Three Eight-Chapter 52

“The shirt... Hongju-ssi, isn’t it way too big?”

“It is big.”

When Hongju nodded, Doksu quickly picked out a different outfit.

It was a black turtleneck knit sweater that could cover his entire neck.

In the end, Hongju swapped out the padded jacket he practically wore as a second skin and stepped out into the hallway wearing Doksu’s sweater instead.

“Ten minutes left. Doksu, go move your car and show up late after driving around a bit.”

The once quiet House was now scattered with a few gamblers lingering in the halls.

Leaving it completely empty would’ve looked strange, so they had clearly called in a few familiar faces to act as spectators.

“Got ittt~”

“Tsk, hold on a second.”

Guppping paced in circles around the desk, visibly anxious.

If you looked closely, the hand he was running through his hair was trembling.

“Your hand’s shaking. Let Chief Yang do it.”

Hongju spoke as he sat down, and immediately, Guppping’s sharp glare snapped toward him.

“Shut up. That guy’s just waiting for a chance to screw Doksu over.

If we let him in this time, who knows what kind of shit he’ll pull.

He’s just window dressing for this round.”

Guppping’s dull eyes flashed with warning.

The tension between the two had started up again.

While Guppping trusted and favored Doksu too much, Chief Yang was clearly jealous.

Hongju simply nodded without picking a side.

In his experience, Doksu was better than Chief Yang,

but showing that would only get him caught in the crossfire.

Soon, the sound of a car pulling up could be heard.

Guppping perked up and straightened his clothes.

Before long, Jaehee appeared, leading a group of men.

“It’s so out of the way, no way I’d have found it on my own.”

“I heard the boss likes to play quietly.

This place’s for VIPs only—super quiet, helps you focus on your hand.”

Guppping shook hands with one of the men, clearly trying to look welcoming.

“I’ve barely picked up the cards, and I’m already getting VIP treatment?”

The large man in the middle let out a booming laugh.

He was clearly dressed in expensive clothes, and his fingers and wrists glittered with accessories.

Exactly the type Guppping loved.

Three burly men followed behind him.

Just looking at them was intimidating—they had an aura that even Guppping’s gangsters or Choi couldn’t compete with.

“A man of your stature coming out—this is the least we can do.”

“Think today’s game will be fun?

Last time, I raked in so much I almost felt bad.”

As Hongju quietly watched the group’s exchange, his eyes met Jaehee’s.

She gave a sly wink and smiled.

Her lips were colored like the back of a hwatu card, curving into a beautiful crescent.

Hongju gave a stiff nod and averted his eyes.

“Our boss here’s ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) been itching to play ever since he faced Guppping.

Says he can still see the cards flashing behind his eyelids.

So have some fun with him, okay?”

Jaehee added with a playful tone, and the man let out another hearty laugh.

“Just a few days ago, some slippery bastard showed up and flipped the whole table.

Totally ruined my mood.

Guess it’ll be different with Guppping and Jaehee here today, huh?”

He must’ve gotten scammed before, and pretty badly—

his guard was clearly up.

But Guppping, as always, smiled with his snake-like face and ran his mouth.

“There are plenty of pros in this neighborhood, but this place?

Only clean hands show up here.

This is a Class A clean zone.

The players you picked from the list are all A-grade too.

It’s almost time. Let’s go inside and warm up a bit.”

Guppping led the way, with Jaehee and the man following behind.

Hongju grabbed a water bottle and walked behind them.

The man’s caution didn’t ease up even inside the room.

He cleared the table and instructed that the mat Hongju brought be laid out on the floor.

Once the mat was down and the cards were set,

he designated spots for Guppping and Jaehee to sit.

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“Hey, uncle.”

“Yes?”

At the rough voice, Hongju straightened up from where he was setting down a tray.

Maybe it was because he’d taken off his padded jacket,

but the House felt especially cold today.

“Open any bottles or cans in front of us. No exceptions.”

“Yes.”

The man gave Hongju a once-over, then grinned.

“Not bad, the one serving drinks here.”

The disgust crawled up from his toes.

Hongju almost cursed, but he bit the inside of his cheek and endured.

Not long after, the players and Doksu entered the House.

After brief greetings, the players went over the rules and immediately opened the hwatu deck the mark had brought.

Three or four of Guppping’s planted spectators hovered nearby.

Any other game and they would’ve stepped right in,

but the mark’s wariness was high enough that they waited until his permission before entering the room.

“Ah! Fuck, lost again!”

Hongju stood near the door, silently observing the flow of the game.

It was a big match—100,000 won per point—

but no one seemed particularly nervous.

“Ah, thank you, boss.”

At first, they were stiff, but after a few rounds, things heated up.

Maybe because the pros were mixed in,

but the game flowed just as Guppping had planned.

The mark won and lost money in just the right rhythm,

and occasionally, someone would borrow cash from Jaehee.

“Ugh, why am I so sleepy. Pretty, could you run a coffee errand?”

“Sure, I’ll go get it.”

Jaehee pulled a card from her bag.

Hongju, whose throat was already dry from the cigarette smoke, welcomed the excuse and took the card.

“The old guys’ll drink whatever they’re given, right?

They’re at the denture-wearing age, so something hot?”

“What the hell, calling me denture man now?”

“Oppa, yeah right. Just give these guys anything warm. I’ll have a cold Americano.”

Hongju glanced inside and counted heads, then slipped out of the room.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his padded jacket out of habit and walked a long stretch down the dark road.

By the time he returned to the House, carrying the carrier with his cracked-red hands, he spotted a familiar car among the unfamiliar ones.

“That’s President Mu-gyeong’s car.”

It was the first time seeing it since that day.

Guppping probably hadn’t called him.

Hongju looked up at the single lit square window.

Light leaked out, but no silhouettes could be seen.

Mu-gyeong often looked out that window... but not now, apparently.

As he turned to move on, Hongju came to a halt.

“...What difference does it make, even if I see him?”

He couldn’t help but be conscious of Mu-gyeong and get swayed like this.

He wasn’t supposed to keep getting pulled in.

Their relationship was just that—Mu-gyeong paid down his debt and gave him orders.

He had even said that if Hongju did what he was told, he’d pull him out of the House.

Even if Mu-gyeong gave a little more, at best he was just a benefactor.

Hongju reminded himself not to overreach, not to hope for anything,

just to earn what he was paid for.

“Phew...”

Only after taking a deep breath did he step back into the building.

Mu-gyeong was already there, as if he’d been part of the group from the start.

Instead of sitting on the floor, he was perched on the windowsill.

He was sitting like that—so why hadn’t he noticed him earlier?

As Hongju had that thought, Mu-gyeong gave a subtle wink with one eye.

He’d done the same thing the first time they met.

A wink, in a situation like this?

Frowning at once, Hongju bent his knees.

“Coffee.”

“Thank you, thank you. Everyone, grab your cup.”

As Hongju laid out the coffee, each person picked up their own.

One of the onlookers had slipped out, so the extra cup went to Mu-gyeong.

Hongju folded up the empty carrier and turned to leave.

“Pretty boy, not drinking?”

Even though he’d bought it himself, he still didn’t want to consume anything inside the House.

He gave a small nod and started to head out, but a hand caught his waist.

“It’s been a while. Aren’t you gonna say a proper hello?”

“...What kind of hello?”

When he tried to pull away, Mu-gyeong tugged him in harder.

His thin body couldn’t even resist and was pulled right in, ending up standing between Mu-gyeong’s legs.

His back suddenly felt hot for no reason.

Hongju hurriedly tried to shake off the arm wrapped around his waist,

but Mu-gyeong’s grip didn’t loosen easily.

“What the hell are you two doing? Show some respect for us lonely folks.”

“Leave them. They’ve got a thing.”

Guppping stuck out his pinky finger in a mocking gesture,

but Mu-gyeong didn’t deny it.

He simply leaned his forehead against Hongju’s back and laughed.

Ha...

The soft vibration rippled through Hongju’s thin frame.

“......”

This act of pretending to be close—wasn’t it time to stop?

He confused people like this, but when it came down to it, he’d never give Hongju what he really asked for.

He’d act like Hongju meant something, but all he really wanted was sex.

Looking down at the strong arm still wrapped around his waist, Hongju swallowed back the surge of emotion.

“Oh wow, really? Fuck, it’s my first time seeing a homo.”

Jaehee exclaimed, covering her mouth in mock surprise.

The mood turned increasingly uncomfortable.

All eyes in the room turned toward Hongju and Mu-gyeong.

Even the bodyguards at the entrance frowned in disgust.

He could tolerate looks like that,

but the way the mark stared at him with gleaming eyes after hearing “homo” made his skin crawl.

Biting the tender flesh beneath his lip, Hongju averted his gaze from that lingering stare.

“Don’t just stare, keep your eyes on your cards.”

Still leaning against Hongju’s back, Mu-gyeong spoke in a low voice.

Tap, tap—

The sound of card shuffling resumed, breaking the brief pause.

“Focus! Cards are going out now!”

Doksu called attention back and gave the deck a few more shuffles.

He laid out eight cards on the floor and distributed each player’s hand.

As the others refocused on their game, Hongju shoved away Mu-gyeong’s arm.

Only then did the hand fall away willingly.

“......”

Hongju glanced over his shoulder.

Mu-gyeong lifted his brows slightly, like he was waiting to hear something.

His face showed no emotion, like nothing had happened.

Hongju opened his mouth as if to speak, catching his breath—

but swallowed the words.

His bruised neck still ached stiffly.

As he tried to step out from between Mu-gyeong’s legs,

he suddenly felt a finger slip beneath the collar at his neck.

The turtleneck was pulled slightly down,

Mu-gyeong’s gaze settling on the skin as if confirming something.

“So that’s why you covered up. Still not gone yet, huh.”

The whisper against his back made Hongju bristle.

Of course it hadn’t faded—after how hard he’d choked him.

He shifted to dodge the touch and quickly left the room.

Mu-gyeong didn’t stop him.

Standing silently near the doorway, enduring the continued glances from the bodyguards,

Hongju felt the atmosphere in the room subtly change.

“Ah, fuck. This shit won’t match!”

Guppping cursed out loud.

The excitement in his voice from earlier, when he’d been shouting “Go!” was completely gone.