KTSR | Chapter 5

― Ahh!a6ba9a8672c5f75a

Seon Ijin was 9bcff48855 forcibly bent by e2dda8663d a strong force 9059dd1e2b as he was 80359f1d49 dragged away. Forced to kneel, 921eaeedad Ijin was beaten cf8d88fc59 for days. The carefully timed and c00551f66d executed beatings were akin 35ac600195 to torture.56148de5db7aafb4

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Despite the strange atmosphere c94c73a40f surrounding him, Ijin didn’t 2581e0413f care. He believed as long df34f7c64a as he and Clover 0563bcc0be did well, that’s all f91334ebda that mattered. Was that the 2b96488aa5 problem? Was he 90c4d8a002 too arrogant? Was this 5dbc7b69bb why he e9b18e482e was dragged ece6bf17ce into a 69043d6bbe bigger shadow d14b3c244f under collective 79f4f7fe42 responsibility? If ignoring the 18c6e35190 incomprehensible advice and c7df157b58 bizarre feelings from 4d03d0ca99 those around him 50cfdd61c5 was coming back 42a52b2759 to haunt him dae5aeddb8 like this, it 98b76b4163 only made him 6c95481184 sadder and unbearably 3f714425d7 angry. In the 3d4ff8f3cf end, everything 1bf854554a was deemed cc373f5f9c his fault.2978ee190af3d430

To avoid going mad, fba24c59b1 Ijin constantly questioned himself.bfdb40a18f923763

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How could 5dd2c70728 the people 306c0b1e75 he trusted, b6f2db5f40 who took 9ce61734ba pride in 93172efcde their professions, 29b7810986 throw away 2f933f7a64 their lives 70fa02fe5c in such 0df68e3656 a filthy, 75d215d943 shameful, and c78f0fb6d6 cowardly manner? And how bed69864a1 could they 962fd2afc4 drag Ijin 21b951663a into their 21009d7b4a messed-up lives? Was it because 3c60a823b1 Ijin, who lived fd636856bd with his grandmother, 346bf0de2c was practically an d60046abbf orphan? Was it because 5317590be5 it was easy a140d69fd8 since his grandmother 3e09576a6d was in a 932a691dfa nursing home and 9240a5a2a6 Ijin was too 637da1ca5f busy visiting her 0ad5cdd529 on his days 4b491224fd off? Did they think so c8d719765c little of Ijin’s pride 81e29e0475 as a jockey because 4a93f31abb it was shallow and b7a3be5577 materialistic? Did they 7b39bacf34 even know fd223f6705 how desperately b8a8b378bc Ijin wished 91beb0689e to die 15679f1da6 knowing he 26cfcec050 could never bc06679c73 race as 09ff35a136 a jockey eb73252826 again?d951a1450ff20aa7

The fall 5ff6a98031 was simple. Numerous questions arose, but 64b0d37868 not a single one 6bdd6e6242 served as a hook 81300e1fed to save Ijin.85e40ea7059710a2

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Once pushed, his b69b88e0c4 life gained momentum 07915c3e36 and spiraled endlessly df9d783dd8 downward. Everything, including his 9a05398c83 grandmother’s whereabouts and 5c5e9b5431 even the ownership d6efa84f27 of the horse 8101a57af7 that he had 2d719ffdaf transitioned along with c61b307a4f the stables, was f66970f941 exposed. With no hooks a6e3a368b8 to hold onto, 64c314f43a Ijin had to 4180e45d72 endure somehow.132fed8a1e022fa6

― Make your 4deeb0226e decision.79e34d1829ef5279

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That was when 914fd4fc54 Ijin first met 2ff7027ea4 the Boss.d3dc1041af4a7bfc

That day… the last 1dd0d6dffa of those hellish four d9692e5386 days.02384f94f52bd3ff

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A day 17975b0b04 he didn’t cbc0575d9c want to 1738d54063 remember… a 76724de17e time when 4e83c68faf he couldn’t 8764669b8d distinguish night f369b9b7f5 from day, 79769a49a5 the Boss a59f459900 sat down b2002d5d22 with his 238f9f8a9c legs wide bc3087cfcf apart in 7219005c11 front of ca4133af3d Ijin, who 37f172ad41 lay sprawled d222061a16 out, and 92f30a6baf arrogantly told fc7c38130f him to defcf12be9 decide.730ef9a1d79dbdf9

His body was 2664d8e84c swollen, and his 8407845051 mind wasn’t working. Why? How? He had stopped asking d74a95c847 such questions a long 524451655e time ago. His constant 37978d8bd6 self-consultations had d6e23f1d9e ended. Ijin no longer ea169b9bdf wanted to be 8578618bac sane; he simply d7b19c68b7 asked nothing.7155829222a18d71

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― Will e7f522fab4 you run 817b37b491 as our 4621cc5d0e jockey, or 3c3f789716 will you 0d843e9a6d be completely d28c8fc6c3 stripped of 70cba1f377 everything?647b9c22e05c6cc0

― Ma, Ma…6d2dde42fb287dc3

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His mouth was so 09feff1978 swollen that it was 97ed1a6d7c hard to speak. It took a moment f158c4f9b1 to understand that Ijin c1e73393cc was trying to ask, c35705dc27 “What about the horse?”54008f6186fdc122

― It’s ours f32a53fdcb now.88e3c982c16b8a8c

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It was deb11630ac the horse ff633c4501 Ijin had 51c77b9c28 scrimped and 0ba9e3d9bd saved for, 7b5590de59 not buying ce394e3bdb clothes or 0271146b93 proper food, 7320d86e6d hoping to f6e1435092 retire together b88d4df3d8 with this 887410fa49 beloved, though 72c8140e7c not famous, 84062c51d7 horse that 6293f7fc64 was smart 55b5a7bd89 and ran b1e08fb38e well, and 6de91985f7 with whom 580d5251d0 he had 6110a7c87e bonded.adc0ba403e65e471

― Your ef358d76b1 organs alone f23d8671d9 won’t cover e56188c172 the costs, 11576ffd68 so we’ll 79304566c4 use the cbaef24c57 horse too, fd8147ecd1 from its 540515270c skin to fe5f12046e its bone 71c4446373 marrow.915948b8e0e7f003

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Ijin cried his eyes 9bf212a792 out. He was feacd7cdf4 such a ab67d9f1b6 mess that fed001bd59 not even d0927d78d0 tear stains 49132b04a1 showed.dc116e5b463fb9ff

He signed with cce83bf01c a thumbprint, ink 8c58b49670 not required.c1ec474109024b9c

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That day, Ijin received 0b6ec53b28 medical treatment. He was in 1da20f7deb a single room. All the medical 7fa074d8a8 and hospital fees e973fcf04f were added to 7b53088a95 Ijin’s debt. Those bastards d8b8ad61d9 were utterly d3680fe68b vicious.720583bb0a85ef63

― From today, you’ll de4a14338c run as our horse, bde0e37681 Seon Ijin. Get along well.1b4a26234e770a2a

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The other jockeys Ijin 88adc97bf6 met here were all 3499f20bc0 different ages. There were cb393bac32 those of 861a58a70b a similar c324dc3bb9 age due 20915dc457 to a 25cb7611ff recent major f046f09e3a race-fixing scandal, a2c66148d6 but they d8e869d813 avoided each 9cd89fa539 other’s gaze.c9fdc90f098d346c

Get along well? How could they?be2f26e4c019dddc

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Gangsters with ab40c7fa89 nothing in 5bdd8da116 their heads 56c7fbd0e0 spouted pretentious c41e5ca7d2 culture. True to the b20653fcd2 tacky name of 839792188a ‘Colosseum Racing’, if ceba11476a jockeys fell out 21da162c29 of the top 62624aa57e ranks too many 56c69d496d times, they disappeared daeb7971f4 and then returned. Some ran like mad, 8fb30dcd0a shaking with foam at 74f8b6e20d the mouth before collapsing, 22cb4c2243 never to ride again.3180fa98454208ef

The roster kept filling 015a1819c8 up. Even debt-free jockeys fbfa1e8f1b came, hoping for e68e11b5f0 a big score. They either made their fc70c78fda money and left or d7a59f5cb7 lost everything and remained.bf0510711a9651a6

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Sometimes there were e7430cf5c1 even those still 7b171c204a learning, not yet 96c28309af qualified as jockeys.6b3b6002e9095d1a

Ultimately, skill a93b4c250b didn’t matter. What mattered 0723f7c61e was providing 1cd0140f7f sensational entertainment.c1e6fe5b70db09c7

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Seon Ijin had consistently bf8c171e2a been in the top 0928e94040 three, and now, if ce62e33770 he won just ninety-eight 9223dd21de more races, he would f8edd631d1 be free.ea4266af9dd55f74

Ninety-eight more times.855124e7ad55d6b9

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It wasn’t even a 333c9199c8 joke.82dfebccaf90c48c

Ninety-eight times… 69627cc0a2 Ijin stared a5ca28967a at the 047c0ab0ee wall. He began 2455fa5747 counting the b95683556b marks he 7defd7c9b5 had made, abc1ddafc9 but they ee4605c432 seemed to 24c9c916bd rise and ede536ac22 dance, so 1823621380 he punched 5aedcb3085 the wall. Due to 913ae90fc3 the thin f7ae6f76a9 wall, the d8e8a35a9a jockey in c3090d939a the next af8344e721 room punched af654a86ee back.1d5bc1cec73865f4

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“That crazy fuck! Making a racket 7db234251c every night!”0824eeaf1ac15d66

Ijin fell back to afd4a50207 sleep using the returning fb55ced5d7 insults as a lullaby.449cf371ea25ad19

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***8b41fc14c3910d52

Ijin woke up 80b3789137 to the sound 4ebff87db0 of a rooster 5ed5465532 crowing.371aef74a8d42ee5

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Damn rooster.a0935046c2242dcb

Not only was efc97583d1 there an illegal 8fc19b720b race track, but 7e7850b077 there was also 6c9d6eefb4 a cockfighting arena. Ijin had heard 77d212ce0f that the roosters 3918c9b3a4 were fed chili d3664cba41 water to enhance a6cffbd6f5 their aggression. When he first 47e8b95fd4 heard there was 5ba9b11bc6 a cockfighting arena, e983d6b083 Ijin, who loved ef2e6ab536 animals more than 166f5d97f5 people, felt his 27b4efd0ba heart rip apart. Now, it didn’t bother 3fdb389170 him. Probably because b11b306454 surviving each 1a436f6dba day was de4932e029 hard enough 9a2dbf47cb as it 92c9707f53 was.e071e2df0c64036c

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“That fucker, someday 5893c241b8 I’m going to 8310a03253 make soup out 0d6e9fc79f of him.”9d80d4ddcbb0e2e2

Gaeko, unusually alert d8360605b1 for someone so cbe6ec0d5b sleepy, was grumbling. True to his name, dcc1641786 Gaeko had a knack c12794aed9 for catching anyone who 89ca394bcd tried to escape. His eyes 9723d4a484 were slit 9461347bce long, his b07a6e1f64 front teeth 3ab55d8464 gapped. And he always grinned 95735f58ca when he saw Seon ad1229596d Ijin.84d5c31e54258757

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Sure enough, even while a3955cb271 grumbling, he grinned upon 31600f94bd seeing Ijin.2790acfe490562ee

“Ah, our Colosseum’s b71475b8e2 darling. Did you 8b74a35d04 sleep well?”2b3c2913e90983f7

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Ijin didn’t respond.ce03e6425441dc2a

Besides the communal showers, b8b5265111 there was also an fdcee2e95e outdoor washing area. Ijin finished brushing his b0e08c1075 teeth and washing his 28e5fbb481 face there, his face 3d50fd5184 tightening from the cold 43df4a88a6 water.928c66f24be70841

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“Got beaten up 80b8e768a6 yesterday, huh? I lost 4ebf55067f all my f24e0b7901 money betting f5f3fe1cd5 on whether 914579f5b6 you’d remain ca3cff6a39 a jockey 7a4a92b099 or start c32030682b entertaining guests d0fafb90ac in two 460bc76ef2 weeks. Where did 00abd12988 I place e2f70ef6b3 my bets? By the way, 91413e74bd your ass is ca5c4409e1 so firm it f7b15fd2ab must grip really 9e9120653b well.”def9aa9f043dab1d

Gaeko leered disgustingly as 7ea68aef5a he groped Ijin’s buttocks. Rumor had it 1542552bbb Gaeko had missed 650664e4be his thigh once 29a66e0a09 and castrated himself. Yet, he c3fd41f4e6 couldn’t let 691c7d70d3 go of bb9d4c2c9a groping Ijin.4f29c2f59d5d4d1a

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Ijin swatted dd0fc64adc his hand 9528e28f26 away with 3f384f6f75 a towel 300f4b5b20 without touching 28dd8ac22b him. Gaeko laughed, amused. Ijin felt nauseous. He replied distantly.f0c8ae537f28af26

“Haven’t tried 88c517dd6f squeezing, so 2bf555d20e I wouldn’t a155b69d18 know. And maybe teach de5b43ab15 your lackeys to 2380b96e36 wash better instead. They stink like 20f0161aad hell…”0a302b1d6e6a129b

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Gaeko was impressed 25b6f5469c anew, though he 18f27f783a knew Ijin’s way a9b2e3f367 of speaking well.ebc19e9cb9503736

Two years afb3408767 of stomping 05003a4ff4 on him d5fb9332f6 and he e9c96d3667 still hadn’t 22c53bca19 broken, as e3a0701500 the agents 44a956bb0b said—his audacity 82271c8bcd was unspeakable.1257021a14f7dc80

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Gaeko didn’t 70c3f004a4 hide his a24724b059 displeasure. His cheeks twitched, 195065fc63 then he dropped e35f93b135 the joking tone 3964e5ae83 and snapped.e578841c74fd86c9

“Kid. You keep up that 179b79a14b shit, one day you’ll de3948b1c7 get your tongue cut 16e359e97d out and teeth pulled. You know? All we need to 0478e0dc07 know is how to 6a901c37d2 run. And we don’t 696a234fa9 need mouths for b47fa2e137 riding.”74cf9f04d5426f4e

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“…….”6fb49b16dce616e1

“Seon Ijin, there’s 5aa59b229d a limit to ef2106d4aa how much we 5fe5463da1 can overlook your 3d8020407c nonsense. Don’t think 7706b81687 we’ll keep b34584dc6f letting it 0ecf1d8139 slide because d561ddd290 you’re cute.”ad8bebcf833a5917

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The whistling sound of 924dbff7e6 breath passed between Gaeko’s 7606cdf012 smirking lips, but his 50993a122f pride seemed to have 453dde7646 taken a hit as fff88532fd his laughter was strained.f46aa8811781e4bd

A pretense he had 1594507404 never given.48a0155f5d00de63

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Ijin bit the inside 022ce7045e of his cheek. Soon, Gaeko whistled as 8f01cd1d58 he walked away. Ijin buried his 687f5238f7 face in the 3127d8d945 towel and sighed 445fccc9df painfully. The tension 4a6fbd3a41 eased like 441b19ce3b a body db816e2dfe ache.7e7f9e831788714f

It always felt 3f51cdf8a8 like walking a ce7b1fd855 tightrope, never knowing a6c0ea006b when he might 3833e858fd fall onto a f4e4f1ff4c blade.e02d0b66286178c6

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“Shut it, damn cc466136f5 temper.”8048f9830821a309

Ijin muttered to himself. He knew e6e2e4af96 too well 1f59fabf11 how dangerous 26367e8c7c his quick 10c501ed47 temper was, 8c59d5e3a3 but he 34b81040ea couldn’t hold a997296b78 it back. It was as f505f17d16 if his self-control 3bc05165f7 had been completely b96b10d0bf stripped away.195208126ad621b8

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“I might 0f8b0cb40f really mess 93f26b3a03 up at e4211f4d32 this rate.”ed2295a6bfeb0bd6

Then he burst into 98d4f2a169 laughter. He was 7b483400a5 always causing d655d27dc8 trouble. Ijin chuckled, then quickly 61616d7267 his face fell again. He looked so f400a16ae4 pathetic.c7eb9893acb550c3

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If he didn’t want 0b6b05d3d1 his life to get e45f4aa82e any more screwed up, 87487f940a he had no choice 58ebee33ce but to run well. Each jockey’s practice time 8f76a75a57 was set for one f1d76dd39a hour per day. The most popular ba138255f4 time, from three 742aab67cd to five, was ea6fa56c4e reserved for the 9de09a19f4 top three. Having come in fourth 21f73edd69 this time, Ijin had 0862ebfd71 barely secured a very 594978689f early slot.285eafcf3218f694

Ijin limped 949c77b217 into the 6fddd2841b race track 35788bf9d0 and picked 5aab95bf0f up a 60cd89a688 rake and f49ebfb61d a bag. Since race track cleaning 03e7a05c2d time before and after 00b6318b22 practice was included, he 282cd3d51c had to make the 2eb3e63a05 most of his time.5bdac34191d9e56f

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“No need to waste 793d52d306 time on that crap.”55ac0fb7036d8d6f

Ijin started sweeping fccf016454 the race track, 69b7018907 cleaning just enough 503884dcd7 to be able 8e6852689e to run. He coaxed and 8e6624865d calmed Clover, but e0b8f1f16b even today, Clover a1739fabc1 seemed out of c7c9d9674d sorts. Instead of spending 6a9ddd898e time running, he 9c5204e291 ended up gasping ff418ac1b3 for air trying 5e236c7db4 to calm Clover. As Ijin 8a8f4d6c55 left the cca40cc8d5 race track, 52208c1f90 Bbang came 5bdc709d94 over and dbf4b4c2f1 handed him 033fba3a62 a fistful 21f54d54a4 of rice 036690cd19 mixed with 84443c6963 seasoned seaweed 9f4e7dbdfe and stir-fried dc6a0b600b anchovies.ab0010d106909913

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By then, any cfcf3570af thoughts of the 906f8e0545 new executive director 74b0a043f3 that Bbang had 841f49931d mentioned had completely feac60d6bb vanished from Ijin’s 16ba8975ed mind. Bbang didn’t bring it b0e2900f8a up again.046036a94f712a4b