TE Ch 22

“Is something wrong with the cards?” Doksa seemed flustered, too. Hongju had no idea how things were unfolding. His dark eyes began to shake slightly.

“Do you have a lighter?”

Manager Yang moved the cigarette he was holding up and down. The eye that wasn’t covered by an eyepatch was aimed directly at Hongju.

“Uh, no.”

“What the fuck. Don’t you carry a lighter?”

“Want me to lend you a light?”

“No, I’ve lost my taste for it.”

Rejecting Mookyeong’s offer, Manager Yang took out his cigarette and threw it on the floor as if he were disappointed.

Hongju’s hands, which were hiding the bright red cards, started to tremble. The cards for the round that was supposed to fleece Mookyeong were in his hands. Why, why had the plan changed? Did Manager Yang change it on his own?

Hongju’s dark eyes turned to Koo Bbing, who was perched near the window. He had his arms crossed and was quietly looking at Hongju. It was a persistent gaze, as if he were watching to see what he would do.

“…..”

So, he changed the plan without even telling Doksa. It was to remind him that they were on the same boat. No matter how much attention Mookyeong paid him, Koo Hongju was just a gofer who collected debts at the gambling house. He was a cheap life who would do anything to pay off his debt.

“Hoo.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Hongju leaned back against the backrest and glanced at Mookyeong. He was just pressing the edge of the overturned cards on the table and dragging them around, playing.

“Shall I start?”

Doksa quickly figured out his role. It seemed like a June had landed in Hongju’s hands, so he was probably going to play the wind to raise the stakes.

“Since Boss Mookyeong is bored, we should bet big. How much do you have left, Hongju? Bet it all.”

He meant to make Hongju, who had the least money, go all-in. Of course, only on the surface. Doksa and Manager Yang must have realized that if Hongju raised the stakes, Mookyeong would follow.

Doksa moved the bet, adjusted to Hongju’s total funds, to the center. Hongju hesitated, fumbling with the bumpy back of the cards.

“Are you scared, Hongju? Koo Bbing will lend you some tails, why are you scared?”

“He’s not a card sharp, he’s just chicken. Come on, play big. It’s not even your money, it’s Mijin’s. I told you, I won’t count it towards your debt.”

Koo Bbing cackled and added from behind. He was unfolding and folding a small jackknife, staring intently at Hongju. It was a prompt and a threat to move according to plan.

“…..”

Should he just say he’s folding without raising the stakes? But everyone except Mookyeong knew that he had a June card. If he did that, they might really come at him with that knife.

What should he do? Hongju hesitated, scratching the cards with his fingertips, and finally opened his mouth.

“…All in.”

Now Hongju was empty-handed. If he went around with the amount he had just bet, he figured it would be well over 80 million. Moreover, if he won with a 6-point, he would also have to pay double the amount of each person’s bet. It might not be a lot of money for Mookyeong, but that was assuming he stopped here and walked away.

“This round is getting big. What about you, Boss Mookyeong?”

It was Mookyeong’s turn to bet. Fold. Just put down your cards and fold. It’s obviously a trap. Put down your cards. Hongju kept sending him desperate signals.

“I’ll take that, too.”

But it seemed like the message didn’t reach Mookyeong. He grabbed the remaining bundles of money. After matching Hongju’s bet, Mookyeong only had about three million left. It was far from enough to pay the ‘pair’ fee, so he would have to borrow some tails in a hurry or open his wallet.

“You should be caught, sucker.”

Hongju squeezed his eyes shut to hide his desperate expression.

“I can’t believe you’re raising when you know what’s going on?”

Manager Yang, who was sneering, also matched the bet. A huge amount of money piled up in the center of the table.

“Get another card each.”

Manager Yang dealt one more card to each person. Pressing the bright red card down with his palm, Hongju lifted the top part slightly to check the picture.

“…..”

Without fail, a June card came in. Sitting across from him, Manager Yang spat out a curse after looking at his cards. Since Hongju had no money left, they had to reveal their cards without any more betting. Doksa smiled cryptically and flipped his cards over with both hands.

“Manager Yang, you look like you have a bad hand. I have a ‘gab-o’.”

Then he rolled his eyes as if to check Mookyeong’s and Hongju’s reactions. Mookyeong had an unreadable expression and gestured to Hongju with his chin.

“You?”

Hongju hesitated for a moment. The game was set up like this, and Koo Bbing’s menacing gaze was still fixed on him. He wanted to overturn the table right now, but if he did, he might die before Mookyeong could get him out of here.

“Huu.”

Alright, why is he getting involved in a game when he knows it’s a setup? He gave him a warning, risking so much, but… Taking a deep breath, Hongju flipped his cards over one by one as if he had made up his mind.

“I have a 6-point.”

“Fuck. He barely survived.”

“We could have sent Hongju away!”

Manager Yang and Doksa acted disappointed and slammed the table. Bang! The pile of money slid. Hongju reached out and swept up the pot. Just then, a large hand wrapped around Hongju’s wrist.

“You said you weren’t a card sharp?”

“…Yes, I’m not.”

He tried to twist his captured wrist and pull it out, but it was gripped so tightly that it was difficult to escape.

“But you have a good hand?”

He knew this would happen. Hongju kept his expression neutral and spoke, “I must have… gotten lucky.”

“Right. Cards are more about luck than skill, right?”

Nodding and muttering, Mookyeong released Hongju’s wrist. There were clear finger marks on his white wrist. Hongju gathered the pile of money with a trembling hand. Then, looking at Mookyeong’s remaining three stacks, he said, “The ‘pair’ fee is double.”

“I know, fuck!”

Manager Yang responded irritably, whether it was an act or real. It was a situation where, if this were a real game, he wouldn’t even be paying the ‘pair’ fee.

“Wait a minute.”

At Mookyeong’s words, Hongju paused. There was a hint of confidence in his short four syllables.

“You’re not even going to look at my cards?”

“What’s the point, it’s obvious. Do you think you got a 7-point or something?”

Since Manager Yang had dealt the cards, he must have given him a two or three-point hand. However, Mookyeong had an inexplicable smile on his face.

“Those cards wouldn’t have been bad either.”

Mookyeong flipped over the cards that were face down in front of him, one by one. A January ‘gwang’. Hongju’s gaze moved to the remaining card in Mookyeong’s hand. Tap, the card that flipped over onto the dark blue table was a March ‘gwang’. It was a 1-3 ‘gwang pair’, capable of winning most games.

Hongju’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. That hand, how could that hand come from Boss Mookyeong?

“H-How come…”

Leaning back in his chair, Manager Yang hurriedly sat up straight and picked up Mookyeong’s cards.

“How come? Good luck came to me.”

Mookyeong snatched away Hongju’s frozen hand. Then he pulled all the piled-up money in front of him. The heavy sound of the pot being dragged was loud.

“Fuck, what is this?”

Koo Bbing, who had been sitting leisurely by the window, staggered to the table. His wide-open eyes were filled with bewilderment. Doksa also turned pale and glanced at Manager Yang.

“Why? Is it a hand that shouldn’t come out if you’re not a card sharp?”

“T-That’s not it… No.”

Koo Bbing couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. He stupidly opened his mouth and stammered, and Mookyeong shrugged and laughed.

“You said a 1-3 ‘gwang pair’ is triple the ‘pair’ fee, right?”

He counted the one-million-won bundles by tapping them with his long, straight index finger. The only sound in the room was Mookyeong counting the numbers.

“The pot is a little over 110 million. Dropping the loose change and tripling the ‘pair’ fee, that’s 330 million per person. Ah, did you say you don’t have to get the ‘pair’ fee from the person who went all-in?”

“…..”

“Then Koo Hongju doesn’t have to pay any more, right?”

Including the bet he had placed, Mookyeong had won over 700 million. If Hongju had won the game with a 6-point as planned, all that money would have gone into Koo Bbing’s hands. Everyone was stunned into silence by the huge reversal.

After playing the game for about 30 minutes, Mookyeong was clearly not a card sharp. He hadn’t learned Seotda long ago, he had no tricks up his sleeve, and he had no standards for betting. He hadn’t even cut the deck this time, so he couldn’t have rigged the cards in any way. And there was no way Manager Yang would have given Mookyeong a 1-3 ‘gwang pair’. They couldn’t understand how the situation had unfolded.

“H-How is this a 1-3 ‘gwang pair’?”

Koo Bbing pushed Manager Yang’s shoulder roughly and fumbled with the two 1-3 ‘gwang pair’ cards. Since the only cards that had been rigged were the two June cards that had gone to Hongju, no matter how much he touched them, he wouldn’t be able to find any trace.

“Why, no…”

Koo Bbing glared fiercely at Manager Yang with bloodshot eyes. But Manager Yang just looked dazed. Mookyeong neatly stacked the scattered money and looked alternately at Doksa and Manager Yang.

“You seem to be short on money. How are you going to pay me?”

As far as Hongju knew, there was always around 200-300 million won in cash in the gambling house safe, but that was far from enough to cover this pot.

“I’ll take what you have for now. Ah, just when it was getting interesting, the game is over.”

Mookyeong smiled at Manager Yang.

“T-That, Boss Mookyeong. This game…”

Manager Yang looked flustered and glanced at Koo Bbing.

“Are you saying some bullshit about it being a joke now that you’ve lost?”

His cold gaze was directed at Koo Bbing, not anyone else. Koo Bbing could only move his lips.

“Why are you making that face? It’s like you’re upset that you used marked cards and it didn’t work.”

Mookyeong chuckled softly. Then he took out a cigarette from his coat pocket, which was draped over his shoulder, and put it in his mouth. The Zippo lighter clicked and sparked a flame. In the silence, where even breathing could be heard loudly, the sound of the end of Mookyeong’s cigarette burning was particularly loud.

“Huu.”

After taking a deep drag, enough to make his cheeks hollow, Mookyeong turned his head. Then he exhaled with his breath.

“If you had bet your remaining eye, Manager Yang, you would have been in real trouble.”

The ridicule mixed with cigarette smoke enveloped Manager Yang. Manager Yang’s one remaining eye trembled erratically.