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.460bbc2869055ec4

However, despite such rules, 02552d2702 additional betting was quite 052875fefd frequent.071c1f58583bc940

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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.4f8638e491c2c464

“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.”57832147798a6076

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Ijin whispered 06e31a3915 gently, worried a8d610725e that he 1558bdae4b might have 603e7a09e8 put too 8cbf0d7958 much pressure 9417d38398 on Clover 7c884c5f55 earlier.92846a6db38c05b7

And there was a 025f2a8936 gaze carefully following Ijin.c94b315d3900e963

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“Is your seat comfortable, sir? Are you comfortable?”03cb773a7325432c

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.830e03abb77c8494

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“Do you usually spend this time so boringly?”c10326fb9da12127

“Excuse me?”0ec958abfd6ccefd

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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.”355388f97da01548

Hyungdo rubbed 395da737ed his chin 61904a7f46 and then 74d8859c53 smiled broadly.1e5b101f8a211c8c

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“Show the riders, for example.”84809aae56d87c5e

“That… there’s room for cops or the riders’ acquaintances to interfere.”8183fc3fe2f0f502

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“Who said anything about faces?”9c2c8588d21a9fb2

Hyungdo thought b1a4ac1691 that it 58c298b2cb was almost 7cc15bf6a6 impossible for dbb068ecde the boss a6233c2393 to think 665e8b4551 something would 014b17eadd go wrong 15dc905f33 here without c7002457f8 his knowledge. Since he had 17de0cba88 been sent here b6cc84168c suddenly from above, 62399745bb the boss would c850a217d7 be obedient on 0ee9ceeff0 the surface but f36724e993 cautious underneath. Thus, Hyungdo decided d97fa59eae to appear like 5d07cf155d a savior sent fd5ed1a775 from above to aa8025b26b make this place 6842012363 even more prosperous. He tapped the 0d40ab608c binoculars with his e1cab8a4c3 index finger.36a4ffaf0406b5a8

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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.”1188880fdc7906dd

“Well, we tried to do that, but those bitches complained it was too hard…”9644155122985664

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“Hey.”2b59634fa18835d9

Hyungdo flicked his thumbnail at the boss’s idle chatter.1f35d35dbbebb468

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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.”73a66e30009302ae

Despite wearing 1a5f14bb18 a frivolous a7264bc207 shirt instead 1010bbec42 of a 89fa9f1608 suit, Hyungdo 3d56693f08 was giving c57f7140ef advice.27936769c3c71d17

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“Yes, sir. I’ll correct it.”e4e6244b537b1344

The boss, ded8223441 standing straight 0e4f35da01 with his b5f660d108 arms and afd6281ddd hands at 02605fa5a5 his sides, bea234264b quickly answered. Then, after gauging the 5b59847838 mood, he cautiously asked.f6f2c4335f93d3be

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“Then… about the plan the previous boss had, shall we sell the rider tickets…?”c57072c6496783c1

“No.”c8d47ef333c754e7

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Hyungdo mumbled cbed03a48c with a 56d6ea2c25 cigarette in 72662c03af his mouth.0f77dff01372ce8c

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.ff0847c0bd8b90d7

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The red d8dec0d22a light of 2a1f76f576 the cigarette 1b59e2602b flickered as ef09b8b92c he leaned 7c4401290e to light 54c0901c2b it, creating 6ca2864567 an even 1bdc9fb711 more dangerous f96ea63108 atmosphere.f09fa18d3f5051ac

“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.”20db0de1f478f0ac

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Leaning back, Hyungdo lifted one corner of his mouth in a mocking smile and exhaled smoke with a ‘huh’.afb66cd8d3cc9ad5

“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?”7f49033c5c9c4d20

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Hyungdo threw 3659b677e0 out the 386868863d bait subtly.a2bdf1745ad5c9d2

The boss 601fa57a80 nodded enthusiastically. His eyes were 5a1e484179 full of envy d61c96c4bd and jealousy towards 48c79ce829 the much younger 8150c149c7 man. As Hyungdo 29bcaa5d6f tapped his 83f6de776c foot on 7b2491aced his thigh, 88a75044f5 the muscles 24d0a56143 around his d01e5dd86a ankle moved 16b86a3b57 elastically. Humming an f6c595a67a outdated pop 837f00b067 song, he 4aa089db42 picked up 7d0c640a57 his binoculars c87e32873a again. In his view, the 7022ed23a7 toned thighs of a a4a6886c45 man wearing a black 1e585115ab helmet came into focus.bda447136e6965dd

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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.d08d63f4012ee1f5

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.”faa327cc1dfec5f2

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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.”b1ed2ae327d459fc

“Is that the number 7? The one with the tight-ass horse and jockey?”14404d49e7299260

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“The horses are good, but they’re a bit tricky. I bet on number 6 and number 1.”53a5b7a70c6bb04a

“I’m going with 7. It’ll come in second today as a late charger.”83cbbb44203ce6c4

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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.b06f3fd01811e34f

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.ed178d2e78bef27b

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“I can do this.”94213346a3ad9027

Ijin muttered. Just before 35458f33f9 the signal, 0552c73afd his blood f75c3bf9a7 flow increased, 568a36dab1 and his 2184601e02 heart raced dc1200fb98 like mad. His vision narrowed 3f8c52094d like the blinders d92a974e00 on Clover, focusing d66dab90b7 only on the b3e2be696b path ahead, his e8d78a9f2b concentration peaking to 32034f0311 the point where 5bf3b322b6 he could hear 1905aa1c48 his own heartbeat.507f75d5225ed136

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“I can do this.”3f4d3d32600a4ae7

Ijin muttered again.f272181b92e8dac2

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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.4ffbef2b0f302d9e

“Come in.”d945061818e8347f

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With the taste of 344687fee4 dust in his mouth, 1947c1ec8c Ijin was pushed roughly 84c0307a8d from behind, making him bf1165f862 stumble into the room.df159c7220d62608

Ijin, nearly 0e9a37ca1d falling, managed c8f8366c4a to hold 0d5a443e8a onto a 2faf496738 sturdy table 4bf6a33568 covered with 9a563578e8 green non-woven fc24e40adc fabric and 03617f5b07 glass.d9b89b2242e86f13

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“Seon Ijin, are you out of your mind?”0b4c45c605828b98

Ijin looked up at the team leader’s tense voice.b18ddeb012db0149

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And unlike usual, instead 2158b43b97 of the usual thugs, 4b52f93b11 he saw the boss 1495642919 and the man in 47180d8b38 the gaudy shirt he 3507719d77 had seen before the ffc7b68822 race.fd51713c9160670f

“Why is he here…?”0709f21626c4452f

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Ijin muttered, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. The team leader asked, “Seon Ijin, what did you say?”9f3748c5aae30d54

“Nothing.”f38ca30691d52540

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Shaking his a181758b4b head, Ijin 8f43504b3d stood up 8cc219fbc6 straight, with 312cd0878b a jockey b893fbd1ef on either 2a6b854adf side of cfd8aafa59 him, the 0215e55f21 first and a6405f4bb3 third place 7423e4cd2f winners.c0558cdd023643b6

Ijin had come bb4f2f708f in second today.4af0324ff029892e

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“Good job today. Choose your practice time.”5deb9d3b8faa0333

The team leader threw 10d06be9cf a yellow folder. The first-place jockey quickly 35c2db3567 grabbed it and wrote d6ce2b009e his name first. Then came the aa3c6684f5 third-place jockey. It was 1edb48e436 clear they 96599a32f7 were leaving f35988ff50 Ijin out.f6d534a4be39a6b5

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Ijin stood 67ccda0c3e awkwardly in a262064a40 an awkward 0a5f94d056 spot, flinching bc03ea075e under the 58d1444695 uncomfortable stares.3a70b68397971800

Ijin snatched the pen cac9c01f66 from the third-place jockey 0f37dfeb1f and scribbled his name f5845a4a96 for the 4 PM cc7f7df930 practice slot, trying to a7aca78286 ignore the stares.218cabf8610b41a8

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“Hey, fuck, I grabbed it first.”2cf7075f6ab0ca28

“You should have the right to write second if you got second place.”1ac253b4c6ae9d3f

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Ijin said calmly, turning c7cbab93cf his head to look d69ff77896 into space.634844cee0d50a69

The man, seeing Ijin’s soldier-like posture, opened his mouth slightly and exhaled a donut-shaped puff of smoke.be7207fab449485d

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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.80b91cca8a2a6d5c

“…”338b857b60b4393a

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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.fce802b7f766bb39

Yet, it 43ec4bfe52 was different 8e8fe12ed9 from the 9c3ff9c6e4 usual lustful fe4709ea19 looks of 03594492f0 the thugs, f13ea4cd72 making it 01ae7353cd hard to b933b02d89 pin down 0b47aa9acf exactly what 57d311db35 it was.5ff4a528ea566b97

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‘What the hell is with that guy?’c03ee6980044140b

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.5b2bc96d7081dfe1

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Ijin, despite the 117471b7c3 many people in fd6f7c8b3d the office, found 9fba9fdf06 himself only paying 43af2ea8cb attention to this 7fb56a7d32 man.5a62d225806f3ae0

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.2c1df101805d2eb1

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