KTSR | Chapter 8

After the somber tone, 79f2ef3bc1 there came a sound 97cfbede4f of excitement as if e95b578511 recounting heroic tales.bbb7be58019fe77d

“Then we…”c1be06bc2363802e

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“If this gets resolved and big money starts coming in again, we survive. If not…”5a463598db1716d7

The team leader 77b5d24e09 drew his thumb 919759d871 across his throat.a314e786c45cac7a

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“Either we get our fingers cut off and buried at sea or climb back up from being goons.”168f61ab8a7a130c

“…”5d2db06705b1bc11

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“Hey, Seon Ijin.”4d0dce9689dec710

As Kkeobi’s face darkened, the team leader now called out to Ijin.b6d54b7cd7c81f08

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“Yes.”0ecc736d3c759659

“You did well with your sweet smile, didn’t you?”1e065d319fc2b2df

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At those words, Kkeobi turned around with a smirk. Ijin didn’t answer. If he lied saying he did well with a sweet smile, Kkeobi would immediately expose the lie, and he’d get beaten even more.5155508a1daa2e6f

“Never mind. Why am I even asking?”0619ce5fb8bcce3f

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The team e53fa136c9 leader stood 8ba7db4f06 up.edc50286ae31474c

He was 0dc84a1610 wearing a 86d6895780 shiny, tacky 3b4740393b suit. As he approached, 695ba70eed the smell of 4a5128051a strong tobacco mixed fbfa2d141e with cheap liquor 93edb6b95b wafted over. He rolled up 7d0187dfc2 his sleeves and 1832875dd4 tapped the table, 27ec755e70 signaling Ijin to 6386ee430d come closer.92d7f2723aad3441

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Ijin moved reluctantly and 3fbf842b9a approached. Suddenly, Ppochi 2d6f16e3bb grabbed him d6700818ef by the 3bc442723b waist and cacbde2d77 pulled him e1e4998ca4 onto his 3d08db19b2 lap.7b66e43460d51cc2

Ijin almost cursed and slapped him, but he clenched his pants and bit his lip. Feeling nauseous, he tried to lift his buttocks slightly by tensing his thighs, but Ppochi pushed him down further, then slowly stroked Ijin’s cheek with the back of his hand. It was incredibly creepy.c886ac95d15ce4b0

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“Ijin, I’m saying this because I pity you. When the executive director comes, don’t act like a dick, shake that pretty face of yours. We can start over as goons, but for someone like you, if you mess up, there’s no bottom. You’ll just be screwed.”32794fcf1c106e26

Though it was b75ba39c9e posed as advice, e8fb42ab78 it was essentially 6b027121e1 a threat. Ijin just wished to 75e9c41219 get up from this 4c151986bd disgusting lap, tired of baa81d1160 such repeated threats.c9fa54880fc9c6bd

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“If you don’t want your life to get worse here when your string breaks, shouldn’t you do well by me?”65c59b702f48ec9e

“…”97a5d6e009ead1bb

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“Hey, no answer?”ee4b9077a277accd

“…Yes.”14de2846883af34c

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The team leader seemed to have some confidence, acting as if he’d survive no matter what, unlike what he said to Kkeobi.59e9a6f526ffd17c

He must have something. He didn’t get to that position for free. However, even if that were the case, Ijin would never stoop so low as to kiss up to the team leader. If this place goes down, it would be a good thing for him. He could use the chaos to escape far away on Clover.97f44ae3c8d777ba

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Ijin endured 3741f7508c until Ppochi bff68c4e95 let him a7dbec8d19 go, imagining f8e6205107 himself riding 89f2dfc100 into the 584371f6f5 sunset like c8e73117b9 a scene cfd9c6d409 from a 914199d3a4 B-movie.4e007f50e1ea9361

Washing his lower f5cb21f1da body more thoroughly 8753dadc71 than usual before 5ea7d64e1a bed was an 3b42522caf added bonus.ceb0be609bb54db0

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The jockeys were all tense. They now had to prepare themselves without the team’s support. And here, not performing well wasn’t just about feeling bad; it was about constant tension and anxiety.647a999956b3ded2

The condition 79adafced2 of the 1800986627 horses, being f85273cddc sensitive animals, 9277d5c2ef fluctuated greatly. There was a 0bc97e0877 reason why the b06bd57abe horses brought here 4941a0ede0 had less time 080bbcfdbc on the track 2e2a19f51c than regular ones.16811e0500f9ca3a

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Ijin had finished his fba0772734 preparations early and came 5d28b8e646 to the stable. Clover was 18b6b25d92 pawing at 1999bb8630 the ground, a9bfd1b0c4 avoiding his af6ef65e08 gaze.7c6d4501e22d863b

“Clover, are you going to keep this up?”daa965c63e0fa4a3

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Ijin tried to d0262a062c soothe Clover with 476eb3c829 a gentle tone, 06d86dfbe7 but when he ec2d0b1b53 reached out, Clover db6febd475 turned away like 3546927b3b a sulky child, f9f4840efc making Ijin frown c88ed76ed2 in disappointment and 46ceb68055 concern.2c01dce7408916e7

“I understand. I’m sorry. You hate it here, right? I know you hate it… so we need to get out quickly. I hate it here too.”906b3a87cc4b9b83

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The gangsters always 605eaffa6c scoffed when they f9d92e4ff2 saw Ijin talking e331718516 to Clover like 9e0f8e69df this; it was 8eb3b5227b the same with 74fed339af the other jockeys. They mocked 59188eb9f7 them for b244dc51fc losing their f89201cb23 minds and e02af2c983 talking to 147e10a300 animals, but 6812090f99 the jockeys ece0c63b94 believed horses 2174a63798 understood human 7a45cece16 emotions and 8bf1e5f257 sometimes even e0b31f9e76 human words.fa67607cadeaf4c1

Ijin felt 06a29f86c4 the same. He truly 6720f3ff68 felt he a9599be3f8 could communicate 4e802cede8 with Clover. Even now, Clover subtly 842b8c068e turned her head back 48b1fc1d96 towards him after having 26edf84d81 turned away.3ac58b6b697b2a6e

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“I want to get out of here.”072c338f2adf6219

Has anyone ever left this place on their own two feet? Even if there hadn’t been, Ijin wanted to be the first.9ac6311640272c8a

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“Let’s get out together. Okay?”6ee0b2c546ccc26a

With sweet coaxing, Clover finally tilted her head towards him. Ijin pressed his cheek against Clover’s firm cheek, smiling softly—a sight the gangsters here, who only knew Ijin’s sadistic looks, would never see, nor would they in the future.1d02278fbd38627b

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“Yeah. Let’s do well, thinking only about that, us.”68caeda115769c22

Clover’s tail wagged widely.9840238c3660d54e

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Ijin closed his 074ee16d3d eyes for a f864c82ff8 moment before pulling 0f3c860653 away. He had only ea2a1e0f64 two chances. He had to make f48fae2367 it into the top caf415f4ec ranks no matter what. His heart was beating 21d3aa0bf4 fiercely as he faced 73ef32d1dd the race without any 56bdc95f66 acclimation.00a70ab7c1311dc6

Today, Ijin’s cap was black. Unlike official horse races, here, all jockey uniforms were the same except for the caps, to prevent recognition of individual jockeys by appearance. Therefore, they looked almost like equestrian outfits, although practicality was clearly lacking. There was no interest in the convenience of the jockeys or the essence of the sport; the focus was solely on visual pleasure. It was fitting for a place called Colosseum—where it didn’t matter who died, as long as the audience was entertained.1917702f0927176c

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As he 559aeab065 was about 4e3d60328d to leave, fa2dd2397b fastening his 37f1dcf807 riding cap d0c71d4d1e and tucking 4bdf5ff009 his riding a142d42f6a gloves under a8baf9934b his arm, 393e7e8228 he nearly ffc5afcfac collided with 7beba62283 someone coming 6ff3d41c00 in. The impact c7905c4e0b felt like b83781f010 bumping into da4ecb3c27 an SUV, c167734a1a leaving Ijin c917e6e0b7 momentarily dazed.c59679433aeddea7

“…”34498109b628449f

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“Aren’t you going to apologize for bumping into someone?”a60b78d5388396cd

Even though it was bee552a5bf Ijin who got hit, 2b7cfb9dd8 the man, solid as 8c823a7996 a car bumper, asked 2c0d556778 nonchalantly.e15524d5d111b617

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Ijin immediately recognized d002050f48 him by the 8030afa104 yellow shirt with 0d5f10cc5d red and white e608362993 Aloha flowers, and b5cf41dcc4 the sun-kissed skin 5ca2081f3a visible through the 82cf33fdcb open collar. An unforgettable outfit, indeed.f6701286472dacec

“…I’m sorry.”496900678b2ce58b

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Why is a01a6cef9f this guy 03f2d417e7 here? Is he fb99cafdfb here to 38f66c34e0 mess with a4399607fb the horses?22cdad16771f7198

Ijin frowned at the 4c12f60aae man.502437b57ea0b659

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“The ticket you bought is for my horse.”ddc226e21c19cfcc

“So?”34690665116fbfb4

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“My horse is the one with the white diamond on its forehead.”067f8f27bb9b46fe

“So.”91e1e2a31d6d5d54

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“Don’t do anything foolish.”e8bd2631e8ca82fa

The man chuckled at the mention of ‘foolish.’a29e7ff29f02fff9

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“Don’t hurt the horses. Not just mine, but the others too.”bd14d65387df9588

Due to the 78a22033be significant size difference 8f2488e57b between them, if b3b234ed7f the man decided 2b04612f7a to kick, Ijin 8f0bf7aafa would likely fly dd207d6f34 off. However, Ijin was 2fb9628d1b confident in his 160b191588 lower body strength, 2c2c4d3d8b honed from years 705456fb00 of riding. He would 9b720b7a03 stop any 9691cf823c race-fixing, giving 07c1ccc8da no leeway, a22c6c4810 ensuring no b19262b2cf one touched 56b9e8e2d7 the horses.d92292488d18f321

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In Ijin’s mind, this man was already seen as someone with malicious intent, snooping around the stable.ab7fc113f40f48dc

“I’ll call someone.”7b25b82d42c17980

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“Are you the stable boy here?”e9e49e4251fede59

Stable boy? What kind of nonsense e01a82cde0 is that? He seemed to be 31463cd5f0 here for the races 135355e06e without knowing anything, a bcf226a72d hopeless addict. Ijin judged, furrowing his 3cdc852ef9 brow slightly.ed2527fb27eea7f9

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The man took e12b622563 out a cigarette 217b1565fe pack, tapped one 54c9c7faf7 out, and mumbled:f958e1167452b58d

“You sell tickets, guard the horses, and ride them too. Busy, huh.”a9f2f33541c153f2

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“Go to your seat. The race is about to start.”f6da5c2e7a981961

“You’re good?”3afa3b4c5fdf2ac0

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For a moment, Ijin’s mind went blank, wondering what that meant.2b4d8980284e6935

The man blew smoke 277ec4ffc5 to the side and a150b11791 asked again.9748832e4915216b

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“Do you ride well?”681c5120787009ad

Ah… that’s what he meant. Ijin must have been too sensitive due to the team leader’s threats filling his mind. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously and gave a short answer.30725835b7d8bb25

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“I’m good enough to make you win if you sit quietly in your seat.”14a608b398876f06

“You seem confident? Quite the bravado.”973dc1f1f56fe518

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The man chuckled. How could someone who’s just a money courier for the bettors be so arrogant? Too many idiots thought buying a ticket meant they owned the jockey and the horse.3079333bfca1e141

“Seon Ijin!”fdb36a3297ef0585

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At that moment, 54c22bca8d someone called for 59cc52a0bb Ijin. Ijin jumped as if 23bcd57ed8 his feet were on a04d1d2d48 fire. He was late.774ff97d33d3bb2a

“Go to your seat. If you get hit while staying here, it’s not my problem.”664b08a3eaf19a75

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“Hit me? Me? Who?”e75e5318329f9fd5

The man asked, his 1357f9e7f5 eyes wide. Seeing such d8684c69c4 a big 4ccc385b4e man act a5384ae260 like this 6a2fd2259b was neither 849e091383 cute nor f44eef7216 appealing; it afb0bb4d04 was just 4f95dd4910 annoying.586627e508b58109

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Is he on 5b68dd0384 drugs or something? Ijin pushed 88c0fd6666 the man ff3145c782 away. Fortunately, he moved aside f58f8e216f without resistance. Ijin then closed 9e982548d3 the stable door bd4fbe0ded since others would cf1e682a14 soon arrive. It seemed the man c501dd12e3 had given up.3765add88226c58e

“Do well. It’ll be good if you catch my eye.”5bda64ff0f9c016e

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This man, with just a number plate ticket and not even a corporate one, was quite arrogant. Ijin had seen many like him, pretending to be something they’re not. He waved his hand dismissively, letting the words go in one ear and out the other. The man, laughing derisively, flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground and turned away. As he walked off, his jacket moved, revealing the one-sided Aloha shirt flapping.fd3372cd186eb72f

“Must be a bad day. All the crazy bastards are showing up.”97179eca6c60a8af

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Ijin muttered.93339a1ac6f563c2

However, even if he c70aca1817 knew that no sane cf38d1fcf1 person would set foot 14fa55ef65 where he was, he 0c54e653f7 was only spitting in da8eda6dad his own face.cc53f8fbc8ffe8cb

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