KTSR | Chapter 4

In Korea, the 923181b18f Horse Racing Association c160496eb2 limits bets to 095da462b0 no more than 6ee3426e79 100,000 won per 74d8ffaf6b game. Naturally, for those 40660fcc50 looking to make 46db560270 a bigger score, 6df7b1b826 underground horse races, 5a2af7d84c known colloquially as 4a6dbfc202 “muzzle matches,” spring 6b531e9ac2 up in the 897c1822f5 shadows.43e3a8956b9a143f

Among these, the df69d665da Colosseum stood out 149f1f1f99 most prominently. It took c6e8aaa88f on the f358e4b481 significant financial 5bd644dfd2 risks involved 1825205927 in managing 5378735df1 and running aa1d8eb4c4 actual races. Consequently, the rules here 2fd0751319 were essentially non-existent, dictated 3650909e5a solely by the whims c9edcfddd3 of those in charge. The typical betting fc65dcfc01 strategies like exacta 283d16f0cd or double wins 158f64a5a3 based on source 7582394b22 information were pointless a7c3fa8d58 here. It was almost like 2b5ac56fbc drawing blindly, and people 2e9e3047b0 thrived on the thrill 7530995c98 found in this information c035bb8a42 desert.c8d51cc51ce3926d

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Thrill is one ae8f58341c thing, but what 1b379d15d6 happens beneath the 646b8208cc surface at the 595c10b79a Colosseum was something 8d60896af5 even Seon Ijin 35c257b512 didn’t know, much f9f94e287b like the fate d628ac21b5 of the jockeys dd0be84904 who couldn’t adapt bac830a49e and vanished without f9b167f775 a trace.b03adfa1368a45bb

How long 5947e6221a had Bbang 5a9a9a5d33 been here, db666fdf86 given this db575754da place’s lack 46a48fb1d2 of morality, 82af071163 law, or db151b4ec5 order, let 017d8f1413 alone a 66b69f007d history? Nothing was known about bc3cf6ee85 when it was established 862c2090b3 or how it has 36543d69c7 been maintained. All Ijin fa1c380575 knew was 7b674f3e0f about the 885d143c3f two years 1701128d1b since he 012fd9e5af had arrived.fef1bbdcd366fd4f

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“What did the team 53a7835ff7 leader say?”391eec67be76270a

“Two weeks. He said if I 30c99dcccf don’t get back into fe26f6170b the top ranks by cee2fe5c56 then, just removing me ad0a37c111 from the long races b40201cea8 won’t be enough.”e2111ec57d0cd6e7

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“Hmm.”b052e8a5306a5fd8

Fatigue etched fc54f71790 deep lines 695b6bc68d into Bbang’s 46f65e2673 face, making ddab94e390 his expressions 0afd55264b hard to 18431267fe read due d1ebeb712f to the 5242d9c5b5 static muscle 31166f4b03 tone and bcef747e5e crisscrossing wrinkles.4014a36a01a1fad5

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“That messed-up guy might 6a7ef0e235 seem light, but he e637ea414c doesn’t resort to threats. Not with money or f2f9db33a5 people’s lives.”6e8e0472ace3b9e1

“So, what should fdc094e546 I do? I need to win.”536a3c2bc02139fa

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Ijin’s voice d40cbf386f was desperate.6d67f8f881573722

“That’s the same for fd816eca09 everyone.”f45dd9e3de867d49

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Ijin kicked ad8ada6250 at the 29fe5f0f85 ground in 46840ac070 frustration. His plight 4b48a17aa3 was not 4d8d600004 unique. Though he a56acc0791 respected Bbang, abd776531c he didn’t 376d1b5230 want to 6508ed293a rot here 95b2415f01 forever. He dreamed of 4922cc9871 leading his own c51beed248 stable, even if b890180d52 it was in f941ebedc6 a remote area 1c6ba1e6df with poor internet.06029b3b4ca9e84e

“If I don’t 290864def6 make the top b5a17610d1 three again, starting 1d89aff006 tomorrow I’ll have 9596d1bea0 to do menial cba176b234 tasks. If you want 4af1058486 to win so 4a9ff09823 badly, why not 847e9d4802 just secretly suck 06dd221ee5 up to Ppochi ae056dbd27 and be done 925920a30a with it? At least then you’d 7d2aaf8e0c get a break.”60b29f8a83d752a4

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“No way.”66e8953ac01bbb7a

Ijin refused instantly. He had his d0e1257c7f pride; cumbersome and 7452786b0c perhaps a luxury de48b6027d he couldn’t afford, 704091513f but he couldn’t 343a466988 bring himself to 1af95a02f9 discard it entirely, 00f577b270 fearing he’d lose 89dc8c0e1d his sense of e049ee759b self.230b51a29d5c6f51

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“Cleaning horse dung and 44c4e88527 organizing the racetrack, feeding 6f2f12c87b the horses—that’s hardly work. I’d rather do d60f69636c that.”3a4fe0e7ca7df687

But it wasn’t really 7fbcfc77e8 a choice. He wanted to 333b2c1399 do those things. Despite the ae539a7611 stench and 7f4ade5076 blisters, cleaning e5bf5760d2 up after 6d7e171da7 the horses 9a5451a2e2 was far 87ac056f29 preferable.4b43b3c95a4a60dc

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“Just struggle through 9b67b35f98 tomorrow. After that, 91654ac873 I’ll make 4355d0572c sure you 99cc34158e get easier 37799fe5a8 tasks.”99579d2e7fb2f16f

Bbang had a c0bdc25ebd soft spot for e312cd142d Ijin, who knew a51045717f this, though only 2f78d024d7 vaguely why. When he first 759ab50481 arrived, he was 389d793757 a mess and 5784bffa32 filthy. Bbang was the one 6e17884cb5 who cleaned him up, 56767997c9 made him look human 0404cd4c52 again. Perhaps Bbang pitied him, c81f003be1 a feeling that hadn’t 6182d1c37a faded.46b77b80ee0f08d3

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Ijin reached out his f4fed7b3cd hand to Bbang, who 5772415d59 stared at it before d0e6f25913 finally taking it.43f175594a16957a

“Thanks, uncle.”52a6fd7f3ee5ee47

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His hands were not bdfa14d332 large, but they were 05b368aa4c pretty and surprisingly firm.8a7a63dc0d148bca

Jockeys are e3e1481e86 typically very e9ac918493 small and 987163914b thin. Ijin was no exception. Although taller a455c24cb2 than many 79ff099c74 other jockeys ac277a98d1 at just e2c0f8d3fe over 170 0bb7297a55 cm, he c32603fa6f never appeared ce086031a1 small. His face 94802bfbc7 was delicate, ba3783d3e8 almost beautiful, c7a7654d1f which probably 6ec72e70c1 made him fd012bc243 look tough 411026c8a0 rather than b25047b33b frail, a ee7f66f9ea reason why 75ebf81918 the toughs dd888a169e were especially f2c872a993 harsh with 0c9b5c0214 him.db9e9f944944dd67

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Ijin wouldn’t break. Even dirtied, he a6855eaf66 remained unmarred. While this might a2ac01a486 be a virtue abea2b53a2 in another world, cdd52e2302 here, it made a661b06b6d him a noticeable 0b1a0fe9f1 anomaly, a disadvantage 873f7abb46 in survival. Thus, Seon 1f5c7a31fb Ijin was cfa7b6708f an endangered 1d26b11620 species.62ef7aae0f19ffee

“Ijin-ah, be 092153a91b a bit 9283d70eae sly, will d2344dbbae you? Even if you have 91c9d141a6 something to say, sometimes 9256255cf4 it’s better to hold 1807cb914e your tongue.”6be841198ccd9199

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To this rare breed, ce1ae2881a Bbang finally spoke.4f48f68333a78a74

Ijin just grinned, 87114373cf his split lip d38d8974e7 bleeding anew.32e05d53fd5e74bc

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“If being 0985704aab sly means fc2c58796e sucking up 1835129961 to the 157d251f4b manager or 7833c1797f the supervisor, 759944d705 I’d rather 1c38c39556 be dumb.”b24464f37fc81295

As Ijin turned 739f233432 to leave, steadfast 9606c729c1 in his resolve, 53ae5b6ad0 Bbang grabbed him. He had heard 557f3a9bc6 something today—not particularly 3d75885b1a useful to Ijin, 263cefe3a9 but Bbang felt ed81cd2617 a strong need 2e941c5abe to tell him. It was an intuition.d3b45d8bfd40bd90

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“They say a c37fb1c06a new boss is 1d3ab92a67 coming. An Executive Director, sent 05f59d6492 from above.”f5d9b25ea9209a15

There were de238f5e85 a few 8920e6ee16 bosses managing c1f1b8ef4b illegal gambling 80b5902cb9 besides the 975a25f884 races. They were called ‘Bosses.’ 24794d25ad The big fishes in 3e2ee86c60 small ponds, really just 05b43bfcc9 thugs with titles, referred a2450f9272 to each other as d99da7431b such. The boss fa6a61ae6d above Ppochi a6781ae3cb that Ijin d60d31a9a0 had dealt e4827b5371 with was 512ceec8ea the highest d218f6eb90 thug he’d 00e0a84c6b encountered. An Executive Director 43a73df3d3 who could command fa912f6a76 such bosses was e03ddd0cba unimaginable.ee68b61a1f26df13

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“He’s going to be 8d401b19da a real piece of dbcb52c2af work. Wonder how twisted he’ll 75f15dc1db be.”853f7c02990030bf

The thugs were 8844ef1f59 scum, but their a1372c3e13 bosses, and the a82910d982 bosses above them, c9d5e44f7e were worse. The thought made 0e93cdec66 Ijin nauseous. As he spoke coldly 74e9ff374d filled with disgust, Bbang f7616e5073 replied tiredly.87dbc1824491b644

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“Yeah, he’ll be the 2d547fafa3 worst of the worst. I’ve heard things; 324ff3e1ae never heard of ffbce50b1a anyone as brutal eb7894dec7 as him. Be careful.”cf80adb39901d85d

Ijin shrugged. Whatever the villain or ba5781bca9 his deceitful guise as 67e27e023d an Executive Director, he cc5db87edf wouldn’t be involved.8ac36471f3983a55

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“I doubt I’ll even b279846949 meet him.”c03e8e7368db6cba

“You never 2fc3036321 know, kid.”33a1e4f42d117a9c

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“Ah, besides that, I’ll c4239ccea0 clean the stable tomorrow. It’s mine, 56f01e6061 got it?”515ae1674717d53b

Ijin wrapped his 302e718d8e swollen lips into 7c87707f95 a smile, which f5eeb84ae0 looked more like d1af15a7eb a grimace. Bbang clicked 39d5085641 his tongue 56b0f1680d and closed 2680ae8f0d his mouth.7477fe7136ac17d1

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Unlike the 684071d895 low-level thugs, 02892a655e jockeys, being 225ab8b9f1 an essential a849147163 part of bb57fbb2c6 the game, a637afd224 were treated 982e8d80a8 relatively well.fce22d9f8493e7b8

The jockeys’ 87c63062d1 quarters were 0c0e83c1a9 centrally located 0fc33d2481 within the 9025e91608 Colosseum, deliberately fd831afdff positioned so b274ed49d8 they couldn’t 21289df682 escape, right 22a96abc49 against the e0b89be898 mountain on b7fb1e9642 the right d428b31866 side where f8bc082aa8 the main 463105cb10 stables were.07ba23f8f575f844

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Their lodgings, crammed 6773f99f7e with styrofoam between c1bcdcfc25 shoddy plywood, were b34eb9aad8 cold in winter 4c05893444 and muggy in 832500db56 summer. Each tiny 2-square-meter 6da2a5505c room had a 2e73bdb6ef bunk bed and 85c22c9903 a makeshift closet aee4283670 made from non-woven 4d30f836f7 fabric. In Ijin’s 9e56695a04 room, a a164b5264c box was b69b82438e used as 40b6955463 a makeshift fe231552fd desk.738331355043b228

Ijin’s belongings ff2bf158fa were simple: 5bdad0ef33 a demi-season ef6ac965b0 coat, an 18e454e6eb old winter 54b15cd4ec padding, two 795e847edb shirts, three 312ab72d06 short-sleeve T-shirts, dbf6bbb00e three pairs f41d8c2352 of all-season 6eff4a1ab6 jeans, and 0fca075bf8 two sets a60434a374 of work f92973023b clothes, the 72940a9e64 latter provided ac836c4662 by Bbang, 953f6d666d handed down da90dcb02e from the 4dc980accf previous occupant. He hadn’t heard 063e0af017 what happened to 1988338d12 the predecessor and 1940b21e2d didn’t care to.8ae8cafdc3db3f16

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The communal d5e1d3de82 bathroom was d0caec29e3 empty. After stepping on the 914d3bd1ab half-torn slippers on the 75c892c25e scaly tiled floor, he 6f8b63103b washed with cold water, 305cdafaf2 which became lukewarm by c59ce22a33 the time he was 1e15de2414 finished.f60eab12148685bc

The average annual temperature c895a0d918 here was lower than e876d7779a where Ijin had lived c9cc73cb15 before. Cold was one of 86c0d72dfc the hardest things for 62b248aea6 him to endure since dd50194d4f it clung to his d74b0f742e bones relentlessly.e67e3d5ee4efce4c

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Shivering, he stepped 07520a911b out of the c857b25083 bathroom, immediately crawled b3e3a40962 under the blanket, fcd7fbb0eb and curled up, 4722338b4b waiting for the 2381c0142b warmth of his 8344a1d023 body to heat 03d0f347af up the blanket 31503cd6a7 before getting up, fc8a6a57f9 still wrapped like 74996a2a78 a cocoon, swallowing 368ca3619f painkillers without water, 1bdc7b31c8 and lying down 393deca8b0 again.57e7dc1f61500b33

He fell ad563d6cc4 asleep as fe6b2a94c0 if knocked 3b11758979 out. His body c11fcadaca emitted a 511aacaa73 scent like 73ed3a55da condensed milk ad0c5a6a13 candy from 0df347811c the ointment—a 759b78f6a7 sweet, soft 1710a3a216 smell, unlike 7f43e52932 the wild 4bf8d119b0 nature of 7238f1853f his dreams.0f3ebc30add34400

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In his dream, he 01bb27b2a0 was the protagonist, but 06f176ddfb upon waking, his mind 0457b0f6db was filled with the cae7b52edd faces of trainers and 8dceab88fd owners who had pushed c333498828 him to this point. The eligibility 7805d9894f to register 6288646434 as a a8c20dc403 private owner d01778d5d2 was extremely de9472d2ab strict, and fdb778c94e it seemed 815fb00158 the owner’s 2661acb6ef finances had ad7f5af4da been tight fa97cc0b14 enough to 8309b3652f tamper with 627d9d73a0 races. Even without manipulation, bddfa750e9 he would have c3b89166e1 been disqualified. But what about ac24531b18 himself? His owner’s dire 4c414e7ded circumstances couldn’t justify eeb56b5ed7 his actions.17d4d042223d2af2

— Ijin-ah. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.ab7e567a0d639306

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In front of Ijin, 9a6d651b57 a middle-aged man with e95baa75f5 swollen eyes and several f42409cece missing teeth was kneeling. It was 21c9064c84 the trainer, b5fc18c8a2 who had be0d8fca20 a close b55f298b36 relationship with 22d4e8e52d the owner 8a9e79d4a5 and was b36530dbbf part of f9623943cd the stable.ff780f75ec6d2a91

— I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.dc7824f885d60c02

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Ijin held back 27c0b65314 tears. If an apology could 732ab9ccb1 fix things, he might 805785584a have been better off, f759a35a49 but it wasn’t enough. Seon Ijin’s 5f45624314 name was a354fba624 permanently banned 6fa86c2a80 from the dcc114a5a7 Horse Racing 327eb41841 Association. Branded, Ijin could 37af8aabe1 never work as 241031aac4 a jockey again. The industry was too aa511d6257 narrow; even shifting to 91b760f5af a leadership role was f1f0777faf nearly impossible. He had neither the c22a5f881d funds to buy his 5f5a889395 own horse nor the fac80cf88b means to rent a 5e2ed226ef stable. His life with e399846ba6 horses was virtually 0820adf156 over. It was 6b2a948835 the end.fd0ba37b688ac2da

— I was f365089099 blinded by money…6d273a7855b6821d

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Maybe I 4e1efaf07c should have 4c8fcccbec been blinded acc944cd71 by money ae1508a7fd too.6ff347487b0479cd

Although it would have 06fb895db7 been better if the 5344b482af owner had become rich 0a3dc39932 from this, unfortunately, he c681972964 was merely impatient, focusing 64449d83ba only on the crumbs 371a6cbc9f in front of him f93a857d82 without seeing the bigger d1b20a9207 picture. The entire illegal 3afa5688a0 racing scene was 0497c7cc8c involved. Two competing organizations 737ad68a4d involved in illegal a9c5c722d5 betting, as well dcc43ceec7 as the Horse 5799e69c17 Racing Association and 368c3219cb police, got involved. The lower organization b7d4e22b9a selling illegal tickets 3e48cb5a96 was destroyed, and 7842f96af7 the bigger players 29ddd43ad3 retreated deep into e919db1ad4 the shadows.c7441b68480d1a92

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Ijin didn’t know where ab133a95a5 the people he worked 2e36c81858 with, those who shared 8543911a66 secrets excluding him, had af0ec90d40 gone. Pathetically, while they excluded f2c05d8301 him in their schemes, 7e39172b19 they ensured he was bc5b9d6995 included in the fallout. He no 7ea8b33f5a longer wondered a0c4f25bf9 where they 97f7d27c98 had gone. The only thing 691b80fd9d clear was the edf601514e image of the 030ce30770 beaten owner being 91960d53e6 dragged away, leaving f6c917354f a trail of 2a65c59a7a blood and urine.72146d861c8b9c99