Chapter 2.1 - Russian Roulette (2)

House rules were different for each casino. In the case of the VIP room Hold’em game, a tip would be given to exchange chips one more time for less than the amount first exchanged after the flop card was opened. It was a device designed to prevent hostility to casinos with a high winning rate, but it was rare for those who simply came to enjoy a exchange of additional chips during the play, and it was possible to exchange money only once during the play, so most of the games ended after delaying the exchange until a good card came out. The slogan “Provided only once” not only wanted a cautious mind, but it also led to passive play. That was also common, but not universal. For example, it wasn’t like that when Kwon Taeha came yesterday.

A table was like a small world. Even if you were lucky, there was no guarantee that the other person’s luck would be worse than yours. When you had good cards, making you play with pride, the other party often swept the board with better cards than yours, and it was similar to the world I lived in that I had to hide my innermost emotions. I can’t bet a lot even if I had a full house in my hand.

“Would you like to place a bet?”

The opponent may also have a full house, or even more than that, like a straight flush, so you shouldn’t taste your victory that fast.

“Fold.”

Kwon Taeha ended the game without any worries. He wasn’t really concentrating on the game. No, more like he was more concentrated than the general public, but significantly lower than yesterday. I felt embarrassed because I was playing blind after I took out my lenses while I was preparing for the game. However, since I couldn’t see the man’s cards at all, I didn’t know which cards made him fold, call, or rise.

“Would you like to continue?”

Kwon Taeha looked down at the clock on his wrist.

“Let’s continue.”

After arranging the cards neatly to check their condition, the bottom of the clumped cards were pulled out and placed on top. I quickly shuffled the cards three times, split them in half, and crossed them into an arch shape. Kwon Taeha stared at my shuffled hand. Illegal gambling establishments commonly used cheating, but casinos never use rigged cards. Lenses were only used according to the capabilities of the hidden takers, and were given only after receiving a pass sign after thousands of games with the pit manager.

The truth was that I couldn’t manipulate the card arrangement on my own. I just couldn’t.

I didn’t think he was trying to question my card shuffle. It may be simply to kill the boring shuffle time or to get lost in other thoughts. I guessed it was the latter. The shuffle, which ended in about 10 seconds, was a short time to feel bored.

I handed out two cards and started a free flop (the first betting round). Kwon Taeha bet 50,000 on 10 black chips.

“The player and dealer’s bets have been placed. I’ll reveal the flop cards.“

The flop cards disclosed in the center were [◆A, ♣6, ♣3], and my card was [♥A, ♣J], which was a one pair formed with the two “A” cards. Kwon Taeha said “call” with two of his cards upside down.

As of now, the ‘A’ pair had a fairly high winning rate, so I had to follow his bet.

With Kwon Taeha asking to check1 after opening the fourth card [♥Q], I also finished the betting round after saying ‘check‘, too. Then, I revealed the river card.2

[♠7]

I looked at Kwon Taeha as my hand ended with a pair. With the released cards, Kwon Taeha was unlikely to have A among the two hidden cards. Since two A cards had already come out of the pile, chances were he would have another card in his hand, and it was likely that he didn’t have a pair. However, if two numbers of the released [6, 3, Q, and 7] matched with his cards, it was a two-pair victory for Kwon Taeha.

At the same time that I was wondering about his cards, he said.

“Dealer, do you have a lover?”

I thought we would just play, so the question he asked was surprising. In any situation, I had to keep a facial expression that said that I had no pairs. I laughed inside as I recalled the basic rules.

“I don’t.”

“I doubt Lee Kihyun is your only guest at night.”

I tried to figure out what his intentions were. He hired a call girl named Kang Joohee to approach me and mention the hidden takers, but there was no way the call girl could know the inside story of the casino VIP room. I wasn’t sure if that man knew about the lens, but my alarm was still ringing.

“How much did you earn?”

“Would you like to place a bet?”

No matter what Kwon Taeha wanted, that was the only thing that could come out of my mouth.

I won’t follow you.

He tapped on the back of his cards and looked at me. I felt like he would stop the game until he got an answer from my mouth.

“If you don’t decide within five seconds, I’ll consider it a fold.”

“You’re tough, Mr. Bare Dealer. I’ll call, so just tell me why you were so slow.“

“I was counting the number of people.”

Kwon Taeha laughed as if he couldn’t stand the sudden burst.

“So, how many?”

“If you want to have a private conversation with me, purchase it. The dealer will fold.“

I could have looked insolent, but I knew that the man wouldn’t get angry. He was a person who would buy my body one night if he wanted to, and if he was satisfied with the price, he could pay off all of my debt. However, I knew very well he wouldn’t. What he wanted was a Joo Hawon in debt, not a free Joo Hawon.

In a way, it was similar to charity.

Those who have it get the attention of gratitude and admiration by throwing bread at the hungry crowd in poverty, and making those who fill their stomachs for a while starve again, and repeat throwing crumps of bread.

The poor gathered poured out all kinds of flattery and sweet talk to the bread giver. The poor earned bread by selling their pride, and the rich got satisfaction to fill their pride. Those who have bread never give enough for the crowd to distribute because they know that if they filled those stomachs, the crowd would leave. That was what all the VIPs I had seen were like.

“What do you think my rank is?”

He pointed to his cards to see, without any intention of buying time with me privately.

“It is unlikely that you have any pairs, based on probability.”

“So why did you fold?”

“I trusted my instincts.”

Kwon Taeha turned the card upside down, eyesmiling. In general, it was polite not to show the cards when one side folded.

If I folded (=die) when my hand was better, I would feel unfair and psychologically shaken in the next game.

Two pairs.

Anyway, it was a game that Kwon Taeha won. It’s just that the stakes didn’t grow because I didn’t keep up with the betting. As soon as I tried to retrieve the cards and start the shuffle, a man dressed in a changpao approached him.

The top, embroidered with a gold dragon starting from the neckline to the chest, was closely attached to the body, giving off a strange atmosphere. When the man bent toward Kwon Taeha, I could sense a sweet scent.

He looked like an errand boy, not a VIP, just by his appearance. The man whispered some words in Kwon Taeha’s ear and handed something to him. I deliberately took my eyes off them and organized the chips. The casino’s VIP Room wasn’t only a private residence for the upper class, but also a place where backdoor transactions came and went. Today, I realized that Kwon Taeha’s purpose for visiting the VIP room wasn’t just a card game. Given that the name of the reservation wasn’t Kwon Taeha, it wasn’t an open meeting.

The man wearing a changpao, as he had finished his work, raised his back and nodded to me. It was a sign that meant he was sorry for stopping the game. I smiled back at him to show that it was okay.

“Would you like to stop playing today’s game?”

“Why?”

Instead of saying straight-forward, “You’ve done your business already, leave”, I said it indirectly.

“You look tired.”

“That’s not nice to say to someone who has just come here.”

“Then, shall we go ahead?”

“It’s definitely boring.”

He muttered something as if he was talking to himself.

The dark gray eyes seemed to sink black. I didn’t feel it until then, but there was a strangely boring look on my face. I put my hands neatly on the table waiting for his instructions.

“Clear the table.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I saw Kwon Taeha getting up from his seat as I was collecting the remaining chips. Tak, he put his hand on the table and bent over toward me. I stopped stacking chips and made eye contact with him. He lowered his gaze into my vest pocket and slowly blinked as if he were lost in thought. Soon, he looked at me again.

“Don’t do that next time.”

We were so close that I forgot to breathe.

“I like playing disadvantageous games, too.”

It felt like his voice tightened the nape of my neck, which ended after I thought “no way”. I was sure that he knew that I had a device to see the cards, and he was telling me to use them as much as I wanted.

How come you know that? Why did you approach me again with Kang Joohee?

If I expressed my agitation even for a little while, it seemed like that favor would turn into malice. That man was silent even though he knew it, and I also urged my senses to remain silent. If I were to mention the hidden takers, it would be like admitting the existence of the hidden takers, and it would be a disadvantageous game that would lead to the lens. I couldn’t ask or answer anything.

I wanted to find an answer to a series of questions, but I just smiled as if I had no idea. If either one of us opened our mouths, a tug-of-war of tension would be cut off at once, and what would come back by inertia would only hit me.

At the same time, he smiled face to face.

“Take this. It’s a gift from Lee Kihyun.“

Kwon Taeha took off the hand pressing the table. I wasn’t happy that it was Lee Kihyun’s gift, but on the other hand, I was glad that he didn’t dig into the lens anymore. I let out a shallow breath.

After saying farewell to Kwon Taeha, who was leaving the VIP room, I lowered my eyes to the table. There was a hotel card key on a check. As I held it in my hand, the man stood in front of the open door and was looking at me. The thick cigarette smoke mixed with the lighting moved in front of my eyes. I couldn’t understand the man’s insistence that he liked unfavorable games.

***

I swung the check between my index finger and middle finger. It was just a list of numbers, but the weight was enormous. It was a 100 million won check issued by Lee Kihyun’s steel company. His father’s company, to be exact.

I stood there for 30 minutes in front of Lee Kihyun’s room. I had already repeated fiddling with the card key several times while looking at the check. The answer had already been seated since I walked down the aisle.

Bip, I unlocked the door with the card key. As I took a step inside, the smell of the cold air mixed with sex stuck to my skin. I felt the unpleasantness as there was sticky gel throughout the room. Several pairs of men and women rolled up on the sofa and floor, and even the lights shining on them glowed lewdly. I stayed at the entrance for a while, as if I were standing outside the room. Lee Kihyun, who was touching a woman’s chest with his hand, suddenly raised his head. He frowned and checked me before approaching me with his clothes all messed up.

“My pretty boy is here. You should have said something when you arrived. When did you get here?“

Whether it was alcohol or drugs, Lee Kihyun, who was too drunk, hugged my waist.

“I’m here to return the check.”

“Why? Fuck, is that not enough?”

Mocking me, he squeezed my butt tightly.

“It’s too much money for me, so I’m going to give it back.”

“What the… You’re crazy! Are you on drugs? No, that was me. I brought some really good drugs for you. Shall we take one before we start? Hey! Taejeong-ah! Han Taejeong!“

Lee Kihyun, who called one of the people over there, waved his hand. In the meantime, I got out of his arms. What? Where did this bastard go? The guy who looked down at my empty hand had a face that said that. I took out my cell phone and put the check in Kihyun’s hand, and took a picture for evidence.

“It’s proof that I gave it back.”

I also told a man named Taejeong who came to us.

“Please check the check I returned.”

“Isn’t it enough? Do you want more? You’ve got dozens of times more than the rest. Aren’t you being too much?“

I had also seen the man named Han Taejeong in the VIP room several times. Those who were naked and enjoying crazy sex also bought it with money. He must have spent a lot of money since it had at least eight ceros. An advertisement model I saw on TV seemed to be in there, but I quickly erased that from my mind. It was quite common to see local and foreign celebrities coming with their chaebol lovers to a VIP room.

“No, I’m sorry to bother you. Ugh!“

The moment was followed by a jaw-dropping shock. Lee Kihyun was about to grab my hair and drag me inside. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard. As soon as I pushed his wrist, Lee Kihyun’s body trembled greatly.

“You motherfucker.”

He shook his head while his pupils couldn’t focus and spat out swear words.

“Hey, don’t let this bitch leave.”

Lee Kihyun tapped Han Taejeong’s forearm. No matter how bad they were, they were divided in classes. The head of a total of four gangsters I saw was Lee Kihyun, and Han Taejeong was just below him. Then, what about Kwon Taeha? It was hard to say that he was under Lee Kihyun from yesterday’s appearance. Much less yesterday and today, I lost money, but he didn’t seem to have won the game perfectly. This was because there was a question that wasn’t solved: the existence of Kang Joohee and how he knew about hidden takers.

Perhaps thanks to the rush, Han Taejeong helped Lee Kihyun, who was exhausted. Han Taejeong brought him to the sofa and walked back with only his gown on. He also seemed to be in a difficult situation. I was worried that Lee Kihyun would cause trouble if I just let him go.

“You can get caught if you act like a rat. Don’t you know how scary he can be?“

Han Taejeong chose to threaten me.

I was also very well aware of Lee Kihyun’s anecdote. Even though he looked like such a jerk, he always used a condom when he had sex with a woman. A call girl he was playing with was once pregnant with Lee Kihyun by secretly putting the semen in the condom, and the call girl, who announced her pregnancy, has been missing since then. Everyone chatted about the gossip. I was sure she was dead. No matter how call girl she was, he even killed his own mother.

“I’d appreciate it if you could tell him that he was so high that I was scared.”

“What?”

“The last time, he even choked me when he was on drugs.”

“Ah… this is driving me crazy…“

“Then, I’ll get going.”

Hey, I heard that I was called, but I didn’t look back. I walked slowly down the hallway because no one would chase me out in a gown.

The last time I had sex with Kihyun Lee was four months ago. If the road under my feet had not been a cliff, I would have made a different choice. I needed money, and Lee Kihyun was the only one who could give that much. After putting out the urgent fire, I felt ashamed as if I had been hit by cold water, but even if I went back to that day, the choice would probably have been the same.

Don’t you know how scary he can be?

Han Taejeong’s serious voice lingered in my ear, leading to a dejected smile.

What’s there to be afraid of? Rumors had already been circulating among dealers in the dark. It wasn’t Lee Kihyun who got rid of the pregnant call girl, but his parents. No matter how rich his family was, he couldn’t be reckless. He was not an idiot to take risks to get a mere male body, because he was wary of his parents, as they were the ones who gave him money. In other words, he was a coward.

If I had been blinded by the 100 million won and had participated in that swap party, it would have been natural to need to rest for days. Maybe I would have been disabled for the rest of my life. They gave me 100 million won, but they weren’t the ones who would let me go in good shape. Even so, I refused his proposal, so I thought I had to save money for a while. What worried me more than that was Kwon Taeha. There seemed to be something different compared to Lee Kihyun’s gang, who showed clear intentions. The absence of him at that swap party also played a part.