Three Eight-Chapter 21

In the center of the table, the pile of bets had formed a small mound. Mu-gyeong, who had been lightly tapping the table with his fingertips, casually pushed the stack of bills forward with the back of his hand. Even that small movement was clean, without any unnecessary gestures.

"I'll call too."

After the round of betting had completed, Mu-gyeong dealt out another card to each player. Hongju continued to stare at his fingertips.

"What? Afraid I might slip a card from the bottom?"

Sensing the gaze, Mu-gyeong smirked. His movements were slow as he placed a card down in front of Hongju.

"......Do you even know how to do that?"

"If I wanted to, I would."

The casual tone made Hongju instinctively lift his gaze, only to lock eyes with Yang Siljang sitting across from him. But the man seemed unbothered by Mu-gyeong’s words. Showing his gold tooth, he clicked his tongue against his teeth as he checked his cards. Then, just like earlier, he knocked over a pile of cash.

"Let's add another thousand!"

"Ah, fuck, where the hell did my Jangtteung go? This damn blue card came in instead. I'm out."

Doksu tossed his hand and dropped out of the game.

"......."

As long as it wasn’t an April card. Anything but an April card. Muttering to himself, Hongju hesitated before finally checking his hand. Fortunately, it was a game he was certain to lose. That made it easier to place his bet without hesitation.

"I’ll call."

Next was Mu-gyeong’s turn. But once again, he neither placed a bet nor folded. The silence disrupted the flow, making Hongju, who had been staring at his red hwatu card, glance sideways.

Their eyes met again. Mu-gyeong, his lips curled slightly, had his gaze firmly fixed on Hongju. Only then did he finally place his bet.

"I’ll follow."

Once Mu-gyeong had also bet, the three remaining players flipped their cards. Hongju was the first to reveal his—two points. Yang Siljang, who followed, had seven points. Thinking he had the upper hand, he grinned, flashing his gold tooth.

"My guess is that Boss Mu-gyeong has... three points?"

With an arrogant smirk, he jerked his chin at Mu-gyeong, signaling for him to reveal his hand. Hongju also narrowed his eyes and stared at Mu-gyeong’s hwatu cards. The bright red cards had been obscured by his large hand, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} but now they flipped over, revealing their image.

"Holy shit, it’s Saeryuk."

A combination of an April strip card and a June blue card, totaling higher than Yang Siljang’s seven points. Doksu let out an exaggerated laugh, clearly mocking Yang Siljang.

"Who the hell bets two thousand on seven points?"

"Ah, fuck!"

Yang Siljang slammed his fist onto the table, cursing under his breath. The table jolted slightly, sending the pile of bills sliding.

Despite winning a large sum, Mu-gyeong made no particular comment. He merely gathered his winnings in silence. This time, Hongju didn’t need to be told—he instinctively started organizing the pot. Mu-gyeong, shuffling the cards slowly, reached across the stack of money toward Hongju.

"Pretty boy, why don’t you cut the deck?"

"......."

The words were low and laced with amusement, unmistakably clear. Since he was sitting to Hongju’s right, there was no way he could have misheard. The upward tilt of his lips made it obvious he was teasing. Yet, in that brief moment, Hongju found himself holding his breath and looking away.

"......I’ll pass."

His voice wavered foolishly at the end. Instead of squeezing his eyes shut, he clenched his hands tightly over his thighs. The atmosphere at the table had shifted into something peculiar, different from mere tension.

Even as the game continued, Mu-gyeong seemed more interested in Hongju than in his own cards. Whether shuffling, betting, or organizing his stack of money, his gaze followed Hongju’s every move with unnerving precision. At first, it felt like surveillance. But soon, Hongju realized that the relentless eyes weren’t just fixed on his hands—they lingered on his face. He struggled not to look away.

"Maybe it’s because this place used to be a motel, but the atmosphere is downright sleazy."

Yang Siljang chuckled, reading the strange tension in the air. Hongju pretended not to hear and flipped over his next card. August.

He estimated his remaining funds by eye. Despite betting recklessly in an attempt to lose, he still had more money left than expected. This round, he needed to take a loss. When his turn came, he grabbed a thick stack of bills and tossed it into the center.

"I’ll call and raise by five."

"Yo, Hongju must have a light card this time."

Yang Siljang grinned, flashing his gold tooth, but Hongju ignored him and focused on Mu-gyeong’s hands. As expected, Mu-gyeong matched his bet.

"Call."

Before long, the amount in front of Mu-gyeong had nearly equaled Hongju’s stack. Since Hongju couldn’t just go all in and drop out without a fight, it was time for Yang Siljang and Doksu to start making their moves. A sudden wave of unease made him swallow dryly.

"Alright, I’m in too."

This round belonged to Yang Siljang. As the heavy sound of money being dragged across the table filled the room, Hongju quietly covered his right ear.

Thump, thump. Instead of the familiar ringing, he could hear only the loud pounding of his heartbeat. The reason wasn’t hard to figure out.

"......."

It was because Mu-gyeong kept doing things that threw him off. Hongju pulled his chair back, putting more distance between them.

"Haha."

A low, rumbling chuckle followed. Hongju pressed his hands tighter against his ears, fixing his gaze on the bright red hwatu cards that shuffled chaotically under Yang Siljang’s palm.

"More fun than you expected, huh?"

"Well, I guess."

"Everyone ends up holding their cards like that. What do you say? Should we keep this going until sunrise with this crew? Oh... but maybe Boss Mu-gyeong will run out of cash."

The words carried a thinly veiled taunt, carefully needling at him. Mu-gyeong checked his remaining money with a casual nod, and at the same time, Hongju furrowed his brows.

"How much do you think it takes to come prepared?"

Yang Siljang grinned, flashing his gold tooth as he pulled out a cigarette. They must have worked some trick into that last round. Hongju instinctively sensed the shift in the air.

"Boss Mu-gyeong, you sure have good sportsmanship. Even when you’re getting completely cleaned out, not a single complaint."

It was a roundabout way of calling Mu-gyeong an easy mark—someone who didn’t react even when losing large sums, someone who casually tossed money onto the table without hesitation. Mu-gyeong chuckled lightly, then tapped his stack of bills with his fingertips.

"The stakes are too low to be exciting. Why don’t we make this a little more fun?"

Hongju shut his eyes tightly. The current stakes were already high. Doksu was a seasoned player, and Yang Siljang had the kind of quick hands that put him on par with professional gamblers in big games. Two of those types in the same round, with bets starting at a hundred? A single heat could push the pot into the hundreds of millions. Why was he provoking them like that? Hongju bit down on his split lip.

"Hmm, what would make it fun for Boss Mu-gyeong?"

Yang Siljang bit down on his cigarette filter and smirked.

"You have to wager something for it to be fun."

A dangerous thought crossed Hongju’s mind. What if Mu-gyeong was about to say something reckless again, like last time? These men would take anything as long as it was valuable. But Mu-gyeong remained as relaxed as ever, not even acknowledging Hongju’s glance.

"What should we put on the line? Ah. How about Mu-gyeong’s car? You know people stop just to look when it rolls up?"

Yang Siljang, still holding his cards in one hand, immediately responded to the provocation.

"Forget that boring stuff. How about this instead?"

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Mu-gyeong tapped just below his right eye.

"......What?"

The movement of Yang Siljang’s hands, which had been shuffling the cards, came to an abrupt halt. A cold silence settled over the table. The loud chatter from beyond the hallway suddenly felt distant, muffled.

His uncovered right eye locked onto Mu-gyeong with a frigid glare. But Mu-gyeong, still smiling, simply tapped the cards Yang Siljang was holding.

"If you don’t like it, we can call it even."

The cigarette clenched between Yang Siljang’s teeth trembled slightly. So did his hand gripping the cards. Sparks practically flew from his one remaining eye, as though he was about to flip the table and throw a punch.

"Let’s just play."

Hongju hastily threw down a hundred-thousand-won bundle, breaking the tense atmosphere. Doksu, sensing an opportunity, blurted out something to lighten the mood.

"Give it to me! Give it to me! I’ll cut the deck. But Hongju, aren’t you going to end up totally cleaned out? Didn’t Mijin-noona tell you to triple it back?"

Doksu forcibly pulled Yang Siljang’s arm closer and swiped a few cards from his hand. Watching this unfold, Hongju glanced awkwardly at Mu-gyeong. But Mu-gyeong merely shrugged and placed his bet as if nothing had happened.

Yang Siljang dealt the cards noticeably slower than before.

"Well, well. Looks like you guys are having a good time."

Right on cue, Guppping stepped into the room. His gaze swept across the table before he gave Doksu’s shoulder a firm squeeze. His greasy eyes lingered on the pile of cash beside Doksu.

"Even without tricks, a pro is still a pro. Doksu here is raking in the winnings."

He spoke loudly, completely ignoring Yang Siljang’s rigid expression. As Yang Siljang placed four cards onto the table in sequence, each player reached for their respective hands. Without even checking his cards, Doksu exaggerated his movements, cracking his neck and shoulders.

Mu-gyeong better not pull anything reckless in this round. Hongju was still worrying about that when he reached for his hwatu cards to flip them over. But before he could, Yang Siljang, who had been patting down his shirt as if searching for something, suddenly spoke.

"Hongju, got a lighter?"

"......Huh?"

Doksu, who had been stretching his neck, turned to look at Hongju. Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened in shock, and he hastily flipped over his hand.

‘Just use a six-point hand to scoop up the pot. When Yang Siljang deals and asks the person with the six-point hand if they have a lighter, that’s the signal.’

Hongju quickly flipped over the cards he had hidden under his palm.

"......."

Why was the June card in his hand?

This round was supposed to be Doksu’s to win.