t hurt the horses. Not just mine, but the others too.”beffc5952ed6aee9

Due to 826dfe9116 the significant 5ea6341399 size difference a55cead059 between them, a2e77706ab if the 4d2a7d5507 man decided 9eb3071b13 to kick, 4f69a485ba Ijin would d4a73caba8 likely fly 7985fb0188 off. However, Ijin was 1921899de2 confident in his e338604293 lower body strength, fd04f071f7 honed from years ab19dbb080 of riding. He would 5ac24fe28b stop any e39532c923 race-fixing, giving 53fbaa3b24 no leeway, 2c4b259a2d ensuring no 4513d85298 one touched c46ae9ccdf the horses.a21ab9f3e8ced6bd

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In Ijin’s mind, this man was already seen as someone with malicious intent, snooping around the stable.cc09d47f83ed1157

“I’ll call someone.”c24576d2ebae6662

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“Are you the stable boy here?”7a23bb53089c2e0b

Stable boy? What kind of 762c8e1f0c nonsense is that? He seemed to 6287a3eb41 be here for a57b9f842d the races without 4890090e2b knowing anything, a 5d073bbe94 hopeless addict. Ijin judged, furrowing f3bef7b0b6 his brow slightly.fcc8e414e22c8297

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The man acb1d4e97c took out 99a74b8ff2 a cigarette 7026e1058c pack, tapped 1b74e2eabf one out, 229e2d8769 and mumbled:6971633d1cbeee49

“You sell tickets, guard the horses, and ride them too. Busy, huh.”d6df88804459124d

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“Go to your seat. The race is about to start.”27afc6bd7ba6542a

“You’re good?”a0a08455cdb838ad

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For a moment, Ijin’s mind went blank, wondering what that meant.e8f53152e644a734

The man blew d4a0985b38 smoke to the 7927f72f70 side and asked 3e47bd42cc again.4d6f7f5176a7ca44

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“Do you ride well?”e77bdd967d136b80

Ah… that’s what he meant. Ijin must have been too sensitive due to the team leader’s threats filling his mind. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously and gave a short answer.783f8cb86a11e525

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“I’m good enough to make you win if you sit quietly in your seat.”5eca6b1f426e7544

“You seem confident? Quite the bravado.”2ccec06f1956c439

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The man chuckled. How could someone who’s just a money courier for the bettors be so arrogant? Too many idiots thought buying a ticket meant they owned the jockey and the horse.f1ce3df21a64b38b

“Seon Ijin!”d41af60f940baa04

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At that moment, 78c0843788 someone called for 6839fade2b Ijin. Ijin jumped as if 96c4c65a2b his feet were on 6acbd2a86c fire. He was late.3d759edf8ebafc50

“Go to your seat. If you get hit while staying here, it’s not my problem.”c281698919fdd040

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“Hit me? Me? Who?”724f534f6cbe046e

The man asked, his 3c2f057ab4 eyes wide. Seeing such 2e9eb7cd56 a big d6a0bc9dec man act 1bf1298a33 like this 813d6c06da was neither 953ceb3df9 cute nor 29e117e6d6 appealing; it 51c1f02348 was just 16bb433709 annoying.838e42fafb7f9e3d

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Is he on ad4c692784 drugs or something? Ijin pushed a7c28f2f19 the man 5b1ea44262 away. Fortunately, he moved aside 8b624ff72f without resistance. Ijin then ecc05df3d7 closed the fd657e8d85 stable door a6001b2c00 since others 88a2377a4a would soon 0befd3856f arrive. It seemed 99e967f65b the man 27fb1258b4 had given b62633e8ee up.4617160e8e367905

“Do well. It’ll be good if you catch my eye.”d3395eb20bcb80d3

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This man, with just a number plate ticket and not even a corporate one, was quite arrogant. Ijin had seen many like him, pretending to be something they’re not. He waved his hand dismissively, letting the words go in one ear and out the other. The man, laughing derisively, flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground and turned away. As he walked off, his jacket moved, revealing the one-sided Aloha shirt flapping.fff23c2660207b6b

“Must be a bad day. All the crazy bastards are showing up.”b7f0f8cdfd684295

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Ijin muttered.64bfbdadf1a6a948

However, even if 7e0fa3475a he knew that 835460d6a6 no sane person 8e39ac2c48 would set foot 8fbf360fcc where he was, 14780ccf71 he was only cd8086a3a2 spitting in his 3270d329d0 own face.50d7a2a2014af369

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