TE Ch 21

The pile of money in the middle of the table formed a small mound. Mookyeong, who had been tapping the table with his fingertips, soon slid the pile of bills with the back of his hand. Even that small action was neat and without any wasted movement.

“I’ll call, too.”

After the betting went around once, Mookyeong dealt another card to each person. Hongju was still staring at his fingertips.

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“Why? Afraid I might be palming cards?”

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Mookyeong chuckled. The way he slowly placed a card in front of Hongju was slow.

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“…Are you capable of something like that?”

“If I had to, I could.”

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At his nonchalant tone, Hongju momentarily looked up and met the eyes of Manager Yang sitting across from him. He didn’t seem to pay any mind to Mookyeong’s words. Manager Yang, revealing his gold tooth, made a sound through his teeth and checked his cards. Then, as he had done before, he knocked over the pile of bills.

“Let’s raise another thousand!”

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“Ah, damn it, where did my ‘jang pair’ go, and why did a blue one come in? I fold.”

Doksa threw down his cards and dropped out of the game.

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“…..”

As long as it’s not an April card. As long as it’s not an April card. Muttering to himself, Hongju checked his cards a beat late and counted his remaining seed money. Fortunately, it was certain that he would lose this round completely. Perhaps because of that, there was no hesitation in his betting hand.

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“I’ll take that.”

The next turn was Mookyeong’s. But this time too, he didn’t bet or fold. At the silence that broke the flow, Hongju, who had been looking down at the red cards, looked up.

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Then their eyes met again. Mookyeong looked at Hongju and slightly curled up one corner of his mouth. Holding Hongju’s gaze firmly, Mookyeong finally matched the bet.

“I’ll follow too.”

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After Mookyeong finished betting, the three revealed their cards. Hongju, who flipped his cards first, had two points, and Manager Yang, who revealed his hand next, had seven points. Perhaps feeling confident that he would win with a decent hand, Manager Yang smiled, revealing his gold tooth.

“I bet Boss Mookyeong has three points?”

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With a confident expression, he gestured to Mookyeong with his chin, signaling him to reveal his cards. Hongju also narrowed his eyes and looked at Mookyeong’s cards. The bright red cards, hidden by his large hand, were flipped over, revealing their pictures.

“Whoa, ‘seryuk’ it is.”

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It was a combination of an April suited card and a June ‘cheongdan’ card, which was higher than Manager Yang’s seven points. Doksa made a fuss and laughed mockingly at Manager Yang.

“What’s seven points doing raising 2,000?”

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“Ah, fuck!”

Manager Yang slammed his fist on the table and swore. The table shook slightly, and the pile of bills slid.

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Even though he had won a large sum of money, Mookyeong gathered the cards without a word. This time, without being asked, Hongju organized the pot for him. As Mookyeong slowly shuffled the cards, he reached across the wall of money stacks towards Hongju.

“Let the pretty boy cut the deck.”

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“…..”

The low voice, mixed with laughter, was so clear that Hongju couldn’t pretend he had misheard it. It was especially audible since he was sitting on his right. He knew that the raised corner of his mouth was clearly a joke, but for a moment, Hongju unconsciously held his breath and avoided his persistent gaze.

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“…Cut.”

His voice trailed off foolishly. Instead of squeezing his eyes shut, Hongju had to clench the hand resting on his thigh tightly. A strange atmosphere, different from tension, hung over the table.

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Even after that, throughout the game, Mookyeong seemed more interested in Hongju, who was holding the cards, than in the game themselves. Whether he was shuffling the cards, betting, or arranging the stacks of money, his gaze followed every small movement. Honju wondered if he was trying to keep an eye on him, but when he realized that the persistent gaze was on his face and not his hands, he tried not to turn his head.

“This place used to be a motel room, maybe that’s why the atmosphere is so racy?”

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Manager Yang, who had read the strange current flowing over the table, cackled. Hongju pretended not to hear and looked at the cards in front of him. It was an August card.

Hongju estimated his remaining seed money. He had bet recklessly, trying to lose on purpose, but he still had quite a bit of money left. He should try to lose some this round. When his turn came, he grabbed a thick bundle and threw it into the middle of the table.

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“Call and raise five.”

“Hey, Hongju, did you catch a ‘pair’ this time?”

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Ignoring Manager Yang, who was smiling and showing his gold tooth, he focused on Mookyeong’s fingertips. This time too, Mookyeong followed Hongju’s bet.

“Call.”

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By now, the money piled in front of him was almost equal to what Hongju had. If Hongju went all-in and lost, it would be Manager Yang and Doksa’s time to shine. He swallowed dryly, feeling unnecessarily nervous.

“Then I’ll raise too.”

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Manager Yang threw in six bundles of one million won. Just then, something touched his calf. Judging by the direction, it must have been Mookyeong’s doing. Hongju glanced under the table and slightly moved his right foot back.

“One more card for each of us.”

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It was time to get one more card and check it. Once again, he felt a tapping sensation near his shin. Hongju tilted his head and rolled his eyes to look at Mookyeong.

“…..”

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He, too, was tilting his head slightly, checking his cards. His gaze was clearly on the cards, not on Hongju. Was it a mistake that their legs bumped? Just as Hongju was about to withdraw his gaze, thinking that, Mookyeong’s lowered gaze slowly rose. His dark eyes met Hongju’s. Slowly lifting the corners of his lips into a smile, Mookyeong tapped his shin again with his foot.

“…..”

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It wasn’t a mistake. The moment he realized that, the dress shoe began to subtly rub up and down Hongju’s shin. Goosebumps ran down his back, and he felt his body stiffen.

“Hongju. Fold?”

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He suddenly came to his senses at Doksa’s voice. He quickly pulled back his right foot, which had been touched, and flinched his shoulder.

“Y-Yes.”

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He was so flustered that he threw down his cards instead of money. What was the card that just came in? He had definitely checked the picture, but he couldn’t remember anything. Instead, only the outline of the smoothly upturned lips lingered in his mind.

“I call.”

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A low voice flowed into his right ear. Hongju needlessly fiddled with his earlobe. He had touched it too hard, and it felt a little hot, but he couldn’t take his hand away.

“Okay, I have seven points.”

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This round was Manager Yang’s victory. As he quietly listened to the heavy sound of money being swept away, Hongju silently covered his right ear.

Thump, thump. Instead of the familiar ringing, he could only hear his heartbeat loudly. The cause wasn’t hard to find.

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“…..”

It was because Boss Mookyeong kept doing embarrassing things. Hongju pulled his chair back to create distance from Mookyeong.

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“Haha.”

He heard a low chuckle mixed with a slight vibration. Hongju covered his ear even tighter. He fixed his gaze only on the bright red cards being shuffled frantically under Manager Yang’s palm.

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“It’s more fun than you thought, isn’t it?”

“Well, sort of.”

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“Everyone starts playing cards like that, you know? Shall we play with this group until dawn today? Ah… I wonder if Boss Mookyeong has enough cash.”

It was a subtle provocation. He was trying to get under his skin. Mookyeong nodded as he casually checked his remaining money, and at the same time, Hongju frowned.

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“How much is that, that you can’t prepare?”

Manager Yang lit a cigarette, showing his gold tooth. The trick must have been used this round. Hongju instinctively sensed that the air had changed at that moment.

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“Boss Mookyeong, how come you have such good game manners? You don’t even curse once even when you’re being cleaned out.”

He was indirectly calling Mookyeong a sucker for not changing his expression even when he lost money and for readily raising the stakes. Mookyeong chuckled. Then he tapped his share of the money with his fingertips and said, “There’s not much excitement when the stakes are low. Shall we make it more interesting now?”

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At Mookyeong’s provocation, Hongju squeezed his eyes shut. The stakes were already quite high. Moreover, Doksa was an active card sharp, and Manager Yang was also quick-witted enough to play as a sharp in big games. There were two such people in the mix, and the stakes started at one million. If they used marked cards even once, the pot could reach hundreds of millions. Why was he provoking them with such words? Hongju chewed on his cracked lip.

“Tsk, how should we make it interesting for Boss Mookyeong?”

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Manager Yang moved his lips, chewing on the filter.

“It’s fun to bet something.”

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Hongju wondered if he would say something dangerous like betting himself like last time. Those guys would take anything if it was worth money. Mookyeong remained relaxed, as if Hongju’s sidelong glances were invisible to him.

“What shall we bet? Ah. How about Boss Mookyeong’s car? I know that when that car shows up, customers look out the window to get a look at it.”

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Manager Yang, who had been gathering the cards in one hand, immediately reacted to the provocation.

“Instead of something so boring, how about this?”

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Mookyeong tapped his right eye a few times.

“…What?”

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Manager Yang’s hand, which had been shuffling the cards, stopped. A cold silence descended on the table. The noisy sounds coming from beyond the hallway sounded distant. Manager Yang’s right eye, which was not covered by an eyepatch, glared coldly at Mookyeong. Mookyeong, in turn, smiled and tapped the cards Manager Yang was holding.

“If you don’t like it, we can call it even.”

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Manager Yang’s lips, tightly holding the cigarette, trembled. So did the hand holding the cards. It seemed like he would flip the table and throw a punch any minute, and sparks flew from his one remaining eye.

“Let’s go to school.”

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Hongju quickly threw a one-million-won bundle, breaking the tense atmosphere. Then, Doksa, who had been reading the room, made an unnecessary remark.

“Give it to the manager, give it! I’ll cut the deck. But isn’t Hongju going to be broke? Mijin noona said to triple it for her.”

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Doksa forcibly pulled Manager Yang’s arm and cut a few cards. As he watched, Hongju awkwardly curled up the corners of his mouth and glanced at Mookyeong. He shrugged as if nothing had happened and placed his bet.

Manager Yang dealt the cards one by one with an unusually slow hand.

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“Oh my, are you all having fun playing games?”

Just in time, Koo Bbing entered the room. He glanced at the table and then kneaded Doksa’s shoulder. His oily gaze looked down at the pile of money next to Doksa.

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“Even without tricks, a pro is a pro! Doksa has really cleaned up.”

Not even noticing Manager Yang’s hardened face, Koo Bbing spoke in a loud voice. As Manager Yang placed four cards on the floor in turn, each person picked up the card closest to them. Doksa began to stretch in an exaggerated manner without even checking his cards.

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‘Boss Mookyeong shouldn’t be reckless this round, at least.’ With that worry, just as Hongju was about to open his cards, Manager Yang, who seemed to be searching for something while fumbling with his shirt, spoke. “Hongju, do you have a lighter?”

“…What?”

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Doksa, who had been stretching his neck, looked at Hongju. Then he opened his eyes wide and hurriedly opened the cards in front of him.

‘Just sweep the pot with a June pair. The signal is when Manager Yang shuffles the cards and asks if the June holder has a lighter. It’s better if Doksa gets the cards, that’s the signal.’

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Hongju also quickly flipped over the cards that had been hidden under his palm.

“…..”

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Why is the June card in my hand? It was clear that Doksa was supposed to take this round.