3.1 Crazy Excitement

“Is the opening bet just ten thousand won?”

“Yes. Sometimes we bet higher for a settlement, but we never go below ten thousand.”

Room 3. CEO Chu, who had seated me right next to him, asked Kim Jeong-suk about the rules of the place.

“Anything else?”

“Nothing. It’s the same as everywhere else.”

“The betting.”

“Strictly maxim full betting. We hit it with a multiplier of three.”

Maxim full betting. It meant they didn’t do half-betting. A multiplier of three meant that when raising or calling, the amount bet to increase the pot was literally three times the previous bet. For example, if the person before bet 100,000 won, the player wanting to grow the pot had to bet as follows: a raise, ten received and thirty more. Whether it was baduki or poker or hulla, the rule here at Mugwang was full betting with a multiplier of three. Because of this, the pot grew in an instant.

“How is the dealer decided?”

“We rotate fairly. Would you like to try?”

“Forget it. Just let the madam do it.”

Since he had a cigarette in his mouth, smoke billowed out every time CEO Chu spoke. The hulking Jang-bae stood behind his master with his hands behind his back, watching this way as if monitoring. It felt like he was guarding me so I couldn’t escape, and I broke into a cold sweat.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, but this is the first time we’ve met. I’m Park Deok-hyun. By the way, our CEO here seems to work out quite a bit, doesn’t he? His height, and wow, that physique is impressive.”

“I do a bit just to stay alive.”

“I thought so. He doesn’t look like he was just born with a body like that.”

President Park, who ran a small heavy equipment company, spoke to CEO Chu while dealing cards to Kim Jeong-suk. His face showed genuine admiration upon seeing CEO Chu’s massive and solid frame.

“I mean, looking at how the chest sticks out, those forearms, and that highway laid across the shoulders, it looks like you’ve worked out for at least ten years regardless of what else you do. Am I right?”

“The shoulders are genetic. You can think whatever you want about the rest, President Park.”

“Genetic? Well, the frame has to be good for the masterpiece to come out well. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m also in construction, but I’m such a small fry that my business card isn’t worth mentioning.”

“Ah, is that so.”

“But have you played baduki much? This isn’t your first time, is it?”

CEO Chu, who had slid his hand down my back, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and answered indifferently, as he had been doing.

“I’m at a level where I can keep the game going, so just play as you usually do. Just don’t fleece me too badly.”

“Haha, would I ever do such a thing?”

It was around two o’clock now, and since CEO Chu said he would only stay for one round, my fate would be decided in two hours when that round ended. Would I obediently take his cock, or would I stir up a chaotic mess that even CEO Chu couldn’t handle? I was driven nearly mad with anxiety, as if standing at a crossroads of life and death.

Six of us, including me, sat at the round table. The table would have been spacious if not for CEO Chu, but because he occupied the center, it became so narrow that our shoulders touched. So, imagine how it was for me, sitting next to him. Furthermore, the obese President Ko from the butcher shop sat to my right, making the space so tight that I couldn’t even lean away. Even a slight movement from President Ko would push my shoulder toward CEO Chu.

Since there weren’t enough cards for six people to play, I just sat there. This wasn’t a common occurrence, so I felt awkward and out of place. Because President Ko was watching me with an annoyed look, even blinking felt unnatural and uncomfortable. On the other hand, CEO Chu seemed quite pleased, as if he had received a firm confirmation that I would suck his cock. Out of house etiquette, he kept both hands on the table and didn’t touch me directly, but I could feel a clear arousal emanating from the physical contact of our shoulders and thighs.

“Let’s start.”

Kim Jeong-suk, the dealer, dealt four cards to each person and began the first betting round. After betting came the turn to exchange cards.

“Now, let’s have breakfast. I’ll cut first.”

Saying so, Kim Jeong-suk exchanged one of his cards and announced, “I’m a tap.”

In baduki, players can exchange cards during three turns called breakfast, lunch, and dinner; this is referred to as a ‘cut.’ Exchanging one card is a tap, two is a two-ka, and three is a three-ka. If you change nothing, it’s a stay, and if you change all four cards, you call a box. The goal is to receive new cards and match the hand with different suits. The lower the numbers, the better.

Kang Moon-soo, who followed Kim Jeong-suk, called a tap as if they were soulmates, President Park called a two-ka, CEO Chu called a stay, and President Ko, with a scowl, called a box, grumbling, “It’s not like I’m a dog, why are they giving me so much food?”

I stole a glance at CEO Chu’s cards and accidentally made eye contact. He gave me a smirk and leaned his head against mine. His voice, in a very low tone, reached me softly.

“You must be exhausted. How many hours have you worked so far?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“Fine, my ass. Your eyes are glazed over like someone about to die.”

“….”

“I came here thinking I’d just get one off, but I’m glad I did. Once this is over, come out with me. I’ll let you sleep soundly.”

“…Excuse me?”

When I reflexively asked back with wide eyes, CEO Chu chuckled and turned his head. “Don’t be so surprised.” Then he called a ‘call.’

My heart began to beat frantically. In an instant, it had changed from sucking cock to sleeping together—fuck, who could possibly stay calm! My throat was parched, so I gulped down the bottled water that had been brought for CEO Chu. Opposite me, Kang Moon-soo openly mocked me, covering his mouth with his hand. Then, glancing at Jang-bae, he secretly slid his middle finger in and out of his mouth. That son of a bitch…! Just as I felt a surge of anger, Kim Jeong-suk spoke.

“Let’s have lunch. Cut.”

Kang Moon-soo looked down at his cards with a nonchalant expression, as if nothing had happened. He called a stay, pretending to focus only on his cards as if he had never scratched at my nerves.

While my insides were boiling, the game continued. In the first round, President Ko luckily won and took about two million won. His face, already red as if drunk, turned even redder with ecstasy and excitement. “Fuck, this is how it should be!” President Ko’s shoulder, smelling of armpits, kept bumping into me roughly.

I truly wanted to escape from here. There were lunatics scattered everywhere. CEO Chu, who kept me stuck to his side like an accessory, was especially crazed.

In between, he frequently spoke to me. Leaning in close, he whispered lewd things in a soft tone that gave me goosebumps.

“By the way, why did you change your pants? Those other ones were pretty.”

“That’s… because they were pajamas….”

“Pajamas? I guess you sleep with clothes on. I sleep with my dick completely out.”

“….”

President Park glanced over, perhaps having heard the word ‘dick.’ Regardless, CEO Chu leaned in so close that his lips almost touched my cheek and continued to whisper.

“Well, we can get used to that over time. Either way, you did well. What’s so great about walking around with it exposed? From now on, wear long ones when I’m not around. When I saw it, I felt that it’s not something to be shown carelessly. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

His scent wafted over me incessantly, and my face grew hot. The number of times my face heated up and cooled down was probably as frequent as a grill at a meat restaurant. It happened so often that my skin felt tighter than when I didn’t apply lotion in winter.

“You look even prettier as the night goes on.”

“…Th-thank you.”

“If I lay you down, it’ll be a massacre. Fuck, I bet you’ll cum the moment you’re pinned underneath.”

“….”

I had heard countless dirty jokes before, but CEO unauthorized copyChu was the first person whose words contained 100% sincerity visit our sitewithout [unauthorized copy]a hint of playfulness. I couldn’t dismiss a single word. Especially…

“Since we’re on the subject, shall we try it today? Without touching your dick, just looking at your face, to see if I cum or not. I’m game. How about you?”

Especially words like those.

Even in the midst of this chaos, I noticed something strange: CEO Chu seemed to be losing on purpose. Even when he held a strong hand that could clearly win, he would call a ‘die’ at the end, or he would drag a hand with little chance of winning until the very end, aggressively raising the pot. My suspicion, which I had been trying to dismiss, turned into a conviction—’This bastard is doing this on purpose!’—when I saw him call a ‘die’ while holding a rare golf hand. Everyone’s hands were strong, and the money on the line for that round exceeded twenty million. That money, damn it, ended up going to Kim Jeong-suk.

Again, CEO Chu called a ‘die’ and flipped over cards that had formed a ‘made’ hand. He furrowed his brow, though I couldn’t tell if he was acting. Then he looked at me and smirked.

Even though I wasn’t the one playing, I couldn’t control my expression out of regret and stared intently at CEO Chu’s profile. Why? For what? He certainly didn’t come here to give alms to pitiful people. The money CEO Chu had lost so far was at least 30 or 40 million. In Kim Jeong-suk’s house, this was by no means a small amount.

Today, the players were unusually lucky with their hands, and the pot was trending upward. Ten million won coming and going was basic.

As everyone’s tension escalated, the irritability of President Ko, who didn’t know how to call a ‘die,’ also increased. In this situation, CEO Chu had lost all the two million in cash he brought and was now borrowing from Yoo Gi-cheol. Thanks to that, my mind became increasingly troubled.

From my experience, I could tell if someone was a novice just by the way they held their cards, and Chu Gi-oh, while not a professional gambler, was far beyond an intermediate level. The hands he drew were consistently strong; it wasn’t the skill of someone who had only played once or twice. That meant, unless he had some other motive, why would he just throw his money away…?

“Wow. You’re staring.”

Feeling my gaze, he turned to me and spoke. Only then did I realize my behavior was risky and quickly averted my stolen contenteyes. Except for President Ko, everyone was shrewd, and they could read CEO Chu’s hand [Read on Read BL Novels]just by looking at my expression. I resolved not to glance sideways again until the end, but just like before, [stolen content]CEO Chu’s face pressed close to mine. Then, a whispering voice poured from his lips. In a tone that was affectionate and soothing.

“I know. Why wouldn’t you want to? Fuck, I’m about to die because I want to suck yours so bad.”

That’s not it, I’ve never thought that—the words spun in my throat without coming out. Because I kept swallowing the words I wanted to speak, my throat felt raw, as if I had a cold. It hurt. Unaware of this, Chu Gi-oh continued to spout filth. Still, knowing how to be discreet, he spoke very quietly so only I could hear.

“My dick is on the verge of bursting right now. Just because of you. Do you know that?”

Moving the cards to his left hand, he guided my hand under the table toward his dick. He made me rub the distinct outline, whispering intensely.

“This. I’ll let you do whatever you want with it later. This real-deal dick.”

“….”

“Suck it or shove it, play with it however you fucking feel like. I’ll handle all of it, so don’t feel burdened. Got it?”

“…Hic.”

In an instant, a sound escaped my lips involuntarily. Unable to overcome the urge to cry, I let out a noise. For a moment, everyone looked at me. Kang Moon-soo narrowed his eyes. Kim Jeong-suk looked down toward the bottom of the table. President Park, lighting a cigarette, asked indifferently, “Are you sick?” and President Ko, true to his irritable nature, said, “If your stomach hurts, go take a shit. Fuck, don’t ruin my luck by whining next to me.”

The only person who remained still was Chu Gi-oh. No, not still. Now he was acting out loud enough for everyone to hear, “Wow. Can’t you take it? Should we visit our sitejust get up now?” Then, perhaps annoyed by President Ko’s words, he suddenly turned cold and said, “By the way. Does our President Ko always speak like a piece of shit? All that [unauthorized copy]fucking and shitting since a while ago, he’s really pushing people’s buttons.”

President Ko, knowing what kind of group Gimun was, quickly waved his hands at CEO Chu’s words. “I-I’m sorry. I get a bit sensitive when I’m playing cards. Especially since I keep losing money today.”

“Who the fuck is keeping their mouth shut just because they won money? If we’re counting, I’ve lost way more, haven’t I? Huh?”

“I-I’ll be careful.”

“Don’t speak so crudely. Someone might get murdered.”

“Yes, yes.”

At this point, I felt I really had to get up. It would soon be the end of the one round CEO Chu mentioned. For now, I felt I needed to escape this place and seriously think about what to do next. I carefully rose from the chair and said in a fading voice.

“I’ll… just go to the restroom for a moment.”

As I stepped away, my forearm was suddenly grabbed. CEO Chu, whose eyes had turned bloodshot in an instant, held me and looked up at me.

“Should I follow you?”

It was a voice as rough and hot as scraping metal. My head shook violently on its own.

“…N-no. I-I’ll be back quickly.”

“I’m incredibly horny.”

“…What?”

“I said don’t make me wait.”

“….”

Taking the release of the hand, which was hotter than his voice, as a signal, I turned and left the room. I could faintly hear CEO Chu’s voice from behind.

“Let’s do one last round.”

As I sprinted down the hallway, I glanced back and saw Jang-bae following. His face under the dim lighting was terrifyingly scary, so I naturally increased my pace. Before I knew it, I was running away.

I quickly ducked into the restroom located next to the end room and hid. I locked the door to prevent anyone from entering and stepped back a few paces. My heart was pounding as if it would burst. My mind was dizzy, as if hundreds or thousands of ragworms were tangled and moving. What do I do now? What am I supposed to do?

I felt I couldn’t possibly go out the door where Jang-bae was, but escaping through [Read on Read BL Novels]the back door connected to stolen contentthe restroom [visit our site]made me fear the aftermath. Just as I was clutching my head with both hands, the locked doorknob rattled. …It must be Jang-bae. After a moment, the man standing beyond the door revealed himself.

“Why’d you lock the door? Hey, you’re in there, right?”

It was indeed Jang-bae. I deliberately flushed the toilet and replied, “Huh? Yes. I’m, uh, taking a shit right now…!”

I heard a mutter of “Ah, this little shit” from outside, and then the door was pounded violently. Then Jang-bae spoke in an irritated voice.

“Hurry up and finish and come out.”

“Yes. I-I understand.”

I carefully approached the door and listened. I heard the sound of footsteps moving away very faintly. This was my only chance to escape. I was terrified of CEO Chu, who had spent his precious time chasing me all the way here, but I couldn’t just be dragged away and undergo that. No matter how much my life resembled a sink drain clogged with hair, I wasn’t so greasy that I had to live by sucking someone else’s dick. One dick to look at and touch—my own—was enough.

Panting anxiously, I went to the back door with a ‘fuck it’ mentality. I opened the door, stepped out, and ran up the stairs leading to the ground level. In all my life, this was the first time I had run away not because I was hounded by debt collectors, but because I didn’t want to eat a dick. They said the fate of those who suck men’s dicks is to live long lives, but that was a total lie. It was more accurate to say one dies young because of a man’s dick.

I raced up the stairs and burst out of the building into the low-lying dawn air. I almost tried to escape in a coffee shop car, but instead, I entered a public restroom in the building next door. It was because I might be unlucky and get caught running in the street, and I felt I needed to create at least one excuse. ‘I flushed the toilet while taking a shit, but the toilet ended up clogged. I felt it wasn’t human to keep shitting on top of it, so I had no choice but to use the restroom in another building. That’s all, CEO. I absolutely did not run away to avoid you. Truly.’ Of course, unless Chu Gi-oh was a complete idiot, this excuse would never work.

Because drunk people had left their waste everywhere, the inside of the restroom reeked of a foul stench. In the darkness, I opened the doors of each stall and entered the one that smelled the least, locking the door behind me. I was afraid of tomorrow, but a no was a no.

Suddenly, my hip felt heavy. Feeling around with my hand, I found the wallet I had received this morning in my back pocket. I only noticed it now. I had been sitting on this for [visit our site]two hours in a chair [Read on Read BL Novels]with an uneven height. Of course, I hadn’t been in a state of mind to feel anything because of CEO Chu, who had been relentlessly pushing me in a perverted manner.

I pulled out my wallet and crouched down in a corner. I had checked the money inside a while ago. The amount was identical to the tip I received yesterday. 2.4 million won, minus the cost of coffee. If I were a woman, I might have been touched and thought, ‘Our Chu Gi-oh, he’s more of a romantic than he looks. What a warm-hearted man.’ But as you can see, I was a man. Which meant it looked like nothing more than madness. Without thinking too deeply, what he was doing to me was nothing more than a perverted ploy to get a taste of a young boy’s backside. It had to be that.

I sat there for about fifteen minutes, letting out long, heavy sighs. Feeling a cramp in my leg, I straightened my knees to stand up when I heard the sound of someone entering. Immediately, the lights flickered on. My heart sank, wondering if it was Jang-bae. Damn it… The moment I covered my mouth to prevent any sound of breathing from leaking out, a voice rang out.

“Aren’t you coming out, you fucking bitch? I know you crawled in here, so get the fuck out now.”

It was Kang Moon-soo. The sound of him kicking the restroom door echoed repeatedly, and soon, the stall I was in was violently kicked. I felt the vibration through the wall I was leaning against, and my body flinched involuntarily.

Mine was the only locked stall. Kang Moon-soo spoke without hesitation.

“Open the door before I kick it down.”

“…Where is CEO Chu?”

“Wow, seriously.”

With only a door between us, Kang Moon-soo laughed as if it were absurd. The next moment, thump, the restroom door was kicked violently.

“I’m counting to three. One. Two.”

Son of a bitch, I cursed inwardly as I opened the door. One proper kick from him, and the door handle would have been ripped off. The handle, held in place by unstable screws, was exactly like my current situation. The moment I clicked the lock open, the door swung wide, and my neck was grabbed instantly. A face twisted in rage pushed me back against the wall. In the process, the wallet I was holding splashed right into the toilet.

“That’s three, you piece of shit.”

Kang Moon-soo spoke as he slammed the back of my head against the wall. I didn’t know why he was so angry, considering he must have won a fair amount of money thanks to CEO Chu. He shoved his distorted face close to mine.

“You piece of trash can ruin business, but there’s a limit. How could you not stand it and run away? Why? You trying to make the house close down?”

“….”

He must have been drinking; the smell of soju wafted from his breath. Kang Moon-soo’s hideous face was so close that it made me nauseous, and I turned my head away. At that, the grip on my neck tightened further. I began to suffocate.

“Fu… ck…”

“Just know that this son of a bitch is beyond pissed off.”

“…Move, you fuck— ugh!”

Just as I thought the hand strangling me was Read on Read BL Novelsletting go, he grabbed my bangs and slammed my head straight [stolen content]back into the wall with a unauthorized copyloud thud. Twisting my head, Kang Moon-soo looked down at me from a close distance and spat,

“I said it was a mistake, a mistake, you crazy bitch. A mistake!”

“Fu—”

“You fucking… what are you saving that for? Is it that hard to suck a dick once? You bitch, you’re fine putting anything else in your mouth, but you act like a cock is too dirty to suck!”

Then, Kang Moon-soo’s body pressed flush against mine. He clamped his hand over my mouth just as I tried to scream at him to get lost. He pressed his lips against the back of his own hand and spoke. His eyes were wild, like a madman. The words that followed were…

“I’ll keep it short. With this, your debt is now sixty million.”

“….”

“I told you I’m coming back tomorrow, so if you do that again… not a hundred million, but two hundred, three hundred. I’ll roll you into a fucking ball.”

“….”

I squeezed my eyes shut. I could feel his panting breath clearly on my face. …Kang Moon-soo was erect. The moment I realized that the hard thing pressing against me was his cock, a surge of nausea hit me. It was more disgusting and filthy than any other moment. Then, I heard Kim Jeong-suk’s voice from behind.

“Stop it and come out. It’ll be a problem if you leave a scratch on him.”

I kept my eyes tightly shut until Kang Moon-soo pulled away. I didn’t even breathe. I felt that if he sensed my breath, he might do something more.

Finally, “Fucking bitch…” Kang Moon-soo muttered and stepped back. As he withdrew his hand, he jerked my face around.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Kang Moon-soo’s back as he turned away. Before leaving the stall, he flushed the toilet with his foot. He must have noticed the wallet in the toilet. Whether it was luck or misfortune, the water pressure was incredibly weak, as if it were broken. I could only hear the sound of water filling up, but no stream shot out. I gritted my teeth and stared down at it.

Kang Moon-soo left, and Kim Jeong-suk entered. With a cigarette in her mouth, she fished out the wallet with her hand, seemingly unbothered by the filth, and handed it to me. When I didn’t take it, she pulled my hand and forced it into my grip. The water dripping off the leather pooled entirely in my palm. It was soaking wet. Just as I felt like vomiting, Kim Jeong-suk’s wet hand landed on my shoulder. She exhaled smoke like a sigh and spoke.

“Every bitch in debt lives like this. You aren’t the only special case. I was like that, your mother was like that, and all the unnies at our tea house live like this too.”

“….”

“But opportunities like yours don’t come often. Whether they have money or not, people usually just want to fuck a pussy for cheap.”

The voice emanating with the smoke was mechanical, typical of Kim Jeong-suk. There was no emotion. Since she also started by selling her body, she wouldn’t feel pity for my situation. The cigarette, barely smoked, dropped into the toilet.

“The cock chasing you isn’t just any cock; it’s Gimun. You probably don’t know where that is yet, so let me give you some advice. Wake up sooner. Got it?”

“….”

The words ‘Then you eat it’ rose up to my throat. But fearing that something other than words might burst out, I didn’t dare open my mouth. I just clenched my teeth. Kim Jeong-suk patted my shoulder, turned around, and left the stall. I heard the sound of the faucet running as she washed her hands.

The moment the water stopped, silence rushed back in. By then, the stench permeating the restroom had already become familiar to my nose.

Through the open restroom door, I saw Kim Jeong-suk leaving. Her steps on the dirty floor suddenly faltered.

“I didn’t mention this on purpose, but your mother called the day before yesterday.”

Kim Jeong-suk spoke to me without looking back.

“‘You bitch. You crazy bitch. Give me my money back, you piece of shit.’ Do you know what she said after that?”

“….”

“‘Where would I have money to give? Get it all from our Min-jo. Jeong-suk, you were like that back then too, weren’t you?’”

“….”

Words that weren’t surprising at all poured smoothly from Kim Jeong-suk’s mouth. It didn’t matter if Read on Read BL Novelsit was a lie or the truth. Whether it was [visit our site]a lie or truth, had there ever been a day when it wasn’t like that? I wiped the moisture from the wallet with the hem of my shirt and shoved it into my back pocket without even looking inside. Whether it was stained with piss or shit, money was money. As I looked for a cigarette, the final words fell from her invisible mouth.

“Rather than a woman like that… wouldn’t Chu Gi-oh, who spends money on you even like this, be a better human being? That’s what I think.”

Don’t be mistaken. The biggest animal is your mother. Listening to the sound of Kim Jeong-suk’s departing footsteps, I lit a cigarette. As I did, I sank into thought. Hmm… I nodded and muttered to myself. Well… maybe so.

A laugh burst out. Truly, it was a fucking miserable life.

Room 3 was a total wreck. The round table and chairs were all smashed, and the door was cracked, having been hit hard by something. Kim Min-chul told me while clicking his tongue that it was the work of the guy CEO Chu brought along. He said CEO Chu just sat quietly smoking and then suddenly stood up and left. Leaving only these words:

‘I’ll come back tomorrow.’

After taking charge of cleaning up the ruined room, I returned to the tea house around eight in the morning and tried to sleep. My body trembled. Even though the sunlight streaming through the warehouse window was hitting me directly, I felt a chilly shiver.

‘I said it was a mistake, a mistake, you crazy bitch. A mistake!’

They say three counts of patience can prevent a murder, but what happens when there are three mistakes… Did they say it invites murder?

I barely managed to fall asleep, but because of my unsettled mind, I had countless dreams. I dreamed of being slapped by CEO Chu, being forced to take his cock, and having my face slammed repeatedly into the toilet where my wallet had fallen. I woke up just as CEO Chu stripped off my pants and was about to force his cock into me. And immediately, a wave of immense regret washed over me. Maybe I should have just followed him quietly when he was being nice. Then, as he said, he might have handled me gently.

I spent the whole day pouring water into my parched throat before heading to the house around seven in the evening. unauthorized copyMy fingers [visit our site]trembled so [unauthorized copy]much while entering the passcode that I had to re-enter it twice.

The inside was still quiet. Only one room, Room 5, was in operation. Kim Min-chul was opening Bacchus drinks for the guests, and Kang Moon-soo, Kim Jeong-suk, and Yoo Gi-cheol were sitting in the end room talking. When I entered to deliver cigarettes, everyone’s mouths shut simultaneously. It was obvious they had been talking about me or CEO Chu. As I turned after placing the pack of cigarettes on the table, Yoo Gi-cheol spoke.

“Hey. You.”

“Yes?”

When I turned to answer, Yoo Gi-cheol crumpled something and threw it at my chest. It landed on the top of my foot—two ten-thousand won bills.

“Tips. Let’s do this right. Don’t pull another stunt like yesterday. Got it?”

“….”

“Did you hear me or not?”

“…Yes.”

Despite being a figurehead president, Yoo Gi-cheol spoke as if it were his own shop, and he threw another bill at me. This time, it hit my forehead instead of my chest. Then, he scowled and lowered his voice.

“If I hear that a mess was [unauthorized copy]made in the shop [visit our site]one more time, you’re dead and I’m dead. Got it?”

“….”

Without answering, I just picked up the money, gave a short bow, and left the room. Yoo Gi-cheol’s nasty voice echoed behind me.

“Look at that, Jeong-suk. He doesn’t even answer just because I nagged him a bit. Agh, damn it! If I had the temper for it, I would’ve beaten him to death already.”

Since he was smaller than me, hearing him say such things didn’t even feel unpleasant. I stepped out and stood in the hallway, unfolding the money I received, when I heard Kim Jeong-suk’s voice soothing Yoo Gi-cheol.

“Aigoo, when was that kid ever soft-spoken? He’s always been like that, Oppa needs to be understanding. Oh, by the way, has there been any separate contact from CEO Chu’s side? If he left the place a mess, he should at least show some courtesy.”

I paused while pulling the wallet—which I had scrubbed with soap, dried vigorously with a towel, and let air-dry all day—out of my back pocket. Naturally, my ears tuned into their conversation.

“Around ten this morning, some subordinate gave a quick call and said, ‘Whatever happened yesterday, we’ll compensate for everything, so just open the doors a bit early.’ That’s all he said. Those sons of bitches. I guess they were hoping we wouldn’t charge them? How can they say something so obvious.”

“Make sure you get the money right. Don’t just take the damage fee; calculate everything, including the days we couldn’t take guests. Why give a break just because it’s Gimun? Moon-soo, right?”

“You and Noona handle that. I just want to play cards with that guy.”

Following Kang Moon-soo’s indifferent reply, Yoo Gi-cheol spoke.

“Jeong-suk is a hundred percent right! Does he shit gold or something? He just keeps shitting black as hell. There’s nothing great about him. But, do I have to be the one to say that?”

“Then who’s going to say it? You’re the president here, Oppa.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Aigoo, aigoo, you idiots. Just shut your mouths. Listening to their exchange, a laugh escaped me involuntarily. If I could bet on whether those guys could actually pull off such a thing, I would bet my entire fortune. Not just my fortune, but even the organs in my belly. They act so tough when they can’t even say a word. If anything, Kang Moon-soo, who quietly avoids things he’s not confident in, was the most honest among them.

Chuckling softly, I opened my wallet and stuffed in the crumpled thirty thousand won. With this, the total amount in my wallet was 2.43 million won. Despite it being the first time I’d held such a large sum, my heart didn’t race. Because neither I, nor those having filthy conversations in the room, nor perhaps Chu Gi-oh himself, knew what form CEO Chu’s ‘sincerity’ inside the wallet would take when it turned on me today.

While I was suffering mentally, their trivial conversation continued without end.

“Ah, but that guy is fucking terrible at cards. He acts like he’s so great, but look at how much money he threw away.”

As Kang Moon-soo giggled, Kim Jeong-suk spoke as if she were a god who knew everything.

“I expected that from the start. Think about it, where would he have time to play cards? He’s too busy playing with the size of his cock. Seeing him throw money around at something he has no talent for just to get a taste of Min-jo… he’s a total psycho, a total psycho.”

Idiots, that’s not it. Though ‘total psycho’ is correct.

“Anyway, Moon-soo, you just play along and quietly play the cards. In a way, it’s a blessing in disguise.”

“Blessing my ass. It’s a curse, fuck.”

It was a conversation not worth hearing; I left the spot, knowing that listening further would only dirty my ears. While it might make me laugh to keep eavesdropping, it would only make my heart heavier.

Eight-thirty. I was on my way out after serving coffee in Room 1. CEO Chu, with the massive Jang-bae trailing behind him, entered the shop. Kim Min-chul, who opened the door, swallowed hard and quickly stepped aside.

“Huu…”

As I stood there frozen, CEO Chu, with a fierce look in his eyes, strode toward me and grabbed the back of my neck without a word. His hand was so large that it gripped my entire neck.

“P-President…!”

CEO Chu dragged me into Room 2 as if he were going to slam me into something. The lips that had smiled frequently yesterday were now firmly shut.

Inside Room 2, the same players from yesterday were already gathered. Kim Jeong-suk, Kang Moon-soo, President Park, and President Ko. They all stared at me as I was dragged in by CEO Chu. Their expressions were all the same; there was no hint of pity, only faces anticipating today’s play. Disgusting people with filthy expressions filled with thoughts of filling their own bellies. I wondered if a cow or pig felt this way before slaughter.

CEO Chu roughly shoved me into a chair with stiff, wooden steps and sat down beside me. The strength of the grip on my neck was unauthorized copyterrifying. The anger he felt toward me was unauthorized copychanneled directly into his fingertips. My heart was pounding so hard that I felt I would die from it bursting rather than from being strangled. Kang Moon-soo’s shout repeated in my ears like a siren. ‘I said it was a mistake, a mistake, you crazy bitch. A mistake!’

“Welcome. It’s even better to see you again. I hope you got home safe yesterday.”

President Park took off his hat and greeted CEO Chu first.

“Seeing you leave like that yesterday… I was a bit worried… How was it, did you get some sleep? Is your condition alright?”

“You’re not my wife, nor my child, so why is President Park worrying? What’s the point of mixing personal feelings? Right?”

As he replied with a look of annoyance, a strong force was applied to the fingertips gripping my neck. His fingers dug into my flesh as if carving into it.

“Y-you’re right. I was short-sighted. I’ve learned another lesson today. Haha.”

President Park laughed awkwardly, his face flushed, and glanced at Jang-bae standing behind us. Like me, a thin bead of cold sweat seemed to have formed on President Park’s forehead. But the one dying was me. It was because CEO Chu’s grip was growing stronger. He hit a pressure point, making my head go numb and my vision begin to darken. To keep from collapsing, I widened my eyes and gripped the blue tablecloth with both hands. CEO Chu continued to pressure me and spoke dryly.

“Let’s begin.”

Then, as if he had more to say, President Park cleared his throat and rubbed his palms together. President Park’s smirking face began to blur and fade from my sight.

“Um, CEO Chu. There’s something I’d like to say before we start.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s nothing much, but I’d like to raise the stakes a bit… about three times what it was yesterday.”

“Thirty thousand won?”

“Yes. I’ve already agreed with everyone sitting here; we just need CEO Chu to agree. How about it, is that alright?”

Black dots began to cover my vision, and President Park’s voice grew distant. The moment a small groan escaped my lips, CEO Chu let go of the back of my neck and suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulder. As I swayed from the sudden release, he pulled my body flush against him and spoke.

“Go ahead. It’ll be more fun to see him squirm.”