KTSR | Chapter 9

A little later, Ijin stood in the paddock. If this had been an official racetrack, the audience could have adjusted their bets based on the condition of the horses, but that wasn’t possible here. Only additional betting was allowed, and the amount had to be higher than the initial bet.98ef7fd9cf75539b

However, despite such rules, dc41f4def7 additional betting was quite 61de383d1f frequent.371de2aa81b2a868

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Ijin reached out and stroked Clover’s rump. The muscles moved evenly without any bulging. The amount of sweat was also just right.ed2b9c76f78c06bd

“It’s okay. Instead of worrying about what I said a little while ago, just keep your eyes forward and run. Just do what you’ve been doing.”82a6545a16e37147

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Ijin whispered gently, dbad9b3666 worried that he f3230c4f49 might have put d1f31d8a3c too much pressure b396f681f2 on Clover earlier.e1e95783f7d43d1d

And there a83063eb99 was a 98849b6aac gaze carefully 3193db907d following Ijin.225880eac8e2b48f

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“Is your seat comfortable, sir? Are you comfortable?”60394df7fbf088b3

The boss, whom Ijin had never seen before, bowed his head and whispered to Hyungdo Kwon, who was wearing an Aloha shirt and looking somewhat tense. Hyungdo, who could easily be the age of the manager’s eldest son, lowered his small binoculars and leaned back slightly.acf14cbbe7f24043

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“Do you usually spend this time so boringly?”d54d4ade48b007fc

“Excuse me?”07d07df393106244

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“It’s the time when the jockeys and horses walk slowly. You should give us something to see at this time.”b0bfcff6d82d8bbc

Hyungdo rubbed his 3e75b6d27c chin and then 9eb39474ef smiled broadly.1ca30e9d11facb01

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“Show the riders, for example.”d32239cbfe49fd7c

“That… there’s room for cops or the riders’ acquaintances to interfere.”aee75ec5e6c42643

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“Who said anything about faces?”ca1944a1f5a76909

Hyungdo thought that 55ad1702e6 it was almost 26aac337d1 impossible for the 1ba1902c59 boss to think 9bc28ce804 something would go 3364f98c05 wrong here without a81e97ef34 his knowledge. Since he a4aed9f753 had been 880e66b6f7 sent here 82e05090e7 suddenly from fb166507cf above, the a34665d47b boss would 9568c70a7b be obedient 2bb51f38d4 on the 10d6058796 surface but b40de29d63 cautious underneath. Thus, Hyungdo decided e4880ac624 to appear like ea12c4ddbb a savior sent a07bacb356 from above to 73eaa9ae5c make this place 8ba6b85831 even more prosperous. He tapped 1eff4a08d1 the binoculars c698291435 with his d2dbe0713d index finger.a98394d61b5767e4

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“The body is the product. And the jockeys’ bodies are well-built. Cover their faces. It’s better to cover them. And make the jockey outfits tighter.”bbe8c3425650c18d

“Well, we tried to do that, but those bitches complained it was too hard…”6a29c265df261440

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“Hey.”e533e29ed66ff851

Hyungdo flicked his thumbnail at the boss’s idle chatter.c7fa7ec7d31d777a

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“Can’t you speak without swearing? We have to move to bigger waters, and if you stink from your mouth, even in a suit, you can’t get rid of the cheap vibe. I can’t help you that far.”d91d92008fcb484a

Despite wearing a d51bb433e5 frivolous shirt instead 0bf67a87df of a suit, e7c0429d8d Hyungdo was giving 24a37c0660 advice.a6e6455231b995d1

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“Yes, sir. I’ll correct it.”b06e25b1d9aaaf91

The boss, standing straight f1e5cce0cf with his arms and d5fc8b89b4 hands at his sides, 6ae9297ef0 quickly answered. Then, after gauging 288e51e4da the mood, he f0530ab8f5 cautiously asked.15d83f584dd77ba9

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“Then… about the plan the previous boss had, shall we sell the rider tickets…?”2ef0ef0e54685f24

“No.”fd62bf369c7c3638

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Hyungdo mumbled with 5c7444cc02 a cigarette in 44d0506f4c his mouth.f3c615e52eee4637

Even from a short conversation, it was clear that the boss had ambition and greed. Well, why would a gangster be one if they didn’t have those? They live by their bluff and die by it. The more greed, the more points there are to exploit, so Hyungdo quietly smiled, thinking the work would go smoother.d632396fb961b5b9

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The red light of 50654bb520 the cigarette flickered as d081b4f02b he leaned to light 54721ccec5 it, creating an even 8f54a7575f more dangerous atmosphere.bae8c40b8e021a9a

“Spread the rumor that we’re selling them. It’s nonsense, but let the less reliable people spread it to give some hope. Don’t actually sell the tickets. How long are we going to keep smelling like horse dung? We should sell other things with the riders.”3c6be5da70062115

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Leaning back, Hyungdo lifted one corner of his mouth in a mocking smile and exhaled smoke with a ‘huh’.4794f44be5ed3f19

“Once there’s a possibility of a product, interest will gather. They’ll buy other tickets while waiting for these uncertain ones. Well… we could sell things other than tickets. Don’t you think so, boss?”c943a522e58d286a

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Hyungdo threw out the 90f194c4fb bait subtly.a3107d7d8bba54cf

The boss nodded be1b64f8a1 enthusiastically. His eyes were full bd0c5d3278 of envy and jealousy cbbc9c09ea towards the much younger 18e6edaa21 man. As Hyungdo 5897722f55 tapped his 06151e0a1d foot on 05907d8ab3 his thigh, 552fb98a2b the muscles 1b82c79248 around his 0888134662 ankle moved 80fc5725b2 elastically. Humming an outdated 5ac65decf1 pop song, he babf72bd20 picked up his 32422ff164 binoculars again. In his view, the d77305e60d toned thighs of a 1745471011 man wearing a black 05baa953c5 helmet came into focus.f7aaf1407ec146d8

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A lot of procedures were omitted. First off, there’s no drug testing. What does honesty matter here? If you want to use drugs, go ahead, but be prepared for the aftermath if you get caught, and deal with losing your horse because of it. That’s how it was.6f8a9d03ae4d6eb5

Moreover, buying tickets without seeing the horse’s condition and then adjusting refunds or losses based on how the horse performed was significantly different. Despite this frustrating system, gamblers flocked because, despite the high minimum bets, the basic odds were much higher. Plus, like they were imitating the Colosseum, they gave out hotel vouchers and sauna tickets to those who lost everything, as if to say, “Come back again.”06e842bebcd79fc4

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“The number 7 horse looks good today, weight-wise. I thought it would struggle because it was lighter for the last few weeks.”2e8c6a0e8bfd0ec7

“Is that the number 7? The one with the tight-ass horse and jockey?”0ee6c733bc0701e6

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“The horses are good, but they’re a bit tricky. I bet on number 6 and number 1.”9bbbee465782b817

“I’m going with 7. It’ll come in second today as a late charger.”709909a07013023f

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The gamblers, hiding their slicked-back hair under deeply pulled hats, whispered. No matter how much they try to conceal the jockeys’ identities with uniforms, gamblers with keen eyes share certain information.73464df88cb1c4b0

Thus, the odds were set without the jockeys’ knowledge, and after their warm-up on the track, the jockeys and horses took their positions. Without any broadcast, the race was only conducted on-site, communicated through low-frequency radio communications. This was why gamblers each carried old radios.8e3a0d1afe7ce3f6

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“I can do this.”093b20c38d30ae69

Ijin muttered. Just before the signal, 9596d7a010 his blood flow increased, b5a925ea47 and his heart raced 37d8acb38c like mad. His vision narrowed like c047c63c6f the blinders on Clover, d38bcbcb0d focusing only on the bdc0731dba path ahead, his concentration 9fedc59afd peaking to the point 8829ad378b where he could hear a9516d4c07 his own heartbeat.561786853dafe42d

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“I can do this.”4e5b6f99e4d4d3e8

Ijin muttered again.19206bf90fd99943

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While the jockeys risked their lives running, the thug acting as the starter was chewing gum loudly. The guy, blocking one ear and standing crookedly, fired an absurd gun that spat out paper confetti. With a ‘bang’, the gate opened, and Ijin’s world became very simple. The only thing that mattered was reaching the finish line faster than anyone else.c41dbdd09c0a3cf2

“Come in.”44300c59bf960bf7

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With the taste 7c60d8e717 of dust in 06ca1e274b his mouth, Ijin f697f6debb was pushed roughly a80dbfda05 from behind, making 5fb76856a7 him stumble into 8b3e95d95c the room.92911ea64cf77aac

Ijin, nearly falling, 1a3c6d28ee managed to hold 50abdf1b92 onto a sturdy 28c469d114 table covered with 956e86822e green non-woven fabric 9fe8c04099 and glass.03c71c0b45ab03e5

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“Seon Ijin, are you out of your mind?”db191aaa45777ef7

Ijin looked up at the team leader’s tense voice.02a036fc9158b5cf

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And unlike 234323c8f5 usual, instead 57f07216dc of the cd2d137ad1 usual thugs, 81ec145b5b he saw 1d8b1fe41e the boss c1cd3ecb5b and the 96926f4022 man in 0dc4994714 the gaudy 20113701c2 shirt he 1d109e30ca had seen ea41bff1ca before the 5569615455 race.b08f57648b441e68

“Why is he here…?”4c5d27fdbba6df59

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Ijin muttered, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. The team leader asked, “Seon Ijin, what did you say?”ad0edea75a4b70b4

“Nothing.”52d121c7f7bac562

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Shaking his head, Ijin 8344e53743 stood up straight, with 05fc23944f a jockey on either 41e2a33207 side of him, the 502467c5d3 first and third place b59168e952 winners.bc3fd0bc4b516010

Ijin had come in 402601747a second today.fed50efca8851f4c

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“Good job today. Choose your practice time.”9636368fa55d9e3b

The team leader threw f65ae87899 a yellow folder. The first-place jockey d7486794b7 quickly grabbed it dc5a3b3271 and wrote his e6528052e0 name first. Then came eff9675243 the third-place 38dee9a4c3 jockey. It was clear b052de2417 they were leaving b6bec082d3 Ijin out.33f1ddf7f526a0d4

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Ijin stood awkwardly in 9c5306c234 an awkward spot, flinching 8d5ee1e049 under the uncomfortable stares.3e2bdf7d29333a05

Ijin snatched a35a43cc57 the pen 4d9a9af97f from the 7ffc0d3aef third-place jockey 5cfff54535 and scribbled 7be7b713fd his name f27909c163 for the b91a404b3f 4 PM 3a2649a2a1 practice slot, 47db0317d3 trying to 76831bf5ea ignore the 7e79cf1898 stares.7679b071243c4f53

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“Hey, fuck, I grabbed it first.”7cc3130d30af7fbe

“You should have the right to write second if you got second place.”a8274b09cd90f4ae

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Ijin said 80c2d52d83 calmly, turning 1935c32f84 his head 1c952bdd39 to look c4a09e1c9b into space.66bc071b55e3f49d

The man, seeing Ijin’s soldier-like posture, opened his mouth slightly and exhaled a donut-shaped puff of smoke.73bf3d6058b9de81

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His gaze slowly slid down from Ijin’s neck. Like a viscous liquid, it skimmed his straight neck, the collar of his jockey outfit, the fabric tight like a tailored suit but showing signs of wear, and then turned even more blatant and persistent when it reached the white riding pants. His gaze ground against Ijin’s thighs like sandpaper.e9282100a2a0a083

“…”fc16a6328dfb6438

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Ijin swallowed dryly. Here, he was used to being watched by many, but this man’s gaze was different, making him highly uncomfortable. It felt like being stripped bare.dec2876f94a4c912

Yet, it was different 7bdc6906a5 from the usual lustful 5493952920 looks of the thugs, a236702f9e making it hard to e2b0e56d72 pin down exactly what cf858105c6 it was.fb622d12cd56e173

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‘What the hell is with that guy?’d06af83e33cbe892

If he were just a gambler or a tout, there’s no way he’d be here. Only those who’ve borrowed money here and ruined their lives end up here, and they wouldn’t be as relaxed as this man.9c3aed297883c40f

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Ijin, despite the 796e8a0be5 many people in 80fb34ce16 the office, found 19e7180bda himself only paying 47565f9cff attention to this 62996a286f man.b5afea16d0342b43

The man had his arms over the back of the sofa, one leg crossed so his ankle rested on his thigh, revealing part of a tattoo under the hem of his pants. When their eyes met, Ijin quickly turned his head away, followed by the sound of the man’s laughter.88351a6779e45eca

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