TE Ch 19
by Null“…I told you, I didn’t do anything like that.”
As Hongju moved his lips, the blood seeping from his cracked lip couldn’t mix with the ointment and soaked into the creases.
“Something to be proud of.”
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Chuckling, he finally let go of Hongju. As his footsteps receded, Hongju exhaled the breath he had been holding. His mouth tasted bitter from the ointment.
“Huh? He’s going in.”
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Doksa muttered under his breath. As if he had been watching from the window, Koo Bbing also came out of the room at the right moment. He smiled brightly at Mookyeong, as if he were a sucker who couldn’t even remember being ridiculed for his severed finger just a few days ago.
“Boss Mookyeong, you’re here? But uh-oh. I thought you weren’t coming today either, so I set up a game over there.”
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Mookyeong shrugged but didn’t stop walking. It meant he didn’t care. A spark flashed in Koo Bbing’s eyes at that moment. It was a signal that the game would start properly.
“She’s my ex, she’s just getting into cards… I’ll clean her out before dawn. Please bear with us for a bit. You don’t mind, do you?”
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“It’s good if business is good.”
Koo Bbing wrapped his arm around Mookyeong’s waist as if escorting him, smiling like an idiot. He thought Koo Bbing was quite big, but next to Mookyeong, he looked insignificant.
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“There’s coffee here. Or, should I get Boss Mookyeong a beer?”
Before stepping over the threshold, Mookyeong paused for a moment. Then he looked at Hongju, who was standing on the opposite side of the hallway. Hongju, who was wiping his mouth with a tissue, stopped moving as if his gaze was tied to his.
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“Expensive water.”
“E-Expensive water? Ah… Okay! Hongju, go buy some good bottled water here! Doksa, deal some cards for me instead.”
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“Yes.”
The chair next to him scraped against the ground. Doksa ran towards the room at the end of the hallway as if he had been waiting. Hongju took out a ten-thousand-won bill from the desk drawer. He asked a passing employee to watch his spot and then left the gambling house.
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He shouldn’t take the cards. If Boss Mookyeong lost money and became broke, there would be no hope for him. He had given him a heads-up, so he wouldn’t take the cards. He seemed like a smart person, so he would have understood.
“He said he follows the smell of money.”
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It was comforting to believe that. Hongju nodded and quickened his pace. Expensive water, expensive water. He muttered that to himself.
“Please come back again.”
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He wondered what kind of water cost over a thousand won. Hongju put the bottled water he bought for Mookyeong in his pocket. Then he took out his cell phone, which had been turned off due to a dead battery. Fortunately, he had seen a portable charger sold at the convenience store on his way here and there. He hid it back in his inner pocket with the portable charger connected. He thought that it should be enough to turn on the phone while he was on his way.
As Hongju was zipping up his jacket, he saw a hole in the front of his padding. He rubbed the worn area with his fingertips. On the first day Mookyeong came to the gambling house, the place where he had burned it with cigarette ash was now a complete hole.
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“When I pay off my debt, I should… buy a new padding jacket.”
It was a humble wish for the first thing he wanted to do when he was free. How much would a good padding jacket cost? How much would he have to work and earn to buy a warm padding jacket that he could wear even in the middle of winter? He could roughly manage in the summer, but every day was a struggle in the winter.
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Hongju roughly estimated the price and opened his own water bottle. It was the cheapest one. After drinking about half of the water, Hongju finished the rest as he got closer to the gambling house. He knew that once he went inside, he would have to endure his thirst for a while.
After swallowing the last mouthful, Hongju returned to the gambling house and headed straight for the room at the end of the hallway. He immediately looked for Mookyeong. Fortunately, he was sitting by the window, smoking. His gaze was fixed on the window covered with plastic.
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“Here you go.”
He deliberately spoke up, but Mookyeong didn’t even look at him. Instead of answering, he just pointed to the windowsill with his chin. Hongju quietly placed the bottle there and looked around. They were all pretending to be focused on the game, but in fact, all their attention was on this room. They were probably waiting for the right moment to lure Mookyeong into the game.
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“…..”
He couldn’t just stand there with everyone watching. Hongju wiped his damp hand on his padding and turned around. He wanted to warn him again. He wondered if it would be better to send a text message. As he was pondering, he glanced back. This time, he met Mookyeong’s gaze.
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“It’s so suspicious. You’re not playing tricks now, are you?”
“Manager Yang, are you embarrassed that you got cleaned out by a newbie? Aigoo. I’ll give you a tip, noona.”
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Hongju looked at the table where the loud conversation was taking place and shook his head discreetly. It meant that he should never join the game. But Mookyeong just turned his gaze back to the window without any expression. As if they had never made eye contact in the first place.
Just as he was about to take a step, sighing softly, Doksa suddenly took out his cell phone.
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“Oh? I have an important call. I’m folding this round.”
“What! No, it’s bad luck if someone leaves in the middle.”
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“Sorry. It’s a really important call.”
Despite the grumbling, Doksa put down his cards. He quickly put his phone to his ear and got up.
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“Boss, how are you? Me? I’m always good.”
Doksa shouldered Hongju, who was standing blankly near the entrance, and left the room. His forcibly dragged steps were heavy. When they were a little further away from the end room, Doksa put his phone back in his pocket.
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“It’s starting now.”
The words spoken into his left ear faintly drifted into his right ear.
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“…..”
Now that Doksa had left his seat, they would need another person starting from the next round. Mookyeong was the only one not playing there, so he would be the first to be offered the seat. He usually wouldn’t be able to refuse the offer and would take the cards, but it was impossible to predict how Mookyeong would react. He wasn’t interested in gambling in the first place, and he wasn’t the type to readily agree to other people’s requests.
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Still, Hongju couldn’t help but feel anxious. He wanted to look back, but Doksa’s grip on his shoulder was too firm. He couldn’t hear anything from behind.
“Haa.”
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Since no one was giving him an errand, he had no excuse to enter the room, so Hongju bit his lip with a nervous look. He secretly went into the bathroom and sent a few text messages.
[Don’t join the game.]
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[Don’t take the cards.]
There was no reply. How much time had passed? Hongju picked up a broom and pretended to sweep the floor as he headed towards the room at the end of the hallway. Just as he reached the threshold, Manager Yang suddenly popped out from inside. Startled, Hongju took a step back.
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“What are you doing? Go get some new cards.”
“…Yes.”
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He tried to look inside as he turned around, but it was difficult because Manager Yang was standing in the way. Hongju quickly put down the broom and grabbed some new cards. This time, he had an excuse, so he entered the room without hesitation.
“…..”
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As soon as he saw the table, he had to squeeze his eyes shut. On one side of the table, piled high with banknotes, sat Mookyeong. He had a handful of cards, and under his hand were also stacks of bills. When did he start playing?
“What are you standing there like an idiot for? Bring it here!”
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It was an annoyed command. Only then did Hongju come to his senses and hand over the unwrapped cards. He glanced at Mookyeong, but he was just exhaling cigarette smoke.
It’s the most common way for ordinary people to get addicted to gambling. Once someone starts winning a few times, suspicion turns into interest in an instant. They think they can win if they just play one more round, two more rounds. No, three rounds… With that kind of vain hope, people lose their entire fortunes. Even when their families are ruined, there are countless people who can’t quit. That’s why he told him not to even touch the cards.
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“…..”
Hongju bit his lip, where the bleeding had barely stopped, again. As he slowly moved away from the table, Mookyeong glanced at him.
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“Really. Why are you so slow? Like a sucker.”
The corner of his mouth, holding a cigarette, twitched upwards. Hongju sensed from that smile that Mookyeong had deliberately joined the game, knowing that he was being targeted.
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“…..”
Leaving the room, Hongju couldn’t sit still. What was he thinking, joining the game? Especially since Mookyeong had a lot of money, it was impossible to gauge how much he would be fleeced. He paced around the desk, staring at the room at the end of the hallway.
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“What are you doing, being so restless?”
Koo Bbing and Doksa were coming up the stairs side by side. The two immediately approached Hongju.
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“You, come with me.”
“I have to watch my spot.”
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“Here! Here! Watch my spot, huh?”
Koo Bbing called over an employee and made him sit down. Then he took out a can of coffee from the small refrigerator and handed it to Hongju. Then he started to pull Hongju along. He tried to break free, but the difference in strength was significant. Doksa just stood by, watching.
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“Why are you doing this?”
“You’re going in the game.”
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“Me? You said you were going to bring someone.”
He had clearly said that he would bring someone to join the last round. Did he fail to find someone? Hongju stopped, startled. It wasn’t just any place, it was the table where Boss Mookyeong was. He couldn’t be in cahoots with them to fleece Mookyeong’s money. It would be like cutting the rope he was hanging on himself.
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“There’s no one. You do it.”
Koo Bbing dragged him along relentlessly. When Hongju protested loudly, he put a finger to his lips or hit him on the head. As he did so, he explained the plan to Hongju once again.
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“When Manager Yang is looking for a lighter, raise the stakes. Got it?”
“Why do I have to…”
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Smack! The hand that slapped his cheek was fierce. Hongju’s head snapped to the side, and he panted. Then, Koo Bbing grabbed Hongju’s hair with his right hand, which was missing a pinky finger.
“Why, you ask, fuck. Hey, you bastard. Don’t you want to pay off your debt? Do you want to live like this forever, get your guts ripped out, and die? Or should I have your father, who’s living in the Philippines, captured instead? Huh?”
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His head was dizzy and he heard a fierce ringing in his ears from having his hair pulled. Hongju clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his nausea.
“…..”
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“We have to get rid of that bastard to reduce the number of mouths sharing the money we make from the gambling house. Then your debt will be paid off quickly too. Use your head. Huh?”
Most of what he said into his left ear was unintelligible. But by looking at Koo Bbing’s fiercely glaring eyes, he could guess what he wanted to say.
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No matter how much he was favored by Boss Mookyeong, he would never be able to escape this wretched gambling house.